The orator cleared his throat Everyone is aware of the current state of the Nexus we are hounded constantly by malcontents and deviants who seek to undermine the structure and stability we have built While our leader Elhume handles those on the Path of the Pinnacle we need to handle the rabble nipping at his heels

However that is impossible without a firm hand at the helm For a brief moment the orator�s voice wavered It was clear he understood the significance of the moment and also the peril Yet he was a small character He quickly regained his balanced timber and continued Therefore I take great pleasure in introducing you all to Military High Command�s new leader We were so taken with her abilities that she has been granted the title of Actus Suprem holding unilateral power over all aspects of Military High Command and therefore the Nexus Greet the Leader

All Hail Actus Suprem Devick

All Hail The entire crowd cheered including Lady Iellaya and Commandant Wick Down the line Commandant Zettlequill grew pale but still said the words

Grinning like a lazy panther Devick sauntered down the aisle Even from afar her blood red hair cascading down her back drew the eye She didn�t release a hint of an image but none dared underestimate her Around her neck she wore a golden chain that symbolized the office of Actus Suprem One side ended in a vicious looking spike the other in a hook

She had designed the chain herself Lady Iellaya had assured her earlier in the day that it was very intimidating which pleased Devick immensely

None dared even twitch as Devick slowly proceeded down the aisle Her eyes swept side to side inspecting them all for the tiniest flaws But eventually she arrived at the dais and walked to stand next to the orator He bowed and stepped away and she assumed control with a satisfied smile

Although I definitely deserve this position I would not be here today if not for my supporters Devick grinned Especially my dear friend Grand Marshal Ellios I was blindsided when he suggested me for this role but I immediately saw how necessary it was Truly without him I wouldn�t have made it to where I am today

Her smile stretched a little wider Tragically he violated the orders of Elhume and entered the Path of the Pinnacle So I sentenced him to death However gone but not forgotten as they say eh

Chapter 1843

After receiving your most recent experiment Daniel leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers like the villain in a spy movie He was currently trying his hand at growing out a goatee and Sam believed it looked more wisp than hair but made the effect even more of a satire Mr Ozark is quite pleased with the result he told me that what they are really looking for are aspects that strengthen the use of images If you can make one of those and provide it for them they are willing to trade an Armament With an emphasis of your choosing

Behind them a child did cartwheels through the grassy field

Sam raised the wine glass to his lips and sipped Immediately he grimaced he just couldn�t bring himself to enjoy white wine Huh Well the unusual raw materials are nice but what the hell is an Armament

From the way Ozark said it I didn�t want to sound foolish by asking Daniel winced and pressed his hair back I hoped you knew I�ll send a message to Randidly to ask about it But can you do it Can you make equipment that benefits images

The duo sat at one end of a low topped oak picnic table their conversation covered up by the bubble of laughter and conversation from the other patrons at the winery Now that the chill winter of the Calamity had passed a blooming spring had come to Expira Their table sat on the rolling green laws of Donnyton�s newest winery and right in front of them was the sprawling grape heavy trellis of the vineyard The sun sank toward the horizon its rays lengthening and darkening to orange and red

At the other end of the table were Regina Mrs Hamilton and Theodore Mrs Hamilton�s increasingly serious boyfriend The three of them sampled the various and damningly white wine selections offered by the winery

All of them enjoyed it

Sam clicked his tongue while he watched a family play horseshoes off to the left Well theoretically yea I�ve done it before It�s just usually not my focus because the process takes time That sort of benefit needs to accumulate But so long as we figure out the Armament is worth something I�ll do it

Excellent Daniel�s expression brightened Then he produced an interspatial amulet and slid it across the table A discrete bonus Oh you�ll like this too The materials provided are apparently from some alien being that had been mutated by cosmic radiation

Randidly clicked his tongue as he considered his options After sleeping for several hours he recovered to his peak state Now he just had to decide how to proceed Upstodatee from

Claudette had already returned to her father�s estate to take care of some personal matters before the looming party in six days Randidly briefly wondered whether the party would be postponed based on the state of the Nexus he had heard from Lady Iellaya about the constant infighting attacks and the fact that a madwoman had essentially become the supreme czar of Military High Command but it appeared that Don Beigon was not troubled by such developments His celebration remained on the schedule

As such Randidly wouldn�t let it bother him either He needed to be ready

Still that preparedness could take several forms He could train his images with the Path of Dreams He could figure out how his attainments with energy ripples could be incorporated into his fighting style now that he had returned to the Nexus where images weren�t suppressed to the point of uselessness And he could also investigate the process of evolving his Nether Core to the next Rarity and generating more Weight

Finally his third image appeared manifesting directly in front of his body The being was not human but took a humanoid shape even while powerful energies had completely evolved the interior beyond the physical limits of its original species With Randidly�s face it turned and looked at him almost sadly Its left arm was bulkier and armored while its right seemed more graceful and deadly Determination glittered in its eyes

The emotions around the Grey Creature began to seeth as all the bottledup fury and indignation Randidly experienced in his time under the thumb of the System came to the surface The air warped and popped destabilized to the point of implosion by the vehemency with which the Grey Creature wished to tear down the edifice above them It released a hissing misty breath

Someday Randidly closed his eyes Someday

When he opened his eyes Randidly�s three images floated down and superimposed themselves on his body With all three of his images operating at full force he began to look at the surroundings His lip curled upward at the dense network of ripples that rebounded endlessly off each other fueled by the existence of three powerful images even working in concert

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 603

Congratulations Your Skill Philosophy of the Boundless Deluge has grown to Level 585

If the ripples are this dense with just me activating my images Randidly thought with glittering eyes He looked down at his hands where natural force already had begun to accumulate The barest hint of a maelstrom swirled around his person naturally forming as energy seeped into the subconscious patterns he manifested What can I achieve in a fight Or on a battlefield like I had when the Swacc Family assaulted those Pinnacle Seekers

If I had another chance I could have directly annihilated that being possessing Techetadore

However Randidly pushed the speculation out of his mind He activated several of his more powerful Skills pushing them to the fullest and then noting what effects they had on the energy ripples

Steadily he consolidated his understanding of his Moirae of Ripples Skillset

Put simply it generally functioned as a support to the more powerful attacks that his images could unleash He could utilize Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko freely to improve his spear usage His understanding of energy and ripples also reduced drag on other attacks To his surprise this bonus was surprisingly high he received perhaps a 50% increase in raw power just from manipulating the patterns in the air into more agreeable shapes

At the same time the Skillset provided two steadily accumulating passive abilities First the three related Skills from the images rapidly gathered energy to create a force maelstrom around Randidly�s person Obviously this wouldn�t stop a truly powerful energy opponent but weaker opponents would he effortlessly dominated once it gathered momentum and foes of Randidly�s power would be restricted by the swirling force

Secondly the energy maelstrom functioned as a growing bank of power that Randidly could unleash in a potent blast as he had once done previously He didn�t dare experiment with how far he could push this considering the power it had displayed and the lack of a battlefield to pull from but his understanding of utilizing energy meant that he could channel a much larger amount of power

Alright Randidly said with a grin as he let his images die Time to head to a dinner

Chapter 1844

His confidence swiftly ran out From the jump the meeting with Nrorce was awkward

The goblin eyed Randidly with naked suspicion when he arrived at the entrance to Nrorce�s farming compound The proof of Randidly�s betrayal was in the pudding all around the goblin�s base flowers were blooming The whole of the countryside now fueled with the abundant Aether of the Alpha Cosmos came alive

Despite Nrorce�s suicidal desires Randidly had saved the world

Otters played in streams Strange copper winged pigeons clustered on tree branches and cooed playfully at each other Wild strawberries grew rampant across the hillside their bright red color hinting at their tart sweetness

Randidly rubbed his cheek rather awkwardly Directly against Nrorce�s wishes he had consumed the goblin�s homeworld in his Alpha Cosmos preventing the world from wasting away with Nrorce as he succumbed to his grief Not that Randidly regretted that decision he was very confident from the imprint of Nrorce�s daughter that she would have wanted it And in his mind his true debt was to her Plus it was the right thing to do

But standing in the face of the goblin�s sour regard was a bit uncomfortable

Nrorce grunted and turned away finally ending the painful stare Alright alright Enough of the tearful reunion Come on in and harvest something fresh for dinner I�ll be in the kitchen

Randidly blinked in surprise and then followed the goblin through the cracked tunnel into the farm Obviously the invitation had been to dinner but were they really just going to have a meal together

With no tirade No slew of verbal abuse No acidic diatribe that cataloged Randidly�s failures

Looking around Randidly couldn�t help but grimace it was clear that the transition into the Alpha Cosmos had not been easy for the farm Perhaps part of that was probably how near to stuffed Randidly had been at the time but it might also be related to the significance of this particular place Either way the heavy walls were cracked and the intricate Engravings were shattered Vines grew through the jagged ravines in the high walls and the farm had obviously gone wild

However Randidly was surprised to find that small central corners of the four farming quadrants saw hints of some use When they had last spoken Nrorce had been completely defeated and prepared to lay on his daughter�s old bed until he wasted away When Randidly had left he had honestly believed he would never see him again And now

Could his continued vigor be because I went against his wishes and saved the world Randidly wondered as he gathered some fresh looking peppers and onions from the overgrown fields His lips twitched as the old habits of ripping out the weeds by hand came back over him Without the walls in place ambient images seeped into the plants but he still restrained himself perhaps he wanted to stay alive and spite me

Randidly straightened and crooked a finger rather than dwell on Nrorce�s motivations Natural energy without any associated images gathered around his hands His Grim Intuition gave him a perfect picture of the entire field around him His tail swished around and around as though stirring a cauldron And when he had gathered enough energy he unleashed it in a massive wave obliterating the weeds and leaving the vegetables untouched

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 381

I missed a huge aspect of this ability when I tested it in the shaft Who knew it would be so useful for gardening Randidly thought about his new Skillset with bemusement as he returned to Nrorce�s dwelling with an armful of vegetables

He thought about loneliness Then Randidly slapped his cheeks

Actually would you like to join me for dinner Randidly said See if you can track down Naffur and Miss Collins You guys do so much to support me I really think we should get to know each other better

For the first time since the conversation started there was a lull in responses When her answer finally came he could practically see Tatiana�s eyebrows rising Well well well Would you believe me if I say that even my Skill is surprised you suggested that It�s very out of character

Randidly ignored the twinge of guilt in his chest and opened a portal to Kharon

mm can you feel that sunlight little sis Actus Suprem Devick leaned back in her chair by the window and stretched her arms until her shoulder popped She practically beamed Seriously I have been in such a good mood lately

Yes it is indeed auspicious that you have finally been recognized for your talents Wick said woodenly He seemed already quite used to Devick�s surprising insistence that she be complimented Lady Iellaya inwardly applauded how easily the Commandant adjusted his attitude when his boss was around

Especially now that she sat in his office near constantly Her new post involved much less work than the pomp to crown her suggested

But to even Lady Iellaya�s surprise Devick waved a hand and a flash of irritation crossed her face Not that I don�t know it�s hard for me to describe the feeling is slightly akin to scheduling a duel to publicly humiliate a sniveling whelp only to forget about the date Then the day of when I�m reminded of what is to come the pure joy of thinking about killing him surges in my chest all over again

For a brief moment a pure smile crossed Devick�s face Then she shrugged That�s the feeling but I can�t remember any duels coming up Hmm Perhaps a man Perhaps I�ve touched on the threads of fate and at Don Beigon�s party I�ll encounter the love of my life

Surely there is no man worthy of you Lady Iellaya added when Commandant Wick remained silent and thoughtful

True

Lady Iellaya shivered when Devick spoke there was something horribly dangerous in her voice Madness unfolded into a thousand legged insect of violence bent on devouring the entire world But as the Actus Suprem continued Lady Iellaya wondered if she had just imagined it But still a girl can dream right Ah Wick I�m guessing from your expression that you didn�t manage to complete your mission

Wick paled but bowed his head in surrender Unfortunately Don Beigon insists on meeting you personally before issuing an invitation despite your status as Actus Suprem

Fine then Let�s go introduce ourselves Devick said lightly Oh Wick Fetch me my chain would you

Chapter 1845

The boy�s Class is literally Poltergeist Headmistress Collins held her head in her hands her elbows spread outward as a hastily erected support structure Naffur passed the pureed potatoes across the table to Tatiana and followed up with the sweet and savory honey sriracha drizzle Tatiana thanked him with such softness that Police Chief Arrietti�s enthusiastic consumption of mutton covered the words Derek Moss regarded his food with the intense stoicism of a man who had heard similar complaints from his girlfriend for quite some time and realized that his attempts to assist� were not required or even wanted

After a deep sigh Headmistress Collins continued to speak there her fingers As a Class it�s excellent it came with quality Skills too He learned Skills for wall walking short term invisibility some weak telekinesis the projection of intelligible whispers and the ability to inflict fear on a nearby target who observed his other Skills Obviously we�ve had problems with students using their Class�s abilities against each other and in immature ways in the past but I can already tell it�s only going to get worse One of our professors was driven to hysterics before we realized what was happening And when I called him into my office he asked me how he�s supposed to get better without using his Skills And I have no idea what to say to him

Arrietti dabbed his lips with a napkin Perhaps just one more mutton steak Truly the meat has been roasted to absolute perfection Mr Nrorce You are a meat savant The wood must have been hand picked this lingering flavor

Randidly�s lips twitched as Gertrude Collins unleashed an explosive sigh I�m even considering creating a new special area A student run haunted house He can hone his Skills now against the fools who voluntarily want to test their bravery but for Halloween it can be a huge event Yet even with extra consideration I take a single look at him and know that he�s gonna push boundaries

Tatiana shook her head A young man with the ability to walk through walls is going to find the justification to use the ability The combination of youth and capability makes fools of us all No wonder it feels like you�ve been so busy recently If you need any help please let me know

Gertrude flashed a brief and bright smile Yes Thank you I know it�s not so bad So far he hasn�t done anything directly against school rules So long as he can at least stand by the Kharon Academy Code of Conduct the best I can tell I�ll just try and not dwell on the things he�s done and we just haven�t caught him doing

Naffur set down his fork If you need any help tracking him down just say the word At least for now Vye is hanging around Kharon Even catching a ghost would be a breeze for her

By the way Naffur Tatiana said as she pivoted in her seat Are you still handling that Randidly fanatic

The what Randidly blurted out Most of the people at the table grinned Only Nrorce had a blank expression which he had been wearing since Randidly�s subordinates arrived for the dinner

He had taken Randidly�s request for more guests in stride but he remained aloof while the rest happily chatted

While Naffur seemed hesitant Tatiana gladly jumped in to supply the details She stabbed her fork into the vegetable medley for emphasis Obviously it�s been an issue since the founding of Kharon that you have a strong influence on the population Randidly To the point that there is a plethora of products and memorabilia based on you including soaps cologne and trading cards Obsession finds an outlet right But always the most problematic has been those who claim to teach your fighting style because a certain amount of people starts to believe them and will accept ridiculous tuition fees to learn

Randidly glanced sideways when he caught a bit of movement Derek Moss lowered his head toward the table and flushed

typically we simply send an Order Ducis agent widely regarded as true representatives of the Ghosthound and challenge the leader of this school or martial academy Most of the people are delusional about their own capability they probably saw you fight at one point and received a Path for their troubles The Stat gains of such Paths are generally high and the final Skill is Rare or above inflating their heads However

Perhaps only one more mutton steak Commissioner Arrietti smacked his lips This pesto is simply sublime

This is what it means for us to become closer To shift more toward friends Randidly felt the transition happening slowly or at least starting to in their hopeful expressions And suddenly he could see where he had gone wrong in the past I might have checked in with how they were doing in the past and I also might have worn the consequences of my own adventures on my sleeve at some point but I never willingly opened up to them I was always distant And since I was the superior when I failed to make that step they respectfully gave me some space

He released a breath and pondered The loss of Helen had hurt him more deeply than he had been prepared to experience But at the same time he missed that camaraderie And he knew that the loneliness he experienced in the Nexus was only going to get worse So he opened his mouth and tried to explain

Well the big thing is preparing for Claudette�s well essentially a coming of age ceremony Her father Don Beigon wants to marry her off for a political alliance the only way to avoid it is for her to have sufficient strength to demonstrate she can defend herself from the dangers of the Nexus But considering the sort of foes we will probably have to face

Randidly trailed off Commissioner Arrietti spoke into the silence Heh we understand the odds of standing up to the System well enough But you are exhausting yourself anyway yes No matter the odds

The assertion took Randidly by surprise then he laughed at the accuracy Ha Maybe Yes I�ve spent the previous few months doing some last minute training on a very special Mountain They called their focused method the Grand Pattern which was just a very pretentious way of describing minute control of energy and understanding of how different energies interact with each other Useful but not nearly as profound as they claimed

I proceeded up through the Mountain testing myself against different manifestations of these energy attacks Oh afterward I absorbed about half of the training areas on the Mountain when I finished you�ll notice them sitting on the dark side of the moon I haven�t had the chance to utilize the Sea of Dreams but it should strain the shape of an image Meanwhile the Path of Blood is mainly focused on enduring the energy patterns with your body But anyway some various things happened but I managed to learn a lot and grow stronger due to the mountain It�s just a matter of whether it will be enough

For a split second Randidly frowned as his mind followed the complex difficulties that were waiting for him at the Don�s party But then Miss Collins raised her hand distracting him Then when she didn�t immediately speak he said Uh yes

You were rewarded with the ability to take away the training Paths for completing the Mountain She asked

Randidly licked his lips He felt a small prickle of guilt Well

Before he could even answer Tatiana shook her head Let me guess You destabilized the Mountain got involved in some inner conflict and then took advantage of the chaos to steal two of the training Paths

Randidly frowned You make it sound like I am an opportunist but believe me my presence was the only reason that they were able to wound the Master

Naffur snorted Does that make it better You are an agent of chaos

Kharon is a city that I founded Randidly huffed somewhat playfully If I really was an agent fo chaos none of you would have jobs

Even a broken clock is accurate twice a day Miss Collins observed Then the entire Kharon contingent broke out in laughter as Randidly frowned at them

Watching everything Nrorce tilted his head to the side

Chapter 1846

After the meal Randidly opened a portal back to Expira and most of his subordinates proceeded through the rift in a quick procession Derek Moss was still timid and bashful Commissioner Arrietti had dipped into some old ale Nrorce had fermented and now boisterously praised the blue goblin�s food production capabilities to the high heavens Naffur looking much older than when he had originally been named the head of the Order Ducis shook Randidly�s head and then walked away with a confident gait

A lot of change that I caused even if I wasn�t there for it Randidly thought as they left I�m a part of their lives So it�s better that I�m making that decision purposefully from now on

Miss Collins went second to last having been the only individual who had managed to draw Nrorce into conversation of all things they spoke at length about the creation and uses of the image isolating Engravings Apparently she saw quite a bit of potential in adding such restrictions to certain areas of Kharon Academy

Tatiana brought up the rear She patted Randidly�s arm after the rest had left This was a good idea I�m glad you did it Everyone needed a bit of a break from running the city The Wandering City is chaos and progress incarnate You purposefully made it strange and unmoored so we wouldn�t fall into a rut but that strangeness makes our jobs a little more difficult

Thank you I appreciate that you�ve kept the trains on time while I�m gone Randidly said seriously Without you

Tatiana waved her hand I handle the timetables but you provided all the materials It�s almost annoying how little I�ve needed to do to make Kharon a success your name is a big draw It would take a certain sort of genius to squander everything you�ve left for us

When Randidly�s subordinates had gone he turned back to look at Nrorce The blue goblin gestured sharply with his hand handle the dishes Randidly moved smoothly picking up the remnant plates and platters after his group had eaten their way through the meal Nrorce had prepared Balancing almost a dozen plates on his arm he walked through to the kitchen Flicks of his fingers mobilized natural energy annihilating the remnant sauce and gristle that lingered in the wake of the mutton steaks He then brought everything to the sink for a thorough scrubbing

The domestic tasks were rather mindless but Randidly enjoyed the combination of the simple motions and the pleasant buzz that had settled in his mind He still felt rather drained from his experience working his way up through the Mountain encountering the shades of Devick and challenging the Master but now that tension had eased from the simple conversation with his subordinates

We are all working for the same thing No need to bear the responsibility all on my own Just like Claudette won�t be alone when she stands up to her father For a brief moment Randidly clenched his hand The sharp outline of his strained tendons in his arm reminded him of those horrifically muscled statues and he shook himself He considered contacting Neveah to see if she could perhaps do something but then Randidly grimaced picturing Neveah�s amused expression as she looked at the statue better not mention it She probably already knows considering her friendship with Tatiana but if she finds out it bothers me she might commission one herself

Congratulations Your Skill Soul Bond has grown to Level 415

Randidly�s breath hissed between his teeth but he did his best not to linger over what that notification might mean Instead he cocked his head and read the soft wind currents for signs of Nrorce To his surprise the goblin wasn�t within the farmhouse he had climbed up the vine covered walls and now sat along the Western portion to watch the bleed crimson and maroon out through the clouds of this world

You took the rest of the population to a different planet Nrorce said when Randidly hopped up to join him Randidly nodded

Nrorce pursed his lips This place well I thought the entire world was empty after my daughter died But I suppose it�s pretty empty now isn�t it Lifeless

Randidly opened his mouth to respond but Nrorce was already waving his hand Alright I�m tired from cooking And if you want this to happen again heh Do you take me for a fool You need to pay me if you want me to cater an entire party You are adult enough not to need to rely on charity from an old goblin

After studying Nrorce�s purposefully blank expression Randidly allowed a small smile to dance across his face Alright Next time I�ll pay

You better Nrorce grumbled After bowing toward his blue skinned back Randidly left the old goblin in peace Besides he had a lot on his own plate before the Don�s party it was definitely time to confront the Patrons and make sure they weren�t planning anything malicious for the Alpha Cosmos

There was an awkward silence as Randidly absorbed that and considered Then the seemingly innocuous Patron of Blades stepped forward We can give you our understanding but there is a lot we don�t know as Sun implied Everything changed so quickly

During most of the Second Cohort we were all close All nine of us Elhume and his eight original Patrons Truth Abyss Blades Feathers Deep Sun Blooms and the Borrowed Elhume had used the Nexus to reach the Pinnacle but there were a few flaws with this method he wasn�t invincible within the Nexus just the one that none of the other major factions wished to offend Even with that deterrent we had to fight constantly to defend the order in the sizable portion we controlled Outside of even our struggles various forces controlled small kingdoms that constantly warred with each other attempting to monopolize the influx of Aether from new worlds

You are primarily concerned with the way the Cohort ended right Well you need to go back a bit for that clusterfuck to make sense The Patron of Blades looked around at the other gathered Patrons It is somewhat humiliating to admit this but we we were the outer circle all of us The four closest to Elhume were Truth Borrowed Feathers and Deep Three of which are dead by Elhume�s hand and one which well she is still recovering from exposure to the bone charm When she wakes perhaps she can shed some more light on what happened By the way

I haven�t finished examining the bone charm Randidly responded with a firm voice However I am able to handle it safely You don�t need to worry about the Alpha Cosmos unraveling around you But please continue

The Patron of Blades nodded We had three big projects in those days First the creation of Elhumes or humans Elhume believed that if we wanted to extend our control of the Nexus we would need a more efficient way to gather subordinates This was before the Nexus Ways so we couldn�t efficiently respond to threats Our standing army had to be ready in all locations Abyss and Deep were focused on this with Abyss only assisting with his understanding of potential and transformations The Patron of the Deep�s unique power was the core of the project

Us three Sun Blooms and myself managed major points of entry into our area We were the guardians that defended the citizens against the chaos of the wider Nexus

Meanwhile Truth Feathers and Borrowed accompanied Elhume to slay a very dangerous individual They succeeded but they all returned slightly haunted Borrowed hid away unwilling to talk Truth seemed to look at the world with hollow eyes And Feathers well she didn�t stray from Elhume�s side Usually after a long mission like that Elhume would call us back for a meal after a major mission He always liked to check in with each of us But that time he did not We didn�t think much of it we each had too much on our own plate

Suddenly the Patron of the Abyss interrupted Within a week Elhume publicly killed the Patron of Truth He offered no explanation or apology

The Patron of Blades sighed Part of it seemed to be the stress of the Elhume project but there was also the issue that Elhume�s body started generating crystalized Aether around him faster than he could be rid of it Things spun wildly out of control He seemed suddenly possessed determined to begin the plan They activated the ritual to create Elhumes and the Patron of the Deep died in the process Officially it was an accident As for the Patron of the Borrowed as far as we can tell Elhume used his body to create the very first Armament With that he slew a particularly powerful head of a rival power that had routinely challenged his authority And with ease

But by then the other forces in the Nexus were calling for the Patrons to be sealed away Perhaps in retrospect it was a blessing they might have feared that Elhume would turn us all into weapons for his eight fists and become invincible I don�t think they understood how bad the physical restrictions on his person were becoming

You always add too much detail The Patron of Blooms rearranged her face the roots and vines tightening and flexing into a haughty architecture What is there to say We believed we knew Elhume And perhaps there is some truth to his claim that something went wrong on their assassination mission But the harsh truth is this he realized he no longer needed us We were more useful to him as weapons than as companions So he cast us aside Our dream of creating paradise amounted to nothing

For several long seconds Randidly considered them Then he shook his head Who was so important that Elhume had to take three Patrons to kill them That was also when the strangeness started yes

Honestly We have no idea who it actually was Some leader of an ascendant faction in the Nexus The Patron of the Sun grunted and then folded his arms across his chest However the why has become relatively obvious to me

Do you think you can fool us with your pretentious act The Patron of Blooms popped up an eyebrow made of tiny petals

The Patron of Sun looked at her like she was an ugly slug Do you remember the Hierarchy of Karma ever being used

What No it was never used Just Then the Patron of Blooms frowned

Because if you check the current history books The Patron of the Sun spoke slowly You�ll find that they now claimed it was used in the Second Cohort They aren�t specific on the details but considering Elhume�s claims of contamination� the answer is obvious Four individuals went to slay an individual who had been ordained to rule all of existence And afterward everything fell apart

Chapter 1847

The rest of the conversation with the Patrons was more of the same Or if anything the Patrons quickly got on each others� nerves and began to snipe at each other more than they provided actual information no wonder they split up so quickly when left to their own devices Soon Randidly dismissed them all and returned to his own Skyisland floating above Kharon He put his chin in the palm of his hand and examined the star filled sky

Randidly didn�t trust the Patrons entirely especially about their knowledge of Elhume�s abilities Even after he helped defend against Elhume�s attack against them His emotional senses might not be the sharpest but he felt how conflicted each of them was in regards to this powerful individual who ruled the Nexus In their own way each Patron held a raw wound in their chest that continued to linger they had fought by Elhume�s side for the sake of accomplishing a dream for too long to escape unscathed

Even now they didn�t understand what exactly had happened to make Elhume abandon them With that question unanswered he wouldn�t completely trust them

Especially because Randidly didn�t quite believe Elhume could have so easily killed so many of the Patrons back then without assistance Even if he had become increasingly dominant since then everyone agreed that the Second Cohort Elhume was much more mortal Randidly couldn�t catch a whiff during their talk but he worried about a rat

Still at least he had a few answers about what happened at the end of the Second Cohort Plus he was at least reassured that they were behaving He could use his deeper influence over Nether and significance in the Alpha Cosmos to find remnant traces of the different Patrons� movements Since he didn�t notice anything suspicious he could at least relax about the presence of Patrons

Randidly rubbed his eyes One worry down A half dozen to go What a fun life I lead

During his conversation with the Patrons Claudette had sent Randidly an invitation to visit the Beigon Compound and have a last discussion in preparation to attend the party However that wasn�t until the following morning Which left Randidly with enough time to focus on his Nether Core

He produced his Philosopher�s Key and created a portal down to the depths of the Kharon He found the humming stone room the tiered stone rings and that central pillar that bore the carvings of Randidly�s deepest core Shadows congealed in the corners but as soon as he took a breath all that accumulated power flowed into him

Influence +76 901

Influence +14 226

Influence +901

Randidly chuckled as he looked at the notifications A valuable boost in Influence But compared to devouring the Master�s connection to his Paths a bit of a letdown Stealing significance from others is honestly much more efficient than allowing it to accumulate on its own

Ha Back in the early days I needed to constantly deny that I was a Heretic Devour And yet now I�m toeing the line a bit

His Nether Core hummed with pleasure as it spun and pulled all of the accumulated power out of this room As the darkness receded and the core area returned to its original state Randidly was surprised to see that two names marked along the walls two individuals had managed to make it all the way through the Kharon Labyrinth and leave their mark since he had been here

At first Randidly smiled to think of the people of Kharon growing more powerful Then he saw one of the names and scowled powerfully Alonso Trey�s name featured very prominently along the one wall with a complex looking scrawl below the name

He took a steadying breath and then climbed next to the central pillar to make himself comfortable He refused to let that presence distract him He sat cross legged next to his Nether Core and allowed his mind to drift His worries and distractions fell away leaving the reassuring flow of energy in the surroundings Ripples in a dozen different varieties bounced off the walls of the enclosed space Although he sat down to begin the Nether Core transformation process he paused to examine the energy flows a bit more closely

So Randidly took a few minutes to trace the energy curling through his core area and out through the labyrinth He was surprised to find that there was a whole network of energy and airflow through the ventilation system of the place that created a strange resonance with the entirety of Kharon Academy He hadn�t intended it this way but the significance that pooled here wasn�t idle

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 439

Congratulations For Influence above 10 Weight +10

For Influence above 50 Weight +10

For Influence above 100 Weight +10

For Influence above 250 Weight +10

For Influence above 500 Weight +10

For Influence above 1000 Weight +10

For Influence above 2500 Weight +10

For Influence above 5000 Weight +10

For Influence above 10 000 Weight +10

For Influence above 50 000 Weight +10

For Influence above 100 000 Weight +10

For Influence above 250 000 Weight +10

For Influence above 500 000 Weight +10

For Influence above 1 000 000 Weight +10

For reaching the requisite Influence the Rarity of your Nether Sphere has increased to Legendary For reaching the Runic Rarity you have unlocked the Attribute Synechdochence

Congratulations Your Nether Core has gained the Attribute Synechdochence Initial Synechdochence set at 5%

Due to your accomplishments Synechdochence recognized at 13% Increase the fineness of your Nether Understanding in order to increase this number

Randidly�s lips twitched as the seething storm of Nether around him began to settle down I might have guessed this but all the work I�ve done to increase my Weight means that my Synechdochence is low Haah 13%

Then his eyes flashed Steadily a new awareness of the way his Nether could be leveraged was tingling at the edges of his consciousness But when it comes to learning to control energy I�m quite confident in myself Before long that number will be shooting upward

Chapter 1848

Accomplishment recognized Synechdochence has increased to 29%

The small pinch of Nether exploded outward gobbling down a large chunk of the sky island and leave motes of hissing dust in its wake In terms of power it wasn�t that much But Randidly had restrained himself since he was testing his new capabilities on his own skyisland A dozen similar ice cream scoops were dotted the surrounding space a testament to his steadily accumulating experience with weaponizing Nether

Randidly tapped his lip This shouldn�t be my limit while remaining here and not punching out a large enough chunk that my skyisland crashed down on Kharon To learn to use my Nether as an aspect representing the whole I need to let loose a bit

He raised his head and looked toward the horizon Natural energy swirled in a constant rotation around the sky island the unconscious order that his Moirae of Ripples Skillset imposed on the surrounding area The sun was beginning to peak up above the distant mountains after a retrained night of experimenting with his new capabilities

Randidly looked down at his hands as he flexed his fingers The sensation his new Nether Core provided for him was a strange one As his Nether wove itself out into the storm he could briefly transform the disparate pieces into seeds for their own pattern The flood of sensations that resulted was dizzying even for Randidly Then these patterns could unleash new patterns spreading endlessly out into the surrounding air like a virulent plague

Eventually he brushed up against the edges of his Scope but the entire operation quickly collapsed underneath its own weight and his half hearted follow through Again the main problem was that Randidly didn�t want to grip the surrounding space with the full force of his Nether releasing some of his significance assisted Kharon Academy students but that was a very different thing than weathering the full Weight of Randidly�s Nether Core

After the evolution of his Nether Core to Legendary he had a renewed appreciation for how much damage his Nether could do to any substance less durable than his body

However another problem was actually understanding the way the patterns cascaded outward Randidly had believed he understood organic energy systems relatively well but his experience centered on small scale battlefields When he spread his Nether out to the limit of his scope those previously simple interactions became almost self defeating Small amounts of radiation from the patterns began to weigh heavily against certain portions of the whole which could then destabilize everything

Randidly hummed to himself then pulled the flows of Nether back to within his body It was time to meet Claudette he could find a more desolate location and push his limits without worrying about the consequences after

He opened a portal directly to an antechamber as he had been directed by Claudette A man wearing a shroud was already kneeling on the ground when Randidly arrived He raised his head but did not look directly at Randidly as he spoke Master Ghosthound we have been expecting you Please follow me to the tea chamber The rest of the guests have already arrived

Randidly kept his face neutral even while composing a message to Claudette Other guests

Neshamah Rex The reply came quickly Have you spurned her romantic advances or something The woman is desperate to get some face time with you Her political clout is useful but Randidly I hope you know I never wanted you to sell your body for me

Randidly couldn�t help but snort

Randidly decided to ignore him and walk forward even as Don Beigon cheerily rolled back up the ramp behind him and kept up a constant stream of compliments Truly looking at you is to lay your eyes on the figure of a hero In all my years in the Nexus I haven�t seen a similarly talented individual Your rise is meteoric

They passed onto an upper walkway with emerald seahorses the size of dogs peeking out of side corridors to look at the pedestrians In front of them Randidly could see a silver pavilion which was probably the location of the meeting

But you know

Randidly paused in his walk The Don�s tone had changed He pivoted on his heel and looked at the old man in the bamboo wheelchair that had stopped behind him The Don�s eyes were extremely sharp as he looked at Randidly You are of course invited to my third Mille party I would be disappointed if you did not come considering how successful you�ve been recently But let me remind you of two things

The air around the Don shimmered as intense emotional force gathered with enough potency to warp the physical realm Despite the cool sapphire water Randidly�s skin prickled with wariness This is why we spent so much time and effort training Because the top figures of the Nexus are monsters

First you cannot use the debt I owe you to affect the issue of Claudette She will be devoured without the proper protection And as her father I will pay any price to keep her safe Second a Mille is a thousand I have three Skills that have reached one thousand I can only think of two other individuals who have gotten to their third Mille However and dearest Claudette will explain the details of this when you meet her in recognition of her improvement and your efforts I�ve made a small game to determine her fate And all of the competitors aside from yourself and Claudette have achieved their first Mille You are outmatched Randidly of the impressive talent You do not have time to close that gap

Don Beigon wheeled himself around and then head back away from the silver pavilion Yet strangely Randidly felt the intense expression on the Don�s face even more clearly now that he couldn�t see it The liquid around the Don began to bubble underneath the pressure of his monstrous emotions Before absolute power no amount of piecemeal accumulation can resist

Randidly grinned despite himself He refused to back down no matter how powerful the images he faced would be No matter how many Skill Levels he would need to withstand I�ve heard that before And yet I m still here So far my efforts have not been in vain

This time the Don paused To Randidly�s surprise the old man also had a wicked smile as he twisted around to look at Randidly That dangerous edge of his image dissipated leaving the surrounding liquid tranquil I quite like you Mr Ghosthound And you are right there is no greater accomplishment than surviving I honestly wish you luck Heh the rules of this game are quite special So do your best

With that the old man left However what kept Randidly transfixed for several seconds was the fact that nearly a third of the debt that the Don owed him vanished Randidly pressed his lips together Based on the result he truly gave me a massive advantage in the game He probably believes that the advantage won�t be enough to make a difference against the other competitors But the fact that he still talks about his daughter�s fate as a game

Releasing a breath to calm himself Randidly proceeded to the silver pavilion Within three figures sat in billowing lounge hammocks made of seaweed sipping out of golden decanters and engaging in polite conversation All three looked up as Randidly entered Claudette offered him a small warm smile A man with the head of a tiger that Randidly didn�t recognize watched him with extreme interest

Neshamah Rex bounded to her feet Then she put her hands to her mouth Oh my Mr Ghosthound you�ve already improved your Nether Core And your aura well there�s no need for me to wonder any longer So you are the mysterious Skull Shadow

Randidly blinked in utter confusion Skull Shadow was definitely a nickname he would remember earning

Chapter 1849

When Neshamah didn�t elaborate on her strange and sudden nickname just kept looking at Randidly with an enthusiastic expression he eventually cleared his throat I�m sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about Skull Shadow

She laughed and winked at him Of course of course Considering your attitude I shan�t say any more on that subject How have you been Randidly You�ve been quite busy recently

Randidly cast a questioning glance toward Claudette Quickly he received a message from her Skull Shadow is one of the two figures who gobbled up a significant portion of the Engraving Guild�s Nether Lattice Compared to the other person who had been a close disciple of Lathis N�Gick basically nothing is known about Skull Shadow Many are scrambling to find out who it is The Engraving Guild is keeping its mouth shut about the issue

I�m not sure why Neshamah thinks you are Skull Shadow but it will probably make the negotiations easier

Randidly turned back to Neshamah The most likely reason for her misunderstanding was the improvement of his Nether Core combined with a fast rise of a mysterious figure of Nether it seemed like the two factions who had the capability to form Nether Cores still thought he had utilized the method of the other to do so

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 440

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 448

His eyes opened and he viewed Neshamah with the whole of his senses Nether glittered in the air around her definitely thinner than his own but also possessing an impressive fineness to its flow If Randidly sat in the middle of a maelstrom of Nether that constantly churned the Nether Core of Neshamah Rex was as light and airy as a circus tent held aloft by a playful breeze The construction possessed simplicity and grace that demonstrated an entirely different understanding of Nether

Out of curiosity Randidly manipulated a pinch of his Nether to flow toward Neshamah�s graceful arrangement When the two interacted Randidly half heartedly demonstrated his newly acquired Synechdochence with an implosion of physical force That pinch flared and Neshamah grinned a swirling mote of her own Nether moving to meet the challenge

A ripple ran through the sapphire water that surrounded them all as the two forces met Nether crackled and spat unleash a gasp of bubbles Neshamah laughed out loud at the result the sound completely clear despite the water Impressive as always Mr Ghosthound Not only have you successfully created a Legendary Nether Core since we last met but based on the Weight you have likely accumulated is your Synechdochence already past 50% Honestly excellence seems to be the norm for you

Randidly gave her a slow nod of acknowledgment he filed away the fact that his 29% effort registered as almost 50% for Neshamah In addition it was difficult to say whether that attempt truly represented what he could accomplish at the moment

But even as he felt a rush of confidence Randidly�s expression hardened The emotional intensity from his memory seemed to have grown even stronger swirling in his subconscious a constant reminder of the danger If I were to compare this Nether trick to the solidity of the look the Don gave me

He shook himself to push that brief flared emotional power away and looked at the stranger the man with a tiger head And who are you

Pinnacle Seeker Moonlight Blade stroked the bracer on his left arm savoring the sensation of his claws running through the furr Even now he felt the intoxicating potential waiting within the equipment only needing some time to blossom A small wind rustled across the clearing winding its way through the stone pillars carved with the names of powerful foes that Moonlight Blade slew in the past

The two individuals in front of him continued to kneel waiting for the pleasure of his permission before they spoke Moonlight Blade appreciated the fact that they understood their position Many of his other subordinates let their accomplishments get to their head in situations like this

Yet these two continue to kneel Moonlight Blade�s lip curled upward Then he forced it down Although his instincts screamed that these two were weak and he could easily rip out their throats and lap up their blood he suppressed it These two remained useful so long as they could provide him with similar equipment

Besides neither of them would be worthy of a stone pillar He might sate his aggression but he would find no honor in hunting them

Moonlight Blade lowered his head and rubbed his nose against the bracer mixing his scent with the equipment�s Already he could feel some small budding image beginning to form His heartbeat quickened at the possibility of growing stronger even while he avoided stepping into the image fulfillment stage

This was the key he had been waiting for And then

Moonlight Blade raised his head They had proven their patience So The rest of the equipment

The minor Pinnacle Seeker pressed his forehead against the ground with additional force To avoid the artisan taking advantage of us we have provided him with various random ingredients and asked him to generate similar results to make sure that bracer wasn�t a fluke About 50% of the time he succeeds

Why bother Moonlight Blade sniffed Capture the artisan and his family I shall give you a thousand winged wolves capture his entire people If he refuses to work with us we will teach him the meaning of fear

Of course that was my first thought as well The Pinnacle Seeker replied quickly into the grass However there is something strange about his home planet Expira Based on System records its clearly in the Seventh Cohort However all attempts to locate the planet have failed Unfortunately due to the recent destruction of the record keeping

Amateurs This time Moonlight Blade didn�t bother to hide his bloodlust Both shivered and cowered on the ground which did a little to alleviate Moonlight Blade�s annoyance He suppressed the impulse to howl upward calling his endless wolf horde to devour their flesh and leave him the bones to gnaw to alleviate his boredom Despite the failure he knew this Pinnacle Seeker was competent if he could not find the planet the issue wasn�t simple

However Moonlight Blade instead turned to the smaller figure And you Why are you here I do not know you

I am Ozark Great One the individual was so fearful that his words came out in pants partially muffled by the grassy ground The obvious show of submission at least was the proper respect Moonlight Blade deserved I am the one who discovered the bracer Immediately I thought of you Great One and

You are a poor storyteller Moonlight Blade said sharply He shifted on his throne But apparently you are a talented porter For your contributions you will be my servant when I attend that foolish Don�s party Heh and if you do well there I�ll even let you watch as I win the rights to his daughter and devour her

Chapter 1850

Randidly looked around at the rainforest surrounding him Already moisture clung to his skin and made him uncomfortable He had chosen one of the completely abandoned portions in Expira�s Southern hemisphere a vast monster wonderland that even Kharon and the Order Ducis was having trouble clearing enough to make a safe road North

With this much space I can go wild to my heart�s content Randidly felt his blood pumping through his body He clenched his fists No regrets I need to make sure Nether is an area in which no one can rival me Right now I�m probably a little less sophisticated than Neshamah even if my usage of Nether is more geared toward power But I know I can be better than that

I need to be better than that

His Nether Core swirled with gathering momentum as he floated in the sky But Randidly couldn�t help but grin around him because he wasn�t alone in this humid jungle Looks like you�ve been breeding out here without any supervision Are your lives so short and your minds so small that you�ve forgotten how dangerous humans can be

Shadows flitted up out of the trees and moved to surround him

Calamitous Bloodsuckers Lvl 85

As soon as the first ones saw him more came flooding out Nearly a hundred horse sized mosquitos had flown out of the dense tree cover with scores more streaming out every second Likely soon so many would appear that Kharon would see them and assume it was just a large storm cloud on the horizon

Randidly�s expression became increasingly brittle as the chorus of buzzes increased in volume Since I founded Kharon and it will be down this way in a few days I don�t mind reeducating some dumb insects Especially when you�ve so generously offered to help me with my Nether Core training

A wave of Nether exploded out of Randidly as the first Bloodsuckers zipped toward him with their sharp tube like mouths Instantly Motif of the Hungry Deep guided the Nether into specific patterns As he spread out his awareness Synechdochence became a double edge sword Miniature cascading arrangements made and remade themselves separating into a thousand propagating pinches of Nether

Theoretically he could generate a certain percentage of his actual force an infinite number of times However in practice each time he split his attention required an extra bit of process power Perhaps it would have been more intelligent for him to instead work at perfecting his Synechdochence by practicing only a few pinches to perfection

Yet that look the Don had given him wouldn�t leave the forefront of his mind That emotional potency reminded him of the distance that still existed between where he was and where he needed to be That difference set him on fire he couldn�t bear not to throw everything he had into this training so he unleashed an avalanche of Nether pinches Randidly�s grasp of control of them was still rather fuzzy but he burned with resolve

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 468

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 441

Acri Randidly thought right before he unleashed himself His body began to steam from the incendiary heat of his determination Make sure you skim this experience

In the first wave Randidly unleashed about a hundred pinches of Nether that imploded a space the size of a basketball The flared power cut off wings crunched bodies and ripped holes in stingers of all of the nearby monsters that swarmed toward him As their remnant pieces fell like rain those that lived through the initial burst keened a mournful song

Accomplishment recognized Synechdochence increased to 34%

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 442

The buzzing of their wings grew worse as more and more Bloodsuckers flew out of the treetops Thousands began to stream upward in a massive river of monster flesh Randidly just released a steaming breath and began to gather the ripples he created as he killed the first chunk He felt the destructive force of his Nether but he wasn�t satisfied The Don wouldn�t even blink at that display And now since so many delivered themselves to him

More Randidly�s eyes were bright and emerald as his entire focus flowed in through his Nether Core I can do better than this Sharper More exact Violent and domineering When it comes to Nether I need to be unrivaled

His second detonation of pinches created about five hundred attacks each of which continued to annihilate the bugs but also grew to be about the size of an inflatable pool volleyball More and more ripples were produced which he happily gathered into the building storm

He felt the pressure building behind his eyes The more pinches he activated the more strain his Mental Stats were forced to endure But he continued to barrel forward brute forcing his way into gathering a sea of experience with manipulating Synechdochence

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 471

More bodies fell their blood dripping down over the leaves of the bushy ferns that covered the rain forest floor Some of the nearby trees creaked and groaned collapsing after Randidly�s Nether cut chunks out of their trunks and the remnant pieces couldn�t endure The ground covered was unceremoniously ripped up and tossed aside by the winds of Randidly�s maelstrom leaving him with a fluttering grass landing space as he raised his hand and pressed it against his face

Rather than pain what I�m feeling is heat Randidly squinted measuring the physical discomfort Like a computer right now my brain is literally being fed more information than it can handle Of course

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 472

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 511

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 480

By forcing myself beyond my limits I can gather Skill Levels relatively easily I can close that gap Randidly forced himself to raise his head His entire body pulsed with the Nether stretching out from his body connecting him to the thousands of flickering marble of Nether he maintained His Synechdochence gradually shifted adopting the wide active method that Randidly used to engage When the various monsters around him managed to struggle close enough to one of the pinches of Nether they activated the dormant power

A blossom of power warped the air Randidly examined it with a cool expression Even if I want a broader reach this efficiency isn�t nearly enough The pattern needs to be adjusted at its base

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual has grown to Level 468

There was a pop and then a rapidly expanding balloon of darkness that devoured flesh feathers skin grass dirt everything Randidly�s mind hummed just a little more with the influx of feedback from the newest spurt of Nether He examined the pattern with a brief moment of intense clarity before the next bit of information arrived knocking the previous pattern out of his head

Each time he made minute adjustments seeking the streamlined pattern he needed

He continued to cackle feeling Neveah�s consciousness coming to him and trying to ease the strain he was under but he waved her away The intensity of Don Beigon hovered in front of Randidly�s face taunting him Did he have enough to rival that emotional intensity To face the monsters of the Nexus

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 499

I�m afraid Neveah Randidly felt blood dribble out his nose But his whole being was consumed by the thrum of resonance flowing up out of his Nether Core His mind burned with the flood of complicated interactions playing out over the desolate ground around him His increasing Synechdochence came with a steep cost Dimly Randidly could feel himself loosening his control on where the Nether pinches appeared More and more spurts of Nether flared up annihilating a wider swathe of the environment Afraid that I won�t be enough That I�m finally going to hit this wall

Meanwhile Motif of the Hungry Deep continued to gather all the energy ripples from the sudden Nether explosions and gathered them into a horrifying landscape crushing storm Those few trees that were lucky enough to not get caught in the Nether implosions were ripped up by the greedy fingers of wind and shredded before they hit the ground

Neveah pulsed again trying to calm him down You don�t need to push yourself like this Randidly

Maybe Randidly raised his head and cackled The waves of Nether he released spread further and further More and more near boiling blood dribbled out of his nose as his superheated brain attempted to keep up with the patterns in the Nether The crimson drops that fell from his nose were spirited away by the wind before they could hit the ground But I can handle this My high Stats make this dangerous path possible for me And if I balk here

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 529

Achievement recognized Your Synechdochence increased to 50

I won�t be able to live with myself Randidly closed his eyes listening to the keening song of his tornado of a Nether Core and seeing the endless cascade of his significance play out in front of him

No regrets

Chapter 1851

Randidly�s eyelids fluttered

Evolution occurring Due to extreme stress and ambient energy a change is occurring within the core of your being Biological functions being analyzed Examining shift

Everything pulsed with the beating of his heart Such was the heat dripping from his brain down through his spine that air flared and ignited when it brushed up against the skin of his neck His blood howled through his body driving him to new heights However rather than his physical body that had been remade from its human origins this heat burned away his more complicated and delicate grey matter allowing something new and profound to grow in its place

Randidly could feel his tail twitching and his Nether running with around him but other than that

Your Stat Wisdom is evolving

The heat rolled off his body in waves The muscles of Randidly�s jaw tightened and popped as he struggled to contain the strain running through him And the pain

Congratulations Your Stat Wisdom has evolved into Unnatural Capacity Efficacy of each Stat point increased Adds a small boost to the Mental portion of Reaction It becomes easier to recognize patterns more quickly

A switch was flicked New hardware engaged with the horrifying avalanche of information The molten heat through his brain began to ease Slowly his eyes opened His awareness gradually returned finding that the storm of natural energy had dispersed during those two hours where he had given himself over to the heat

Randidly looked up at the sky and heaved a breath out of his chest The ground around him was the damp black unearthed loam that represented a hundred years� worth of fallen leaves and small animals decomposing on the forest floor With the grey clouds above the flickering points of Nether and the black dirt below he lived in a world of monochrome

Finally returned to consciousness his tail began to flick purposefully gathering natural energy and recreating his storm

That black and pockmarked desolation spread around him for about a kilometer in every direction Small sparks of Nether still intermittently flickered in the air around him but they silently chomped out clumps of dirt without fanfare Other than that the surrounding area had been abandoned

About ten minutes after Randidly had unleashed himself even the mosquitos had learned their lesson and fled the surrounding area As he had said when he started he taught them to fear humanity He now had an entire stretch just to himself

Steam hissed out his nose The heat had spread from his head where a remnant inferno still bogged down his thoughts and spread slowly down his spine A needle of lava dripped slowly down inflaming his nerves and leaving him feeling extremely overexposed As Randidly had expected overtaxing his brain and nervous system led to an increased acuity of sensation The evolution of his Stat was just a happy accident The cascading interaction of patterns because easier for Randidly to follow

His Willpower flexed and spun Gushing rivers of Nether wormed their way through the storm around him darkening the winds and thickening the air With the topsoil annihilated the heavy stone bedrock was steadily unearthed below And before Randidly�s rapidly growing power that dense stone was scoured away

Randidly flared his Nether again and again in powerful flashes His eyes grew bloodshot as he kept tracking the patterns as they mixed and combined As soon as the Nether ripples were created he gobbled them up and strengthened his influence in the air He did his best to smooth everything down back to normal

However the more he looked the more he realized how difficult it was to remove the minute fluctuations in power Pain made his mind fuzzy but his stubbornness meant that he didn�t waver He exploded his pinches of Nether examined the surroundings tightened his control then tried again The oppression of the storm climbed

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 551

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 605

His senses grew more acute and he found the small mistakes in adjustments he had made Randidly corrected them even as his brain began to vibrate itself apart He could feel his body trembling in response Unnatural Capacity could transform his ability to recognize and respond to information but he just approached Nether with even more greed Randidly groped around with his awareness attempting to perfect the flared power of Nether

Just a little more Randidly sucked away all the reverberations pulling the Nether energy into the storm Lightning cracked up and down around his body due to the strange electromagnetic field conjured by the churning storm The winds were dark and shadowy an ominous cloud over this destroyed land

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 530

A pinch of Nether ballooned outward in the air in front of Randidly devouring the nearby atmosphere with fangs of Nether Weight Randidly grinned

Achievement recognized Synechdochence increased to 65%

This feel as long as I push it Randidly�s eyes burned He created two hundred more flared bursts of Nether that were almost as effective as the first He gathered the remnant bits of Nether into the storm Plus I have another way to cheat Synechdochence now that I know these mechanisms

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 415

Randidly looked up at the storm swirling around him He licked his lips his tongue tingling with heat up and down the fleshy appendage as all the nerve endings were remade You cannot add your Nether�s force together through Synechdochence but I can manifest my Nether in a hundred different spots at once Those activations create ripples And from there

Randidly sucked in a breath pulling in all the kinetic energy of the storm into his limbs The winds and lightning vanished leaving only the unnatural darkness of Nether His muscles were already warmed based on the shift in Randidly�s nerves but suddenly they too sizzled with heat He felt the strain of containing this much energy but Randidly�s abilities to manipulate force had been honed to a razor�s edge on the Mountain

Above him thick coiling tentacles of Nether spun around a dense core of significance that clustered around his body Heatwaves demolished what little visibility remained in that air He clenched his fists

The kinetic force sang in Randidly�s body He lifted his head and yelled with all his might

An enormous beam of raw power shot upward ripping through the Nether and obliterating the low hanging cloud cover Air along the edge of the blast was so superheated that it became plasma burning and sizzling away the atmosphere and spreading outward growing in size until the sky above Randidly seemed to become a sea of flames

His eyes glittered A little rough in the execution but this is exactly what I need It�s nowhere near as consistent as being able to manifest a super powerful image but for a brief moment hopefully I can flare brightly enough to make a difference

Chapter 1852

Tatiana raised a cup of tea to her lips and sipped the liquid Beside her Naffur rubbed his chin as he stared at the darkness staining the horizon Even from here both could feel the hairs on their arms standing on end as they looked at the display So let�s adjust our heading

Yes I suppose we will have to Tatiana sighed because they were already behind schedule Below them the tireless legs of Kharon carried the Wandering City forward across the dense rain forest This area bristled with high Level monsters so several powerful Order Ducis agents were on high alert constantly reading to prevent any from flying up around and attacking the meandering trail of skyislands that followed the city

And the journey South had been rather difficult for the first part of their journey that was why all of Tatiana�s carefully arranged timetables were currently thrown in disarray Yet not everyone shared he anxiousness Even as fire breathing toucans and gem scaled boas managed to infiltrate the city the students of Kharon Academy were extremely carefree They used Scrawl covered bits of wood to whip through the air whooping and laughing right above some of the brutal defensive battles that were being fought both by the Order Ducis and the city�s other brass defenders

A group even went exploring the surrounding jungle and returned several hours late wandering back to the city gearing up for search and rescue wondering what everyone was doing

Yet several days ago the situation had changed Dark clouds arrived on the horizon and her instincts were quite sure that Randidly was responsible Immediately afterward a flood of monsters rushed for them not to attack Kharon but to get as far as possible from that growing maelstrom of oblivion Then after several hours of watching the monsters rush away the exodus had stopped

Now the jungle was ominously silent More appropriate for exploration but even the students seemed unnerved by those massive black clouds churning in the distance

Circle further West then Naffur grunted

Tatiana opened her mouth to respond in the affirmative but a brilliant lime green beam of energy ripped up from the storm clouds in the distance The beam released so much light that it carved a place on Tatiana�s retinas for several blink filled seconds The clouds were obliterated and the beam expanded to become a sea of golden green flames that raced across the sky

quite a bit further West I think Tatiana shook her head even while she was inwardly quite impressed by how much power Randidly wielded

As she turned away from the window to set down her cup of tea she paused Streams of moss spirits flowed up and out toward that burning sky in a wide convoy However considering she had meetings with the Founding Day planning board and then with the stubborn Alonso Trey Tatiana didn�t have the spare attention to investigate the moss spirits

At the very least she trusted them more than some of Kharon�s youth

So several hours later as Tatiana had on a nightgown and was curling up with a recently released semi fictionalized account of the System�s arrival the lurching movement of the city underneath her caught her completely off guard The book tumbled from her grasp then was immediately snatched out of the air as her System enhanced Stats caught up with what was happening

She could feel Kharon vibrating beneath her in a way she didn�t recognize

Wrapping a thicker wool robe around herself Tatiana hurried up to her balcony and then hopped up onto the roof She peered around fearing a new monster attack However his insight into the wellbeing of Kharon gave her no warnings

She quickly located the most eye catching sight in the night sky the moss spirits returned to Kharon in just as massive a group as they had left The only difference was

Well shit Tatiana�s eyes widened They are bringing back some of the energy he released Then

Claudette fussed with her necklace then reached up to touch her hair before forcefully stopping herself and squeezing her hands on her lap In her heart she could feel the desolate blade Clarent crooning softly to comfort her although the only way it could express itself was by corrupting and destroying Mentally she ran her awareness along the sharp edge of that blade and felt how deadly it could be

She had grown

But today was the day of her party The day that would determine the rest of her life They had made so many preparations but she felt no different than she had before not truly compared to the domineering determination of her father Her head felt hollow Her fingers felt so frail and thin as they twisted back and forth like paper cranes wrestling with one another

She stood up abruptly shimmying to adjust the fit of her dress before walking to a basin on the far wall of her room and splashing her face with water We have done so much more than I expected And now we just need to rely on our training What does Randidly always say We will succeed because failure means death

A knock at the door brought Claudette�s head whipping around Her heart constricted but that knock was not the knock of her father She brought up a soft towel to dab at the remnant moisture on her cheeks checked her teeth for any lipstick marks and then turned around However her walk to the door became smooth and languid she felt the frigid edges of the storm that had decimated the Lizakh running through her veins

Even she was somewhat impressed by how calm and poised she seemed when she opened the door to a familiar face Ah Neshamah you arrived early

Neshamah Rex looked quite stunning with a sleek glittering silver dress She looked down at herself and then shrugged Yes well Although I don�t think any of our targets will bother monitoring us there isn�t any need to keep our alliance a secret I think it�s best for us all to go together Yust should be along shortly And then when our fourth conspirer is here we will make quite the foursome eh Unless he�s already waiting within

Unfortunately Claudette shook her head slightly It looks like Randidly will be slightly late So the three of us will have to proceed first

The disappointment that Claudette expected flashed across Neshamah�s face the woman clearly wanted more time with Randidly But what she hadn�t expected was the follow up eye roll That man is quite the diva Does he want to make a dramatic entrance at the eleventh hour to come to our rescue

I made him promise it wouldn�t be a minute past the ninth Claudette replied feeling the tightness in her chest alleviate somewhat Although she was manipulating her body down to the smallest detail she believed her smile was suitably stretched between acceptance and tension Did you remember to bring your invitation

Neshamah nodded then flicked her wrist and produced two I even brought along Yust�s because you can never trust a Pinnacle Seeker to arrive on time

I heard that A deep voice rumbled from the hallway The tiger headed Colm Yust walked up and leaned against Claudette�s doorframe wearing a burnt orange suit that brought out the liveliness in the fur that covered his face You realize that the myth that Pinnacle Seekers are always late was started by the NLC in the Fifth Cohort to justify the discrimination right

For a moment there was a strained silence as Yust looked intently at Neshamah and the woman lifted her chin stubbornly in response Then Claudette cleared her throat I�m sure both of you would love to discuss the history of the Nexus but right now we have a party to attend

What about the Ghosthound Yust tilted her head to the side

Some of the casual ease with which Claudette was operating began to flake away She bit her lip He will be a little bit late but that just means he will miss the speeches portion of the party

Lucky bastard Neshamah muttered

Chapter 1853

Everyone ready Claudette asked the other two as they walked down the corridor Although most needed to go to the highest central point at the Nexus to use the portal to Alymian they approached one of the calm courtyards of the Beigon Estate to use a private entrance For whatever reason Claudette felt her spine straightening as she saw the brief hesitation that flashed across Yust�s face as she asked the question Her resolve firmed Knowing that she wasn�t the only one who was worried about how this party would go make her feel slightly more in control

Although if he fails his teacher�s rival will just continue to live without worry in the Nexus If Claudette�s heart hadn�t been encased in ice she might have felt dread as she considered the possible consequences Meanwhile if I fail

It has been quite a while since I�ve been to Alymian Neshamah said out loud Then she shook her head If I�m being honest I don�t like being there I know the experience is part of the appeal but that feeling of weakness still makes me uncomfortable

Let�s do it quickly then Claudette said with false cheer There was a single spirit standing guard at the private entrance to Alymian absolutely still during their brief conference Only when Claudette stepped forward and offered the three invitations did the spirit raise its insubstantial arm and absorb the material Behind it a strange whirlpool of energy appeared in the air tinted at the edges by darkness while the central portion began to glow with a golden light

Claudette led the way stepping through the threshold She stepped through the doorway that would probably determine the rest of her life The transition was not an easy one

The process of heading to Alymian is akin to being squeezed by a vice so you can be stuffed through a keyhole Claudette�s breath steadily escaped her mouth and nose forced out of her by the chaotic stream of energy that connected the two universes The Nexus was governed by one set of laws while Alymian was governed by another altogether much more strict set of laws The chilling song of Clarent began to steadily recede within her leaving Claudette with only her body and her dress All other excess had been compressed out of existence

In that brief moment of transfer Claudette had been reduced to almost a normal person The usual entrance tickets to Alymian would do exactly that completely suppress your connection to all of the various improvements that Aether allowed in your body Even your images were impossible to manifest

These invitations were a bit more forgiving The slightest echo of your images and powers remained Just enough that you couldn�t forget what you had lost It would not all be posturing when a powerful individual arrogantly regarded the other attendees at the Don�s party

Obviously travelers weren�t permanently weakened you would regain access to all the benefits Aether had given you when you returned to the Nexus but many used Alymian as a way to separate themselves from their image so they could return and view what they had made with fresh eyes But at the moment the restriction only made Claudette�s anxiety worse Upstodatee from

Today I�ll show my father that I�m no longer that weak little girl who just watches the world pass her by

After that hanging moment of squeezing Claudette stumbled forward Her fancy shoes sank into warm sand almost causing her to topple over Only after a strained sway did she recover her balance She released a breath her expression turning bitter as she looked around at the gorgeous pink sand beach dyed further by the sun sinking below the sea on the horizon The sound of waves crashing against the beach and softly rushed away felt so familiar The few clouds that lingered in the wide blue sky were painted orange and maroon

Here of all places

Champagne A cheery shirtless man with a tray of drinks walked up to the trio Claudette blinked to see that almost a dozen other servers were eyeing the man with envy after all they were the only guests that had arrived so far To the Alymian natives that her father had trained nothing was more important than being a good host

Without a word Claudette took two glasses and chugged the first one A warm bubbly feeling took up residence in her stomach

Neshamah watched the display carefully taking a glass but not drinking from it Is this a good idea Since we are in Alymian and our Stats are suppressed back to base levels you�ll actually be able to get drunk

But when the competition actually starts our power will be restored She put the empty glass back on the smiling waiter�s tray but only sipped the second Claudette shook out her hair so it glittered in a river of molten gold down her back I need at least this much if I�m going to make it to the competition without tearing someone�s head off

The trio drifted to one of the long tables of food and picked at small plates for the next hour when the rest of the guests began to arrive Perhaps it was the several flutes of champagne that she had imbibed but Claudette needed to raise a hand to cover her mouth as more and more people began to arrive about half having fallen prey to the sudden lack of power and precarious footing combination just as Yust had

I have no doubt that father planned it this way Claudette thought almost wistfully as she saw the usually perfect elite of the Nexus looking disheveled A powerful Pinnacle Seeker with gold horns growing out of his head still had particles of sand stuck behind his ears as he stomped toward the food tables and began to devour whole steaks holding them above his head and letting them slide down his throat with no perceptible swallowing A few early arriving women wearing NLC badges watched the man and tittered even though two of the three had also arrived with sand in their green hair

As the time approached the hour and a half mark past when the party was supposed to begin individuals began to arrive more quickly And finally the first of the three targets of the group walked into the pavilion

Kyl MacDuul a squat retired Military High Command Commandant was unfortunately not one of the arrivals that had fallen His beady eyes immediately scanned the crowd alighting briefly on Claudette as though to confirm she was present and then looking around Finding neither her father nor his competitors his expression settled on disinterest He waddled forward previously arrived Military High Command members moving to his side to greet him

The second arrival was the old monster of Tier III Citizenship Tyune had waxy grey skin and the slender body of a preteen He looked around in much of the same way but didn�t even acknowledge Claudette He moved to a corner and refused all the trays brought to him by the servers He produced two small needed and appeared to be knitting an extremely small set of clothes

The bloodthirsty Moonlight Blade arrived last followed by a single servant The tall wolfman grinned around at the gathering his tongue lolling out of his mouth Finally his eyes settled on Claudette remaining there for much longer than the other two His hunger was obvious as he looked at her

Would that sort of man keep me safe father Claudette�s eyes blazed Do you really have the gall to look me in the eye and say this is all for me

Chapter 1854

A single drop of rain fell silently landing on his cheek His long eyelashes stirred

Memories flashed across his mind at that moment A sudden epiphany A perfect environment The accumulation The instincts to carry him forward The manifestation of one of his core desires becoming a power that he could wield

An overwhelming desire forged into a concrete existence

Randidly yawned expansively and sat up His mind was bleary as he dragged himself up to wakefulness he had places to be today Or rather the soft rain that began to fall on his skin handled the lion�s share of the waking up part leaving him to fuzzily stretch and crack his back

The rain began to intensify quickening the process Randidly came back to himself laying in the bottom of a massive crater while water pooled in the small circular hollows that dotted the area around him These hollows were ubiquitous except for the area immediately around him that portion was completely smooth With another yawn he reached up and rubbed his eyes

Then he pressed his fingers to the ground and tossed himself up into a standing position In every direction the massive crater stretched nearly as far as Randidly could see Part of it was the fact he was at the bottom of the crater but he also had to wince as he looked around at the area he had completely terraformed

His Nether Core shifted portions flared while others withdrew Significance seethed through those gaps a hint of what he had accomplished by intuition in those moments early this morning Compared to his discovery of a method for rapidly gathering natural energy his second breakthrough in the past three days had even more of a ridiculous effect The flat and unmarred ground beneath him glittered

But even setting aside I did it Randidly clenched his hands as he looked at his Synechdochence line in his Nether Sphere Attributes

Synechdochence 105%

Randidly calmed down his excitement and admitted to himself something he had realized earlier in his training Synechdochence was an easy Attribute to fleece Theoretically it was possible for Randidly to wield force greater than the actual power of his Nether Core after he had streamlined his methods And in practice he had done it once to be recognized by the System But it required obscene amounts of natural energy and his own significance using the Moirae of Ripples Skillset to create a perfectly synergistic environment around him With those prerequisites Randidly wielded a pinch of Nether and could break the balance of equivalent exchange albeit briefly

Now to do it while fighting Randidly shook his head helplessly It was completely unrealistic He continued to improve but the closer he moved toward perfect understanding of the environment the more factors he discovered that prevented him from reaching that state An asymptote existed there making the training meaningful but the progress arduous and slow

Still this new evolution Randidly grinned to himself Then he slapped his cheeks and looked at his Status screen

Level 63 (89%)

Health(/R per hour) 13815/13815 (9627)

Mana(/R per hour) 13262/13262 (3313)

Stam(/R per min) 9696/9696 (3317)

Uncommon Metabolism (Un) 1342

End 1107

Primordial Nether Juju 1492

Dreadful Alacrity 1677

Reaction 1537

Resistance 1331

Randidly nodded Without the storm to support it I can probably wield almost 90% of my Weight away from my body For basic combat that should be enough

Compared to the Nether that Neshamah seems to have access to I might be almost unstoppable with this

Then Randidly pulled out his Philosopher�s Key and opened a portal He paused before went through the opening for the first time his Motif of the Hungry Deep had grown to the point that he could see the ripples of interference thrown off by his Fatepiece It only took a moment for those reverberations to vanish but that only made him look at the key with more respect How the hell is the portal it opened so efficient If I can study it

Still that was a distraction So he passed through the portal and arrived in the middle of the Beigon Estate He began to bound down the corridor to the entrance that Claudette had told him about but he skidded to a halt just as soon as he started Wincing he checked one of the side rooms and let himself in Then he took out one of the fitted suits that Tatiana had made for him after his physical body shifted away from humanity His tail flicked out the back doing a lively impression of a conductor

Save the grandstanding for the party Randidly said while rolling his eyes and adjusting his cuffs He felt good both mentally and physically He felt strong And he knew that he should have enough hidden trump cards to take advantage of the powerful in the Nexus underestimating him He could strike a few decisive blows and get an advantage

Or at least that�s what needs to happen Randidly thought to himself as he returned to the corridor and strode across the wooden floor Because otherwise

A strange specter guarded the entrance not even acknowledging Randidly as he walked up to the portal However when he produced the entrance ticket its spectral arm lifted and made the entrance ticket disappear Around his back the Stillborn Phoenix�s two lingering Unborn souls chittered their sharp teeth suggesting that they devour the shade But Randidly stopped them instead looking at the golden and black portal that appeared in front of him

Huh Even more released energy than the Philosopher�s Key tsk tsk how inefficient Also will I be able to head to Alymian anytime I want from now on Randidly mused idly as he stepped forward into the portal

Almost immediately he grimaced More than a portal the energy transfer was a process He wriggled his body forcefully breaking through the physical restrictions that attempted to compress him The force came back stronger wrapping around him like a boa constrictor Randidly showed his teeth but this time didn�t struggle he had heard that most individuals completely lost their power in Alymian This was likely part of that

He floated forward through the cramped portal being squeezed tighter and tighter as though being forced through a narrowing funnel His hackles rose almost instinctively forcing Randidly to close his eyes and calm his body If I can handle being physically restricted by the Mountain I can handle Alymian

But as soon as Randidly thought that and allowed the restrictions to tighten again making him feel like his body was being stuffed into a soft sausage skin version of himself the restrictions changed A bolt of lightning snaked forward and smashed toward his accumulated Nether From the sudden and violent discharge it was obvious the goal was obliteration

He was taken off guard but the bolt hit against the dense significance that Randidly possessed and shattered like an egg thrown against a brick wall While he was trying to figure out from where that pathetic attempt at an attack had originated a being of yellow crackling lightning formed in front of him barring his path to Alymian

The figure looked Randidly over with disdain You have accumulated a fair amount of memory of another world but that is not allowed within Alymian Suppress your Nether or I will be forced to do it for you And that will not be pleasant

Randidly chuckled at the provocation But ultimately he didn�t want to make a big stink when he needed to come to Claudette�s aid He spun his Nether Core as quickly as he could pressuring all of his abundant significance into a tiny core within his body He even withdrew the flows of Nether that ran through his veins alongside his blood Folding everything inward strained his Willpower but was possible He released a long breath his Nether Core now all weaving itself inward and spread his arms Happy

Suppress your Nether in the next five seconds The lightning guardian responded I will allow no insolence

Randidly pressed his lips together My Nether IS suppressed Can you sense it at all

This is not about manifestations The guardian�s eyes began to burn with a bright light It took a step forward This is about the extra Weight you carry Discard it immediately Or else

Randidly blinked I need to get rid of my Weight But how damn if this happens to everyone who enters Alymian there is undoubtedly a method and Neshamah heh She probably assumed I knew it or obtained it from the Engraving Guild For the first time her assuming I learned Nether Core information from someone else came back to bite me

Are you going to call for help Randidly decided to stall for some time while he thought

The being of lightning folded its crackling arms How dare you I alone am enough to handle one such as you

Well then since it�s come to this Randidly�s eyes glittered His Nether Core continued to rotate quickly but he unleashed all of his significance and Weight into the dark compressed passage Lightning crackled around for an entirely different reason as he destabilized a space I suppose let�s settle it the old fashioned way

You will regret earning my ire The guardian intoned Then it raised its arm and unleashed two powerful bolts that crossed the distance and slammed into Randidly�s chest

Randidly�s grin widened as the attacks left him essentially unharmed Maybe if you used another element I�d be worried but when it comes to lightning I�m very confident in my ability to endure Still I have somewhere to be So if you don�t step aside I�ll move you

Apparently the time for talking had passed because the lightning guardian didn�t even acknowledge him It just unleashed more blasts of lightning that were similarly ineffective against him

Shaking his head slowly Randidly said Fine then I needed a guinea pig anyway to see the limits of this new ability His Nether Core couldn�t rotate any faster but the patterns that constituted the base began to disentangle themselves They spread outward around his Nether Core two laying dormant but the third burning with long tongues of spectral Nether flames Let�s see how well you can handle my First Authority

Chapter 1855

The band began playing and Claudette�s father moved smoothly through the small groups addressing every one of note He met Kyl MacDuul Tyune and Moonlight Blade with the same warm smile and boisterous laugh

She tried not to display how anxious it made her to see them talking Next to her Neshamah laid a hand on her arm Don�t let it bother you If nothing else these small talks are definitely meaningless Your father wouldn�t just leave things to chance

Yes I know Claudette replied in a tight voice Then she spared a glance for Yust who simply glowered toward Moonlight Blade not even bothering to hide his antagonism Claudette�s anxiety was such that she almost snapped at him to stop but she also knew that it didn�t matter In a way being here was a slow release relief

Soon the pretenses would be laid bare

After a suitable amount of time had passed the Don rolled himself forward into the middle of the party and gathered the attention to himself His speech began with a rousing flourish Claudette folded her arms across her chest and listened to him wax poetic about how the structure of the System had prodded him on to greatness always demanding more

With the System�s help the Don had discovered he could be more And for that he would be forever grateful

The numerous and diverse figures many which even Claudette didn�t recognize listened silently to the monologue They gathered in a loose circle giving the Don their full attention while the workers made minute adjustments to some cleverly hidden mirrors directly a spot like type effect toward the Don His smile was wide and his eyes were sharp in the center of that illumination

He was a talented orator grabbing the attention of these figures But at the same time it was slightly more complicated than that Everyone gave him this moment no matter their previous history because pushing a Skill to a thousand was not a casual thing let alone accomplishing this milestone three times

I bet I can guess what all of you are wondering The Don looked around with glittering eyes What three Skills have reached a Mille Well since you all have so politely gathered in my honor I see no harm and allowing you to peer behind my magnificent curtain and view my admirable clockwork

A strange hush fell over the crowd Even Claudette stood a little bit straighter After her shock at the revelation came wariness Revealing which Skills had grown was not a usual part of these celebrations And considering her father he would not give something without cause

The attendees knew it too Their eyes became somewhat harsh everyone understood the influence that the Don could wield when you owed him even the slightest favor Yet no one spoke out against him Because while they feared the consequences of his influence they couldn�t help but be curious They wished to understand what sort of foe Don Beigon would be

The first of my Mille milestones was Unilateral Bargain After using it so much that one has continued to grow haha I�d ask you to guess how high the Level has become but I almost think no one will believe me even if I tell you The Don looked teasingly around at the room which regarded him stoically No one needed to be informed about his ability to wield favors like daggers

He raised a hand to his head and sighed a victimized innocent So let�s dispense with that waste of time The second Mille was Audacious Declaration You know about a hundred years ago when my dearest Claudette was born He moved his hand and reached out toward her as though to stroke her cheek from a distance She forced herself not to recoil I swore to myself that I would reach a third Mille And look Just like that I�ve arrived

A few people clapped politely Claudette flushed

As for my final Mille it came from a relatively new Skill Ruinous Determination This Skill is the most unusual of the three but I�ve found Her father�s expression shifted and his eyes locked onto Claudette that this Skill fits my personality more closely than any of the others Sometimes all it takes is one particular Skill to change your entire outlook To change your entire life to fit a new plan for the future

Anyway I have one last announcement to reveal before I allow you to head outside and enjoy the enthusiastic nighttime hospitality of the people of Alymian The Don�s grin widened and something built in the air around him Claudette�s hair stood on end wondering if this would be the moment that started sealing her fate After licking his lips he continued Today let it be known that I Don Raphael Beigon will soon challenge

Commandant Wick his arms folded behind his back walked down onto the sandy beach His face burned with displeasure as he stalked down the bamboo stairwell toward Randidly You make a nuisance of yourself in front of your superiors Have you forgotten the last lesson that I endeavored to teach you Should I break another one of your subordinates so it sticks Perhaps this time the process will go more smoothly if I do it right in front of you

For the first few seconds after his arrival Randidly�s face seemed clouded by confusion and exhaustion His dark hair was messy even as little bits of static discharge jumped across his head His eyes were clouded That clouded gaze shifted to the Commandant as he walked down to the beach and Claudette could almost see the words register in his mind and suddenly his eyes ignited

Pressure That�s what Claudette felt from Randidly Ghosthound Not the presence of an image or the power of physical stats but an expansion of his self so that he seemed to be leaning against the whole of the beach pressing it beneath the whole of him

Even the Commandant stiffened in front of that wild viciousness What Do you have something to say

Commandant please let�s be civil Devick�s voice was breezy as she sauntered forward Her eyes were bright as she examined Randidly You you must be Randidly Ghosthound I�ve heard

Devick Randidly blurted out his shock briefly overtaking his fury as he looked at the masked woman

The entire gathering jolted slightly at the strangely intimate address Even the Actus Suprem seemed to be taken aback by Randidly�s tone Her golden masked face tilted to the side You know me Ah You went to the Mountain and caused a ruckus So Heh and I sense two very familiar presences around your back Ahh How nostalgic Randidly Ghosthound you are truly everything I�ve heard and so much more hehehe

She waved her fingers at him Then Devick shrugged However it would be inappropriate for me to interfere in a little quarrel between two subordinates yes Oh Mr Ghosthound I�m little Wick�s boss so don�t worry about holding back Fight to your heart�s content I�ll accept the result no matter which of you wins

Randidly was still confused as his gaze flicked to the ornate mask and headdress that Devick wore and then back to Commandant Wick but once more that all consuming fury rose within him washing away his hesitation But then with a great effort of will he tore his gaze away from Wick He looked toward Claudette and met her eyes

She watched him assert control and corral his emotions Then he walked past Wick and Devick without acknowledging them In order to not make things worse for Claudette Randidly bit down his pride and desire for revenge and turned away

Unfortunately the two people Randidly dealt with were not so easily handled

Punk Don�t you dare ignore me Wick stepped in his path What was her name again Helen Perhaps the two of you had a shallower connection than I thought Wouldn�t she be hurt by how quickly you�ve forgotten the lesson she died to teach you

You Spectral flames gushed across Randidly�s body with enough force that Claudette felt Wick waver She could feel the sudden power that Randidly manifested like a slap in the face even across the intervening distance Beyond that his emotions rose like a tidal wave and drowned out everything else on the beach

He seemed only a moment away from lashing out from crumbling beneath his fury and giving in to the violent impulses Then slightly at first but with growing determination Randidly wrestled his own fury back

A small smile played across Claudette�s face as she watched it Then she sent him a message Randidly you don�t need to do this for me If anything my father would be somewhat pleased if you beat the shit out of Commandant Wick

So don�t hold back Give them a taste of what we the younger generation have to say for the plans they�ve made without consulting us

Chapter 1856

Randidly burned He felt tired and rubbed raw even though he had arrived late precisely so he would be in his perfect state Apparently no matter what he tried today it would not turn out how he planned

After manifesting his first Authority granted to him by his Mythic Nether Core his energies were drained and spent His core worked tireless to gather dense Nether to him but too much had been expended in that initial activation before he realized how precious the power he obtained truly was

He had carved out his vital bits and weaponized them Which left him hollow

Then he arrived on the beach still stunned and exhausted Wick became the first concrete detail that he saw After seeing came the fixation Those long hairs his stubby snout the crinkling lines around his eyes the arrogance of his demeanor the way he instantly made Randidly�s arrival about him all of it brought the memories back Again and again the flickering still of Helen broken on the ground flashes before Randidly�s eyes

His hands tingled and he felt dizzy and hot Inaction burned at him urging him toward violence

Yet Randidly had intended to ignore him and walk past him but then the Commandant had stepped forward and directly antagonized him The Commandant said her name Randidly�s raw and wild Nether whipped through his veins faster and faster damaging this body that had most of his usual physical Stats suppressed Unbidden flames of Nether Weight sprang up across his body Even more oppressively the specter of his First Authority hung over the space

But Randidly pulled all that back into himself He forced out a breath and noticed the familiar hair and aura the real evolved version of the third Devick stood in front of him decked out in a golden mask and very official looking regalia Based on her dress she was even higher on the MIlitary High Command totem poll than he was

Too much was happening too quickly Spending his Nether Core to activate his authority had blunted his edge Everything was raw and chaotic in Randidly�s mind

With all these strange things combined Randidly looked around and found Claudette�s face in the crowd It took some time to sift through all the strange and likely influential figures watching him but he soon found her golden hair and sapphire eyes Seeing her features noticing the small lines around her eyes and the tension in her mouth helped him push down the sudden urge to lay into Wick right then Even fury could only give way before necessity

He stepped to the side and walked toward the party Wick stepped in front of him and spoke again Punk Don�t you dare ignore me What was her name again Helen Perhaps the two of you had a shallower connection than I thought Wouldn�t she be hurt by how quickly you�ve forgotten the lesson she died to teach you

You All that carefully stitched together control that Randidly had gathered was obliterated by the sneering arrogance with which Wick used Helen�s name His hands slowly tightened into fists the Nether in his body becoming a volcano with impatient magma ready to erupt He took a half step forward seeing Wick�s perfectly uniform and cruelty and almost lashing out immediately with a blast of Nether

But there was a reason that Randidly had worked so hard for this day The man who had killed Helen stood in front of him but Helen had been the closest relationship he had in recent years Some sort of kindred spirit and perhaps even something more might be incubating between himself and Vualla but they just hadn�t had enough time or interactions to make that connection solid Meanwhile Helen had always been there and losing her made him realize how important it was that he cultivate relationships

Like the relationship he had with Claudette And this day was about her escaping her father not about Randidly selfishly lashing out at this bully As galling as it would be Randidly would rather accept this rebuke from Wick for now so he could focus on the real issue

One day someday soon Randidly would get even for what had happened with Helen But without preparation he did not need to make today that day

Randidly felt the change in Wick as his superior stopped underestimating him and brought his combat experience as a Commandant to bear He fell into a fighting stance releasing a probing and stalwart palm strike in Randidly�s direction But from a single look Randidly could tell that the motion was inefficient and hadn�t been practiced in a long while

Wick is rusty

He sidestepped and looped his arm around Wick�s attack Before the bearman could pull his arm back Randidly braced the thick arm against his side with one arm and a tail and brought his other hand down in a hacking bash that shattered Wick�s forearm Stepping forward again Randidly whipped his body around and brought his elbow slamming against Wick�s collarbone

His lip curled in distaste as he took a half step back Likely fractured but not broken Let�s fix that This is for Helen you fucking prick

Wick recovered quickly even while nursing his right arm He adopted a different stance a tight sort of boxing where his still powerful left arm flashed out in several quick jabs But the agony of hosting his own Nether in this weakened body was starting to pay dividends Randidly felt how his significance had recovered and stamped his foot with unnatural momentum All that extra Weight that he possed smashed into the ground sending a wave of sand that obscured the surrounding area for a brief moment

Wick moved backward but Randidly rushed in on the heels of that sand wave The impact of Wick�s unavoidable first jab to his chest hurt like hell on top of the pain he was already enduring but then Randidly closed the distance and whipped his leg around into the side of Wick�s knee

Howling the Commandant folded down on his shattered joint leaving Randidly standing above him almost shocked by how easily he went down His lips curled back to reveal his teeth as he started raining blows down on the crumpled form of Commandant Wick You little shit How long has it been since you�ve needed to fight with your body

Something ugly and vindictive and scarred rose in Randidly�s body smashing his fists again and again against Commandant Wick�s weakness Each strike was driven by that immortal image of Helen laying on the ground Each hit sprayed flecks of blood that hit the sand and remained there tiny crimson gemstones After four quick hammer blows Wick�s face was beaten to a pulp but Randidly could barely move his shattered and bleeding knuckles Growling out his frustration Randidly reached down and forced his hand closed around Wick�s lower jaw

Wick almost immediately attempted to bit down on Randidly�s hand but Nether Weight gave him more physical presence than could be resisted With a wet squelch Randidly pulled until he ripped out his superior�s lower jaw Gore spray sideways and then dripped from the rigid bit of bone and cartilage he held

For several seconds he stood there his chest heaving But the adrenaline began to drain out of him

The Wick in front of him vanished as though by magic Randidly looked at his now empty hand where the jaw had once been There were several wounds on his palm more from him gripping too tightly than Wick biting him He heaved out a shuddering sigh It was probably too much to hope for that this would seriously hurt him It felt good to punish Wick for treating Helen so casually But what this had really done was tear off all pretenses between himself and Wick

Outside Alymian I have no doubt that you will now be making preparations to get back at me Randidly trembled this body pushed to its limits by hosting Nether for as long as it did So be it Just like I m ready to stand up against the peak powers in the Nexus I m ready to fight to the death with their pathetic lackeys

Now that my subordinates are hidden away in the Alpha Cosmos do your worst Wick

Bravo To Randidly�s surprise Devick broke the awkward silence with enthusiastic applause With her in the lead the rest of the Don�s party followed clapping their hands as Randidly stood in front of them blood dripping down out of his hand and nose to pool on the sand

A headache was already building behind his eyes as he looked at Devick Your madness has only gotten worse since leaving the mountain hasn�t it

Chapter 1857

The applause continued for several seconds until it tapered off sharply following the movements of Devick

But the ache in Randidly�s right hand was growing drawing his attention back down to the state of his body Blood dribbled out of his shredded knuckles and onto the sand beneath him compressed by Alymian to the blood of a mundane human He pursed his lips Looks like I�ve really grown to rely on my body Without it handling the force in my Nether Core is impossible

I�ve judged Neshamah a tiny bit for how limited her power seemed but maybe its as much as she can safely handle I�ll need to do some experiments to find out if I�m about to bite off more Nether than I can safely chew

Also the prospect of activating my Authority with this body

Well The Don brought his hands sharply together Several uniformed individuals rushed forward with rakes quickly burying the blood that had dripped on the sand A woman approached Randidly with a bowl of water and a towel to clean off his hand He regretted not using Sulfur to strike more but Sulfur�s presence was muted apparently Alymian affected him too

The Don continued to speak This is as good a time as any to transition to the bonfire Mr Ghosthound so wonderful of you to make it thank you for christening the beach Undoubtedly it will bring us all good fortune Maybe even in fifty years you�ll reach your own Mille eh

Oh Don This towering horrifying true incarnation of Devick turned and looked at the Don I just remembered I feel slightly guilty Didn�t you have some ritual you were performing No need to move forward on our account play out your little skit if you please We are all dying to see what sort of declaration you want to make

Randidly almost snorted watching irritation flick across the face of Don Beigon In addition to the madness this Devick appeared to possess a keen intellect and cruelty in spades She sensed weakness the way a shark tasted blood But the wily old man quickly masked his emotions and released a self conscious laugh Things like this can�t be forced Since the moment has passed why don�t we

Okay okay beach time everyone Devick said cheerily leading the group down onto the sand and leaving the Don with a stiff expression facing her back He handed the blood stained rag back to the employee and watched with bemusement At the very least Randidly was impressed by the lack of any sort of violent emotion targeting Devick because she was clearly antagonizing him His emotional mastery was certainly worth emulating Not an iota of his personality�s force was wasted

Still one question nagged Randidly Why was Devick working so hard to antagonize the Don Was it just because she could Because she lived to drag others into her own variety of insanity Or was she targeting him for another reason

Randidly shook his head His temples ached and he couldn�t figure out what she was doing it aside from instigating chaos Right now his mind wasn�t up to the task of unearthing any more information than that

Randidly moved down to the beach but he rapidly stiffened His skin then crawled as Devick paused in front of him Behind him the workers on the beach rushed to finish completing the bonfire and get the flames started now that the guests marched down the bamboo steps and onto the sand He could hear the smile in her voice although her face was covered with that impassive gold mask Mr Ghosthound I have to say for as much as I admire what you�ve done here today one particular thing about you bothers me Why are you allowing those two slugs to parasitize you They will bring bad luck Such things shouldn�t exist They don�t exist not truly

Randidly frowned the pain in his hands was getting worse as the last dregs of adrenaline left his body The ache in his temples grew more demanding He really wished he didn�t have to deal with this erratic version of Devick while feeling so drained Slugs You mean the Unborn

A foolish statement One of the retired Military High Command Commandants wandered over to join the conversation Not the one that Moonlight Blade informed Ozark to watch out for so he continued to hang back while the more powerful figures discussed This man sneered at the lumpy body of the first speaker You say Nether is a Path to quick power If that was the case far more individuals would attempt to create their own Nether Cores If anything Aether is the quick path to power which is likely why Elhume in his wisdom saw fit to use it as the basis for the Nexus

The Tier III citizenship figure drew himself up to his full if lopsided height Oh and you would know so much about Nether Core Your generation barely had to fight against the Nether forces when they were at their height They bred like flies They swarmed toward us day and night So yes it is a quick

Several more figures drifted over interested in the discussion but Moonlight Blade gave Ozark a look and the two of them walked around the side of the fire Then they stopped standing alone in the flicker shadows at the edge of the firelight and Ozark looked at the Pinnacle Seeker questioningly The wolfman shook his head arrogantly he wasn�t willing to explain

Then Actus Suprem Devick who had been communicating with a harried and exhausted looking representative from the Engraving Guild glided across the sand right where they had been about to walk She made a beeline for the growing group that argued over the relative merits of Nether Cores versus the risk of being punished by the Orthodox Nexus for using them publicly

When she had gone Moonlight Blade moved forward slowly finding a new spot to stand A servant brought a tray with drinks and to Ozark�s surprise the Pinnacle Seeker took one He drank the entire thing down in a gulp crushed the glass in his hand and then tossed the broken pieces behind him to mix with the sand and frothing edges of the ocean

Moonlight Blade spoke softly as the wolfman watched Devick move into the group and dominate the conversation Something strange is developing in the Nexus Those fools they don�t even notice it Where has Elhume been for the past several weeks Why are the Tier III citizenship geezers moving so openly Where did this Devick come from with such force I�ve encountered individuals who have completed their image fulfillment before but none have felt as dangerous as her Even I heh

Ozark jumped as a wave of bloodlust erupted from the wolfman and practically sizzled against his skin Then it disappeared and Moonlight Blade patted him on the shoulder Thank you for knowing your place My instincts regarding that woman are confusing

For a second they stood in silence Moonlight Blade feeling much more approachable than usual as he studied the laughing Devick on the opposite side of the bonfire Ozark licked his lips he knew that this was an opportunity both by coming here and to earn the Pinnacle Seeker�s attention What What do you think is happening In the Nexus

You think this issue is within a realm where your curiosity has a place Moonlight Blade flared his bloodlust again and Ozark hurriedly lowered his head remembering how cruel this master could be But it seemed that the Pinnacle Seeker was more amused than anything else Well I do also wish to understand Do you perhaps have any insight Mister Tyune

Suddenly a figure Ozark hadn�t noticed before seemed to congeal out of the shadows behind them The mysterious Tyune tilted his head to the side You noticed me Interesting But why would I tell you Are we not competing for Wick�s offspring

I�ve heard you love to show off your knowledge Moonlight Blade responded shamelessly

And I�ve heard you know nothing of manners or flattery Tyune returned in a flat tone But then the strange waxy skinned being shrugged I suppose there is no harm in telling you you will not understand the implications of the information anyway

Elhume is the cause but the reason he moved was that his wife died I do not know the details but she apparently held some restrictive power on him even though she had not been seen in two thousand years She possessed a weapon or a method or a key there are various rumors among the what was your term Tier III citizenship geezers�

Chapter 1858

Claudette felt her breathing ease as she looked down The predictable sound the stillness the reassuring presence all of it combined to reassure her After the night she had so far it was a welcome shift

Neshamah�s lips twitched as she looked over at Randidly laying on the cool sand underneath the tiki bar His chest rose and fell at regular intervals I cannot believe he can lay down and fall asleep right now

His ability to handle tension is refreshing Claudette spoke with a wry smile looking at Randidly with affection bubbling in her chest And despite this display he�s always been quite reliable Even from the moment we met he seemed to have confidence that everything would be alright I�m starting to see that it�s just his inner determination Something that I�m slowly learning to possess

With that Claudette�s expression firmed up She glanced at Neshamah and Yust Speaking of which we shouldn�t waste this opportunity While the other attendees are mingling I have no doubt my father is making his final preparations We need to be doing the same If either of you has any ideas

Yust�s eyes flashed His lips curled back to reveal his long tiger canines You know watching the Ghosthound gave me an idea can I not do the same thing to Moonlight Blade that he did to Wick If he is forced to deactivate his connection to Alymian and return to the Nexus he will no longer be a threat I�m very confident in my

Neshamah punched him lightly in the shoulder Bad idea Randidly has the benefit of his Nether Core to give him an edge plus his physical Stats are She and Claudette shared an understanding and slightly bewildered glance difficult to rival Even reduced here he might be a match for some old monsters in the Nexus Besides Moonlight Blade is a very different warrior from Commandant Wick More experienced and more primal He might even be excited if you challenged him like that The last thing we want to give him is an appetizer

Yust raised his chin stubbornly Pride flashed in his eyes I If you did not trust my abilities why did you invite me to join your conspiracy

Perhaps on another night Claudette would have sweet talked Yust out of his horrible prideful idea However despite the recent easing of her tension she just didn�t have the spare energy to deal with him Yet at the same time she was unwilling to allow him to so obvious poison the well So she lowered her stance and then brought her fist whipping around to slam into his chest right in the diaphragm

Yust�s eyes grew very wide First he stumbled then he collapsed fully on the ground as his body briefly seized up preventing him from breathing Claudette put her fists on her hips and glared down at him We do trust you But that doesn�t mean we can be foolhardy Thinking about this if I can knock you out in a single blow even if it was a cheap shot will Moonlight Blade miss such an opening

Then she looked at Neshamah Make sure he�s alright And that no one tries to do anything to Randidly while he sleeps I do have one more person that I�d like to talk to just in case we can get a little extra assistance

Claudette walked down the beach toward the water following the edge of the sea away from the tiki bar and the light from the bonfire Distant palm trees swayed in the wind as she moved determinedly forward She eventually reached a loose ring of locals that spoke in soft voices and indicated that Claudette should return to the party She ignored their soft pleases and pointed fingers and strode right past them They did not attempt to stop her

Further down the beach as the well maintained sand turned to rocks and the light and noise from the party had been eroded almost entirely by the sound of the waves she found who she was looking for Claudette bowed to the figure Pinnacle Seeker Thousand Bones My martial grandmother I�m glad you came to this party I�ve missed you

The massive owl woman clicked her beak and ruffled her feathers her gaze never wavering from the direction of the party She shifted her weight from one scaled leg to the other Keh Girl child you know I would not leave you along in your time of need Especially considering how much your Mistress has done for me in the past By the way have you heard any news

Claudette shook her head Unfortunately I have discovered nothing about the Frost Matriarch After the incident with the Nether King she appears to have gone into hiding Even from me

Claudette stood her hands clenched into fists Her chest burned and bubbled So what So I should accept that he always knows better than I do To be a doll that he can pose for the rest of my life

For the first time Thousand Bones condensed her body into a smaller figure drawing the feathers more tightly against her flesh Her eyes remained dim I understand why you would be upset to hear this but in your mind it is completely unacceptable to allow your father to plan for you And admittedly the method he is using is not kind But also perhaps the consequences won�t be as dire as you believe

Claudette bit her lip for several seconds Then she shook her head and said Being safe and well cared for is not all there is to life It is not enough

That is true Especially for you Thousand Bones spoke in a soft voice You are one of those individuals who cannot subsist solely within the control of another Especially recently I can see the way the last several months have shaped who you are becoming The possibilities might be faint but I can see a few lives where you transform into something marvelous

The tone of Thousand Bones helped alleviate some of Claudette�s fury and frustration but she still couldn�t help but glare briefly at the powerful Pinnacle Seeker The old owl chuckled and twisted her head back and forth rotating her head almost 180 degrees

And the last thing Claudette finally found her voice

For the first time Thousand Bones spread out her wide wings the feathers on her aging body looking extremely thin and wan even in the darkness of the rocky beach I cannot tell you much but I think perhaps the true target of your father�s plotting and the one who is the greatest threat to that resplendent version of yourself is not one of the three you have been planning to neutralize

That brought a bucket of metaphorical cold water crashing down on Claudette�s mood What are you talking about

The Pinnacle Seeker released a long breath that whistled through her beak Hoo it is hard to say I can just glimpse the shape of something on this beach in the way that the various powers are arraying themselves and the way the Don is moving between the groups Something inevitable is unfolding that is not obvious on the surface Only out of the corner of my eye only when I�m not looking for it at all And the more I seem to glimpse it the more I feel it receding as though it senses my observation Even for you child I dare not observe more closely

For several long seconds Claudette was silent She stood on the beach but she felt herself sinking into the chilling waters that had submerged her for most of her life She drifted down small metaphorical bubbles fluttering out from her lips and rushing up to the surface of the water Eventually she hit the bottom and could sink back and regress to an observer Everything around her was insulated she felt the familiar numbness settling across her skin The pressure of the water kept her still restricting her movements

But in that familiar darkness where the world around her manipulated her entire life a soft noise began to rise in her ears The desolate blade Clarent sung crooning softly to her Even if everything else abandoned her that horrifying curse of destruction was truly hers The chilling cold that could seal light and warmth would always remain within her

A blade that Randidly Ghosthound had exhausted himself to create A blade that had been baptized in the blood of the Lizakh people People like

Sucking in a breath Claudette took a step forward It will be fine

Her voice was soft but the more she spoke the more confidently she felt the words coming It will be fine she said again Because it has to be Because I cannot afford to be anything less than fine today

Chapter 1859

Claudette returned from the meeting in the darkness to the party happy to see both Randidly snoring away peacefully and that Yust remained with Neshamah even if the tiger man was clearly surly from her earlier strike Booming laugher came from the area of her father while slightly shrill titters came from the Actus Suprem Devick Compared to them all other noises fell away Those two figures became the axises around which the party spun her father for hosting and Devick likely because the woman wanted to needle the Don

Their laughter became the support structure to the project to deprive Claudette of her freedom For that reason something deep inside of her soul hardened She wished she had more time more opportunities a more reliable method to resist this

However the massive bonfire steadily burned down until only embers remained Time rushed forward heedless of her feelings The mood at the party steadily changed the tension crept up the beach on the heels of the receding firelight

All at once all of the playful preamble had run its course and everyone knew it The Don soon turned to face the group pushed through the difficult sand by one of the employees Well everyone thank you so much for attending this party and celebrating with me It warms my heart to know that I have so many bosom friends in the Nexus

All are welcome to remain but as some of you know the next portion of the party will be a little different from the purely celebratory segment The low firelight sent chaotic fissures of shadow across the Don�s face His low voice seemed to grow in the areas of the beach without light warping into something monstrous and unfamiliar Claudette Beigon my beautiful daughter has grown up and become her own person Nothing brings me more joy than seeing her accumulating capability and independence Slowly my whole personality has been eclipsed by the pride I feel watching her transform into a young woman To me nothing else is as important as that

Claudette looked at her father and felt like his hands were tightening around her throat Feeling the genuine warmth in his tone contrasting with the words themselves it was hard to even speak Seeing his eyes on her Claudette could acknowledge that what Pinnacle Seeker Thousand Bones had said is correct her father did genuinely believe what he did for her was for the best More than that he thought that this public grand display of it was necessary He was daring her to speak out publicly against him

The shadows on Don Beigon�s face spoke to her in that intimate and unfamiliar voice You don�t understand the way the world works

Claudette lifted her chin Her eyes burned even as her throat quivered Yet you are responsible for that are you not

Considering the auspiciousness of this occasion the Don continued almost constantly prodding Claudette to speak against him as he maintained eye contact I think it�s only appropriate that we announce the Beigon Family�s intent to enter into an alliance with another powerful force in the Nexus This force will assist with the running of Alymian and receive access to the Beigon fortune in return However we here are nothing if not fair to all comers the new partnership will be decided based on a contest A treasure hunt arranged by me

The crowd was silent There was not even a hint of surprise in the air apparently most of the attendees knew what was coming Most seemed to just be settling in to watch the show

The Don spread his arms wide Suddenly a bright like flared in front of him like a star winking into existence A woman�s head her eyes closed and her long hairs fluttering down around her as if she was constantly buffeted by a wind that didn�t exist Even in Alymian where some of the Skull of Truth�s power was suppressed it still managed to affect the entire beach Claudette watched with narrowed eyes

Don Beigon gave the head an affectionate smile then looked around the beach once more Now that the bonfire was gone the light of the Skull of Truth made it impossible for the attention not to fixate on him For this special event I�ve prepared a unique venue within the Skull of Truth itself that way each of you will be able to manifest your talents despite competing within the restrictive laws of Alymian Those of you who wish to be involved please step forward

The rebels glared at the Pinnacle Seeker who barked out his bloodthirsty amusement Yet suddenly Claudette became very aware of the way Randidly continued to stare at the floating Skull of Truth still dripping long tendrils of light out of its inert nose mouth and the corners of its eyes Unbidden the words of Thousand Bones rose in Claudette�s mind once more

After a moment of hesitation she leaned sideways and whispered to him Randidly

Don�t trust the Skull of Truth Randidly said solemnly at almost the same time she had spoken He blinked and looked away from the treasure Oh what What were you saying

nothing Claudette replied shaking her head with a small smile on her face Just good luck This is what we trained for right

Mostly I was just bored Randidly said with forced casualness The attempt at humor was more perfunctory than anything else but still Claudette appreciated it They had made their preparations now it was time to find out how much those were worth

The Don�s gaze swept around almost erased from visibility by the blinding radiance that the Skull of Truth released The light thickened swimming around them all Well then let�s officially start

Ah wait Devick cheerily interrupted She took a step forward Her golden mask reflected the growing wave of light seeming to give her the face of a god Is it too late to throw my hat in the ring It seems like fun

Honestly The Don smiled with genuine sweetness at Devick The light had become so thick that Claudette couldn�t make out the details but she knew her father�s expressions very well I would have disappointed if you had not

Devick took a step forward The light reached a crescendo illuminating with such vigor that the air seemed to vibrate Watching this sudden development Claudette felt a sudden sinking in her heart Thousand Bones had spoken of a fourth party that was the true target of this alliance Was this why father put up with all of her needling and interruptions Because he had already agreed to an alliance with her

Or was he sounding her out seeing if she was truly as powerful as everyone said But if this is truly the real target why did Thousand Bones warn me away from Randidly due to the presence of Devick

One thing was for sure in those last moments Claudette realized that there was something that she didn�t know about the contest And that made her very afraid

Then the light carried them away

Chapter 1860

Randidly looked around warily as the light began to fade and reveal the surroundings within the Skull of Truth Sensations arrived gradually First he felt suddenly freed of the lingering headache that crouched on the bridge of his nose due to the fact he hadn�t had enough time to sleep during the second half of the party Second he became abruptly aware that his body was morphing and swelling beneath him into something grotesque

Alarmed he made to move back but his form simply rippled His hair grew and thickened into vines sporting dangerously sharp thorns His joints grew chitinous grey spikes and his limbs stretched and flexed Meanwhile his ribcage appeared to be opening up like a blooming flower revealing a vast seed of darkness that sought to devour everything Tongues of oblivion flicked out tasting the air

With a firm application of Willpower those shifts halted and then began to reverse The misbehaving limbs pouted but obeyed His strange metabolism came under his control and his form shifted back toward his current physical look But Randidly examined his fingers in wonder An image body Is this how we will be competing That does not bode well for our ability to resist My control is comparatively lacking

However more than that the sense of wrongness is even stronger here This Skull of Truth

Welcome all A voice brought Randidly�s focus up Don Beigon floated in the middle of the softly glowing space beaming around at them all Occasionally an amorphous shape briefly condensed behind him but mostly they seemed to be suspended in an oblivion of soft illumination Randidly glanced back and forth noticing he was just one in a long line of similarly monstrous figures

None of them flickered earning a small frown from Randidly it was clear that most relied so constantly upon their images that they were dependably solid It was only from a golden haired maven holding the keening blade Clarent that he saw other signs of instability but considering how recently Claudette had acquired the image it made some sense

Looking around Randidly once more felt that strange worrisome instinct as he looked at the soft white space Those shapes came and went quickly Their construction seemed to speak to him The Nether King told me not to trust the Skull of Truth but even without that warning there is definitely something wrong with the space What the hell are these patterns I�m sensing They make my hair stand on end

This is an interior space within the Skull of Truth The Don boomed without noticing Randidly�s discomfort I�ve deactivated the image reflection function that you�ve likely heard so much about for now be satisfied with your current images They are your greatest weapons I�ve projected you outside your bodies but just to have a bit of fun There is a physical location waiting below for the treasure hunt but the body you use there doesn�t necessarily have to be your own

I�ve randomly assigned an order to all of you and you�ll pick which body you use So first Allilia Dusseau

The soft light in front of them parted revealing a long line of bodies opposite the image projections Randidly felt his neck shifting into a thick trunk with several leafy protrusions as he turned to look down the line of consciousnesses waiting to choose Most Randidly didn�t recognize based on their image body But he realized they were already in line because the person three to his left pulsed and release a voice it had been the central figure of the rebels Her melodic voice was extremely memorable

I choose my own body

The Don cheerily accepted and suddenly the woman stood where her image projection had been wearing her worn leather armor and looking around warily She flexed her hands checking her own condition

As it proceeded down the line Randidly announced his intent to use his own body just like every other person In the first half of the group there were two of the rebels Kyl MacDuul Randidly the Engraving Guild representative and Moonlight Blade As each asked for their own body Randidly identified Claudette obviously but also Yust and Neshamah further down in the queue

The idle call and response from Don gave Randidly more time to examine the surroundings He tried sensing the emotions and the ripples and viewing the intermittent shapes from that perspective but he could glean nothing The source of the wrongness eluded him

He spun slowly in place trying to see if he could find out the source was As he did so something caught his eye that made his expression go blank Another version of him stumbled down the slope clearly having trouble controlling the physical power of Randidly�s body That version of him lost his balance stepped but ended up just stomping hard enough to crack the ground and force in his bare foot

One foot transfixed that individual flopped forward onto his stomach and cursed

Randidly�s lips twitched Well I don�t want to jump to conclusions but it really seems like that Randidly isn�t Devick If I had to guess Yust Yea that curse has the right amount of bluster for the tiger man

Randidly hopped down a little deeper in the canyon intending to head over to speak to this struggling and inept version of himself But he stiffened as there were suddenly two additional Randidly�s on each side of him moving carefully down the slope into the lowest area clearly making a beeline for the struggling him

Shutting his mouth Randidly planted his foot and streaked through the intervening space and arrived at the fallen Randidly Compared to the other two this one was more trustworthy if just for the abject lack of threat he represented The fallen fellow in his body squawked and wheeled around cracking the ground further with his flailing arms Randidly easily grabbed him underneath the armpits and lifted him out and onto his feet

Even if we both have the same body being able to keep up with the information it feeds you will take some work Randidly said lightly as he looked at a very wide eyed version of himself Then he raised a finger to his lips and used his other arm to point But we don�t have time to have you slowly find your feet we have company

Wait The Randidly at the base of the canyon bounded forward clearly underestimating his strength and then scrambling to catch himself in a patch of tiny bushes That Randidly straightened and patted himself down with his hands when he regained control of his momentum We are working together I�m Claudette

And I�m Neshamah The final Randidly sidled down out of the hills Compared to the others this one garnered the most suspicion with his movements Although this Randidly moved slowly he was definitely more sure of his footing than either of the other two

Randidly looked back and forth looking at the energy ripples they released His frown brought the lingering headache back to the forefront of his mind All three of these individuals seemed relatively calm as well as he attempted to taste their emotional state Is this a coincidence that we are all here Or did the Don arrange that the groups would be dropped near to each other Claudette is also probably who she claims to be but could the final me just be Devick pretending She might not know how to be me but she�s definitely monstrously clever

The Randidly who claimed to be Claudette cleared her throat I know it will be difficult to get rid of all suspicion but I think if we spend some time talking

The impact wasn�t close to them but the force shook the ridges and sent pebbles skittering down the slope in a wild scramble Randidly crouched while even the third suspicious Randidly windmilled his arms and attempted to keep his balance The Yust Randidly directly flopped onto his back trying to maintain his standing position and slamming the back of his head into the ground

On the heels of the impact a voice boomed out over the mountain Bahahaha It is I Randidly Ghosthound Elhume can go fuck himself The Nexus is shit and everyone is just the stinky assholes How dares challenge me to single combat Let�s have some fun Hehe

His three teammates within his body shared awkward smiles Randidly reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose Well at least that takes care of that problem

Chapter 1861

The rumbles continued in the distance as the very vocal and domineering Randidly Ghosthound� stomped across the desert apparently more interesting in testing out the limits of his body than seeking the prize Ridges collapsed and new canyons were carved all while Devick unleashed a constant slew of hate for the Nexus and every person of power within the Nexus aside from herself Upstodatee from eanwhile Yust was now hopping excitedly from side to side then throwing out jabs so quick the air hummed with their passage His enthusiasm was palpable How is your body so strong

More than that how are your veins so robust Neshamah was staring down at Randidly�s hand which glimmered with the pale flames of her Nether Weight Apparently she had access to her own Nether Core despite being in his body Do you circulate Nether through your body almost constantly The Engraving Guild definitely does not have a method to acquire this sort of perfect body for Nether It�s breathtaking

Jeez Neshamah keep it in your pants Claudette teased even while poking prodding and pinching every portion of Randidly�s body that she could reach She squeezed and groped his tail Then she raised her foot off the ground and wiggled her toes at Neshamah You can stop going on about his perfect body It�s giving me the creeps

Neshamah frowned using Randidly�s face He watched the thin lines form between his brows and felt oddly tingly to watch himself She spoke seriously ignoring the jibe It is hard to comprehend for those who do not use Nether but there is always at least a little bit of rejection between Aether and Nether But even though this is not my body the rejection is less than it normally is

Devick leveled another mountain cackling the entire time and calling for the capitulation of all Overseers to the dominion of Randidly Ghosthound There was some loud cursing apparently this time she had discovered another one of the competitors in the wide swath of devastation she created A powerful image flared to life A strange amorphous thing with many legs and a horrible stickiness that made even the air in the desert briefly damp

That�s Tyune�s image Claudette observed quietly finally ceasing her exploration of Randidly�s body If they defeat each other it would make our job much easier

I actually have a question Randidly said looking around at the three of them He ignored the powerful clashes and Devick�s (and also his) mad laughter that filled the air Things moved pretty fast to get us in here so I didn�t have the chance to ask do we know the object we are looking for The reward to end this

The other three exchanged glances Then Claudette shook her head Father didn�t mention the details of the item we are looking for but considering his pride it will not be difficult to identify the right object Just searching for the most ostentatious and large will likely get us halfway But in addition it won�t just be laying out in the sand underneath a cactus Considering the fact that this is a desert I would suspect our first goal should be finding an oasis

Randidly nodded slowly and raised his head He looked at the chaotic mass of ripples that met in the sky as Devick and Tyune continued their frantic battle They were clear even through the strange obscuration of the senses How large of an area is this though

Neshamah chimed in I don�t think the Skull of Truth possesses any time dilation functions and the Don implied that the treasure hunt should be finished within the day Rather than large I would suspect that the location would be complex Flying up would give us a better lay of the land but if we attract attention

Everyone knows that a group of Ghosthounds is our group Yust said quietly He glanced nervously around as though others would be peering over the edge of the nearby orange stone outcroppings ready to ambush them

But Randidly just rolled his eyes and chuckled He flexed his shoulders and unleashed Grim Intuition and Motif of the Rising Deep That wrongness to the air might rub the edges of his hearing sight and smell but energy ripples didn�t lie His senses flowed around using the rebounding energies to reconstruct the surrounding area Compared to his training to unleash Synechdochence working around two people fighting was child�s play

I wonder if this is why the Don knew I would have an advantage Randidly wondered Then suddenly through the winding maze of stark stone outcroppings and tiny canyons Randidly found what he was looking for A brilliant spot of moisture a glittering lake

If you make too much noise you�ll attract Devick�s attention Claudette said quietly

Pinnacle Seeker Moonlight Blade just chuckled If she comes I will fight her I will not flinch before any sort of battle Even if fate brings me into conflict with a Full Comprehension foe I will fight to the death Such is my Path But right now well the only foes here are you right And none of you are a threat to me

His tone became cruel and mocking Randidly clenched his fists and analyzed the surrounding ripples preparing to test out the efficacy of his Synechdochence in an actual battle but he received a message from Claudette to prepare to lead the way to the oasis he discovered His disbelief must have shown upon his face because Moonlight Blade gave him a curious look and Claudette sent another message

Did you think we brought Yust for no reason This is his fight

I will spare your life after I�ve triumphed over you Randidly Ghosthound Moonlight Blade continued He was only ten meters away now and a swirling darkness began to build behind him Randidly could see several spectral wolves drooling as they stared with eyes that labeled them all prey Most annoyingly the Pinnacle Seeker looked directly at Randidly seemingly able to tell which was which You have potential You should grow before we face each other truly But for now

Now Claudette said She and Neshamah hurried backward even as Moonlight Blade pounced forward His Stats were high especially for someone who respected the limits of the System but Randidly had enough an edge to spend a moment agonizing about whether to lash out first or simply to move and lead the way to the Oasis

The two Unborn poked out from behind his back and rearranged their lopsided faces antagonizing the spectral wolves

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo has grown to Level 388

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo has grown to Level 389

In the end he planted his foot and twisted away A single step practically teleported Randidly in front of the other two Randidly�s guiding them deeper into the canyon toward the deceptive crevasse which would lead them to their destination the other two just didn�t understand how to make use of Dreadful Alacrity

Besides Randidly glanced back over his shoulder as he paused giving the two following Randidly�s time to reorient themselves to his position Yust was stepping forward to block Moonlight Blade It won�t be too late to throw some extra Nether at him if Yust can�t handle it

Then Randidly�s expression changed His nose wrinkled Because a horrifying sickly green tiger condensed and roared above Yust�s head Its fur almost seemed neon with a deep dark green in the black portions of his stripes A smell like old meat rotten eggs trapped sweat and rot billowed out from the majestic tiger

Mid pounce Moonlight Blade sneezed and started shaking his snout His feet dug into the sand as he attempted to stop dashing into the depths of the stink cloud

See Claudette said Then she shrugged It�s not an honorable image and there is no way for the current Yust to overcome Moonlight Blade but that isn�t the point His master cultivated him for a hundred years all to bring misery to his greatest rival Isn�t the Nexus a wonderful place

For a powerful image user it�s easy to suppress the senses when it isn�t a surprise Neshamah observed We must hurry

Chapter 1862

Every second that they lingered the smell grew more pervasive

Although they hadn�t grown used to Randidly�s body both Claudette and Neshamah followed quickly enough after him as he made a beeline for a small ridge that seemed to dance with patterns of rejections Feeling weirdly sick to his stomach with the wrongness of this place and the smell he swiped a hand and took off a portion of stone blocking the way Then they were through the narrow passage while a massive roar blasted out from behind them

In the next instant the smell grew noticeably worse Randidly wrinkled his nose even as a wave of green gas passed above the high canyons and seeped down toward their position Neshamah shook her head He must have held back initially to keep us out of the blast Despite his attitude Yust might be surprisingly conscientious

More likely Claudette�s lips curled up into a smile even as she wrinkled her nose He realize Moonlight Blade would kill him if he didn�t use everything at his disposal Looks like your body will be put to the test eh Randidly

Moonlight Blade with regret underestimating how tenacious my Stats will let Yust be Randidly gestured sharply bringing them left at a branching fork in the stone path The walls pressed in tighter so that he could raise his hands and brush his fingers along the walls on both sides of them But in the end he just planted his foot and accelerated pushing the two women to keep up with his movements

Then a new presence arrived on the battlefield behind them

What the hell is this smell After a massive impact a familiar voice echoed out above the area I Randidly Ghsothound will rid the world of this horrid wretched pestilence

You Moonlight Blade howled Then his voice came out low and rough like a growl had to tear itself out of his throat Everyone knows you are not Randidly Ghosthound Devick

This impact was strong enough that even Randidly lost his balance The stones around them rumbled and cracked A portion of the passage behind them fractured and collapsed spraying them with dust Claudette stumbled and crashed into a stone outcropping using Randidly�s tough forehead to hammer it to powder After a short silence Randidly�s borrow voice rose with fury How dare you refer to the gorgeous and lovely Actus Suprem without using her proper title In her place I will thoroughly discipline you for your transgression against her honor Consider yourself lucky that she wasn�t here personally the things she would have done to you

You Let go of me

A horrifying wave of noise arose behind them as Randidly helped Claudette to her feet Moonlight Blade unleashed his spectral wolves and they swarmed in the sky above them aiding in the fight against Devick Yet based on the continued howls of pain and frustration from Moonlight Blade the combination of Devick�s instincts and Randidly�s body was fatal

When it came to brutality not even Pinnacle Seeker Moonlight Blade could rival Devick

Will the Don allow us to die in this place Neshamah asked quietly Claudette shook her head but the answer seemed less like a no and more of an expression of uncertainty at the prospect After all all the powerful individuals in the Nexus understood the risks of engaging in this sort of competition

As far as jokes went even Randidly heard how hollow and desperate it was But he knew why Claudette was feeling so anxious and said nothing

Neshamah gave Randidly a helpless look but both of them followed after her Randidly understood where they were both coming from still having difficulty tearing his eyes away from the pulsing surface of the water I�m not sure how much Neshamah can sense but that lake is definitely not normal And what�s waiting at the bottom haah I wouldn�t investigate it casually Especially not when I�m still experiencing some leftover mental strain

After scanning the surroundings Randidly reached out and grabbed Claudette�s arm They were only a few meters away from the door Wait There is a strange Engraving built into the rock

All three spread out and released soft touches of their images Underneath the energy pressure the Engraving flared defensively to life allowing them to see the lines of power that animated it Claudette spoke slowly From the arrangement it�s a keyed lock And the lock is relatively simple but

Claudette gritted her teeth You need several people to open the door Four to be exact So we need to wait

Rustling on the other side of the lake drew all of their attention From a different path than the Randidly squad used the rebel leader Allilia stumbled out of the bush and was quickly joined by one of her subordinates Both looked bedraggled and had splashes of blood across their leather armor Their third member was nowhere to be seen

The two glanced around and spotted the Randidlys Both groups regarded each other with suspicion while Randidly cursed himself for just relying on his natural Grim Intuition The fuzzy wrongness of the stitching of this world interfered so subtly in his senses that he missed it and allowed these groups to catch them by surprise

If he wanted to know information he needed to read the ripples So he raised his gaze and examined the surroundings

For a split second his face split into a grimace but he masked it quickly Then he coughed and called out to the Nexus rebels Come over here This should be the passage to the next portion but it requires a certain amount of people to open Let�s work together and move forward

It requires four people and there are five of us Neshamah pointed out quietly as the two rebels exchanged glances and then walked over toward the Randidlys And these are known malcontents whatever they intend here it likely won�t end peacefully

One problem at a time Randidly answered just as quietly Besides I�ll stay behind I really do want to take a dip in the lake At least for a while

Claudette looked over at him with a deceptively mild glance Randidly couldn�t bring himself to meet her his own eyes

They quickly figured out the mechanism and Claudette Neshamah and the two rebels moved into position to activate the door There was a flash of light and the golden inlay along the frame became radiant The wooden doors swung open while a barrier appeared keeping Randidly unable to rush through the opening

The foursome moved cautiously forward Only at the last moment did Claudette pause and look back at him This is going to be the second time you�ve kept me waiting Randidly

I know He sighed

Then they were gone the door closing and the Engraving shifting now it required three people to proceed through the door When Randidly turned all the way back to the lake the approaching threat he had sensed finally arrived

Well well A Randidly Ghosthound with an expression animated from jarred madness grinned over at him When the Actus Suprem Devick rode his body his grin became sharp and biting The air oozed with tension she sauntered forward every inch of an arch villain Opening the door will require three bodies eh I guess we have no choice but to play around until someone else shows up

Chapter 1863

Randidly�s blood heated as he looked at the shit eating grin on his own face Devick as Randidly just released that much pressure as she walked forward The worst part was there wasn�t even the hint of an image around her as with her earlier clashes with Tyne and Moonlight Blade she relied just on his body and her fighting related Skills to suppress her opponents

That�s where the pressure comes from Randidly realized Her monstrously developed Skills Even without transforming them into an image I can feel their effect on the way she moves That�s right Devick is quite old as well I wonder how close she is to a Mille

Still Randidly lifted his head without flinching before her He had a solid foundation for his own confidence especially when he was in his own body His Nether Core steadily accelerated Silky liquid Nether twisted and twined through his veins empowering his body He took a steadying breath and settled into a fighting stance

Devick chuckled and then affected a look of shock Aw imposter I wanted to just spend some time chatting But if you insist on combat

She planted her foot and practically vanished she clearly had no difficulty adjusting to Dreadful Alacrity His heart pounding Randidly took an even faster step and moved to meet her Their blurred forms neared each other and then accelerated further

She spun sideways whipping her leg around in a sweeping kick at his waist Randidly used a single hand to catch the strike and raised his other hand The impact jarred his bones but it was manageable Before he could unleash an attack Devick twisted and brought her other heel slicing toward his head This time Randidly�s tail snaked out and encircled the heel kick The grip strained but it slowed the strike down enough for his other hand to clench into a fist

Both her legs were entangled and Devick lay midair with her back to Randidly Still she bridged her body folding back toward him and bringing both her hands stabbing toward Randidly�s midsection If nothing else her decisiveness was impressive

His emerald eyes flashed to see himself contorting like this Am I really this flexible But definitely her combat Skills are high Level I can feel the sharpness of everything she does Huh I wonder if she can tap into old Skill fragments in my body or if this is just a common enough Skill

Then his expression hardened But there is one problem you�ve been enjoying my body so far but you haven�t spent much fighting against it Strikes like that

Randidly ignored the stabbing hands despite the razor tips at the point of his fingers They hit his side and drew small blotches of blood but they only prickled him like stray thorns Meanwhile his right hand finally hammered down striking Devick in the small of her back and smashing her into the ground

With a grunt Devick hit the ground and rolled Randidly bounded after her Nether and evaporating blood filling his veins His heart pounded and filled him with strength Already the small marks that Devick had inflicted on him were healing She flipped up to her feet grinning at him Heh yeah I get it Soft strikes like that won�t do much not with this fun bod But how about this

Her left arm exploded forward morphing into a deadly lance of momentum aimed at his face But at almost the same moment Randidly�s left eye flashed with darkness Revelation energy warned him of the strike and he jerked his head to the side Before she even struck he foresaw the dangerous possibility

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 500

That miss allowed Randidly to close the distance between them and he clenched his left fist and brutally struck at her side with a hook Devick blocked with almost casual speed Meanwhile Randidly�s right hand stabbed forward aiming for her throat This Devick also intercepted but a few inches too late so that his hand was on her neck and her hand tightened around his wrist

Still a bit behind when it comes to handling a lot of information with my senses Randidly�s eyes blazed as he slammed his forehead against his own nose and felt the cartilage shatter

Randidly�s eyes narrowed Her excess is a chance I can seize

Truth be told Randidly very rarely utilized his full physical capabilities He simply couldn�t without a sufficiently strong base to achieve leverage Randidly�s Primordial Nether Juju would obliterate most physical substances even if they had passively absorbed Aether to become much stronger than their original forms It was a hidden restriction of surpassing the System limits

No platform could allow him to truly go all out Shifting his weight while throwing a punch with his full power ruptured the ground beneath him before he was even halfway through the motion

Which was why while Devick as Randidly was a walking Calamity whose steps heralded destruction all he did was tap a toe and throw himself forward With none of the bluster he moved even more quickly than she He twisted to duck under Devick�s fearsome strike concentrated both on his Nether and upon his own emotional force and spear tackled her out of the air

She gasped in shock the force of their combined and opposite momentums enough to even jar his powerful body Randidly twisted to slam her into the ground but felt a tingle on the back of his neck at the last second He released her and rolled sideways still receiving an immense force on his shoulder that launched him downward and bounced him off the disintegrating stone ground

He regained his feet and prepared himself for another attack but Devick stood still looking with interest at her own arms and legs

Fascinating She announced as she looked up and met Randidly�s gaze You are well past the System limit aren�t you

Randidly�s lips twitched at how quickly she dropped the charade of being him but didn�t say anything about it Even from their brief interactions he knew that being snarky in front of her would just come back to bite him Better to just go with the flow and accept the attitude change At the very least she was no longer growling about retribution

However She continued She raised her head and gave Randidly a wide smile Didn�t you know that there was an easy fix With as much power as we have you simply force your will onto the universe And then

As though in a demonstration Devick brought that emotional force down to her feet and created a brief but concrete foothold beneath her feet He could literally see how she did it but using the flexible substance of image to ground herself Yet to accomplish it so quickly

Perhaps Randidly would be the only one surprised that in the next instant Devick�s fist was in his stomach arriving with the full speed that Randidly�s Stats could allow when the foundation was provided Then he was tumbling across the ground and then skidding across the sapphire lake his body aching and his head ringing from the speed and his stomach twisting at the wrongness he sensed in the liquid

It was almost a relief when he crashed into the stone outcropping on the other side of the lake causing a small avalanche of orange stone to collapse on top of him Snorting out through his nose Randidly shoved away the rock dust and clambered out His abdomen ached but the blunt force would heal quickly

They stood on opposite shores this time Randidly brushing himself off Devick stood with her hands on his hips and grinned over at him Did you get the trick from my little tutorial If not I can demonstrate a few more times for you

What she didn�t need to say was that they would be using his body as a prop in these demonstrations� Randidly rolled his shoulders and stopped limiting the flow of his Nether It began to spool out in long tendrils that spread across the edges of the lake avoiding touching the strange water

Time to test out what Synechdochence can do in an actual battle Randidly clenched his fist Damnit when the hell is someone else going to show up Devick is not the one I�m supposed to be wasting time fighting

But I suppose I won�t reject her teaching Randidly�s expression turned solemn Under the influence of Nether he began to float forward keeping well away from the surface of the lake When it comes to growing at ludicrous speeds I don�t think I know anyone as impressive as Devick

Chapter 1864

In a quiet portion of the desert devastation reigned supreme Chaos sprawled out across the landscape and now slumbered

Shattered and blasted stones lay strewn out over a large area An entire swimming pool sized hole in the ground smoked vaguely even twenty minutes after the fighting had ceased The nearby ridges had been obliterated and leveled with new gorges being dug with the violence of the clash

A lizard that had somehow slumbered through the noise and quakes would wake up bewildered finding its home and yard totally renovated But honestly it should probably just be glad that it had survived

Occasionally a soft wind brushed the rough edges of these new landmarks and pushed a few pebbles to skitter down their faces but otherwise all was still

Strange smelling green stains lingered upon the stone ground Spectral remnants of the thousands of wolves were scattered across the ground like sewn seeds from a lazy farmer becoming tiny beads of hunger and ferocity that barely maintained their form What lingered here were the remnants of an absolute force tearing any opposition to shreds

Occasionally the ghost of Devick�s laugh drifted back from distant hills

Suddenly a small pile of stones trembled With great care a bedraggled Moonlight Blade shifted the stones out of the way and raised his head out of the rubble His expression morphed between shock fear and frustration As he had expected playing dead for long enough meant that Devick had grown born and wandered away from him However the fact that he had been forced into submission

Is she gone The Randidly clone on his back whispered giving all of his fury a concrete target

You little shit Moonlight Blade hissed through gritted teeth He reached around and dug his claws into this Randidly�s shoulder The young man skittered sideways avoiding most of the force of the attack His claws ripped up long gashes on his shoulder but due to the body�s powerful regenerative properties those wounds began to close almost as soon as he made them And that was even when Moonlight Blade injected his image into his powerful claws

Of course he knew that this Randidly was not the real one this was the foolish student of that old and fat tiger all made to spite him But the combination proved extremely aggravating

Moonlight Blade stood abruptly hoping to dislodge Yust�s grip while he was shifting Several rocks were knocked sideways and he froze for a long moment as his instincts reminded him why he had lingered here But the noise did not suddenly draw Devick back to their position

Of course his instinctual reaction only made him more furious

So he aimed his claws and started raking at Yust�s legs which had been wrapped around Moonlight Blade�s waist Almost instantly Yust�s legs turned into noodles and slipped away The body�s quick reactions was another source of aggravation

Eyes flashing Moonlight Blade reached up and seized up Yust�s arms to forcibly throw the bastard off his back But as he did that Yust tightened his grip quickly choking off the flow of oxygen to Moonlight Blade�s body Obviously he didn�t need to breathe But nothing was quite so uncomfortable as your physical body struggling to pump blood through the neck with no success It felt like a psychological form of drowning

Moonlight Blade made a mental note to squeeze the throats of his victims in a show of power during the next time he was able to let loose Perhaps he would even do so to Claudette to vent some of this frustration The thought was oddly arousing

Yet that didn�t solve his current predicament it just made him feel more frustrated Worse as Moonlight Blade flayed Yust�s skin and muscle from his arms just as fast as it healed back into place Yust began to release pulsing blasts of sewage gas Each was slightly different somehow animated with a new cocktail of sickening source materials so it took a few seconds for Moonlight Blade to block it from his awareness His nose began to twitch and he tried to sneeze but there was a horrible sense of retching as Yust�s grip on his neck didn�t allow any air to be expelled

Devick didn�t acknowledge Randidly�s preparations she just martial her own emotional force and launched herself toward him in a single bound Below their reflections on the lake surface faced off silently dyed blue

The environment is barely acceptable but there isn�t any choice Randidly pressed his lips together Already he gathered the ripples that Devick created in her charge but there wouldn�t be enough time to draw them into his storm Each moment saw a new surge of Nether spreading out from him but this also would take a few more seconds before it reached the levels he wanted Alright Devick Let�s see how my Nether measures up

A pinch of Nether flared to life in front of Devick rapidly inflating to become a barn sized explosion of force Devick reacted quickly raising her arms and tearing the wave of rejection apart but she stumbled and slowed from the impact almost dropping into the water

Maybe 65% I can do better than that Randidly reached out and seized upon the energy released by the impact pulling it all together around him Winds brushed at his hair as the storm began to accumulate The air darkened and mist began to gather around his person

A slow and genuine smile spread across Devick�s face Randidly Ghosthound are you dabbling with a Nether Core when they are forbidden within the Nexus Haha I knew I liked you even if you continue to house those two irritating maggots And more than dabbling that was Synechdochence wasn�t it Well well well How immense is your potential I wonder And how long will you be able to handle me right now Ha

And with that Devick blurred into motion once more faster than before Randidly narrowed his eyes just like he improved from their brief clashes so too did Devick adapt and improve constantly The constant race for an edge was quite terrifying

But those few seconds of speech from Devick allowed Randidly to strengthen his grip on the surrounding space Nether and natural force gushed in thick rivers around him quickly creating visual distortions through the mist The beginnings of electromagnet discharge began to crackle When Devick accelerated Randidly already reached out and gripped several pinches of Nether that popped around her aiming to crunch her from several directions at once

Devick reacted Her legs flexed out and she bounced herself downward avoiding the crush Then she stepped forming a foothold midair with pure emotional force and streaked the last forty meters to arrive before Randidly

Now what Devick cackled triumph clear on her face She raised a fist

Randidly opened his right hand and unleashed a concentrated burst of natural energy He could only gather energy from her movements and the few pinches of Nether he unleashed but it was still a potent attack that made his wrist ache

The blast of pure force struck Devick in the gut even as she was a few meters away from Randidly A look of genuine surprise crossed her face and she reeled backward and crashed down onto the shattered stone by the lakeshore

Randidly�s eyes blazed emerald as he mobilized his Nether and ripped several large holes in the lakeshore where she had landed It was a carpet bombardment Unfortunately there was something about the lake that drained away ambient natural force however

Grimacing Randidly scrambled back Devick erupted from the ground beneath him her hand curled into a claw she had used her crash landing as a cover to dig through the ground and approach him

Even this didn�t work Devick pouted Then she blurred again becoming a deadly dervish that lashed out several times in quick succession at Randidly Her limbs seemed to bend like whips as they lashed him He tried to grip her with Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko to restrict her movements but she tore right through his restrictions He dodged sideways and she followed

Her fist blurred upward and Randidly jerked his head back She twisted into a heel kick and he stepped forward under the typhoon like strike His palm strike she deflected almost thoughtlessly Randidly unleashed a flaring burst of Nether that impacted her back but she didn�t flinch With Randidly�s body she became a titan of aggression Her limbs lashed outward forcing him back directly toward the edge of the lake

Are you afraid of swimming Devick grinned at him Why don�t you and I take a dip I�m sure it will be quite refreshing

Chapter 1865

Devick accelerated further growing increasingly proficient with creating her own emotional footholds Randidly distantly wanted to use this opportunity to copy the capability she demonstrated but he had already set himself on the path of using his Nether and his brain was already so consumed with those subtle calculations that he needed to allow that improvement to wait until later

Plus he hadn�t realized how much difference the emotional holds would make he could do something similar by relying on images and Skills but the combination of unpredictability and absolute force of his body made a difference

When Randidly had made footholds of roots in the past he had moved in much the same way that he had on physical land Light touches from hid prodigious physique to annihilate distance But Devick threw her everything into every movement Randidly would need a bit of practice just to make sure his roots could handle the amount of force she exerted

But then her attack continued and he let all those thoughts drop away

He swayed past a brutal punch gathering all the natural force Devick generated into his veins The tendons of his body thrummed with the contained power However whenever Randidly made a move to unleash the blast Devick retreated After seeing it once she understood his trick and would happily allow him to discharge his built up force harmlessly into the air

So Randidly could only grit his teeth and continue to accumulate They fought on the shattered stones of the lake�s beach Devick utilizing the fullest potential of Randidly�s body and suppressing him while Randidly used intermittent blasts of Nether to slow her down long enough to impact the surroundings with his storm

He smashed her leg with a blast of force and Devick stumbled but she somehow transitioned smoothly into a roll that brought her a few inches closer to Randidly When she erupted from the ground he was forced to adjust his footing and sway around her haymaker Then she stepped bolding forward and aimed a kick at his chest

This he slipped under and whipped his fist against her side burning with flames of Nether Weight Just like he had absorbed her scratches she shrugged off his attack with a grunt Then she pivoted and wrapped a leg around her waist

The move was so unexpected that Randidly was a fraction of a second slow in reacting Then he unleashed a bombardment of Nether that staggered Devick but she was already so close to him She would definitely

The natural energy surged through Randidly�s limbs crackling with potent force But Devick stepped backward and pirouetted winking at him as she spun His muscles burned as he pulled that ready to explode energy and pressurized it back within his body His hand flexed and he grabbed up the surrounding ripples

Just you wait Randidly used the space to unleash more flares of Nether around Devick His adjustments in the environment were steadily improving meaning that his true Synechdochence was probably closer to 80% Soon I�ll have enough natural energy that I can blast this entire lake off the face of this desert

However while Randidly did his best to keep from retreating Devick was relentless Her strikes were sharp and incisive And if nothing else she had quickly mastered his body�s ability to shrug off damage and push through pain Step by step he was being forced back toward the lake Randidly�s strikes were deflected and her staggered him His stomach continued to flip back and forth unnerved by its proximity of the queer sapphire water

Randidly ground his teeth together frustrated He was losing ground and he knew it Devick was too quick in her improvements She adjusted the vector of her attacks and began to anticipate his possessing a preternatural sort of memory that reminded Randidly of his early days on Tellus fighting against the nearly prescient Azriel

She stomped the ground and crack the stone destabilizing his footing He resolved himself to try his own hand at absorbing punishment but he couldn�t just base himself and absorb force like she could When she chopped toward Randidly with her hand he had to avoid it or risk being blown backward

Somewhere Neveah is nodding knowingly about the importance of emotions He pressed his lips together in distaste

Nether swirled outward buoyed by powerful waves of natural force The patterns aligned In a stroke of inspiration Randidly forcefully completed the environment by finishing the top half and mirroring it downward

Devick grinned at him Did you give up and decide to capitulate Well I�m sorry but its too late

Nether bloomed These pinches were tinier than Randidly had used thus far the merest Nether dust left glimmering in the wake of the thick Nether veins that ran through the storm of air currents around their two forms He did this both so Devick might miss them and also because at the moment he felt eminently confident in his Synechdochence

It might not reach a full 105% since I had to take a shortcut to finish Randidly studied his own face waiting for the Devick lurking within to react to his attacks But it�s definitely 103% And once you break through the barrier of 100% the shift in deadliness is immense

A bit of Nether bloomed and ripped through the muscle of Devick�s shoulder Her eyes widened as she twisted and looked down at the black spike that had impaled her These flares weren�t massive they only grew about the size of a basketball In addition they weren�t spherical They were six pointed stars with deadly spikes ripping out up down left right forward and backward

Randidly released a steaming breath into Devick�s face Her grip weakened and she scowled at him How the hell did you

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 555

Randidly created five more of those pointed stars impacting Devick�s back and legs Familiar caustic blood dribbled out of the wounds One protrusion even scratched Randidly�s own body in its brief moment of explosive power Unfortunately the environment was steadily moving forward Their lack of movement and the expenditure of Nether meant that the delicate balance was lost His Nether flares rapidly fell back below the 100% barrier

But it didn�t matter Randidly had already handled her mobility

Next came the decisive strike

Using one arm to shove the injured Devick back Randidly gathered the rest of the natural force running through him into Sulfur�s fist His hand began to glow with power and Devick�s strangely brown eyes examined the attack

You have a lot of tricks She observed quietly The Nether stars dissipated and her wounds began to heal but she didn�t attempt to dodge his strike She just observed it as she approached her chest Then she raised her gaze and clicked her tongue I suppose it was a bit much to expect to rival you in your own body The accomplishments of Randidly Ghosthound were not the result of luck

The sensation of slamming his fist against the image barrier that Devick conjured made his skin crawl Madness nibbled on the knuckles of his left hand Something had shifted All that natural force his gathered erupted against the barrier raged briefly then spent itself leaving Randidly looking at Devick�s cruel scowl with the blow not nearly as decisive as he had hoped

Drown for me Devick announced With her words came a horrifying power a sea of chains and hooks rose around her wrapped Randidly and bound him and then carried him crashing down through the surface of the sapphire lake

Chapter 1866

Randidly gasped or at least he tried to The muscles of his chest contracted and his diaphragm pulsed But immediately he felt restricted his body would not move as he wished Although he had immense physical power none of that could be used against the liquid

He existed within his own body but more a lingering spirit than an animating force The feeling was simultaneously peculiar tension relieving and alarming

So for several seconds he floated down through the aggressively blue water seeing with crystal clarity as Devick stood above him and peered down into the liquid From the way she cast her gaze about it seemed that she didn�t have the same sort of perfect vision into the substance that he did out Which was just as well Randidly felt his skin crawl when he thought about her near empty eyes as she manifested that shield and then ripped him down into the water with those rusty hooks They hadn�t been able to shred his flesh but he felt the lingering taint of her corrosion on his skin when he hit the sapphire water

Luckily whatever held Randidly bound also cleansed him the remnants of Devick�s image that ended up on him were eradicated The sapphire color destroyed all outside force Devick frowned and pouted at the water sending a powerful hook smashing into the lake It absorbed the hook without a ripple but just as quickly disintegrated it

Randidly watched in fascination seeing the way energy spread out through the interior of the liquid Those same disturbing patterns flared briefly in response to the transgression This is one of the most sophisticated barriers I�ve ever seen It incorporates both Aether and Nether principles all force employed is immediately spread out over the entire lake It looks like it destroyed images but it simply dilutes them So

For several seconds Randidly released pulses to adjust his back first descent into the unknown now vacated of his ability to move his body The oppression on his senses was even worse in the liquid giving him no useful information except Devick stood above him and the environment was a deep sapphire

However Randidly quickly got the hang of manipulating that rule and caused his body to rotate in the isolated space The blue medium expanded an image to the point of dilution but Randidly wasn�t trying to manifest the Grey Creature or any other specific image Instead he scaled his result to the size of the lake He simply focused on a vast sea of sapphire where there was a minute eddy in a particular area

He could hear Devick grousing above him but Randidly�s expression turned serious as he finally witnessed what lay below him About twenty meters away a distance that put Randidly already about 1/4th of the way toward the bottom of the lake sprawled a condensed weaving of light The hexagonal lines of light appeared simply to block a small tunnel through which Randidly could see a massive pillar of black flames

Yet as soon as Randidly stared at the very exact framing for that small tunnel the details of what lay on the other side began to shift just like the barrier diluted images from Devick it erased detail from whatever lay on the other side of that hexagonal light fence Concentration would steadily piece together the damage done by the fence After a few seconds of looking an enormous spined shadow lay in the middle of that flame pillar After ten seconds that shadow became a black dragon sleeping fitfully Smog drifted out its nose which eventually became the substance that burned to create the pillar of flame

Or at least Randidly thought it was sleeping fitfully Yet suddenly a massive ivory spike was driven so prominently through its spine that Randidly wondered how he had missed it previously And once he saw the spike the dragon was a young man with raven black hair so long it wrapped around him like a cocoon

Randidly came back to the strange stillness of the sapphire liquid feeling his brain heating up in a similar way as when he tried to calculate the complex interaction of ripples Even more surprising Randidly was only a few meters away from the fence of light He had somehow lost several minutes looking toward that strange figure beyond the barrier

Pulling his attention inward Randidly tried to calm himself He manipulated his expansive image� of the lake around him to slow his descent until he was simply floating in front of the barrier Then he used the liquid around him to turn himself around and looked back toward the surface of the lake Devick�s looming form had vanished She either was waiting to ambush him or grew bored with waiting and decided to bother someone else

Randidly wasn�t sure which was more likely

With an inward sigh Randidly rotated back toward the fence once more He tried his best to observe the patterns without letting them absorb him The strange detail compression triggered easily if the fence wasn�t regarded carefully This is what gives the Skull of Truth its power not whatever being dragon is imprisoned down there this sophisticated sapphire barrier I wonder how

A small prod brought him within touching distance to the octagonal bars of light had he possessed the ability to reach out Being so near the barrier Randidly suddenly realized that he sensed a very familiar aura on the barrier An aura that he would never forget

Neshamah�s expression stiffened But I thought

None of you may pass The cowled Skull Shadow continued seeming to consider the trappings of polite conversation to be optional The alliance with the Beigon Family will be obtained by the Nether Collective It has been determined

Oh great The lyrical voiced Allilia muttered Some new Orthodox Nexus Organization And a collective at that I�m sure there�s no harm in giving them unilateral authority over a few planets

Skull raised his hand and unleashed a concentrated blast of Nether at Allilia�s chest His responses were direct if nothing else She snorted and produced a strange humming that obliterated the force of the attack However Skull raised both his arms and spouts of Nether erupted all around them

Thick tentacles of Nether lashed back and forth carving scars into the stone and releasing a caustic suppression Claudette felt slightly uncomfortable but it was definitely true that the disparate Nether couldn�t injure this body easily She marshaled herself to deploy her image but Neshamah blurred past her

The other woman forcefully blasted apart the Nether defenses that Skull Shadow quickly brought around to bear and slammed into him The stoic man growled as he stumbled and then collapsed onto his back More Nether was surging but Neshamah twisted and unleashed a piercing bolt of Nether that ripped a hole in the hastily erected defenses She exchanged a glance with Claudette and in the next moment Claudette launched herself through stumbling to regain her footing and then dashing forward in the direction of the light source

The ground rumbled beneath her as Neshamah and Skull clashed behind her but Claudette ignored it The rebels seemed caught up in the chaos and she was happy to proceed alone On the wings of Randidly�s powerful body she soon arrived before the brilliant light which turned out to be a gazebo made of pure crystal She briefly stilled remembering a request as a child that her father make her an entire princess castle made of diamonds Her father had laughed and laughed slapping his knee in a desperate attempt to regain control Then he told her that if she was impeccably behaved for the rest of the year he would see what he could do

However between that conversation and the end of the year Claudette�s mother had died In the wake of that event a lot of promises had slipped into the cracks and dissolved into the gulf of their private griefs

When she stepped onto the crystal gazebo some mechanism beneath it activated and a teleportation array manifested In the next instant Claudette stood on a small path in the desert at night but this time the sky above was filled with stars Beautiful patterns gleamed above so fresh and bright they seemed about to drip down on the sand

She examined the terrain The path forked directly in front of Claudette stretching off to the left and right in a meandering fashion At that fork stood a sign and beyond it a deep ravine filled with glimmering light

On the sign was a message

My sincerest congratulations to those who have made it to this point this is the final leg you haven�t quite won yet now have you Before you lay two paths nearly mirror images of one another You�ll paths lead to the final location However the journey will not be simple Parallel arduous and painful while the other based on the natural structure of the Skull of Truth luck

That was the entirety of the message because a weird sort of black flame flickered up from within the ravine eating away a large portion of the final few lines and much of the middle Claudette took several steps forward and peered down into the ravine A sea of black flames waited below And as she watched the cracked ground spread eating up even more of the Don�s message

The damage would soon annihilate the entire message Claudette frowned What the hell is going on

