Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

732. Are We Worthy?

The Red Baron reached a point of no return. He was swallowed by his hubris and absolute certainty of his belief. His physical manifestation only solidified that what he believed in was the truth.

His Persona became his crystalized Ego, and it assumed a form that was far from hideous. It demanded awe as he floated in place, the flaming crown warping space with the gravity of his belief alone.

“They will remember me… They must remember me. The Red Baron. A Color that lost all meaning ever since my descent into that Facility! My glory will be restored!”

It was a permanent form that best depicted who he was in the most perfect sense. A man… no, a living apparel judged only by his appearance and the coat of color than what was within. A superficial, one-dimensional villain that did not need a tragic tale to explain why he believed in the things he did.

“Ha… Hahaha… I can’t let it end like this.”

A warped flame appeared in the palm of his right hand. It did not lick the air like a regular flame. It was closer to a red-hot ball of iron. As a result, he seemed to carry a miniature sun in his palms as he held it out barely past his chest.

“This was supposed to be the beginning of my own tale. My print in history that would see my name in every book! Amalgam! How many wishes are you willing to deprave from us!?”

//////// < WARNING > ////////

< ETERNAL NIGHT >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET RESONATES >

“The glory was all supposed to be mine!”

Red rays of light were cast by the red orb. They reached the extreme edges of the palace walls, burning the plastered pages.

“All of it! This kingdom and its people will bow down to me when I save them from the coming apocalypse! I, the Red Baron, am the only one worthy!”

Pathetic…

Frost held no pity in her heart for him. This was bound to end in a tragedy for him. But seeing that he was gushing caused her to consider allowing him to spill what he knew.

< [Subjugating Rays] >

< EFFECT: Worthy is able to exert their Will on those with less than 90 RESIST. Subjugating Ray will sew a sense of compulsion into those with less than 120 RESIST >

< [Bring Them Down!] >

< EFFECT: All attacks including the [Subjugating Rays] deal 100 Burn Stacks per second >

Those red rays fell onto Frost with little effect. What could a measly 100 Burn Stacks do to someone whose own flames burned hotter. Not only that, but because she could control all flames, the Burn Stacks could be cleansed without Healing magic.

“[Silence]! Be [Suppressed]! [Obey] me!” These were commandments, derived from another Corrupted Skill called:

< [Seal of Commands] >

< EFFECT: The Worthy’s words are commandments to those with less than 80 RESIST >

“Why should I obey someone under me? Why don’t you tell me what you’re planning here in the Bellum Empire so I can consider it.” Frost offered, attempting to manipulate him.

However, the rays assailed her body again. She simply fiddled with the Vestment of Goodwill’s Corrupted Item, understanding what he meant for she knew the language of violence by heart.

“Preposterous! I do not need you – a Moon – the Nexus – or your kind to unleash the creatures from the Subcut into this world!” He confessed, causing Frost to inwardly smirk.

“Tch…” She feigned a flinch, causing more rays to be cast upon her. “And you think you’ll be able to deal with that alone? As you are!?”

She lifted her arms into the shape of an ‘X’ and pushed forward, faking her sudden desperation as though she had finally recognized his strength. This caused the Red Baron to begin moving backwards, kiting Frost as she gave chase.

“I will. I was always prepared. We were. The Piece of the Fallen Star would have granted me the power I needed! No, even without it, the millions of lives I would have saved out of tens of millions would have still made them revere me as a hero!” He announced, giving Frost exactly what she wanted unbeknownst to himself.

Suddenly, the rays of red light were cast on the ground like searchlights. Red liquid gushed from the patches of light. They were in the shape of a vicious hand made from slime, and they attempted to ensnare Frost.

< [Appointed Vestment] >

< EFFECT: Summon phantom limbs. They will determine the worthiness of those they grasp. Cannot be resisted with less than 200 RESIST >

A Corrupted Skill that lets him change who people are?

“Incorrect. That is fundamentally your and Elysia’s power. It is likely either a physical transformation rather than a reflection of oneself, or, it could be a method for him to simply study a person’s worth.”

All according to him…

“Yes. His title as being the only one ‘worthy’ reflects this ability. If he is the only one worthy, then he is also the only one that can make others worthy or unworthy. Perhaps like in the same vein as his Trophies. The only people worthy are the most beautiful. You’re likely a candidate, did you know?”

You’re making me sick… Tch. He’s not so different from the Hearts, huh.

Finally, Frost cried out:

“You don’t think that they’ll despise you!? The world openly spited you the moment you disappeared! What makes you think this will change anything!?”

She finally pushed back, finally landing a colossal blow that caused him to fly away. Frost gave chase, the wake of her brisk movements cracking the ground. Light shone through from beneath.

“How can they despise me when I will be the reason why they are rescued? They will never know it was us who were behind it. Isn’t that what you did? You burned the Nex Megalopolis, then saved it from yourself so that you could appear like a hero to them all!”

“Where did you learn that from!?”

“The Sect of Gears. Iscario. Our Memento Mori partners! They saw it, and I believed it was ingenious! What a frightening mind! Hahahaha! If you just accepted it and became another Trophy… no, mine, then we could both rise higher than just these namesakes! We can become astral!”

Frost didn’t show how much she wanted to hurl. Her face instead contorted with pain to maintain the illusion of a losing battle. Somehow, it felt like they were rising as they exchanged blows. The Red Baron’s attacks, like himself, had no depth and zero complexity.

It was all for the sake of absolute domination. There was no hope for him in the face of absolute authority. Frost wondered if he would Corrupt again if he knew this.

“So the one that came up with this plan… gh… was you?”

“Many minds went into this, Amalgam! Many more than you can fathom! With Iscario at the helm, and Angels behind our backs – there is nothing we cannot do! All of our wishes will come true when the Piece of the Fallen Star is fully powered with the fuel!”

“… A collective desire.” Frost knew this much, but the Red Baron quickly corrected her, perhaps out of anger that she was not on the same page as him.

“Collective aspirations! Accomplishments! Desires alone are not enough to power it! That way we will all get something we want! Then, we will gain what we need! I will become the hero of Grandis!”

He took Frost to the next floor above. Beyond the darkness was a room of light. That light came from further above, but it was miraculously able to illuminate the interior of the empty palace. More pages and talismans were plastered on the walls. This time, she could see glyphs and symbols being drawn into them from the light.

“The Memento Mori will be able to create a Dirge of their own! The Wise Black Wolf will see a lost relative rise from the grave!”

Space began to warp around them. Piece by piece, the floors fragmented as the sound of a bell nearly drowned the Red Baron’s shrieks. Golden light illuminated through these cracks, and the world became increasingly spherical.

The horizon folded into itself, then rose to the ceiling. Yet wherever they walked, it was always on a flat plane, meaning they could not walk upside down. It was like being on a hamster’s wheel. Each platform of floating mass was separated by a meter-wide gap.

“The musicians will see the birth of a new Maestro worthy of dethroning the Green Composer!”