Pillars of destructive flame exploded from my hands.
The few houses and lampposts still standing screeched like nails on chalk as the Frenzied Flame washed over them. Their facades melted like wax, sloughing away as they turned into silver slag.
Iron Mind, in conjunction with Restraints and Amplifications, was working well. Unlike before, eldritch truths and the desire to burn the world weren’t devouring my mind.
They were still there, an ever-present itch in the back of my skull.
But as long as I didn’t overdo it, I thought I could manage using the Flame in short bursts without going raving mad.
The air screamed.
I raised an eyebrow as a metal cannonball made from scrap stopped an inch away from my face, frozen in place by Infinity.
Several silver drones had appeared in the distance, their bodies shaped like half-melted cannons. Their frames were all warped metal and shifting liquid chrome, with stubby barrels pushing out of their torsos like the machines had only a vague idea of what artillery was supposed to look like.
Several more booms cracked through the air.
I took to the skies, letting the Cloak of Levitation guide me as I avoided the cannon fire and focused on the ground below.
More silvery drones were converging from across the town. A barrage flew after me, only to impact pointlessly against Infinity. I narrowed my eyes as the Machine Army continued to grow and grow, with more drones dragging themselves from melting streets and ruined buildings.
A few of them leapt together and meshed into larger forms, silver goo locking against silver goo until the whole thing became a crude walking cannon.
More and more seemed to crawl out of the woodwork.
Despite all that, though, their tech level seemed surprisingly low.
Still, I couldn’t complain if they were kind enough to round themselves up for me.
I triggered Devil Trigger, and my body crackled with lightning.
Sheer, overwhelming power filled my veins.
I turned off Infinity and stopped my flight.
Cannonballs of scrap screamed through the air as fast as bullets. I casually slapped one aside, disintegrating it on impact.
Three others broke themselves against my body.
Oh.
Hell.
Fucking yes.
I grinned as I threw caution to the wind.
The air screamed past my ears as I shot toward the ground. My fist smashed into the nearest drone and turned it into silver paste, the impact cratering the street beneath us.
A dozen more leapt at me like spiders, their bodies bending and twisting as blades formed from their limbs. They struck from every angle, scraping against my skin, my shoulders, and my back.
None of it even scratched me.
I laughed and drove my fist down again.
The ground shattered under the force of the blow. A crater spread out from the impact, sending broken asphalt, chunks of metal, and molten silver goo flying in every direction. The shockwave slammed into the Machine Army and forced the nearest drones back, scattering them across the ruined street.
I had to give the Machine Army some credit, though.
They were relentless.
More of the silvery things kept coming, dragging themselves out of alleys and half-melted buildings. More crude cannons formed from their bodies to barrage me, while others shaped themselves into blades and spikes as they leapt.
I triggered Infinity again, just for a moment, and let the next barrage freeze uselessly around me.
The Frenzied Flame stirred.
Heat crawled up my spine and poured into my chest, gathering behind my ribs like a second heart. My veins burned gold beneath my skin as lightning crackled over my body, twisting together with that awful orange light. The world narrowed to the pulse of power building in my palms.
A laugh bubbled up my throat as I felt the Flame at my fingertips.
At first, it was only a spark.
Then it swelled, twisting into a chaotic sun of orange-gold fire. It spun and screamed in the air, bands of flame folding over each other as the Machine Army below continued to crawl forward.
For a moment, the entire ruined town was painted in burning gold.
Then I brought the sun down.“BURN!”
The world disappeared beneath the flame.
The Machine Army screamed as the Frenzied Flame burned through them, a grinding shriek that rose from every melting drone at once. Their bodies twisted and writhed on the ground, silver frames bubbling apart as the fire melted them down into ash.I couldn’t help but grin as I savored the sheer destruction.
The Frenzied Flame had wreaked havoc on Eagleton. Ash and molten metal covered the ground as far as I could see, with twitching piles of silvery goo struggling futilely among the ruins.
Another wave of my hand silenced the remnants.
Bursts of flame shot from my palm, striking anything that still moved until the last few pieces of the Machine Army were gone.
[Feat Achieved! Machine Meltdown]
[+1 Gold Gacha Ticket]
Success.
I exhaled as Devil Trigger faded, lightning dying across my skin.
The desire and obsession of the Frenzied Flame still lingered, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I could still think clearly enough to understand what I was doing, which was probably a good sign.
[Rolling Gold Gacha Ticket]
[Wizards Well]
|Elite Item|
Hota - A large cauldron that is filled to the brim with magical power equal to the maximum of the user. At 8 am every morning, this cauldron is instantly filled back to the brim once more.Prelati should be able to get some good use out of thatThe beat of helicopter blades hit my ears.