Then because the tight knot of anxiety in her chest urged her onward she started moving down the left path No matter what was occurring she would not waiver

Chapter 1867

As Randidly�s finger neared the array of light bands that bisected the sapphire lake that light began to shift into varying wavelengths as though it was passing through a prism by virtue of his finger�s proximity The shifting liquid around him manipulated his body into a slow approach while a scene appeared in his mind

His Nether stirred instinctively as the vision formed this was a very old memory

The environment blurred and skipped like a pre modern film reel Brief flaws snaked across Randidly�s awareness but were just as soon eliminated leaving the same flickering tableau Perhaps even more confusingly the background seemed to shift from one location to another while the characters remained the same One moment there were three figures standing next to a pond that burned with the same sapphire hue that currently suppressed Randidly Then the next they stood in a great hall with strange angular banners flapping along the high pillars to an invisible wind

In the final shift there was suddenly a blurry fourth figure The features of this new figure were completely fuzzed away by the ancient memory but in its hands was a long dagger pointing at its heart In the third shift the three other individuals stood upon an outdoor marble staircase with the dagger wielder near the middle

Then the shift continued

The three figures that appeared in all three of the images were similarly blurry but they at least spoke in distinct rumbling tones that differentiated them The first figure stood hip deep in the sapphire pond in the first scene with tears streaming down his cheeks In the second backdrop he sat at the far end of the great hall on a wooden chair upon a dais Finally he kneeled at the base of the staircase in that strange scenario sporting a fourth player

The second figure watched then first weep with his arms crossed In the great hall the second figure was strung from the rafters a grey liquid dripping from the chains around his body On the staircase he stood halfway up only a single stair above the mysterious fourth figure looking down at the kneeling figure

The third figure dunked his head in the pond in the first figure He kneeled in the second scenario opposite the figure in the unadorned wooden chair in the great hall And upon that strange staircase in the abyss he lounged at the top laying on his side and viewing the figures below with cold eyes

Swish swish swish The image flickered Randidly felt that now familiar heat returning to his brain as he tried to discern the features of the three figures His hand drifted toward the golden barrier giving him more information but he could barely handle the information that he already received He dearly wished he had been able to recover fully from the shift in his Nether Core

But Randidly hummed to himself partially in awe that this conversation had been fixed in time solely based on emotional force and significance Somehow it had parasitized the defensive barrier in the sapphire lake Is this the mission to slay the individual who accumulated too much karma But which figure

Swish

While weeping the first figure opened his mouth and released the first rumbling line of the skit Your steed is insanity Look at the broken eternity you have wrought

The second figure seemed to sigh Such is our nature If we could make other choices

I go to my own doom gladly The third figure kneeled within the great hall his head held high The second figure swayed slightly chains around his body clinking His mouth had been sewn shut in this iteration

She looked rather mild all things considered as she observed the surroundings You have done something you should not have

You are the Patron of Truth Randidly used his image to boom the words out when his mouth proved useless

She tilted her head to the side Is that what they call me now I am simply Duo but no I am not the original A ghost a reflection of a reflection

For a second she trailed off The blank expression on her face made it seem like she had forgotten where she was and what she was doing But then her eyes sharpened We must move quickly that Monarch cannot be allowed to be free I believe enough of me remains to repair the barrier but you must subdue the Monarch and give me the chance to do the work We do not have much time

Another wave of black fire surged from the depths of the sapphire lake Rather than trying to escape this time whatever horror waited down there targeted the few remaining bands of light With a horrifying crash the fence was completely demolished The few remaining luminous motes expanded into nothing within the lake Then a massive serpent of black flames began to swim up toward where Randidly and the Patron of Truth were floating

Suddenly it occurred to him that the strange detail erasure quality of the liquid remained constant So if that monstrous river of black flames looked intimidating from this distance if he spent enough time focusing on it to see its true form

Randidly mobilized his Nether Core spinning thick rivers of Nether through his body But when he tried to create versions of his image that could exist in this strange space of magnification they flickered and popped quickly Panic rose in his chest It wasn�t just that the size was magnified but the edges were pulled out to align with the edges of the lake

When he just made a space based image to manipulate his body it was fine but when he tried to make a bound image

His Nether expanded but was siphoned away just as quickly The sapphire liquid had been too effectively made even without the fence of light And while Randidly had to adapt on the fly the serpent of black flames had probably had quite a lot of time to familiarize itself with the environment

In the face of these failures Randidly briefly hesitated What if I don�t assist in sealing this being Based on the clues this is that ordained being of Karma From what the Patrons said it is an enemy of Elhume Elhume locked it down here in this strange place Perhaps releasing it will create exactly the sort of opportunity that we�ve been looking for to bring down Elhume

However he quickly dismissed that idea This being might cause chaos but Elhume took several Patrons to the fight against this Monarch� and apparently ended up cursed In addition two of those Patrons died soon after I don�t want to create an even more dominant foe for myself

The serpent of black flames was nearing the choke point but Randidly remained calm His Nether began to move back inward spiraling to surround his Nether Core and then rotating in a peculiar pattern Parts of the Nether Core shifted and engaged With a click part opened up and revealed a beating heart of darkness that animated his significance His whole body buzzed finally causing a froth to emerge in the sapphire liquid around him

Then came a long shadow cast by Yggdrasil A thick trunk and a hundred bare branches stretched up grabbing at the surroundings like a starving beggar�s fingers It was not an image just a connection so the environment couldn�t dilute it The subtle shade of that thing didn�t even seem to attract the attention of the serpent or the Patron of Truth

His Nether Core spun faster and faster so that even Randidly�s powerful body began to cramp The heart of significance sent reverberations through every inch of him A wave of pure power spread out as Randidly�s new weapon engaged The Mythic Rarity allowed Randidly to supersede the laws of this place albeit briefly

From the shadow of Yggdrasil a wingless dragon wormed its way outward Its eyes slowly opened showing deep wells of need that animated its desperate cravings Nidhogg opened its mouth and snarled toward the serpent of black flame revealing rotten teeth It was a twisted desperate creature that was born of Randidly�s particular significance

Just like Yggdrasil this being came from his upbringing and the ache he felt for stability But unlike the healthy expression of the world tree this wingless dragon only knew avarice It clawed at stability desperate to rip and take to fill the hole in its heart

With the power of his Nether Core Randidly�s mouth opened The First Authority Seize

Chapter 1868

Claudette dashed along the edge of a cliff while the sea of black flame raged to her right Huge waves intermittently crashed against the stone ground Since she had begun this portion of the treasure hunt the ground had been steadily eroded by those flames forcing her to leave the path and rush over rough terrain toward her goal

Her eyes flicked sideways then back forward No No hesitation Not now I need to be the sort of person who thrives here Or else

Don Beigon had installed traps along the path that engaged and shot all sorts of dangerous flames poisons and blades at her She stoically accepted these hits against her body and kept running The blades skittered off the flames eventually faded and the poison dribbled onto the ground without any visible effect For all that Yust was a hothead he certainly had a good idea when he had chosen to use Randidly�s body for this experience It made these sorts of obstacles a breeze

However she soon had to slow She saw a gleaming lighthouse in the distance that shined with enough force to be seen through the rising tide of black flames But an extremely complicated formation lay between her current position and that goal Based on the way the skin on her arms was standing on end it possessed enough power to even give Randidly pause

In the short time possessing this body she learned to recognize its keen instincts It seemed a hair of Randidly�s image lingered in the body woven into the physical form through image physicalizations And the instincts of those images were second to none

Just as she was considering how to proceed something strange happened

First there was a weird resonance in her chest Her body ached as it spread from her chest up to the crown of her head and then down to her bare heels Then her senses started feeding her unusual information right before her eyes all the color inverted itself White flames gushed over the pale cliff to her right while she stared toward a lighthouse of darkness The lines of the engraving in front of her went dead and inert while a strange luminance covered the ground

But the worst part was the horrifying sensation of rotten teeth plunging into her body seizing her and holding her in place The horrified breath was suffocating

When those teeth entered into her body that stubborn resonance grew a little stronger Claudette confused stumbled forward into the area covered by the formation It didn�t activate She swayed blinked then continued forward The strange inversion made her limbs heavy and leaden but she wasn�t going to miss this opportunity With great care she continued to put one foot in front of the other

She continued for a few meters after the formation when the inversion began to recede Unwillingly the impression of rotten teeth dislodged themselves from her body and vanished The colors returned to normal Her body once more felt light and powerful

Claudette reached up and touched her chest A small remnant of that dull ache remained What the hell was that

ah�s breath heaved out her chest as the strange inversion pulled back and the world returned to normal Moving under its influence was difficult but Skull Shadow who turned out not to be Randidly after all had been completely immobilized by its touch She raised a fist but the spell had completely vanished before she could strike in a blast of Nether the wounded Skull Shadow escaped

Rubbing the back of her neck Neshamah turned to look at the two rebels They had largely retreated while she fought against Skull Shadow but now they regarded her with abject fear They too seemed to have been completely frozen by that brief inversion

In the distance there was the strangest rushing noise like waves on the beach Otherwise they seemed completely alone in this pillar filled cavern with no roof

Neshamah decided she was too exhausted to attack them and looked forward again But her mind was racing That power that scope that�s an Authority Randidly Ghosthound condensed a genuine Authority Maybe he�s really the one we�ve been waiting for

The new barrier was different than the first the light of its thin connections was much dimmer than the previously brilliant barrier But at the same time Randidly had enough spare attention to admire the way that the Patron of Truth spiraled out the supporting lines Rather than attempting to resist this foe directly with an inferior product it was clear she believed it more suitable to create a zone to steadily sap away the power of this beast

Then Randidly released the Authority and made to gasp but once more the restrictive sapphire liquid settled around him He floated without any motion completely inert and suddenly spent With its movement restored the serpent of black flames roared its pure fury and belched out a beam of fire

The fire sizzled through the intervening space and Randidly was abruptly struck by how particular you needed to be with your image to achieve such a distinct result through the haze of this sapphire liquid Then gushing black flames met the dim lines of energy the Patron of Truth had created

Vrrmm

Rather than any sort of impact it was a jarring resonance that resulted from the conflict Randidly winced even his powerful bones aching with the remnant effects Yet when the black fire began to fade the spiraling light fence remained with no lingering damage

The blast didn�t possess enough mass The barrier held

You are truly powerful The Patron of Truth smiled at Randidly but her body seemed to be coming apart at the seams Her long limbs were dim after creating the barrier I must rest Thank you for your assistance

You Randidly�s image voice was unsteady pounding along with the pain in his skull He willed himself to speak with more clarity ignoring the pain Too much had happened too quickly he couldn�t miss this opportunity to find out more information Why are you trapped here Did Elhume

He had The Patron of Truth offered one last tragic smile before disintegrating in the sapphire liquid That same blank look came over her as though she didn�t see Randidly at all but another place No other choice

In the wake of the Patron of Truth whatever being remained sealed within this lake vigorously tried to test the defenses It unleashed blast after blast while Randidly floated and rather helplessly watched He would have been worried if it had been able to break through and reach him considering how spent he felt but the devouring black flames vanished without seeming to accomplish anything

Guiding the liquid around him Randidly closed his eyes and tried to ignore that being Unfortunately destroying the barrier also got rid of that image of Elhume Why were there three scenes that I saw Also there were only three figures that existed in all three of those scenes One of them had to be Elhume and it is likely that one was whatever Monarch remains here But who is the third figure One of the Patrons But several went with Elhume why is only one featured in this powerful memory

The Patron of Truth makes the most sense since she appeared in the lake to help rebuild the seal but that blurry figure didn�t really resemble her Or perhaps its not a Patron at all but another figure

Randidly�s exhausted mind chewed on the possibilities for a while as far as I can tell Elhume is likely the first figure Due to the fact he says his power is necessary � likely talking about either this mysterious third figure or the Monarch Which means he�s weeping in the pool forming the basis of this barrier Then he�s sitting on the throne in the second scenario In the final scenario he�s kneeling before the stairs well that�s a bit more confusing Also his first words above insanity and a broken eternity is he rebuking the Karma ordained individual

And who does that leave to be the blurry person

Randidly shook himself mentally Then he looked around at the gleaming sapphire liquid The trapped Monarch shifted its body and resentfully returned to its rest

I wonder Randidly considered His head continued to throb If I have enough time for a quick nap

Chapter 1869

Claudette�s chest was heaving when she arrived at the base of the lighthouse Honestly referring to it as a lighthouse was a disservice to those functional buildings she had seen in other locations this was a spiraling staircase around a central pillar with some sort of treasure based light source at the top Her eyes traced the structure There were several platforms of woven energy at various elevations seeming to require different capabilities in order to pass through and ascend

But what made her heart grow cold was the figure that was currently halfway up the staircase And ascending every second

Kyl MacDuul squat and froglike turned and gave her a brief glance The corners of his mouth tilted up into a smirk as he reached one of the barriers It�s just business girl This is what was always meant to happen

Then he turned forward and said aloud to the gleaming barrier Her favorite color is Sapphire

The barrier flickered almost aggressively Kyl scowled and muttered several curses to himself His jowls shook Meanwhile the wave of adrenaline finally reached her nerves Claudette launched herself forward at the staircase herself forgetting briefly that she utilized Randidly�s body and almost crashing into the base of the structure

She regained her balance glanced worryingly at the places where the rising tide of black flames had eaten away at the foundation of the lighthouse� then looked at the small sign right in front of the entrance It had been penned by her father by hand

Congratulations worthy challenger your dedication to an alliance between my family and yours warms my heart But we cannot forget the true soul of this potential deal Claudette my lovely daughter If you are not taking her feelings into account I cannot in good conscience entrust her fate to you So this final test challenges your knowledge of her history and her tastes There are no punishments for incorrect answers but only by truly understanding her will you be able to reach the top

You For some reason this particular brand of faux concern was beginning to wear very thin on Claudette She clenched her fists a horrible frost skittering across her knuckles and up her arms How dare you consider me yours to surrender to anyone no matter what they know about me

I am not an object

Still at the very least Claudette was confident that she could quickly catch up considering the type of impediments She stepped onto the base platform and faced the first barrier A question floated in the energy barrier How old is Claudette

Seriously Despite the seriousness of the situation she couldn�t help but be floored by the inane question She gritted her teeth and experimentally answered with just her thoughts I�m 31

The barrier flickered and dispersed Claudette ascended quickly around the staircase even as she heard MacDuul speaking above If not sapphire perhaps indigo Ah excellent

The questions arrived in a condescending rain What was Claudette�s favorite toy as a child What was the first thing that young Claudette gave Don Beigon as a gift Who was the person that Claudette looked up to most of all What was Claudette�s worst fear

Trying not to dwell on the horrible farce of a test Claudette accelerated up the stairs Answers flowed quickly to the forefront of her mind Her tiny stuffed polar bear with the bells around its neck A paper flower Her mother Dying the same way that her mother had died

The last few steps released small novas of frost where her feet pressed against the stairs Swinging her blade she poured every ounce of frustration and bottled up emotion she had gathered over the thirty one years of her life All the dripping hatred and curdling resentment she felt toward her father exploded out through the weapon It cut into the barrier

You have always made me so proud to be your father A voice was suddenly whispering in Claudette�s ear as she lurched forward expecting resistance and not encountering any Go on honey Seize your destiny Daddy�s watching

Claudette stumbled forward off the staircase and onto a wide platform Kyl MacDuul who had been skulking back and forth before a wide obsidian platform now turned to face her He rotated in a lumbering ungainly way that worsened her disgust His thick eyebrows shot up as he looked at her Well I certainly didn�t expect that you would be the first to catch me Interesting But with that image do you really think you can hold your own against me

Considering our future union I will be gentle in this first reprimand Kyl MacDuul continued He stepped toward her with his hands folded behind his back causing his belly to bulge forward A warm rolling prairie manifested in front of him The solid smell of sun warmed dirt rose and filled the platform I will even allow you the first strike

The words Claudette heard only distantly Her eyes were fixated on the treasure� that would determine her fate Her gaze went unfocused as a slew of memories rushed to the surface of her mind Of all things why would you use the token of that creature

Sitting at the top of the obsidian alter was a common copper coin stamped with the likeness of a certain being On that being�s homeworld it was the currency and that being a creature that had now risen to become one of the most powerful monsters that lurked in the Tier III of the Nexus had a soft spot in its heart for its home So it had given out the coins bearing its face in order to show when favors were lent or owed

It had been that being calling in an old favor that even Don Beigon hadn�t been able to avoid that had taken Claudette�s mother and transformed her into a puppet To this day that empty husk served the being

The seeping numbness in Claudette�s body went deeper She felt immense That isolating liquid medium she had felt trapped by for so long now became a howling heart of frigid air that existed within every gesture When she moved that power the world would tremble and storms would be born

Kyl MacDuul raised a hand and beckoned her to approach Confidence made his image warm and ineffective against her Slowly Claudette shifted her grip on Clarent and raised it over her head But at the same time an even more profound shift was happening within Claudette

The blade Clarent had been created by her father in Claudette�s image Her father had once been one of four Lightbringers but in his greed he wanted to be the brightest and most brilliant of all So he created Clarent to consume and seal away the other Lightbringers At the end of Clarent�s journey the blade had fled and doomed the Lizakh people with its calamitous presence

And then the blade realized that the only solution was to kill her father Claudette released a gushing breath of chilling air For although she was the blade of destruction and doom his was the twisted heart that had wrought all of this In order to ensure that the universe would no longer suffer beneath his selfish whims he must die

Her emotions rose and resonated with Clarent Some last hidden barrier had existed between Claudette and Clarent but that paradoxically began to melt before this unified purpose The song of the blade of desolation became audible for all to hear rising in a mournful march Winds blasted out from Claudette�s body painting the platform with thick crusts of snow and frost A small frown formed on MacDuul�s face

Then she stepped forward her eyes black and empty all pupil and refusal to remain under Don Beigon�s thumb any longer

Chapter 1870

Neshamah saw Tyune and Moonlight Blade rush past her hurrying up the spiral staircase to join the battle at the top The warm smell of soil clashed against a powerful blizzard the edges of that clash spilled over the edges and drifted down to their current position She let them pass only thirty or so seconds had passed since Kyl MacDuul had been the first to reach the top Allowing the three competitors to go up first and weaken each other was in their best interest

They had to acknowledge their position Claudette�s team was not in a position of power here The best option would be to use their opponents against themselves

But at the same time Neshamah glanced upward and pressed her lips tightly together The snow wafting down from the upper level was thickening It even accumulated on those portions of the ground not being taken by the black flames Claudette certainly is going all out Was her image always that powerful Or is Randidly truly also talented in image refinement

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 565

Randidly stirred Or rather his mind stirred A bleary pulse of wakefulness came through him flipping the switch to the rest of his consciousness

Being suspended in the sapphire liquid still kept him from utilizing his body and waking to that sensation sent a thrill of panic through him before he remembered where he was Then he smiled bitterly at his own behavior

Despite the pressing nature of Claudette�s struggle he simply couldn�t keep the exhaustion at bay after straining himself with his First Authority He had affected too many individuals and many of them had struggled and torn through his grip That had made this activation even more depleting than the first had been when he had no idea what he was doing This he had mobilized the full force of his significance To have that aspect of himself be spent was a uniquely torturous experience

So he allowed himself to sink into a few minutes of unconsciousness

Waking up now Randidly wondered if he had recovered to a useful degree His head continued to pound His mind felt fuzzy and clumsy like a newly born chicken The few strands of Nether that his Nether Core managed to produce listlessly circled through his body without grounding him much at all

Then Randidly discovered that he hadn�t been awoken simply because his subconscious dedication to Claudette functioned as an alarm clock On the other side of the barrier seen by Randidly through the spiraling lines of dim light two individuals were floating As he watched they attempted several times to manifest their images with very little to show for their efforts It took them almost a minute to create something approximating an image and then when it spent itself upon the barrier it dissipated without leaving any mark

Although after watching the serpent of black flame fail to penetrate this barrier the Patron of Truth had constructed it was no wonder that these weak attempts failed

Gradually Yggdrasil continued to feed mental and physical energy to Randidly and the blurriness of his perception begrudgingly released its grip on him The two figures were on the other side of the barrier but they gradually resolved themselves into two of the rebels that had entered into the competition at the last minute including Allilia

Randidly began to spread out his own image so he could reposition himself wondering whether this was their purpose the whole time they intended to break into the sapphire lake and free this Monarch� Randidly supposed that if they had held this goal for a long time this opportunity was relatively unique the Skull of Truth did not appear very often in the public eye

But maybe that�s a foolish question it is exactly because of your connection with the founding of the Nexus that you were ordained to rule it Randidly mused still gazing lightly at the fire pillar so as not to be drawn into it But who could you be Where does that connection come from How long with this new barrier keep you here

And why did you help me after I held you down and allowed the Patron of Truth to lock the door

Then Randidly shook himself He had not gained many clear answers within the sapphire lake but he couldn�t deny that he had gathered a lot of information He simply didn�t understand how it all fitted together When he left this Skull of Truth he could consult the Patrons in his Alpha Cosmos they might be able to give him context based on the individuals and scenes he had seen With that he could plan for the future

For now he had a debt to pay Claudette needed his support

He spread a general image out to fill the top half of the sapphire lake Then he created a pressured jet of liquid that propelled him out of the depths He splashed out of the surface and heaved an instinctual gasp he didn�t need to breathe with his Endurance and Uncommon Metabolism but being unable to breathe was still quite unpleasant

When he had recovered he looked around with a sharp gaze The nearby entrance to the next area had been reduced to smoking rubble But thankfully Devick wasn�t waiting in ambush for him Randidly heaved a sigh of relief having to fight against her right now would waste time that he didn�t have

Freed of the previous physical suspension Randidly reached up and rubbed his neck He twisted to crack his back but chortled at the lack of physical response the energy he had received from the Monarch had completely recovered him He was loose and flexible

He stretched in a few more ways then began to bound forward The sensation of movement filled him with a vigorous physical accomplishment His chest expanded as he sucked in a breath his senses spreading out through the ripples in the air examining the surroundings Now that Randidly had seen the barrier in the lake he understood the weird influence of this place that distance heavily eroded information So he relied solely on the ripples as he dashed forward through the broken entryway which he had no doubt had been shattered by Devick

As he moved forward he gathered the wind around him into a powerful slipstream His Motif of the Hungry Deep guided the flows of natural energy stabilizing the working with a powerful foundation of Nether His Nether Core was especially potent at the moment seeming to have made some vital connection after the repeated activations of his Authority

As I wield the Authorities Randidly thought solemnly as the wind whipped at his face They will change me That is how powerful and influential they are

Then he burst out of the base tunnel to a strange cavern filled with pillars However sizzling gouts of black flame erupted from one side eating away and causing several of the pillars to collapse

Randidly continued to lope forward leaping boldly over cracked and fallen pillars that still flickered with a strange sapphire hue He could tell that they possessed the same sort of blurriness that he had experienced in the lake which was exactly why Randidly kept his gaze forward and his momentum growing

His legs pumped to the point that he was a blur a massive storm of natural energy and Nether building behind him Ahead a vast sea of black flame dominated the area Without slowing he planted his foot with enough force to crack the ground and launched himself in a whistling arc toward his destination

Ahead he could sense the gripping chill of Clarent spreading out to cover a lighthouse Several other images were rising in contrast to it

Randidly narrowed his eyes His Nether seethed and roiled with all the potential force of an armed bomb I�m coming Claudette

Chapter 1871

The vast midnight blackness of this isolated space spread above Randidly as he cruised through the air Winds whipped back and forth both from his streaking momentum and as he began to manipulate the flows of force The simple fact of his passage was enough to release potent waves of ripples that he gathered around himself like a cloak suppressing even the seething sea of black fire that surged below

He surfed toward the finale of this sick came riding a typhoon of wind

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 642

I wonder if this is my fault The thought flashed across Randidly�s mind as he considered the seething tides of black flame that seemed intent on devouring the entire floor of the area Then he turned his attention upward and decided he had larger problems in front of him he felt several powerful images clashing against one another The grew increasingly damp and cloying He planted his foot while focusing on a surging emotional demand doing his best to imitate Devick�s capabilities and accelerated enough to release a sonic boom

More wind whistled on his heels desperate to keep up

A bold lighthouse rose from the black flame waters releasing a veritable gold mine of ripples that Randidly sucked into himself His limbs crackled with crimson electricity as he forced his senses through the strange blur of the Skull of Truth

On top of the tower Claudette wielded Clarent like an unkillable berserker lashing out at both Kyl MacDuul and Tyune Her frigid blade left seething mist in its wake sheering through the broader images of her foes Both retreated before her clearly more concerned with each other�s movements than Claudette�s However such was the power of the baleful song the blade of desolation released that they needed to take her seriously Randidly allowed himself a nod of relief at least for the moment there was parity on top of the tower

MacDuul waved a fat arm and a rising surge of pure earth elemental force gathered around him The richness of warm loam and the billions of small microorganisms that existed within topsoil all seemed to donate their power into his body causing him to double in size and reshaping his bone structure to resemble harsh granite The flat planes of his face made him seem stronger than his doughy form He raised a hand and halfhearted thrust out a grey palm

An amorphous and very clearly weakened ectoplasmic entity with a thousand legs stretched above Tyune lashing out with its tentacles and trying to destroy MacDuul�s base of power It took a hundred tentacles to neutralize the palm releasing another feast of force ripples With Claudette adding the threat of an ambush both hesitated

Randidly stomped his foot and crossed half the distance to the lighthouse Time to shake things up

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 601

The constant practice gave him the knack for weaving his emotional energy into solid footholes Randidly could finally support his physical prowess He couldn�t entirely match Devick�s complete lack of revealing image stirrings which allowed her to feint so effectively but he was finding the ways to make his body more relevant

If he was being honest with himself the fact that he had wastefully expended so much of his energy for so long left him frustrated Now he intended to wield his power effectively

A spectral tentacle slammed down on top of the wide meadow MacDuul conjured cracking the ground and shaking the one portion of the image The collision birthed more ripples Randidly�s muscles tightened as he gathered those image and natural force into himself preparing to arrive with a massive bang He surged closer and closer Randidly spotted Neshamah hurrying up below on the staircase around the lighthouse They made eye contact and she sent a message to him

There is a limit on that upper platform You need to stay there for five minutes before you can try and go up to get the treasure Neshamah explained MacDuul has been there the longest but he probably still has two more minutes You cannot fly in head to the base and climb up or you�ll run afoul of the Don�s defenses Also here are the answers I�ve used to pass through get up as fast as possible

Randidly twisted and kicked upward He rebounded down like elastic lightning crashing toward the black flame covered base of the lighthouse He flared his flames of Nether Weight in preparation to suppress these black flames long enough to enter the staircase but they parted before him In his chest he felt the slightest lingering familiarity from the energy boost that still animated him from the Monarch

His surprise was enough that he took a step to gather himself and consider These black flames aren�t exactly Nether but they aren�t Aether either Some sort of blended mix of the two energies Yet they retain enough of Nether to recognize I was touched by their maker That Monarch perhaps its a good thing I didn�t try and free him Only the Nether King makes me warier

Planting his foot Randidly bounded forward ignored the now almost completely burned sign and rushed up the staircase With the answers provided by Neshamah he ripped through half of the barriers in a flash

He unleashed a wave of Nether out from his body both that weakened the image attacks heading toward him and that stabilized his construction The swirling flows of energy accelerated His eyes flared with purple black revelation energy and his brainstem rapidly heated he needed the precise calculations for this first portion of his Nether activations to be perfect

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 540

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 541

After burning through much of his rejuvenated mental energy Randidly found the answer that he was looking for His flames of Nether Weight flowed outward along the pattern creating the illusion that a grey firestorm churned out from his position Randidly released a steaming breath and raised his head

Two quick pinches of Nether flared right next to Kyl MacDuul taking the fat man by surprise and causing him to stumble backward Randidly made a minute adjustment and unleashed another pinch This one smashed the fat man against the ground

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 657

Congratulations You have made a new achievement Synechdochence has been raised to 107%

The more he managed to push beyond 100% the more exaggerated the effects because With this brief flare Randidly�s Nether sucked all the emotional force out of the area and then shattered the relatively brittle remnants of the ill prepared MacDuul�s wide meadow The image didn�t collapse entirely but the attack lost all its momentum

Randidly turned to face Tyune pulling the powerful ripples from his Nether flares into his body He created four more flares around MacDuul to keep him busy but the retired military Commandant adjusted for the Nether attacks and strengthened the foundation of his meadow

Honestly Randidly didn�t even care He just used the collisions between Aether and Nether for more power so he could seize the ripples from the impacts and pull them into the firestorm he wielded Wind Nether Weight and patterns combined into a whirling grey millstone that Randidly intended to use to grind them all to dust So when he pointed at Tyune�s tentacles he unleashed a searing ray of annihilation that blended kinetic force blazing fury and Helen�s insights into how organic patterns became currents

Tyune reacted more quickly emphasizing his image and deflecting the blast to the side

but Randidly just grinned Because the deflected blast passed Tyune harmlessly but it had also annihilated most of the tentacles that slowed down Claudette With the opening she used Randidly�s Dreadful Alacrity to close the distance and slash with the keening Clarent Tyune blocked the strike but ice began to form on his body

That attack did Claudette always possess such sharpness

Randidly turned his attention back to MacDuul when a voice spoke out from above Well well doesn�t this look fun

His skin tingled with a tired resignation In a way he knew that this interruption would arrive eventually he just wished he had more time to prepare Randidly looked up with a solemn expression on his face In her own body Actus Suprem Devick floated above the lighthouse A metal mask hid her features leaving the watcher�s eyes to simply scan her long crimson hair Her body was covered in Military High Command finery leaving the viewer no confusion over her importance

She reeked of power and death Even with fifty meters between them her presence pressed against Randidly

She gestured at herself Oh this It just seemed less climactic when we fought with the same body So I convinced Don Beigon to allow me to change my choice Aren�t you excited

Even through her mask Randidly felt the weight of her eyes as she scanned him Aren�t you Randidly Ghosthound Because this time I�m here just for you

Chapter 1872

Devick�s voice sounded entirely sincere she was here for him

Somehow her genuine show of emotion didn�t comfort Randidly in the slightest He knew that the reasons that she fixated on him were not good ones for his wellbeing either mental or physical

Randidly tore his gaze away from Devick if nothing else she needed to proceed through the process of ascending the tower to reach him Maybe she would even spar with Moonlight Blade giving him some extra time to prepare At some point his system of Nether and kinetic force would become self fulfilling even if he could only maintain Synecdochence below 100% Even now as he unleashed more flares of Nether his body crackled again with ready to unleash power

Bursts created ripples ripples flowed through his body and then spread out through the grey firestorm strengthening its effects A strengthened firestorm created superior Nether bursts which then generated additional ripples

Randidly clenched his left fist The beam he currently could unleash probably had more destructive force than either of his previous two If he could increase that scaling by the time she arrived

MacDuul regained his composure and released his image A portion of Randidly�s environmental storm was impacted by the rampant meadow immediately weakening the Nether flares that he could wield Grimacing Randidly churned out more and more Nether and prepared to attack MacDuul but Devick continued to speak as though all this chaotic combat was beneath her

Are you really just going to ignore me Your superior officer Well perhaps Wick was right about you needing some discipline

The mention of Wick being right sent a hot stab of anger into Randidly�s gut but he refused to allow himself to be distracted His focus was on MacDuul Ignoring the rapidly accumulating strain in his mind Randidly unleashed wave after wave of flaring pinches of Nether The Synechdochence was powerful enough to keep MacDuul on the defensive but Randidly couldn�t get any advantage on him with just flares of Nether While Claudette�s chilling hatred forced Tyune to retreat Randidly needed only thirty seconds

Each flare created more ripples which spiraled around him and strengthened the horrifying storm

Challenger I appreciate your enthusiasm A new automated message from Don Beigon spoke above them as Devick made some move His tone was jovial if slightly condescending However the only way to enter into this final area is by climbing

Strange wafting flakes of madness and the shattered remnants of the barrier tinkled down to disappear in the sea of black flames waiting below

Devick shattered the Engraving protections that enforced the rules of the upper level with such speed that none understood what had happened for several seconds Even more horrifying was the way that the grand Engraving seemed to gradually be unmade by whatever attack she unleashed The cracks spread out from her position and soon everything collapsed

Even the barrier around the final dais Randidly�s gaze flickered as he saw the strange coin waiting up there

All of the other challengers froze as Devick floated down to the platform Her golden mask pointed straight at Randidly she beckoned with a single finger Now that this small impediment is out of the way how about we figure out how much re education you need Are you prepared Mr Ghosthound And while we are at it let�s root out the little pests hiding behind your back too

The two Unborn spirits keened their fear and took their worry out by gnawing on the soft flesh of his lower back In direct response to their anxiety Randidly felt the Stillborn Phoenix swirling itself into a massive size in his left eye wanting to seek revenge on this being that dared threaten the two kindred spirits that had chosen to remain with it

Randidly heard his heart in his ears pounding Time seemed to slow as his brain struggled to come up with the best way to proceed Especially since Devick had cracked this competition wide open The pressure she released toward him doubled without the barrier between them The featureless gold match made even him feel a shiver of fear

I don�t need to beat her just for the game to end He told himself He straightened his spine and began to weigh the situation

Before Randidly had even arrived in the upper platform Claudette and Tyune had forced MacDuul slightly away from the dais with the treasure� Technically now that Randidly had so aggressively been attacking MacDuul he was the closest to the treasure But the fist of foreign dread that lodged itself in his chest made him very sure that Devick wouldn�t let him simply run up to the coin and end this

Randidly had absolute confidence in his speed now even more solid as he grew more adept with Devick�s methods But precisely because she had shown him those methods he had no confidence of using them against her

After utilizing his body she knew what he could accomplish

A part of him urged him to gamble anyway and rely on his physical body to withstand the inevitable counterattack from Devick but he knew that was beyond foolish his skin turned clammy as he remembered the strange corrosion her chains had left briefly on his skin before it had been cleansed by the sapphire liquid of the lake The same sort of corrosion that turned her casual punch into a force that unraveled the Don�s entire Engraving No Randidly couldn�t move easily or Devick would run wild

The air around her seemed to be dyed red with her madness but he could only see it out of the corners of his eyes Her presence warped space That he supposed was what it meant to have passed through the image fulfillment stage

A genuine Speculum now looked at him with ill intent

Kinetic force hadn�t worked but what about borrowing another�s image power Normally such a thing would be impossible but based on the similarities between the two

Nidhogg sank its fangs into the target meadow and took a corner of MacDuul�s image became Randidly�s at least for a short amount of time Pressing a seed of the World Tree image into that warm ground Randidly whipped around and faced the ringing chain that aimed for his throat His three images roared The World Tree Sips from Every Realm The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Breath of the Cosmos

All three images pounced upon the well of MacDuul�s image power ripping handfuls of force and detail for themselves Like coals removed from a fire they quickly faded but much of the heat remained for a few moments Pinned by Nidhogg it couldn�t even resist this pilfering

Dozens even hundreds of Skill Level notifications flashed in front of Randidly but he ignored them and urged his images to work more quickly Then the Grey Creature and the Stillborn Phoenix passed along their stolen power to Yggdrasil who swelled and exploded out of the image ground Its trunk thickened and darkened even as its roots wormed their way deeply into the image manifestation that MacDuul had made

The two images wove together using the shape that Randidly had painstakingly refined but powered by the force the retired Commandant had gathered over his career

MacDuul seemed too stunned to respond just gaping at the tree suddenly growing out of his image and draining his power

Randidly�s breath hissed through his teeth He felt the overwhelming power of this man�s image but handling it with his Willpower was agonizing His eyes flashed with a strange blackness He couldn�t handle this for long But for now

Randidly growled and attacked that horrifying chain Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Piercing Gaze of the Egg The Wrathful Calamity Rends

If it hadn�t been for the Nether storm he had made Randidly wasn�t sure he could have survived utilizing that image potency The caustic Aether seared its way through his Soulspace barely prevented from crippling him by the thick foundation of his significance Then it was gone surging and burning its way forward

More Skill Levels blurred in front of him as symbiotic image roots exploded out of MacDuul�s meadow containing the Stillborn Phoenix�s lust for vengeance and the unflinching desire of the Grey Creature to survive The roots bulged and sizzled with grey lightning possessing an impossible amount of power for the current Randidly His emotions sang with those roots and even as his senses flickered and got burned away by the image he handled he existed totally in that effort to stop Devick

To put it simply it was a miracle

The impact shook the platform Randidly fell over his head pounding This activation of his First Authority had been much more concentrated which mean the effort wasn�t so gargantuan but the target had also been extremely formidable Behind him he felt Nidhogg loosening its grip and the overpowered Yggdrasil slowly collapsing Yet he laughed he had spent everything and forced Devick�s image to a draw

The chain now writhed and ripped its way through the collapsing roots to get at Randidly but it had been brought to a dead stop just for a moment And now

Descent of the Wolf God Moonlight Blade�s rough howl cut through the remnants of the impact Suddenly he was loping across the cracked ground to catch up with Claudette and Tyune At the same time Tyune had given up on trying to reach the platform and just unleashed his attacks on Claudette to slow her down

Devick spared Moonlight Blade a glance and curled her lip up Then she shook her head and turned back to Randidly One idiot at a time Anyways Ghosthound you did it again you surprised me I�m trying to decide if this new information makes it more or less likely that I�ll kill you right here

I�m not just imagining it For a brief moment his forehead creased She definitely is dyeing the air red

Randidly tried not to let any emotion show on his face even as Claudette was dragged into a direct confrontation with Tyune The sallow being�s weirdly damp image didn�t possess overwhelming force but the repeated solid attacks from its amorphous tentacles smashed apart the walls of frost that Claudette threw up Even with her sharp movements the overall power of her image was less than this old monster

Meanwhile Moonlight Blade�s image grew more and more powerful as he charged A new note spread through his image creating a strange harmony of power And when he raised his claws

That sensation Randidly muttered to himself He felt a small strand of his own significance in this rising power It wasn�t much but the energy was familiar With his significance as a counterweight Randidly probably could affect Moonlight Blade�s attack

Alas you are too pretty I don�t like the prospect of you remaining alive Devick announced She shook her masked face Perfection should be destroyed I like you entirely too much Perhaps if you had a broken nose or a few warts Well there is no point crying over it Accept your fate

A second attack Randidly thought to himself numb at the prospect But despite that he felt hope rising in his chest Claudette and Tyune clashed three times in quick succession Moonlight Blade raced to their position MacDuul sagged behind Randidly finally catching his breath Neshamah crouched behind Devick by the staircase

Devick pointed The sluggish chain accelerated once more

Randidly�s eyes were bright He didn�t blink I just need to survive one more attack

Chapter 1873

A single mad strike Randidly didn�t blink

Devick�s chain exploded from stillness into motion aiming once more for Randidly�s heart However his mind continued to churn through his options in the current situation Despite using Seize earlier on MacDuul Randidly still possessed a significant portion of his significance and Nether using it with a single target lowered the difficulty by a lot He was tired but it wasn�t as crippling as it had been in the past

In addition both the Stillborn Phoenix and the Grey Creature were itching to fight They still resonated clearly with the emotional energy he held Plus force still churned through his body swirling through the patterns in the grey firestorm At this point it was just coasting but he still had about two seconds before the chain would reach him That was enough to strengthen it

He had tools at his disposal He could mount a resistance And obviously he would

However his face off against Devick was only one piece of a larger puzzle And it was those ancillary details that posed the largest problems

First his Willpower felt like the corpse of a rose garden after a wildfire ravaged the area leaving only charred remnants and the horrifying recognition of how changed the landscape had become Handling the force of MacDuul�s image had come with several steep debts He had seen his Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil sky rocketing in Level as his brain choked down the power but for the moment he was weakened

Similarly Yggdrasil itself sluggishly gathered energy to Randidly�s body doing its best to help him recover but clearly struggling The core of the image had sustained damage handling that potency For the moment he was down an image

Congratulations Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 692

The energy flow was slow but at least it was growing The chain released a ringing clink as it had crossed a quarter of the distance even compared to the speed of Randidly�s mind it was fast He watched its approach with half closed eyes If I need to I can use Moirae of Ripples Skillset to substitute as part of the triple image activation

However the obvious answer to halt Devick�s attack

Behind Randidly Moonlight Blade howled and unleashed a stronger wave of primal force from his muscular body His wolves animated with bloodlust rushed forward at the dueling duo of Claudette and Tyune Tyune used his nearly infinite tentacles and the strange sticky humidity he added to the air to hem Claudette into a small area Clarent sung with destruction and released rippling waves of frost with each sweep and slash but the opponent�s image wasn�t made for power but for control

Beyond those fighters a coin sat on the dais waiting for someone to claim it

The obvious answer is to simply Seize her chain with my remnant mental energy and stop it but I don�t dare Randidly stared intently at Devick�s blank golden mask He released a surge of Nether that reanimated his firestorm Flames of Nether Weight sprung across the whole of his body emphasizing his efforts in that magical way that Nether possessed Because that�s the reason she�s chasing me like this isn�t it Not because she lost when we dueled with my body or because I disrespected her by refusing to answer but because for a brief instant when I activated the First Authority earlier it stilled her

Damnit Even more obnoxious is how she practically tore my psyche in half in response Yet she�s the one with a grudge

Yggdrasil was weakened but as Randidly straightened the golden veins in his body glowed with a bold declaration of resistance His other image physicalizations concentrated their power unwilling to be outdone The left side of Randidly�s face succumbed to a swirling black hole Along the event horizon light turned milky and sizzled with dangerous electromagnetic discharge

Along Randidly�s arms and legs the natural armor of the Grey Creature covered his limbs The sharp lines and glossy chitin thickened and hardened becoming lighter and more powerful as it drank from the significance of this moment

The chain crossed the halfway point between Randidly and Devick Moonlight Blade unleashed his vicious attack The fabric of space rippled with the passage of his image his proclivity for violence on full display

At nearly the same moment a new surge of foreign Nether gushed into Randidly�s body He swayed not because he had been attacked but because he hadn�t expected such a wave of significance to make itself available to him

Congratulations Your Skill Breath of the Cosmos has grown to Level 511

The grey firestorm died in a sigh leaving a curiously silent platform Randidly had gulped his creation down in its entirety Then the frantic action of this last struggle reasserted itself in a surge of noise

Moonlight Blade�s ripped forward on its new vector a pack of hungry wolves loping in its wake For a brief moment Randidly�s scarred Willpower proved insufficient to manage the force he had sucked in from the surroundings he was managing too many things and his wounds from handling MacDuul�s power still left him shaky But just in time he snapped back into focus His skin ripped open and oozed as he transferred the intense force he had absorbed but he teemed with raw power

Behind him Kyl MacDuul inflated his fist into a massive boulder and threw a haymaker at the small of Randidly�s back Randidly�s mouth quirked Do you think force will matter against me Right now you are small potatoes

He didn�t have the control to release that ferocious amount of natural energy in any direction but the targets were close enough that it didn�t matter He became the epicenter of a wave of pure kinetic energy blasting out in a wall of light heat and power MacDuul�s heavy fist jolted to a stop and then was tossed back Unfortunately Devick�s chain cut right through the power barely slowing down at all

The phantom of the Grey Creature superimposed itself over Randidly�s body It wore his face a tail flicking side to side at the base of his neck and his waist It watched the chain with serious eyes The spines from the duplicated Sulfur flew out and activated their Domain power to slow the chain

Congratulations Your Skill Resonant Fangs of Extinction has grown to Level 536

Congratulations Your Skill Resonant Fangs of Extinction has grown to Level 607

five spines shattered earning him enough Skill Levels to grow a sixth That whipped forward and was brutally destroyed by Devick�s attack too The chain had slowed but the horrifying rust colored madness seemed to burn all the brighter for Randidly�s resistance It lashed out impacting the projection of the Grey Creature directly

Randidly mobilized his images in a triplicate activation Chimeric Impunity Cosmic Necessity Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge

Randidly used Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge to layer the physical power of the Stillborn Phoenix and the impunity of the Grey Creature to further weaken the attack It worked to an extent

For a brief moment

A slew of Levels in Chimeric Impunity blinded Randidly before the projection shattered The weakened chain cut forward and ripped into Randidly�s chest directly and dove into his body Instantly his flesh burned and turned clammy On the other side of the platform the adjusted attack from Moonlight Blade ravaged Tyune�s image without impacting Claudette at all leaving the attacker somewhat stunned at the ill aimed assault

And as though she had predicted the entire exchange Claudette used Randidly�s powerful body to practically appear in front of the hesitating wolfman Before he or his cloak of spectral wolves could react Clarent buried itself up to the hilt in Moonlight Blade�s chest The horrifying storm of Claudette�s image turned him into an ice statue

She spun away and crossed the last few meters to the dais but someone else was there smiling apologetically down at Claudette

It was always meant to be this way Neshamah said softly But I�m sorry it had to end like this You really were so close

She reached out for the coin In Randidly�s chest Devick�s chain wept madness and curled toward his heart His powerful flesh slowed the advance but it could not stop it

Chapter 1874

This isn�t exactly my body just an excellent copy Randidly tried to reassure himself as he felt his muscle systems and Nether flows being invaded by the rampant madness The burning and itching grew stronger even as he watched Neshamah reach out to take the coin What jolted him out of his moment of blank surprise was the two unborn spirits rising within him and beginning to slow the spread of malicious energy through his body

Randidly�s gaze sharpened this betrayal was unexpected but not an impossible threat While he began making his last minute preparations he fixated on the invasion of his body She shouldn�t discover the Alpha Cosmos this way Still better not to die in this body So the most intelligent move might be to allow Neshamah to take the coin

Skill Levels for the unborn rapidly accumulated as those two insubstantial horrors valiantly fought against the spreading madness They managed to keep it away from Randidly�s mind even while his body became increasingly tainted by the rust colored energy One hundred Skill Levels two hundred three hundred a ridiculous amount accumulated in only 2 seconds their determined efforts allowing the small beings to catch up to Randidly�s highest Skill Levels

That was how horrifying an attack Devick unleashed

Randidly twisted and focused on Neshamah His face twisted into a frown At the same time this isn�t how I want this to end Neshamah was the donation of energy just a distraction so I didn�t pay attention to you You are quite decisive Now I don�t feel so bad about taking all that significance for myself

But I do have one last card

Randidly ignored the chaos of his own self and flooded a preprepared Engraving pattern with Aether Just in case he had used the periphery of his storm to lay down the foundation to reactivate Don Beigon�s defensive fortifications for the tower He hadn�t planned on using it to stop Neshamah but

Aether flooded out of him and the Engraving activated But Randidly quickly went pale the Engravings he now reactivated had been designed as barriers Sure he could now keep out those who tried to pass before the five minutes were up but since Neshamah was already so close to the coin he felt helpless He had no choice but to watch her stretch out her arm

The unborn began to shriek as the chain twisted and tightened threatening to pop them like unwanted zits as it carved a path toward Randidly�s heart

Then from the depths of this duplicated body knowledge appeared in Randidly�s desperate mind He knew the secrets of all the Don�s Engravings in the Skull of Truth he understood them with just as much acuity as though he had designed them himself By instinct he adjusted the Engraving patterns on the fly to reject all failures within their confines

Finally Randidly neared his mental limit But he refused to fail now

Congratulations Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways has grown to Level 646

Neshamah squawked as she was thrown off of the dais Don Beigon�s laughed boomed out Silly competitor Didn�t you hear the rules It requires five minutes before you can take this treasure

Claudette blurred forward and Randidly adjusted the barrier again his mind rapidly heating Due to the strain his vision began to blur Moonlight Blade exploded sending a spray of ice bits in every direction In his chest he could feel that the Unborn were about to be unborn quite literally by Devick�s spiteful madness Claudette passed through the barrier

I�ll make an attempt on the Pinnacle Perhaps the first true attempt in a long time The Don answered in a quiet voice His timber had enough solemnity that even Randidly�s nausea was briefly quelled An attempt in which I believe I have a genuine chance of succeeding After others witness the beginning of my ascension I have no doubt that they will seek to use you to strike at me It is unavoidable that is the way of the Nexus

You intend to ignore Elhume�s prohibition on the Pinnacle Claudette frowned

Don Beigon snorted Have you heard from Elhume recently The state of the Nexus is not as simple as you know Devick is restoring some order using the worst sort of methods but if you ask the right people none have seen Elhume in quite some time For the next several months he will be indisposed as he crafts a tool he dearly needs

That earned Randidly�s attention He straightened and wiped a bit of vomit from his mouth How will your attempt to reach the Pinnacle be different then And where did Elhume go

When Don Beigon now fixed Randidly with a glare the emotional force in his blazing eyes sent the feeble Randidly staggering back You You believe you have the right to ask questions after I gave you time to recover in spite of you dooming my daughter Heh if I didn�t think that Devick or Wick will soon handle you I�d rip out your eyes and string them on a necklace Then I�d give that necklace to Claudette so you�d be forced to see first hand what they will

Father Claudette stepped up and put her hand on Randidly�s shoulder Her fingers were cool giving Randidly a measure of relief Of course that relief quickly became nausea again and he stepped to the side and noisily voided the lingering acidic bile of his stomach This time at least the coloration seemed more normal Plus there was less blood in the vomit

Claudette spared Randidly a glance but then looked at the Don His first question is a good one

Shaking his head the Don turned back to his daughter The Path to the Pinnacle can be considered the shortcut used originally by Elhume when he relied on the Nexus to reach the Pinnacle It supplies one of the three necessary elements of the true Pinnacle a foundation However there are other methods to creating such a foundation

Since you seem curious Again the Don shot a sneering glance in Randidly�s direction I�ll give a bit more explanation A foundation an image and a perfect moment These are the three things that you need Most of the recent attempts rely on the foundation of the Path to the Pinnacle and skimp on the other two But I�ve made my preparations for a long long time As I said previously the Beigons do not forget their debts

A perfect moment Claudette tilted her head to the side

Don Beigon wheeled himself around Then he spoke to his daughter without turning to face her A shadow fell across the back of his wheelchair We may be allies but that does not mean I am willing to share all the information I possess with you There are some things that you need to discover on your own Especially now that you have refused my assistance

Your assistance was life as a kept bride for one of a half dozen monsters Claudette�s voice hummed with the echoes of Clarent Did you truly think that was for the best If you were me would you have accepted such an arrangement

Randidly�s mind continued to consider the phrase perfect moment� How strange It isn�t anything I�ve heard before but a perfect moment that seems a lot more like a Nether element than an Aether one Does that mean you need a Nether Core to reach the Pinnacle

I would not have accepted Don replied And it was exactly that sort of foolhardy decision that resulted in Diane�s death I would not have been able to live with making that same choice again

Then he rolled away casting a long string of words over his shoulder As one last favor both of you may remain here for as long as you like Speak to the staff when you wish to return to the Nexus Because I suspect this will be the last chance for both of you have especially you Mr Ghosthound for a moment of peace I hate it but you have taken a half step into the realm of the players of power in the Nexus Good luck

Chapter 1875

The first thing that Randidly did in the wake of Don�s departure was check in on Claudette she shrugged off his soft questions and favored him with a joking glare She put her fists on her hips and looked him up and down Take care of yourself first Ghosthound You realize you look like a plague bearer right I could catch something from you like this

Randidly looked down at his vomit spattered front and dirty bare feet In addition most of his shirt had been ripped away in the fighting Which only served to emphasize the massive enflamed rash across his chest where Devick�s attack had briefly penetrated his body Truly he didn�t look very healthy

His stomach bubbled uncomfortably reminding him that he didn�t feel very healthy either

So he moved a little down the beach giving Claudette some space and himself some privacy Then he waded out into the sea the water feeling surprisingly warm on his skin as he rubbed away the lingering sick that had dried on him At the same time he sent a message to the Patron of the Sun asking about the visions he had seen within the barrier erected by Elhume He described the three individuals and the three scenes the pool the great hall and the staircase

Even now those strong figures and the words they spoke to each other haunted him

Then Randidly returned to the sand beach and collapsed for one of his naps As he drifted off to sleep he felt somewhat bitter in his heart He unleashed a massive sigh and rolled onto his side I�m really not a big fan of naps It�s just this First Authority leaves me so

When he awoke he had received a reply from Patron of the Sun Unfortunately it didn�t contain any useful information

As I explained previously none of us were included on the expedition to slay the ordained being of karma But considering the context it is very likely that black haired young man is exactly that intimidating individuals The three scenes you saw were also unfamiliar to me none of the other Patrons recognized the locations you described or who might be speaking based on the words

However I might be able to provide some insight into the behavior of that ordained being of karma who assisted you This is a being that exists by deserving everything it receives This provides them with domineering power but there are also esoteric restrictions on their actions Consider their behavior as perhaps a way to lay the foundation for their eventual escape

Especially after having so many complex and confusing interactions with Don Beigon�s system of favors this possibility made Randidly shiver He pushed himself up in the sand and hoped that the Don was able to remove the rebels from his Skull of Truth and he wouldn�t have one more bad guy to handle in order to keep Expira safe from dangerous influences

Just as he was going to head back over to Claudette a familiar feeling rose in his chest Reign of the Eidolon Crucible activated Shrugging to himself resigning himself to another instance of him sleeping in and making Claudette wait Randidly laid himself down and let the Skill carry him away

Very quickly he felt a sense of relief that he could find no traces of Devick�s madness amongst the images of Kharon Of course it was possible that her lingering parasites were waiting in his current form for his return to his body but that meant he had time to prepare

At the very least his mind was clear

He soon arrived on the streets of Kharon standing tall and proud on the grand steps in front of City Hall The thoroughfares around him were packed with insubstantial bodies of the population He sensed confusion from many of them truthfully it had been quite some time since the last Eidolon Crucible Quite a few new arrivals marveled at this strange mass dream However he once more felt a steel core that formed the spine of their resistance

A group of specter people with the distinct tang of Tatiana and Derek Moss at their head marched forward through the crowd and pointed at Randidly They released a silent roar and suddenly Kharon mobilized both its collective image and its individual ones aiming to attack Randidly and shred him to pieces

This time The powerful roar of the populace said This time we shall overcome you We have grown

Randidly smiled considering for several seconds which of his recently learned lessons to teach the people of Expira Then he shook his shoulders to rouse himself and began to weave a storm around him

This was not his usual storm of natural force but instead Randidly tugged at the emotional energy in the surrounding dream After dealing with Devick and Don Beigon who both wielded emotional force effortlessly he understood how surprisingly practical the hidden half of Aether truly was It drew less attention than shape but its flexibility and adaptability more than made up for that

The attacks rushed toward Randidly but he was in no hurry He traced the lines of emotional resonance and used his insight from Synechdochence to create a proper environment Then just as the strikes were about to land he used his superior emotional leverage to rip away the emotion leaving them as unmoored shapes

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 402

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 605

The insubstantial building projections began to sway as Randidly stole away emotional force and became the center of a monstrous force of nature The image attacks slowed as they were buffeted by the flows of emotion and they bounced harmlessly away when they reached the core area Without emotion steadying them they couldn�t even touch him

Randidly grinned Then he unleashed the building emotional force tearing down the buildings and blasting away the spectral population

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 521

Willpower 2079

Intelligence 1385

Unnatural Capacity 1267

Fidelity of the Ascendent Moirae 2499

Focus 1452

Weight 1101 (+61) (+70) (+52) (+49) (+80) (+63)

Scope 16 309

Influence 1 502 966

Synechdochence 110%

First Authority Seize

Skills (Soul Skill) Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 147 500 (Next 160 000)

Combat Heavy Blow Lvl 234 Block Lvl 227 Calculated Blow Lvl 249 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 197 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 226 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 242 The March of Ruin and Valor Lvl 201 (Domain) The Resonant Fangs of Extinction Lvl 535

Moirae of Ripples Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko Lvl 642 Unpredictable Eddy Lvl 435 Dragon Queen�s Sinister Tongue Lvl 520 Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge Lvl 605 Motif of the Hungry Deep Lvl 541

LoBW Class Skills Earthquake (Un) Lvl 148 Erode Image Lvl 100 Spriggit�s Tinkering Lvl 257 Aether Understanding Lvl 236 Aether Infusion Lvl 47 Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm Lvl 605 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 49 Cycle of the Gloomy Wood Lvl 45 Lancers of the Baleful Crusade Lvl 451 Torch of Fast and Slow Silences Lvl 331 Sigil of an Approaching Fate Lvl 266

Kismet of the Evolving Creature Chimeric Impunity Lvl 509 The Wandering Deity Demands Lvl 410 Grit of the Ascendent Bane Lvl 433 Maelstrom Entity Approaches Lvl 470 The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Lvl 501 The Vindictive Chimera Smites Lvl 395 The Wrathful Calamity Rends Lvl 656 The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence Lvl 432

The Stillborn Phoenix A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn Piercing Gaze of the Egg Lvl 569 The Tug of Tragic Silence Lvl 378 Cosmic Necessity Lvl 561 Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Lvl 508 Breath of the Cosmos Lvl 511 Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Lvl 425 Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Lvl 500 Cursed Fates of the Unborn Duo Lvl 886

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 356 Aether Manipulation Lvl 302 Living Aether Lvl 265 System Interference Lvl 88 Aether Surgeon Lvl 104 Lesser Aether Inoculation Lvl 363

Crafting Architecture of the Primordial Ways Lvl 646 Touch of the Ghosthound Scrawl of the Ghosthound Lvl 275

Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree The World Tree Sips from Every Realm Lvl 692 Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil Lvl 599 Yggdrasil�s Unruly Ichor Lvl 416 Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil Lvl 636 the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis Lvl 403 the Inexorable Toll of Exodus Lvl 392 Reign of the Eidolon Crucible Lvl 521 Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Lvl 492

Auxiliary Yggdrasil Soul Seed Inspiration Burning Footsteps Lvl 223 Cooking Lvl 101 Aether Connection Lvl 21 Soul Bond Lvl 475 Nether Modification (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 361 Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Nether Sensation Lvl 657 Precise Nether Ritual Lvl 498 Left Hand of the Nether Oracle Level 570 Right Hand of the Nether Polymath Lvl 599

In total almost eight thousand PP Randidly�s eyes glittered Once I spend that I�ll only be five thousand away from another PP Tithe

However just as he felt himself relaxing he received a message from Commandant Wick

Considering your recent actions in this Beigon debacle I am initiating a formal disciplinary inquiry against you Mr Ghosthound Please report to my office in the next six hours so you might be judged

Chapter 1876

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo has grown to Level 887

Randidly spared a wry glance for the notification that popped up in front of him as he read Commandant Wick�s message A vicious smile warped his face as he focused down on the dirty knuckles of his hands In the end this is definitely more complicated than just a disciplinary hearing if the Skill relating to Devick activated in response to a message from Wick But even if this matter isn�t simple

His emerald eyes flashed A horrifying suffocating sensation a combined experience of being set alight and being smothered by the thickest smoke engulfed him Once more he witnessed Helen�s twisted body ripped open and displayed like a gruesome trophy After advancing so much in order to help Claudette Randidly felt like he was getting close to being able to rival Wick in terms of power And he was very tired of running away from the cruel man who had hurt Helen as a message to him

I could avoid the hearing refuse to meet with Wick Randidly spoke out loud slowly however he will then have more justification within the framework of Military High Command to punish me Maybe even enough that Devick will help him I�m still definitely far from being ready for her Shit and the fact that she left the message of Good Job� with Don Beigon Hah Best not think about it If I meet with Wick this is a trap definitely But what sort of trap

It was a very real possibility that Wick would have another person associated with Randidly already captured to be used as an in person demonstration as to the consequences of Randidly humiliating him Wick would gladly murder another person in order to goad Randidly into attacking him therefore justifying a full on confrontation Or perhaps he was just trying to upset Randidly so he made some sort of mistake in the conflict

Randidly believed he had most of his close supporters protected within the Alpha Cosmos but it would still be extremely uncomfortable to watch Wick torture someone else he knew He couldn�t protect everyone

Damnit Randidly muttered and raised his head to rub his eyes

This left aside the most dangerous proposition for why the meeting was being held now there had always been something extremely possessive about the way Wick looked at him He had even suggested that Randidly come under him directly in some sort of weird symbiotic relationship At the time Randidly had rejected out of hand Now that he understood the strangeness of Devick who instructed Wick as well as the madness and rigid control the Commandant maintained over his image a new possibility emerged in Randidly�s mind

Commandant Wick is an amalgamation of souls Randidly�s expression was grim I�m not sure how the process would work but it likely is based on Devick�s ability to create a child from imprinting So this whole time Wick has been raising me to become some sort of nutrient for him Based on how I could use my physical form to suppress him he might think I�m nearing full ripeness�

Then the emotional influence is likely purposeful The more upset and fixated upon him I am the stronger the connection between us This soul grafting process definitely relies upon some amount of Nether to function so that connection is important But even if I know that

Obviously Randidly remained slightly partial to the Determined Path It hadn�t granted him any rewards so far but he knew that there would likely be a treasure waiting for him at the end of the PP hole However that might not be until Determined X or even further So for now he set that option to the side

In terms of his current accomplishments Randidly felt quite tempted by both Throne of Nether Homage I and Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko Now that he had obtained the First Authority through his Nether Core that Path felt even more tempting to him Similarly much of his other capabilities relied on his Moirae of Ripples Skillset as a base And that Skillset stemmed mostly from Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko Increasing the effectiveness of that Skill would definitely provide a wholistic improvement to his capabilities

At the same time the two new Paths intrigued him Cerebral Refinement was likely a direct result of al the overheated brain activity his Nether flares required Meanwhile Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy felt like it was connected to the ballooning Skill Level for Cursed Fates of the Unborn Duo Considering that they had managed to resist Devick�s influence at least for a short while they deserved more of his attention

Randidly tapped a finger against his lips Unfortunately Cerebral Refinement has a hidden cost But with almost eight thousand PP I probably can weather most prices Hum Better to start with what I definitely need

First Randidly poured twenty five hundred into the Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko Path Every 100 PP he spent earned him 2 Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae and 2 Focus

Congratulations You have finished the Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko Path The currents of energy through which you wade have pulled you in various directions but your dedication to your Path has kept your aim true As you advance you gain experience As experience gathers you recognize patterns and manipulate repetition So long as you continued to advance even if the depth of forces around you continues to increase you will never be blown off course

Congratulations Willpower +300 Your Skillset Moirae of Ripples has absorbed the benefit A slight increase in effectiveness to Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko All other related Skills receive an extremely minimal boost Unfortunately the reward for this Path is insufficient to upgrade the Rarity of any Skills Continue finishing Paths relating to this Skillset in order to reach new heights

Randidly clicked his tongue somewhat disappointed that he didn�t earn any new Skills and also had to take another related Path to experience a tangible benefit All told it earned him 400 Stats but it was a lackluster reward

After considering his other options he settled upon the mysterious Cerebral Refinement That ended up costing three thousand PP and gave him 2 Intelligence and 2 Wisdom every 100 PP spent

Congratulations You have completed the Cerebral Refinement Path You have pushed your mind to its physical limits and provided such abundant energy that it has begun to shift The Path you walk is lined with impossible challenges to overcome them you have turned your attention inward and have begun to overcome yourself

Congratulations Focus +200 Detecting resonance examining options Congratulations Due to accumulated image fragments your Stat Focus has evolved into Exquisite Piety Your worship of natural energy and observation of its holy rituals has been rewarded

My worship Randidly�s mouth twisted The crab wandered up to his chest and considered the value of making a home in Randidly�s armpit

Chapter 1877

The Level 59 Crushgrip Crab leader of the location population and generally the most powerful entity in this corner of the sea had initially believed that some new entity was invading its territory when it saw the froth and bubbles and felt the heavy impact on the ground However after a thorough exploration and several liberal pinchings it could only conclude that while this thing looked like a surface dweller it was just a likeness to those chaotic flesh bags In fact this thing was made of some super durable material

Rather than a biological being it seemed some incredible metal object

Considering the imposing resemblance to the accursed surface dwellers the Crab was quite pleased with this discovery It scuttled up to its shoulder area� and proudly looked around able to see the drifting kelp fields the endless trench and even the cave that housed the Deepsea Horror All of the Crushgrip Crab�s surrounding world was laid out before it

Best of all he stood atop a being that resembled its greatest predator There were no finer pleasures in life than this

Its eyes brightened as it gazed at the small stone cluster in which its greatest critic lived It scuttled sideways down its new edifice and approached the rival�s home releasing a telepathic impulse Lessor Crushgrip is your grip strong

Greater Crushgrip may your grip always be sure After a long pause the telepathic reply came The critic being a Level 58 Crushgrip Crab came out of his hole almost unwillingly It clicked its claw twice Unfortunately I am quite in the middle of some business

This won�t take very much time at all The leader Crab replied cheerily It gestured with its minutely larger claws swirling the water in the area Have you seen my new dwelling You simply must visit with me Come come It will only take a few minutes of your time and the views are definitely worth it

The business the weaker crab replied rather listlessly but the more dominant figure simply clomped onto the other�s claw and dragged it the rest of the way out of its rock pile Then it excitedly led the other up to the surface dweller statue and climbed up onto the highest point to show off its view

The weaker crab experimentally lowered its claw and pinched the surface of the edifice Its claws could rip away some scrap material likely accumulated detritus from its sinking into the sea that the leader Crab intended to clean later but the main material it couldn�t damage at all Despite its earlier unwillingness he got caught up in the failure of their claws How is this possible Why is it so powerful that I cannot squeeze it

Yes well We all have certain immutable deficiencies The leader crab said airly It seemed unnecessary to bring up that it also couldn�t pinch this edifice Instead it gestured with its claw But please feel free to stay as long as you like and admire the view I�ll be back presently I have a few more individuals I�d like to invite to see my new home

Randidly�s attention remained focused inward scanning himself with a fervent dedication that he hadn�t previously possessed He could feel himself practically humming along with the task Of course the irony was that he was currently trying to understand the evolution to Exquisite Piety which had previously been Focus so the whole hearted intensity he now possessed attempted to fold its function processes around to get a good look at itself

It was the zeal and religious associations discussed in the notification that left Randidly somewhat confused and suspicious Why had the System judged his recent associations with Moirae of Ripples to be vaguely religious

His Nether Core spun creating a dense network of the energy of connections that allowed him to follow and trace the influences that helped shape this new Stat And Randidly couldn�t deny that his new Focus was extremely helpful for gathering and categorizing information The fanaticism with which he pursued his goal felt somewhat frightful

Congratulations Resistance and Willpower +50 The efficacy of the Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo is slightly increased It is slightly easier for the projections to achieve a corporeal form

He didn�t hesitate

Congratulations You have completed the Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy IV Path Mud water and chill have risen to engulf the whole of your experience Sloshing forward becomes the only sort of movement available You may forge a Path but no obvious answer remains for how to proceed You lean forward and brave the violent elements Again you feel yourself being tested by the horrifying forces around you

This time as he completed the fourth Path Randidly very literally felt the System examining his body as he received the notification A ghost of a frown drifted across his face Would the reward be different if I didn�t have this powerful body Or is it a matter of significance that protects me

Either way Randidly seemed to pass with flying colors and the next portion of the notification revealed itself to him

Congratulations You have forced your way forward The ground rises beneath you and you near the edge of the horizon behind which the source of the tragedy lurks You feel the fear coming from the Unborn Duo When the reward from reaching this point comes to you there is a choice shall you absorb the reward yourself or donate it to the Unborn Duo

You have chosen to donate the reward to the spirits you harbor Congratulations +5 to All Stats Continue to advance at your own risk because you will soon come face to face with a great danger

The Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy V Path cost 1000 PP but Randidly didn�t mind He had donated the reward to the spirits in hopes that the final result would be for the best Before he poured away this last chunk of PP he stirred his Nether Core and wove especially thick Nether from the significance he had received from Neshamah At the very least he wanted to be prepared for another test from the System

Considering the specter of Devick lay across this Path he didn�t dare underestimate it

Congratulations You have completed the Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy V Path Your feet have carried you through bogs mires blizzards lakes seas and the deep shadow You crest the horizon and look over into the darkness that waits beyond all thresholds Of course to glimpse the tragedy is to have the tragedy glimpse you

It smiles in anticipation

Randidly gritted his teeth and shook feeling a physical impact as some foreign influence slammed into his body It wasn�t significance per se and it wasn�t a physical attack but it incorporated elements of both to pressure even him to the point that he was helpless The pressure continued to build and Randidly heard the loud pounding of his heart in his ears

However just as the grasp of that shadow seemed ready to pop Randidly the two unborn slugs within him began to swell in response They still appeared mishappen and poorly formed their bodies like rotting sacks of grain and their eyes and mouth jagged and triangular but they expended themselves bitterly to defend him

Observing them Randidly was oddly touched Then he mobilized his preprepared Nether joining in the fight against the test of this Path Under the combined assault of him and the two spirits they soon banished the invasion into his person The shadow snarled and howled but was forced to recede

Chapter 1878

Congratulations You have overcome the tragedy that lurked beyond the horizon at least for the moment It has withdrawn fled once more to the edge of the world an even deeper depth from which it may accumulate more sinister significance But let it never be said that surviving and continuing further down the Path hasn�t been rewarded You have triumphed and therefore will grow

Congratulations Willpower and Resistance +300 Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo has evolved into The Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune Skill Levels will be maintained The capabilities of the Skill projections are greatly increased The bad luck you accumulate by hosting them is slightly increased but the spirits may much more actively devour that bad luck for you The spirits may more easily devour other strange forces to grow more powerful

Randidly released a breath and relaxed The reward in terms of Stats was massive but Randidly could also feel how much more freely the Unborn spirits could move They manifested on his lower back seeming to celebrate their newfound physicality

His mouth twisted as he opened his eyes Why the hell are they still gnawing on my skin

An additional surprise waited for him as Randidly came back to awareness of his undersea location There was a Level 58 crab sitting on his shoulder which looked at him with increasing alarm as he moved Shaking his head Randidly brushed the crab off him and then launched himself upward with his power it felt like bullying to crush the small crab

He erupted from the water expecting to be able to dry himself off once he left the ocean but the storm continued to rage above the surface His mouth curling into a displeased line arch Randidly produced the Philosopher�s Key and opened a portal to his skyisland above Kharon There he proceeded directly to the bathroom and treated himself with a scalding shower For several minutes he simply leaned against the wall and allowed the near boiling heat to blur the line between body water and steam

Afterward Randidly dressed in some spare clothes Tatiana stored in the closets for just such an occasion and spent several minutes roasting some vaguely pork looking meat that had been preserved in his interspatial ring He made a bonfire in front of his mansion grinning at the moonlight spirits that tumbled around in front of him The first bite was juicy and flavorful making him wish he spent more time cooking

Feeling warm full and thoroughly relax Randidly produced his Philosopher�s Key once more and opened a portal into the depths of the shaft It was time for his final preparations

He looked up and down when he appeared in that shadowy place watching significance getting pulled down and emotions flowing up The Stillborn Phoenix excitedly demonstrated for the two Unborn spirits how they could devour the emotions digest them then regurgitate their own sort of warped emotions back into the river

The inflated slugs seemed to enjoy this prospect immensely

Shaking his head Randidly sensed the Nether content in the air Based on how dense the Nether is I should be able to rest here for about a week before the confrontation against Wick That should both be enough to recover to refine all the significance I took from Neshamah and also spend some more time experimenting with Synechdochence

Just the prospect of this confrontation filled him with anticipation He pressed that feeling down and focused on his Status screen Not that I blame the System for having a shitty frame of reference but I don�t think 110% is anywhere close to my limit I wonder if improving that will have an effect on the next Authority I will eventually condense

However that question turned Randidly�s mood sour He had no idea how to go about condensing a Second Authority Obviously it would be related to the meaning and desires of one of his other images but from everyone�s bland reaction it wasn�t a recognized thing in the Nexus Plus the person he would have asked Neshamah had betrayed them within the Skull of Truth He could approach the Engraving Guild but Randidly couldn�t shake the feeling they wouldn�t be much help either Especially after losing their leader

Which left the Nether King

Randidly shook his head decisively He might consider it if he was desperate but for now he had more than enough areas in which he could improve He didn�t need to gamble on another interaction with that mysterious entity

At the same time he felt a thrill of excitement that glimmered even through his indignation at having been physically suppressed by the Ghosthound When you become a part of me that body of yours will be mine And then

Wick�s small pink tongue flicked out through his lips

Even more positively he could feel the emotional connection between himself and the Ghosthound strengthening every moment That would allow him to force the issue much more quickly avoiding the pointless and prolonged struggle that characterized his previous attempts The more quickly the two were connected the more energy Wick would have to establish himself as top of the twisted hierarchy that functioned within their new bodies

There was a soft knock at the door Lady Iellaya poked her head through her face unreadable Commander Ghosthound is here for the disciplinary hearing Commandant

Commandant Wick tried to keep the strain from his face and nodded slowly Take him to the sitting room I shall be finishing presently

Once Lady Iellaya was gone Wick wondered for a moment whether she understood the struggle that raged inside of him every day simply by the dint of remaining near him for such a period of time However he concluded that she wouldn�t have been so emotionless if she truly understood considering her prior relationship with Randidly

After all who could imagine the torture under which I must constantly labor Wick reflected Some of the bubbling intense emotions that were not his own rose up in him hatred envy fear madness breathing caustic flames along his ribcage and inflicting agony But Wick simply allowed those emotions to expend themselves and sink back to the depths of his person He released a breath

All those years ago I seized power any way I could I do not regret that But after struggling for so long perhaps this finally will provide me with a way to escape this hell A perfect vessel without flaw A well of potential that hasn�t yet run dry

Commandant Wick finally brought his formidable Willpower to bear crushing any remnant emotions that licked at him His powerful scaffolding of control snapped into place suppressing any further surges He stood at his desk and walked around to the door He walked out of his personal office and then down the hall to the sitting room

The Ghosthound waited within looking up slowly when Wick strolled into the room Wick smirked at the young man If I�m being honest your presence here comes as a pleasant surprise after your recent insubordination I had resigned myself to hunting you down like a skulking dog and dragging you back here for your comeuppance Punishments thus far just haven�t seemed to stick with you

Through the method he had learned to manage his multifarious souls Wick felt the intense emotional response that the Ghosthound had to his words And yet the young man�s gaze remained curiously mild and his face blank

Except for his eyes Their ethereal emerald color seemed oddly wet and infectious ready to seep out and color the surrounding air

The lack of response irked Wick to the point that he felt a powerful impulse to lash out and smash the Ghosthound�s face To pay the arrogant young man back for the attacks he had launched in Alymian As it always was for Wick the source of the impulse was difficult to pinpoint

However Wick suppressed that desire There would be time enough for that later

Follow me he said coolly Then he led Randidly Ghosthound down into the bowels of the Military High Command building where no one would disturb them

Chapter 1879

Emerald The crab thought idly as he looked into the eyes of the statue

In the chill undersea world movement became frothing disturbance before one�s senses could follow With an almost gentle touch being its departing gift suddenly the statue was gone The crab hit the floor unable to cope with what happened That is until mental communications reached it

No need to rush The mental projection boomed out over the corner of the seafloor as the Crushgrip Crab leader led about a score of crabs several bored Acidic Pufferfish and an ancient electric eel that lived in the area back toward its new home For this area of the sea this was quite the star studded process The grip of this edifice upon the scenery is strong likely it will become a centerpiece of the landscape for quite a long time

The crab who often criticized the first was so stunned by the sudden movement from the statue that it remained on its back and looked up at the rush of bubbles the thing had left in its wake even as its mind began to catch back up to the current situation Even now its senses were frazzled by the intense green light it had seen within the edifice�s eyes

But strange images had been contained in that color There seemed to be an ancient tree and a strange monster and a vast egg all wrapped up in that emerald hue The roots of that tree and the arms of that strange monster seemed so strong was it possible they used their powerful grips to prevent the egg from hatching

This There was a pause in the mental projection from the Crushgrip Crab leader as it stalled out The group stopped as they rounded a bunch of kelp looking at the cracked ground and the still dazed crab

And obviously the absent space where the edifice had been

Feeling quite embarrassed at the situation the critic crab scrambled to its feet Behind the leader small mental reverberations revealed the frantic gossiping of the other crabs The ancient eel began to list sideways having fallen asleep in response to this exciting development Its mouth hung slightly open revealing its sharp teeth

What happened here Why is the edifice gone The leader crab cried What have you done to garner its ire

The critic crab mobilized its mental energies preparing to admit that it had no idea what exactly had occurred But then the implication of that final phrase reached its brain It felt bitter and envious of the respect that the other crabs afforded the leader just because of its slightly larger claw now with no proof it wanted to frame this crab as the cause Immediately the critic crab changed its mind Very quickly it used context clues and the few images that it had seen in those emerald eyes to understand what had really occurred

The edifice wasn�t a home and was deeply offended by your casual transgressions The Critic announced to the watching group Immediately the rippling mental gossip in the back of the procession intensified It it in fact was a wounded god An egg of pure darkness trapped in some horrible form a blanket of perfect darkness that just wished to sleep in the deepest corners of the sea sealed away by a monstrous surface dweller and a tree

That finally seemed to snap the eel to wakefulness It released its own mental pulse I have heard about these trees Dreadful frightful wooden gargoyles They use their digging fingers to find the hidden water in the world and then suck it all up for themselves

The twenty crabs collectively shuddered at such a horrifying entity Truly ruled as the land was by these trees it was no wonder that the surface dwellers had gone insane

The Crushgrip Crab leader scuttled back and forth clicking its claw in its agitation and confusion I no that is not the edifice you lie There is no way that this is true You conspire against

Did you not hear what I said about trees The eel unhinged its jaw and unleashed a boom mental release that forced all of the crabs and pufferfish to float a small distance backward In this projection it could be clearly felt that this ancient eel which had lived through the great awakening possessed more power than the entire colony of Crushgrip Crabs It might even have the ferocity to fight against Deapsea Horror situated nearby Yet you dare doubt me The trees are a scourge I hate them

The critic crab feeling a heady rush of adrenaline from the way the situation was proceeding released a mental pulse indicating it wanted to speak For whatever reason the lies flowed freely into its mind now The edifice also provided a prophecy to me before it left Although the grip of our current leader grows weak we must not waiver

Wick cleared his throat and spoke with a ritualistic cadence I Commandant Wick have called the accused here today to discuss the flagrant disregard for Military protocol displayed yesterday whereby the inferior officer acted with deliberate violence against the superior From my point of view there were no extenuating circumstances

Wick paused Yet as before the Ghosthound just looked up at him Most obnoxiously despite the clear lighting on the front of his face shadows seemed to be creeping around the young man�s eyes

Inwardly Wick remained puzzled He could clearly feel the words affect the target The Ghosthound�s emotions seemed to be curdling inside his body otherwise there wouldn�t be such a reaction through their connection Yet why did he maintain such a stoic exterior Especially after his aggressiveness while Wick was restricted by Alymian

The thought of that embarrassment sent a jet of hot shame down Wick�s spine Fury rose in a wave through him and he raised his hand to strike at the Ghosthound before he caught himself His gaze cleared He released a hissing breath through his nose and lowered his hand He brought the hammer of his Willpower down to smash away the seductive emotions that tried to influence him

His mind churned forward chewing up foreign influences Perhaps he has come to realize what a mistake he has made by antagonizing me But then he should be aware of why we are here at least generally Despite the danger he came willingly

Ah Wick�s eyes narrowed He definitely knows And therefore he knows that all of this is simply a pretext He is saving himself for the conflict Certainly the Ghosthound can be said to possess some animal cunning But if you think this needling has no purpose you are mistaken

Do you know Wick boomed out in a more typical tone He steepled his fingers again What has always annoyed me about you Randidly Ghosthound

Of course the Ghosthound just looked at him his expression that of a dead fish But the tension in his shoulders betrayed him

It is that you have never understood the distance between us Wick said with relish I tried to warn you show you how meaningless it was to stand against me by eviscerating your little squeeze There again was a satisfying burst of emotion from Randidly Wick leaned forward but as soon as we were in a very unique situation where I was restricted your base instincts overpowered your reason You attacked me Of course you couldn�t help yourself you possess no self discipline You are a beast a victim of your own primal roots

Which is why you will always be under my thumb Wick felt his lips curling back as he examined the distant form of the Ghosthound The shadows around his eyes continued to spread across his face Why I could kill any of your friends and subordinates and you will never be able to do anything about it Because I have risen above those influences and you have not You are not enough to protect them from me

The Ghosthound burned through their connection His emotions seemed to be whirling in a tightly compressed storm generating pressure within the Ghsothound in preparation for a massive eruption It was slightly impressive that his body hadn�t yet ruptured underneath that force

Now Wick grinned and activated the methods His framework split open and revealed his own howling core a hundred times more intense and vigorous than the churning emotions Randidly possessed When comparing the emotions between them one dwarfed the other without question So Wick seized upon their connection and activated the horrifying ritual of communion Devick had taught him That connection became nearly physical existing between them

Wick yanked with all that emotional force

and was immediately stunned when rather than the Ghosthound being pulled helplessly toward him Wick�s pull had smashed himself forward ripping apart the heavy desk and sending him tumbling toward the lower level He landed on all fours on top of several chairs they cracked and collapsed leaving Wick trembling with confused indignation

The Ghosthound who hadn�t moved at all did not continue to watch Wick with a blank expression

The corner of his mouth curled up into a deliberate look of condescension Randidly Ghosthound�s smirk flicked a match onto the kindling of Wick�s suppressed emotions

Chapter 1880

The two faced off for a brief moment emotions swelling to fill the distance between them And if anything the darkness and the wide remote amphitheater ceiling above them only served to give that intensity breeding ground to spread

At every turn you take the opportunity to pay up petty cash to inflicted inconveniences against me Wick swiped his hand and obliterated a few other nearby wooden chairs Yet even that small movement left him feeling stifled after his failure to shift the Ghosthound His chest heaved with rage Even for his tight control he began having difficulty parsing apart which part of the anger was his own and which came from the howling madhouse he contained

Strike rend break own The voices whispered He sucked in a tight breath and spoke quickly before the words could be warped by the dangerous violence he contained You insolent whelp Today I will teach you a lesson you will never forget

Wick jabbed a finger forward and unleashed some of that madness The more they fought the more they clashed the stronger Devick�s bond between them would grow tightening around them like a Chinese finger trap until they were pasted squeezed into the confines of a single body For now as the connection dug its way into their souls it couldn�t do much But it could convey a scalding blast of emotions

Wick watched the smirk on the Ghosthound�s face for the moment it faltered and those emotions ripped through his psyche Yet after seconds nothing had changed If anything the shadows only swirled more actively around the Ghosthound�s left eye despite the fire lit directly in front of him

You Wick growled but he cut himself off both disgusted with the situation and the Ghosthound Some part of him acknowledged that the Ghosthound likely wouldn�t have been able to survive this long if such a petty trick could dislodge him Still Wick teetered on the edge of madness struggling to remain detached and figure out what to do next

A word circled around his mind using rotten teeth to gingering gnaw at the edges of his self control Impotent The Ghosthound time and time again had made Wick feel impotent The tricks forced upon Wick by Devick seemed somehow useless against him

She did indeed have a weird favoritism for the Ghosthound from the first moment she heard of him Wick�s eyes sharpened Perhaps there is more to this connection than I thought They share some base qualities of fickleness and obsession could this actually be a test aimed at me

no matter So long as I plunder his psyche and unearth the secrets contained there I will find the answer Suddenly all of Wick�s doubts vanished blasted apart by the purity of purpose he possessed The time for games had clearly passed

What remained was power and poise For the next step he needed to shift the balance of dominance

Wick straightened and stretched his arms out to either side of him His powerful image framework had been a labor of necessity to survive in the hellish situation that Devick had crafted but that didn�t mean it was weak If anything Wick only had more confidence in the powerful bindings because of how practical they were

Forged of necessity his copper framework had never failed him

A blast of image power expanded rapidly away from Wick�s body He felt the entire massive courtroom like a tingling on the back of his palm giving him a perfect understanding of the space Motes of copper momentarily gleamed around his person After that blast hit the face of the Ghosthound the smirk finally vanished from his face and he regarded Wick seriously

Straight to business then Wick pressed his mouth into a line and prepared to take down this foolish youngster

If anything he felt a sense of relief as he witnessed the storm beast drawing a dangerous pattern in the air Even now Wick remained somewhat irked by the peculiar lack of weaknesses shown by the Ghosthound Or rather it would be more accurate to say that the peculiar power of the Ghosthound�s physical body meant that most of the lessons Wick would like to inflict upon him wouldn�t stick In many ways corporeal punishment felt meaningless

So direct attacks on his psyche it will be Wick thought eyeing the veritable pillar of grey spectral flames that writhed and danced above the Ghosthound�s body The tight bindings of his image began to surge with power and he took a step forward And this pattern is the perfect weapon to inflict them

The Ghosthound pointed The smallest bit of Nether snapped into existed in front of Wick Snorting Wick extended a hand and mobilized his image to suppress it A coppery aura spread out

A horrible destructive spearhead of Nether and spectral flame flared briefly stabbing upward and ripping through the left side of Wick�s palm The coppery aura had been suppressed and railroaded before it even had a chance to manifest His eyes widened some of the howling emotions in his own heart creeping into his brain A whisper of the madness snuck up and settled into his mind enflaming the grey matter With red eyes he growled at the Ghosthound and prepared a decisive counter attack

His impulses screamed to pounce forward and clash with the Ghosthound directly but Wick again ignored those thoughts The more time that passed the more their emotions would draw them toward one another Since he could not force the sudden communion based on the ridiculous mass of the boy Wick needed to do this the old fashioned way

Instead his eyes scanned the surroundings The kid snapped against and another two spearheads appeared in the air and ripped at Wick�s sides These he didn�t dare underestimate flaring his image with more foresight and binding the spearheads just as soon as they formed Crackling black lightning emerged from these mental wrestling matches and Wick was furious to observe that by the time his image could overpower the attack the strike had already faded leaving him holding nothing

But now I see your trick Wick�s mouth curled up like a dry old leaf He gestured sharply and unleashed stabilizing poles of power and implacable will They manifested as two copper spikes about two meters tall that slammed into the surroundings disturbing the curling flows of Nether and wind

The Ghosthound�s eyes narrowed and unleashed more flares but with the flow restricted their power was a hollow farce of its former might Wick laughed as he smothered these flares as soon as they were born the noise of his amusement carried away by the wind Immediately the Ghosthound began making adjustments to the way his energy flowed so the copper spikes weren�t so restrictive In addition Wick could feel that somehow the kid was drawing power from the clashes and making the winds more violent

However if you think you are capable of competing with me in patterns of dominance Wick�s eyes flashed He flared his image once again even while defending himself against the barrage of Nether flares bombarding his body and the stone beneath his feet Two more spikes of molten copper slammed into the surroundings forming a perfect square with Randidly in the middle Tethers of energy began to knit themselves together between the connections trapping the Ghosthound in a cage

Is this really all you can manage Wick thundered purposefully raising his voice to be heard over the buffeting winds If you believe that this is enough to avenge your shitty subordinate you are more foolish than even I gave you credit for

Suddenly waves of Nether surged out of the Ghosthound weakening the influence Wick�s spikes had on the surrounding area Just as Wick scowled the winds around the kid spiraled inward creating a new pattern A maelstrom began to churn rapidly growing in strength The beast had folded itself inward and now licked outward with a thousand tongues tasting the possibilities

Baring his teeth Wick waved his arms and brought down more copper spikes Pressuring this cage isn�t enough You are already bound Ghosthound At this point can you feel it Do you feel the bindings tighten as you struggle You have lost

Chapter 1881

Devick reclined on her couch watching the conflict between bland old Commandant Wick and the fascinating Randidly Ghosthound with interest Around her the office was dark the image the only source of light in the room The drapes were drawn across the window and the torches had been extinguished

It was in Devick�s opinion the proper ambiance for a thrilling confrontation She pulled a grape out of the bowl in front of her and popped it into her mouth

She enjoyed the burst of sweet tartness as she crushed the fruit

Bringing her hands to her cheeks to check if she was blushing Devick muttered to herself Truly how can a woman handle it when two such capable gentlemen duel for the honor of being her son Ahh and here I isolated myself for so long because I feared the Nexus had moved far beyond me Yet I suppose my charms are not so shallow that they are diminished by such a common force as time

A large crystal ball sat in a pool of red liquid held in place from some of the shiniest chains that Devick could manifest She felt quite proud by the lack of rust on their gleaming black surfaces In the swirling depths of the orb she watched as the Ghosthound used his strange Nether powers to rip at the square bindings around him while Wick used his uninteresting if competent image to isolate and break up the flow of energy his opponent mobilized A part of Devick realized that when it came to recognizing and manipulating energy flows these two might actually be the most talented duo in the Nexus

Both responded to subtle changes in their opponent�s strategy on the fly Wick likely had the superior Skill but the Ghosthound displayed his typically rapid improvements to move toward an even match However

Just fucking start punching each other already You�re not chess players Devick released an aggrieved sigh She picked up a grape and smushed it between her fingers You are warriors My son is the greatest warrior that the Nexus has ever seen And also YOU

Devick whirled to jab a finger at the a figure hunched over the edge of the porcelain saucer containing the crystal ball Blood oozed out of several gashes in his arms and torso to drip into the bottom of the saucer Otherwise he was completely trussed up by rusty chains and bound in a kneeling position When her ire failed to elicit a response from the figure Devick blinked several times Ah you are dying Almost dead even No no its much too soon for that Wake back up please

She snapped her feelings and the captive�s lungs inflated Through the binding chains a thread of her power wormed its way into his flesh and animated his broken body His eyes widened and small streams of blood began to gush cheerily out filling the saucer once more As the man coughed and spasmed the picture within the crystal ball became clearer It was just for her own amusement but his blood formed the medium to convey the image

Please He spoke in a guttural whisper Just let me die

Devick clicked her tongue Your fellow rebels were digging around in the Skull of Truth What would have happened if people were to learn the truth ha that�s actually quite amusing isn�t it Considering the secret hidden there No you�ve committed a crime now you must live through the punishment

Her attention turned back to the crystal ball She waved a hand and chains tightened around the rebel�s throat so the only sound he could make was a strained gasp Now please be quiet It�s getting to the good part

Wick gritted his teeth as his image wavered in the face of the Ghosthound�s Nether storm Despite his earlier confident pronouncements of victory reality sadly painted a blurrier picture of their current struggle Veritable drifts of some of the most potent Nether Wick had ever encountered slammed against the barriers his copper spikes created weakening the isolation and allowing the winds to squeak through and stir up more power in the other portions of the giant room

The Ghosthound somehow maintained two grand patterns of Nether one within the binding and one without and kept them in particular harmony just with the few gushing blasts that managed to penetrate Wick�s defenses The insight and mastery required for such a feat astounded him And also meant he had to watch out for Nether flares from every direction

At this point none of the furniture remaining Wooden chair backs and legs had been ground down to nothing by the force of the conflict The calamitous wind that the Ghosthound mobilized had obliterated everything and smothered the fires so what remained were two men struggling with each other under the illumination of Wick�s copper spikes

Wick�s hand neared Randidly�s shoulder In a supreme effort of physical power the Ghosthound rolled his shoulders and sent a shuddering shift through the net of burning copper that entangled his limbs As he held the bindings Wick felt the full force of the moment The effort must have been herculean he simply suppressed an image with just his body

Wick�s first grasp missed But it only took him another moment to lean the extra distance and lay his palm upon his target

That second was enough time for the bolt of Nether to twist and crash down through Wick ripping in through the left side of his back and then boring a hole straight down into the opposite thigh Nether devoured flesh and image and then ran rampant through his torso and leg

Devick�s strange methods activated even as Wick cursed and writhed from the pain Their bodies were left behind and they slid down through a chute of molten copper to land on a vast plain of darkness Wick instantly felt disgust rising in him they had metaphorically just arrived in Devick�s womb Rust colored madness wove itself into a fence that would subtly tighten until the duo was bound together for all eternity Wick intended to take advantage of their arrival to strike but the influence of Nether into his body distracted him

By the time he had recovered the Ghosthound raised his head and looked intently up at the copper chute Gnashing his teeth Wick was helpless as the kid adjusted His form ripples and shifted sometimes a tree sometimes an armored monster sometimes a vast darkness sometimes a horrifying storm of grey flames

Those grey flames took precedence as he reached up toward how they arrived He was a glimmering avatar of ash and hunger warping the world not with heat but with the sheer force of his Nether The beast of the storm made flesh seething in this strange mental battlefield

Unfortunately even I would not be able to escape once I�ve been forced here Wick finally obliterated the rampant Nether inside his body with his superior image and straightened And being here is a death knell for you Accept your fate boy

Maybe But maybe not The Ghosthound shifted back to a creaking tree as he turned to regard Wick His emotions continued to boil and the powerful branches creaked and groaned under their ferocity An infinite number of emerald leaves rustled creating a deafening pressure that surprised even Wick

The Ghosthound took a step forward with a wicked grin on his face But you can be fucking sure I�m not leaving this strange place until you are dead Wick

Ha Wick snorted in spite of himself Once more their sentiments mirrored one another I will take great pleasure in making your last conscious thought one of disappointment Now prepare yourself

Those dangerous grey spectral flames exploded from the Ghosthound and crashed against the rust colored bindings of this place Finding no outlet they spun back together and began to churn in the familiar pattern of a storm

However Wick ignored the Ghosthound At this point it was unnecessary to fight him His copper stakes rushed to surrounding him a very particular arrangement and then stuck into the ground His defenses wove themselves together into a tight net Then at his direction he connected himself fully to this area

In a frothing gush the emotions that Wick usually suppressed poured in through the copper chute The emotions� first response to being finally freed was to lash out at their maker The almost liquid rainbow sparkling violence of the emotions pounced at Wick and slammed against his defenses The colors of the liquid darkened their hatred grew more intense as he proved beyond their reach

But of course there was suddenly a much easier target The emotions happily twisted around and rushed to drown Randidly joined every moment by more and more of that same liquid Soon the entire plain would be submerged beneath their wild force

Wick smirked And once you have become part of the sea of our emotion it will be quite easy to completely

He couldn�t help himself Wick gasped Because as the rush of emotions surged toward the Ghosthound he shifted to his swirling darkness image Without even seeming to strain himself Randidly Ghosthound gulped down every bit of emotion that tried to invade him

Wick�s expression fell It wasn�t just his Willpower earlier when I tried an emotional sneak attack But how the hell can he withstand that torrent

Chapter 1882

The crystal ball vision in front of her had fallen into a curious state of stillness but Devick didn�t mind She knew that this meant that the final confrontation was upon Randidly and Wick All the elements were present Considering the ending of this story she forgave them for their small transgressions of competing using bland patterns

In the end she was a woman concerned with results the methods didn�t matter as much

She patted her stomach affectionately as though these rambunctious two were really hidden there inside her body about to be born in a curious miracle In a way that was exactly what would happen

Then her gaze landed on the bound figure and a sharp tang of lemon was added to her good mood Smacking her lips she sent another finger of power into his body and healed his wounds Blood began to flow more freely from the rips in his skin made by the chains but he didn�t stir at all Sighing Devick pressed herself to her feet and walked over to examine the man She lowered her face next to his and scrutinized him

You decided to even kill your image to escape me Devick frowned Then she flicked her wrist and the chains around he body tightened until he popped and splattered across the side of the room A cracked rib skittered across the ground half of the man�s jaw was flung sideways The rest was forced out between the rusted and spiked chains in a peculiar jelly Devick didn�t even bother to wipe the sprayed bits of gristle off her arm and torso as she sat back down and began to pop grapes into her mouth

Your allies I wonder how easy they will be to find Devick�s smile was predatory as she chewed and talked with her mouth open You might not know it but there are consequences for boring me

Speaking of which these two better not make me wait for too long

Every moment more and more violent emotions poured out of the metaphysical vessel of Wick� and sloshed around in this strange restricted zone hemmed in by a literal fence of Devick�s madness But when compared to the river of violence that Randidly had ridden while within the Shaft

Congratulations Your Skill Breath of the Cosmos has grown to Level 531

Congratulations Your Skill the Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune has grown to Level 899

Compared to Pine your troubles are small potatoes Wick

One of the Unborn spirits burped its stomach full from all of the emotion it absorbed in the last ten seconds The Stillborn Phoenix in a remarkable show of affection cooed at the suddenly sack sized spirit and slurped up the surplus around those twins Watching a black hole be affectionate toward the two massive slugs of bad luck proved relatively off putting But if nothing else Randidly was quite confident that the Stillborn Phoenix could handle Wick�s emotional attacks

However Randidly�s chest burned as he looked over at Wick guarded by a small fortress of molten copper that he erected in only a few moments Randidly could feel the tension building in his shoulders Their violence and conflict had given him a taste a taste of the opportunity to avenge Helen All of the pain and sadness that he had suffered through the long days of feeling blank and lost the moodiness the fact that he had taken much of that out on his subordinates all those sins could be buried with the corpse of Wick

Here today in this barren place

Even beyond his usual wild behavior Randidly felt the edges of himself becoming inflamed and blurred Distantly a part of him recognized that some of these emotions weren�t entirely his own The Stillborn Phoenix ate the emotions coming at him through space yet other influences were seeping into him Unlike Neveah�s grounding touch this had a much more aggravating effect on his disposition

And just as Randidly thought about her his Soulbound companion was there injecting a refreshing gust of rationality into him Her cool observation swept the creeping aggression away Ah so that�s what�s happening here They are forcing a Soulbond between the two of you Randidly using some medium that I cannot quite sense from outside the mental arena Even if you slurp up all of the emotions you will eventually be mashed together into a strange mental wrestling match Do you think that you can overcome Wick�s Willpower

Immediately the surroundings began to tremble it did not like the direction of his ire now turned Plus the work of excavation was not gentle Even more than the copper barriers that existed around Wick the ground was thick and insubstantial calcified shape grown more stubborn by Randidly�s sudden desire to drill downward However the spearheads proved effective enough as spades that he made good progress digging first five meters and then ten meters down in the plain

The rumbling intensified Wick continued to shout and demand attention but Randidly asked the Stillborn Phoenix to slow its slurping of emotions at any time that Wick seemed ready to deconstruct his defenses and stop him Unhindered the Nether storm lashed the entire spectral landscape with its power At this point this was the most powerful storm he had even supported It hummed through his limbs until his tendons and veins sang

How appropriate Randidly began carving steps down through the matte substance to make the passage easier He took the steps slowly ignoring the noise as the blades of Nether hacked and chopped away at the base of the mine to dig deeper Helen�s original Domain was the Depths of Horror And now against Wick I use her capability to descend to the bottom of this place where the lingering taint of Devick remains

However Randidly�s eyes sharpened I intend to slay the lurking abomination If you are watching Helen that darkness in your depths I will eradicate it

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 672

Once Randidly had framed his descent in that manner the steps became easier The winds churned with even more power and potency Wick ceased to be a distraction He could feel his Nether Core humming with significance A strange momentum built as he descended He could almost feel her hovering above his shoulder

Helen had always had his best interests at heart but she did not start out as an easy person to get along with She cursed often and met most problems with violence Even in their final days together she was demanding and vindictive

Randidly took another step How appropriate that the woman Wick killed would now give Randidly the tools to foil him

The rumbling of the plain became almost the entirety of sensation rubbing away any other sound or texture that would reach him Even ripples were steamrolled before the roiling displeasure of the black plain Above Randidly could distantly sense that the chain fence binding of Devick�s madness began to tighten urgently

However only a few meters remained and his grey firestorm carried hatchet blades to rip away the last few layers of shape around the carved stone

Randidly�s head jerked sharply upward That ripple had been felt clearly through the entire area Wick finally could stand it no longer and ripped apart his defenses A portion of Randidly�s storm had remained above churning and growing with power from his efforts down below Without hesitating Wick had slammed directly into that storm and forced it backward

The Commandant manifested at the edge of the hole Randidly had made looking down the black steps at his subordinate Those liquid iridescent rainbow emotions slashed at him but Wick weathered the attacks His shoulders heaved Fine then Let�s settle this

Randidly gestured slightly Almost sulkily the Stillborn Phoenix gurgled for a half second then regurgitated some of the emotions it had absorbed earlier and now refined These speared Wick in the chest and threw him back before the parasitic emotions began to pierce toward his eyes and nostrils to invade his body

Too late Randidly thought distantly A few more Nether bursts tore away the last crusted covering of the carved stone Immediately he felt it tug at his Willpower once more urging Randidly to turn around and clash pointlessly against Wick

His hand hesitated then curled into a fist He cut with just his hand a simple thrust An attack that he had practiced with Helen millions of times

With a tinkling crash the carved stone exploded

Chapter 1883

An invisible pulse spread out from the shattered pieces soon enveloping the whole of the area

Around Randidly the fabric of this place began to quickly unravel Even his grinding grey firestorm was smoothly rubbed away as the switch back to their actual bodies began in earnest Without the strange carved stone there was nothing holding them here However there were a few strained moments of transition where he was able to discover some new information from the broken remnants

First behind him Wick began to scream when his hand pierced the stone Not a roar that befitted his hairy bear form not a bellow Not some outcry of rage or indignation or shock No his voice vibrated with pain as the pitch rose to become a shrill shriek It seemed the combination of emotional attacks or the central piece of this place shattering had inflicted a serious wound upon him

Second the two Unborn finally seemed to wake up from their post emotional meal stupor Several vapors flew out of the shattered stone which they pounced forward and gobbled up without any hesitation Randidly felt somewhat disturbed to see that their bodies pulsed with thick veins in a much more visceral fashion their forms growing more concrete

First veins and probably organs he reflected What comes next

Finally a small few bits of fabric hung in the space where Randidly had knifed his hand into the stone to destroy it What immediately grabbed his attention was how much of the dense significance clustered around these few small fluttering bits it possessed even more density than the chunk Neshamah had given him

The whole of his attention got pulled into that significance

The tattered bits flickered and began to tear as soon as they were exposed to the air but Randidly could recognize a few things The largest and densest copper piece of fabric bore the name Wick upon it and had been wrapped around the others However that knot steadily unraveled revealing three wispy threads and two more substantial bits of fabric

Randidly�s pupils dilated Is this does that mean that there are already six people crammed into Wick�s body Is that why

Right before everything was whisked away Randidly focused on a dense cord that had been wrapped tightly by the other bits of cloth He couldn�t make out the name across it but he would recognize that rust color anywhere It stank of madness and rot

Then suddenly they were back in the dark underground courtroom the wreckage of their earlier clash settling and breaking A muffling blanket of darkness lay across them slowly settling due to the stillness The two remained in their previous positions he collapsed on the broken stone and the Commandant reaching down to touch his shoulder Randidly�s eyes flashed Wick�s binding spikes had faded and now he smashed his foot directly into the bearman�s stomach and sent him skidding back across the ground

The darkness remained but the noise suddenly seem to rouse the whole of the room

Hopping to his feet Randidly mobilized his Nether Core His image physicalizations flared to life filling him with potency At the same time he produced the Philosopher�s Key and prepared to create a portal out of this area His nerves were strained as he observed the surroundings

Randidly gritted his teeth as he stood transfixed ready to move but waiting for the situation to nudge him one way or another Wick continued to crash along the ground and then obliterated the low tier of seating opposite Randidly�s position Stone crumbled and cracked underneath his body but that did little to alleviate Randidly�s worries He still wanted to fight against Wick to kill him and finally receive payment for the debt Helen was owed Yet he knew that what he had broken was valuable not just to Wick but also to Devick If she showed up

Well Randidly was willing to let the issue of Wick slide for a bit more time if he had to fight his way through Devick to kill him Some risks weren�t worth it

Exposure to both Elhume and Devick had taught him that

Unfortunate that the energy in the mental arena wasn�t maintained Randidly raised his glowing left hand Otherwise the whole basement of this place would be leveled

Raw kinetic power erupted from his fingers setting Sulfur to a pleasurable vibrating state and warping the air with the violence of its passage His body trembled to channel such force but Randidly endured

The blast hit the fleshy titan in its midsection almost completely annihilating its waist The image flickered but to Randidly surprise it didn�t collapse In fact as the torso fell forward without the support of the waist the image�s joint�s pivoted smoothly into a new form Soon the rust colored monstrosity was dragging itself forward by its arms while the legs had flipped up and swollen until they were two massive scorpion tails ending with sharp copper spikes

As it neared he could see its mouth moving constantly muttering to itself Kill kill kill kill kill

Randidly�s eyes narrowed Wick�s really gone insane I just wish that would have dulled the edge of his image

One of the tails blurred forward and Randidly cleanly sidestepped The rust colored flesh stretched and extended so that rather than a quick strike the tail drilled forward like a torpedo boring into the stone behind Randidly and causing several more portions of the seating area to collapse Randidly sucked in all the generated ripples and rapidly accumulated more kinetic power He couldn�t manage the environment very well mostly due to those strange and ominous grey clouds that the titan released that were part of some strange third image but he started ripping away the flesh of the titan�s eyes with a constant bombardment of Nether flares

So by the time the titan was only a few meters away Randidly could spin all that gathered kinetic force and unleash an even more powerful beam

Congratulations Your Skill the Dragon Queen�s Sinister Tongue has grown to Level 529

The second tail bulged and shifted abruptly piercing forward to meet Randidly�s beam All that oppressive image power gathered into the sharp point at the end of the tail Two more heavy copper spikes spun together to form a single stinger� When that image attack met the beam it carved its way forward Before Randidly could react it had obliterated the kinetic force and scored a deep gouge across Sulfur

At the same time the first tail flailed sideways and slammed into Randidly�s stomach with enough force that he was thrown back The shock of the impact was immense His ribs popped unpleasantly overpowered by the raw emotional torrent contained in the Wick who had descended into madness

There was a sense of tumbling and then Randidly hit stone and served as a wrecking ball Grimacing he pressed a hand to the ground and threw himself out of the debris Strange jagged grey clouds loomed closer above their heads Damnit I might have a superior physique but this image of a titan is just as strong as me if not stronger This is definitely

Finally the titan opened its mouth revealing hundreds of off center and needle sharp teeth His voice came out with another belch of grey smoke Kill

Randidly blinked As he watched the titan lifted itself off the ground with the two stingers which had now morphed into heavy legs at the top of a dangling torso It used one of its small hands to reach into its chest and pull away flesh revealing a wizened and black heart As Randidly looked at it he saw superimposed over it the rust colored cord and a deep well of significance It mangled hands cracked but then it pointed at the small organ

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 660

Yet as soon as that weakness was revealed molten copper flowed down and covered the opening forming a thick armor The titan slammed its fist against the defenses furious Above the grey clouds churned It was hard to tell how that image fit into this dynamic Then when its claws could find no purchase on the armor the titan�s frightful gaze turned to Randidly

It stepped forward that brief moment of clarity passing and the frustration and aggression once more flaring around it The emotional force surged through its shape and Randidly almost felt strangled facing down such a powerful image

Chapter 1884

Despite the different aims of the personalities that swirled around within the maddened Wick one thing was clear two of them wished for the current confrontation to end in violence

Currently the grey clouds remained neutral but they definitely kept his Nether from accumulating much influence

Randidly sucked in energy from the surroundings corralling ripples and nurturing his bruised ribs with the raw vitality he gathered from the air The ancient foundation of Military High Command contained plenty of stability to sap The titan stumbled a bit in its new form but then bounded after Randidly using its massive legs The joints flexed and bulged strangely like alternatively inflating and deflating balloons but somehow the thing managed to careen forward

Randidly rolled sideways taking his time to gather momentum in his storm Flames of Nether Weight wove themselves together with blasts of kinetic forms creating a wind that began to force the titan�s grey clouds backward At the same time he threw more waves of gravity and grasping roots to harry the titan�s charge Fortunately all of the small clashes of image produced a multitude of ripples They spun and flattened themselves as Randidly sucked them into his body and began to forge a blade to fulfill this thing�s stated wish

The ground crunched underneath the titan�s heavy foot as it heaved its bulk into the air Randidly�s eyes narrowed as its rust colored flesh began to morph mid leap By the time it had reached the apex of its jump it had changed into a three headed wolf The central head was oversized and slobbering its eyes near blind with cataracts The left head had copper teeth and molten eyes But the right head

It was much smaller than the other two half the size of even the left head And it yipped and yowled seeming to argue with itself Meanwhile the middle head opened its mouth and belched out a jagged grey spray Which in terms of keeping which images were which was relatively confusing

Randidly�s mind spun as he crouched The reason that Wick�s image is so overwhelming is the combination of his detailed image and the emotional intensity he possesses being the combined form of six souls The madness doesn�t seem to blunt the former but if I target the ancillary personalities I might be able to impact the latter

Wick might be able to reassert control but actually I don�t think the central figure I�m fighting right now Randidly�s eyes glittered as he looked at that bulging central head blind and voracious Grey smoke and bulging rust colored flesh characterized its quivering nostrils is actually Wick himself

His body blurred The grey breath cracked into the ground where Randidly had been only a moment early This flesh titan might be able to rival Randidly in terms of power but Dreadful Alacrity still made him nearly impervious to mundane attacks he could see coming The emotional handhold that Randidly used to decelerate was slightly sloppy but the three headed wolf was still whipping around as Randidly pulled out Acri

The spear hummed with glee to be utilized and Randidly shopped sharply downward Cosmic Necessity Grit of the Ascendant Bane The Inexorable Toll of Exodus

Congratulations Your Skill Inexorable Toll of Exodus has grown to 401

Congratulations Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane has grown to Level 533

Congratulations Your Skill Inexorable Toll of Exodus has grown to 454

Skill Levels blurred through the corner of Randidly�s vision as the great branches of Yggdrasil creaked and something monstrous stirred in the shadows It opened its mouth and released a silent scream that made Acri�s blade resonate Unfortunately perhaps due to the relatively low Skill Level Acri penetrated the neck of the weakest head but couldn�t sever it completely The right head yowled in fear and already the two Unborn peaked from behind Randidly�s back salivating at the weak souls contained there

When they spoke together their lips moved in unison I would give anything

The left head sighed To die

The right head gritted his teeth To escape Devick�s control

Randidly licked his lips He tried to keep his voice casual as he gathered more ripples into his thrumming body You know you could escape her control by letting yourself die

Both of the heads glared at him As one they belched out aggressive blasts of energy the left producing the jagged grey substance and the left spewing molten copper Randidly swayed around the strikes and planted his foot for another attack He almost felt hurt that even the left head had responded so negatively Well it was worth a shot

Congratulations Your Skill Unpredictable Eddy has grown to Level 465

Swearing he jerked his head backward An abrupt copper missile cracked his cheekbone and ripped away a lot of the flesh of his temple Still releasing a half groan half growl the flesh titan pounced at him and lashed out with copper claws Again a wave of pressure tightened around Randidly even now he couldn�t measure up to the image force3 released by these truly powerful figures in the Nexus Even when he gathered all of his methods together and threw them in his foes� faces

But I won�t give up As long as I keep pace and survive for now I�ll grow And soon I�ll be able to drag you down Randidly rolled quickly sideways but the horrifying image projection followed him As it drew closer he could smell its flesh sulfur and pockets of forgotten dead matter stuffed themselves into his nostrils nearly gagging him Its four arms lashed out acting more like whips than fists

He shrugged off three of the blows but the fourth hid a metal glove of copper until the last moment Randidly sucked in a breath as he felt something fracture in his thigh He stumbled backward then flared all the tightly wound kinetic energy he had gathered The golden veins hiding beneath his skin became blinding

Both Wick and the monster that claimed it wanted to die recognized what he attempted to do and paused before they pursued him Of course Randidly had fought against Devick and was used to the quick uptake of these foes As soon as the kinetic energy flared it faded it had been a feint It expended a small amount of the force and left his jaw aching to recoil that destructive energy but it bought him a few seconds to recover

The leaves of Yggdrasil rustled as he drank deeply of the surroundings absorbing ambient emotional force and some of the physical vigor of this tireless image he faced

Congratulations Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 700

A few breaths of time were enough for Randidly to stabilize his injuries and strengthen the density of Nether in the surroundings The rust colored flesh titan glared at him its collective consciousness recognizing that Randidly had tricked it In addition those few moments gave him time to plan

This rust colored monster might say it wants to die but its assistance� actually does very little His emerald eye glittered Instead let�s feint toward it make Wick�s personality believe I�m aiming to cut it out first and then strike at him

Helen today will be the day I avenge you

Chapter 1885

Devick pouted as she looked at the empty gulf in front of her Despite the fact that there was no air she had no trouble projecting her voice Small physical impossibilities could be ironed out by a powerful image Tsk How disappointing Did he foresee that someone would try this or did someone already head here to destroy this dump As far as I know he�s pissed off quite a few minor characters in that at least I cannot help but admire him

She moodily looked between some distant planets then back at the dust filled void A few broken bits of stone tumbled through the weightless area but otherwise there was nothing of note She checked the stolen Nexus records again this was where Expira should be located in the Seventh Cohort

Perhaps he had taken advantage of the current outage in the recording portion of the System Her estimation of him rose a few notches

Truly the value of a man can be determined by the sheer number of his enemies A ghost of a smile came across her face brightening her visage and crinkling the corners at her eyes In those infrequent moments of warmth some of her pure beauty showed through even edged as it was with a crusty rind of madness Then she pouted again But what should I do Threatening his home planet would have solved everything so simply Now hwaah

An obnoxious yellow planet entered Devick�s field of view Her lip curled up and she flicked her fingers a continent sized chain sprung from the void and drilled into the core of that plant Massive rusted spines forced themselves deeper and deeper blasting apart stone After it had lashed around and destroyed the interior her image pulled back and left the unsightly rock hollow After a few seconds broad swaths of that planet�s core began to collapse

Two emotions warred in her chest First the rage and frustration as she felt the bindings she had left in Wick coming to pieces The sensation of her son unraveling pressed against her urging violent reprisals She had initially wanted to charge right over and force the misbehaving Ghosthound into line by squeezing him until he conceded or died However something else rose in opposition to it fascination Despite the fact she knew she should be infuriated the fact that Randidly Ghosthound managed to routinely frustrate her was a blooming rose garden of delights Especially since each time he did it in a new way

Surprise felt foreign and novel to Devick Due to their logical interactions she felt a resentment for the Ghosthound But at the same time her seething sea of madness cooed and loved him with all its heart

Devick let out an aggrieved sigh and shook her head ruefully Being a parent is so difficult Yet what can you do We are family I suppose I can put up with these small misbehaviors

The unfortunate planet that had caught her attention continued to rupture and shudder crumbling away to a drifting field of debris Bored Devick left the area and returned to the comfort of her office

Randidly�s Nether Core released threads of spun night riding the most destructive wave of Nether he had ever unleashed These destructive currents lapped outward edged with the spectral flames of Nether Weight burning a path through the sky and latching onto the surrounding space

However the grey clouds belched out by the flesh titan continued to struggle directly against the Nether Its image was vague and general so Randidly couldn�t exactly determine its purpose Yet precisely that general feeling made it difficult for his Nether to burn away It shifted and seethed surly and stubborn in front of his force

But cloud cover was the least of his worries

The flesh titan stepped forward again cracking one of the few remaining portions of solid ground in the large courtroom The rest of the flooring had shattered into gravel and piles of glossy rubble

Its rust colored body shuddered again expanding and contracting with a sickening consistency Copper spikes stuck out of its shoulders and eyes but Randidly could also spot the true core of this other image A bulging spot on its torso much larger than the ones that housed the weakened spirit that could only be its heart pulsed periodically sending throbbing tremors through its body

This even before it began to move

That�s the target then Randidly crouched slightly and gave Dreadful Alacrity the moments it needed to build up that extra bit of overwhelming speed The flesh titan hurtled toward him heedless of his silent preparations Strike at that heart until Wick grows desperate and displays weakness

So if that heart is the core of the flesh titan Acri�s tip seemed to race across a metal plate seeping out of the thing�s torso the defensive barrier manifesting itself only a small fraction of time before the strike ground up the surface The frequency of his strikes rose until he inflicted more damage around that image core Then Randidly abruptly fled unleashing the heavy burden of gravity in order to avoid getting lashed by its flexible arms What is the vulnerable portion of Wick�s image

Knowing him Randidly sucked in a deep breath More ripples became raw power that he forced through his body supercharging his movements to contain a hundred tiny servings of extra power It wasn�t the same sort of overwhelming image he struggled against but it was something that core is safely within the flesh titan So I�ll just need to drag it out

He planted a foot He accelerated faster than he ever had previously Acri ripped into that targeted bulge sinking a few inches before copper rapidly congregated and forced him to a stop with a grating shriek of metal on metal

Then he withdrew choosing a new method But thick clotted blood gushed from the flesh titan

For a split second Randidly�s tongue flicked out to wet his lips The image physicalizations of the Grey Creature lengthened the appendage enough that the tip flicked out in the air as he did so He could practically taste the opportunity he had been waiting for All he needed to do now was force open his weakness

He flickered forward moving as fast as he had seen Devick traversing the ground in his body Finally it seemed the flesh titan realized it couldn�t rely on its basic swipes to attack And rather than simply continuing this inefficient method as its claims of wanting to die should encourage it once more shifted its body It grew almost twenty long and thin arms out of its back each edge in a sharp copper hook These wriggled forward trying to hamper Randidly by sheer dint of their numbers

His heartbeat steadily aligning itself with the maelstrom he contained inside of his body He moved Acri so quickly that the weapon left blurred afterimages in its wake He shredded several of the feeble bits of stretching flesh but then grimaced as they curled in on themselves and toward his back

Maybe someone else you�d catch like this but right now

Congratulations Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane has grown to Level 553

Right now I�m untouchable Randidly blasted back a few more tentacle arms and unleashed a flurry of attacks on the flesh titan�s torso The storm inside of his body made his flesh hum Copper seeped to the surface of the image projection�s skin and it only made Randidly slam Acri forward with more vigor Those clanging impacts released raucous stampedes of ripples that were then gathered and used to add an extra bit of punishment to his movements

The flesh tentacles spun around and ripped toward him but Randidly was gone He landed on the other side of the flesh titan in an explosion of dirt and splinters already blurring into a gleaming torrent of attacks

This time he carved several deep lessons into the titan�s skin as it wheeled around With naked physical force he tore out large chunks of flesh from the image and left them squirming on the ground The copper armor struggled to switch places and the torso produced more flesh hooks

Randidly crashed in from a new angle his chest heaving his emotions heaving Acri crying out sharp delights as it dug into the flesh More and more copper seeped to the surface and Randidly�s Grim Intuition traced out some of the energy flows through the copper He could sense the core areas As long as those came to the surface

But as he learned more about the copper Randidly�s long tongue tasted a new truth The knowledge curdled bitterly on his tongue and he skidded to a stop This copper image is not Wick

The flesh titan sighed Let me die

Above as though it had been waiting just for Randidly to make this realization the grey cloud cover churned With just a small shift the dour clouds turned into thick lines of binding The influence Randidly had ceded to the clouds as he shifted his storm inward came back to bite him for a split second he was totally bound

A blast of annihilation and oblivions bypassed his physical form and slammed into Randidly�s psyche

Chapter 1886

The flickering clouds became a sigil That sigil rushed forward becoming a mental sledgehammer with enough force to crack the personality of an average Nexus dweller like a pile of chicken eggs

To be fair Wick unleashed every ounce of his Willpower in concussing the Ghosthound He had learned his lesson with using emotions as the weapon and this time just cracked against his personality with a direct mental ambush Rather than trying to confuse him with emotions he relied on an overwhelming impression of oblivion driven directly into his psyche

For a brief moment after the attack landed the Ghosthound�s face split in two half dominated by darkness and the other by a fiery green blaze Both eyes fixed on Wick�s core above him which flitted behind the thick layer of grey clouds safely out of the young man�s reach For a few moments he fought that one way ticket to oblivion and teetered on rising above it

But then those moments of adrenaline passed the foolish boy swayed and then fell almost in slow motion Despite the fact that Wick�s image was so much more powerful it was hard to feel reassured by this victory During the entire extended moment of collapse Wick half expected the Ghosthound to shift and plant a foot before launching a vicious counterattack But the strike never came

Randidly Ghosthound collapsed His crumpled form sent some of the small stones beneath his body skittering across the ground

The flesh titan took a step forward raising a hand to strike down at the exposed body but Wick blasted it with his immutable grey smoke Its eyes clouded as the smoke forced its way into its nose and mouth becoming the only thing that the image projection could sense Wick wiped away its connection to the outside world as he usually did Its heavy shoulders heaved with a long sigh Ah to die

Next to it the copper spikes twitched fitfully Wick stretched out a hand After a moment of dithering the cowed image floated to him and slid smoothly into his body he had trained this one well

Wick cataloged and restricted the other two potent image even while feeling quite pleased with himself The Ghosthound hadn�t made any sort of mistakes but how could he know that Wick could wield the copper image so freely without revealing his true colors It was a long laid trap with his Ominous Horizon image lurking for exactly this moment

Of course the current situation wasn�t ideal

Emotions gurgled in Wick�s chest frantically trying to rip their way out of his grasp Even the docile copper image wriggled as he compartmentalized and bound everything in his person As Devick�s binding unraveled each second held a greater threat of their soul collective collapsing into a mass of chaos and destruction However this much he could still handle on his own

True power Wick spoke to the Ghosthound�s stunned form even as the heavy grey clouds rolled together into a thick column above them Is controlling the entire fight Manipulating the details Never losing sight of your goal Never becoming caught up in the machinations of your opponent And in that You failed

However I am not angry Wick settled on his haunches in front of Randidly The oozing and twitching form of the rust colored flesh titan collapsed into a puddle and then oozed back into Wick�s body In fact you taught me a valuable lesson We both learned from this clash The combination of that improvement when we are one we will both benefit from your capabilities

Wick reached out At the moment he played a dangerous game The emotions were becoming more demanding wanting to run wild now that the walls had fallen Thin tendrils of grey curled out from his fingers meandering through the air toward the Ghosthound Yet Wick couldn�t help but bite his lip He began to sweat

As those tendrils stretched out he began to work on a very familiar set of bindings Even his firm Willpower faltered as he erected the walls around himself Wick after cursing these very restrictions for most of his non blurred memories rebuilt the prison around his soul More tendrils spun out gathering momentum approaching their target The thickening grey mist forced opened the Ghosthound�s mouth and dug in through his nose and ears

Wick could almost imagine he could hear Devick laughing

Because when he needed it even now that he had been freed it was in her hand that he spoke These choices were hers Wick moved with all the independence of a glove meekly cupping her hand

Wick didn�t try to deny that truth But the reason his mouth tasted like swamp mud was how easy it was He had studied it from the inside so many times perhaps subconsciously assuming there was something profound to the working Some secret that would stump him if he tried to escape Yet now that he created it himself and found no such secret found that he had been in charge of his own destiny for so long

The mist formed a bridge The images within him were cupped in that grey haze bound by Wick�s wavering Willpower while the clouds infiltrated the body of the Ghosthound He would need to travel into his subconscious and merge them directly before he could fully bind the whole of the new them� together

He risked their attacks by continuing But Wick resolved himself to ignore them Each had power but they couldn�t rival him with all of the combined force of Devick�s child� gathered in one mental form He took another step

A new figure arrived on the edge of this subconscious world A collective consciousness moving in unison taking the form of a monstrous city with a thousand legs It scuttled over and crouched protectively next to the Ghosthound Wick could feel the weakness of each individual will that spun together to form this city yet together they possessed significant power A strange mouth opened up on the side of the city and motes of silver light swirled around

This time Wick stopped looking around at these strange developments with alarm He only just managed to keep his mental form together But just because he no longer moved that did not mean that the surroundings no longer moved One of the Ghosthound�s images the massive eye of darkness with its swirling event horizon of syrupy light lowered itself down and released two ugly masses They shivered and resolved themselves into slugs their mouths and eyes and everything about them poorly shaped But the duo oozed forward placing themselves to the left and right of the Ghosthound Periodical ripples syncing up to the beating of his heart continued to spread out through the lake

The torrent of emotional force swirled through Wick his body resonating with its passage Despite the infrequent shivers he began twisting his focus His foe lied there with his eyes closed his face at peace But after laying a trap Wick wasn�t going to make the same mistake as his student How long did you plan this

The Ghosthound�s eyes flickered Then they opened the left side of his face lost to oblivion and the right dominated by a brilliant emerald eye Right before you touched me For a few seconds whatever you did genuinely knocked me out But how did you know I was awake

Instinct Wick grunted But his focus flicked sideways in a very revealing manner If the Ghosthound had truly been completely unconscious his mental defenses would not have manifested in such an intimidating manner

The Ghosthound shrugged suddenly standing Wick built up more and more force all the complex emotions that tasted the freedom now that Devick�s bindings had been shredded and wished for more They struggled and Wick corralled that force preparing to release an oppressive image shape

But he needed a bit more time to generate something oppressive enough to suit his needs Wick offered the Ghosthound a wan smile Let me guess once I revealed that the grey cloud image was mine you switched your plan You would endure the attack and recover and then spring the trap on me when I came here to wrestle directly with your psyche

More or less If there�s one thing I have confidence in its taking a hit The Ghosthound returned the smile

Wick did his best to hide the humming vibrations Even his tight control was strained to contain the force he now contained But you made a mistake Even with these strange defenses you�ve gathered do you think it matters Once I touch you we will meet directly You cannot overcome me

This time the Ghosthound didn�t answer But frankly Wick didn�t care

After allowing the silence stretched for a few seconds he threw back his head and laughed Fine then Let�s settle this

Wick gathered all the image potency he possessed with his last scraps of Willpower and shaped it around his body in a truly inspired manner Using the two images from the weaker passengers in his body he created an engine out of rust colored flesh and copper That became his body in this thought area which he prepared to accelerate

A strand no an entire stream of emotions broke off from Wick�s careful control and spiked sideways within the deepest area of the image shape It tore open one of the fleshy sides of the engine he still created all of the pressure suddenly hissing out The image he had worked so hard to generate began to sag

The Ghosthound chuckled Fine then Let�s settle this

Wick�s eyes widened Those emotions Those were from the Ghosthound when he blasted me with them earlier And this entire time he somehow maintained a connection with them how the hell did he refine them to be so marked

But he didn�t have time to consider The Will o Wisps burned forward The images released blasts of force That reflected wingless dragon snarled and snapped The city of many legs walked forward its power rising

All to drown out Wick

Chapter 1887

Despite his confident words to Wick Randidly felt vaguely numb and tingling in this mental form Whatever image the Commandant forcefully injected into him lingered even now despite both Aether and Nether lashing out at the remnants

In addition some part of Randidly was deeply fascinated by the surroundings his attention got tugged in every direction All that he was drawn out around him a glittering magical wonderland His accomplishments became complex skyscrapers of energy and design Of course the small joy of examining himself quickly was smothered by the rather pressing issue of Wick

Even with most of his emotional force lost by that pressure release Wick still roared and barreled forward The copper bottom had wheels and a large cage that covered a large fleshy core area Two massive and lidless eyes sat at the front of the fleshy portion pressed right up against the copper frame Strange pistons pumped between the biological mechanism and the metal but those seemed mostly added detail What mattered was the shuddering core of the train car like amalgamation

When the form of Wick met the form of Randidly Ghosthound in this place they would grapple with each other directly Looking at the train car accelerating toward him Randidly didn�t think it could be avoided the other presences had some power because they were literally inside of his body but they were limited by the fact they weren�t actually him

The true mental blows had to be struck by himself

So the gathered Patrons and individuals from his Pantheon released blasts of their individual images that streaked and screamed across the intervening distance like fireworks They tore holes in Wick�s vulnerable flesh engine and left him ragged Yet their lights immediately dimmed and Wick continued forward leaking a chunky and ooze like version of blood onto the rippling black lake

At the very least Randidly thought still somewhat lightheaded as he glanced down The ooze sizzled and disintegrated as it touched the surface of the lake Nether can safely rid my subconscious of that shit As for Wick himself

Next came Kharon for the first time the Eidolon Crucible becoming a defensive force in Randidly�s body It rushed forward to meet Wick shrinking as it approached until all of the burning loyalty and bright spirits of Kharon condensed into a body the size of a minivan This regal and brave image consciousness slammed directly into Wick�s sagging train engine without hesitation ignoring the difference in potency between them

Well they probably don�t realize even I�m lacking compared to Wick

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 523

Randidly winced in sympathy The impact had enough force that the lake below carried a massive ripple out in every direction Kharon skidded to a stop as a good third of the consciousnesses that composed it were dispersed Most were probably knocked directly unconscious from the collision Wick slowed its speed but then began to drill his way through The people of Kharon struggled but they were simply overmatched for the same reason that Randidly had been able to overwhelm them in the last conflict

Congratulations Your Skill Reign of the Eidolon Crucible has grown to Level 562

That�s enough Randidly dispersed them before the population of Kharon hurt themselves further The lungs� of the current Wick form massive leathery bags contained within an especially tight copper mesh toward the back of the engine inflated and deflated rapidly Emotional force still leaked out from the left one Yet Wick labored and skirted across the last few meters between them Wick�s image form neared the point of breaking down

The tingling was fading Randidly sucked in a metaphorical breath and stirred his Nether

But before he needed to engage directly his images and one Authority lashed out at this rattling machine that seemed one solid hit away from collapsing Yggdrasil unleashed the brilliant light of genesis ripping the tear in Wick�s side even larger The Stillborn Phoenix howled and manifested its most imperative devouring warping the metal front of the engine into a twisted and crumpled ball like discarded aluminum foil The Grey Creature crashed itself directly against that front reaching through with its sharp fingered right hand and shredding one of Wick�s large and unblinking eyes

Then Nidhogg swam up from below and Seized the sight in the second eye The pupil and iris vanished leaving the blank white of the sclera Wick roared again but didn�t waver And somehow Randidly knew that he wouldn�t be able to dodge

Wick�s image form coasted those last few meters bleeding curry colored clotted blood and more of its emotional force every second It was a ragged and weakened being that Randidly needed to face At this point there were occasional flashes of other images in the space above the train engine as though each was about to split from Wick�s body without Devick�s binding Yet even now Randidly didn�t dare underestimate Wick

Either way significance whooshed through Randidly�s Nether Core strengthening it In that way it was clear that Wick succeeded at least partially some portion of Wick became a part of Randidly But Randidly had a feeling that he got the better end of the deal

Heat and toil they warped time until the struggle seemed an eternity His confusion grew And strangely Randidly found the sensation oddly reassuring it reminded him of using the Visage of Obsession

In those unconscious moments he stopped wondering what was happening He simply threw himself into the work Wicks attacks were steadily repulsed

Abruptly Randidly was free The jelly form of Wick sloughed off him dropping and curling like dead snakeskin Weak and scorched by Nether the whole of Wick collapsed onto the ground Little bits of him remained around twitching

The mental connection vanished Even in the subconscious contact was broken Randidly found himself standing before the sagging and melting remnants of that train engine Blank white circles were pointed right at him but they resemble tiny plates more than eyes After surreptitiously prodding it to see if it yet lived the Unborn began to nibble on the remaining fleshy bits

Congratulations Your Skill Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune has grown to Level 924

Then they were back in that demolished courtroom Randidly looked up at Wick�s hairy and blank face before the Commandant collapsed backward onto his ass Randidly stood quickly and then cursed himself as he swayed His head was still light He coughed up and spat out a glob of discolored blood

You Wick�s voice wheezed out He appeared to have regained some clarity because he managed a glare at Randidly Fuck you

A last and fitting expression of Wick�s disdain for Randidly

For a split second something ugly rose in Randidly�s heart He felt anticipation and relish for the moment where he paid back this sadistic piece of shit for every iota of pain he had inflicted on Helen He would lay him open and then thoroughly eviscerate the shattered remnants of his image feeding the scattered and rotting chunks to the Unborn before Wick�s eyes Then he would break his bones rip out his veins and weave a tapestry from his flayed organs For what he did to Helen Wick would feel regret

Yet the experience quickly turned sour as he ran through his planned vengeance His dominant emotion was black and suffocating a constriction sensation of being short on oxygen after a long run Yet panic drove him to move even weak as he was His hands rose almost unbidden leveling Acri at Wick�s chest even through the lightheadedness

Randidly swayed Pawing like a child in the dark he sorted his way through his own emotions

It was one of the hardest things he had ever done to lower his spear The black panic of rage and confusion squeezed his heart The desire for vengeance pounded through him near deafening Randidly sucked in a breath It would have been easy to blame Wick for this strange emotional affliction label it as some lingering remnant of the other that was lodged inside of jelly Randidly

But even if that was partially true it wasn�t the whole truth

We actually aren�t so different Randidly whispered He ached to say those words that was the seed that had grown that black emotion And bringing it to light forced the cloying hatred to wither We were both shaped purposefully by callous and selfish individuals We both so desperately want power We ended up relying on those twisted benefactors to grow The real difference is the choices we�ve made since then

Yet maybe that�s not fair to you Randidly couldn�t say that thought out loud Maybe the real difference was the environment

Randidly pressed his eyes shut and tried to steady himself He felt so exhausted He felt like he would fail Helen by not slaughtering Wick with just as much prejudice as he had shown for her But Randidly found himself intending to let Wick live Which in its own way was a twisted revenge Because even now he could feel those other images lurking beneath his skin beginning to move and morph The weakened Wick would likely spend a lot of time tortured by his demons before he left this life

It was hard not to enjoy that thought But also he tried not to let himself dwell on it

Chapter 1888

By the time Randidly opened his eyes some of those inevitable shifts became physicalized in the body in front of him Copper spikes began to rip out through Wick�s eyes and oozed blood Drops congregated at the dull tips His bearman hair receded leaving ugly stretches of rust colored flesh behind

When Wick spoke it was with a different voice The tone was clipped I would appreciate it if you kill me

The black emotional sludge clinging to his heart quivered with renewed anticipation It would be so easy to assent and end this Plus it would be smart if he didn�t end Wick with his own hands the powerful man might somehow come back to threaten him later Wick had already proven to be a dangerous individual Plus it was the revenge that Randidly had sought There were a thousand reasons why he should kill Wick quickly

And yet Randidly was afraid Because when he looked at Wick�s collapsed form he saw himself so clearly in the shape of this man�s destiny He saw how near parallel their lives had run How small choices had brought them to diverging paths and the prospect of similar choices leading them back together terrified him

Plus letting him go does feel like the worse punishment for him

Randidly shook his head Precisely because it was a choice Wick would never make he felt drawn to it He knew it was foolish He knew he would likely regret it Yet at this moment feeling emotionally exhausted and vaguely tainted and fearful of the effects all that Wick jelly invading him might have all he wanted was proof that he was Randidly Ghosthound

You will regret it This new Wick likely one of the other personalities observed One drop of blood fell off the spike and spattered onto his bare skin Which at least solved the question of why his skin was that color

But Randidly couldn�t help but chuckle at the words I�ve regretted a lot of things since coming to the Nexus This I think I can live with

His clumsy fingers groped several times before they settled on the familiar handle to the Philosopher�s Key He raised the bronze implement gingerly struggling more than usual to find its proper resting place to open back a portal to the safe house that Edraine had created After the key turned and the portal unfolded he turned back to look at Wick

Other portions of the Commandant�s body began to bulge Some of them stretched into tiny limbs with misshapen digits while others became copper protrusions At the same time Wick seemed to be oozing outward like a scoop of ice cream left too long in the sun The bottom portion began to melt and run

We may have similar beginnings Randidly resolutely turned back forward and stepped through the portal He felt oddly hollow beyond even the exhaustion as he considered this powerful foe that had threatened him for so long now coming apart at the seams But we will have different endings This ending of yours whether it is an ending or not you deserve it Wick

You�ll have to live your pain just like I�ll always carry mine

As he passed into the familiar room and right before he collapsed onto the bed for a long and dreamless sleep a portion of the notification he received when he created his Fatepiece came back to him It floated unbidden to the surface of his mind

Yet the paradox of the alchemist is eternal If they are flawed are not all dreams that they can conceive made of that same flawed flesh Can their hands not ultimately only wring more imperfections from the substance of this plane

Moonlight Blade gasped and sat up His clawed hand went to his chest which still felt numb even as the last vestiges of the nightmare passed

He had been sleeping in the corner of his deepest cave well away from most of his subordinates He hated that he needed some time away but he had been truly wounded by the struggle for the Beigon girl

Shivering the Canine pushed himself to his feet The worst part even worse than the strange erosion that had hit his images was the dreams Even now days later every time his mind wandered he would fall into a light sleep And waiting for him there was the keening song of Claudette�s sword

Moonlight Blade�s hands tightened into fists Every time he awoke because he felt that sickening chill as her weapon impaled his chest As someone who considered himself only a half step before the Image Fulfillment stage it was a horrible embarrassment to be so affected

Yet he did not hold a grudge against the girl for this She had bested him Although that strike had taken him by surprise who hadn�t engaged in an ambush in the past Such is the mode of the wild To hold a grudge over such a thing was to curse the eagle for its feathers or the spider for its web Better to focus on the future

Besides there is the matter of the Ghosthound Moonlight Blade barred his teeth Then he glanced down at the bracer on his forearm He could very distinctly feel the way the Ghosthound had somehow adjusted Moonlight Blade�s final attack using the tiny shard of an image that grew within the equipment

Due to that opening the Beigon girl had seized her own destiny

The wolfman raised his head and unleashed a howl that shook the mountain The heavy granite walls vibrated as the noise bounced back and forth through the tunnel system He took great pleasure in sensing the young of his pack being startled awake and glance around wide with fear Greater pleasure still when most of them tried to make themselves as small as possible remaining still so as not to draw his ire

He let the note fall away and rolled his neck Hum better to set my pride aside in this situation too The artisan who makes this equipment is from the Ghosthound�s homeworld This is a genuine chance for me to improve my power Likely he won�t hold a grudge most of his fighting was done against Devick and that Rex girl But still perhaps it will be safest to sweeten the pot

Moonlight Blade began composing a message to the Ghosthound but soon was snarling at the interface and throwing his claws up in the air Everything he typed out felt meek and mild Obviously he was extending a peace offering but he didn�t wish to sound like a trembling whelp dragging itself across the ground with its throat exposed

Ozark Moonlight Blade howled

Almost immediately a trembling form a few caves over jumped and slammed his head against a stalactite After rolling on the ground for a few seconds that pathetic servant character seemed to realize that he had been called and scurried toward the deepest cave Moonlight Blade laid down and did his best to seem sinister and powerful

Y you called Ozark practically chirped his eyes flicking to Moonlight Blade�s chest as though looking for wounds

That certainly earned him no ill will but the wolfman felt oddly at ease around this particular subordinate of a subordinate This being�s entire body seemed to acknowledge Moonlight Blade as a superior existence was a sort of capitulation that was difficult to find

Compose a letter Moonlight Blade growl Let Randidly Ghosthound know there are no hard feelings between us Then request that he facilitate additional equipment for me along the same vein as this bracer Its maker is from his homeworld after all

Chapter 1889

Ozark

Moonlight Blade�s voice sunk into Ozark�s back like he imagined a wolf�s teeth would if that ire was ever directed at him Miserable and not really understanding why he of all people was being called Ozark hopped to his feet

and slammed his head against a rock He crouched over and cradled his skull for several seconds all imperatives knocked away by the pulsing ache that scrambled his thoughts However he quickly remembered the demand in Moonlight Blade�s voice and hurried through the dark tunnels knocking his shins and elbows against walls that he couldn�t quite make out He arrived harried and trying to gulp down breaths as quietly as he could manage

In Moonlight Blade�s main room at least a thin ray of moonlight shown down through a crack in the rocks In the dim light the powerful Pinnacle Seeker�s fur glittered like spun silver He favored Ozark with a blood thirsty smile seemingly looking him from head to toe and weighing mentally how much meat he possessed

Y you called Ozark detested how much his voice squeaked He folded his hands behind his back

Compose a letter Moonlight Blade�s chest rumbled with aggression each hot breath was heavy with fury He leaned forward Let Randidly Ghosthound know

Moonlight Blade�s eyes flashed with an implied threat He bared his long fangs and the air in the cave grew hot know there are no hard feelings between us Then request

The wolfman�s lips pulled even further back from his pearly teeth More than what he said Ozark felt the weight of what he wasn�t saying the consequence if the Pinnacle Seeker didn�t get his way that he facilitate additional equipment for me along the same vein as this bracer Moonlight Blade fixed Ozark with a piercing glare Ozark swayed his palms sweaty The maker is from his homeworld after all

Ozark wanted to cry He had heard the rumors about the young man seen how he had brutally attacked his superior officer and then heard how the Ghosthound had managed to briefly fight Devick to a standstill If you want to so boldly threaten the Ghosthound why use me as a messenger He might just kill me for being disrespectful

But Ozark could only nod That was the lot of being a minion

He tried to maintain his dignity as he left the room then spent several minutes shivering in a small tunnel with his back pressed against heavy stone Only when the adrenaline turned to sludge in his veins did he begin typing a message

Randidly woke up with a gasp His dreams had been thick and chaotic with heat and impressions In some of them he was haunted by a cruel eyed Wick in others by a madly laughing Devick but the worst of them all were those where Randidly could only grit his teeth and try and endure the overwhelming fists of Elhume himself The pressure of their images still seemed to weigh against him

His palette was damp and steam wafted off of his shoulders and arms Randiddly rubbed the bridge of his nose with fingers from Sulfur�s arm which was much cooler than his flesh He had felt a sense of accomplishment finally reaching a point where he could tear apart Wick However he still found himself wanting against the image of both Devick and Elhume

For a brief moment the deflated loose skinned version of the defeated Wick flashed in front of Randidly�s eyes He sighed I won But it�s really just the beginning isn�t it

With very little else to think about Randidly began examining the Nether of the shaft Compared to his own the substance of it was light and oily Not oily in its graceful thickness which Randidly possessed in spades but in the spottled nearly speckled substance of the Nether So many different connections and meanings seemed to have been condensed in this Nether Like rather than a single Nether Core spinning it out there was instead a massive well of Nether around this significance where thinner and less refined Nether was forcefully pressed closely together which eventually combined all those thin layers into Nether of a more serious density

With time and pressure a powerful material could be forged

The prospect reminded him of the layered jelly like form of Wick and himself in that mental area The fragility of self� made Randidly release a long sigh

Very quickly he dropped down to the 50% Nether content layer A small smile tugged at Randidly�s lips when he remembered his struggles before he condensed a Nether Core barely able to maintain his position here At that time Velio Dunn had found him forcing him to flee deeper into the Shaft and risk becoming a part of the significance at the bottom of this place to escape

What came next was the area with the porcelain defensive automatons which obviously let him pass without any harassment as he shot downward However right before Randidly passed their area he felt the hairs on his neck prickling someone was watching him Someone potent

He twisted his head around to look but he was already past that area All that lingered was a bit of anxiety and a strange feeling of familiarity Randidly frowned Who do I know that would be this deep in the shaft

Both Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold and Grey Creature Glimpses Providence activated Yet even combined he could not intuit the answer

That question puzzled him even as he tumbled down past an increasing number of Nether Gatekeepers born in this place and hanging here in constant meditation Reminded of an earlier promise Randidly sent a message to the Nether Gatekeeper that had helped him and now lived in the Alpha Cosmos the one with the powerful mantle of antlers Perhaps on the way back up he could talk to some of these Nether Gatekeepers and give them a new home

The distribution of the Nether Gatekeepers appeared to follow a bell curve There were a few at the edges as he blurred down and then suddenly there were dense clusters of them all sitting in furiously silent meditation to resist the pull back down Randidly slowed his speed just so he wouldn�t disturb them Soon they were so tightly clustered that he had to swim between them The Nether content around continued to rise

Then suddenly the shaft opened up Both figuratively and literally as the amount of Nether Gatekeepers dropped precipitously and Randidly could see what the dense population had made him miss earlier the shaft continued to widen into something ridiculously massive He accelerated again traversing the last distance The substance of the atmosphere was so thick with Nether that Randidly could feel each of the Nether Gatekeepers their deep significance that rivaled his own even after he had borrowed so much from several generous donors

These Nether Gatekeepers Randidly spun his Nether Core and achieved equilibrium with the environment Significance tugged at him but he had enough power to ignore it He looked at one Nether Gatekeeper in particular a sleek armored humanoid that vaguely resembled an armadillo The twirling patterns of Nether this individual produced were incredibly profound Almost immediately one of the Nether Gatekeeper�s eyes opened under his scrutiny Randidly felt vaguely embarrassed to be caught staring

Because this individual made his instincts warier than even Wick had

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 663

Rather than respond to his stare the Nether Gatekeeper smirked and then closed its eyes Its Nether spun in those same beautiful snowflake patterns but then a screen of Nether rose to block him from observing it Randidly released a breath and shook himself That little taste wasn�t enough to give him much inspiration but it did let him know that there was much more to learn about Nether

Then he continued downward and the composition of the atmosphere changed further With the sensitivity given to him by the medium around him Randidly felt it

Randidly had found the body of Pine the existence that had inspired the Nexus CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin( )c0m

Chapter 1890

Randidly felt it pressing against him entirely the opposite way as the powerful image of Elhume had when he needed to face that fist That fist had wanted to crush and break him releasing a grating pressure that sought to impose itself upon him Devick�s rusty chains were similar They overwhelmed everything in their path

He slowed his descent What remained of Pine was very different It pressed against him but in an embrace As though it would accept anything and everything a wide and guileless affirmation to all nearby forces

