237. A New Moon

237. A New Moon

The figure was like the Impuritas Abomination, or the Exalted who grew nonsensical features. Feathers on a wolf Demi-human was unheard of. The amalgamation of Avian characteristics and canine threw a wrench into the minds of all present. An aura of superiority accompanied the figure, with an odd elegance that failed to match her spiteful eyes.

Disbelief poisoned the Midnight Collection Team as they scrambled to reassess the situation, with the Arachnid leading with cries such as: “The situation hasn’t changed! If it’s a Corrupted, then all the better to leave it –!”

A second slash forced the Red Giant to fling herself away as the naked figure dashed towards their captured duo, her slashes severing the tethers that imprisoned them. Sparks exploded as invisible claws tore the ground apart, drawing a line between them and the Midnight Team.

“… Ber…” Res whispered, her shoulders drooping as she gazed up at the back of the one she wanted to see the most.

“We’ll talk after.” Ber didn’t turn to look at her sister’s weeping face. Her voice was serene. Sincere, and gentle, and it only caused Res’ tears to drip harder by her scratched, tattered knees. “Cause right now, I wanna crush them!”

There was much Ber wanted to say as well, and the dying warmth of her sister caused her giant left claw to generate sparks as she glared at the ensemble of Moons and their managerial Star who took precaution seeing that this entity’s AGI was much higher than theirs.

They would be correct.

Ber

Galvanized Claw

NAME : Ber

HP : 120,000

MP : 30,000

AGI : 65

RESIST : 200

AGE : 43

ATT : 4,500

MAG ATT : 4,500

O : 200

D : 150

ORIGIN : Demi-Human (Wolf)

ATT DEF : 2,500

MAG DEF : 2,500

S : 50

E : 210

Nav could see everything Ber possessed. From her abilities to her skills, Ber has successfully been integrated into Frost’s Blessing. Her Salvation had additionally bolstered her stats by a significant margin, but Ber wondered if this was maybe the result of the body she had prevented herself from attaining…

It could be. I’m feeling light. Bolder. Feels weird to walk but everything feels so much better. So this is the real me!

These stats were, very likely, her true stats had she allowed herself to grow. Relinquishment could not begin to describe her state. Euphoria flooded her, melding with her driven hostility as an unknown prompt appeared before her.

“Hey voice! Nav! How do I use this thing then!?” Ber shouted, surprising the Midnight Team immensely.

“Didn’t that Corrupted just speak!? Again!?” One shouted, recoiling as the electric tether returned, melting their metal gauntlets.

“… That sounds so fucking awesome…” Ber hissed with excitement.

Her body functioned on instinct alone.

Unlike Frost, there was no need for Nav to babysit to hold her hand through the process. It was akin to using her electrical magic, which was a gut feeling an a pins and needles-like tingle that ran throughout her blood. This was no different. Rather, this required nothing but pure emotions and sheer willpower to wield.

She felt like if she lost concertation for even a second, then she would be devoured by the aspects of The Black Swan. But it did nothing to dissuade her from using it. Rather, she thought of it as wielding a double-edged blade, and she reveled in it.

“A Corrupted hatched from that indestructible egg?” The Arachnid spoke, frozen in disbelief. “No change in plans. Recover the Moons. Failure will result in severe punishment.”

“Manager! But it’s affiliated with them! And it’s a Corrupted capable of speech! Not unheard of, but it doesn’t look like it’ll let us get through without a fig–!” Before the Dragonid could finish speaking, Ber, the so called Corrupted, dragged the giant wing far behind her and, with pure spite, swung her wing with monstrous might.

A monsoon was generated by the wingbeat, blasting before her like an explosion as she closed the gap with the Dragonid, her blade striking her first before the tip of her claws impaled her chest like a trident.

“This – It’s penetrated the shell…?” She croaked.

Blood Moon

ATT DEF : 2,500     HP : 45,000 | 19,000     MAG DEF : 2,000

Ber dealt both ATT and MAG ATT damage simultaneously, inflicting 4,500 damage in total much to the Dragonid’s despair. The damage was insane, and in their mind this confirmed that Ber was at least a Corrupted of the Eternal Night Risk Class.

It was clear that they were ill equipped to deal with such a monstrosity. To begin with, they did not possess fine-tuned Atelier Items like the triplets. The Collection Teams were the weakest unit in all of Scarlet Logic, and their tasks were self-explanatory. In this instance, they were only equipped to deal with a Moon.

The Unstable Capturer was bound to kill them first before Ber did the longer this fight dragged on.

“Manager this, mission that – I can’t wait until Frost ruins that fucking replicating tech to put the fear of death back into you Blood Moons!” Ber shouted, running her mouth as she began to spread her claws outward, slowly tearing at the Dragonid who clutched at her claws, staring into those familiar eyes they had once mocked.

“You are – But – The intelligence team said she was dead! MANAGER! SENDING AMMENDMENTS AFTER THIS DEATH –!” The Dragonid screamed, their body tearing apart like slow-roasted meat.

While Ber was significantly stronger due to her stats, the reason why it seemed so effortless was because of the HP the Midnight Team had already sacrificed. But even so, Ber hadn’t even used her normal skills just yet.

As clumps of discarded flesh fell with dull thuds, she turned and sent another slash with her winged arm, forcing the Midnight Team to either duck or absorb the damage as they desperately attempted to recalibrate their weapons.

