Chapter 1066: …leads to unforeseen consequences…
Meanwhile, at the Library of Nowhere…
=No duh! Now, can you please stop panicking so I can try and calculate a solution?!=
The moment Buzza released his hellish tone upon Zhen Liu’s delicate ears, Logos and Pathos knew of the consequences that were sure to follow.
=Have you at least figured out the frequency yet?=
=Bah!=
This wasn’t the first time they had gone through such a scenario, as they had serviced over a dozen plus kaijin lords upt to this point, but this was the first time they had to deal with the aggressor being a rogue kaijin of all things.
On top of all that though, they had to deal with the fact that it wasn’t just their lord being affected.
It was all of the kaijin that were connected to him as well. Technically, the zakos should have been as well, but their connection to Zhen Liu was weak enough that this feedback didn’t cause them to spaz out as well. It did force them to shutdown though, and wouldn’t be useful for the time being.
=Wait a minute! Go check the status of the kaijin! Are any of them in danger of being attacked?=
With a flick of a finger, Pathos summoned forth several displays that were dedicated to one kaijin each. It only took him a few seconds to process everything into usable, albeit, worrying data.
=Tangential relation, no shit. What about the others?=
=What about the Ragnarock trio and Spring Brawler?=
=Wait a minute, what the fuck?=
=Okay, okay, what about Spring Brawler? He’s a proto-kaijin, so the damage shouldn’t be as severe but still.=
=Uh oh? Why uh oh?=
=What?!=
…Meanwhile…
‘Okay, after much deliberation, I think I’ll have to go with this to focus my core around. I wonder what my new form is going to look-‘
BUZZ BUZZ, FUCK YOUR LIFE CHANGING DECISION.
‘ARGH, MY BRAIN!’
Before Spring Brawler could finish making a choice and determine his future, a soul shredding noise ripped through his existence. As it did, the possibilities he had gathered for his future [Core] all began to fade away, one by one.
Of course, Spring Brawler was in too much pain to notice such an action was taking place.
…
[Alright, you clowny little shit. I’m getting tired of this game of hide and seek. So why don’t you come out here and-]
[AAAAAAAAHHHHH!]
[Oh, what the hells?]
Gao Dau had been searching up and down this abandoned alleyway, attempting to suss out Spring Brawler’s location so that he could finally cave in that silly spring-limbed acrobat’s head in.
This normally wouldn’t be an issue, since a warrior of his caliber could’ve easily used his aether to suss out a hiding rat. However, this trick couldn’t apply to kaijin, due to their unusual natures.
So the fact that Spring Brawler appeared before him, having flung himself to the ground out of his hidey hole, screaming his head off in bloody murder while spasming in pain was a pleasant surprise.
Now, he could take care of this little brat of a puppet at his leisure.
[Well, well, well. Looks like I’ll be able to wrap up this farce early and go apply myself in a more meaningful battleground,] Gao Dau sneered. [I wonder what had gotten you tied up in such a manner though…meh. No matter. I just need to harvest you.]
‘Shit…gotta…bail!’
Despite being in incredible pain, Spring Brawler was still cognizant enough to know he had to escape.
‘Arm wound be damned, go!’
Through herculean effort, Spring Brawler attempted to launch his hands towards the roof of a nearby building. His aim wasn’t to climb to the top so that he could try and run, rather, he was aiming to use the building as a means to launch himself upward and away towards the ship or the castle.
Spring Brawler knew that the rest of the kaijn were probably as banged up as him at this time, but he knew there were still some mortal allies that could help him.
But alas, this was the worst mistake he could’ve make in the moment.
[Well now, I was gonna take one of your legs…but this works too. Chaos Art: Psycho Slicer.]
SCHINK
Before Spring [Brawler] could even touch the edge of the building, Gao Dau launched a blade of [Chaos] energy that sliced right through the springs of both of his [arms], and severing them completely.
It took Spring [•rawler] a couple of moments to realize what had happened, but once it registered that he had lost something rather important to his identity, well, let’s just say that his reaction was understandably extreme.
[AAaAaaahahahahhh+$++$;_;! My mY MY…whY cant EyE Say-say-SAY the Word?!]
[Whoa there! I didn’t know that’s what happens when a protokaijin gets injured. I almost feel bad about it…almost.]
When a mortal loses a limb, they’re still themselves. Perhaps they’re a bit more jaded, perhaps they become a bit more careful, but they’re still themselves in the end.
When a kaijin loses their limbs, they’re injured to be sure, but they can recover as long as their [Core] remains intact. It doesn’t matter how severely damaged their body becomes, as long as they have a [Core] and enough suitable materials, they can restore themselves completelt. Without a [Core] though, they’re no better than a mindless beast that will eventually die in a blaze of glory.
However, if a proto-kaijin gets injured…the consequences are significantly more severe.
Unlike normal kaijin who have [Cores] that can record everything about them, unlike mortals who have souls that allow them to still be them even if they get injured or grow, a proto-kaijin’s entire existence is dependent on their physical forms.
Any additions, any subtractions, any general changes to their physical form can cause a proto-kaijin’s entire demeanor to change in a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that their bodies are their souls, and their souls are their bodies.
[I-eye-why can’t I re-re-rememebr?!,] Spring [••awle•] cried(screamed) as he stared at the broken springs that he swore had something on the end of them. At this point, he didn’t even care Gao Dau was still around, because he wasn’t even sure who he was anymore.
[My name is Spring-, My name is Spring-, why can’t I remember anything pass that?!]
While it is incredibly hard to injure a proto-kaijin, if it ever does happen though, then the consequences were worse than fatal. After all, not many people can really live after being lobotomized, so how could someone remember who they were when whole chunks of their soul suddenly went missing?
At this point in time, Gao Dau had collected Spring[•••••] arms and was just about to put the protokaijin down like a rabid dog with a quick blast of [Chaos] to the cranium.
However, before he delivered the finishing blow, Gao Dau changed his mind. Granted, it wasn’t out of a new found sense of mercy.
[Hmmm. There’s a non-zero chance that if I kill you after taking away these arms of yours, that they’ll disappear alongside your body. In order to maintain their “freshness”, I suppose I should let you live. I hope you can remember this mercy of mine.]
And with those words, Gao Dau turned around and left the injured protokaijin where he was.
As soon as he had left, Spring•••• continued to cry and scream, until finally falling over into a feral position and de-escalating to quiet sobs full of pain.
[Ringmaster…somebody…anybody…pleas…tell me who I was…tell me who I am now…]
Sadly, nobody could hear Spring••••’s pleas for help, as they were drowned out by the horrible buzzing.
________Now back to the tomb…__________
“Make…it…stop…,” Zhen Liu begged through strained breath as he tried his best to use his hands to block out the horrible buzzing in his ears. But alas, it was for naught.
Buzza continued to stand there, beating his wings in a manner that made a horrible sound that only Zhen Lih could hear, all while maintaining a look of complete and utter arrogance.
Sure, he couldn’t move or do any other attacks while doing this, but that was enough for him. He just needed the Fallen Clan’s matriarch to do the rest.
“Matriarch, I know my trick is impressive, but would you mind finizzzhing him zzzo we can-”
“CEASE YOUR INCESSANT BUZZING OR I’LL RIP HER THROAT OUT!”
“Huh?”
(Un)fortunately for Buzza, he had not accounted for outside assistance.
