Arcane is an Arts Unit-wielding caster who deals Nature DMG.
BASIC ATTACK: An attack with up to 5 sequences that deals Nature DMG. As the controlled operator, Final Strike also deals 17 Stagger. DIVE ATTACK: Basic attack performed in mid-air becomes a dive attack that deals Nature DMG to nearby enemies. FINISHER: Basic attack performed near a Staggered enemy becomes a finisher that deals massive Nature DMG and recovers some SP.
Creates a Jadecrushing Grid that deals Nature DMG and applies Nature Infliction to enemies within the area of effect.
Arcane creates a Gloompurger Array that immediately deals Nature DMG to enemies within the area of effect (AOE). When hitting an enemy within the Gloompurger Array with a Finisher or a Final Strike performed by the controlled operator, the Gloompurger Array unleashes a Cluster Strike that deals Area DMG to the said enemy. This effect triggers up to 2 times. After triggering Cluster Strike 2 times, the ultimate is switched to Gloompurge Arcana. Gloompurge Arcana: Deals Nature DMG to enemies within a large AOE.
Assign to Growth Chamber to grant rare mineral growth rate +20%
Reach E1 to unlock
Assign to Growth Chamber to grant rare mineral growth rate +30%
Reach E3 to activate
Assign to Growth Chamber to grant vitrified plant growth rate +20%
Reach E2 to unlock
Assign to Growth Chamber to grant vitrified plant growth rate +30%
Reach E4 to activate
Combo skill Yinglung Stance IV improved: DMG Multiplier is increased to 1.3 times the original. Array Arcana: INT: Hitting an enemy under Imprisonment with Arcane's battle skill returns 10 additional SP. Array Arcana: WILL: Effects of Nature Susceptibility and Cryo Susceptibility applied +6%.
Intellect and Will +15, Arts Intensity +16.
Talent Weapon Honing improved: Corrosion applied by Arcane lasts 5s longer, and Max Resistance Reduction is increased by 20% of the original.
Ultimate Gloompurge improved: Ultimate Energy cost -15%.
Ultimate Gloompurge improved: Array Arcana: INT: During the ultimate, Arcane gains 16% Arts Amp. DMG Multiplier of Gloompurge Arcana (ultimate sequence 2) is increased to 1.3 times the original. Array Arcana: WILL: Further increases the effects of Nature Susceptibility and Cryo Susceptibility applied by Gloompurger Array (ultimate sequence 1) and Gloompurge Arcana (ultimate sequence 2) by +7%. After casting Gloompurge Arcana (ultimate sequence 2), if combo skill Yinglung Stance IV is still in its cooldown, immediately shorten the length of the cooldown by 30%.
CODENAME: Arcane GENDER: Female AUTHENTICATION: Yinglung Special Task Force DOB: July 7 RACE: Liberi [ORIPATHY INFECTION STATUS] Oripathy negative, based on medical examination reports. [INTEGRATED PHYSICAL EXAMINATION] PHYSIOLOGICAL STRENGTH: Standard COMBAT SKILL: Excellent TACTICAL ACUMEN: Outstanding ORIGINIUM ARTS ASSIMILATION: Excellent
Operator Arcane (given name: Li Zhiyan) is a Hongshan Academy of Sciences Yinglung Special Task Force (YSTF) captain. Following injuries suffered during an operation in the North Wuling Exclusion Zone (EZ), she has been permitted to take an extended R&R. With special permission from the YSTF, Arcane is now a partner of Endfield Industries. According to Operator Arcane herself, this is her first long R&R. Our medical operators identified several dozen sites of internal injuries. Frontline work in dangerous Blight environments did not destroy her spirit, yet it has taken a toll on her in the form of constant and grueling physical pain. After conversing with members of the HAS, we learned that the HAS hopes that she can use the opportunity for proper recovery. "It should be a break to make up for all the breaks she missed for several years running." — Martin Marvin Malen, Assistant, HR Division, Endfield Industries
The Captain and Chen? I don't know much about that. I heard they were pretty good friends and even partnered up during the selection trials. Their performance was also the most outstanding amongst the reservists. Everyone thought they would become a pair of promising Yinglungs garrisoned at Yinglung Pass. But after that ... they wouldn't stop arguing with each other. And if they weren't, they were preparing for the next shouting match. You know the Captain. She never backs down. The two were assigned to separate groups and the Captain was the one that became an Yinglung... What if Chen becomes an Yinglung...? I ... can't imagine that. The Captain will still be the Captain. And if she were ever assigned to the Captain's team ... someone would definitely get reassigned. As a bystander, Instructor Zhu and the Captain made the right call. The current arrangement is the best for both of them. — Summit, trooper, Yinglung Special Task Force The YSTF didn't teach the Captain how to wield her heavy arts unit cannon. I asked her