Which Randidly supposed was why significance began to pool here

From Randidly�s talks with Yystrix and also later the Patrons he knew roughly the situation in the Nexus Pine was a child that Yystrix had with some Nether being a throwback to the Shallah the original pure beings of myth that lived in an Eden lost to history Due to various circumstances Yystrix had brought Pine back to Elhume her husband who was an Aether based being like her

Elhume had a particular role in the Aether society one that put him in a position of power In Pine he saw providence and opportunity Yet all was not well every moment that Pine spent in the exposed universe the light of his life grew dimmer He might truly be one of the Shallah however outside of Eden his only fate was to die

Yystrix and Elhume didn�t understand the timeline but they understood how this was going to end if they did not act

So Elhume mortgaged the entirety of the Aether population in order to create an adequate environment for Pine He relied on the perfection of the child Yystrix had brought to reach the Pinnacle� and create the Nexus from nothing However it soon became clear that the Nexus was only a temporary solution It stalled out Pine�s degeneration but couldn�t heal the wounds that had already occurred Therefore Elhume mobilized the Nexus to try and bridge the gap to that lost Eden so Pine could recover and thrive

Randidly floated down through the thick air Out of the darkness of the Shaft the first hints of Pine emerged A stadium sized sphere waited below slurping up all the significance that floated down here and remaining thirsty for more It looked like the inversion of the Stillborn Phoenix the darkness seemed to intensify around the edges of the sphere becoming thick and impenetrable Out of the corner of your eye you could see nothing but the abyss there But when you looked at it directly a bright world unfolded before you

It looked full but that embrace sang of emptiness

Randidly couldn�t make out any detail of this world because the fuzzy lines of mountain and sky and greenery were rubbed away at the edges by the gleaming sun touched spell that covered all of it The golden light refracted into blinding kaleidoscopes that beckoned Looking directly at it Randidly felt a deep tug on him to join that world Even with his own Nether Core this existence was strong

Hollow as it might be some substance existed there

Randidly turned away with an effort of will shattering the growing connection of significance between himself and that world Only out of the corner of your eye when that brilliant dream faded to darkness could you see the tumbling details that he had heard from Roy

In that darkness several limbs twisted mid air Randidly saw a single featherless wing folded neatly A bloodshot eye stared around sightlessly as it tumbled A luminously pale skull released a misty of glittering blue motes A fleshy pink stomach engorged itself on the significance absorbing more and more

The ugly and swollen organ couldn�t be seen if you looked for it but lurked like the whisper of doom when refused to be pulled into the dream

The strange dream around Pine�s body already has such a frightful pull Randidly frowned and looked away entirely from this strange base How dense must the significance in his stomach be And why can�t I feel it The significance that flows into him just seems to disappear

Indeed Or rather it was the true me Not just the unlucky bit of myself that remains conscious The man standing next to the bed gave a small smile His cheekbones were sharp and his hair was slate grey His eyes glittered with a purple so dark it was nearly black But now that Randidly was closer he could see that the figure in the bed and the standing figure wore the same face

Abruptly Randidly realized where he recognized the sharp features You are

Solomon Rex The mysterious figure bowed to Randidly He held the perfect bend of his bow for two seconds before he straightened At your service Mr Ghosthound I�ve been waiting for someone like you for a long long time

For several seconds Randidly just stared at the man His emotions twisted back and forth in his chest as he thought about the way that Neshamah this man�s daughter betrayed Claudette at the last second Perhaps being under the sway of the Rex Family would have been the lesser of several evils but it had seemed unnecessary

But truthfully he wasn�t even sure how close Solomon and Neshamah were

Randidly�s gaze shifted to the sleeping form of Solomon A small smile played across the man�s face as though he wandered through a reassuring dream Radndidly�s frown deepened at the strange circumstances I I�m not sure what to say to you

Nor I you honestly The mental projection of Solomon Rex reached up and rubbed the back of his head with a rueful smile I had always hoped someone like you would come along to threaten Elhume but I didn�t have much hope

That certainly earned a sharp glance from Randidly You

Then he stopped short Was he surprised that this mysterious figure slumbering beneath Pine knew he wanted to overthrow the Nexus Compared to the other facts about this strange meeting that seemed to be the most innocuous Besides being aware of Randidly�s own goal was something different than being aware of the group gathered with the intent to bring down Elhume

Solomon just watched Randidly�s internal conflict with a knowing curl at the corner of his mouth

Randidly breathed out a breath There is too much strange about the situation Let�s take one thing at a time

Why are you here Randidly asked Not the projection but your true body You are sleeping

Very deeply But that�s the price I had to pay To remain here Solomon Rex�s smile faded I�m guarding Pine against selfish and shortsighted fools Even if our leader has forgotten the original goal of the Nexus there is a group of us that has not No matter what we cannot give up now out of fear

Randidly absorbed that answer slowly He wasn�t sure what Solomon meant by giving up out of fear But rather than ask that question he changed his focus but kept things simple And why have you been waiting for me Or someone like me

You are quite special It didn�t have to be you obviously Solomon scratched his beard looking surprisingly mundane despite the environment The horrible truth is that the System is all about commodifying and stealing something precious in order to repurpose it for another aim First to cut through the abyss and reach Eden and now well All the powerful individuals who have come before end up eventually empowering that man on top of this sick pyramid one way or another The reason I reached out to you what you are making of yourself would be very very difficult to copy There are too many crucial pieces And for that reason you have a chance of being singular A chance of reaching the Pinnacle based on your own power

Chapter 1891

When Solomon spoke the words left his lips and hung in the air like secondhand cigarette smoke As Randidly opened his mouth he could feel the distinct tang of knowledge and honesty hanging in the air

Since arriving in the Nexus Randidly had heard many people talking about the Pinnacle They revered it there was an entire group of people that were so obsessed with reaching it that they were named after it the Pinnacle Seekers The power divisions that he had encountered as far as he could understand them were constructed to describe how close a person was to reaching the Pinnacle

For all that when the shade of Solomon standing at the foot of the bed told Randidly he had the potential to reach that point on his own power that goal felt quite distant despite the confident expression on the projection�s face It was hard to even know what it would take to push his images to that potency

Randidly�s thoughts turned inward for several seconds But he ended up being pulled out of his thoughtful reflection by a soft laugh from Solomon Oh don�t worry most people don�t share my optimistic opinion on you Elhume included you are still beneath his radar even if you�ve managed to defeat Wick There�s no rush to fight him to the death For now you just need to continue doing what you�ve been doing

Randidly allowed himself to nod still trying to figure out the pieces of this man with the mild smile and the grey hair The way he spoke was disarming Plus there was a strange emotional resonance about him that kept grabbing Randidly�s attention So why did you call me down here now Shouldn�t that bring more attention to me

Solomon gestured dismissively at the screened engraving underneath their feet There is no need to worry about that If nothing else I�m confident in my ability to create Engravings I�d go so far as to say I�m best in the Nexus Just to provide a little extra reassurance this was drawn by the main body before he fell into his slumber Elhume cannot discover us here he�s too disgusted by the presence of Pine to dig into the poor child�s shadow Even when he came recently to make those ugly adjustments to the energy apparatus he didn�t notice that I slept right here under his nose

Randidly pursed his lips Who exactly are you How do you fit into the history of the Nexus

A big question Solomon said easily For the first time the standing version left the foot of the bed He walked across the blurry Engraving to a small area on the grand divide before the Nexus above and the howling abyss of morphing emotion below He crouched down quite easily and began drawing an Engraving His fingers danced like butterflies with soft and fluttering touches Mana glittered as his fingers left it behind Soon an elegant little sigil flared to life releasing a soft projection of light Everything that light touched was covered in numbers and strange readings so much that Randidly had to blink

It looked like

To my great shame Solomon offered Randidly another half smile of a child unlocking his toy chest and offering his most precious figurine A pure note of guilt rippled out from Solomon I am the one who created the framework Elhume used to enact the overlay System I don�t think you�ll find my name in any history but I�m the engineer that helped tie everything together into the horrible pyramid scheme the Nexus has become And I didn�t know what was happening until it was too late

If you were worried about Elhume being able to steal and repurpose images you really fucked yourself with that one Randidly thought somewhat spitefully still aware that he had perhaps given Elhume new tools when he allowed his Fateset to be discovered by the System But Solomon�s smile had a brittle edge it was clear he understood and regretted what happened So Randidly didn�t press on that issue

You didn�t answer my earlier question Randidly decided to let that information go for now He would ask Edraine and the Patrons about Solomon Rex after Why call me down here I can understand now how Pine acts as a natural amplifier to add some teeth to the message but I still think any message had the potential of drawing attention you don�t want

Ah well it was about time for us to discuss a few different subjects I think it�s time for you to start to understand how dangerous the Nexus can be Solomon Rex shook his head Randidly blinked if anything he was confident in his understanding of how dangerous the Nexus is

His reaction must have shown on his face because Solomon snorted Oh yes I understand you�ve had to fight and claw every moment you�ve been in the Nexus But you�ve faced the wild frontier of the Nexus so far I would recommend that as quickly as possible you get yourself a Tier III Citizenship coin Only when you�ve walked across the high walled castle built there can you understand the polite monsters that have no doubt been noticing your meteoric rise More than Elhume who nurses his own obsessions those Tier III individuals who want to maintain the status quo will be the threats Because they�ve definitely been watching you after what happened with Claudette Beigon

Randidly�s eyes sharpened Perhaps it was the meek honesty that Solomon displayed or the dispassionate mention of Claudette but he wanted to pressure this man And what exactly did happen You tried to control Claudette by having your daughter betray us

Solomon continued speaking while Randidly�s gaze fixated on the crystal Authorities are strange things that I�ve only ever fought against You Randidly are the first citizen of the Nexus to condense the genuine article However I understand they come from the foundation of your Nether Core Considering your three images I would expect you possess three Authorities Having one develop while the others haven�t been discovered will lead to some irregularities in Nether rotation A Penance will balance that Act as a counterweight while you grow into your full form

Where did you get it Randidly whispered looking at the teardrop shape In a way it was hard to believe this to be a Nether Penance he had hypothesized The more he stared the more his awareness sank into the details The smooth and the curved arcs the inner light the dance of soft color In addition a portion of it moved Randidly could see the light rising and falling at an even pace

Ah An old story Solomon scratched the back of his neck with his other hand In my younger days I was quite zealous in my persecution of genuine Nether beings you�ve undoubtedly heard of the Nether Wars Well one in particular had wounded a close friend At great personal cost I tracked down the offending Nether King and slew him This is his Penance His family was one of great import to the Nether people this Penance possesses great power Holding it is a heavy burden but that is exactly the point of a Penance

You deride Elhume for stealing the strength of others yet you bear the trophy from a fallen Nether King

Thank you but I think I�ll try to condense my own Penance first Randidly answered slowly

Solomon shook his head Now just hear me out I have no doubt that you�ll be able to figure out the method to condense a Penance In the end Penances are simply ways of making each moment more significant Nether beings willingly pay a constant cost to increase the weight each moment has However I think your Penance will be light Not of your own design but because while you may use any number of Penances each individual can only create one A light Penance will earn you nothing in the end Besides this is the way of Penances They are not like Fates bound to a person Among Nether people it was often encouraged to pass down your Penance to the next generation to help them improve

Lastly you can stop using a Penance at any time At the very least I recommend you experience the particular for a time so you can use that knowledge to form your own

Solomon�s words swayed Randidly Or perhaps it wasn�t just the words it was the strange forthright attitude of the projection standing next to his own sleeping form Every action and explanation felt honest Which could be a front but Randidly was more inclined to believe that Solomon genuinely meant to help him That emotional purity and resonance weren�t faked

Of course Solomon�s assistance was likely only to push Randidly more toward a clash with Elhume

Nodding slowly Randidly reached out and took the Nether Penance Almost immediately he felt Nether stirring in his chest restlessly seeming to want to dig its way into the Nether Penance right this moment He restrained that impulse and was relieved to feel the stone as an inert weight in his hand What�s the cost you were talking about

This particular specimen requires seconds Solomon looked at the crystal almost wistfully You can consider it a timepiece As a Penance you are required to give it one second out of every minute in its base form This can be slightly banked or deferred so it doesn�t interrupt you in an important meeting or fight But so long as you bear that Penance one of your precious seconds will no longer be yours

Can it be deferred indefinitely Randidly asked Already he could see the way that giving up one second would help accumulate additional significance in the other fifty nine

Rather than answer Solomon quirked his lips and looked back at his sleeping form Only after understanding dawned on Randidly�s face did he speak eventually the debt will come due with interest But believe me when I say I needed the power and don�t regret the choice I made No matter how the Don played me like a fool

Randidly licked his lips and then looked at the Penance in his hand It felt oddly cool against his skin like fresh mint would feel on his tongue How many seconds did you give it

Twenty nine out of sixty Solomon�s chuckle was dark and dry like a burned and hollowed tree collapsing after a forest fire I burned brightly for a short period but in the end it wasn�t enough

Chapter 1892

Randidly couldn�t imagine that a story that ended with you slumbering underneath the shadow of a fake and warped significance singularity and on top of an abyss had gone very well

His eyes took in the peaceful expression on the real Solomon�s face and his mind tried to grapple with what had led him to this point He tried to imagine what it would be like to give up almost half of the seconds in a minute to a Penance Then he shifted toward understanding how the mechanism that enforced the Penance would work He examined the soft lines of the linens that lay across Solomon�s physical body Then Randidly considered how and how much benefit you could extract by using a Nether Penance like that

He had said that he burned brightly He wondered how far Solomon Rex�s light had pierced through the darkness

In the end he decided to change the subject The almost glittering sensation of chilliness continued to radiate through his skin from where he handled the Penance Did you know that Don Beigon attends to make an attempt on the Pinnacle

Ha Yes indeed Quite ironic that such a conservative man would make the decision to fly in the face of the status quo But the way his wife die certainly left a mark And I�ll tell you one of the Don�s secrets I know the moment that he intends to use as his springboard Solomon�s eyes flashed For a few moments the purple was light enough to glow in the dimly lit shaft Randidly reflected that the combination of that piercing gaze and the emotional resonance probably meant that Solomon�s light had shone far indeed The Moment he will use is the time when I wake from this extended slumber And can finally claw my way out of this place

Despite himself Randidly�s lips twitched Is he fleeing from a debt from you too

The two of them exchanged wry grins A vision of Don Beigon�s dramatically aggrieved expression floated between them a testament to how difficult it was to dislike the Don through his charm He played a character and played it well Likely it was part of some Skill but it was difficult to stay mad with how reassuringly himself he was

In the Don�s hands even honesty becomes a weapon

Well anyway thank you for coming to visit When he spoke Solomon�s expression became quite serious He glanced upward not at the giant sphere housing Pine but beyond that at the shaft Although I have to say you�ve cut it pretty close Time is essentially frozen down here so close to his main body I recommend you take some time to stabilize yourself here before you return Try and discover your other Authorities familiarize yourself with the Penance see what you can do to strengthen your image And have a plan for when you leave to get Tier III citizenship as soon as possible Otherwise you won�t even see them sharpening their knives around you

Randidly tilted his head to the side Time is frozen So your situation down here

My slumber has been a bit extended due to that yes Solomon shrugged Mostly I�m hibernating so it�s not like I notice In the end I simply dare not sleep away from Pine

Something else occurred to Randidly He frowned around briefly scanning the lines of the massive Engraving that sipped at the ambient energy Pine�s dream world created If time really is so slowed here then how can Pine fuel the Nexus with his energy

Solomon�s purple eyes flashed with something akin to pride His tone was filled with reverence That just demonstrates the depth of power that Pine releases His vigorous energy flows were actually a problem in the early Nexus that�s why the first two Cohorts devolved into such a chaotic series of factions The power he released was too much to even attempt to control Later he began to accumulate significance and the power tapered down to more reasonable levels At this point most of the problems that the Nexus are experiencing are because the energy we�ve had to work with has been steadily tapering off

But why would he hide it Based on his emotional reaction whoever had done so was an enemy of his Or perhaps even he had reached the Pinnacle and that power had been stolen from him

Ultimately Randidly decided to store this sudden rejection away for later No need to antagonize Solomon now

Randidly walked across the divide a ways to get away from the undertow of Pine not looking either up or down Both wielded forces that even made the current Randidly wary Then he pressed off grimacing a bit as the pull of significance grabbed at his body without the divide�s protection He forced himself upward heading to the area with those powerful Nether beings right near the base

After stabilizing his position and whirling his Nether Core to add some protective layers to himself Randidly�s attention turned inward Again he had a half dozen activities he wanted to pursue understanding the Penance learning his other authorities training his images consolidating his understanding of energy flows etc

But Solomon spoke some sense He had been bullishly focused on Wick for a while and had lost sight of his plot to bring down Elhume To that end he contacted Edraine and the Patrons for a meeting

Randidly returned to his sky island above Kharon which currently drifted around the crouched city above a chain of active volcanos Sea turtles poked their heads out of warm turquoise waters wondering where this new island had come from He had Tatiana send up some freshly butchered meats and cooked and cooked making a veritable feast for himself The recipes were ones he had learned from Nrorce which still made him feel somewhat strange But considering their most recent interaction Randidly had some hope that the old goblin was pulling things together

For this meeting the Patron of Blooms and the Patron of the Abyss didn�t attend Both apparently were nurturing students in the Alpha Cosmos which made Randidly feel slightly strange However he believed Edraine the Patron of the Sun and the Patron of Blades would be enough

The Patron of Feathers Randidly began when the group settled into one of Randidly�s many ornate drawing rooms This one Tatiana had filled with tastefully carved wooden furniture

The Patron of the Sun frowned Even with this Alpha Cosmos�s best healers progress is slow She possessed a horrible sort of emptiness in her that seemed to have resulted from a large portion of her soul being devoured Those wounds are not simple Even now we are unsure if she will ever recover

Randidly nodded He was curious about what happened to her but mostly because the Patrons seemed obsessed with her situation With that one distraction out of the way he turned to Edraine Have you thought about our plan to hurt Elhume I�ve just spoken with Solomon Rex Any information you have on him would be helpful but he recommended getting Tier III Citizenship as soon as possible

Solomon Rex Edraine sucked on her teeth What a nostalgic name He was a military Commander right One important enough that even I remember him As for the plan well After helping the Patrons escape and feeling Elhume�s ire I don�t think the strategy of stealing his physical body is feasible Would we be able to keep it from him considering his martial power We�ve been discussing other methods but the best we can come up with is investigating that charm that the Patron of Feathers was holding Whatever sort of weapon it is it definitely has the chance to harm even someone of Elhume�s caliber Other than that well if overthrowing Elhume was easy someone else would have done it already

Randidly�s gaze flickered With everything going on with Claudette he had forgotten about the charm Investigating it would be another way to spend time One more item for the agenda He reached up and cracked his neck Looks like I�ve got a lot on my plate then

In terms of Tier III citizenship Edraine�s expression turned somewhat bitter as she looked at Randidly She sighed and shook her head As hard as it is for me to admit you should be the one that uses it I believe I could still defeat you right now But for how long will that be the case In Elhume�s fist I saw a way to improve but your speed of accumulation is ridiculous We need two more Tier I tokens in order to make the III but we have enough genuine articles They can just be the more mundane variety which we can buy if we head back to the Nexus

So train for now get Tier III citizenship when we head back to the Nexus Randidly released a breath His skin tingled Finally some time to firm up my foundations

Chapter 1893

Raymund Ballast stood in front of whole of the Vulpis Squad with his arms folded behind his back He felt the moment building on his lips even before he opened his mouth On the one hand he knew he didn�t have to do this He could live other lives be other people On the other he had become entirely convinced that this was the life he wanted to live A life where he paid his debts

The individual who lived this life wouldn�t have failed his younger brother And more than anything else that was who Raymund Ballast wanted to be

The Ghosthound has seen fit to give us a reprieve He said slowly He felt the turn within himself Perhaps even now he wasn�t the individual who could save his brother from the expectations of the elders But he could force himself into the sort of situations where he would have no choice but to become that person or die That is what he intended to do now His timeline is slow but he has some projects that need to be completed before his return to the Nexus During that time all members of the Vulpis Squad are welcome to take something of a vacation in the Alpha Cosmos To enjoy themselves to the best of their abilities considering their connection to the Nexus will be cut off The Ghosthound suspects that upon our return to the Nexus we will be under intense scrutiny and pressure He will have no margin for error

They might finally realize I�m a threat the Ghosthound had joked when they met on his skyisland But Raymund Ballast having watching Randidly Ghosthound grow just since he taught the Elite Squad knew that it was 100% true

From the hard look in the Ghosthound�s emerald eyes he had known it too

Near the front of the column Charlotte Wick closed her eyes Jieu Ronault stood smartly at attention his elemental body nearly under his total control Vizzeret Clamman shook his head release the oppressive pressure of an apex beast The other recruits� eyes began to burn Perhaps they too could sense what he built toward

Some of their thoughts seemed to mirror his own Already a strange haze appeared in the wide blue sky above them

Of course as leader of the Vulpis Squad Raymund tried to keep his voice even as he spoke but emotions began to choke him up The heaviness of this choice pressed against his shoulder He thought of the look of exhaustion on the Ghosthound�s face when he came to talk to him He thought about Techetadore still missing but also that strange certainty Raymund carried that his little brother was still alive I cannot help but observe that the Vulpis Squad has been required to do very little in the recent months In fact it was Randidly Ghosthound himself that handled the dangerous situation We have run drills Naught else has been placed on our plate

Which makes it feel quite queer to take a break right now

After observing the way Kharon�s image could weave together Raymund had some ideas of how to improve the Vulpis Squad He put those into practice now using his blazing emotions to guide the surging communal agreement of the Squad They all had been the favored but ultimately forgettable favorites and descendants of upper class residents of the Nexus They had been cobbled together into the Elite Squad to be tucked away and ended up under Randidly Ghosthound just by chance

Underneath Helen�s and the other instructors� tutelage they had rapidly grown They had been shown the way effort and hard work could change their fates as favored playthings And then had been forced to witness unable to help in those tragic hours while Helen had stoically endured torture to keep the Ghosthound out of harm�s way

After everything that he and his subordinates had done for them the Ghosthound had only asked them for a small portion of their rewards from the Nether incursion Then when the real danger had manifested itself the Ghosthound had protected them and gone on his own to face down Commandant Wick

The fact that he had eventually overcome that challenge was irrelevant to the shame Raymund felt That Wick�s image had been broken brought no one but perhaps Charlotte any joy All they understood was that when their benefactor had needed their help they had been useless to him Not once but twice Perhaps the old versions of themselves would be able to move on from these moments of helplessness able to press forward and pretend they weren�t filled with guilt and regrets but Helen and Heiffal had forged them into warriors Warriors didn�t shy away from danger

Yet even that wasn�t enough Now they craved to be more than simple warriors

The tension in the air around the Vulpis Squad crackled Raymund raised his eyes giving each individual time to make their own decision To dip their toe into the shifting current and decide whether they would throw the whole of themselves into that pursuit He could practically see heat waves rising from the group as more and more firmed their resolve Emotions flowed up into the collective and gave it shape underneath the wide sky Their pure desires became fuel for it to burn hotter to settle upon the shoulders of each willing individual firming into a presence that would goad them onward to accomplish their goal

He flicked a wrist and produced the strangely textured teardrop Even now even when he used Sulfur contact with it filled him with an invigorating tingle He held the item close to his chest measuring the illumination that flickered in the core of the crystal Then he pulled a long and thin thread of Nether and ran it through the crystal

The Penance accepted the energy easily The Nether flowed out the other side relatively unchanged despite the satisfying feeling of connection that emerged Randidly pursed his lips he supposed it would be too easy if such a noncommittal effort could achieve a boost in significance

He licked his lips and sighed Then he pressed the Penance against his chest Leaving a chill in its wake it sank into his flesh and floated down to take up residence in his Nether core The crystal began to pulse like a heart superimposing itself over the rotating energy source It still remained inert and Randidly carefully examined its functions afraid to activate it prematurely Having an item given to him by a powerful force in the Nexus that didn�t abruptly activate in an unexpected relief was almost just as shocking as the rest of his conversation with Solomon

Aside from that final lie about Alymian of course

Randidly soon found the functional portion of the Penance waiting patiently for him to pour Nether into it His attention brushed itself along that pulsing heart of light Randidly released a breath Then he shifted the Penance and his Nether Core into position settling into the one second per minute Penance

His Nether Core accelerated just slightly Cool ripples spread through his body riding along with the wave of newly refined Nether The energy felt glittering and fresh running through his body sparkling like snow runoff on a sunny dawn The strangely pleasurable sensation forced a breath out of his body

Something within him relaxed His Nether Core accelerated forward seeming to be filtering out a strange flavor that had grown heavy across the surrounding Nether

Ah the First Authority Randidly�s eyes glowed emerald as he looked down at his hands Then he raised his head and glanced around at the whole of the Nether storm he had created to cover the island beneath him

A portion of him acknowledged the subconscious clock that formed in his Nether Core measuring the time that he spent As minutes passed he built up a debt� of seconds which he would need to eventually pay The payment seemed straightforward he simply needed to relax and let his thoughts drift away For that time he would be completely inert But for the moment the shift in the surroundings interested him far more

Likely due to one Authority being active and the others remaining undiscovered the First Authority had crept into most of his Nether Which made it easier for it to form some connections and much more difficult for it to form others Likely that horrible avaricious seizing aspect that had spread through his Nether was why all the animals had been driven from the island Only plants and insects didn�t mind the shift in significance

However with the Penance active that influence was curtailed down to one fourth its previous power

Randidly blinked One fourth

His attention zeroed in on his Nether Core In addition to slightly increasing the rate at which he accumulated significance it also helped frame Nether in a way that made it easier to detect subtle differences in energy flows So he could feel the grasp of the First Authority and beyond that he found three more slight flavors that appear in disparate notes around his core These unnamed Authorities were more difficult to understand but the feelings they gave him were distinct

Yet Randidly still felt wary Obviously one is based on the same desires that birthed my images One for Stillborn Phoenix and one for the Grey Creature But where did this final Authority come from Is it possible it�s from the Penance itself

Was that why Solomon had given it so freely

Chapter 1894

Randidly spent almost a day wrestling with the issue of this mysterious Fourth Authority During that time he mobilized all of his powerful mind and delicate senses to comb through the notes and flavors of his internal world He even found and eradicated a few lingering notes of Devick�s madness that had somehow managed to survive his first few purges

On the subject of the Fourth Authority however he achieved exactly nothing

He couldn�t feel any connection between the dimly sensed Authority and the Penance They were a part of him not some passenger from the Penance If anything this only made him feel worse if the Authority didn�t come from a foreign influence he had no idea why it would be a part of his Nether Core

His next theory was that perhaps it was related to his other Skillset the Moirae of Ripples He had used that pseudo image quite a bit in combination with his Nether Skills after all Especially recently However that made even less sense Authorities came from the foundation of his Nether Core Solomon had mentioned it and Randidly�s intuition told him the same thing And as powerful as Moirae of Ripples was it hadn�t even been imagined when he had made his Nether Core

This Fourth flavor wasn�t exactly unfamiliar but he couldn�t see how his Nether Core had been founded on it

Still his failure to identify the culprit from his vague senses wasn�t exactly surprising Trying to understand the source of his authority based on the vague sense was like studying shadows to figure out the tactile sensation of rubbing fabric

Randidly did his best to put it out of his mind As it turned out the Penance was a useful tool for this he felt conflicted and vaguely anxious when he closed his eyes and accepted the owed oblivion but woke up cool and tingling from paying a few hours� worth of deferred seconds He even went so far as to go under for another few hours building up a bank of paid seconds that he could rely on through the early portion of his training

Examining his refined Nether closely he could feel the subtle difference in depth that using the Penance generated After humming to himself and staring down at the grey cooling surface of the lava of the volcano Randidly reached into the Penance and shifted the payment up to two seconds per every sixty

The effect was immediate but relatively small Randidly clicked his tongue he might have doubled the amount of time he paid to the Penance but it was still an insignificant portion relative to how much time remained his own However due to the thickening of the currents he could weave Randidly left increased Penance intact and moved his attention away

He meant to begin building a schedule for himself on this island but his attention was drawn by some movement at the edge of his sphere of influence Randidly twisted to look out at the growing behemoth riding the sea waves and his lips twitched

Randidly only had to look at the group from the Vulpis Squad and feel their image to understand their intentions They had lashed together several barges setting up a basecamp� right outside of Randidly�s Nether storm which extended above twenty meters beyond the beach into the surrounding seas There they staged several excursions into the Nether environment where their images were constantly weathered by the heavy presence of Nether

Seeing that this was exactly the point Randidly didn�t bother to try and attune the Nether to their image which wouldn�t have been difficult considering that their image partially came from him And increasingly he played a larger role in their collective image However he had noticed their regular activities a few days ago before he had banked up some time for the Penance now he couldn�t help but gawk at the blossoming bobbing shanty town that sprung up on the edge of the storm

A lion�s share of the new arrivals were from Kharon and the Order Ducis who appeared to have negotiated with Heiffal and the Vulpis Squad to be part of the training session Groups came from the Wandering City on Scrawled bits of driftwood that were soon repurposed to extend the barge and create small shelters But what fascinated Randidly was the trickling arrivals of smaller groups

They came in ones or twos with unfamiliar images but with a distinct trail of significance that they followed to reach him They were strong stronger than Randidly expected to find amongst unfamiliar individuals who hadn�t been trained by anyone that he knew Yet the weirdest part was the way they were connected to him without him even knowing due to his far reaching influence on Expira

Due to his capabilities with Nether he could prevent the item from latching onto him Yet also he could sense that time was required for it to build up a charge� of its horrifying attack He did his best to penetrate the structure and understand the mechanisms before it was armed once more

Skill Levels came slowly compared to the frantic struggles he had engaged in over the last few weeks However what Randidly gained was understanding Understanding of energy ripples understanding of Penances understanding of the way that images and connections could be blended together

Also a distant understanding of the way the Nexus cleaved the two energies apart in a mysterious effort that had led to several strange side effects

But he didn�t rush Because for the first time in a while Randidly had time to improve slowly

Sam growled and threw up his hands This piece of shit

He tossed the headpiece of glittering leaves to the side It clanked noisily off the workbench and fell to the floor somehow managing to cut a deep divot in one of Sam�s favorite hammers as it fell to the ground Buzzing like an overstressed steam engine he bent at the waist and swept the item off the ground Then he tossed it over to a bin at the far end of the room filled with similar attempts

All very high quality higher than anything Sam had made by relying on the materials on Expira But not high enough

Muttering quietly to himself Sam went to the sink and rinsed his hands under the faucet His connection with Ozark had continued with the other party giving meandering instructions and vague explanations of materials that led to this a headpiece worn by a powerful wolf that could benefit an image

Recently those nagging messages and requests for status updates had stopped Sam thanked his lucky stars that the Ghosthound had chosen to go into isolated training so he now had some space to breathe and think about the project

But at the same time Sam wheeled around and glared resentfully at the bin filled with poorly executed materials It means that I�m stuck in here with these failures staring me in the face and no one to be mad at

Sam Have you got a minute Regina knocked and then allowed herself into his workroom without waiting for a response

Sam put on an aggrieved expression it was a rule that they weren�t allowed to do exactly this in their house However he inwardly felt a flush of warmth as he looked at his wife He coughed to hide it Hum What is it I just finished up And you know our rule

I know I know Regina flapped her grease covered fingers Then she gave him a bright smile a smile that had made him fall in love with her She sucked in a breath and spat out her new idea How would you like to take a little vacation to the South Sea

Chapter 1895

Sam examined his wife closely His lips twitched when she used the word vacation as a pretext for some adventure how is this going to be a vacation You�ve heard the rumors the crazies are heading down there for training which you know is going to become some sort of tournament and I heard that the Purity Movement will be gathering to run a demonstration against the Ghosthound Even worse is the announcement from the Order Ducis that the connection to the Nexus will be cut off merchants were just getting comfortable enough with the exchange to really feel the sting This journey will be anything but a vacation We are walking toward heaps of work

Regina pushed up an elegant eyebrow and put her hand on her hip So Are you trying to say you aren�t one of those crazies That you wouldn�t do anything even ignore your family to improve

For several seconds Sam sputtered trying to get his thoughts in order He was quite tempted to head South and talk to Randidly to experience the Nether aura he created but he stubbornly resisted the urge to admit it Besides recently she had been just as quick to absentmindedly miss dinners in favor of her work

Then he looked at Regina again the glitter in her eyes and his expression softened He looked at her leather toolbelt and her greasy fingers and the fire that animated her burning through her expression in a way that she had lost in recent years now returned to its former glory Despite being one of the greatest healers on Expira she felt unfilled for a long time the System took care of most serious diseases usually reducing all other healing to a matter of available Mana to reuse a Skill over and over again

Obviously she could heal more efficiently but without purpose she had lost her sense of direction Even her various friends in Donnyton had privately come over to say a private word to Sam about it Yet after she had finally pestered Sam to teach her about forging and had begun tinkering in her own workshop

Well fine I don�t have much choice do I Sam grumbled He wondered if he could get his hands on any of the rare seashells he had heard whispers about

Regina laughed and shook her head Not really Alright let�s leave tomorrow You tell Sunan to pack up his things Oh have you seen him lately Sometimes I think if we don�t keep on him he won�t even eat meals

Nah the boy�s fine But I�ve been working for the last few days so I�m not really sure where he is Have you Sam could only chuckle when Regina gave him a blank look that morphed into one of motherly worry Likely she had gotten lost in her work and forgotten

Well Sam rubbed Regina�s shoulders feeling the knots of tension curling themselves into small bits of muscle in the fetal position while he touched her He�s just twelve right How far could he have really gotten

From the way she pressed her lips together Sam understood this hadn�t come across as reassuringly as he had meant it He cleared his throat Everyone knows he�s related to us He promised to stay in the area around Donnyton I�ll send him a message I�m sure he�s fine

Randidly raised his arms and spun his fingers tracing them along the interior of the Nether Storm that hung across the island like a grey drape covered dipped in buzzing bees He sat in a pillar of pure sunlight streaming down through the clouds but the rest of the island was submerged in a shadowy half light At this point the difference in environmental significance brought clouds that churned fitfully in the sky overhead The Nether flows generated a literal storm which added a new thread of significance to this already morphing area While Randidly sat in the eye of this literal storm the rest of the island experienced the near constant embrace of shade and a soft drizzle

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 693

In a way Randidly could grow to enjoy the discomfort The way it felt like it had such intense luminosity that it shined through everything reducing him from flesh and blood to a simple pane of glass unable to stop the light All his other worries vanished he was just a material to be examined Or at least that�s what Randidly told himself as he gritted his teeth and allowed his powerful physical body to adjust slowly to the light

Tragically Randidly couldn�t activate the Penance while maintaining the Hierarchy of Burden Otherwise he would simply allow his organs to be baked while sinking into oblivion hopefully waking up before he was orange and wrinkly on the inside He wistfully imagined such a world while doing his best to keep his movements small

Of all my Stats its my physical defense ones that leave the most to be desired Randidly thought as he examined the small moments of trembling weakness as he endured the light Endurance is still the base Stat and Uncommon Metabolism is only Uncommon Serviceable for now but I�m only 40% through this Fatepiece I will soon need more of this Maybe that�s how I should spend my next haul of PP

If I could get my Endurance to something above Legendary

Shaking himself so his drifting thoughts would gather Randidly squeezed the pyramid until the sharp edges cut into his hand All his soft innards continued to burn and sizzle under the unrelenting attention of that light but it was manageable So Randidly�s attention moved up the pyramid into the middle the sapphire layer

He squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself forward He clenched his jaw so hard it popped His senses were stretched to the limit searching for a taste of this next challenge while also barely handling the light radiation

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 41

In that teetering moment of experimentation Randidly felt a gulf open up in front of him The jagged edges of the opening were so shredded that he took a step back He initially panicked thinking that some powerful being had somehow drilled into his Alpha Cosmos but it became clear that it was just the Hierarchy activating And due to the fact this dangerous rift didn�t rip a hole in the side of the volcano he knew that only he could be affected by it

Looking at it you can start to see how this represents the dangers of reaching the Pinnacle You generate an image so perfect it warps the world convincing the surroundings that it is real Randidly�s head throbbed that familiar sensation of his mental energy being sucked away His eyes remained fixed on the rift a small gash of darkness hovering a few meters in front of him This is the cost of that A hole ripped in the very fabric of existence an emptiness that

Randidly abruptly sat up coughing He pressed his fingers into the dirt and shifted his weight into a more comfortable position His head throbbed and he groaned as he brought a hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose Sulfur felt pleasantly cool almost heavenly so easing away the tension headache that pounded at his consciousness

The pain from his mental energy being drained was just as bad as it had been forcefully learning patterns while struggling against Devick Randidly released a long breath and waited for the surroundings to stop spinning His expression was grim as he looked down at the Hierarchy of Burden which he had dropped when he blacked out

Did it suck away my mental energy Randidly muttered His voice sounded groggy and distant He groped for the Hierarchy of Burden with his right hand and missed

At that point Randidly realized it was more than mental energy that the rift had taken His entire body with the exception of Sulfur was unpleasantly cool like a corpse preserved in a refrigerator rather than a living being His movements were clumsy even as his vision stabilized and his thoughts sharpened And considering he seemed to have been unconscious for at least fifteen minutes this was after he had already recovered a bit

Yea Uncommon Metabolism just isn�t going to cut it at this rate Randidly narrowed his eyes and slapped his hands against his upper arms trying to invigorate himself He swayed as he stood and held up the pyramid Fatepiece and looked at the sapphire layer So that�s the middle portion of the Hierarchy of Burden Entropy

Chapter 1896

Randidly took the next week to focus on pushing the Hierarchy of Burden to Level 43 but each session ended with him passed out and near useless for a half hour after the effort The real problem was that the pale light radiation�s heat covered a lot of the early signs that he was succumbing to the Entropy generated by an image reaching the Pinnacle The burning heat covered the loss of sensation so the only warning was the rapid appearance of a headache before darkness took him unawares

The only option Randidly could think of to prevent this was to train up some of the Vulpis Squad to take a portion of the second layer but as he considered this option he could only watch the twitching soldiers on the beach with an aggrieved expression It would take quite a while before they were ready for that

For now he was on his own

So Randidly could only sigh shake his head scowl and move on to other training methods However the problem of his body losing sensation reaffirmed his desire to improve his Endurance and Uncommon Metabolism Stats So he focused on an area he believed would get him some quick Skill Levels improving some of the lagging Skills in his three images First he would refine the images broadly then he would work on the individual moves until they were honed to a razor�s edge

Randidly left his churning storm on that island and floated to the area on the dark side of the moon where he had left the Sea of Dreams

Compared to the Path of Blood that Randidly had walked the most recent creation of the mountain master glittered with color and light It was an extended cut of the northern lights woven into a lake a shifting gleaming wondrously immersive experience that drowned you with hue and vibrancy Looking at the fickle flashes of gold ruby and turquoise Randidly thought that the beauty of the path would be even more overwhelming when you were submerged within it

However he hesitated at the edge glancing around at the colors The bobbed and combined and split purple becoming red blue meeting yellow and becoming orange green and splitting to purple and eye catching canary An organic fickle spinning arrangement that could drive someone mad if they watched for long enough

Randidly had more practical concerns he scratched his chin Do I just wade into it

The colors didn�t answer him They were too busy splitting and combining in an orgy of energy and light Shrugging Randidly threw away his hesitations and hopped forward into the Sea of Dreams

Alana Donal folded her arms across her chest as she looked at the two pig faced men that sat in the small booth along the converted highway A single thrust of her spear could demolish the plywood structure and shatter the road One of the men had ratty black hair and the other had wispy blonde hair but otherwise they looked almost like twins Down to the cruel twist at the corners of their mouth and their beady eyes

Eyes that kept flicking back to the Lizakh behind her Seeing their attention she knew why they were causing trouble for their group

In the small wooden booth the two ugly pig men dropped their jaws She raised her arms grabbing those thickening beams of solar power and shaped them into a massive spear of heat and light Her hands seized the shaft of that massive weapon and she drove it forward with a baleful will The area outside of the paved road was a hilly forest but all the terrain was as transient as sand as Alana took that massive sunlight spear edged with all the force of her image and dug a route forward

The two unfortunate Academy students yelped and scrambled sideways seeming to think they were under attack by some passing monster They generated two small Mana Shields that Alana popped in passing Their blazers now ruffled and singed they tumbled sideways out of harm�s way

She took great care in focusing and affixing her image to the ground too stretching forward for almost three miles Glowing Revelation gave bonuses to all physical Stats and also left the recipients feeling invigorated The road funded by the World Council provided relevant boosts but it was a mass produced sprawling thing And now suddenly this stretch of it would have to compete with a new pathway carved from Alana�s image and spite

Alana released a huffing breath and allowed her image to fade The sunlight waned returning to normal levels She pursed her lips as she looked out at the passage she had created there were a few problems with it Mostly it continued to sizzle and burn unnaturally as though embers had been buried into the ground Perhaps even more obnoxious was the fact that these burns appeared to take on three repeated images a thick tree a hazy circle and a sitting humanoid with two tails

My Soulskill at work Alana shook her head slightly Then she turned again ignoring the two small men in their fragile structure Let�s go

She had furiously power walked off a small portion of her ire by the time Hank caught back up with her Leavin� jus like that Reckon�d we could at least stay an� knock a few heads together send a message that this sorta shit won�t fly

Alana shook her head There�s no point This is the problem this is why we need to have a summit and talk about the autonomy of small municipalities For every sweaty dictator I�ve punished while wandering five more have sprung up clamoring about their right to self govern And what right do I have to interfere but my spear being stronger than theirs If we want positive change we need a unified body of law that prevents them from discriminating based on humanity

Hank clicked his tongue Gonna be hard to even get to the Purity� question Zone 7 and 11 will never go for one system of law they don�t want outside interference in their lands An� with how fractal the independent cities are

The two stopped speaking as the Lizakh warriors fell into place around them with their weapons raised A dozen armed individuals sidled out of the remnant charred treeline instantly slowing as their ill will turned the bonuses of Glowing Revelations against them They wore the heavy powersuit style armor that was popular now in Zone 1 The armor simply required the user to supply Mana to create a series of energy plates that did an excellent job at defending the user They also carried heavy Mana rifles poorly maintained and grimy from exposure to the elements

All mass produced all very cheap and difficult to trace Alana�s eyes narrowed as she looked at the group that so obviously had been dressed to resemble bandits They were frog people from one of the Danger Zones near Donnyton Seeing some of them here was quite a surprise Considering their sudden appearance along this road Alana regretted not taking the time to head to the nearby municipal headquarters and kick over the anthill I smell a fucking rat

Hand over all your valuables Or die The largest of the armored frog people croaked

Hank stepped forward and patted Alana�s shoulder If ya move I know yur gonna burn down the whole area So why not let me handle this

Chapter 1897

Randidly felt his images straining underneath the pressure from the vivid colors Their influence seeped through his skin and fixated on his inner world The hues jostled around him like a rowdy crowd at a live music venue metaphysically elbowing him in the small of the back and leaning against him All three of his images flared doing their best to push back the shining opals and oranges from crowding into Randidly�s interior

The process wasn�t easy Whatever formed the foundation of the colors of this place it rubbed very violently against the edges of his images Soon he felt raw and exposed even before he took a single step through the liquid rainbow Randidly�s expression twisted This is a path A Sea of Dreams For having such a lofty name it sure is a rough experience

Randidly took his first step forward and a spike of forest green color slammed against his chest For a brief second his focus clouded Along with the color came a surge of emotion that didn�t belong to him The impression was vague but Randidly felt like he stood on a snow dusted mountain and sucked in a chill breath He felt the air sharply in his lungs

Liberated That was what he felt He felt unmoored and freed from a great weight standing with the wind whipping around him

Then the sensation passed leaving him buffeted by the colors Randidly rolled his shoulders The emotion polishes the image The vague impressions offer suggestions for improvement without being too specific or critical Also emotional confusion forces you to be very specific in the way you motivate yourself and populate the image with emotion

Alright then Let�s do this Randidly licked his lips and stepped forward A ruby scythe came at his neck and a hammer of glittering silver smashed at his chest

BA Zeta finished polishing his modular arm saws the glossy brass shining in the candlelight of the basement storeroom Then the mechanisms of its forelimbs folded inward so that mechanical hands replaced the weapons Feeling strangely unsure of himself BA Zeta raised its fingers and drew them across its face The sensitive fingertips perfectly mapped the small dents and scratches that covered the fabricated metal faceplate

Although the material was difficult to damage the last several months had been transformative Zeta would almost expect that its alloy was unavoidably mutated beyond the original brass from which it was cast

However the Brass Automaton�s attention didn�t long linger on its own face There was another that dominated his mind dancing in the corner of his eyes like a make believe shadow so every time it twisted the automaton hoped to see it A face seen through the thin strip of sky perched atop an alley and across several hundred meters of distance Even with high Perception Zeta did not know if it would be possible for another to have seen that face Its lens system went well beyond what was possible for the human eye

A face for which it now proposed madness Zeta didn�t know how to feel that its friends accepted the strange impulse so easily

There was a knock at the door If we are going to do this we need to do it now

My preparations are complete BA Zeta stood up It walked to the door with its hands still creating a perfect topographical map of its face while recalling a different face and lowered its hands before it opened the door No need to advertise how emotionally turbulent it was

They quickly joined a line of other figures dressed in various affluent outfits In contrast to the trio�s silence most of the others were talking and laughing excited to be headed to the market They passed through the tight spaces between neat buildings and out into a crowded thoroughfare where stalls had hanging silks in a riot of colors Stooped old women snapped their fingers lighting candles within paper lanterns letting the red and orange and yellow flimsy constructs float up with the sun peeking beyond the horizon

Casually allowing his ocular focus to rise with the lanterns Zeta noted at least fourteen grim eyed guards watching from the nearby rooftops You would be first met with a stern but friendly local guiding you back to Zone Seven�s public markets but if you insisted on pushing beyond that individual you would quickly stub your toe on a steel plate Their suggestions would become insistence very quickly

Noticing the same thing Zack shifted the sleeves of his robe and flashed several quick hand signs Too many eyes to sneak When we go we just need to go fast

Next to them Todd nodded without raising his gaze his sharpened senses allowed him to witness the discussion through other means The three pushed forward keeping their gait casual as they joined the throng of people for the opening of the market Above them the guards� eyes flickered as they turned to greet their replacements

The corner of Todd�s mouth quirked upward He called several of those small pieces of floating wood to his hands and whispered something Zeta�s nostrils instantly detected smoke Just as quick as he had an inkling as to Todd�s plan the small bits of smoking wood zipped away The flash and flap of eye catching tapestries and banners did a lot to cover up the strange movement

Even Zeta had some difficulty following the small bits of debris But he didn�t miss Todd�s soft words Be ready

Those tiny pieces of wood scattered each finding an object A few went toward some of the paper lanterns one to a wide crimson carpet another to the side of a stall and the most ambitious settled on the side of a building

Like some ominous disease proliferating behind the scenes no sound was made as the Scrawl�d bits of charred wood carried Mana and spread the contagion of the Scrawl Likely the working was so slight that even a Skill generated to detect other Skills would miss the activity BA Zeta�s internal engine whirred in its chest as it walked with deliberate slowness

He pictured that face those cheekbones the lonely glitter in her eye

The entire market swayed in unison heads swiveling to look at the side of a nearby building that had abruptly shattered The eyes of the nearest people widened as a huge slab of brick began to crack and splinter off ready to fall down on their heads But just was they were about to panic and shout to warn others of the danger several paper lanterns exploded into massive fireballs A wooden stall collapsed sideways blocking the foot traffic A massive rug shredded itself into a half dozen pieces that spun themselves into fabric stakes that zipped sideways impacting the guards

As the anarchy erupted on the street three cloaks fluttered to the ground their occupants abruptly gone

The race had begun

Chapter 1898

Rather grumpily Randidly exited the Sea of Dreams and returned to the island His body ached and his temples burned with stress and strain Once on top of the volcano he settled back into the core area of the Nether made a few small adjustments to the churning storm of Nether and closed his eyes to pay back some of the seconds he owed to the Penance

For a while he knew nothing Time flowed past the cost of the extra efficiency he achieved on gathering significance

When he woke back up all of the bleariness with which he had left the Sea of Dreams had faded away At the very least the sleep still had the function of allowing him to recover somewhat from mental strain Randidly�s eyes were sharp as he looked up at the rotating clouds overhead Earning PP might take a little bit more time than I thought My emotional resolve for the separate images is a bit lacking at the moment Before I nail down that sensation proceeding more deeply in that area is just going to wear me down without much benefit

For a few seconds Randidly�s expression turned bitter Walking nine steps forward through the Sea of Dreams had given him firsthand some understanding of some of the fraught experiences of the high tier images As he had to soldier through the strange impressions and vague emotions he could suddenly understand how easy going astray could be

What if you lacked the resolve to pursue a particular emotional flavor What if you couldn�t find the relentless Willpower to push a certain point of view What if you lacked the correct understanding of how your image could be manifested What if this was the limit of your understanding

Maybe even more dangerous what if you knew what sort of emotional force was required to mobilize the image but you personally had markedly changed since the image had been created What if your values or focus had shifted and suddenly there existed a small incompatibility with the image you had carried with you and refined for all these years

That gap would remain limiting your potential

Luck is important Randidly whispered to himself The road to the Pinnacle was long and there was only so much you could do to change your foundation You needed luck that something tragic didn�t happen to destabilize your image of peace and healing Or luck not to fall in love and find contentment while nursing an image of incendiary revenge Or to somehow have the tragedy fit perfectly into your images in Randidly�s case three images

To have it rip out a chunk of his soul and deepen the hunger in the Egg of Depression To have it feed its darkness

To strike like a bolt from the blue reminding the Grey Creature that even it wasn�t safe To motivate it to plant contingency plans like seeds everywhere it could

To sprinkle yearning for a better world in Yggdrasil To have the tragedy tempered by the heart of the stern and stubborn woman who would tirelessly spar with him but gag herself when she truly needed help but there was nothing he could do

Randidly closed his eyes and spent several minutes meditating His current work required emotions but that was somewhat different from being emotional He allowed the memories of Helen to recede slightly before he began to work

He examined his inner images also using the Penances ability to perceive the shallow reflected Authorities that his foundation might someday become As always he felt oddly frustrated by the mysterious fourth Authority For the moment he simply used it as extra evidence to examine his foundation and his current emotional state with his image

To his great relief it felt like none of those dangerous emotional rifts had emerged He found small flaws especially in the Grey Creature now that he had reached an amount of power that seemed to indicate he wouldn�t die suddenly from an ambush but all of it was within acceptable levels

He spared one last glance for the slate grey storm clouds that circled the island and then sat down cross legged at the edge of the volcano He cut off his physical senses of the world and simply reached out and tasted the images and emotions that animated the world in preparation for his own internal examination

Compared to the ripples of energy the waves of emotion were less flashy Randidly sucked in a breath through his mouth and released it through his nose his sensation expanding to follow the subtle interplay of emotion across the whole of Expira and then the Alpha Cosmos Most of that larger emotional space seemed to be dominated by the actions of himself and the Pantheon but he noticed something else that brought a frown to his face

A dense storm of pressure was brewing across Expira

Repressed tensions and frustrations bubbled up in every cultural center that Randidly could sense Kharon was relatively free of the taint of this near feral resentment but he also understood that this was simply because Kharon stood on a particular side of this issue

Buried underneath the more aggressive negative emotions were a lot of individual fears and worries about the future There were clear threads leading from isolated groups creating the vast coverage of this storm He felt the hopelessness and the jealousy that had fermented for so long in a lot of people�s hearts Although he couldn�t make out the specifics he could also detect the way that so many people needed an easy answer a simple way to ascribe blame

That�s not surprising There were always a lot of people who prefer an easy answer to a complex one Randidly shook himself However this isn�t my problem

As soon as Randidly thought it he hesitated In a lot of ways it was his problem This issue whatever it may be arose within his world and would affect his Soulspace He had experienced wars in his Soulskill before if this situation went to the worst case scenario he was not interested in cleaning up the mess that individuals who had been empowered by the System could create

Well if it does come to that I�ll intervene But for these normal tensions Randidly�s awareness swept through Expira He sought out the familiar vein of Nether running through all these bulging and mutating negative emotional pockets More than anything else what he feared was some hidden architect a lingering hand behind the curtain that made the population of the world dance to the sick tune of their own destruction

But he found nothing these emotions might be becoming extremely pervasive across the surface of Expira but they were simply normal human emotions Their growth felt almost inevitable Their ubiquity spoke less to the uniformity of their source but of some shared viewed held by the population And Randidly both didn�t want to be the sort of individual who stomped out these mundane emotions through the threat of force and also didn�t believe it would be very effective

In a way it would probably just unite the antagonism in targeting him Which would be foolish and likely pointless of most people to do but it did seem like a hassle

His eyes cracked his irises flashing emerald His gaze pierced through cloud and distance and arrived at the capital city of Zone 7 one of their closely protected hive cities At the moment three individuals that Randidly recognized were fighting their way through the defenses And although it was an isolated incident Nether was gathering above that area for whatever reason that event would be the fuse that broke the silence on this issue

Despite himself Randidly�s heart ached as he saw Todd riding a small wooden skateboard through the air his eyes grey and sightless The lingering image of the Calamity lingered in the wounds scaring him

He forced himself to close his eyes For now let the issues develop I have my own work to do

Randidly�s attention turned back to his images and the emotions that animated them

Chapter 1899

Randidly settled into the dark and murky area of himself where his Nether Core existed He relaxed for a short time savoring the comforting hum of its rotation Around him he felt the constant flow of Nether churned outward and running through his veins The Penance rang with a slightly different note achieving a delightful harmony with the lower pitched core

In a way he wished he could remain there for longer simply savoring the reassuring hum of the Nether System that supported his body It felt like leaning against a massive metaphysical rib cage and hearing the even and sure beat of a powerful heart

Then Randidly felt that comparison was slightly strange because the heart was his own Shaking his head he turned his focus to the three foundations of his images

Randidly understood intuitively the emotions that would empower his images but that was putting the cart before the horse He should not adopt those emotional affects in order to pick up the emotions but those should be his affects all the time thereby binding him more tightly to his three images Making that process subconscious and natural would remove one small impediment from him improving his images

Considering how far he still had to go he wanted to get that small distance out of the way as soon as possible

He first conjured Yggdrasil having the massive trunk creaking branches and rustling leaves wrap around him The warm and earthy noises of Yggdrasil were very different from the hum and chime of the Nether Core and Penance but they wove together extremely well into a natural symphony Randidly instantly felt transported to an imaginary temple deep within the jungle Above it the World Tree rose

Randidly felt raw and exposed forcefully opening himself up to sensations so he could examine the whole of his emotional affect with Yggdrasil He felt awe and fear for the wild growth around and for the rugged and unpredictable beauty of nature and life He felt a desire for stability the warm uplifting feeling that allowed the World Tree to gather and purify so much energy to later distribute to the surrounding landing

But Randidly also felt a stubbornness in that image For a few seconds he groped around confused But then he felt the source although the World Tree continued to consume increasingly large amounts of energy and gather it all together the tree still felt that its current form was enough As he was partway through evolving the image and its Skills that resistance to change was still present

He allowed the image to fade and nodded to himself I�ll need to deal with its Skill evaluations before I can pin down the exact emotional state for Yggdrasil Even if I don�t want to interfere in the chaos of what is coming for Expira it will be useful to take away some of its ripples and force them into Yggdrasil Eventually even this stubborn old tree will bloom like a flower

He turned his attention to his neck image and the one that still left him feeling the most conflicted the Grey Creature He looked at his own face within the armor and the scales the two tails and the familiar eyes of Yystrix

Zack Krum felt like the incarnation of a war god ripping through the hastily assembled first line of defense in Zone 7 The guards stood slightly askew on the high wall around the market the interior of which had been made to look like the facade of the buildings so that the various attendees didn�t realize how trapped they truly were and were still partially blinded by Todd�s scraps of cloth when the trio had made it to the ledge

One guard whipped a stun baton around but Zack Krum had already pinched his elbow and folded the joint to bring the weapon to its owner�s chest for a brief kiss As it released its sizzling charge Krum sashayed forward to his next few opponents He hip checked on guard off the edge and caught another raising his weapon With a grin on his face he flipped the man into a tumbling somersault several meters in the air

The guard began to scream as he got over his dizziness and realized he was falling off the wall

Zack planted his foot and turned ready to enjoy more Judo flexing but the wall around them was clear A few crumpled forms remained but none capable of slowing them down Zeta had boldly smashed three backward and four more folded underneath precise hits from Todd�s Scrawled metal bars he usually kept strapped to his side

Todd raised an eyebrow over his creepily inert eyeballs likely noticing Zack�s enthusiasm for more violence The older teen ducked his head and followed as they leapt over the edge Something between jealousy and protectiveness warred in his chest Yes I know you are more powerful than me even if you are several years younger That�s why I don�t get why you are so

At a certain balcony three levels down from the top Zeta stopped The automaton landed on the edge and twitched slightly as though unsure how to proceed Zack crashed to the stone ground after hopping off his vehicle and rolled By the time he was standing he rather awkwardly realized that the reason Zeta had paused was the woman was on the balcony pressed up against the far wall and watching the new arrivals with concern

He tried a rakish smile The woman was beautiful with soft lavender hair and pale pink eyes Her arms were crossed defensively across her chest Hello miss Don�t worry about us we are here to rescue you

Yet just as soon as he finished speaking Zack Krum settled into a crouch The woman in front of him her eyes glowing that familiar baleful grey light raised her hand and conjured a swirling ball of light Zack�s instincts screamed warning of the danger that she represented Then he looked at the woman a second time past her beauty He saw the shimmering scales on her temples and the horns that curled out from her forehead

She a Chimera Todd whispered perched at the edge of the balcony like a baby bird about to be shoved into freefall by its mother

The light the woman created grew brighter as she prepared to unleash her Skill Todd swayed Zack�s eyes narrowed that horrible desperation finally finding a target This time he wouldn�t flinch He took a step forward about to pounce but then Zeta was there its powerful brass fingers clamping onto Zack�s wrist Wait

The automaton looked solemnly at the woman I�m sure you�ve analyzed the odds There is no future for you here Come with us leave this place Those distant possibilities we can show them to you With us statistics won�t matter as much Even as I say that I feel foolish

Zack looked up at the brass man in confusion What are you doing She�s a monster She can�t really understand you

The System translates language for all intelligent life Zeta responded And human cultural additions to communication are not so important as you believe This being understands

Zack�s eyes narrowed She

The moon whispered I would be saved by earth bones The woman�s voice was low and cool like a stream at night She closed her hand and the deadly light vanished She walked up and rapped a knuckle against Zeta That is you

I can be considered bones I am a composite alloy Zeta�s voice sounded strangely muffled Up close Zack noticed how tall the woman was She towered over all of them a few inches even above Zeta But the brass man and the strange female chimera locked gaze and seemed content to just stare at each other

Yet Zack couldn�t believe this nonsense He turned to Todd We need

We need to go Todd had already drawn a Scrawl on an extra board and tossed it at the woman�s feet Zeta tell your new friend that we need to move now before the guards come back in force We don�t have long

A new voice spoke from above the balcony Unfortunately it is already too late You are under arrest for attempting to free a dangerous criminal Please surrender otherwise I cannot guarantee what follows will not be extremely painful

All three pivoted and looked up Standing on a cloud a man in a sharp Zone 7 military uniform looked down on them with folded arms He had a slightly curved blade at his waist Zack even recognized him

They had been caught by Huang Li the man who wielded the Sky Slaying Sword

Chapter 1900

Zack Krum�s fingers tingled as he looked up at that stern faced figure A breeze tugged at the edge of his shirt That desperation was back howling with glee at the sudden threat that presented itself in front of him And a true powerhouse no less someone who had fought against some of the best in Donnyton at one of the large tournaments If he could prove himself against this man

Zeta moved first a blurred incarnation of brass as his modular limbs flipped on themselves Without any effort he shifted from a metal humanoid to a clawed metal beast crouching close to the stone to pounce up at the threat Yet even as the automaton moved Huang Li�s arm countered him by drawing his curved sword and unleashing a ray shining light

Even the speed of it was uncanny Zack�s pupils dilated Good thing I got the chance to see it before I tried to tangle it up

With a domineering clang that slash overwhelmed all of Zeta�s momentum and pressed it into the ground Huang Li gracefully raised his blade regarding them all with a cool stare as though implying that non lethal attack was the one warning they would be given The breeze around them began to stir the tension with more vigor

Yes Zack�s eyes glittered This is what I deserve

The eye of the moon has become clouded The Chimera woman observed into the strained silence Despite the display of Huang Li she seemed detached No possibility of escape exists any longer

As I said Zeta twisted its head around to look at the woman Its limbs folded back to their humanoid variations but it stayed with its belly against the ground The delightful side of interacting with humanoids is they manage to overturn statistics

Zack and Todd acting with unspoken cooperation launched themselves into motion Sprinting like a linebacker Zack dashed directly for the edge of the balcony to throw himself at Huang Li At the same time Todd waved a hand and sent five metal bars and several small pieces of wood spiraling around the cloud riding man ready to strike at the first sign of weakness

Snorting Huang Li slashed again The movement was too fast for Zack to follow but with the prior visual he could at least could see the shining crescent of energy the attack unleashed even now this powerful figure was toying with them

The corner of Zack�s mouth quirked up Well let�s make him regret that

The image of an unassuming old man shimmered into place behind Krum That man�s hands were tinged with a dim golden right but otherwise there were no distinct details in the image projection After a slow step the old man stepped forward and superimposed itself on Zack�s body His hands became faintly gold and he reached out with those hands to seize the slash

For a moment Zack missed the fulcrum of the attack Blood spurted from his left palm as he struggled to find the anchor of its power Then his Skills activated and guided his force to the correct portion With a great effort of will he bent the attack in on itself and managed to shift it But as he did so Zack grimaced The muscles of his arms bulged with the strain How the hell he didn�t even manifest an image Why is it so heavy

In the end Zack could only heave the slash to the side barely moving the attack over his shoulder The strike hummed aggressively as though it deeply disapproved of its sudden vector adjustment and then tore up a long strip of the stone balcony on the way to the wall There it cracked the stone supports and shattered a several meters of the railing The passage between the balcony and the interior rooms collapsed

The sky that had previously seemed so clear became clogged with exhaust and metal These combat specified war machines made the helicopter arm variety of drone look like a sweet voiced request not to trespass

Zack cheeks hurt from the wild and joyless smile on his face He could see no possibility to escape so the only option was to put their lives on the line A thrill ran through him Just as he was about to toss himself forward and rip open a path with his own hands the Chimera woman spoke To the left That small red brick building A sliver of potential

You must be insane Zack spat as he craned his neck around Their speed and the gale of a slash behind them made communication incredibly difficult His eyes were wide as he struggled to shout at her while also keeping the formation of the drones in front of him within his view We can�t just trust you who has been trapped

But of course Zeta was weirdly infatuated with this woman and Todd had too much faith in everyone but himself both veered immediately after she had spoken Muttering curses about taking advice from monsters Zack hurried after them They banked and curved left the maw of the wind on their heels

However The Chimera woman looked up speculatively at Huang Li who neared them more every second This is an impediment One of you humanoids will need to cause chaos to eliminate the certainty of us dying by this wind before we can make it to that building

Ah Even above the wind Zack could hear Zeta�s apologetic tone In my experience counting overmuch on humanoid�s abilities to avoid certainties come with unexpected side effects

You stupid Zack snarled even as he pushed his Scrawled board to the limit and accelerated in front of them The wood couldn�t withstand the energy and disintegrated beneath his feet but he was there flying between his friends and Huang Li�s power that sought to sever their path to that innocuous red brick building Zack�s eyes widened and the emerald eyed old man superimposed itself across his body once more

Maybe if you had kept the scale small I couldn�t undercut you like this Zack thought maliciously as his hands expanded in front of the massive slash He couldn�t grab it directly but there were huge flows of those support images surging to make themselves useful to Huang Li The very environment provided plentiful aid to the attack And that Zack could affect

He nudged two of those streams of images aside for just a moment and dislodged them In the chaotic friction that followed he tied a brief knot in front of the slash Wind whipped and eddied curling in on itself in a small net The two forces collided and ground against each other with a deafening roar only five or so meters above their heads

Zeta whipped past Zack first Then Todd followed behind more sedately skimming right in front of the blade He even patted Zack on the back for a job well done and was then gone The impediment disintegrated

Going through the motions Zack produced a scrawled board and stepped onto it He could feel the Mana beginning to flow ready to buoy him away to safety

But he could also feel the shift in the slash because he handled those energy flows For the briefest moment he had slowed the attack and the others probably expected that he would have a moment to move when the slash forced its way through However

Huang Li�s slash feasted on the flows and jumped a short distance forward using that sudden influx of power All Zack knew was the noise of howling wind before the attack landed

Chapter 1901

Zack blinked and coughed feeling the blood coursing down his face and unsure exactly what was going on Pain very enthusiastically coursed through his upper body with his left shoulder feeling like it had been wrenched out of its socket His dyed red vision and the flopping of his stomach briefly convinced him that he had died and gone to hell For his sins he would be punished for all eternity

He closed his eyes his skin tingling and burning At the very least I protected them this time

This idyllic interpretation of the last few contorted moments was shattered as Zack slammed into solid ground and cracked his jaw For several dizzy seconds he just allowed the mechanisms of momentum and bodies to jostle him as he rolled forward He groaned and spat to get dust out of his mouth Blood dribbled out from between his lips

The possibility is just ahead Truly astounding It should not have been possible for us to arrive like this Perhaps there is meaning to human companionship

The sound of the Chimera woman�s voice reignited some of his annoyance and helped ground Zack Gradually reality dragged him back His vision swam but soon he became aware of the shattered bricks walls around them and Zeta standing at the collapsed entrance to the small building firing several bolts of Mana at their pursuers Todd crouched over Zack and used a bit of cloth to mop up the blood on his face

Zack batted the hand away and sat up Wha what happened

Todd�s expression was sour I recognized that look on your face you wanted to do something dumb So when I passed by I Scrawled on your shirt Which apologies has no shredded itself to bits dragging you out of the way of that attack But I figured it was a small price to pay for you to stay alive You�re welcome

Awkwardly Zack looked down at his bare bloody and dirty chest Somehow he ended up relying on Todd again Unwilling to face his guilt he instead scowled over at the Chimera woman as she wandered down past the entrance to a staircase down Getting here is fine but I don�t see how we can get out of this deathtrap

As though agreeing with him wind began to shake the building Zeta hurried past and offered Zack a hand which he took to be pulled to his feet All three moved after the Chimera Zack still occasionally shaking his head to dispel some blurriness in his vision

They heard the rest of the building front cave in behind them as they descended into a high ceilinged basement But at the moment none could worry about it They all stood transfixed at what they had found

How unlikely for this to be here Zeta remarked

Compared to the other two images Randidly was surprised to find almost no issues with these emotional affects his familiarity with his sad roots hadn�t faded at all It would require some practice to work the correct flavor to balance the various elements but that was just a matter of practice That is except for two glaring unpredictable elements that swam around the edges of the image

Randidly glanced again at the black hole The two unborn drifted in the milky light and crackling electricity with a surprising amount of grace considering their ugliness and misshapen bodies They capered about delighting in the strange influences of the Stillborn Phoenix treating this like a game

Of course they basically ignored the reality of the image as they did so They did not want to acknowledge the suction of the Stillborn Phoenix and thereby invalidated the electromagnetic radiation the light radiation and the entropy it created in the surroundings Their existence and independent wills were a constant drain on the power he could wield

Still it�s not like there aren�t difficulties with all three of the images I don�t need to force an answer right now especially since the Stillborn Phoenix loves those ugly slugs Randidly pulled himself out of the Stillborn Phoenix image and then out of his mental projection He stood and stretched looking down at the island The constant Nether had shifted the vegetation to a strange blueish sheen that made the island look partially glazed in plastic But that was the most innocuous of the shifts in the vegetal life

If the island were divided into thirds around the central volcano one third would belong to the training individuals who continued to exhaust themselves and sip from the environment Nether one third would go to the mutated ants and their swollen queen and now a third belonged to the unruly and weirdly intelligent jungle collective Thick vines had woven themselves around the tree trunks so thickly that they hung like physical walls And in the center of that dense area one tree had shot upward to almost double the size of all the others At this point it was almost half as tall as the volcano itself a second sort of monument on this previously nondescript place

As he stared over at it the wide frawns of the tree waved in a way that ran counter to the motion of the wind

Randidly could only laugh at the effect he had just by existing somewhere You know I remember them saying that the second step of improving your image is to exert your will on the universe And not that I wanted this to happen but their is something inherently poisonous about power Once you possess it it taints everything around you

That thought made him shiver Then he thought about the gleaming eyes of Devick which gave him an entirely different sort of chill She possessed an entirely different sort of poison Randidly rubbed his face I�m safe for now isolated away from time at the bottom of the shaft I just need to make good use of this time to improve So that when I return to the Nexus I�m ready

Okay that�s enough training for now He bounced up to his feet and did some more stretching until his hamstrings and shoulders both pleasantly popped After slapping his cheeks he started sending out messages First to Neveah then to Nrorce and Tatiana and Sydney and a half dozen other important figures in Kharon and in his life

After a few awkward bits of conferring and juggling schedules he arrived on a satisfactory date In three weeks Randidly would be hosting a bbq on his new island Neveah�s delight seeped through their Soulbond even if she kept her message perfectly polite she was quite happy that he was taking some time off of his own volition

Feeling her pride and joy Randidly rolled his eyes In the end this is less about a healthier emotional lifestyle and more about variety I can feel it from the way Penance affects me Significance comes from living and breathing in the moment Taking advantage of the time you have And since I have so much time here the best way to facilitate growth is to switch often and throw everything I have into those activities while I�m doing them

So three weeks of training Randidly rubbed his hands together Then he called up the Hierarchy of Burden and began

Chapter 1902

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 707

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 730

Randidly released his tight control over the Nether flows no longer trying to contrive every rippling interaction between the elements of his Nether storm and instead simply observed the way the changes spread outward His eyes one emerald and one swirling black followed the varied pattern interactions both breaking down into organic elements and moving together to become something larger

A strange shadow began to stretch across the sky Long spindly fingers of the patterns wormed together like larva squeezing out of a wound Yet somehow this wasn�t a change in lighting the very character of the rainstorm seemed to stretch into a grotesque caricature of itself Randidly bit his lip tracing the slanting lines of the clouds

Somehow the formerly innocuous storm began to lean back on itself His instincts whispered quietly of danger and wrongness quite like attempts at human animation from the pre System era approaching the uncanny valley All the mundane details of the storm remained the same the heavy layered clouds the precipitation slanting and splattering off the alien trees and the constant feel of the wind against his face

Yet underneath it lurked a wholly unnatural pattern that perverted what a storm was supposed to me It twisted and bloomed a stinking and rotting rafflesia

I can learn a lot from the bone charm but its patterns are dangerous Randidly reflected on his small adjustments

By and large it was an unsuccessful attempt to improve his ominous Nether storm But certainly it was a valuable experience testing his theories Thunder rumbles and blue bolts of electricity danced across the heavy clouds Even the increasingly sophisticated society of ants paused in their vine clearing duties to glance up at the clouds overhead

Randidly had no idea what they saw with their limited sense but they swiftly shifted and trundled their rain slicked bodies back to their mound Their feet moved in unison

Crackling his knuckles Randidly checked his Status screen He had trained without pause for the last several weeks and now there were only a few days remaining until the large barbecue that had been spread throughout the training zone and even to Kharon the one opportunity he would give the Vulpis Squad to cease handling the electromagnetic radiation from the Hierarchy of Burden and relax

However Randidly felt somewhat aggravated as he felt the stretch of training coming to an end If anything he felt like he needed a few more months before he deserved a break He might not have as distinct a goal as when he was motivated by revenge against Wick but he wanted to stay active Those thoughts he kept close to his heart because he knew how Neveah would react but one of his main goals was to improve his Stats and felt quite far away

The Stat Evolution Path cost ten thousand PP Currently Randidly only had a little over two thousand PP even after he sat down with Neveah and began to grind up his long disused Aether and Engraving based Skills Still half as much would likely get him the PP he needed Randidly only needed to use five thousand PP in order to trigger another PP Tithe

Skill growth was slow right now but it would steadily accumulate And if he could increase his Endurance to something useful it would begin to accelerate even further He could push forward with the Hierarchy he could expand his experiments with Nether he could specialize his emotional affects for each image

Randidly looked down at his hands and flexed them He vocalized the secret thought that drifted across the surface of his mind isolated and unmoored A constant remnant of the toils that had brought him here Will I be strong then

Of course he could only catch glimpses of the swirling layers He dare not look any deeper than that the only way to extract the secrets of a Nether Prince was by entering it and consuming it as they had done on the frontlines And Randidly dearly didn�t want to do that to the last remnant he had of Helen

His eyes ached as he stared at the inky darkness but no tears began to fall from his eyes He simply stared blankly at the glossy surface of the Nether sphere Belatedly he realized he should have brought flowers or something

His gaze sharpened Because he could sense a very familiar sensation hovering around the edges of the Nether Prince With great care he stretched out a hand and brushes his palm against the strange energies radiating from its edge The corners of his mouth curved downward the energies that Randidly sensed were the very same types of radiation that he dealt with through the Hierarchy of Burden

Randidly raised his gaze Do you have any idea why these energies are seeping in around her

Lucretia and the Patron of Blooms stepped out from behind a rock outcropping The Patron of Blooms spoke first her voice rich with faux concern You know that Nether Prince isn�t truly Helen

After the aching introspection of Randidly�s last ten minutes it felt good to loose the reins he kept on his emotions and just burn with fury He might not have nailed the emotional affect for his various images but his efforts had certainly paid dividends in terms of potency His anger became a physical presence towering over the Patron and warping the ambiance of the ridge

The Patron of Blooms coughed to a stop and lowered her gaze With an empathetic glance at Randidly Lucretia gestured for him to pull it back For a second his temper flared again but he knew Lucretia was right and begrudgingly pulled back his fury The heavy pressure in the air vanished leaving the Patron of Blooms with an awkward smile as she stared at the ground

Actually we do know why those phenomena manifest around Nether Princes Lucretia said easily She gently waved at the Patron of Blooms She can explain better than I

Randidly�s gaze shifted to the plant woman who shifted uncomfortably underneath his scrutiny Whether it was her desire that he make more Soulseeds or the previous show of temper she was suddenly much more well behaved Ahem Well yes You know Nether Princes are actually a side effect of the Nexus being an isolated universe Elhume made arrangements to gather and recycle the souls and images of the weakest individuals and obviously took great care to ensure that no powerful images could escape his engine even by hiding away in the Tier III area well the attention to these areas meant that there is a small subset of the population that can escape� in death

There are a few very special individuals who usually die early where their soul at the moment of death is more powerful than their image So when the System attempts to gather them they rip through the net A failure on one part of the System leads to a cascading series of failures even I don�t quite understand the details The soul is too strong to be contained by the weak� net sent for them And therefore the image and the soul fall together tearing holes in the System all the way down until they crash into the edge of the Nexus

Randidly�s eyebrows rose with something akin to alarm Meanwhile the Patron of Blooms continued her explanation If that soul is weak the impact disperses it Problem solved But if that strange and perfect construct possesses enough integrity it rips a hole through the edge of the Nexus and escapes back to the original universe And the actual Nether Prince that we see The Patron of Blooms pointed to the sphere of darkness dancing with patterns Is a plug of significance the Nexus creates to stop itself from leaking out through these holes

A plug Randidly frowned

Mostly significance donated by the Nexus the Patron of Blooms nodded But of course the base is the individual�s image it cannot follow the soul to escape the Nexus and is left behind And the Nexus engorges that image with significance to hold the gap Which is why the image eventually refines itself into something truly valuable with the image and the significance And I can already tell that Helen�s remnant will be quite special

Randidly raised his head back and laughed So even in death Helen left one last fuck you for the Nexus huh

Even if he still felt alone he felt light If Helen tortured to death by Wick could still make trouble for the Nexus what excuse did he have

Chapter 1903

Nrorce sat on the warm sand just enjoying the sound of the tireless ocean expending itself on the shore He couldn�t deny that the environment of this place was pleasant He came to explore the Ghosthound�s world in an effort to understand the young man but also as a way to get away from his house so stuffed full of agonizing memories When Randidly offered someone to show him around Nrorce had snorted and left without answering

That departure had been relatively satisfying A small fistful of power that Nrorce had taken for himself Unfortunately he hadn�t been able to escape the memories as easily as the nagging Randidly As the frothing water receded after each wave he could almost see tiny footprints chasing after the edge

Daddy daddy Look how fast I am The sea can never catch mee

His lips stretched almost unwillingly His body was honest even if his heart ached and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes And even if it does catch you I�ll always save you love

A cool dagger whispered open his chest and slid into his heart Nrorce narrowed his eyes and hunched his shoulders but otherwise didn�t move as the emotions expended themselves It was not fair to say that Randidly had caused this pain if anything he had saved Nrorce from a slow necrotic death of ignoring the pain until it consumed his soul and left him empty a scarecrow tending his farm

Just the problem was now he had to face that pain every moment of every day

The soft patter of feet on sand distracted Nrorce from his anguish He considered fleeing knowing how Jekyll and hyde the population of this world could be when it came to unexpected non humanoids in their proximity He had already been glared out of several small establishments in the week he had been exploring Expira

If he hadn�t been able to flare his image and cow most people of this world he suspected they might do worse than stare

But he was high on the dunes above the water and the noise came from below So he stayed still deciding to simply observe Yet what eventually passed below opened his eyes as widely as they would go

A young boy perhaps only ten loped down the beach with larger strides However his posture seemed agonizing He was bent sharply at the waist as he moved so that his torso was perpendicular to the ground Meanwhile his neck curled upward to allow him to see where he was traveling On his back was a massive backpack that was almost double the size of the boy And based on the way it bounced it was incredibly heavy

More than a child he resembled the long striding long necked flightless birds that Nrorce�s daughter always found delightful

His expression was bored but Nrorce didn�t miss the way he adjusted his feet as the waves came running along the edges and following the receding water back toward the ocean in order to do it again

Even Nrorce couldn�t really believe he started the interaction He raised his voice and called out to him Kid what the hell are you doing

The boy stopped his feet and twisted his neck around His feet skidded forward through the soft sand He blinked twice at the small blue goblin but quickly began marching toward him Unfortunately for the boy his burden was so heavy that each step he took up the slope of the sand dune had him sliding down just as far After about thirty seconds of just carving away at the side of the dune with no progress the boy took a few steps back got a running start then jumped the five meters up

He landed with a massive explosion of sand that sprayed Nrorce�s face and left him sputtering The dune underneath them trembled a little but didn�t collapse Nodding to himself in satisfaction the boy took off his backpack and set it on the ground Only then he seemed to notice Nrorce�s efforts to get sand out of his eyes Oh apologies fair traveler You are actually my first customer so I�m a bit nervous

Customer The goblin wrinkled his nose at the word but the boy had excitedly launched into a rehearsed speech without noticing

I may be a new arrival on the scene of competitive mount ing however I assure you that I�ve trained tirelessly to reach this point The child�s eyes practically glowed as he looked at Nrorce My legs are strong I�m good at conversation I have a compass My speeds are far higher than you could manage walking on your own and my company is golden

Arrietti�s heart sank but they were already dragging him across the sand He didn�t need an explanation of what the special break zone would entail Again he felt that thrill of panic that he would somehow reveal himself for a fraud in front of these enthusiastic powerhouses Err is that appropriate right now Also considering the strange storm over the island

Now is precisely the right time A woman with small fluttering bat wings pumped her fist For two days we are free from training

The leader cut in as they rounded the edge of the sand beach coming upon a rockier area Plus the storm is actually the greatest boon to the game that we�ve ever encountered The ever shifting nature of the environment means that you need to adjust on the fly Images are dampened Your physical power can only carry you so far

So Arrietti allowed himself to be carried along as the group veered sharply away from the beach and headed deeper into the island They wove around trees the training Overseers laughing and hooting in pleasure The strange pressure of being within the storm continued to wear at Arrietti�s nerves but he gradually calmed himself

Sometimes you are like a fowl Selene sometimes said to him when he came back to their shared apartment huffing over the day�s work It�s less than something legitimately bothers you but that you just need some time for your rustled feathers to settle And that�s fine

Soon they arrived at the bottom of a low hill where three bowling lanes had been painstakingly carved Their glossy black surface spoke more of obsidian than polished wood but Arrietti supposed they would be smooth enough Strange metal arms curled up from the hill above the lanes but he realized that they were likely canopies with the covering portion removed He had heard that the island experienced a constant rain during the actual training sessions

Gleaming balls of precious metal sat by the head of the lanes gold sapphire and emerald The pins were slightly oversized and appeared to be carved from ivory Silver lines wove themselves in graceful swirls across their fronts

Isn�t she a beauty The leader asked Arrietti had been inclined to release a begrudging nod of acceptance but his eyes widened as something else caught his attention

He pointed to the top of the hill What are they

Oh the ants The woman with the bat wings shrugged as though ants as large as motorcycles were a common occurrence They own the territory North of this Sometimes they come to watch

Every few seconds Arrietti cast a worried glance over his shoulder at the ants but the Overseers dragged him forward and encouraged him to give the lanes a try Soon he had the gold ball in his hands and stood at the head of the lane

At the very least Arrietti mused They have the good sense to finally be silent when the ball is in my hand

Now that he stood at the lane with the ball raised he could see how the Overseers were right The pressure storm the Ghosthound made with Nether was extremely strange it exerted influence on several aspects of life So it could erode both kinetic momentum and also image power so it was difficult to predict how injecting either into the ball would result Arrietti felt a little more familiar with the environment but still unable to guess how to throw a good ball

So he shrugged and took his smooth steps forward His plant foot was sure and he felt the satisfying flick of the wrist as he unleashed the ball burying just a seed of his image in the object before he released it

The bowling ball seemed to skate sideways toward the gutter zones and Arrieti�s panic rose again in his chest But then the spin caught the glossy surface they did an excellent job replicating wood in obsidian There was a strange wiggle to its movements due to the storm but the ball smashed the pins in an explosive arrival

A strike

If anything that just made Arrietti more nervous

Chapter 1904

As expected of the Commissioner

On his first ball on a completely new alley

Not even a test throw

Truly that feeble image seed was exactly what the ball needed did you notice how it hit the pins only physically Sublime

Just watching him I feel like a better bowler

The peanut gallery of powerful trainers launched into their usual ridiculous praises causing the fat beads of sweat on Arrietti�s back to multiply He could imagine Selene�s sigh when she saw how sweaty he had become Obviously he had just thrown a ball casually without thought Obviously his image seed had been wiped out by the storm because his image was comparatively weak Obviously his success was a result of circumstance and luck

His eyes followed the movements of some other trainers as they set the pins back up in record time He also knew that admitting his inadequacies wouldn�t matter they�d ignore him and

A trumpeting peel carried over the small hill cutting off the panic inducing cycle of his thoughts When he raised his gaze his eyes bulged to see that the number of ants on the top of the hill had multiplied while he had thrown the ball he could see at least a hundred new ants their carapaces suddenly seeming quite serrated and intimidating standing in orderly rows above the bowling lanes

Two rather slender ants with oddly shaped pincers raised their heads and released another clear trumpet blast from their mouths It was difficult to see the movements of the ants from the lower elevation but the whole formation began to shift Then from between those two unique ants came a third ant that seemed to settle over the scene like morning mist

The typical ants had a dark reddish brown carapice But this one had a creamy pink exterior that seemed to glitter It had wings long translucent wings but they appeared so delicate that it flapped behind the ant like a gauze cape rather than implements of flight Compared to the other ants its limbs were more slender and delicate its eyes closer together above a mouth with smaller mandibles

It looks like an ant�s attempt to make itself look more human Arrietti was struck by this sudden thought as he looked at its delicate and purposeful steps It descended down the hill the two trumpet ants remaining behind but a burly and oversized ant with curling horns acting as a guard

That ant huffed dangerously and shook its head from side to side seeming to look for an outlet for its aggression

The lead ant reached the bottom under the watchful gaze of all the powerful individuals and serenely drifted forward Its wings undulated softly Its thin limbs carried it up to the place holding the bowling balls It reached out with a foreleg and picked one up After testing the weight the ant moved against the crowd parted and allowed it to walk up to the front of a lane

After a decidedly haughty glance at Arrietti the ant scuttled forward and threw the ball awkwardly sidearm down the lane But to the watchers surprise the side arm thrown ball rapidly began to adjust its vector until it slammed into the pins and knocked down nine

Immediately the trumpeters began a waxing note of victory The hundreds of ants started slamming their feet up and down with such ferocity that Arrietti worried that the hill would collapse on top of them But just as the ants seemed willing to work themselves up into a fever pitch their bowler screeched in fury and waved its forelegs aggressively At once the other ants all fell silent Its guard released a plaintive huff

Rubbing its antenna together the bowling ant waited for the overseers at the end of the lane to clear away the knocked over pins and then easily picked up the spare with another sidearm throw Then the ant tilted its head to the side and regarded Arrietti once more with a fixed stare

And rumored to be the richest too And with incredible political influence And known to teach other individuals and swiftly make them much more powerful than they had been in the past Sydney began listing things off and raising fingers as she spoke Then she narrowed her eyes at those raised fingers as though an answer waited within the thin digits Honestly just having a connection with Randidly Ghosthound puts you in contact with Kharon the Order Ducis and a lot of the original leadership of Donnyton People might even be tempted to go out for it for job reasons

Neveah reached out and put her hands on Tatiana and Sydney�s shoulders Her violet eyes danced And with the three of us we�d probably whittle down to a list of excellent candidates You are half of my soul after all so I can�t have you spending the rest of your life with someone boring or mooning after someone who doesn�t even notice you are gone

I�m not willing to do that Randidly shook his head emphatically

Ah really Neveah released an aggrieved expression I�ve actually already thought of a good candidate What about that cloud sculptor from that greek Bubble City And from all accounts she�s absolutely radiant

Isn�t she a bit old for Randidly Sydney�s lips twitched

Neveah considered that She�s in her mid thirties or was before the System arrived But she came out of her bubble relatively late and with how much time Randidly has spent in time dilated areas

The two continued to animatedly discuss this woman�s compatibility with him Tatiana patted Randidly on the shoulder as he stared at them with a pale face Relax and let them have their fun In the end I would be the one who had to plan such an event and I�m having a stress headache just thinking about all the arguments we�d have to have to narrow down the applicant pool If anything you are too juicy a target for something like this Fame and power comes with a price

I really Randidly shook his head again but now a small smile was starting to form on his face At the very least these conversations had distracted him from the lingering dissatisfaction he felt about the Vualla situation I really don�t know how to feel when you call me too juicy�

Do you know how many times a week men contrive to put themselves in my path Tatiana said Or they cast Skills or hexes related to love on me from afar and try to draw me toward them It�s tapers off while Kharon is moving but every time we stop a few more manage to finagle themselves aboard the Wandering City The worst sort of cockroaches Most of the time they are selfish and I don�t mind crushing back their image to teach them a lesson but some are well meaning They�ve seen me from afar and have been carrying a torch for a while And I�m just the mayor of Kharon Randidly you are the head of the Dragon

Sydney joined their conversation too even though her expression is reluctant Even now the world changed and the System human beings still love the mystery of a fantastic life different than our own A peek into the orbit of a special� being We even have words for it your Nether has a magnetism that can�t be replicated All the things you�ve accomplished all your victories your interactions with other worlds and the Nexus go to anywhere on Expira right now offer a young woman a hand and tell her that you can change her life for a night I think you�d very rarely find someone who would say no

Randidly�s heart twinged for a second only partially because of what the three women were saying to him but because he abruptly felt how right they were Not about his appeal to the average woman on Expira which was a prospect he didn�t dare consider too deeply but the way his whole being was affected by what he had accomplished People saw him differently

His mundane actions were part of a pattern

In a way I always considered myself a maestro His eyes widened and unfocused His Nether Core rapidly accelerated building to something profound That I manipulated the patterns and the energies originated from me But it�s not that simple I am the pattern The way I move and breath and act and feel All those aspects are part of a pattern

That�s why the Nether King seemed to birth those organic swirls without effort Because it was the pattern incarnate a moving symphony of cascading organic brushes If I can achieve that

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 683

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 675

A tremor ran through his Nether Core One of the shadows within it began to stir if I can integrate that fully then I think I�ll finally figure out how to keep improving my Nether Core

Chapter 1905

Sydney knew that awkward not a smile expression on Randidly�s face She had spent far too much time knowing him watching him grow to miss how ill equipped he felt to deal with this conversation regarding his romantic desirability Even though he had taken a lot of steps forward as he adapted to the System and grew in confidence he hadn�t transformed into an unrecognizable form

At moments like these the old Randidly peaked through all the Stats and Levels and images and it made her both happy and depressed His pained reactions hadn�t shifted that much

Yet in the next moment a change came over him Randidly relaxed All the tension he carried in his arms and shoulders vanished He raised his head and his eyes were piercing emerald and he projected palpable confidence The air around them seemed to swirl inward as though he was breathing in and the force of that action tugged them nearer to him Sydney�s eyes widened it was as though their teasing conversation had triggered some sort of womanizing transformation in Randidly

With a fluid grace that seemed impossible even to Sydney�s empowered senses Randidly pivoted and stretched a hand out toward Neveah His grin was winning and assured Let me change your life At least for a night

Neveah snorted but willingly took his hand You�ve already done so when my soul was secreted away inside of a Raid Boss are you confident that you can do it again Here with no preparation

Randidly�s grin widened Sydney could feel the air around him change again an outward pressure instead of an inward tide That energy flowed through their hands going from Randidly to Neveah However even witnessing this transfer Sydney was unable to truly understand what he was doing Meanwhile Neveah sucked in a ragged gasp Oh Oh oh Of course Of course Why the hell didn�t we see it before

Both of us are a bit limited Randidly said slowly Still holding Neveah�s hand he offered a small bow to both Tatiana and Sydney That�s why friends are important to help you notice when your perception is insufficient

Neveah and I need to do a bit of last minute investigation Randidly continued His eyes flicked back up to the sky He had deactivated most of the furious storm that had thundered above the island in the past few weeks but low wispy clouds slunk across the horizon as though just waiting for his bid to return Tatiana if there is anything you need let me know But be careful Someone else is going to try and make a storm of this party

Tatiana�s face shifted I assume you�ve heard about the situation with Alana

What happened with Alana Randidly�s face creased into a frown Then he shook his head Well if anyone can take care of herself it would be her It�s just the significance

There are massive worms of it Neveah whispered Her face had gone unnatural pale Slithering toward us even now Their mouths are open and they

Heh The apple doesn�t fall far from the tree I guess Randidly bared his teeth at the sky You want to take a bite Ah what is this Someone is wielding a luck based Skill against us I think they will find the scales on which I operate aren�t so easy to tip

Huang Li stepped forward The Chimera woman wiped out an entire city in the Northern portion of the Great Sea At least four thousand dead I was in the area noticed the loss of life managed to subdue her before she could wander around and continue her killing spree And at the time I noticed her strange innocence she seemed to hold no guilt over the killing On the journey back she seemed genuinely surprised that taking life was bad She said

A Chimera running wild in populated areas is a tragedy But something we�ve seen before The conservatives think we will let them start marginalizing a score of worlds just because this latest monster shows humanoid intelligence Alana�s mouth twisted

But Huang Li shook his head slowly I should have led with this She told me that she had been raised to view humanoids as disposable Some of Zone 7�s other agents went to investigate and corroborated the Chimera�s story A certain subset in the Frogpeople�s world had found the innocent and intelligent Chimera and understood how she could be used She was taught to slaughter humans and then deliberately released into that area of the Great Sea where there would be very little oversight If I hadn�t happened to pass by the death toll might be closer to a hundred thousand before it was discovered

That number rang out in the grey cell for several seconds Even with all the liberated Bubble Cities they had lost far too many in the arrival of the System to sniff at a loss of a hundred thousand lives

A terrorist attack Alana huffed out a disbelieving laugh From a non human group

Raina sighed Her glossy blonde hair and its pink stripes felt garish next to the grey of the cell That�s why they called me To persuade the culprits to reveal any outside influences As far as I can tell there are none This was really just a malicious group of frogpeople who primed and released a Level 99 Chimera with the idea that it should kill a certain human

We were busy hiding the Chimera here until we could figure out how to handle the situation Huang Li whispered Now the jailbreak has become an enormous news story The actions of the trio from Kharon Academy just took us by surprise

Alana licked her lips How lucky for the conservatives Several times in a row Oh did you say one particular human

The Ghosthound Ghost�s tinny voice released the unsurprising answer The Chimera had been taught to harbor deep resentment for the Ghosthound And as far as we can tell it just didn�t know humans enough to tell the difference between them

Alana closed her eyes again Her brain ticked through the branching future paths with a mechanical precision They�ve begun spreading the information about this Chimera through the news channels then

Raina nodded The usual group of talking heads are doing much fist slamming over the lack of security on Expira and the rise in crime since the portals opened Much of it is pretty direct attacks on the Order Ducis for failing to police the works of the Ghosthound Considering the business opportunities the portals represent they would keep up this refrain for long but right now they are broadcasting a constant low thrum of alarm with System Skills Even individuals who don�t regularly consume those sorts of news programs will absorb it just by proximity to those who do by that point it will be through the basic human pattern of mirroring their peers and they won�t even be able to sense a Skill at work

They will need something else though Alana said slowly A nail in the coffin to silence the opposition And based on their sudden luck

Today is the first day of the Ghosthound�s bbq Ghost chirped Based on my observations a lot of bodies are heading to that event A lot of different races will be there If something were to happen then I suspect the conservatives will beat us to establishing a World Government And one that discriminates very overtly against anyone but them

Chapter 1906

Randidly quirked an eyebrow as Sunan dashed back and forth carrying the small serving plates and tongs one armful at a time to their place along the long table Next to Randidly Sam shrugged with an exhausted expression His eyes remained fixed on the saddle the kid wore even while helping set up I really have no idea He just got it fixed in his head that the coolest characters in stories are the mounts Haah you�ll understand when you have kids of your own Sometimes you just gotta hope the fixation passes

The sun had worked its way up toward the sky hanging directly overhead so it avoided the lingering screen of storm clouds completely and just beat directly overhead Even with the breeze coming across the island the heat was still a physical presence humming against all their backs Hearing their conversation Sunan paused in his work and regarded the three men very seriously Couriers are the mounts of information and substance Mail is the glue that holds society together This counts as training

Then he returned to his tasks Further down the beach Selene and Tatiana squatted next to the smoking pits and poked around the food should be done soon based upon their loose schedule Most of the other attendees for the barbecue were either on the beach on the opposite side of the island or enjoying a cocktail morning on the moored barge For now not even the workers who were going to help manage the event had arrived

Randidly and his companions had the beach to themselves Which only served to emphasize how strange Sunan was

Nrorce clicked his tongue and shook his small head at the rushing kid but Randidly was surprised by how warm the goblin�s expression was Honestly kids will dig up pet peeves you didn�t know you had All the while displaying less sense than a hedgehog carrying an armful of balloons But that�s why

The goblin�s words cut off abruptly as Sunan came hurrying back picking up more silverware from the pile and carrying it by hand back over to the serving table With surprising delicacy Sam patted the smaller figure on the back as Nrorce continued to be unable to finish the sentence Then he gestured with his chin and the three left Sunan to his work

Part of the brat�s energy comes from the fact you are watching Randidly Sam grunted Kid grew up on stories of you With us gone hopefully he will tire himself out a bit and get bored Maybe even play with some children his own age Besides brought something special from Donnyton�s distillery

As the trio wandered toward the treeline Sam produced a heavy glass bottle with a glossy black label Nrorce harrumphed in approval as Sam popped the heavy topper off and took a sip for himself The goblin went next making Sam look like a disapproving choir director with a full gulp of the amber liquid They were on the giant vegetal collective portion of the island so Randidly eyed the vines suspicious as the plant matter withdrew slightly to allow them easy passage into the maze like palm tree trunks

He didn�t think the vegetation would lure them in to consume them considering he was amongst them but you never knew what vines were thinking And he made a mental note to keep some of his attention on the trees to protect the less powerful guests at the event

The last thing he needed was to birth another blood drinking plant being Although the Patron of Blooms would be over the moon at the prospect

The bottle felt cool when Nrorce begrudgingly passed it over having taken a second gulp for himself Randidly hefted it feeling the weight sensing the swirling notes of significance and image that had been lovingly layered into the liquid For a product of Expira he was impressed by the effort The distillery clearly had the process down and cared about each bottle they produced

He lifted the glass bottle and allowed a little of the whiskey to seep onto his tongue His eyes glazed offer He tasted toffee and warm hearth and coffee beans and notes of vanilla and citrus rind Warmth spread outward across his tongue and then crept down into his throat For several seconds he felt beyond himself sitting somewhere warm and safe wrapped in a wool blanket looking out at a snow covered wonderland A ghost of an image possibility flickered in front of his vision

Randidly took another sip careful not to look too hard the force of his attention would destroy the small image the liquor contained Nrorce smacked his lips Good stuff

Small batch Everett the guy who does all of their mixtures nurtured this one for almost five years You can feel his care in every sip Sam nodded He snatched the bottle back as Nrorce reached out to take it from Randidly And it cost me a pretty penny so let�s not guzzle it eh How much liquor does your body need anyway

Sam nodded slowly Then he scowled over at Nrorce who had just finished the last few drops He grumbled and produced another bottle The goblin�s eyes brightened and he rubbed his hands together Here�s to not regretting finishing the bottle If I had nursed it imagine how long it would take before we brought out more

What is the purpose of the human gathering The chimera woman asked The four of them sat on a small boat powered through the water on the Scrawl across the wood The sun smoldered overhead Todd sat in the back toying with a few more pieces of driftwood Zack sat in the middle eyeing the horizon Ever since they had returned to Expira he had been on edge expecting an ambush around every turn

If Alana Donal hadn�t been there when Huang Li caught up with them

Zeta who had been positively enthusiastic about every interaction with the strange creature since they had escaped nodded emphatically at the question For many weeks I have considered this question As far as I can tell humans derive social energy from each other while in close proximity Some are better at this than others but all need exposure to each other in order to maintain normal functions

And that can also be through sex The Chimera said with the delight of a child who had finally found out how to drive the peg into its proper hole

Zeta hummed and swayed causing the boat to rock Ahem No I do not believe that is always accurate This barbecue is primarily social interaction while sex involves the exchange of biological fluids for pleasure

Zeta don�t talk like you understand sex Zack shook his head his tone carrying a moderate amount of scorn

Then you have had sex The Chimera whipped her pale eyes around to focus on Zack His skin tingled ever since she had casually attacked a group of people they had encountered in the countryside and the combined force of the trio had barely been enough to halt the violence he couldn�t quite meet her gaze Even Todd had withdrawn into himself

I have but it was just Zack tried to think of a way to describe how anxiety inducing and sweaty his first time having sex had been One problem had been the thick summer heat another was his partner had done it before but was still quite inexperienced and kept saying things like well when my last boyfriend did it � and worst of all he had been hyper aware of the noises of their breathing and the bed squeaking while their bodies pressed together Considering how high the Perception was of the average student at Kharon Academy there was no way the entire school didn�t know what they were doing

Just remembering that night made Zack flush red

Notice the shift in skin hue Zeta pointed at Zack This indicates arousal

The mere memory allows for that arousal to return How fascinating Will one of you engage in sex with me I�d like to experience it The moon whispers that tonight would be an excellent opportunity The Chimera looked innocently around at them all At the back of the boat Todd choked back a laugh

Zeta made that strained humming noise again seemingly too overwhelmed by this prospect for its machinery to properly transition All the while the current continued to carry them forward Zack hoped they would make it to the Ghosthound�s barbecue as soon as possible

Chapter 1907

The nose of their canoe cut into the sand jolting the occupations and sending the tail end of their vessel drifting sideways on top of the lapping wave A quick cut of Todd�s hand sent a shudder through the sea vessel lifting it out of the water and carrying them onto the flat portion of the rocky beach

The Scrawl shimmered and dissipated

The Chimera woman hopped out first falling to her knees and pressing her forehead into the sand in the direction of the water Thank you mother sea for bearing us to this location I will miss your salt and your curves An auspicious voyage

By the time Zeta had scrambled out of the canoe to join her the woman was peering up at the low hills above the beach She pointed at some movement Are those enemies Shall we sing a song of slaughter and dance amongst their corpses

Those appear to be local fauna There is no need to sing any songs related to violence Zeta hummed and his eyes clicked as the lenses shifted to provide better vision

Zack clambered down onto the sand following the Chimera�s pointing finger with his gaze Along the edge of the thick tropical forest a line of ants marched in unison rubbing their forelegs to produce a strange sonorous note Some of the ants even swayed their heads in unison as though this was some sort of celebratory parade Rubbing the back of his neck he turned back to the canoe and offered Todd a hand The younger kid ignored the help and clambered over the side but Zack tried not to take it personally

Hopefully that Chimera doesn�t lose her cool and try and go on a murder spree Especially not here on the Ghosthound�s island Zack adopted a comical grimace

Yet Todd�s sharp reply cut right through his attempt at humor Isn�t that exactly why we brought her here So someone else would handle this problem we created Shit could we blame him if the Ghosthound kicks us out for forcing him to address this

The words were sudden and violent ripping open the space between them and leaving the gash hanging in the air for several seconds Zack tilted his head to the side Todd are you alright I know you�ve been quiet since Zeta suggested we head here but I just thought thought you felt like I do That this Chimera is partially insane and is infecting Zeta with it The Ghosthound will solve this why wouldn�t he help us

Why would he let the Calamity kill so many people Why does he do anything Todd�s response was shrill and raw gooey with hidden emotional bleeding For the first time in a long time Todd looked up and met Zack�s gaze with his own still atrophied and grey Zack�s eyes widened unprepared for the way that Todd�s strange outburst would trigger all of his own anxieties

Why couldn�t I step forward to help Why did I let you hold down the Patron of the Grey alone

They just stared at each other for several long seconds breathing heavily Then without addressing what just happened Todd shook his head and walked past Zack in the direction of the departing two

A vein throbbed in his temple this was a PR moment No need to get into a purposeless fight Kent swallow the rest of his fury and offered a thin smile Ah apologies for that Here let me get you another

Feeling very gallant imagining the positive way others would view him acting so magnanimous considering the circumstances Kent stepped forward up to a waiter and took a glass of wine Then he turned and took a step back toward the woman to offer it to her

The dock cracked beneath him His foot slipped through the shoddy construction and he ended up collapsing onto a knee awkwardly And the motion meant that he threw the contents of the wine cup in the woman�s face

Wine dribbled down her nose and lips highlighting her strong cheekbones and expressive mouth She smirked at him and then spoke with a raised voice Now sir just because I accidentally spilled on you that is no reason to vindictively

Stop A tired looking man with a military haircut stepped next to the woman elbowing her in the side She pouted and stumbled sideways but said nothing Then the man stepped forward and offered Kent a hand My sincerest apologies Sometimes Hydie here takes teasing a bit too far Are you alright

Kent took the hand and then straightened his suit with a huff once he stood He felt the sweat beginning to pool in his armpits and shook himself so the perspiration wouldn�t stain the linen He thought the man looked vaguely familiar but couldn�t place him Maybe he had applied to the Order Scutum Some of Kent�s temper leaked into the words It�s fine Just please control your woman in the future Just because you chose her doesn�t mean the rest of us want to deal with her nonsense

Both the man and the woman raised their eyebrows The woman�s smile remained in place but it remained increasingly sharp They regarded Kent in unnatural silence as the rest of the party continued around them as though suddenly transformed into cutouts of people still and ominous

Unwilling to be dragged into any further conversation with these two Kent turned away More boats were arriving and loosing their people onto the already crowded pier while the initial group sluggishly shifted inland The prospect of the whole thing collapsing underneath the combined weight of the arrivals didn�t seem so farfetched considering his foot just punched through the wood The less time he needed to spend here the better

Kent navigated his away around tight discussions curled his lip up at an offered drink from a demi human with purple skin and jutting molars and kept heading in the direction of the head of the Order Ducis

He couldn�t see Naffur any longer due to the press of bodies but Kent had a good memory Alright let�s remain positive Solid first impression We share the same goal protecting the sanctity of humanity As long as I can show my sincerity

Kent squeezed through a tight space between two groups and then swayed to a halt having rather abruptly reached the edge of the pier He scowled Naffur had vanished And right as he turned to head back down the pier a hand pressed in the small of his back and pushed him off the edge

He was so thrown by the purposeful malice that he simply spun as he fell toward the water being greeted by that long haired woman who had spilled wine on his suit earlier winking at him Then he hit the placid waves and produced an enormous splash

Chapter 1908

Meat�s done Selene pulled off plastic gloves and tossed them into the trash can Several workers began to dig up the roasted meat and bring it to the butcher to be cut She nodded to Randidly and Tatiana Just need to spread it out on the plates Hungry people usually will handle the rest on their own even without serving utensils Now I need to go and figure out why my boyfriend is sweating like he�s related to the three dozen pigs we just smoked

Both Randidly and Tatiana waved as the woman strode purposefully away toward where Police Commissioner Arrietti sighed and stood so dangerously close to the living plant third of the island that a few vines had been surreptitiously creeping closer to him

Randidly raised an eyebrow at Tatiana She certainly has a lot of personality I�m surprised she ended up with someone like Arrietti

Tatiana clicked her tongue Not you too You know despite how he looks and acts well how he looks and acts most of the time he�s extremely competent at his job Essentially everyone on the police force looks up to him It just so happens that he�s the only individual who hasn�t noticed his own worth For that reason and because he obviously doesn�t notice how many women make passes at him Selene�s rather protective of him But enough about gossip do you really want to be on the serving line

Yea The patterns coming together running here from all over Expira are fascinating It�s much easier to see them up close when I�m submerged in them Randidly looked up at the sky The remnants of his storm continued to linger around a distance halo of smog that hung across the edge of the horizon Meanwhile the day here only became hotter Plus you know I love being a small part of events like this

I do I really do Very prince dressed as a commoner sort of vibe Tatiana shook her head I�m just worried that your presence will grind the food line to a halt Or cause a few famished individuals to be so overcome with awe that they forget to grab food and just stare only later to succumb to heatstroke You know I hate disposing of bodies for you

You have a lot of worries Your boss probably doesn�t pay you enough Randidly joked with a grin

Tatiana responded with a hollow laugh as she turned away The worst part is that no matter how much my boss pays me his capital is large enough that he doesn�t even notice the missing cash Stealing from him feels more like a chore than anything else Even though I do do it just out of habit

Snorting Randidly watched Tatiana go without calling her bluff He knew that she deserved a raise and made a mental note to give her one The only awkward part was that she handle that portion of the finances He needed to figure out how to surprise her with it because he didn�t want to use her to give her a surprise

Humming to himself Randidly turned and faced the nervous looking group of Order Ducis applicants and volunteers from Kharon Academy that had been trying very hard to seem like they hadn�t been listening to his and Tatiana�s entire conversation He waved a hand and picked up an apron from the pile Fill in around me at the table Tatiana told you your assignments right Let�s go around and everyone say your names then let�s get started

The introductions were less painful than Randidly had anticipated even though he had suggested them on a whim Although most of that was because the momentum of the activity helped distract all the food servers from his presence Plus using that lull Randidly began to weave the significance of his presence and his actions through the surroundings He stopped leaning so heavily on his physical senses and sank into the constant humming layer of Nether that lay beneath everything

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 690

His touch was light as he spread out his feelers through all these individuals giving himself a broader range to experience the arriving patterns He kept the connections loose and the bindings almost imperceptible afraid of somehow altering the trajectory of the lives around him by tying them to himself

The other aspect of this activity was using himself as part of the pattern He was still a bit stiff but he gradually felt the knack of incorporating patterns in his natural movements He saw and felt the ways he moved through the world and shifted the surroundings In small situations like this he could still have a high degree of influence

Ripples of Nether connecting and sharing started arriving in denser and denser clusters

His evolved Focus Exquisite Piety played a pivotal role in this adjustment as well He could pour his attention into the pseudo ritual perhaps even relying on that innate faith that Sydney had pointed out that he possessed as he set it up He leaned into that relying on his own certainty to prop up the spread of his intended patterns

Soon he had a giant conducive bowl of Nether around him that would absorb and transmit information to Randidly Nether Sensation Honestly the effect seemed too good

The humming of the Nether bowl cut off abruptly as the strain finally became too much The pseudo ritual collapsed leaving Randidly only to feel through his skin

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 704

I can see why that broken Master pursued so many Paths and patterns Even now in my own body I feel like I�m midway through the Path of Blood again glimpsing the edge of the working but unable to quite catch it Randidly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands the serving plate in front of him was empty He had no idea how long he had stood still and savored the pattern that worked around and through him This world even for all the evil and selfish people is an amazing place

Some small inkling brought Randidly�s gaze around He met the dull eyes of a familiar face just now walking up over the sand dunes Todd the young kid who had been bullied at Kharon Academy and taught Randidly how to create a Scrawl The greyness in the eyes was unfamiliar but the features hadn�t shifted that much

Distance didn�t matter Randidly still rode high on the flow of Nether The press of physical bodies provided no obstruction to the firm connection between them

But in the next moment the emotional gulf between the Todd that Randidly remembered and this one hit him like a gut punch This young kid�s faith had been shattered Randidly felt the boy�s pain and the blame and the deep deep sadness that he carried with him The Nether between them snapped into place and Randidly could practically see the arch of his journey He could feel the agony and confusion that it had taken to reach this point

Todd expected Randidly to be a hero but he had allowed the Calamity to ravage Expira

Something within Randidly curled away from this responsibility but as soon as he noticed he firmed his resolve and lifted his chin He wished he hadn�t done that but Randidly would do the same thing again in order to teach Expira what it would need on the off chance that he could no longer protect the planet

Yet Randidly felt a turbid bubbling in the pit of his stomach The lance of Todd�s accusation crossed the distance between them and struck at his heart

Thankfully a distraction emerged Through the crowd Randidly saw a strange monster woman with which he felt a certain kinship in the same literal way that the Alpha Cosmos was his body she was a part of his Nether Core foundation But weirdly she began to raise her arms and shriek as they made eye contact

As with Todd the currently sensitive and raw Randidly felt directly impacted by the significance between them However the woman came with a confusing array of images and aggression Her primary bond seemed to be to the long shadow that Randidly cast across the Alpha Cosmos than any direct interaction

But that�s the thing isn�t it That shadow is me Randidly�s eyed glittered as the force of that woman�s image spread out a grey scythe preparing to sweep forward and lash out at him Wind began to stir and the rising image quickly caught the attention of the powerful individuals on the beach Some twisted around marshaling their own image Bodies swayed wanting to move but kept still by the sheer number of people crowded on the beach

One in particular a man who had apparently been enjoying the party so much that he had leapt into the sea without taking off his linen suit now shoved his way through the crowd to interpose himself between Randidly and the woman In the process he knocked several people to the side An attack A non human attack

Randidly scratched his cheek at such a dramatic response He the Moirae of Ripples deftly reached out at the power that woman aimed at him and just smoothed it away leaving the air placid as the surface of a swamp

The wind died The truly powerful individuals sent a meaningful glance at Randidly as they sensed the edges of what he accomplished but then continued on without addressing what had happened Meanwhile most people hadn�t noticed the quick shift They were concerned with more mundane matters

Hey asshole One woman got up off the ground brushing sand off herself She jabbed a finger at the man with the soaked linen suit What the hell do you think you are doing

Randidly set down his serving tongs and took a step back As much as it would be painful he needed to speak with Todd

Chapter 1909

His feet felt heavy and his gait felt slow But even more than Randidly the surrounding people seemed to be drifting inflated versions of themselves Every motion was overdone and exaggerated all their significance and connections awkwardly tied into their expression in a partially self defeating machine

You know I wonder what the Nether King saw he shook his head slightly When he looked at me Did I seem this inept

Walking through the emotionally charged crowd felt to Randidly like he was leaning forward and grinding his way through a sandstorm Even after the framework of his Ritual shattered from the strain he still felt overexposed to the elements� of Nether His eyes had been opened and it would be difficult to ever not notice its presence

Especially here on Expira where he didn�t restrict it to a thin layer

Another part of the discomfort was the tightly pressed bodies who often didn�t even notice Randidly and buffeted him in their desire to get some more food Part of it was the lingering confusion and fear from that strange monster woman�s display even if Randidly had wiped away all of the kinetic and image ripples that she had produced for a brief moment she had rung with a clear and aggressive note of violence

Still his own Nether Core continued to churn creating an increasingly comprehensive film of Nether that he wove around his person so he didn�t need to rub up against the constant cacophony of pattern interactions With that in place he moved a little easier slipping through the crowd with quick steps

However waiting on top of the sand dune were only three individuals not four

Mr Ghosthound sorry for the trouble A red haired young man offered Randidly a half bow considering him nervously as he straightened His eyes flicked to the monster woman This we well we are in a bit over our heads

Randidly nodded slowly as he looked them over The monster woman still regarded him with a crazed intensity but after her initial show of force had been so thoroughly quashed she seemed intelligent enough to know that further attacks weren�t going to be effective Up close Randidly could sense the significance queer being dragged behind them all lingering like the scent of sulfurous mud being tracked through the barbecue

Tossing a match amongst these few could still blow up this whole event

Still he didn�t address that Instead Randidly cleared his throat and asked Where did Todd go

The youngest member of the party had vanished while he had been walking through the crowd The automaton lifted its head Ah how embarrassing Sir Ghosthound It appears he has departed before you arrived I�m sure he sends his warmest regards

He feared you Upon a black moor you stood watching as the grey maggots wormed their way up through the damp soil and ate the farmers� crops Suddenly the monster woman spoke Her voice was low and husky Such a blight the insects were Mindless and ravenous Yet even as the people found their vegetables ravaged and began to starve you did nothing but brood The subject of those thoughts hangs like a storm above him

This earned a long glance from Randidly Partly for the strange way she spoke and partly for the sudden politeness as she addressed him after her earlier attack but also because he had felt her reach down and pull that information out of Nether Looking at her curling horns and features he realized that she was one of the Chimeras that had sprung up on Expira A direct result of the creeping strangeness of his own existence evidenced in the isolated universe that was his body

A small frown grew across his face Do all the Chimera possess this ability to access history and connection A natural connection to Nether Which likely means as the presence of Nether in my own capabilities becomes looming Chimeras will remain a threat to the people of Expira as they further develop their own abilities

I wonder what the final count of Bubble Cities is Dmitri muttered to himself

there are just more talented fighters out there Every time there is a clear front runner the world eventually catches up Kouella finished

Raspin snorted Ha So you mean to say that any of these new talents can hold a candle to Alana Donal Or the Sovereign of Ghosts Or break through Donny�s Aegis They�ve been on top of their game for years Because the Ghosthound jump started their growth giving them a permanent edge So the more power they give to the Cortez siblings the less competitive advantage Donnyton can wield

The head start edge isn�t permanent Vye interjected

Ah in denial of reality eh Raspin looked at her with gleaming eyes Much to her disgust he took a large bite of his pork ribs before continuing to talk The sauce gleamed on his lips Maybe there used to be different training methods or efficiencies but we�ve been experiencing the System here for almost seven years We�ve figured out how it works Now there might be minor disputes over methods but training efficiency has reached an all time high And if you started now you might narrow the gap due to diminishing returns on Skill Levels of the people in front of you but is exhausting yourself to close that gap worth it Easy to empathize with the people that just want to leave security to the Orders and go back to normal life

It�s not about being the best fighter Kouella pursed her lips It�s about protecting yourself About being ready for another shift

There�s also the matter of images Vye added finding this train of conversation quite off putting Even if people might not have the Skill Levels that the early people have earned a powerful image can easily make up that difference

Eh Maybe for a bit But you know people tend to figure things out We found the best training and I�d bet you anything we will soon find the best images After that there won�t be much variety people will just choose the proven one that they like the most Raspin finished chewing and sucked the sauce off his fingers You can sorta see the way it would work with those Class lighthouses through the arches Those who wish to spend their lives chasing the back of someone with a headstart will just emulate a powerful individual with a similar Class I�m not saying there isn�t a lot of talent of the newer fighters Just don�t try and say they can easily catch up

I think the reason we are arguing Dmitri raised his gaze and brought it back down just as quickly Yet when he spoke there was a quiet intensity that Vye felt mirrored in her own heart Is because if too many people start thinking like you and finding training to be pointless the next Calamity will gut us

Even Raspin rocked a bit backward at that thought Vye pressed her eyes shut fighting with the fizzle of dissatisfaction and guilt and dependency that she as a member of the Order Ducis always felt when the First Calamity was addressed Because of the directive from the Ghosthound not to interfere

Of course the true pressure of that event was in the follow up the anticipation of a Second Calamity felt suffocating even now

Ahem Part of the reason no one can catch up is those forerunners are always improving So long as we have them well we can handle it Raspin continued But his forehead displayed a sudden sheen of sweat Waves lapped on the shore wiping away the already shallow footsteps that the group used to arrive here

For several seconds Vye looked at the rivulets of saltwater thinking that the erosion she witnessed wasn�t some coincidental phenomenon of the tides but the sneering action of an invisible hand a deliberate and mocking dismissal from a natural world that would gleefully bid humanity adieu A little push from the uncaring abyss a nudge off the edge

Is this how the natural world kills us It hibernates and lurks waiting for humanity to weaken itself And then it pounces when we least expect it

Then Vye blinked The moment passed

Chapter 1910

Dusk curled its fingers shyly around the tropical sea rewarding Randidly�s attendees with choppy waves of brass molten gold and crimson before the sky exhaled and passed into bruised purple and indigo Night left the air warm encouraging the party to continue without any pause

Randidly had settled on one of the high branches of the central super tree he had somehow birthed He ignored its gentle prodding with its vines as he sat and looked down across the beach At this distance he could feel the reverberations of the conflux of significance but it didn�t wear at the edges of his attention

In a word he took a break His Nether Core spun at a constant pace methodically reinforcing his own significance against further erosion

He watched the different groups disperse and mingle with one another as Tatiana moved the night to the game portion bringing out balls frisbees and horseshoes for the attendees to use as they pleased Very soon the younger generation stepped forward and engaged in a superhuman version of volleyball to the delight of the crowd When the actual net ripped from a deflected spike moving with enough force to smash through a wooden door someone from Zone 32 cast an illusion of the net making it higher and impossible to destroy

A crowd gathered as the figures blurred in motion the ball ricocheting and being sent across at a speed close to the sound barrier To get the ball over the higher net the players had to leap to great heights and perform acrobatics They landed in massive blasts of sand before throwing themselves up into the air again participating in a mid air fight

Halfway through a furious volley the game was brought to a screeching halt as a comet of fire ripped across the ocean and shot directly above the action Water fizzled at this low flying projectile and the crowd began to mutter Randidly raised an eyebrow but didn�t interfere The flames gradually dispersed and revealed a gleaming canary yellow skybike and the grinning Elijah Frank arriving in style� to the barbecue Randidly didn�t even bother to stop himself from rolling his eyes

Meanwhile the dark lump of Kharon also appeared on the horizon as it silently walked up next to the barge some people would camp on the island but most preferred the comfort of an actual city Of course with the Wandering City came a massive luminous fog bank of floating moss spirits Before Kharon had even arrived they swam their way forward in a massive spectral river green They impacted the sea and beach exploding in an emerald sunburst that had every laughing and dancing amongst the lights

A small tributary split off and made a beeline for Randidly�s position on top of the tree They followed the thread between them and had quickly embedded themselves in the area around him They burrowed into the bark and spiraled around the leaves At first the mega tree seemed alarmed with its vines swaying back and forth in agitation But quickly it felt the rejuvenating energy of the moss spirits and it began to hum with pleasure The vines poked at the spirits trying to ascertain their origin

Chuckling to himself Randidly looked down at another figure speeding across the sea Compared to Elijah Frank this one moved without worrying about being noticed in her approach She quickly leapt across the treetops below and then swung up the branches of the massive tree

When she spun up on the branch where Randidly was situated he raised an eyebrow as he examined her Several recent Nether connections pulsed at her back thick and humming with urgency I thought those kids had a lot of significance trailing after them but you�ve stolen the lion�s share of it huh

Ah you�ve met the Chimera woman then Alana Donal sighed and cracked her neck Randidly wondered why she seemed so different than usual but then he realized that she wasn�t wearing her typical leather armor She wasn�t even holding a spear Plus her fingers were vaguely smoking Yes I think most of the attention has shifted In the end the kids don�t matter as much as the fact that they recognized members of Kharon Academy rescued a known criminal from Zone 7 custody Gives certain groups a lot of grounds for criticism against you

Randidly forced out a laugh as he turned over that information in his mind Don�t worry on my account I can handle a little criticism

Alana�s bitter smile made him pause Randidly cleared his throat and stepped toward her to put his hand on his shoulder She looked down at the hand in surprise for a second before she met his eyes while he spoke Look I know this is about me right They think I should have handled the Expira situation differently So if you need any help please let me know I really appreciate what�s been done for me Especially by you Alana Without you Expira wouldn�t have gotten to this point Your firm resolve held the line when it mattered When the Calamity was prepared to morph into something truly deadly

This time her smile was a lot more genuine Tentatively she reached up and patted his hand Without armor her shoulder seemed surprisingly thin This thank you But you don�t need to worry about it This is our role right You handle the threats from outside in the Nexus we take care of what�s going on within the Alpha Cosmos Besides aren�t you just here because you are bored Maybe if you invited me out to fight in the Nexus I�d let you muck around in politics here

Yea that�s fair Randidly winced He coughed once to try and regain his composure When he touched Alana he felt resonance from the connection between them pure and strong A few flashing stills of her image drifted through examples of her treating his actions with a reverence that he very clearly felt he didn�t deserve

Because from what he witnessed the most he had in common with a religious figure was how ominously silent he was when his supporters had truly needed him And in his mind he had done it for their own good

Smaller threads from Tatiana Donny Sydney Neveah Heiffal

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual has grown to Level 503

He stitched everything together with great care balancing all his hopes and dreams for Expira The more threads he incorporated the more that seemed to swim after them begging to be included by their own connections The working stretched higher and higher beginning to also sink into the ground and sea And as the Nether Ritual took shape around him the island itself got caught up in the working

Randidly grimaced as his body began to ache channeling a vast amount of foreign Nether without letting his own Nether Core alter the flow Especially because of the danger of his image handling Calamities this had to be independent of him He pulled at the mass of significance swirling below and a whole world�s worth of history began to follow behind it Without taking control of it Randidly called on his Authority to Seize to pull more and more deepening the working he created

The Nether felt alive in his hands Or rather his grip on the connection to the whole of Expira was so vital that even contact invigorated him The story of this world that had once existed outside the System had been waiting for someone to begin telling it Now it lent its Weight to the Nether Ritual

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether RItual has grown to Level 529

However his series of steps to reel in more Nether proved too effective Randidly rocked back on his heels almost falling off the branch of the supertree as he attempted to channel it Too many streams of Nether wound themselves together at once each single thread thickening to a rope and then knitting itself into a fisherman�s net dragging along a whole slew of other connections As the Nether Ritual continued to sprawl outward piling up into the sky and digging down into the sea Randidly quickly had to admit that his Willpower wasn�t enough to support all the significance

A strange luminance began to glimmer along the edges of the flows a strange sort of gorgeous friction as meaning rushed at ever faster speeds to create an edifice to Expira

Randidly�s breath hissed between his teeth as he saw the accelerating movement and saw the moss spirits sense it too rising up into the air to follow the flow They provided the physical representation of the strange luminance Reaching inside himself Randidly found his sturdy Yggdrasil image and brought all those Nether flows through it It acted as an expanded highway of energy lessening the ache his physical form had to endure

But soon as the Nether Ritual swelled to dizzying heights and distant depths even Yggdrasil began to tremble underneath the significance that swirled into him

Below the people cooed in awe as the emerald lights rose to join the stars Meanwhile Randidly pressed his Nether Core to its limits to support more and more support structures a framework to handle the huge amount of significance that had arrived Already he could feel the original form straining and bending underneath its weight and he reinforced the structure as rapidly as he could

This is a hope A prayer Randidly trembled as his mind began to throb with the mental strain He worked frantically having to eschew understanding and rely on intuition to create space for the force that poured through him as both his body and Yggdrasil could barely endure A bridge built toward nothing hoping that on the other side Expira might find hope Whatever Expira becomes whatever choices these people make let them not forget how difficult it was to walk the Path to reach here

How the small struggles on Expira are just a prelude to a bigger danger

He raised his hands and felt his skin tingle with the rapid passage of Nether The world around him spun He looked up and couldn�t even see just the tip of what he had made Then he lowered his gaze trying not to collapse Due to the queer luminosity that accumulated from so many gathering flows of Nether the core glimmered below It sank and settled in the depths of the planet as it began to activate

And Randidly Ghosthound smiled spent and collapsing because for a brief moment he felt small before the whole of humanity�s accomplishments This history that he had just channeled had meaning

So long as he protected them for long enough this world would grow strong

Chapter 1911

The individuals came in groups of two or three driven by the strange shift they had all just felt in the world and also due to their shared desire to protect the future of Kharon The meeting had originally been scheduled for after the weekend but the rapid progress of events made it clear they needed to reach an understanding now

The strange working wrought by Randidly was just an extra twist on an already hectic week

Derek Moss and Hydie Mordath came first him scanning the small clearing within the forest and her dragging out some logs to make impromptu seats His eyes flicked around searching for threats

The lack of present enemies and the echoing sounds of laughter below proved to be an unnerving combination

Vye arrived next slipping out of the darkness her footsteps covered by the continuing revelry happening on the beach below Elijah Frank chased after her his hair windswept and his chic white jacket stained by dirt and leaves He tried several times to draw her into a conversation but she pointedly ignored him Tatiana her secretary Wolfram and Naffur came soon after followed by Selene the goblin Nrorce and Commissioner Arrietti The former two were engaged in a heated debate over the proper way to raise high quality meat

Considering how high quality the barbecue had been Derek salivated a bit to imagine even tastier food

Alana Donal and Hank Howard came and then Sam and Regina Mrs Hamilton and Ghost were surprise arrivals because they hadn�t made an appearance at any of the barbecue events Heiffal came with Raymund Ballast both releasing an oppressive physical aura that had Derek Moss rubbing his chin

Looks like it really is worth it to train on this island He mused

The final group was also something of a surprise Not due to their presence because no one would deny their connection to the Ghosthound and their contribution to Expira�s fate Mostly it was because of how unsure they seemed to be about whether they should be included

Zack Krum looked around His expression wasn�t exactly defiant but to Derek�s eyes it looked like the young man was ready for a rejection He was poised to flinch away from any harsh words We didn�t well I felt the pull of something here that I don�t really understand If we are bothering anyone

That strange sensitivity from the Ghosthound�s working it looks like we will have to investigate who exactly has access to it Derek shared a glance with Naffur whose pursed lips told him that the younger man was thinking the same thing

Of course not Alana spoke confidently She smiled with unusual brightness as Todd who flushed and ducked his head a little at the affection

Next to her Hank Howard leaned back against a tree stump and gestured vaguely Take yur seats You�ve done more than earn it

Even I One whose fingers have soaked in pools of innocent blood The Chimera woman seemed puzzled as she looked around After I snarled at the Ghosthound earlier

Ha The cowboy grinned at the Chimera Then his whole disposition shift death rode in his eyes his guns at his sides suddenly weighed down by the lives they had taken His aura became suffocating Even Derek couldn�t help but shiver You goofed for sure An ant picking a fight with a titan That�s just youthful spunk But ta your other question do ya think any of our hands s clean girlie

The Chimera bowed deeply to Hank Howard and then she Zack Krum Todd and the Automaton joined the group Tatiana stood and cleared her throat The fact that all of you were guided here means you both care about the state of Expira and that you possess the requisite sensitivity to be even more proactive about it However let�s start by touching on this new sense that we can all tap into My connection gave me a bit of extra insight that I�d like to share

Again much of his current training capability seemed to be capped He wanted to improve his Nether understanding but that was a slow process of experimentation He wanted to improve the emotional affect of his images but the bits of space that prevented them from aligning perfectly weren�t problems he could brute force his way through He wanted to continue through the Hierarchy of Burden but his unevolved Endurance meant that he still couldn�t endure exposure to true entropy for very long

Yet Randidly didn�t feel bothered by the lack of easy Paths forward If anything the small break for the barbecue and some of the conversations he had gave him patience Or as Sydney would point out they gave him faith that as long as he kept working an answer would come

Even if that answer was just him accumulating enough PP to trigger the next Soulskill Tithe

So he worked He practiced Skills pushing himself to his limits He wove smaller Nether Rituals almost skittish about being dragged along with the massive ritual that now wove itself into the fabric of Expira Despite the headaches that resulted he continued to try his hand at the Hierarchy of Burden Raymund and DiOrtho continued to toughen themselves up meaning that almost the entirety of the electromagnetic layer was handled when he made his attempts That decreased the difficulty but it wasn�t enough

After a particularly dizzying bit of exposure to entropy Randidly woke up and shook his head Heh can�t wait until the recruits get around to handling the light radiation

He arched his back enjoying the satisfying cracks Then he hopped to his feet and continued training

Days passed into weeks A month had flown by since the barbecue had occurred and then two Randidly lost himself in the familiar activities feeling the edges of his Nether perception sharpen his emotional affect strengthen and his body toughen

In the broader Expira a confrontation was brewing Yet Randidly sensed it without interfering Because at the same time he felt his supporters moving against those forces He had given them this whatever he had made of Nether Until they asked for further assistance it would have to be enough

In the end the breakthrough Randidly had been searching for came from an unexpected place after serving as the core conduit during those frantic moments of the Nether Ritual Yggdrasil had experienced a shift Gradually the energy pumping through the powerful tree began to change its composition

Perhaps under normal circumstances the energy pressure wouldn�t have been enough After all Yggdrasil had already gone through a dozen refinements to reach this point The volume of energy it handled was stupendous Randidly had pressurized and pulled vast amounts of energy through that massive trunk in the past He had forcefully elevated a few of the Skills by searing them with power

Yet in the end it was the irrelevant act of the Nether Ritual that turned out to be the key Randidly had planted something into the core of Expira although he hadn�t intended to do so at the time He simply needed support enough to ground the massive flows of force that had begun to run through his body

A small act but the planting became meaningful Now gradually the World Tree began to germinate A seed had been pressed into the soil and that changed everything He took a deep breath gathering energy through him and around him funneling into Yggdrasil to help it take that last step

Congratulations Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 713

Randidly sat on the lip of the volcano with his eyes closed steam wicking off of his torso and pulled away by the tosseling wind In his image energy pulsed with his beating heart becoming incendiary to the point that the trunk of Yggdrasil seemed to shimmer and melt A core of plasma ran through the massive tree squirming and seeking the slightest weakness to break out of its shell

Randidly licked his dry lips A few more drops of energy managed to squeeze their way into the core of Yggdrasil and join that contorting core of plasma Small cracks formed across the bark yet still the tree remained firm

In a battle of stubbornness Randidly�s eyes danced Not even you can beat me Yggdrasil

Nether and Aether spun together constricting his Soulspace even further With the prospect of an evolution so close he refused to back down

Chapter 1912

As it turned out his images were just as stubborn as Randidly was

Three days of teeth grinding torture later Randidly felt himself nearing the moment of sublimation Thick beads of sweat dripped down his temples and ran along his jaw The dirt ground around the lip of the volcano around him began to smolder from the ambient heat produced by his body A muscle spasmed in his back from the period of prolonged tension but he couldn�t spare even a moment to relax it away

But the worst of it was the soul wracking pain as he forced Yggdrasil beyond its comfort zone Far beyond to the point that the image itself began to sustain damage As the powerful bark of the World Tree ruptured the collapse of the image dug claws into the soft matter of his brain leaving him slightly trembling in a way that he hadn�t felt in a long time His awareness became hazy and flickering at the edges Yet he gritted his teeth and continued to compress his energy he knew that growth required sacrifice He had spent his entire time under the Nexus�s thumb learning how little you could accomplish by taking things easily

If you don�t move forward you will stay in place and regrets will catch up to you Randidly�s eyes were bloodshot A few more drops of superheated energy were forced within the trunk of Yggdrasil That near living conglomerate of energy shook itself doing its best to break out of the shell inflicting more agony on him in the process

Warning Your image

Within the sphere of his image Randidly felt a massive rift burst open along the sides of the World Tree�s bark The swirling Engravings along that torn area began to flash crazily as energy and air forced themselves out through the divide and widened the hole Soon Randidly�s Soulspace was filled with a thunderous crackling roar reminiscent more of a wildfire devouring an entire forest than the transformation of a single tree

But in the face of Yggdrasil�s stability he had no choice To overcome the sturdy and reliable foundation he had built he needed force

Recalculating Please visit your nearest Village Spirit Failure to do so will result in weakness and death

Synchronicity detected Your Skillset Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree is evolving

For a moment right as a dozen more fissures opened on the trunk and spewed out golden light and heat Randidly sobbed His head pitched forward and he couldn�t help the gulp of hesitation The pain was existential making him simultaneously delirious and desperate The haziness crept into his thoughts That seething being of plasma within the World Tree forced its way outward leaving the image feeling vaguely hollow

Yggdrasil seemed to break fire out through a dozen holes the forces of stasis and change perfectly balanced

But Randidly raised his head again and squeezed with his Willpower one last time The plasma began howling out of the cracks in the bark the friction and force of its passage forever altering the World Tree And begrudgingly the Skillset evolved The sensation of release splashed across his face and left him blinking

Congratulations Your Skillset has evolved Partial evolution Skillset will retain the same name Incorporating elements of upheaval and magma into the Skillset The roots and branches of Yggdrasil dig out into the fabric of the universe weaving itself even more closely to the essence of existence Life and destruction sit within Yggdrasil�s seed

Congratulations Your Skill Yggdrasil�s Unruly Ichor has evolved into Yggdrassil�s Plasm Animus Beyond just carrying the nutrients and energy required for the World Tree the user�s bodily fluids now carry a hint of the primordial spark that gave birth to life Healing significantly increased Damage inflicted on enemies who touch the blood is vastly increased for a few seconds after leaving the body Resistance to foreign influences slightly increased Blood has a small chance to try and flow back into the wound providing extra resilience for a short time

He waited The flames across the transformed hellscape gradually dimmed and went out The heat vanished leaving carbonized wood and animal carcasses that represented a frozen bleak version of the World Tree

Yet within the ground the heart of life beat with great force But no urgency This was the cycle of things for life to give way to death In time it would reverse Dawn would come and the sky would open

Randidly�s awareness briefly flicked to his Nether Core where his Nether Penance sat He was running low on the stored seconds but he resolutely turned back to the wreckage of his previous image He had no choice but to build up a debt to the Penance if his image would remain stubborn

As the heat and ferocity dissipated a wind brushed across the surface of these carbon statues and began to pull away bits of ash In an altogether more lonesome rustle some trees with tenuous grips on structural integrity gave way and collapsed Soon new smaller clouds of ash dominated the area masking the hollowed out forest with an ashy fog

More sweat dripped down Randidly�s forehead Again he didn�t dare look away from that solid core that gathered itself He simply waited

All at once the seed of Yggdrasil spread its influence Golden tendrils shyly wandered away from the heart sipping from the various charred tree corpses popping up beyond the soil only long enough to absorb the energy it required Meanwhile underneath the soil that core began to swell with glittering gold and emerald writing that spoke of a different world

Randidly sat with his legs folded beneath him and observed The trickle of energy became a gush pulling more and more of the previous force and warmth and vital energy that Yggdrasil contained into the whirlpool that was the seed of the World Tree Its growth continued but slowed to a glacial pace

Randidly�s eyes glittered Mostly the runic sigils across that beating heart deepened The story told by Yggdrasil strengthened itself pulling from the demolished previous image and creating something truly compelling

As his vigil continued the Stillborn Phoenix and the Grey Creature both visit They bore Nether laden bits of images and sprinkled them through the burned field allowing them to sink into the soil and join that swirling reality that began to be born within Yggdrasil Tiny pieces were slowly teased apart and reincorporated to deepen its power

His expression tightened A tremor ran through the seed

A thin verdant tendril wormed its way up from the core It squeezed between the powerful waves of energy and circumvented the remnants of the original Yggdrasil trunk that had embedded themselves into the ground The sprout poked itself out of the dirt edged aside a chunk of charcoal and tasted the air for the first time Two pure leaves spread quickly giving a space for ash to alight

The ground rumbled Golden and emerald light became a physical force that surged up through the stalk and forced itself into the sprout However not a lumen of this energy was displayed all was devoured by those two innocent seeming emerald leaves

Now Randidly reached out the touched the image His Soulspace rose in response

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil is evolving Detecting influences

A third small green leaf unfolded to join its two brothers A small dust devil of ash began to swirl around the sprout

Chapter 1913

The slow widening of those leaves and the lengthening of the stalk became everything in his awareness The last few grans of his mental perseverance drained out of the hourglass but he held onto the image with all his might Time turned liquid flowing quickly around the exhausted and blurred edges of Randidly�s awareness His perception followed the World Tree�s minute growth upward in his mind he saw that small little plant as a fist raised against the sky

It was a challenge A promise A dream

A whole new world emerged in the contours of its leaves

Incorporating influences

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has incorporated elements from Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Cycle of the Gloomy Wood and Stalemate Breaker Evolution forming detecting image Recalculating

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has evolved into The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty Skill Levels incorporated new Skill Level set at 830 Range of Skill influence greatly increased User may transform non plant material to resemble roots in the usage All materials are subject to the will of Yggdrasil Damage done by the Skill has slightly increased The more often a material is targeted by the Skill the more easily it assumes the shape of roots When the target is plant matter that recipient will experience several minutes of massive growth when the Skill ends before the life force becomes too much for the mundane item and it burns itself to ash

The ash mist began to roil and seeth bowing to that tiny green fist

Gasping Randidly came back to his body Yggdrasil continued to settle and shift inside of himself but he could no longer maintain his focus His mind had persevered to its breaking point and now he collapsed into a heap At this point even Sulfur steamed just from absorbing the ambient heat that he had been throwing off for the past

Randidly groaned Seriously I was in there for a month No wonder the Penance aches with need

Feeling helpless he allowed himself to slip into that no man�s land of the Penance his awareness swimming deeper into nothingness Within that oblivion he rapidly stabilized his Nether Core and recovered his mental acuity recovering several days later to the thin island of sunlight that fell down through the eye of his Nether storm upon the top of the volcano

He immediately checked his Soulspace again Yggdrasil had grown revolving slightly upward into a graceful sapling with branches forking out at fixed intervals Each branch was only as thick as two fingers but already they began to cloak themselves in emerald leaves The tree was not yet a size for its bark to darken but there was a strange light to the being the golden and emerald stories that it told were somehow woven into the fabric of its physical state Looked at directly it simply seemed a tree but from the corner of your eye a viewer would feel an irresistible pull to look directly at it

Telman Slate The Progressive The massive man announced his origin with a rumbling voice before proceeding into his question The Zones and independent states are in a wrestling match for political power right now how important do you think it is to agree to a worldwide treaty and how do you see the role of the Order Ducis in that process

Naffur groaned inwardly but for an entirely different reason than from the first question despite his affable exterior Telman Slate came at him with metaphorical teeth The Order Ducis�s silence while most of Expira suffered from municipal extremists unresponsive protectors and wandering refugee groups still reeling from the Calamity or from the lingering Chimeras within Danger Zones was a point of heavy criticism It turned out that the Ghosthound had been prescient with his creating of the Wandering City but for the worst sort of reasons

Expira was unsettled Current estimates put at least one half of the population within wandering wagon trains looking for places to found cities and most just encountering discrimination

As the leader of the Order Ducis this is my decision to make Naffur nodded slowly to acknowledge the question while his thoughts moved a thousand miles a minute He ran over the familiar arguments in his mind but he still came away with the same conclusion

The Order Ducis could do more It could take a more active leadership position and push Expira in a positive direction It could create safe areas for cities to be founded by refugees it could help repurpose collapsed Bubble Cities to house immigrants from other worlds But to do that we would need to grow The loose framework we have now is not equipped to be the compass by which Expira will move forward We would need support systems communication specialists political experts local connections and public relations teams Then we would need a larger frame of management to govern all that

And its hard to believe that the spirit that the Ghosthound wants to cultivate can survive with so many people Or we would grow too slowly to match the needs of Expira while trying to instill that spirit in every hire

Naffur cleared his throat Let�s address the elephant in the room first the Order Ducis has no plans at this time to take on new responsibilities on Expira We oversee and police the Orders many of which are doing great things to improve the lot of the average individual living in Expira We do support a Worldwide Treaty the current gridlock is by and large the result of the lack of agreements between political entities But it will not come from us

Tellman Slate sat down without asking a follow up question which unnerved Naffur more than the woman�s shrill inquisition earlier After that most of the questions were easy they addressed the newly promoted Orders and when the next batch of probationary Orders would be scrutinized

But at the end of the press conference Naffur called on one of the unfamiliar men at the back of the group on a whim You sir at the back What�s your question

How long will it take for the Image Virus to cripple Expira

The man looked grimly at Naffur a strange defensiveness in his posture and ambient emotions Without an introduction the words he tossed out were stark against the stretching silence

Naffur titled his head to the side unsure about the question I�m not sure what you are talking about

Right now there is a virus out there infecting and weakening images The man shook himself and then pointed a finger at Naffur And if you mean to tell me that the Order Ducis doesn�t know a thing heh Do you think we are sheep If you keep playing dumb I�ll have no choice but to expose you as the culprits Don�t think the Ghosthound can save you from the truth

Chapter 1914

Annie squinted at the horizon surrounded by the rugged beauty of the snow capped mountains The first signs of snow sent a tingle through her body like calling to like But for now the powerful wind through the Nordawn Mountain Range dragged leaves and twigs through its high passes leading to strange rivers of airborne debris that whistled past their cabin However she spotted a few dark smudges clambered up one of the nearby passes Their slow speeds made her roll her eyes and turn to go back inside

To think my instincts picked them up Ugh what a waste Annie mused as she sauntered back into the building to her family But still better make some preparations to properly entertain so many guests

Dozer�s massive form was hunched over the stove where he deftly flipped over pancakes and removed the steaming items to a waiting plate This plate he placed in front of Delilah who sat at the table with a morose expression on her face She made no moves to apply her usual liberal helping of butter and syrup to the pancakes

For a brief moment a look of genuine concern flashed across Annie�s face She felt her daughter�s pain and confusion keenly But then she covered it up and loudly walked out of the entranceway kicking off her boots and draping herself across her daughter�s shoulders Why so glum cookie

No reason Just bored Delilah said quickly but she flinched as she spoke As though before that moment she had been so sunk into a funk that she hadn�t even noticed her mother�s return to the cabin Annie cracked her jaw as she reached across the table and blithely stole the proffered pancake Her daughter remained inert quickly returning to whatever fretful oblivion that she occupied

Annie leaned forward Seems like you�ve got something on your mind I get that you don�t want to talk about it with me but how about you tell Mister Pancake

Annie happily used a fork to sculpt out two eyes and a misshapen mouth Then she flipped around the plate and proudly displayed her masterpiece

Delilah�s soon to be teenage attitude still thrived in her body even if the rest of her was somewhat preoccupied she immediately pushed back from the table and rolled her eyes Moom That�s kid�s stuff And really I�m fine Just thinking about stuff Look at dad He thinks about things all the time but you never badger him about it

Dozer pivoted and gave Delilah a mild look A ghost of a smile flitted across the girl�s face Okay okay you badger him sometimes

What are you thinking about Annie replied generously ignoring the implied jibe at her and her own sorrow that her daughter didn�t know how to appreciate art She added syrup to the eyes and mouth and began to eat Mister Pancake

Just well maybe I shouldn�t enter into the fighting tournament next month Delilah�s eyes went back to the table Maybe I don�t know I can wait until next year I really feel like my image is near an evolution and I don�t want to force anything

Annie arched an eyebrow When her daughter said I don�t want to force anything� something was definitely wrong So she cleared her throat and cut to the chase I know what this is actually about You are worried about the fact the tournament will be on the Ghosthound�s island yes You think he holds a grudge against you

Delilah�s face whipped up Then she tried to pretend she was just yawning Oh what No that�s

Well it�s true Annie announced She jabbed her chin forward even as she earned a mild glance from Dozer Randidly Ghosthound really does hate you and has been purposefully torturing you for years

I knew it Something between fear and excitement warred across Delilah�s face as she forgot that she had previously been trying to play it cool

Annie nodded full of sympathy the picture of motherly care Dozer�s expression twitched slightly I know cookie it must be rough to have such a constant figure hold a grudge against you But I also know why he�s being so petty and what you can do about it

Delilah�s head whipped around again her tiny eyes bright What

The sun sank toward the horizon allowing the shadows and wind to run rampant Yet due to its sturdy walls the cabin remained an idyllic retreat full of warmth and comfort It was exactly the sort of thing that provided an excellent escape from the stresses of civilization She had a hard time imagining anything more dangerous than a flying cougar reaching her up here

