Chapter 271: Using a Disaster to Their advantage (1/2)
Seated within a cubicle on the 61st floor of the Limitless Tower was the Amplifier who had recently returned to reality. Theoretically, he had made a successful breakthrough.
”Huff…puff…” He wheezed in pain, clutching his chest. Sweat oozed out his skin while a thin stream of blood leaked from his eyes. Faint white lines formed on his skin, rupturing it bit by bit. In actuality, he had failed his breakthrough, despite finishing both phase 1 and 2.
The fused Heart Crystal in his heart wasn't solid enough, nor was it stable. Before stabilising it, he had initiated the next process and arrived at the Mental Realm. This was the method everyone taking part in the Cleansement Manoeuvre had taken. Otherwise, with their accumulations, they wouldn't even have been able to finish phase 1 successfully.
Normally, one would focus their everything to stabilise their Heart/Brain Crystal before heading to the Mental Realm. But due to their objective, they only focused on a small part, forming the centre. After that, they just randomly stacked everything over it, piling it up until it was enough to warrant a 'pseudo-completion of phase 1', allowing them to head to the Mental Realm.
This state of completion wasn't permanent. Their Heart/Brain Crystal would begin to destabilise and crumble slowly. The case was the same with the Amplifier scout. On paper, he was a Developer from today onwards.
But, as he hadn't finished his breakthrough process correctly, his Heart Crystal was crumbling.
'I guess this is it.' He sighed, trying to will his Centipede into forming. But, even after many tries, it failed to appear. He bowed once, ”I apologise for my lack of skill, Madam Marble.”
”It is fine,” Minaela Marble's voice consoled him, ”In such a situation, even Sky Controllers fail to summon their Caterpillar. In our city's history, only one person has managed to do so. Even for her, it was tremendously difficult.”
”You have done well, soldier. Raise your head and face it with pride. Central Command will ensure your family is taken good care of.”
”Thank you, Madam Marble.” The scout closed his eyes, performing a salute as his body turned into sludge. In the next instant, a damaged Wisdom Parasite wriggled out of the sludge, struggling to stay alive. After every second that passed, its actions drastically slowed down, seemingly on the verge of dying.
A green coloured beam of energy fell on it, actuating a reaction from within it. Tiny particles rose from the sludge, burrowing into the Wisdom Parasite, each impact forming craters on its body. But, not a single drop of blood oozed out. A small suction force appeared in its centre, pulling everything towards it.
The Wisdom Parasite's body was helplessly pulled into it, its form morphed, fusing with all the tiny particles. Soon, it turned into a spherical marble, the size of a thumb. Appearance-wise, it was similar to what Jyovic Bone had brought in from his latest mission to the Wilds.
In the now-empty cubicle, Minaela Marble's voice resounded after a sigh, ”Every time I witness the Trait of Wonder's effect, I can't help but marvel at Jyovic Bone's ability to surprise me. He's a Transformer and not a Sky Controller. I wonder how he manages to create one ground-breaking invention after another. The Bone Family doesn't possess a Sky Controller.”
Psychic Ancestor Marble's voice resounded, ”He finished them alone but most of what he created were things he wasn't alone at their conception. From what I know, she had taken part to progress it most of the way.”
”By she…do you mean Madam Mary?”
”Of course,” Psychic Ancestor Marble replied with a sigh, ”Every time they encounter each other, they end up fighting. But in actuality, it is their way of exchanging ideas and helping the other party. Their most recent fight was around 6 years ago when they displayed two Traits. Soon after their fight, they announced the completion of the Trait of Growth and the Trait of Severability.”
The spherical marble disappeared from the cubicle as the surroundings turned silent. Their conversation was short and stealthy, thanks to them being Espers, ensuring no third party could ever eavesdrop.
In the Mental Realm, on floor 112 within the Limitless Tower, Gerude Eagle was stunned to even move. The left side of his face had melted while there wasn't any reaction from the experience fragments that made up the area.
The experience fragments in the rest of his form resisted the experience fragments that made up a shell. It spanned a hill in size, belonging to one of the 10 shifters. A head attached to a long neck floated his way, its mouth biting the ends of his left wing.
With a tug, it pulled his form out of the shell, displaying a massive depression beneath. Gerude made eye contact with the face, motioning with his hands to signal the other party to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
”Woof!” A high-pitched sound resounded, making the forms of everyone tense up in response. All the Cogent Phrenics paused their actions, acting subservient as they parted way.