once, and she said it's part of her father's "legacy". There was a time when the Captain couldn't get any better no matter how hard she trained, so she kept swapping her weapons. Blades, spears, swords, halberds, axes, broadaxes, hooks, and tridents... She tried them all, got decent with everything, mastered all sorts of fighting styles, but she wasn't satisfied. She thought she wasn't getting good enough, so she doubled her training regimen... People got worried that she'd collapse from exhaustion. Then one day she chanced upon her father's arts unit cannon that was stored outside the place. She never applied for leave until then. No one knew where she went for a couple of days. But when she came back, she had made up her mind to use her father's weapon. And after that, she just became the Arcane we know. No Yinglung garrisoned at Wuling is a match for her. — Phrase, trooper, Yinglung Special Task Force STOP LISTENING TO THE RUMORS! Ugh. During the selection trials, she ... welp, she was like ... yeah ... got that slight edge over me. But I'm a far better fighter than I used to! If we fight again, I'll give her three free attacks on me! Wait ... maybe two. Don't worry. It'd be just a friendly spar. From what I remember, Arcane was always frowning and grumpy, like she was constantly carrying a huge boulder around. But since she fulfilled her wish about the North Wuling EZ, she's turned a little different. Oh yeah! It reminds me of how she looked like when I first met her. I tried asking her about her encounters in the EZ but she refused to say anything to me. I can't just go and pester the Endmin with questions... Wait... I think I can... — Chen Qianyu, former reservist, Yinglung Special Task Force Li Zhiyan? That little Yinglung girl? Nope. Nothing special comes to mind. Every time I see her, she's always stern-faced, stiff-necked, and making people feel bad about themselves. And she wouldn't stop yapping "Lady Proxy! Lady Proxy!" and I had to correct her umpteen times before I could force her to change. Mortal life is short, yet she's blessed with powerful abilities. But look at what she's doing with them: Living the most boring life ever and shackling herself with a load of self-made rules. Well, things have gotten a bit better recently. Her face softened up a little, so that's quite interesting, at least. Maybe the silly dolt did something. Hmph. That clueless idiot romped around and ended up with a bunch of injuries. There'll be no escape this time. — Si
"She may come off as cold and heartless, but that is what's needed in the YSTF." A bystander's evaluation of Li Zhiyan is usually very simple. All of Li's actions and choices can be boiled down to this statement: Finishing the mission. The troopers of the Yinglung Special Task Force (YSTF) always fight in extreme environments. Cold rationality and sheer determination help guarantee the success of a mission. If "safe exit" is not listed as part of the mission objective, every Yinglung knew what it meant. The YSTF has a secret chamber kept under tight security. They do not use it for storing intel files or documents, but for the "belongings" of every Yinglung. When you become an Yinglung, you are given a box and you are free to put anything you want in it. In the event that you fall during a mission, that thing in the box will function as the only proof of your existence. But Li Zhiyan's box remained empty. She told the chamber custodian that she had nothing. Everything she once had was buried within the dark, cold, and toxic Miasma of the North Wuling Exclusion Zone. The custodian had to tell her that this was a YSTF rule. It made Li think. What item best represents herself? If the title of YSTF Captain were taken from her, is there anything that she could put in the box? She pondered about the meaning of "self". She was only temporarily hampered by the question. Soon enough, she found an old artist on the market to write her name down with a calligraphy brush. This name was the thing that entered the box. The question did not feel important to her. It was the next mission that always mattered most. ...... Li barely visited the secret chamber until recently. In her multiple visits, her once threadbare box began to fill. A pen. A button. A dagger also joined the pile... Every item appeared mundane and meaningless, as though she just grabbed something from the desk. A few seemed like gifts from her neighbors or keepsakes that someone wanted her to pass on... Yet Li treated them all like treasure and carefully placed them in her box. When a curious Endministrator asked about this, Li no longer responded with stern silence as she'd often done in the past. Instead, she gave a solemn answer. "I looked back and realized that I have missed so many things that I should have treasured."