Annie took to standing at the window with her tea watching the sunset and sighing without actually observing the beauteous natural like some war wife waiting for her partner to return home from the front

Finally a knock sounded on the door and a delighted smile crossed Annie�s face About damn

The only warning was the crunch and spray of splinters She hopped lightly to avoid the massive cleaver that ripped horizontally through the previously sturdy wooden walls demolishing the side of the cabin and ripping the furniture to shreds She broke out of the wooden roof and then spun midair to avoid several thrown daggers that glinted in the half light She alighted on the top of a nearby pine tree the powerful wind whipping her hair around

Dozer is going to be in such a mood when she sees this Annie felt a pang of regret Somehow it will be my fault

Yet that was for later Now she could give herself over to the dance

A sly smile spread across her face as she looked around in the twilight and saw a dozen cloaked figures waiting around her on the nearby slope They stood in the shadows of trees and on top of stark rock outcroppings blending into the grey in the low light The largest of the figures straightened and laid the massive cleaver across his shoulders Well well such late callers And so many of you as well Certainly my husband won�t appreciate the liberties you�ve taken with the architecture

One of the figures wore a thick golden medallion the only outward differentiating feature amongst them He gestured and several others leapt forward without even bothering to respond to her Annie sighed and got to work

A bow bloomed in her hand as she settled into a crouch A white blur became an arrow as she pulled back the bow and fired three times barely pausing to aim As soon as the projectiles left her bow they swirled into a winter wind dispersing and reforming into loping white wolves then ran toward their targets

The group responded quickly They pulled out knives daggers and needles and shifted trying to maintain their encirclement Their physical Stats were clearly lacking but they had at least trained heavily for this

Annie flitted sideways and fired a volley at the distinct figure right as the first cloaked individual slashed at a white wolf with his dagger The weapon passed harmlessly through the forehead of the wolf in a burst of snow and the suddenly returned arrow struck an individual in the throat Annie pursed her lips as she rolled and avoided another throwing knife the noise of the arrow meeting the target wasn�t very satisfying

The cloaked figure with the massive cleaver interposed itself between Annie�s volley and the one with the medallion It was violence incarnate swinging its massive cleaver with a solid enough image but the arrows thundered against the weapon and sent him sprawling back

But the medallion wearer just chuckled at their lack of success

Annie raised an eyebrow as the victim of her arrow got back to its feet Mannequins Acceptably creepy

We are the Order Patricide The medallion wearer said He raised his arms as though he were giving a monologue in a community theater production of Sociopath And we need an example Annie of Donnyton We will not kill you but after we infect your image with weakness you will likely wish we had

Annie snorted She reached into the air and her Fate condensed a glittering pure white fur cape The cloth settled around her shoulders with a familiar chilling tingle How delightful But don�t start complaining if you don�t like what happens when you force me to bare my fangs O Silent Night

Her Domain activated drawing the clouds and winds together with snow flurries to blot out the surroundings Her cloak rustled whispering that a life would end tonight For Annie and this strange puppeteer there would be no escape And Annie�s eyes were alive with glee

Chapter 1915

The pine needles rustled as Annie�s wind swept across the mountain top It came like some single idea decorator outlining and highlighting everything with a dusting of ice The snow intensified as she continued her subtle battle movements shimmying out of the way of thrown projectiles and rushing directly toward the largest of the puppets the figure with the large cleaver

From the shadow of the pine trees a hatchet whipped toward Annie�s back She paused pirouetting elegantly and dispersing her momentum completely as the attack whizzed only a hair away from her and leveled her bow at the perpetrator She pulled the string back an extra inch upgrading the shot from a casual shot to a deadly one

A clear twang precipitated the release of the ivory bolt It streaked through the intervening distance crashing into the puppet�s pelvis and forcefully ripping its way through Bolts tumbled out and twine snapped leaving the puppet unmoored at the waist flopping around on the powder covered ground But Annie had already turned to face the next challenger

They rushed at her in twos and threes through the whirling flurries the puppet maestro striking at her blindspots while she engaged with the replaceable parts But Annie was the chilling wind in deadly motion pivoting firing and advancing

Her attackers moved with enough speed that she only fired a few arrows before she had to let her bow disperse and enthusiastically engage them in melee combat Or to be frank Annie purposefully kept her arrows on a delayed timing so she didn�t completely demoralize this man before he let her have her fun

Let me shred them a bit

Without her bow Annie grasped at the snow laden wind that swirled around them and pulled two daggers of ice from nothing The puppet thrust a stiletto at her but the tip was lost in the billowing folds of her fur cloak as she leaned back Her left arm snapped up sheering through the construction of its arms and leaving the puppet weaponless Then her right arm sliced down cutting through the puppet�s thigh and leaving it to bury its face in the snow

Two more puppets lashed out but Annie swam between their inelegant attacks her weapons carving their limbs and leaving them also squirming on the ground With raw physical Stats it was easy to overwhelm them without even breaking a sweat

In front of her the largest puppet with its cleaver took a stance Again the smallest image seeped out of its cloak hinting that this puppeteer might have the capacity to develop into someone truly powerful someday

However today was not that day Today was a silent night with everything buried beneath the relentless snow

Annie feinted a dash forward and the cleaver wielder took a step back as he tried to keep up While its cloak was still swaying Annie drew up short one of her ice daggers becoming a crossbow and the other morphing into a bolt She fired into the puppet�s face before it could react The bolt exploded in a sphere of ice large enough that it encased its entire torso The ice lollipop fell to the ground unable to move Its cleaver clattered to the ground snow steadily burying it

Six more puppets rushed at Annie�s back She spun and her bow fell back into her hands She simply allowed her instincts to guide the movements All six had arrows through their joints in a single moment a testament to the true speed that Annie could achieve when she went all out However she had tried of playing slowly with this medallion wearer

Annie faced him and grimaced Not to be that girl but really So quickly you�re finished

I always knew this would be difficult The medallion user�s voice was placid He gestured broadly as though he wasn�t suddenly facing Annie alone This I can always make more puppets But we now have the proof that we need if we manage to fell you cracks will begin to appear in the faith people still maintain in the Ghosthound So now

The ground in front of Annie exploded a puppet with long claws aiming to rake the soft flesh of her face Sighing she sidestepped and brought a hand whipping around an ice dagger condensing just in time for the strike to rip across the puppet�s throat

Meanwhile Annie closely examined their aura Because honestly

When those baleful mites of weakness neared her they flailed helplessly and couldn�t find purchase Then a sweeping wave would wash through annihilating the foreign aura Not by her image but by the pure connections that she had made the flowing rivers of meaning that she shared with those individuals she had encountered on Expira primarily among them Randidly Ghosthound

Annie nodded slowly to herself This isn�t actually an image of weakness It�s a rot of people�s Nether foundation Of course an average person who hadn�t strengthened their connections and place in the world would suddenly feel weaker when exposed It�s dumping water on a dirt lot everything quickly becomes muddy But if you actually have a foundation built

Hey don�t worry Annie patted the back of the girl�s head Using that strange new muscle gifted to the world by the Ghosthound a month prior she reached out and connected herself to the girl The action took a little doing and she felt clumsy while doing it but soon Annie felt it click into place Some of her firm foundation flowed through of the newly formed thread almost too powerful for the girl to bear If anything the trembling of her small body grew worse Yet Annie thoroughly cleansed her aura of that degenerative weakness and self hatred

Obviously it would take longer for the mental wounds to heal But at least Annie could cleanse her significance

Now stay here a bit I need to settle a score with a skulking rat Annie said in a sing song voice She used her thumb and some of the girl�s leaking tears to wipe dirt from her face and gently kissed her forehead For that brief moment the connection of Nether pulsed strangely From a single thread it became two

Then Annie stood she took a few steps away and drew her bow She raised her head and spoke to the swirling winds of the mountain The sky above was heavy and grey You know this was extremely short sighted of you Because now that I�ve caught your scent I will hunt you and this so called Order Patricide to the ends of Expira You cannot escape me

There was a moment of silence but then the familiar booming voice came out from between a group of snow covered trees You�ve been exposed to the image virus Now it�s only a matter of time before you

His voice cut off in a guzzling sputter After swaying in place the medallion wearer collapsed revealing Annie suddenly standing behind him with a dagger She pursed her lips and tossed aside the blood covered weapon Then she knelt next to the man and pulled back the hood a realistic humanoid puppet stared back at her some reddish substance leaking from its throat

What a hassle Annie clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction Then she stood and sucked in a breath Snow heavy winds continued to swirl above more and more precipitation coming down to cloak the entire mountaintop in ice

Her eyes burned white and baleful as she pivoted and looked around Her White Hunter�s Knack caught the traces of the puppet controller due to his Skill usage here A smile stretched across her face as she followed that trail out to a weird puppet intermediary and then another some distance further away stretching South from the Nordawn Mountain Range in a long chain that eventually led to the Wildlands South of Zone 1 Smoke began to rise from the corners of her gaze driven by a frightful cruelty Annie pushed herself further and further

A low growl escaped her throat Something feral crept into her joints sharpening her hunger until she seemed to feel a physical need gnawing at the inside of her ribs

Her eyes and that need eventually led her to the target Across the world hidden in an underground training facility a brown haired man shivered and twisted around from a basin of water sitting on the desk Oblivious to distance their eyes met His pupils dilated in sudden horror and understanding

Annie chuckled She knocked an arrow and pulled back the string bending the wooden bow Snow swirled around her alighting upon the arrow until it was completely encrusted Still Annie drew back on her weapon aiming the arrow up in the very specific angle to cover the incredible distance

She kept pulling the bow folding itself into a sharp V the arrow no longer braced against anything It was only her sure grip that kept the arrow straight As a professional Annie looked again with her burning white eyes finding the young man scrambling out of the underground area to seek help

Then she released the string confident that her arrow would find its target That need in her stomach licked its chops ready to indulge in the prey�s carcass

Chapter 1916

A pulse echoed out across the island stirring the clouds and briefly pausing the tides Animals crouched low pressing their bellies on the ground The individuals training on the beach stopped immediately and looked up toward the highest point of the island the volcano The vegetal mass that dominated one third of the island stilled unwilling to draw the attention of the source of this shift The ants� constant hum of activity ceased as they bowed their heads before a force greater than them

It was a low note of an interlude a shared stillness that briefly gripped the island The emotional note of inviolable resonance as shape and emotion merged together was that influential For a brief moment it was near perfect

That image contained the nurturing embrace of sunlight and air but it was also a wish for stability and home That moment sang a ballad of nostalgia and steady support for the next generation It was encouragement and guidance Yet running underneath it all was a powerful invigorating force a pure sip of life that would leave the drinker energized and inspired

Yet even beyond those more familiar notes something new rose within the image of Yggdrasil The World Tree now possessed the bearing of a sovereign an outlook of arrogance and responsibility that allowed no argument from creation The evolution of Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has rounded out this feeling in its new form as The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty permeating every inch of the image Yet if it was just the Skill it wouldn�t have become so pervasive

As the image activated it drew some of its power from Randidly�s Nether Core to reach that trembling note of perfection And from his significance it found an authority that gave him the prerogative to seize anything he needed Truly he possessed the tool of a Monarch

The realization was sobering The moment of perfection passed as his focus wavered So Randidly could only grimace and try again

As he made several slight adjustments in his search for the perfect emotional affect he became increasingly stormy and domineering in his outlook The sky above curled and twisted out several deafening rumbles bidden by the slight shift in his disposition A mere scowl was enough for the planet to rise up indignation

Meanwhile although the form within his image space had only now grown to the size of the sapling Randidly felt a massive web of shadows stretching out from his body They stretched and grew a projection of the force that existed within him The web of implied branches were likely hidden by the storm clouds above but the grasp of the World Tree curled around the island making sure nothing remained out of reach

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 699

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 836

After a tense moment of straining Randidly released an explosive sigh and released his image The near invisible shadow fingers vanished He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck feeling something between annoyance and embarrassment He pushed aside the emotional exhaustion and reviewed the process Now that Yggdrasil�s settling well into its new form I�m very close to finding the perfect emotional affect

The only issue is I wish it wasn�t such a prideful and demanding outlook

Randidly took a long inhale and then blew his breath out through his lips with enough force to make them buzz It was he supposed his own fault that it had reached this point His World Tree enabled him to literally support worlds With that much capability there were bound to be some lofty aspirations from the image

Annie helped those children and the others she found by creating Nether connections to them Heiffal frowned and followed Tatiana�s lead His was a much rougher pour the liquor sloshing as he dumped some into a glass He raised it and downed it immediately earning an eye roll from Tatiana Mrs Hamilton smirked the woman always had strong opinions about how good whiskey should be savored

After wiping his lips Heiffal continued to speak A tiresome duty but we could simply replicate that process of making connections with the infected

Mrs Hamilton�s lips twitched She raised a finger before Heiffal could continue Point of order In small batches this is possible However we are all not Randidly Ghosthound he might casually erect a massive hub of Nether connections on a weekday but we cannot manage nearly so many Besides that also ignores what I suspect to be a significant problem a lot of people won�t want to have their fates tied to strangers Even if we offer some will refuse

Is that what a Nether connection would do Naffur�s eyebrows shot up clearly he had never really considered the concrete implications of Nether�s new presence on Expira Not that Mrs Hamilton really blamed him she knew the stress that the young man was under guiding the Order Ducis

Mrs Hamilton opened her mouth but she paused and closed it as Tatiana began to speak It�s more complicated than that The best answers with Nether are vague by drawing a connection to someone you are weaving them into the fabric of your narrative In this case the metaphor still works When you have a story with too many threads of equal importance you end up pissing off everyone who wants more stage time for the thread they want to know about The result is shit Randidly can get away with it because his central story is absolutely overwhelming the rest of us will quickly become overshadowed with consequences we might not see coming

Speaking of Annie While Naffur and Heiffal mulled over Tatiana�s statement the other woman turned to Mrs Hamilton I�ve been seeing a lot of buzz about her attack on that the hidden bunker Do we need to worry about the press complaining about this one

Mrs Hamilton grimaced For now no Even the most fearmongering news outlets are admitting that this location was clearly the breeding ground for a terrorist group They mumble about how worrisome it is that a single woman has this kind of power but its mostly accepting The attack was targeted too somehow her attack burrowed fifteen meters through solid granite and only killed him Apparently now that it�s stopped smoking the site looks a little like a slide straight down through the ground But it�s the follow up that worries me Annie�s hunting now for the rest of this group And based on the fact she hasn�t yet rooted them out they aren�t foolish

Was this a trap Naffur asked

Mrs Hamilton pressed her fingers against the table splayed out as wide as they could go She studied the empty spaces her pale fingers and the dark wood between them Her gaze went unfocused as her image activated Her fingers licked at a massive pattern churning beneath the table the ground and the entire area of populated Expira Her pupils dilated as she pushed deeper She scooped up a metaphorical palmful of that pattern the breath of the massive Nether organ that the Ghosthound planted within Expira�s core Her eyes began to burn at the edges as her web traced subtle connections

Along came a grey spider whose legs ended in whispers and its mouth held a bleak picture of the future It glided down through the gossamer connections searching for the truth and devouring any lies it encountered making that future it held even emptier and more sinister Yet the rush of information was too unfamiliar too massive and wet and sticky All those connections rose and dragged her down forcing her to retreat to the image world she that suffered in the spider�s mouth

Stark scarecrow humanoids stuttered around steaming piles of yellow tar carrying small iron cups Long lines stretched as far as the eye could see beginning in squat entrances to their underground ziggurats and ending amongst the dwindling liquid resources of the world Their faces were stiff and beige more mask than mediums of expression They found small puddles that seemed less infectious than others and dipped their metal cups into the liquid They brought the liquid up to their lips and drank

Several seconds later Mrs Hamilton shuddered as she returned to herself All three of the others looked at her in concern but she waved a hand Sometimes pulling too deeply with my image can have consequences But to answer your question I cannot tell Using the Nether is still too new to me But even if it wasn�t Annie will find them the White Hunter cannot be escaped only delayed And at that time they will be ready

But so will we Tatiana observed The group nodded

Chapter 1917

I wish to become more involved in sharing the Hierarchy of Burden for the Ghosthound

Raymund Ballast paused in his training and looked up at her Charlotte Wick kept her gaze firm trying not to dwell on how rusty and raw her voice sounded even to her own ears She couldn�t remember the last time she had spoken to another person for the past several months she had gotten away with nods and grunts All she had to do was participate in training and no one thought anything was wrong

Even though her recent drawings

Charlotte quashed that train of thought immediately afraid something desperate would show on her face After looking at her for a long moment Rayumund�s long tongue flicked out and licked his lips Without answering he resumed his slow movements through his combat forms The powerful tendons of his arms bulged a testament to the strain he endured

Charlotte felt something black and needy twisting in her heart but she didn�t push him The leader of the Vulpis Squad stood in one of the newly erected gravity chambers on the island Heiffal�s group had been hard at work for the last week carefully drawing the Engraving arrays copying the original model made by the Ghosthound himself Even compared to the Hierarchy of Burden these arrays were painful not only did they grind down your physical power but they also reflected any poorly controlled images back on you making the training process even more difficult

For a variety of reasons Charlotte didn�t dare expose herself to image reflection She knew how that would end the facade of everything being fine would be torn right down So instead she wanted a larger share of the Hierarchy of Burden

She felt like she was falling behind as the others started using the gravity chambers And that filled her with fear

Seeing that Raymund didn�t dismiss her out of hand Charlotte eventually gave in to her need and spoke again Although it is difficult for me to control my body underneath the Hierarchy�s influences my image is uniquely suited for keeping my recovery fast The Primal Force I�ve cultivated keeps me healthy even through the radiation I think I should

Your image has changed recently Raymund rumbled still with his slow and even movements But what was particularly impressive was that he released not a hint of his image as he spoke The training here had benefited their leader immensely

She felt so small next to him When had Raymund Ballast changed from the awkward Vulpine to this confident man Why did he sometimes feel so much like the Ghosthound to her that it hurt because even thinking about the Ghosthound made her remember the sight of Helen�s ribs folded open like a cruel child playing with a bird�s wings

Charlotte�s words caught in her throat both from the image she vigorously tried to suppress and his words She felt like a fish that had leapt out of a stream and been caught by the tail mid jump by an intent fisherman She did her best to rearrange those words without allowing the caustic blackness to leak into them She scrubbed them frantically with her tongue before releasing them After everything that happened I want my image to be a bit broader

You cannot see Helen anymore so you draw her with your whole soul into yourself Raymund�s low voice hit her like a physical blow Horrific wings of bone and pulped organ spread wide in a horrid mockery of beauty Charlotte felt seen and exposed and hated every second of it But Helen�s image was one of blood and danger merging it with your Primal Force is complicated

It�s the Path I want to walk Charlotte�s voice came out in a whisper Her own image groaned its nascent bloody wings already formed But as she spoke she also remembered Helen�s glorious and scowling A memory floated to the surface of her mind

It was back during their training days with Helen standing with her hip jutted out She wagged a finger at a trainee that had just complained about the new gravity chambers for physical training Do you know the difference between you and the Ghosthound

Helen had jutted her chin out toward the central gravity chamber the largest one the one that hummed and glowed with so many layered Engravings that the ground in the staging asteroid began to corrode from the constant grind of power The one reserved personally for the Ghosthound Helen�s eyes lit with pride as she spoke He walks straight toward hell without flinching Right or wrong in his methods he doesn�t hesitate or complain once he�s made a decision Now do you want to be well fucking you for the rest of your life or do you want to be like him The youngest Commander the Nexus has seen in hundreds of years

Fine

Charlotte blinked her awareness still murky with the memory the aching perfection of Helen She licked her lips Huh

I�ll talk to the Ghosthound Raymund�s movements remained even but she sensed the slightest image fluctuation He had to grimace and bare his teeth as he stabilized himself then continued his training You will be allotted more of the Hierarchy of Burden But Charlotte We lost her too We all ache to have her gone If you ever need to talk just say the word We are here for you

His thoughts whirled around faster and faster He had felt that brief moment of alignment when it had all fallen into place That capacity for raw power was what he had fought against for so long using his Stats and Nether to make up for the difference It was his first genuine step toward that tier of image power

The first time refining an image would be the hardest Once Yggdrasil�s growth sped up the rest would naturally fall into place

Sighing Randidly sat crossed legged and readied himself Just in case he went again to that place of oblivion for the Penance just in case he lost track of time Then his attention went to the minute details of his body tracing the flow of blood and Nether that animated him He ironed out the smallest flaws seeking a circle of perfection within his form He breathed and the world breathed in answer

It was a fitting prelude

Then he sank following his instincts until he settled within the core of Expira sitting atop the massive Nether Ritual that even now continued to sure up its foundations and stretched over a larger sphere

Randidly�s eyelids flickered as he familiarized himself with the sensation of being plugged so directly into the working Even now he could feel thin tethers working their way outward to other planets within the Alpha Cosmos where smaller branches of the same Ritual would eventually be planted Randidly eased the tension and removed the film of Nether he used to limit his awareness His skin buzzed for several seconds before he lost awareness of his body he became part of the world

And not just any part of the world He sat at its helm His body rumbled with the shift

Even now the prospect made him shiver slightly He wondered if this was the right choice to live so directly in step with the Alpha Cosmos But at the same time that he knew it was a mistake not to make these connections wholistic In a very literal way his body was the Alpha Cosmos To ignore that relationship was to ignore the voice of his own body

In a way very similar to his previous metamorphosis past humanity the Nether Ritual provided a framework to connect his mind and his body and lifted him to be an entirely different sort of entity The Nether Ritual primarily gave something to the people of Expira but that didn�t mean there weren�t perks for him

In that dark core of the world Randidly sat ruminating on the power and privilege that his position afforded him He held onto that distinction a duality existed in this change He looked at Expira and said yes accepting the good and the bad into him He opened himself up and drank from through the connections

The World Tree sipped his veins shining with a golden light

In his image space the small sapling steadily grew up its bark darkening and bursting with emerald leaves And slowly he found the precarious balance between aloofness and empathy that he needed to be so much more than a single person

His Nether Core spun significance coming in eager waves pooling and swirling into a monstrous whirlpool of meaning Flames of Nether Weight flickered across his skin tempering the connection

He released a breath and the world sighed with him

There were perhaps other choices Randidly�s eyes opened Flames of emerald and grey fought in his irises significance warring with the growing magic of his body But this choice is mine

In the inner sanctum of the ant colony next to an elaborately made rendition of a bowling alley the ant princess paused in her actions She set the bowling ball down and bowed her head remaining there for as long as her god looked upon the world

The air hummed with the god�s breath and the ant shivered in ecstasy

Chapter 1918

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 680

He sat in sea of purple black flames and the complex intersection of Nether threads just examining his self� that existed The body worlds and soul that became Randidly Ghosthound in his current iteration Space and time didn�t matter everything flattened and funneled by his shifting perspective into a straight path to the future Yet as he watched those threads twined and spun together then bloomed outward in complex patterns flanked by those glittering flames

Before him he watched the possibilities flirt and multiply

The future spread and widened and grew with only a hint of variance until he couldn�t keep track of all the interactions The change accelerated until only a small examination took him to a place where the future was wider than it was long Variance dominated his awareness only a few weeks out The patterns began to change color as they spread out from Randidly�s Skill The purple became red and green the black became grey and ivory Then came the yellows oranges cobalts crimsons and emerald Shades and hues proliferated into a bouquet of possibilities

Congratulations Your Skill The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 472

Using the two Skills together Stillborn Phoenix and the Grey Creature arm in arm behind him allowed Randidly to dig deeper than colors and patterns into the concrete truth of what waited ahead in Expira Yet the truths he received were not easily interpretable Voices shouted in his ears protests and screams of pain and the babble of layered conversation turned intelligible as voices mixed He saw a man standing upon a burning building his arms raised to the sky He saw Delilah skulking up the side of the volcano watching him with trepidation while he was sleeping And finally he saw a hand reaching out for a gleaming trophy

The strain of enduring the onslaught of possibilities became to much A tremor shook his psyche the accumulated strain of holding the two most demanding Skills in his arsenal grabbing him by the shoulder and warning him of the result if he pressed further

But due to his time within the Nether Ritual his spine naturally straightened in defiance at the prospect that he couldn�t continue to proceed A bold and majestic refusal unfurled from within Randidly�s chest the humming emotional affect that he had been so long searching for amidst the crazy intersection of connections and colors A hand with fingers of gnarled roots reached out and brushed against his shuddering mentality Those fingers contained a vast influence soothing his thoughts

And his pained consciousness stilled It acquiesced allowing itself to be pushed beyond its limits by the root hand In a way it had no choice

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to 840

Yet just as quickly as he firmed his resolve to press forward another portion of himself gracefully withdrew Without him needing to consciously shape the thoughts he walked backward away from that stubborn continuation

Randidly�s mental focus slipped out of the Nether Ritual spent and small and returned to his body He found his arms trembling and sweaty He looked down at his hands and attempted to smile bemused and still slightly spooked by the cool and aloof fatalism that he had discovered within himself

In the end he had only managed to remain atop that Nether Ritual for eight hours Even beyond his high expectations plugging together his mind and the physical form of the Alpha Cosmos required vast amounts of processing power and mental fortitude Randidly said a private thank you to his evolved Unnatural Capacity Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae and Exquisite Piety Without these improved versions of Wisdom Control and Focus respectively it would have been impossible for him to endure even those hours

The sheer amount of possibilities and complex interactions would have lulled him into buzzing oblivion

Randidly had a rather sour expression on his face when he deactivated the Fatepiece From its other applications the increase in Yggdrasil�s power is actually quite significant Yet before Entropy the change is very small I guess that just goes to show you that while I took a very necessary step forward I haven�t completely narrowed the gap between my image and the powerful figures in the Nexus More refinement is necessary

For a brief moment his mind went to Wick broken and split into several spliced personalities He wondered what had happened to him But of course the time that had passed was only for him For Wick perhaps only a few hours had gone by

Soon he came to his body and began to move Randidly swam to the surface of the choppy tropical waters and then used the backstroke to carry him back toward the beach He spoke up to the grey clouds But if he truly gave up he has had enough time to take his own life Or the other selves could take the main life finally separating themselves from whatever that was

Sloshing up to the beach Randidly casually waved a hand at the many training individuals on the sand who stopped and bowed when he surfaced from the water He shook himself to dislodge the worst of the dampness but of course the constant downpour just soaked him again He reached up and squeezed out his lengthening hair as he began striding back toward the volcano but his eyes caught on a certain individual

Charlotte Wick trained on the beach red electromagnetic crackling across her limbs Likely she was deeply occupied with her own training she wasn�t one of the individuals who noticed his arrival But how could Randidly miss the shifts in her image How could those notes not pull his attention

She had received his personal training based on Yggdrasil Her Primal Force had evolved into a boundless and wild being And now the scent of blood and bone had been injected into that same old form warping it into something close to a shambling chimera

The image resembled corpses clumsily stitched together than any sort of spring fueled animal animus

Randidly swayed He felt a response from his Resonant Fangs of Extinction Domain as he looked at Charlotte And through the connection between them there was no way that he could miss Charlotte�s attempts to forcefully keep Helen alive in her own image

Yet ultimately Randidly turned away from this ailing student At least right now based on the simmering emotional pot the bear woman kept in her chest she wasn�t ready to open up about what she was going through Her pain would lash out ready than prepare itself to be healed Randidly knew that stage He knew the long blank stares into the middle distance of memory and the way your heart felt like it was crumpled trash

He knew the tightness that she probably felt in her chest all too well

Those wings Randidly spoke softly to himself feeling from afar how lopsided the joints were and the blood seeping out of the spot where they attached to the back He grimaced in distaste and shook his head The image with all its elements was currently in an ugly duckling form But if Charlotte managed to mix the two combining life and death

Well Randidly knew from first hand experience how effective that could be His Soulskill had gone through several revisions of that process

As he ascended to the mountain the reply from Tatiana came Yes actually there will be a tournament soon I�m surprised you remembered It was supposed to be this month but its been pushed back by the trial

The trial He responded as he settled back into this place

Annie made quite a fuss last week Tatiana sent back Hamstrung a passenger jet above the Orchard Painted the whole sky white and knocked the plane out of the sky It crashed into one of their larger skyscrapers

Chapter 1919

The group moved in darkness their cloaks fluttering about their heels as they proceeded across the rooftops like loping carnivorous cats Moving like this it was easy to feel heady with the intoxicating power of secrecy as they moved above the naive city goers below them All of the four person group were highly trained their footfalls make nary a noise Or at least none that rises above the din of voices from the Orchard below

Code Name Chakram born Danny Finn tugged at the edges of his hood as he ran The group moved quickly enough that the top portion of the clothing expanded in its best parachute impression threatening to fall away from his face and reveal his identity The possibility gnawed at him making his stomach release sour notes up through his throat

Not that my identity is particularly important He reflected not a little sullenly Then he shook himself and made his internal preparations His Skills hummed ready to be activated

Chakram knew why Duskfist insisted on this abrupt operation when usually the Order moved very very slowly in the course of pursuing the tail of the Order Patricide Annie had proved frighteningly capable She somehow had sniffed out old meeting spots and crept toward the most recent ones stalking ever closer to their suppliers and allies Yet just when the tension was highest a scared to death member of the Order Patricide made an observation

On the days Annie came looking for them the clouds were low and grey no matter how much the sun beat down on them Her pursuit seemed to possess a physical form that could be observed

Chakram planted his foot on the concrete edge and leapt following three other Order Patricide members All kept their images close to their chest at least for now They needed to get closer before they set the plan in motion

For a few weeks they had used this weather based observation to stay a few steps ahead of Annie despite her horrifying proficiency They cleared out old hideouts and had the few contacts that actually knew what this Order did flee underground when she neared Then out of the blue on a day without any clouds on the sky a private plane carrying four of the toughest and most determined Cabal Leaders from the Order Patricide was shot out of the sky by a single arrow

Which left the survivors with the numb realization that Annie had been playing them the entire time That although she stood in the shadow of Donnyton and the Ghosthound Annie herself was a monster

A monster licking its lips and creeping ever closer to them

Her projectile had ripped straight up from the ground eviscerating the guts of the plane and killing all the passengers instantly The pilot somehow survived he was later found shivering and shellshocked in the cockpit when the plane was eventually lowered to the ground while the muttering population of the Orchard watched

Now at night in the Orchard a few weeks later Chakram reached up and adjusted his hood The Order needed to take back the initiative Which was why this group without a true Cabal Leader amongst them was mobilized

Here Duskfist growled The other two slowed and closed their eyes making their individual preparations for the fight that would undoubtedly follow Chakram walked up to the edge of the roof and looked down at the busy street below filled with pedestrian and Mana vehicles honking and shouting the language of the city They were in the business district so most everyone was well dressed and serious as they crossed the street and went about their business

It was the perfect place for a splashy fight There would be plenty of casualties The sort of casualties that would earn media attention

Wait until her hearing is over Duskfist said Then we will move closer No doubt she will scent us immediately Remember to be as indiscriminate as possible in your attacks as we flee The more damage that was caused the more chaotic the scene the more we can push the blame onto her

Chakram bowed his head They planned on using her awareness against her Since it became obvious that the image virus had no effect on truly powerful individuals they needed to do some damage to the elites of the world in another way to continue with their plan Turning public opinion against them when there was already so much malcontent over the constant caravans of refugees seemed like the best option

For a better world Chakram repeated the familiar mantra to himself To make a world where your worth isn�t determined by power

Chakram There was a strange hint of fear in Duskfist�s voice as he screeched out a reminder Jolted back to himself Chakram raised his weapons and filled them with a cutting image of wind Then he whipped the projectiles forward aiming for Hank�s thighs Opposite him Thunderbolt released a crackling wave of electricity that shot toward the cowboy�s back The timing was slightly disturbed by Chakram�s distraction but it was a combination that could slow down even the most powerful combatants

Their pure belief in their cause fueled their image They needed to be strong because that was the only way they could build a better future

Hank Howard drew his repeater used the butt of the weapon to deflect one of the projectiles and dodged the other one with a sharp step Roaring Duskfist hopped forward and brought a punch hammering down at the man

The deflected chakram struck Thunderbolt�s attack and caused it to discharge prematurely most of its potency snapping at the air and dissipating Meanwhile cool as refrigerated milk Hank met Duskfist�s heavy blow with a jab that smashed into the man�s mouth and stopped him up short His swing harmlessly whipped through empty space

Blood dribbled out of Duskfist�s mouth as Hank took another too quick step forward but Skystrike unleashed a volley of arrows that had to be deflected with the butt of his pistol Which gave Chakram time to guide his weapons to spin back and aim for the back of Hank Howard�s head

The cowboy stuck out a leg catching and balancing one of the deflected crossbow projections on his foot Then he twisted and kicked it up sending the bit of metal smashing into the chakrams and somehow deflecting them into each other the wind shrieking as the two manifestations of Chakram�s image working against themselves

This gave Duskfist time to gather an even thicker padding of shadows around himself and stomp forward but then Hank�s leg came whipping back planting his weight on the ground and his body pivoted smoothly around as his hips turned back square to Duskfist

Unlike the sharp jab he used earlier this was a blow meant for power Chakram could see the sinuous grace of the cowboy as he threw his arm forward the shoulder rotating inward as his knuckles crashed up against the heavy layers of shadows around Duskfist The shadows broke the blow landed

It was to Chakram�s eyes just a punch

Duskfirst dropped bonelessly to the ground He didn�t even make a sound as all that oppressive image power he had squeezed underneath his robe dissipated

Looking at Hank Howard Chakram felt nothing like a zealot who had willingly spent the last several years training to bring about a revolution to build a better world He felt like a child a forgettable Danny as he looked at this man�s shadowy silhouette There wasn�t the faintest whiff of images around him yet that fact only made the three remaining agents of the Order Patricide more petrified

The images they had seen had feared and been taught to fight against were flashy and overwhelming things But this quiet competence the easy smile on the cowboy�s face that spoke of the inevitably of their loss that chilled them to their core

Now don�t rightly make sense why ya keep resistin� Hank cracked his knuckles and spread his arms wide as he turned to regard them Chakram couldn�t remember the last time that he took a breath We can do this tha� easy way or tha� hard way And believe me the easy way involves a polite drink Y�all thirsty

The living legend seemed tall enough to reach up and rip down the sky His smile promised something a sort of suggestive image that Chakram felt himself helplessly succumbing to Weakness crept into the back of his mind carrying with it a shivering fear It was an image virus both much more targeted and more effective sapping at their resistance without even having to show itself

Yet despite Hank Howard�s clear superiority all three of them had been shaped for years to reach this point The cold eyes of the Order Patricide�s leader lingered on their minds so they raised their weapons and flared their images

After a theatrical sigh Hank Howard shook his head and got to work

Chapter 1920

Cards chips and tension this was his element

Hank smiled easily knowing that even with a two and an eight he was going to win the hand He wanted it and had the moxxy to take it He spun one of the dirty and worn poker chips across his fingers Moments like these he definitely appreciated the additional capability gifted to him by the System Just added a little extra spice to the storytelling

And honestly wasn�t Hank doing them a favor Wasn�t every day that you could lose money to a modern day cowboy He just needed to do some groundwork to set up the perfect scenario Y�all ever hear about the first time I fought Alana Donal

The two night duty officers looked up awe and anticipation glimmering in their eyes They sat in one of the break rooms of the station keeping watch for any associates of the men Hank had brought in to show up for some sort of daring rescue Or honestly to silence the captives Not that either seemed likely but this group had proven their unpredictability several times over

For now Hank didn�t call the prior bet He wanted to be sure that their minds were thoroughly distracted before he gently reminded them they were playing cards The day was warm and cloudless I had just

Hank�s pupils dilated as the wall behind them caved inward blasted to smithereens by fire and concussive force The two guards� were frozen likely without enough Reaction to even register the sudden attack with the speed that he did Drawing his heavy metal revolver Hank stood The chair tumbled slowly back in the air behind him However as he turned to unleash a focused mental pulse to protect the guards it occurred to him that this wasn�t the outer wall but the inner one

The explosion came from the holding cells

Unpredictable indeed

Hank left his hat on the table as he stepped forward with enough force to puncture the explosion and leave it sagging and hot A few tongues of flame mixed with the smoke and charred plaster in the next room but largely the destruction receded once it had been struck vanishing as quickly as it came He found a profoundly annoyed looking Annie next to the ragged looking entrance to the cell her arms crossed and her foot tapping

They wanted these expendable pieces to get captured Annie grimaced Had bombs implanted in their bodies Likely without their knowledge Fucking savages

So they Hank began but he paused as he saw that while most of the cell was scorched concrete one corner was encased in ice The young man who threw the wind image metal circles seemed to be asleep completely covered in ice and thoroughly un exploded

You managed ta get ta him in time Hank asked mildly

Annie nodded her eyes still fixed on the mostly empty cell Her mind seemed to be chewing furiously at the development a dog gnawing its way through an aggravating bone Yea Luckily he was on the far wall while the others were over there So when the first started erupting I could draw my bow and fire an arrow before the signal reached him Gonna be a real bitch unfreezing him and taking out the bomb We will probably have to go into a Dungeon to make sure we don�t lose this lead

Hank remembered the way that the guards� in the poker game had seemed motionless to him Then he imagined the Reaction required to see several bodies pulp themselves on one side of a cramped holding cell react and fire and arrow with enough speed image power and capability to freeze a person His jaw worked saying a private thank you that Annie was on their side

Ugh and Zone 1 is going to throw such a fit Annie shook her head in disgust I bet they will somehow make it my fault that I needed to freeze this guy to save him from the bomb planted inside of his body They better not try to accuse me of kidnapping when I take him away

The colors didn�t cease their relentless assault during this interlude which meant that keeping himself focused was a bit fraught But Randidly endured the distractions and found two clear expressions of the affect he needed within the two newly evolved Skills

Randidly sucked in a breath He needed both of them balanced and keeping each other in check to achieve the result he wanted Both surged to life in his chest demanding attention On the one side was Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs a clear blast of radiant light that began everything The glittering sun drop represented responsibility and life being given out from the source and igniting the cosmos

On the other hand there was Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins It possessed a malicious certainty a jaunty bloodthirsty patience for when that beautiful world created by the primordial light began to shrink and tear at the edges Because opposite the sense of responsibility was a horrific sense of purpose He had begun this world and he possessed the capacity to crumple it into litter

That was the brutal prerogative that suffered nothing but fealty from the natural forces of the world

Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins has grown to Level 470

Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has grown to Level 451

Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins has grown to Level 525

Randidly�s form rippled In a few moments his skin was bark His emerald eyes were warmed to golden by a blast of sunlight The toes of his bare feet stretched into the ground digging into the area beneath the Sea of Dreams Lapis Lazuli flows twined around his legs trying to slow him down but Randidly had the glee of the world�s first and only carrion

To know that none threatened that final meal that would finally end the hunger he felt Even the Stillborn Phoenix stirred at that surge of emotion displaying some of its own curiosity about that result

Easy now He thought to himself But despite himself Randidly�s throat bobbed Saliva pooled in his mouth an echoing hunger in anticipation of the world coming to a cataclysmic end

And he began to walk wading deeper into the Sea of Dreams The colors flailed and lashed trying to slow his pace but he ignored them A massive crimson Kraken of color dragged its body forward after Randidly ducked his head into the colors and let the image fragments tear through his canopy of emerald leaves This strange bundle of sentience raged and brought its tentacles whipping around but Randidly could feel himself laughing

He was pure He was energy incarnate A throbbing mental pain tugged at the edges of his awareness but he just sloshed his way through the thick medium of color Something obstinate and determined rose up in his chest Randidly planned to walk to the bottom of this sea of color and rip this damned Kraken to bits for having the gall to stand against him

Heh great Yggdrasil�s emotional shift has made me even more likely to engage in dumb confrontations Randidly lifted his bark covered hands and seized the tentacles Then he began to pull dragging the Kraken which had shifted to a pale green color toward him

And yet I don�t hate this about myself If I can�t believe in the impossible I�ll never be able to tear down the Nexus

Chapter 1921

Coming back to his body Randidly felt fresh and scalded as though he had hopped into boiling water and let the heat and bubbles strip away a few surface layers of skin His mind flopped around in his skull luxurious and pummeled What remained of his emotions had been cleansed and thoroughly ironed out by the deep swim into the Sea of Dreams

His Penance was running a bit low the Sea of Dreams was the sort of training that made it difficult to accurately keep track of time So before anything else Randidly sank into the oblivion and paid the few seconds per minute that he owed When he came back to himself he took a few minutes to gather himself and simply looked at the island

The training groups had started constructing a series of wooden buildings above the beach The bare bones of the partially completed scaffolding curled like fingers in the soft light of the dawn coming up over the island apparently the trainees had tired of tacking their rest on sand or on the bobbing barge And Randidly had no doubt that Tatiana had sold some of the land of this island to some very expensive restaurants that wanted to be known as serving the group that trained in his shadow

The ants were doing some construction of their own on their portion of the island They had selectively cleared trees and dug massive holes down into the ground Or perhaps rather than construction it was more accurate to say they were doing some massive excavation and expansion on their tunnel complex Huge piles of dirt evidenced their industry which continued even into the morning Also Randidly sensed that there was one of Tatiana�s ogre assistants with the ants making some sort of negotiation

I�ve never really thought about this before but this must be how she makes me so much money Randidly�s lips twitched She�s part real estate developer and part angel investor And its easy because she just follows wherever I go and pours money into the things nearby

Meanwhile his eyes drifted left The weird plant collective had become increasingly interdependent and dense although some of its hive mindedness seemed to have abated The vines between the trees had multiplied several times over so moving through that portion of the island was more like going through a ropes course than hiking through a forest

Likely as an adaption to the new environment Randidly noticed that a few varieties of snake and smaller monkey had returned They skittered and bounded through the tight quarters forming some sort of weird symbiotic relationship with the central tree The monkey paws and snake stomachs had evolved a stickiness that let them ignore the constant rainfall the fauna seemed to thrive Randidly didn�t really understand how it all worked but he could feel the Nether pooling in that area

And he could also see the constant rise of that central tree now nearing the height of the volcano It�s highest branches flirted with some of the low hanging clouds in his Nether storm

What a weird island Randidly shook his head helplessly It was hard to remember what the island had been like before he arrived His presence had that much influence And even after he left he doubt at least two of these shifts would go back to normal

Pushing that disturbing thought out of his head Randidly began to train his Nether capabilities He shrugged his shoulders and reached out to engage with his complex Nether Storm He experimented with several new variations of patterns that he had thought of while in the Sea of Dreams He methodically observed the results for several minutes before making other minute adjustments and seeing if he noticed any accumulating shift from the change

One problem with Nether is that it exists on a much longer timeline than Aether Randidly mused By the time I know the real results I�ll be somewhat committed to what I have created This method�s usefulness is limited

Then he broadened his view and looked at the massive weather sphere dragged into the whole churning storm around the island looking for ways that his small shifts caused something bigger to develop elsewhere Sometimes he found some troubling large scale consequences sometimes he didn�t

Randidly reached and tightened a Nether flow or tied two together and tried again In a way the work was soothing he could truly observe without expending much actual effort On the other hand some of the unpredictability and his lack of ability to predict the larger problems left Randidly frustrated

Nether is supposed to be my thing but there is so much more to learn Randidly shook himself It was almost a relief to turn to the next type of training more exposure to the massive Nether Array sitting at Expira�s heart

Randidly�s perception sunk into the ground and quickly came upon the churning Nether infrastructure of the ritual he had made on a sudden impulse To see the shift in it made him realize that maybe the Nether Ritual was similar to the changes in Nether it might have felt like a light decision but it had been accumulating for a long time

He saw a young face perhaps only five or six looking at his or her reflection in a dirty puddle The child was wearing a worn brown shirt that seemed to have once been pink The child reached up and pinched their cheeks

Randy A voice shouted and the child scrambled up After glancing around surreptitiously the child scurried back across the dusty ground Wagons sat their horses and various monstrous beasts of burden chewing grass and staring at nothing while the humans busied themselves Almost a hundred people sat in loose circles around a series of five small campfires Woodsmoke and frying meat filled the air with a homey vibe even if the hollow eyes and suspicion of the group more than erased that

I wonder if its the name Randidly felt a weird gurgling in his stomach Could this child be named after me

Randy was careful not to make any eye contact with anyone on the way back to the smallest of the wagons A woman waited for them her hands on her hips as she glared down at the child Randidly suspected that when she wasn�t glaring she was actually quite pretty She gestured with her chin toward the wheel well of the wagon which bore an Engraving Did ya do it again kid

Randy shook their head Emphatically passionately so quickly that the child�s large ears flapped slightly and Randidly felt the child�s dizziness through their connection But Randidly could also see that the Engraving was curiously inert

Mana was still present in the drawn lines but it was curiously inert Even he felt confusion as he attempted to study the phenomenon with the limited senses he had How could shape and Mana be present but the whole working not actually do anything

The woman pressed her lips together Don�t give me that shit You think normal Engravings just stop working so quickly You slept by the corner and I heard you crying Randy I know you can�t control yourself when you are upset you just suck and suck without even thinking God damnit

Randy hesitated and then spoke with all the presence of wind blowing a newspaper across the ground I didn�t mean

Yea and I didn�t mean to agree to take responsibility for a liability like you The woman shook her head and turned away Fuck I really don�t need this shit Not right now not with the tariffs to get back into the Zones coming up If I don�t find some good work soon

The woman gave the child a meaningful glance Then she climbed into the wagon and closed the door behind her with a swish of the hips For a few seconds Randy just stared blankly at the wooden material Then their eyes fell to the broken Engraving Then they became abruptly aware of the hard stares coming from some of the dirty groups sitting around the fire and fled for one of the low hills above their camping position Only when those flinty eyes above soup cans no longer following them could they relax

Randidly observed feeling something twist in his gut He delicately examined the young child feeling the worst parts of the Stillborn Phoenix and the Grey Creature existed in this Randy�s chest Just in small nascent forms but she truly possessed the ability to absorb something vital from nearby spaces

It was he had to admit a fascinating ability

He watched Randy do it as they stacked rocks threw fistfuls of dirt up in the air and occasionally stared back down at the wagon The area around her lost some of its forced vibrancy It didn�t exactly damage the surroundings but the hardened dirt reinforced by the constant Aether reverted to a more fragile form

Yet it was only when night fell and the apron walked back out that Randidly could see the other connection between himself and the child

Crouching in the hills Randy pressed hands to their ears as the woman laughed loudly at the jokes from dirty men from the campfires below At the end of the night the woman led a man back into the wagon and Randy�s tears pooled in the dirt

Randidly felt his mind trembling begging him to relent and release his grasp on the torrent of sensations that pummeled him Yet he didn�t relent Stubborn and furious watched this young stranger cry themselves to sleep and remembered some hollow nights from his own childhood

Chapter 1922

Gasping Randidly returned to his body still smoking at the edges and trailing searing colors that clung to him as he came back from the dark side of the moon His feet managed two steps away from the portals his shoulders and arms leaking orange and violet Then he keeled sideways and flopped on the ground surprised by how clammy and unresponsive his limbs had become His vision spun twisting his stomach and ringing out nausea

His tongue felt like a rotting whale simultaneously dehydrated and slimy

Randidly rolled onto his back and looked up at the circle of pure blue sky that peeked through the Nether Storm above his island Yet after only a few seconds he had to squint and press his eyes shut to stifle the flashes of pain that cracked through his brain Gradually the sensation that someone had dumped his brain into a blender and flicked the switch to frothy� faded A smile tugged at the corners of his troublesome mouth Certainly pushed it a bit far by plugging myself into the Nether Ritual for so long

His words ended in a wince His overtaxed brain seemed to be bubbling feeding him a confusing array of images and memories A cold wind brushed across his skin raising goosebumps An ominous ticking thudded against his eardrums the powerful reverberation from a clock the size of an entire planet His awareness felt fuzzy For a second Randidly began to levitate away from physical sensation he was unbound by shape entirely He had to press his right hand flat against the ground and squeeze his fingers together to ground himself

A swirling purple/black hovered against the inside of his eyelids leaking out like some sort of cursed tears

Unwilling to take all these horrible exhaustion pains without some sort of response Randidly stuck his tongue out toward the sky Mental note that weird things happen when a mind powerful enough to create world altering images gets a little weird when its starts to short circuit

The color flashes and distortions in the air around him were growing stronger It was like his mind attempted to project its subconscious images on the surrounding space as it did during most of his life Yet now without any mental potency remaining it could only toss out scraps and misshapen pieces of those images before it sputtered and crashed Each failed attempt to spread the image made some small alterations to the pieces leading to more and more exaggerated failures

A weird emerald stain started to creep across the ground near Randidly�s bare feet The black tears were running down his cheeks

Grimacing Randidly sat up The world whirled in glorious and drunken exultation at the move forcing Randidly to press his eyes shut for several more long seconds as he tried to resist his body�s impulse to collapse Eventually he gathered enough of himself to suck in a shuddering gasp The air helped a little bit and soon he felt grounded enough to breathe in another way

Congratulations Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 719

Randidly pulled with his Skill surprised at how much he needed in order to keep his functioning going for a few more minutes The plant collective the rapidly breeding colony of ants and the individuals on the beach barely managed to quench his thirst for mental acuity And he could feel several of the weaker individuals stagger and collapse bearing a portion of his immense sense of being spent

Obviously I have capabilities that are beyond what this group could accomplish even working in tandem Randidly mused But that also means that the expenditure to keep my brain running without a hitch is staggering The fact that acquiring fuel hasn�t been a problem is one of the great secrets to my existence Hell if I didn�t have access to my own Aether

Well my experience with the System would likely have been very different

Still for the moment all his supporters managed to delay his shuddering collapse into an unconscious pile of muscle and mental jelly The fires had burnt low but the coals were strong enough for him to continue Which was enough for Randidly to square his shoulders and reach into his Nether Core for the connection he had discovered with this depressing child Randy

He straightened and stretched his joints complaining of the unaddressed sense of strain that pervaded every inch of him Yet very quickly he stilled and just looked at the weirdly stained emerald patch of ground with a sour expression on his face His immediate impulse was to just go and rescue the kid from their situation but Randidly also remembered that sense of powerlessness and being adrift His shoulders rolled inward as his own memories provided some context to that experience

Nothing would bring me greater pleasure The small monkey gave a drumroll off its belly Meanwhile he could feel the monkey�s mind whirling Perhaps due to its proximity to Randidly it gathered significance to itself

After shaking his head Randidly continued to speak In addition her capabilities are very special Dangerous if used without thought but fascinating if you consider some applications I�d like for you to push the child to use their abilities in a certain way We will be in constant contact so if you have any questions just reach out and I will assist you

Nothing brings me more pleasure than having your voice in my head Then the monkey twisted his head rotating his head almost 180 degrees so his face as he looked at Randidly was upside down Besides I am at the age where I must find my own place in the vines and create a nest Only then will I be able to start bringing mates back and strike out on my own

Tragically where you are going there aren�t many vines Randidly pulled out his Philosopher�s Key and opened a portal sending the small monkey through before it could have second thoughts Then alone on the volcano top Randidly rolled his shoulders Due to the very direct Nether and Aether connection he established between himself and the monkey it was easy to follow its actions

Alright Randidly spoke to himself Already his eyelids fluttered First a break so I don�t feel like so much death Then back to the beginning of the training regimen Hierarchy of Burden and then hum maybe slip in a time to really focus on the Skill Levels for Yggdrasil

After a long yawn Randidly fell asleep

In a massive underground canyon a dozen dragon�s raised their long necks and sang Their long vocal cords produced a strangely metallic chiming noise that would be impossible to recreate with a human body The harmonies bounced off the stalagmites and complex curves of the stone walls and blended together into a haunting ballad

Other dragons hunched close to some massive carved pillars that stood in the central portion of the area squinting at the stone and using a single claw to mark records upon the stone At this point the area was about half full with these recording pillars Near the entrance a pile of hewn stone cylinders waited for their own turn to be erected It was a living testament to their religion constantly being updated

At the back of the cavern were several smaller passages and a Class Lighthouse pulsing with an emerald gold black purple and grey light The combination of the strange singing and the constant shifts from the Class Lighthouse made the area seem otherworldly A place beyond the mundane

An appropriate place of worship

Suddenly a smaller sapphire dragon hurried out one of the passages at the back of the cavern Its eyes were milky and sightless its awareness stemming from other faculties At its appearance the singing stopped and the recorders looked up from their stone pillars

A new prophet for the Ghosthound has been born The blind dragon whispered This new prophet calls its maker Stormshadow To record the next testament to the Ghosthound�s grace we must find this individual and receive a revelation of his most recent activities

The dragons whispered excitedly amongst themselves Then one raised her head above the others and asked And what is this prophet called How can we find him

Currently the Ghosthound�s presence lays across him too stronger as he is near the center of a recent pattern I cannot gather that information But he is known as The blind dragon reached through significance searching for a name Then he found it and smiled Takeyhands

Chapter 1923

Randidly raised his head and roared A yawning gulf of chilling emptiness lurked below him but he refused to give in

He held nothing back with his yell expelling every bit he could from his body and lungs The noise and the sheer presence of his release crashed against reality The storm shuddered The bubbling of the lava next to him quickened like a simmering pot of water The plant collective trembled and the ants stilled underneath the pure cry of triumph and pain His hands curled into fists

He refused He refused to succumb to the constant drain of Entropy He would burn brightly and forever the churn of Nether and Aether through his body creating an inexhaustible flame of potency that would never dim even experiencing a relentless grind of existence As sweat ran down his temples and small drops fell from his chin that is what Randidly realized Essentially to stand against entropy was to create something permanent in an impermanent world

Something that would persist despite the environment That wouldn�t falter underneath the strain of existence

I can do it for a time Clarity revealed his own path forward as though a series of massive spot lights had been lined up and switched on all at once Still buoyed by his yell he surged forward Yet at the end of that path the cycle of life and death will reach its end I will go from ascendant to descendant And at that time

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 54

His lungs were finally empty His chest spasmed his diaphragm unable to contract any further The cycle had ended He needed to suck in another breath to begin again

But now wasn�t the time for that

Randidly released an explosive sigh after his inhale and deactivated the Fatepiece He had some twinges of mental exhaustion but largely he finished the training session without any consequences In terms of being able to conserve the force of his power training with Entropy was an excellent method It forced him to be streamlined and focused with his execution of emotions images and patterns

Which considering how much horsepower I�ve been working with recently has been an ignored area of improvement A throwback to the old days where I was scrabbling for any sort of advantage Randidly yawned and shook his head His black hair had grown out almost to his chin during the last few months he needed to cut it Rather than an individual who would fight to overthrow the Nexus Randidly felt like someone who had chosen to go off the grid and found some sort of esoteric order of scruffy monks with his spare time

Made doubly convincing by the grunting and swearing group of people down on the beach laboring even through the constant drizzle of rain

He settled himself on the ground and then took care of his Penance He was only a little in debt but it was better to stay on top of these sorts of things while he had free time When he resurfaced he checked in on the state of his own significance With the additional meaning he earned with his periodic plugs into the grand Nether Ritual within Expira his Nether Core had rapidly grown in terms of size

To put it in engine terms although he had not managed to increase his top speed Randidly now developed more horsepower to haul his increasingly large series of connections he bore The whirling core of the maelstrom layered opposite rotating currents of energy The resulting force that it generated filled him with vigor and spun the atmosphere around the entire island Despite the fact that his Weight had stayed rather constant for a while the flames of Nether Weight he manifested grew higher and higher when he allowed them to flicker to life across his fingers

With all the new insights I�ve made I can probably improve those enhancement rituals that help my Weight Randidly mused

But now that he handled everything else Randidly turned his attention back toward that robust connection that he had discovered within himself It was more difficult to find it when he wasn�t keyed directly into the Nether Ritual But his connections to Delilah and Randy were special Soon he located the connection he was looking for assisted by the fact he had a flow of energy going to that strange monkey Once he had a lock on their location Randidly eased back and seeped his awareness into the ground

After the tension passed Takeyhands produced several shiny stones and began to juggle them They glittered purple and gold in the powerful noontime sun rays Well if you won�t leave this place at least let me help you I might be a tiny monkey who hasn�t been able to speak for very long

What�s that Randy whispered partially to cover the cramped gurgle of her empty stomach but also because there was suddenly a small fluffy patch of grey smoke that hung behind the small monkey

Takeyhands bounced up to its feet and bowed frantically to the small grey thing Then it turned and showed its yellowed teeth to Randy Oh I told you someone wanted to help you right This is who wants to help you His name is

A cloud wants to help me Randy chewed their lip They understood that the System had changed the world and made some extremely peculiar things possible but this seemed incredibly weird Much more strange than the sudden arrival of a juggling monkey Randy wondered if clouds were soft too They certainly seemed soft But would it be as soft as monkey fur

No not Takeyhands began but the cloud produced a small bolt of lightning that lashed out and hit the monkey But it didn�t really look like lightning it was emerald and curled at its sharp junction like it released bright branches which were covered in thorns However the flash was so brief that all Randy had was the fading colors of that light burned into their retinas

Ah ahem The monkey coughed into its hand Err yes this is a cloud He wants to help you

Why Randy looked directly at the cloud The heart in Randy�s chest began to beat strangely An awareness rose hinting at a strange connection between the two of them And as Randy continued to stare a vision appeared of Randy curled up and crying on the ground A gentle sense of understanding stretched out between them

Perhaps in any normal situation Randy would have flinched and run away to know that another individual watched them at night However Randy supposed that clouds had nothing to do when they drifted through the sky except watch people

Randy waved a small hand I wasn�t raining just crying Humans can produce water too I�m not a cloud You shouldn�t help someone like me

The cloud literally twitched

Eventually it seemed to recover its energy but the cloud displayed the same sort of frustrated energy of the monkey Small emerald bolts lashed up and down its fluffy form Next to them Takeyhands� eyes flicked back and forth from Randy to cloud

uh he is well aware that you are not a cloud But he wants to help you anyway The monkey said For a few seconds it chittered at the clouds and several emerald bolts crackled threateningly at the small animal Then it turned to speak again to Randy Because of your ability What you can do like you did with the Engraving

Randy went cold Bethyl�s face appeared in their mind filled with exhaustion and disappointment They spoke quickly in denial That doesn�t happen

The cloud pulsed clearly unimpressed by the lie Even Takeyhands gave Randy a long look The monkey chittered for a few seconds before shifting back into normal speaking Truth be told that power is why why the cloud is interested in you He wants to teach you how to control that power Would you like that Not having to fear that you�ll lose control And Stormshadow definitely is powerful He is the one that gave me the ability to speak He can show you the path forward A way you can help your mom

She�s not my mom Randy spat out immediately but they felt a yearning rising in their chest But I can help her Truly How

The cloud darkened and released a strange resonant pulse that hummed through Randy�s ribcage Takeyhands nodded seriously and translated from cloud speak Cooking

Chapter 1924

Randy pressed their lips together feeling tears forming in their eyes from pain and anxiety And how close they seemed to be proving themselves to be a burden once again With just a moment of wavering attention everything would fall to pieces

The pieces of bacon fried just below their hands grease hissing and spitting in those small spaces between meat and metal Randy�s hand stayed near while the Skill remained activated leaching away a strange vital piece of something from the meat At the monkey�s instruction they kept the presence constant

Stormshadow tells me that while your power can hurt something it can also purify it Takeyhands had said cartwheeling around Randy after it had brought her firewood a pan and some raw meat Randy tried not to show how confused they were just follow the directions The System slathers a certain sort of image over everything It cakes all of us like a thick layer of makeup trying to convince anything willing to listen that there will be growth and improvement

That�s fine Growth and improvement are fine But there are also times where the extraneous layers aren�t necessary cooking is one of those times So if you keep your Skill activated at a medium level you scoop out the ancillary stuff and leave the substance So just skim a bit off the top Constantly for a few minutes

Above the pan Randy chewed their lips A tremor had taken up residence in their hand meaning that occasionally the soft skin of their palm dipped too near the heat Yet Randy did their best not to falter They had been working with Takeyhands for nearly two days while the caravan continued to languish in the badlands

Bethyl�s mood had turned increasingly sour toward Randy during that time the longer they stayed here without the influx of new cash into the environment the less she could earn So the time up in the hills kept them from being yelled at and also prevented any further rejection Randy desperately tried to at least do something right For one small second they hoped not to be a burden

Today Randy would make Bethyl bacon

Congratulations Your Skill Thirst of the Charcoal Predator has grown to Level 91

Takeyhands paused in its cartwheels and stuck its small face close to the pan It sucked in a deep breath and then smiled widely Good Good That�s a good smell mm it makes me want to celebrate

And as Randy had learned Takeyhands wasn�t one to refuse to celebrate whenever even the smallest opportunity presented itself It immediately produced a half dozen glittering objects and began to juggle sending all the small pieces tumbling in the air in some mesmerizing pattern The small monkey possessed incredibly dextrous fingers and grace

But when she got a clear look at the objects that the monkey possessed Randy felt ill Those coins Why do you have so many

What happened Cooking can�t do something like this Randy muttered They inhaled and the scent of perfectly fragrant pork drove away all of their nausea

Even Takeyhands leaned close over the pan its tiny fingers flexing It had to gulp down a mouthful of saliva before it could speak This wow I mean honestly I thought Stormchaser was insane saying a tiny human like you could make any sort of food worth eating But if I could produce food like this the mates that I would have

Randy flushed but the sensation wasn�t unpleasant True to its name the monkey�s hands began to twitch and extend toward the alluring bacon I�ll just

No Randy snatched the four pieces out of the pan burning their fingers on the grease Seeing Takeyhands� pained expression They hesitated and then ripped a piece of meat in half Giving it to the monkey and then hurrying away with the rest

Randy placed the other half piece into their own mouth reasoning that they didn�t want to risk being wrong about how good the food was The meat sang to their tastebuds hinting at a regal sweetness and a savory crunch Randy moaned then clapped a hand over their mouth After they finished chewing they began to bound down the hill that had become their usual haunt not even caring that such exaggerated actions drew attention from the hard eyed individuals around the campfires

Besides when the food smelled this good better to hurry before some of these hungry people caught a whiff

Randy�s hands twitched around the bacon grease dripping between their fingers as they ran The digits were locked into a rigid flex desperate not to drop the precious cargo but also fearful that excitement would squeeze the meat to mush The combination had Randy�s heart pounding as they reached Bethyl�s small wagon The door was closed but it was early in the day Bethyl was probably just getting ready

Randy pushed the door open with their shoulder Bethyl Look what I

Randy froze Bethyl lay slumped against the far wall blood oozing from her wounds Several candles flickered in holders along the cheap interior wall Daggers stuck out of her palms and shoulder pinning her in place

A carpet of sticky wine spread out underneath her

Randy saw their father being gored by the massive boar Then a hand landed on their shoulder snapping Randy back to the present A slightly nasally voice spoke Easy now kiddo It looks bad but we have the System This shit will heal ah maybe you�ve never seen your mother at work before

Chapter 1925

Randy stared blankly unable to understand what was going on within the wagon They followed the hand to an arm then to the smirking face of the guard with the red orange goatee He towered above Randy loosely holding a bloodstained dagger with the tips of his fingers in the other hand

She�s not my kid Bethyl said weakly Clearly lacking the strength to look up Her head lolled sideways Just A responsibility

The guard waved the bloody dagger lazily Alright whatever Sorry kid but oh you brought breakfast

He scooped the bacon out of Randy�s hands and stuffed two of the strips into his mouth He talked with his mouth open nudging Randy back with his hips and lifting the last piece as his expression brightened into pure pleasure Hey Bets you want some breakfast Getting me Skill Levels must be hungry work

Randy stumbled backward still unable to process the blood and the casual denial from Bethyl The guard closed the door in their face Randy�s lungs didn�t seem to work leaving huge and hot gulps of air stranded in their throat

Randy stepped down from the wooden steps feeling dizzy So much blood had pooled on the wooden floor beneath where Bethyl had been pinned All they could picture was the guard hunched over like a pig lapping at the life giving liquid Their emotions began to surge at that image making Randy�s entire body tremble

Randy felt the Skill activate but there was nothing that they wanted to do about it It was too much all of it It would be better if they could rip away a portion of what they had seen If they could just cleanse everything leaving the area spotless and pristine If the Skill would rip away Randy too

Congratulations Your Skill Thirst of the Charcoal Predator has grown to Level 101

Randy�s eyes were glazed as the ground beneath their feet began to lose its color The air felt heavy and thick as though inhaling it expended more oxygen than it restored There was a weird ringing in their ears and everything swirled together

The world felt like the damp clay that Randy found in the hills Their hands mushed and pressed squeezing all of the details together

Congratulations Your Skill Thirst of the Charcoal Predator has grown to Level 139

The crackling of curled emerald lightning finally brought Randy back to true awareness Their face twisted in horror several meters around where they sat on the ground the red brown dirt had been leached of all color It was a stark and monochrome circle of grey a throne of unassuming bland

Above their head the small cloud being spun humming with power Randy�s Skil scraped and scraped continuing to rush around and activate like a wild horse shown a thin strip of daylight Thirst of the Charcoal Predator demanded more and more pressing against the world and somehow stripping everything away It took the color of the ground and it sometimes took the flavor from the bacon and Randy suddenly became horrified that it would strip away those beautiful emerald lightning bolts around the small cloud Even this strange being that took pity on them would be crushed by Randy�s presence

Yet despite Randy�s fear the Skill was relentless in its attempts It pulled

And pulled and pulled and pulled sucking down the power and life that flowed out of that small cloud Yet even after several minutes passed even after Randy�s vision filled up with notifications about the Skill increasing in Level even after the Skill grew tired and stuttering that thirst no longer able to suck so constantly the cloud was unaffected

What sort of timeline are we looking at How bad is the deterioration Randidly asked The clockwork gears of his mind worked weighing the possibilities That regal portion of Yggdrasil spun around him adding weight to his bearing but also grounding him After the clash with Wick he left the Nexus for the chance to grow At the moment he had no confidence that he could return and survive if Devick changed her mind and wanted retribution for her son

Because while he empathized with the Patrons he also had responsibility to the whole of the Alpha Cosmos

Right now we aren�t exactly sure We just noticed the shift Neveah responded But from what Lucretia has said the damage shouldn�t be permanent if the time that the Patron of Feathers remains apart is only between one and three years

Randidly blinked One to three years Well That�s not as bad as I feared

After chatting a few more ancillary matters Neveah left Randidly looked over the three part island and took a deep breath He had come to train and he was definitely making progress But he had several goals and hadn�t thought too deeply about how many he needed to accomplish before he felt comfortable returning to the Nexus

However those distant goals had been replaced with a timeline The life of a Patron hung in the balance perhaps even a key to the history of Elhume and the Nexus an explanation of the sudden shift in attitude toward Pine Some truth about the strange confrontation in the shadows of the Nexus one side headed by Elhume the father and the other by individuals like Solomon Rex who wished to protect the strange life on which they all relied

Randidly pressed his eyes closed Already he could feel significance stirring Having a looming threat tightened the spin of Nether through his body He had been making improvements in his various areas but he knew he wouldn�t improve enough at this rate He needed to press the gas down to feel the thrill of necessity by his side

Continue with the idea I�ll leave the base of the shaft in time to save the Patron of Feathers Randidly told himself Figure out the rest later For now I need to train

So Randidly threw himself into the same tasks and time began to flow past He created Nether Patterns he refined his images he pushed through the Hierarchy of Burden he plugged himself into the grand Nether Ritual

At the same time the world spun around him He helped the strange child Randy develop their powers and comfort Bethyl when her wagon was broken into and stolen and the Ulysses and his two guards left in the night He simply provided money through Takeyhands as Randy grew more proficient with cooking

To the point that people began to purposeful make a stop at that strange corner of the badlands on their journey curious about the genius child chef

Randidly ignored Delilah creeping onto his island sneaking around the periphery and talking to some of the trainees trying to figure out a good gift for him He ignored the preparations for the tournament where the strongest of Expira gathered together He ignored the jibes thrown at Heiffal and his group by arrogant humans who thought they refused to participate in Expira�s tournament out of fear

He even ignored when one of those arrogant individuals proved to have some genuine clout to back up his words and defeated Isabella Cortez of Donnyton to win the tournament He didn�t listen to the challenge shouted by the man using his bloody hands to heft the tournament When no response came the man mocked the name of the Ghosthound

Randidly also turned a blind to a massive Frost Dragon Spire Prince stalking that young man until he left the island and then viciously thrashing him

Training consumed all of his focus With the pressure of the weakening Patron of Feathers and his own feelings of inadequacy he could push himself to his very limits

Then About eleven months after Neveah came with the news something finally distracted Randidly enough that he paused in his training he had earned enough PP to trigger his next Tithe

Chapter 1926

Randidly earned a few extra PP without even thinking about it He was so deep in the Nether patterns that he didn�t even recognize the significance of the notification at first He just continued following the insights to new understanding

It was only after when he floated back down to himself with a sense of exhaustion and satisfaction that he looked again at the notifications in front of him and began to grin His skin tingled against the cool air

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 904

His awareness filtered down to a huge turning alignment His Soulskill was a fisherman having let the net drift down into the sea of the Alpha Cosmos and lay for so long that the denizens had forgotten about it Then as soon as that final PP was earned the Soulskill shifted into readiness Adrenaline flooded through his body

At any moment it could reel in that tithe he was owed flooding his body with taxed PP

Yet the reason that Randidly�s eyes dilated and his vision went hazy was the significance His Nether Core whirled with power humming with the possibilities of the moment of the branching futures available to him as soon as he spent the PP and fully triggered the Tithe Yet suddenly that resonance had a larger platform through the Nether Ritual he had created within Expira

His Soulskill hummed a potent tune and the Nether Ritual began to sing

Randidly could feel the weight of it as though he really stood on the shifting boat and gripped the rough rope connecting with the haul He tugged lightly standing in this moment of tense potential feeling that in addition to PP there was something extra that would come along with this Tithe

Something significant

Adding Nether to the Alpha Cosmos even if its nowhere near 50% is paying dividends Randidly grinned as he sensed the vital presence of Nether significance coming with the tithe The sun peaked over the horizon the first rays of the day providing rare illumination to the storm cloaked island Beams of light reflected off the drops Only when the light came sideways right across the horizon at dawn did sunlight reach the toiling trainees

His mind spun After all what exactly were Path Points Functionally they provided the ability to advance through Paths earning more Stats and Skills They were the fertilizer that the System provided liberally a reward for drinking more deeply from its addictive nectar and growing in power

But practically PP represented commodified bits of raw image Pieces so small that a thousand of them couldn�t make anything potent A million thrown in Randidly�s face might not even make them sneeze Without a consciousness these bits were nearly harmless The best they could do is create a Level 1 Skill in its weakest form But once that had been planted in someone�s individual Aether they could begin to grow Those small chunks of image provided the foundation

From that foundation all sorts of weapons could be honed

What could the Nether equivalent do added to the already deep currents around his Nether Core

Randidly raised his hand watching the elongated shadows his fingers cast in the fresh orange juice light Just like PP formed the foundation for the Aether side he could feel the equivalent from Nether lurking below He chewed his lip softly not yet spending the PP and just sensing the resonance between his own Nether Core and the grand Nether Ritual Likely he had been absorbing such benefits through every PP Tithe up to this point Just the combination of increased fineness of awareness and the growing presence of Nether in the Alpha Cosmos meant that this would be a more meaningful boost

Alright then The sun continued to rise but that movement took it past the gorgeous dawn corridor A stained sky could be seen through the eye of the storm above but once more Randidly sat in shadow The constant drizzle fell around the island a curtain drawn against the outside world Let�s get started Time to take a Tithe

The entire Alpha Cosmos passed through Randidly leaving gleaming remnants in him as it flowed Time lost meaning as he lived a thousand fractured lives in a million separate forms He simply existed to describe the experience in more detail would have been insufficient to capture it

Eventually the barrage began to slow Or rather than the impressions slowing their arrival became light and fleeting They practically evaporated before he could truly feel them Randidly felt like a massive tree with a thousand birds landing picking mites off between their feathers with sharp beaks then alighting before he could even identify their species or song

His leaves rustled constantly the only sign of their fleeting presence And gradually the rustling began to die down He opened his eyes

Randidly found himself laying looking up at the circle of blue sky Groaning he leaned forward and sat up His head spun a bit but the thickening flow of Nether through his body helped ground him The tide receded leaving his own consciousness polished and strong However he could feel the subtle changes of Nether in his person even before he started coping with the massive dump of PP

He flexed his hands A new impulse rose in his body rising from his still buzzing cells He felt the capability that he had suddenly gained and wanted to exercise it His Nether Core whirled simultaneously unhinged and possessing the most potent force it had ever experienced His chest expanded with a deep breath and the clouds over the island began to seethe

The training individuals shivered as the Nether content in the air began to rise Randidly�s eyes glittered He generally kept the influx of Nether into Expira�s atmosphere mild but now he no longer held back All the force that was usually contained in his body exploded out to fill the sky

The patterns branched and spun together carrying vast quantities of Nether Such was the immensity of the flow that the midmorning sky became stained by it darkness crept outward from the storm like a horrid pall of oblivion that wafted up from the island His Nether Core accelerated taking the storm with it on a desperate dance Randidly�s delicate senses reached out and began to guide the patterns overlapping them at the edges creating a dense network of smaller patterns that became a larger pattern

Flames of Nether Weight flickered to light across his body And as the next wave of Nether pumped out of him and into the air it carried those hints of fire into the air Grey flames rose into gushing plumes of monochrome fire that rushed through the storm setting everything ablaze The constant drizzle began to spit and hiss not evaporated by impacted and dispersed by the force of the Nether running through the air

Randidly began to laugh pressing those patterns together Power coursed in his veins and with an impossible acuity Randidly began making adjustments to the pattern An instinctive intuition that he had been seeking for so long for Nether now existed within him

Depth and history Randidly�s eyes flashed as he guided Nether into the perfect environment He conducted the separate lines toward a crescendo Those things have no intrinsic meaning There are no connections for the disparate moments that have now washed through my body Yet somehow simply having all that extra experience makes working with Nether that much easier

Nether rushed through the air churning more tightly toward the center Clouds were pulled by the currents and covered the eye of the storm Hissing points of friction were created in those spots where two flows ran in the opposite direction Force crackled in the air sending unusually large waves crashing against the beaches and causing the densely tied vegetal entity to shivering

Nether came together tightening to a sharp point in the sky above the volcano And then as though from the void Randidly snapped his fingers and summoned retribution

Congratulations New record detected Your Synechdochence has been set to 112%

Congratulations New record detected Your Synechdochence has been set to 127%

The sky rumbled and cracked the air nearly collapsing against the synergized force of Randidly�s Nether Core

Chapter 1927

A dark and hollow crash of thunder cracked across the island forcing a wince from even Raymund Ballast as the force of its arrival shook every being unfortunate enough to be existence below the Ghosthound The foxman waved a hand and deactivated the gravity chamber around him Then he left the Engraved area and looked up toward the central volcano

A massive spearhead hung in the air as though it had been thrust down through the eye of the storm to smite the island from existence

For several long moments Raymund�s body just ached The glittering weapon of obsidian and razor edged shadows hung in the air above the Ghosthound�s training area lingering after whatever demonstration had just occurred But even as that manifestation began to fracture and come to pieces the ache had remained The Ghosthound had done something with a vicious brutality that Raymund had rarely witnessed from him

He shivered an echo of fear toward the strike Toward what the strike might have done in another location The ache Raymund now felt resulted from him absorbing some small portion of that force

The Ghosthound had gone all out using the cultivated environment of the island and the images of the many trainees here to muffle the disastrous reverberations Otherwise the repercussions might have echoed out and wiped out a dozen small seafaring villages in the surrounding area

DiOrtho Vant a sour expression pasted on his face walked across the beach to stand next to the Vulpine Soon the ram demon couldn�t stand the silence any longer and shook his horned head Did you feel that

Who didn�t Such a display Raymund began but DiOrtho began to shake his head with even more force

Not that obviously Heh I bet some of the Zones are going to receive word of the force displayed here and piss their tiny pants No the things that occurred before that The Ghosthound exhaled and brought something into himself that originated from us That strange sensitivity that we gained a year ago made it abundantly clear You could feel the relationship between us and him for a brief moment He drew essence from us A subtle draw of Aether and Nether

Raymund nodded more slowly his eyes searching for any actual sign of the Ghosthound below the dispersing spearhead The storm clouds continued to churn Usually it was easy for Raymund to forget how much power the special Drill Sergeant possessed

And sometimes this black haired man shattered the skies and drummed against all their significance

Obviously we are more sensitive than most individuals DiOrtho continued Raymund finally recognized how serious Vant�s expression was But still As long as you�ve put a little effort into that intuition you would be able to understand the mechanism of what happened And we don�t mind but will everyone in his world be fine with knowing that the Ghosthound takes from us all No matter how small a cut he pulls

Slowly Raymund�s expression changed into a frown Above the storm rumbled

Randidly took a while to savor the sensation of explosive power in the aftermath of flexing his Synechdochence His Nether Core slowed trailing long flows of shadow He suspected that this wasn�t even his limit with some dedicated training he could push that number up to 130% The combinations of his greater pattern recognition and the growing depth to his Nether meant that the raw power he could display had reached a whole new level

His hammer had grown almost without him realizing it

Of course it doesn�t get around a powerful image dispersing the environment as quickly as I can make it But its progress With a ghost of a smile on his face Randidly went back to his Path screen The number caught his eye once again he had very nearly three hundred thousand PP to spend

Congratulations Your Skill the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 673

Even before he completed the Path Randidly felt a tingle of what was to come

Congratulations Your Stat Willpower has evolved into Grey Monarch�s Authority For those who bear a heavy crown a finger twitch becomes a vicious act of war The flexibility and application of your Grey Monarch�s Authority is greatly increased The raw power of your consciousness can achieve some small effects in the physical world without the usage of an image or Skill Subordinates who are acting out your orders will receive a portion of your new benefits Your Stat total will be maintained

Aether began to gather in Randidly�s chest as a part of his capability changed But this process didn�t build up and expend itself quickly Thick spurts of Nether flowed along with the touch of the Grey Creature to form a dense core Yet even after the maelstrom had stabilized itself the initiation process wasn�t finished The shadow of Yggdrasil the First Authority surged all at once shaking his entire body with its passage

The long shadowy branches curled around that core that would add character and capability to the new Stat Those fingers stained it Then the core exploded ripping its way through Randidly�s body And if the evolution of Resistance set his skin on fire the evolution of Willpower to Transcendent cut off all of his nerve endings and left him swimming in a horrifying numbness

He felt nothing He floated in darkness Vision sound taste smell touch all of it was gone

The absence made him uneasy

As the outside world fell away and left him without any external awareness Randidly sat with himself He felt the weight of his own body of his own ideas of his own mind He could feel the figuratively steaming machinery of his mind heat and ferocity wafting off of its glittering gears and pistons even while it lay mostly inert He felt the influence he possessed as the physical body of the Alpha Cosmos the Authority that he slowly discovered as he pushed his Nether Core past every other individual remaining in the Nexus

Well aside from the Nether King But Randidly suspected that individual was rather special

He could only examine himself the unease growing Feeling the shape and scope of her person Randidly could only acknowledge how far he was from being a person

Eventually awareness began to return Randidly regretted his small fear toward the blank senselessness when pain ripped him awake and left him gasping He lay on his back and trembled all those severed nerves reconnecting with all the grace of a hungry toddler

Panting Randidly pushed himself up into a sitting position Compared to the shift in Resistance he could feel the adjustment in capability much more concretely with this shift toward a Transcendent Rarity Still for now Randidly didn�t try to test his limits He simply opened up the Path screen and grimaced at the escalating cost to 50 000 PP He made a promise to himself that this would be his last attempt to evolve Endurance If this failed he could try and force an evolution the old fashioned way

Congratulations You have completed the Stat Evolution VI Path No matter how steep the climb you refuse to slow your advance toward a complete metamorphosis So long as you do not falter you will eventually accomplish your goal

Congratulations You have unlocked a Legendary Rarity Stat

Randidly grinned Alright that�s more like it

Chapter 1928

Randidly didn�t hesitate at all He went to his Status screen and selected Endurance Within his chest the Stillborn Phoenix stirred lightning and liquid light hissing along the event horizon

Congratulations Your Stat Endurance has evolved into Egg�s Illusory Plume Impossible barriers form at your skin a strange and mystical rind Your body has become extremely resistant to non physical attacks Due to the impossibility of the plume existing physical attacks are less effective User has increased ability to quickly recover in the rare event that Endurance was breached

The shift built in Randidly�s ribcage drawing deeply from the Stillborn Phoenix as the Stat changed but without any of the painful drama of Willpower�s shift To Randidly�s surprise the shift happened in the air around his skin Randidly felt the limits of his body expanding just slightly an illusory layer stitching itself into place across his skin Raising his arms there were small moments when light refracted strangely around him like a sheen of oil across the surface of water

Out of the corner of his eye he caught the distinct shape of feathers

Then the effect gradually dispersed leaving him alone with his breathing Randidly closed his eyes and focused on recovering some of his mental and emotional energy Afterward he needed to spend a while to let his Penance find balance at this point he offered up five of the sixty seconds of each minute in an effort to help his Nether grow

Finally his eyes opened He looked down at the list of Paths available to him

Friend to Humanity 0/100 Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 Order Ducis Font of Guidance Humanity�s Torch 0/500 Puppet Master 0/100 Pain Immunity I 0/250 Cleaver of the World Tree Weakness of the World Tree 0/500 Guilty Conscience I 0/100 Hands of the Artisan 0/ Ashes of Illym the Above Average Child 0/5000 The Flame the Burns Memories 0/ The Sigh as the Sky Closes 0/15 000 Joy the Blooming Sun 0/15 000 Chimera�s Struggle II 0/ Mysteries of the Fiery Emerald Waltz 0/ Violent Heat I 0/ Violence Incarnate the Storm�s Descent 0/ Deathwish X 0/5 The Pursuit of Alchemy 0/750 Weakness of the Grim Chimera 0/500 Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix 0/500 The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/ The Creature�s Apotheosis 0/25000 The Passion sans Shape I 0/ Architecture of Yggdrasil I 0/ Piece of the Ideal 0/ Emotional Evolution I 0/500 Breath of the Imaginary Firebird 0/1000 The Throne of Nether Homage I 0/500 Stat Evolution VII 0/100000 Spark of the Origin Beast 0/ The Eyelids of the Grey Creature Flutter 0/10 000 Determined VI 0/600 The Ashes of Helen the Ghosthound�s Bloody Knight 0/9000 Excavator of the Two Failed Dreams 0/12 000 The Ash that Reigns Above the Open and Closed Sky 0/ The Living Soul of the Alpha Cosmos 0/ Herald of the Eternal March 0/10 000 The Crown of Four Authorities 0/100000 Peerlessness Through Woven Truth 0/

He couldn�t help but wince At this point the list of Paths had grown to a ridiculous degree even with his previous Tithes he hadn�t been able to put a serious dent in the list But as with previous rewards Randidly could quickly trim down the list to only the ones by which he felt intrigued

The Sigh as the Sky Closes 0/15 000 Joy the Blooming Sun 0/15 000 Chimera�s Struggle II 0/ Violence Incarnate the Storm�s Descent 0/ The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/ The Creature�s Apotheosis 0/25000 The Passion sans Shape I 0/ Architecture of Yggdrasil I 0/ Piece of the Ideal 0/ Emotional Evolution I 0/500 Stat Evolution VII 0/100000 Spark of the Origin Beast 0/ The Eyelids of the Grey Creature Flutter 0/10 000 The Ashes of Helen the Ghosthound�s Bloody Knight 0/9000 Excavator of the Two Failed Dreams 0/12 000 The Ash that Reigns Above the Open and Closed Sky 0/ The Living Soul of the Alpha Cosmos 0/ Herald of the Eternal March 0/10 000 The Crown of Four Authorities 0/100000 Peerlessness Through Woven Truth 0/

Randidly scratched his chin He had cut out more than half of the available Paths but there were still too many options to consider them individually with any detail His mind spun between them feeling the possibilities that stretched in every direction He clenched his jaw and cut out more no longer was it enough to be interesting Now Randidly was looking for the Paths that would help him improve the training areas that he had been focused on

The Passion sans Shape I 0/ Piece of the Ideal 0/ Emotional Evolution I 0/500 The Eyelids of the Grey Creature Flutter 0/10 000 The Living Soul of the Alpha Cosmos 0/ The Crown of Four Authorities 0/100000 Peerlessness Through Woven Truth 0/

Essentially Randidly focused on two areas There were other Paths that deeply intrigued him but shaping up his emotional capability and starting to settle the small dissonance in his Grey Creature image were more important Randidly had started to feel the satisfying attunement he got from Yggdrasil�s image and emotional affect He was ready to bring that to his other images And with the Unborn continuing to delay Stillborn Phoenix he didn�t mind starting with the Grey Creature

Of course when all three�s shape had finally aligned with emotion he would be able to work about working them in triplicate And that was the key for him to rival Nexus images with his own in the short term

Soulful Vigor Your emotions swirl with a small amount of indescribable beauty Power courses along with your whims animating your person When utilizing emotion user has a slightly easier time controlling the emotions User also can display a more powerful display in the same amount of time Effect increases with Skill Level

Randidly felt like the recipient of a successful (mental) tongue surgery Suddenly his internal awareness could taste the flavors of his emotions just by brushing past them It was as though everything as widened he could slide into the space between his emotions They crackled like rupturing ground massive monoliths of light flashes and lightning bolts But with the ability to see their shape he could more easily hone them to resonate with his images

He had only spent 7750 PP by pushing through those Paths Compared to the mass of PP he possessed it was a pittance Cracking his neck Randidly started into the Emotional Evolution I Path

Congratulations You have completed the Emotional Evolution I Path The Path on which you walk has led you high above the clouds The air grows thin and sounds become stale and weak Yet as you rise the beating of your heart becomes increasingly clear Its cadence informs your every step

Congratulations +50 Grim Intuition

Congratulations You have completed the Emotional Evolution II Path The steps you take are across an ethereal bridge connecting land and sky despite all the reasons that such a Path should not exist The material beneath your feet is cool and insubstantial vanishing as soon as you pass by Sound has completely receded leaving you with only the small whispers of your heart

Congratulations You feel a growing connection to your emotions Warning there might be some small amount of unpredictability in your emotional affect Exquisite Piety +75

Congratulations You have completed the Emotional Evolution III Path You trek through space walking beneath the clouds Yet your gaze barely wavers Even as the hidden desires of your heart are given leave by the silence to swell and fill the environment you are not swayed from your task Such is your dedication that your emotions are pressured even further to grow and change attempting to capture your attention

Congratulations Warning Significant emotional turbulence will result from taking this Path Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae +50 Exquisite Piety +100

Congratulations You have completed the Emotional Evolution IV Path The ringing silence around you hums with the force of emotions moving within your skin More than a person you have become a shelter that houses a hundred disparate desires each desperate to be heard Each bleeding to enact its will upon the world

Congratulations Be very careful your emotions might take on a mind of their own Exercise extreme caution Uncommon Metabolism (Un) +100

Before he moved on to finish the last Path in the sequence Randidly turned his attention inward on his emotions The corner of his lip curled upward to see them arrayed within him Grey Monarch�s Authority spread out shadowy twig fingers beckoning Like meek little lambs his emotions bowed their heads and hurried to do his bidding

Chuckling Randidly finished the final Emotional Evolution Path

Chapter 1929

Congratulations You have completed the Emotional Evolution V Path After riding the seething waves of dangerous emotions within your person you have finally reached calm waters on the other end of the sea Your ship might have sustained damage but in these calm waters you will have the opportunity to patch up the vessel As the raging forces begin to settle within you the lack of violence and force allows you to view your changed inner world Motes of remnants glittering in the air reminding you of the previous ferocity And your current Path rides on emotional waves that have once more returned to the fold

Congratulations You feel your emotional force surging within your body You have an increased ability to resist emotional exhaustion while working with image A shift is building within your heart You may choose to continue acquiescing to the impulse to change or you may wait and allow the possibilities to build into more complex futures

Congratulations Grey Monarch�s Authority +100 Mana and Stamina +500

Randidly cracked his back as he felt the substance of his emotion becoming finer and more energetic In a way he did feel changed after finishing the Path his attention felt more easily divisible in a way that reminded him of reaching one thousand in Focus Obviously none of the dangerous emotional waves that the Path completion notification had ever been present But it was nice that he still received the same reward despite being exposed to none of the negative side effects

Even if some part of him sourly regarded the lack of a new Skill He beckoned and his emotional affect surged forward to circle around in the interior of his fingertips Unwillingness and determination filled him the outlook that had kept him working even when the Nexus threw an almost impossible amount of roadblocks in his way It was the same sort of emotion that he used to bond with Vualla although Randidly was no longer sure what that meant

Congratulations Your Skill Soulful Vigor has grown to Level 2

Congratulations Your Skill Soulful Vigor has grown to Level 25

Fire licked along the interior of Randidly�s ribcage With the emotional force animating him his heart pounded against the confines of his body aiming to break out and affect the world Through sheer force it wanted to crash through and cause a ruckus But Randidly�s mind wandered That�s another task I can attend to outside the Nexus I�ll be able to see Vualla I�ll be able to check how genuine our connection is

Congratulations Your Skill Soulful Vigor has grown to Level 71

His heartbeats had reached enough force that the vibrations sent nearby pebbles skittering down the side of the volcano

Satisfied with the display he allowed the emotional force to fade His body returned to stillness Randidly tilted his head as he considered the new option that appeared in his Path list Bubbling Emotional Accumulation I Considering the fact that it was another series of Paths he didn�t want to commit to it now not with so many possibilities available to him Especially when the cost for the first of these new emotional Paths was ten thousand PP

He had better avenues to advance He opened up his full Path screen once more to look at options

Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II Puppet Master 0/100 Pain Immunity I 0/250 Cleaver of the World Tree Weakness of the World Tree 0/500 Guilty Conscience I 0/100 Ashes of Illym the Above Average Child 0/5000 The Sigh as the Sky Closes 0/15 000 Joy the Blooming Sun 0/15 000 Creature�s Toil II 0/ Violent Heat I 0/ Violence Incarnate the Storm�s Descent 0/ Deathwish X 0/5 Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix 0/500 The Shadow Beyond the Threshold 0/ The Creature�s Apotheosis 0/25000 Architecture of Yggdrasil I 0/ Piece of the Ideal 0/ Breath of the Imaginary Firebird 0/1000 The Throne of Nether Homage I 0/500 Stat Evolution VII 0/100000 Spark of the Origin Beast 0/ The Eyelids of the Grey Creature Flutter 0/10 000 Determined VI 0/600 The Ashes of Helen the Ghosthound�s Bloody Knight 0/9000 Excavator of the Two Failed Dreams 0/12 000 The Ash that Reigns Above the Open and Closed Sky 0/ The Living Soul of the Alpha Cosmos 0/ Herald of the Eternal March 0/10 000 The Crown of Four Authorities 0/100000 Peerlessness Through Woven Truth 0/ Bubbling Emotional Accumulation I 0/10000

From that Path Randidly continued with those relating to the Stillborn Phoenix

Congratulations You have completed the Shadow Beyond the Threshold Path For some time you have observed the grand doors of bone in the distance Your feet carried you forward unfailingly eating at the distance that separated you from this dangerous boundary To your surprise mountains rose around those doors of bone soon towering over you a horizon grown teeth Yet finally after a long journey you arrive before the towering edifice Your neck cranes upward unable to see the top of the massive doors Yet through the crack between them a cool wind chills your skin And a massive shadow whispers just barely inaudible It begs you to release it from its prison

Would you like to open the doors and witness the shadow beyond the threshold Y/N

You have chosen to open the doors You press your hands against the cool bone and push The doors shake and groan warning you away from this Path Yet you have resolved yourself to witness the truth Because the darkness that waits on the other side feels familiar You apply more and more pressure until the doors grumble and relent Under the force of your hands they swing open

Warning Synchronicity detected Please see your local Village Spirit Continuing forward without access to sufficient energy will result in sickness or death

Recalculating Warning

The Alpha Cosmos Pantheon has intervened Incorporating elements of the user Access larger Aether stream to fuel adjustments insufficient energy Applying for an expansion of the Aether stream expansion granted

Your hands push open the door The doors of bone shivered and the cool gust becomes a blizzard lavishly spreading frost across your skin As you pause to look at the small shift you have made a massive hand of shadow reached from the other side Its fingers curl around the door�s edge and throw them open

The darkness of your heart unspools and rolls into the abyss before you And what rolls back is a beast of energy that can devour worlds

You stare up at a massive version of yourself planets pulsing with light as they swim in your shadowy body You can feel your own need for power and desperation to overcome the Nexus in its shape Its Cheshire grin is one you�ve felt on your own face many a time At the end of a dangerous and jagged path you find this cosmic entity a physical form almost completely abandoned All that remains is flinty determination

The shadow version of you opens its mouth The tenor of its voice shakes the air It sounds glad the bearer of joyful news Civilizations lay rotting between its teeth dead and forgotten

This is what we can become This is one of our futures

You manage to stare into this thing�s eyes without flinching To know the depths your darkness might reach is a rare thing

Congratulations Reaction and Grim Intuition +200 Each Skill Level in Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold is slightly more effective Your ability to cope with future possibilities increases The potential to become something vast and hungry and infinite now lurks within you It will influence your growth The Stillborn Phoenix raises its head and howls

Chapter 1930

Lucretia and Alta lay panting in the shadowy in between area that only the Pantheon had access to They had developed the equivalent of the Nexus Ways with some added comforts Yet neither could take advantage of them now Both of them were thoroughly exhausted after intervening in the Path that Randidly had earned in the wider Nexus

Does he not even notice how much Aether flows through him Alta groaned rolling onto her stomach She kept moving her arms as though she sought out the least painful position God I need a vacation

Lucretia chuckled What you need is to train a bit harder before the fate of our fearless leader is on the line And no he probably doesn�t notice the energy He didn�t know it at the time but expanding to become the Alpha Cosmos would have been impossible without his Soulbond to Neveah While he continued to gather materials she is the one paying attention to the infrastructure of himself and apportioning out Aether They form a potent duo

Alta grunted as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees Lucretia looked at the other woman fondly despite her grouchy expression Currently Alta wore a younger version of her body before she allowed the bitterness and rage she held toward the Ghosthound to sear her physical form with such heat that she had to reinforce it with metal to prevent herself from turning to ash

Lucretia liked this version of Alta It reminded her of simpler less busy times But she could also sense how vital it was that she support Randidly for a little while longer before she granted herself a bed of oblivion on which to rest

The Aether he took to adjust that Path was enough for a hundred regular Paths Alta grumbled as she rubbed her stomach Ughh I haven�t ached like this since the worst days of being a charred cinder of a woman

That�s the benefit of standing at the top Lucretia said lightly No expense spared for your improvements But better that we alter Path result than let the System give him that trap of a reward that was there You might not be aware of it but the last few times the System has tried something like that he�s punched a hole in the overlay System to rip the threat out I don�t think he would damage us when he did that but better safe than sorry

He�s a dangerous enemy to have Alta said And from the thread of awe that Lucretia could hear in her voice she meant it as a compliment

Both looked up at the same time Lucretia with a wry smile and Alta with an aggrieved expression

How much PP is he going to spend at once There were deep shadows below Alta�s eyes as she forced herself to her feet Lucretia I don�t want to shirk but if we need to channel that much Aether again

That won�t be necessary Into the between zone two figures flashed One was an amorphous blob of plasma undulating slightly The other was a charming older man The Patron of the Void and Patron of Blades bowed to the two women The Patron of Blades straightened and pushed back his hair Ladies how can we call ourselves gentlemen if we stand by while you exhaust yourselves Please accept our assistance

While his Stillborn Phoenix rolled and crackled with its growing hunger in the wake of finishing that Path Randidly turned his attention elsewhere He wanted to give the image some time to settle before he tried the Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix Path His eyes glowed emerald as he moved on to his next choice PP flowed away and he earned free Stats in response

Congratulations You have completed Violence Incarnate the Storm�s Descent Path In the middle of the wilderness your Path took you past a strange tunnel into the ground You looked over the broken stone steps leading into darkness and didn�t hesitate even for a moment you allowed shadows to lap against your feet as you descended into the ground drawn by the intuition that what you would find waiting for you could benefit you on your Path to the Pinnacle

Randidly gave himself over to the Path dream scraping drying blood and dirt off his arms and tail before he walked down to the next area Again and again his hand punched through a chest plate the Stillborn Phoenix did its best imitation of entropy and sucked at a monster until it was a hollow puppet Synechdochence manifested a vicious spearhead that obliterated a massive titan of these underground guardians Faster and faster pushing his body and Nether Core and empowered emotion to the limits Flames of Nether Weight marched across his skin and his images burned in their physicalized forms gleaming with more substance than the horned goblins that stood in their way

Congratulations Your Skill Cosmic Necessity has grown to Level 671

Congratulations Your Skill Soulful Vigor has grown to Level 218

Plus earning back some of the PP I spent to get here Randidly grinned widely as he twisted around and slammed a dream version of Acri into the neck of an over muscled titan He yanked the serrated blade out spraying blood sideways into the eyes of a group of tall monster spear users Yggdrasil snorted dismissively and the monsters� veins came alive in their bodies wriggling up and strangling them before they could even strike at Randidly

Congratulations Your Skill the World Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 870

Randidly descended He fought He began receiving small injuries but his new Egg�s Illusory Plume meant that none were more than flesh wounds Just enough sting to send a tingle through his nervous system The churning storm of kinetic force around him grew and grew winds howling in the enclosed space until they could suppress the defenders of this place all on their own But Randidly continued to sink into shadow submerging himself in ambushes and mindless responses with the defenders gradually growing some resistance to the crashing waves of Nether

The next cavern Randidly found was ringed in sharp blades and amorphous beings that flowed and shifted depending on the situation A few of these defenders began to display their own images Potent images that gave him pause

A brief pause Randidly started moving shortly And to his opponent�s dismay that break empowered his Dreadful Alacrity

These more powerful variations multiplied as he continued to follow the dream Battles began to stretch New and unusual images arrived different flavors that felt familiar to his subconscious but nothing that he bothered to pull himself out of the haze of violence to investigate He was just glad to have more capable opponents

After a fight that felt like it lasted an entire day Randidly wiped blood from his forehead His grin seemed glued to his face his cheeks aching from holding the position for so long But when he went to the far side of the cavern no further staircase waited for him Sitting on a pile of broken weapons was a bone dagger that caught his eye with a large chunk of obsidian set in the hilt Gradually his fighting focused mind woke itself back up The churning currents of Nether that flowed around him began to still Following his instincts he picked up the weapon and clicked his tongue Ah too bad I was just starting to really let loose

From somewhere nearby he heard a woman�s pained groan and a tired man�s wry chuckle

Congratulations Like a storm you ripped through the perilous descent and scoured it clean finding the condensed origin of violence at the bottom Congratulations Stamina +1000 Grim Intuition +200 You have gained the Skill Origin of Violence

Congratulations Your Skills Origin of Violence and Cosmic Necessity have merged to form Wicked Waltz of Tartarus Skill Level will be maintained

Chapter 1931

Randidly came back to himself quickly the dream pouring him back into the confines of his body without much fanfare But he smiled widely as he discovered himself laying on the ground feeling the aches and strains in his body that meant while he had been inert finishing that test in the Path his muscles still had the chance to run wild

He sat up and checked his Penance Rolling his eyes Randidly laid himself back down and paid the dues he owed for his long and violent dream When he had built up some banked time in his Nether core he came back to himself and examined the details of his new Skill

Wicked Waltz of Tartarus An expression of deadly greetings and toils of the lost souls who remain bound in Tartarus fighting for all eternity Their bodies break down and their consciousness extinguishes but the next day they find themselves just as whole and empty They exist in an alternate dimension where consciousness has been replaced by instinct and brutal aggression User can tap into this alternate plane drawing out their baleful momentum of violence Small chance to drag an opponent into Tartarus reducing their comprehensive fighting ability and lowering their Stats Slight change to induce battle rage in an opponent Proficiency with violence greatly increases with Skill Level Chance to affect opponents increases with Skill Level

Randidly raised his left hand and looked at Sulfur�s dark fingers He felt the connection to Tartarus hovering just behind his brow a cast iron lockbox of destruction that shook from time to time As he activated the Skill the box didn�t open But the metal surface began to glow cherry red lit from within by the horrifying hellscape that waited within

As that heat grew from warm to burning Randidly felt the impulses in his body sharpen He saw a thousand ways to break and rip and crush Sulfur�s fingers subconsciously curled into a fist An unhealthy rust colored glow surrounded his hand If he had an opponent waiting for him on top of the volcano he would have launched a brutal attack

Congratulations Your Skill Wicked Waltz of Tartarus has grown to Level 672

Randidly relaxed his hand and dropped the fist In his head the lockbox slowly cooled Powerful Insightful Surging with the sort of frightful violence that can break an opponent�s spirit A natural font of fighting instincts more than even I�ve developed in my years but I�ll also need to make sure I don�t get dragged too deep into the Skill The feeling of mental release is a bit intoxicating

His attention turned inward to the Stillborn Phoenix It rumbled strangely handling both the shift in its potential from the prior Path and the inclusion of an alternate dimension within its current form A small rust colored fist of energy appeared on the edge of the Egg of Depression a blip along the event horizon that led to Tartarus The Unborn flitted around it curiously touching it with their lumpy tongues and skittering backward when it burned them The two then complained loudly in their nonsense language demanding this new arrival be removed

Clicking his tongue Randidly postponed Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix a little longer Which meant his next Path

Randidly pressed a hand against his chest I feel guilty doing this of using you like this But I know that if you were here you�d think my reluctance was foolish In your mind you were a tool being used to make me stronger is exactly what you would have wanted So Thank you Helen I would never have been able to make it this far without you

Then the corner of his mouth quirked up even as his eyes ached His voice cracked as he spoke The arrogant taunt broke his heart to say But can you really make me that much more powerful

Congratulations You have completed The Ashes of Helen the Ghosthound�s Bloody Knight Path On your journey you�ve seen dozens of various figures who have created their own distinct flavor of violence But few can match the grace and beauty that the Ghosthound�s Knight displayed as she fought The very environment fell under her sway dragging her opponents into a vicious darkness where they were smothered

Due to her capability you follow a Path to find her legacy You walk into a shadowy valley filled with red mist seeking her tomb

The notification was short and without much description It just opened the door so Randidly could fall into another dream He felt himself in that humid valley suppressed by the chill carried by the mist The only clarity came in the Path directly forward And each step he took forward showed him a different shard of Helen�s life

Step A ten year old Helen sat cross legged in a small room watching her mother�s back as the older woman prepared a meal Helen sported a black eye and a pale face Her mother spoke without looking up from her cutting The knife made a rhythmic tapping on the wooden counter You lost What is there to say Perhaps you just don�t have much talent when it comes to the spear But don�t worry You carry my genes girl Just you wait

Step Helen sat on the backs of the Hallat and rubbed her chin Following a powerful boy to another planet Fuck pisses me off how proud mom would be

Step Spar with me Helen demanded Her chest fluttered as the Ghosthound slowly opened his eyes His gaze was so bright and clear even as he looked at her with dissatisfaction After an aggrieved sigh he nodded

Another thing she didn�t hate about this man was how he never went easy on her Even as she desperately wanted even the smallest proof that she was catching up to him

Step Helen�s body ached as Randidly cracked open her Domain and smashed her to the ground with brute force Insultingly he only had to rely on his physical body to do so That was how overwhelming he was becoming Her arms trembled as she pushed herself back up

She refused to stay down As long as she kept getting back up someday

Step The Ghosthound has asked her to head up the training effort She could feel how busy he was how close he was to some new breakthrough another step forward Sitting on the Fifth Cohort Rally Station she sobbed quietly on the empty expanse

He was moving further away from her No matter how deeply she moved through her own Domain no matter how explosive her growth had been in the years since she had met Randidly Ghosthound he stayed ahead He widened the gap

After a time Helen wiped away her tears Her dream might have vanished and withered in her heart but her duty had grown strong I�m his knight I need to be strong For him there is no one like me

Step Her chest heaved She could barely breathe such was her proximity to collapse as she fought in the grand array against the forces of the Swacc Family In the distance the strange arrangements of burning stars released waves of heat An individual made an attempt on the Pinnacle the first in a long time

She made a difference her efforts helped the Ghosthound And yet

Step Helen grinned and spat in the face of Commandant Wick He will kill you someday you know

Step Randidly blinked several times when he expected some image but none came He raised his head and looked forward A small stone building stood before him with a threshold without a door Through that opening he could see Helen sitting on her final resting place the burial shroud cast to the side One leg was propped up on the stone altar next to her the other dangled over the edge

Her smile toward him was sharp Welcome to my tomb challenger I am the Bloody Knight of the Ghosthound If you wish to receive my power you will need to defeat me in combat By the spear I lived and by the spear I will die And if you fail my test you will join me here for all eternity

Randidly stared at this projection of Helen for a long time She glittered both brighter and more wan than he remembered All the blunt and determined aspects of her personality came here carved from ash He searched her eyes for any hint of recognition toward him Yet her amber gaze didn�t waver at all

A fight Randidly whispered How nostalgic

Chapter 1932

To Randidly�s surprise the dream fight after the Path did not go the way their fights had gone while Helen was alive

Helen�s spear sheered through Randidly�s image physicalizations and slammed against his chest Scowling and deprived of the benefit of his monstrous Stats by the dream Randidly staggered backward

The maroon colored mists had solidified into armor around her body Her face and lithe form were completely covered by angular plates and bulwarks She stood metal and cool violence memory and sizzling ash ready to fight The Helen projection gave him a moment to recover and then raised her spear to follow up

Not taking a break even in death eh Randidly rubbed some blood from his lips and took a stance He didn�t want to admit to himself how floored he was but he had been caught flat footed by her force More than anyone else he knew Helen�s power and potential Yet after three minutes he was being thrashed True the dream kept him from manifesting his Stats and relying on any portion of his Nether Core but the flames of Nether Weight

Yet the difference was

Emotion And the way it flows through her Domain Randidly moved into his own fighting stance For a second they stood her spear high and his held low with the tip almost dragging against the ground Then she accelerated forward the maroon waves of the Depths of Horror Domain lapping forward against him Eight long talons ripped out of his left arm and cut a path through the currents his Resonant Fangs of Extinction moving to counter her Did she always

The two Domain�s pressed close up against each other embracing after so long apart Hers attempted to engulf him tainted with the tang of ash that defined her current existence His gouged deeper through her Domain aiming to strike at her directly

Their bodies moved next hers borrowing Randidly�s monstrous Stats and his moving to counter some of her force with deft movements Her spear flicked out a serpent�s tongue licking and tasting He burned with the heat of his newly acquired Wicked Waltz of Tartarus but he remained distracted by the singing joy and fury riding in her armor

Your emotions Randidly finally opened his mouth

Helen�s ashy projection responded with an absolutely scathing thrust toward his open mouth He jerked his head sideways and her spear wound like a riverbend its tip cutting a small chunk out of his neck

The reason that Randidly felt so shocked was how wholly Helen�s emotions merged with her attacks and Domain Obviously her Skillset and the image she developed from it had a wide base But the varied elements that she managed to include in her emotional affect

His eyes flickered as he gave ground sweeping Acri at her waist Helen swayed around the blow and kept coming unleashing a brutal onslaught of attacks that hammered at his image projections each time His joints ached and he shuddered to withstand the blows The unfamiliar pain of being physically overmatched began to take up residence in his shoulders and hips

He suddenly saw it the reason her emotions felt so complex and random not bothering to seek the resonance of emotional affect that he had spent months refining

Her Domain and individual Skills held different emotions surging through them They felt fickle and capricious riding the highs and lows of her small victories and scowling disappointments She loved fighting but also hated and feared it And all of those emotions swirled through each strike But the reason that Helen possessed so much power

The different emotions communed with each other as a Skill ran its course through the Domain In a weird way there was a dialogue between her simultaneous yet conflicting emotional states And from those meetings the fractious rubbings a strange power emerged

So emotion could be used like this as well Randidly�s eyes glowed as he avoided a thrust but couldn�t avoid being cracked in the shoulder by the butt of her weapon When he regained his footing he began to mimic

Congratulations Your Skill Soulful Vigor has grown to Level 240

Spears danced and blurred slamming and rebounding into one another without either of the fighters possessing an advantage Randidly felt his method of fighting shift as he gradually captured his emotional force Although his three images all manifested in different ways those emotions wove themselves together into a firm base from which to strike

Randidly accelerated learning to fight with this new method His body was in constant motion Helen continued to harry him seeming to predict some of his responses He wondered whether she was relying on her experience fighting him while alive or whether he was just imagining it

He felt more and more flashes of joy from Helen as they clashed but these were tinged with a grey pity

Ultimately he had to set those concerns aside as he simply fought His emotions became a constant heat in his body empowering each movement

The emotional notes weren�t perfect but they were organic and true And from that they drew immense power Randidly�s eyes were brilliant emeralds as he tightened his grip on the dream Acri and started to let loose He began to feel the wholistic surge of his strikes relying on the wide foundation of emotion

Within ten minutes Helen�s armor had shattered She sat on the ground the only remnant of her steely visage was half of her shattered helmet Randidly�s chest rose and fell his emotions still sizzling within his body The dark red mist seemed to settle against the ground making it seem like she reclined in a throne of bloody mist as she looked up at him

Her eyes were bright as she looked at him Her emotions had waned during the end of their fight until now he couldn�t sense them at all She just seemed like a puppet bearing her face and shape It broke his heart Congratulations challenger You bested me Shit it�s honestly pretty surprising you could especially considering this version of me possesses a very generous portrayal of my fighting power

I know of no one else who possesses your single minded passion Randidly said quietly When he opened his mouth to ask the projection another question he realized that she was crying And that she was keeping her emotions from leaking out

Because although Randidly couldn�t sense them in the air the ghost of a Nether connection lingering between them resonated with the force of her sorrow and grief

This version of myself The designed one The body that had the same amount of Stats as Randidly Ghosthound His Bloody Knight through and through Helen�s projection trembled as tears slid across her cheek This was supposed to be the version that could defeat him I thought at least this way

The projection shook her head bringing her hand up to wipe away her tears But her fingers began to flake away into charcoal Do you know why I adored him Because he would never go easy to spare my feelings No matter how meaningless or the spar and do you know why I resented him Because he would make up all these dumbass rules restrictions he placed on himself to make the fight more advantageous to me And even with all that help I couldn�t catch up to him Ever

She looked directly at him as she said that last word and Randidly instantly knew that a flicker of her consciousness remained He spoke rapidly Helen don�t you dare claim that you never defeated me

But the image fractured into scattered motes of ash and Randidly was left with a sour taste in his mouth and a notification

Congratulations You have earned high honors facing Helen in single combat and emerging victorious You walk out of the valley soaked in her bloody currents feeling empowered by the vestiges of this proud woman Dreadful Alacrity +100 The stirrings of Helen�s powerful images are settling within your Soulspace

A special reward You feel the powerful currents of the Ghosthound�s Knight taking up residence in your body You can feel her breath on the back of your neck Synchronicity detected

Congratulations Your Skill (Domain) Resonant Fangs of Extinction has evolved into (Domain) Mournful Sea Helen�s Pernicious Riptide Skill Level will be maintained

Chapter 1933

The previous dream of heady violence had released Randidly and dropped him back into his body with a perfunctory clatter Helen�s haunting attempted to do the same but he reached out with his Authority and clawed at it desperate to hold onto her consciousness for a few more seconds

He ripped through the notification in front of her briefly overcome with desperation to reach her

Yet despite or perhaps even because of his powerful First Authority Seize the dream scattered even more quickly as he acted The force he brought to grip onto those moments obliterated them and left them crumbling He squeezed sand and watched helplessly as it drained through his fingers

Something ugly and stubborn rose in Randidly�s chest as he felt the Path completion recede like a mirage something prideful that urged him to bring the full force of his Nether Core and images to bear to keep her locked in place Yet a softer portion of himself interceded prying open his hands and allowing the ashes to be scattered by the wind

Drizzle fell across the island ignorant of how close Randidly had been to throwing his full force behind a fool�s errand Within the vegetal mass a mother monkey collected a palm full of rain and brought it back to her young

On top of the volcano Randidly�s shoulders slumped and a long sigh escaped his lips He looked broodingly down at his arms and blinked at what he saw The long scratched that Helen had inflicted on his arms within the Path completed remained They curled jagged and ugly across his forearms Yet with the addition of his Domain to his Soulspace Randidly could feel the way that the scars on his right arm were the complement to the talons still jutting out from his left

Even in the fight you were thinking of me weren�t you Of my reward Randidly whispered to his arms He kept his awareness away from the Domain which still hummed with her touch For now receiving it still felt bitter in his throat The Rarity had risen and the uses had probably changed but he wasn�t ready to look at it

Perhaps it was foolish to rush forward with such a scattered and complex heart but Randidly went back to his Path Menu to distract himself His eyes scanned through the list available to him willing to take any Path to move past this moment

Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II Puppet Master 0/100 Pain Immunity I 0/250 Cleaver of the World Tree Weakness of the World Tree 0/500 Guilty Conscience I 0/100 Ashes of Illym the Above Average Child 0/5000 The Sigh as the Sky Closes 0/15 000 Joy the Blooming Sun 0/15 000 Creature�s Toil II 0/ Violent Heat I 0/ Deathwish X 0/5 Weakness of the Grim Chimera 0/500 The Creature�s Apotheosis 0/25000 Architecture of Yggdrasil I 0/ Piece of the Ideal 0/ The Throne of Nether Homage I 0/500 Stat Evolution VII 0/100000 Spark of the Origin Beast 0/ The Eyelids of the Grey Creature Flutter 0/10 000 Determined VI 0/600 Excavator of the Two Failed Dreams 0/12 000 The Ash that Reigns Above the Open and Closed Sky 0/ The Living Soul of the Alpha Cosmos 0/ Herald of the Eternal March 0/10 000 The Crown of Four Authorities 0/100000 Peerlessness Through Woven Truth 0/ Bubbling Emotional Accumulation I 0/10000

His eyes settled on the Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix that had been a point of focus for him previously even if it seemed small now that Helen craved marks onto his skin from beyond the grave He stared at it for a long time still stuck in that strained moment where he wished to use Seize but knew he shouldn�t

The island stirred as the storm was drawn inward the Nether flows that animating this place drawn in toward his wrought state But that shift brought with it wind which carried a sprinkle of rain to land on his skin Randidly blinked The distraction was enough for him to take a gulp of air and step forward at least metaphorically His eyes focused on Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix Finishing the Path earned him ten points in Chimeric Indifference on the way which smelled like something slightly amusing

Congratulations You have completed the Weakness of the Stillborn Phoenix Path You walk forward along the Path housing impossibility within your capable body You were presented with the choice to either ground the unpredictable mass that weighs you down or to simply embrace its lack of reality Perhaps due to how far you have traveled in your Paths you have chosen to ground the Stillborn Phoenix with a weakness You walk the lower Path

Congratulations Your Skill The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 703

You discover in the churning mists near the edge of your vision that the brother of a close friend and your mentor wait for you outside of your current retreat When you depart they will come for you Grim Intuition +150

Shal and Techetadore Randidly�s expression flickered for several seconds as he tried to weigh how accurate a prediction this really was Then his mouth firmed into a line as he felt the Grey Creature humming in support of the notification it sensed it was true In a way it�s a relief to know they are alright But they were with the Swacc group and Elhume should have taken care of them Why would they suddenly be waiting for me

Why would they come for me At least Techetadore

That concern would have to wait until he left although it worried at the back of his mind even as he refocused But although the first two Path completions were interesting it was the third that made Randidly gasp

Congratulations You have completed the Spark of the Origin Beast Path For the longest time you have felt a strange rising in your Nether Core As you cross the broken skyline ascending through an endless rise toward the Pinnacle you look back on the Path you have taken and examine its shape It curves gently into the shape of the spine Your skin tingles as you see it the corpse on which you have traveled

The same corpse on which the modern Nexus is built

For there was once a great being the last of its kind that labored to make the Nexus a better place Despite the dangers it risked its life at the request of a friend to create the possibility of saving their precarious dream

Unfortunately the cost proved too great This being died and its body became nothing but materials However within those massive bones remained a hint of that wondrous magic that made this race so valuable From your current height you can see down your Paths to the point at which you created a Nether Core For the base materials for your early drawings you carved into bone

Of course Of course that�s where it came from This is all about foundation Why did I never think about where I created the Nether Core Randidly�s skin tingled as his Nether Core began to rotate more quickly Pulses of energy blasted out through his limbs at first he thought it was Nether but Randidly sensed that he was releasing huge fountains of raw life That Fourth Authority lurking beneath the surface for so long began to push up toward the surface

Due to your travels you have finally discovered that you carry the spark of that noble soul Your Paths have proved you are compatible with it Your body has evolved to the point it can handle its capabilities Its aura has long seeped out of your affecting the surroundings Now you feel that power spreading within you finally giving to you the ability to wield it

Error Previous Authorities not yet discovered

Recalculating Nether Core Rarity increased to Transcendent

Congratulations You have discovered The Fourth Authority Animation Nova

Chapter 1934

The release felt natural Randidly breathed and the land breathed with him His Nether Core seemed to still observing this sudden connection

The Fourth Authority came into being inside of the Nether Core or rather a force that had seeped from Randidly�s pores for a long time finally revealed itself in its true form That power yawned and stretched settling into the immensity of its existence within his person Rays of silver light erupted from his body His control over the Nether flows that animated the storm stumbled and fell slack as a crackling sort of charge built around Randidly�s body

The storm hissed and spat the rain on the island slowing as the light around Randidly accumulated His eyes widened sensing the coming display He frantically tried to comb through the manifestation for any danger but found nothing but light and wondrous life within that silver haze So he begrudgingly gave himself over to the process The power had come into his hand but he needed to release it now that it had begun to churn

This Authority had two speeds stop and go And now it was going

Randidly pressed his lips together and closed his eyes His Penance hummed in pleasure briefly hosting some of that holy silver power With a second Authority active his Nether Core found a better balance Randidly�s soul opened up and pale light galloped out of him He withdrew the last thread of restraint

The Fourth Authority Animation Nova

A quicksilver atomic bomb detonated on his person releasing a near blinding radiance The nova spread out from him in waves The first portion painted everything in monochrome a light so bright that it steamrolled all other colors into shades of itself That got the attention of the island�s inhabitants which meant they were warily watching when the second wave blasted outward and crashed against their bodies

Most shivered and stiffened assuming defensive postures before the wave but none could react fast enough to avoid the second wave This one seemed to teleport each individual life to a gleaming wonderland of yellows and silvers floating alone in the rejuvenating power

Then the third wave came an infinite tide of silver motes that swam through the bodies of all these individuals

Just like that the Nova expanded to encompass the whole island and then receded all at once leaving most of the affected individuals stunned Some of the trainees looked down at their hands shocked that all their wounds had healed and their bodies were filled with vigor In a dark corner of the island Charlotte Wick began to sob

Once she started she couldn�t stop Tears seeped through her squeezed shut eyes and then through her frantically denying fingers Yet she also felt relief a portion of that horrifying tightness that had choked her for the last year began to relax The waves had gently snipped the calcified and slightly cantankerous scabs of her emotional wounds away leaving her pained but finally ready to heal

Randidly coughed several times as the Authority receded to back in his chest He felt dizzy and weak He pressed his knuckles into the ground and focused on his breathing as he reviewed what had just happened The Fourth Authority�s pulses could be used in isolation if he wished It was interesting to note however that this cost him a great deal of life energy to supply it to other beings

Yggdrasil stretched its branches and roots into the island to sip some of the energy back but Randidly told it to stay its branch He savored the bone deep wariness as he rolled himself back and looked up at the suddenly clear sky above the island Truth be told I have plenty of life energy And there�s no need to push myself so tirelessly There are more important things

He was just settling down to reminiscence about Helen and allow his life energy to creep back the old fashioned way but he realized he wasn�t alone The Patron of the Sun and the Patron of Blooms stood at the far side of the volcano waiting for permission to approach Groaning Randidly pushed himself back up into a sitting position and beckoned them closer Yes Is something wrong with that burst I released

We just wanted to confirm it The Patron of the Sun took large strides to cross the distance to Randidly but he stopped almost five meters away His eyes were complex as he looked at him You know in retrospect it was quite strange that I seized upon the idea of becoming one of your Patrons so quickly You were an unproven commodity despite your accomplishments Yet now

Randy shook their head emphatically earning a laugh from Bethyl Durro the ogre chef leaned over and peeked his massive left head into the back room Everything okay back there

Course Darro Bethyl patted Randy on the head and stood No don�t give me those bleeding heart eyes you can�t hug Randy She�s all mine you know she gets skittish around strangers who smell like fry oil

And whose fault is it that I smell like this Darro muttered as he leaned away A fresh sizzle from the griddle indicated he had laid out more food onto the hot surface I�ve worked here for six months How am I a stranger

With Bethyl returning to work in the front of the diner Randy fretfully looked at the mushy leeks Some small amount of panic remained but they suspected that their anxiety wasn�t always entirely genuine Sometimes a panic attack rose just to make sure that Bethyl would stay and calm them

Setting aside that disquieting thought Randy rolled all the mushy leeks into the trash Then they walked out the back and walked up the familiar path to the hill above the previously desolate portion of the badlands that the refugee group and the three wagons had stopped

Randy paused halfway up and looked back Eleven months had completely transformed the area

The largest and most presentable of the buildings was B�s Crossing the sprawling diner that now anchored this position on the map for all the refugee groups on Expira A large squat clean looking exterior was surrounded by a sea of shanty buildings mostly small stalls and houses where other refugees had taken Randy�s cue and started food stalls of their own Most of the food they served was supplied by B�s Crossing which meant it was massaged gently by Randy�s ability and given the highest chance of tasting delicious

Which meant they currently made quite a bit of money by staying here So much so that they had to hire a desperate frogperson accountant to keep track of their assets But it hadn�t started out that way

Eleven months ago after the largest of the wagons left the area Bethyl had been forced by a mob to give up her wagon In a way Randy had liked the development suddenly they and Bethyl were crowded together and sleeping in small caves trying to avoid attention from unsavory characters However Bethyl had been in a horrible constricting mood She snapped and raged in equal measure showering Randy with attention sure but all of it poisonous and sour

Randy worked up their nerve and told Bethyl about the special cloud and Takeyhands Needless to say the older woman had been more bemused than negative at the idea that weather and a small animal urged Randy to set up a food stand and use their ability to refine the food But Bethyl had been motivated by the fact the monkey had brought cuts of meat and fresh vegetables

At the very least Bethyl had sighed as they erected a small tent they wouldn�t have to starve So she set up the kitchen area and allowed Randy to down whatever magic they needed to the supplies On the first day B�s Crossing opened below the hill and served not a single customer Afterward they distributed the unsold food to some of the surrounding refugees who hadn�t been motivated or determined enough to follow when the wagons left

They didn�t sell anything for the next week but only because the squatters crowded around the stand during the day scaring away all of the small groups of refugees that passed through Those squatters wanted a source of free food all for themselves and liked the look of Bethyl and Randy�s new enterprise

The situation was eventually broken open on the eighth day by a Lizakh warrior who wandered through His nose led him to the stand where he was stopped by some of the squatters and told that if he knew what was good for them he would turn around The Lizakh warrior had laughed in their faces

When push came to shove he shattered one man�s arm and cut off another�s ankle

Desperate Bethyl offered him a job as a guard And strangely enough Kirkrik Rrshk said yes

Chapter 1935

Kirkrik Rrshk spent the next morning shooing away the sour squatters who hadn�t been willing to give up on the delicious food after eating it for a week They tried to ambush him once but he responded with that same golden laugh and fought off seven humans They cursed him as lizard scum and swore their revenge

When Kirkrik came back Bethyl patted his back You might not look like us but you�ve got more humanity than all those shits combined

Kirkrik laughed awkward but warm

Within a month word had spread to the small sized refugee camps that B�s Crossing was the best place to restock either leaving the Northern Zones or before you tried to get back into civilized lands It just so happened that it was only about twenty miles Southwest of a major entry point Most groups would adjust their routes to stop by and try some of the food The guides told other refugee trains their encounters with the place and even more medium sized groups began to swing through

During that period it was the time without any large groups gathered outside their rather hastily assembled tent that was the most dangerous Twice they were robbed with several individuals more powerful than Kirkrik giving them no choice but to silently give a portion of their money

Two and a half months after they began the arrival of two groups at the same time overburdened B�s Crossing�s productive capabilities to the point that most customers left dissatisfied with the service they had received Randy panicked but Bethyl just recruited some reliable migrant laborers to dig the foundation and construct an actual building to house tables and the kitchen area She also had the foresight to add a rather large warehouse to the side

Four months saw them hire more and more employees mostly non human refugees that wandered Expira At the time Randy had been somewhat touched and told Bethyl that she liked how many weirdos they hired

Bethyl laughed and mussed her hair Well yes that�s an added benefit But I�m more worried about us getting robbed again These refugees we are probably the first people to show them kindness And they will settle their families down around us so long as we feed and pay them When robbers come the next time we won�t be alone

At six months two things of note happened The first was that a merchant from Zone 32 that wanted to set up a shop next to B�s Crossing Bethyl offered to rent him the still abandoned warehouse and recommend some good employees and the deal was signed within the day Second the increase in foot traffic as B�s Crossing became something of a tourist destination meant that the restaurant area needed to be expanded again Which meant that more individuals needed to be hired to keep the operation running smoothly

Six and a half months since the beginning of their venture a large group of bandits rode into town with dollar signs in their eyes Contrary to Bethyl�s hopes the group of migrants didn�t step out of their driftwood and sheet metal hovels in valiant defense of the store The bandit group sauntered to the front of B�s Crossing and kicked in the door Randy practically had to use all of their weight to keep Kirkrik from rushing out there and facing them all alone

She still remembered how hot his scales felt how furious his eyes were

To Randy�s surprise Bethyl didn�t seem fazed by how many rough looking bandits filed into the diner She just smiled and asked what they would like Perhaps annoyed by the proprietress�s response the squat man who led the group of bandits brought a gauntleted fist down on a table The mundane wood shattered and splintered Bethyl�s smile did not the back area two tall individuals road in on strange chitinous creatures They had to stoop so as not to knock their foreheads against the ceiling They weren�t identical one�s mount was squat and hoppy while the others possessed long limbs and an ungainly gait Bethyl gestured to them happily These as I�m sure you�ll recognize are some of the Ghosthound�s riders They�ve been kind enough to agree to stay here for the foreseeable future

Randidly maintained his Fourth Authority like this in its base state trying to ascertain its exact effects Just from looking he saw the boost to growth that he released in the central area Honestly that effect had probably been active long before he had the authority Long before he had the Nether Core even The notification had been slightly conflicting but it did seem like Randidly would have never had inherited this spark if he didn�t possess a similar proclivity

Perhaps from the presence of the Aether Crossroads I became accustomed to giving out energy That perspective became an outlook that became an image Randidly chewed on his lip as he cast his mind backward Still the more interesting fact might be that the last Origin Beast betrayed its ancestors and helped Elhume the one who engineered their destruction And then the Patron of the Deep died in the final process to release humanity throughout the Nexus

But like so much of the information I�m learning it�s hard to know what is propaganda and what is true Too much time has passed The Patrons might have been contemporaries but they weren�t directly involved After all they don�t even know what happened with the other Patrons who went to find that individual they needed to attack with the Hierarchy of Karma Then Randidly shook himself He could think more about the issues later Right now the Authority was his main focus

In its base form the animation� aura he released was large enough to cover the whole of the island With more attention he could swell it to many times that size Not quite enough to cover an entire planet but Randidly felt rather than being a hard limit it was only a matter of practice

It was another moment that briefly shook his heart Sometimes Randidly imagined he could turn around and find a massive body draconic and spined dragging its monstrous belly against the ground waiting behind him

Can�t think about that too much tho Randidly thought sardonically Or it might become true

However when Randidly tried to focus on those other abilities he had sensed in that initial pulse his Nether Core began to shudder The edges of the silver patterns projected in the air around him began to hum Frowning Randidly calmed down his new Authority He spoke softly into the air trying to capture the sensation he had felt It�s like the Authority wants to know if it should activate And when I tell it to do it gently well obviously it can�t be bothered for such a careful expression An Authority is not a mild force

He had some vague sense that there was a forcefield aspect and possible repulsion but he couldn�t confirm it without letting the Authority loose He thought he could separate the three layers he had made but wasn�t sure if missing a portion of that process would inflict damage on the people around him Randidly hummed for several seconds but allowed his hands to fall to the ground He could wait and try in a desolate place Instead his eyes went to the scars that flexed across his forearms with every movement

Alright Helen Randidly whispered to the air He pulled up the Skill description What did you get for me this time

(Domain) Mournful Sea Helen�s Pernicious Riptide A powerful confluence of emotion currents and ripples that has housed itself in the user�s body Warning if the user is not capable enough or possesses the requisite fortitude it is possible to destroy oneself with this Domain

The usage and activation of the Resonant Fangs remain a part of the Mournful Sea They can be activated to absorb one kinetic force An additional fang will be grown for each hundred Skill Level that the user accumulates In addition activation of either abilities from the left or right arms will spread the taint of blood through the air Area of effect increases with Skill Level The deeper the taint the greater the physical and mental boost the user will receive

User�s right arm now houses Helen�s Pernicious Riptide Usage of this arm will also deepen the taint When Resonant Fangs absorb kinetic force a portion of that force and any associated images will be copied and briefly stored within the user�s right arm Ability to fully copy images will grow due to user�s inclination and Skill Level A myriad of images may be stored within the right arm at once The more images are stored there in a short time the more strain the user�s body will be under Ability to contain images will grow with Skill Level

Upon activation of the right arm all stored kinetic force and images will be released in Helen�s Riptide A manifestation of the Ghosthound�s Bloody Knight will form wielding the captured images The strength of this manifestation depends on the depth of the taint Potency of the manifestation increases with Skill Level

Chapter 1936

On a high mountain pass in the southern wilderness an opaque block of ice began to tremble Flakes of snow slipped off its top The block itself sat in shadow Above an icy wind howled above the few places that bare rock jutted out from underneath the covering of snow The whole area seemed afflicted with the same sort of hypothermia all objects present altered between minute trembling and deathly stillness

The mountain top felt stark and desolate

The crack of the ice block beginning to fracture echoed out through the pass a halfhearted demonstration of life Several precarious piles of snow joined the trembling Most fell back into stillness A few shed a portion of their icy shelves in tiny avalanches collecting the shadowed gully Silently more cracks began to creep outward through the block of ice At the core some force was in furious motion

For three minutes the cracks proliferated Then all at once the ice tomb shattered in an eruption of gleaming shards

That damnable dragon Merrick Towns growled as he reached up and rubbed his spiky honey brown hair His hands were covered with flexible metal gloves that ended in curving daggers but he adroitly satisfied his itch without cutting into his skull Then he scowled around as though expecting to find the dragon waiting around with a smug expression on its face

The pass was empty except for wind snow and shadow

Merrick Towns ground his teeth and rubbed his hands against his arms He was supposed to be the most powerful man on the planet Almost a year ago he had won the fighting tournament and had been baptized in the cheering of the crowd High on that moment he had challenged Randidly Ghosthound himself to a duel and received deafening silence in response

Being only twenty five Merrick had responded to this dismissal with a scathing indictment of the balls of Randidly Ghosthound It had seemed to him that although none of the old legends of Expira had participated or any of the tournament�s previous winners he had earned some recognition for ending the tournament undefeated And to have not even a spare breath given to him

And then that dragon Merrick�s skin began to steam his anger burning through the chill

After the tournament and his comments a Frost Dragon had tracked him down and insisted upon a duel Wanting to be nothing like Randidly Ghosthound Merrick had accepted with grace And been thoroughly flattened and frozen into an icicle It had taken him fully a week to break out of that frigid prison

It had been humiliating It had been illuminating at how mysterious the depths of Expira truly were

This time after ten months of training Merrick had purposefully sought out a dragon to have his revenge He was disappointed to find a younger specimen but still figured that beating this one would send the right sort of message that would eventually get back to his original opponent However despite all his extreme ice resistance training he had been beaten again

This escape only took eighteen hours but his humiliation had deepened

Merrick fumed Why the hell are there so many powerful dragons And if each one of them is this powerful why were the participants in the tournament so weak

Movement on the other side of the pass grabbed Merrick�s eyes He twisted around and saw across the high mountain a powerful man standing in the snow His hair was black his feet were bare and his eyes were a piercing green that could be seen even across the distance The man smirked and turned away on some secret mission With a step he had all but teleported to the next mountain over leaving only a puff of snow in his wake

Randidly Ghosthound For a second Merrick was too dumbstruck to really process this realization After seeking this man for so long to test himself it almost seemed too good to be true to encounter him here Yet as soon as his form vanished Merrick�s body began to respond He planted his own foot and began to give chase

But do I really want to tie myself to a woman who profits off violence against intelligent life

Merrick was tempted But he would never find out what sort of decision he would have made

Finally found you

A new voice echoed from the other end of the black canyon Merrick spun around flabbergasted that he hadn�t detected any movement A slim woman with a Cheshire smile on her face and a bow over her shoulder stood there with eyes only for the squat woman

The mask wearer clicked her tongue her smile finally fading Annie has anyone ever told you that persistence can be quite tiresome I finally thought you had given up Don�t we all have better things to do

Annie�s smile widened and Merrick�s instincts urged him to flee as fast as his legs could carry him Sweat beaded in his armpits but exactly because of that feeling adrenaline rushed through his veins He wasn�t sure how he had ended up here but the pressure the two women released on both sides of him was the real deal Since he had stumbled into this genuine situation

Annie�s eyes finally flickered to him She smirked Stand aside boy This doesn�t concern you You don�t smell like her Not a target

Merrick went cold

Now Annie can�t I convince you to give me some time to reflect on my mistakes You�ve been horrifyingly deadly in your pursuits of my subordinates The mask wearer fluttered her eyelashes

Nope Annie didn�t even seem to move One moment she stood with a hand on her hip the next she was in perfect T position a knocked arrow in her bow The weapon was trained on the squat woman Her eyes burned with determination Too late for that

Luckily for Merrick his body moved before his mind realized he had made his decision or else he would have been too late The arrow arrived in front of him as he interposed himself and sweat soaked his shirt He heard Annie curse and withdraw her image from the attack so he only had to withstand the physical arrow But when he crossed his arms to absorb the impact

His left forearm fractured and he was hurtling through the air

His back hit the stone wall of the canyon first but the subsequent cracking of his skull against the dark rock left him dizzy and fuzzy over the details When the static eventually began to fade the squat woman was helping him to his feet

Annie glared at him Why the hell would you involve yourself in this That woman

Acknowledged me Anger helped ground him Merrick took a step forward His arm snapped back into place as his Battle Healing began to activate And compared to your elitist shit I much prefer that basic amount of respect

Annie blinked Then she spat to the side Whatever dude It�s your fucking funeral

Chapter 1937

Annie raised her bow and the rabid young man accelerated at her as though he hadn�t just been concussed against the canyon wall when she had sent a single arrow at him He displayed no fear or self preservation instinct She hadn�t even activated a Skill and he had been completely overwhelmed Behind him Annie�s target smiled with a sly curl of her lip

Chaos was obviously exactly what the woman wanted

Annie�s eye traced the shaft of an arrow to her target Yet perhaps because of how young he looked her heart urged her to reconsider Maybe he doesn�t really want to die Maybe his brain broke from the impact It seems rude to punish this kid for his deficient brain

With this judicious allowance Annie lowered her bow slightly When the young man raised his weird dagger hands to lash out at her she dropped low and swept his legs Crouching down and aiming sideways she fired Her arrow took him in the shoulder carrying him up and pinning to the high canyon walls His body flopped around as he howled in fury and pain

Then Annie focused on her real target Her eyes widened when she saw that all traces of her had vanished and a familiar figure stood in her place A tall man stood with a club leaning across his shoulders Those muscles

Honey Dozer rumbled quietly He had a smirk on his face You couldn�t attack your own husband could you

Annie�s nose crunched the illusion Dozer�s nose earning a delighted set of cackles from Annie Wonderful I�m not allowed to attack him at home Says it sends the wrong message to Delilah So I really appreciate this opportunity to thoroughly thrash this lump

The illusion dissipated and the woman stumbled back and looked at Annie in horror and confusion Annie couldn�t help but snort However the whistling release of Annie�s next arrow cleared up most of her confusion The woman pulled out a heavy knotted rope and whipped it around to deflect the arrow A powerful image of violence and bloodletting spun itself through the rope adding weight and brutal momentum

So she�s not just all flashy illusions Annie mused

With surprising skill the woman twisted the rope at the very moment it blocked the arrow�s path Annie�s predatory attack screeched in outrage to be challenged For a brief moment both images flared and struggled with each other Annie again had to admit this woman had legitimate talent She possessed enough gumption that the arrow was redirected slightly and only took a chunk out of the woman�s thigh

She squealed in pain and clearly lost herself for a few seconds in panic as though she were more familiar with inflicting attacks than receiving them Her form flickered between several strange bodies Finally it settled upon Lucifer who looked up at Annie with imposing eyes Annie was almost lazy in knocking the next arrow He lowered his hands and gripped his saber Lucifer Sla

Annie�s arrow interrupted the illusionary attack shattering Lucifer and digging an arrow halfway through the woman�s forearm She looked at it for several seconds seemingly bewildered by its very physical presence in her body And Annie would have finished the job on the distracted foe had she not felt the young man finally dislodge himself and pounce toward her back

She donkey kicked the fool in the jaw his malfunctioning brain be damned This time just to be thorough she rapid fired arrows to pin each of his arms and legs and prevent him from interfering To Annie�s great annoyance he had apparently adjusted enough that he slashed out with his dagger fingers and shattered the first arrow before the flurry of followups overwhelmed him So as he was carried back and slammed into the far wall only two legs and one arm were pinned Annie sent one more arrow over just for good measure

Then one more thumping into his inner thigh uncomfortably close to his manhood just to vent some of her frustration She turned back to the woman

As Annie mulled that over a lightning bolt crashed down on the woman The image of a pained and struggling woman crawling on the ground shattered and revealed the woman looking quite spry aside from the fact she now rolled around under the influence of the electricity

Annie raised an eyebrow as Clarrissa floated down from the clouds What you here to tell me to stop playing with my food

I�m here to tell you not to kill her Clarissa rolled her eyes as she alighted softly on the ground This goes much more smoothly if we have someone alive to stand trial Your bloodthirsty crusade reaches a happy and justified ending

Annie�s expression flattened After all the shit this woman has orchestrated if you expect me to be sorry for hunting them

No I apologize that came out wrong Clarissa raised her hands placatingly Without your efforts there would be so many injustices continuing that we hadn�t even realized were happening Thank you Annie What I mean to say is that please consider letting her pay for her crimes in the court of public opinion Her corpse solves the problem of her But being able to lay bare her propaganda and schemes solves the bigger mess that she started

Something vicious and bloodthirsty in Annie�s heart wanted to say no She wanted to fire one last arrow and watch the life drain out of this cockroach�s shredded throat The primal predator in her would savor the experience and then raise its head in exultation

The Predator in her wanted a corpse

However the experience of fighting against the woman had been so mediocre that the hunter in her seeking a talented quarry just seemed to shrug its hands Begrudgingly Annie nodded and lowered her bow But then she smirked Alright on one condition Hit her with a few more of those lightning bolts for me Make the fat little bug squirm

Merrick drew a shuddering breath and sat up His hand instantly went to his heart Did I

Die Technically My arrow slipped between your right and left ventricle just below the major arteries My Skills let me view Health so I was pretty confident an inducing a short term coma with the shot by putting you between 2 and 9 Health in a single go Annie crouched over him looking bored The other woman was nowhere to be seen Annie rapped her knuckles against the ground Take this as a warning You let your pride get you involved on the wrong side of a fight kid Don�t let it happen again

Merrick was too busy breathing to have much of an emotional reaction To his surprise she kept speaking

However I�ll say this in just a few clashes you adjusted enough to block one of my arrows You don�t suck

Then she departed leaving Merrick laying on the ground and looking up at the thin strip of grey sky above the canyon Even just that stretch seemed too vast to fathom

Chapter 1938

How�s the Patron of Feathers Randidly asked as he leaned back against the hand sewn cushions He Neveah and Tatiana sat at the rather cramped table by the window half of their bodies bathed in sunlight Despite their relative importance on the broader political spectrum of Expira no one seemed to notice their presence here Conversation and business continued around them without the slightest pause

It was a definite relief one Tatiana hadn�t even believed at first She insisted everyone would know him immediately Randidly had finally cut his hair but most of the customers at the diner seemed either too self involved or fearful to notice them Or more honestly most of the people who ended up here came from Danger Zones connected to Expira so they knew of Randidly Ghosthound but had never seen him

Their waitress was a frogperson and the one who seated them had been of a strange teddy bear looking teenager with a blank expression Both had been too numbed by the constant flow of customers to give them more than a perfunctory look

Well Randidly�s lips twitched as his gaze went out the window Several prominent and powerful figures waited not approaching but watching the diner with intent gazes The zealous fervor in their eyes was visible even from here They stood next to their mounts and adjusted their grip on the weapons They were an unasked for honor guard I suppose we are incognito as long as you ignore how many of the Riders are gathering at this location Few Zones could muster up enough force to harm this diner right now

Neveah pursed her lips and looked down at her coffee Her situation is stable she remains on the schedule Lucretia warned you about Nothing unusual has happened she continues to dim and wither The original timeline of about four more months seems like it will hold However the Patrons are becoming increasingly upset actually watching her suffer Their work isn�t quite what the other Pantheon members have come to expect Returning to the Nexus sooner would be better

Randidly nodded slowly His mouth tasted sour Now that the deadline approached he felt like there were so many more tasks that needed his immediate attention But so long as he trained both the emotional method Helen had demonstrated and familiarized himself with his new Domain he would emerge a much more powerful version of himself than came down the shaft to meet Solomon Rex Plus if he could find more time to experiment with his Fourth Authority

His thoughts paused when their harried waitress approached the table She favored them all with a tired but genuine smile So have you had time to look over the menu What can I get for you

I�ll have the daily special Tatiana said as she took the menus from Randidly and Neveah and gave them to the waitress in a neat pile Neveah ordered the same

I�ll take the Southwest Scramble Randidly said The waitress nodded and then flounced away At the next table over a toddler stared soulfully at Randidly over his mother�s shoulder deeply perplexed by something in his visage Randidly couldn�t help but wonder if the kid had some unusual perception based Skill already or could witness a bit of his images

Hell my Animation Nova is activated constantly They should do studies to see if I�m safe to be around children He reflected only partially joking

I hope the food tastes as good as it smells Tatiana sighed in satisfaction and then took another sip of her tea The chef at City Hall does either artisan flatbreads or yogurt parfaits for breakfast but sometimes you just want a hefty helping of diner food Grease and butter oh god mm

The group departed B�s Crossing quietly after leaving a rather sizable tip Randidly returned to his volcano having agreed to Tatiana�s request to appear and be more present for these events He crossed his fingers hoping they wouldn�t be too torturous and turned to his Path screen With a hundred and thirty five thousand more PP to go through he needed to hit some of the high cost Paths He would probably leave himself a slight buffer again just in case he found a very necessary Path in the future but for now it was time to spend

Congratulations You have completed the Sigh as the Sky Closes Path You have housed a dark power of Exodus for some time within the muscles and organs of your body The shadowy interiors of your joins have nurtured its growth The end yet remains distant but you can now hear its approaching breath The world stumbles forward and you can only watch its heavy struggles Yet as you observe the world on its Path you can briefly predict a moment of the future where it finally collapses and the sky folds inward to reveal the waiting carrion

Within the yawning abyss a face sneers It waits with limitless patience for its long promised corpse After the collapse it will feast

For a brief moment your eyes meet That interaction changes you in mysterious ways

Congratulations Primordial Nether Juju +300 Congratulations You have gained the Skill Smothering Inevitability

Smothering Inevitability User is empowered by the finality that awaits all things When user lands blows on a foe a small portion of that inevitably infects the recipient As more and more of that power begins to accumulate in the foe�s body their Stats are slightly reduced and they receive additional damage from the user Effect increases with Skill Level

Congratulations You have completed Joy the Blooming Sun Path As you walk along through the varied landscapes you come to appreciate that for your planet the font of all life is the sun Its rays caress the ground radiant and generous with their apportionment of existence Day and night are divided due to the period of life that occurs in the day Night is a time of rest and preparation for those hours where the sun is present Prolonged exposure creates the possibilities of wondrous things life is a gift only possible because of its furnace of energy

Observing this process you steadily accumulate insight into the wondrous spread of possibilities Your feet tingle against the sun warmed ground feeling the shift in your environment before you even understand it However with continued observation you advance

Congratulations Unnatural Metabolism +300 Congratulations You have gained the Skill

