Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

795. With A Heavy Heart

< It remembers how cold her hands must have felt >

< “You slapped my hands away. I’m sorry. What can I do so you can forgive me?” >

< Her existence wanes >

< It was better that she was forgotten after all >

< [Forget me (not)] >

< The Cognition Scrambler… it works on Corrupted? No… Lailah clarifies that it’s her ‘Ego’. This Dirge was built around it. As much as she resembles a Corrupted, it’s not accurate to call her one >

< It’s her Ego manifested through the Genesis Stone. The Dirge itself must have allowed it to return prior to the resonance >

< And… I think we now know why Iscario’s hand felt so cold when he touched you >

“Ilya was plagued by that same weakness of the Healers!” Iscario proclaimed as a light-blue ring glowed.

| Infusion E – Euthymia |

< EFFECT: Forcibly controls the user’s emotional state. Cannot lower an emotional state. Stolen Atelier technology >

< Meaning that while his emotional state is risen, the emotions he’s experiencing is decreased >

“Ilya. I nearly cursed. Your name can’t be spoken in vain. If Ilya had to resort to giving her life away, then the Healers must have the same conviction to do the same. Wouldn’t you agree, Amalgam? Healers are selfless in nature. What good is a hen that can’t lay eggs? Healers are the same. Value can come from their flesh!”

Another ring glowed. Faint strings ran across the world like a giant web. They converged on Iscario’s body. It was like looking at a spider that sat in the center of its web.

| Web of the Moirai |

< EFFECT: Make predictions up to 15 seconds into the future so long as the events transpire within your web >

“You would have been the only resource if you hadn’t escaped! The fault has always lied with you, Amalgam!”

A convergence of spears struck precisely where Iscario envisioned Frost to be 15 seconds into the future as the scenery changed. The scape of a medieval-fantasy city surrounded them. Massive stone bridges ran overhead. Distant mountains towered above the clouds.

Iscario was still over a hundred meters in the air. His spears struck the earth as he rejoiced with a wicked smile. However, that smile quickly disappeared as the air surged above him. Frost was never where he was looking.

He was simply looking at the last place she was in his ‘web’.

“You could have kept it to just me… It could’ve been just between our groups…”

Frost’s voice hung with agonizing ardor. She hovered meters above him. She had used the 15 seconds of cover to climb a neighboring bridge, and then flung herself upwards using an [Amplified] version of [Thermal Propagation].

|| Detonation ||

< EFFECT : Create immense thermal explosions within your palms. Deal 10,000 MAG ATT damage >

< NEX: 44,950,541 >

“But you dragged others into this. If it was all my fault, then why are the Healers involved?”

Her voice temporarily spoke in his head. Frost was driven to the brink of madness. The scenery of a civilization falling to their carnage was alone enough to allow her to manifest Civilization as the Third State.

< The Third State has manifested as Civilization >

< Borrowing the Unique Skills of the Heart of Ours >

< UNIQUE | PASSIVE: Determined >

< Aspirations brim with the light of stars. Even in our desolate world of darkness, he warned that we must carry the resolve to embrace our hearts, less they drag us down and drown us in a sea of fruitless ambition >

< EFECT: Grant the Determined Condition onto allies within 100 meters of you and the False Heart >

< UNIQUE | PASSIVE: False Heart >

< No one could hear the heartbeats within themselves any longer. It all resounded from beyond. From somewhere indescribable. But they knew that it never belonged to them >

< EFFECT: Enemies within 500 meters of the False Heart are immediately challenged with their aspirations. Failure will result in the formation of the Suppressed. Suppressed will form within a 1km proximity of the False heart when incapable of withstanding Aspirating Aspirations >

< ADDITIONAL EFFECT: Suppressed will emerged with an Aspirator straight from their chests. The more that exist, the larger the area of effect Aspirating Aspirations becomes. All Heart of Ours Skills are free of cost. The False Heart will automatically apply all Skills >

Iscario was frozen in midair as he babbled to himself. It was not due to him Corrupting. Rather, it was because of a Corrupted Skill.

< PASSIVE: Aspirating Aspirations >

< Grasp it. Or risk drowning in a sea of fruitless ambition >

< EFFECT: All those considered enemies will be challenged by their aspirations when their emotional state reaches critical levels >

This was applied to Iscario instantly when the False Heart emerged.

The light of the afternoon sun was blocked out by a colossal heart. It was attached to Frost’s chest via an umbilical-cord like chain of flesh.

“IF KINDNESS IS THE WEAKNESS OF HEALERS!”

Despite its size and its weight, Frost was able to twirl it around her. Then, like a reckoning hammer, she brought it down on the vulnerable Iscario.

“THEN THEY CAN KEEP THAT WEAKNESS TILL THE VERY END!”

The shockwave of the impact alone could be felt kilometres away. It parted the clouds as Frost brought him down along with her heart. It was as though the virtue of her heart was overpowering Iscario’s, and he could not lift a finger to resist it.

Avalanches rumbled in the distance alps. The shockwave echoed back just as Iscario was crushed under the sheer weight of the False Heart. Frost’s emotions did not stop climbing, and before long, the outlines of a crimson halo formed around her scalp.

“THE TWINS!”

She threw him a hundred meters backwards with a single punch and gave chase. [Prejudice], and all manners of magic were used along the way. The shadowy apparitions of people were devoured in her wake, supplying her with much needed Mana.

“THE WANDERING HEALERS!”

She followed it up with an assault of [Armor Piercing] and [Double Punch] as Iscario tried to take back control over the fight. What emotions or thought plagued him were easily overcome, which was why he was able to recover so quickly.

In this instant Frost knew that attempting to Corrupt Iscario would only result in him gaining a Corrupted Persona.

| Justica Arms – Execution |

Frost had to dodge at her distance. However, she propelled herself forward contrary to expectations. Since the [Web of the Moirai] Skill failed, Iscario had to apply logic to Frost’s actions.

However, logic was lost on her. Rarely was a there a moment where Frost would back down to preserve her life. It was an action that conveyed to Iscario that she would rather die for her cause.

“You’re not supposed to do that!” Iscario howled through clenched teeth.