My combat style? It's based on the arrays that my Father taught me combined with Yinglung tactics. Father said that arrays operate on the principle of "change". The array gives the wielder momentum, and moves with the wielder as well. No array should be unchanging or permanent. An array is only complete when the wielder becomes part of it. Father brought me to many places when I was a girl. Sometimes we rode logs down rivers. Sometimes we climbed really tall trees. And when we got tired, we'd just lie down on the grass to gaze at the stars... Father taught me their positions and the shapes of the constellations. I later learned that none of this was just a "game". He used a subtle yet engaging way to teach me his knowledge of arrays and the cycles of all sorts of entities. The Yinglungs, however, taught me the meaning of "permanence", and how to remain unmoving in the midst of a storm. The Yinglung tactic relies primarily on "momentum" to create an unstoppable force. Different tactics are used against different threats. Yet it does not matter if we fought with swordmancy, spearmancy, or with our formations and arrays. Every Yinglung stuck to their post and focused on unleashing the momentous strike to obliterate the foe. I tried integrating Yinglung tactics with my Father's arrays. The former focuses on the team, the entire battlefield, and complementing each other's moves, like how my triplex cannon function as a single unit. My Father's arrays focus on flexibility and change. Combining these two approaches was difficult and troubled me for quite some time... But then I revisited the place where Father and I used to play. I saw how falling leaves passed through river rapids, how fowlbeasts perched at the end of long branches swung with the wind, and how the constellations never stopped yet somehow retained their shapes — Then I suddenly understood what Father used to say. I am the key. I must be part of the formation, the fourth piece of the array. I am the knot and pivot by which the array changes, the variable element that fills the tactical gap. Once I learned the lesson, I incorporated myself into the array. With my jade slip I positioned the triplex cannon and adjusted its firepower until it felt like an extension of my arm and leg. Only then did I master its use. My Originium Arts focus more on the "flow" of energy to create an equilibrium of "change" and "permanence". In a way, my Arts are similar to those wielded by Operator Gilberta. She shared a few tips about Arts casting with me. Operator Arclight also wielded electrical currents with beautiful elegance and mastery, and so I asked her for advice as well. She responded with a phrase: "Feel it." Indeed, Dijiang is a gathering of incredibly talented and skilled individuals and offers plenty of learning opportunities, like Operator Last Rite with her astronomical strength and Operator Pogranichnik with his unparalleled knowledge of military formations... I hope my stay aboard Dijiang will give me a chance to improve my own skills and study the strengths of every school... I'm also trying to compile these lessons into a book. Other Yinglungs trying to master the arrays and heavy cannons can use it for reference. I hope these writings can provide them with assistance.