Due to your Fourth Authority Animation Nova you have gained the Skill Animus Diffraction

Animus Diffraction A unique Skill of Randidly Ghosthound due to synergy with his powerful Nether Core Impossible to duplicate attempts to do so will cause degeneration in the body of the recipient Some of the user�s potent and passive radiation strikes the prism of your body and is released with a slightly more vigorous disposition than the usual force Other entities that are within a certain distance of user will have the chance to receive some extra Animus Animus will give those individuals passively an increased ability to gain Skill Levels and also the ability to subconsciously consume Animus in order to improve their own Skills and images Will only be able to increase Skills to just beyond the current standard of Randidly Ghosthound Passive and active effects improve with Skill Level Rate of release slightly increases with Skill Level

Chapter 1939

Interesting that Nether and Aether can affect each other so directly or is it only because I received this reward while in the Alpha Cosmos The Pantheon is hard at work while I�m moving through my Tithe

Randidly rubbed his neck and considered his neck options After grabbing the two Paths related to his improved Yggdrasil Skill he still had quite a bit of PP He briefly considered an additional refinement of his emotional abilities through Bubbling Emotional Accumulation I Path However the 10 000 PP price tag and the fact he could improve using Helen�s method gave him pause Rather than that he was more inclined to complete either the Architecture of Yggdrasil I or the Throne of Nether Homage I Paths

Both were concerned with the ability to create a framework with the two energies Both should improve his understandings of the way these energies behaved Randidly spent more time perfecting his Nether handling right now but he required understanding of both to keep improving and weaving them together Plus increasing his Skill with Engraving wouldn�t directly help his image but he did suspect it would provide some assistance

Clicking his tongue Randidly started with the Throne of Nether Homage Path At the very least it cost only 1000 PP to Architecture�s 2000 And when it came to Nether he was aware of only the Nether King that was more talented in this area

Congratulations You have completed the Throne of Nether Homage I Path You strike out on a very lightly used Path in the Nexus as you look forward you can only faintly detect a single other set of footprints heading toward your destination The air is still and stale This is a lost and isolated location You raise your eyes and peer toward the horizon The world curls away from you like a frowning mouth as though it understands your decision to strike out on this heading and disapproves But this might take you away from the well traversed areas you do not hesitate Your Path is your own Your feet carry you forward even if no one else believes in your journey

Congratulations Free Stats +50 Some stirrings begin to accumulate within your Nether Core Significance deepens A change is building within your Nether flows

Congratulations You have completed the Throne of Nether Homage II Path The terrain has become rough the path is lined with broken stone obelisks and the black sludge remnants of innumerable Nether Beasts left to congeal As you cast your gaze around you see you stand on a vast battlefield On the one hand this can be considered a mass grave But there is no respect or reverence in how these bodies were treated This place was simply convenient and the bodies were abandoned here to their own devices The air sticks in your throat as you breathe This is not a place to rest but of regrets You hurry onward wading deeper into the aura of death

Congratulations Your Skill Animus Diffraction has grown to Level 2

Congratulations Your Skill Animus Diffraction has grown to Level 34

Congratulations Your Fourth Authority manifests in the path and releases energy onto the souls of Nether Beasts that haven�t yet achieved peace At your passage they begin to surge and rise flooding the Path behind you They drag themselves with spectral fingers addicted to the spark of life you carry They crawl atop one another and stretch toward your back attempting to catch up until they flutter and billow like a massive cape of the damned hanging just slightly back away from your person They scream but their insubstantial forms can only manage strained whispers

Reward differed Please finish the next Path in order to receive your reward

Randidly pursed his lips The notification had failed for almost two minutes before finally kicking back into gear He wondered if there was something wrong with the Pantheon But in the end he shrugged There might not be a stated reward but he felt the increased density in his Nether Core He continued pouring PP into the Throne of Nether Homage Path series

Congratulations You have completed the Throne of Nether Homage III Path Your existence ripped open the door between life and death For so many slaughtered Nether Beasts now barely retaining their sanity from life this opportunity is one their grudge will not allow them to miss They swarm like locusts using the small fraction of power you released to rip through the veil of the living

Branching Path A powerful arm of remnants spirits seeks to use your abilities to breakthrough At this point your aura has already given them all the tools they need to ascend Now it just becomes a matter of time Do you choose to pull these fields of damned around you like a cloak or allow them to flow to those who fly your banners arming your hosts

Will this give the Lancers some clinging Nether Beasts Just like the Stillborn Phoenix has those two Unborn Randidly hesitated as he looked at the choice Not that he much desired to personally house all the animosity he sensed in the Path completion but he wasn�t sure what the result would be

However what Randidly could clearly sense was the deep flow of significance that moved through the Path Whatever had taken so long to finish for the notification now meant that something large was building even beyond the current choice

Alright Lancers let�s see what you can do Randidly made his selection

Congratulations The damned flow freely through to your armies strengthening their martial ability and deepening their Nether Warning There is a small chance of causing a deviation in the recipients Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae and Exquisite Piety +100 Congratulations You have learned the Skill Armory of the Nether Damned

Armory of the Nether Damned You house a door to a realm where Nether corpses stewed and decomposed until they formed a mass of ill will You have given the possibility of revival to these disparate souls for which they are eternally grateful In return they flow through your connections and provide small enhancements to weaponry and armor User may also condense a superior and personalized weapon for one individual per one hundred Skill Levels Small chance of summoning the soul of a Nether Gatekeeper to reside within the weapon Chance increases slightly with Skill Level Power of the Superior Weapons increases with Skill Level Enhancement provided to other equipment vastly increases with Skill Level

Chapter 1940

Two Lancers sat on the hill over B�s Crossing scanning the horizon for threats as the sun crept up and stretched into the day into wakefulness They were not alone on their high outlook A few surveyors combing through the hills for the best real estate spots observed them occasionally but largely gave the two a wide berth if the Order Ducis was the political entity that had the Ghosthound�s blessing the Lancers were his army

For all that some political entities had flirted with anti Ghosthound sentiments none of them were willing to stand up and antagonize an actual opponent which the Lancers were definitely willing to be

Both of these two lancers had come because they had heard through their vague information network that the Ghosthound had been dining here but had been too late to actually see him They felt some manner of disappointment but neither were a very strong example of their kind They were freshly born content to follow the lapping waves of cohesion that came from their connection to the Crusade rather than striking out on their own like the more powerful Lancers They were still one of many

Neither had yet decided what sort of individuals they would like to become without the support of the Crusade Even the word individual seemed hollow and ominous in their minds They spoke it as little as possible instead focusing on concrete tasks Protection patrol examination those were safer topics

For now they stood in silence words unnecessary They just waited for the sun to creep higher and for more impulses to come to them They were reaction incarnate

To their surprise something did arrive and sent their senses tingling They felt it through the network of Lancers before it arrived even some of the overwhelmingly powerful individuals amongst their number sending out warning ripples of alarm Both of the two stiffened to feel the tension What approached wasn�t categorized as a bad thing but the uniformity of Lancers� surprise made them nervous

It came slowly first swirling about their heels with lolling tongues and bright eyes of anticipation Then the change breathed a humid exhale on the back of their necks and laughed as they shivered Then it sank into their skin leaving the two powerless to resist the change that came over them One leaned forward a sharp pain tearing its way out of its midsection The other couldn�t stop moving its fingers its weapon becoming near scalding

Yet never for an instant did it consider releasing the serviceable ax

Their armor darkened and their limbs lengthened under the influence of this force The duo�s steeds huffed and pawed at the ground nervous due to the display And soon they were affected too the settling mist covering the two horses and sharpening their edges adding smolder to their eyes From horses they became hellhounds

Across all of Expira the Lancers of the Baleful Crusade housed remnant spirits of the Nether Beasts Something primal and violent seeped into their pure spirits tipping the group just slightly toward aggression Their explosive power increased

With a roar the left of the duo hopped down off his horse and allowed a massive spined tail to erupt from his lower back Ichor dripped off the stinger and sizzled against the dirt ground Blood and ripped skin drizzled down after it As for the other Lancer his back cracked as the muscles of his shoulders bulged outward His arms lengthened further and his fingers tightened around the shaft of his ax

Congratulations You have completed the Throne to Nether Homage IV Path From the abandoned wilderness you wade deeper into the miasma and find the exposed bones of a city Most of the taller buildings have ossified and collapsed but you can still see some of its shape amongst the ruins Yet you pause feeling a more sinister danger lurking ahead

Again the projection shifted Randidly walked among those abandoned buildings the Nether flows having swollen into something more caustic and violent He traced the lines that attempted to weave a net for him and snorted Randidly�s perception moved outward and began to work through the intervening distance

This Path was difficult but not impossible Soon the knot in this abandoned village unraveled and revealed the reward

Congratulations You have broken through to a deeper layer of this mystery Dreadful Alacrity +250 Your Nether flows have become increasingly smooth Change continues to bubble up from the base of your Nether Core hinting at a more influential transformation that will be forthcoming

Congratulations You have completed the Throne to Nether Homage V Path The darkness condenses into physical forms in order to fight against you However your own momentum and the force of the army that you bring behind you manages to overpower all opposition Compared to the pulsing heart of darkness the force in front of you doesn�t manage to slow you down

You arrive at the core of an ancient empire a place where Nether once ruled You can feel the dried remnants of the energy pathways a hint of the old energy still trickling through them In an ancient hall built of granite you find a specter staring at its own shadow Without looking up from the darkness it raises its sword in challenge if you want to proceed the only option is overcoming this adversity

Randidly fell into the new projection feeling exasperated at how labor intensive these Paths were proving to be He stabilized his mind and began to attack the Nether flows in the projection Very quickly he began chewing on his lip Compared to the previous attempts the fifth Path in the sequence possessed a high degree of difficulty Yet as Randidly toiled he felt himself improving

Compared to the others this one was much more useful for improving his own Skill His mind hummed and began to overheat as he exhausted possibility after possibility in order to proceed But eventually the dark figure that symbolized the opposition broke apart into separate Nether flows and Randidly pierced his way forward

Congratulations You walk into the grand hall of this place looking around at the high walls and the stark architecture This is a place that has not seen another living soul in quite some time However as you approach the final room you see a pulsing orb of light Intelligence +300

As you approach the pulsing orb of light it activates of its own accord You hear a voice begin to speak Welcome If you are hearing this I suspect that you are Randidly Ghosthound Very few others possess your potential with Nether none should receive this message before you

I have a few things to say But most importantly I owe you a favor You freed me from the frontlines Perhaps it was an action done without thought but it deeply affected my life For that I am grateful We have encountered each other in the past but it was never the right time to reveal our connection only when you possess the requisite Nether understanding will my gift to you become clear

But as a small part of the repayment I owe you I offer one truth Do not trust Solomon Rex

Chapter 1941

The notification projection fuzzed at its edges as the glowing light the Nether King used to speak pulsed with meaning Seemingly unleashing the hidden message threatened to destabilize the fragile Aether that held the Path together As Randidly rapidly tried to corral the Nether flows that animated the message he could almost hear a woman�s scream of pure frustration in the back of his mind

However even as Randidly focused on the framework he didn�t miss that a new connection flickered to life from his Nether Core It was a thread of pure bonding stretching out from Randidly into the universe and probably leading to the Nether King wherever he may be

You might not even remember when you freed me I was stuck inside a recursive script at the edge of an ancient battlefield without even my knowing my energies were channeled back through to the beginning of my attempt� to break out in an endless loop Its an insidious method that finally ended any meaningful struggle in the war between Aether and Nether during the Nexus�s Second Cohort Once any Nether being is afflicted in this way they cannot escape without outside assistance The greatest warriors of the Nether race became powerless when isolated

And I bring up Solomon Rex because he is the one who created that method

He�s also the one who orchestrated the initial offensive against Nether Of all the different powers within the Nexus he is the one who knows Nether the best But that is only because he spent every waking moment trying to undermine that energy and eradicate it If you encounter Rex he will undoubtedly be friendly But be warned he will never be able to see past the fact you possess a Nether Core

The light from the message grew increasingly bright and now Randidly definitely heard a woman cursing quietly He smelled ash But he was too busy trying to make out the remainder of the message to pay much attention The Path projection continued to tear at the edges as it struggled to convey the recording Honestly Randidly had no idea how this was even possible

Had the Nether King left this directly in Randidly�s person in the form of a Path Or did he somehow rig the light orb to flow through their Nether connection when a certain Nether based prerequisite was obtained

Anyway as I said previously you might not even be Randidly Ghosthound However I hope he receives this message If you are aware of his existence please pass it on He possesses the first genuine Nether Core I have seen in the Nexus

I have one last gift traveler for having made it to this point

My time stuck in Rex�s recursive trap wasn�t fruitless being exposed to the smooth transition of Nether gave me quite the insight into how the energy might be used It has given me the power and confidence to move freely in the Nexus opposing Elhume and making strides toward establishing a new safe haven for Nether beings

There are no endings or beginnings Randidly Ghosthound not truly Where we are in the story just depends on your own perspective We are both already dead and not yet born Such freedom is the greatest gift the universe gives us

Congratulations +200 Free Stats Your Nether Core begins to writhe and seethe You feel your energies being purified by a unique flow You feel your flames of Nether Weight becoming slightly more effective Please continue to study the changes in your Nether to trigger an astounding evolution

In the end the reward barely held Randidly�s attention for a few spare seconds where he acknowledged a shift within himself Because he immediately felt a small seed of meaning pass between that connection that appeared between himself and what Randidly assumed to be the Nether King Its sedate approach seemed slow but then it was there twirling innocently in his Soulspace

His usually rock solid handling of Nether was slightly shaky as he surrounded that seed with some flames of Nether Weight for an added layer of security Before he even attempted to open whatever the Nether King had sent Randidly seriously considered the manifested connection and whether he should sever it

But could I even cut through this Randidly whispered to himself His eyes went unfocused Because his insight into Nether informed him that it was theoretically possible to eradicate their connection but it would carry a steep cost

He sat and stared at the seed His awareness reached out and brushed it It unfolded slowly popping open from a small bit of meaning to become a simple diagram of Nether flowing in a way that resembled a circular maze

Randidly didn�t let his guard down even as the pattern continued to curl in and flow into itself for several minutes without change At about a half hour Randidly moved his focus away from the arrangement itself and looked at the Engraving and Nether Ritual he had created to isolate the seed neither had any signs of tampering or unexpected damage from exposure

Only then did Randidly frown and look at the pattern A thorough examination didn�t take long It was a simple closed system organic flow Nether passed endlessly through a series of similar looking loops Occasionally Nether broke off and created unexpected patterns forcing the whole of the system to adjust the new shift However there was only so much energy in it at a time thereby limiting the amount of variety it could achieve

Randidly chewed on his lip watching the Nether patterns in constant motion The branching pathways did demonstrate the Nether King�s awe inspiring combination of spontaneity and simplicity but Randidly felt bewildered by the fact that the Nether King believed he was doing a favor for Randidly by showing him this He might not have come up with exactly the same sort of arrangement but it wasn�t so complex

Caught by a sudden thought Randidly paused He went back over the last few lines of the Nether Kings message He reached up and rubbed his chin If it�s not about the pattern itself its about time Not the way it changes but

Randidly cracked his knuckles against the vaguely warm ground The Nether King had said that they were simultaneously already dead and not yet born As though time didn�t truly exist that all creation occurred simultaneously

The idea was a strange one and he wasn�t sure exactly how such an insight could help Nether But it did make sense that the Nether King would come to that sort of conclusion if he had been stuck inside of some labyrinthine recursive trap

If Randidly hadn�t had that weird flash of insight about Nether earlier he probably wouldn�t have been able to reach the right state to understand the Nether King�s message Or at the very least he would have needed several weeks of aggravating conclusion in order to stumble across the right mixture of focus and vague waiting

Yet Randidly had seen Nether in a different way His understanding was sore from being challenged but it was game for more He looked intently at the pattern for several seconds letting his mind wander He knew pure timelessness would be hard to grasp so he started small And eventually in the way that was sometimes possible he convinced himself that the Nether was flowing backward

The inverted made him blink and then laugh This is it This is why there are so many times I can�t quite get Nether to behave the way I want Connections aren�t unilateral things Nether is flowing in both directions simultaneously

He released a breath and leaned back to try and change his outlook on a larger scale

He looked at the sky In his chest his Nether Core whirled But Randidly distanced himself from that impression For as long as he had the Nether Core he always believed that it spun and released Nether that could then be applied to other tasks But what if that wasn�t the case Randidly�s lids sank downward as his consciousness began to hum with effort

The mental gymnastic reminded him of those drawings of 3D cubes on 2D surfaces where the right focus could pull out one corner of the shape and make it seem entirely different The process was similar but Randidly had to ignore the whole of the way he had trained his mind in the past year in order to reasonably ask the what if � he needed

Gradually all the Nether connections quieted He pulled away from the Nether Ritual he had placed in Expira�s core He closed his eyes to the way that every single life in the Alpha Cosmos had some small connection to him He ignored his more developed and important Nether connections

Eventually Randidly looked simply at his Nether Core It spun but he managed to glaze over his eyes until all he saw was the rotation

What if Randidly wondered Instead of exhaling the Nether Core inhaled

Chapter 1942

Randidly scrunched up his forehead pouring all his concentration into the task His Nether Core slowly rotated as he adjusted his mental state His eyelids fluttered as he almost began to view his inner workings in a cross eyed manner His focus became razor sharp

For several minutes he just existed in that extended moment of strain His muscles were tense and his mind buzzed with the effort he poured into it The Nether Core rotated inscrutable and unimpressed by his efforts to completely invert the way he had viewed it for so long His examination shook until it was quite blurry

Yet when the shift happened Randidly nearly gasped at the massive difference it made

His Nether Core spun pulling in Nether For several seconds he kept his attention focused on the Nether Core marveling at how natural this new perception seemed Then almost nervous about what he would find Randidly expanded his awareness of all the Nether connections that formed him� He opened himself back up to all the information that he had to ignore to get to this point

Nether surged toward him in a constant tide pulling all sorts of different bits of significance into Randily All rivers of significance flowed downhill to fill him He seemed to be in the center of the world a whirlpool of energy that devoured everything Examining the process what struck Randidly most of all was how much other people had to give to him The meaning that flowed along was perhaps not as refined or elegant as his own but it possessed just as much heft and significance

His perspective widened He had assumed that his Nether Core meant it so he was the main source of Nether especially in the Alpha Cosmos And that was definitely one of the dominant ways of examining the process

But Nether came from connection He had the ability to make those connections in a way that most people lacked but once the bridges were present traffic went both ways Compared to the whole of the Alpha Cosmos Randidly gathered significance at a snail�s pace

Randidly raised his fingers and rubbed the bridge of his nose He pulled away from his Nether and simply allowed some of the aching in his brain to subside He even felt vaguely dizzy as he forced his perspective into a new arrangement But he suspected quite like his earlier insight into connections being present without him noticing that looking at the Nether flowing in this manner would help him understand the overall structure of Nether Rituals and organic systems in profound ways

His emerald eyes flickered He could imagine the way that he would need to layer these two awarenesses on top of one another one a Core that produced silky Nether and another that consumed it And once he had those down Randidly wondered if there were other ways of viewing the energy that would help him How many ways would he need to stretch his mind before the end

He came back into his inner space with those distractions and everything immediately fell to pieces Part of the problem was some of his focus slipped he no longer was thoroughly convincing himself that energy flowed in a certain way Another was his mental exhaustion making his instincts blunt and hasty forces

The result was that there were portions that Randidly remembered flowing in one way and others that flowed in a different one He viewed them a certain way so that was how they behaved even if both flows affected the shape In this case tides of Nether smashed into each other with a cataclysmic sizzle and screech Above the island the storm darkened and thundered The force of Randidly�s prodigious Nether flows charging into each other manifested in the physical realm The storm began tearing at itself ripping huge gashes in the air that imploded in deadly sounding claps

Randidly reached out to try and correct the flows but some portion of him still felt backward his instincts guided him in the wrong direction in a few key points He tightened his grip on the power and somehow opened a massive gaping rift in existence above the eye of the storm Very literally it seemed like he had conjured a massive sizzling pupil that looked dispassionately down at all the training individuals The environment became harsh the pressure the Nether exerted grew

Releasing a shaky breath Randidly forced himself to lean back and relax His head pounded The Nether storm has been going for a long time without my micromanaging I�m destabilizing it by forcefully interfering So I just need to lean back and relax

Just relax

Even Randy stiffened at the movement on the television as the camera pivoted to show a man walking into the back portion of the courtroom and taking a seat Other people moved out of his way Every eye in the room was glued to him His hair was cut short and dark He moved with a lithe grace that Randy somehow knew everyone desire but very few could actually grasp A frown was etched into his face that made him resemble an austere granite outcropping all weight and grey implacability

But the weirdest part was that Randy could feel him Looking at him even knowing that he was so far away she could feel his heartbeat his headache his impatience But below all that Randy felt the same ugly thing they had experienced earlier magnified a thousand times She had briefly housed a drizzle of bile in her body during that flare of anger but this man was the monster that oozed that vile with every movement

Randidly Ghosthound And he looks fucking pissed The new chef said a sizable amount of awe present in his tone Durro and Bethyl nodded in agreement Even Takeyhands stopped his constant fidgeting and lowered himself onto his stomach

GUYS Everyone Dessy one of the new servers bashed through the swinging doors into the kitchen with the same sort of grace Randy had displayed earlier Her frogperson knees were constantly splayed out at 45 degree angles from her hips so she slammed one against the edge of the doorframe and stumbled for a bit But then Dessy was back up eyes bright and panicked That�s Randidly Ghosthound

Yea we know Durro said sardonically as he folded his hands across his chest Just like everyone else knows I haven�t seen him before but who could miss those features Those eyes of his

No no no no Dessy�s tongue flicked out and messily wiped across her face He�s here Err well he was here A few days ago At B�s Crossing They had a table Him and two women Beautiful women I might add Do you remember

What Bethyl blinked several times

Impossible Durro announced The other chef gave Dessy a long look but said nothing

when I got that one hundred credit tip That was them They

Randy couldn�t look away from Randidly Ghosthound in the same way that the camera person seemed unwilling to pull back and show more of the rest of the courtroom while he remained there A scene should begin and end around this dark haired man Putting him in the background felt like a mistake

For several seconds the television feed was just Randidly Ghosthound the most powerful man in the world sitting on a bench and leaning forward so his elbows rested against his knees His eyes seemed unnaturally bright His emotions radiated off of him like heat Randy could barely breathe

Takeyhands hopped onto Randy�s shoulders finally making them realize they had probably just stood there bug eyed for a full minute They sucked in a hasty breath and began to cough Takeyhands picked through Randy�s hair for nonexistent bugs but it did do a lot to calm them down

The argument between Dessy and Durro was silenced as the camera finally moved away showing an older woman in a judge�s robes She walked up the small stairs to the judge�s bench and sat down with little fanfare

Alright let�s The judge began but from the way her eyes flicked sideways and then visibly widened Randy knew that the judge noticed Randidly Ghosthound She recalibrated swallowed and then continued to speak Ahem Let�s begin This will be an expedited trial governed by a blend of laws agreed on by the World Council To that end I will not be pronouncing a judgment but simply making notes on rules of law for later deliberation The final decision will come down to the World Council with input from representatives from approved Orders

Now council for the prosecution would you like to make your opening statement

Chapter 1943

To his surprise Randidly didn�t mind being present in that small room for the trial The furtive glances he earned left him somewhat anxious but they died down as the two sides began presenting their arguments Most of the people present were either witnesses trusted media outlets or competent representatives from the Zones

They knew enough not to bother him not with such an important event occurring in front of him

And Randidly felt how correct Tatiana was for encouraging him to be here He was the focal point of most of the attention even as the camera wasn�t on him But he could feel the way he was just part of one more connection using his name to channel attention toward the crimes of this woman

The lack of fixation on him left him some spare time to close his eyes and just let his Nether Core settle back into its own alignment The tension he entered the room with slowly bled away and his mental acuity recovered He could relax his shoulders and pay more attention to the actual content that the two attorneys began to present Although soon he regretted that he listened as closely as he did

In the end the arguments boiled down to this the prosecution listed the crimes of Missy Carp including her close sponsorships of some of the most brutal flesh industry rings on Expira The defense claimed that the tribunal didn�t have jurisdiction because they presented crimes from all across Expira and therefore didn�t possess the standing to judge her Her crimes needed to be tried individually in the areas where they had been committed

Randidly barred his teeth So she can�t be held accountable for her actions because she�s committed crimes in too many places That sounds idiotic

Despite his simmering emotions Randidly didn�t say anything He simply observed as the trial continued Several witnesses were brought in testifying to the veracity of the claims against Missy Carp The people in the courtroom learned about the training centers to breed the image virus her brainwashing organization to create zealots and her many examples of assault and blackmail that she had used to hide her activities The lawyer for the defense did ask some questions of the witnesses but essentially repeated the same tired message the entire time

There was no standing for the World Council to engage in a judicial hearing This whole assembly including the defense attorney�s employment was an egregious breach of justice

Gradually as more and more details of Missy Carp�s actions came to light Randidly felt his tension return to his body His chest thrummed with barely controlled anger His face stiffened as he prevented himself from snarling at this woman It was all well and good for him to say that he wanted Expira to be able to handle problems on its own But when he knew the details of the problems it became increasingly difficult for him to think of reasons why he shouldn�t just skip this farce and punish her

Congratulations Your Skill Soul Bond has grown to Level 503

Yet Neveah was there with him in spirit She soothed his emotions not with any sort of communication but only with her presence and the obvious empathy that she had for him It helped Randidly settle if only just slightly

Because he felt Neveah�s anguish toward the current situation as well She shared the same opinion

Missy Carp was a squat uncomfortable looking woman But what really captured Randidly�s attention was the fact that she was the only person present who didn�t glance at him during the proceeding The whole time she kept her eyes down on the handcuffs that prevented her from moving Yet the Nether swirling about her body clearly resonated with him It seemed like she was very pointedly ignoring him

That is until it came time for her to speak

Missy Carp The judge said in a clear voice Below her the stenographer rapidly typed away noting down everything that was said You�ve heard the crimes arrayed against you Would you like to make a statement Please note that anything you say can and will be used against you in further proceedings

However I have something else Knowledge Understanding of the Nexus and the threats it poses and that�s why I make those decisions without consulting anyone Because no one on Expira but I possess the requisite experience Randidly�s expression hardened In his chest he felt the First Authority crowing with pride and happiness to take such a domineering position He could have avoided her questions but Randidly knew that Missy Carp would just try and make him look like a liar

He leaned forward Randidly didn�t regret cutting off the Alpha Cosmos from the Nexus He didn�t mind scrutiny and muttered talk that he shouldn�t possess this much power What he minded were dishonesty and confusion Better to speak clearly now and cut through the bullshit

There was no need to dance around the relationship between himself and the Alpha Cosmos and the Nexus

Randidly�s impression of Missy Carp went up by several ticks when she didn�t seem thrown by his acceptance Her smile even widened Indeed understanding is it Well you�ve certainly made sure that no one else can challenge your knowledge of the Nexus But there is another matter on which I mean to speak You had a deep influence on the first Calamity didn�t you You helped shape it Because it�s not just that you refrained from helping but you also orchestrated the whole thing didn�t you

Missy�s face showed flashes of triumph behind her wariness Randidly couldn�t help but laugh This was the truth she wanted to use to crucify him His insides seared him with guilt as he felt the answers coming out of his mouth Orchestrated No But I will agree that the task was handled by my subordinates with my blessing I�m afraid that I won�t always be enough The day that I stop protecting Expira it needs to be ready to take up the mantle

You felt it was necessary for thousands to die to prepare for some possible eventuality Those deaths must weigh heavily on you Missy�s eyes narrowed to slits Randidly could feel her tugging on the Nether bindings But you don�t deny that you shoulder the blame for those months of tragedy

Inwardly Randidly assented But outwardly he lifted his chin Nothing would be gained by appearing weak in the face of the truth Quite a distance exists between responsibility and reprehensibility I can both mourn those deaths but also know that exposing Expira to danger is necessary

Something shifted in the world�s attention as he said that He felt them hearing his answer Perhaps not accepting it but understanding his firm stance

Missy wasn�t willing to let him go with just that You are the one with all the power You toy with our lives like you feel like some sort of god Can you not see how your perspective has been warped

Of course its warped Randidly almost replied as he stared at Missy His eyes burned Do you know what its taken to get here How many times I gambled with my life I stripped away my senses or my personality to train more efficiently How many times I�ve broken my body down to try and build it back stronger How many friends or companions I�ve watched die or be broken struggle to survive

And if I fucking share even a fraction of that anguish with Expira

I think there�s been quite enough of this The judge began as he remained silent but Randidly again raised a hand

He looked at Missy Carp�s bright and wild eyes for several seconds He couldn�t believe what he was about to say but as he looked at her he knew it was the truth As he looked at her near feral expression he just thought of Helen and ached You don�t understand None of you none of the people of Expira understand what�s out there And that�s preventing you from realizing the threat that�s my fault That�s something I can rectify

Randidly turned to look directly at the camera One last statement before this interview ends No matter how much Missy Carp wants to make her crimes not about her I think we�ve all seen enough In two weeks there is going to be a tournament to determine Expira�s strongest fighters For this one Let�s expand it to all of the Alpha Cosmos Everyone may participate And I would encourage all of the previous winners to come back and attend vying for the crown

I will personally reward the winner by refining their image And in addition to demonstrate to the entire planet how horrifying the Nexus can be I will face the top eight of Expira all at once after the tournament concludes Maybe if you see the power a figure of the Nexus wields you�ll understand why I�m so worried about protecting the planet

Chapter 1944

As the legal proceeding moved forward Randidly could clearly feel Missy Carp�s frustration as she clumsily grasped at her generated Nether threads The significance in the air had shifted almost rolling downhill to some strange inevitability he couldn�t read in the air Missy seemed both to be able to understand why he had responded so confidently and why nothing much had happened when her orchestrations pulled against him Around her the Nether abandoned her cause

If she hadn�t done so many miserable things Randidly might have felt pity for her However the current version of Missy deserved every hell heaped upon her in light of past actions

The judge reiterated her earlier statements about rule of law and what a peculiar circumstance it was for Missy Carp to be tried like this over so many disparate crimes Randidly folded his arms across the chest appreciating the careful way that the judge explained the rules but also beginning to understand that in this case the judge�s fairness might mean that all this came to nothing

To distract himself Randidly released a pulse of Nether that resonated through the massive Nether RItual he had created in the core of Expira From there it bounced out to all the other planets in the Alpha Cosmos lighting up every Nether Ritual it passed through with a crooning symphony Yet Randidly admitted it might be too subtle to have much actual effect It would be more of a feeling that than anything else a beckoning finger to every powerful fighter that was connected to Randidly It was time to come to Expira and prove themselves

Champions would rise to prove themselves the definitive figures of an era

But how will the winners feel to know that their victories carry the heavy price of a prizefight For a second Randidly smirked

After all not everyone would be interested in the trial and watch the broadcast to see his announcement And the news would be spread but only through Expiran channels But what hero wouldn�t be out there waiting for a call to action This could be the impetus that many needed to grow and change

In front of Randidly the legal proceeding finally concluded The judge left first and then Missy Carp was led out by a few stern faced and competent seeming guards She showed Randidly one last poignant glance filled with all the pickling spite that she couldn�t put into words Then she was gone and the rest of the media gave Randidly the side eye Resisting the urge to roll his eyes Randidly left next

Once he had gone the rest gladly followed

Quite on accident he caught a strange reverberation as he walked to a deserted portion of the building and opened a portal back to his volcano Randidly stiffened He felt Missy Carp move with competent violence several rooms below him She had been left alone in a cell with a special alloy pair of handcuffs that kept her bound in place Yet she moved her hands sharply ripping her way out of them with raw physical gifts

Randidly was honestly impressed he had no idea that she had put so much effort into honing her body It was a point of emphasis he appreciated But even as the metal warped and tore he crooked a finger and all his power moved with him

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 871

The courthouse around him shivered as his developed Skill and the powerful image behind it activated Within Missy�s small cell her failing physical bindings ceased solely being metal and became a portion of the First Tree�s root system A bough waved and the metal bowed in fealty Even while still in the act of being shed and dropped the metal bands screeched and curled back into place

Missy stood not even noticing the minute shift but then looked blankly down to find that after ripping her way out of the handcuffs the metal still somehow bound her hands In the hallway there was a flurry of movements and a sharp eyed enforcement officer opened the door and scanned the room for signs of change He immediately released a pulse of some Skill looking for any weakness in the walls Then he followed up with another Skill that Randidly sensed was designed to dispel illusions

Alana coughed lightly hoping they would take the hint

Z you know this isn�t about children The man waved his hand I�m the Prince of the Empire Considering the influx of new people and the difficulty in policing the archways if we could just find a little bit of stability at home

Yes so my life should live on your schedule Azriel observed in a humming tone She folded her arms So that I can fit prettily into the dream you�ve had of being the perfect prince for your whole life

What dream You are my whole dream you The lion headed prince began but then he bit back the rest of his words He released a slow breath Without saying anything further he pivoted on his heel and stalked away

Eventually Alana looked down from the massive pillar and broke the silence So You wanted to spar I didn�t know the Pantheon could participate

I know I�m not being fair to him Azriel sighed completely ignoring Alana�s actual question She shook her head sadly But these last three years living here with him managing the Paths and Classes of the people in this world I�ve changed Mostly due to him He has that powerful of an effect on me and I can�t have that around right now

And if I want to convince Randidly it�s worth going a little easier on the people of his Alpha Cosmos I need to regain some of my old bloodthirstiness Azriel�s eyes flashed I�ll need to be as deadly as ever But to answer your question yes let�s spar It�s been a while since I�ve held a spear so I want to work off the rust As for the other Pantheon I don�t think any will participate

Why not Alana asked

They consider themselves above it Or maybe its fairer to say they think it would be unethical if they admit they aren�t above it The two women began walking down the hallway Azriel led Alana into a side room filled with dust The ornate wooden furniture seemed to have grown fur hunkered down and hibernating Azriel went to a sliding closet door against the far wall and pulled it open From within she gently removed a jade box from the shelf and placed it on the floor

Azriel was reverent when she removed the lid and set it upon the ground The case was dark but the treasure was clear Within a long needle sat on velvet cushions In the dusty room it was streamlined perfection

how long has it been since you�ve touched a spear Alana found herself asking

Azriel laughed Three years obviously A different life since I left Tellus behind But just managing other people�s dreams won�t be enough I�ll need power to hop into this fun

Alana looked at Azriel for several seconds really studying her Even with my help if you haven�t touched a spear in three years do you truly expect to be able to succeed in the Alpha Cosmos tournament

Azriel bared a wicked smile as she lifted her silver spear If I want it enough there�s nothing that I cannot accomplish

You know I bet every starry eyed idiot out there is saying the same thing right now Alana observed But feeling the confidence rolling off Azriel�s shoulders she couldn�t help but think that maybe this woman was right about her chances

Chapter 1945

Mrs Hamilton and Donny sat at the top of the recently constructed observatory on the hill above Donnyton looking at the twinkling lights of the town below Behind them the glass dome of the observatory faded to a shadowy mound The sun had long since set leaving them only with the few electric and torch lights spaced out around the training areas situated periodically in the hills to keep luminance in their eyes

Tonight all the training areas were at full capacity The glare from the arenas was so bright that it was difficult to see the stars Mrs Hamilton had done some basic calculations Almost 40% of the population pushed themselves to their limits looking for any way to improve before the All Alpha Cosmos tournament

Donnyton was full of vigor and motivation eager to prove themselves still a dominant force in Expira after a disappointing showing at the prior tournament

There are two types of people who will attend this grand tournament Mrs Hamilton said She spoke to the stars hoping that she could change the way her instincts predicted the tournament would unfold The first is someone who truly wants to prove themselves They will come for the main fighting and throw everything they have into the contest to see where they rank amongst the whole of the Alpha Cosmos And the other group will come with more conflicting intentions They will participate in the tournament but only because they aim for the Ghosthound They wish to grasp at the peak player of Expira

I think Randidly can more than handle those desperate sort of pretenders Donny said If what he says about the power shift in the Nexus is true

No I don�t doubt that Mrs Hamilton shook her head Did you see Randidly when he sat at the beginning when he still had something else on his mind He anchored that whole television frame for several minutes with just his affect Before he released that tension I don�t think a single viewer at home could take a breath More than anything about Randidly himself I�m worried about Expira Because Randidly has done a great job protecting the planet from the truth about itself

What truth Donny reached into their snack bowl which was empty and grimaced

That at the end of the day we are small minded and ill equipped to compete with the dangers the Nexus throws our way Mrs Hamilton continued softly as she leaned back in her chair Monsters were fine Dungeons and Raid Bosses we eventually grew accustomed to Yet as soon as these smaller problems were addressed we found ways to turn back on each other As a planet we�ve displayed remarkably little empathy and understanding for our fellow people

Paradoxically the only way Randidly thought he could prevent us from sinking back to the grip of apathy that held most of pre System Earth was by allowing danger to continue to threaten the average person But without his appearance on Earth if we as a planet had been exposed to the true threat of the System we would have experienced a cataclysmic loss of life Our current prosperity is almost completely built upon the actions of a single man

So Donnyton still seemed confused

Mrs Hamilton�s expression twisted If we have eight champions go against Randidly in a fight and lose if we can even manage to have that many individuals compete meaningfully against Randidly from a group that includes all of the Alpha Cosmos that facade of competency will be ripped away People will be scared at how much they depend on others No one wants to be called out for clinging to someone�s coattails even if its true T/his chapter is updated by

Understanding flickered in Donny�s face That fear might become an extra lashing they will take out on refugees in Expira Or other marginalized groups

Mrs Hamilton nodded Right now the lights around the training centers burned with hope But she knew that wouldn�t last forever The reason they could continue with such determination was that none of them had been forced to acknowledge their genuine place in the hierarchy of the Alpha Cosmos Very rarely do fearful people react well to hard truths about themselves It�s easier just to blame someone else

But what can we do People already feel so Donny trailed off unsure of how to proceed

Because while the Aether in the surroundings seemed placid he sensed the immense depths that lurked beneath it The idyllic scene masked something if not sinister certainly artificial and full of guile

Coming from me the request will seem insincere Huang Shou spoke quietly barely a breath passing through his lips so Huang Li struggled to hear even with his powerful senses However to have the guardian of Zone 7 acting humble will hopefully move his heart This man is our greatest treasure a Zen master who has been instrumental in grounding this government�s legitimacy Without his support we would have crumbled into chaos So be respectful and mindful He is obviously extremely well mannered but he is sensitive

Huang Li nodded despite the fact this was the tenth time that Huang Shou had reiterated something similar It did make him realize a strange fact his adoptive father was nervous Not just a little nervous but extremely so

They arrived at a sliding bamboo door and Huang Shou opened it and gestured Huang Li to lead the way The young man did so unsure of what to expect He was perhaps slightly disappointed that what he saw was exactly what he would have expected from the description Huang Shou gave

An old man leaned over in the middle of a small courtyard deftly using his fingers to trim a few stray leaves from a gorgeous little bonsai tree But what really grabbed Huang Li�s attention was that in addition to almost ten picturesque little bonsais there was a larger tree in the middle of the courtyard with flames for leaves and that swayed back and forth in a slow dance

Well well The old man turned around with a knowing smile What possible reason could you important figures in our Zone 7 come to visit a retired old man like me

What No Nrorce scowled powerfully Why the hell would I want to participate in your stupid tournament My people may be idiotic enough to think they should participate and get their ears boxed in but I feel my age when I get out of bed Who has the energy for fighting

Randidly tried to suppress a smile but failed He busied himself with eating the zucchini hash that Nrorce fried up for him He used a fork to cut into one of the almost obscene large eggs that Nrorce now produced on his farm and mixed the honey colored yolk through the hash Nrorce watched his suspiciously sensing his cheer at his expense

Randidly coughed and shifted the subject Well that�s actually not all of the reason why I came here I want to talk to you about something

You do always need something when you come to see me Nrorce observed sourly Despite him seeming much more personable these days much of his moods and actions were flavored by a low grade constant bitterness What you want a loan Just a free meal Catering for your tournament Even if the paycheck is huge making that much food

I want to know if you�d be willing to teach someone to cook Randidly interceded before Nrorce got himself on a roll

The small blue goblin looked at Randidly with sharp eyes Oh so you want me to babysit some kitchen amateur I really don�t understand how you humans can consider yourselves adults when you can�t even cook yourself a solid meal

Not an adult He�s young Randidly successfully suppressed a grin this time Then he leaned forward knowing he had a hook to pull the goblin in But there is one reason why you�d be interested in this kid He has an ability that allows him to do what you attempted to do with your isolated farm on the fly He can strip away the added image in food products and leave them pristine

Nrorce opened his mouth and then closed it how well does it work

Chapter 1946

The Patron of the Sun sat with the Pantheon member Alta and watched her squirm slightly She still seemed to be constantly simmering at the edges The Patron had a great deal of respect for the woman after watching her handle most of the Ghosthound�s recent Paths Others had assisted but the heavy lifting had fallen on her shoulders She had sworn and raged the entire time but there was never a moment of doubt that she wouldn�t handle the work

Compared to the methods in the Nexus the Pantheon asked a lot more of its members

I�m honestly surprised none of you older Patrons want to participate in the tournament Alta eyed the Patron of the Sun with a speculative look Don�t you want to teach us the mistake of disrespecting you Demonstrate how age and your influence a thousand years ago makes you superior to all current fighters

There was something challenging in the woman�s tone which rankled against the Patron�s pride However he liked Alta He liked her unrelenting determination and her unwillingness to flinch before hard work Compared to some of the other more whimsical members of the Pantheon the woman was infinitely preferable Yes well we might have the only competent images in this entire Alpha Cosmos but I don�t know if our performance would be as dominant as you think

Still struggling against the environment in the Alpha Cosmos Alta tilted her head to the side

Pah you think I can�t overturn one little Alpha Cosmos The Patron of the Sun lifted his chin and snorted dismissively in spite of himself Then he eased himself back to the conversation Sure if Blooms Abyss Blades and I worked together we would probably have a much easier time fighting against the Ghosthound than anything this isolated space could manage However our growth has admittedly been stagnant

We are improving more now than at most other times because we spent so long locked away in the Sanctum with severe restrictions on the ability to manifest our images but you are correct that this comparatively Nether rich environment has been a challenge Combined with the weird Nether apparatus that is propagating across the Alpha Cosmos The Patron of the Sun trailed off Honestly he felt quite a bit of fear at how quickly some of the people he oversaw as part of the Pantheon were beginning to grow

What the Nexus did with Aether Randidly Ghosthound had begun to do with Nether The method was rough and simple but it helped Compared to the outside universe their growth speed would be almost doubled Obviously they were quite far behind and incredibly unrefined but that speed of improvement grabbed the attention And was the true reason that he didn�t want to participate

There is also the matter of us being foreign to this place The Patron of the Sun narrowed his eyes That is a weapon that the Ghosthound can use against us that would not be effective against anyone who had grown into their image here

You realize that I�m dead right Alta pointed to her chest If I participated and pissed him off he could just snuff me out Poof like blowing out a candle

Well at the very least The Patron of the Sun lifted his chin again We find respect in our duties Participating in this tournament seems to cross some lines

Just admit it if you are scared No one minds Alta snorted The Patron of the Sun scowled in response If Alta had been one of the ones participating he might have forgone the temperance urged by the Patron of Blades and thrown his hat in the ring just to make her eat her words

Zack Krum groaned and buried his face in his pillow hoping the insistent knocking at his door would go away If anything it quickened throbbing at just a high frequency the whole of his apartment seemed to hum with it

He cursed first building materials and then architects generally for creating such resonant objects His muscles tightened and spasmed as tension crept into his legs

Zack made a choking noise That is only some of his allowance

So are you in Allowaen asked She waved her hand and produced a sack with a dollar sign on it the fabric sagging against the heavy weight of metal currency I have done some research and I believe this is the most convenient method of transfer

Thousands of warriors hooted and raised their spears in a chaotic mass standing on the rolling hills south of the city What had previously been green rolling hills had been trampled down by so many feet into a muddy moor that left those that traversed its worst pits vaguely splattered and damp

So many had answered the spiritual call that sounded out five days ago making an impromptu pilgrimage with weapons in hand in burning hopes in their hearts And the leadership of Tellus had responded gathering a vast amount of officials to handle the event Their experienced warriors watched and judged pronouncing victor and defeated

After a brutal battle a hundred participants had been selected and now the crowd roared its approval as these chosen elites walked onto the top of the hill They went especially ballistic as the final figure walked out a well muscled young man with dark hair and a heavy spear The crowd clanged their own spears together until the air seemed to be humming with recently kissed metal

A tall imposing man took long strides to walk in front of the victorious selections He raised his hand and clenched his fist The waiting crowd fell silent He looked down his heavy nose at the gathered spear users and smiled Welcome Tellus One more time greet your champions

The crowd barely needed any encouragement Just the word greet� was enough to set off another wave of rhapsodic throat undulations Part of their screams was approval and pride but the other half was envy The crowd looked up red eyed and near mad with the fresh shame of their own losses and they screamed

They stood in the mud the powerful images of the victors still lingering in the air and screamed

The man raised his hand and made a fist squeezing the noise out of the air with the physical force of his image However this is a historic day for more than just participation in this off world tournament Because today we found something truly special amongst the participants Today we discovered that the powerful foundation of Tellus had not been lost Although we have not heard from Shal in far too long we discovered that the Spearman�s legacy was recently discovered Today we name a new Spearman a young man whose thrust can shatter expectations with its passage Everyone join me in greeting my grandson Illdan Thai

Illdan Illdan Illdan The sea of people roared and frothed at the mouth At the end of the line of victors the dark haired young man frowned down at the ground

The imposing man continued With this centerpiece of our history restored with the fonts of Aether opened on Tellus we have entered a new age The time has come for us to seize our rightful place in the history of the Nexus Prosperity through power

Power through push The crowd roared back Progress at any cost

Without power we were stagnant for so long Struggling to find our identity But no longer We�ve found it We�ve discovered Illdan Thai and he will reignite our destiny The imposing man swept his gaze out through the sea of raised spears and fists He smiled Let�s let them know that spear users from Tellus are not to be trifled with

Chapter 1947

Raymund Ballast�s eyes swept sideways along the line of recruits as they stood on the beach The constant drizzle and the lapping waves at the back of their heels made it sure they were dripping with moisture In the face of the inclement weather they stared stubbornly forward

However he felt immense dissatisfaction as he cleared his throat Now when the Ghosthound came to me to inquire about us I told him that the Vulpis Squad wouldn�t be interested in joining the All Alpha Cosmos Tournament That there would be no point in sharpening our edges against fighters that had so much less time to acclimate to images and weren�t professional soldiers but only enthusiastic amateurs However it�s come to my attention that certain members of our Squad

He glared at Charlotte Wick but the bear woman didn�t even blink

have gone behind my back made quite a case to Tatiana who has passed the word on to the Ghosthound And in his generosity he doesn�t care if we debase ourselves by humiliating those far beneath our power Still I don�t think it is quite appropriate for a professional special forces organization to run without limits Raymund Ballast folded his arms So I�ve made some rules First only four of the group will earn the right to participate Second the bracket will be adjusted so all four will need to fight each other before the round of 8 so only a single member of the Vulpis Squad will bear the shame Raymund�s lip curled up as he saw other soldiers whispering to each other in excitement for our foolishness For learning with their body the price of hubris

The eyes of the soldiers gleamed it was clear that his words were not getting through to them He glanced sideways at DiOrtho The ram demon shrugged and communicated nonverbally with only a soft crinkling at the corner of his eyes

Don�t you want a chance to take a shot at the Ghosthound

Raymund sent his message back with his pursed lips Do as you wish It�s your funeral

Randidly pressed his fingertips to his temples and wished he could utilize a bit of Claudette�s image Steam swam up from his neck and shoulders while heat waves danced above his short black hair Before he could continue with his training he had to make some adjustments

Randidly had obtained almost five hundred free Stats during his earlier blitzkrieg through his Paths which he now poured into Unnatural Capacity his Runic Rarity evolved Wisdom was critical to his new perspective altering Nether pursuits And hopefully increasing his Stats would help equip him to handle the strain of reworking his thought processes

Adding that many Stats at once carried with it a singular moment of explosive satisfaction as though a grainy filter had been pulled away from life and the truths of Nether laid bare and crisp before him His brain gradually cooled falling back below temperatures that would cook an egg Randidly grinned rolled his shoulders and then once more closed his eyes and dived down into that place where he examined the way Nether flowed

Five minutes later his headache returned and sweat dripped down off his brow He sighed slightly Well if it was easy everyone would be doing it I�m trying to understand the underpinnings of the world There is no easy answer

Despite the growing pains Randidly definitely had made great progress in his understanding of Nether over the past two weeks Small insights into the way the layered Nether affected each other led to small steps forward in the efficiency and construction of his Nether Rituals However the abrupt and catastrophic collapse of his Nether Systems when the wrong instincts kicked in at the wrong time continued to be a problem Randidly treated the shifts in perspective with immense care even as he experimented with other ways of viewing Nether but eliminating all possibilities of failure was maddeningly difficult

New intermittent bolts of black lightning crackled through the Nether storm above his island His organic systems became more sophisticated but the occasional grinding mistake in Nether flows meant that the tension over the island only grew more intense

Underneath these heavy clouds almost a thousand warriors continued their vigorous training

Randidly blinked The Nether Ritual wasn�t just rumbling what he heard and felt was a heartbeat

All he had to do was look Because once his attention sank into the Nether Ritual he felt the way it had shifted as it developed The core areas were still the same humming with significance that traveled back and forth between the various planets in the Alpha Cosmos In addition there was a larger framework that gave a sense of connection and transmission that some users could utilize to draw more information about the situation

Yet aside from that a new active portion of the Nether Ritual had come online and released a beating pulse through the world Randidly watched solemnly as significance was absorbed by these massive contractions The Nether spun and tightened pressurizing the gathered significance As he watched the Nether Ritualrefined the gathered energy into bits of Nether Weight

The Nether Ritual is responding to the spirit of the Alpha Cosmos It feels that so much significance is gathering for this tournament and of its own volition it now is attempting to generate a reward for the victor Randidly pressed his lips together Due to the vast amount of Nether being funneled into the tight space it was difficult to get an idea of how much effect this would actually have In the short time that Randidly watched the contractions it failed almost as often as it succeeded as the framework contracted and squeezed And its successes were just little glimmering grains of grey flames far from even a single point of Randidly�s Nether Weight

However at this rate a lot would accumulate and be given to the victor Randidly rubbed his chin considering how a 5% increase in abilities given by the world would affect the balance of power on Expira and the other planets

Pah Well probably not as much as if Sam makes an amazing weapon Randidly muttered to himself Then he grinned and looked to the Northeast Even now Sam was tirelessly hammering away at metal trying to finish all the requests that he had accepted in advance of the tournament Dozens of people wanted an advantage by obtaining a cutting edge weapon even if it mattered less than their own ability

Randidly produced his Philosopher�s Key and opened up a portal to Tatiana�s office As he had sensed she sat at her desk and tirelessly wrote down notes and checked on other communications She didn�t even look up from her papers as he walked over to the far cabinet and poured himself a drink Tomorrow is going to be a big day You don�t need to be present for the preliminaries but it would be helpful if you didn�t cause any large scale disturbances

Randidly waved his hand dismissively

Tatiana sighed Okay let�s not beat around the bush I have my Skill so I know that you are here for a reason What do you want

Randidly sipped the drink and then grimaced he had no idea why Tatiana adored the peat tasting specialty whiskey that came out of Donnyton He set the glass mouth and opened his mouth to say he had no idea what she was talking about but suddenly he knew why he had come here His shoulders slumped somewhat Am I doing the right thing

Tatiana looked at him without judgment for several seconds Some part of Randidly wanted to add a bit more specificity to the ask because even to him he sounded vague Yet he couldn�t Certainly a portion of this question came from the details of Missy Carp�s trial percolating in him while he engaged in intensive training But it was so much more than that

He had made a lot of mistakes He had let thousands die when he could have protected them He had followed a whim to create this massive Nether Ritual which now began to evolve in ways that bewildered him He because a passive presence in the Alpha Cosmos where he grew without him even taking a step forward He felt curiously disassociated from himself

Well no Tatiana cleared her throat But you are human and you�ve been consistent You reflect on your mistakes That�s all we can ask of anybody

Randidly almost snorted to be called a human but decided not to point out the error Despite the accuracy it felt nice to hear After staring at the amber liquid for a while longer he looked up and smiled at Tatiana So tomorrow

Tomorrow Tatiana took their conversation shift in stride answering with a long groan My work gets that much harder Tomorrow the preliminaries begin The greatest warriors from other worlds will begin pouring into Expira God help us all

Chapter 1948

Raymund Ballast felt embarrassed but he kept himself from rubbing his perky ears to ease his nerves The two stood on one of the newly erected buildings on the final island situated on a deck overlooking the sea Tatiana slurped from her straw while she waited for him to speak perhaps it a bit unprofessional no I cannot in good conscious say that this act is anything but unprofessional However I worry that the Vulpis Squad won�t be able to provide unbiased officiating to the preliminary portions of the tournament

Oh that Tatiana waved her hand a dreamy smile on her face Her tongue flicked out and licked some pink ice from her lips Don�t worry about it The Order Ducis has the first week off as well all of us do Randidly has agreed to handle the preliminaries himself although obviously through intermediaries So just relax and enjoy yourself

Raymund frowned The thought of taking a vacation right now gave him a slight headache Abruptly he realized that Randidly Ghosthound might be rubbing off on him in more ways than just training methods Well who will be handling the minutia

Tatiana sat up from her lounge chair and pointed along the curve of the beach Raymund moved to the railing and looked out

What he saw was a parade of murderous and sulfurous hellspawn lounging and chatting with one another A figure with sparks jumping from the corner of his eyes sat atop a veritable war fortress of spikes and armored plates that left massive hoof prints in the sand as it ambled forward Another cracked a whip of bone riding atop a chittering spider with venom leaking enthusiastically from its fangs Some weird variation on the Ghosthound�s Lancer transformed into a massive freight train led by a powerful looking slug mount but with progressively smaller and spikier shells in a long line

Apparently they wish to test themselves in their social interactions With Randidly�s help what could go wrong Tatiana said breezily and took another sip of her drink At this moment it occurred to Raymund that the orchestrator of this entire event might be slightly tipsy

And that she was doing it purposefully to avoid worrying too much

Illdan Thai stood with his back straight and his chin raised as the strange hellish creature that had flown in on a massive eagle explained the rules of the competition The rules were relatively simple A dice would be rolled to determine starting distance between competitors either five twenty or fifty meters Touching the ground outside of the ring area was considered a forfeit Hurting an opponent after they conceded would result in your participation in the tournament being revoked Each individual would fight in fifty matches over the next four days At the end of that time the top third of participants would proceed to the main tournament

It was a brutal schedule one which the fighters of Tellus would approach with bloodthirsty grins

Despite himself Illdan felt a tickling along his ribs Feeling the obvious power of the ghastly official he felt genuine anticipation for the competition The individuals chosen to run this preliminary were strong And hopefully the competitors would be strong enough that maybe Illdan would be able to let loose and test his own limits

They were situated in a small series of four stages next to high cliffs above the ocean The water compared to that of Tellus was so incredibly blue here that it almost looked like the sky had taken the day off and laid across the horizon in restful slumber The smell of sweat metal and blood was thick but not as suffocating as a true battlefield All of the Tellus hundred had come here but they were dwarfed by the rest of the crowd Humans ogres frogpeople lizardpeople strange plant beings and warped monsters the turnout was enormous

At this preliminary which was one of twenty

Illdan looked around trying to keep his gaze less direct than the sneering gazes of most of his fellow warriors from Tellus Despite the few powerful individuals most were weak But it was admirable that so many sought to achieve glory in the tournament

The Lancer folded its arms and spoke in a growling voice For now amuse yourselves The first matches will be up in an hour

Illdan winced very aware of a group of three young women essentially gawking at him and whispering to each other behind their hands He could hear them wondering if he was some sort of model I don�t think it is my talent that captures their attention

The scrutiny only grew more intense as more time passed and word of Illdan�s decisive victory spread to the other arenas The Tellus contingent hadn�t paid attention much to the ancillary facilities besides noting the area which offered food and baths but soon they were a constant presence in the betting facilities where Illdan had shot ahead to be the most favored contestant to make it to the final tournament

If empathy couldn�t get them to coexist with Expirans having their egos stroked might be able to bridge the gap

It was a relief when Illdan�s next match rolled around The whispers and attention were really getting under his skin Stepping up onto the stage felt like moving to a different world The air there was cool and he could focus This time his opponent was a girl with baggy clothes and thick glasses Her messy blonde hair curled around her jaw as she rubbed her hands nervously and looked at him The official rolled a dice and five meters came up

Illdan almost felt bad for the girl who didn�t seem to be using a weapon He assumed a fighting stance and waited for the start signal Aim to impact her skull with enough force to stun her Then toss her outside the arena

Progress should not be pursued at any cost

When the signal came he accelerated forward once again However this girl at least had some Skills she stomped her foot her blonde hair fluttering and released some sort of image pulse The distance between them was short so Illdan responded by unleashing a rumbling thrust with some of his inner ferocity The ghost of a massive spear hummed through the air

To Illdan�s surprise his attack passed through the ripple without any notifiable effect Just as Illdan began to frown the girl�s image activated and kicked up from the ground The effect wasn�t painful but he was essentially bounced up a small distance from the arena The girl thrust a palm forward and unleashed a blast of air

Her movements were snappy she might even have a similar amount of Stats to him

Of course he shouldn�t have been handled so easily But in that moment of confusion too much useless information filled his mind The stress of being watched the feeling of being on Expira the vague fear he felt toward his increasingly extreme Tellus warriors

His instincts got tangled up in that important moment By the time he blinked back to wakefulness he stretched his feet down and got only a scraping drag along the edge of the arena before he was sent tumbling off the platform His twisting legs caught on a crack and the ground and he slammed face first to the dirt

The pain more than anything finally cleared his head He sat up dazed and shaken As he pushed himself up and rolled over Illdan couldn�t help but notice how silent the surroundings had become

A squeal broke the silence Oh Oh not your face I�m so sorry Are you alright

Illdan watched with a detached sort of horror as the blonde girl scurried to the edge of the platform and hopped down next to him She seemed young probably still a teenager and pressed her glasses back into place with her thumb as she fretfully hovered above him But when she did adjust the glasses some of the glare from the sun went away and he saw how blueberry blue her eyes were

You beat me Illdan felt himself deflating like a balloon

But the girl�s shy smile the crinkling at the corner of those eyes breathed life back into him Well I cheated a tiny bit I looked up your first match before we fought If I know you are charging straight forward to finish it quickly even someone like me can plan around that It�s tough being the favorite isn�t it

Chapter 1949

You can do it Illdan A young woman held her hands to her mouth as she screamed while next to her a burly Tellus warrior frothed at the mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs Crush them For glory For Tellus

Apparently no one else saw the painfully juxtaposed composition of the cheering section but Illdan He pushed that fact out of his mind and turned to his third match the sting of the second�s failure still hanging in his mind He did his best to push all those dangerous stresses away and sank into those deep impressions that Illdan had stumbled across in the ruins where the Second Calamity had finally ended on Tellus

Behind him a shadowy form stirred

The judge rolled the dice and the middle distance was selected The two competitors took their place Illdan opposite an older woman with flinty eyes He sucked in a breath and held it deep in his chest The images that his grandfather recommended he hold in reserve for the tournament itself stretched and seeped out of his skin There was no point in hiding his potential here not when there were others going wild and improving

Not when he needed to make sure he could control this image in actual battle

Illdan suspected that even if he hadn�t lost in such an anticlimactic way he would have struggled against the girl with bright blue eyes But it was the wake up call that he needed From now on no more leaving anything to chance He released the long held breath and felt the tension leave his body

Smoke escaped his lips and the amorphous figure of a phantom flexed its hands behind him

Illdan�s opponent deployed a hundred illusions beguiling him while striking at Illdan from the side with long range Skills However while visions might be convincing breath didn�t lie Illdan eventually followed the trace of his opponent�s breath and landed a sharp thrust into the woman�s thigh Blood bloomed seemingly from nowhere Soon the haggard form of the woman followed raising her hands and conceding

The cheering section erupted with his victory as though it completely redeemed him in their eyes A single victory was enough for the people of Expira to forget his prior match

As he hopped off the arena a young girl leaned against the edge of the stands and looked dreamily at him Those cheekbones

His senses still burning from the strange Skill he had uncovered in the ruins Illdan went back to the preparation area as fast as he could And of course Daemont was there waiting for him amongst a group of Tellus warriors a sour expression on his face A single victory in his mind just paused his continuing reprimand I believe we agreed that you would hide your greatest weapons until the actual tournament Especially after a loss now is not the time for hubris

Daemont Illdan growled his edges still sharp from the battle Plus he had dealt with enough This nagging did not help him I appreciate your council But I am the reborn Spearman And this is my decision The combat experience will be useful Don�t question me again

Daemont pursed his lips but simply nodded Illdan reflected that there were some benefits to the strange fabrication his grandfather wove But as he turned away his eyes caught on Clayvo�s frustrated expression as his father looked at the ground Illdan�s breath caught but he kept turning He walked away heading to get some food

There were also complications to having power Nothing was ever easy

Illdan fought four more matches that day each finishing faster than the last As he had observed when he first arrived most of the applicants didn�t have any serious chance of grasping victory They participated to improve themselves and make the process more onerous for those with true talent But he took each fight seriously releasing his signature image and familiarizing himself with it

One more event of note happened on the first day A particular human had beaten one of the weaker members of Tellus in a close match earlier in the day When one of the more powerful Tellus fighters faced that individual next they had ignored the gasped surrender and unleashed one last thrust Not to kill but to maim and inflict pain for the dishonor suffered by the other Tellite Low and with the spearhead vertical into the side of the ribs

Aiming to crunch and puncture

Almost at the same time both settled into more normal posture Illdan loosened his aggressive stance and the girl straightened and adjusted her glasses with her thumb She smiled awkwardly at him I suppose that�s what I get for trying to catch you by surprise You looked so serious after our match I just thought I could

Is that why you are here Illdan felt a flush creeping into his cheeks the longer he looked at the girl Anger seemed easier than thinking about why she agitated him so He sounded like the worst of Tellus� harsh older generation but he couldn�t stop the words from passing through his lips To trash talk your defeated opponent

Oh of course not I want to encourage you The girl reached out and tentatively patted Illdan�s shoulder She used her palm and kept her fingers extended making the display extra wooden She cleared her throat and hurriedly continued I�m umm well relatively strong And I�ve seen you defeat so many other opponents So vigorous I saw you brooding up here and just wanted to check on you

I�m not brooding Illdan lifted his chin

The girl waved her hands frantically in front of her face No of course you are not This is a good place for some private thoughts The smell of dead fish and the chilly wind and all that Very nice and secluded

There was another awkward pause The two looked at anything but each other Illdan wondered what Daemont would say if he stomped up the slope to the cliffs and saw the two of them standing opposite one another Would the old man sneak attack the girl from behind How well would she respond

How strong was she

So the girl said reaching up and twirling a strand of her hair through her fingers

Illdan was bewildered and nervous Was there something else

Oh Oh I guess not I�m disturbing you aren�t I Jeez I�m so sorry I�ll give you more time alone The girl wiped her hands on her pants and then offered the same palm she had patted him with earlier I�m Beatrice Let�s let�s meet again in the final tournament yes Our first fight wasn�t really fair

Illdan nodded slowly and reached out to touch Beatrice�s hand It was very very warm And vaguely damp Illdan couldn�t help but wonder how damp it had been before she had rubbed it on her pants Yes I would like the chance to redeem myself in your eyes It was a shameful display

Beatrice blushed They were still holding hands You weren�t shameful at all Even falling onto the ground you looked very cool

My face was covered in dirt Illdan�s lips twitched But I appreciate it And I am glad that I came to the tournament The quality of foes here is much higher than I anticipated

Yea you Spear world people are pretty full of yourselves aren�t ya The girl grinned and then winked She blushed and her smile was fragile afterward but she didn�t break eye contact will Illdan You shouldn�t underestimate other people Who knows when you might meet someone who might change your life

Or end it Illdan said solemnly glad to be back on ground he understood

Beatrice just looked at him for several seconds Oh Well that�s possible too Um I�m going Have a good day Well night

She sprinted down the hill away from him Illdan raised his still slightly damp palm and rubbed it against his chest Expira certainly housed some interesting characters

Chapter 1950

Hydie Mordath�s lips twitched A vein throbbed in her temple She considered her words carefully Oh So you all were here just enjoying the view

Three vaguely smiling faces turned to her Tatiana sat in the middle a veritable glass menagerie of empty cocktails on the low tables around her The installation was a testament to the time she had spent here and the determination with which she ran away from sobriety Raymund Ballast sat to her left reclining in a chair and holding a heavy looking green bottle of alcohol next to him At the very least his eyes looked alert Commissioner Arrietti sat on the right holding a half finished sudoku puzzle

Weirdly Arrietti looked the worst red eyed and strained Apparently the puzzle wasn�t going well

We are on a vacation Raymund Ballast She watched him raise a hand to cover up a large burp

A well needed break from the mundanities of leadership Arrietti spoke through gritted teeth He set his book down on the table but knocked against a few of Tatiana�s discarded glasses With Hydie�s aura of misfortune a half dozen tumbled off the table and shattered on the ground

Tatiana squinted at the broken shards and then waved a hand The shard sprung into the air whirling up and melting until they formed one giant glass about the size of a laundry basket All four of them looked at it for several seconds Tatiana blinked Hum that�s quite strange That should have just remade the broken glasses

Hydie cleared her throat Anyway I just wanted to give the report regarding the preliminaries to the tournament Most are now on their final days with most of the participants having been finalized Despite our preparations we aren�t cutting enough participants our goal is 8 192 and we are projecting the final tally to be a little over twelve thousand We don�t want to change the preliminary rules so Naffur has suggested we just add another secondary preliminary round Endurance in the presence of Nether as the method of differentiation to eliminate the remainder

Sure sure Tatiana yawned Then she rapped a knuckle against the massive glass testing its structural integrity

What an idea Commissioner Arrietti chimed in clearly trying to sound like he was listening while his attention wandered back down to the puzzle in his hand He stuck out his tongue in concentration

Hydie felt a headache building She wished that reliable bastard Moss hadn�t also taken the bait and agreed to the vacation Probably right this moment he and his new wife were boning each other�s brains out in a hotel room Meanwhile Hydie had to deal with the mess that no one else seemed to want to manage

Of course she felt a great deal of empathy for Tatiana after this experience The woman was a saint for cleaning up the small messes that Randidly�s wild actions made But at the moment it was a cold comfort

Right now it was Hydie�s turn Because Naffur was handling the final preparations for the tournament itself

She cleared her throat again The only other issue is the complaints about the actions of some of the Ghosthound�s Lancers So far reports of nineteen instances of violence have emerged Most of them center around a few troublesome preliminaries but already news stations are questioning whether they summons should be given positions of responsibility

Honestly that�s lower than I was expecting Tatiana said before slurping the last of her drink out of her cup We are just lucky that the Ghosthound isn�t present He makes a certain sort of person crazy

Yea everyone who works for him Hydie grimaced

He moved quietly leaving the lights on as he switched on the screen He could sense Tatiana thoroughly enjoying her time off and knew she wouldn�t mind that he was staying abreast of current events His hands trembled with the humming swirl of his emotions as he clicked open a news feed and looked at the announcement As his eyes excavated the meaning he barred his teeth at the screen Did you think you could put it out during the tournament and I just wouldn�t notice

His eyes caught on a line near the bottom of the press release

The various governments of Expira are unwilling to apply a vague common law to a very specific situation

The rest of the article explained how even now other suits were being brought up in the various Zones Missy Carp would not escape punishment The author opined that this was a good thing Such a show of discretion on behalf of the world governments bodes well for the eventual creation of an actual worldwide set of agreed laws

However Randidly could only sit in that dark room and think about those children that Missy Carp had tortured until their Nether had degenerated to the point that they could weaken their own significance Of all the bodies that Missy Carp had bought and sold on the promise of gaining faster Skill Levels The bodies she had used to profit

Randidly stood abruptly His first impulse was to charge out and destroy something but he somehow sensed that wouldn�t make him feel better That would just stoke the flames of rage that whispered their way up through his bones and into his mind Motion would just strengthen the helplessness he felt

For a few seconds he considered paying Missy Carp a private visit But somehow he knew that would just bring her joy More joy still if he strangled her himself and she died a martyr to the tyranny of the Ghosthound

Yet he couldn�t help but find the prospect oddly tempting

He might have fumed for quite some time had not a communication come in to Randidly Not a message not some sort of emotional sense but a young child speaking to the cloud avatar Randidly had left

It�s not fair Mr Cloud Randy whispered to the night sky Randidly closed his eyes and his awareness ripped its way out of his anger and the darkness of Tatiana�s house He followed the whisper North and East traveling about eight hundred kilometers until he alighted on an orange ridge above a low basin filled with twinkling lights

Randy lay out on the stone looking up at the stars No matter how hard I work the goblin doesn�t like me I don�t think he likes anything about me even if he can cook really yummy food couldn�t you find a nicer teacher

Nearby the monkey that Randidly had blessed with intelligence twitched as it heard Randy�s words It fled fearing Randidly�s retribution But hearing a similar enough sense of helplessness from the child allowed him to take a deep breath He spoke in a rumbly voice more natural force than vocal cords Hard now Better later

How much later Randy sighed

Randidly couldn�t help but smile Hard then opportunity Difficult isn�t pointless

Randy continued to mutter and complain but Randidly�s attention flicked away Because suddenly he realized that while he couldn�t personally take action that didn�t mean he couldn�t use this outcome for his own gain In Tatiana�s house his eyes opened He looked down at the ground to the grand Nether Ritual churning out Nether Weight below him His grin stretched across his face

Then he went to Tatiana�s office in search of a notepad

Chapter 1951

Merrick felt his body trembling The sensations were distant traveling through his increasingly squeezed nerves to his brain One this was clear each moment was agony like sitting and watching as your family was flattened by a steamroller Except you were watching yourself pressurized until you popped Sweat clung to the tip of his nose itching his skin But the worst was the silence

The silence made the agony endless and final

A little over nine thousand individuals stood on the bobbing platforms Some stood with their hands clasped behind their backs some sat with their legs folded beneath them all with the same expression of concentration on their face The tournament participants here to cross the last threshold They had been allowed to choose whatever position they found the most comfortable but from there any sort of significant movement would be deemed a failure

This test had already stretched for five and a half hours The thick oily energy of the Ghosthound flickered merrily in the air crunching their psyches beneath its sheer force Images withered and recoiled beneath its pushy ministrations Merrick had anticipated a lot arguments over what constituted a significant movement by those disqualified and asked to leave the test However none he had not seen anyone argue

Not that he was in his most attentive state But from what he could tell all who gasped and collapsed were led away quietly with hollow expressions on their faces

After experiencing this hell for so long Merrick understood it Those who had given in to the force were almost happy to allowed to leave hiding their disappointment within their strained bodies and frazzled minds Perhaps they couldn�t even face the relief they felt

A relief the rest of them now dearly craved

Merrick allowed himself a small movement lifting his chin and hissing a breath out through his nose They were coming up on an hour mark which meant that the intensity of the Nether would be rising The trembling in his arms worsened as he considered the difficulty increasing once more

He felt chewed The aura of the Randidly Ghosthound just rolled them like a plump grape between their teeth ready to squeeze until juice leaked out between the ruptured skin

All at once the pressure vanished The sudden lack made Merrick collapse backward his head cracking against the wooden ground The clouds churned above briefly leaving him mesmerizing Then he began to sob realizing that what he just did definitely counted as a significant movement and some part of him felt a deep sense of relief

Congratulations all those who are still here Naffur Suite the leader of the Order Ducis and the public face of Randidly Ghosthound�s influence over Expira boomed his voice over all the panting individuals a balm on their hot skin He stood with his hands behind his back his eyes playful You�ve made it You are in the final 8 192 And so welcome to Tournament Island

Merrick pushed himself off the ground one of the 90% of participants that looked like they had spent the night kneeling in front of a toilet with a stomach bug rather than just waiting for their opportunity to prove themselves They rose unsteadily looking at Naffur�s serious expression Something broke in Merrick�s heart His eyes began to gleam and blinked away tears

He had made it Despite how many powerful fighters turned out of the woodwork for this tournament he had been selected It was definitely a step down from being victorious last year but

Merrick said that he needed to let loose as well Somewhere between five and twelve shots of specially brewed liquor later the two were arm in arm and swaying as they left the bar to find somewhere else to drink They passed by a bowling alley and an outdoor volleyball court where an octopus played along against a group of humans

The duo was overtaken by a group of bobbing frogpeople heady with excitement Trailing in their wake they went into a homey pub with a roaring fire crammed into one side of the establishment Their beer came in mugs and while they cheers and threw back their drinks a solo arrival came into the building

Lucifer the powerful poster child of Franksburg sidle up to the bar next to them and inclined his head Charlotte Glad to see you are getting off of that rainy island

The bearwoman made a sour face Merrick swayed side to side unable to believe that Lucifer the intense man with long hair and a Skill named after him had come over to their group to join Lucifer cleared his throat I actually had another reason for looking for you As I�m sure you know I�m recently married I�d like to surprise my wife with a portrait of us drawn by you I�ve brought some photos

I don�t draw much anymore The bearwoman apparently Charlotte said Merrick wondered if she had introduced herself and he had forgotten or whether it just hadn�t come up during their drinking

Lucifer�s hands were large and he tapped his finger evenly against the bar Despite the noise of the rest of the patrons those finger taps seemed to resonate with Merrick�s chest Maybe so Well I just thought I�d ask If you change your mind let me know I hope you enjoy your night

Afterward Charlotte�s mood turned bleak They took several more shots but the magic had been lost Merrick cleared his throat trying to sound mature Is everything alright

She simply shook her head Very soon after she left leaving Merrick to find his way on his own He wandered out of the quaint place drawn by thumping bass and bright lights to the place at the end of the street called Moondust Purple spotlights shone up on billowing gossamer banners the light rippling with the fabric in the night wind Once inside Merrick was hit by sound and the smell of sweat all at once sometimes it was a negative to have their empowered senses He squeezed through the press of dancing bodies some of that tension coming loose as he saw a dozen individuals dancing at such fast speeds that their bodies blurred

For an indeterminate amount of time he joined them flailing and screaming along with the latest Raina hit song The lights pulsed in different colors and someone was projecting images of waves crashing through the club Everything rushed around sloshing in the enclosed space Merrick didn�t need to breathe didn�t need to think Motion carried his entire existence He was image personified all body and emotion in a surging sea of the same

Eventually even the powerful brewers out of Donnyton couldn�t keep his senses blurred He came back to himself slick with sweat and with a fast disappearing headache Coughing he pushed his way off the dancefloor and found a balcony

There he found a young man standing and staring off the high ledge toward the other glittering establishments along the street At the same time as he walked out and stopped the young man looked up Their eyes met There was a sort of defensive guardedness in his eyes that Merrick found very appealing The young man had his spear leaning against the railing out of any storage device which revealed he was one of the people from Tellus

Hello Merrick managed

Greetings the young man returned

Merrick tilted his head to the side would you like to do some shots

Chapter 1952

Illdan felt quite good The night stretched around him in every direction full of possibilities

He looked over at Merrick and grinned His companion was now trying to make a tower out of all of their empty shot glasses They had left the relatively noisy Moondust and proceeded further down the road until they arrived at a cabana right on the beach Now they sat underneath a rooftop of dried palm fronds and sipped from cups with fruit adorning the rim between the shots that had become a stable of their interactions Everything had a pleasant warm rind that made Illdan release the subconscious clenching of his stomach that he hadn�t even noticed start

But now with a new best friend with his presence in the tournament locked down

I feel great Illdan hit his fist against the low wooden table It made a satisfying noise He felt the air and floor hum in agreement

Merrick nodded cheerily a similar smile of contentment stretched across his face Too true Can�t let loose like this too often but sometimes nothing hits the spot like the right sort of alcohol and some good company

Illdan swayed slightly Through the pleasant haze his forehead pinched A word lodged in his mind that he hadn�t expected alcohol What does alcohol have to do with it I�ve never actually had alcohol before but I thought that our Stats are too high for alcohol to affect us Vitality burns it off before you can feel anything We are invincible

You�ve never had alcohol before Something flickered in Merrick�s expression Illdan�s new friend looked at the table covered in empty glasses He cleared his throat awkwardly and rolled his jaw for several seconds Well yes alcohol can�t actually affect us But the intoxicating agent in modern alcohol isn�t actual alcoholic compounds but Skill Levels from brewers Its like being under the influence of a low grade illusion or briefly hosting a foreign image Made easier by the fact that people drink alcohol knowing what they are doing So yeah

Oh Illdan�s head spun as he tried to make sense of this information Some of the glitter of the night flaked away and left him feeling raw and strangely nervous But before his thoughts could spin too much out of control two individuals pushed their way through the purely symbolic doors of the breezy establishment Illdan tilted his head to the side Because while one was an athletic seeming young man with red hair the other was one of the servant class metal beings that handled the serving on the island

Next to Illdan Merrick raised a hand The young man�s expression brightened and the two new arrivals hurried over Merrick stood and offered a hand Krum you slippery bastard you made it into the tournament

Not going to let you walk away with another easy victory The man teased Then he slapped the brass humanoid beside him I�m not sure if you have met but this is Zeta one of my best friends Its having a bit of girl trouble so I figured we would try drinking

I do not possess the proper organic tubes to be affected by alcohol Zeta muttered but it allowed itself to be guided to a seat while Krum raised a hand and gestured for another one of the Brass Automatons to hurry over

As I was telling my companion Merrick sat back down and reached over to squeeze Illdan�s shoulder Most of the intoxication doesn�t come from the alcohol but Skills from the brewer Since you possess well intelligence and free will and a soul it should theoretically affect you in the same way Do you have places to pour liquids That�s really all you need

Technically yes but usually they are only used to store dangerous materials Zeta hummed The other brass automaton arrived and released a quick series of clicks that Zeta returned After a short bow the servant departed

Krum�s gaze swiveled to Illdan His eyes were intense and honest You You are pretty strong aren�t you Just being near you is enough to tell And one of the Tellites where the Ghosthound went to train for quite a while

Oh Illdan felt heat come to his cheeks Once more the light around them became glimmery and reassuring The happiness flowed back through his body The world pulsed with pleasant pride Yes thank you You seem powerful as well I hope we can both do well in the tournament But did you say you were having girl trouble I have had trouble with a girl as well

And if we face one another Zeta tilted his head to the side

Krum nodded righteously We kick the shit out of one another We have this bond which demands we give each other the respect of our full capabilities

Illdan�s eyes brightened Truly he got along well with these individuals The night began to accelerate between shouts and shots and the whirl of moving to other bars For the next two days the four were inseparable

However those two days quickly came to an end Media arrived on the island and the participants settled either in their personal dwellings or in the training area in order to avoid undue attention Illdan sat at the window of Krum�s room and felt more and more people pouring into the island either to support or watch

There are so many people on Expira Illdan muttered

Zeta looked up from a small piece of embroidery that it had been working on lately Indeed This is a very special tournament All of the Alpha Cosmos has been invited to participate In addition the Ghosthound will be overseeing it personally and challenging the top eight How could the world not want to be here

Is everyone ready Krum asked It�s almost time

The four nodded As a group Illdan Merrick Zeta and Krum moved out into the hall and walked down to the street They joined other participants some moving in jovial groups while others walked alone their eyes sharp and directly forward Today was the day of the opening ceremonies which was why the crowds surged into the island

But for the participants the day was even more important today was the day that the tournament bracket would be revealed

Before they even arrived noise welcomed them Shouts and screams and hooting laughter the sheer mass of people waiting in the stands announced itself from half the island away They walked into the massive arenas their names checked off lists by automatons before they were allowed to proceed Groups of audience members held back shouted to get their attention When that didn�t work they slapped their hands against the metal dividers

Some of that clenching came back to Illdan�s stomach as they proceeded into the arena When they moved out of the tunnels into the open arena the noise was worse

But waiting there on a giant board was the tournament bracket

Illdan quickly located his name and found that his opponent was some being from one of the Nemesai worlds But very quickly his attention was pulled sideways by Merrick�s sharp intake of breath Shit

Illdan switched his gaze and find Merrick�s And there opposite his new friend was a very recognizable foe

Wivanya

Chapter 1953

Sound and heat warped the air Breathing felt impossible

The stage seemed enormous even as Merrick raised his chin and stared into the sapphire eyes of the massive Frost Dragon Broodmother that he would be fighting in his first match Despite his inner resentment for the dragons he couldn�t deny that the cooling effect of Wivanya was a blessing it kept him focused away from the roaring distraction around them

Their face off was midway through the first day so Merrick had carefully studied a hundred other pairings where one individual was defeated and the other ascended to the next round His heart teetered between hope and horror his power definitely earned him a spot in this tournament He had seen individuals he estimated weaker than him win but he had also seen stronger individuals lose

Merrick tried to stay positive He saw his Path forward with the utmost clarity For this tournament thirteen victories would carry you through Ten would earn you a ticket to fight against the Ghosthound In his heart he decided he would be happy if he won only eight times

All I need to do is start with one Merrick pressed his eyes tightly shut trying to ignore the roar of the crowd It buzzed at his skin The rest will follow And I�ve been training for this for being able to overcome frost dragon�s even if its the most powerful version of this monster

Begin The Ghosthound sitting on a comfortable leather chair on the far side of the arena waved his hand Blessedly his voice cut through the crowd leaving the two combatants with only each other

Instantly a pulse of chilling frost burst from Wivanya Her tail flicked sideways and a scything blast of frigid air hit Merrick in the face She shifted her bulk but lazily like a cat stretching in the sunlight He settled into a fighting stance breathing and listening to his pounding heart accelerate His muscles coiled ready for action His eyes narrowed

He planted his foot and charged forward Wivanya raised her head and unleashed a belch that became a comet of ice howling across the arena and leaving flurries of snow in its wake He shifted sideways quick and graceful as a loping cheetah but the projectile hit the ground and erupted in shards of jagged chill The impact force knocked Merrick off his feet sending him skittering across the suddenly slippery floor

But the worst was the cold It wasn�t just temperature but her image Where Wivanya walked the chill followed

The shock of his cheek slamming against the hard and frosted ground woke up Merrick�s fury He had won the previous tournament He deserved better than fighting against such an impossible foe in the first round With self righteous fury igniting through every muscle fiber he slapped his palms to the ground and tossed himself back to his feet His image of the sort of dominant warrior he wanted to become surged His movements became sharper more violent

Merrick made a beeline toward Wivanya power condensing in his fists He threw himself in the air moving so fast that he almost couldn�t control his momentum He saw the massive pupils of his draconic foe dilate as she struggled to track him Wivanya leaned back and brought a claw swipe to meet him The limb was as long and thick as the trunk of an oak tree The juxtaposition of size was almost laughable Yet Merrick just gritted his teeth Claw met image strengthened fist

Merrick felt his knuckles crack the force sundering the small bones of his hand wrist in a spike of pain But his eyes flashed with triumph their attacks had equal force Wivanya�s scratch was stalled as well He tumbled awkwardly mid air gathering his image for another strike

He didn�t even see the tail coming One moment he was floating the neck blood leaked from his lips and he bounced off the reinforced arena floor He collapsed in a heap his chest on fire his ribs shattered barely able to breathe The chill seeped inside of him impossible to escape His heart fluttered and struggled

His eyes bulged as the chill spread and the rest of his muscles seized Despite his hands somehow becoming numb he scrabbled at the ground trying to push himself back up to his feet This it can�t end like this I need to prove myself I can overcome bad luck with the matching If the Ghosthound got struck down like this he would never just give up

Merrick clenched a fist squeezing the sun warmed grass His head spun Yet something in the Ghosthound�s tone made him realize something else He forced himself to relax You you are doing this with everyone Or all of the losers Meeting them in a dream like this How why would you do that

Suddenly the Ghosthound�s face sharpened into a wolfish grin Because I�m the most powerful man in the Alpha Cosmos Who else could manage this

He blazed with those words in a way that made Merrick unable to look away He could see them hovering behind the Ghosthound his rumored trifecta of images A vast tree adorned with emerald leaves and golden runes across the trunk A humanoid being sharpened and honed beyond humanity all claws and burning eyes and two flicking tails watching Merrick with enough intensity to strangle him with pressure And then the vast maw of darkness the hungry thing that devoured a portion of Expira�s PP to keep them all safe

Beneath that in the ground Merrick sensed a maelstrom of Nether a heavy natural phenomenon with enough current to sweep him away if he stepped too close to this powerful being He felt as small and rustling as a dried leave before a waterfall

But Merrick spoke only in a whisper Even his vocal cords were cowed by this direct visual of Randidly Ghosthound Why even if you are the strongest there�s no point in doing this Us losers

You wield the word loss against yourself to maim and hurt To punish yourself for not achieving the goal you wanted The Ghosthound softened again the specters of his images disappearing He released a long sigh looking very very human Albeit incredibly muscular and at ease in his own body I get it I really do I chose this place this hillside above the Hallat for a very specific reason I fought in a war here a war we were very close to losing That small cemetery used to be thirteen unmarked graves that I dug burying my friends Some of those graves are empty They died as we retreated and I just watched unable to do anything to stop it

Because both can be true I lost that day something precious and important The Ghosthound raised his hand and looked at his fingers And now here I�ve made the Alpha Cosmos and risen to a very impressive level of power I can be scarred by the first truth and proud of the second one I�ve come a long way its with that distance that I reassure myself Because it proves I can go even farther

As for why I would greet each of you individually it�s because I see you

The phrase I see you� plucked at some metaphysical guitar string that connected Merrick and the Ghosthound He stiffened as his inner world swirled with those words in an entirely different way than the Ghosthound�s words usually resonated This was personal

This was between just them

You struggle and exhaust yourself You push yourself to edge desperate to seize upon some scrap of proof that you matter that you have a positive influence on your surroundings and friends that you won�t simply fade away from memory Each word another note of percussion cracking open the deep and desperate fears in Merrick�s heart At that moment the Ghosthound�s eyes were dark and forest green For all that the Path I had to walk is brutal beyond imagining people needed something from me the entire way The threat of death kept me distracted from the gulf of meaninglessness

The Ghosthound straightened quick and graceful Then he came over and clapped Merrick on the shoulder You have lost But you are not weak Because you are going to go right back and train some more so you do better next time aren�t you

Merrick couldn�t respond because tears started streaming down his face He choked back a sob desperate not to break down before the strongest man in the Alpha Cosmos

But he was weak and broke quickly

Chapter 1954

You do not wish for a permanent weapon Sam raised his bushy eyebrows If the issue is the price

Azriel shrugged A weapon is always just a means to an end I only wish to make it into the top 8 and earn the right to face off against Randidly A tool that could carry me farther than that is somewhat meaningless to the current me I do not need it My fiance will only wait so long and I feel enough guilt for making him wait as much as he has

Sam hummed to himself sensing that there was something off about Azriel�s words but he didn�t press her Instead he studied the thin needle spear that she brought to his workshop He traced his fingers across the jagged fractures that ran through the item reducing it to a jigsaw puzzle of torn metal Honestly the destruction was a thing of beauty It was clear that the material hadn�t been able to handle Azriel�s thunderous image Her strike had defeated the opponent but also obliterated her weapon

Considering the quality of this spear creating a similar object that can handle your power will not be an easy thing Sam chewed on his lip A dozen materials crossed his mind but each would be insufficient Azriel�s affinity with moonlight made this a unique challenge Even if I rush the job

It doesn�t need to be strong enough to contain my image Azriel waved a hand in a casual dismissal In my next match I can more efficiently channel my energy There will be no more accidents

Just like that huh How many spears did it take you to manage that sort of control Sam raised an eyebrow

Azriel met his gaze without blinking or looking away A single spear This spear I think you�ll find that I can be the most excellent student especially when it concerns martial pursuits Many claim that I am uniquely blessed Despite my sabbatical from combat I am swiftly rounding into proper form

Sam grunted noncommittally Then he scratched the back of his head You are the customer If it just has to be a sturdy spear in this shape I can have it done quickly Definitely in time for your next match

Randidly felt more drained than he had in a long time at the end of the first week of the All Alpha Cosmos tournament He sat in a bathroom in his mansion on his island drifting above Kharon which was squatting next to the tournament island Moonlight spirits flitted in and out through the walls fleeing in mock terror from the Unborn Duo He rubbed the bridge of his nose It was the first moment in quite a while where he was out of the public eye and he sorely needed the downtime

First because he was present for all of the matches and the new Tatiana (recovered from her vacation of binge drinking and lounging) stressed that him appearing checked out of the matches was not a good thing

Second because he continued to refine his emotional affect in order to make use of his dwindling time in Expira The Patron of Feather�s condition continued to deteriorate making him wonder if this sprawling tournament would finish in time for him to complete this challenge Of course the further along they went the more efficient the rounds would be But now as they cut themselves down from 8 192 fighters to 4 096 the tournament was a sprawling thing with too many arms and details for the public to grapple effectively with it

Third everything was made worse by the massive attendance of Expira and elsewhere crammed into this island to cheer on their favorites and to see some of their heroes And in the meantime make so much noise that Randidly considered starting down a Visage of Obsession and hoping that his hearing was one of the first things to go

Randidly walked to the sink and splashed water on his face Fourth and most depressingly he had gotten the idiotic idea in his head to briefly convene with every defeated participant in the tournament

Tatiana snorted but did push herself off the bed and smooth her dress Randidly frowned trying to understand this sudden arrival Is there something you need I know that several of your people lose in the first round of the tournament but

No no this visit is not one of necessity Although I can understand why my sudden presence would be unnerving After you gave us free rein over our own worlds we didn�t feel much cause to interact with the broader Alpha Cosmos The Winged Serpent�s tongue flicked out Randidly felt its unease as it looked at him it still feared him Yet it had forced itself to come here After your call for a tournament pulled so much of the attention of our world�s population perhaps we will see this was a mistake However that�s neither here nor there I am here to say thank you For your kindness

Understanding bloomed in Randidly�s chest He felt oddly warm at the recognition You mean for talking for the participants from your world that lost

Not just my own but for all of the Nemesai worlds it is noted and appreciated We well maybe of our people have wondered about the treatment of them on Expira You gave each one time and attention It will not be forgotten If trouble comes know that our lot is tied to the Alpha Cosmos The Winged Serpent bowed its head Its scales gleamed in the light

It was vaguely reassuring but Randidly had previously been under the impression that the Nemesai had already agreed to help if anything went wrong He licked his lips and managed a thank you

Randidly left with Tatiana to proceed to the tournament putting the meeting out of his mind He had another few days of brooding above the fights sharpening his emotional edge This second round included quite a few more notable happenings Dinesh one of Donnyton�s early elite was defeated by a three headed ogre Kadir one of the strongest bodyguards around King Phirun collapsed against a young woman with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes

The crowd slowly found their favorites cheering violently when Alana Donal executed a single attack and forced an opponent to concede

At the end of the period the number of competitors was cut in half once again down to 2 048 Not a very small number at all but already one fourth of the warriors that had come to the Alpha Cosmos to prove themselves The great Nether Ritual within the core of Expira continued to churn making medals and ornaments out of the dreams left shattered in the arena

Again Randidly met the losers in the dream above the Hallat There were only half as many but he found these meetings to be even more difficult The emotions of each individual ran hotter and more violent they had tasted victory once and now their tongues soured to the truth about their capabilities He ended the last night exhausted and drained with even the Stillborn Phoenix warning him that he had absorbed too much

One thing he did note was the difference in power The first round had rid the tournament of all the individuals who were good fighters but hadn�t yet found their pure image In the second everyone had strong images but some were just better honed and polished than others

He slept again when he came back to his physical body waking to find his Nether humming with the pressure of the significance he absorbed He was close to a shift he sensed it With the exit interviews for the tournament he sensed he would make a new sort of breakthrough with his Nether

The next morning Randidly took a hot shower letting the water run off his back for almost ten minutes before he snapped back to wakefulness and yawned He knew that the third round would be even more difficult

But he also knew that he couldn�t be late for the start of the round Because the first confrontation would be a showdown from old Donnyton an arrangement he had made casually without thinking deeply about it But as the weaker people were sheared away stronger fighters would eventually encounter one another

The match was Tykes versus Glendel Raw powerful versus the Sovereign of Ghosts

Chapter 1955

Illdan disliked being part of the crowd almost as much as he suffered in front of it The group shuffled down the narrow aisles to their seats moving past groups excitedly talking with or at one another at demonstrably excessive levels of volume But Illdan couldn�t deny that the anticipation in the air was palpable this match felt different than those that had come previously While before the crowd had seemed content to whip themselves up into a frenzy for any fighter that put on a show this time it was acknowledged to be the first great face off

Now everyone could have opinions

As far as Illdan could tell these two were extremely famous across Expira Every member of the audience had an anecdote that explained how this fight would play out and was only too happy to loudly expound on their theories whether someone was listening or not

That had been in the days leading up to this match At the event itself everything buzzed with the infectious frenzy of a spectacle

It was a relief to finally plop down in their seats even if it now meant they were fair game for particularly opinionated individuals around them to target for conversation Illdan looked at Krum next to him and Zeta beyond him Merrick after his loss was too occupied with his intense training regimen to join them Illdan privately wondered whether his friend was actually training or still just recovering from the setback

He cleared his throat Neither of his companions looked at him anything less than a shout was meaningless in this environment Illdan raised his voice These two are powerful

Krum hesitated for a few seconds before nodding They can�t be considered the top warriors of Expira However they have stably been around the top warriors for a long time Training and interacting with them Took part in Dungeon hunting and the First Calamity Definitely we will see more images in this fight than we have in the other matches

Illdan nodded and faced forward He had noticed that while Expirans seemed to have endlessly varied inspiration for their images most of them lacked a cutting edge that could be wielded to deadly effect on a battlefield The spirit of this planet was still developing After his first match Illdan had used this fact to reassure himself that he would go far in the tournament For all Tellus� other drawbacks the images they created had been honed by violence and years of tradition They would not falter easily before these weed like varieties of images

But during the second match Illdan witnessed how much those ephemeral and recently created images grew in strength in just a short time Battle honed them to more usable tools And most of those images were then struck down by fighters that already possessed extremely solid images and hadn�t felt the need to reveal them early in the tournament

That was why Illdan had agreed to come and watch Because he hoped that these two being forced to clash against one another would finally reveal the depths of Expira�s power He could perhaps have a better gauge of his own chances to emerge victorious

Sir Spearman

Even through the babbled of voices in the surrounding crowd that call cut through and made Illdan flinch forward Zeta gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing by now his new friends understood the complex and unsaid dynamics he had with his people Illdan decided to ignore the shout raising his chin and hoping the voice was smoothed away by the other conversations

Sir Spearman Hope of Tellus

Of course this speaker wasn�t so easily dissuaded Sighing inwardly Illdan pivoted in his seat and looked behind him Five rows back three Tellus warriors sat amidst a group of strange frogpeople All three�s eyes brightened when they saw him They waved furiously and started chanting progress at any cost�

Submerged in the rest of the audience no one else even seemed to notice

The chimera began to walk slowly forward amongst its fellow ghosts More and more little grey flames sprang into being around its body Meanwhile the small spider began tossing out spectral webs in Tykes� path hemming in his methods of advancement They laid like unassuming rugs on the tiled ground but obviously they could not be underestimated

Tykes didn�t bother to change his vector walking straight toward the heavyset badger the eagle hovering above the long arms of the Kraken curling around and behind him No path of retreat remained open to him He beckoned and the iron ball rolled a few meters back to his hand He plucked it from the ground like it was made of wax paper

The muscular man planted his foot that image of strength so vast and overwhelming that even Illdan couldn�t help but have a grudging respect for him and then launched his iron ball up at a speed that shattered the sound barrier Before it could even flap a wing the eagle was spectral mush

The departure of the weapon finally added a horrifying grin to the elongated mouth of the chimera It lowered its shoulders and charged forward even as the Kraken began slamming its thick and rubbery tentacles against Tykes body With a grimace he stoically endured the blows staggering slightly from the first and wrapping his arm around the tentacle on the second Small cracks began to form beneath Tykes� feet the empowered arena unable to handle their confrontation

Even more than the physical force it was the rising presence of the two images that set Illdan�s teeth on edge Staring directly at the fighting felt uncomfortable like standing too close to a burning building A crown of blue green flame formed above Glendel�s head hiding a shadowy set of cheekbones drawn with the jagged edge of shattered glass and eyes that seethed with unending resentment for the living

Meanwhile Tykes radiated enough power to reach out and squeeze the world The iron ball rolling through the air hummed with that overwhelming strength

The muscles of Tykes� arms bulged as he gripped the massive tentacle dragging the Kraken several meters toward him The monster shrieked in rage and fear as Tykes raised his free hand and jerked his thumb downward Far above the metal orb reversed its direction and accelerated ripping a hole in the Kraken�s body and obliterating the rest with sheer velocity as it cratered into the stage

Tykes was still holding that tentacle when the chimera arrived next to him its finger ripping at his throat He jerked his head backward to avoid the strike and whipped the tentacle sideways to knock the chimera away A sharp slash from one of its long arms severed the weapon before it hit the remaining portion of the ghost�s body dispersing harmlessly

Then those small flames around its body exploded like little missile turrets buzzing and unpredictable small projectiles zipping out and slamming into Tykes body Despite his previous unflappable attitude he grimaced and took a step back before this onslaught Each time the small bits of energy landed on his body his skin around the impact point turned grey and began to dry and flake

With his small retreat his image of invulnerable strength rapidly lost momentum Glendel gestured again summoning two massive werewolves from the ground that loped forward to join the fray

The badger spear tackled Tykes aiming to apply even more pressure while he struggled Tykes flashed his teeth using his left shoulder to endure a slash from the chimera while he dropped the dissipating tentacle and used his right fist to deliver a downward strike to the badger�s thick forehead

As with his other strikes it left the ghost�s body pulped and helpless the body collapsed without a sound Yet even as it dissipated the chimera whipped its leg around and slashed with a gnarled toe across Tykes� face Illdan watched the stoic man�s eyeball rupture and burst pus and blood leaking down his face and dripping onto the stage

Tykes roared and lowered his shoulders He charged forward to try and grapple the chimera but it danced sideways into his blindspot He drew up and twisted around to seize upon the two loping werewolves Their claws opened gashes across Tykes� torso but he physically reached out grabbed their arms and legs and simply tore them to shreds Their muscular and skeletal structures were tissues before those large hands

In the process the chimera gathered more grey flames and Tykes stepped into one of the increasingly dense network of webs spread across the arena When he tried to take another step the web stretched for a second but held his foot fast to the ground He was forced to take another half second to rip his way out

Across the arena Glendel and Tykes eyes met Glendel�s long fingers beckoned and another two werewolves rose from the ground these taller meander and more dangerous looking than the previous group They raised their heads and howled before launching themselves forward to hunt their master�s enemy

Chapter 1956

Tykes tried to build up more momentum for his powerful image but the webs became an increasing problem The spider hadn�t stopped its frantic weaving since the start of the fight Illdan could understand the man�s plight He could force his way through but it would open himself up to attacks from the packs of werewolves Glendel now sent against him or make him vulnerable to strikes from the chimera already one of Tykes� ears had been cut off as it aimed to get rid of his other eye

The grey patches on Tykes� skin were growing larger as more and more of those flame projectiles landed on him It wasn�t that they weakened him per se but they slowed him down That unstoppable strength that Tykes exuded earlier in the fight was steadily being suppressed by the cruelty of the Sovereign of Ghosts

More than a duel this seemed like some elongated torture session

Tykes ripped his way out of more webs but the chimera cut off one of his fingers

He took several steps forward and strengthened his image but then had to stop as the spectral werewolves surrounded him and pounced from every direction He swayed to avoid the worst of the damage and his overwhelming hands tore them to shreds but he bled from more wounds The chimera summoned more flames as it watched the entire process eyes glittering

Tykes accelerated forward activating some Skill to force his way through several webs in quick succession but the spider paused its web making long enough to spit out a barbed projectile from its mouth The chimera allowed Tykes to bring a fist against its elbow and obliterate the joint to make sure that the attack embedded itself deep in his thigh

His next few steps were fine but then a noticeable limp emerged in his movements

This is a chess match A true battle between images Illdan�s expression was serious as he looked down at the arena He was very very glad he had bothered to come and watch These two didn�t quite possess the acuity of his own image but it was a close thing And both had experience fighting with their lives on the line Although they are ostensibly fighting they are also battling over the mental space in the arena They are arguing which is more powerful the strength of the sovereign or the strength of an individual

Each move is almost a demonstration an offered proof

Illdan spared a glance for the Ghosthound wondering what Alpha Cosmos� most powerful warrior thought of the conflict But although interest was present in the Ghosthound�s face Illdan could discern nothing else

The crowd roared drawing Illdan�s attention back to the battle Tykes ball shot forward at Glendel from where it had cracked the arena in its meteor like descent earlier Tykes must have realized the current situation wasn�t advantageous for him and decided to stop holding back Even now that ball amped up the image of strength giving it even more reach

But Glendel�s fingers just continued their fluid dance in response A carriage sized turtle blinked into existence between them twisting its body so the shell was angled toward the ball The impact shook the arena but the massive iron sphere was deflected sideways where it skidded a bit across the arena And even though the turtle coughed up blood its shell hadn�t shattered

It twisted its head and glared hatefully at Tykes

The chimera didn�t miss the opportunity thrusting its hand forward and drilling a small hole in the thick muscles around Tykes neck A little to the right and it would have plucked out his jugular

Finally Tykes� expression began to change His face warped in barely controlled fury But in the face of that anger the Sovereign�s image became even clearer Bright became its baleful crown It looked down on the struggling man with a determined distaste It�s stark features seemed almost offended by Tykes� continued attempts to resist its will

So Randidly sat looking out over the river letting all Glendel�s emotions be filtered through his dense significance He hoped that a better man would emerge on the other side One who appreciates the need for power but wouldn�t let it warp him into a monster of violence

Eventually Glendel shook his head Well there is a bigger problem I wanted to test myself sure but I didn�t hold much tenacity toward winning the tournament Realizing these things about myself and knowing how to improve are enough for the current me

Not very competitive Randidly tilted his head to the side It�s a bit late for me to tell you this but there will be some unique prizes for this tournament Prizes definitely worth your time

Glendel glanced sideways at Randidly quickly a hummingbird alighting to dip its beak in a flower then away It�s not that But just that I�m scared of you Randidly If I went up onto the stage to fight you again I don�t think I�d be able to manage it

Randidly paused unsure of what to say to that Inwardly he felt a new sort of exhaustion creeping through him

After speaking to the rest of the round�s losers Randidly went back to his house with a strained ache in his head Immediately after he arrived he paused the swirling movements of the moonlight sprites revealed that someone was present in his room someone that they liked quite a bit

He opened the door with a smile Neveah to what do I owe the honor

Neveah looked up as he entered poised as though she was sitting on a chair of the moonlight spirits At Randidly�s entrance they erupted revealing that she had been simply crouching in the air from the zooming way the spirits flew around the room they found this to be incredibly amusing

Neveah straightened and waved I had some news I wished to share with you And I thought it best that I deliver it as quickly as possible

Randidly�s stomach fell out of his ribcage Then the Patron of Feathers

No not that Neveah raised her hands She hopped several long steps forward and wrapped her arms around Randidly He blinked but then relaxed into her embrace marveling in her Skill with illusions that all he felt was a slender humanoid Then she leaned back and gave him a wry smile Also partially to thank you Not only is the news mostly good but you are entirely responsible for it

When Randidly quirked an eyebrow up Neveah continued The Nemesai They came over to my home a few days ago with several volumes� worth of Engraving research that they had possessed Not of the modern Engraving methods as you know they don�t match Yystrix�s work but old stuff Early Third Cohort workings that they had access to With it I�ve managed to make some serious progress specifically in one area of Yystrix�s tomb But with that progress I found something very interesting at the core of it all is another letter and one of the most complex Engraving�s I�ve ever seen inlaid beneath all the training Engravings

Randidly�s skin prickled An old fear one that he had thought buried stirred within his chest Almost unbidden the eyes of the Grey Creature cracked Then did she

Oh shush Neveah squeezed him tight again Nothing like some last trap I can only discern a few words but the word child� is definitely present Figuring out the rest will probably take me years I�ll need to understand her entire Engraving method But in the meantime what sort of massive Engraving would Yystrix leave us that has to do with Pine

Randidly�s eyes flashed as his thoughts began to spin Very slowly Huh Maybe one last fuck you to her ex husband who has decided to kill the son keeping the whole Nexus running Maybe if we are lucky something that we can actually use to make a difference

Chapter 1957

Wivanya walked forward with sinuous grace a cat on a fence even as she was an oppressive dragon atop a cliff The wind tickled her its touch depositing a heavy layer of salt that she would later need to scrub off her scales if she wanted to escape from the smell Yet she did not mind sometimes the discomfort of new experiences was part of the novelty

Growth required fresh perspectives So she experienced

Several of her brood circled high above the cliffs too excited from the latest batch of matches to be still Especially the fight between Tykes and Glendel invigorated them showing them how powerful one could truly be underneath the System They burned for the chance to wield images that frightful

Perched on the high cliffs some of the older Frost Dragons discussed more seriously the favorites now that the numbers had been cut down to a little over two thousand Yet with so many potential dark horses it was hard to whittle it down any further T/his chapter is updated by

Still a certain sort of individual loved their pet theories

And some were shared rather widely amongst the group Especially because monsters like Hank Howard Alana Donal and Wivanya herself remained in the running for champion The well established Expiran group cast long shadows on any potential projections

Eventually she arrived at the brooding youngling that Wivanya sought He lay his long neck down across the cliff so just the tip of his snout poked past above the water His eyes were hazy as he looked toward the horizon She wasn�t sure exactly what his thoughts were but she could imagine the pain he must feel

The youngling had lost in the most recent battle to a previously unknown but cheery old man from Zone 7 The story of his glory had been cut short in a decisive fashion It was the sort of loss one could only accept the difference in their power had been obvious

The youngling didn�t even acknowledge her arrival as Wivanya shifted her significant bulk and settled into place next to him After a long glance she breathed two streams of chilly air out through her nose It was a valiant fight However do not despair Your opponent may have a better grasp of his image but that might not always be the case

Hum The youngling�s head jolted as though noticing Wivanya�s presence for the first time It twisted around nervous Ah Matriarch Y yea the loss was unfortunate But after that I had a profound experience with the Ghosthound He gave me personal guidance even if this current setback has knocked me down I know that I can soon grow to even greater heights

Wivanya stiffened You received a revelation from the Ghosthound

The youngling nodded eagerly Its eyes seemed to glimmer with faith All the losers of the tournament are greeted by him during the night after their losses As we suspected the depths of his compassion for the world know no bounds

All the losers Wivanya�s tongue flicked out of her mouth

Randidly almost felt like he was sleepwalking as he watched the round of matches So many fights came and went in front of him without grabbing his attention Compared to the previous conflict between Tykes and Glendel none of these came close in competitiveness

Yet even through the haze of emotional exhaustion and alternate perspectives on energy systems Randidly could sense the desperation of the tournament had changed Someone twisted at the participants and their tension rose in response The matches were quick and decisive because no one wanted to be surprised by the power wielded by a foe And all the remaining participants now flocked to the extensive training halls on the island desperate for an edge

With the high number of matches remaining they had time enough to push themselves Or to test insights gained during a fight

As soon as he said the words out loud he knew what he could do to relieve some of his tension He produced his Philosopher�s Key again and inserted it into the air A rift in the Alpha Cosmos appeared and Randidly stepped through to the hill above B�s Crossing wondering how well that boy Randy had adapted to Nrorce�s teachings

He hoped the goblin had softened somewhat from his days of instruction

Randidly blinked when he arrived on the ridge looking around with a strange expression on his face Because he almost didn�t recognize the landscape The main buildings in the basin remained the same but the shantytown that housed the refugees had been swept away before Zone 1 development money Paved roads and neat corners now sat in its place He could spot a similar ghetto in the distance pressed a harsh looking ridge but now around B�s Crossing and the general store were several mid tier looking storefronts and a massive outdoor movie theater

Further away both on top of the hill around Randidly and below neat and spacious houses had been thrown up Groups of Expirans walked the streets chatting and laughing Families rolled slowly forward children begging to go into various stores and parents either resilient enough to say no or tired enough to acquiesce A fountain sat in the middle of the developed area topped with a gleaming golden statue of the newly elected Zone 1 president Roman Lear

Below the statue�s victorious stance Randidly could read the inscription on the base of the fountain even from this distance For a better world where everyone rests safely with their freedoms

Randidly spared one last glance across the basin to the shantytown He pursed his lips and then descended toward the restaurant He followed a manicured pathway that connected the upper and lower neighborhoods

He pulled a cloak out of his interspatial ring and pulled the hood up across his face as he moved into the areas crowded with people With the advent of the tournament and considering his presence at every match it was unreasonable to expect anyone to mistake his identity With his disguise in place he turned to another question how had the area changed so quickly

Much to Randidly�s chagrin he realized it was likely his fault albeit because of the All Alpha Cosmos tournament As he neared B�s Crossing he noticed that the massive outdoor movie theater was surrounded by signs announcing that it provided live broadcasts of the tournament for all to view Albeit at the cost of a measly entrance ticket

For those unwilling to head to Tournament Island but also interested in the spectacle of a great convergence of people B�s Crossing became a lucrative option that had already reached most of the population�s ears through word of mouth for the fine cuisine Apparently quick on the uptake the developer had accelerated its efforts expanding the housing providing adequate facilities and shooing away troublesome elements so the middle class of the Zones could make the trip without worry

Randidly walked in the front of B�s Crossing itself and noticed several things at once First a couple of men in business suits laughing and pointing at a departing frog person server Second the general vibe of the restaurant had changed The servers were less happy the guests more uniform in their humanity and constantly distracted And finally that a large family of people had come in directly before Randidly and the host was having difficulty finding seats for everyone The entryway was crowded with bodies already waiting for seats

Some looked at him with suspicion considering his rough leather cloak in broad daylight

So Randidly spun on his heel and walked around to the back

Nrorce was standing over an open stove in the kitchen studying some pastry baking within Enough heat wafted forward to visibly warp the air but he simply studied the edges likely waiting for the perfect golden brown crust Randidly took a deep breath and smiled the smell was positively heavenly

You want a meal dontcha Selfish bastard Nrorce grunted not even bothering to look up The goblin waved his tiny hand his eyes fixed on the pastries Go to the break room and make yourself comfortable I�ll whip something up when I�m done with these

Randidly grinned and nodded following the instruction He arrived at the break room and paused in the door Because as he entered the young woman who ran B�s Crossing looked up and met his gaze Piles of forms and receipts sat on the table in front of her evidencing the complex situation in which the business now found itself

Bethyl�s mouth opened and then closed Her eyes bulged You you are Randidly Ghosthound Like like from the tournament

Randidly scratched his cheek wishing he had thought to come in as a cloud

Chapter 1958

The strained silence in the back room at B�s Crossing lasted for almost thirty seconds as the two considered one another

To Randidly�s relief she didn�t require as much of an explanation as he thought when he volunteered that he was a friend of Nrorce Bethyl laughed and shivered simultaneously showing that the small goblin had established a firm position in the restaurant That was all the explanation she needed

They then sat in an awkward silence She made some attempts to restart her work on the financial statements in front of her but it was clear she was too distracted by Randidly�s presence ot focus Meanwhile Randidly would have preferred to leave but didn�t want to go without getting his meal The smells seeping in from the kitchen acted as an anchor wedging him here for the foreseeable future

Maybe Nrorce is right about me being selfish His mouth twitched slightly

Still the heavy silence was starting to unnerve him mostly because he had come here for a break not for additional mental stress piled on top of the work he was doing for the tournament So Randidly cleared his throat and attempted to make conversation He felt profoundly out of his element So I know that much of the reason your ingredients are so high quality is because of a young boy How is he doing Handling the work alright

Boy Bethyl seemed genuinely bewildered Then slowly a wry chuckle escaped her mouth Is Nrorce still calling her a boy You must be talking about Randy No she�s a girl even if a bit dirty and rough and tumble She�s doing well The changes around here have her a little stressed but A cloud passed across the woman�s features Her eyes flicked to the stacked piles of papers Well we are all making adjustments as best as we can

Randidly nodded slowly Some inner muscle about small talk seemed to have been activated in Bethyl because she began asking Randidly polite questions about the tournament and its processes Equally polite he ignored the sense of awkwardness and answered Still the interaction felt restful

What struck him about the exchange was the lack of awe in her face that had characterized his recent interactions The simple questions were meaningless but they were based in the moment and the two people who were present Through them Randidly walked out some of the numb haze of Nether usage that had clouded him

His headache remained but the sense of being muffled receded

Eventually Nrorce came into the break room with a massive tray of food Crispy roast duck over pan seared noodles forced a groan of pleasure out of Randidly even before he brought them to his lips The sweet buns that Nrorce provided for dessert were almost better lightly and delightful After a thoroughly satisfying experience Randidly said goodbye to the two of them and then returned to his island

He released a breath and conjured the dream His Nether Core began to spin in anticipation It was time to meet another batch of users

Afterward he collapsed for a long sleep He woke up to his Nether Core gurgling like an infant who had eaten too much and had troubled digesting solid foods Rubbing his hand on his collarbone he straightened and checked the time

He had slept for almost nineteen hours He was quite glad he had told Tatiana to add an extra day break before the next round But that didn�t mean he was free the long time period meant that the borrowed Penance needed to be satiated He slipped into that dreamless darkness his thoughts evaporating

When he returned to himself he had just enough time to eat shower again and ponder Nether before the next batch of tournament matches began He sat on his comfortable chair above the arena phasing out the roar of the crowd and once more looking with his Nether awareness to follow the details of the fight He studied the strange patterns trying to find similarities between the times his instincts were incorrect

His eyes never wavered from the flow of significance even as the noise of the crowd rose and fell

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 902

Are you punishing yourself for some reason Tatiana ignored his words and scrunched her eyebrows together When Randidly frowned in confusion she continued Others might not be able to tell but I can feel the mania in you even while watching the tournament You are training constantly Not even training it feels like you are trying to reforge your entire subconscious through sheer volume of information

Randidly�s mouth quirked in a grin as he considered his struggles to unlock the secrets of Nether pattern�s Tatiana�s observation was actually quite astute He scratched his head No punishment Just trying to make the most of my time here

Tatiana�s face betrayed how little she believed him but she didn�t push it Together they went back to Tournament Island and prepared for the next round The battles to cut down to 128 had a desperate edge that meant that a portion of Randidly�s attention had to remain fixed on the action The conflicts between images overcame the natural Nether currents he ran around the arena threatening the audience

Of course even just the attention of Randidly�s First Authority was enough to eradicate those shockwaves But it made his pursuit of Nether understanding that much more difficult His accumulation of information slowed much to his disappointment With that bit of extra attention he could observe the matches much more closely

In the end he was pretty impressed Most of the warriors that made it this far at least possessed as much power as an average soldier that Randidly had seen working as guards in Military High Command

The people of the Alpha Cosmos were growing But that just made him even more aware of how much more they needed to improve to resist the Nexus

Perhaps the youngest participant that had made it this far Delilah had the poor fortune of running up against DiOrtho Vant in this round The ram demon gave her a platform to manifest her particular images and lash out with her most powerful Skills but in the end it didn�t matter Compared to Vant who had honed his image fighting in the Nexus Delilah was stuck on Expira and far too young

Ghost rolling around in a sleeker motorcycle body that could fit on the stage finally lost The AI couldn�t quite rival its opponent In the end its drones were destroyed and it was forced to concede

Meanwhile some of the disguised participants were finally forced to reveal themselves based on the capabilities other competitors One man from Zone 1 ripped his way out of his armor revealing that he had some sort of specially made Manatech suit on underneath this whole time With this specialty technology activated he managed to overcome one of the lesser warriors from Tellus in a surprise win

An ominous figure with a heavy image had his cloak blasted away Randidly was genuinely surprised to find that Drake Sydney�s right had during her time leading East End had decided to participate in the tournament And made it this far Once Randidly knew what to look for he found the familiar notes in the Nether However he made a mental note that sometimes even sensing the connection between them the patterns could be deceptive in how much significance lay between them

Drake still no longer spoke but it was clear that he had mentally recovered from the hellish experience that left him in a coma for so long When he manifested his bone armor around his body a towering image of a Death Knight rolled off his form Over the next few minutes he leveled the unfortunate Donnyton Classer he fought against

Meanwhile in a reveal that had Randidly rolling his eyes an anthropomorphic wolf from the Armgrast Empire finally pushed Uncle T too far After his clothes ripped the image fell and revealed the sprawling monstrosity that was Thorn which quickly constricted around the unlucky foe and choke held him into submission

At least you are getting out more Randidly raised a hand in acknowledgment as Thorn waved shyly up at him after its victory

The round ended Randidly rested sifted significance then slept He had definitely earned himself a break Because from now on only the truly powerful survived in the tournament

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 910

His subconscious however continued to toy with everything he had witnessed

Chapter 1959

Images hung in the air above the island lingering even after the battles had ended They didn�t have physical presence but their mark had been left on the fabric of reality If the users of those images returned to that location and fought they would have a slight advantage A massive spear a pure spinning crystal the overwhelming force of the sea all these twinkled in the sky

Yet what was even more horrifying was the currents of Nether that spun around the area steadily erasing those images Just passively the presence of the Ghosthound invalidated all the warriors� efforts It did not bode well for the chances of the top 8 fighting against him

Illdan Thai sat at the edges of the patio looking up at the remnant images in the sky His own image had already been wiped away leaving him with a hot coal of frustration in his chest To distract himself he looked down on the crowded streets below The night was surprisingly bright lit by a luminous moon that add a bit of polish to the whole island Inwardly Illdan assured himself he should feel proud he had made it to the top 124

Yet the time and watching the image�s being wiped away made him anxious A break of three days was being taken before the next round of the tournament would begin

And honestly no one had yet pushed his image to the limits He knew he could continue to climb further Perhaps if he went all out his image wouldn�t be so quick to be washed away by the tide of the Ghosthound�s Nether

The grating laugh of Daemont Scythe echoed out behind him Nearby most of the significant amount of Tellus warriors sat at a massive table their cups raised in a toast A legion of empty plates and glasses lay before them Illdan turned and watched them noticing the flush on Daemont�s wrinkled face To the Spearman Reborn And to the glory of Tellus seizing forty out of the remaining spots in the tournament At this rate won�t the end of the tournament be dominated by Tellus warriors

The warriors in question hooted and pounded their fists on the heavy wood of the table Their zeal wafted off of them like heat becoming a part of the celebratory night Yet after only a few more seconds Illdan couldn�t watch them any longer

His mood was morose as he turned and looked out across the island Yesterday his new friend Zack Krum had been eliminated from the tournament which was why Illdan celebrated now with the Tellus contingent rather than his new group Illdan had watched the entire match from start to finish Krum�s opponent had a similar enough skill set that it wasn�t some innate advantage that made the difference But when the two had clashed Krum had been immediately outmatched

Both in terms of Skill but more importantly in image Illdan clenched his fists Krum�s opponent�s name was Paolo

Paolo�s image of indomitability had faded quickly yet now somehow remained in the sky It was an ember that refused to be quenched

Just like the middle portion of the tournament had stripped away those who didn�t have specificity in their image Krum�s match made Illdan realize that a new culling would happen as they proceeded through the next round Except no longer would detail or ingenuity or application could save you No in the next round the only thing that mattered was power

No one had made it to this point that didn�t deserve their spot

Illdan

Twisting in his chair Illdan found Clayvo standing with a glass half full of golden liquid His face was carefully neutral he had unfortunately been one of the Tellus warriors eliminated in the previous round Due to their failures they now served as servants and lackeys for bringing dishonor to the planet Clayvo raised the glass offering it to Illdan Would you like another I believe there will be more toasts in the near future

Illdan shook his head and turned back to the street More than anything else these breaks in the tournament gave the warriors from Tellus time to develop a taste for alcohol all of them imbibed vast amounts competing more eagerly in this diversion than they addressed their training Even when Illdan had pointed out that many showed signs of inebriation they had just laughed and laughed content in their new pursuits

Randidly made the request that after the matches to cut the final participants down to 32 they take a one week break Tatiana pressed her lips together but ultimately acquiesced Randidly understood why she would hesitate in a way the Alpha Cosmos was already tiring of the extended tournament A month had passed since it had began longer since the preliminaries A lot of powerful individuals were concentrated in one area during that time while the threat of monsters and newly born Chimeras remained constant

While the tournament churned forward public safety began to dip in certain border areas The jovial feeling around the pageantry of the tournament began to sour somewhat Still Randidly knew that lack of anticipation would shift somewhat as they honed themselves down to the truly elite

Because now there were no longer so many people that you had to essentially pick a few favorites to watch and allow the marathon of matches to pass you by The accomplishments of many of the top groups spread throughout Expira Betting houses finally had some data to use and were pushing gambling very hard

Randidly sat at the edge of his skyisland and rubbed his neck His Nether gurgled unpleasantly still teetering on the brink of a qualitative shift He pushed himself off the edge several nearby moonlight spirits seeing the movement believing it looked amusing and following him into a wild freefall He allowed himself to accelerate until the wind blasted past him the distance between himself and the dark ocean waters rapidly decreasing

Then the Stillborn Phoenix spread its wide maw and seized the gravity in the area Randidly�s drop transformed into lateral movement so he skimmed across the surface of the ocean waves Water exploded with the force of his passage

Unfortunately he had a bit of extra homework before he could take a rest tonight He sensed his intervention was necessary

He arrived at the massive main arena on Tournament Island which was completely deserted Sometimes participants would come here at night and lay on the stage looking up at the stars but dark clouds had come with the evening masking the sky In addition Randidly suspected the grand Nether Ritual he had put within the planets had guided everyone away

The process of refining Nether Weight had gone quite well the rewards were being prepared for the lucky winners of the tournament However the Nether Ritual had realized a problem it didn�t know how to handle the burden on the recipient�s bodies

The Nether content in the Alpha Cosmos was higher than the Nexus for sure but it still was mostly an Aether environment Suddenly being injected with some Nether Weight without a Nether Core to house and process that energy was akin to having a steel bar inserted into a person�s rib cage The energy would figuratively alter their conversation in unpredictable ways

So Randidly sat in one of the high observation boxes around the arena and concentrated on the stage He took control of the swirling flows of Nether in the area and began to wrap them tightly around the central area

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual has grown to Level 663

He wove together a tight dome around the stage and nodded in satisfaction at his work Not only would it suppress lingering images slightly thereby lowering the danger to the audience during fights but it applied a certain amount of Nether pressure to the participants They wouldn�t be exposed for a significant time but this pressure would prime their bodies to receive rewards

Almost time Randidly�s emerald eyes glittered Who will come together to challenge me I wonder

With that he turned away and returned to his island He needed to spend some time training while he had the chance

Chapter 1960

Alana stood with her arms folded as the final match of the round slowly unfolded Already she could tell that hubris was transforming it into a trainwreck A good lesson for Annie if a bit inconveniently timed However her focus wasn�t on the fighters it was on Randidly

He seems a bit spacey Hank Howard stood next to her and squinted up at the Ghosthound Neither commented on Annie�s increasingly volcanic gushes of swearwords

Alana nodded slowly as she systematically cataloged his countenance Randidly�s gaze didn�t waver from the fight but somehow she knew that he wasn�t even looking at it His attention was elsewhere Perhaps on the churns storm of Nether that had grown increasingly dense around the arena Or the even larger storm that hovered around the island he had claimed for himself quite a few miles distant As always he continued honing himself even while accomplishing other tasks

It was an admirable amount of efficiency At the same time Alana couldn�t help but resent him for it How vast really is the space between us and you Do we not even merit your wariness Well I suppose when Annie claimed she could make the top 8 with her left hand

The cheer of the crowd finally brought Alana�s attention around Annie was scowling as she vacated the stage leaving a mild looking middle aged woman from Tellus to wave at the crowd with a satisfied smile Just like that one of the most powerful warriors on Expira had been defeated Mostly because she had played around too much but that Tellus warrior was strong The loss stung especially because of how much Annie had been in the public eye this past two years due to Missy Carp

It made one fact abundantly clear From now on none of the matches would be easy

They had arrived at the final 32 Anything less than your all would just get you eliminated

As stated previously Randidly�s words boomed across the arena We will be taking a week break before the next batch of matches I encourage everyone to return to their homes and lives during that time aside from our thirty two finalists All fights will be broadcast and the impacts will be increasingly dangerous Tomorrow the final bracket will be released make your preparations to fight with all your might

Then Randidly turned away at almost the exact moment that Annie stomped past Hank unable to resist his baser impulses walked forward with a smug smile on his face He wiggled his fingers of his left hand at her Did you really think you could remain undefeated only shooting arrows with your left arm Ya probably would have been better just tossin� arrows

Fuck off Annie flounced her way back to the changing room Hank chuckled

Meanwhile Alana�s thoughts turned to the final group Expira broadly and Donnyton specifically had done as well as expected in the tournament Herself Tykes Dozer Mrs Hamilton Paolo Kayle and Donny had all made it to the final group Beyond them Hank Wivanya an old man from Zone 7 Lucifer Drake the fellow who styled himself as a Rat King Zone 1�s super suit and a cheerful young woman named Beatrice gave Expira fifteen of the thirty two final tournament spots

If you extended that to include the Chimera woman Allowaen Thorn and the Monster Prince from the world of Randidly�s original Alpha Cosmos it was a solid lineup that had proven its power in the Alpha Cosmos

The Nexus had its contingent that earned its spots including DiOrtho Vant Charlotte Wick Heiffal and the Nether Gatekeeper Randidly had brought into the Alpha Cosmos They were strong honestly Alana hoped she wouldn�t have to face any of them until the top 8

Recovery was quick with the System but the sort of mental exhaustion that would result from confronting any of them would not vanish in a few days Especially if the friction did any damage to the images themselves

The Danger Zones and Nemesai worlds had several representatives The mysterious Fisherman who covered his entire body with a cloak a Toad Lord a rune writing Winged Serpent and finally the masterful Wolfram made sure their races were represented

Finally Tellus also had a large chunk of bodies to round things out There was of course Azriel whose belonging was only nominal but there was this Spearman Reborn� Illdan Thai Yet compared to him there was a group of two older warriors that made Alana even more serious the woman who just defeated Annie was one of them

There had been three powerful warriors like that but one had the misfortune of running into DiOrtho in the prior round Strong they may be but not as strong as the Vulpis Squad He had crushed the stupified man whose image was robust but unimaginatively just a spear Alana almost wished it had been the woman who had been seriously challenged her instincts whispered the woman was the real threat

The final two participants were weaker soldiers from Tellus that didn�t catch Alana�s eye All together thirty two individuals all aiming for the same prize

So now what Hank sauntered back over to her

Although aside from me has anyone had their attention wander Randidly observed Then he shook his head slightly disappointed with himself

The duo climbed the stairs to the observational platform the noise of the crowd steadily rising as they ascended Randidly raised a hand and traced the rising excitement the watchers felt He also felt some darker emotions lurking beneath the surface Tatiana looked at him This group is going to be special isn�t it You weren�t kidding about the reverberations being more dangerous

Randidly nodded slowly Obviously he could suppress them with his own images or Nether Core but it might be difficult to do so without damaging the fighters� images and interfering in the match These fighters won�t be able to hide their true capabilities any longer

He raised his voice to allow the words to echo across the arena So let�s begin the round of thirty two Our first match is Alana Donal v Uncle T

To the crowd�s roaring approval the two fighters walked out onto the stage Alana�s stride was long and even She wore her signature furred armor and winged helmet the metal base of each glinting in the early morning sun She held her spear at her side solemn and oddly ritualistic with the two handed grip Even the refractions of light off her equipment sparkled with supernatural radiance a natural side effect of her potent image

Her purity was a physical force surging around her and isolating her from the world

Opposite her a man in a trenchcoat with its hat pulled low down over his face sauntered up Where she was virtue and honesty he was sleazy dealings and disguises Thorn paused at the edge of the stage and gave Randidly another subtle wave before heading into the Nether Ritual Randidly tried to resist rolling his eyes at his plant�s stubborn insistence on the costume especially after his fearsome victory in the last match

Especially because Alana knew exactly the sort of foe she was fighting against

Randidly inspected them both feeling the Aether and Nether that moved through both of them Both had powerful images Both also had potent combat Skills This time the momentum of Nether and his Grim Intuition agreed on who would win

Randidly licked his teeth Begin

Dangerous waves of energy exploded from both Alana settled down into a crouch Thorn maintained his humanoid form but rushed forward his arms lengthening until he galloped like a horse in an aggressive charge

Alana raised her spear Despite the simplicity of the movement the light around her grew harsh and violent The way she pivoted on her feet and transferred force was immaculate Sun Strike

Briefly the air around her ignited Her Willpower ripped through her surroundings moving with such speed that the friction of its passage generated a howling orange plume Then all that heat and sudden genesis of light were funneled into her attack An enormous spear of orange flame formed in front of her and accelerated forward

Randidly leaned forward The force she utilized was casually the more dangerous attack that had yet appeared in the tournament And it was only her opening gambit

Yet he didn�t make any move to intervene Thorn�s form trembled for a second and then bulged out in a half dozen directions Its trenchcoat shredded to pieces as its body swelled to its natural size Even as the horrifying flame spear surged closer Thorn expanded from a human body to a mass of tangled thorny vines the size of a house then a small apartment building Those vines as thick as a bodybuilder�s thigh wove themselves into a thick barrier

Force and flames ravaged the front of Thorn�s defensive efforts The stadium shook with the force of the collision For a moment it was impossible to see the outcome Then the light faded revealing that many of Thorn�s roots had burned away But as the crowd watched more exploded out to replace them

Thorn lifted his bulk off the ground revealing a massive and grotesque heart of pink black and forest green that pulsed each second Each shudder of the heart sent a gushing wave of monstrous life force surging through the massive plant being Even after a few seconds the burned vines were regrowing A thousand thorny tentacles wiggled outward preparing to strike

Alana flashed a wolfish grin as she reset her stance Yea this is what it has to be like

Once more both exploded into motion

Chapter 1961

Randidly rested his chin on his fist his emerald eyes glittering

In a bombastic first match Alana Donal showed why she remained the favorite to win the tournament Thorn was a gifted Soulseed and had evolved to become nearly invulnerable But in the end it simply didn�t have the same capacity for images that humans possessed His enormous body resisted her fire regrew its limbs and ravaged the stage but it could not touch her

The pure flames around Alana�s body sang with inviolability

And she didn�t even use her Revelations

Plus Randidly mused as he watched Alana walk away from the stage with her head held high I don�t think I�ve given Alana enough credit Compared to every participant aside from the Vulpis Squad she is the most well adapted to Nether environments The pressure of the arena didn�t even affect her Is it a quality of her image or just because she has been following me for so long

Not very gently Tatiana prodded him in the side She raised an eyebrow at him urging him to continue with the announcements They had a schedule to keep

Randidly rolled his shoulders and announced the second match of the day Tykes v Azriel

If anything the cheers for this match were even louder than the previous one Tykes� match against Glendel had been the most re watched match of the tournament thus far A single man had managed to overcome a legion of ghastly soldiers and grasp a surprise victory Because of that the victor had walked away from that confrontation with a sizable support group who wished to see him dominate the tournament with that overwhelming image of power

Meanwhile Azriel�s bone white hair and piercing crimson eyes as well as the elegant sway to her walk had earned her quite a few fans of her own Yet what puzzled Randidly was that she didn�t even look at Tykes as the two took their positions She continued to lift her stare and look directly at him

Begin Randidly announced

Just like the prior match both released their image as soon as they received the signal Tykes rumbled forward lifting his enormous metal ball off the ground with a single hand Opposite him in more than just distance Azriel seemed to skip and skate lightly forward Her movements were as sharp and graceful as a diving bird The spear in her hand resembled a double sided needle thin and without any distinguishing feature

Crimson light gathered around Azriel and trailed behind her like a crimson scarf Tykes rolled forward and gathered momentum

Tykes altered their predestined clash first suddenly leaping forward and bringing his metal ball smashing down Even in terms of speed he didn�t lose out When the implement hit the arena the tiles cracked and ruptured in terms in raw physical power Randidly suspected Tykes would be No 1 in the tournament

But Azriel had lightly sidestepped and now jabbed her needle spear toward Tykes neck In the moment of attack crimson moonlight spun around and empowered the attack Tykes leaned back barely avoiding the strike

He gripped his metal ball and lifted it again but Azriel precisely spun her needle in her palm The tip ripped through the tendons of Tykes left hand briefly loosening his grip on the ball Azriel rushed forward in that opening and Tykes stomped a foot in response

But what seized Randidly�s attention was the strained feeling in the air Azriel despite her powerful image radiated a deep fear that she would lose And with that emotion in the air he could feel her desperation building as Tykes arms tightened Unfortunately for Tykes behind that fear lay a horrifying resolve

Her gaze became increasingly harsh bulldozing its way through his upper body and arms but his grip didn�t loosen

I concede Tykes announced looking more like a corpse than anything else He eased his grip and set Azriel down on the ground The audience which had been holding its breath heaved a collective sigh of relief

Tykes left a trail of blood as he walked away from the arena leaving the victor� collapsed in the middle of the stage

The quality of fighters that still were a part of the tournament was stunning Each match was a lesson a demonstration of prowess

Illdan watched the match of the man who defeated his friend Krum closely This Paolo fought against an individual called the Monster Prince clashing in a bombastic fight that lasted almost a half hour However Paolo�s determination never wavered At least in mental strength the man appeared to have no flaws His fists might not have the raw power that the defeated Tykes demonstrated but in terms of brutality of movement he was matchless

It is a capability worth emulating Illdan admitted to himself Then he shook his head and waited for the next match

The more matches he watched the more nervous he felt Not for the current round but for the future It would be extremely difficult for him to win the entire tournament The mysterious middle aged woman from Tellus fought against a Nether Beast and defeated it None of her moves seemed flashy but her opponent had been unable to cope with her light image

Yet after the match several of the key participants gave that woman long looks Despite masking her capability it seemed most people realized her potential

One more Tellus warrior was knocked out by Hank Howard the cowboy That chimeric woman who obsessed Zeta managed to defeat a Toad Lord who engulfed the entire arena in a damp image but struggled to rival her raw power And perhaps most importantly in the bracket directly above Illdan that confounding blonde woman Beatrice managed to overwhelm the stellar performance of the man in a mechanical suit

If Illdan won they would fight again His hands tightened into fists It was the rematch he had been waiting for But for now

Illdan walked up onto the arena Waiting for him was Daemont Scythe his expression serious Even if you are the Spearman Reborn you will not grow without trials I will not hold back in our match

Illdan nodded Whatever else he thought about Daemont he was a determined and no nonsense warrior He would not hold back to protect Illdan�s pride Which was exactly what he wanted

After seeing the amazing images of the other participants Illdan wanted to test his limits

Let the final match of the round of thirty two begin The Ghosthound announced

Chapter 1962

The two fighters moved toward each other at rapid speeds Their tendons stood out from their arms the muscles of their legs bulged with each accelerating step Their spears seemed to bend as they whipped the weapons around to face their opponent When they met the encounter almost seemed choreographed

Thrust block dodge advance cut sweep hop slash thrust dodge

Randidly�s eyes followed the movements Both possessed impeccable spearmanship They were variants on different themes Even from a glance Randidly could tell Illdan came from the Spearman School where Daemont appeared to have heavy influences from the Death School which he believed to have been all but extinguished during the Wight�s invasion The surprise of his movements was a brief if pleasant diversion

Illdan utilized grace leaving a dozen small cuts on Daemont�s body from subtle strikes Daemont�s eyes blazed with something very like hatred as he attempted to pin down the younger man and crush him Eventually his patience paid off and he unleashed a sinister thrust that Illdan was forced to block with his spear

Both blazed with emotion and image power Both refused to give up ground before the other

The arena shivered the growing cracks started by Tykes and continually enhanced by every fight after that leaving the entire location shuddering with the possibility of collapse A few more good impacts would demolish the entire building

Tatiana would be quite mad if I let that happen Randidly resisted the urge to glance over at her Undoubtedly she was calculating costs even at this moment

Illdan advanced paving a path for himself with sharp thrusts Daemont didn�t dodge at all instead he welcomed the possibility of trading several quick wounds for one quelling sweep of his spear But then Illdan was gone ghosting backward out of his opponent�s range before an attack could land

Advance sidestep cut roar chase thrust thrust thrust

Yet even as he cataloged their movements with his eyes Randidly�s mind wandered He felt slightly uneasy likely because he didn�t dare use the First Authority to stabilize the arena afraid he would affect the fighters with the presence of his active Nether Meanwhile his mind fixed on the letter that Neveah had discovered within all those educational Engraving series Yystrix had left

Based on the timeline that Neveah had provided

Another impact shook the arena Randidly crooked a finger unwilling to let Tatiana�s worst fears come to pass Under the pressure from his Grey Monarch�s Authority air in the area twisted and wove itself into roots and tightened around the stage He carefully activated only the Skill with none of the potency his image could bring Even if the fighting shook the location to pieces it wouldn�t fall apart

Congratulations Your Skill The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 890

based on Neveah�s timeline it would take years before she could decode the main message She could interpret a few words but she had hit a dead end with that method it would be faster just to reveal it the old fashioned way by learning all the Engravings and revealing the inner portion

But Randidly wondered if he could accelerate the process by taking apart the movie of her memories that Yystrix as left using Nether Perhaps he could obtain some clue from what he saw there Because Yystrix

His Nether Core twinged painfully Randidly grimaced and pressed a hand against his chest The sharp pains were becoming increasingly frequent in these past few days His emotional affect training had almost been entirely derailed He probably needed to make a decision about his Nether transformation soon Even his powerful Nether Core had difficulty teetering on the brink of a transformation for so long

Kimpap (the vaguely familiar middle aged woman from Tellus) v Wivanya

Paolo v Mrs Hamilton

DiOrtho Vant v Charlotte Wick

Hank Howard v Wolfram

Allowaen v Li Hong (the smiling old man who Randidly sensed had a strong connection to Arbor)

Drake v Kayle

And Finally Illdan v Beatrice

The most talented individuals in the Alpha Cosmos

Randidly�s eyes blazed for a second as he went through the names once more These would be the finalists for the tournament and the winners of the next match would need to demonstrate capability far beyond what they had displayed this round if they wanted to threaten them Some part of the Grey Creature stirred it had been increasingly restive lately likely due to the threat he hoped they would present

But his Nether Core churned with such momentum he couldn�t imagine himself losing Randidly looked down at his hands After how far I�ve come especially since Vant will probably knock out Charlotte to be the only member of the Vulpis Squad to join the challenge how could they rival me

Also Randidly spoke aloud bemused with himself Isn�t the whole point to show them the level of the Nexus Why the hell would I want them to threaten me

Yggdrasil activated unconsciously to demonstrate the fullness of his presence The emerald canopy spread behind Randidly radiating the first light of the first dawn of existence Everything was new pure and raw burning with potential His skin tingled He felt his power swelling as he settled into the proper emotional affect allowing his feelings to ebb and flow in the manner he learned from the Ashes of Helen Path His spirit soared and his entire Skyisland began to hum with the force of his image

The silver moonlight spirits followed the grooves of his will becoming a massive silver tree that reached up to hold up the sky and down to grip the ground

Randidly�s mouth twisted into a grin With all the progress I�ve made with emotional affect for my images aside from the slight problem of the Unborn Duo in the Stillborn Phoenix I�ll cut them to pieces

His Nether Core twinged Randidly scowled then shook his head If the pain was triggered by him going all out that might be a problem After napping he would need to ponder the issue of shifting his Nether Core so he wouldn�t need to hold back

And then Randidly�s mind flitted to the Patron of Feathers and the need she represented I�ll need to return to the Nexus obtain Tier 3 Citizenship and finally see the last group of monsters that have been hiding in the Nexus How many of them I wonder are at the Speculum Tier

What is waiting for me back at the Nexus How will they react to my defeat of Commandant Wick

Chapter 1963

Alana sipped her beer and leaned back in her chair The night air coming off the sea was pleasantly cool Tonight was a well deserved break after the past two days of tense matches A lot of people were leaving Tournament Island returning to their lives Partially because their favorite had lost partially because of the extended nature of the fighting There would only be two days of preparation before the round of 16 where the group who would fight Randidly would be determined

Alana barely prevented her image from slipping out of her person As she won in each match another bit of heat was added to the flames burning inside her chest Each victory was a little more sizzling anticipation she needed to endure She had been waiting for this opportunity for a long long time As much as she was thankful for the Ghosthound and how he had helped shape her image her Book of Revelations she also had her pride

Alana released a scalding breath through her nose Her spear would find his flesh in this challenge

Next to her Hank Tykes and Donny were laughing and joking mostly at Donny�s expense He had lost in the round of 32 to Wolfram unable to keep up with three heads� worth of Skills being cast at once For all of his wide area defensive brilliance he didn�t have any decisive offensive component to his image Some part of Alana wanted to join in the harmless fun but the tension in her kept her from relaxing

The heat kept building She was so close She wanted this chance so bad

Alana raised her head she felt it immediately when Azriel walked into the restaurant And also when the woman stalked past the host without even a glance making a beeline for their table Conversation died as she passed due to how recognizable a woman Azriel was

It was also relatively predictable that the jovial nature of the night rapidly evaporate as Azriel approached the group Donny frowned and Hank clicked his tongue loudly Tykes only glanced at Azriel unflappable even when the entire table knew that the reason Azriel won was that she was willing to die for the victory and Tykes wasn�t willing to kill her He hadn�t spoken about the concession all night and no one had pressed him on it

However what took them all by surprise was that Azriel�s gaze went straight to Alana She didn�t even acknowledge Tykes I would like to request a spar with you Alana Donal

There was a moment of silence as they all processed this information and pointedly didn�t look at Tykes Then Hank snorted and slapped the table before standing up Alright y�all sort this out I�mma find some tequila

Why Alana tilted her head to the side

Azriel lifted her chin with a determined set of her lips Because I cannot see the way to defeat you given our relative power and the consistency of your training regimen over the last few years However with exposure to your techniques I believe that I will find an appropriate way to counter you and seize victory despite our differences

Are ya fuckin� Hank stopped and turned around a few steps from the table when he heard Azriel�s words Alana gave him a look and he held his hands up in surrender Yer right none of ma� business Figure it out ya selves

Alana turned back to Azriel glad she didn�t have to remind him how little she needed his help And what benefit do I get out of this arrangement

Azriel�s gaze didn�t waver She folded her arms behind her back I believe my qualifications speak for themselves Our spars will be beneficial to you as well after all I am your next opponent Finding my weaknesses and understanding my image will only improve your chances

Alana couldn�t help but chuckle she would give Azriel this the woman had no sense of shame She could easily matter of factly state two narratives that were completely incompatible with each other Next to her Tykes raised his glass and finished the rest of his beer in a single massive gulp

Azriel remained very very still She simply stared at Alana with her intense crimson gaze Her abrupt passage through the bar continued to hold the attention of other patrons now drawing their attention to the relatively low key group A man nervously asked Hank for an autograph on his way to the bar

Alana sighed inwardly all the cool breeze of the night vanquished by the attention and the heat in her chest Now that they were fixated with so many strong gazes the crowd began to whisper wondering why two foes would be talking to each other Especially with a defeated participant there at the table as well

Huh Illdan frowned Online

On Beatrice looked him up and down Do you really not know what the internet is So you haven�t seen the message boards about the tournaments And the sections about you specifically

No What are the people of your planet saying about me Illdan asked At least this would give him something to focus on aside from her intoxicating gaze

A ah if you want me to s s say it out loud Her face flushed U uhm that every night you descend from your window and stalk around the island That you pick a girl who you don�t know a new one every night usually someone pretty and blonde because that is your t t t type And ahem and then you convince her to come back to your room you don�t take no for an answer and you your c cheekbones and the night air the things you say as you whisk her away the things you promise her the way your hand rests on her hips the heat of your touch and because you are a spearman you are especially good with your ahem ahem hmm the stabbing part

Illdan leaned back in his chair I what

I did think it was just fanfiction but when I read Beatrice blinked several times and furtively scanned his face O only the start of a few stories I just couldn�t help but wonder if that was something the sort of thing you did Or would be interested in doing Sweeping up a girl at night strangers who

I literally have no idea what you are talking about Illdan felt very out of his element on this planet If anything he started to wish they would just fight and be done with it already

Alana waited for almost a minute her nose crinkled up at the smell Then she shook her head and stood Well it is pretty admirable that you already came up with a third piece of advice to get me here Let�s call it here for the night after that last session

