SWNOVELXO Chapter 1365 Cold Oblivion
1365 Cold Oblivion
Skullius had received three keys when he became the Warmoth's Progeny.
An ivory key to the Empyrean Bosom.
A golden key to the Warmoth's Treasury.
A green key to the Pestilent Vault.
Skullius had explored much to do with the first two keys, but he hadn't dwelt on the third key and where it led much. To be sure, he knew exactly what was in the Warmoth's Pestilent Vault and how it worked, but since it wasn't at all friendly – as the guidance field had even teased when it offered him the choice to become the Warmoth's Progeny – he didn't expose what was in it to anyone but his Apostles.
When Araeyn had brought everyone to the Miscarried Levin Compound Islands, Skullius had given him the key to the Pestilent Vault to use at the precise moment when the <Vain> attribute of Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz was applied on the Doom Knight.
However, certain variables changed.
Sila's new unconscious vessel had also been entrusted to Araeyn after everyone broke out of the Doom Knight's Undeath prison. The Apostle would have kept him hidden till the battle was over… if he hadn't gained consciousness midway through the final stretch.
The resoluteness in Sila's eyes had taken Araeyn aback.
The Tower General had memories of what Serenity had done using his new body, and as it were, those memories weren't the only thing she had left behind. His new body, tight, compact, wrapped in simple tunic, was flaring with Null Life Essence of a terrifying league!
Not many words had been exchanged between Araeyn and the Tower General. The former had given the latter the key to the vault before diving into the last bout with the Doom Knight in the dark. He had it in mind to set Sila upon the Doom Knight as soon as Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz was activated, but of course… the Fated Reef…
After Aurolio's role saved everyone though, Araeyn regained agency and opened a portal for the Tower General.
And thus, striding with delicate steps, his body of tight vines slightly aglow, his hair and stubble a pale gold, and his eyes a striking orange, Sila hurried to the border of the Doom Knight's Broader Existence marked with puce and turquoise.
'He said to simply push in the key,' Sila thought back to Araeyn's succinct explanation, 'and to be careful, just in case.'
The keys to the Warmoth's dimensions could only be used with Skullius' permission. For the Unlimited, they accessed this permission with the Stark Constellation and for the Apostles, as extensions of Skullius and Null Lifeforms to boot, they had no issues using them as long as Skullius wanted them to.
Sila was a special case, Araeyn had seen. His body was brimming with Null Life Essence and in a very niche way, as the former Stolen Angel – which had been Skullius himself – the Apostle didn't see a reason why the key would reject being used by Sila.
And his assumption had been correct. Well, half correct.
Skullius was regaining his consciousness right then. His senses tautened when Sila was about to use the key. Recognising what was happening, he gave his permission for it to work, even when it might not have been needed.
Sparks of Ju`wtte sprung out at the end of the key which met the border of the Doom Knight's Broader Existence.
'I better use this while I still can then,' Skullius thought as he took in the view of the incapacitated Undead minion.
[Would you like to apply 'Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz in <Vain>?]
'Yeah.'
['Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz' will now siphon a portion of the target's Broader Existence]
[Please standby]
[…]
[…]
[Siphoned matter – 0.0005%]
[Siphoned matter – 0.00020%]
[Siphoned matter – 0.00055%]
[Siphoned matter – 0.00102%]
[Siphoned matter – 0.00318%]
'Damn, it's taking its time!' Skullius thought as his flesh reformed.
And indeed, it was.
A certain hiss drew his attention away from the progress expressed on the guidance field.
It was coming from Sila and the green key.
Out of the branches of Ju`wtte spraying everywhere, a cold, ebony vapour seeped out and seamlessly began to invade the Broader Existence of the Doom Knight. It moved slowly, relaxedly, winding and coiling like a serpent. It caused a subtle vibration to ring throughout space. Quite like the Void Clot, it drove away anything closeby except Sila and the key.
But the Tower General looked horrified.
'What the hell is this?!' he thought.
A part of him – a huge bit, really – wanted to flee and leave the key, but he mustered enough courage to bear through the fear.
Bits of the vapour tickled his fingers and felt them turn numb. At once, a thought at the back of his mind told him that if he wasn't in the body he was currently inhabiting, the odd vapour wouldn't have been so nice.
CHINK!
A dark, ebony crack appeared on the invisible dome marked by the Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz. Then another, and another. Amras spewed out as long, potent and bright, but it was immediately turned into a cold, ebony vapour that made a U-turn to burrow back into the Doom Knight's Broader Existence's and break it down further!
Skullius stood up, his face hard.
Uyuniya and Elita were still out cold. He didn't dare wake them up yet. If they saw this…
'Yeah, it's potent alright,' Skullius thought.