“That’s the third Jester!? That unwanted wolf!?” The Red Giant could not hide her shock as she stomped into the ground with what was left of her legs, causing the ground to split and shower Ber with a slurry of rock. “… absurd. What kind of false information have the intelligence team been feeding us!?”

“Tethers armed! Strike at will –!” One of the remaining 4 Moons cried but to their dismay, a rabid Cer approached on all fours and engaged in close combat, her claws striking the pronged staff of the Blood Moon.

“No. You. DON’T!” Cer roared, her tiny stature making it incredibly difficult for the Blood Moon to keep their distance. “IF THAT’S REALLY YOU BER, THEN GIVE IT TO THEM! Magic isn’t the be all and end all! Just cause you have a tool to syphon it right out of us means nothing if you can’t – FACE US HEAD ON! WHERE’S YOUR PROWESS, BLOOD MOONS!?

”

Demi-humans such as Cer excelled in close combat encounters. While magic enhanced them to tremendous levels, it did not change what they were at the very core. Her slashes left shiny trails in the air as she scuttled around the Blood Moon, leaping back and forth as the others were forced to deal with Ber’s prowess.

“Slaughtering people left and right, and tripping all over your egos never gave you a reality check, huh!? Relying on those kinds of tools and numbers makes me think you Blood Moons have lost your touch!” Cer relentlessly fought as the Blood Moon in question was forced to fight defensively.

They barely had an ounce of HP remaining, not to mention that these Blood Moons in particular did not possess much magic in the first place. Indeed. Scarlet Logic mostly consisted of physically adept individuals, although, there was little that proved this true.

Rather, the triplets had grown significantly after fighting Corrupted well above their weight, unlike the Blood Moons who picked on the weak. Who resorted to bloodshed without fail, and who could afford to cut corners due to their immortality.

The quality of these personnel was shoddy at best.

But it was bizarre. They still should have possessed some form of magic, no matter how little it was.

“Makes you wonder who the ‘Fodder’ in your Atelier really is!” Ber added as she moved like a bullet, striking two Blood Moons simultaneously as they just barely managed to block her assault.

A high-pitched clash of iron echoed in their baren battlefield, rousing movement from the egg Ber had hatched from.

“So you’ve grown a voice now. Infuriating. You couldn’t just lay down and die, could you Jester!? You rummage through and impede our mission. How many treaties do you think you’ve broken already –!?” Ber unleashed her Supercharged Field, whittling what was left of their HP and permanently putting an end to their Unstable Capturer as they resorted to using their claws, nails, hands and teeth to fight back.

“Those treaties are going to be invalid as soon as your Atelier becomes nonexistent!” Ber eliminated both Moons unceremoniously, their cracked armor gushing with blood as their butchered bodies began to roast.

“It seems oddly easy. Ignis is watching relaying the sight to me. I imagined it still would be difficult for you to fight another Moon but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Well, not all of us are made equal! Thanks to that weapon they’ve made themselves weak for no good reason! But it’s weird. No magic? No abilities!? Doesn’t that take you back to the Derma Layer!?” Ber’s observations were incredible, and it caused Nav to remain silent as though speaking to another person. “By the way – I can talk to everyone through you right!?”

“Indeed.”

“You’ve gone insane!” The mantis cried, only to be impaled by a giant wing. “Zzzz!? Bwagh… Scarlet Logic… Will know… That a Corrupted with a functioning mind… approaches the staging grounds.”

At the end of her wing hung the final Blood Moon, their head split like a cracked melon. The Mantis damned Ber. Even in death it had the eagerness to continue this futile conflict.

“Who can look at you and think you’re an ordinary Demi-Human? When our complaints reach the ears of the Nexus, you will be hunted.”

“I’m not the old me. What you or anyone else thinks doesn’t matter. I know what I am and what I want! Can’t pity you when you got no self-awareness!” Ber spat.

“… then tell me, what do you know about us?”

“Nothing. Because you sure as hell aren’t going to tell us anything.” Ber, with a single flick, bisected him. “Good riddance. Better hope you learn something. Cause there isn’t going to be a next time… Now you. Red fucking Giant.”

“Yeah. That’s the bitch that led them here!” Cer pointed, grinning over at Ber overenthusiastically. “Wanna take care of her? Before you see me cry?”

“Of course. Waking up from one nightmare to another. What a way to ruin the moment.” Ber answered, gazing upon the Arachnid Red Giant, who was far too drained of blood to move at this point.

“Isn’t that the story of our life~?” Cer sighed, lumbering over to Res where she collapsed. “You ok?”

“… I’m fine.” It was obvious that Res had much more to say, but she kept her head down. Her body language screamed of dejection and remorse. As happy as she was that Ber was alive, she couldn’t bring herself to celebrate like Cer, who laid onto the blood-soaked mud with hands reaching for the sky.

“Aaaaah… what a mess. Not my proudest moment. They had the jump on us, heh. Didn’t expect to fight Blood Moons, but here we are… Take good care of her Ber.”

Nav spoke to Ber through the prompts as the shadowy feathers disappeared, leaving behind her immaculate, young body. Her overall appearance remained unchanged. Her slender legs, matured body, flowing locks that reached her waist and a giant tail like the tip of a paint-brush – It was clear that this body of hers was here to stay.

But she could not investigate it. Not until the Red Giant was brought to justice. Standing before her, Ber conjured a thousand ways to torture her before ending her miserable life. However, reflected in her crimson eyes were brimming flames.