Azriel lay inert in a smoldering crater the last vestiges of orange flames dissipating at the edges If not for the woman�s surging fury Alana might have assumed she was dead Alana walked away slowly giving her time to perhaps think of another recommendation To her surprise the woman had come up with two very solid pieces of advice the first night when they spared

A lot of her own hesitance about her chosen style disappeared with the intense woman�s comments If nothing else Azriel�s direct nature made her advice quite relevant

Of course Alana had thrashed her three times using the Revelations of Advance Struggle and Anguish respectively So they had adjourned with Azriel unable to match up to her Now the night before their match Azriel had returned with a new piece of advice prompting one important rematch

Using only those three revelations to which Azriel had developed countermeasures in the meantime Alana had thoroughly crushed the other woman into silence

Outside the entrance to the training area Tatiana waited with her arms folded You know the audiences will be quite disappointed if you obliterate her fighting spirit outside of the tournament and she forfeits People pay for the pleasure of watching their most powerful warriors demonstrate their Skills

We both know that there is no way that Azriel is going to back down That woman would walk toward her own execution and reprimand the executioner for being late Alana shook her head Then she raised an eyebrow at Tatiana�s bare feet Also after so long Randidly finally converted you

Tatiana flashed an aggrieved expression Well in a sense I had a breakthrough in my Skillset related to him I can borrow some of his Skills in their lesser versions And wouldn�t you fucking know it so many of the useful ones require contact between the feet and the ground and seriously what is wrong with him How do buildings not interfere in the connection with the energy roots but shoes do

Alana patted her shoulder Don�t let it drive you crazy Anyways goodnight

Oh no Alana not so fast Tatiana smiled at her but in that expression Alana could sense the wicked aggression of the Ghosthound Tatiana widened her stance and put her hands on her hips I would have overlooked wrecking one of the training areas a few days ago but doing it twice in a short span While other participants are clamoring to use them No no no You owe me quite a bit of money

Chapter 1964

Her body had shaped the stone beneath her into a more comfortable arrangement but her heart ached as she lay there In a very concrete way Azriel hated the tournament island No matter where she was if she ever looked up that dead spot hovered above her Once she had seen it it was impossible not to have that disfigurement become the resting place of her gaze

Yet even with its continued presence no one least of all Randidly Ghosthound seemed to want to acknowledge it Which was why Azriel took up the mantle

For the first time in her life she found herself conflicted She pushed herself up out of the cracked ground of the training area the squabbling Tatiana and Alana had long since left the area and left her in peace Azriel looked down at her bloody knuckles She wrenched her knee to pop the joint back into place and simply breathed for a bit She kept her eyes closed so she didn�t have to look up at the sky After her body had taken a few minutes to heal she shakily got to her feet

She found the shattered remnants of her spear scattered across the far side of the sparring area The pieces glittered in the buzzing lights of the arena She pulled another cheaply made weapon from her interspatial ring and gripped it grounding herself in the physical sensation of her hand tightening around the weapon

It was not supposed to be like this Azriel muttered to herself Some of the crimson light in her eyes dimmed At this rate all of my suffering will have been for nothing That emptiness will remain there

Her spine straightened at that comment It was an unacceptable outcome She was Azriel Blanche and she would accomplish her goal no matter the cost She settled into a combat stance and began to slowly move through training forms For now she ignored her doubts instead focusing on the concrete

Yet even if her body was busy her mind drifted back

Azriel acknowledged that her upbringing on Tellus was unusual In retrospect she had been created to be the perfect receptacle for the abilities of another Her natural talent and inclination to adjust to counter an opponent meant that it was very easy to use superior combat techniques to guide her growth in predictable directions She had been exemplary at adapting and growing Her pride had been planted in that garden and beautifully flowered for her entire life

Now they are so far beyond me Azriel paused in her forms and looked at her hands Her joints ached and her muscles felt like they had been mixed with hardening concrete Blood still stained her knuckles and huddled underneath her nails She paused and limped to the wash facilities to clean up a bit

Several years ago she had chosen a Path to power that didn�t involve violence Her spear had been hung up on the wall She then immersed herself in the life of a betrothed to the heir of the Armgrast Empire The transition had been marginally fraught It continually irked her that so many saw in her not herself but a reflection of the man she would marry However Azriel was confident that she could change that outlook soon

She was both right and wrong Some cutting political and social moves had made the entirety of the Armgrast Empire and the entire world tread casually around her Some no longer dared meet her gaze Yet Azriel couldn�t help but notice that it was the framing that changed they never looked at her directly She never stood on her own legs She simply became the gorgeous ruthless new arm of Armgrast

An enemy to be feared part of a vicious family

She couldn�t deny that part of the reason she had followed this impulse to turn her attention to Randidly was the impending arrival of her marriage date Somehow the problems emerging in his image seemed easier to grapple with than her own

But using more than one is premised on the fact I would lose Azriel�s eyes blazed crimson And from now on I will not lose I cannot fail

Her nerves hummed with tension as she walked out the thin tunnel and onto the arena She stood with her head raised even in the face of the thick smog of shouts and cheers the crowd rolled against her

But Azriel was completely taken by surprise by the surge in the air she felt as Alana Donal appeared The woman walked calmly but appeared to drag all the noise and exultation of the crowd around her Her armored form seemed to warp the spread of sound creating dangerous ridges in existence that had every noise slushing down to surround her And as she arrived

The air hummed with pressure Azriel�s pupils dilated Even after her time in the Dungeon she felt that fear surge back with double its previous force

What if she wasn�t enough

Azriel turned away from the approaching form of Alana Donal and scanned the crowd to distract herself When coincidentally her gaze landed on a furred visage sitting in the stand and staring straight at her she briefly froze Then she frowned at him

The Prince of the Armgrast Empire raised an eyebrow at the display Very quickly Azriel flashed several hand signs toward him This is my business There is no need for you to be here

The prince looked at her with none of his usual pride Instead he was just a man covered in fur with the head of a lion Yet that man smirked at her words not even bothering to send back any hand signs

Azriel�s hands blurred I don�t need you to support me

Finally the prince raised his hands You�ve never needed me this I know But I also know that even if you don�t need me I will be here Because I want to be a part of your life I want to be your family

Azriel felt relief and frustration swirling each other in her chest But she had to push those to the side as Alana finally arrived opposite her Azriel�s fierce pride compelled her to pivot around and glare fiercely at Alana In front of her betrothed she refused to back down

Alana tilted her head to the side Her words were filled with genuine curiosity Are your preparations going to be enough

They will have to be Azriel responded Alana chuckled coldly and raised her spear Azriel produced one of the thin needles she had generated and spun it in the air The deadly tips glittered in the air

The Ghosthound watched them both his gaze heavy Let the round of sixteen begin

Chapter 1965

Randidly found it odd the way that Nether was surging toward the arena as Azriel and Alana faced off against one another The significance deepened each second that the two stared at each other Even he felt the tug of the intensity that both of them had brought It rushed around their feet pooling and slowly filling the bubble he had created

Soon the intensity of the Nether chamber would be intense enough that it would suffocate an average person

He rubbed his chin and looked at the shape of the patterns in the Nether flows The confrontation was a monumental moment for Expira that much was clear But for the life of him Randidly couldn�t figure out why Was it just because the round of 16 would determine who would challenge him after the tournament

Especially because when both released their image the power both held was not equal

A pillar of gold orange fire erupted from Alana�s body Her dripping radiance made it difficult to look directly at her Sunbursts of light settled onto her shoulders and arms like a cloak Beyond that the pillar extended into the sky and ripped open a jagged hole in the drifting clouds That light seemed to connect heaven and earth creating a bridge down which holy light could flow to the mundane realm The Nether bubble Randidly made to protect the audience strained to contain her power

She raised her spear which had grown almost a full meter of searing orange flames on top of the metal shaft Her eyes glowed with golden righteousness underneath her powerful Fate helmet Those wings grew and flexed sending feathers as white and delicate as snow swirling around her She was an intent valkyrie prepared to ride to war

Azriel settled into her stance with much less fanfare Her image spread to fill the sky and conjure a crimson moon but its light felt feeble compared to Alana�s and was quickly suppressed out of existence The bloody radiance couldn�t get a word in edgewise before that harsh and holy gold orange light More concrete energy sizzled around Azriel�s limbs but even that seemed wan next to Alana�s display

Randidly�s eyes narrowed Yet the significance is still swirling so tightly around her interesting These patterns something peculiar is at play here Some deep lines about the fate of the Alpha Cosmos are coming together to fuel this

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 913

Once her superior grip on the area was established Alana leaned forward and spoke The air hummed with her image making her words incredibly clear The First Revelation Advance

Randidly felt the audience sigh in anticipation already they knew that this would be the spectacle they had so long wanted to see

Alana�s words opened an invisible door behind her releasing a surging torrent of holy force following her in an eruption of movement and violence She became a single entity with the attack charging forward with her spear paving the way for her assault Against that overwhelming front Azriel seemed incredibly small

Randidly observed the ways she twisted and folded her image energy to generate something more concrete At a scale on which Alana could operate her crimson moonlight couldn�t manifest Orange fire lay across the entire sky But when Azriel�s image was tightened and whetted and folded until she held an incandescent sizzling spear of ruby power

Azriel accelerated briefly sideways out of the direct path of Alana�s onslaught Then she rapidly shifted her direction lancing in sideways at Alana�s massive manifestation Her spear screamed as it pierced through the image aura and began to pry into the holy wave For a brief moment Randidly felt the shiver of Nether as the two foes clashed against each other

Yet in the actual conflict between these two religions

Alana�s elbow crunched Azriel�s nose in an abrupt strike Azriel spun away but an unassuming thrust from Alana empowered with Sun Strike forced her to dance backward another half meter Azriel adjusted her vector so many times she threw off phantasms with each feint that she made Yet when Alana shifted into the motions of attack her power scorched the air Underneath that belch of high temperature burns and blemishes opened up on Azriel�s arms

Demonstrate your revelations Azriel�s voice cut through the roar of flame and the crash of spears colliding She hopped several steps backward spinning her spear which at this point was held together with more emotional intensity than metal Her eyes blazed Let me prove

The Second Revelation Alana didn�t even let the other woman finish She settled down into a fighting stance Golden light rotated around her a prelude to the explosion that would soon be released Azriel seemed shocked by the acquiescence She barely had time to resettle herself before Alana finished the careful intonation Struggle

The orange tint to the flames sifted almost entirely to rays of radiant gold Alana blurred in a vicious incarnate of violence her previously steady thrusts becoming a tidal wave of flame kissed blades Azriel gripped her spear a fraction too tightly pushing the metal past its limits Huge chunks of melted steel splattered on the ground

It was with a weapon entirely composed of emotional affect and barely contained image that she met Alana�s assault Yet to Randidly�s surprise she torqued her shoulder and whipped that sizzling bolt of crimson light and there was a shrieking grind as she cut into the fabric of Alana�s Skill Underneath the pressure the Skill collapsed golden light exploding like glitter in every direction

One of the large pearly wings from Alana�s helmet caught Azriel�s thrust and knocked it to the side The emotional weapon ripped out several pristine feathers but inflicted no serious damage Azriel began to shift back but Alana was already there Her fist bulldozed into Azriel�s gut and bent the white haired woman over

Graceful as a dancer Alana spun on her heel and brought her left leg around in a whirling roundhouse kick Azriel�s jaw shattered on impact But Alana wasn�t finished

Dropping her spear entirely Alana hopped off her one leg the other leg still hanging in the air She then brought that hopping leg up in the air and then cut down with it slamming into Azriel�s back and bouncing her off the ground

The crowd went wild the noise and rising excitement finally forcing its way back through the images that clashed in the arena After rolling for a bit Azriel settled and struggled to push herself up onto her hands and knees

Her eyes were still bright and violent as she looked over at Alana You�ve made adjustments

Alana snorted

Azriel clenched her broken jaw seeming to fracture it even further Then she forced her up to her feet swaying I will concede I suppose this is my limit

Weirdly what Azriel felt in that moment wasn�t a disappointment but a vast and paranoid sorrow To complicate this weirdness as the crowd heard her words and redoubled their noise making Azriel looked up and stared at Randidly for several seconds

Chapter 1966

To be frank Alana didn�t work up much of a sweat during her match Azriel Yet still she felt somewhat awkward as she moved out of the fighters� portion of the stadium and went to the stands People surged around her waving papers for her to sign and she wished that there was a competitors only viewing area

Just when she had resigned herself to signing a few autographs a wave of Nether settled heavily around her seat The air crackled and buckled underneath the overwhelming pressure that descend from the Nether storm Randidly maintained The people around her rapidly went white and then fled A few couldn�t move but luckily the effect had been designed with an outwardly swirling current eventually carrying them away

Alana offered Randidly a thumbs up who rolled his eyes at her Next to him Tatiana shook her head ruefully perhaps worrying about the public relationships aspect of his casual use of power to brush people away Still better for the Ghosthound to do it than Alana herself And normally Alana wouldn�t insist on sitting right here But the next match was Wivanya

The next match would determine who Alana would fight The heat in her chest continued to build the fight against Azriel had only fanned the flames Waiting was agony At least by watching she would be briefly distracted

What Alana hadn�t expected was for a still bloodied and disheveled Azriel stalked through the Ghosthound�s Nether pressure and plopped herself down next to Alana A furred lion man came after her clearly more uncomfortable in the pressure than either of the two women Azriel gestured to him almost as a way to break the silence You have not met my fiance However you shouldn�t have too much interaction in the future so there is no need for further introduction This is him

Alana rolled her eyes If nothing else she had to respect how direct this woman was I won�t be invited to the wedding

That seemed to genuinely throw Azriel The lion headed and thus far unnamed fiance took this opportunity to lean forward and elbow Azriel gently in the side See I told you that you were mistaken that you had no one to invite to the wedding Time is short but let�s reexamine the guest list

Azriel wielded her elbow like an emphatic period putting an end to the sentence Then she turned back to Alana as though nothing had happened We do not have time to play around like this There is something I wish to tell you Specifically about challenging the Ghosthound

Is there any rush We need to get through all of today�s matches before we determine the group to challenge him And I�m quite curious about your wedding Alana scratched her chin So tell me is it going to be a large ceremony Do you have your dress picked out yet Does your hair just blend into a veil You know are you even inviting Randidly I believe he�d definitely want to be there

The fiance held up a triumphant finger That�s exactly

He blocked this elbow from Azriel but still pouted and fell silent Azriel pushed her hair back behind her ears causing her large eyes to appear even more intense than usual There is indeed time but I want your answer now I am hoping I can tutor you in the art of the Ghosthound�s image As a member of the Pantheon I have a bit more access to his abilities and habits And I�ve noticed a distinct deficit in his arrangement Not that I think there is much chance of overcoming him but I believe if you address this weakness directly you will stand a slightly larger chance of inflicting damage

Knowing you you�ve done calculations How much larger of a chance Alana asked curiously The crowd�s excitement began to build around them the two fighters were about to come out and take the stage

From about a single percent to 3 4% Azriel announced That is that you force him to go all out As far as I can tell there is no way for eight people from the Alpha Cosmos to defeat Randidly Ghosthound Even the entire Vulpis Squad would be defeated by him in a direct confrontation

Alana didn�t bother to prevent her face from warping into a shark�s grin That was honestly better than she had expected The heat rose up her throat dancing across her tongue

Before the conversation could proceed further Kimpap walked calmly out onto the stage She offered small waves to the crowd even as they surged and screamed for her attention If Illdan from Tellus had captured the adoration of younger women with his model esque looks Kimpap�s cool demeanor and confidence had swayed the older generation to her side All sexes seemed intoxicated by the sense of controlled capability that she exuded

She was capability personified to a lot of the people of Expira To Alana she just looked like a smug version of Mrs Hamilton

Currently Kimpap had risen to become the second favorite to win the tournament behind only Alana And Alana�s odds were much much much smaller but the only reason that those amounts didn�t converge was that the two would fight in the next round against each other One would inevitably knock out the other

The matches began to accelerate through the day a rising tide of excitement that carried them all forward

Randidly leaned back in his chair Let the next match begin

Paolo and Mrs Hamilton faced off against one another leaving Randidly wondering which of the two would emerge victorious For these matches he tried not to look with his Grim Intuition wanting to be surprised by the outcome He shifted in his chair to a comfortable position and put his chin in his hand

Mrs Hamilton mobilized shadows and complex wires to hem in Paolo�s movements Rapid attacks ripped open his skin and left him constantly wounded Her image was one of sinister control and manipulation However opposite her was Paolo Here on a stage with his image of a champion in front of the approving crowd few could match him in terms of raw resonance

Each drop of blood spilled only added to the oppressive significance of their confrontation

Being here strengthened him Each cheer brought him additional capability which let him rip through an impediment and earn himself an even louder cheer He methodically advanced stoically enduring blows that Mrs Hamilton reflected back at him and closing the distance between the two fighters

It was actually in this final portion of the fight that Randidly wondered if he had been a mistake The last minute of the fight seemed almost choreographed with the two exchanging flurries of blows at a close distance

Mrs Hamilton�s hands bit like snakes and scattered like flower petals in the wind when Paolo tried to counter attack She retreated with small steps injecting venomous shadows into Paolo�s arms with each successful strike Paolo�s speed finally began to slow However even if his speed went down his physical Strength only increased His steps became heavy and ponderous but he never ceased advancing

Mrs Hamilton performed a complex combination of Skill and image to aim for a decisive strike but he endured that too After swaying briefly he began to advance once more Her abilities couldn�t overcome his intolerance of loss Eventually he pushed her to the edge of the arena touching the ground wasn�t a disqualification in the actual tournament like it had been in the preliminaries but the jump from arena to the ground would be a few seconds too long suspended in the air

Mrs Hamilton bowed her head and surrendered The crowd cheered but Randidly could sense they were disappointed they didn�t see some climactic finish Meanwhile Paolo laughed raucously and threw his swollen and clumsy arms around Mrs Hamilton�s shoulders With his sharp senses Randidly could hear Paolo telling Mrs Hamilton how worried he was about losing the match

A kind liar Randidly shook his head ruefully A strong warrior too

Next came DiOrtho Vant and Charlotte Wick Honestly Randidly felt bad not for these two but for all the people who suffered silently in their corner of the bracket Because of Raymund Ballast�s pride it was always arranged that the two members of the Vulpis Squad would fight in this round Only one would make it into the quarter finals And everyone else who had the bad luck to be there would be inevitably squeezed out

To Randidly�s surprise one did have a decisive advantage over the other but it wasn�t who he expected Charlotte Wick�s image still vaguely resembled Frankenstein in the way her original and the influence of Helen were stitched together but her emotional affect was nearly perfect

It might even be better than Randidly�s When her images flared they sung with the fabric of the world The colors they manifested made the world seem cold and blade The hopelessness of death and the endless nearly ignorant optimism of life swirled together in a peculiar harmony

DiOrtho Vant had higher Skills His physical capabilities were higher Even as a raw fighter he was much more proficient

However that day Charlotte Wick wanted it more

She tore him down and raised her head at the sky in a victorious howl When Randidly announced her victory she held that pose for several seconds Tears coursed down her face Randidly wished he could tell her how proud Helen would have been

Chapter 1967

The fight between Charlotte Wick and DiOrtho Vant at least satisfied the audience�s desire for a huge confrontation Most of the high level image work went above their heads but there was certainly plenty of arena breaking and massive impacts Randidly was in fact forced to deploy more and more of his Nether storm around the arena to keep the kinetic impacts from ripping outward and pulping some of the more mundane audience members

Who knew that Tatiana just wanted me here as a public safety mechanism

After that match the tournament took a two hour break for lunch Randidly licked his lips and looked over at the wooden board on which Tatiana wrote the winners of the various matches Halfway through the round four of the people who would challenge him had been determined Alana Kimpap Paolo and Charlotte Wick

Get four more competitors like this and maybe this will be fun Randidly grinned wolfishly Then he pulled out his Philosopher�s Key and went to B�s Crossing for lunch

He came back slightly late earning him a sharp look from Tatiana He could practically see her judging the timeline of various events to keep the day from going off without a hitch But Randidly didn�t regret it after hearing about B�s Crossing�s increasing pressure from the Zone 1 developers from Bethyl Randidly planned to act personally

Partially because he was tired of relying on Tatiana to handle certain problems but partially because he felt like he should interact more with an average person on Expira

But that was for later For now the next match Hank Howard v Wolfram

The massive three headed ogre�s skin had darkened since Randidly had last seen him His arms were covered in vicious scars that made it appear the ogre had dipped his arms in lava But each of his three heads still wore vicious expressions of determination Despite the fact that most ogres outed themselves as kindly scholars in recent years it was still easy to understand why so many were afraid of the ogres as Hank Howard stood at one third his height

The former leader of the Ogre World had ruled for quite a while That innate dominance rolled off him and pressured the entire arena

I feel obliged ta admit I made anti magic bullets ta fight ya Hank grinned without acknowledging that aura

Wolfram�s middle head smirked The left head snorted The right said I have anti bullet magic So we are even horse rider

This match felt like watching a pre System fireworks display Both the complex tapestry of mana Skills released by Wolfram and Hank�s sharp shots from his repeater glittered and exploded in bursts of delightful color And the variety was breathtaking There were fireballs lightning bolts ice novas acid splashes purple waves of corrosion and white rays of annihilation Wolfram waved his hands and the various Skills seemed to combine and split until he fire bolts of acid waves of annihilation balls of lightning and sweeping tides of fire

From a small group of starting Skills soon he had thousands of different combinations sizzling across toward his foe

Yet each time Hank�s shots were accurate and cut through the core circuit of the Skill For a small amount of time the attacks drifted forward but eventually they sputtered and exploded in a burst of color

The ogre staggered and sighed Heh my tools are too mundane even with clever arrangements I just recently achieved this capability For now I am inferior However when I develop higher Rarity Skills when I finally grow a fourth head to incorporate into this capability

I�ll take a rematch annatime Hank flashed a smile He blew smoke away from the barrel of his revolver spun the weapon then slammed it back into his leather holster

The winner is Hank Howard Randidly announced And so the tournament continued

Next came Allowaen the woman who was also a Chimera descended from Randidly subconscious fighting against Li Hong from Zone 7 Before the match Randidly had very little impression of either of them aside from the fact that Li Hong possessed a deep connection to Arbor

In the match both demonstrated that they were much more capable than Randidly�s cursory glances had indicated

Allowaen had inherited more than a little of the Calamity�s raw might Her attacks were vicious and filled with an implacable greyness that was born in the vicious intensity of the Grey Creature Randidly rubbed his chest where his Nether Core twinged painfully as Allowaen managed to release great wedges of raw destruction toward her foe She hacked with a massive ax cleaving the very air with each attack

However Li Hong simply smiled and spun in a graceful dance His arms twisted and swayed to an inaudible rhythm He dispersed Allowaen�s raw force and left her frustrated and spent His own attacks were deft palms with surprising penetrative power After deflecting a massive destructive wave he spun closer and jabbed with his dangerous hands He was the viscous surface of water reacting up ultimately reducing all outside force to dispersed ripples

His ability to connect energy is quite impressive Randidly mused And more than that what he appreciated about this match was that the nature of Li Hong�s methods meant that he didn�t need to use extra Nether to neutralize Allowaen�s wild attacks Sure the stage suffered but that was the extent of the damages He simply allowed the match to continue to its inevitable conclusion with the Chimera woman collapsing with exhaustion before she even conceded or Li Hong landed a direct blow

The second to last match of the Round of 16 was Kayle versus Drake Randidly straightened as the two fighters walked onto the stage because Nether swirled in a way he hadn�t expected the momentum of Nether indicated that Drake would win

Randidly refrained from checking their images with Grim Intuition he wanted to experience the match for himself

Kayle stood on the balls of his feet with two long knives in his hands A dozen more were strapped to his chest and sides He was a glittering figure of leather and steel ready for any threat His image was direct and potent from what Randidly could tell Kayle had recently begun receiving some pointers from the Patron of Blades His eyes released a gaze that was sharp enough to cut

Drake at first seemed a much more mundane competitor He walked out in jeans and a t shirt a bastard sword slung across his back However when he drew that sword his whole visage changed

Another presence settled on his shoulder his elemental a strange little mahogany hedgehog raised its head and released a squeal Shadows congealed around his body condensing into heavy slabs of bone across his torso shoulders and arms Those shadows flow down covering his legs and creating a massive knight of bone that stood in the middle of the arena A heavy and dark helmet covered his eyes revealing only two glowing red coals Smoke wafted out from beneath his feet

Drake in his Death Knight form cracked his knuckles and tightened his grip on his bastard sword In response an ominous pulse spread out through the Nether in the surrounding area Randidly�s eyebrows went sharply upward He spent quite a while within his coma there is no way he could catch up in Levels or Stats But in terms of emotional affect

Kayle nodded solemnly in recognition of his opponent The match began with both men advancing with bared blades

Chapter 1968

The longer the fight between Kayle and Drake lasted the more Randidly�s expression became increasingly serious His eyes unfocused so he could watch the energy beyond their physical movements It�s not just Drake�s emotional affect I think I remember hearing that his memories were blurry when he finally woke up from his long coma He needed to work for a while before he pieced his life back together

That steady Nether foundation he recovered serves him well

Kayle cut three times leaving gleaming flashes with each of his blades with his quick strikes Drake�s armor screeched as he hopped back just a fraction too slow allowing several deep gouges to be cut into the bone These marred locations began to smoke slightly evidencing a strange aspect of the Death Knight�s armor Kayle ghosted sideways seeking a new position

While Drake adjusted his grip and raised his sword his elemental on his shoulder shuffled his shoulders and pressed itself tightly into a ball Then the small porcupine body began to merge into Drake�s armor and then later expand until four long and insectoid pincers stretched from his back in a poor impersonation of wings

The tips of those bone harpoons looked wickedly sharp

Kayle reversed his grip on his long knives and rushed forward intimidated not in the slightest The upper two pincers twitched a little but mostly just stayed behind Drake�s back as he prepared an executioner�s swing at his charging foe Yet Kayle gracefully rolled sideways landing like a cat and streaking past the bone warrior at an unexpected vector Two new extremely deep marks curved across Drake�s side

Randidly�s eyes flashed emerald as these new flaws also began to smoke A certain haze began to build around the arena a sticky oiliness to the air that released a strange starburst of color It oozed out from Drake�s wounded form and stained the air It had the glittery sheen of pollution Oh This

Kayle�s eyes narrowed likely his instincts also began to notice the strange behavior from Drake His body suddenly accelerated knives seeking weaknesses in Drake�s heavy armor The larger man moved with surprising grace his torso swaying so that the blows were only glancing Drake then planted a foot and leaned forward abruptly aiming to smash his shoulder against Kayle�s head which might have cracked open the other man�s skull

Like a ghost Kayle slid out of the way and appeared behind Drake With vindictive glee he drove both of the knives into the large bone plate across his back The sturdy material cracked Just as quick as he had attacked he was away his eyes warily on the strange pincers that had spawned earlier However the protrusions of bone remind inert even with Kayle right there behind Drake

More oily gas spewed out of the gashes but this time it was accompanied by the trickle of dark blood Drake whipped around with his blade extended a full second too late to land a hit However something changed in his demeanor The ominous and overpowering image of the death knight which was a mediocre image boosted by an immaculate emotional affect began to change An edge of madness crept into Drake as he hunched forward his bone covered shoulders heaving

For all that the wounds on his back were obviously deep only a few fat and heavy drops of blood rolled out of the holes in his armor

A purple cloud now drifted around the fighters It didn�t exactly impair visibility but it had spread to fill up most of the area Kayle rushed forward and Drake raised his sword into a high grip once more But right when Kayle appeared before him the sword remained still and Drake�s left fist whipped out in a surprise jab

Kayle ducked under the blow and then scrambled backward and Drake aimed for another body check As distance opened between them Drake�s back arched and then he threw his bastard sword like a hatchet

You Kayle�s expression continued to grow tighter He planted his foot spun out of the way of the thrown sword then accelerated back toward Drake The Death Knight unleashed a few more vicious jabs to try and maintain distance but Kayle was simply too fast His long knives dug deeply into the joint around Drake�s left shoulder

Several times Kayle roused Randidly into protection mode as he unleashed continent splitting slashes in an attempt to disperse the haze of insanity that now coiled above the arena However these attempts failed miserably Yes Kayle possessed the immense power to split something solid but the genius of Drake�s image was its weakness

Most people started their image with a holistic projection However Drake�s began with that small foundation more of a germ than an image It didn�t matter if a host of germs was split each functioned as a small factory to propagate itself in the future even without any outside support They worked tirelessly

Shattering their unity would do nothing The only option was to eliminate them

By the time that both of Drake�s overly muscled arms and one bulging thigh were revealed he and Kayle fought in a bloodthirsty melee Eventually Kayle caught a turkey sized fist and was crushed into the tiled ground of the arena

Sighing he waved his hands in surrender Which left only a single match in the round of sixteen Beatrice versus Illdan of Tellus This match Randidly had some anticipation toward after the prior round This was the fighter who borrowed Randidly�s Breath of the Spear Phantom and was named the Spearman Reborn

Drake stood silently even in victory Randidly�s gaze sharpened at his hunched and entirely too still posture Yet eventually Drake pivoted on his heel and walked out of the arena still leaking gas and blood Randidly wondered how true the madness was and whether he needed some time to calm back down before he could lose that form

Randidly raised his hand Take notes The best way is to annihilate Drake�s image But if you can�t manage that

The Stillborn Phoenix opened its maw and devoured everything leaving the air relatively pristine It rumbled pleasantly enjoying the different sort of flavor that Drake�s image possessed

The final two competitors of the round came up onto the stage and approached each other Significance swirled around them but in an entirely different dimension than what had been present around Drake and Kayle Even Randidly was slightly flabbergasted as the two spent several minutes awkwardly flirting in the middle of the arena while legions of young women chanted Illdan�s name from the stands

The two young people shook hands stiffly Tatiana giggled They are honestly pretty cute Do you think they will become a couple after the tournament

Maybe So long as the fight starts soon some of Illdan�s fans are turning decidedly sour toward Beatrice right now He glanced down at the stands His eyes could read the emotions wafting up from some of the more powerful audience members Can you feel that Several of them are starting to hope that he breaks her head open and is permanently disfigured Jeez I�ll never understand fandoms

You are lucky you project a very unapproachable aura Or you�d need to deal with even worse Tatiana pointed out Randidly shivered in mock horror earning a laugh Do you know what some people would do to control the most powerful man in the world

Randidly�s face went to smile but in that moment he thought of Yystrix trying so hard to control him in the early days Tatiana seemed to sense the sudden drop in his mood and reached toward him but he shook his head and waved a hand Sorry just some weird Nether indigestion I�m feeling better but this tournament is still exhaustion

Tatiana clearly didn�t believe him but they both let the subject drop

When the two opponents finally took their position opposite each other on the stage he raised his voice Let the final match in the round of sixteen begin

Chapter 1969

Randidly took his time going through the eight losers of this round Their significance was thick and weighty But more than that getting here had not been easy They deserved some respect for their accomplishments

Azriel was first She almost seemed offended that he brought her to the image world She squinted around and poked at the various aspects of the generated landscape with an intense gaze She eventually sat down and looked at Randidly with an expression of dissatisfaction You�ve been very thorough in the creation of this place Must have taken quite some time and effort

Randidly couldn�t help but chuckle enjoying the feeling of sunlight and the wind coming in off of the Hallat River Thank you But I have to admit most of it wasn�t me because I�ve brought so many other people here their impressions become a part of the space even after they leave I didn�t take the time to polish every detail because the passage of so many experiences formed the foundation all on its own Nether is pretty convenient in that way

Her nod was sharp and birdlike There was a strangeness to Azriel She sent him furtive glances while he tried to make other small talk and she haltingly responded Not that she seemed nervous but that she seemed to be looking for something in his manner that she couldn�t find

However the significance of the place soon indicated that Azriel was ready to move on whatever tension she carried it wasn�t related to losing in the tournament She carried other demons on her shoulders

Next came Wivanya If anything the Frost Dragon Broodmother�s enthusiasm to speak with Randidly was even more stressful than Azriel�s standoffishness The sessions lasted much longer as well Wivanya wanted to give Randidly a complete update on the codes of the religion they had based on him He endured it with a pained smile on his face glad that the dragon didn�t seem very good at reading emotions

Hurting her feelings would only make the interaction more agonizing But then watching Wivanya�s large sapphire eyes he wondered if it could possibly be just that he couldn�t read her disappointment with his lukewarm reaction

That particular anxiety twisted his stomach into a knot

She only departed after securing a promise from Randidly that he would come visit the inner alcove of the Frost Dragons Randidly rubbed the bridge of his nose and moved on to the next dreamer which was Mrs Hamilton

She slumped into the seat next to him and released a long sigh I�m honestly surprised how much I feel like I need this Talking to someone about it someone unrelated I�m slightly bitter about the loss Not that I don�t think Paolo deserved to win I always knew my match against him would be extremely difficult but I wanted to fight against you this time

Randidly raised an eyebrow This time

Recently as I�ve focused more on martial pursuits I�ve discovered that I�m actually pretty good at them At fighting overcoming opponents Targeting opponents Mrs Hamilton seemed to age ten years as she sat there allowing the lines on her face to sag and cast long shadows across her cheekbones Her gaze remained on the ground in front of her I see more methods more ruthless shortcuts more effective uses of violence Some part of myself the one that has adapted so quickly to this mindset is fearful That I�ll hurt someone That I�ll be so wrapped up in victory that I will not care about my methods

Randidly just observed as she continued to speak It was he had to admit a worry that he had once wrestled with himself

I�ve felt myself becoming a monster that would twist the world in order to obtain my victory I cannot deny its a thrill feeling that capability The ability to force the world to acknowledge you with raw power and desire But I cannot stomach it sometimes So I�ve held myself back I felt it most of all in the match against Paolo That certain instincts would come to me bloodthirsty and vindictive ones instincts I didn�t dare indulge Who knows if they would have led to my victory or not but at least against you I feel like I could have completely let myself go I could have lashed out with every dangerous thought I possess confident that you could handle it

You definitely wouldn�t have defeated me with that attitude Randidly pointed out

If I ever fail in my fight against the Nexus if Elhume captures me or grinds my bones to dust Thinking of those futures Randidly felt them Their ways forward were briefly illuminated even as his own potential end loomed closer His body began to tremble a horrible abyss of death pulling him into its depths She will pick up the spear She will have help of course But weirdly she is the being closest to my disposition Everything that I have she could learn

She could avenge me

The moment passed The two of them were simply sitting on the hill about the Hallat To their left the neat cemetery stood with its iron gates and geometric gravestones Randidly released a shaky breath causing Allowaen to flinch They parted silently the sudden lack of negative emotions and her genuine desire to leave teleporting her out of the dream

Which only left Illdan

The spearman from Tellus still seemed shocked as though he still hadn�t been able to grasp that he had lost in the arena He sat very quietly for a long time on the hill just looking down at his hands

I what do I tell my people Illdan eventually volunteered His voice was low and raw I was supposed to be the Spearman Reborn Even if I didn�t exactly believe everything they were staying I still have a responsibility to Tellus And I failed them All the effort and resources that have gone into my training have been wasted

Perhaps it was the exhaustion speaking through him but Randidly had no more patience for being kind to this morose younger man If you believe that Tellus had truly named you Spearman Reborn for anything other than grabbing the attention of the masses you are a fool Do you believe you are the most powerful spear user on Tellus Especially while Kimpap has made it a round beyond you without revealing her true depth

Illdan blinked several times as though just noticing Randidly�s presence But then his face creased with anger True I might not currently have the most fighting strength However my potential should be one of the highest in the entire Alpha Cosmos And my image is directly from the Spearman

That is also incorrect Randidly shook his head several times Even now it seemed comical to him that he should have to be here having this conversation Your image is actually mine Well I don�t want to disturb whatever history they are spreading about the Spearman on Tellus these days but his true image wasn�t related to a spear It was just a tool to pay back a very old debt to someone he loved

And if you want proof about the image being mine Randidly shot Illdan a sharp glance as the younger man opened his mouth undoubtedly to offer a rebuttal Do you remember your previous match Against the other spear user from Tellus I�m sure you had a sense of enlightenment in those moments You felt unstoppable like you could find an answer to every attack the opponent threw at you That�s because the protective barrier around the arena was made with my memories you were relying on my combat experience in order to fight The reason it transferred so smoothly was that you utilize my Breath of the Spear Phantom That small connection made it possible

Illdan went pale and hiccuped

Now let�s get to your third and most damning reason that you were absolutely crushed by Beatrice Randidly began to frown just remembering the sorry display of a match that he had been forced to watch She predicted most of your moves because she had been paying attention to you the entire tournament Have you even seen her fight Did you not even bother to research the opponent You

Randidly cut off his small rant feeling the sense of helplessness beginning to waft off of Illdan The spear user slumped in his seat looking lost and weak

So what do I do now Illdan whispered

Randidly reached over and squeezed his shoulder You start again You work on your foundation You train If you want to follow your Path to the finish all you need to do is keep going no matter how difficult the losses become

Chapter 1970

Myself Hank Li Hong Charlotte Wick Paolo Drake Beatrice and Kimpap Alana counted off the top eight on her fingers She and Azriel sat on the edge of a cliff along Tournament Island watching the waves crash against the shore about ten meters below them The air smelled of salt and warmth The heavy stones beneath them had been warmed by the sun Only a few of the individuals I expected have made it Makes the whole process of the tournament interesting I wonder who will be champion

Azriel�s mouth twisted She impatiently waved a hand in the air The championship ultimately matters not at all What will have a definite impact on the development of the Alpha Cosmos is the challenge against the Ghosthound By targeting his weakness we can ensure he addresses it That should be our main goal

I disagree Alana sucked in a deep breath The heat in her chest made her lightheaded It made the stones and even the sun above them seem cool and light She tapped her foot on the ground eager to move

You think Randidly won�t address the weakness once he knows about that Well that�s why we must demonstrate its importance Azriel rubbed her chin Although I cannot deny that sometimes that man makes inexplicable decisions

No I mean I think it its a mistake to say that who wins the tournament doesn�t matter Alana cracked her jaw and rubbed the tip of her tongue along the inside of her front teeth She played with the heat examining it as it radiated out through her limbs in uneven pulses It wasn�t exactly excitement although there was an element of that

The Ghosthound has promised prizes but recognition and objects will eventually fade Azriel said dismissively

Alana chuckled But it�s all in preparation for what follows It is ritual do you see The shape of the tournament the steady culling of the unworthy the final winner uniting with some of the most powerful defeated to challenge the Ghosthound sure the winner has no special authority but don�t you think that the winner will be the centerpiece of the plan to attack the Ghosthound in the challenge That first place is an anointing You become the blade to pierce his heart These are necessary steps

It was an honor that Alana burned for She spent the last few days being consumed by those emotions

That and her desire for revenge on Kimpap for humiliating Wivanya

Hum Yes well Azriel considered that I believe that ritual is often a purposeful delay to artificially inflate the value of something So in a way I suppose there is an element of truth to what you are saying Randidly created the tournament and dragged it out like this so people�s expectations could be set on the power of those from the Nexus Then he could swoop in and shatter those expectations with a thorough demonstration of power

Then Azriel shrugged However that matters little to me Today as I told you I�d like to show you something A concrete piece of evidence proof you need to listen to my words We can examine the literal manifestation of the Ghosthound�s folly Do you have the capability to view Nether

Alana clenched her fists and tightened her control over the inferno inside her chest Sometimes she couldn�t believe she wasn�t smoking as she walked around the island Gradually she forced back that heat and folded it into a corner of her heart leaving herself clear headed Then she tapped into the Grand Ritual that the Ghosthound had placed in the Core of Expira Her eyes went unfocused as she looked up and saw the milky and dark energy of Nether churning in the sky Yes I can see it

They all sat under it A horrifyingly powerful maelstrom hung over Tournament Island announcing Randidly�s presence The lines of energy were beautiful in a way but dangerous as frothing river rapids

Azriel nodded Then she pointed to the sky Look there Right there Do you see That�s the weakness

Alana followed her finger For several seconds she couldn�t understand And then frowned You mean but why would that be a weakness

Ah of course Kimpap�s smile returned You were raised under the Spearman School a group of body obsessed brutes And your master is Shal who had an extremely rough upbringing himself It could not have been easy to develop as you did

Gradually the amusement slid off Randidly�s face He was too tired to engage in this strained discussion what do you want

How quick you are to shift into hostility Kimpap maintained her polite tone but her wicked little smile revealed that she was only too happy to move on to her true purpose in meeting him As you are no doubt aware Shal is very politically important due to his image being used to pass the Second Calamity However once he departed Tellus he never returned Quite a bit of business was left unresolved We are hoping you�d be able to get us into contact with him

And your involvement in the tournament Randidly said slowly

Kimpap smiled Personally Just to make sure we were able to get your attention There are still some of the old guard alive on Tellus who remember your service to our world Mr Randidly Ghosthound I will gladly bow out and allow your people to claim the top spots in exchange for your assistance

Randidly kept his expression neutral while his mind raced through the possibilities Kimpap had rather impeccable control over her significance and emotions without making his attempts obvious he couldn�t peer too deeply into her motivations and thoughts And what he could glean just make him feel vaguely uncomfortable She wanted something Very very badly

His pupils dilated as a possibility occurred to him Because Shal being politically important didn�t seem like the heavy handed and indulgent Tellus elite at all But if it was about more concrete benefits

Considering the patterns that the System followed Randidly had an idea about what this unresolved business� might be

Ah this is about the ancillary reward Randidly said slowly He smiled widely at Kimpap For defeating the Second Calamity

For a brief moment Kimpap�s emotions surged She worried when he said those words But she nodded coolly Indeed As far as we can tell it is extremely difficult for Tellus to accept this reward without him being personally present Some failed experiments revealed it is theoretically possible but not worth the cost Have you been in contact with him recently

Randidly�s expression clouded thinking of Shal The current version of Shal who had given up on his own image and boosted his power with crafted armaments His heart ached to think how far his master had fallen

Still no reason to reveal everything I know Randidly glanced at Kimpap gauging her calm eyes Especially when I have no idea whether he�s still alive

I have been in contact but not recently Randidly said aloud Then he reached up and rubbed his chin Let me make you a deal If you win the tournament I�ll help you resolve the business Either by contacting Shal or making arrangements myself I promise you I don�t covet the Nexus�s prizes But only if you win the tournament

Kimpap narrowed her eyes You want me to continue competing But why

Because I don�t think winning the tournament will be as easy as you think Randidly grinned

Chapter 1971

On the day of the quarter finals the mood on Tournament Island changed Even the sky felt it cloudless and endlessly blue

For the past several weeks attendance to the various matches had been steadily dropping The tournament had simply lasted too long for anyone with steady employment to enjoy But in those few hours before the match between Alana and Kimpap the docks and quays were flooded with new arrivals and excited attendees Expira broadly and Donnyton specifically were out in force to support their most powerful fighter

The Frost Dragons too glided in on large glittering wings to the island They made a camp on a deserted beach belching up glittering snow flurries up to the sky and performing religious rites Alana Donal was the ultimate prophet of their religion She wielded a fragment of the Ghosthound�s divinity

They wouldn�t miss this fight for the world

Randidly sat on his skyisland watching the sun grip the horizon and leverage itself slowly up into the sky The blue only deepened as it made its ascent Shades and color bowed before it Viewed in this manner it struck him how powerful an image of the sun could be It was a false perspective obviously even with the shenanigans pulled by the System in the rearrangement Randidly was pretty sure Expira still revolved around the sun and not vice versa All movement was done by Expira itself while the sun watched However there was power even in false things

He lowered his gaze to the conflux of significance that began to mix around the arena Then he peered down further into the bowels of Expira where the Nether forges continued to churn out fragments of Nether Weight more efficient than ever

Randidly stretched out a hand and conjured his own Nether Weight the appearance of those shadowy flames across his fingers causing the fabric of reality to hum With enough power we really can warp the world how we want However Mrs Hamilton the question becomes what exactly do we want And will we be able to live with what we think is best

Randidly shook himself to dispel the mood Even if his insight into Nether allowed him to alleviate all the pressure in his Nether Core the interviews with the losers still left him with a strange taste in his mouth Perhaps it was the throughline of regret that they all held

His own regrets inevitably began to bubble to the surface His shoulders ached with the weight of choices not taken

Again shaking himself Randidly sent a message to Neveah checking to make sure there was no change with the Patron of Feathers� condition Then he proceeded down from his skyisland to Tournament Island immersing himself in the bustle of noise in preparation for the match For this round two matches would happen a day so Alana and Kimpap in the morning would be followed by Paolo and Charlotte Wick in the evening

Donnyton and their allies were currently hosting a parade a massive sprawling mobile drinking extravaganza that was gradually making loops toward the arena The delegation from Tellus and members of the Vulpis Squad and Heiffal�s army had similar gatherings each working themselves up into a lather to cheer for their chosen representative

Randidly found Tatiana in the small office box by their high seats above the arena She looked up from several reports in front of her and sighed Well if nothing else you have made a killing in alcohol sales these past two months And now that people have come here and had a taste they want to order bulk shipments back to their homes restaurants and bars You are now a majority shareholder in what will soon become the largest alcohol distributor in the Alpha Cosmos We might need to set up branches on Tellus in the near future We might need to expand our current operations even further

Randidly chuckled wondering if he should suggest Ghostlite a watered down beer to be a part of his alcohol empire Students at Kharon Academy could sneak it into their dorms and sip it while doing a bad job of keeping the noise down But thinking about business reminded him of another task he wanted to address He looked at Tatiana Without him even having to ask she shook her head and said We do have an hour and a half But don�t you dare come back late Keep things short whatever you want to do

Randidly grinned I mean I would love to keep things short Just depends whether the other party is willing to negotiate

The water cooler glugged as Jane twisted the light blue handle and liquid came out into her small cup Inwardly she cursed the office manager for always purchasing these tiny paper cups She cursed herself for always forgetting to bring in a water bottle She brought the container to her lips and drained the cup without completely quenching her thirst She could only lower the cup and wait to fill it once again

I don�t need rest He flashed her an irritated look and twisted away He gripped the edge of the doorway and frowned as though he considered breaking it Jane always worried he was about to break something when he got that look I feel great right now Shit bring me a map I bet I can hit another real estate gold mine if I just think a little

N n not a meeting The secretary repeated In Jane�s hands she was shaking

While patting the poor young woman�s shoulder somewhere between sympathy and exasperation Jane aimed one of her sharp glances at Johann Johann let�s be real You are going to make a lot of money due to your foresight in buying the area around B�s Crossing Jane decided not to think too deeply about the fact that the whole reason he invested in the area was because he liked the food there and that proves you have talent in this field But this is Randidly Ghosthound who owns Kharon and a controlling interest in Ghost�s shipping company He has fingers in Donnyton and the Orchard as well as every expedition that travels to Danger Zones or other worlds for rare materials You need to be clear headed about this This is not a man who dabbles in speculation If he reached out he wants something

Even your father wouldn�t dare try and make a deal with Randidly Ghosthound Jane thought inwardly

Do I look like I�m not clear headed Suddenly Johann�s eyes were filled with bitter antagonism He jabbed his finger at Jane I�m so tired of you treating me like a child You might have gotten away with this sort of attitude with dad but I�m

He didn�t arrange a meeting The secretary screeched rocking everyone back on their heels The noise felt impossibly loud in the cramped and brown hallway

Everyone looked at her After hyperventilating for a few seconds she managed to string together a coherent sentence He Mr Ghosthound didn�t reach out to arrange a meeting He�s here waiting upfront That�s why I could only run right I couldn�t just stay there in the room with him sitting on that couch oh god

The secretary finally collapsed pressing her head against the wood paneling of the walls Jane reached out unsuccessfully her hand wanting to continue comforting the young woman while the rest of her body was now transfixed Her fingers groped air Even more than his name the rumor of his presence squeezed the group

This time when Jane and Johann�s eyes met they were in agreement Both began to walk briskly back down the hall toward the small waiting room

As far as waiting rooms went Ironwood Capitol had skimped on their perfunctory attempt There was a desk at which the secretary was positioned directly opposite the glass front doors There was a bland painting of a vase of flowers above a small and poorly upholstered couch to the left Squeezed between the couch and the wall was a slowly dying potted plant

The room they walked into to face the Ghosthound had been transformed by his presence The potted plant in the corner had grown into a twisting bean stock creeping across the walls and ceiling until the room was more leafy foliage than wall Thin tendrils curled out in every direction with more spawning even as Jane took all of this in

The painting had been every more warped the subject matter still vaguely resembled what had been there previously yet Jane felt briefly transfixed by the vase Suddenly the painting seemed to have been wrought of the life essence of Expira�s greatest painting talent Several sprigs of lilac were tucked into that glass container Just looking at it took her breath away

The curl of the petals was achingly beautiful Small motes of violet wafted somehow away from the painting filling the room with a fresh smell

The couch remained the same which only served to make the muscular and athletic body of Randidly Ghosthound appear more out of place Jane felt dizzy looking at him He wasn�t exactly handsome only sharp and direct He sat in a clean shirt and pants Meeting his gaze was like jumping into an emerald firework above a frigid lake A whooshing rushing shocking experience For several seconds she couldn�t breathe

Mr Ghosthound Johann�s voice squeaked What a pleasant surprise Why why don�t you come back to my office so we can discuss business

The Ghosthound�s mouth quirked up at the corner No need Let�s just talk here

Chapter 1972

Johann shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he choked on the Ghosthound�s words Jane eyed the young man next to her with something like pity But the initiative displayed by when he addressed the Ghosthound ran out So the two could only stand there awkwardly while the Ghosthound leaned back on the cheap couch and studied them for several seconds

Besides Can we even deny that the Ghosthound has made this room the most interesting in the office simply by waiting in here for a little less than two minutes Jane�s mouth felt very dry

Looking at him she was reminded of a conversation she once had with Dmitri Rainor Johann�s father only a few months ago In retrospect she suspected that it had been this interaction that led to her current post They had been sitting in his sunroom with Dmitri slathering butter onto a roll as part of his morning ritual Jane had brought a prospective business plan to Dmitri�s attention a pet project that she had been secretly researching for almost six months

The wait was agonizing Inwardly she had been mentally sprinting through the plan over and over again as he examined it

The Rainor Family was rich but just rich enough to provide for their descendants Not politically dominant rich like some of the other factions on Expira This plan Jane sincerely believed would change that

Dmitri read through the plan with his characteristic attention to detail His habit of pausing and rereading an entire paragraph he didn�t quite get was agonizing Occasionally he took a sip of his coffee The roll had been left forgotten on the side Sunlight filtered through the wide windows as he read

Eventually he set down the packet and looked up at Jane This is a very good idea Well done Jane

Jane had nodded eagerly as relief swept through her to earn his approval Alright I�ll get the documents drawn up in the morning If we move fast

Wait We won�t be implementing this idea ourselves Dmitri had straightened and carefully adjusted the starched collar of his shirt He picked up his roll and returned to buttering it as though he had never stopped I have some contacts I can pass the plan along to Very original Perfectly timed Impeccable work as always Jane Your holiday bonus will surely reflect the initiative that you�ve displayed here

I what Emotions had warred in Jane�s heart She felt flush with the confidence she had feared would be proved false for so long vindicated in the months of extra hours at the office trying to piece together data from shipping yields and sales numbers She felt slightly dizzy as she looked at Dmitri We will pass this on But why I calculated the loan we could expect to get If it�s a matter of capital we can handle

Jane Dmitri�s voice had been gentle But more than that his tone hid a deep and sorrowful fear as he looked at her She had worked for him for almost three years following him as he picked the Rainor Family up from the scraps and made it a business power in modern Expira He was the most competent man she knew And because of that she was just a little bit in love with him

But right now he was afraid

He reached out and put and weathered hand on her shoulder His touch felt light I can understand why you would be disappointed but the Rainor Family cannot eat this meal you�ve prepared for us We dare not lest we attract the wrong sort of attention

Why the hell not Jane blurted out

Dmitri sighed We do not hold the power to protect anything more than what we have Without genuine power without someone who has begun to understand their own image well it is not safe to be too successful on Expira

In the present Jane finally felt how what Dmitri had said was indeed true She couldn�t suppress the fascination she felt toward his every minute detail this man felt more real than anything else she had ever encountered The Ghosthound�s chest visibly rose and fell as he breathed And Jane felt his muscles contract and relax Sitting atop the planet this man reigned Had reigned for about as long as the System had taken over the world This sensation was entirely different than Dmitri

Jane had even once met the newly elected President of Zone 1 once shaken his hand after a speech on expanding System education Classes to refugees At the time she had been captivated by the President�s charm and presence He could manipulate attention at will utilizing his clever framing to quickly rise to power in the cutthroat Zone 1

Meanwhile the Ghosthound released a bark of laughter Cash And what would you do with more cash Continue throwing your life away

For several seconds Johann just stared Standing like this his limbs seemed too thin for his torso Then he went red You have no right to talk that way to me

You stupid here look The Ghosthound flipped his hand around and beckoned Almost of its own accord Johann�s body walked toward him Her boss�s eyes bulged evidencing his shock and fear as he approached Jane could see sweat glistening on the back of his neck as he kneeled in front of the Ghosthound who reached out and tapped a finger to his chest

Dumm

That light touch resonated in Jane�s bones

You what Johann collapsed beginning to cough

The Ghosthound made a graceful gesture with his long fingers A strange brown liquid flowed out of Johann�s nose and mouth He gathered it into a ball floating above his pointer finger You are being dosed with a nasty sort of Skill to make you addicted to something And suggestable And it would instill a certain sort of admiration in you toward the original user See All this trash was in your body You agreed to have it within you or else it wouldn�t have penetrated so deeply

The Ghosthound flicked his hand sideways sending the brown liquid splashing on some of the plants growing on the wall When touched by the strange liquid most of the leaves began to wither and curl Johann could barely breathe let alone speak as the Ghosthound leaned back in his chair The coughing fit continued to stretch

The Ghosthound�s face stiffened for a second time Suddenly his green eyes looked gleeful as he looked down at the heaving body of Johann Is this sort of favor acceptable as payment

His words echoed with a much more sinister question how much cash is your life worth

Tatiana looked up and then beamed at him as he stepped out of the portal lease in hand Oh my what a pleasant surprise You actually came back twenty minutes early

Randidly rolled his eyes Am I really that unreliable

Undoubtedly Tatiana answered with mock seriousness Then she offered Randidly a playful curtsy After you We have a tournament to watch

When Randidly walked out of the preparation box and onto their dais above the arena the crowd noise rose like the tide beneath him Complex webs of Nether spun in the air churning around his person in a grand pattern The current of the present swept so much of history into its urgent pull Even Randidly�s Nether Core hummed in sympathy to the rising tension that came over the arena

Once Randidly and Tatiana were in their seats the two competitors walked out onto the arena The howls for Alana Donal were deafening she was definitely the home favorite Yet the pressure released by Kimpap silenced the crowd somewhat forcing their jeers to recede before her presence

Right before the end she looked up at Randidly with sharp eyes as though to ask if he truly wished for her to go through with this and utilize her full power to win

Randidly just chuckled For the first match of the quarter finals Alana versus Kimpap

Chapter 1973

As soon as Randidly called out the words Alana�s instincts began to scream in warning Goosebumps sprang to life up and down her arms Although it ran counter to her entire strategy although the burning inferno she carried within her chest demanded immediate violence she had not survived the System this long by ignoring her instincts

She sidestepped A culling wind swept across the arena from Kimpap to the spot where she had been standing previously A wicked curve was carved in the floor of the arena in a split second by the lashing strike that whizzed past Alana The whole stadium shook Randidly suddenly floated at the base of the stands absorbing the force of Kimpap�s attack with his body after it ripped its way through his Nether barrier

In a single moment Alana�s opponent had completely seized image control in the surrounding area Kimpap smirked over at Alana Behind her back a massive shadowy face grinned Its bleeding gums sprouted skinny spear teeth giving it the horrifying mouth of a miniature whale For eyes it had two deep abysses holding nothing and drinking in the sights of the world

The air whispered to Alana telling her that she would die Kimpap raised her spear for another attack The blade was slightly curved and the rest of the weapon was matte black Only the edge of the blade shimmered in the dimming light

Yea Alana�s hands began to sweat with nervousness But she couldn�t prevent a grin from stretching itself across her face Light began to radiate from her body but was quickly devoured by the gloomy atmosphere Her Fate transformed pearly wings stretching above her head This is what it�s supposed to be like The First Revelation Advance

Golden fire surged around Alana as she launched herself forward Kimpap�s figure blurred but with Alana�s high Stats she kept up with the movement However Kimpap took a very familiar route to meet her she was utilizing Azriel�s method of striking the Revelation at the perfect angle to disperse the force

Alana adjusted at the last second even as Kimpap made another adjustment to counter her Both their spears bent at the rapid calculation right before impact Alana�s spear arrived in time deflecting Kimpap�s attack Around her a river of orange and gold fire surged forward to inflict some damage

The revelation shattered Alana didn�t even have time to react before a second spear drew a searing line across her side Cursing Alana hopped backward Above the arena the horrifying face with its thin teeth leered down at her A shadowy figure hovered in the space to Alana�s right where the strike had originated It held another dull spear that ended in a curved blade

Her eyes narrowed This woman is a Tellus Master Her images can move independently of her body

It was a method of honing images that wasn�t very popular on Expira mostly because Randidly didn�t rely on it for his own power Maybe even most people didn�t know it was possible Randidly instead chose to combine his three images into one powerful whole rather than separating them into independent actors Against more powerful foes Randidly�s strategy made sense But against individuals around your strength an image moving independently was a dangerous prospect

Alana�s pulse rose to the challenge She lowered her spear even as the two Kimpaps one shadow and one Tellite moved to surround her Even as the arena became gloomier her wild smile remained fixed in place The Second Revelation Struggle

Momentum and energy surged through Alana�s body She feinted forward then pounced at the image Kimpap A thick burst of orange first spun around the tip of her weapon as she struck The image body would probably reform but attacking it seemed the unpredictable option Her spear blurred into a dozen thrusts fangs of orange gold fire to rip into this image being

What Alana hadn�t expected was that the shadow Kimpap would just grin showing those ugly teeth It thrust a shadow spear forward on a whispering line that somehow severed the core of Alana�s image For a split second she simply hung their her momentum dispersed In a much more efficient method than the one Azriel had come up with her Skill had been broken

The follow up thrust caught Alana in the shoulder even as she tried to shimmy out of the way And even as she managed to open up some space from the image projection the real Kimpap slammed a kick into Alana�s wounded side Grunting she crashed to the ground and rolled several meters

Even worse than the pain was the numbness Too many of her Revelations had been broken too quickly Her mental wounds ached

Of course Kimpap wouldn�t miss this chance The three versions of herself one physical and two image projections circled around Alana The expressions on those faces in the sky twisted into warped and exaggerated versions of themselves

Not only were the thrusts viciously targeted to exploit Alana�s weaknesses but occasionally they were empowered by that horrible whispering force The longer they fought the more wounds dotted Alana�s body Her blood dried on her arms as she was forced into a flurry of motion and unable to staunch the wounds as they were carved open

Alana slipped on some of her own blood falling to a knee The main body of Kimpap lunged forward Alana activated Revelation Struggle Her image trembled not used to switching between the Revelations in such short succession But after a few sputtering seconds light and pain erupted across her skin

The ache doubled when Kimpap casually cut sideways into the image causing whispers to surge in a mournful harmony The gloom tightened and squeezed Beneath that pressure the Revelation shattered The grimacing face projection of Kimpap was behind Alana and she had no choice but to reach again for the Revelations The Fourth Revelation Divinity

The two faces that dominated the sky warped into a leer The whispers grew louder and Alana�s body grew rigid Kimpap�s spear riggled and aimed for that perfect source of golden light hovering near her chest The wings of Alana�s Fate curled down protectively but that thrust couldn�t be deflected

Divinity shattered and Alana�s body crashed to the ground

For several seconds she just lay there looking up at those horrid faces that loomed above them Alana could hear her breathing but very little else around her the entire arena seemed to have fallen silent Because of the haze of Kimpap�s image she couldn�t even see Randidly Alana squeezed her eyes shut

After allowing herself a single moment of self pity she pushed herself to her feet Kimpap inclined her head slowly You fight well I will agree to a rematch in the future after you have time to polish yourself further Goodbye Alana Donal

Her lips were dry and bloody But Alana couldn�t help but laugh mostly because of how sure her opponent was of her victory

Alana would give Kimpap this she was quite professional as she moved to finish the match She didn�t pause when Alana laughed simply lowered her shoulders and charged forward The curved end of the spear gleamed with promise The two image projections spread outward prepared for her to dodge

Yet Alana didn�t feel fear In fact she felt relief Because when Divinity broke she finally felt something in her image shift The limit for her power rose now it was just a matter of reaching out and taking more

In the next moment Alana stepped forward as an avatar of orange gold fire to meet the warrior from Tellus And she wanted to win

Chapter 1974

Randidly sat next to the bedridden Alana and worked on his Nether awareness Occasionally he glanced at her taking in the torn image remnants left on her skin that still glowed like cooling coals But mostly he kept his attention inward with the amount he was activating his Animation Nova her body would soon pull itself together

As for her image she would need to try and make sense of the aftermath of the match Randidly closed his eyes and focused on his Nether Core Time began to accelerate

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 921

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 940

Alana�s eyelids fluttered at first and then the remnant embers of orange flame that clung to her skin surged into finger length tongues Randidly watched impassively keeping her from setting the bed alight with a curt gesture of his finger Otherwise he simply continued to manifest his Fourth Authority Animation Nova Her body and Willpower both almost entirely depleted eagerly absorbed the radiation

A few minutes after that her eyes opened her gaze was immediately aware and focused She looked at him and grimaced How long was I

Almost two days Randidly flashed a wry smile as he allowed his perception to leave the folding world of Nether For a while during the match I was definitely worried about you You started pulling in a lot of strange Aether and Nether and burning it to fuel your explosion of force for that Skill From what I could tell the combustion created emotional pollution and that eventually overburdened your brain to the point you collapsed

Alana closed her eyes again She squeezed the small blanket covering her body So I lost

Randidly shook his head ruefully If you had lost I wouldn�t be so intent on nursing you back to health in a short time You won if only because Kimpap was unwilling to truly manifest her images to fight against you In your rage you targeted her physical body and forced a confrontation she wasn�t willing to commit to I don�t think she wants me to see her actual power She will regret it though the reward for the tournament is shaping up to be more valuable than I thought and will be split amongst the top four

Alana mulled that over for a few minutes in silence If anything her tension seemed to rise with the knowledge she hadn�t yet lost Randidly could feel her emotions steadily churning through relief disappointment and a burning determination in just a few seconds Eventually she grounded herself and opened her eyes once again You probably would have preferred that I lose yes I am considered Expira�s most powerful warrior I would prove your point about us being out of touch with the power level in the Nexus had Kimpap been able to come in from Tellus and defeat me

Randidly chuckled and waved his hand The tournament is just a tournament for the population of the Alpha Cosmos A way to encounter different warriors from different areas and breed goodwill And it�s supposed to demonstrate your powers to the broader population this match did that splendidly After your power is established I�ll take care of showing Expira how dangerous the Nexus can be with only needing a small amount of assistance from you

Alana clicked her tongue in distaste at his arrogant attitude but she couldn�t refute it She just shot him a sour look and changed the subject So Two days What happened to the rest of the matches

Charlotte beat Paolo He did not flinch before her overwhelming physical abilities and she started to feel very threatened by how stubbornly he refused to lose She had to shatter his left leg and pop a few organs before he collapsed Honestly he looked much worse than you did Randidly shook his head The only difference was that he was definitely conscious fighting through every moment of the pain After that Hank lost to Li Hong The betting houses made a lot of money from that one It didn�t seem like his heart was in the fight and the dispersive nature of Li Hong�s abilities was somewhat difficult for him to address After you lost and had to be healed well

Tatiana blinked several times Those aren�t those the romance novels that star a young Classless girl being swept away by a rich and high Level millionaire With several well described physical interactions between the two of them

Whose stubbornness obliviousness and awkward emotional moves distinctly resemble a certain irresponsible Ghosthound Neveah continued to look distinctly scandalized Her grimace was comical enough that Tatiana huffed out a laugh Ugh I used to Bleh

Sydney threw her hands up in the air This is sorta why I didn�t want to talk about it Yes I drew heavily from Randidly�s personality Or at least from his palpable presence And knowing him and the people from Donnyton made it easy to be inspired to create the mysterious and harsh character of Edwin Hawk for the flagship series But honestly after all the shit I went through due to Randidly I�m pretty sure he at least owes me a fictional cameo Besides it would never even occur to him to be accidentally romantic If anything I�m doing him a PR favor by writing these books Suddenly ten thousand teenage girls are moon eyed over the possibility of meeting a mysterious and powerful stranger appearing in the dark

Teenage girls Tatiana couldn�t help but giggle More like a million middle aged women fantasizing about him Do you know anything about Hawk�s Darkness� becoming a movie Ha I wonder who they will cast This is a secret that we definitely can�t let him find out

Then change the subject Neveah hissed She pressed her hands to her face her expression was flushed I�ve read those books I�ve fantasized ugh I�m seriously going to throw up That was my Soulbond companion and Randidly isn�t training so if I get any more embarrassed he�s going to notice and his consciousness will drift over to investigate why I�m feeling like this

Several mimosa pitchers into the meal Tatiana spoke and then regretted it immediately She looked at Sydney So what�s going on between you and Drake

The table fell into an uneasy silence Tatiana scolded herself for speaking as thoughtlessly as Randidly She was definitely spending too much time with him But at the very least it did change the subject

We had a fight Sydney said slowly About about him trying to work through some of his trauma and recover his fighting strength I thought I just want him to be happy you know And we have been since he recovered and finished his rehab It�s been I wake up in a warm dream every morning Yes I�m busy and yes I write with a heavy reliance on Randidly and that makes me feel vaguely guilty but I�m happy

But he got it into his head that he wants to be strong for me He wants to directly overcome whatever pain put him into that coma in the first place I think part of it is that he hopes he can rediscover his ability to speak in the process Sydney let out a long breath and her body seemed to sag without the air But it�s not worth the risk What if he falls into another coma

Neveah reached over and put her hand on Sydney�s Her smile was brittle It�s a hard thing Watching the people in our life run toward danger so constantly It can eat away at you being the one who thinks and feels the consequences But you can�t let it overshadow everything else

I know Sydney whispered She reached up and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a napkin She force a warm smile on her face and took another deep gulp of mimosa That�s why I�m here right To see you two obviously but also I�ll be there to see what happens to him

I mean he made it to the semi finals Tatiana observed He�s certainly strong And Randidly gets a very intense gaze when he watches Drake�s matches I can sorta tell from it that he�s intrigued by what he sees

Ugh Sydney pressed her forehead against the table That�s the worst Because now that he made it this far even if he would win he will fight Randidly And whatever else I know about him he will not be gentle to Drake because he is recovering from injury

Tatiana and Neveah both took their own deep gulps rather than acknowledging that statement Because neither would be able to deny it

Chapter 1975

Randidly folded his hands across his knees Even if this was a projected image the sun felt pleasantly warm on his skin He took a deep breath and reached out through the significance of the tournament to find his targets

Four losers were a number that he could definitely handle without breaking a sweat And he took his time with these because they would be part of the group that would challenge him The first arrived very quickly Suddenly next to him Kimpap looked around with interest You so perfectly preserved this view Such a nostalgic scene Did you pass through here once before the reformation On your way with Shal to fight against the Wights

He felt confused but tried not to let it show on his face She recognized him before did she really not understand his circumstances no it was because I was deployed on the front during the retreat I fought all the way from the South coast to the Hallat The Wight�s road to the Hasham was paved with the bodies of my unit That cemetery I dug the original graves by hand

Randidly felt a vein throb in his brow as he recalled it Suddenly all the foreign impressions he had discussed with Azriel were twisted by the truth of his emotional memory of this place A deep and subtle ache spread out from his chest and restructured the entirety of his constructed vision Nothing physically changed but the tone of everything became more reserved

Intellectually Randidly could acknowledge how fascinating Nether was as an energy to see it ripple out and cascade out to arrange itself But at the moment the old feelings of desperation and fear rose in his throat

The Nether that connected the past with the present hummed

Oh of course You were part of the war effort as a special forces officer Shal was busy with other pursuits and left you alone Kimpap favored Randidly with a small smile Something tightened in his chest as he looked at her expression She had known he had fought here but she had pretended like she did not Why

To taint his feelings for Shal

Of course my opinion of the current Shal is quite complex But not for any reasons you understand Randidly sighed to himself

Kimpap continued to speak while looking serenely around at the rolling grass of the hills If I�m being honest I much prefer this landscape to what it has become The past several years have been rather rough for Tellus The grass has withered and been stomped down a lot of areas around the capital have become haphazard training centers for Styles trying to establish names for themselves Without a centralized leader with so many displaced people after the Wight Wars with the continued problems with Aether

Randidly felt that tightness again as he listened to Kimpap He narrowed his eyes but he still spoke There should be no problems with Aether any longer I would have assumed that in the time after Shal overcame the Second Calamity energy would flow freely And now that Tellus is part of the Alpha Cosmos Aether is no longer a problem

Oh indeed Perhaps I�m not abreast of the current developments Again Kimpap showed an embarrassed smile Then she fell silent and stared forward

Randidly wanted to growl at this pointless gaming but held himself back Clearly she wanted something from him not the other way around If she refused to do anything but play coy it wasn�t any of his business But he did have one more question for Kimpap so he cleared his throat and asked So why did you decide to hold back against Alana Even with that final effort I have a hard time believing you couldn�t have held her at bay for long enough for her psyche to collapse

You overestimate me Kimpap bowed her head She is young and I am old The constant rise of new heroes is part of the sorrow and joy of educating the next generation I can only hope that someday our Illdan becomes talented enough to surpass her

So I�ve worked really really hard to try and catch up to your power I well I�ll challenge you right But losing against Drake I�m probably not too close yet Since I have you here I guess I just wanted to ask what it�s like Being so powerful but having to carry so many made and unmade decisions with you

Rand clenched his right hand and then loosened his grip before the dream world picked up that aching sense of helplessness He tried his best to think about the question even as his heart shed ugly tears inside his ribcage I can sorta understand the feeling you are looking for It�s not something that I can describe But I will say that it�s something that clings to you Because once you are exposed to it you can never escape it Every step you take possibilities infest every decision you are offered And some morning I wake up and it takes a long time before I feel okay with sitting up I just can�t move But I also have to move Do you see You are pulled both ways The momentum of my invisible mass keeps me rushing forward But the weight makes every bit of distance traveled that much more difficult

Beatrice just nodded and vanished from the dream world

Sighing Randidly returned to his skyisland and took a nap Somehow he knew that it would be difficult to shake this mood When he awoke he spent some time polishing the emotional affect of his three images Then he worked on pushing his Nether Sensation even higher he believed he would be able to get it to Level 1000 before he turned to the Nexus

However it did not happen yet Before he knew it it was time to officiate the semifinal round of the tournament As he settled into his seat he felt the mechanisms of the grand Nether Ritual in Expira becoming more sophisticated Not only had it successfully fabricated quite a bit of Nether Weight but it also began to tailor the rewards to the Alpha Cosmos The winners would receive some extra benefit so long as they operated within the Alpha Cosmos

Alana Donal fought against Charlotte Wick in a cataclysmically destructive fight that forced Randidly to deploy Yggdrasil�s image entirely to prevent any collateral deaths from the enthusiastic crowd The two women stoically flared their images and engaged in a vicious melee in the middle of the arena Alana continued to push the limits of her slightly reworked image and Charlotte continued to hone the synergy between her original image and Helen�s

Both improved over the course of the match

In the end Randidly suspected that Alana�s injuries weren�t quite healed from fighting against Kimpap Charlotte raised her head and roared a defiant call when he announced her the winner Her spirit shook the arena

On the other side of the bracket a much less bombastic match occurred Li Hong fought against Drake Where the other side possessed image power these two were more concerned with emotional finesse Li Hong thrived my misdirecting force and unleashing penetrative palm strikes However those only broke open Drake�s bone armor and revealed his monstrous inner form more quickly

Randidly�s face became increasingly serious as he felt Drake walk purposefully toward the edge of madness The emotional complexity was intimidating even for him More and more of Drake�s armor cracked and was discarded His self control fell away with it His elemental continued to try and pierce through his limbs and keep him focused but Drake in that form ignored all pain

Drake swam in an emotional sea of his own making just as dangerous and vicious as the Path waiting on the dark side of the moon His significance lay heavily across his shoulders as he lashed out with crushing blows against Li Hong In the end it almost seemed like he fought just as much against himself as fought against the man from Zone 7

Just as the fight began to get exciting enough to rival Alana and Charlotte�s fight Li Hong conceded The crowd muttered in disappointment but they quickly brightened against as the final match of the three month long tournament was announced

Charlotte Wick would duel against Drake an old warrior from Zone 32 Both fought like mad dogs it was sure to be entertaining if nothing else

And then finally it would be time for Randidly to act personally

Chapter 1976

Randy sat in the back portion of the kitchen at B�s Crossing looking up from an eclectic mixture of carrots and parsnips they were supposed to rid of image fragments before the dinner rush began Nrorce leaned against the stove humming tunelessly to himself while he pulled out the morning�s scones From what Randy could tell with their nose the scones were blueberry walnut

The goblin made a frightful face when he meticulously examined the baked goods The steady darkening of his expression indicated that he was deeply unsatisfied with the result even as an incredibly appetizing aroma spread throughout the kitchen After activating their image and absorbing for a bit Randy moved to the long window that let the kitchen staff see the restaurant they hadn�t opened yet but there was already a long line of people waiting at the door for their scones

Even if they didn�t meet Nrorce�s impossible standard Randy guessed they would sell just fine They certainly looked good

So after the tournament is over Randy began slowly Lately they had been getting increasingly anxious about the future Are we going to be okay Can we stay here Bethyl has been so stressed And she says the only reason we get so much business is because of the tournament

These things tend to work themselves out Nrorce shrugged without even looking at Randy Then he swept over to the carrots and parsnips and inspected them Did you do your job properly

Randy nodded and shrugged at the same time But what if they don�t work themselves out What are we going to do

We just do it somewhere else You think I can only cook in this kitchen Nrorce grumbled and gestured with his hand Some Skill of his levitated the vegetables so they marched in a neat line after him as he walked over to the cutting board With practiced ease he began to chop the vegetables into thin slices His hand moved so fast it looked like a blur to Randy We can always make another restaurant Maybe someplace with goblin sized bathtubs

Randy�s expression twisted thinking of the house they shared with Bethyl tucked away in the hills But I like it here

Which do you like more here or this This atmosphere with the people Nrorce paused in his chopping long enough to wave his gleaming knife around at the restaurant Sometimes life makes you choose

I don�t want to choose Randy continued stubbornly But now Nrorce just shrugged and continued his task

The conversation ceased as Randy tried to make sense of that Eventually Nrorce cleared his throat So who do you think is going to win in the tournament

Randy shook their head I�m not sure But everyone keeps bringing up the challenge that happens after Is this Ghosthound really so powerful he can fight eight people at once The same Ghosthound that visits us sometimes while I�m not here

The squat blue goblin gave Randy a strange look Then he chuckled and rubbed his chin Heh The people in this world don�t understand what sort of monster sits at their head The Ghosthound is too distant in some ways Yes he will defeat them all I suspect it won�t even be very much fun to watch

That seems impossible Randy remarked These people can crack the ground with punches

Even now remembering that brief moment when Devick had unleashed her full image against him in the competition for Charlotte left him somewhat shaken The insidious madness that burned in her gaze

That�s why I need to take on this challenge and demonstrate the gulf that exists between myself and the people of the Alpha Cosmos Randidly clenched his fist until his knuckles popped I might be kind but someone like Devick would not be She would do horrible things to Expira if she could come here

Every 100 PP put into the Path earned Randidly two free Stats A thousand free Stats later he received the completion notifications

Congratulations You have completed the Keyholder to the Infinite Nether Passages Path You have ascended beyond the mundane trails most use to traverse the vast wilderness Thick masses of Nether energy cloud the air Your perception has expanded to include dimensions that most others would miss the combination of your affinity for Nether and innate sensitivity to your environment opens up a whole new method of travel

You walk down dark passages entering into secret areas that lay untouched Every turn folds the world You head deeper toward the core of space

Before you a vast array of portals appear Some are doors some are windows some are gates some are holes All of them lead to different pasts or futures Time and space blend together to become one indiscernible morass of alignment But the longer you examine the phenomenon the more you realize that nothing is fixed When you look away toward other eye catching openings the passages drift Possibilities make all the clusters pathways run amongst each other If you wait long enough the past can become the future If you wait long enough the mundane becomes novel

The charged possibilities of transformation excite the crossroads

Congratulations Your realization about the nature of the world refines the functioning of your Nether Core Its capacity to hold Nether has increased Its ability to pump Nether through your body is greatly increased Your physical affinity to all Nether is slightly increased you are much more at home in Nether environments

The dark crossroads wait eagerly for your footsteps Some ancient force begins to stir

Congratulations Reaction +300 You have gained the Skill

Warning Your Nether Core is beginning to activate in response to your Path completion Your Fateset The Paradox of the Alchemist is reacting to your Path completion

Skill has been incorporated into your Fatepiece the Philosopher�s Key Your Philosopher�s Key has evolved into the Alchemist�s Passport Ride the flows of time and space move freely through the insubstantial barriers of existence Warp the fabric of reality around you Perhaps in your fantastic travels you will discover that critical ingredient to make the impossible attainable

Chapter 1977

Raymund Ballast moved through the stands toward his seat Due to his large size and three fluffy tails several children cooed in wonder at him as he made his way through the press of the crowd Some parents made perfunctory efforts to quiet their children but most were too caught up in the chatter around the stadium to say anything

In a very real way the excitement of the finals was already contagious Now this mass of people just waited for the spectacle to begin

Honestly Raymund didn�t mind the wonder in the children�s eyes He was just inwardly glad that he hadn�t participated in the tournament so that he could still move through the city without being crowded by fans Being mobbed by such a high energy group felt oddly terrifying

DiOrtho Vant noticed his approach and waved Due to his relative fame he kept a low burn of his image present in the air the grinding screech of his Machine Horror dissuading even the most enthusiastic fan Raymund squeezed down the hall and sat next to his second in command looking up at the giant board above the arena which announced the battle between Charlotte and Drake

Happy Raymund was definitely happy that he didn�t get the chance to fight to his limits in the arena The consequences of doing so would have been quite inconvenient

Don�t look so sour Vant laughed next to Raymund This portion of this event might draw attention but it will only become pain when they need to fight against the Ghosthound

Raymund glanced sideways at Vant Despite the fact he wanted to agree with the sentiment some inner fire flared in his heart Have you no inner desire to challenge the Ghosthound yourself

Well whether or not I have that desire is kinda irrelevant to my point Vant shrugged but wouldn�t meet Raymund�s gaze Every time I think I understand what Randidly is capable of he disappears for a few months and comes back with unexpected depths He is not a man that rests at all He�s always pushing his limits The challenge against him will be a rather overwhelming confrontation I believe Even for these eight

But the event will be quite illuminating Raymund said firmly Before the conversation could continue further the appearance of the Ghosthound and Tatiana caused the noise of the crowd to explode out across the arena

The moment had arrived

Soon the doors to the different contestant entrances opened From one walked a tall and sturdy looking bear woman Her metal armor wrapped tightly around her body only showing a few tufts of thick brown fur Her eyes were bright and the strange mixture of forest green and maroon swirled about her body evidence of her powerful image The specter of the Primal Force stalked behind her with its wide rack of antlers and the bloody wings of bone and clumps of torn flesh

It had once been a majestic creature that resembled a stag but the additions Charlotte had made morphed it into something vaguely sinister It walked on two legs hunched over the knuckles of its long arms dragging against the ground Its firm muscles were a testament to how robust its tenacity for life was

And the implacable determination of its master

Opposite her came Drake Raymund had seen a few of Drake�s matches but still found this participant to be slightly inscrutable He was dressed in shorts and a t shirt with only his bastard sword as equipment Due to prior trauma the man didn�t speak or make much noise at all In addition his image had only a vague manifestation that stood starkly in contrast to the other competitors in the top 8

However Raymund had a theory about why Drake had been able to make it this far anyway he believed the true form of Drake�s image was inside his body Although the audience couldn�t see it the fact that he managed to stand toe to toe with his foes thus far proved he didn�t lack potency and focus

Somehow Raymund suspected that this final match would draw out that inner power

Still the entire audience felt the impact and saw the ground rupture as Charlotte brought her hammer blow down on where Drake had been struggling to his feet A horrifying roar of blood and life exploded drilling wildly in every direction and digging several thin tunnels in the ground around the area

As Charlotte�s image dissipated the Ghosthound lowered his key In a disorienting jump the ground vanished and suddenly they were back close to the action The ground just beneath the front of the stands was still cracked and collapsing from withstanding Charlotte�s strike Those perfect holes twisted and curved down into a complex warren The crowd held its breath trying to make sense of the scene in front of it

Clouds of dust billowed outward eventually revealing a cracked and barely whole bug creature

Even Raymund had a moment where he couldn�t grasp exactly what he was seeing At first he wondered whether Drake had completely transformed into some segmented insectoid with six spindly legs but gradually he recognized this creature At the deepest point of the crater directly underneath the remaining portion of Charlotte�s wiggling attack was the morphed body of Drake�s Elemental

The thing had inflated itself to protect its struggling master As for Drake himself there was no sign

It had only a small face of a porcupine remaining beneath its heavily armored and now cracked frame Its eyes were red and hateful as it glared up across at Charlotte Then its legs collapsed the elemental unable to withstand her power Like a drying sandcastle its extended limbs flaked and cracked away Only that small face and a trembling pink body remained Blood leaked out of its mouth

The elemental emitted a whimper

You Charlotte�s gaze grew heavy Yet before she could speak further the stage behind her erupted Drake his body pulsing and almost quantumly jittering side to side A geyser of soft purple gas erupted with him as he returned to the stage It swirled outward slipping in beneath Charlotte�s more domineering image He had no bone armor on his body and the top of his helmet had been ripped away revealing wild eyes and torn skin

Only the bottom part of his rigid exterior remained on his head looking his jaw in place

He whipped his body around in a brutally fast heel kick Unfortunately his opponent was Charlotte who had endured the grueling physical training regimen designed by the sadistic combination of Randidly Ghosthound and Helen Her arm whipped up and deflected the kick Then she closed the distance and reached for his throat If you fucking think this will be enough

Raymund felt the strange resonance coming from Drake�s chest Time seemed to slow and the hair along the Vulpine�s arms began to stand on end This feeling

In terms of power it was still a feeble image from an Expiran but in terms of shrieking intensity and pure madness Raymund Ballast couldn�t help but recall the leering face of Actus Suprem Devick

Drake�s head vanished and appeared a half meter to the left while Charlotte�s fingers tightened on nothing but air A hundred possible fists blurred at his sides and slammed into her body She took a staggering step back but then her eyes blazed with fury Behind her the figure of the Primal Force condensed once more It raised its head and roared releasing a gushing wave of brown maroon and forest green power that swept away Drake�s purple gas and even threw him physically off the stage once more

A painful execution then Charlotte�s footfalls were heavy as she crossed the stage

Drake�s muscles bulged as heaved himself back to a standing position His eyes were nearly incandescent with pain and madness the man might be witnessing the future or entirely blind it was difficult to tell

Yet the emotional surge within his chest came again He captured that feeling once more Drake slammed his fist against the ground and the hilt of a sword jutted up past the base of the area He gripped the hilt and pulled out his massive bastard sword When Charlotte lowered her shoulders and charged forward this time Drake was ready

Chapter 1978

Each impact shook the arena both the fighters had almost impossibly powerful bodies although one was based on an image and only one had been honed through training Their titanic collisions had enough momentum that a low pressure system began to build above the fight If not for Randidly�s gentle guidance for the fight it might have started to rain across tournament island

He couldn�t help but grin as he watched them matching each other first with physical contests Perhaps I�ve had more of a distinct impact than I thought At the very least this amount of physical prowess will take the average soldier in the Nexus by surprise

The collisions began to accelerate Drake slashed with his massive sword and Charlotte nudged the weapon to the side with her knuckles Even as the blade ruptured the surface of the arena she drove her right knee into Drake�s side and unleashed a blast of blood colored image energy that surged out from his skin

Drake skidded backward and jittered sideways his joints twisting at impossible angles to avoid a vicious follow up swipe from Charlotte Then everything popped back into place and he barreled forward on an offensive His thrust was viciously fast and edged with a powerful thrill of hatred that had Randidly slightly envious

Charlotte growled and batted the attack to the side earning a small gash along her shoulder As she pulled her arms back to punch more brown leeches grew curled together behind her so that her furry fists were backed by massive brown fists that crunched more of the arena surface Randidly didn�t even know why he bothered empowering the arena when the competitors could turn it into swiss cheese

Drake hopped backward to avoid the blows his body again buzzing between stillness and a new position with no discernable time passing Each movement spread a bit more of his purple mist although Charlotte�s massive strikes dissipated it as they crashed against the stage

Randidly could feel frustration building in her movements as she failed to catch his impossible image She moved quickly forward but Drake continued to somehow slip sideways at the last second slipping under her blows and landing a few less damaging slashes of his own on the stage

She gathered up both image projection fists into a wriggling mass and slammed it down against the stage creating a massive canyon as stone cracked and rocks sprayed in every direction Drake squirted sideways like a fish and swam toward Charlotte with looping slashes of his huge sword

Howling she whipped her massive image arms sideways and bulldozed the left side of the stage into an obedient pile of rubble With remarkable grace Drake hurdled the strike but those tentacles lashed up and wrapped around his legs

I�ve got you Charlotte began to smile but then Drake shifted midair in an impossible burst of momentum He tumbled sideways in a cartwheel landing on top of her image Then he stomped his foot with enough force to rend open her image Torn pieces of brown leech bounced off the remaining ground

He feinted an aggressive charge toward Charlotte and she bit exploding in a wave of brown leech tentacles in the area directly around her Her image rose to a fever pitch burning in the air like lit gasoline dancing atop oil Yet Drake remained where he was that hatred curdling the air around him as he prepared for a giant expression of his own image He gathered himself all too quickly compressing and folding his power

The tense moment passed in silence Drake couldn�t speak

Yet on the heels of that moment a much darker cloud of mauve spread out from Drake�s body quickly covering the arena Randidly frowned and leaned forward intensifying the Nether barrier as the madness spread toward the stands Quickly he realized that wouldn�t be enough against the emotions mania he activated the Stillborn Phoenix which was only too happy to devour all the images that spread out around the arena

Most of the crowd should be fine if they are exposed to Drake�s madness Randidly rubbed his chin But I just don�t think it would be a good sign if the finals of the first All Alpha Cosmos Tournament included a riot or shared hallucination

Ignorant of Randidly�s countermeasures Charlotte released a keening pulse of her own image to push back Drake�s madness But unlike the lighter puffs of mist released from his body this clung stubbornly to the edge of the stages about knee high drifts oozing across the broken stage The darker clouds began to swirl closer around the two of them Charlotte�s shoulders heaved as she watched Drake sprint toward her Fine then Let�s stop playing around Life�s Inevitable Route to Oblivion

The Aether in the air shivered as she uttered those words Her Primal Force leaned back on its heels and raised its arms above its head in a worshipful stance Space seemed to tighten around the shattered remnants of the stage a lung exhaling and contracting In a much less sophisticated manner Charlotte�s image bent space in the same way Randidly�s Philosopher�s Passport did

Charlotte sniffed as she looked at the restrained individual in front of her At this point my image has begun corroding your body In terms of power in terms of combat ability in terms of physical prowess I�m superior to you on every attribute So it is time for you to cease your childish escape mechanisms and lose

Charlotte looked at Drake�s twitching until blurred profile for several seconds waiting for a response Even though he was at a severe disadvantage she didn�t let down her guard Sometimes it was possible for a brief moment to see his eyes white with madness and near rabid with instinctual struggle However those moments were intermittent separated by jerking movements that made him look more like an impressionist painting than a human

Still Drake hadn�t exactly been idle His emotions bounced back in forth his body gathering more and more momentum Closely observing his body Randidly almost believed that his own power was inflicting more damage on his body than Charlotte�s squeeze

However that would soon change

She clicked her tongue The aura of death hanging above the arena sharpened and stretched upward into a vicious specter with long fingers It seemed to have infinite arms reaching out toward even the audience with arms that fluttered like ribbons ending in those monstrously long fingers Randidly intensified the rotation of Nether around the arena to make sure Charlotte�s image wouldn�t cause anyone to froth at the mouth and become unconscious

Yield Charlotte�s eyes were bright She squeezed with her deadly image Blood spurted out of the haphazard and shifting wounds across Drake�s body The air around him rippled their images destabilizing the space with the intensity of their conflict He tried to avoid but there was no longer any space to which he could escape

Even while the physical body of the Primal Force continued to wither tossed aside while Death rode freely across the arena the shadowy fingers of Charlotte�s image wormed their way forward They were brown and ugly but they manifested as specters around the bound Drake jabbing into him again and again to worsen his wounds Shadowy figures held them as spears drilling them into his sides The faint impression of Helen was present in those strikes leering and targeting weakness

The frequency of Drake�s struggles rose His image squirmed like a fish But the net was tight and strong

Charlotte grinned In a way she enjoyed her dominance Yield

Randidly could feel the unease of the crowd Although Drake displayed his strange madness he was a much preferred winner to Charlotte a bear woman who walked with the specter of death hanging over her The feelings of the Expirans especially were tinged with fear likely influenced by the aura of her image Especially after watching Drake essentially dodge and endure unable to inflict any serious wounds on this foe

They could feel what sort of foe Charlotte could be Finally they sensed why the Nexus was such an ominous place

Nether began to surge toward the middle of the arena as the climax approached Drake�s head twisted around like the victim in an exorcism looking for any escape Charlotte�s image didn�t flinch before his hyper sonic struggles She just continued to squeeze

Nether spun together in a new pattern Briefly Randidly stopped paying attention to the actual figures looking in wonder at the subtle beauty of the Nether He rubbed his jaw This is why I�m sometimes wrong about predictions I�m not seeing the result of the match I�m seeing a possible version of their significance Even though it might not occur the possibility presses against the time

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 952

Drake�s body broke down first despite his obvious overwhelming emotion He cracked open like an egg

And the image hinted at by the Nether stepped out onto the stage honed and birthed by Drake�s overwhelming emotional power

Chapter 1979

Sydney watched the match with tears almost constantly streaming down her cheeks It was impossible for her to be here without weeping Next to her Neveah occasionally reached over and squeezed her shoulder but Sydney didn�t really feel it Her skin tingled but her body felt numb

It didn�t feel like hers It was a terminal from which she could distantly view Drake�s struggles But that didn�t make it any easier to watch

You fool The tears screamed at Drake on the stage as he dodged the powerful strikes of his opponent The punches of Charlotte Wick could demolish cities and this man wanted to stand up against them with just his body This is exactly why you should have just lived your life without fighting So you didn�t need to experience this pain this constant tension You could have stayed with me

These were words she couldn�t say out loud but the tears had no such qualms in making their desires known Sydney understood that her emotions swept around her in a storm but it was a smaller storm present in a large catastrophe So many thousands of people millions at home simply sat by and watched while Drake struggled before them A thousand different reactions

Even if hers was more potent than most she couldn�t help but be diluted amongst so many

Drake�s pain became entertainment The entire world leaned forward with anticipation as he bled for them all It made Sydney sick Her stomach twisted into knots and hung itself from the thin bones of her ribcage

And she just sat there in the stands crying and feeling her dead stomach slowly turning to rot and wiggling maggots A part of her wanted to die

Sydney Neveah whispered around the time that Charlotte got her grip on Drake�s body with those impossibly powerful hands Sydney shrugged off her hand Watching him squirm within her grip

Then the shadows came and thrust more spikes into Drake�s sides He was being tortured in front of them all Squeezed and squeezed pressured and ripped and draped and bled across the entire stage And suddenly Sydney was in the past hearing rumors about how Drake had gone mad about he was rampaging across the Great Sea He was more monster than man His elemental has assumed control of his body and was slaughtering anything it met And Sydney

Why won�t he let me protect him Sydney whispered Neveah sighed The two women simply sat there until all of the possibilities that Drake�s image reached for popped in a surging wave of blood

Sydney panted releasing so many quick breaths that she became dizzy The buzzing movements stopped Drake�s body cracked open A hole burst from the middle of his chest

The bone plate around Drake�s jaw had cracked but remained largely intact From his trembling corpse a shadow rose For the first time in a while the air on the stage began to change

Protect

At first the edges of this unfolding silhouette were blurry but soon they sharpened into a dark cut out of a woman with long and fluttering hair Charlotte took a step back her image dominance weakening as she weighed the threat posed by this emergent image The purple mist Drake had released rapidly spun together and firmed up the edges of this projection even further

It was darkness and possibility made solid It was a featureless demon of violent emotions and guilt

Its hair fluttered just a shadow drawn on the world standing in front of the still body of Drake It had no mouth to speak but its voice once again boomed out across the arena crackling with power

I will protect him

It was Sydney�s voice In her seat in the stands Sydney stiffened to hear it To hear how casual and cruel this shadow sounded using her voice The only two spots of color on the body of this shadow projection were her two eyes one cobalt blue and the other neon yellow The shade raised a hand that ended in sharpened fingers

You Charlotte�s uncertainty vanished Her gaze flicked from the rather inert body of Drake to the projection and determined that this was still her opponent Her eyes hardened Drake�s body was dropped and the brown tentacles twisted around to aim at the shadow

Sydney straightened in her seat She could no longer breathe but if anything that only made her dizziness worse Yet suddenly she found purpose On her shoulder her two furry elementals appeared Her eyes began to shift as their power coursed through her body A strange resonance began as the projection drew her own power to manifest it on the stage For a second the real Sydney wavered unsure of what was happening but the sight of Drake�s trying to push himself up on the floor of the arena united her resolve Her eyes burned with every ounce of her rusty power She threw everything she could manage along the tenuous connection between herself and the shade

The shade waved a hand behind it conjuring a massive wall of ice between itself and the pursuing tentacles The Primal Force slammed against the impediment and created deep cracks but it bought the shade enough time to flit forward with its opposite hand raised Electricity crackled around its long fingers

Maroon energy gathered around her hammer blow toward the back of Drake�s head But he ripped sideways just shredding the leech tentacles as he made a beeline for his sword In the past he had definitely had the superior emotional affect but it was a small thing It was like possessing a gleaming switchblade as Charlotte sat within a sturdy log how with a mounted wooden ballista

Sure his material was theoretically superior But her other advantages outweighed the difference Yet suddenly as he stopped above his discarded bastard sword and seized the handle that emotional advantage began to gather some impactful momentum On his left hand a small bulging Aether construct appeared Drake�s Fate

Significance darkened Randidly�s awareness the sky was alive with energy pushing itself into his every pour Drake put both hands on the hilt of the blade Inexplicably Drake�s Fate began to morph and change Randidly�s eyes widened His Fate didn�t just go from its base form to its solidified form but it became somehow part of the bastard sword The protrusion became a bond and built a bridge

Although he didn�t like doing it very often Randidly changed his perspective in a different way he went into the Aether constructs that he had created for the Pantheon There he found the Patron of Blades and the Ancient Weaver both speaking very quickly as they tried to keep up with the shifts that came over Drake

Randidly nodded to the two of them and checked the notifications that Drake was receiving

Congratulations Your Fate The Implacable Protector�s Gauntlet is evolving Weaknesses in your Fate detected Dangerous flaws have emerged Warning proceeding without sufficient energy will result in sickness and death Please proceed to your closest village spirit

Congratulations A new phenomenon is being born Your Fate has morphed into a Chimeric Fate A special trait available only within the Alpha Cosmos Unable to generate a suitable description at the moment Based on the context your Fate has developed the ability to shift its physical form to match the situation

Your Chimeric Fate has been renamed Chivalrous Vow

Your Chimeric Fate has morphed into your weapon Your Chimeric Fate has taken on the form of Dead Man�s Last Wish

Chivalrous Vow Dead Man�s Last Wish A powerful form of the newly discovered Chimeric Fate Only possible due to the presence of both Aether and Nether in the user Upon the Path they had chosen no one is willing to sacrifice more than a Dead Man At this point they have nothing left to lose Dead Man�s Last Wish greatly increases the performance of the weapon in which it has morphed Also serves as an image magnifier increasing the strength of the user Reaction and Perception are greatly boosted Wounds heal abnormally quickly The heavier the duty weighs upon the user the higher the benefits will be

On the stage Drake pulled his sword from the stone The blade hummed with gleaming waves of white power Emotional force and the strange boost of his transformed Fate had left the weapon unrecognizable

Again Drake licked his lips as he pivoted on his heels and looked at Charlotte Wick His sword had become incandescent hosting his new Chimeric Fate Randidly was torn between a sense of awe at how he had influenced Expira to a confusion of what this meant when Drake spoke again I am her Knight I can fail But I can never fail to come home That is my vow

Randidly�s expression became solemn looking from one fighter to another Drake stood proudly his body still vaguely purple and muscled but looking much more human than he had in the past His features were thrown into stark relief by the light rolling off his sword Opposite him Charlotte Wick stood with a sea of wiggling brown tentacles behind her the rotting combination of life and death churning at her back Her Primal Force had almost latched onto the ground becoming some sort of monstrous plant rather than an animal Its ribcage continued to rise and fall but otherwise its main body was entirely still

The crowd finally seemed to catch up with the action From somewhere a chant began to rise

Drake

Drake Drake Drake

Comparing to the two foes it was easy to spot which would be the crowd�s favorite to win With his gleaming sword one looked like a hero A hero who had been tortured by his foe but now finally found his perfect weapon That small metal switchblade had become a solid ax which he could now use to demolish Charlotte�s wooden defenses

Drake sprinted forward with his sword raised A hundred tentacles lanced out in response crashing through the remnants of the stage and attempting to impale Drake as they fell like rain He continued to jitter accelerating during his approach

However Randidly simply watched the significance which had begun to flow back around Charlotte A new possibility was being born Her eyes began to redden as loss and frustration warred across her face

In the end Drake had made an inadvertent mistake

He had used the word Knight

Chapter 1980

Drake sheered his way forward through the barrage of attacks without apparent difficulty When he slashed with his weapon Randidly could feel Dead Man�s Last Wish strengthening the slashes Curving arcs of bright light cut down entire swaths of the tentacles with very little effort

Ugly bulbous brown pieces of grown flesh fell to the ground and wiggled for several seconds But without the connection to the Primal Force they eventually died and withered After another second they almost seemed to turn liquid behind Drake and spread out across the ground The sundered stone soon had a weird brown layer of moss across everything thick with the scent of death

In this way too Randidly seemed to have influenced images in an unexpected way

However Drake�s momentum carried him away from this dangerous area increasingly dominated by death directly toward Charlotte With his sharper emotional affect and this dense combination of Fate and image he could rival her power She gathered more tentacles together into heavier attacks yet he seemed unstoppable His thinner image burned through the flaws in her combination and continued to advance

His sword glittered with power His steps were sure His jittering movements made him nearly invulnerable He was Judgment incarnate seeking the head of Charlotte Wick In his madness Drake had perhaps stumbled across a secret recipe for becoming the first champion of the All Alpha Cosmos Tournament

Meanwhile emotions continued to build in Charlotte�s body Her face twisted into a grimace You cannot this is not the place to be working through your pain Just accept and bury it Get over yourself and your loss

Drake was a human lawnmower From the emaciated form of the Primal Force behind Charlotte wave after wave of stabbing leeches aimed for his body Yet his sword was unstoppable The light it released burned away the scent of death that attempted to rush up behind him and corrupt his body The emotional determination he had been tempering through the competition served him well now

Charlotte�s image was massive and powerful Yet it had been stitched together Skillfully Randidly had to admit but there was still an inherent flaw in it Before Drake�s offensive Charlotte could only watch her image force be severed and dispersed

Did you think you�ll find an answer Charlotte demanded in a slightly shrill voice Drake crossed the last several meters between them burning away the thick underbrush of death with his activated Chimeric Fate That sword seemed to release drops of sizzling intensity cleansing the brown moss off of the ground If you keep struggling like this will you feel better

Drake leveled the blade at her chest in a smooth motion he had perfected over a thousand practices Charlotte�s shoulders were heaving incensed by his assault Behind her the Primal Force raised its head and stared balefully through Charlotte�s body at her foe Steaming ichor dripped out of its mouth it lay in wait behind its creator with so much anticipation it had begun to drool Randidly could hear its fluttering and uneven heartbeat

Can you promise me this victory won�t be hollow Charlotte cackled as the weapon ripped toward her chest She brought her hands together aiming to catch the thrust with her bare hands albeit empowered by the surging aura of life from Primal Force The last surge of life it could manage

The two images met in a grinding crash the blade quickly melting through Charlotte�s initial image burst without too much trouble That emotional affect sharpened the edge to a deadly degree The ground beneath them shook and cracked unable to withstand the force The last remaining portion of the original arena stage collapsed around them leaving only broken stone The fur of Charlotte�s hands began to smolder and burn as the blade surged closer The last dregs of her life image were stronger closer to Charlotte�s actual body but it still eventually parted before that emotional scalpel

Weak Charlotte hissed Behind her the Primal Force shot out its tongue Pathetic She meant so much to you and died before you could tell her that

Randidly shook his head Of course she has been talking to herself this whole time

Charlotte allowed the blade to dig into the flesh right above her heart Meanwhile the Primal Force�s tongue punched through her ribcage and erupted toward Drake in a sneak attack He instantly jittered sideways but his dodging ability was limited by the fact their images were so entwined Her scalded hands squeezed the incandescent Chimeric Fate blade

After recognizing the past the folding gave him a glimpse into the future Randidly saw the winner of this confrontation He saw the requests the winner would make of him one which he would agree to and the other he would deny And he smiled in spite of himself

Drake�s empowered sword continued to intensify the radiation of his image Most of her fur had been burned away at this point leaving a scared and bare torso Behind Charlotte her Primal Force collapsed genuinely dying Its delicate organs failed The balance between life and death that Charlotte maintained finally fell to pieces

All she had remaining were emotional force and image fragments And yet

From amongst her memories of Helen a few burned with intensity They nudged her in a particular direction

Bloody River Fist Charlotte said All those fragments and emotions crystallized Randidly�s eyes widened in alarm sensing the bloodthirsty and destructive power contained within that small name

Somewhere Helen laughed long and loud as Charlotte clenched her fists

Drake seemed to sense what was coming He ripped out his sword from Charlotte�s chest and slanted it defensively across his chest The Chimeric Fate shifted its affect From the burning heat it released earlier it became a protective aura A Dead Man would give anything to protect his most important person Yet before that surging power

She threw a punch She tore a hole from which a very familiar crimson light began to rush

The sword melted before that light Drake�s face contorted in pain as his Chimeric Fate was forced out of the weapon and damaged in the process Yet the red radiance birthed by the collapse of Primal Force wasn�t so easily sated It bulged and stretched its mouth yawning to devour all of Drake and then reap across the stands behind him

Randidly hesitated a fraction of a second But as Drake twisted sideways mobilizing all of his image and physical gifts to avoid it and he couldn�t manage it he realized this was too powerful a force for his barrier to withstand The red light took a thousand more minuscule bites eating into his side and torso Randidly blinked and then surged into motion his Nether Core whirling with all the force he could muster

He reached out and Seized the attack For a few seconds it bucked against the touch of his hand but soon the surging mass of dense Nether Randidly wielded rendered the attack inert Through sheer force he broke that wild power Despite its destructive capabilities it had to shape So it could only begrudgingly begin to fade before his guidance

As it departed it howled shaking the air with the ferocity of its hunger The bright red light that Charlotte briefly unleashed faded leaving the cracked and smoking stage revealed to the entirety of the audience

There on the stage Drake lay on the ground looking up at the grey sky with a huge hole bitten out of his side He had collapsed backward onto the ground Blood began to seep out between the piled debris beneath him Above him Charlotte stood with her hand outstretched Her gaze was distant too but it was clear between the two of them which was in better shape

Next to him Sydney released a sob Randidly sighed inwardly and stepped out into the sky Nether swirled downward He could feel it already heavy chunks of Nether Weight forming within Charlotte�s body

There you have it Randidly raised his head and looked around at the stands The winner of the All Alpha Cosmos Tournament is Charlotte Wick

Chapter 1981

The night after the fight when most of the audience members were still partying through the Tournament Island one last time and the two competitors were still recovering from their injuries Charlotte Wick limped her way to the house of Randidly Ghosthound He saw her coming a long way off

He had predicted her coming even during the fight

Randidly grinned as she walked up to him on the roof just the two of them exposed underneath the wide expanse of stars He moved away the clouds and revealed the natural wonder of the cosmic environment above them made all the more stunning by the fact that he didn�t even know if it was real anymore with the creation of the Alpha Cosmos There were definitely some bright celestial bodies that corresponded to some of the other planets he had absorbed but he hadn�t generated a sun to fuel life on these planets at least not consciously

And beyond that the sky was filled with tiny pinpricks of light Were their sources all contained within his body Would he need to literally explore in order to find out He might have superhuman powers but travel was still inconvenient

No matter what the source it was a tapestry of wonder laid above them But since it functioned without any problems Randidly�s curiosity wasn�t enough to pull him from his other tasks

You should rest Randidly observed as the bear woman swayed and barely managed to catch herself Walking up the stairs to the roof had left Charlotte trembling It wasn�t physical weakness that afflicted her but the steady collapse of her Aether foundation now that she ripped up her stitched together Primal Force With time and probably copious exposure to pure Aether she would rebuild herself However tonight was a bit too quick for her to be moving around

Her image remained a hollowed out corpse The pressure of the Nether flows around Randidly which he purposefully maintained at their usual force was not easy for her to withstand

Combined with the strain of her own new Nether Weight settling into her body resonating with the significance she already possessed

I needed to speak with you as soon as possible Charlotte spoke in a single breath If she felt the pain that she should be feeling it didn�t show on her neutral face She sucked in another breath and steadied herself Because what I want to say concerns the challenge against you I would like to bow out please allow someone actually from the Alpha Cosmos to compete

Randidly leaned his chin against his fist His eyes glittered Significance swirled between the two of them so familiar in its shape he felt the specter of grief settle on his shoulders He did his best not to acknowledge it The reason

Charlotte settled down onto her knees She trembled the entire time struggling to keep her torso upright She met Randidly�s gaze from her lowered position pride and raw desire in her expression I�d like to be the next Knight of the Ghosthound As such it wouldn�t be appropriate for me to fight against you in the challenge

Randidly felt his First Authority stir A hand squeezed his heart That ugly and possessive part of himself rose to the surface aiming to dominate the world entirely and obliterate his sorrow The Stillborn Phoenix stretched out its hunger toward Charlotte to accept this offering but he cautioned his image back For several long seconds he simply studied the kneeling bearwoman What makes you believe you have the qualifications to fill that sort of role

For the first time Charlotte smiled with obvious relish You saw that last attack in the tournament yea

And how long will it take until your wounded ass can produce it consistently Randidly�s smile stretched into a mocking grin Something feral twisted his features with glee as he studied Charlotte rifling through her images and significance The significance tightened around the two of them

Her face fell Yet she remained determined as she lowered herself down and pressed her forehead to the ground No one else is better suited to the role than I am I have won the tournament I�ve trained for this You I admire you more than you know Randidly Ghosthound The fact that you defeated my ancestor only makes me more sure I want this As your Knight I will fight your enemies to my last breath

Randidly leaned back in his chair Truly if Charlotte could create a whole image around that red light and produce it reliably she would probably be more powerful than Raymund Ballast Of all his current allies probably only Claudette Beigon and Edraine were reliably stronger setting aside the issue of your suitability what makes you believe such a position is necessary What you can do I can do better That position was only created due to Helen It is not something I need

No matter how powerful you become there will be greater and lesser threats vying for your attention Charlotte continued to speak with her forehead pressed to the ground Having a reliable subordinate to clear out the debris will only benefit you Helen may be the first but she doesn�t need to be the last

Randidly�s eyes became almost neon That feral possessiveness of the First Authority surged in his chest as he prepared for his next question Drops of cruelty rolled off his tongue I can�t deny that I wish to have more time for my own projects However do you truly covet this role You recall what happened to my previous Knight And I cared deeply about her You will always just be a replacement A convenient fit A tool that will likely meet just as horrible and pained an end as she did The foes I will fight against will not become kinder

With one extra and very opinionated individual

Kayle would be the ideal victor Azriel observed In terms of usefulness his penetrative image will fulfill a much needed role in the time

Isn�t Drake�s image somewhat similar Paolo waved a hand That fucker buzzed around with a sword of pure light We don�t need Kayle

His image is unrelated to that power it is Drake�s emotional affect and the strange incorporate of his Fate that manifested in such a way Azriel frowned at Paolo Besides the others are even more useless Wolfram�s image is based on the Ghosthound�s capabilities without his thematic power Allowaen is a Chimera based on the Ghosthound�s other image Her body is shaped to be similar to his Meanwhile Illdan is a short sighted child

Please be more respectful of the Spearman Reborn Kimpap made a face somehow managing to convey both sarcasm and a fierce defense of the young man He is the future of Tellus Or have you completely abandoned your homeworld

It holds little emotional value to me Azriel retorted And unlike certain groups I have no desire to monopolize power and suppress the average individual in order to maintain an outdated lifestyle

Now now Hong Li smiled around at the group and raised his hands placatingly Let�s not fight over a future that might not come to pass Observation will bring us naturally to the truth so long as we wait And who knows Perhaps the winner of the competition will surprise us Maybe even enough to give us a new perspective

Yur such a flower fart Hank snorted Alana�s eye twitched he was clearly still bitter about his loss Hong Li just responded with a smile and took a sip of his tea

Wasn�t there another purpose for the meeting Paolo looked around at the group To actually discuss fighting against the Ghosthound Let�s get to it then Before we start wondering how well we would have faired in the other side of the bracket

Kimpap shrugged Is this really necessary I have seen the Ghosthound�s powers and truly the breadth of his capabilities makes him a monster However he is just one man With the eight of us working together

You have seen his capabilities manifested separately Azriel clicked her tongue Yet what makes the Ghosthound special is that he will be doing each of those things all at once

Are you kidding me The mental energy required to mobilize even two images let alone harmonize three manifestations while somehow working in Nether into his attacks Kimpap started off speaking with a laugh but as she looked around she noticed Hank and Paolo�s grim expressions Even Hong Li�s unshakable smile had lost some of its cheer Kimpap blinked several times

The kid�s a monster Hank shrugged While being essentially indestructible to boot

Obviously it will be difficult but there is some hope His manifestation of his Nether Storm clearly reveals he has a glaring weakness Azriel continued One we can exploit

Paolo tilted his head to the side Alana mentioned this but I don�t really get it What do you mean you can see a weakness

Alana leaned forward and spoke slowly to the group At first I was similarly skeptical But I�ve watched it closely during the last few matches of the tournament And I have to admit that Azriel might have a point It is unnaturally still whereas the rest of his emotions flow smoothly these are unnaturally held stiff and preserved

Kimpap frowned And you can see it

Azriel grinned Of course His problem is the eye of the storm Perpetual stillness right in the middle of all that swirling energy Obviously there are physical reasons for actual storms to possess an eye but a Nether Storm follows very different rules In this case Randidly�s emotions toward his Grey Creature image He refuses to let it stir too directly so far as I can tell there are emotions there he doesn�t want to disturb or examine Attacking this weakness directly will give you a chance The rest will be up to you and your teamwork

Chapter 1982

Tatiana made no public announcement about the run off tournament she planned to make a press release only when the final participant in the challenge was determined The administration of the event would be easier that way She simply accompanied the four to a deserted island and observed the process without any others trying to follow and get in the way of the fighting Randidly didn�t even come occupied as he was by arranging a training regimen for Charlotte

An added benefit was that all Tatiana needed to do in Randidly�s absence was protect herself

The matches shook out to be Allowaen v Kayle and Illdan v Wolfram After a brutal fight that destroyed half the island Kayle smashed Allowaen into the sea and she didn�t resurface for quite a long time Kayle hovered there for a minute simply staring down into the sea his gaze slowly returning from the cloudy intoxication of violence to awareness

In terms of commitment to winning the chimeric woman didn�t stand a chance Tatiana privately believed that feeling like he missed out and now suddenly being granted a second chance had put Kayle�s intensity on overdrive

You alright Tatiana had asked Kayle nodded without speaking his face pale

The second match destroyed the remaining portion of the island making Tatiana glad she had brought a Scrawled barge to use as a viewing platform The stone foundations shattered and sunk into the sea leaving Illdan tiptoeing across waves to try and close the distance to the Skill slinging Wolfram The ocean churned around the two fighters wild with the fury of so many Skills being thrown in a small space

Tatiana felt genuinely impressed in just a week and a half the ogre man had deeply refined his methods She wondered how he had managed to push up the Rarities of so many of his Skills in such a short time But it was also obvious that the power of these attacks relied on the combination and his base Stats he had acquired better Skills but hadn�t had the chance to Level them

Considering the situation it was impressive enough that Wolfram had rebounded so quickly and thrown himself into the training

In the end Illdan lanced a spear through the ogre�s left lung After a horribly wet exhale Wolfram conceded The young man from Tellussucked in a deep breath and trumpeted his victory like a gleeful elephant Ripples spread out from him across the surface of the ocean

Tatiana shook her head almost disappointed in the island for failing to withstand the pressure The group moved to a different small piece of land to the South It was all jagged rock without any sand or plant life The final match of the runoff tournament began

For three minutes their exchanges were brutally fast and left the island deeply scarred Their movements whittled away at the rough stone outcroppings quickly smoothing out their footing They seemed to split into phantasms fighting several battles with each other at once Both possessed overwhelming penetrative power and almost predictive Agility Yet at some point Tatiana saw Kayle�s resolve begin to wane The vindictive jealousy he used to crush Allowaen seemed to run dry He continued to strike with exacting precision forcing Illdan to address deep issues in his fighting style or take deep wounds But it became a different sort of match entirely

Kayle�s graceful movements became more instructive than dangerous Lost in his desperation to survive Illdan didn�t even appear to notice

It ended up being exceptionally long It took an hour to settle the final match Tatiana eventually announced the end when Kayle prepared to stand after taking a near blow to his neck Alright I think that�s enough Illdan you�ve won return to Tournament Island and make your preparations Kayle come with me We should speak

Illdan swayed for a second his eyes still revealing him to be in a battle trance Then he blinked back to wakefulness and looked around bewildered by the sudden development He still gripped his spear unsure if this was a trick Kayle pressed his lips together and hopped onto the barge without comment The slow transport rose and drifted away leaving Illdan to find his own way back

Once they were in the sky Kayle sighed His silky black hair fell down around his face masking his expression His long limbs were covered in small cuts he had ever so delicately danced around Illdan�s attacks for an hour with only that last serious wound on his neck to show for it And even Tatiana had noticed several moments where he lacked the aggression to strike when he had an opening

Perhaps going through them one by one will be helpful Azriel gave him a similarly pointed look Both pushed their bowls out of the way and regarded each other Tell me about your World Tree image

Is this Randidly began but then he remembered that he was dealing with Azriel who did not take half measures or show much give when she had decided on a course of action He clicked his tongue once then decided to at least go along with her for now Fine An image first given to me by the Sister Village of Donnyton Kith Klark through a Skill that accelerated recovery by drawing roots of golden power in the ground An image that craves stability and growth something that perhaps was lacking in my childhood The first of my images and the most reliable Is that a good enough explanation

Azriel nodded Okay next the Stillborn Phoenix

Randidly had to consider for a few seconds before answering A more complicated image Path I don�t quite remember exactly which Skill started it but the Stillborn Phoenix is a metaphor for my larger journey right To make the impossible possible To overthrow the Nexus the source of my newfound power The image is me trying to give birth to a glorious phoenix from an egg of darkness It contains all of my more violent emotions hope rage fear grief it consumes all those things and generates cosmic power The emotional affect for that one well I admit there are two glaring flaws However I have no idea how you would go about addressing them For now that dreamer aspect of my personality fuels the emotional side

I appreciate the breadth of your images But finally the Grey Creature Azriel leaned forward

Randidly pursed his lips her problem was with the Grey Creature The Grey Creature is the bastard child of Shal and my early struggles with the System and Yystrix It came from the Kata of the Ashen Spear and then eventually took on the shape of the Spear Phantom In addition it drew heavily from other struggles I had in my childhood when I was exposed to complex emotional situations that I didn�t understand So I already had an instinct to lower my head and survive That instinct served me well in the System

What about its emotional affect What does the Grey Creature feel

Randidly pressed his hands against the table The Grey Creature is concerned with survival More than anything else I think every day about how much a threat the Nexus is to the development of the Alpha Cosmos I�m about to go back out there to seek a cure for the Patron of Feathers and hope she has some answers about what happened at the end of the Second Cohort and what Elhume is trying to accomplish So I live with those fears every day I face them every day The Grey Creature endures them That will to survive is honed by those fears

Azriel titled her head to the side And how do you feel about the Grey Creature

I well it�s obviously incredibly useful It�s the most martially proficient of my images The question caught Randidly off guard

Azriel smirked as though she had scored a point You give such an answer but you claim there isn�t a flaw in your attitude toward that image

Randidly leaned back in his chair He tried not to clench his jaw I�ve played your game so tell me what you want to say I�m honestly getting pretty annoyed Azriel

I believe you refuse to address your negative feelings toward Yystrix And in a way I suspect it is by extension a purposeful ignorance out that relates back to your mother Azriel steepled her fingers You hold a lot of anger toward both of them so much so that you would probably feel something akin to hatred But you perhaps more to your emotional intelligence than most would acknowledge don�t want to be defined by the violence of those emotions So you haven�t dealt with them or given them an outlet You haven�t expressed them You have simply buried them and allowed them to exist Essentially you built an emotional bomb at the core of the Grey Creature

Randidly blinked What

I�ll leave it at that then Azriel nodded The rest we can figure out in the challenge I hope you are prepared We won�t spare you on account of everything you�ve done for us If anything that will make us only more determined

Chapter 1983

Huang Shou sat next to Hong Li on the beach The soft sound of waves expending themselves on the sandy shore sent a tinkling resonance through Hong Li�s chest The other man seemed nervous unwilling to sit and admire the wonder of the new day How would you estimate your chances to win the challenge tomorrow

Hong Li simply smiled The sky was a dark blue bruised and recovering before the light of dawn came through and cleansed the world He would sit here and watch its rebirth finding his peace in the constant movement of the natural world If there is one thing that I know it is that life is filled with surprises Even in the most unexpected places and unlikely of times

Huang Shou nodded but that horrid expression of greed flashed in his eyes The gambling odds offer should you even manage to seriously injure the Ghosthound

Only participate if you have money you do not value Hong Li harrumphed Now please leave me I have to tend my daily meditations

After apologizing profusely and bowing several times the other man left Hong Li sucked in a breath for five minutes held it for five minutes then released it for the same amount of time By the time the sun peaked over the horizon he had forgotten he was anything but one more shifting aspect of nature

And nature held no fear toward itself

Derek Moss leaned back on the sofa looking at the figures talking animatedly on the television terminal Next to him his son frowned at the screen as the announcer listed the known abilities of the eight people who would be challenging the Ghosthound They had even begun to speculate how to challenge Randidly based on his known habits

Can he win Tim asked There are gonna be so many of them

Derek Moss rubbed his jaw He wondered if it was too early to drink a beer Well I definitely don�t think he could lose He�s the strongest man in the whole of the Alpha Cosmos He�s the best of millions

Tim rolled his eyes Dad there are more than millions of people in the Alpha Cosmos

Tim�s right Gertrude walked back into the living room from the kitchen carrying two plates of homemade mac and cheese She placed one on the edge of the coffee table by NAME and then curled up against Derek She flashed him a smile while offering him a fork to share with her Kharon Academy is actually attempting to do a census Part of the problem is getting an accurate count of the population in the Nemesai worlds but you wouldn�t believe how obnoxious the Zones are about releasing accurate population information

Not everyone shares your love of statistics Derek laughed and kissed Gertrude�s cheek But no more census talk they are about to reveal the stage for the challenge

Where are they fighting Tim asked his attention suddenly riveted to the screen

Derek scratched his cheek From what I hear up In the sky Way way up

Tournament Island was curiously silent around them Aside from Order Ducis members and Kharon civil servants everyone else had been evacuated A bus waited in the ruins of the destroyed arena to carry them up to the Little Moon

Hong Li Hank and Beatrice were already present when Alana arrived The group had settled along the wall between the arena and the stands They exchanged small greetings and settled down to wait Although there was still a half hour before the challenge would begin they didn�t have to wait long Paolo arrived next his squat and powerful body already slick with sweat Based on the slight wildness in his eyes he hadn�t slept last night

Even now the demanding song of his image wafted off him like heat

Next came Illdan and Kimpap walking together and carrying their spears with sharp intent Alana noticed the way that Beatrice offered Illdan a halfhearted wave and the attractive young man ignored the gesture He seemed much more interested in his own feet than the pretty blonde girl who obviously had a crush on him

Kimpap also seemed to notice and shrugged at Alana as though to say Such foolish youth but what can you do �

Alana wondered if Kimpap would be scandalized if Illdan decided to couple up with someone not from Tellus She hoped it would happen just because she suspected the answer might be yes

The last arrival was the man who had gone the furthest in the tournament Drake He maintained his casual exterior just wearing loose pants and a t shirt with his bastard sword slung across his back but his disposition had changed He stood straighter the light in his eyes was brighter

And after waving he spoke in a voice still croaky from disuse Let�s do this thing

The runner up himself here to lead us to a flawless victory Paolo laughed and slapped Drake on the shoulder His expression was one of genuine cheer as he squeezed the slighter man�s arms That sword of yours was mighty fine better than Kayle�s for sure Are you ready for this Fully recovered

Drake nodded seriously I�ve had to reshape my image heavily but yes With the addition of my Chimeric Fate I can accomplish a lot of different tasks Drake took a short break to cough several times before continuing Excuse me Plus I inherited something from the tournament that has boosted my capability across the board The Ghosthound told me it is Nether Weight�

Alana nodded reflecting on that little extra oomph� she had felt in the past few days The rest of us in the top four also received a small boost Charlotte likely received the most it�s unfortunate that she won�t be joining us Her help would have been invaluable

Ah that explains my excellent meditations the last few days I truly feel one with the environment Hong Li hummed to himself The world speaks and I am its voice

The time approaches Kimpap observed Perhaps we can wait to share our private personal outlooks until later

Honestly he�s growin� on me Hank drawled But can you feel it in the air The spear woman is right the moment is coming

Alana looked straight upward The sky just looked clear and blue But she knew that out there floating in the sky was the location of the challenge She clenched her fists and felt the heat building in her veins

Soon

Chapter 1984

Beatrice told her knees not to tremble as she sat in the transport and floated up toward the location of the challenge She felt unmoored from her body moving up through the cloud layer along with the bus Her knees acknowledged Beatrice�s feelings but told her very directly that they would continue to tremble regardless thank you very much

Beatrice pressed her eyes closed so she at least didn�t need to watch her insubordinate body The seats were faux leather and reminded her of a school bus She hadn�t been very popular in grade school Middle school had been worse The creep of those memories just added to the unreality of the moment as she floated up in a bus filled with some of the greatest heroes of the age

And worst of all

Beatrice told her eyes not to give in to temptation But the needy ocular grapes whizzed around to fixate on Illdan two seats in front of her For one seconds two seconds three seconds she simply stared at the angular structure of his face becoming more panicked that he would notice because she had been staring for so long Finally she was able to tear her gaze away She released a shuddering breath

It was almost worse that he wouldn�t acknowledge her Like she was a drifting ghost fixating onto the living and sucking away their life with her presence The strained silence between the two of them only added to her nerves regarding the fight against the Ghosthound combined her anxiety had become crippling

Young Miss

Beatrice jumped as Hong Li leaned over and put his hand on her forearm His smile was warm and aimed directly at her She felt some of her tension ease We shall be working together in the fight so let�s do our best to support each other Only together can we succeed

She offered him a quick smile and nodded Truth be told she was quite relieved that she and Hong Li were going to be acting in concert to try and limit the Ghosthound�s physical movements in the challenge With some of the others Beatrice would have been too intimidated by their storied accomplishments to focus And with Illdan she would have been constantly wondering if despite how bad an idea it would be he would twist around and pull her into a slow kiss right before the fight began

There it is Paolo said in a booming voice The bus had burst out past the clouds He jabbed his finger at the window The rest of the bus a blushing Beatrice included leaned forward to get their own look out the slightly smudged windows

The Little Moon that would host them felt like the secret dwelling of some ominous space demon It was shaped like a god�s hands had simply dug into the surface of a planet and levitated a cupped handful of stone rounded at the bottom and mostly flat across the top Beatrice squinted and activated her Incisive Gaze to get a better look Right now the Little Moon was only the size of a fist but as the bus carried them closer it continued to expand Even from the distance she could make out strange pillar shaped rock formations

The Little Moon seemed to be covered in a forest of stripped stone trees Beatrice couldn�t help but wonder why

As they moved closer and the platform expanded from a fist to a small town and then further to an entire city Beatrice also began to notice the autonomous camera drones hovering around the area Their lenses caught the light in the thinning atmosphere of Expira small sparkles of the attention the whole of the Alpha Cosmos heaped upon them

Grim place Alana observed

I almost think the Ghosthound made it that way on purpose so it would be more fun to obliterate Paolo cracked his knuckles

Kimpap clicked her tongue I am still freshly introduced to Nether as an abundant energy we could not access it before being formally included in the Alpha Cosmos However the way those pillars are arranged causes slight dizziness if I look too closely Somehow I believe they are arranged in a pattern that damages the flower of Nether

With renewed interest the group looked at the island There were dense sections of those somehow uneven pillars in several places but the ring around the edge of the Little Moon was complete

Now why would he arrange it like that Hong Li wondered No one else could think of an answer

What Illdan fell to his knees Then he hopped up and rounded on Hank with a glare For the first time since Beatrice had gone on that date with him he had fire in his eyes What are you doing We are a team

Which is why I think ya should take tha chance to apologize to B To Beatrice�s horror Hank nodded at her Ya�ve been ignorin� her Will be good for morale to settle things

I t that�s none of your business Illdan flushed We just things are complicated

Is ignoring a girl complicated Alana observed picking a minuscule bit of dirt off her spear

This isn�t the time to talk about that Illdan managed to spit out But he for the first time in a week gave Beatrice a genuine glance and held her gaze Her heart began to pound We�ve only a few minutes Can�t this wait until after the challenge

Strangely everyone paused to survey Kimpap and get her reaction The older woman from Tellus seemed profoundly uninterested in the exchange Illdan�s cheeks grew more flushed Besides the drones the entire Alpha Cosmos is watching Issues like this should be resolved privately

If ya wanted to do that Hank crouched down and pinched the ground He rubbed the sandy dirt of the Little Moon between two fingers He squinted at Illdan Ya had plenty of chances Ya didn� take em right So don�t go blamin� us

This is just distracting Beatrice whispered Her heart spun in place unable to decide what to feel

Hong Li laughed That�s the point young ins The two of you are too tense to do anything but think about each other Do you think we can win with this extra tension Unburden yourself and commune only then will you truly understand the other�s emotions

C c commune Beatrice felt like her face was on fire Here In front of so many cameras

Paolo barked out a laugh Drake shook his head in disbelief and slid his bastard sword out of its sheath Alana sighed Y�all make this too easy But don�t let your guard down Only one more minute

The air began to darken rapidly A weight ground down against Beatrice�s body making it almost impossible to move Without having to be told everyone knew that the Ghosthound would come at them with the intent to subdue them immediately Beatrice tried not to count the seconds but she couldn�t help herself She kept shooting glances at Illdan during that time wondering if he would actually apologize

He simply looked down at his feet

Suddenly Alana�s expression shifted Shit

Right as the promised five minutes expired the Ghosthound�s Nether was there where it had been flowing this entire time at an impossibly slow speed Yet when they became his enemy that power whipped itself into a fever pitch and smashed into their bodies

Most staggered sideways unable to withstand the force Only Paolo endured it his eyes bright with stubbornness

But then the Nether shifted It became an open hand reaching for them

Beatrice paled they were about to be Seized

Chapter 1985

Beatrice�s heart continued to bounce off her ribs as it tried to escape the suffocating reality of her current situation She stomped her foot to disperse some of the force contained in the first fingers of the Nether Storm but very little of it was physical most of the restrictive bindings were the thick and gooey substance of connection The currents served as bindings holding them in place for just a bit too long

And an even more restrictive power swept closer to the group of eight all frozen in varying positions of unwillingness and alarm Beatrice tried to speak but could only manage a strangled choke

Randidly Ghosthound�s First Authority was one of the thornier problems to address when considering how to fight against him They had discussed several countermeasures but they involved very long and noticeable preparations or most of their number being able to compete directly in a battle of Willpower against him Neither seemed like a very fruitful avenue so even Azriel had thrown her hands up in the air and instructed them not to let it come to that Move as quickly as possible preempting that ability Force him to engage with his images or with his body Considering how rarely in his fighting history that he was the superior in all aspects he might not rely on the qualitative gulf between them

In Azriel�s words simply suppressing them that way would be accurate but make for an unsatisfying lesson

Right before that massive hand clenched around the group Hong Li waded forward through the Nether currents An unfamiliar image blossomed from his body His hair and the tips of his fingers were on fire as he raised his hands and struck a pose in front of that hand A slight but stubborn tree flared behind him the mystical and quasi religious existence of Arbor T/his chapter is updated by

The Nether around them hummed in recognition

The air rippled and distorted The small tree waved its arms refusing to concede before this Authority That hand of Nether reformed into a massive root poised above them like a snake It paused for the briefest fraction of time held at bay by the clash between the Nether of the two moves Because within Hong Li the Nether reward for making it into the top four was on full display

For the slightest pause it was enough

The resonance and impact shook Beatrice to wakefulness Which was good because as soon as she had recovered herself and began to hum with her image Hong Li�s face contorted Most of the fires of his image flickered and were extinguished His chest shattered like he had been kicked by an invisible donkey The image of Arbor wilted and began to fade but that root stabbed forward and grabbed it

The First Revelation Inglorious Advance However that delay had been enough Into the roaring Nether storm around them exploded Alana bright gold and orange Her spear was the burning heart of the firestorm blasting away the constant buffeting of significance around them Beatrice finally managed to suck in a breath

Her searing image while briefly effective soon stopped expanding within the massive churning scope of the Nether Storm Beatrice could practically see the coiling flows twist and tighten in new ways The bubble of relative safety produced by Alana�s image stopped expanding and then began to sharply contract

Drake cut forward with a sword of gleaming white light Nether once more attempted to crash against their images and ground down their momentum but Drake pierced out forward and cleaved a path through the storm Right on his heels came Paolo brimming with confidence and constantly expending himself to pry open the sliced storm even further

Combined the two created a path the rest followed as they rushed forward toward the Ghosthound

During their planning sessions Kimpap had once asked If the physical prowess of the Ghosthound is so overwhelming why even bother to approach him We can take his powerful body out of the match

Unfortunately for us his Mental Support Stats are even more ridiculous Azriel had responded Then she had shrugged If you want to land an emotional hit on him you�ll need to get close Just don�t expect anything physical to even slow him down And be prepared to break a few bones for having the gall to approach him

As the group sprinted forward with the shadowy Nether Storm howling around them Beatrice flared her image with more wild abandon than she ever had in the past Her ribs hummed at a high pitch frequency as she tried to gather as many different wavelengths within her person as possible With Hong Li smashed across the pillar and spewing blood from his mouth she was the only person remaining that was supposed to try and slow the Ghosthound down when his body made a move

It didn�t make her feel very confident to see how quickly Hong Li who was supposed to handle the lion�s share of the restrictions had been overwhelmed

Alana only a half meter in front of Beatrice raised her head slightly The pearly wings of her Fate began to spread outward Careful its coming

Before anyone could acknowledge the words the Ghosthound�s images warped the horizon

And already a feedback headache began to form

The Ghosthound�s horrifying speed slowed down His spear was a short distance away from Drake�s chest and the slight deceleration gave the other man time to bring up his sword to block Beatrice could now recognize that what had cracked her forearm and knocked her sideways was the Ghosthound�s tail A simple sideways flick had completely brushed her to the side

The small blessing of his approach was that they now stood in the eye of the Nether Storm and no longer had to withstand such constant and grinding pressure against their images At the back of the group with the Ghosthound occupied Hank Howard drew his revolver and took aim

The Ghosthound�s tail continued its sweep crunching into Beatrice�s side with the flexible appendage She felt a lung pop but forced her legs to stomp six times in the air The harsh notes of Hymns of Burden passed through her lips Her image exhausted itself slamming six times against the sheer presence of him She felt almost blinded by the growing ache behind her eyes Affecting him with an image especially while trying to resist all his other draining powers felt nearly futile

His emerald eyes inhuman and calculating flicked sideways to Beatrice The Ghosthound smiled at her

The sharp report of Hank�s revolver reminded Beatrice of something else Azriel had said during the long nights they had plotted out how this fight might go She had been rubbing her chin while Kimpap and Hong Li discussed ways to suppress his abilities She interrupted and said You know putting too much emphasis on restricting the Ghosthound isn�t the best idea First because that was a favorite move of everyone who tried to use him in the past he�s very very used to being suppressed And secondly well He is at his most dangerous moving from stillness That acceleration is impossible to prepare for

Drake�s sword met the Ghosthound�s spear The Ghosthound didn�t even seem to be paying attention to the completion of his thrust still grinning at Beatrice Yet the blazing white light that had won the tournament flickered and died beneath the brutal power of his attack The leafed spear Acri drilled into Drake�s chest Then his torso began to twist and rupture his skin visibly flapping outward in a ripple from the force of the attack Around the edges of the puncture flesh pulped and began to disintegrate

The bullet ripped through space while releasing a whistling aura of destruction but in a fight of this tier there was still plenty of time until it posed a threat

Paolo threw a punch at the Ghosthound that should have broken the monster�s nose But Beatrice felt the Ghosthound tug at the restriction that she had placed upon him with her notes The next moment he shredded through them without being slowed in the slightest Paolo�s punch hit nothing but air and he was collapsing sideways his knee shattered A vortex of frigid apathy was left in the Ghosthound�s wake seeming to suck away will and motivation

Beatrice finally slammed into the ground Practice took over and she was throwing herself to her feet already releasing the pure Song of Healing Drake was struggling to his feet a few meters away caught in the tight edges of the Nether Storm Alana put herself between Ghosthound and bullet her light darkening from orange to rust The Third Revelation Mortal�s Anguish

The conflict was blinding but a split second later Alana shot backward the broken pieces of her spear clattering to the ground behind her The Ghosthound reached up and wiped a drop of Alana�s blood from his cheek Beatrice�s Skill finished and she through the last of her emotions into wishing her team would heal From the dizzying wave that followed the group must have been more wounded than Beatrice had noticed

Beatrice dry heaved her drained body trying to void her stomach

The Ghosthound raised his spear preparing to meet Hank�s bullet with a brutal thrust But from the bullet�s shadow sprung Kimpap and Illdan pincering in at the Ghosthound from either side Before Illdan could close the distance more of those wicker roots shot out of the Nether Storm and staked him to the ground His image flared to avoid it but the shadows around him tightened and kept him in place

Similar attacks shot at Kimpap�s back but she flickered sideways in a much more savvy maneuver The aura of death that she released thickened It was almost a taste to the air that hung in the back of Beatrice�s throat reinforcing her body�s request that she vomit Yet Beatrice gritted her teeth and straightened preparing to assist in any way she could Fully five death specters sprung to life around the Ghosthound each wearing a different expression and wielding slightly different spears

His gaze surveyed them all Another mental pulse blasted outward Chimeric Impunity Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil Wicked Waltz of Tartarus

Taking different angles each specter howled at the Ghosthound with weapons raised The image affect mobilized by Kimpap at that moment was ferocious leaving her previous attacks and what she had demonstrated against Alana in the dust The Ghosthound shifted slightly but more in a settling movement than any tactical preparations He didn�t even flinch as the blows fell on his body

As each landed another monstrous Ghosthound briefly superimposed itself over the monstrous image physicalization form It sneered down at the strikes disdaining to respond That flashing image possessed all the violence and rage that didn�t exist in Randidly�s normal expressions He approached the challenge with clinical dispassion but this version opened its mouth and bellowed

Beatrice tried to find a few more notes in her stomach This then is the Grey Creature And really that�s the image we wanted to target

Hank�s bullet arrived Frowning the Ghosthound smacked it out of the air with his left hand The punch didn�t even seem to be a Skill just a firm denial Hank�s image was filled with wilderness and hope and then it was gone After an impact with enough force that Beatrice almost ten meters away rocked back on her heels the Ghosthound scanned them all with that dispassionate gaze He raised his spear

Over his shoulder Beatrice could sense the lurking image spitting hate at them for daring to come for its life The Grey Creature took all threats seriously A wolf among sheep his teeth gleamed with promised retribution

Chapter 1986

The more they fought against Randidly Ghosthound the more he looked less like a living being and more like an avatar of violence Beatrice could feel it she could see the way his form had been designed and streamlined in a thousand life or death situations

Any one of those could have ended him A single failure would have meant his light was extinguished But a thousand successes A thousand moments of death deferred

There was something almost magical about the improbability of it Magical and dreadful That he could face their strongest strikes clash again and again against their most powerful images and grin like the experience had only whetted his appetite

Beatrice felt like a hand had reached into her heart and mind and scooped out most of the important decision making bits She felt herself falling to her knees underneath the pressure that the Ghosthound threw out but she was still conscious Her fingers twitched but it was difficult to imagine gathering enough Willpower for another burst of image

Essentially she could watch

The group clustered around the Ghosthound�s form now warped with the power of the Grey Creature His movements became alien shifting between stillness and completion of a task without much concern for acceleration between two points His spear swayed and flexed the rapid physical movements he executed straining even the living weapon

Alana and Kimpap surged forward to counter him and strike at the emotional weakness of the Grey Creature The Expiran�s spear when high and the Tellus warrior swept low Once again Alana activated her Mortal�s Anguish for a third time her evolved Revelation curling out rust colored flames from her body More weeping specters of death flitted out from Kimpap All together the Ghosthound faced off against a dozen spear users

That horrid smile stretched wider His mental pulse stilled Beatrice�s heart

The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins

Beatrice could barely catch his movements Mostly she just saw the shattered remnants of his opponents crack and collapse She heard the rustling of the canopy of Yggdrasil and then what might be a laugh and might be the shriek of a raven

His body jerked forward From stillness execution A death phantom took a spear to the chest

Another had its throat slit but a whirling sweep that positioned the Ghosthound to fight Alana directly

After deflecting Alana�s fiery thrust and sending the whole of her image momentum staggering backward the Ghosthound chopped and severed her left leg in the shin He jerked the butt of his spear backward and cracked the real Kimpap in the sternum while she floated just a hair too close The Tellus warrior watched with bulging eyes while being tossed backward unable to believe what she was experiencing

These two moves gave her created death phantasms time to strike but the Ghosthound twitched and avoided the strikes effortlessly Then his spear reaped left and right demolishing the remaining foes Alana�s shortened leg hit the ground and she grimaced The flesh skidded over the stone and left a trail of blood Opposite her Kimpap crashed onto the ground and grunted

Beatrice wondered why they had ever thought they could challenge him Her remaining will to fight died Her head and heart ached

However the rest of the team of eight hadn�t given in yet With the small opening granted by the two spear users Hank Howard and Drake moved in to engage in close combat Hank in particular burned with a strange whistling song that reminded Beatrice of hopeless standoffs and sweaty gunfights underneath the desert sun Due to the context the Ballad of the Last Cowboy rose to a fever pitch that manage to briefly restrain the pressure of the Ghosthound�s image

She could feel how this was all connected all these struggles built tension but it would be worth it In a way hearing the Ballad of Hank Howard injected a little bit more hope into Beatrice�s body

Hank raised and fired several bullets from his repeater The Ghosthound�s spear cut them down as they came throwing off a few sparks but completely crushing Hank�s image when it dared move too near Drake gripped his sizzling sword with both hands his emotional force tightening into a near physical form in the weapon The two circled closer moving out of the restrictive Nether into the eye of the storm

Beatrice knew Drake was shifting the form of his Chimeric Fate to a new more dangerous form It had been one of the methods that they had strategized to actually wound their target

Beatrice felt that single note rolling around in her stomach The Ghosthound rolled his shoulders and she felt alarm building within her The crumbling debris of the destroyed pillar tumbled in slow motion around them She felt weightless and unmoored It had to be her For a single moment she needed to pin him down and create an opportunity

Nether squeezed her threatening to pop her fleshy body open Yet she resisted She wanted to know the feeling of power And to Beatrice the ultimate power seemed to be able to accomplish something when you set your mind to it

She would do this

A shadow flickered sideways making a beeline for the Ghosthound Illdan blood still leaking out of the holes in his side and thigh raised his spear An enormous specter spread out from his person his image shimmered with power and determination The Ghosthound finally moved his gaze away focusing on this new threat Beatrice sucked in an instinctive breath and that was all the time it took for the Ghosthound to shred Illdan�s image and bring his massive left fist hammering down on Illdan�s skull

A single spear thrust to demolish this young man�s accumulation A fist to knock him out of the challenge and keep him from rising again

Protect Beatrice shrieked Her image ripped itself out of her chest with all of her remaining strength With more strength than she could spare It was everything she possessed all her dreams and long glances and small miscommunications with Illdan For a brief moment the Ghosthound�s fist slowed just slightly When his fist encountered the barrier it did provide some protection

Illdan�s skull didn�t crack open like a bloody egg But his body did shoot backward like it had been hit with a baseball bat Very audibly he crashed into the ground and dug a deep trench

Drake slashed sideways out of the rubble In terms of opportunities this was the best they would get right now That searing note lingered at the tip of his bastard sword The Ghosthound glanced sideways Then a few of the spines on his left arm shivered and split open

A wave of shadowy fire keening with a horrifying funeral dirge and gathered around a withered flower exploded outward Drake�s emotional affect flared to its highest degree cutting its way through this sudden and unfamiliar attack

But after ripping his way through the curtain of shadowy fire the Ghosthound was gone Drake whipped around but the Ghosthound�s spear took him in the back Before he could even respond the Ghosthound�s lower tail snaked out and wrapped around Drake�s bastard sword With a soft crunch the weapon was broken and tossed aside

Beatrice must have lost consciousness because the sensation of bouncing off the ground suddenly dominated her body Every joint ached and several large chunks of stone smacked against her as the rest of the pillar collapsed around her

Coughing she pushed herself up through the cloud of stone dust The Ghosthound floated down some distance away riding on a gust of wind that blew the dust away But to Beatrice�s surprise someone waited for him there standing upright

Alana Donal standing on one leg with blood oozing from the stump of her severed shin propped herself up against her spear Her eyes burned Two pure white wings spread wide and flapped With the rising cloak of golden fire around her she seemed about to ascend to Valhalla We aren�t done Not yet I�ve waited too long for this chance

The Ghosthound just looked at her His eyes were so intense that Beatrice had to blink and look away

The Fifth Revelation Alana said through gritted teeth But when she opened her mouth again she just coughed out blood Bewildered she looked down at her chest The shaft of the Ghosthound�s spear was embedded in her torso The monstrous opponent they all faced studied Alana�s face

Beatrice hadn�t even seen him move Neither had Alana

He shook his head You aren�t ready to adjust your image again Not yet For today you�ve lost All of you

Something changed in the air When he said those words he made it true

He pivoted on his feet his eyes finding them all Beatrice noticed Kimpap and Hong Li pushing themselves out of the rubble nearby The others all wearily rose to their feet Then he turned his sharp gaze on some of the floating drones

Do you see Can you feel the gulf between us The Ghosthound spread his arms His lip curled �Without me as a shield the entire Alpha Cosmos will be devoured by someone more powerful than me Until someone out there manages to track down these eight and defeat them all let�s put these complaints to rest �

Chapter 1987

A whole crowd sat in Donnyton�s arena to watch the action broadcast on the giant screen the viewing platform suspended over the sinkhole generated by their own challenge against the Ghosthound a few years ago Over the past minute the mood did a drastic one eighty The watchers sat in a silence that grew heavier as the challenge stretched on

Kayle and Mrs Hamilton sat at a raised dais originally intended to be announcers who could explain the minutiae of the battle to those with normal Perception Everyone understood that with so many competitors fighting at once and with how high their Stats would be it would be almost impossible for the average citizen to watch the confrontation and make any sense of the conflict Even with the most high tech cameras their minds couldn�t recognize the movements before something else had occurred The announcers could speak quickly and maintain at least some context for the confrontation

Yet now they all watched in silence The lack of words from the announcers was just one more symptom of the realization dawning over the entire Alpha Cosmos as they observed Kayle pressed his lips together squeezing the table with his hands Mrs Hamilton kept a more neutral expression but Donny watched from the side and could tell she was also affected by what she saw