[RECEIVING RECORD] RECIPIENT: Li Zhiyan SENDER: Ling Yue SENDER'S ADDRESS: Wuling City STATUS: Signed and received INSPECTION: Inspection passed VOICE MESSAGE: Zhiyan! It's me! Auntie Liu! I heard you're getting some R and R at Endfield. You should have told me, Ah Girl. The entire neighborhood got super worried! So I asked the young lady at Serenity Garden to help deliver some of your favorite things! Just a few boxes of osmanthus cakes and sweet kohl pudding. I brewed it just a few days ago for baby's birthday, so it won't keep forever. Finish it first, okay? Auntie Shen also cares a lot about you. She stuffed the package with a few sets of clothing that she sewed. She heard you're now staying on a spaceship and so she kept complaining how cold you are in space. So yes, that's where the clothes are from in case you're wondering. Ah Girl, I don't know when you'd be back. You've always been stubborn. Always sitting at one spot and doing nothing. You hardly played with other girls your age. Instead, you kept trying to help the aunties in the neighborhood. It's not right! You are a darling girl but we're getting old and won't be around forever. Listen to your Auntie and make some friends at Endfield. I saw their Endmin and the young lady called Perlica, and they look very nice to me! And if you don't know how to make small talk, just take the rice cakes and sweet kohl pudding to the Endfielders, and let them try out your Auntie's cooking! Do this a few times and you'll have new friends! Auntie watched you grow up. You never liked to talk, but Auntie knows you got an eye for details. I made a note every time you helped us. Remember when you returned with a photo of Auntie Shen's little girl? Auntie Shen couldn't stop crying that day. Poor girl left when she was around your age, so Auntie Shen treated you like her own. And ... it's the same for all of us. You are a child of Wuling. The city is always your home, no matter where you go. Aiyah, the talk is getting too sad. Auntie isn't very good with words, so maybe I should stop here. Just focus on getting better and try to come home early. Once you come back to Wuling, Auntie will make a huge feast for you! Don't forget about Auntie's advice! Bring your new friends too! ...... Wait. Aiyo, Auntie Shen actually has something to say but she started crying again. I'll just let Ling Yue deliver the package and let Auntie Shen record a voice message later. Hope we're not bugging you. Hey! Don't rush me! I'm not taking forever, okay! Wait. Low battery? How — [DELIVERY RECORD] SENDER: Li Zhiyan RECIPIENT: Ling Yue SENDER'S ADDRESS: OMV Dijiang DELIVERY STATUS: Delivered INSPECTION: Inspection passed LIST OF ITEM(S): Simonch Shawl - 5 pieces Breeze of Kjersch - 5 jars Cosmic Gate Puzzle - 3 sets Citromix [Rf.] - 10 bottles VOICE MESSAGE: Ling Yue, It's me ... Li Zhiyan. I received the package from the old folks of the neighborhood. Please don't let them deliver another package... There's everything aboard Dijiang, and I still got plenty of stuff left after giving away plenty of things to the Endmin and other Endfielders... I think the aunties like the shawls I mailed last time. I procured a few more from the Logistics Division so just let the old ladies sort them out. There are also fruit-flavored mixes you can't find in Wuling and toys for the children. Don't worry about the cost. I hardly have any other expenses. And tell Auntie Shen that the things are free giveaways from Endfield. I don't want her to worry too much.
Now, you're in command.
I will uphold the honor of the Yinglungs.
I have faith in you.
Give me your orders.
The strongest weapon is the heart that wields it.
Endfield really knows how to deliver quality.
Hone yourself to extreme perfection, and you can calmly prevail, no matter the situation.
Combat records... I used to spend all night poring over after-action reviews.
Thank you for the honor... I don't often get to be in situations like this as Task Leader, so it's ... kind of novel.
Does this signal closer collaboration between Endfield and HAS? Maybe next time, I could give you a tour of Yinglung HQ in Hongshan.
Commendations are appreciated, but I'd rather keep busy with more missions. Any missions will do. Idleness doesn't suit me... I want to be of more help to you.
Hmm? Ah ... my mind went back to when I was made Task Leader at Yinglung Pass. After the Wuling affairs were over ... the stubborn fury that once drove me had settled. Had I known that one day you would personally award me ... well, never mind.
YSTF Task Leader, Arcane, reporting to Endfield... Awaiting your orders, Commander.
Be of ferrium will, move as a razor's edge. Yinglung wins by momentum.
Consider me a blade at your command. Point me at where you need me, and I'll strike.