The legends of the Colossus Warmoth spread far and wide not just because of its power, but its ingenuity. Its three dimensions were highly coveted and with good reason, but many in the Null Verse did question why the Warmoth had concocted and hidden away in a vault a plague that could kill all life and Null Life, sparing only those who had Ju`wtte running through their veins!
And indeed, that was what the ebony vapour was – certain death.
The Warmoth had called it, Cold Oblivion, fittingly.
Thankfully for all life, Null Life and, as Skullius feared, Void life, in reality, there wasn't much of the Cold Oblivion. The Warmoth's Pestilent Vault could only produce a very limited amount, enough to spread languidly on half of a world like Aigas and then it would require some time to replenish it.
But this was little consolation when all life below the Divine could be killed instantly with no room for opposition. When it came to Divines and Deities, the Cold Oblivion was also very potent, but a large amount of it needed to be expended to kill them. Cold Oblivion, as it appeared, could find a target's Broader Existence once exposed to them… eventually. The user would need to keep the target submerged in it for long periods.
This was normally not possibly, of course. The best to use Cold Oblivion on an enemy was to use it once their body and soul were separate, so that the damage could reach their Broader Existence or, to find the Broader Existence – as Skullius had just done – and then infuse Cold Oblivion.
The plague turned everything within the target into Cold Oblivion and froze its target to the point of blackening.
Skullius could see already it.
The Doom Knight's Broader Existence was actually becoming visible. It looked like a rugged, dark shell as the vapour hissed and toyed with it.
'The Warmoth was either a genius or psychopath or both. It makes me think he really must have had plans to leave the Null Verse. Maybe he did,' Skullius thought. He had found delicate notes in the Warmoth's Vault explaining all about the Cold Oblivion before beginning his training with the Stark Troops in the Timemould Mirror Box.
As he was immune to the plague, he had moved through the Vault, discovering everything of interest the Warmoth had left in it.
'How's the progress on this?' Skullius thought and he checked the guidance field again.
[Siphoned matter – 2.345%]
[Siphoned matter – 2.890%]
'Hurry up already!' Skullius was furious. He wasn't sure how long the Doom Knight would remain incapacitated. The metric of time used to describe how long the effect of <Void> lasted was something he didn't quite understand.
A hundredth of a Consternal.
'I can extract up to 10% of a target's Broader Existence. I wonder if I—' he had begun to think when a gigantic deer head fell from the sky and slammed into the Doom Knight!
Sila was flung back, along with the green key to the Warmoth's Pestilent Vault, and the Ju`wtte and Cold Oblivion spilling from it vanished at once!
The great deer head opened up wide and devoured the Doom Knight as well as a large chunk of the ground.
…!!!
Skullius was astonished, but he had already been moving to rip away at the deer head, having recognised it, when something he couldn't see or sense struck him down, forcing him into the dirt.
"I love technicalities," a voice suddenly said from above him – above the massive deer head, to be precise. "And I also love a good get back. Just between you and me – Insurgent Magnus to Insurgent Magnus – I'll have you know, we're not really built to take wounds to our pride lying down, either from Deities, or snot-nosed Divines who are far too young to be games in the wider reality."
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[Author's Note]
~~~
[Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz – Prayer of Void and Vain]
+Pseudo-Void+
Formed through the prime collection of Null Life abilities known as the 'Entropy's Harmonising Nimbus' which successfully analysed certain depths to Void's qualities, this Exotic Parlous Nature has most unusual properties.
+The 'Entropy's Harmonising Nimbus' had great ambitions while forging this Exotic Parlous Nature+
If used in <Void>, it can be paired with Andori and other Exotic Parlous Natures to find the boundary of a target's Broader Existence through continuous attacks over their body or soul. The number of attacks required depends on the scale of an enemy. Once the boundary is determined, the Parlous Nature severs the connection between a target and their Broader Existence for a hundredth of a Consternal.
If used in <Vain> - which is preferably done after the Broader Existence of a target has been determined – it will siphon a portion of the foreign Broader Existence, usually up to 10%, and attach it to the user's own.
Each of the siphoned pieces of Broader Existence, on top of contributing to the creation of the |Greater Cosmic Law| will be used to accomplish the following:
+Unorthodoxly augment the calibre of Andori
+Encroach upon Deity-exclusive prospects
+Add or create separate reserves of Amras
+Create powerful shields than can be sacrificed in the event that the user's Broader Existence has been attacked.
---
+Caution+
Because of the unstable and contradictory nature of this Andori, a limited reserve of it can be produced at a time using exorbitant volumes of Amras.
Additionally, there is a 45% chance that the user's body, Broader Existence and all its components may be unable to handle the influence of Maximum Jaqquezjaqqz. Thus, it is advisable to be cautious with each use.
~~~
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