Donny pulled his gaze away from the watchers and back to the lightning fast action on the screen It�s hard seeing him like this The rest won�t get it but he used to be just a hair more powerful than us Everyone at Donnyton still remembers him as that standoffish college student who had a few dozen Skill Levels of an edge which seemed insurmountable right when the System arrived And now

The Ghosthound approached the group arrayed against him with a crushing wave of tension sweeping behind him He clashed with several of the challengers each time crushing the images thrown against him His Nether storm constantly suppressed their momentum keeping them on the back foot

His movements were methodical and vicious as he dismantled their formation The challengers sustained more and more wounds keeping up with him Donny glanced sideways at the dais again The two announcers remained silent The atmosphere grew heavy

It�s his Nether Storm Donny realized He looked up and widened his perspective relying on the power granted by the giant Nether Ritual in the core of the planet Dark tides rippled outward from that Little Moon hanging up in the sky Even from here they could feel his cold implacability

In a very real way the whole of Expira was submerged in his dispassionate butchery They had to feel it

All at once the clashes became increasingly disadvantageous for the challengers Alana took a wound then Kimpap and Illdan then Paolo and Hank The pillar exploded in a desperate attempt to destabilize the Ghosthound�s footing but by the time they hit the ground the remaining competitors had been defeated and smashed into the ground

All told the challenge probably lasted less than a minute The silence lengthened around them No one could articulate their feeling their instinctual sense of weakness before that display

When Randidly pronounced the challenge over Donny felt people around him begin to talk They couldn�t believe that it had ended so quickly using several methods to rationalize the way things had gone The most common one was that they decided not to push themselves Even though several blows had been struck between the two sides and the challengers had several deep wounds or severed limbs this was a System enhanced world Most Classers knew it was possible to fight through such impediments

To fight and thrive The Ghosthound�s entire history was filled with such moments

Yet the bitterness on the faces of all the challengers as they stood up from the rubble especially Alana Donal and Paolo finally broke through their vague denials Smothered by the wide Nether storm of the Ghosthound people began to acknowledge the result The challenge had finished

People in the crowd began to whisper with a new desperation Especially the younger individuals those who came with excitement and lacked the Perception to catch some of the exchanges wondered why things had ended so quickly

On the stage Kayle finally cleared his throat There you have it In less than a minute without relying on any massive displays of image Randidly Ghosthound crushed most of the top fighters in the Alpha Cosmos We will dissect how exactly that happened tomorrow For now it�s time to head home I think we all need a bit of a break

Compared to the legitimate physical challenge presented by these fighters her political machinations seemed pointless Even if she gathered momentum would the shift in public opinion be able to slow him down The Alpha Cosmos was his body but that went both ways If enough thoughts could influence him he would be able to pay back that interference in kind

With a lot of concentrated force

Missy shivered Of course there were those who had the capacity to understand that devastating feeling and those who didn�t A watcher�s senses needed to be well honed to truly understand how monstrous the Ghosthound had become

To understand the way his fingers curled almost lazily around them all ready to rip out their hearts at the first sign of resistance

Aw shit I�m tired of this A tattooed man with a goatee blew a fat raspberry Missy glanced over to the next cell as he began to pace People just blowing smoke up the Ghosthound�s ass to win favor with him That was no honest fight Probably to secure secret deals or something to actually make it to the Nexus and keep the average fella out of the cash flow

Missy raised her eyebrows too freshly removed from her fear of the Ghosthound to understand what he was saying But his voice had attracted the attention of some others in the surroundings

His chest swelled with pride at the attention He walked over and hopped down onto his bare bunk suddenly the picture of confidence and wisdom Yea look at how chaotic the footage is Y�all fallin� for this grainy shit How many times light or debris get in the way of the camera that�s how you can tell its all a setup Kharon and Donnyton and probably fucking commie Zone Seven were all involved in this hoax to keep us in the dark And these aliens from other planets Fuck Do I need to explain it all to you

What the hell are you talking about Another prisoner growled

Sneering Mr Goatee was only too happy to explain So yea we�ve got portals to different places but how do we know they aren�t just far away places on this planet Any proof there are other planets we can live on Anybody ever get a Skill that lets em breathe without air And why don�t I suddenly see these new planets hanging in the night sky What we do know is that the Nexus exists otherwise why did Expira and can I say how shitty it is that the System won�t even let us say the true name of the planet why did Expira suddenly go to shit

Goatee jabbed a finger forward He truly believed every word of what he was saying We might have Skills and shit but the world didn�t change The top 1% controls everything spoon feeding the average dumbfuck opinions through the news and shit This is the perfect example After all the fucking hype of the long ass tournament this is the fight that we get It felt tired and disappointing Obviously fake Obviously a hoax

And you know why Because they had built up the Ghosthound to be a super powerful being more than everyone else combined The man waved a hand Yet he�s just a fucking guy like everyone else He takes stinky shits after eating greasy food There was no way to fake him being some sort of partial god like people whisper These tournament winners are probably almost as strong as he is So they just dragged everyone else down to make him look better Made it really messy and gritty But jokes on fucking them we just saw all these people fight We know what they can do Suddenly they are shitting the bed all at once Yea fuck off

All the other prisoners mulled this over From a few of their expressions Missy knew that those people with any sort of actual capability recognized this man for a fraud Yet on others she spotted doubt Her eyes widened and she began to breathe more quickly Because across all of Expira most people weren�t very discerning They just waited for someone to convince them

On the television the droning voice of the announcer continued Even now it�s difficult for us to capture and recognize the true power of the Ghosthound

That Missy blinked several times Is actually a really good idea

Goatee snorted No shit I�m not in here because I�m the sort of sheep that just accepts the fucked up status quo am I I�m an Alpha I see something I take something ya dig

Chapter 1988

I couldn�t help but notice that you never allowed Drake to clash against you directly with his emotional force Azriel said quietly The two of them stood at the edge of his skyisland surrounded by gleeful silver moon spirits the night after the challenge

Randidly knew Azriel would come He had been waiting for her feet dangling off the edge of the island But he also knew he wouldn�t be able to give her a satisfactory answer

Randidly released a noise balanced between a grimace and a chuckle His hands stretched down between his knees loose but not relaxed In the end he just shook his head He felt strangely exhausted all of his mental energy spent even though the fight itself hadn�t been very difficult for him If anything the fighting felt simple It was dealing with the aftermath that left him feeling gaunt No I didn�t let Drake just walk up and slash me Because well You are right about the Grey Creature�s emotional affect There is a lot a lot of calcified something in my heart I yes I hate Yystrix I still do She was She kept forcing me to

His words stopped stuttered and ceased His tongue felt thick and clumsy in his mouth The more he tried to force them out the hotter his neck became as though it was some contrived friction that kept him silent

Compared to explanations fighting was easier

His mind stalled out on those words on the knot of emotion that still gripped him Everything tightened around the eye of his Nether Storm Truth be told Randidly had not been able to stop thinking about his flaw since Azriel had come to him and talked about it He closed his eyes and released a breath he knew that Azriel had intended exactly this planning on forcing him to acknowledge the flaw or risk losing the challenge

What she probably hadn�t known is exactly how far about the eight challengers Randidly was Someday they might be able to rival them That day was not today This flaw didn�t need to be protected just not purposefully exposed

If handling this was easy Randidly finally continued I would have done it a long time ago I promise I�ll think about what I can do to hone that But we don�t have any more time for me to delay Whatever kept the Patron of Feathers alive is very close to running out

Randidly you have been running from one crisis to another from the day that I met you Azriel countered She folded her arms across her chest Simply announce the truth you feared a collision with Drake�s dense emotions

Randidly helplessly shook his head Another time he wouldn�t mind this sort of pressure but right now he felt He had shed the shell he had worn during the challenge where he had forcefully stirred his Nether storm to adjust the eye And that movement took his mind to dark places

For example after the fight Randidly wondered why the two people he owed the most his mother for his upbringing after his dad left and Yystrix for providing to him all the tools to excel with the System were also the two individuals he resented the most

Also why hadn�t he ever tried to find his mother Even now the prospect filled him with a crippling anxiety What if he found her What would he say What would she think that her son had become the most powerful man on the planet

Would someday in some fight against Elhume the fact that he never faced these feelings make him suffer a loss Would he fail at the last moment just because he wasn�t brave enough to seek out the woman who seemed intent on drinking and dating anyone so she didn�t need to face the son she had to raise alone

Randidly knew his feelings weren�t exactly fair And that only made him more depressed

Perhaps reading his mood Azriel pursed her lips and hopped off the edge of the island She became a crimson streak heading toward the horizon Following her movement helped ground Randidly and allow him to drag himself out of the morass of emotions around him After distracting herself for so long it seemed like she finally resolved herself to return and deal with her upcoming marriage

Randidly reached up and rubbed his neck His skin felt cool and sweaty Almost afraid that Azriel lingered just out of sight he released a scanning pulse of energy Then he forced a breath out through his nose and began to adjust his Nether rotation

I can�t just leave it like this Randidly bit his lips He knew if he closed his eyes he would be back in his childhood bedroom pressing his pillow over his head to cover up the noise Or he would be in endless darkness as Yystrix demanded he give over control of his body The memories floated so closely to the surface that they crept in at the edges of his vision I need to restore some of the flow Settle myself a bit

The difficulty of restraining the disturbed significance had him gritting his teeth For all that he had deeply buried these memories and it had taken the clinical dispassion he possessed in the challenge to unearth them they also fiercely resisted his efforts to halt their wild rampage Those previously still Nether flows now spun tightly around his body pushing away other connections They became insatiable and rabid

All of his experience with Nether was premised on corralling natural force and watching it flow together around his body To ensure his lesson wasn�t diluted he had demolished that entire structure The rebuilding process became extra fraught due to his recent experiments in widening his perspective the framework kept folding in on itself in unexpected ways

Randidly�s eyes gleamed briefly with purple black energy

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 720

I can�t see the outcome but I can see myself smiling For my face it�s a strange expression Tatiana�s face creased with worry but Randidly just sat completely still struggling to unravel the truth with his emotional response to it And then the future version of me turns back and speaks directly to me peaking into the future You�d do a lot to save the Alpha Cosmos right But how much would you give to save yourself �

Tatiana�s eyes were bright Her Skill guided her right through his thought processes I hope you realize that we all think the fate of this planet is fucking important But you are too Randidly If we lost you Expira

Don�t go killing me off yet Randidly forced out a laugh hating how hollow it sounded to his own ears Tatiana�s expression darkened but she didn�t push Randidly felt far too sensitive he hated what digging into these unresolved feelings toward Yystrix and his other mother did to him Even though his Nether Storm had settled back into place he couldn�t forget the press of those memories That potent significance was just waiting for him to mine it I just it�s a feeling That a time will come where the Alpha Cosmos will need to face a threat of the Nexus without me

What�s most exhausting about this is that to obtain my Authority related to the Grey Creature I�ll need to sort through all this shit

Both held each other�s gaze for a long time As one both lifted their glasses and drained them Tatiana dutifully refilled the cups and then leaned back in her chair Alright fine we will let that mysterious and ominous prophecy go for now What�s the second thing you learned in the challenge

Randidly allowed an appreciative smile Well this bit is a bit embarrassing But we�ve gotten so used to being able to improve ourselves with the System That the proper framing the right shape and emotion can turn pain and weakness into a powerful image Create something useful In many cases that�s true There are certain sorts of trauma that are suppressed and left to curdle inside of you Ripping those open and releasing the pain brings a lot of benefits Honesty is liberating But

He bit his lip and shrugged You know it�s a bit embarrassing to admit But I almost think that my pain isn�t quite like that For all that I�ve gotten better there are some things that are difficult for me to do I�m an introvert emotional confrontation is extremely difficult for me Especially confrontation with two individuals who can�t defend themselves any longer My unresolved relationships with them are my weakness as a person Yea getting rid of it would help me grow But

Tatiana nodded slowly Change is difficult

Change is difficult Randidly agreed And apparently I�m still the guy who made those same mistakes to push things off until I was ready

And now you go to the Nexus Tatiana said

Randidly flexed his hands Now I peel back what should be the last layer of the onion The Tier 3 layer of the Nexus where Elhume himself and the rest of the monsters are hiding

�Are you ready � Tatiana responded The air between them began to hum

�I have to be �

�You don�t have to be You�re human too �

Randidly looked at Tatiana for a long second It was oddly comforting thing to hear right now

�Well � He cleared his throat �I�d better be Because otherwise we are all going to die �

�mm fatalism � Tatiana raised her glass The moonlight caught the rim of her tumbler and danced across the edge �Cheers to that �

Chapter 1989

Raymund Ballast liked the sounds of the morning on the Ghosthound�s island Like all good things it started with silence The perfect stillness of recuperating repose There were a few hours when the frantic activity ceased and what replaced it was pristine

All in preparation for the eventual transition to activity

Randidly still hadn�t come back after the challenge but the tight schedule of training continued without him Dawn arrived and signaled the beginning In the earliest hours of the morning most people left their private training pods and stretched on the beach until their backs cracked They stretched their hands upward reaching for that next epiphany that would catapult them into sudden potency

The tireless waves crashed and bubbled across their feet A wind always began to rise from the East stirring the cool air around the island Then as a group all the members of the Vulpis Squad the Order Ducis and many of the individuals who wanted to train gathered together in a massive group and jogged around the perimeter of the island

Raymund reached up to the gravity array and twisted the difficulty up The air shimmered as the Ghosthound�s Engraving began to pressure each jogger individually The Engraving rumbled beneath his feet The sounds of the joggers� breathing soon synced up a hundred determined individuals constantly pushing their limits Their shoulders and necks soon gleamed with sweat

Raymund considered them all but his gaze eventually settled on the young woman Beatrice Her blonde hair bounced around her face as she moved He hadn�t made the connection before the tournament but she had been coming to the island from the very beginning she was one of the first drawn by the spirit of training here to improve herself And even after achieving such fine results in the tournament she came right back

The hole inside of her heart was not one easily filled

Of course few individuals regard the tournament�s ultimate fight as satisfying Raymund rubbed his chin The long and winding Path was demonstrated in front of them all but is a difficult enough prospect just to accept let alone pursue Still it is gratifying she has not been dissuaded

The sun crept higher Heat began to settle down across the island on its haunches The joggers continued their dogged training as the strain on their bodies accumulated Raymund stretched out his hands cracked his knuckles and then stood His own daily training would start soon perhaps one of the last normal routines for quite a while A change was coming the Ghosthound had announced that he would leave in two days and return to the Nexus

For the Vulpis Squad that meant they would need to be ready for deployment at any moment They could theoretically be summoned to the battlefield almost immediately

Yet before he could begin his daily Willpower honing Raymund needed to address the group of people gathered at the front of his dwelling They had approached last night with a request Raymund had expected for quite some time and he had told them to wait while he thought about it None had moved through the night simply standing at attention while he made his deliberations

Alana Donal�s expression was peaceful as she stood at the head of the small group But the rest had their own resolve as well Wivanya seemed to be taking a nap next to her rider her massive body crushing several of the nearby trees Allowaen the chimera woman burned with determination while also staying frozen with cool control The horrific sharpness in her eyes spoke to how long she was willing to stay like this for the opportunity

The ogre Wolfram�s massive frame seemed positively demure as he sat and conjured exotic magicks across his fingers The young man Zack Krum was the one that Raymund was the most dubious about yet even underneath the pressure of the island he didn�t waver even for a moment

Finishing out the small group a slightly overweight man they called the Rat King sat with his legs folded beneath him About a hundred rodents waited a short distance back from their king their eyes glassy and empty

Sighing Raymund walked to the front of the dwelling where the group waited He put his hands on his hips as he weighed each one with his eyes Do you know the peril in what you are asking

Those that had been waiting with their eyes closed now opened them to look at Raymund None answered but they all projected a spirit of confidence They lifted their chins

Jane lowered the documents signaling she had finished reading Based on the way Johann jumped to speaking he had been squirming the entire time We won�t stand for this You know I was really mulling it over and the way the Ghosthound just waltzed in and behaved wasn�t appropriate We need to bring a lawsuit against him Even if we don�t get the land the fact he demanded we sell this for no value while defacing our office

I have heard from multiple sources that you have renovated Ironwood Capital creating a larger wall around this defacement� And the magic left by the Ghosthound has expanded to the entire side of the building showing full flowering blooms of illusory beauty Dmitri leaned back in his chair as he considered his son At this point it has become a tourist attraction

Well Johann blinked several times He shrugged You taught me well father I made lemonade with lemons Are you trying to blame me for that

Finally the neutral expression on Dmitri�s face cracked You were given a diamond and now you flash it around No we will not have that talk right now This is too important Let me ask you a question what do you know about the code of unified laws introduced last month by the Order Ducis It is rumored they were produced at the personal request of the Ghosthound considering the situation with Missy Carp

Err well they don�t have a snowball�s chance in hell of being approved Johann replied He clasped his hands in front of him So I haven�t really bothered to learn more than that

Dmitri glanced sideways at Jane She nodded understanding what he wanted Obviously Zone 32 supported the proposal immediately with many of the more liberal Bubble Cities wanting to ratify However Zone 7 very immediately also gave its support with relatively minor change requests They are sitting at the table chomping at the bit to sign

Jane could see the wrench being thrown into the rough machinery of Johann�s brain Oh

Oh indeed Dmitri nodded So tell me son why would the Zone that has been staunchly opposed to outside interference suddenly acquiesce to acknowledging a universal set of laws

Suddenly Johann�s eyes brightened Benefits of some kind

Benefits indeed I had my team go through the entire unified code of laws agreement Then I read it myself just to get a feel for the language Luckily it is not an obtuse document the Order Ducis arranged a very readable and logical code of laws The only controversial part is the text regarding increased penalties for powerful Classers However both I and the team noted a small passage near the beginning Dmitri leaned forward Only those sovereign powers that agree to the code of laws will be allowed to enter the All Alpha Cosmos sponsored tournaments

And if we control that Order we can use that leverage to gather Johann was practically drooling right up until the point his father slammed his fist down on his desk

Damnit Yoh Can�t you see This is not our chance to antagonize other forces but to become invaluable to them Going back through the information offered by the Ghosthound about the tournament you can find several oblique references to the special way that the top 8 were rewarded And suddenly the Zones with fighters in the top 8 are meekly agreeing The reward is more than it seems

And while the effort to accomplish this task is enormous this will finally give the Rainor Family the chance to establish a foundation Dmitri suddenly seemed exhausted Which we desperately need Offering up this opportunity is a favor from the Ghosthound not bullying You should be thanking him

Johann nodded and lowered his head Jane could see that the young man didn�t understand already his wheels were turning to find how he could use this to his advantage Jane could see Dmitri observing his foolish son too and seeing the same pattern of destructive behavior

Dmitri seemed so old and exhausted knowing nothing he said could penetrate his son�s brain But what could he do He was his only son

Jane�s hands tightened into fists What could she do She was just a foolish young man�s business manager

Chapter 1990

Randidly had given himself two days to tie up all the loose ends remaining on Expira The Patron of Feathers continued to be stable but this situation would last for long the other Patrons were getting decidedly ansty

Such a period of time wasn�t enough to handle his still slightly unruly emotions It also wasn�t enough time to figure out what sort of plateau his increasingly thick Nether approached or reinvent the flow of his energy to create a dangerous Nether Storm

But it was enough time to say goodbye To feel the pulse of significance across the Alpha Cosmos To make any adjustments he believed were necessary before he left Not that he wouldn�t be able to pop back into the Alpha Cosmos but his focus would be aimed outward

The shadow of the Nexus dominated a larger portion of his anxiety these days It had ceded a lot of its space to his lingering fears and guilt regarding his emotional flaws but not enough to take it out as the dominant engine of tension in his life

Besides focusing on the task of touching base with people on Expira distracted Randidly from his emotions Turning his attention outward was a welcome shift

The first people he visited on this short tour were Nrorce and Randy in B�s Crossing The latter was still ecstatic that the worries about keeping the restaurant open had evaporated and he was young enough not to ask too many questions about why They had a dinner together with Bethyl Randy suddenly grown shy after seeing Randidly on tv and Bethyl almost forcefully casual to counter the young boy�s disposition Only Nrorce seemed genuine if a bit morose and the meal reached a happy conclusion

Afterward he and Nrorce went out back and looked up at the stars In the wide badlands South of Zone 1 the stars proudly gleamed Once Randidly started to say something and looked over toward the tiny blue goblin But the look he found in his eyes was terrifying

Nrorce�s eyes said I�ve said this sort of goodbye before when someone left for the Nexus And all that came back of my daughter was a useless hunk of Aether I can�t ask you this but don�t you fucking dare put me through that again

I�ll burn your fucking planet to the ground if you leave me alone here

Randidly closed his mouth and raised his gaze He blinked away several tears before wishing Nrorce goodnight He left and walked across the badlands feeling the cool dirt beneath his toes and feeling the starlight on his skin

It took him a while to calm his surging emotions But he couldn�t let his trip stall out here he had more people to see ViiSiit for latest novels

He then went and visited the people of Donnyton He had after dinner appetizers and drinks with Mrs Hamilton Donny Sam Annie and Dozer Delilah was supposed to come but heard he would show up and abruptly vanished Apparently she was still searching for the perfect birthday gift for him and refused to show herself in front of him until she found it

This meal was much more subdued occurring at midnight and with some of the most powerful figures of Donnyton Even if most had taken a step back from running the town they still possessed deep sway Randidly amused himself for a bit by examining the thick connections between them him and the significance of Donnyton but hurriedly stopped when all the activity began to stir up his own emotions

It was evening when they finished the debriefing Tatiana twisted her lips and gave Randidly a sideways look Well I believe I know the answer before I even ask but would you like me to agree to any of the requests for meetings You�ve got quite a few from business owners and politicians All sound pretty desperate for some facetime

I think I can at least spare myself that torture Randidly said cheerily Weirdly he felt cleansed by his nap He still felt the heavy significance swirling in that inert storm�s eye but it was no longer lashing out Some of the tension left his chest Breathing became just a little bit easier

From there he moved to his island where the Vulpis Squad was gathering up its troops He stood at the edge of the volcano and looked down at the divided island the training facilities weren�t being entirely vacated by this exodus The Order Ducis and other training fanatics would remain here working on the island even without the added pressure of his presence The infrastructure installed by Raymund was probably the most effective training assistance on all of Expira

The methodical architect himself Raymund Ballast walked slowly up the Path and stood next to Randidly on top of the volcano He thumped his fist against his chest in salute Everyone is accounted for aside from Charlotte We are ready to leave any time

She will need some more time before she�s ready to be shown to the world I think Randidly rubbed his chin A layer of high and wispy clouds drifted up toward them blown by the persistent wind that hung over the sea But you probably should prepare a rotation of people to assist with her training Seeing familiar faces will probably keep her

Randidly paused in his speaking as he noticed several individuals amongst the Vulpis Squad who had definitely not gone through the original training circuit with Helen He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows at Raymund The Vulpine shrugged indifferently but wouldn�t meet his pointed look New recruits We lost a few when you made it clear you were going to stand against Military High Command In order to effectively field a sufficient number of squads we needed additional blood

Randidly let his breath hiss through his teeth Adding more talented individuals made sense But knowing that these fighters from Expira and the rest of the Alpha Cosmos made him feel strangely vulnerable

Yet he forced those thoughts away He dismissed Raymund and sat at the edge of the volcano He breathed in and breathed out Then he pulled out his evolved Alchemist�s Passport and moved himself to the area of the Alpha Cosmos where the Patrons stayed

The Patron of the Sun and Patron of the Abyss were there waiting for him He nodded to them It�s time Have everything prepared to track the connection

The Patron of the Abyss nodded The Patron of the Sun stared at Randidly for several long seconds with intense eyes that radiated flickering wisps of golden light along their edges I appreciate this Randidly Ghosthound The bonds I hold with the Patron of Feathers go very deep If you can figure out how to save her

Randidly raised a hand The movement felt heavy For now we need to at least find the source of this And that means back to the Nexus

Ah good you are already here Edraine floated out of the murky expanse around them She spread out her fingers and eight gleaming coins floated away from her fingers Three of them gleamed with a complex Engraving visible to the naked eye Your Nexus� citizenship coins So long as we stop by the hideout and get one more token you�ll have it Are you ready

Yea Randidly said Inwardly he wasn�t exactly sure of the answer But for the first time since the tournament he felt fine with that

Chapter 1991

Randidly scratched his chin as he looked at the busy forces of the Order Vulpis arming themselves and checking prepared supplies Ballast insisted they be ready for a full campaign on an alien world and Randidly could only acquiesce With the System food and clothing weren�t as necessary before But it did make things convenient

Watching them work so hard almost made the waiting Randidly feel guilty

He was sorely tempted by the idea to sit and push his first Skill to Level 1000 with this opportunity To achieve his first Mille But something had been weighing on a while and he felt like it was important that he accomplish this task it first Just in case it affected the reward he expected to receive for reaching such a milestone

And accomplishing that task meant leaving

No time like the present I shouldn�t need anyone from the Order Vulpis for a bit anyway Randidly closed his eyes and shifted himself His body within his body vanished At the base of the shaft surrounded by the horrible maw of significance that compounded itself and devoured everything around it Randidly opened his eyes

All at once his senses began to tingle The environment seemed to tighten around him Huge currents of significance whooshed past him Even touching the grounding Engraving that divided the body of Pine from whatever phantasms lurked below Randidly swayed underneath the constant barrage Powerful eddies of Nether whipped back and forth above him Strange shadowy shapes slammed themselves against the gleaming plateau below as though they could feel Randidly�s presence through the barrier and wanted to devour him ViiSiit for latest novels

His heart sunk realizing these shades must have steadily gathered while he was within the Alpha Cosmos

The gleaming light sucking sphere of Pine hung just overhead It begged to be stared at to allow it to devour your attention with its perverted permanence Yet even beyond the dangerous forces he had been prepared for Randidly felt a new pressure in the area a raging pressure emerged from the sleeping body of Solomon Rex resting beneath Pine

His Nether senses spread out through the air seeing and understanding so much more than what he had been able to glean when he arrived here Gradually he could make out the shape of the ancient engine around Pine although Randidly still had some difficulty understanding how that fueled so much energy production for the Nexus

But he could read deeper into the half finished and dismantled Engravings around Pines body Some to protect others to destroy In a way the history of the war over this being was written in mostly eroded shapes right here

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 991

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 821

Right about the time Randidly refocused himself there was a shimmer next to the sleeping Solomon The projection appeared again smiling at Randidly like they were old friends Did you have a good dream

A dream Randidly asked trying to speak casually His mind began to race He had never truly known how much a watcher could understand about the process when his consciousness turned into his Alpha Cosmos Whether he displayed some outward sign He was especially leery of someone as powerful as Solomon Rex being able to study him at his most vulnerable

Of course considering the situation it wasn�t like Randidly had much choice

The projection nodded easily You seemed lost in your dreams there for a bit Hopefully you dreamt of a more peaceful world Away from the backstabbers of the Nexus and their plots

good luck to you as well Randidly replied Then he whirled his Nether Core took a deep breath and hopped off of the ground Instantly the hungry significance of that broken universe fragment Pine had become grasped at him For a second he wavered but Randidly released a dismissive pulse of Nether a being that hadn�t yet condensed a true Nether Core couldn�t threaten one who possessed an Authority

He began to accelerate upward leaving the bottom of the shaft behind As he moved up through the thinning Nether rushing past the floating Nether Heralds and Gatekeepers the Stillborn Phoenix spread wide within his chest All those violent emotions that Pine regurgitated upward it devoured It had been quite well behaved in the Alpha Cosmos But here it licked its lips and began to feast

Destructive emotions were absorbed Then a few seconds later it would blow out an even more violent emotional typhoon marked by the impossibility that existed at the core of the image

Congratulations Your Skill Volatile Breath from Beyond has grown to Level 703

Congratulations Your Skill the Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune has grown to Level 930

Congratulations Your Skill Volatile Breath from Beyond has grown to Level 740

When he reached the midpoint and the strange porcelain drones began to flock out Randidly curled his fingers and Seized those nearest to him For a second they resisted protected by small threads of significance but he quickly snapped those They became an honor guard protecting Randidly as he zipped upward

Interesting Randidly reflected as he mobilized his Nether Storm So long as I keep using Nether the small flaws in my Core�s rotation vanish While fighting using Nether I don�t need a Penance to balance myself Of course the consequence of that is probably that too long without using Nether will make my Core increasingly unstable

Noting that down he continued his rapid ascent He didn�t slow until he reached the level where Edraine�s hideout was He paused at the heavy iron door along the side of the shaft releasing a powerful belch of emotions from the Stillborn Phoenix and reaching up to sense the situation in the Nexus as best he could The layer of Nether here was suppressed but

Randidly couldn�t help but chuckle as he felt the unease and fear of the Nexus The events prior to his trip into the Alpha Cosmos came back to him The terrorist attacks the violence between factions in Military High Command the sudden rebellion against Elhume to rush for the Pinnacle Elhume personally hunting down and eliminating the Swacc Family the mysterious death of the leader of the Nether Lattice

The people of the Nexus were worried Most of the commercial districts in the Nexus that Randidly could sense were completely abandoned Most forces had returned to their home planets to figure out the situation

Nodding to himself Randidly went into the base As he found the building he released Raymund Ballast Jieu Ronault and a dozen other members of the Order Vulpis They rapidly swept through the building and the surrounding buildings for any signs of interference or surveillance

Randidly went back to his own room and settled down He produced the eight coins given to him by Edraine and was about to head to Edraine�s room to acquire another token when Raymund Ballast wrapped against his door A problem

Raymund Ballast was trembling Not the sort of problem we were looking for But

Then Randidly felt it and felt stupid for missing it A pure tether of significance ran off from the Vulpine man into the distance The connection pierced through the walls of the neighborhood and stretched out across the Nexus It hummed every second resonating with the bond between them Randidly�s expression twisted because a similar vital bond was stretching out from him to the same location

Randidly felt his hackles rising he didn�t believe in this sort of coincidence After being purposefully hidden from his senses for so long suddenly Shal and Techetadore�s location rang clear

Chapter 1992

I will literally kill you when I get out of here Charlotte Wick cursed bitterly as she reached up and rubbed the small impact spot on her temple The antagonism of her emotions brought back a powerful lashing from the Engraving around her that shattered her budding image of bloody rivers She teetered back and forth trying to ride the backlash Growling she forced discipline back into her mind even though most of spine of her will became hatred for the man in front of her

Beyond the edges of her modified image reflection pod DiOrtho Vant chuckled She jugged five pebbles making them dance and disappear with quick movements of his hands I cannot believe that I�m taking my valuable time to train you and all you offer me is hostility and cursing At least in disrespect you demonstrate an exemplary performance at every opportunity If only you were so high achieving in other areas I have half a mind to just leave you here alone for a few hours Perhaps isolation will help your attitude

Do it you sick fuck The teasing in Vant�s words made her shoulder�s heave She felt like a pot of water boiling over The emotional violence was picked up by the reflection pod which then sent painful drills of vibration into her back and sides Charlotte curled up once more growling and helplessly trying to corral her emotions

But she had reached a breaking point in this exercise when a follow up pebble smacked her right between the eyes She overcorrected bits of her image and vicious emotions seeping out with every attempt earning ever larger retribution from the training array All at once the pain grew too intense Charlotte wriggled and collapsed Her image shattered into pieces

Detecting her failure the training sphere hummed to a stop Outside of it Vant shook his head in mock disappointment I would tell you how admirable it was that you persisted so long but I don�t support dishonesty Especially when you have the Ghosthound�s honor to uphold What you just did was pathetic Well maybe you just prefer the physical training certainly it doesn�t require any sort of thinking from your pea sized brain Go get your weight vest and get started And don�t fuck your buckles up you stink so bad I�m not going to help you

Charlotte glowered at Vant considering whether she should finally break and just attack him for the shit he had been doing Recently he had started tossing small pebbles at her while she was in the meditation orb The pain was small but the distraction inevitably made her annoyed and lose her emotional stability Her few small successes soon collapsed

However Charlotte huffed and turned away in the face of his expectant smile Vant was practically begging her to attack him At the very least she could refuse to give him that satisfaction

Besides he was right about one thing the Ghosthound had accepted her as his knight She would persist through this torture just to prove Vant wrong

Also relevant to the fact she didn�t attack him was the fact that she had been training nonstop for the past week alternating between emotional honing and physical fitness In her exhausted state she didn�t want to know how much of a threat she posed to him

Especially since she had only now begun to rebuild her image after her Primal Force and Helen�s touch of death had imploded Charlotte had overcome Vant in the tournament but she didn�t think she could repeat that demonstration right now

If she tried to fight him and lost he would be insufferable for weeks

Charlotte huffed her breath out through her nose several times as she strapped the weighted equipment around her body Vant was right about one thing the item of clothing reached of well aged sweat The heavy cloth jacket was loaded with metal bars covered in additional Engravings Half of these resonated at an unpleasant frequency making the toil even more uncomfortable The other half somehow detected your remaining Stamina and adjusted their weight so you stabilized somewhere in the single digits

For those with higher Stats this became an agonizing exercise The higher percentage the Stamina you were missing the more exhausted you felt Of course you could persevere with the power of your image but usually that�s when the discomfort metal bars activated They would do everything possible to distract and detract from the training

Your body would be tortured your image would be interfered with All to put you in the right mindset according to Helen If a special forces recruit couldn�t survive and persevere under these conditions she would tell you that you deserved to fucking die

Charlotte began to jog Mentally and physically the activity would drain everything from you And when your sadistic trainer decided that you had worked long enough you would go back in the image refraction sphere

Over and over again Polished until you gleamed with perfection

Randidly Edraine and Raymund stood in the small room in the building The atmosphere was heavy Randidly released a long breath We should handle the issue with the Patron of Feathers first

Raymund nodded but his expression was tense

Randidly felt a lot of sympathy for him just as much as he wanted to find out what happened to Techetadore Randidly wanted to try and assist Shal But he also knew that it was too much to believe this wasn�t a trap

Considering the fact that Elhume himself set off in pursuit of the Swaccs the most ominous possibility was that it was a trap by the hulking monstrosity himself Perhaps due to Randidly�s interference with the Patrons Elhume now sought to draw him out

Which was the worst outcome but a mysterious entity from the Nexus doing the same didn�t make him feel much better Or god forbid Devick tracking down Techetadore and Shal and using them as bargaining chips

So Randidly interrupted his own thoughts spiraling now would help no one He looked at Edraine How does the citizenship process work

Touch the three coins together to make the Tier 2 citizenship coins Edraine pointed Careful to make sure one of the genuine articles is included in each Then take those three coins and combine them The Engravings on them should take care of the rest

Randidly did as directed The Tier I coins all released a pale blue light as they neared each other and the specialty Engravings engaged Even though he despised the Nexus he couldn�t help but feel admiration when he looked at the elegant arrangement of its magic He could feel the shape of what citizenship provided splicing another world on top of the base one

The coins flashed in a blinding light and then three coins remained These bore an even more complex Engraving and released a soft green light

Looking at the coins feeling the Tier II citizenship Aether constructs Randidly wondered how Elhume had subdivided the fabric of space in the first place to stack it on top of each other like this Humming to himself he pulled the three coins together

After another burst of light one final coin remained This one was larger almost the size of a small play The light it released was a deep purple Elegant gold patterns covered both faces and the thin edges

And now Randidly asked

Squeeze the coin and claim your citizenship Edraine whispered Prepare to see the whole of the Nexus finally

Randidly squeezed The coin crumbled and shattered

For a long moment nothing happened Randidly became increasingly pale �Uh did I just break �

Then the Aether construct snapped into place and the notification popped up in front of him

Chapter 1993

Congratulations You have earned Tier III Nexus citizenship Adjusting parameters

The dense workmanship of the Aether Engraving expanded into a three dimensional shape around Randidly�s body Small gears clicked against one another shifting the shape to fit his body and the previous Aether infrastructure around him Then it seemed to surge in new directions like it was being inflated or unfolded

Each time it unfolded and stretched it somehow seemed to become more complex the fact that it had been condensed to such a tight form was bewildering Randidly finally understood why the Nether King would be so interested in acquiring a citizenship coin fabricator

If that mysterious device could churn out this sort of result the machine itself must be a work of art

The expansion settled The shapes began to glow with purpose and intensity With a whoosh they sank into his body Randidly�s skin tingled as the new extra layers to the Aether around him hummed to life

He could feel them the slivers of other worlds that suddenly lay around him A sense of movement filled his body as though he was riding an elevator while most of what he had experienced before remained static around him He couldn�t see any visual differences immediately but he sensed the expanded avenues around him

Congratulations You have become a Tier III Nexus citizen Certain benefits have been applied It will be slightly easier to earn Skill Level experience Your Fatespieces have been enhanced by your new premium influence in the Nexus You have been granted access to all special worlds associated with the Nexus You may now utilize the Advanced Nexus Ways for transportation By looking at an individual you will be granted certain limited insights into their Class and Level

In addition the efficacy of your Attributes has greatly increased A Stat point grants double as much raw attribute and regeneration You have truly risen to become one of the elites

Finally you have been allotted a single idea with which to affect the growth of the Nexus Ideas are vague things related to your image and emotional force Your journey to this point heavily influences the idea of you your story becomes a rudder to guide existence Seeds of you will be planted in all future Nexus Cohorts shaping their development You will receive a slight boost to utilizing your own abilities related to this idea This boost will increase as more individuals follow the tenants of your story Please insert your image into the provided Aether apparatus so the distribution of the idea through the Nexus can begin

In addition to this idea a specific word has been generated for you This world will be analyzed by the translation software and worked into discussion organically in the future Usage of the world will support the spread of your idea� amongst the people of the Nexus Calculating Word selected Your word Ghasthund Definition will be determined when idea has become fixed with your image ViiSiit for latest novels

You now may peruse all previous words generated from other Tier III Nexus CItizens However to ensure anonymity the identities of the original inspirations will be kept hidden

Randidly read the notification several times He rubbed his chin At least this explains why so many of the monsters of the Nexus try and have massive family dynasties It�s all to provide a broader base to boost themselves from However heh Compared to having a series of worlds trapped inside of your body having as many children as possible seems inefficient

Still how secret will my relationship to the word be when it�s fucking Ghasthund

But also Randidly quickly wiped the small smirk from his mouth He could feel a flower shaped piece of Aether unfolding in front of him It floated calmly in his Soulspace with no enforcement apparatus to speak of It was simply confident that he would provide his image in exchange for the boost in power he would receive for it Or perhaps it was a show of respect for reaching Tier III citizenship

Because of his own rapid accomplishments and then the additional coins gathered by Edraine earning Tier III citizenship had come to him rather quickly But Randidly supposed that others might spend a much lengthier amount of time trying to do the same

In the next moment the group of a dozen individuals arrived at a very familiar space The orange stone asteroid that functioned as the Fifth Cohort Staging area Most of the ground was riddled with cracks from when Velio Dunn had attacked Randidly in the past But at the very least it was a place that Randidly knew would probably be desolate enough not to notice their presence for a bit of time

Still the shift in location hadn�t accomplished exactly what Randidly had wanted

Please Mr Ghosthound we can handle this civilly An officious caterpillar with bulging doe eyes drew itself up to its full stocky height and announced It had taken a few minutes to arrive but Randidly had used that time to follow those threads of Nether and realize most of the space he could sense was blanketed with these things With a resigned expression on his face he had waited for it to arrive

At the same time Edraine looked around them without the ability to see these strange bugs What is it Randidly Was there something wrong with the base

You may call us Biamat The caterpillar gave Edraine a scathing look before continuing Obviously as a freshly minted Tier III Citizenship and one who appears to have risen on your own merits you were unaware of some unwritten rules associated with this high honor That is fine we do not resent the loss of a single host

Just it looks like Tier III Citizenship is a bit more complicated than I expected Randidly said to no one in particular The rushing of emotions began to calm However that had the added negative effect of revealing the tremor in Randidly�s Nether Core now rocking between two Authorities Still clarity was better than hasty responses right now As though he had been speaking directly to them both the caterpillar and Edraine nodded

But Randidly�s eyes were locked on the sky Originally the Fifth Cohort Rally Station had been part of a ring of asteroids that was arranged around the Nexus proper The stars above the Rally Station were filled with blooming orange and yellow nebulas that glittered with radiation and cosmic dust In the distance you could just barely make out the shape of the Nexus through the clustered teleportation arrays in formation around it

Tier III Citizenship added a new backdrop to the already sprawling cosmic arrangement The Nexus had become clearly visible thick metal ropes stretched down and wrapped themselves around it seeming to affix it aloft above the hungry maw of the Shaft And floating above the top of what Randidly had originally been able to see of the Nexus were a series of progressively widening rings Each layer spun in alternate directions and had slanted wings jutting off from them

Up and up it stretched widening and widening

The combined display was one of a massive drill aimed directly toward the central Nexus waiting below Exhaust portions on those rings threw out glitter hissing plumes of silver gas There was a glowing orb of light that Randidly could just make out within the upper rings but with how closely they were to each other and how distant this massive construction was from him it was difficult to make out exactly what produced that light

Having an ally in us would be extremely useful for you Mr Ghosthound Biamat said Then it settled itself down and rolled over onto its back exposing its bulging stomach And I must say I am quite interested to see what you will add to the Nexus Ghasthund is certainly an ominous sounding expression We await its meaning with excitement

Randidly�s gaze turned sharp You can see my word But I haven�t defined it yet

The caterpillar shrugged Well for those of us who have made it to this height we check the Tier III citizenship logs rather frequently I think most of us will have discovered you by now Your word is close enough to your name and your name has been passed between a lot of mouths after you defended the Don�s daughter so most will know it to be you And there might not be a definition yet but we still see the word

Edraine and Raymund looked around in alarm as he spoke to air but Randidly gestured for them to calm down Instead he addressed the caterpillar again You claim you can help Provide information What will you want in exchange

The caterpillar smiled its glassy eyes seeming about to drip tears We have many wishes you could possibly fulfill But perhaps the easiest for you we would like you to help us form our own Nether Core Give our collective permanence

Chapter 1994

Randidly sat and meditated in a small hut made of roots Possibilities were small whispers that hung next to his neck right below his ears vying for attention The mass of them became a confusion of gurgled noise He breathed in and breathed out Nether and warm energy flowing through his body He needed to calm his mind a bit before he made any decisions

First about whether to trust this strange bug collective that approached him chittering about a Nether Core then about what to do next with Elhume the Patron of Feathers and the appearance of Shal and Techetadore and finally which image he should add to the word Ghasthund

Briefly he opened his eyes Emerald flashed in the shadowy interior of the hut Also what the hell did it mean to add a word to the Nexus anyway

Pressing his hands into the dirt made dull by lack of light he pulled in with the Stillborn Phoenix Then he released a massive gush of emotional force expelling some volatile feelings that he didn�t even know the image had been refining Probably some of his own anxieties and uncertainties were contained in that exhale ehow releasing those emotions calmed him down In a way it was an announcement Randidly Ghosthound was back in the Nexus Finally with enough power to feel like he could protect himself and escape if the situation called for it Finally with the freedom to start making serious steps toward accomplishing his goals

He just needed a plan And for that he needed concrete information about some of the secrets contained in Tier III citizenship

One of his first steps had been messaging Claudette Beigon She was still stabilizing her own image in a private area but she responded quickly when he questioned her knowledge of Tier III Citizenship

No she didn�t possess it Yes apparently she had occasionally seen Don Beigon staring fixedly upward as though he was staring at something in particular in an empty sky above the Beigon Estate Yes she had heard of Biamat the Don had rarely spat to the side in distaste and referred to it as a perfidious pest No she had never heard about the reward of ideas and words relating to Tier III citizenship

All in all most of his questions remained unanswered

One thing at a time Randidly told himself sternly He flexed his fingers against the cool ground Yet with all the thoughts pulling at him he felt a tide of anxiety rising within him The stillness in the eye of the Nether Storm began to twitch enflamed by some of the raw emotions that lingered around his body He needed to ground himself and did that by looking through the other words that had been added to the Nexus through Tier III citizenship In total there were a few over ten thousand that had been added Just scrolling through the list Randidly at least had some of his confusions about this benefit cleared up

One thing he noticed immediately was that the words were listed chronologically Two some appeared inert it seemed that this also served as a way to determine if the idea creator was still alive If they had died the spread of their word wouldn�t generate any benefits for them

Finally he felt a part of him still as he looked at the first word on the list Randidly understood how ideas and words could really shape the growth of a world or culture

Hell A location or state of unrelenting misery Earned through mistakes and sins can be conscious or unconscious Often considered to be an inescapable prison Sits in contrast with another superior location where dreams may easily come true and contentment lies within reach

The first Tier III citizen generated the word hell Randidly looked at the short definition He shivered as he considered the sort of world and religion that develops once the idea of hell is crystallized Now I wonder was this Elhume Pine Or even someone else

Randidly didn�t think that this being the first word somehow influenced Expira before it was a part of the Nexus But it did make him consider how more ominous an idea became once it had been named

Hell huh and soon Ghasthund

He skimmed through a few other definitions He found one for Mana and another word Idestorbous� that described the moment that an Engraving reached the point where it could generate its own new meaning It was oddly comforting that the second word was darkened the creator no longer among the living

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 861

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 999

Randidly pursed his lips and withdrew his awareness Because of the lack of conflict or intense emotions during the training process his Nether Core began to stutter uncertainly in his rotations He shook himself lightly and pulled out the Hierarchy of Burden No one from the Vulpis Squad or from Training Island was helping with the strain but Randidly still cruised up through the electromagnetic and light radiation layers Electricity crackled across his arms and his internal organs stung from over exposure His body was strong his skin tingled but he endured without issue

His heartbeat grew even in the face of that pressure His Nether Core lost the stutter and moved with more velvety smoothness Randidly boldly pushed forward into the Entropy layer feeling focus and vitality begin to leak out from his edges But his emerald eyes burned he could force his way through the pressure

He would not concede Randidly�s First Authority bloomed in that restabilized Nether Core resonant and pure He would take what he wanted He would push himself forward at any cost

He would gather the power he needed to protect those precious to him

Randidly eased off his furious display at the end of the Entropy layer He could feel the complex interplay of Fatepiece energy Nether and his images wafting off his body like heat fumes and penetrating the barrier of his root hut Considering how volatile Randidly felt on all aspects of his energy he allowed that simmering force to quiet somewhat

He reached up and rubbed his forehead Whatever problems it called I definitely feel that disturbing my emotions around the Grey Creature opened up my potency If I can master it my image will definitely improve With that as a weapon and my ability to utilize Nether

Randidly showed his teeth He sucked in another massive emotional breath with the Stillborn Phoenix He took care not to drain the Vulpis Squad of motivation but even though he wasn�t in the shaft there was plenty of emotional force

The Nexus was in flux People in nearby planets suffered from weeks of fear and paranoia after the clashing of the orthodox factions If he could ease a bit of the pain in the surrounding space and improve himself at the same time he would gladly do it

The Stillborn Phoenix took its time crunching again and again over these emotions For the first time Randidly squeezed with his image He asked his Egg of Depression to release even the spark of impossibility with these emotions The fire in his chest burned With the almost immediate approach of Biamat and the warning of Solomon Rex one thing was clear he was being observed in the Nexus

Well time to send a more pointed message

The Stillborn Phoenix opened its maw and breathed out emotions that had been spun to threads of incandescent fire They streaked outward a weird mixture of tapeworms and furious dragons Randidly�s emotion threads resonated with his chest even as they dispersed to different places They promised retribution on all that threatened him and his world

He laughed aloud it had honestly felt better than he expected to do that Then his senses slipped back amongst Nether until

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 1000

Congratulations You have achieved your first Mille Calculating gains

Congratulations You have achieved a Mille with a Skill at the Legendary Rarity Benefits increased You have are the second fastest to achieve a Mille in Nexus history Benefits increased Congratulations You have achieved a Mille in a Skill that no others have accomplished Benefits increased

Chapter 1995

The notifications continued to quickly pop up in front of Randidly

Calculating gains detecting influences Searching for resonances plunging significance

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation is evolving to the Mythic Rarity Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has evolved to Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose Skill Level will be maintained

Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose A viscerally sensitive physical connection to the strange energy of Nether Only possible due to very unique circumstances and an almost perfect physical form The Ghosthound�s body has evolved to be able to detect faint traces of Nether in the air and understand their patterns and sources even from vast distances Sensory organs are centered above the sinuses right below the brain Skill slightly increases the ability to understand different varieties of Nether Gives a small amount of insight into individuals based on their Nether The efficacy of these effects increases exponentially as the Ghosthound approaches All effects increase with Skill Level

Randidly�s nose began to burn and twitch He coughed and sneezed at the same time the burning spreading up through his nostrils

Due to reaching a Mille with a new and Legendary Skill seeds of this Skill will be spread throughout your home

Error recalculating detecting System failure please see

The Alpha Cosmos Pantheon has intervened Reconstituting benefits to more relevant forms

Seeds of this Skill have been spread throughout the Alpha Cosmos Citizens of the Alpha Cosmos will have a much easier time learning this and related Nether Sensitivity Skills Their ability to interact with Nether has naturally increased The base environment in the Alpha Cosmos has been slightly adjusted Sensitivity and natural talent will rise as the environment in the Alpha Cosmos shifts

In addition one massive amount of significance has been added to the Alpha Cosmos Generating a special Class Lighthouse based upon the Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose

Main Class of the Lighthouse set as Nether Avenger

Finally you have received the specialty Path Achieving a Mille I 0/5000 As you reach this milestone in other Skills further Paths will unlock Continue to advance for the Path in front of you remains long

Almost unable to help himself Randidly sucked a deep breath through his still twitching nose He instinctively closed his eyes as humming lines of information flowed into him from every direction

Very quickly a new and unfamiliar awareness of the surroundings filled his mind It took him a few second to pick apart the pieces and recognize how his nose would interpret familiar sensations The densest Nether he could detect was his own But he quickly shouldered past that information and felt the small notes of Biamat�s bodies squirming in the surroundings He sniffed again Beyond that was the broader curdled significance of the Nexus likely receiving a heavy influence by the strange behavior of Elhume

What he hadn�t expected to find were tiny orbs of self contained patterns that seemed to reflect connections from the surrounding space as they bobbed in place The strangeness of the mirroring sensation is what ultimately drew his attention that and its proximity Randidly readily admitted to himself that he likely would have missed it if not for it hanging in the space above the Fifth Cohort Rally Station

Randidly hummed to himself neither impressed nor disappointed in the result He felt a little crestfallen that the Stat wasn�t related to one of his images but he supposed it likely drew its inspiration from a combination of the Grey Creature Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold and the Nether perspective shifts that had given him glimpses into the future

Plus Randidly muttered to himself I could pull off a couple of cool pranks with the ability to amputate a limb and still activate the nerves

Just as he was proceeding to evolve his final Stat he received a message from Don Beigon You are cordially invited to tea with me in the next ten minutes Please don�t be late my schedule is extremely busy If you have any difficulty entering into the estate please don�t hesitate to contact me Despite how valuable my time is I will provide immediate assistance

Randidly couldn�t help but roll his eyes the Don had clearly blocked off entrances into his estate in an effort to further deplete the actual debt he owed to Randidly Obviously he couldn�t have done it too directly but the old man was canny in his arrangements

Setting the issue of his last stat evolution aside Randidly stood and brushed himself off Right now he needed valuable information most of all And in the past he might have needed to contact Claudette again and asked some questions about the Beigon Estate defenses but Randidly suspected that would no longer be necessary

He flicked his wrist and produced his Alchemist�s Passport In the small root dwelling the jangling of the geometric bits of metal dangling off the end were especially loud His eyes went unfocused as he waved the key in the air Space rippled around him In the next moment he stood above the Beigon Estate floating just beyond the sizzling defense Engravings that circled the entire area

Randidly glanced briefly upward and grimaced because it was located very high and along the periphery of the central Nexus the Beigon Estate had a grand view of the massive drilling having above them Because it was directly below the construction it looked less like a drill and more like a massive churning disc All the rotations and the glittering exhaust proved vaguely hypnotic

Shaking his head Randidly pulled his gaze back down He waved the key again feeling the firm defenses before him Space around the Estate was entirely sealed Two separate images were contained in the grand Engraving pressed against one another and without a single flaw Even now as Randidly tentatively stretched his senses into the additional layers of existence he had access to with citizenship the defenses were firm

He hummed to himself as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose He examined the area with Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose Nether took up only a minuscule portion of the space forced outward by the images

Still that didn�t deter him His Nether Core accelerated in excitement as he began to fold his perspective Everything the defenses covered he folded away on top of each other again and again For a while the fabric of existence that was revealed by the folding provided to be also covered in defenses He simply continued to fold the whirr of his Nether Core accelerating

He enlarged the area that was governed by Nether until it was the dominant framework in his perspective To Randidly�s begrudging surprise the defenses were still present here Deeply flawed but still there as though the Don had made some allowances that he might be attacked by a being of Nether

Randidly waved the Alchemist�s Passport He slithered into the alternate perspective and through into the estate Flawed defenses couldn�t slow him down

It wasn�t until he was right outside the door to the Don�s quarters that Randidly�s skin prickled in threat He glanced over his shoulder and glimpsed a shadowy figure down the hall glowering at him However the bloodlust seeped out for just a moment As soon as the figure revealed itself the feeling receded back into the shadows

Little too late Randidly smirked and knocked on the door After hearing a grunt of acknowledgment he pushed his way into the room

Don Beigon was sitting at a desk several brightly colored pieces of paper strewn before him He leaned back in his bamboo wheelchair raising a hand and rubbing his immaculate mustache and beard Mr Ghosthound you know what I respect about you You arrive on time even when it pisses me off

Chapter 1996

Randidly moved forward across the quaint little room to the seat opposite the Don�s desk Light filtered around the edges of the blocked windows revealing a very austere room As he did so he got a better look at the brightly colored paper in front of the man What he saw there made his lips twitch

Don Beigon was clearly scrapbooking Scissors paper and some sort of adhesive were arrayed around him

The base of the current page was bright orange construction paper with a smaller golden yellow page jauntily set at an angle to frame the content He had cut out giant blue bubble letters that spelled out My Darling Daughter They arched across the top like a rainbow If nothing else Randidly looked at the elegant and stylized shapes of the words and had to admire the Don�s crafting ability His scissoring seemed positively divine

In addition he had gotten photographs somehow perhaps using his own memory as a base for an artist One showed Claudette speaking seriously at the beach with a hand on her hip another featured her sipping on a coconut cup drink and finally Claudette with her eyes closed in the warm rush of victory after she had been the one to receive the prize Little motes of ice swirled in the air around her However

Looks like you�ve doctored the photos somewhat Randidly observed as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk Next to Claudette in most of those pictures was a block y absence cut away and removed from the frame The Don didn�t even bother to trim the whole photo down just removed one particular element Very clearly Randidly had been deleted from the Don�s scrapbook

For that at least Randidly couldn�t really blame the man

Oh well I had a separate project for those particular elements Don Beigon sniffed officiously and pulled open a drawer He produced a small envelope and offered it to Randidly I�m not quite finished but I�m quite proud of my work

He handed the Randidlys to Randidly Seeing them he couldn�t suppress a snort On all of the photographs that showed Randidly�s feet the great and influential Don Beigon had taken the time to draw on shoes Some were looping wrapped sandals others were stylish tennis shoes while in one photo Randidly seemed to be wearing hot pink high heels as he was intensely discussing something The artist perhaps even the Don himself was extremely skilled in the way he used perspective It genuinely looked like Randidly was wearing footwear in all of these pictures

He gave the Don a pointed look He was honestly unsure how to feel Some would see this sort of behavior and think you are petty

Petty is just a word the sulking use to describe someone with a dedication to details and debts The Don responded with a wide smile Whatever he saw in Randidly�s face was exactly the sort of response he had been hoping for And I am happy to claim that I am both of those things So you wished to talk Ah please let me have those back I really do have an extra special project in mind for them

Torn between amusement and a distant worry about how these photos of him could be used by the Don while also feeling city for even being slightly irked by the presence of shoes on his feet Randidly returned the cutouts In the end they were just photos he couldn�t prevent the Don from producing other likenesses of him Randidly nodded slowly refocusing and thinking carefully about what he wanted to ask

The Don spoke before his thoughts were in order The man�s hands swept up his crafting and stored it neatly in a folder which he slid into a desk drawer Actually it is a good thing that you reached out I believe I have some relevant information about some upcoming events in the Nexus

Ah no The Don shook his head and wheeled back around to look at Randidly I should be clear Elhume only maintains actual defenses around a few floors he guards jealousy None are allowed in those locations A few attempts were made to sneak in and examine his projects but well you have seen how abrupt and final Elhume�s reactions can be He is not a man that appreciates anything but obedience As for the rest of the floors other Tier III citizens have set up private little spaces taking advantage of the excellent environment to train their images Quite a few are at the Speculum tier so wander carefully

While nodding slowly Randidly breathed deeply through his nose A flood of information about the multitude of connections and debts the Don maintained came into his mind but he pushed those to the side for now The tenuous connection keeping the Patron of Feathers alive stretched up to the massive space above His awareness drifted after it Once it reached the drill it became harder to follow it but Randidly�s Mille Skill managed to trace the origin up and up

The higher it went the more his mood soured From what he could tell the source of that connection was from the second highest rotating ring of the drill

And Elhume sits at the top Randidly said slowly feeling his thoughts curdle as he considered assaulting a location monitored and guarded by Elhume Even with his improvements to his Nether Skills getting in would likely be brutal And although he prided himself on his escaping with Elhume�s dangerous fists

No he sits in the middle The Don made a whimsical circular gesture with his hands Like I said its about acoustics The amplification is strongest around the middle So the ideal few floors belong entirely to him

For a second Randidly felt a flash of relief But then the implications of that set in and his mood once again soured So the upper portions of the drill are empty because of Elhume�s presence in the middle gatekeeping

Well originally A sly smile spread across the Don�s face But you are not alone in finding those isolated upper levels quite interesting Several daring individuals have snuck through Elhume�s dominion without drawing his ire First Pinnacle Seekers then orthodox faction individuals when it became clear the others had succeeded Once up there the early arrivers had a much freer time establishing themselves Some have managed to secure several floors to their own design although a few weaker ones were eventually crushed by later arrivals When people talk about the hidden monsters of the Nexus it is exactly the populations in these upper floors Most exit only rarely once they arrive Apparently the passage through Elhume three middle floors can be harrowing

Randidly studied Don Beigon for several seconds trying to figure out if he had any more pointed questions to ask The debt sat between them leaning against the Don and urging him to answer honestly So far the talk only took up a small portion of it perhaps a tenth of the whole Randidly wanted to fish for more dangers but knew that if he asked a general question the Don would probably use that opening to unload more debt

The Don�s bright eyes seemed to be challenging Randidly to try and outsmart him Once more Randidly suppressed that impulse and approached his problem practically He wasn�t here to win He wanted to survive whatever was waiting up in that ominous drill

Let�s talk about something else In only a few words how should I treat Biamat Randidly asked

Chuckling the Don shrugged However you want But I will add that staying away from that pest is for the best

Randidly nodded slowly The debt barely dipped He only had one more question that he believed he needed an answer to Aside from Elhume how do the other old monsters that have settled there react to people passing through

Poorly The Don showed his teeth Although less so if you stay to the exterior stairwell From what I hear that territorial reaction intensifies once you go into the upper levels Because the understanding is most who head up there are searching for a location to settle And the old monsters definitely don�t want to allow any possible competitors to set up shop on their floors

Chapter 1997

Randidly nodded as he steadily considered the information provided by Don Beigon The massive drill loomed in the sky above them both a heavy reminder of how extensive a journey this could become He wavered about asking more but wanted to keep some indebtedness for any other developments in the future

For the record The Don cleared his throat All this information is secondhand I have not traveled very deeply into the drill Some of the individuals holed up there are quite peculiar They don�t take kindly to deals

Randidly snorted But then he gave the Don a flat look This extra tidbit hadn�t cost him any indebtedness at all but it wasn�t a good idea to allow him to just volunteer things I thought we had an understanding about how this discussion would play out

The older man looked aggrieved but kept his mouth shut Randidly chewed on his lip the Don definitely wanted something particular but his senses informed him that Claudette�s father wasn�t trying to harm him Something deeper was at play

Randidly pressed his lips together He didn�t have all the pieces he needed to move but he was unwilling to linger if the Don was playing some long game with his carefully chosen responses He still hadn�t forgotten when the Don attempted to sell him off to the Nether King When Randidly moved to stand the Don tilted his head to the side Ahem I admit that I�m speaking out of turn once more but I well consider this a freebie Can I offer you some advice

Randidly considered that He almost said no but then wondered if the Don wanted him to say no so he would walk into some trap Plus he had said it would be free Inwardly he shook his head at his own paranoia God I just prefer fighting Outloud he said Yes

Don Beigon smiled If you truly intend to climb up through the drill do not define your word until after you finish your journey It�s almost surprising that none have thought to wait before you but perhaps other citizens had been just told about the power they could obtain once their ideas disseminate freely through the Nexus None waited more than a few minutes

Why wait to define the word Randidly frowned

Don Beigon licked his lips It would be shortsighted but what if you created a half baked image about killing one particular person and used that for your word In the end if you were seriously threatened you might as well And suddenly these cautious skittish conservative old beings would have a glaring weakness their peers would be eying Think about it

Per the Don�s words his debt didn�t decrease at all even though there was a lot of merits contained in that suggestion Randidly pursed his lips but he couldn�t deny how interesting an idea this was It made him realize that he wasn�t the only one who had made his hay by subverting the rules of the System After nodding to the Don he left the room and shut the door behind him

Almost immediately a shadowy figure condensed in front of Randidly His features were obscured by the shadows but his limbs were long and capable His eyes were demurely aimed at the ground Mr Ghosthound allow me to show you out of the compound

That won�t be necessary Randidly regarded the figure coolly as he withdrew his Alchemist�s Passport and drew the key through the air Obviously the other�s image and power were tightly suppressed but this was the same individual that had previously revealed naked bloodlust His gaze remained intently on the top of this man�s head With the added benefit of Tier III citizenship he could glimpse a portion of his power

More powerful than the current Charlotte Wick Randidly realized Certainly more self contained in emotional affect despite the earlier display Perhaps it was even purposeful to test me And I don�t believe for a second that this is Don Beigon�s most powerful subordinate

The head of the key nosed apart the carefully restricted space revealing an escape route Randidly stepped and whooshed through the flaws in the Beigon Estate defenses In a moment he had crossed the folded space and returned to his root dwelling on the Fifth Cohort Rally Station

He looked at the ground for a short amount of time considering the things that he had learned about the drill from Don Beigon At the very least he had a destination in mind and understood some of the major dangers It was unfortunate that he couldn�t corroborate any of the man�s claims but he suspected that the debt would reveal if the Don lied The only other individual Randidly could think of to fact check was Devick but

Randidly grimaced The fact she now calls her Actus Suprem and our most recent interactions mean that its probably not worth the risk For now it is good news that at least its possible to move to the location indicated by the Patron of Feathers With two notable difficulties getting past Elhume�s observation on the middle levels And then of course some old Nexus monster has probably laid claim to the floor in question

But that makes me wonder where exactly will this tenuous connection lead How is it related to that horrifying bone charm What exactly afflicts the Patron of Feathers

Randidly groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose as his mind sputtered for several minutes and came up with not a single answer to those questions As usual learning more information about the Nexus just meant he could ask better questions and STILL not have satisfying answers He would need to start moving soon considering the Patron of Feather�s deteriorating health without quite knowing what he was getting into

He possessed more capability than at any point in the past Yet the long shadows of the threats in the Nexus continued to haunt him

Still there were a few things that Randidly could do to prepare He could continue to advance he could train he could learn

The Path Completion reward for the Achieving a Mille Path still blinked in front of him He focused his mind and called up his Status screen He looked down through his list of Stats Uncommon Metabolism (Un) Egg�s Illusory Plume Primordial Nether Juju Dreadful Alacrity Grim Intuition Predictive Synapses Chimeric Indifference Grey Monarch�s Authority Intelligence Unnatural Capacity Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae and Exquisite PIety

One of these things is not like the others Randidly hummed to himself as he claimed the reward A strange tremor went through his body as his finger clicked the button

Congratulations You have selected your Stat Intelligence to evolve Detecting synchronicity with other parameters searching for resonance calculating final Rarity

Congratulations Others have made it to this threshold but have been unable to survive the transition By eschewing your previous anchors you have opened yourself to new possibilities Your new anchors are generating a new unique Attribute that you and only you will possess

There are infinite possible failures and a finite number of successful arrangements of anchors Such a balance is deceptively delicate Proceed with caution

Images flashed in front of Randidly�s eyes His Stats became anchors smell impressions that kept him at least conscious Distantly he mused that the heat was becoming unbearable even for his strange energy form

He saw his blood the red blood cells flooding through thick veins bringing life to his limbs He saw an egg of darkness surrounded by spectral feathers that wreathed and protected it He saw an ancient tribal totem a being covered in tattoos its body sleek and powerful and so so intent He saw a murderer twitching from stillness to bloody fulfillment faster than an eye could follow He saw a hungry chimera curled in a dark place opening an eye at the exact moment prey wandered past He saw small sparks racing up and down the spine a body moving in anticipation of reality He saw a different chimera one that endured violent elements and trudged forward without slowing

All the moisture had been driven from his form by heat Which meant there was nothing remaining to prevent the flames from exploding outward and filling the entire space

The anchoring images spun around him his mind rushing through them He saw a massive pearly throne on which a grey being with long arms and longer fingers sat He saw an alchemist staying up late into the night above his worktable eyes gleaming with the possibilities hidden in his next idea He saw a figure flicking through a grimoire memorizing the contents with just a glance He saw a slender creature plucking at the threads of fate weighing and measuring their worth He saw a man in a white robe bowing his head before an incandescent light

Randidly�s chest or some remnant of his physical form sputtered and collapsed underneath the pressure of his heartbeat Blood sprayed forward into the mixture of ash and bone and flame but gravity seemed to forget about the crimson and emerald blood before it hit the ground The liquid split into two perfect serpents one red and one green They began to swim through the murky stew that Randidly Ghosthound had become one strengthening and one weakening The heat pulsed and swayed held in check by these arrivals

Randidly tried to breathe but nothing happened So he stopped that He simply burned fully and without hesitation

Error dissonance detected recalculating

BADUMPBADUMPBADUMPBADUMP

Attempting to correct

A woman groaned in his ears He saw her hands ending in metal gauntlets desperately trying to keep the essence of him from leaking out between her fingers while the anchors were being prepared Yet even while burning he sensed something was wrong His existence with all of its new Stats was a key that slipped into a lock Yet when they tried to turn something caught The door in front of him remained shut

Randidly A voice Neveah�s reached him as he burned It was full of pleading The rest of her words were lost in the crackling flames Randidly felt the two serpents weakening Their refinement process continued but they were running out of power The moment had dragged on for too long

What was strange was that he didn�t feel fear If anything the roar of the flames began to sound like laughter

Yet Neveah�s call made one of his anchors began to hum A Stat image flickered again in his mind In a second its struggle had ballooned outward until it dominated his awareness Randidly saw that Moirae drawing his fingers across the strings The figure looked up and smiled at Randidly I no longer have the patience to follow Fate�s meandering Path If we are burning let�s burn it all down with us

Warning Altering anchor is highly dangerous Please see

The Moirae snapped his fingers and generated a shivering tongue of flame Randidly watched transfixed A wicked smile sewed itself across the being�s face as he lowered his hand and all the threads began to burn

Congratulations Your Stat Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae has shifted Your Stat has changed to Discretion of the Apostate Moirae

Randidly burned and his Stat image burned He smiled at the feeling Energy rushed through him funneled into and through his body His anchors transformed

The key squirmed The lock began to turn

Congratulations You have condensed a Fourth Attribute Attribute set as Muse�s Reverie ( ) Set at 1/5 Regeneration set at 1 per ( )

Chapter 1998

Alana crouched and panted as the training group took their merciful break from the constant hell of building up their foundation And it wasn�t even scheduled but because they had to shift their location Fat drops of sweat rolled down her neck and face to dangle off the tip of her nose Everything ached the Order Vulpis did not pull any punches when they tried to break down their recruits

Even while the Ghosthound seemed intent on going supernova only a short distance away on the rally station

Nothing to see here Raymund Ballast waved a hand at the unofficial gathering of Squad members who frowned at the powerful display Already he had gathered Wivanya and some other individuals with temperature based images to address some immediate problems They were now surrounding the pillar of emerald and crimson fire that threatened to melt its way to the core of the asteroid keeping the damage from spreading We should take inspiration from this even the Ghosthound never pauses in his self improvements Back to work

Alana straightened and stretched Her back cracked pleasantly but the heat still rolled off the top portion of pyre and pounded against her face Silhouetted against the bright flames she could see Wivanya belching waves of frigid energy over and over again only to watch it barely make a dent in the roiling waves of power that the Ghosthound produced

It was Alana had to admit an effective way to both train Wivanya�s image motivate her to higher achievement and mentally exhaust the dragon At the end of the day her companion would likely collapse into a senseless pile of sapphire scales

Alana picked up her training vest and slipped her arms through the sweat stained straps She felt the tingle of the Engravings already beginning to activate Next to her Zack Krum fumbled his way through his own equipment With a few groans the rest of the trainees shifted into motion

Only the Salem who had tried for a week and failed to impress the Overseers by asking them to call him the Rat King remained transfixed by the pyre stretching upward from the Ghosthound�s position All that power What if what something is really wrong What if the Ghosthound needs our help Are we just going to ignore it

Patience friend Wolfram sat still while Zack heaved his encumbered body over to help the massive ogre into his own special equipment Even Alana couldn�t help but be impressed by the way the teen helped Wolfram without asking anything in return The garment was so vast that he couldn�t get it on by himself This is all part of the Ghosthound�s process He is certainly bombastic Yet he is not the type to disappoint us now

This How can you claim this to be natural Salem�s voice had a shrill edge His eyes were wild Alana made a mental note not to rely too much on the man considering how quickly he crumbled in the face of anxiety That amount of fire could destroy a world What is happening in

Sure but if you master that fire you can protect a world just as well Zack said as he tightened the leather straps Wolfram showed his teeth adjusting to the sudden extra pressure from the equipment Zack slapped his back and then looked over at Salem That�s why we came out here right Because that�s the sort of power we all want to find

As though to emphasize Zack�s point a rippling explosion split open the pillar of flame and sent huge chunks of unstable energy careening through the air A few appeared to be going into the space around their floating asteroid but most were definitely curving back around to destabilize their already damaged foundation

A shout rose amongst the Vulpis Squad members who were suppressing the Ghosthound�s power Alana watched as the winded Wivanya sucked in a deep breath and then unleashed a few more strained plumes of frigid power The rest surged forward and slammed their images against the projectiles to exploded them before the Rally Station was destroyed

Their current overseer snapped his fingers bringing Alana�s attention back to the immediate surroundings Hey don�t get distracted They need to keep you bags of shit alive until you can make yourself useful Don�t worry the rest of us aren�t so fragile to be afraid of something like that

The mood of the Vulpis Squad changed Jieu Ronault and DiOrtho Vant flew up and stood side by side with Raymund Ballast All three floated there watching the place the image turtle had arrived with bristling aggression The air was still aside from the heatwaves but the entire mood on the Rally Station had shifted

On the ground the trainee�s overseer gestured sharply for Alana�s group Make yourself scarce You are not yet prepared to be present if things turn violent And the situation at Military High Command is delicate

Sharing a glance the group slapped their chests to deactivate the Engravings and hurried to their dwelling And no sooner had they arrived than a group of five soldiers stepped out of the ripple in space where the turn had originated Each wore ornate and heavy armor that glittered in the reflected light from the Ghosthound�s flames

The leader was a sharp eyed woman who eyed Raymund Ballast briefly before focusing down in the fire below Was it you You have interfered with the official business of Military High Command An anomaly was detected in this area and you destroyed the image of our information gatherer I demand an explanation

Unfortunately an explanation of the situation below remains out of your reach Ballast responded coolly Even Alana couldn�t help but be impressed by the way the foxman exuded some of the oppressive Nether pressure that the Ghosthound possessed Part of it she supposed was that graceful turtle shell tail that undulated behind him We are the Vulpis Squad under Commander Randidly Ghosthound Our special training turned out to be even more effective than anticipated It should be a day of celebration for the Nexus We apologize for wasting your time but there is nothing to see here

The woman smirked and looked again at the fire As before the flames shrank but the heat was still growing And what sort of training creates a fire that produces enough Aether to fuel an entire world

Fuel an entire Alpha Cosmos Alana corrected internally Then a sharp frown creased her face as she wondered how Expira was faring during this display by Randidly She sent a quick message to Hank who replied quickly

Yea its a sight in here Dun� think anyone is injured but a second sun appeared in the sky This one a lot closer Making people sweat like hell Seem�s like the moon�s turnin� a bit drippy though Why you worried bout me

I respectfully request that you don�t continue to ask questions about confidential matters Ballast�s words brought Alana�s attention back to the confrontation in the sky She wished she understood more about the Nexus so she knew why there was so much tension between these two groups

She could barely feel the power of them both There was however one of the soldiers in the new arrivals that she estimated she could beat in a fight

Finally the other leader lost her patience We serve the will of the Actus Suprem Considering the recent instability and seditious activity in the Nexus all unnatural events need to be thoroughly investigated So once again please stand aside

Do we not also serve the Actus Suprem DiOrtho Vant finally spoke out with a scowl on his face the force of his annoyance warping the space around him Scram lieutenant You don�t have the clout to nose in here

The delegation leader seemed to consider that But her smile was without fear as she looked around at the members of the Vulpis Squad Indeed I suppose I�ll just submit an emergency report and invite the Actus Suprem here herself to find out the truth This certainly wouldn�t be above her paygrade

Chapter 1999

The shadow of Actus Suprem Devick�s wicked smile seemed to stretch out and hang across the Fifth Cohort Rally Station with just the suggestion of her presence

Raymund Ballast knew he didn�t have much time to respond to the lieutenant�s question But he knew also that he needed to be extremely careful to all matters relating to Devick From the way Randidly spoke about her it wasn�t good to give her access to him while he was in this vulnerable state Considering how much energy went into Randidly�s actions it must be delicate

Yet in the end it felt like Raymund had no choice Showing weakness now would just draw out the bloodthirstiness of their enemies Neutrally he said If you believe that you will not earn Devick�s ire to draw her attention to a minor training matter you are free to do so I will not strong arm you from digging your own grave

The Lieutenant�s eyes bristled with indignation yet for several seconds she didn�t say anything She seemed confounded by his response more than anything else At the very least he felt confident he had made the right choice she had been waiting for him to balk at the mention of Devick

But what would have happened if I had flinched Was a trap prepared The borrowed image fluttered behind Raymund�s back With it he possessed a little bit of extra sensory awareness He could feel how torn she was

She�s a pawn of a higher individual but one who is clearly not Devick Raymund watched with detached intensity Perhaps a jealous peer within Military High Command It is difficult to know who might be targeting the Ghosthound

Fine I will contact her The Lieutenant finally said The words seemed torn from her mouth He barely avoided snorting one more flail to try and draw a reaction She watched Raymund with bright eyes He folded his arms

Vant cracked his knuckles clearly intending to put an end to this farce with the business end of his fist but Raymund gave him a sharp look Vant snorted and also folded his arms Jieu Ronault hummed at a deep frequency the sort you felt rather than heard The noise signaled the rest of the Vulpis Squad to make preparations for an imminent threat To their credit the Squad moved across the surface of the Rally Station without any appearance of tension They walked at a leisurely pace in seemingly random directions but very quickly the various combined images were in position

Minutes ticked past as the face off in the sky All awaited the response of the Actus Suprem Devick The flames coming off of Randidly�s body had almost entirely dissipated now From the report from Charlotte Wick who investigated his person their leader was currently sleeping Yet even just doing that energy continued to rise in thick waves throughout the area

Honestly it felt like a good bet that the leader of Military High Command would be too busy to bother with whatever Randidly�s display had been Yet she was also notoriously unpredictable That was part of Devick�s overwhelming power

The ripples came but they were not as small as when the patrol itself had arrived Raymund had almost lost his grip on his borrowed turtle shell tail but steeled his Willpower as the entire sky above the asteroid began to quake and seethe He hoped it wouldn�t come to fighting but if it did he wanted every weapon he possessed to be at his disposal If nothing else he would lay his life on the line to buy time for Randidly

Techetadore Even if I can�t survive to come and help you I know he will Raymund�s eyes blazed That is why I follow the Ghosthound He can

A figure appeared dipping through the fabric of space and emerging in a glittering sunburst of energy But the body that came through out of the disturbance was squat and fat

The Leader of the Vulpis Squad felt a wave of relief rush through him

Raymund saluted the figure but his tone was firm Retired Commandant Kyl MacDuul How kind of you to visit However we are in the middle of training drills I can only ask you to leave and return another time

How boold of you MacDuul�s drooping jowls flapped slightly as he drew out the word He eyed Raymund squinting at the tail behind his back which signaled a stolen image The squat man pursed his lips To so quickly shoo away a retired military veteran like myself You do realize that I�ve protected the Nexus from the Nether threat for longer than you�ve been alive yes And more than that I doubt your Commander is quite yet ready to stand toe to toe with me in a fight It would behoove you to have some patience son I�m not merely wandering past I bear a message from the Actus Suprem

Then by all means deliver your missive Raymund felt an itch develop on his cheek Remembering the pulsing waves of madness of that woman�s image he gritted his teeth Beside him he could feel all of the fury in DiOrtho�s body gathering up into his tense shoulders We await the orders of our leader

The words were heavy with salt as Raymund said them

Ahem Dearest Randidly I sense you will soon go up to investigate the Sonara Visit me before you do � Kyl MacDuul rolled his shoulders imperiously His whole body shook That is the entire message As for you Ballast Your antics are excused for now but you still need to file reports in the future when you plan on making a mess Do not forget that

And also as for you leader MacDuul harrumphed and looked down to where heatwaves and wisps of energy continued to radiate outward He was placed in charge of the squad because of that damn fool Wick whose image is now shattered Do not think others in Military High Command have let his dangerous ambition go unnoticed He should stop flashing his belly

Randidly continued to tumble with air rushing past him gradually acclimating to the changes The muscles of his body hummed with power He twisted midair marveling at some small physical adjustments he noticed Both his arms were now covered in pulsing tattoos The lines looked black sometimes but at others glittering with royal purple notes His arms were long he stretched out his limbs feeling how sharp and streamlined his body felt His fingers too were longer than he remembered

He frowned at his digits Not only were the fingers extra long but his palms seemed unnaturally extended to accommodate them In terms of size each finger is as long as a banana And although they are still slender the power also ending in a chitinous point

Randidly was so intently studying his fingers that he barely even noticed as he crashed back down to the ground In terms of structural integrity the asteroid couldn�t hold a candle to him He had apparently struck an area above one of the interior caverns because a huge stretch of dirt and orange stone collapsed into a massive hole just from the lightest descent of his hop

The ground cracked and for a bit he twisted midair avoiding falling rubble Everything felt strange and distant like the air he could walk through previously now required swimming His movements seemed exaggerated as the harmonious Stats made new things possible He swam amongst the collapsing stone avoiding debris until he found him crouching on a series of shattered boulders

He used his tail to push himself back up and set him on his feet His tail had grown too almost doubled in length while otherwise remaining the same He folded his legs beneath himself the tail snaking out in a spiral to provide a stronger base He supported himself with just the tail tilting himself back and forth to test its limits

Using one of his unnaturally large hands Randidly swiped at the air Grey Monarch�s Authority humming with improved efficiency in this form pressurized the air into a pane of glass He then added a back and looked at his own reflection in the conjured mirror

Randidly recognized his own face But otherwise

I look like a monster Randidly blinked The thought was curiously numb and without judgment His Stats had made him this way but Randidly was the one who had planted the seeds of his Stats

Again his arms were the most eye catching shift even if the internal rearrangement was more literally unnerving They hung down from his shoulders long and unnatural his fingers stretching down to his knees The shoulders had added bulk especially on Sulfur�s side but the limbs were sleek otherwise His neck looked athletic but some of the muscles he developed when he remade his body had vanished He looked almost gaunt with such a slender and pale neck

His hands went to his midsection His waist seemed encased in some sort of tight armor but it was just a hard shell that was part of his body Beneath it he could feel his potent musculature shifting underneath his probing fingers His thighs and calves were the most overly muscular portions of him bearing some hints of the shell armor while in other places covered in the swirling tattoos that Randidly sensed were based on Primordial Nether Juju

Randidly�s eyes were still emerald his gaze intense His cheekbones remained sharp yet as with his neck looked increasingly gaunt His hair was somewhat different Most of it remained black but somehow he had developed some random strands that were either pure gold or silver Those strange hairs glittered as they mixed with his dark hair making him seem quite like a mad scientist

His headache gradually began to ease His thoughts began to run more smoothly piecing the things back together If anything the problem had been the speed at which they came With a bit of experience he could cope For now he set aside the issue of the weird dream he had about his mother Instead he considered the ramifications of evolving his last Stat

Randidly had once remade his body to suit his powerful capabilities It had been an effective transformation that allowed him to stand toe to toe with foes in the Nexus that had much more well developed images But if he understood the recent reward correctly that transformation had been a human warped until he possessed impossible capability With all new stats he now saw the version of himself without being based on the template of humanity at all

A monster from genesis to execution

He wondered if that would help in his fight against Elhume To no longer be human

Neveah hopped down the edge of the crater and made her way to stand next to Randidly She smiled at him and reached up to toy with his hair Honestly I like it You look like a silver and gold fox Very fetching

A silver fox really Neveah I�m only Randidly snorted in spite of himself but then paused when he realized he really didn�t know how old he was anymore Probably in his mid thirties but with all the time training it was easy to lose track

Randidly gave himself another long look in the mirror It�s just well I�ve had a lot of changes since the System arrived It�s not like I could just pause things before but now I�m building up momentum toward something I can�t avoid you know

Neveah stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his cheek Then she wrapped her arms around him despite the fact he was a foot taller and with his added thickness she could barely reach all the way around Still you�re still you So long as you believe that there is hope

Randidly nodded staring at himself But he couldn�t help but wonder what it meant to be him these days After all his insides housed an entire solar system

Chapter 2000

Soon Randidly grew more used to his body At the very least the physical components felt extremely comfortable His Stats becoming the building blocks for a new form meant that the form felt natural Once he spent some time easing himself into the experience the lapses vanished

Action had become completely intuitive Randidly had an urge to seek out Charlotte Wick to fine tune the new body with a few spares

Randidly�s smile was filled with bitterness Well we will spare you that chore at least right now You aren�t quite ready to really bear the mantle of my knight But you would have been foaming at the mouth for a chance to spare with me right now wouldn�t you Helen

Neveah hung around for a bit to confirm that he was alright but satisfied herself and returned to the Alpha Cosmos to help damage control there Which allowed Randidly to look at the few follow up notifications that he had received from the System in the wake of the transformation

Congratulations The constellation of your Stats has successfully aligned In a near miracle your form has condensed into a tangible new lifeform You have earned yourself a new Attribute You have made history in the Nexus You are the first individual to create new life Free Stats +1000

Error disconnected from Overlay System Please see your nearest Village Spirit for rewards In addition you have received a special message from the creator of the Nexus

Dear Cherished Ally

It is through your actions and those of many like you that the Homunculus Project can advance Only by pushing the boundaries of what is possible can we finally achieve the dream we in the Nexus have long worked for We need more visionaries like you Please I invite you to seek me out directly so that we can discuss your findings and use them to try and save my son Pine

Elhume Yule

For a second Randidly froze as he read the letter That name at the end made his skin crawl His long fingers had no difficulty tightening into heavy brutal fists But as he reread the message from Elhume it became clear that it was likely a premade announcement from before things changed at the end of the Second Cohort This was still when Elhume wanted to save Pine This was probably even before Elhume had created humans

Still why does it say I�m the first to create new life in the notification Randidly frowned Is it a mistake Was Elhume�s act before the current version of the System but then why would this message be prepared for this eventuality That was clearly the goal

In the end this strange relic of an ancient mission posed more questions than it answered A picture of a positively cooperative emerged looking at this it made it possible to understand why the Patrons felt so betrayed by his current attitude So Randidly moved to a much more pressing issue his new Attribute Muse�s Reverie

When he closed his eyes he could feel it Stamina had always been an endless sea of warmth that floated in his heart Mana became a cool whirlpool that calmed his emotions Meanwhile Randidly found a small wisp of prismatic white energy that glittered and moved freely through his person

He tried to prod it and activate it but the will o wisp fragment just squirmed and flitted away Periodically the wisp released pulses In those pulses an almost Nether Ritual esque circle flared to life around the wisp Infinitely complex patterns curled outward in dim lines But then it vanished until the next pulse generated the phenomenon

Frowning Randidly opened his eyes and looked at the question marks that denoted its regeneration It seemed like he wouldn�t be able to figure out its effects until he had gathered five of these Muse�s Reveries However he somehow sensed that this wasn�t a matter of time Something specific was required to earn a point in this Attribute

More work Randidly cracked his jaw and looked at his positively sprawling Status Screen So many things to work on

Level 63 (96%)

Health(/R per hour) 26815/26815 (20209)

Mana(/R per hour) 19352/19352 (7016)

Stam(/R per min) 19696/19696 (4917)

Muse�s Reverie 1/5 ( )

Uncommon Metabolism (Un) 1747

Kismet of the Evolving Creature Chimeric Impunity Lvl 725 The Wandering Deity Demands Lvl 410 Grit of the Ascendent Bane Lvl 553 Maelstrom Entity Approaches Lvl 470 The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Lvl 501 The Vindictive Chimera Smites Lvl 420 The Wrathful Calamity Rends Lvl 656 The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence Lvl 674

The Stillborn Phoenix A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn Piercing Gaze of the Egg Lvl 569 The Tug of Tragic Silence Lvl 378 Wicked Waltz of Tartarus Lvl 672 Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Lvl 528 Volatile Breath from Beyond Lvl 740 Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Lvl 425 Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Lvl 720 The Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune Lvl 930

Crafting Architecture of the Primordial Ways Lvl 700 Touch of the Ghosthound Scrawl of the Ghosthound Lvl 275

Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree The World Tree Sips from Every Realm Lvl 719 Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil Lvl 599 Yggdrasil�s Plasm Animus Lvl 416 Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil Lvl 702 Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs Lvl 450 Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins Lvl 525 Spirit Realm of Marshaled Endeavors Lvl 756 The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty Lvl 890

Auxiliary Yggdrasil Soul Seed Inspiration Burning Footsteps Lvl 223 Cooking Lvl 101 Aether Connection Lvl 21 Soul Bond Lvl 503 Nether Modification (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 561 Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose Lvl 1000 Precise Nether Ritual Lvl 663 Left Hand of the Nether Oracle Level 861 Right Hand of the Nether Polymath Lvl 821 Soulful Vigor Lvl 440

Randidly rubbed his chin As he did so Raymund Ballast walked over the edge of the crater and looked around Spotting Randidly he lithely descended through the smoking and sundered ground to stand next to him Apparently being set up in the middle of the crater was actually quite good for Randidly�s social life

The foxman offered Randidly a salute Your transformation seems to have adjusted your physique quite a bit You look very dashing sir The picture of military leadership

Randidly couldn�t help a wan smile Well thank you for that although entirely unnecessary More than anything else right now I just need a

He caught himself right before he said break The Vulpine�s expression stayed entirely neutral Despite the lingering headache and his sense of dissociation after the shift Randidly felt a pulse of empathy His features softened Hey Raymund I just want you to know we are heading after the Patron of Feathers right now but investigating the situation with Techetadore and Shal is the first thing we will do when we return

The fox man managed a tight nod From the stiffness Randidly guessed that Raymund knew just as well as he did that problems seemed to follow them around everywhere by the time they returned from the drill some new threat would have reared its head Life would make fools of any planner

Just as Randidly was resigning himself to acquiescing to the demanding mistress of necessity in the future he felt something stir in his chest A pure and genuine desire to help Shal stirred up his heart More than that Randidly felt his spine stiffening as he thought about all the times that powerful forces in the Nexus forced him to dance to their tune He had been dragged from one crisis to another too many times

In his mind he saw again that Moirae his face stretched in a Chesire grin In one hand he held a tongue of hungry flame and in the other he white knuckled the handles of rusty silver scissors It was time for Randidly Ghosthound to start nudging this fucked up train wreck in the direction he wanted

Seriously Raymund When we get back first thing Randidly�s chest filled with heat His long fingers curled And if something gets in the way I�ll tear every impediment to pieces

Raymund nodded more easily this time I appreciate it sir but you know The Vulpine�s face crumpled and his breath hitched I the shame I feel when I envision speaking to Techet is a heavy burden As his older brother I have failed him time and time again What if I�m still incapable of protecting him At the very least so long as we are busy I can distract myself

Randidly thought of Shal He thought about what his journey must have been like to the Nexus without an Aether Crossroads to fuel him How the years of training and refinement that went into his images were almost instantly overmatched by the ancient monsters of the Swacc Family and their resources How his achievements were masked and belittled How he must have struggled alone in a place where he knew no one Where he had no support system

Randidly wondered how bleak the world must have seemed for Shal to accept the Armaments

In a way Shal had been chasing something his whole life First truth about his family then Lucretia then to protect his father�s legacy then to prove himself and finally to protect Tellus Steadily and through constant grit he had managed to achieve those things Yet those successes had propelled him past those goalposts and into a featureless future

You know if I ever manage to subdue Elhume Randidly�s gaze briefly flickered It might have been his imagination but he thought the prismatic wisp of energy began to pulse more frequently in his body Will I run into the same problem Will I know how to live when the Alpha Cosmos doesn�t need me

Blinking Randidly pulled himself back to the present to the subordinate that showed vulnerability to him He cleared his throat thinking both of Techetadore and Shal The truth is I don�t think what Techetadore needs is someone to protect him More than that he just needs someone who is there for support None of us can do this alone

Perhaps Raymund bowed his head

A ghost of a smile flickered across Randidly�s face Heh and if Shal heard me say something like that

Ah there is one other thing Raymund shook his head His steely self control had returned While you were in the midst of your transformation the energy discharge attracted the attention of Military High Command Kyl MacDuul stopped by with a message from our glorious Actus Suprem She requests that you visit her before you head up to the drill

For a second Randidly felt dizzy But that same heat and clarity he felt earlier rose in his chest Some foes you can�t avoid But you can keep their presence from casting a shadow on your decisions

Randidly chuckled Well alright then After a quick nap I guess it�s time to go see Devick

Chapter 2001

Sir do you truly mean to help the Ghosthound with your advice Fellador asked shadows swirling around his body This was one of those situations where he couldn�t truly read his master�s intentions

Don Beigon wasn�t looking at his servant instead considering his own reflection in the mirror He held a burnt orange bowtie up to his neck and considered before lifting a seafoam green bowtie to the same position After sucking on his teeth for a second the Don selected the seafoam green and affixed it to his neck Hmm Well obviously he is a close personal friend of my daughter So long as it costs me nothing helping him is obviously a good way to keep our relationship cordial And to make sure he helps her when she needs it Which considering her stubbornness will undoubtedly be soon

Fellador nodded slowly That was the thing about serving the Don Even after seven hundred years of service it was difficult to tell when the man was being honest about his motivations Even when he claimed to be altruistic the Don had an unexpected angle Then and please excuse this servant�s idle curiosity why didn�t you tell the Ghosthound about the investigation against him

The Don snapped his fingers Suddenly his entire wardrobe shifted to the eye catching seafoam green He twisted in his bamboo chair admiring himself for a few seconds Then he chuckled and turned to look at Fellador Well firstly because it is a purely internal investigation to the Orthodox factions Strictly extra legal Plus such information would be extremely valuable and Randidly made it clear he was dictating his major purchases And in addition well so long as he hasn�t violated any laws he has nothing to worry about yes He is an adult

Fellador lowered his eyes To their left an Engraving circle on the floor buzzed softly evidence of the Don�s twisted sense of logic

A knock at the door interrupted them Straightening his bright green tuxedo the Don rolled himself back around to his desk Fellador ghosted across the floor and allowed their guest into the Don�s office Skull Shadow looked around slowly a veil of Nether drawn across his features Fellador privately suspected that this fellow did it to try and look intimidating which spectacularly failed

A pretender grasped at the throne vacated by Lathic N�Gick But although he wasn�t nearly as capable that didn�t mean he wasn�t useful

Ah Skull Shadow so glad that you could join us The Don offered him a wide smile and gestured to the Engraving circle As promised I�ve put an area affected by the Ghosthound in stasis You can deactivate the area at your leisure and analyze the composition and patterns of his lingering Nether

Thank you Don The veil of Nether had the added effect of warping Skull Shadow�s voice Yet despite that his excitement was clear as he gazed at the frozen chair and circle of air He stretched out a hand against the edge as though he could feel the shifting Nether within

And now The Don�s smile widened A small favor between friends What can you tell me about the election

Elhume as usual has remained silent on the issue Skull Shadow crackled In that power vacuum Actus Suprem Devick has volunteered to host the prestigious gathering But she isn�t doing it alone She has apparently founded what she calls The League of Impressive Women� Mostly a few minor characters but the other founding partner is the Silk Reaper

All of Don Beigon�s cheer vanished He scowled at Skull Shadow Does that woman have no limit to her insanity She would willingly invite that walking genocide into an Orthodox Nexus gathering

In all likelihood she is hoping for the worst outcome Even through the vocal augmentation Skull Shadow seemed bitter His shoulders hunched As you know Devick�s outlook makes her practically immune to the danger of associating with the Silk Reaper And the chaos that would result would undoubtedly bring her a lot of joy

Fellador remained hidden in the shadows in the corner of the room waiting to be needed He was familiar with the Silk Reaper a woman whose specialized image made her exceedingly dangerous She wasn�t an intimidating figure herself but she was someone who would kill you if you were ever afraid that she would That was the entirety of her simple image that carried her to the Speculum Tier

Now most powerful figures in the Nexus obviously wouldn�t hold much fear toward her But all it took at a gathering with the Silk Reaper was one weak willed individual to have a wandering thought Once you watched her monstrous image reap a life it was much easier to fear the same happening to you And like a contagion that fear would fester mutate and spread

Entire crowds had been culled at once

Come in come in I�ll finish up soon Devick said without looking up After doing several more long brushes she used her long fingers to set down the doll in the middle of the table She scuttled around the edge looking extra ridiculous because she was wearing her full Actus Suprem regalia aside from the headdress The armor clinked noisily as she leaned forward and toyed with the doll�s dress

Randidly cleared his throat I didn�t mean to interrupt

If you actually interrupted I would have slaughtered you as soon as pushed your way in through the door Devick said cheerily She eyed the doll for a few seconds before picking up a thin paintbrush rubbing in some paints and adjusting the doll�s eye shape Then she nodded in satisfaction Okay Time for a test my dear Randidly What do you think her name should be

Randidly looked from Devick to the doll and then back to this powerful and slightly insane woman He felt her presence physicality the alignment of his Stats with his physical form made him all too aware of the threat she posed to him Her smile widened as she waited her eyes glittering

She genuinely expected an answer To his surprise his instincts came up with something

Anemone Randidly offered

Devick stood bolt upright Her arm shot up and she pointed to the door Iellaya What was I just saying to you

Lady Iellaya pushed her head through the door She gave Randidly a slightly strange look that the doll�s name should be Anemone

Ah great minds think alike Devick showed a smile of genuine pleasure She practically beamed at Randidly The experience was almost as unnerving as the intensity of her gaze during the challenge over Claudette

He wasn�t at all sure what he had been expecting when MacDuul had brought her imperious request for him to visit before he left but it certainly hadn�t been this The interaction was positively cordial

She moved to a comfy looking chair along the wall and draped herself across its arms Well anyway The doll is just a hobby after all it would be positively irresponsible to make children without first trying it out with clay you know

The mention of children sent a chill down Randidly�s spine as he recalled how he had left Wick You want to make another child

What Oh god know Think of all the trouble my current son has caused Devick gave Randidly a wink which made him feel profoundly uncomfortable about who exactly she considered her son can you imagine another No my children are entirely too rowdy Besides I couldn�t imagine having a girl Strange isn�t it I much prefer my women fully formed and ready for instruction

Randidly said a silent prayer for Lady Iellaya

Devick clapped her hands together Well anyway we have a lot to talk about don�t we And this conversation might get a little awkward

Randidly raised his chin You know I hope my fight against Wick

Pah you think that bothers me No boys will be boys If anything you did me a favor Which is why this is so difficult Devick still lounging scratched her ear for several seconds before she continued to speak I want another favor I�ve actually been watching you a bit don�t be mad just normal superior/subordinate stuff checking in making sure you are safe And I noticed one particular subordinate of yours Alana Donal I believe her name was I�d like for her to come train under me for a while I�m founding my own special group and I believe she�d be an excellent fit

Chapter 2002

That isn�t possible Randidly blurted out instantly In response to Devick�s metaphorical reach for Alana his body responded before he could even moderate the rejection

The room fell entirely silent The two looked at each other his abrupt denial sitting between them Devick straightened in her chair Her long red hair seemed muted in the enclosed space all shadows and depths There was a horrible stillness in her features after the rejection Her eyes were bright as she examined him Randidly felt his Nether Core naturally beginning to accelerate in preparation for a confrontation

He hadn�t meant to force a confrontation between himself and Devick but he wasn�t going to flinch from it He clenched his fists Sulfur hummed in concentration

Oh Randidly don�t make such a serious expression Devick rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair once more The business with Alana is a favor not an order I�m not going to punish you if you refuse But we do need to make one thing clear If it was an order you�d have no choice but to obey correct

The temperature in the room fell Devick cracked her knuckles Let�s not even consider the fact I�m the Actus Suprem I�m stronger than you and that�s that So if I had really wanted this to happen

Her eyes were almost dripping the sludge of old blood and wine His skin crawled to look at her crooked smile even as her madness continued to remain firmly entrenched within her body without leaking out Randidly�s hackles rose When he released a breath steam came out of his mouth

Oh I�m getting you all riled up I really just meant it all as a joke This is a pleasurable visit is it not Devick raised her hands almost defensively All her implied threats and tension vanished Then she hopped to her feet and picked up the doll Anemone with both hands You don�t need to answer that question And really this is just a favor I know your instinct is to reject me likely because of the err aberrations in my image manifestation but really I can be quite reasonable Just convey my offer to her alright

Devick moved to a tall cabinet along the wall of her office She used her toe to press it open revealing five shelves about three quarters filled with dolls Their painted faces and unwavering gazes made Randidly�s skin prickle Devick placed the auburn haired girl on the lower shelf and quickly closed the door but not before Randidly saw a black haired green eyed barefoot doll on a small golden plinth in the middle of the cupboard

At the very least seeing that weirdness reassures me this is really Devick Randidly calmed his heartbeat and eased off the rotation of his Nether Core But his eyes narrowed Well I can certainly deliver the offer to Alana but I�ll make it clear how bad an idea it is to associate with this woman at all

That image of hers is poison

After closing the cupboard Devick turned around She seemed to be blushing My my I was so distracted by my little pastime that I�ve forgotten my manners Can I interest you in some tea Perhaps a cocktail

I�ll just have water thanks Randidly said stiffly From Devick�s tone it was clear that this voluntary pleasure meeting� wasn�t over after she admitted to spying on him and coveting Alana He took a seat settling himself as best as he could He felt the heat of his Stats sizzling through his long limbs No matter her intentions he would endure and survive

He would seize the initiative He would protect those important to him

With a snap of her fingers Devick produced a cup of water and set it in front of Randidly Then she poured herself a cup of tea She took a sip and then scowled down at the liquid A few rust colored flames sprang to life around her hand quickly boiling the contents and melting the cup slightly The gorgeous floral pattern began to droop in the face of those wild flames The distortions did little to alleviate her frustration Rage very visibly built on her face the corners of her mouth drooping downward as she considered what vicious torture to unleash on this tepid tea and the fragile cup

She abruptly looked up at Randidly A look of guilt flashed across her face and she moved her hand to cover up the dripping porcelain of the cup Small rust colored chains condensed around the edges of the cup holding the pattern in place So how have you been

Releasing a breath Randidly�s gaze flickered to the cupboard On his second inspection he saw the careful defenses she had erected around the piece of furniture apparently she took the safety of her dolls seriously

The heat in his chest briefly spun giving him a reckless idea But considering Devick�s current attitude toward him it might be a gamble worth taking He released a very visible pulse of Nether and smiled at Devick Well I certainly feel better about now If there�s nothing else I�ll head up did you say the drill is called the Sonara When I finish my business there I�ll come back to report about any Impressive Women I encounter

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 824

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 907

Devick nodded still gigging to have seen Randidly�s vindictive side Alright alright Go on I know you�ll start a whole heap of trouble no matter how much I try to warn you You better be prepared to clean up your messes on your own

Randidly stood and walked to the door When he had released that Nether pulse it had spread outward in a series of cascading patterns They smashed into each other and broke off in swirling clumps These clumps ricocheted off of each other and spread to fill the room By the time Randidly passed through the doorway and nodded to Lady Iellaya the pulse had almost completely settled

With one small snag

Due to a few random interactions with the dense defenses around the dolls the wave of Nether curled as it reached the cupboard The brief delay meant a wave collapsed on the central doll in the cupboard all at once The thin layer allowed to Nether in the Nexus exerted a tiny bit of pressure on the Randidly doll A split second later the cupboard�s natural defenses activated and skimmed away the extra Nether

But a thread of Randidly�s denser Nether had displaced some that had been present previously in the doll It blended easily with the significance already present in the object Devick had clearly taken quite a bit of time effort and material to make it That gave it meaning In addition the doll was based on him so it was an easy fit

Randidly left Military High Command with his head held high His Alchemist�s Passport carried him directly upward appearing at the highest point of the inhabited Nexus The Sonora loomed above as large as several stars clumped together in a disastrous supernova As he floated directly below the object it filled up almost the entire sky

It was the sky

Randidly breathed deeply in through his nose Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose gave him a very detailed picture of the heavy flows of significance circling the Sonara But also Randidly felt that small bit of Nether he had left in Devick�s office

For now he simply left it there Even though he believed he was skilled enough to avoid Devick�s detection by weaving a miniature Nether Ritual he didn�t think it was wrong to tread carefully around her rust colored madness Besides Synechdochence would allow him to finish the job whenever Devick was otherwise occupied

He blew out through his nose So now to the Sonara The hulking remnant of Elhume�s unfinished weapon The truth about the Patron of Feathers

Hopefully I�ll finally get some answers up there

Chapter 2003

For the last bit of his approach Randidly warped gravity around himself and simply accelerated upward Perhaps he could have gotten right up against the Sonara with the Alchemist�s Passport but he wanted to get a feel for this ominous object before he entered into it

He wasn�t going to miss a chance to take advantage of his sharpened senses Especially when the stakes were this high

And certainly shooting upward and watching the Sonara seem to continually expand the churning discs rotating above him with a timeless quality gave him a certain sort of expectation for his journey into the looming drill Spending so much time looking up into the mesmerizing rotations left no doubt that this object was developed with a grim purpose

Elhume Randidly bit his lip How changed must you have been from a father desperate to save his newborn son to have looked down upon the entire Nexus and slowly built up the implement to crush it all

At some point he began to hear the motions of the Sonara Part of it was the mechanical reality of the spinning layers but a baleful dirge resonated outward from the massive construction as it continued its ceaseless motion It hummed with unfilled purpose and brief fragments of alarming images It reminded Randidly vaguely of whale songs sped up and edged with violence

From his original point it took almost an hour of his acceleration and the Sonara seeping outward to become an all consuming presence before he neared it But after that slightly tense hour with the song of the Sonara growing louder each minute he saw a small blip attached to the bottom most plate of the Sonara Likely that was the entrance Randidly lowered his head and allowed the Stillborn Phoenix to howl a firm denial of the song around it He sped upward across the last stretch and saw his entrance

The staging area wasn�t very complicated it hung from the bottom of the Sonara a cage that supported a small town Randidly slowly floated closer bleeding away his speed There were a few dozen buildings and wide streets set up in a grid pattern All of this was situated around a central staircase that led up to the first rotating ring of Elhume�s actual creation Examining the area Randidly suspected that this was originally a home for the workers who had constructed the Sonara

Of course it was now a ghost town His bare feet settled onto an extremely chilling concrete surface

The streets were empty Signs that had hung above shops had collapsed and had the letters worn away by time The atmosphere in the area was thin but some of the vast mass of the construction above kept enough that space dust now clustered thickly between the buildings giving the impression of a thick fog slithering between the structures Stones and chunks of metal had formed drifts pressing up against the buildings Not a soul lived here any longer With the addition of the Sonara�s low and unhappy song it was not a hospitable place

Randidly glanced around He inhaled deeply through his nose then grimaced and sneezed as too much debris lodged in his nasal cavities But he couldn�t sense even a single lifeform in the area

Waving a hand he created a wave of gravitation force that opened up the haze of cosmic dust and created a tunnel to the staircase Randidly floated forward unable to resist taking the journey slowly and examining the collapsed surroundings and destroyed town His heart continued to sink

At least that horrible image noise stopped Randidly shook himself setting his stomach after the trauma to enter He released a probing image pulse and couldn�t feel anything special about the environment He also seemed to be entirely alone on this level The frown on his face deepened Well maybe the image amplification isn�t working because this is the bottom level The only way to know it to continue on That�s the central staircase then but

Randidly planted his foot and threw himself up into the air Even from a height of ten meters the surroundings remained strangely mundane He took several long leaps quickly closing the distance to the central staircase It spiraled upward heading toward the sky almost infinitely An Engraving ran along its length after studying Randidly was able to discern it bent space Which likely meant you couldn�t physically travel upward outside of the staircase and reach the next ring

Randidly turned away from the staircase and sprinted across the desert With his improved body and his Dreadful Alacrity he was a blur of momentum and power His stride lengthened and devoured the distance But after about a minute of hard sprinting Randidly began to detect something strange He slowed his pace narrowing his eyes at the edge

In front of him stretched more desert except without any outcroppings From the horizon to a few meters in front of Randidly it was entirely uniform Just sand However

Like a balloon inflating the edges of reality� puffed outward and unfolded briefly revealing a few more stone outcroppings poking out of the ground and what might be the edge of a staircase similar to the one in the middle It sat half made impossibly bisected in Randidly�s vision But then space slowly began to collapse erasing first the half revealed outer staircase and then claiming also an expanse of sand and those few outcroppings

The conjured world inside the ring had limits

After a few seconds passed the space expanded Humming to himself Randidly took a few cautious steps forward Immediately he began to grit his teeth The painful image interference he believed to have left behind ascending into the Sonara was now back just as bad as ever Randidly eyed the few meters between himself and the partially revealed staircase Then he retreated backward as space folded

Maybe this is one of the reasons why people don�t use the outer staircase You need to have a pretty strong image related to space in order to stabilize the area and ascend And then you need to handle all the static

The Stillborn Phoenix rose in Randidly�s chest its event horizon turning light and space milky around it But he quieted it with a shake of his head I have no doubt you could manage it but we are both on a time limit and don�t know what else is around here Since it doesn�t appear like anyone is guarding the central staircase better to use that and conserve my energy

The Stillborn Phoenix gurgled unpleasantly The two Unborn flitted in and out of it gleefully mocking the image for being so upset Randidly ignored all three of these characters and turned his attention back toward the central staircase It took another minute to return and then he cautiously stepped onto the construction expecting an ambush at any moment

He stayed on that bottom step for almost five minutes simply measuring the resonance in the strange material of the stairwell Then gathering his images to himself and whirling his Nether Core he ascended toward the next ring

Chapter 2004

As Randidly climbed the staircase all of his formidable powers poised at the ready he was intrigued by the tactile sensation of the material beneath his feet The tingling of an activated Engraving traveled across his bare sole Each step caused the surroundings to blur His first step took him about ten meters up in the air the second a hundred By the third the ground was so distance that it had all been pressed and merged into the interminable flat desert

All in all ten steps accelerated him through space and carried him to the top of the ring Waiting there was another golden portal which caused him to press his lips together But he didn�t slow just trundling forward with the Engraving lent momentum

Passing through the portal caused another painful round of exposure to the image static but this was a much reduced version than the first one Now that he was inside the Sonara the worst of it was over At least the worst along the middle stairway

Randidly stumbled through to the other side and was abruptly aware he wasn�t alone Once more he was in a desert but there were others clustered around the entrance His toes curled instinctively down pinching dirt

He settled into a crouch and produce Acri The spear flashed outward green leaves flaring around the base of the spearhead His long tail unspooled behind him and flicked back and forth His images surged to the fore The space around his left eye began to collapse inward The color of his hair lightened from black to emerald with the exception of the gold and silver streaks His tattoos began to shine with an inner light the flaring determination of the Grey Creature to live

After a beat of humming with potency Randidly felt quite embarrassed Six other individuals were sprawled out in various stages of leisure in the surrounding area not at all prepared to ambush him Two laying individuals octopi with interesting segmented armor across their tentacles very obviously tittered at his stiff display

Randidly took a step back gradually relaxing and lowering Acri His image physicalizations dissipated

A humanoid woman in a long white cape pushed herself to her feet Heh well met stranger We�ve been waiting quite a while for one such as you What creed do you follow

Randidly looked at her intently for a second All these individuals felt powerful but none seemed particularly intent on attacking him He cleared his throat lightly trying to politely answer My own

Pfft A figure Randidly could only describe as a humanoid mecha liger slapped the metal armor of his knee The apertures of his red eyes adjusted as he examined Randidly

The woman�s expression instantly cooled Jokes will not carry you very far inside the Sonara Just for that I declare that I will never accept you as a part of our Ascension Pact Flippancy becomes inconsistency on the battlefield

She turned away her cloak fluttering in a very dramatic manner Randidly felt entirely bewildered and vaguely insulted A massive figure who appeared to be made of stacked boulders shook itself and spoke Gwennet you misinterpret The boy does not recognize the term creeds In addition his sense of humor seems poorly developed

Randidly blinked at that unexpected shot at his humor Meanwhile the woman in the white cloak whirled around in another beautiful flare of cloth How could he not know what Creeds are He has come to the Sonara

The final figure in the group a meditating woman with long hair opened her eyes and smiled Her image shimmered around her He is the undefined Ghasthund A bold explorer come to this place to save the life of a friend of a friend He is definitely an ally worth having despite his expertise at making enemies

The two octopi people spoke as one A seventh is inauspicious And even number would be better

The boulder individual turned to Randidly Boy welcome to the Sonara It seems no one has told you about its secrets so I shall do so to the best of my ability The two lowest rings are barren wastelands But as you climb through the different layers the benefits to your image begin to accrue

Creeds are used so individuals can form Ascension Pacts and climb together Currently most of the layers are settled and heavily defended The only way for us to get a toe in the door is to fight our way up But doing so alone is almost impossible The Boulder spoke slowly Meanwhile Gwennet continued to stare suspiciously at Randidly and the meditating woman grinned at him Obviously none want to share our exact purpose for coming to the Sonara So Creeds cover a few broad categories to give companions a general idea of when the Pact will no longer function

So the Creeds First is a Settler Very simply you wish to find a place within the Sonara to build a life The Boulder said

After a few minutes of sprinting Randidly�s expression changed he still hadn�t encountered the edge of the space He planted his feet and pressed himself forward with more vigor His speed rose until the sand and the rock outcroppings blurred past He even smashed directly through one in front of him not even bothering to avoid

It took ten minutes for Randidly to feel the limits of the space He decelerated until he stood and watched the familiar inhale and exhale Luckily the stairwell never completely vanished As it folded inward the inside banister was still visible at the deepest point When space inflated outward perhaps three fourths of the stairwell was fully revealed He pulled a breath through his nose as he mobilized the Stillborn Phoenix to try and stabilize the space and froze A thread of unfamiliar Nether significance entered his nose

He pivoted looking behind him Interesting It�s pretty rare that someone manages to sneak up on me especially while moving at such fast speeds Why did you follow me

Just as rare to find someone who would notice me The air rippled and the metal liger humanoid stepped sinuously out of nothing Randidly�s eyes narrowed a fraction if not for Nether he really would have missed him His stalker grinned What are you giving me that look for If you want to fight I will I�m curious about the man with an undefined word And your physical speed is something else

I�ll only ask one more time Why did you follow me Randidly kept his voice low Flames of Nether Weight began to seep past the edge of his skin His heart began to pound In a way he hoped this being would refuse to answer A fight now would let him go wild

Pah Ohwahu was right you have no sense of humor The metallic being sniffed His gossamer thin silver cat ears twitched Relax alright I am Xershi I was waiting with them for an ungodly amount of time because they promised me they would eventually climb Yet they continue to dither here You come here and immediately seem intent on climbing that is the sort of Ascendant Pact companion I desire

I�m not interested in making a Pact with you Randidly issued an immediate denial

Xershi grinned his metal tongue lolling Yes exactly This is why you are the perfect companion

Because I don�t want you around Randidly thought sourly but he didn�t vocalize the thought Instead he unleashed a fraction of his First Authority and Yggdrasil�s Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs He was at his most regal My business is my own and I don�t intend to linger I�m not here to make friends just to save a friend

By all means I�ll be right behind you so long as you climb Xershi remained cheery even in the face of the pressure

Which Randidly supposed made some sense If this figure were average he wouldn�t have earned Tier III Nexus citizenship and come to the Sonara Hell this being might have trained for years in preparation Randidly didn�t want someone following him But he also understood that there might be benefits from Xershi

even if this guy is definitely the least reliable of the six

I will not be your umbrella for the spatial pressures If you try to leech off me I will lash out then and there Randidly�s eyes narrowed He didn�t trust this enthusiastic stranger too often in his past Nexus experiences the friendliest beings were the most dangerous A presence with more understanding of the Sonara was useful but not necessary Yet his instincts were convincing Xershi didn�t mean him harm

When he looked in the metal man�s red eyes all he saw was a genuine desire to climb And that unbridled enthusiasm triggered a response in the Grey Creature Those swirling emotions that Randidly had been corralling for the last week didn�t slow down but their flows did begin to twist into more understandable channels

No sweat I can handle myself Xershi nodded several times

Sighing Randidly mobilized the Stillborn Phoenix Light turned runny and dripped into his eye Are you really sure you want a companion like this

The Grey Creature didn�t answer simply joining the image physicalizations and activating its Chimeric Impunity to help resist the pull of space But Randidly knew that while all his images were singular and lonely the Grey Creature sat in the darkest hole of isolation That was why it was born

Fine then Just keep your distance Randidly grunted And I plan on moving fast If you fall behind I�m not going to slow down

I�d be insulted if you did Xershi beamed

Chapter 2005

Xershi Ttakc did his best to maintain his composure as he followed Randidly Ghosthound up the swirling staircase toward the next ring Already his body trembled from the pressure of resisting the encroachment of antagonistic space he kept his word and stayed well back so as not to glean even the slightest bit of help from the Ghosthound

His pride was a double edged sword at the moment Yet he refused to back down from this chance

As far as Xershi could tell he was coming to a point where he would run out of pride and just collapse His legs shook as he took the next step The Engraving that should have accelerated their movements only activated sporadically Sometimes they jumped long chunks toward the next ring but more often they were involved in long slogs forward up stairs crackling with electromagnetic tension

The Ghosthound walked serenely forward almost unaffected by these spatial interferences The darkness that swirled around his left eye now spread to cover his own head masking his features More than that Xershi didn�t dare look directly at him Some vital energy was leached from his cells by the Ghosthound�s swirling darkness His strained body was left chilled weak and shivering So he kept his eyes on the ground and focused on his own struggles

The Ghosthound�s image doesn�t seem particularly impressive The shape is well defined but the emotional affect lacks something Yet how can he be so resilient against the spatial pressures Xershi�s servo motors hummed increasingly fast resisting the pull of oblivion With his teeth grinding together he continued to put one foot in front of another clinging to the hopes of how this journey could change him

Part of it was he was finally ascending after four long years of waiting with Gwennet�s stalled group he had finally taken his first steps forward The pain was a sign of change Xershi could finally test his limits Next to him the space hugged especially close as it collapsed causing a wave of pain to go through his body After an agonizing moment the spatial tide receded and he hurried to catch up

But the real reason was personal pride Xershi had spent the last several months hearing detailed stories about Randidly Ghosthound And now he wanted to prove to himself that the rapidly growing young man wasn�t as impressive as the stories he had heard from his father Yet currently Xershi admitted to himself he had no reason to look down on the Ghosthound

Xershi�s father Zemnal had risen to prominence in the Sixth Cohort and come to the Nexus with big dreams Despite the harshness of reality he managed to secure a partnership with Don Beigon building and designing others of his metallic race for particular and often unsavory purposes The Nexus elite were fickle and imaginative in their requests leading to a booming business Once the issue of faction had been settled Zemnal rapidly accumulated insights and technical savvy By the time he had created Xershi and his brothers for personal fulfillment he was lauded as a genius across the Nexus

Most non blood related servants to major powers were beings designed and created by Zemnal

Xershi eyed the Ghosthound ahead of him If he had skin he likely would have been flushed The worst part is I cannot help but benefit from him stabilizing the space around him Yet even with his presence easing the pressure why the hell am I at my limit Is this really all I can handle

Xershi�s tongue lolled out of his mouth His servos revved and whined all that mechanical force surging along through his body He had the sudden and violent urge to lash out at the Ghosthound�s back just to see him unbalanced

This impulse he suppressed even violence could wait until they were out of the hellish stairwell That aggression should be channeled not unleashed Xershi heaved up his legs driving his heels into each step

Xershi began a rapid series of calculations Drum of the Third Ring and his specially bred Orc servants were the main reason that Ascension Pacts had become a thing Without teamwork it was almost impossible to overcome the orcs living here Despite the fact they were originally monsters Drum had brought them here in the earliest days of the Sonara to work as a security force They had been bred for physical invulnerability and reliable images that simply suppressed other images

At a distance anyone capable of rising to the Sonara could overpower them Even a group this size if you could keep your image in the dominant position they were beatable But up close their image had already dominated the surrounding area Fighting to destabilize their control was an uphill and exhausting battle Plus with their Endurance and Resistance

Let go of my throat The Ghosthound said calmly His clear voice cut through all the cruelty and laughter I plan on just heading up to the next ring If you don�t

If you threaten me again boy The leader cackled He flexed his hand to emphasize his point Thick veins bulged on his forearm grabbing the Ghosthound I�ll squeeze your throat until your head pops and blood squirts out your ears

The question is Xershi thought to himself as he witnessed his extremely short term companion be completely unimpressed by the orc�s words Whether I use the Ghosthound�s struggles to try and escape or if I help him

In the end it was an easy question Xershi had left home because he was tired of obeying someone else all the time Tired of feeling forced into decisions tired of being the last one asked for his opinion tired of everyone thinking they knew better than him So now with these orcs threatening him he dug in his heels

He settled down into a crouch preparing to unleash his image to assist the Ghosthound However the Ghosthound moved first His hand came up and eclipsed the orc�s head The gesture seemed to resemble a pat but then he palmed the orc�s entire face Even though he had noticed those hands at the Ghosthound�s sides and noticed their size it was another thing entirely to see those long fingers wrap around a head He moved quickly and the fingers tightened the movement was sinuous and sharp

There was a noise that was half a sharp crack and half a fist being driven through the side of a rotten pumpkin

When he pulled his hand away a crunched and bloody skull remained The orc corpse collapsed sideways Instantly all the others stiffened It was the strangest thing They all pulled out their weapons in the face of the show of violence but Xershi could smell the difference The orcs were filled with fear

Xershi had heard the Ghosthound had high Stats but this was fucking ridiculous

Okay anyone else want to do anything stupid The Ghosthound glanced around at them all The orcs leaned back as his eyes landed on them wanting to run away but their pride refusing to allow them to The Ghosthound snorted Good Alright which direction to the exterior stairwell I just want to keep moving

Ah that way After a moment of silence an orc worked up the courage to speak When the Ghosthound�s gaze flicked to him the interrogated orc ducked his head As he replied he very visibly trembled But I do not wish for you to be disappointed His Lordship Drum does not trust us with the defenses He has demolished the exterior staircase around the third ring We are here just to to detect intruders Even if you overcome us the climb is impossible

The Path leads directly through the big boss huh The Ghosthound scowled Yet what made Xershi�s heart flutter was how while seemingly inconvenienced he didn�t hesitate at all The dark haired man cracked his neck Well then lead the way Seems like it�s time I had a chat with your employer

Chapter 2006

Randidly sat in the middle of a Nether Storm bulldozing his way toward this Drum that the orcs spoke about He manipulated gravity so he floated in the sky with the stormy clouds his legs folded beneath him Huge chunks of stone were plucked up by the force of the kinetic energy and Nether that churned around him Energy swirled and spiraled the momentum of the storm growing as it moved and consumed more area These chunks of ground obliterated any rock outcroppings unlucky stretches of ground or orc defensive fortifications that got in Randidly�s way

An image pulsed out from the central area and passed harmlessly through the Nether Storm If anything the image began to rot and collapse when exposed to so much raw Nether Randidly just shook his head at Drum�s efforts

The fact that his image is so detailed even so far out from his body is impressive He has a strong emotional affect But this won�t slow me down at all

Underneath the cover of the storm a growing number of orcs staggered after Xershi Randidly wasn�t sure what the metal liger said to them but an increasing horde defected and turned to his side Which was for the best because they gleefully executed any orcs unwilling to follow their new leader

On a nearby hill a small fort bristled with activity It was designed more as a housing compound for the orcs than an actually strategic building but they did seem to have a way to amplify images in the fortification When the next central pulse came it concentrated inside the fort and then came out even more vicious

Randidly observed the movement stoically Then his eyes went to the orcs He didn�t want to kill anymore crushing that first orc�s skull put him at the cusp of leveling up Acri was now on the ready to absorb any experience that went his way but he�d prefer not to gamble

The storm slid over the hill roaring like a hungry grizzling bear

Ahead a score of orcs abandoned their stone fort as a massive stone pillar piledrove through their main entrance and a slew of smaller stone projectiles cracked open their two meter high walls Their eyes were wide and white with fear as they left their small building and found themselves in a howling gale Dark currents of Nether lined with dust smashed most to the ground so the allied orcs could lope forward and demand they switch allegiances or die

Meanwhile the storm churned around and drew huge trenches in the ground picking up additional debris in preparation for what waited in the middle of the layer A few of the likelier looking stones Randidly began shaving very purposefully both to resemble spearheads and to be covered with aerodynamic lines The failed pieces he used to crush and level the fortification to the ground

Congratulations Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has grown to Level 911

Another image pulse swept past sharp and poignant but harmless Randidly paused and waved a finger through the air Gold roots curled out from where his finger touched lingering in the air for a moment before vanishing At least I can feel the image amplification on this floor Still not too impactful but I�m starting to understand why so many people flock to the Sonara

Glancing around Randidly saw that only corpses or converted orcs remained He hummed the storm into motion everything churn around him Best not to give Drum too much time to figure out a way to leverage his powerful image in a way that would affect him While he floated there he did his best not to think too much about the stillness that remained around his body The emotional flaw still lingered

What Randidly did think about was how unfortunate their matchup was for Drum Randidly had encountered these image interference types quite a bit in the Nexus Against foes of a similar tier it generally gave them a favorable matchup After all most of the fighters in the Nexus devoted themselves entirely to their image Aside from that image they had nothing If you took that away you could easily win

Randidly Ghosthound was not the typical fighter type His entire storm had only the slightest hint of images

Which was why Randidly could feel an increasing amount of desperation amplified out of the central area followed by the tightening of the restrictive image Another image crackled across the entire area pounding harmlessly against the Nether Storm Randidly found it difficult not to smirk If this is all you can manage this will be smooth sailing

But somehow I doubt you�d be such a force in the Sonara if this was all you could do Even if you are in charge of a low ring

They arrived at Drum�s base with an army at their back under the cover of howling winds Thick clouds of Nether and dust cast a shadow over the entire area The orcs grew increasingly excited stumbling near blind through the storm to become the vanguard and then stream forward in a chaotic mass toward the base of their former master They raised their weapons and banged them against their armor to be heard over the storm Randidly couldn�t help but wonder if they planned on re switching sides if the odds turned against them

Out of the cover of the clouds loomed those sharpened and streamlined shapes empowered with a healthy dose of Nether and ready for a confrontation They rotated slowly energy rushing in tight circles around them to add a bit of last minute polish

The metal liger nodded Randidly planted his feet and accelerated up toward the collapsed base of Drum He leapt over the continued melee between the orcs and took several long hops to arrive at the previously locked down staircase The stone walls that had screened it from his vision had collapsed

WAIT

Drum�s voice boomed out over the area A shiver ran through the orcs The undefeatable quality sharpened to a metallic tang in the air Randidly paused in his movements and grimaced as Drum used some displacement Skill to appear between him and the staircase This is what I get for letting him dominate the area with his image

You if I let you simply climb as you wish those above will punish me I�ve failed too often in recent decades Even through the tight slit in Drum�s helmet Randidly could make out his bloodshot eyes He hefted his poleaxe in a naked threat You will not simply waltz past me

To spite him Randidly did almost exactly that accelerating from stillness with the overwhelming power of Dreadful Alacrity His body wove through the air and moved around the frantic man trying to stop him The undefeatable image shrieked but obviously Randidly was only obliquely trying to defeat him Once more Drum�s likely superior image couldn�t quite impact him directly

Yet then something changed

His senses tingled Randidly jerked sideways He landed even before the poleaxe swung toward him which meant he was way ahead of danger But he blinked in confusion For a split second he had felt a horrifying sense of danger Right now all he felt was a weird surge in the Nether

A few fractions of time later than he already adjusted to it Drum�s activated ability finally triggered A Nether Ritual popped and flared The battlefield fell silent Randidly felt all of the orcs die all at once Then in a rushing stream all the significance from the abrupt deaths rushed into Drum�s body All their history roared into his body and bloated the nonexistent Nether within his person The poleaxe belatedly swung down and struck the ground

Randidly�s pupils dilated The force of the impact threw even him backward The orc warren collapsed sinking into the ground and burying all the still bodies of the silent orcs Randidly stabilized and floated in the air Drum hung above him between himself and the staircase which possessed Engravings that kept it fixed in place

Randidly took in a deep breath Drum had activated some strange ability to devour the entire history of his raised orcs Dark flames flickered across his armored body All those lives those emotional interactions those connections and all the individual humanity all of it was thrown into the fire of Drum�s body Physically he wasn�t strong enough to threaten Randidly But he became a dense and unstable mass of Nether Each strike meant more than his strikes ever could because of the significance behind them

Randidly�s skin tingled he flicked out Acri and settled into a fighting stance Even if his opponent used some crude Nether tools he wouldn�t back down from a fight He would need to be careful but

However Randidly�s face soon crumbled in a weird mixture of confusion and vague loss The System engaged in response to Drum�s action humming to life to drive away the excess Nether that crowded around Drum�s body There was some gravity to that much significance coming together but it was nowhere near the black hole absorption of Pine Drum raised his poleaxe and slung it across his shoulders and already half of his plundered power was gone Don�t fuck with me boy You have no idea the sort of enemies you will make for me if you ascend now The Sonara is filled to bursting You will not pass

How cheap are lives to you He thought watching the flesh of Drum�s body begin to react poorly to the Nether It was such a meaningless display

I don�t want to have to kill you Randidly exhaled as he spoke With the storm gone the silence around them was deafening The humming of Xershi�s body was the only break Weirdly Randidly suddenly wished he would have asked the orcs why they had switched sides

Heh Do you understand what I�ve just done More and more significance was shaved away from Drum leaving him with about a 20% increase over his originally dominant power The boost vanished because he didn�t know how to protect it And he didn�t even seem to notice I�ve used an ancient method to pull back the investment I made in the orcs long ago All of their accomplishments have become mine That first strike It was just a drop in the

For a brief moment the emotions of the Grey Creature stirred along with Randidly�s will The lonely being cried that this didn�t need to happen The emotional affect began to resonate His image cut through the last of the hanging image suppression which admittedly had already begun to fade without the orcs to prop it up

The Wrathful Calamity Rends

Drum swayed His and Randidly�s face were suddenly close Randidly looked with pity at the confusion he could see through the thin helmet opening while he exploded with Nether and Yggdrasil into the hole Acri had drilled into Drum�s body

Drum�s image surged to resist but it continued to sizzle against the Nether that he had stuffed into his body The unearned benefit had vanished leaving him only with a massive weakness Randidly twisted the spear I really would have preferred it any other way But if you think lives should be toyed and reaped like this I�ll do the Nexus a favor as I�m passing through

Chapter 2007

Xershi stood and watched the two figures float in the sky The brutal struggle left him transfixed and with a dry mouth His face smiled while his hands tightened to fists He wished to be a part of the final clash even though he knew he shouldn�t interfere

Right now the Ghosthound burned both with wafting surges of combusting air due to the temperature but also with ghastly spectral flames The combination made it almost impossible to make out the details of his form aside from his shape He twisted and writhed energies blurring the limits of his body

He jerked his spear deeper into his target Blood gurgled out around the shaft The ineffective armor screeched as it scraped against the weapon Drum roared and flailed to push the Ghosthound away His voice showed the beginnings of panic You are a mad man If you kill me the entire Sonara will turn against you

Above their two figures their images fought in the sky That insurmountable raised its poleaxe wielding the weapon with short brutal strokes Its shouts resounded in the sky pressing back other images But one by one a murky darkness a massive golden tree and a vicious creature with sharpened fingers lashed out at the image Their combination kept it on the defensive unable to pry apart the two physical bodies below In terms of individual power the Ghosthound�s manifestations were less potent than Drum�s image They just barely kept the other image at bay

But at the heart of Drum�s image a beating heart of black poison quivered From the inside his Aether was being eaten away by the Nether that the Ghosthound seemed to inject into his foe Xershi concluded that all the rumors about him were true the young man had a monstrous amount of resources at his disposal Any one of his individual abilities was impressive but it was flabbergasting when gathered in a single individual

No wonder even the Don found this man vexing Xershi thought drove his fist against the Ghosthound�s stomach earning not a single reaction for his troubles Perhaps the extended silence from the Ghosthound revealed how genuine his intent to kill him because Drum�s eyes bulged even further I�ll make you regret the day you challenged me Damn you and your word to hell I will slaughter you Shred your images and leave the waste to fertilize my next brood of orcs

His hand snapped out and seized upon the Ghosthound�s neck Between them the spear had become a pulsing conduit forcing more Nether and image fragments into Drum�s body The Ghosthound reached up and peeled Drum�s grip from his body tearing the armor and leaving his opponent�s fingers a broken mess His right arm reached out and steadied himself on Drum�s shoulder His left lifted and then snapped forward in a brutal straight

Fist and helmet generated a dull thwap

Drum�s helmet crumpled The crunched concavity that resulted made it clear that his nose and cheekbones must have been shattered in the brutal strike His image flickered briefly giving the Ghosthound�s three images more time to scrape and damage their target All pounced forward to take advantage of the wavering attention The area infested by Nether began to swell Black veins swam outward and spread the damage

Pah Y y you Drum�s voice was muffled and oddly whistling You are just like me You will die for something like this Fuck

But despite his bold words his image had begun to fray underneath so much strain Xershi�s skin tingled to see Drum falter Obviously violence occurred regularly within the Sonara But it ended up being one of the safest places in the Nexus because everyone knew everyone had a powerful faction behind them that had nurtured them and gathered the materials to get them to Tier III Citizenship Too many citizenship coins were required for anyone to fluke into them even after three thousand years

For the rich and affluent factions this was a method for their youth to expend their energy And a failed trip into the Sonara only meant that the endeavorer would return ten years later exhausted and disappointed with their mediocre results

Drum�s image began to shimmer with one last burst of resistance The warrior raised his poleaxe that simple object so bright and perfect it seared itself into Xershi�s gaze But around it circled dark shadows

You aren�t wrong The Ghosthound remarked He raised his left hand and delivered another brutal punch further flattening Drum�s face It didn�t do much actual damage but it was clear that it distracted the man and weakened his image The light from the Poleaxe wavered I shit I know I�m similar to you I�ve killed an entire race before too caught up in my own selfish business to stop and reflect on my actions I�m not an innocent But the way you just squandered an entire culture

The Ghosthound nodded slowly Good Let�s climb to the next level and then take some time to rest

Duulys Duulys I have a fun surprise for you

Duulys Ambar rolled over in his bed and yawned His limbs got tangled in the expensive golden sheets and he struggled ineffectually for a bit before he collapsed into a defeated burrito He pressed his face into his pillow and began to drift back off to sleep But a follow up shout put an end to that possibility Duulys�s yawn turned into a groan as he recognized the voice

Mimic you aren�t allowed in my layer I�ve told you this I�m going to kill you if you barge in right now Duulys grumbled He idly wondered how he managed to make it past the defenses of his castle Did he forget to imagine guards

Despite Duulys�s threat the door swung open Mimic dressed in his usual immaculate charcoal suit walked across the plush red carpet with a silver tray with a teapot Now don�t be like that Aren�t we neighbors Besides I have this freshly baked banana bread At least try it and tell me what you think even if you don�t want my delightful surprise

Duulys leveraged his muscular torso up into a sitting position He took a deep sniff and sure enough the air was filled with the rich and heavy aroma of banana bread His desire for violence eased somewhat Despite his obvious nosiness and fixation on Duulys Mimic genuinely devoted a lot of time and Skill Levels to his baking And if he came in here with a smile after their last interaction when Duulys had ripped off Mimic�s legs his claims about news were probably true

With another yawn Duulys pushed himself off the bed and ambled over to the polished mahogany table on the far side of his room Mimic had set down his tray and threw open the windows allowing warm rays of sunlight to illuminate the cave like interior of the room Duulys�s dark skin shined with golden motes as though he had been dipped in glitter He slouched sideways into his chair and began stuffing the still warm banana bread into his mouth He spoke around his full mouth So the news

Do you remember Drum That posturing pustule Mimic said excitedly He sat down on the other chair Instantly Duulys�s turned a flinty stare in his direction Mimic bowed in apology and stood no longer touching Duulys�s furniture

Hoh Ah the armor guy Likes to watch orcs fuck Yea I�ve been trying to find an excuse to kick him out for two hundred years Duulys swallowed his first bite and took a gulp of the tea The flavor was lavender and vanilla light and delicate He begrudgingly admitted it was a good pairing with the banana bread Mimic�s execution was officially categorized as delayed

Well worry no longer Not only did he activate that little toy you gave him to steal his orcs� lives but it didn�t matter A new arrival actually killed him In single combat from what I felt in the resonance from the conflict Mimic licked his lips

That gave Duulys pause He rolled his shoulders Even if he disliked his subordinates he didn�t appreciate free radicals wandering through his kingdom and setting fire to things that belonged to him Genuinely killed Drum is dead

Well so far as I can tell this individual crushed Drum�s Class In the minutes that followed Drum took his own life Mimic shrugged But

Duulys raised his hand and snapped his fingers The entire castle around them popped and disappeared in motes of light In a swirling reconfiguration a massive platform appeared beneath them A swirling maelstrom of golden energy formed around the platform In the middle Duulys Ambar the owner of the Fortieth Floor of the Sonara the highest settled ring before the area filled with Elhume�s experiments sat on his stormy throne and looked at Mimic with an interested gaze Who

Randidly Ghosthound Mimic enunciated clearly

Chapter 2008

Randidly was in his childish body again sitting in the middle of his bed with his arms wrapped around his legs The limbs were almost offensively gangly But compared to the previous time this had happened his vision was relatively stable The walls fluttered like they were cloth rather than wood and drywall but the ground wasn�t heaving beneath him

A frown creased his face as he tried to track how he had ended up here I was just meditating on the third layer Was I really resting enough to dream Well I suppose my body should be strong enough to weather any surprise attacks either from Xershi or from a stranger

Besides I think these dreams are the key to my new Attribute Getting Muse�s Reverie to five should have a very powerful effect

Randidly hopped off the bed His feet hit the floor and he stumbled and fell His face twisted in annoyance as he used his slender limbs to push himself up to his feet Why the hell couldn�t he dream of himself in a body with his normal capability Adjusting back to the reactions of a child was irritating His musculature left a lot to be desired

Finally back on his feet he walked to the door As he placed his hands on the doorknob he heard the resounding laugh of his mother Again the shadow of her flashed in front of him He couldn�t remember anything but the curl of her mouth as she tried to smile while her entire world collapsed When Randidly had unknowingly handed over those divorce papers

Randidly shivered but pushed past the fear Even the greatest journey began by making an attempt He twisted the knob and walked out into the hallway with his head raised in the face of his own fear But instead of the cramped area he had expected from his childhood home Randidly found himself in a relatively large stone chamber The huge expanse was hung with thick shadows making it almost impossible to make out anything in the gloom

These walls seemed quite solid The darkness weighed everything down and erased the dreamlike qualities leaving only the confusion and fear

Still he turned and began to move There was a single rotating bright spot in an otherwise completely featureless space Randidly stumbled forward seeking that one source of light It was the size of a dinner plate

Randidly stopped in front of the rotating light source His gaze turned increasingly sour Are you fucking kidding me What the hell is this supposed to be

It was a massive trading card On the back was sometimes a tree sometimes a spear sometimes a Chimera and sometimes an empty eye And on the front was a massive question mark With a sigh he reached out and touched the floating card

Applause You have obtained the Item the Torch of Harsh Truths

With a pop Randidly found himself holding a burning torch Already his young shoulders ached with the effort of holding the item aloft The light bounced off the walls and gave him an understanding of the area Mostly the cavern housed doors And above each one was a name

Ezekiel

Tessa

Sydney ViiSiit for latest novels

Xershi watched the Ghosthound carefully as they moved directly from climbing up to the fifth floor to heading to the sixth Whether it was bloodlust or some inner fire the Ghosthound hadn�t stopped moving since recovering from his execution of Drum And Xershi could tell how exhausted he still was the area stabilized by his spatial image had shrunk by a fold Yet the firm will to drive himself forward was exactly the sort of attitude that made him glad he had followed this stranger on a whim

This would be a journey that saw them push their limits That was extremely valuable

just Xershi wished some of that value would be located in the present

Sweat poured down his brow as Xershi forced himself to climb up the next staircase His own limit fluttered in front of him teasing him with its possibly imminent arrival It made his breath quicken Would a particularly bad spatial flare smash into his side and cause him to collapse Would he go to lift his foot and find himself unable to move Would he die here

Although it was painful arriving at the golden portal to the next ring was almost a disappointment Another ascension without any climactic moments Just the long toil of movement

Shivering Xershi forced himself through the area of high image static and stumbled through to the other side His head butted up against the Ghosthound�s back who looked around warily at their surroundings A group of about twenty individuals was standing around clearly waiting for their arrival

They stood in another forested area with each tree seeming to have a hawk eyed and powerful Tier III Citizen

Well met travelers of the Sonara A short humanoid woman with bright blue hair stepped forward and spread out her hands She offered them a sweet smile Welcome to Idylla The only city of the Sonara It can be the jumping board for you to find your destiny Please follow us and we will help you with your applications for visiting passes

I�m not interested in visiting but thank you for the offer In the face of the group the Ghosthound shook his head His spine was straight and strong We will just be heading to the exterior stairwell and continuing on our journey Oh unless you want to linger Xershi

Xershi shrugged unwilling how sweaty and drained he truly was Nah why wait here Let�s see how far we can climb

A stick thin man stepped out of the crowd His gaunt face curled into a cruel look Pullas might have phrased it as a request but it was not one Do you think so many turn out for peaceful arrivals to Idylla We know of your brutal actions in regards to Drum He was a close friend and staunch defender of this city We cannot in good conscience simply allow you to pass You will be held accountable for your actions even if we need to do it ourselves

Even as the Ghosthound�s shoulders rolled back and steam began to waft off his body the woman raised a finger and showed a disapproving frown Easy Rod The city of Idylla has no judicial authority even over those who call it home It is a loose association

Damn your fucking regulations and arrangements to hell Rod took another step forward He was a full foot shorter than Randidly and so thin it looked like an intense emerald gaze could blow him away But the crystalline image he released glittered in the air around him Rules are dead and people are alive And on my life I swear I�ll deliver justice to this prick

Some of the other gathered individuals offered some inside smiles About half spread out and became a circle around the group Their individual and varied images flashed up to become a barrier

Pullas sighed and shook her head This is not in the spirit of Idylla We founded this town exactly to escape the barbarism of using violence as a source of determination

Her voice was drowned out in the boos and hoots from the circled up individuals Xershi�s metal tongue flicked out and danced across his lips He reached out and put a hand on the Ghosthound�s shoulder Adrenaline was coursing through his body I don�t suppose I could have a go

Chapter 2009

Uh Randidly blinked He was just pushing aside the lingering exhaustion from the clash with Drum and mobilizing his Nether Core when Xershi stepped forward and volunteered to take the fight The sudden offer left him somewhat lurching his body still distracted by the minutia of preparing for battle while his mind wrestled with this unexpected solution

He finally coughed in his hand and nodded Each second he could use the World Tree Sips from Every Realm and Volatile Breath from Beyond was a little bit of ease in his mental strain Ahem Well go ahead

I have no quarrel with you but I will not save a fool who walks toward a sharpened blade of his own accord Stand aside or be put in your place This Rod gave Xershi an imperious glance Above him a massive crystal swirled but Randidly noticed thin lines beginning to form on the crystal

The Stillborn Phoenix stirred excitedly in his chest Randidly inwardly rolled his eyes Yea buddy I get it He has an image that�s an egg too And it seems like he will hatch it to fight against us

Heh Do your fucking worst you wispy dolt Xershi snapped Behind him a shadowy and sinuous figure slunk forward Its eyes glowed bright red casting refracting rays down across its open maw and long fangs

Now I guess it�s time to find out how capable this random follower actually is Randidly mused

Glancing around he took several steps backward until he stood at the edge of the ring The area was only about twenty meters across so it was still close enough that the waves of energy bouncing off the two participants pressed against his face Randidly didn�t even mobilize an image to defend himself he was only too happy to let his body handle all of the pressure requiring no mental effort on his part Gradually the tightness that seemed almost endemic to his brainstem began to loosen

Rod cast one last longing glance in Randidly�s direction as though displaying his grudge against Randidly gave him physical pleasure Then he refocused on Xershi in front of him the crystal egg sharpening in detail around his body Already both released powerful waves from their image both were capable warriors

Randidly ended up standing next to the blue haired woman Pullas Her hands moved fretfully for a few seconds while the two fighters tested each other with light pulses She turned to Randidly opened her mouth and then closed it three times before she finally managed to get out a sentence Uhm you know it�s quite dangerous to utilize the outward staircase yes The central stair is a much preferable method for a plethora of reasons

Randidly gave Pullas a sharp glance But his accusatory look just met a weirdly genuine almost puppy dog like stare from her Awkwardly he reached up and scratched his neck Yea well I need to rise through the Sonara as soon as possible Considering most of the defenses around the central staircase its just easier to stick to the periphery

Yea but the images of the two duelists crackled against each other making it more difficult to hear Pullas�s words But the image static damages your image All that pressure can inject flaws into its structure

Randidly shrugged So

Pullas�s eyes widened She seemed genuinely bewildered by his stoic response But that�s your image It�s the currency and trade by which you live Why do you knowingly allow your greatest asset to be weakened Are not all our actions to hone and polish our image

Before Randidly could respond the two finally launched themselves into frantic motion Rod�s crystal egg exploded in hundreds of glittering shards revealing a massive sapphire and onyx pterodactyl It spread its wings and swept forward releasing a deafening shriek that hummed against Randidly�s skin The grassy around them transformed becoming the home to an ancient race of crystalline carnivorous reptiles A red sun hung low in the sky

Opposite it Xershi�s image moved too A massive head of a mecha feline stretched forward metal pistons pumping on neck to extend forward It opened its mouth and revealed a maw of grinding gears and drills Randidly�s skin tingled The detail in this image was overwhelming it was an image designed for war And the emotion that rose with it

Rapidly Pullas�s cheeks flushed Bathrobes are a harmless creature comfort I might be lingering in Idylla for now but always the plan was to climb further once my image was strong enough I need not fear marauders or highwaymen

Highwaymen in the Sonara Is that a thing Randidly felt an entirely different sort of headache brewing as his gaze flicked from one to the other All that valuable relaxation time was quickly used up by unexpected events He spoke trying to add some direction back Either way we are climbing Efforts to dissuade us will not work

No That�s fine You what you said about not needing to be afraid of flaws in your image just rang so true Pullas made a tiny fist It was like a fog had been lifted from my mind I well it feels slightly like a humble brag to say but I�ve been at the cusp of the Image Fulfillment Stage for quite a while Your words broke something loose I can feel my image starting to spin together to create a cohesive whole Since you caused it I think the proper method for the best result is to follow along with you

Both Randidly and Xershi froze Xershi�s expression was blank Image Fulfillment You That means you are quite strong yea Really strong

Randidly wondered if he should be worried that Xershi�s mind jumped to the same place he did Pullas flushed again and offered a half shrug Well my image isn�t exactly geared toward conflict but yes I am quite strong Did you think it was easy to become well first of all I�m not a bureaucrat I�m the Coordinator for