Yinglungs are never choosy about their missions. My duty is to see them through.
Finally got a moment, Endmin?
Saw you from a distance. Any new intel?
I once thought the Proxy didn't like me much. But after our return from the North Wuling Exclusion Zone, she started treating me warmly. I think I understand why... She probably treated the old me as a stiff bore. If I get the chance to meet Lady Si aboard Dijiang ... I'd like to thank her in person.
Desolate lands of sand, the snowfields of the extreme north... As I stand atop the decks of Dijiang, regions in need of aid are clearer to me than ever before. My journey doesn't end with the Very Large Rift... I shall reclaim every inch of soil ruined by other rifts.
I've seen my share of Wuling's mountains and rivers, and had more than a fill of its food. Everything's new to me and I face challenges that I never saw coming. You brought me out of that buried town ... and that felt like a second life to me.
I've always had nightmares. But after closing my eyes on my first night aboard Dijiang, the anguished cries and harsh instructions were gone. Instead, I dreamed of my empty self and a voice telling me how I carry the hope of... Ahem. Sorry for dumping all of this on you.
From these decks, the auroras over Talos-II look just like the ones in the North Wuling Exclusion Zone. Scenes of brilliance that hide blood-soaked wounds... I will not allow any rift to harm this land again.
Endfield operators hail from every corner of the world. Many are powerful soldiers, but what's more valuable are the ordinary ones who devote themselves to the well-being of others. As the saying goes, from a high perch, one sees farther and wider than tiptoeing on the ground... Being here really fuels my resolve, Endmin.
Just some local stuff. I didn't go out of my way to prepare them. I just ... hmm, got too much of them.
Thank you. I'll prepare something in return. But, I'm ... not very good at picking gifts ... so keep your expectations low.
Things are good here, but it could be ... nice if we had a few clever little companions. Blitzcrash kept me company through the worst of training. She grew from a tiny howlerbeast into a reliable comrade... We weren't together for long, but I still miss her sometimes... The pantails of Wuling are a joy too... Are pets allowed on Dijiang? I'd train them to military standards.
Summit and Phrase each have their strengths. Summit excels at command while Phrase is gifted in combat. They complement each other well. One of them could take over as Task Leader eventually... Why am I suddenly talking about this? Hmm... Seeing Chen like that made me wonder if there's a broader path for me too... It's ... it's just a thought.
Hm? What a coincidence, Endmin... I usually spend my downtime alone. Quiet places let me think about people from my hometown, training dummies at Tanjian Hall, rice cakes dusted with sugar... But these memories are too beautiful. They slow you down, lower your guard, and trap you within them... I don't want others to see me like this. As for you... Now that I think about it, you're the reason that I've gone soft. Well, we might as well share this secret break together.
Mother used to braid my hair with all kinds of ribbons. I never liked it. I always went home covered in dirt with my hair in a complete mess. Father taught me Tianshi arrays with twigs. Though I didn't understand anything, we often played long into the night or counted pear flowers under the moonlight until mother found us... Strange. I hardly remember my childhood, yet tiny moments like these remain so vivid.
Can you ... tie my hair? You know which ribbon to use. I want to finish this book. At Yinglung Pass, books were one of the few ways to pass the time... When was the last time I asked someone to tie my hair...? Hmm... Can't remember. I thought about cutting it but I just couldn't force myself. Mm... Thank you. It's neatly done... Have you been watching how I tie my hair? Hm? What's that look on your face?
I don't really know the ... trends people are hyped for. I just don't have time to think about them. But ... Tianshi Zhuang did say I should focus more on myself, like, find a hobby or something. So about hobbies ... training certainly doesn't count. Maybe I could ask Uncle Pan to teach me a skill. But I can't be like Chen and be positive all day. She's a rare one. Developing a hobby seems like a new challenge.
Even though I'm not in the Task Force, I still train myself to Yinglung standards. This lets me support emergency missions should they come up. I'm still in regular contact with the Yinglungs, and I trust that they'll get the job done, even in my absence.