I looked up and spotted a few flying capes in the distance, their silhouettes cutting across the smoke-filled sky as they approached Eagleton.
Right, next stop then.
“Door to Ash Beast.”A portal snapped open, and I strode through. I could pass the Well along once Prelati was finished.
—
Cherish shoved the last wad of cash into her duffel bag.
Her secret stash wasn’t as big as she would have liked, but there was only so much she could hide from Dad and his little slaves.
Even this much would have been dangerous if not for Dad’s idiotic idea. She scowled at the sheer fucking stupidity of it all. Years of money, helpers, and moles wasted because he wanted to chase some bitch from TV.
She was getting out of this house for good.
Cherish closed her eyes and focused on her power.
The distorted tune of Dad’s emotions clanged and rang as usual from the basement. No doubt he was fueling himself with some stupid game, torturing one of his pets for fun. He would be busy for a few hours at least.
Most of her siblings were scattered throughout different parts of the mansion, trying to stay out of Dad’s way.Perfect. She quietly opened the window. With her bag over her shoulder, she slipped out and jogged away from the compound.
There was no one nearby to witness her escape, and she had already prepped the few guards on patrol to obey every word she said. Her path across the lawn went perfectly, with everyone none the wiser.
Cherish giggled at how easy it all was.
A quick train ride down the coast should give her some good distance before Dad sent her little siblings after her.
Still… Dad would hound her even worse than Jean-Paul, so it was probably best if she got some defense.
Hmmm.
She did remember hearing rumors that the Nine were somewhere on the East Coast.
“How great would it be to have a band of killers at my beck and call?” She grinned as her hand reached for the fence gate.
Well, she could figure it out on the ride away. She had all the time in the world—
“Grand Illusion.”A voice echoed out across the world.
The fence disappeared in front of her.
A chill traveled down her spine.
Cherish’s eyes widened as she found herself staring at a snow-white landscape. The fence was gone. The grass lawn was gone. Everything beyond the mansion grounds had vanished beneath a blanket of white.
She looked back.
The mansion was still there.
What the hell?
She flinched as a boom tore through the air. Something dropped from the sky and smashed through the roof, sending wood, stone, and glass bursting outward.
A discordant tune spread from the mansion as her power caught the unrest and fear boiling inside.
An attack?
Damn it, of all the times…
She needed to get out—
“Oh.”
Cherish spun around.
A boy stood behind her, staring at her with a wide grin.
“Lucky me.”
“I could say the same.” Cherish smiled.
He was close enough for her power to sink in at full strength.
She focused and tugged on the strings of his emotions, reaching for despair, panic, anything she could twist and bend.
Nothing happened.
“...What?” She stumbled back.
“Oh, is something wrong?” the boy asked.
His head slowly turned ninety degrees, then kept going in a way that should have snapped his neck. The grin stayed perfectly in place the entire time, as if someone had painted it on.
She paled and bolted across the snow-white ground. Her power rang in the back of her mind, catching fear and chaos from the mansion behind her, but there was nothing coming from the boy at all.
Laughter echoed in front of her.
Cherish skidded to a stop.
The boy stood there again, hands folded neatly behind his back as if he had been waiting for her the entire time.
“Leaving already?”
Cherish yanked a knife from her coat and brandished it at him.
“Stay back!”
The blade split apart in her hand, metal and handle unraveling into a mass of writhing centipedes. Cherish shrieked and tried to throw it away, but the things crawled up her arm, cold legs skittering over her skin as they wrapped around her wrist, her elbow, and then her shoulders.
She hit the ground hard, struggling as the centipedes coiled around her body like living rope.
The boy laughed.
“Now, now, don’t cry, little one.”
He crouched in front of her, his grin widening.
“Master ordered me to kill only Heartbreaker. If you help me, I may even reward you.” The boy’s hand pressed against her throat. “Do you understand?”
Tears spilled from her eyes as the centipedes writhed around her. She nodded rapidly.
The centipedes vanished into thin air, and Cherish gasped, her hands frantically roving over her body.
“Phenomenal!” The boy giggled as he twirled. “Let’s go meet your family, shall we?”
Cherish could only watch the crazy boy’s back as he marched toward the mansion.
What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck?
She took half a step back, but the phantom sensation of bugs crawling across her skin made her go pale.
“Goddammit…” Cherish hurried after the boy.***3/3 on the lates ughhh, sorry folks. Life doesn't seem to want to calm down. Should be back to the regular schedule next week.