Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

605. Trouble In Paradise

Records/Reports of Paradise Lost [335 PA]

< Subject began showering Paradise with its feathers, causing the mass disappearance of an estimated 600,000 more throughout the night. Contact with the feathers was deemed certain death >

Flames erupted across Paradise. Those who were touched by the slow-falling snow were either birthed wings from their backs, or spontaneously combusted. Black ashes rose as its feathers fell. It was all eventually devoured by the beak of the Icon of Judgement.

The bipedal bird stood and watched as it sowed misery under the guise of righteousness.

Its chest protruded proudly like it could do no wrong.

Haunting bells resounded across the city. At the same time Frost came to realize that the One Marked by Judgement could receive Penance at any moment now. Her focus remained on the three Apostles, but she needed to find the Princess before it was too late.

Records/Reports of Paradise Lost [335 PA]

< At midnight bells were heard ringing from an unknown location. Inhabitants of Paradise disappeared whenever a trumpet sounded. Those that confessed their deepest sins to 012-00 were temporarily spared before they spontaneously combusted >

“Those were its Corrupted Skills. No one knew what they were until we came along!”

The walls of the inner layer crumbled as they burst through the pale stone. All three Apostles gave chase to Frost as she weaved in and out of the walls. Unlying Tablets arose from her trail of blood, creating a vast forest of white monoliths.

The towering objects sprouted and began emitting massive fireballs. They had been imbued with [Thermal Propagation]. The heat generated from just one Unlying Tablet was enough to melt the stone foundation underneath.

However, this did not occur. The heat that was generated did not affect the environment.

Magic and the like could not affect anything within the Icon of Judgement’s Corrupted Zone.

Frost could not fight them all at once. So she utilized her Unlying Tablets as obstacles rather than offensively. In the meantime, Frost struck the closest Apostle whenever possible. She exploited her speed and hit-and-run tactics, never allowing herself to commit to an assault less she wished to be involved with all three at once.

Needless to say, Frost was not used to such method of combat. As a result –

“Ngh!” A spear sliced a hand off.

“Gaagh!” Another deeply lacerated her stomach.

– She took her own fair share of damage.

“Salvation no longer hurts me, so I’m having a hard time believing that those spears can still make me cry out in pain!” Frost used [Inferno] to control the lingering flames of [Thermal Propagation], sweeping it around her like a giant centipede as she used it to mask her tracks.

The Apostles remained steadfast. They had no order of attacks or any hint of discipline other than their sworn loyalty to the Icon of Judgement. It was lucky that the Corrupted could not wallow outside of their own thoughts.

But this is what made them so terrifying in the first place.

Frost continued building up a pale forest of her own until it spanned a kilometer across the broken walls. Cracks riddled the bodies of the Apostles. Since they already wielded their weapons, there was no point in targeting specific ones now.

She had to attack them at every given opportunity. Her body moved solely on instinct alone as she twisted and contorted to avoid their stabs. One flew overhead, smashing through the walls vertically in attempt to impale her from above.

However, Frost spun to the side, right before she smashed a fist into its chest and drew steel strings from its steaming innards. Moving them was impossible. Nor could they feel any pain. They were pawns chosen by the Icon of Judgement. Therefore, they could not show any weakness.

“You trusted that thing because it fed into your selfish desires!”

The Apostles did not do it out of pure reverence. According to their flavor text and lines, they had their own aspirations. It was all promised by the Icon of Judgement.

“And what happened in the end!?” Frost narrowly avoided the strike of another Apostle, the spear grazing her cheek as she counterattacked with a heavy [Armor Piercing] blow.

The spear of the last of the trio was avoided as she disappeared into a plume of flames.

“Failure. Regrets. Nothing changed for the better.”

A pale monolith replaced her, trapping the spear as Frost emerged from behind it. She twisted her body midair and landed a spectacular kick on the backside of its head.

“You claim this world is full of misery, but you can’t even see that you’re the reason why it’s also like this!”

The Fifth Apostle | HP : 110,000

The Sixth Apostle | HP : 90,000

The Seventh Apostle | HP : 240,000

The Seventh Apostle proved to be hardest, mostly due to its increased DEF stats and HP pool. Regardless, her tactic didn’t change as she fled into her pale forest of tall monoliths. Her brisk movements broke their line of sight.

Stray Markers were destroyed along the way as she riddled them with bullets. When the apple was found, she crashed into them like a giant cannon ball, grasping it with her teeth as she flew by.

< The Fifth Apostle knows that it is not a pioneer of the new world like the first three >

< It still desperately clings onto the old, ever waiting for a miracle >

The color of its armor dulled further. The holy luster disappeared as the gold veins that ran through it turned red.

< The Sixth Apostle wanted to unify language >

< All experiences can be read and felt at the glance of a single page >

< So it keeps writing. The books pile on. It pictures smiles on the faces of those who reads them >

The same occurred with the next two Apostles. No other significant changes aside from their appearance were made, and neither did they stop their pursuit. The spears above Frost’s head became lighter all of a sudden, as if having stolen their luster.

< The Seventh Apostle swore to serve the one with twelve wings >

< The first tail of seven was severed to constitute its birth >

< With only one purpose bestowed upon it, it sought to be the very best >

The attack pattern of the Seventh Apostle changed dramatically. Its spear was held high and kept close to its side as if on a holster. The golden light that hid underneath its visor glowed like tiny stars as the silver eyes of the Sixth Apostle dulled, as well as the Fifth.

It spearheaded its way towards Frost, cutting down the Monoliths with lightning-fast swipes.

“Lucifinia!” Frost roared, abruptly cutting her speed as she threw herself into the direction of the Seventh Apostle. “Why are you the only Apostle out of the other Primordial Demons!?”

She asked even though it was futile. The only response she received was the pointed tip of the pale spear. She was about to jump over the spear to avoid it and attack the Apostle from above.

But there was no need.

“The spears!? Wait, it’s fighting for me!”

The four spears of light that hovered over her head struck the Seventh Apostles weapon, causing it to stagger backwards.

Black and white particles formed from the clash as they repelled one another, creating vibrations so powerful that Markers as far as a several hundreds of meters away were blown to dust.

Frost didn’t know why the spears were acting on their own now, and after desperately calling out to the Voice, she received an answer.

< The spears intend to protect the most precious fruit in Paradise Found >

< It is tied to the number of fruits you have eaten >

“I’m at 600 now. Now that I see it properly, the spears don’t have apples inside of them.” Frost noted.