Chen wanted to spar with me again... I used to win most of the fights, but she improved quickly — so quickly that it once frustrated the other Yinglungs. Unfortunately, I was even quicker. But ... after becoming a Task Leader, I spent more time on other things than my personal training. So now I'm not really sure anymore. Maybe we'll need a real fight to see who's stronger... Heh. I'm actually looking forward to it.
Tianshi Zhuang sent me a copy of the Zone's reconstruction plan... She knows how much it means to me. But I still have my Task Leader duties, whether in Wuling or at Endfield... I'm already content that I could seal the Rift and reclaim our home as a Wulinger. With the AIC Factory, I'm certain the Tianshi will restore the streets to how they once were. If I have the chance ... I'll return and see for myself.
Got a small problem, Endmin. A few old gents and ladies cared for me back in Wuling. As a soldier who might die at any moment, I thought it was improper to form attachments or make people sad, so I kept my distance. But now I think about what I did and felt a little guilty... So, how does one make up for this? Ask Chen? I just can't force myself to ask her. Endmin, perhaps you've got time for this?
I thought of Chen from time to time after she left. Since then, I've never met anyone who talked the talk and walked the walk as thoroughly as she did. She's not Yinglung material but ... people will trust her more. While some must survive the darkness, others must stand in the light. I do not regret any decision I've made in the past. My choices will be the same, even if I start over.
No, never tried other styles... Others did try recommending a few. I appreciate the offer, but I still prefer the one I have. You know what it means to me. But ... perhaps it's time to try a new one... Endmin, what color to you think would best represent all the things we've seen together?
When Æther consumes life, it records a deafening echo of despair and terror ... but if hope could survive along with mutual kindness and selfless sacrifice ... then no so-called "Creator" can defeat us. This is the meaning of our existence, and it ... touches me deeply.
A truly incredible enemy, one who has brought even more mysteries. His words will not make me doubt you or Endfield, but there's no denying that this entity poses a grave threat to the Civilization Band. If our unknown enemies from the Aggeloi War could return ... promise that you'll make me your first blade of their destruction.
Time has not hindered the Wulingers' yearning for home. Such feelings slowly build up with time, pushing them ever closer to the homes they were forced to leave... The Exclusion Zone is no longer off limits, but it has completely changed and many things can't be undone. Still ... we must live for tomorrow. Isn't this what you taught me?
Lady Si is truly extraordinary, and I mean that literally. Long ago, she shared her strength with Hongshan and helped with the founding of Yinglung Special Task Force. Yet she holds no formal commanding position with the Yinglungs ... nor any title at HAS. Lady Si simply guides the Yinglungs as a fellow "partner". Many of us never saw her in person even after being discharged. But she got very much involved for this operation...
Unexpected supplies over there. Let's inspect them for safety first.
Strategic supplies detected at target location. Awaiting orders.
Unknown combat zone ahead.
High threat hostile spotted. Maintaining visuals. Permission to engage.
Ore retrieval is our top priority for now.
It's all part of keeping our operations supplied.
High-quality supplies secured.
Aurylene... Acquire the entity. We'll secure it in a special device later.
Blight eliminated. Path is clear.
Timely rest concluded. Let's move out.
Using tacticals!
A timely treatment.
Caution! Incoming!
Not yet... I can still fight.
I can't ... fall here...
Stellar.
Exceptional. Keep it up.
It's just standard Yinglung performance.
The crisis we face demands the best of us.
Target confirmed. Secure the AO.
Position reached. Maintain comms.
The team's on par with the Yinglungs. Impressive.
We have made further progress.
Let us make sure this excellence continues.
Losses are still within our estimates. Well done, team.
A minor setback, that's all. Victory and defeat are part of the mission.
Break!
Breach!
Shatter the line!
Area sealed!
Deploy formation.
Formation in place.
I'll cover you!
Strike and suppress!
Meet your end here.
Have another!
Weak point targeted!
Here I command the ebb and flow!
For a sunlit earth of life!
Chaos shall be quelled!