We need to climb Randidly grunted and turned away He spread the Stillborn Phoenix out around his body The image raised its head and unleashed a noiseless shriek filled with enthusiasm after watching the crystal egg hatched The inky darkness of its maw gleamed with its imaginings of what it would become when that day finally arrived

Of course you conveniently forget the violent end the hatched pterodactyl encountered Randidly thought tiredly but he just soldiered forward The Unborn Duo flickered out and sat on his shoulders spying on the duo following

The pressure on Xershi was obviously lessened immensely by the presence of Pullas Actually the metal liger now seemed to be just taking a stroll True to her claim of being at the Image Fulfillment Stage the ivory radiance that she released easily stabilized the surrounding space Which left the two of them with the extra attention to speak

Ahem as I was saying Pullas cleared her throat and prepared to launch back into an explanation of her role in Idylla but Xershi beat her to the topic

So will Idylla be able to function without you coordinating things Xershi asked

Pullas shook her head and clenched another small fist Well honestly no I took a gathering of fractious fighters and created a society with the power of rules and regulations But sometimes in life you need to be selfish to chase your dreams That�s what it means to be an Ascender

You changed your tune really quick Xershi observed Didn�t you just want to take us through and make us fill out some paperwork for a visitor�s pass

Randidly soldiered forward resisting the pulsing waves of image static He was sorely tempted to hang back and allow Pullas to also shunt away the pressure against him but his pride refused to allow him to do so

Behind him Pullas sighed Yes well I felt the process of my image attempting to become an entire world That shift means that if I mess it up now I will have forever limited my growth This feels embarrassing to disclose but I�ve lived in Idylla for seven hundred years In that time my image has barely become any stronger So despite what a gamble this is I need to take it you know

That sentiment was one that Randidly knew well You needed to advance Sometimes that desperate acceleration seemed like the most stable presence in his life

Chapter 2010

When they reached the eleventh ring of the Sonara Randidly begrudgingly admitted that he was beginning to fray at the seams from the constant spatial and image pressures Even Pullas who definitely possessed a powerful image had begun to look exhausted as they collapsed on the other side of the golden portal

I can�t just run myself into the ground Randidly thought as he turned around to look at the two individuals They chattered a lot early on in their trek but had fallen in silence as they blitzed through the last two rings I need to get there quickly but I also need to be in a state to accomplish something when I get there And I have a bad habit of ignoring the warning signs of over exhaustion

Let�s take a break Randidly said He couldn�t help but feel sour at the admission of weakness even if he knew his attitude was silly

Pullas collapsed into a heap and released a relieved sob Xershi composed himself a bit better nodding several times as he slow sank down to a crouching position The whine of his engines revealed how close to his limits he had come Both didn�t manage verbal responses

Randidly sat down and focused his attention inward almost amused by their reactions The eleventh ring seemed to be a more comprehensive continent than the previous rings given the area to do so by the expanding space contained within the layer They sat on bare stony cliffs above chopping red seas that stretched toward the horizon A quick scan revealed no threats in the immediate vicinity He took a long sniff for good measure just to be safe No strange masses of significance were around them

Out across the water that the exterior stairwell should be located but that could wait until later

For a while Randidly settled into a meditative stance and just allowed all the strained and abused parts of his brain to float in oblivion Weirdly he almost had developed a knack for sinking into oblivion from his time borrowing Solomon�s Penance So now he could gently allow himself to drift down below those waves of selflessness at will Without the consequence of being completely unaware to boot

It felt like dipping an overheated body into a cool pond A massive amount of stress and tension seeped out of him

Randidly couldn�t help but keep a bit of his attention at the ready for some sign to precipitate the weird dream where he discovered the Torch of Harsh Truths but this time there was no sign of slipping into a state to sleep Randidly wondered whether it was because he was prepared for it or because enough time hadn�t passed since the last dream Or perhaps it was just a montage that would only be triggered when he took certain actions in the real world

About twenty minutes of partial musings later Randidly pulled his consciousness back together His emotional strain hadn�t vanished but he wanted to double up on his time usage So he pulled out his Hierarchy of Burden while letting his mind lay idle

The Vulpis Squad�s new trainees weren�t quite ready for the Hierarchy of Burden to be included in their training and the main portion of the squad was occupied with other things So Randidly now proceeded alone through the layers However he quickly realized that he hadn�t attempted this style of training since all his Stats had evolved and he had become a new lifeform

In a word the Hierarchy of Burden felt almost easy all the way up through the halfway point of the Entropy layer After that he had to flare some inner resistance against the Entropy but he didn�t hit any roadblocks

Easy for Randidly which meant possible without strenuous effort It was a refreshingly solid exercise testing some of the physical limits to this new form that still remained hidden His progress was so simple that he even considered pushing forward into the ivory layer which symbolized physical collapse

A bit of a distance out from the shore Randidly found some fat many toothed eels The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty transformed some of the water into root manifestations squeezing the bewildered eels and rapidly carrying them up to the surface of the ocean Meanwhile both Xershi and Pullas looked at Randidly with skepticism

You�ve had formal chef training Pullas whispered You do not seem the culinary type

Randidly shook his head and behead the eels that shot out of the water toward him He produced a table from his interspatial ring and considered their bodies Not formal training no But I�m pretty decent at cooking for small groups

Ahem Well it�s just Pullas chose her words carefully Idylla is filled with individuals who have encountered walls in their image improvement and devoted himself to other pursuits I�m just slightly unsure whether your attempts will suit my taste

Now Randidly was genuinely annoyed turning and giving the blue haired woman a long glance She raised her hands and took several steps back Xershi stepped into the middle of the two rubbing his belly Well I�d love to try your food Nothing like a good meal above the sea before we start on an adventure

Randidly growled softly and turned back to work realized he had gotten that habit from Nrorce and couldn�t help a smile from breaking out across his face But he turned away so these two didn�t see this private moment of bittersweet joy He produced wood from his interspatial ring and stared a fire His hands moved smoothly through the motions using the knack he had learned from watching Randy to suck away any stain from other images in the ingredients Then he slit open the bellies and pulled out the innards His knife moved back and forth slicing off the filets

Oh I�ve wanted to ask for a while Xershi sat down and looked over at Pullas What�s that weird light you make What exactly is your image about If you don�t mind me asking

Of course I quite enjoy explaining the particular details of my image Pullas smiled tentatively even if she kept shooting Randidly worried glances I find it both helpful for my own pursuits and fulfilling Ahem the seed of its genesis was planted when I was very young

Xershi held up a hand Please short explanations only

Context is the most important quality in life Pullas frowned Without context all the minutia and shades of subtlety will be lost on you what Don�t make that face at me Hmph hmph I don�t wish to be an archetypal person but I would point out that I am the only one of us who has reached the image fulfillment stage As such perhaps you should take a note from

Short Explanations Only Xershi said again this time raising his fist and waving it around like it was a rallying cry ringing across a battlefield Randidly glanced over at the two of them briefly but focused on the food While the fire rose to the right temperature he dug around in his interspatial ring and found some carrots and lemons The meal would be simple without any grains Nothing he had on him had rich enough natural energy to match these vivacious eels He pulled out two pans and began to heat the first for the eel fillets

Pullas�s shoulders sagged like a deflating rubber kickball You are almost insufferable Okay I do admit there is some value in being able to succinctly deliver an idea to your listener So my image is it�s more of a holistic philosophy than the concrete shapes others possess I�m focused on having a good death

Xershi took several beats to absorb that He tilted his head to the side do you mean having a good life

Pullas puffed out her cheeks This is exactly why context is so valuable

Chapter 2011

Randidly cooked the fish adding a sprinkle of salt pepper and paprika on top When the side was well seared he flipped the filet and looked over at the carrots They sizzled pleasantly against the heated pan so he brought over the lemon and squeezed out some juice on the vegetables for a bit of zest

Next to him Pullas told an abbreviated version which Xershi had begged her to condense of her life�s story ViiSiit for latest novels

In a way Randidly admired her If he had been asked where his images had come from he wouldn�t really know where to begin

Both of my parents were powerful individuals from the Third Cohort They knew each other from before the System arrived so their love wasn�t shaken by the arrival of monsters and magic If anything it only made their connection stronger as threats began to surround them on every side By relying on each other they were able to survive and thrive through the Calamities and claw their way into the Nexus They began to build a private empire relying on talent from my homeworld

There was a weird sort of momentum to Pullas�s word one that tugged at Randidly�s attention even while he was cooking The more she spoke the brighter her eyes became The ivory radiance she released seemed to curl at the edges gradually becoming the shapes she described Xershi groaned at the long winded preface to the story but it was more perfunctory than bored Even he seemed to find her words compelling

Well I�ll skip a bit about their business and political exploits considering your short attention span Pullas shook her head sorrowful at the quality and informative family history lesson that Randidly and Xershi were missing Suffice it to say they were involved in many of the Orthodox Faction struggles during the Fifth Cohort during the construction of the Sonara When Elhume suddenly abandoned the project outside of the middle rings they were taken completely by surprise And if you know anything about the Nexus it is that your enemies do not miss a moment of weakness

Ah so they are dead Xershi nodded Then he seemed to freeze realizing what he said Uhm I meant that in a nice way Like I�m sure they died gallantly in a tragic final stand while defeating all their greatest foes

Don�t err don�t worry about it As an orphan you get used to strange reactions Although there was much less drama than that in their passing Pullas waved a hand Anyway they didn�t die immediately in that attack They survived although grievously wounded My father�s image was broken the rest of him crumbling to follow He could only onerously persist by meditating daily with my mother Somehow the memory of the way their images used to interact it healed him Or at least slowed his decay

Huh That�s some powerful significance Randidly mused He produced some plates and wiped them clean with burning energy because the food was essentially finished If the remembrance of their bond was enough to convince his torn Aether it was whole again They must have had a truly overwhelming love for one another

Randidly rubbed his nose thinking of the cooling connections he had possessed with romantic interests since the System arrived His busy schedule and ongoing battle to overthrow Elhume meant he didn�t have much time to socialize either

They followed a whisper down into the Shaft below the Nexus hinting at a way to cure my father Pullas delivered her words matter of factly but it was enough to cause Randidly to stiffen mid plating He twisted and looked at her with a solemn gaze Due to his deteriorating health my mother insisted that they try every option With time running out Father could only acquiesce leaving me in the care of their greatest subordinate Obviously they never returned

A whisper drew them down the shaft Hinting at the power of a Penance to improve their significance even Well it likely would definitely strengthen the significance holding on to his last scraps of liveliness But the issue is who would try and lure them down into the shaft Perhaps it was an enemy of the family playing a cruel joke but it�s also possible it was Solomon himself Because if he did try to lure people down to hold his significance Did he want them to make it Would people without my Nether Core get sucked down but land on the peaceful area on the horizon above that shadowy darkness

Once they were down there would Solomon just keep them there as long as they wanted to struggle And time in the Nexus just kept going Well if it was Solomon it is likely that he receives some benefit from its activation

From the eleventh ring they ascended all the way to the fifteenth before they encountered any trouble This world was filled with strange semi translucent series of glass pillars They varied in size and shape with the ground sloping gently down toward the central stairwell

When Randidly turned to head up the slow in the direction of the outside stairwell his skin tingled Very slowly he pivoted back around and solemnly watched the owner of this ring rush toward their position Already an antagonistic image curled around their location Rather than force his way through he decided to wait and see

An obsidian octopi an enlarged version of the ones that Xershi had been loitering with in the first ring swung its body from pillar to pillar in an incredible display of multi arm dexterity Its legs snapped out from its swinging pattern so that it buzzed into stillness like a guitar string stretched between several pillars

Pass It opened a dark opening in its body and released a hissing word

Pullas�s expression brightened Oh I actually know this being although we�ve never met in person Idylla has made an agreement with a lot of the owners of rings giving them resources and news from the outside in exchange for safe passage All we need to do is show our credentials and we can move safely through

No pass I eat The Octopi added in what Randidly assumed was agreement

You contracted out this guy to eat people who didn�t stop in your stupid city I though you were a coordinator not a dictator Xershi�s eyes brightened Maybe your job is cooler than I gave it credit earlier

I did not ahem all we agreed was safe passage when they had the proper credentials Pullas replied

No pass Eat The Octopi tilted its undulating head to the side

Randidly and Xershi looked at Pullas She blushed Embarrassing as this is to say I believe honesty is the best way to ensure I have the proper sort of death Due to how spontaneous the decision to join this group was I well I didn�t bring anything with me

Eating time The Octopi whistled and tossed itself up into the air It rotated its body rapidly all its leg blurring into a windmill spin

Xershi rolled his shoulders Guess its time for me to shine again

No not this time Randidly interrupted He stepped forward and looked up at the descending black disc Its image of constriction and endless waves of legs lay heavy across the whole area But darkness began to coalesce around his left eye and his hair turned emerald My images have a bone to pick with this guy They want to challenge it to a legs contest and an eating contest You two stay back let me blow off some steam

Chapter 2012

Xershi felt disappointed he didn�t get to show off again but also admitted to himself he had been wondering about the Ghosthound�s power after so long watching him march up through the image static filled exterior stairwells without a change of pace Then consistency was aggravating and weirdly comforting as you followed after the man moving between floors Pullas seemed of a similar mind taking a step to the side and squinting up at the whirling appendages of the obsidian octopi drooling at the prospect of devouring them

As though he heard the casual passing off of the honor of fighting it the octopi roared to seize their attention A massive version of itself flared above its body opening its sharp beak and releasing a shriek at such a size that it became a dull rumble that bounced off the numerous glass pillars Xershi winced in terms of volume it definitely was an obnoxious foe

It swooped down legs whirling The fifty meter height at which the octopi stared became twenty and then ten meters in less than a heartbeat

Y�all should take a step back Standing amongst the glass pillars the Ghosthound cracked his neck He didn�t even seem to react as the opponent rushed downward at him Xershi and Pullas complied quickly hopping backward Then the Ghosthound clapped his hands in front of himself as though he was finally ready Wisps of steam began to curl off of his neck A wave of heat spread outward

That heat was the only announcement of the counterattack

The Ghosthound moved but Xershi didn�t see it Just the aftermath Just a huge stretch of ground and all the surrounding pillars exploded into a gleaming mist of pointed shards And an overwhelming wind blasting those tiny particles up into a tornado

The octopi howled in pain and its image faltered a fist sized chunk of flesh had been ripped from his side Suddenly floating above their foe the Ghosthound turned The glittering glass mist caught in the speed of his movements spiraled after him His hair fluttered and lightened to emerald matching his glowing eyes A towering tree stood behind him forcing the stunned image of the octopi to the side Its branches spread out and cast a long shadow across them all Huge green leaves grew out and rustled ominously

Xershi could instantly tell that while the image was solid it wasn�t overwhelming He reckoned his image could overpower it given enough time Yet his instincts warned him not to underestimate this man

His power and attitude made him worth following And from the rumors that Xershi had heard he was only getting started

The octopi recovered its spongy body wriggling and knitting itself back together as it wheeled around to face the threat It shrieked in challenge its whirling arms stretching and merging with a wave of image arms that pounced toward Randidly

He smirked in response pointing with a long finger Suddenly the glittering shards of the shattered area paused in the face of gravity and began to hum The image behind the Ghosthound shifted and rose through those shards whirling them together and creating innumerable glass manifestations of tree roots that shot down and smashed against the extended limbs of the Octopi

In terms of power the Octopi�s arms crushed and destroyed the glass roots every time they got the chance However even as they fell to pieces the Ghosthound�s image plucked the destroyed shards out of the air and remade them again into weapons They curled around the Octopi�s real appendages and slithered toward his body

Xershi�s eyes flicked downward At the same time his image�s roots dig down into the space You fight above he�s growing below What a frightful man

Stalled out the Octopi returned to his superior image as he began to make his push through the maw of the Ghosthound�s image and manifestations At this point the space was positively stuffed with aggressive glass roots breaking and being remade The beak enlarged again and then again so that it was a mountain that towered above the battlefield It turned above the Ghosthound�s black hole and pecked down like a bird eating a seed

A wave of glass roots stretched up and wove themselves into a shield but that massive beak ripped easily through

The sky rumbled from the collision The spatial rind deflected the beak releasing powerful waves of crackling red lightning However the Octopi now seemed determined to leverage its advantage Mobilizing more and more of his image force to crack open its target The beak flared with detail the lines of its curvature glittering

Yet before it could peck again the Ghosthound moved Again Xershi didn�t see him actually accelerate But his path through the battlefield of appendages could be clearly seen as his body left a trail of pulp and glass dust

Again there was a sudden absence of flesh in the Octopi�s body This time it was much larger almost the entirety of its swollen head simply blown away The image in the sky faltered briefly shaken by the damage to its physical form Shrieking and moving by instinct it spun again and accelerated downward to flee from the threat

The Ghosthound just materialized next to the Octopi even as its body knitted itself together He was wreathed in two layers of flames one orange with an emerald core and the other the shadowy grey flame of Nether He reached out and grabbed the Octopi with both of his hands his fingers squeezing into its flesh for a firm grip Then

Xershi hit the ground hard completely unprepared for the wave of kinetic force that had blasted through him on its way to level all of the surrounding pillars that hadn�t already been demolished As he sat up he was at least pleased to see that Pullas had been similarly blindsided and on her butt In image battles there were often powerful shockwaves But this was on another level altogether

In terms of Stats no one can rival the Ghosthound Xershi had heard this phrase from the Don through his father And now he had felt it with his body

After getting to his feet Xershi was able to piece together what had happened With a tight grip on the Octopi the Ghosthound had accelerated directly down at the ground without slowing down in the least And while the Ghosthound could rely on his high Stats to simply absorb such a blow the Octopi had been splattered across the ground

There was no dust or debris so Xershi should see the figure of the Ghosthound standing above the Octopi as it struggled to heal The crater was massive and looked like an alien landscape His landing had shattered the ground in a huge area and then the heat of his flames exploded outward on the heels of the crash melting all the glass into rippling waves

This time Xershi could see the beauty in what the Ghosthound had done

Let�s review The Ghosthound said softly He crouched down next to the Octopi When you try to swallow something too big for you it can get caught in your throat and choke you And choking can be deadly yea

The Octopi gurgled a reply but it was too quiet for Xershi to hear Either way the Ghosthound straightened and turned to look at Xershi and Pullas The flames dancing across his skin dimmed and sank back into his body Okay that�s one problem handled And you two got a bit of an extra break On to the next layer we go

Chapter 2013

Raymund Ballast stood at the edge of the Vulpis Squad camp with folded arms There were no walls but a few wooden stakes denoted the limits of their area He listened to an argument slowly developing at the edge of the space between one of their now necessary posted guard and one of the more insistent of the loiterers squatting on the Rally Station

Are you trying to tell me he�s still not here The squat humanoid demanded Compared to the rest of the rabble that had begun to trickle around the edges of the camp his well fitted grey suit made him look relatively respectful It�s been a full day And we aren�t at fucking war

The Vulpis Squad member kept her face even No he is not You will need to continue to wait

I bet he�s out fucking another planet Do you know plundering Aether is illegal The people of the Nexus have the right to know how he manages to develop so many images and maintain them His repeated displays of high Stats have the people�s attention The humanoid put his hands on his hips A group of about ten other loiterers watched the interaction with sharp eyes There are laws And what he has managed to accomplish is impossible without some shady dealings

The guard wasn�t swayed by this plea the third of its type in the last twelve hours I�ll be sure to report about your request for an interview when he returns In the meantime please remain away from the camp The Squad is undergoing intensive training right now Image reverberations can be quite unpredictable

The humanoid sneered and took several steps forward right up to the line of the camp�s edge His flat nose was only inches away from the guard�s face Eh And what if I want to take that risk

The woman didn�t even blink Your choices are your own Feel free

Raymund was just glad that Vant wasn�t on supervision duty He would have thundered down and broken the man�s jaw for disrespecting a member of the squad Which as far as Raymund could tell was exactly the sort of reaction that these people wanted Simply surrounding them with the disenfranchised and nosy seemed so petty otherwise

Not that this man would be a good choice He had strong connections with one of the few legitimate news entities in the Nexus

A figure approached him and stood alongside him He glanced sideways Alana Donal nodded toward the group Is there really nothing to be done about them

The Ghosthound said to ignore them so long as they don�t try to interfere with our business Annoyances like this make us mentally tougher Raymund said in a low voice But then he released a long sigh not bothering to conceal the strain Obviously someone within Military High Command is spreading rumors of misconduct by Randidly Another patrol would have picked them up and swept such wanderers away otherwise But until we know who is responsible it is better to ignore them

If the opponent doesn�t get a response they want they will escalate Alana said softly Not just with these lost people and the dirty journalists But with a genuine probe on our location

Raymund flashed his long canines His pupils dilated At which point they will realize what a mistake it is to antagonize the Vulpis Squad

For a while Alana considered that She was still sweaty coming directly from her physical training session to come speak with him That sort of dedication had been a constant presence in her exercises Of all their new additions from the Alpha Cosmos Alana adopted the fastest to the higher demands Soon they would need to switch her off the same training program as the others so her advance wasn�t stifled

Hell if Raymund was being honest her growth was even more impressive than Charlotte�s right now There were only two individuals with drive like hers that he had ever met One obviously was the Ghosthound

The other was Techetadore

It�s true though Alana�s image spread around them as she spoke masking the statement Orange tongues of flame danced around them in a circle The Ghosthound�s energy doesn�t come the usual way

For a second Raymund was stunned by the dangerous admission if anything the truth about Randidly�s Aether Crossroads would bring more antagonism down upon their heads than him murdering millions of people for their Aether That was just the way of the Nexus But a split second later he calmed himself down

Randidly had declined immediately but that had been enough And his relationship with Xershi was entirely different than what he had shared with Helen Hell this guy would be a dangerous foe The metal liger�s emotional affect had sung in a way that made Randidly suspect he would be more difficult than the fat octopi

But the exchange had been oddly nostalgic Where he wasn�t fighting alone through every threat When everyone he interacted with wasn�t just a subordinate or an enemy

So are you willing to brave your precious death to come with us In the present Xershi looked intently at Pullas

You are going too Pullas blinked

Xershi had the nerve to smirk Not to brag but when it comes to moving sneakily I�m pretty confident in my abilities I certainly won�t have any problem moving through those layers

Randidly snapped his teeth shut on the denial he had been preparing remembering how they met Shrugging he turned back to the stew

Hum Pullas really seemed to pause and consider this option Her forehead scrunched up as she considered her options Then she seemed to deflate Well I do not need to commit to a single hypothetical answer now I�m just living in the moment you know Let�s make it there and I will decide whether to follow or not

Randidly took a tentative spoon of his soup a small smile playing across his lips The trio would continue on for a few more days As soon as the spoon hit his tongue he grimaced Sorry this stuff still tastes sour Let�s just move on maybe we can find something more fresh in the next ring

Ignoring Xershi�s long sigh Randidly began to move They had set up near the edge of the space after finding the exterior staircase As he had feared the size of the world contained in each layer had continued to grow But it only took them a few minutes to reach the bottom and begin to ascend

With the Stillborn Phoenix as a cloak Randidly pushed his way up through the image static His steps were firm and steady For a while he had felt tempted to fall back and trade off with Pullas to shield them in the climb but he had begun to realize that a lot of the image echoes bouncing off him were distinct notes from the lower floors The power they wielded channeled upward through the Sonara around him humming through the edges

Randidly had to thank the Octopi for that he had picked the image that had grappled with two of his own out of the sea of other fragments Once he noticed he began to listen more intently It was deeply uncomfortable work but his mind now ran on Cognition of the Aberrant Alchemist and Unnatural Capacity Under his scrutiny the noises fell into place

Randidly grimaced as a particularly ugly pulse of image hit him Not that understanding the noise makes it any more pleasant to experience

Briefly he paused and glance to his left Glowing azure fireflies the size of buses began to fly out from the base of the enormous translucent mushrooms A few picked off the heavy slugs clinging to the long stocks using their mandibles to rip open their bodies and sucked out their internal organs

Randidly turned away Okay pretty glad we didn�t have to fight the individual who lives in this sort of place

They passed through the golden portal and stumbled for a bit The ground underneath Randidly�s feet was soft and warm with rolling hills around them The sky above was a soft red dark as wine There were trees but they mostly resembled bushy pink cacti that undulated strangely However it was the noise that clued Randidly into the fact something was strange

A breathy exhale tickled against his ear Half heard snatches of conversation rolled lazily around the space moving between the bushy trees He turned slowly but in the area behind him were only Pullas and Xershi Randidly found himself sweating slightly from the low heat that burned through this ring His senses spread out but a powerful image blocked his examination His face twisted into a scowl when his probes revealed nothing but soft laughter Pullas What�s with this ring

Ah it�s kinda warm isn�t it But I haven�t heard much about this place Pullas shivered Her face had almost immediately become flushed A few of the guys I worked with always volunteered to handle communications with the twenty third floor so

A disembodied voice giggled and then release a low moan of throaty pleasure

Ugh a realm of fleshy pursuits Xershi scowled at a nearby pink cactus How indulgent and messy

Chapter 2014

They stood before Duulys Ambar as a group covered thickly with sweat and dread All fidgeted nervously having heard at least a few stories of his abrupt brutality and power Being in front of him only made it that much easier to imagine being the victim to one of his sudden bursts of anger He oozed potential violence

His long black dreadlocks tumbled down his head and scarred shoulders He wore bejeweled rings around almost every finger except for one finger on his left hand an opulent display of the wealth he had amassed controlling the Sonara As he flex his digits they almost all glittered His shirt and pants were unassuming but none of their group failed to recognize that the most suitable descriptor for him was Tyrant

His silver eyes lanced through each of them in turn vicious and hungry He searched and found nothing to his satisfaction

So Duulys licked his lips Whichever of you is Randidly Ghosthound step forward and let me examine you The rest of you don�t you dare move a muscle

There was a long moment of silence as the group absorbed that unexpectedly direct request They shot each other increasingly desperate glances Because the more time passed without Randidly Ghosthound stepping forward the more Duulys Ambar began to frown The light radiating out from Duulys�s eyes became increasingly sharp He scythed around peeling off layers of skin

Well well Duulys eventually smiled You all look like nothing special but if one of you has the nerve to refuse my order not that it will save you but it has certainly made this trip worth that much more gratifying You with the cape Come here and let me snap your spine Maybe then this fucking Ghosthound will reveal himself If he does not I will continue to punish the group

Gwennet jumped realizing that this powerful figure was talking about her Her rather stylish cape suddenly felt foolish and superfluous on her back She licked her lips Huh Sir I think there is a

If you make me ask you again I won�t stop with just your spine Duulys grinned fully this time Chills ran through Gwennet�s body as he looked at her Behind him she felt the emotional intensify he possessed Duulys Ambar�s Silver Lion image had been so violent during his stint in his campaigns against Nether Forces that even his comrades feared being caught during one of his moods

Now suddenly that hungry predator was staring her down Refusing to allow her to speak until she satisfied him but she couldn�t

If I might intrude The man in the suit standing at the edge of the giant atrium spoke up He raised a hand like he was a student in a class

Mimic If we keep meeting like this I will have no choice but to believe you are stalking me Duulys�s tone remained acerbic but at least his focus shifted to the suited man Gwennet took several quick breaths her heartbeat pounding against her ribs as though it wanted to escape I don�t appreciate having you totter after me like a lovestruck calf

In this case dearest sir I really am trying to help you accomplish your admirable goals Mimic bowed graciously From my own personal conversations with the people of Idylla Randidly Ghosthound is not amongst this group now assembled in front of you These are in fact essentially normal people Fresh meat in the Sonara unprepared for your profound presence

Gwennet felt vaguely insulted even through her relief Meanwhile Duulys only seemed more affronted by Mimic�s pronouncement What This farce of a city is famous for its byzantine requirements for passing through How the hell did he run through the city faster than I could descend to meet him Oh where�s that boring stickler for rules You know the one who always sends those fat information packets

What about all the people that I�ve wanted to visit Pullas muttered But both she and Xershi fell into line behind Randidly as he proceeded forward Once they began walking a dull gold road practically paved itself in front of them It wound its way around the base of the hills taking a meandering path to the destination The pink mist happily receded

At first Randidly was annoyed at the circuitous route but then he felt the image begin removing restrictions it had tightened around their group when he was ripping it to pieces Suddenly they began jumping forward through space

The first encounter they made was with two individuals a man and a woman who completely ignored them The strange duo wore strange clothes that didn�t match the man had on some sort of fur armor and the woman wore a brightly colored toga Yet they leaned into each other and breathed deeply savoring each others� scents Both were slick with sweat

The man pushed the woman back against a nearby pink cactus Obligingly some of the stumpy growths of the cacti extended and bound the woman�s hands She squirmed but it wasn�t any sort of true struggle The man stepped forward and leaned over her lowering his head to kiss her cheekbone the bottom of her jaw and then her neck The woman released a long sigh and arched her back to press her body closer to him

Um should we say something Pullas�s words came out in a squeak Her skin had steaded reddened with pounding blood until she seemed about to burst

Randidly looked back to the road yea let�s continue

Unfortunately moving forward didn�t help Randidly almost wished the mists would come back After the next jump forward they found two furry beast people similarly so intoxicated with each other that they didn�t even notice the arrival of the trio This time the man sat in a simple stone chair his legs bound to the furniture and his hands tied behind him The woman straddled him tracing her fingers across his brow nose and lips

Growling the man strained at his binding to lean forward and reach her The woman laughed scorching in the heat of its passion and scorn She leaned forward until she was only a short distance away from him and drew her tongue slowly across her lips making them glistened

Is anyone else uncomfortable Xershi said I truly cannot understand the motivations of you fleshy beings

Randidly waved a hand and the group continued forward Truthfully he felt uncomfortable too And vaguely irritated But more than that he had to admit he was drawn to the strange scenes for two reasons One he was trying to understand what exactly the image of the owner of this place was These scenes were the best sort of clues to gather up information before their encounter

Second he looked at these with a strange wistfulness that was difficult to describe A part of him was embarrassed to watch such intimate scenes But another part felt so exhausted and frantic to accomplish his current goals that he didn�t have much spare emotional space to worry about being a voyeur

But while the first two scenes felt vaguely sexual the third just struck Randidly as strange

How abhorrent For the first time Xershi seemed genuinely disturbed In front of them was a strange many armed silver creature It curled up on its back so its arms began to work and adjust some of the mechanisms of its belly The thing was surrounded by piles of materials and periodically the precise movement of its arms stretched outward to pluck a few to continue its work on itself

It took a bit of observation for the realization to hit Randidly but then he got it this was a machine slowly building itself Once he focused he could see that its torso stretched out and ended in several open metal connectors

Chapter 2015

They eventually moved on from this strange vision as well while Xershi emphatically spoke Such a thing is self indulgent and dangerous It is forbidden for a reason amongst my people Because when you improve yourself you improve your ability to improve even if it�s by the smallest margin You must begin again spreading out the improvement through the construction And this improvement leads to another as you unspool almost eternally chasing the standardization of that shift No machine ever finishes itself And the results usually begin to become warped A single flaw leads to a horrifying series of shifts that spiral

So there is something that even you are a stickler for Pullas observed earning a glare from Xershi However the distraction let some of the color leak from her cheeks

This is about the natural order He said Such practices are taboo on my home planet due to some very indicative disasters that have occurred in our history

As a group they continued their movements The scenes began to blur together between strange and sensual The three saw a group of individuals beginning to undress and hop in a pale lake As they hurried on the laughter and playful splashes echoed behind them At another bend in the road one humanoid bodily picked up another and carried them off to a nearby cave A fire in the middle of the cave threw long shadows out of the interior so even as they proceeded along the bend those dark silhouettes continued to kiss and choke one another stretched to the point of being a farce on the ground

A series of dull colored slimes pressed their gelatinous bodies together until they began to merge into one giant being A spider laid an egg sack and then began to eat her unborn spawn with sharp mandibles that clicked with each bite A woman with an exaggerated body and wearing only a torn cotton shift lay on a stone dais and panted Each breath caused her chest to rise and her back to arch further

It was around this time that Randidly noticed that while these people were definitely under the thrall of the owner�s image they were real people not projections And more than anything else they seemed to enjoy being a part of the whispering and erotic sighs of this ring

The sky above them began to lighten from wine red toward a blushing pink as the scenes steadily became more explicit Two men in religious robes ripped the clothing off of each other frothing at the mouth Their hands pawed and grasped at each other their slightly paunchy bellies jiggling with each lusty grope

Around the next bend two humanoids were very clearly having sex the woman bent over and supporting herself against one of the pink cacti The man�s rhythmic thrusts into her caused her swollen breasts to swing and thwap against one another but what truly disturbed Randidly was a younger humanoid stood some distance away just watching them with wide eyes

Randidly pressed his lips together and moved forward Behind him both Pullas and Xershi had stopped making comments to try and lighten the move If anything that had just seemed to give the scenes more power over them The heat of this place spread itself across their skin until they all felt an anxious urge to keep moving Randidly�s annoyance was growing but he was an old hand at burying that and focusing on the task at hand They stumbled across a man with an absolute cucumber between his legs just methodically pleasuring himself while looking at the admittedly suggestive wiggle of the pink cacti in front of him

Finally after a long brown centipede walked in a circle and continually ate its own shit the sky lightened all the way to bright white light They passed from the dull ground to an area with soft green grass A white gazebo sat in the middle of the area next to a field that would be perfect for gardening Beyond the field was a small fenced area with a few gravestones likely a family plot

Randidly blinked at the light and heat from the sun It sat low in the sky red and swollen Although this place appeared normal upon first inspection it was clear that most of the influence of the image had just shrunk back into the sun

On the bench in that gazebo was a slight woman who was the source of everything they had walked through Despite the path to get here the finish line was a surprisingly nice place The sort of place Randidly could imagine himself retiring

Good Pullas spoke up suddenly Her eyes flicked up and went to Randidly and then Xershi I was wondering why none of you were reacting to this environment So it is some sort of inner projection That machine in the middle the shelves of books

Wait what do you see Xershi tilted his head to the side To me the area is a sandpit Based on the reverberations a mechanical worm lurks at the bottom A dangerous foe to fight even as a group They terrorize my homeworld

Taboos are powerful things Fiona remarked pulling everyone�s attention back to her Randidly made a private note of how profound a transition she went through When she smiled she seemed to glitter and draw the eye But when the expression slackened there was something almost dead about her features An old exhaustion lurked underneath the skin Maybe that more than anything else made Randidly sympathetic to her

Because sometimes he felt that sort of broken blood vessel weariness lurking just behind him

Fiona continued to speak If the road here was one of temptations this is a place that tries to recreate your deepest taboos and give them a concrete form Taboos exist for a reason I don�t mean to say that you should frivolously break rules and cultural norms Or that you need to address your deepest fears But I also think they create small mental blindspots for yourself That�s why I was curious about what you see A sandworm Fascinating And you miss

This would be a place where I could study and categorize every part of myself Pullas still spoke in a small voice She kept her gaze on the ground But even that low volume made it clear there was a note of yearning in her words If finding a good death is my goal it should be theoretically possible to approach the process scientifically To think about the gears and cogs of my personality traits and instinctual needs and simply trigger them in the correct arrangement Orchestrate my own ideal death But there is a limit to what you can simply dissect and know Better to follow this current path To develop organically

Randidly frowned at Pullas for a long time Something about what she said nagged at him He tried to put herself in her shoes considering her desire for control understanding the appeal of being able to perfectly label and comprehend yourself To want to control so totally In response his First Authority stirred It was intrigued by the idea of dominating itself possessing itself totally pushing itself to the limits

Of course activating the power like that would cause the authority to fight itself Just like the First Authority craved to dominate it would refuse to yield even to itself It was an inherent contradiction that would doom itself If he tried to misuse the ability in that manner

And you Mr Ghosthound Fiona asked

Randidly glanced around feeling rather disappointed in his own taboo� Was he missing something It well it�s just a field really A gazebo a garden a few small graves

Some taboos are more obvious than others You probably had a thought right when you saw the area for the first time Fiona prodded That first instinct will usually guide us Although I also am curious about what the names on those graves are

Focusing his eyes Randidly shrugged The graves are nameless But the area looks intimate like a family cemetery As for my first thought Ha Well I just thought this looks like a nice place The sort of spot I would like to retire to someday

Chapter 2016

Devick had been rather stunned when she got the summons Lady Iellaya had been pale when she delivered the news displaying a rare show of unprofessionalism Considering the circumstances Devick decided to forgive her

Besides she couldn�t just go around killing good help Not when Randidly Ghosthound seemed intent on doing the same and she burned with pride to see him exercise his power

Now the Actus Suprem thumped her way down the stairs meeting the figure that waited in front of the repaved front area of Military High Command He glowed with an inner flickering light The energy around his body was so dense that his figures were blurred But no one would mistake him

From whatever task he had been gone and handling for the past stretch of time Elhume had returned to the Nexus

Devick eyed him suppressing several bad impulses Even she felt wary when exposed directly to his crushing amount of power He had once reached the Pinnacle albeit by relying on his son Pine But you didn�t ascend to those heights without learning something about power Its scent lingered on his skin wrapped around his attacks

She dearly wanted to peel off that skin and sniff it searching for an answer Yet she didn�t dare The fear and the desire warred in her chest infuriating her With a great effort she calmed those emotions binding them with rusted chains

I have a mission Elhume�s voice cracked the ground beneath his feet Devick�s lips twitched now she would need to fix it again or leave the entryway wrecked This was only a projection but one built with a significant portion of Elhume�s image As such it only operated at the destroy tier of power It was not a deliberate offense no matter how much it felt like it

This was a tool finished with its previous mission and now being repurposed as it headed back to be reabsorbed Devick felt a great deal of pity for the Swacc Family which hadn�t been seen or heard from since their sudden actions to reach the Pinnacle This thing had probably been their undertaker

Of course Elhume What�s the mission Devick raised her head She was head of Military High Command Despite her complaints about their leader she had a role to fill

Devick Elhume�s voice thundered again Go

Actus Suprem Devick interrupted before she could help herself A bit of her rust colored madness leaked out to push back the force of his voice Elhume paused in his speech He tilted his blurred head to the side Actus licked her lips adrenaline making her flush She had insisted on the title almost unconsciously so used to torturing her subordinates with it over the past few months She felt a shiver of fear followed by a flood of excitement when she considered testing herself directly against the head of the Nexus

She might die but it would be glorious

For a tense moment he considered her Keh Actus Suprem Go to the Sonara Fetch me a particular individual

Devick pleased and simultaneously disappointed he had chosen to ignore the disrespect nodded Of course Elhume Who shall I fetch for you Actually an errant subordinate of mine is currently wandering around there He can perhaps

No Do it personally

Randidly looked down at the stair in front of them His body moved mechanically the pulsing darkness of the Stillborn Phoenix wrapped around him even though it didn�t need to fight the spatial pressures on the central stairwell After he had revealed what he saw in the space of taboos Fiona had asked him a question Why would retiring be forbidden to you �

By that time Pullas and Xershi both mobilized their own images moving with an impressive display of unspoken communication to blast a divide in the line of seven The metal liger rode with the pale light of a good death to sever the targets With the combined image split Randidly lowered himself and accelerate physically clotheslining two and sending their semi liquid bodies careening through the air

Fiona moved next waving away Pullas and Xershi as her block form shot to combat the remaining group of three After exchanging a glance Pullas and Xershi shot after the remaining two from where Randidly had plundered his own opponents

Randidly�s mouth quirked up at the corner Fighting against only one opponent Xershi has such a pout on his face

Then he crashed into the ground sending a wave of debris toward his two targets Yggdrasil grasped out immediately and transformed those pieces of broken ground into roots that lashed at the two Behind his back he felt the images of his companions clash against these strange metallic beings

Distantly he could feel a change approaching Something in his heart had cracked in the shift of the Grey Creature�s emotions Drops of heat seeped out into his body

Surprised they might have been by his Nether stopping their image and then Randidly being able to so quickly overpower them physically but they were still powerful warriors in the Sonara Both stabilized almost immediately They created weird waving shapes in the air around them Rather than a concrete image they seemed to be releasing a certain energy frequency Randidly felt it grating on his ears as he pushed forward Chimeric Impunity

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 728

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 729

Randidly almost missed his step as he ripped his way through the image of his opponents The Skill stuttered and activated with a searing bolt of emotion so that he passed through the first layer of their defenses without even seeming to slow His lack of focus meant he crashed into their energy pulses after that but he could rely on his body as he did so

Something shifted in his heart even more noticeable with that overly powerful manifestation of the Grey Creature He could feel it prowling inside of him begging to be utilized again A horrifying heat wafted off of its limbs Weirdly his mind went back to the visage he saw in the area of Fiona This time his attention was drawn by an almost forgotten small detail that red sun hanging low in the sky What he had taken to be the source of her passion now felt lodged in his heart bleeding its overwhelming fire into his limbs

He sucked in a breath and gave in to that bubbling feeling as he crossed the last few meters and then pivoted to face the left of the amorphous metal creatures Waves of grey particles glowing orange at the edges like dying embers began to spiral out from his body The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock

Congratulations Your Skill the Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock has grown to Level 502

Congratulations Your Skill the Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock has grown to Level 599

The heat rising through him was so intense that he couldn�t breathe That red sun dripped directly into his bloodstream full portions of solar heat and force Yet a horrible dark undercurrent ran through it as well That negative vindictiveness seized control of his body

Randidly didn�t have Acri but he didn�t need it He didn�t even need his other images or his Nether as a tide of caustic emotions surged up through him Those grey motes from beyond the threshold of pandemonium spun together and condensed into a harsh triangular blade around his right fist He lashed out

Without much resistance he sheared through the opponent�s image and bisected his body

That river of negative emotions howled for more It required a much deeper river of blood and gore before it would be sated

Chapter 2017

Congratulations You have reached Level 64 +8 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +38 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +56 Health +65 Mana +60 Stamina +6 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration

+3 Intelligence Wisdom and Focus +4 Reaction and Grim Intuition

+1 Grim Intuition +1 Reaction +1 Focus and +3 Control per Level

For a second Randidly looked at the notification with a strange sort of suspended feeling The sweltering heat had gotten to his head Acri unwrapped itself from his waist keening an apologetic song Even his living weapon hadn�t been able to keep up with the sudden burst of emotional force that had surged out of the depths of Randidly�s being By the time it had reacted the Ghosthound had already lashed out

Even more ominously he had instantly gained enough experience to be 72% of the way through his next Level A little bit of extra value as immaterial as it might very well be was wasted

He had delayed getting Levels to increase his benefits and he still wished to do that Yet his hands trembled with a sudden contradictory desire that horrible river of darkness that flowed from those previously still emotions demanded more They wanted more violence more of a hands on grip upon the death of another being

Randidly almost couldn�t believe the strange thing had died so easily The Grey Creature�s jaw cracked and extended downward revealing bloody teeth inside of Randidly�s own face stretched and contorted into something monstrous The Grey Creature had reached within this thing and shattered the source of the energy pulse in a wild slew of murderous rage

The other mercurial being shifting into a more combat ready stance finally dragged his attention to the concrete details of the moment Behind him he felt powerful image reverberations from his companions� struggles They lapped against his back and urged him to a quick finale for the remaining foe His body continued to burn as he lowered Acri into a battle stance His images spun together into a figurative guillotine Wicked Waltz of Tartarus Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil The Vindictive Chimera Smites

He exploded into motion with enough potency that the ground cracked His three images harmonized perfectly in shape but that abrupt and scalding darkness within the Grey Creature tried to tear the triplicate image to pieces demanding a monopoly of this sacrifice Luckily his other images could make up the slack Yggdrasil could stabilize the combination while the Stillborn Phoenix gobbled up the excess violence that the Grey Creature breathed out

It was a strange feeling swimming in another strange feeling as his three images fought against one another

His weapon pierced easily through the energy barrier this being tried to throw up in front of him Once Acri�s tip was lodged inside its body he let the Grey Creature run wild His other images took a respectful step backward It sated itself by rampaging back and forth through the semi liquid body curdling the substance until it oozed and rotted in a puddle on the ground

Randidly�s shoulders heaved His breaths felt humid and swampy In only a few seconds both of his opponents lay dead on the ground in front of him Just like sometimes his Nether Core stuttered in its rotations that�s how he currently felt barely able to keep his balance about to collapse disastrously off keel and reelings

Yet the present marched forward He turned to the other confrontations Xershi had seized the upper hand and Pullas was just now slaughtering his own opponent Over on Fiona�s side she had somehow annihilated one of the silver creatures and was toying with the final two Randidly forced his breathing to calm down The brand of emotional violence seared his ribs but he could begin to ignore it

Because weirdly he felt a flash of insight He knew what he wanted to do and could do

Pullas Xershi I need you to protect me for a bit Randidly�s voice sounded strained to even his own ears He sat down in a meditative position next to the remnants of the silver creatures and took several deep breaths All the semblance of control he had managed with the Grey Creature�s emotions had vanished the freed emotions transforming into a beast that was a thousand times more destructive and vicious

This is a dream Randidly More than anything else Sydney sounded tired as she observed him with cold eyes Why can�t I actually be here also dreaming

That made him pause He shrugged That�s definitely true So

Let me say my piece Sydney held up a hand I well honestly I�ve blamed you for the way things went down with Ace For the convoluted situation that ended up making Drake an invalid for a year and a half That I admit it wasn�t fair even if you are the reason that everything became so twisted up in the first place But the reason it was twisted wasn�t because of anything you did not directly It was because I could see you trying to change and succeeding You grew I I was just so jealous of that I wanted to change but found myself making the same mistakes over and over again Each time I was quite unfair to you

Sydney took a step closer to him her posture stiff Randidly eyed her but she just slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around him She leaned forward her touch extremely light barely squeezing him You were the constant in my life for so long but one that I think we would both admit wasn�t healthy When you began to shift I spent too much time expecting you to remain constant And then I was cruel to you for your steps forward I�m so sorry

Randidly blinked Then a small smile came over his face admittedly in a small deflection of the emotional honestly she showed This is much easier than I expected considering the weird dream setup

Sydney pushed him back and smirked I�m the first door Randidly And I�m really just a way to get at an old truth you�ve been avoiding for most of your life Anyway here take this For listening to my feelings and for bringing me to a place where I won�t be too embarrassed to be honest you�ve earned it

She held up her right hand In it a card floated

But Randidly shook his head I can vaguely guess what that contains

A memory of mine showing how I saw your mother treat you Sydney stated it clearly Her eyes were sharp For all my sins against you hers were

Randidly continued shaking his head a different certainty growing I admit that is probably what I need to work on the problem with my image But right now I want to help a friend I want another memory from you The one

The water balloons right Jeez you are so Sydney grimaced Maybe you really haven�t changed that much You realize that addressing this issue you have will be much more difficult without this memory right

Randidly knew even if he preferred not to think about it No that was exactly why it would be hard But in the end he thought about Pullas�s expression as she climbed lost and doubting herself They had only known each other for a short time but there was one thing that Randidly knew for sure

He would rather face his suppressed murderous rage from the Grey Creature a thousand times than swim again in the self hatred he experienced when he wanted to help a friend but couldn�t

Sydney scrunched up her nose She held up her other hand producing another card You are seriously incorrigible Here take both But just take better care of yourself alright

Applause You have obtained the Memory Visions of Balloons�

Applause You have obtained the Memory Visions of Emilee (1 of 5)�

Chapter 2018

Congratulations +1 Muse�s Reverie

Weird that I get the Attribute before I even look at the memory Randidly thought to himself as he opened his eyes and returned to the Sonara He quickly scanned the area It looked like Xershi Pullas and Fiona were just now finishing a fight against fourteen of the silvery beings Based on the sweat on their brows and craters in the surrounding area Fiona had been telling the truth when she said they were much more difficult when allowed to use their combined image

Perfect timing Xershi panted and rubbed a hand across his gleaming forehead But he seemed to be positively glowing from a long battle He raised his arms and flexed Now that I�ve proven myself it�s time to make our Ascension Pact and move

Not quite yet Randidly shook his head He beckoned to Pullas Pullas can I show you something ViiSiit for latest novels

What is it The blue haired woman tilted her head to the side

Just a bit of life Randidly replied

Pullas mulled that over her face shifting back to some of that uneasiness from earlier Perhaps even now she replayed her abrupt decision to follow him and Xershi on their dash up the Sonara Then she nodded But as she walked over Fiona stepped forward Okay I feel the need to remind you that they will now be sending three parties at us this time Three is also a powerful number for them They

Will be stopped by you Randidly said feeling genuine faith in this stranger He looked at Fiona for several seconds so that her winning smile disappeared and that deadness spread across her eyes and face He nodded heavily sure of his pronouncement No one could carry that horrible exhaustion without a burning engine it was the same sort of forward thrust he possessed to resist the pull of Entropy He felt currents of significance swirling around him Yea you can handle it We are going to be an unusual Ascension Pact With unusual demands But the reason you fit amongst us despite despite how dangerous you are is because your demands are a bit crazy too

Plus I�ll be here to help Xershi flexed his bicep Now that I�m all warmed up nothing can stop me

Fiona held his gaze for several long seconds The massive and glacially slow gears of her personality spun her thoughts grinding forward through this problem Eventually she nodded Randidly looked back at Pullas She seemed tentative as he gestured for her to sit down next to him He pulled out the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night reached out and gripped her hand then pulled her into that world of chimes to access a particular memory

Obviously he had his own version but he needed Sydney�s side too in order to help Pullas Part of it was being alone up until that last moment The scene formed around him just as he remembered it

It was night The air was cool but May had been warm enough that year that they only needed to wear light jackets when they snuck out after midnight Above the entrance to the middle school a single light remained on illuminating the door metal double doors The rest of the parking lots recess area and outdoor cafeterias were submerged in darkness The only exception was the lazy fireflies clinging to the grass and buzzing around the air in the surrounding fields

Below that light above the door you felt suspended in an entirely different world For two teenagers wanting to escape their lives Sydney�s idea had been a stroke of genius And also vaguely nonsensical

It had been at the end of middle school in the best years for Randidly and Sydney�s relationship They had planned this for weeks driven by one of Sydney�s insane epiphanies about life And Randidly couldn�t have been sure but even though she had wanted it so badly something in her attitude changed when he had worked so hard and gotten this dream for her

He heard her grumbling and then the scrape of her shifting the plastic container Even through the pain of containing his emotions his palms tingled Because from this angle with the light directly above you couldn�t see anything You were blind The waiting was one of the best parts of the crazy idea And suddenly

Red blue yellow green orange the water balloons that had been painted into one shade by the darkness were suddenly thrust onto the stage of their own brilliant colors as they tumbled down They rushed past the light each grabbing his attention with their sudden arrival For a moment the first arrivals undulated and tumbled held in stasis by the brain�s ability to make itself think it had been watching for longer than it had Each seared themselves into Randidly�s eyes a shock of vibrancy

Then reality caught up and the brain�s tricks ran out More balloons tumbled down the first brightly colored leaders hitting the ground and sending wet splashes onto his pants Randidly grinned adrenaline pumping at the weird unexpected transgression they had made just for these few moments of

Randidly jumped as the plastic bin fell down too banging off the light and falling into the bushes He winced that hadn�t been a part of the memory But he still felt too much childish enjoyment to really care Water dribbled down the steps carrying little scraps of rubber down with them Allowing himself a private laugh he went back through and climbed to the roof There he clapped Pullas on the shoulder Okay your turn

He positioned himself why she made a much slower journey through the unfamiliar school Randidly blinked several times trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness Flashes of color and the burned spot on his retina where he had stared up at the light lingered with him

When on the ground Pullas moved to the x and looked up She squinted unable to look directly through the light with her childish body Okay let�s just do it

Randidly shifted the second bin of water balloons Being up top was a different sort of enjoyment than being on the bottom You had the control And while below you were blind up here you could see the person clearly a spotlight blazing upon their target He tilted the bin The water balloons began to roll and fall

He saw Pullas�s eyes go wide as the first tumbled into the halo of light and lit up with a rich purple Weirdly she took an instinctive step forward

Which meant the first smacked and popped against her shoulder even as two dozen more rained down on her She didn�t even flinch just goggling at the unexpected sensation of cold water

Randidly hurried down to the ground floor feeling the first threads of doubt about bringing Pullas here Those doubts inflamed the continued pounding of the heat in his ribs As he moved he collected the two paperbacks even if it was just a memory he couldn�t bear to leave these remnants of his childhood He found her underneath the light still her hair dripping and covered in the remnants of popped balloons

Pullas looked at him her expression unreadable Why did we do this

Randidly suppressed another burning stab of pain To feel alive

Pullas looked down beginning to shiver It was warm enough to be out but not when you were partially soaked Then a smile split her face Heh Well I definitely feel something What a queer way to live I wonder I wonder what sort of death I will have now that I�ve experienced this How unexpected I was right to follow you even a surprising event even a surprising death can be illuminating if it is one that happens in the richness of life

She looked at him her smile fading Thank you This was a good memory You noticed I was in doubt You put us in danger because you wished to help me to address my own issues Ahem I will remember this favor and repay you in kind someday Mr Ghosthound

Chapter 2019

Randidly pulled himself and Pullas out of the memory The chimes within the Fatepiece run softly almost as though they were sorry to see them go One in particular released a mournful toll warning Randidly of the dangers of continuing to look away from his emotional truths He had justifications enough to ignore it for now

The duo returned to that land of silver flowing creatures with soft smiles on their faces The happiness and strange separated world of the memory lingered with them for a few moments Of course the violent emotional affect of the Grey Creature reappeared as soon as he felt the ground beneath him

Randidly turned his focus inward I see you I know how upset you are It�s not like it�s not like I don�t understand where all this comes from I lived through those few years too

Why didn�t you do anything The Grey Creature howled and tore at the inside of his body Why did you just sit there

She was my mother Our mother Randidly replied but it sounded like a thin excuse even to him The Grey Creature stalked back and forth its impotent fury scalding him from within But being acknowledged as usual robbed the image of its agonizing venom The pain gradually receded as it settled into gurgling stillness

He couldn�t help but sigh It was a problem delayed but not solved Still Randidly was buoyed by the pure smile of joy he had seen on Pullas�s face He had wanted to help her and had done so If he was honest with himself he was quite proud of how far he had come

He had to prioritize one over the other and he didn�t regret his decision

Randidly glanced around The ground around where he had sat with Pullas had been even more thoroughly demolished than his first break Huge canyons had been carved into the ground and the electrical storm in the sky had dimmed to just a weak pulse of static However it quickly became clear that the development of this defensive effort had gone slightly different from the previous one

Fiona stood about twenty meters away covered in wounds with her shoulders heaving In the sundered ground around her the bodies of the silver creatures dribbled away through the cracks and disappeared Xershi was looking at her with an intense gaze that was somewhere between wariness and a crush You who are you

Fiona obviously She grinned manic and wild with enough force that Randidly felt that inner light that she sometimes released burning itself into his retinas He blinked it away but that lingering phantom made him take Xershi�s perspective extra seriously

If you are that strong why do you need us to help you with this Duulys Ambar Xershi said bluntly What help can we be to someone like you

Some things cannot be accomplished with power Fiona�s light extinguished itself a torch dropped down a hole in a frozen lake Her shoulders drooped She looked over at Randidly and Pullas Well since you are finished with your business we should move on Talented I may be but we shouldn�t push our luck here against another group

Just a moment Come here for a quick second Randidly said even as he steadied himself In his inner world he stared down the wrathful Grey Creature for a bit longer he would its help for his next impulse Feeling confident after assisting Pullas he forcefully recognized it without looking away for even a moment Gradually its pacings became less violent The emotions swirled down and settled in his chest Releasing a sigh Randidly looked at the new allies he would have for this Ascension Pact His Nether Core began to stir We should make this official

Xershi the wild challenger

Pullas the organized death fanatic

And finally Fiona a powerful woman who oscillated between a thousand volts and a pit of exhaustion

Somehow the gushing tide of significance was growing Even Randidly�s senses were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the energy One part of Randidly urged him to be careful because he was clearly missing something either about one of his companions or the Sonara itself

But he instead offered a fatalistic grin he was committed at this point

Pullas went first I�ll discover a perfect death

Xershi snapped his fingers even as Randidly struggled to manage the blast of connection that wrapped themselves between the four figures I�ll climb all the way to the top and discover the purpose of this place

Fiona�s eyes were gaunt and on the ground Randidly continued to frantically weave designing and projecting the Nether Ritual He could barely remain conscious being bludgeon by more and more Nether Each breath left him reeling Seeing she wouldn�t speak first he cleared his own throat His mind lodged on the first impossible task that occurred to him The words tumbled out of his mouth I�ll grow strong enough to survive the forces that enclose a universe

That brought Fiona�s gaze snapping upward Then she began to laugh Well isn�t this a merry crew Fine then I will bind myself in the same way even if I�ve the shortest to go An impossible task I will meet and forgive my husband Duulys Ambar

The four promises spun together Randidly released a low groan barely able to control the Nether Ritual even with the help of his images It swelled and ballooned upward until it seemed to fill the entire ring around them The movement of energy tugged along the wind until a whirlwind howled on every side

Notifications began to pop up in front of Randidly

Synchronicity detected Due to the approach of a great accomplishment your Skill Precise Nether Ritual is evolving

For a moment Randidly felt the seething fury of the Grey Creature fixate on the misbehaving energies Glad for any sort of target for its wrath its emotional intensity rapidly shot upward It urged him to use the First Authority to Seize control of the situation

A small smile danced across his face Sorry buddy not this time Nether Rituals don�t work that way

Despite a veritable bomb of Nether swirling and condensing in front of Randidly he released his grip on the energies For a second the tight sphere bulged and warped as though it could only collapse underneath its own force But the connections between Randidly Pullas Xershi and Fiona drifted down across the surface Immediately the unstable Nether Ritual transformed

The sphere was a seed Ripples of energy spread outward blasting away the wind Finally Pullas and Xershi noticed that this Ascension Pact was quite unusual The seed sunk into the fabric of existence and began to sprout

Meanwhile Randidly looked at the final notification in front of him

Congratulations Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual has evolved into Yearnings of the Nether Heir Skill Levels will be maintained

Chapter 2020

Amongst the residents of the Sonara it was a mark of pride for an individual or group to produce a caliber of reaction that could shake the entire construction To generate a ripple of such magnitude that it could be felt across the whole of the great work The tight seals on each ring meant that it required a certain frequency of importance a forceful permanence to the image to escape a floor and run rampant across the whole Beyond a single ring most actual images were halted after a half dozen or so rings in both directions

Yet on that particular day individuals paused and looked up across the entire Sonara as an unexpected sensation lapped up against almost everyone Nether tickled against their skin whispering that the impossible would soon descend upon the Sonara Several flinched back from the feeling worried about how this new energy would affect their image However there was also a large contingent that watched the development with interested eyes

The Sonara was an old retrofitted thing The current status quo was one of uneasy peace between several established groups and the ambitious youths The pulse of significance that swept up through the different layers was an echo of a forgotten discarded purpose

Yet it struck a chord in a lot of the hearts that heard

Stepping into the first ring Actus Suprem Devick paused as she marched up the central staircase on Elhume�s mission She stilled as she felt the wave of Nether for her how could she not sense who had created this working How could she mistake the pointlessly bold energy of her son

She raised her head with a bright smile on her face My my my Looks like the fun is getting started without me Maybe this trip into this coffin will be more fun than I thought

Nether bounced off the bottom of the Sonara and even began to echo back up across the layers The deluge of unexpected energy suppressed the image static almost clearing out the detritus that had been strewn across the construction after two hundred years Unintended though it might have been the powerful Nether Ritual cleansed the Sonara Waves down and up carried Nether extinguishing the near constant hum that infested the joints between rings

The group of four had borrowed the unconscious goal of this place but not without giving to the mysterious Sonara in turn

On the tenth floor Duulys Ambar also paused in his movements Some idiotic newbie to the Sonara lay slumped in front of him the dents of Duulys�s knuckles reshaping his face into a particularly gruesome canyon When the wave of Nether had passed the first time he had only felt a keen sense of anticipation this Randidly Ghosthound seemed more and more interesting the longer he ran free through the Sonara

But on the second major wave washing across his body most of the Ghosthound�s grip on the energy had been wiped away by its passage through the floors Underneath his actual quarry Duulys sensed the presence of a very familiar figure standing at the Ghosthound�s side

Duulys Ambar�s face twisted released his grip on the unfortunate soul and let the body crumpled to the floor He rushed to the staircase and began to climb as quickly as he could He could not let them beat him back to his seat of power

The Nether waves didn�t only travel down but also burned their way up Spreading up through the Sonara was more difficult but the vein of significance the foursome touched upon had been waiting for a thousand years for someone to tap into its vague purpose With raw volume the pressurized Nether blasted up similarly annihilating all the broken scraps of images that hummed around the edges of the idle Sonara

On the fiftieth floor a sleeping guardian began to stir The mechanisms around it continued to click and hum gathering and observing an illuminated and sealed tube in the middle of the ring Around that central guardian the other defenses increased the frequency of their patrols

On the seventieth floor a very old man sat up from his napping spot in a field of wild daisies A wind blew the swaying flowers setting the field to rustling around him The sun was warm He smacked his lips and then rubbed his hands together Is it finally time What a delightful surprise I assumed I�d be trapped here until Solomon got off his ass and came back to claim his kingdom

Finally up on the second highest floor the pulse of energy had turned faint before an ancient and unforgiving image Something nearly absolute a philosophy that brooked no argument Almost all of the momentum had been lost as Nether burned its way through this image All of the extra had been stripped away so the wave of energy lapped up on the floor with all the presence of a whisper pleading for mercy A few fireflies wiggled their abdomens and flew in lazy circles around a gloomy mausoleum

Pullas gulped and said what they were all thinking All the image static is gone

We released a pulse of Nether Fiona said slowly A big one When we created our Ascension Pact Even I was shocked by the power I felt but I wondered if perhaps it was just because it had been a while since I fought against a true being of Nether If the Nether we released had enough juice to clean out all the broken pieces of images lingering in the Sonara

Without a smile on her face Fiona�s expression remained bleak But the meaningful gaze she cast Randidly�s way prickled his skin He could only smile and shrug he hadn�t meant for so much significance to get tied up in their promises Stepping on what force waiting in the Sonara was an accident

At least it means the way up is clear Xershi said So let�s hurry

The four accelerated upward Randidly relieved he could just use his body without straining his mind The Engraving on the staircase began to accelerate their movements porting them across the impassable amount of distance when he received a message from Neveah There has been a development with the Patron of Feathers

Immediately Randidly felt submerged in ice He had no regrets about entering into an Ascension Pact with his group but he had been quite worried about the speed of their assent Even acknowledging how close to his limit he pushed himself he wouldn�t be able to claim that he hadn�t lingered for them Is she still managing

Better than managing Whatever you did recently with Nether well shortly afterward her condition began to stabilize You don�t need to torture yourself as much as you climb At this rate she will be able to hold on for about a month

For a split second Randidly was stunned Then he replied with an only slightly annoyed message If everything was going well why did you send such an ominously phrased message

He could feel Neveah sniff Dramatic effect

Groaning Randidly shook his head But he did feel a bit of the tension that had become just a part of him in the past few days begin to ease A month He could work with a month considering it had taken him only two days to make it a fourth of the way up the Sonara He flexed his arms and rolled his shoulders He looked up and studied the surrounding Engravings a bit more closely Almost immediately something else caught his attention

Without the extra images bombarding him in these boundary areas he could feel the fullness of the air that so benefitted images in the Sonara It was the equivalent for acoustics for singing as his images moved within him there seemed to be a hinting of extra depth and flavor to what he produced If he manifested them here for an extended period of time their impression in his mind would slowly grow to possess that extra weight LIkely it would continue to deepen as his impression of his own images improved

Randidly looked up as they approached the next barrier Anyone dangerous on the other side

Fiona waved her hand With an extra boost of Stats and with four of us On the heels of that pulse of energy the next several floors will probably skedaddle out of our way And if they don�t I�ll carve a path

Hey Xershi grumbled His eyes had a maniacal gleam to them His servos buzzed in his joints Don�t hog all the fun for yourself

Randidly felt pity to whichever resident in the Sonara was chosen by Xershi to prove that he too could be impressively powerful

Chapter 2021

As Fiona had suggested the next several floors passed in a blur that was less business and more just a series of journeys The group moved through alien landscapes and idyllic valleys depending on the proclivities of the ring owners However they rarely needed to fight

Xershi eventually insisted that they make a stop on a floor where the owner flared its image to intimidate them but made no move to actually engage The only reason Randidly agreed is that the image in question was of a torrential downpour Even just flaring the image made the journey much more difficult and obnoxious So the liger got his duel

After ten minutes of howling winds and sitting while getting slapped in the face by fat drops Randidly Pullas and Fiona greeted a swaggering Xershi The clouds parted revealing a gloomy yellow moon They headed toward the next ring ignoring Xershi�s bragging

The combination of the empty lands and the slight ease in Randidly�s tension due to Neveah�s message made him spend more time taking advantage of the traveling With a lowered pace he could keep himself fresh and do some extra training The Ascension Pact paused every two floors to rest and make a meal In the downtime afterward eating Randidly allowed his images to spread out and boom throughout the beneficial Sonara space

The roots of Yggdrasil dug deeper into the fabric of existence with this deeper echo The Grey Creature became blurred at its edges as though it wore a cloak of woe that unwound space with its presence Yet while the details shifted to their new form the fire that burned at the heart of the image grew increasingly intense The hungry pull of the Stillborn Phoenix became monstrous making even Randidly�s companions uncomfortable with its dangerous proximity

He also began to press forward to the goal of his impossible task relying on his Fatepiece He activated the next layer and doggedly forced himself to experience the forces at the edge of a universe

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 799

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 62

In the end this particular training session didn�t last very long

Randidly trembled as he released the Fatpiece and fell panting to his knees He had contacted Raymund and received his Charlotte and weirdly Helen�s assistance in bearing the earlier portions of the Fatepiece All of the electromagnetic layers and the first half of the light radiation were handled Randidly just had to deal with Entropy and the newest layer the Ivory layer of the Fatepiece Spatial Collapse

The pressure of this newest layer was difficult to endure partially because it was more of a mental strain than a physical one At least it manifested in that way

The best way Randidly could understand it was that some internal scaffolding of his body was removed underneath that force Or he remained a three dimensional being but he was only playing at being one He was a paper mache version of himself ready to fold back to his true two dimensional form if he made any sudden movements Unexpected stimuli made him spatially collapse on himself

Randidly wiped the sweat off his brow and sat back on his heels It takes a lot of mental balance to resist those folding forces and heh I�m lucky my Stats are already so high If not a mistake here would be catastrophic instead of just gruelingly painful

His organs which had been blended by the vicious forces of the Fatepiece dutifully pieced themselves back together His breathing eased

Ready to move Fiona asked with a small smile on her face

Randidly nodded and stretched Sure in a few minutes You said the next ring will be dangerous

Fiona nodded The other two gathered around to listen By this point the glow from Xershi�s jealousy for the spotlight and subsequent fight had worn off Yes the thirty third ring Well I cannot be sure that he�s still there But these are the floors where the old monsters linger They are content with the effect of the Sonara at these rings and don�t bother to fight against Duulys for the highest spot But this one in particular always liked Duulys And because of that

Mr Ghosthound I believe I have figured out the purpose of this sigil I bear It is exactly the sort of knife that will cause this overgrown maggot to bleed Fiona�s smile returned brilliant and cruel as she twisted to look over her shoulder However I believe you will need to bear the cost of its activation Is that fine

Randidly felt rather bewildered His eyes went to the Stillborn Phoenix tattoo swirling on Fiona�s shoulder Ultimately he nodded He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible and Fiona didn�t seem like the type to exaggerate Plus he had sensed some hidden features of their bond but hadn�t figured them out

He was very interested in her method He felt it as soon as she began as Nether began flowing between their tattoos Randidly gritted his teeth she pulled quite a bit of Nether to fuel the ability in her Stillborn Phoenix His Nether Core revved itself as fast as it would go trying to keep up with her demand Flames of Nether Weight began to sparkle in Fiona�s bright irises

Bravado Cheh how cheap Yuroach began to mock her right as she unleashed the ability of her tattoo All four tattoos glowed as she did so Randidly might be fueling the process but it relied on them all to activate Both Xershi and Pullas showed a pained expression as they bore their portion of the strain

Little pieces of them all spun together A hidden mechanism activated Randidly�s skin tingled the pattern of Nether she triggered bore the shape of the Stillborn Phoenix but it felt strange and dangerous even to him

Scrambling backward amongst his clones Yuroach raised his voice Hum So some sort of Nether method Pah No matter what you attempt you are and always will be a failure

The rotating blackhole tattoo pulsed on Fiona�s shoulder almost as though it had heard his words Then it popped off becoming concrete It rapidly swelled outward devouring Fiona�s body even as Randidly�s eyes widened in alarm Light and energy were quenched and consumed by the rapidly spreading pattern

His expression rapidly fell as the effects of this working became clear This unfolding Nether pattern contained all of his understandings conscious and unconscious about the process of Entropy The chill crept into his limbs less any sort of temperature feeling and more a horrifying eternal stasis seeking to claim him

He drew a deep breath through his nose but that didn�t provide much context either The darkness ate its way outward spreading from Fiona to the ground and then to the surrounding stones Absence yawned open lazy and dangerous Information about this ability wasn�t easily allowed to escape Randidly looked into the darkness and had only a vague idea of what his fellow pact member had unleashed

Despite his throbbing headache and still strained Nether Core he zigzagged backward plucking up both Xershi and Pullas as he fled With his high Stats he carried them away from the epicenter of the horrifying void that chunked a huge area out of the Sonara So distracted was he by avoiding that dark entropy that they simply crashed their way through a score of Yuroach clones

All the while the demand on his Nether Core continued to escalate

Randidly�s gaze sharpened He cut off the flow of Nether between himself and Fiona The light in their tattoos flickered and died

A horrifying shudder went through the darkness Then unwillingly it collapsed and left a changed world behind

Color had been bleached out of the rocks But even more ominously Aether had been almost entirely sucked away in that central space All the Yuroach clones caught in the darkness had vanished and any sort of image advantage the man had made on the terrain had been scourged clean Images fizzled and buzzed at the edges unable to sustain themselves in this lacking zone

Fiona swayed clearly dizzy and weakened by the same lack of Aether About twenty meters away Yuroach was sitting on his butt and groaning Randidly fed a thin stream of Aether to the air around Fiona trying to provide energy to the woman without revealing his Aether Crossroads However she immediately gave him a thankful smile

She doesn�t miss much Randidly made a mental reminder to be careful of that He knew through the Nether Ritual they were united while climbing the Sonara but that wouldn�t last forever

So Yuroach Fiona crooned She pressed her foot to the ground and shattered it her briefly perplexed expression revealed she had forgotten about the boost in Stats that the connection to Randidly gave But she mastered that expression A light step brought her before the insect headed man Let me demonstrate to you what it�s like to be helpless before a failure

Chapter 2022

For about three minutes Randidly Pullas and Xershi stood back with their arms folded while the fight raged Fiona blasted her way through the weakly manifested waves of Yuroach�s clones the insect head still reeling from having all his Aether sucked away She was a god incarnate violence given free rein to rampage

A boom echoed out as one of her kicks effectively leveled a small stone ridge

Yuroach�s body tumbled like a ragdoll smashed backward by a Fiona that very gleefully took advantage of the extra Stats fed through the tattoo She flickered from one position to another gradually growing accustomed to the extra oomph to her strikes and movements She left small craters in her wake the footsteps of a giant evidencing her fury Yuroach retreated further out of the zone affected by the Stillborn Phoenix tattoo He took refuge amongst the ranks of his clones his image gradually beginning to recover

However this just gave Fiona the opportunity to unleash her own image on him The seduction sighs and whispers of taboo slithered outward from her bright eyes Amongst the mass of Yuroachs some began to twitch and swell their bodies turning an angry red Veins pulsed along their temples These forbidden mutations roared and aimed their aggression at their creator destabilizing the solidarity of Yuroach�s image from within

With these turncoats rampaging through the ranks Fiona could once against blast forward through the defensive groupings and drive her fist into Yuroach�s chest His body bounced off the ground his mandibles frantically clicking as he twisted midair and tried to stabilize himself

Yet the fight continued to drag longer and longer Fiona�s hits on Yuroach grew more infrequent the effect of the tattoo dissipated The ground remained bleached but energy once again flowed in the space Fiona clashed against his wide unified image but gradually it once more began to fill the surrounding environment Having owned this wing for a long time it appeared the insect man had a natural advantage

The sky began a grappling match of two well developed images with titanic power Yet the momentum began to slide the other way

Even from here the collisions between the two powerful images buzzed against Randidly�s skin The depth and solidity of Yuroach�s just happened to be a little more ponderous It was quite well suited to this sort of struggle where it could function offensively while also buffering against Fiona�s more insidious image Randidly clapped his hands to ready himself Alright let�s not just watch any longer We don�t want to linger here all day Or let Fiona hog all the fun again

Pullas nodded and Xershi grinned Already the massive metal liger shimmered in the air behind him The three accelerated forward to join the fray Some clones immediately wheeled to face the trio Even as Yuroach slowly got the upper hand against Fiona the ring owner pivoted smoothly and deployed columns of his clones to slow them down

Xershi�s real body sank into the massive image projection a sleek metal predator that rampaged happily through the troops Every swing of its claws bisected limbs and pulped torsos Pullas moved behind him the pale light of her perfect death swaying as it moved forward Randidly noted that her image was being refined quickly as well it now bore a soft smile on the fuzzy face of death The clones touched by her image began to wither at a visible pace

She�s moving quickly through image fulfillment and in the best place in the Nexus to practice images Randidly thought I wonder how powerful she will be at the end of our journey

He shook his head and focused on his own opportunity He hung back while the other two carved a path to assist Fiona The remnant troops that hadn�t been obliterated by the other two turned to face Randidly their faces showing not the slightest response to the deaths of their companions Their soulless unity meant that if all of them hadn�t died none of them had He waved a hand and both bodies and stone became roots lashing back and forth to smash them

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 892

however the results made Randidly scowl The clones fought his roots to a standstill even as he added more and more Their weapons hacked into the manifestations and two working together could obliterate the grip of his image

His Skill was powerful but even empowered with his Yggdrasil image he was only barely keeping up with a portion of Yuroach�s solid image of unification On this front he still had more ground to make up against the elite of the Nexus He added the glowing life of Yggdrasil�s Plasm Animus to the roots to give them some extra hardiness but the slight edge wasn�t enough to push forward

Congratulations Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 716

Randidly�s whole body trembled but he raised his head and showed his teeth broken on and all to Yuroach What you expected this to kill me

Visible surprise flickered across Yuroach�s contenance even through alien insectoid features In the next moment Xershi crashed forward and lashed out with a bladed paw The whole of the metal liger was wrapped in Pullas�s pale light of death resisting the ambient pressure that bled away from the image still suppressing Randidly

Yuroach hopped backward but then Fiona was behind him as he was landing She produced a small grey dagger that instantly registered in Randidly�s senses as dangerous this was her Fate and it was a powerful one She slashed at his back even as Yuroach twisted out of the way

Perhaps before the attack wouldn�t have landed but an additional two hundred and fifty of each Stat was a lot in these tight moments The weapon drew a thin line across Yuroach�s side Randidly saw several fat drops of ruby blood begin to drip out of the wound as the insect man landed and stumbled A larger ripple went through his image as he tried to figure out how to escape

Yet Randidly remained fixated on those drops of blood They paused at the edge of the wound steadily turning the same grey color as Fiona�s dagger Then those drops seemed to turn around and sink back into the wound spreading her image through Yuroach�s body

For a second the insect man just looked at them Then he turned and fled Clones threw themselves into a literal barrier to block their pursuit

Xershi started to prowl after him but Pullas grabbed his arm He is Fienalora�s foe

Really just call me Fiona Fiona groaned and raised a hand to rub the bridge of her nose I gave up that name a long time ago when I failed my family

Pullas offered an apologetic half shrug so it is inappropriate to pursue him if she does not wish to do so

If we do not strike now won�t he just come back and hurt us later Xershi frowned Randidly could practically see the violent emotions pumping through him urging further violence Yet it wasn�t as though there wasn�t an appeal to tying up loose ends

Not if we climb fast enough Randidly said slowly convincing also himself as he spoke aloud Besides if we linger too long tying up loose ends we will just be further embroiled in drawn out fights I doubt that Yuroach has grown to this age without getting into certain alliances of his own I don�t think we�d be able to handle two such figures

Fiona rolled a hand in agreement clearly too exhausted to speak whatever she had done with her Fate it clearly left her drained Xershi begrudgingly accepted that and the group began to move Randidly didn�t really relax until they reached the exterior stairwell and began to climb

He glanced once behind him down at the ring owned by Yuroach An image not yet at the image fulfillment stage but incredibly solid from long years of honing here in the Sonara Still not as fearsome as Devick but there are quite a few powerful figures here

His eyes swiveled to look forward and there is still more distance to climb

Chapter 2023

When they reached the thirty fourth floor the group agreed to spend some time resting without any spoken communication They moved apart and made themselves comfortable This ring was a land of clouds the group sitting on a fluffy and majestic cumulonimbus that drifted in a sea of similar masses of water vapor Around them various other forms of cloud drifted back and forth A warm sun greeted them all

He even looked over the edge but no ground was visible This was just a land of sky

For a bit Randidly stood at attention waiting to see the attitude of the owner of the ring to their presence But the sky around them remained still An intermittent wind swept a few clouds back and forth but that was it Gradually he relaxed his guard and focused his attention inward even if he periodically took deep sniffs with his Nether nose to make sure that nothing could sneak up on the group

First Randidly spent some time shoring up the performance of his Nether Core After the drain from the tattoo and then pushing so much Nether into Yuroach the rotations had become unstable At times like this Randidly almost regretted giving back Solomon�s Penance hidden cost or no He had an inkling of how he could go about forming his own but that was a time investment he couldn�t afford even with the Patron of Feathers slowing her deterioration

Instead Randidly just ran his mind back through the journey he took to get here The weight of his history had created him and it would sustain him now

His world invaded by the System The Dungeon Meeting Shal returning to his homeworld then traveling afar to Tellus Another return the Raid Dungeon then connecting to the other Zones and dealing with the uneasy politics The struggles against Yystrix�s plots the steady expansion of the connected Zones the founding of Expira Returning to Tellus

Going to the frontlines and finally stepping into the Nexus after years of battles and struggles The shaft Developing a Nether Core integrating his Soulskill with Expira creating the Alpha Cosmos New enemies the Swacc Family and Velio Dunn Commandant Wick

Helen�s death The loss of the Ghosthound�s First Knight

Expanding his internal universe Facing a few of Elhume�s fists in his attempts to protect the original Patrons Preparing his universe for the possible eventualities of his own failure Now seeking answers about Elhumes past for some clue about how to overcome him in the present

Significance and flames of Nether Weight danced through his body At moments like this he could feel the supernatural composition of himself The mass of Aether the images an entire isolated universe all within and without A Nether Core an edge the event horizon the stretch of iris around an infinitely dense pupil

Randidly opened his eyes His memories had stabilized the flow of Nether through his core even strengthening it slightly Just as he felt a little bit of relief a chime echoed out from the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night A particular memory of Sydney�s demanded his attention Some of that fire from the Stillborn Phoenix began to stir those emotions quickly rising to the surface

Randidly shook his head in the face of the request Not yet not now

In a way the Grey Creature understood At least it understood how much other benefits he was getting so it eased back and allowed the fury to sink into embers of resentment

For a bit he spent some time honing his images Again the quality of the image training had taken a step forward at this higher ring As evidenced by the gorgeous glittering cloudscape around them the fineness and acuity of the extra depth in the Sonara had increased He visualized his earlier activations of his various Skills moving through each of his images Skill Levels came so easily it almost felt like cheating Most notably a focus on Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins earned him almost a hundred Levels in a half hour

It was a Skill he hadn�t polished in a while greatly aided by the sensation of unleashing it and striking such a blow against Yuroach

Randidly glanced up at the glistening tapestry of far off celestial bodies If he was being honest he was more on the Pullas camp for this one Not because of the immaculately spun quality of the starlight which was indeed impressive Or the variety of size and colors amongst the stars so that each meandering look discovered a new impressive cluster

No what won Randidly�s approval was the intricate movements his sharp senses picked up This wasn�t just some painting these different stars existed albeit not on the scale of the actual universe The ring wasn�t large enough for that But the creator of this place had somehow rigged the sky with the complex interplay of gravitational forces of actual space For a bit Randidly followed the complex organic patterns in the sky

When he felt satisfied that he had learned all he could from this individual Randidly continued to train his images Skill Levels continued to flow easily to him as he focused his efforts on the lowest of his core Skills

It was almost a disappointment to arrive at the edge of the ring and begin to ascend through the exterior stairwell As they rose the group seemed to twitch as one and turn around In the sky behind them a massive swan alighted on a distant cloud and observed their departure Randidly offered the mysterious swan a bow then continued to climb

The next few rings were similarly devoid of any resistance Well aside from the rapid increase in the size of each ring Which gave him more time to hone his images but brought back his worries about the Patron of Feathers

The thirty fifth floor was a massive swamp leaving Randidly to idly make lilypad pathways so he didn�t have to feel leeches and skittering bugs moving between his toes The size was such that Randidly suspected a small planet could be dropped into this place and within a few years would have sunk completely into the mud

The thirty sixth floor was a series of subterranean caverns Actually there was some minor resistance here from goblin faced locals who inhabited the place Xershi happily massacred any who came to close giving Randidly time to hone the details of the still unruly Grey Creature

This ring was particularly aggravating because they went down as much as they spread out toward the edge of the ring At some point Randidly decided to ignore the tunnels and rip his way forcefully through the ground It took almost a full day to make it to the exterior stairwell and begin to climb Randidly made a silent prayer that this was due to the terrain

But immediately the thirty seventh floor felt different They came out into the interior of a house Randidly pivoted on his heel slowly taking in the many worn tapestries hanging from the long walls and the large fireplace at one end of the room cold and barren of flames

Welcome children Especially you the intriguing Mr Ghosthound Have a seat around the table and let me take a look at you

Randidly�s skin crawled at the voice It was honey poured across broken glass brought to your mouth by a rusty spoon He turned further viewing the other end of the room An extremely tall and skeletally thin woman sat at a low wooden table with four empty chairs arrayed opposite her The ceiling was probably three meters up but the woman�s torso just stretched and stretched so her head was bowed lest it knock against the wooden top of the house Wispy grey hairs hung across her face conspiring with shadows to hide her features

Yet the true reason Randidly felt so uncomfortable remained a mystery for several more seconds Then it hit him it was faint but this woman exuded her own greasy variety of Nether Beyond that a powerful image gripped the room humming as it kept itself from collapsing and squeezing them

His expression twisted Yuroach wanted to monologue once he felt confident he had his image dominating the space but this individual doesn�t seem the type to make that mistake

The creepy long woman waved an arm the movement starting at her shoulder The thin and lanky limb had more in common with a weeping willow branch being buffeted by the wind than a human motion Now now don�t be shy All who pass through my domain must have their fortunes read by me Many claim it�s quite good luck Others

The woman�s head twisted slightly Even with the hair blocking most of her features it was possible to see she looked at the tapestries And now that Randidly gave them a second look they all depicted various individuals sewn into the fabric with a variety of agonized expressions Well they didn�t have good fortunes waiting for them anyway I did this for their own good

Chapter 2024

Madam Ouranos there is no need for that Fiona stepped forward to take the vicious gaze of this old monster off the vital heart of their strange Ascension Pact She forced a smile onto her face even though her lips felt like lead Even now she felt almost like she was dreaming traveling and striving like this Like she had when she was younger We�ve just finished a long journey Why don�t we have a harmonious meal first and then consider the weighty proposition of a fortune

The gaunt thing swiveled her head to look at Fiona As figures who had passed each other quite often in the past there was quite a bit of animosity between the two of them Not the least because Ouranos didn�t dare try and look at Fiona�s fortune due to the seductive power of her image For the fortune teller Fiona was her natural enemy

Yet even while she moved to defend him Fiona wondered about her three companions If nothing else allowing them to have their fortunes read would perhaps give her some more information The process of being swept up into the Ascension Pact happened so quickly And the long journeys through the rings gave Fiona time to consider

Wasn�t this too perfect a setup for her revenge against Duulys

No it simply must be now Ouranos remained firm The entire building began to vibrate with her presence A ring thick with her queasy energy began to tighten around this place ready to force the issue Such a talented young man well if he is going to walk toward his death isn�t it my duty to protect him

What do you mean protect him The brash Xershi stepped forward his fists clenched Fiona clicked her tongue but gratefully let the smile slide from her face Even now she hated herself for defaulting so naturally to that expression it was easier to recede into the background even though waiting there were echos of her uncle

You should smile more

You all are judging my works I can tell Hah it is so difficult to have my kind intentions be so misunderstood Ouranos swayed her entire gloomy body A long arm limply rose stretching so that it could reach five meters across to the wall and brush against one of the hanging tapestries I do them all a favor I check their future if they are fated to soon die isn�t it better to be woven into immortality here in my home They have each other and me for company it would be a waste to let them die I am generously offering to do the same with the precious

What Ouranos didn�t say was that she used Nether to try and trap the individuals into a deadly fate Rather than having your fortune read it was this creepy puppet woman chasing you through a metaphysical labyrinth If she caught you before the candles at the table burned out you would become a tapestry However if it was the Ghosthound

Suspicion curdled in Fiona�s gut If he survives the chances that our group can actually overcome Duulys become at least possible But if he survives how can such a useful tool just present itself to me After so many years of misery

Alright let�s do it Randidly stepped forward right on cue His gaze was quiet and intense But let�s make it quick I have business higher in the Sonara

Ouranos cackled Ha I love your enthusiasm Now I just hope that fate has similar beliefs in store for you Do not worry the process will only take a few minutes only as long as it takes for this candle to burn down

As the group begrudgingly followed the Ghosthound to the table the woman�s jaw stretched down almost unhinging itself from her face Fiona felt a profound distaste for everything this monster did but kept it to herself At this point she was almost becoming excited to see the Ghosthound tested A part of her wished he would fail a subtle betrayal down the line unmasked early

Fiona�s hands began to tremble so she hid them under the table

A pale and withered tongue unspooled itself from Ouranos�s dark maw stretching the meter from her jaw to the candle The dry tongue hung limp and swung for a second before the end twisted itself up and snapped creating a spark They sat and waited as the tongue rolled itself back up The jaw clicked back into place

Ouranos leaned forward Her spine creaked like the prow of an old fishing boat Then let�s begin Peer into the flame child Let your mind float freely I will read your fate in the shadows that dance across your face

Just like that the process began Thin tendrils of her image seeped through the doorframe and windows spinning themselves around to surround the table like a slimy cocoon The Ghosthound�s eyes went unfocused as that image dominated the space The flame of the candle rapidly grew morphing from a mundane flame to a grey and purple fireball Wax dripped down the side of the candle at a visible speed The two central characters were both frozen locked in a strange connection

Fiona�s trembling grew worse And so what if these fools are just one more dagger in my back I�m strong enough to handle it I�m strong enough to kill them all

The other two sat in silence simply observing After about two minutes of waiting Xershi twisted in his seat Are we really just going to sit here while this happened Randidly would make a shitty rug

She felt freer now than she had in four hundred years Which would put her a hair below depressed in her mind But extremely capable a valuable component

Perhaps the comparable age between herself and Ouranos is why she couldn�t let that abrupt conclusion go But perhaps those last few long journeys across the floors had allowed the newness to fade and the bitterness she had lived with for so long to seep back into her heart

Outside the home was a scenic view of the valley below The Ghosthound had moved off onto a stone outcropping of stone and produced his spear His body flowed cleanly between a variety of stances yet his movements were slow Staring at him for a few seconds Fiona could see this was about patterns he kept repeating variations of the same patterns with his spearhead

Soon she could remain silent no longer The thoughts bounced around her and built up pressure until they exploded out of her mouth How did you manage that

The Ghosthound paused briefly registering her presence His movements soon restarted while he replied What do you mean

That old monster�s fortune telling facade aside she�s quite capable Her image is insidious and she�s one of the few individuals I know that managed to condense something similar to a Nether Core Fiona paused as the Ghosthound chuckled what is that not true And you seem to have turned her ability back on itself It�s just a surprise Who the hell are you really

Does it make any difference The Ghosthound�s movements sped up a bit The air rustled dragged along with his movements it seemed as though he neared the patterns he was searching for However he paused before he found that perfect shape He set the butt of his spear against the ground and turned to look at her That being did not possess a true Nether Core As far as I can tell she relies on the size of this ring to fake its presence she allows a lot of time to pass then uses her image to compress all the significance into her body and hold it there By repeating the process every few years she fakes having a Nether Core For someone with a true Nether Core it�s easy

The Ghosthound tilted his head to the side Oh are you really suspicious of me

Once he said it Fiona acknowledge it was true She stuck out her chin there was no reason to deny it We�ve been proceeding extremely smoothly up through the floors Almost too easily I had thought you would be a useful companion to have in the fight against my ex husband but what if you are a trap to lure me out of hiding

The same ex husband you said you would try to forgive The Ghosthound�s expression was serious

Fiona hid her embarrassment with her most dazzling smile Her cheeks ached to hold the expression That was something said in the heat of the moment swept up in your peculiar Nether Ritual We will see how the actual meeting goes once I�ve destroyed his image and flayed the skin from his body

Randidly Ghosthound looked at her for a long time So long the smile fell off her face Part of the intensity in his gaze did remind Fiona of that uncle she so resented but the main thrust of it was entirely different She started to feel oddly vulnerable as he examined her

Trust is hard He eventually said He reached up and rubbed at his head Honestly I�m probably not a great individual to talk about this my track record with friends isn�t great But we don�t need friendship for this Ascension Pact We speak very little of our own truths so everything we say is entirely honest right

After the first betrayal takes you by surprise you never forget you were just as sure nothing was about to happen then as you are now Probably more so before your innocence was destroyed Fiona freely admitted

Randidly nodded slowly We will listen if you ever want to talk about it For now I�ll just say this Feel how solid the tattoos have become These were woven out of our promises and some lingering energy in the Sonara So just know that the solid result you produced against Yuroach was woven from what we�ve shared

It wasn�t enough It was obvious he felt awkward in conversations like this and that only made her tenser Fiona felt her insides tearing themselves to pieces with worry Yet her pride made her turn away and walk back toward the house

She stopped and looked back at him What

Do you really want to know how I did it Overcame her Nether Randidly said He raised his spear and drew an elaborate S in the air Weirdly the wind seemed to become more excited spinning around his weapon

Fiona nodded

Chapter 2025

Randidly traced Acri through the air in a particular pattern utilized by Ouranos as he considered how he wanted to describe the interaction In truth the explanation was just a pretext Something in his heart whispered that he couldn�t let Fiona walk away with that sort of feral expression The Grey Creature stirred as it looked at her her emotions were building toward a conclusion just as wild and violent as Randidly�s own dark finale

Or perhaps this is empathy He wavered slightly then refocused He wasn�t good at this but what he suddenly realized he also wasn�t good at was explaining the way Nether worked to outsiders He bit his lip as Nether flowed through him

At this point it had become a physical part of his new body Nether traveled through him with its particular sensations and patterns It came in through his nose and ran along his veins beside the blood Telling Fiona about how greasy and inconsistent Ouranos�s pathetic attempt at Nether had been wouldn�t hold her attention for long It would also miss a lot of the nuance of why her pattern had been so weak

He drew the S shape one more time This Madam Ouranos did have a unique way of utilizing Nether But it was ultimately a simple game of cat and mouse If I had to describe it that candle between us connected our minds and placed us within a flowing river Her capability allowed her to peer through that river and reverse its flow in unpredictable ways so she could drag my fortune� to where she wanted it along the bank At a particularly dangerous location she had prepared with her image

Randidly traced several variations on Ouranos�s patterns very quickly Each produced a slightly different response from the world sending wind howling away or pulling it to spin around Acri Ouranos�s method was interesting but it felt wrong to Randidly�s senses And considering how easily he had overcome her he was inclined to trust his senses Even as he sank into his memories he made other attempts to improve his rendition

He had been taken to a cavernous maze when his consciousness flowed into that flame alone in the dark with the long and gloomy passages Yet a single breath through his nose had given him a picture of the entire area He had sensed about twenty floating eyeballs oozing pus and searching for him He rapidly traced out the passages around him her coverage honestly wasn�t that impressive If one was lucky or moved quickly it was easy to avoid them as they honed in toward his position

If you had an accurate picture of the area and didn�t panic that is

Yet as he examined him he felt discovered her subtle pull to guide him to his death Her interference was slightly annoying He clicked his tongue as he examined her eyeball images Even for him looking directly into those floating pus drippers would have been a dangerous thing

How do you beat a river Fiona asked in a whisper pulling Randidly back to the present

He cleared his throat Well the metaphor is imperfect but essentially

Randidly had gone to a dead end and waited allowing them all to come closer The pattern affected movement but couldn�t force him walk Soon all of his escape routes were filled Still he watched gathering more and more of an impression of the pattern Ouranos utilized And as they turned down that final passage Randidly had unfolded his current position fueling the change in perspective with his Nether Core

The dimensions resisted for a second due to that pattern but his powerful Nether obliterated that resistance Suddenly he was at the end of the passage and all the eyeballs were bumping uncomfortably into one another in the dead end As they twisted around he folded space again leaving them trapped in a dark room with no exist only able to look at each other

if she controlled the river I controlled the landscape around it Randidly finished drawing another tight spiral The ground hummed beneath his feet he was getting closer to the correct execution I twisted the river around so it flowed into itself in a circle and couldn�t reach the place she wanted to go And now she�s stuck there

Stuck how Fiona�s frown deepened What method did you use

Honestly no fancy method Randidly felt a tickle of insight He turned his eyes up to the sky unwilling to look at her directly as he tried his best to give some help Well if I had to put it simply there are two types of individuals I�ve encountered since getting involved in Nether People who create patterns and people who are patterns

The drawn rune hung in the air negative energy discharging as crackling lightning around it Randidly frowned as it lingered without his prodding continuing to persist and draw in more Nether The significance below it began to develop Gradually an entire system of energy began to develop

He cut off its connection to him before it could develop further For another few minutes it persisted before running out of steam and collapsing Randidly watched it the entire time his skin crawling For a while he was confused by why a shape held such persistent meaning but a stirring within the core of his significance revealed it

That shape had been the Authority of a dead Nether King He wondered for a bit whether Ouranos had slain one herself (which seemed unlikely) or whether she had just witnessed the demise of one He felt oddly sad as he drew the symbol again letting it persist for a while From its shape it seemed like he could allow it to persist and turn into a minor variety of Nether Prince

With the war against the Nether happening so long ago how much information was lost Randidly wondered How much about this growing Nether Core will I have to stumble through without direction As far as I know only one Nether King remains

which probably means it is very important that I don�t reveal the fact that I now have a Skill that implies I am a Nether Heir Randidly�s face turned serious I have a feeling that Elhume didn�t just engage in the systematic eradication of powerful Nether figures for fun

However in the end being hinted as a Nether Heir was only one of a half dozen reasons Elhume would probably kill him if he had his full information

Those issues were for later For now he released a long breath and took advantage of the wonderful image environment He stretched out a bit and then began putting his images through their paces

Yggdrasil grew taller spreading its shadow across the entire ring The green of its leaves deepened and the patterns across its trunk began to caper happily The Stillborn Phoenix gobbled up the scraps of Ouranos�s image and her dirty and poorly refined Nether happily repurposing everything she had accomplished into its fuel In its manifested state the Egg of Depression�s size continued to creep outward The Grey Creature�s jagged edges sharpened and bled becoming a constant source of dull pain in Randidly�s heart Its flesh bubbled and curdled melted from within by the fires of his emotion

Yet Randidly didn�t try and slow down its dangerous shift He simply observed acquiescing to its desires

I�ll look at your truth I haven�t forgotten Randidly closed his eyes I�ll someday take a step back from this pattern I promise

He also continued to proceed through the Hierarchy of Burden Once he had a knack for spatial collapse he proceeded to push his Fatepiece to Level 70 Only halfway through did the strain shift becoming a pulsating instability that sought both to fold him inward and open him up like a blossoming flower

The first several times it happened Randidly collapsed into a groaning and panting pile of limbs Slowly he pushed himself to his feet and gathered himself for a while Right when he was about to go back into the training he noticed Pullas nearby She stood silently staring at the ground with a complex expression

What is the world coming to Randidly thought to himself as he took a deep breath before speaking to her Is something wrong

Not particularly Pullas kicked her foot against the ground She began shaking her head Just all those we liberated from the tapestries have died I suspect they had been dead for a while just physically bound in place by Ouranos�s ability Their deaths were not good ones I suppose that seeing what life not to live is a part of my journey as well

For a while she was silent then she followed up with a second thought When I was staying in Idylla building systems around me do you think I was like them Dying slowly without knowing it woven into the fabric of something that didn�t matter

Randidly�s emotional muscles cramped from so much exercise today But because of the Nether Ritual sewn between them he tried to answer No At least not at first Building something part of the present is preparing for the future right

Chapter 2026

Duulys paused by the central staircase and turned around He felt an itch below his skin one that he needed to scratch before he continued Heat spread through his body like a contagious disease Ah one more thing before I go I�ve got a question for you

The elegant swan bowed its giant head Anything my liege I am at your service

The phrasing made a wicked smile spread across Duulys�s face The heat continued to intensify His muscular shoulders bulged as he methodically began cracking his knuckles That�s so wonderful to hear However did you attempt to slow this group down at all These trouble makers that so vex me

The temperature in the sky ring immediately changed Several of the surrounding clouds drifted away pushed back by Duulys�s naked antagonism The heat around his body rose until all the clouds began to dissipate around him The swan seemed stunned What My liege you gave no such order

Answer the fucking question Duulys growled His image gurgled under his skin its intensity rising

The swan�s eyes began to bulge with fear Then it mastered itself and raised its head in quiet resistance it was after all a powerful dweller within the Sonara I did not impede their progress But only because

The truth is Duulys interrupted He shook his head his dreadlocks bouncing pleasantly around his face They are racing up to my floor They might need to trek out to the exterior stairwell but they had a big head start on me All because other subordinates of mine misled me about their location Because weirdly everywhere he goes Randidly fucking Ghosthound makes formerly loyal aids take his side Is that what you are doing Taking his fucking side

The swan clacked its beak I can assure you

What�s going to happen Duulys�s voice thundered over the swan When they make it to my fucking ring and I�m not there For all that I admire about this Ghosthound one fact is abundantly clear his feet are bare After walking through these filthy rings he�s going to waltz into my home without putting on shoes No the fact that you aided and abetted this travesty you deserve a harsh judgment

Despite its bravado the swan shivered at the vehemency in Duulys�s voice But when it spoke its word were sharp Humph if you punish me won�t you also be letting them get further ahead

Duulys laughed He stepped down off the staircase As he did so a massive spectral lion formed in the air behind him It leaned forward and wrapped its massive paws around Duulys�s body A silver helmet showing a roaring lion and a gleaming mane condensed around him He blazed with silver fire

You overestimate yourself Teaching you regret will take no time at all Duulys laughed again Crimson drops began to seep out from the fangs of his image helmet

The swan hesitated unsure of how serious he was being That was its mistake

Duulys Ambar made no false boasts

What he found on the thirty ninth floor was a battlefield

They stood on a hill with broken weapons and dirty pools of water littering the slope below them At the bottom a dozen different warriors manifested their images and clashed with one another When one duel was about to be finished a golden specter shot down and plucked up the unconscious humanoid to carry them to an island in the sky The victor spun around and attacked the back of a nearby butterfly then had to defend against the belch of flame unleashed by a massive iguana

The violence was chaotic and unforgiving

As Randidly watched sometimes a lone fighter covered in blood would wander over the hill and then dash down to join the chaotic melee Sometimes sudden bursts of noise in the distance demonstrated that some new fight had started periodically a golden barge flew down from the island probably dropping off the healed fighters to continue their unending cycle of violence It was a place of intense and constant training

Of them all Pullas seemed to have the most vicious reaction The pale power of her image sparkled around her body A land without death What an ugly spectacle this place is

On cue a lumbering giant alligator ripped its claws through the mud behind them pulling its massive body up on top of the slope It whipped its head around beady eyes fixing on the group of four Blood dripped from its jaws likely from its previous victims in the melee After releasing a booming bellow it scrambled at them

Randidly�s eyes narrowed but he felt a new demand on his Nether Core Xershi flashed past him the Grey Creature tattoo on his back flaring with power A mantle of woe ash and metaphysical impunity swirled around the metal liger man When his image exploded outward and filled the air around him his claws were also wreathing in distorted grey flames

A metallic liger and an alligator rolled around for several seconds tails and claws lashing and drawing deep gouges into the muddy hilltop The booms of their images colliding spread across the area drawing the wariness of some of the other competitors Probably this alligator man was about equal to Xershi normally But with the addition of the Nether Ritual boon and the fact it had exhausted itself defeating other competitors the wounds on its body began to add up

Right as it collapsed a golden figure swooped down to grab the alligator At the last moment Randidly had a bit of insight and attempted to deactivate the tattoo still radiating its power around Xershi By then it was too late

The golden figure that had moved with such unhindered freedom through images flew without a care into the veil of Nether and surly malevolence borrowed from the Grey Creature It released a loud screech as half of its body disintegrated on contact with that peculiar power It flared with a brighter gold color fighting through the dissipating remnant to seize the alligator and fly away

However the vibe of the entire ring changed as the golden figure was damaged

These eternal fighters paused in their individual duels and looked up at the group on the hilltop that had wounded their protector spirits Their eyes were slowly dyed red They began taking slow steps through the mud trudging up at them

So moving quickly and quietly is the name of the game yes Fiona said with a heavy ladle of sarcasm

Xershi scratched his head and began to reply but three of those barges shot out of the central floating island They swooped down and circled above the group beginning to parachute powerful image users down around them A massive suit of armor a strange bone insect and a shirtless man wielding a greatsword led the way They landed in a smacking splash of mud their images conflicting against each other but united in their antagonism toward the Ascension Pact

Randidly nodded tightly Time to go

Chapter 2027

The group each mobilized their own images all their practice fighting together against Yuroach suddenly being put to a whole new test Death the taboo and a giant animalistic machine mixed with Randidly�s own bouquet of images Meanwhile a gaggle of infuriated warriors continued to crater into the nearby mud as the foursome descended the slope releasing blasts of power to open up a path in front of them

Fiona took the lead her image spreading slowly out to become a thick mauve mist that disguised their progress and confused the nearest fighters When that wasn�t enough to keep the encirclement form tightening she unleashed sharp bursts of force to give them an edge swinging her leg around and knocking an opponent dazed by her image into the mud

Xershi continued to happily drain Randidly�s Nether in order to take advantage of his violent tattoo but luckily the volume was a lot less onerous than the Stillborn Phoenix�s massive gulp Randidly could support the metal liger covered in grey flames while also unleashing waves of Yggdrasil�s roots behind them to smash against the body of a flaming turtle rushing behind the group

He grimaced as the sedan sized turtle just barreled through the roots its image heavy and powerful enough to overwhelm the World Tree even reinforced with flames of Nether Weight The mass of different images activated around them released conflicting waves of force that buzzed against his skin Man if we had some extra time staying here and honing my images would be so valuable

Randidly stopped up short and pivoted to the side The fraction of time given to him to react was impossibly slight but Predictive Synapses were not easy to surprise A golden spirit lanced down out of the sky and burned a deep hole into the ground It raised its featureless face and glared at Randidly with two glowing white orbs sizzling like a chemical fire Waving a hand he unleashed a current of Nether from his body that obliterated the golden spirit

In response the giant sky island began to turn and drift after the group A half dozen golden spirits shot out of the sides and twisted around to attack the group from different angles Pullas wheeled around and unleashed several beams of pale death power making the flaming turtle snap its teeth in irritation Randidly began mobilizing flows of Nether to surround the group keeping the golden spirits from being able to approach

Ahead Xershi fought against two different images users a four armed monkey and a humanoid with the head of a shark Both had powerful images but Xershi�s Nether empowered claws slowly burned their way deeper into the substance and shape of the images They roared in pain and struggled to throw off the limbs but Xershi was filled with bloodlust enough to overcome them

Their progress was stalling out Pullas spun around and unleashed another beam of death that cut a swooping crow out of the sky Fiona avoided a diving golden spirit and then kicked an alien in the chest Randidly did some quick mental calculations as one of the golden barges dropped another ten warriors down around them Soon they would be fighting almost five to one with the odds growing worse every second Decisively he yanked back the Nether from Xershi�s tattoo

His metal claws stopped being able to rip so easily through images Suddenly Xershi�s metal liger found itself trying to suppress two other potent images on just his own power Xershi�s optical apertures began to rapidly click as the ape and the shark man noticed the change and began to push him back Unable to resist their power he was pushed back Uh Randidly

Just focus on running Randidly said His skin began to tingle and steam wafted off of his body The Nether flowed through him faster and faster Those flows of Nether he used to defend against the golden spirits tightened and thickened A storm began to brew with the group at its center If we get too bogged down we will be done I�ll clear a path

Alone Fiona glanced sideways at him after snapping the neck of a praying mantis creature Even now her practical capability for violence felt strangely impressive

Randidly grinned Kinetic energy swirled around him twisting in larger and larger patterns He took small bursts of force from all the conflicting images and fed it into a growing restrictive storm Every flare empowered him settling down and beginning to sizzle and weaken the surrounding images Well I have my Stats

Congratulations Your Skill Philosophy Within the Boundless Deluge has grown to Level 890

Grinning Randidly spun away and shot back to his companions While he had been distracted by the turtle the shirtless greatsword user had reached the group and now clashed against Xershi Pullas and Fiona used their powerful images to fight off two other image users but they couldn�t get the upper hand because the golden spirits swarmed around them and sniped at their backs

A wave of Randidly�s hand annihilated the golden spirits with pure Nether Then he accelerated and body slammed the greatsword user sideways With his speed he released force and arrived barely giving a distracted image user time to respond He skidded to a stop throwing a wave of mud onto Pullas�s opponent The detail oriented woman didn�t miss the chance and unleashed a bolt of death that snuck into her foe�s chest and began to wither the flesh from within Randidly drew the energy and flows of Nether tighter around their position slowing the pursuit down

Without the distractions Fiona ripped her opponent in half The golden spirits sizzled with antagonism as they stayed outside of Randidly�s storm still unable to fight against the Nether But this was the opportunity the group was waiting for Randidly smashed one more humanoid out of the way and the group accelerated to their full speed in the clear

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 971

Randidly glanced around The floating island behind them had begun to shift but the acceleration was slow Instead his senses went to the continually chaotic interaction of images in the sky What a fascinating method maintained by the owner of this ring The constant fighting of powerful image users means that unlike other areas that add depth to the image you are constantly hammered here Your image becomes purified and condensed the longer you remain

He clicked his tongue in disappointment but lowered himself and loped with the group Occasionally a random warrior wandered over a nearby hill Randidly took a deep breath and realized that powerful image users were everywhere in this ring Xershi or Fiona whichever reacted more quickly happily handled these single foes with the assistance of Randidly�s oppressive Nether Storm

Yet while they continued to open up space between themselves and the floating island Randidly felt a horrible foreboding in his chest The worst part was that it was familiar his Nether clearly informed him a connection existed between the source of his fear and himself The Stillborn Phoenix had the strongest reaction a competitiveness rising inside of it

That confused Randidly all the more As they sprinted across muddy roads he frowned at the ground What entity would the Stillborn Phoenix have connections to The easiest answer is Devick approaching but that doesn�t seem right And I haven�t felt her image in a while

He took a deep breath through his nose trying to discover the origin of the sensation Because it was very clearly not the floating island However if anything Randidly felt connected to the entire ring The impression was vague and constant His expression became even more intense

Whoever owned this ring clearly possessed a lot of capability Their essence pervaded the entire area

Slow down Fiona suddenly said The tight emotion in voice immediately made Randidly curious Through their shared Nether Ritual he could feel an absolute torrent of emotions a seething song of destruction that made the Grey Creature seem like it was just throwing a childish temper tantrum when it tried to rip him apart from the inside out

Feeling that force Randdily could understand why Fiona might have so much difficulty finding it in herself to lay that down and trust him Yet all emotional concerns were pushed to the side by the new arrival At the top of the hill in front of them a smartly dressed man stood in a suit His clothing was impeccable untouched by the grime and mud of the ring

Mimic Fiona spat out the words

Mimic smiled shyly Madam I appreciate your attempts to throw yourself upon Master Ambar�s mercy However he is in a very fragile state right now It�s better that the two of you never encounter each other Throw yourself into this Gobbler�s hell and vanish into anonymity Because if you insist on climbing to the next floor I�ll need to bury you here

Chapter 2028

Randidly�s senses conflicted as he looked at the creature known as Mimic Nether could find nothing of significance about this being In terms of depth or history he felt curious blank Yet even the Grey Creature growled that this was a dangerous foe With its eyes toward survival this enemy was worth noting

Randidly grimaced The inconsistency of impression was not a good sign He drew a deep breath through his nose finally getting a bit of clarity Mimic maintained a tight Nether barrier in the area around his body His Nether Storm would need to be extremely concentrated to slow him down like this

Either way Randidly continued to gather small ripples from the conflicting images in the ring and spin them around him A maelstrom of power churned around his body ready to address whatever sort of threat erupted from this foe His images gathered in his limbs transforming into physicalizations His hair turned emerald darkness circled around his left eye his fingers twisted and sharpened No matter what he would be prepared

Be careful Randidly Fiona hissed through her teeth Around them Pullas and Xershi also fell into fighting stances Although you cannot sense his capability he has mastered all basic

Mimic spoke a very familiar phrase in a light voice As he pointed he looked almost comically mundane Mana Bolt

Randidly almost believed he had misheard Then an eruption of pure annihilation as thick as a tree trunk came from Mimic�s raised fingers The intensity of the force contained it was beyond the Mana that flowed through everyone nearing the equivalent of crystalized and volatile Mana Only a hair of an image existed within the projectile but the bright color and energy frequency burned itself into Randidly�s retinas His body shifted moving automatically to intercept the blast

While the others took cover he shielded them The projectile landed against a swung fist

To his shock Randidly was the one buried into the mud by the collision He hadn�t used any sort of Skill in response but it had kicked him in the teeth Groaning Randidly pushed himself out of the shallow hole in the ground His body was now covered in splattered mud but his eyes were sharp as he looked up at Mimic You how high are your Skill Levels

Mimic laughed I had heard about your great potential Mr Ghosthound To think you would identify the trick so easily Well I really don�t wish to fight against you Please all of you step aside and allow me to eliminate Fiona If you do so you may pass without any danger to your lives

We are an Ascension Pact Pullas responded Her image of death spread out to become a barrier around the group The only way we climb is together

Almost indulgently Mimic looked at Pullas True at least for now So break the pact Because is a stranger worth your life Certainly not this particular specimen Do you know that an entire race one of the powerful ancient races no longer exists because of this woman�s hubris Her own people now extinct aside from a few unlucky survivors

Randidly rolled his shoulders Nether began flowing through his body taken from the area behind him to reinforce him for the current fight against a foe with a positively apocalyptic Mana Bolt The lion�s share Nether Storm he had left behind to slow down pursuit but he now pulled all new kinetic energy to feed through into himself Xershi stepped forward and growled Why the hell would you be able to kill people like us You think we are afraid of some Skill

Mimic clicked his tongue Fine have it your way Leap

This Skill too was just its basic form with only the slightest hint of a nascent image but that hint had been reinforced to the point that it became a piece of jagged glass So many pieces of jagged glass had been bundled together that it became a glacier Randidly�s eyes bulged trying to conceptualize how long this being had been inside the Sonara training only his Skills Mimic practically teleported tearing right through Pullas�s defensive death barrier and arriving at Xershi�s side

The well dressed man still untouched by mud pulled a fist back to his side Heavy tch Iron Skin

At the last second Randidly exploded next to him wild eyed and covered in dirt His first slammed against Mimic�s midsection Yet the powerful activation of even this Skill from Mimic meant that Randidly�s knuckles popped and fractured The ground shook All the Nether and kinetic energy dispersed unable to overpower Mimic�s manifestation

Even his Nether Storm shattered before the massive impact Mimic released However it did also mean that pursuit probably wouldn�t be a problem anymore Anyone trying to catch them would need to wade across the fiery mantle to reach them

Randidly�s eyes blazed as he looked over at the source of this destruction Fine if I can�t beat you with a single Skill and an image how about three Volatile Breath from Beyond Grit of the Ascendant Bane The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty

Randidly breathed and whispered The world leaned closer to listen

Stone within the ground became roots and those roots spread and wove themselves between the shuddering fractions of ground that hadn�t yet collapsed into the seething lava Randidly�s Nether Core began spinning rapidly He Seized all the remaining pieces of ground creating a network of islands to support each other With all his powers combined juggled though they might be he rode out the high Skill Level

As the aftershocks began to fade he looked up toward Mimic The man immaculate as ever stood on a slightly raised pillar The rest of the hill had collapsed around him from the Skill Pullas and Fiona were behind Randidly on one of a dozen lower pieces of ground Thick stone tendrils bound them forming two dotted rings around the central point Smoke ash drifted through the air off of the fiery arteries of the ground

Randidly felt like he was in the middle of some imagined boss battle rather than just trying to cross a muddy stretch of land and leave this place At the far side of the arena� he saw Xershi clamoring up the side of a pillar to safety

Mimic looked around and nodded in satisfaction at what he had accomplished What a powerful Skill I�ll add it to my repertoire Definitely sends a message despite the Mana cost Now let me ask you again will none of you step to the side Fiona deserves to die

Does he have a weakness Randidly ignored Mimic and spoke over his shoulder

Fiona�s expression was full of hatred Well technically He doesn�t use any images except for the small pieces inside of the Skills Theoretically this limits his reach And an all consuming image can invalidate his abilities But because of how high his Skill Level has climbed

Only a single Skill used for an entire lifetime Pullas muttered Truthfully I am somewhat envious Certainly that seems like an effective method to controlling what sort of death he will eventually find

Mimic�s expression fell clearly hearing their conversation topic Hmph if you wish to gossip let me tell you a story The Raesham were a powerful and modest people one of the few Ancient Races whose exploits echoed positively out across the entire Nexus They were pivotal in winning the early wars against the Nether in fact it is their predecessors that founded the Xyrt Brigade

Next to him Randidly saw the blood beginning to drain from Fiona�s face

However such successes did not come without costs their youth were decimated by the war Many of the major families were wiped out completely All the hopes of the generation fell to a single war hero who earned an enormous amount of recognition on the frontlines but more importantly he also survived and came home That is Duulys Ambar the light of my people

Mimic�s features began to contort Obviously he could not hold the entire race on his back Too many had fallen Perhaps the fall of the Raesham was inevitable buried so the Nexus could build a higher castle upon this ground But he could have slowed the descent given hope to their allies which would have meant they didn�t betray the Raesham to their enemies at the worst possible times All he needed to do was have a few children

There was a lot of hope too After all it was well known that Duulys Ambar had a childhood sweetheart Despite the scandal of her being from a common servant�s family most decided to overlook this detail the future of the entire race was more important than bloodline The Raesham were a practical people

But there was one problem This pathetic girl the one who trapped Duulys�s heart was barren Mimic�s eyes glowed with malice

Chapter 2029

Randidly frowned at the sudden announcement Fiona stiffened at the word barren Those emotions raged through her body seeking to expend themselves and destroy Her image seethed in the air around her impotent and too amorphous to stand against the blunt hammer of Mimic�s Skill activation

Mimic trembled too driven by his own rising tide of emotion The worst part is she knew How could she not We were all raised in the Nexus we know our bodies better than anyone She was the one to pursue Duulys as a child sneaking around his family�s estate helping him escape the confines of the Ambar mansion exposing him to the rougher and unrefined sides of life From her Duulys learned of sloth and indulgence

She knew She plotted and planned wily and twisted even as a girl Mimic leaned forward really getting carried away in his retelling Her small gifts and trinkets were calculated to sway a pure and noble heart Because Fiona Sithe was and still is a sociopath that would do anything she could to get what she wanted She was selfish enough to steal Duulys�s heart refusing to give him up to any other Even though her withered loins would doom the Raesham

Randidly opened his mouth to respond but someone else beat him to the punch His heart warmed to know they were all on the same page

Mimic turned to look at Xershi A flaring metal liger was completely manifested about his body clearer and more detailed than Randidly had ever seen it before Perhaps more than anyone else the stint on this ring had imparted upon his image quite a bit of clarity It raised its head and roared a challenge Xershi sneered They were kids And from what you are saying Duulys made his own decision Don�t push all the blame onto Fiona

You wouldn�t understand that stakes Mimic snarled

Xershi laughed so hard he bent over and slapped his knee You sound like a cheap melodrama We don�t understand the stakes Hey Suddenly the metal man�s face became deadly serious Are you assuming we crawled out from some heavenly utopia underneath a rock We all grew up in the Nexus Don�t talk to us like we don�t know the stakes

Through the Nether Ritual between them Randidly felt significance rapidly spiraling within Xershi�s image The metal liger deepened as it stalked forward the presence of a whole violent lifetime of struggles filling its shape Its gleaming tongue slithered out across its teeth

Yet Mimic wasn�t impressed Pah you new bloods given a platform by Elhume�s working would not understand the constant threat the ancient races faced We had to constantly prove ourselves lest we get left behind To prevent a flood of a new race in a new Cohort from annihilating everything we had built

Xershi pressed his lips together clearly tired of this discussion In the fraction of time before his companion pounced Randidly sensed the violence of his emotions Opposite it Fiona�s wild storm calmed slightly A hint of thankfulness sparkled in her heart

Then the fight resumed With a burning fury seizing him Xershi launched himself toward Mimic The Skill user shook his head Whatever your lives are worthless Mana Bolt

Randidly was there his arm looping around Mimic�s and forcing his wrist upward The powerful Skill seared Randidly�s hand but the discharge shot straight upward without harming anyone Mimic blinked in shock but rapidly recovered Randidly slammed his fist about where Mimic�s kidney should be but once more crunched his body against an overwhelmingly powerful Iron Skin

If nothing else the bastard had quick reactions

Mimic twisted in place His leg rose up in Xershi�s direction The movement was familiar Roundhouse Kick

Randidly belatedly threw himself forward crashing into the white light that Mimic released with just a kick A faded shard of an image it might be but this common Skill became a destructive energy blast when all the Skill Levels of Mimicked Activation were thrown behind it Randidly tumbled backward enduring the force but still displaced by it Sulfur crooned in satisfaction taking most of the force

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 813

Congratulations Your Skill The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 794

Right before the Skill landed and discharged its deadly burst of current Randidly�s hands accelerated with such force that he tore space He created a bowl of torn space to tie around the lightning The Skill smashed downward even as Randidly utilized the understanding he had earned with his Hierarchy of Burden to crease and destabilize the energy into spatial cracks

His hands twisted sharply like he was cracking the neck of a chicken

The attack vanished Pullas and Xershi launched themselves into the air both mobilizing their images The giant liger and the fuzzy figure of a good death streaked across the sky to surround Mimic The well dressed man frowned Well it�s not like I don�t have other methods Drain Life

Randidly�s expression flickered with how many Skill Levels Mimic possessed it was a dangerous attack Midair Xershi went pale Very visibly streams of Health abandoned Xershi�s body and flocked to Mimics With a leap Randidly caught Xershi�s body and pumped energy into the fading metal man with his Fourth Authority Animation Nova and through Yggdrasil�s Plasm Animus When image wasn�t enough he gladly paid in his own Health to stabilize Xershi�s condition

Meanwhile Pullas screamed in rage and denial Her eyes glowing with an unnatural golden sheen she raised her hand and cut It was a denial and it was a demand of retribution A slash of golden light flickered toward the subject of her ire

With as much gentleness as possible Randidly tossed Xershi�s body down and caught it with some roots on one of the stone platforms

Mana Barrier Mimic activated his Skill and created a thick and spectral wall in front of the attack But his eyes bulged in disbelief when the intensity of Pullas�s emotions meant the blade cut through everything and severed his left leg at the knee

By the time Mimic slapped his palms against the ground Randidly was next to him only two meters away He had pierced right through the Nether barrier Mimic�s head ripped around and he bared his teeth Fireball

The First Authority This close the weird defenses Mimic possessed didn�t affect him Randidly raised a hand Seize

A fireball manifested in the air above Mimic as large as a swimming pool and hotter than even the revealed lava after the Earthquake It was a Skill that would have possessed an insane amount of destructive power Yet now it was Seized

The moment stretched as Mimic tried to toss the Skill and found he couldn�t The control had been confiscated

Their Willpower�s clashed The Grey Monarch in Randidly�s body began to laugh amused at the struggle Randidly cleared his throat The Aether construct within his grasp hummed and bucked but couldn�t escape I�d never considered using my ability like this Images are too vast to contain At this stage individuals barely use Skills any longer And even if I could Seize one of their Skills they would have others But not you

Mimic stared at Randidly Animal fear stretched and contorted his features Fiona landed on the central platform and patted Randidly�s back Whatever you did it stabilized Xershi Lost a bit of bluster but he should be fine Now it�s time for my role

She walked with a little extra sway as she approached Mimic Her smile was as sweet and poisonous as honeyed nightshade With a flourish she pulled out that black dagger Let�s be frank Mimic All the inaccurate sins that you accuse me of committing that�s a projection The life you claim I�ve led the fierce possessiveness and corruption of Duulys that was the life you wanted isn�t it

Chapter 2030

The floating fireball above the meeting continued to radiate an intense heat But it gradually dissipated as it bled off its energy with the furious display Mimic just glared as Fiona sauntered closer She laughed softly taking her Fate and dragging the tip across his skin Mimic�s struggles against Randidly�s Seize briefly intensified but he couldn�t shake the grip

Not without an image or Skill of his own The difference in their Stats was too wide a gap His Nether Core gleefully spun tying up all of his potent Skills

There was once a boy who was not very creative Fiona whispered A boy who straddled two worlds due to some confusion about the father�s identity But it could not be denied his mother was a cherished member of the Raesham He was given a place and educated even if he was just a replaceable part Perhaps the shunning from the adults would have warped him beyond belief with their conflicting attitudes had it not been for a similarly aged boy one with a charming smile and direct manner

Mimic released a choked sob Duulys was always the best of us

He followed up the melodramatic statement with a sudden burst of effort to rip his Mimicked Activation out of Randidly�s Seize Randidly almost rolled his eyes This isn�t even difficult for me Do you think I�m going to be swayed by showing a little emotion Even if I was the one lost in my memories I don�t think this would be hard

For a while the days were long and fulfilling for this sad almost twisted boy who had made a friend Fiona continued And then someone new showed up Someone who began to monopolize Duulys�s time Someone who ruined everything A girl Me

Mimic stilled This time Randidly felt genuine hatred seeping out of his skin

Fiona crouched down in front of him and used the tip of her black dagger to push his head to and fro Did you ever wonder what it must be like to spend so much time with him To have him desire your company like he craved mine I recall Duulys often asked you to cover for us to his parents You enabled this to happen How does that make you feel Mimic

Mimic gnashed his teeth And leaned forward Randidly wondered if he should worry about him trying to physically attack Fiona He needed me much more than he needed the diversion that you represented And the proof In the end he came back to me the most reliable person in his life to tell the sick truth about your barrenness I was to whom he confided

All the joy and amusement sluiced off of Fiona�s face She pursed her lips suddenly vengeful and sadistic With a sharp twist she pulled back Mimic�s head and exposed his pale neck Her image activated in a strange way a second Mimic began to overlap the first This one seemed younger and brighter than the well dressed version now present And the spirit burned with an inner fire of ambition

What what the hell is this Mimic was trembling now his eyes flicking around at the hints of his spectral double he probably could barely see

Fiona shrugged as she reached and tightened her grip on the spectral projection If I�m just making my theory about your life up then this won�t harm you at all Perhaps I�m delusional But if you really held those secret desires if your biggest taboo is to possess Duulys in the way that I did well I wonder how one fares when their secret desire is cut out of them

NO Mimic�s eyes bulged as Fiona�s black knife cut down into him He moved but Randidly was faster gripping his arms and holding the physical Mimic in place Where the blade cut the darkness bled into the specter A short while later that projection began to curdle and rot away leaving a hollow eyed Mimic in its wake

At first Randidly stared at Mimic waiting for a response to this dangerous wound The struggles against his Seize had completely stopped Pullas helped a somewhat bedraggled Xershi come stand next to them in vigil A wind blew across the top of the platform but otherwise there was no noise

Randidly began to frown the more time passed the more nervous he became Especially because Fiona stood quite close to Mimic her hair swinging across her face to hide her expression

And yet Randidly�s anxiety only grew worse His jaw hadn�t unclenched in hours His Nether moved in unfamiliar presence slight threads pulled off by the fixed attention of the owner of the ring

A confrontation brewed A ball of significance formed in Randidly�s ribcage hinting at the approaching exchange He could feel forces he couldn�t quite trace flowing together and weaving a unique bit of significance

Despite that powerful premonition they reached the Engraved staircase without incident Even as Randidly stood on the construction and felt the resonance of images up through the different rings it was hard to believe nothing had happened He pivoted and looked back to the rolling hills

All was still they had outrun the floating island several hours ago

Unable to think of another response Randidly bowed and released all his tension so the master of the ring had allowed them to proceed without interfering At the small gesture the ball of significance that he had been building floated out of his chest It became a gift a deepening of this stranger�s significance that might empower them The connection between Randidly and this figure flared briefly then began to dim

After one last look behind at the muddy battlefield Randidly turned and climbed with the group

They passed through the portal without incident rising to the fortieth floor home and seat of power of Duulys Ambar

Their entry point was at the side of a lake a thick mist surrounding their position The tall of pine trees poked out of the mist but otherwise the land was shrouded Butting up against the shore was a flat boat Fiona grimaced as she gestured at the boat Well at least nothing has changed We will need to take that to the castle Duulys always insisted on creating a dramatic reveal for his residence

A seafaring journey Pullas adjusted her glasses This too is something that I�ve always wanted to experience How intriguing

You spent waay too much time hunched over books in Idylla Xershi shook his head in disgust as he led the way into the small vessel All four clambered into it However the most dramatic shift came when Randidly stepped up the wooden vessel groaned and sunk so deeply into the water that a few small waves dribbled into the interior

Fiona pursed her lips and Randidly flushed with a weird surge of embarrassment Hey I have several planets inside of me And my body has been remade several times Don�t shame me for being a little extra heavy

However the issue of weight soon proved irrelevant A gorgeous Engraving scrawled along the barge activated They lifted off out of the lake and rode up the slope of mist into the sky Pullas cooed and gasped in pleasure Soon they breezed up through a layer of clouds and emerged into a golden wonderland of soft lines and water vapor

Stolen entirely from the swan�s ring because Duulys liked how it looked Fiona leaned back on the far end of the barge and made herself comfortable She gestured for the others to do the same We will get to his castle eventually but not soon He designed this ride to be a three hour long tour of all the images he had plundered from those weaker than him He also has a powerful defensive Engraving made to make sure you stay inside the vehicle We could fight through it but it would only take longer and tire us out

Randidly groaned both at the time and at the personality being revealed of Duulys Ambar but sat down to meditate Because while it was somewhat obnoxious it was also a useful time to recover and prepare

After a bit of meditation Randidly pulled out his Hierarchy of Burden His eyes blazed It was time to see how far he could push himself in this last stretch of opportunity

Chapter 2031

Duulys Ambar clicked his tongue in distaste as he looked down at the inert form of Mimic The fool was hollowed out all of his annoying qualities quashed and sucked out of him Even his perennially neat uniform was stained and sliced This is exactly why you were always a worthless mongrel of a servent Just like everyone else you betrayed me in the end

He raised his hand the heavy paw of a silver lion imposing itself across the limb The force of his image was powerful enough that the air trembled at his presence Yet Duulys hesitated to shred this familiar figure Clicking his tongue he lowered the stroke of death it was too much of a mercy to end his life like this Instead he raised his voice intending to arrange a more insidious end Oy fat piece of shit Show yourself I can tell you�ve been sniffing around for a while

There was a low chuckle and then a figure appeared on the opposite side of the platform An old frail man with greying hair looked over at Duulys The only article of clothing he wore was a loincloth that had clearly been worn for far too long His bones showed through his thin skin and his stomach very clearly bulged either with being overstuffed or from suffering a long period of starvation

But his eyes spun and glittered with an inner beauty bright and distant as a cosmic nebula Those eyes gave the faintest hint of the monster that had climbed over the crystal scorpion and set himself up a small wonderland on the thirty ninth floor A dry tongue flicked out to lick his lips Is somethin� the matter Mr Ambar

Duulys gestured imperiously to Mimic I�ll leave this body to you Feel free to deal with it in your normal manner I�m told that to be so killed is quite unpleasant

Of course of course The man waved a hand showing a smile on his face but keeping his mouth closed Not a single ripple of need showed across his musculature All in due time

Perhaps Duulys would have moved passed this ring eager to catch up to the troublesome foursome without trying to challenge the master of the thirty ninth ring After all he was definitely a dangerous foe But the lack of respect and the strangeness of the response made him pause this hungry bastard never waited to eat his meal

Something else was afoot here And after the last few weeks Duulys hated unexpected variables

You Duulys narrowed his eyes As he examined the man he realized there was something unfathomable about him now All of the desperation had vanished Duulys�s lips twisted in irritation to note a difference in the face of a subordinate that he had known for quite a long time An ugly suspicion bloomed in his heart What the hell happened to you Have you also defected to the Ghosthound�s side

Finally the hungry man couldn�t hide his glee any longer His lips cracked open showing a mouth devoid of teeth The rumors about the hungry man said he had even eaten his own teeth such was his appetite Defection Nah nothing so serious as that Just recently this rather pathetic child returned a very interesting piece to me Something profound finally after all this time I feel the possibility of ascending to the Pinnacle

That stopped Duulys short What Bah don�t play with me you hungry shit Some thing like you reaching the Pinnacle You don�t even have your own image you just eat other images It�s impossible

The hungry man chuckled I thought so as well but apparently not So long as you keep walking sometimes you encounter an unexpected Path

Duulys�s expression darkened He raised his hand and cracked his knuckles He felt torn between lashing out at this sudden attitude change and pursuing the ne�er do wells moving toward his house In the end the thought of bare feet upon the gorgeous marble floors of his entrance hall won out Tsk you are lucky I have bigger fish to fry Ascend to the Pinnacle daydream about whatever fantasy you want Just get the hell out of might sight

The hungry man�s smile widened as he pushed himself up to his feet Standing his bulging belly was even more grotesque The skin stretched across the organ barely able to support its sagging weight Yet rather than moving out of the way the hungry man waddled his way forward to stand opposite Duulys

Xershi folded his arms What the hell can a castle do against a powerful image This is just puffery

Buffoonery Fiona agreed in a gloomy voice But the acidic edge revealed that she was probably similarly impressed by the display no matter how angry she was at the maker

Randidly raised a hand and cracked his neck In the end he was quite disappointed with himself he had only been able to raise the Hierarchy of Burden to Level 78 Those last few steps meant that increasingly complex spatial pressures attempted to fold the fabric of his being Perhaps he could recognize a pattern or create an internal support system to keep himself from folding but that would take time

His three hours were up they had arrived

Everyone keep your guard up Fiona looked around at them all Her eyes were bright and vicious and so so tired Duulys is too much of a diva to launch a sneak attack but that doesn�t mean he won�t let us walk into a disadvantageous situation We should be on high alert

Oh definitely Pullas squeaked visibly struggling to tear her eyes away from the gleaming surface of the nearby castle

We need to Fiona began but her words stumbled to a halt as the vessel bumped up against the ground The group stepped off following the dazed Fiona Huh that�s odd

Something wrong Randidly asked

Fiona gestured at the impressive oak gates before them The gates are closed That means he�s not here but out roaming the Sonara Duulys hates when anyone goes into his castle without his permission He�s surprisingly fastidious

Well then Xershi raised an arm and flexed a bicep All the more reason we should bust our way through and make a mess of the place I�ll just break

Oh there is no need for that I�d be surprised if Duulys changed the spare key Fiona walked sideways off the gleaming path that led to the large wooden gates The area was lined with majestic cherry blossom trees the pale petals of their flowers drifting down around and settling into a soft covering on the ground Fiona found a spot between two trees and shifted her body minutely Then she stamped a foot

An Engraving shimmered to life spreading out from the location on the ground she had hit Lines of complex characters swam back and forth across the ground until they reached the high gate After a shiver of energy went through the threshold the doors swung open

I always told him it was a dumb idea Fiona commented Her expression sagged further weighed down by the truth that she was now here moving toward a confrontation and her husband was not there to receive her ire She reached up and rubbed the bridge of her nose But Duulys believed that everything should be interesting Even doors He used to be different

Different or not Xershi swaggered forward Let�s check out if he has anything worth smashing

Chapter 2032

One enthusiastic demolitions expert and three observers drifted into the ornate interior of the home of Duulys Ambar And for this particular project the wrecker decided to start with a bang

Randidly�s lips twitched as he watched Xershi do a flying dropkick on the high chandelier that hung above Duulys�s elegant entrance hall he had no idea that Xershi had meant his smashing quite so literally All it took was three steps and he was sailing through the air all mean intent and glee

His kick cut through the air accurately striking the fixture in its stem

The massive construction of curved horns gold and pearl fell from the high ceiling without making any noise There were several moments of repose with Xershi tumbling above it with a shit eating grin on his metal face that were also silent The intricate working glittering in the torchlight as it rushed to meet the patterned floor Next to Randidly Pullas pouted What a waste of a nice chandelier

You wouldn�t say that if you knew what he did to acquire those materials Fiona responded Randidly reading the history of pain hanging around the crafted pieces felt his jaw tense

The inevitable crash was anything but silent Soft metal screamed as the impact sundered the multilayered piece from its elegant tiered structure The horns screeched across the ground leaving thin marks on the probably expensive material beneath their feet The crystalline and pearl adornments shattered sending bits of shiny mineral spinning and skipping in every direction The main portion crumpled under its own weight releasing thin wisps of anguish that dissipated without the physical cage

Randidly pursed his lips as he created roots of air to knock away debris from spraying the group in the face Not that he knew but good for Xershi

Yet despite the massive mess and the pointless violence Randidly couldn�t help but agree with Xershi for another reason based on the result Fiona leaned forward and laughed for almost a full minute unable to control her glee as the harvested materials skittered across the floor The remnant bits of dust had finally settled by the time she straightened and wiped her eyes Oh my Duulys will be livid

The smile on her face now was much different from the dazzling high watt variety she pasted on to cover up her exhaustion Randidly could see some small amount of release in watching this massive ornament break Through the Nether Ritual he was vaguely aware of her emotions moving in more productive flows

She began to prepare after all the meeting she had been dreading for so long would soon come to pass

So many rooms Xershi raised a hand and yawned He kicked a long horn and sent it spinning toward the far wall We are going to need more time to wreck all this Leave a message that this Duulys character won�t soon forget

what do we do if Duulys doesn�t show up Pullas interjected her gaze flicking from Fiona to Randidly Inwardly Randidly had wondered the same since they had arrived The time limit wasn�t so pressing as it had been but he didn�t want to linger here for too long If Duulys wasn�t here to bar their path even after a few days he would want to continue

Fiona ignored the statement and addressed Xershi Actually we don�t need to work our way through the entire thing Most of this stuff is covered in dust anyway There are only a few special rooms As long as we move our way through those his pride will be dearly wounded

So the group followed Fiona up a massive obsidian staircase curving outward in two graceful rings Randidly idly drew his fingers across the heavy wood railings His eyebrows rose as he applied some pressure and couldn�t damage the wood He pressed harder allowing the Grey Creature�s image physicalizations to manifest His nails on his right hand lengthened to claws With the added image he easily cut into the material but it was still intriguing that the material could resist his Stats this was an area that had been heavily reinforced by Aether for a long time

Xershi glanced over his shoulder and gave Randidly a thumbs up an obvious encouragement to join the silver ligerman in rampant destruction He rolled his eyes when Xershi turned back forward

Fiona continued to stalk through the house ignoring the wide upper balcony area above the entrance hall and the branching passageways and continuing to climb the staircase Soon they had reached an outdoor grotto area a roof complete with an installed fish pond gazebo and apple orchard The light up here was pleasantly gold with a warm breeze blowing across their faces It seemed eternally early autumn in this place before winter sucked away light and heat for a season

Fiona snickered but the sound had a heavy layer of tension Oh that�s him finding the chandelier Let�s move out of the house so we have more space for this

The group shifted back outside to an unrecognizable space The trees the pond the idyllic pathway were all demolished leaving baked dirt and a rising wind that sought to claw them all to shreds Randidly closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose feeling the rapidly rising tide of significance running through this place As Duulys raged so did the entire ring The antagonism applied a consistent pressure that even Randidly�s powerful body felt

Inwardly he said a quiet thank you to the Nether Ritual for giving his companions the benefit of some of his Stats

They stood as four arranged in a loose semi circle Xershi and Randidly stood at opposite edges of the group with Fiona and Pullas in the middle Randidly kept having to resist the urge to look over at Fiona to see what sort of expression she was making as the wind continued to rake across their bodies and rip away their skin

Yet he didn�t he kept his gaze forward One to give Fiona privacy but also because Duulys Ambar arrived as a silver fireball ready to impact the ground with enough force to destroy a continent The powerful figure began as one of those eyes of silver fire but it kept growing and growing Sometimes the flames at the edge of the silver sphere seemed to flicker into the shape of a mane and Randidly could just make out the face of a roaring lion in the steadily growing fireball

It was not a good sign that this seemed more a subconscious manifestation than a flare of an image yet still Duulys possessed such power The ground around them continued to die a testament to the murderous rage experienced by the ring�s owner

As the fireball shot closer Randidly began to sweat Both in terms of image potency and authentic heat Duulys Ambar filled the entire sky with his force

His seething fury seemed to burn its way through even the wind until the whipping currents of air were buried beneath the thunder of his charge Still it continued to grow so a massive island of silver flame hurtled right at the four�s position

At the last second Duulys released the enormous fireball in an explosion of silver will o wisps With smoke streaming from his body he crashed to the ground catching himself with his knuckles For a second he lingered there head bowed and bare shoulders heaving Randidly noticed the heavy musculature and the ornate bracelets and rings he wore Then Duulys�s gaze rose and slid across the assembled group Even without the image the heat remained making the air so thick that it was almost impossible to breathe

Randidly felt his entire perception narrow when he met the eyes of Duulys Ambar Such was the threat this man presented that he captured all of his Grim Intuition In those intense eyes Randidly saw a feral pride unlike anything he had ever encountered before The sadistic power of Devick and the overwhelming fists of Elhume still dwarfed this image but that didn�t mean he could let down his guard

Sweat began to trickle down his spine toward his lower back This was the first encounter since the fight against Commandant Wick that Randidly felt like the enemy in front of him could kill him

So it was you Duulys growled still looking at Randidly His eyes brightened to almost white with the light of imagined flames

Randidly was taken aback to be singled out he had expected Duulys to fixate on Fiona However all the animosity was very clearly flowing toward him Randidly straightened his posture feeling his own desire to fight rising in his chest His body began its own smolder ignited by a pumping heart with every bit as much generative capability as a power plant

Into this crackling moment of tension stepped Xershi Pah Actually your target should be me It is I that redecorated your tacky house

Almost unwillingly Duulys tore his gaze from Randidly and sized up Xershi However his expression was one of confusion You who are you Then Duulys shook his head as though to rid himself an insect that landed on his head No it matters not This man Randidly Ghosthound is the one who has run rampant through the Sonara destabilizing the political order and corrupting my subordinates And worst of all

Duulys�s show large square teeth You walk through my kingdom in your bare feet I�ll cut them off and have you totter around on bleeding stumps you jealous fuck

Chapter 2033

Randidly�s eyes widened slightly at the bite of the threat thrown in his face He clenched his hands So many forces pressed against him the heat the intensity of Duulys�s image and the constant waves of vicious emotions the man released The metal bangle on Duulys�s arms glittered from his own silver fire

Around them the idyllic scene had almost completely vanished The stone arches folded down to the ground likely sensing the devastation that would soon sweep through the area

Yet within the conflux of emotion Randidly began to understand something as he looked at this man He�s focusing on me because he doesn�t want to get wrapped up in the wounds that Fiona is showing just by being here In the end the feet are just a pretext for the distraction

Well that�s fine Randidly settled down into a fighting stance He flicked his arm and Acri slithered down into his hand I�ve wondered how much I�ve improved rushing through the Sonara It hasn�t taken much time but the pressure and echoes of this place are a great training ground You�ll be the measuring stick for me

Duulys recognized Randidly�s small movement to ready himself for battle his expression tightened somewhere between indignation and pleasure His image resonated with the entire ring growing in oppressive momentum Xershi growled and stomped his way forward into the pressure alleviating the image that Randidly had to handle He looked like he was about to antagonize Duulys but Pullas moved forward and beat him to the punch Her eyes were bright and her words were sharp Do you really have nothing to say to Fiona

Pullas Fiona whispered The name seemed to be crushed underneath all the force radiating from Duulys yet Randidly�s eyes widened as he sensed the significance rapidly beginning to shift in new directions Her voice was a single note around which the entire arrangement began to pivot

Duulys slammed both his fists against his chest and roared A silver lion raised its head above him majestic and weirdly defensive His knife like gaze cut to Pullas Still he refused to even look at Fiona I�ll handle her after Between us all that needs to be said has been

The sudden show of emotion once more scrambled the flow of significance With Fiona remaining silent the tension once more pressed the group toward combat

The impossible task of apologizing to this man well I get why it would be revolting for her to do Randidly thought grimly Fiona continued to stand there with a bleak expression and Randidly began to feel some protective fury pulsing through his veins Once more steam began to waft from his body Image physicalizations spread out across him transforming his limbs hair and the upper left side of his face All of the force he could muster spun within him steadying him in the face of the image pressure

He exchanged a meaningful glance with Xershi Their Nether Ritual hummed between them their purposes aligned The ligerman might enjoy showboating and swaggering around when there were no threats but he also valued the Ascension Pact A twin of Randidly�s protective fury burned in his chance

At the same moment their eyes flicked back to Duulys Ambar Their thoughts moved in unison If you don�t want her to face her right now we will just pummel you until you do

Through the Nether Ritual Xershi pulled from Randidly�s Nether Core A cloak of Nether Weight and the Grey Creature�s Impunity spread across both their bodies Duulys�s smile widened thankful for the provided distraction The significance now fully sloshed around in violent currents Waves of silver fire began to gush from his limbs and spread from his silhouette spreading into progressively larger outlines of himself until they dissipated and the next wave bloomed into existence

The three fighters stepped at the same time Images swirled and clashed as they spread out to fill the air around them The Stillborn Phoenix howled and devoured clearing a path Randidly accelerated forward

And staggered backward in the next split second rebounding against the brutally solid projection of a Silver Lion that manifested in the area around Duulys Ambar curled up defensively in the face of his attack Randidly gritted his teeth and stabilized himself More than any serious injury he felt shocked by how completely his strike had failed The manifestation snapped into place with a high amount of speed but even a half formed attack from Randidly should break through a casual defense

Seeing the result of Randidly�s charge Xershi danced sideways to get behind their opponent Duulys just laughed and beckoned them closer More and more silver flames poured out of his body

Meanwhile Duulys grew to prominence on the front lines fighting in the worst of the Nether Wars His image makes no claim on the whole world he simply reaffirms his own power with his projections Which has always limited his ability to be truly elite in the Nexus But against you

Over the course of Fiona�s explanation Duulys continued to grind directly against the rising power of Pullas�s image The dangerous negative energy exhaust stained the ground beneath them into a swamp of seething decay The ground seemed stained by the failure of Pullas�s image to achieve a good death

Meanwhile Duulys waved his other arm and continually battered Xershi�s giant liger opening up an opportunity to thrust both palms in Pullas�s direction A concentrated blast of fire manifested as a silver blade and shot forward Immediately it destabilized Pullas�s energy and pushed the struggle back toward her

I guess I�ll have to sharpen my images a bit then Randidly hopped to his feet already recovered from the damage he suffered He pulled his senses back from the weird tides of significance and focused on the actual fight He shot one more glance at Fiona but she made no move to join the fight her trauma peaking out through the haphazardly assembled emotional pieces Perhaps she didn�t even notice the influence her word had earlier

He turned away and jumped forward intent on becoming involved before Duulys�s attack reached Pullas The pale light of death continued to shiver and fade beneath that silver blade In Randidly�s chest he left his Nether to the side As Fiona had pointed out this foe had plentiful experience against those sorts of methods Instead he roused his images dragging deep into their emotional affects

The desire for growth and progress flowed smoothly into him from Yggdrasil It stretched out and became the framework for the three emotional affects to move together The desperate hunger of the Stillborn Phoenix came next laced with thick anticipation as the image considered Duulys�s silver lion Those small flecks of flame had vanished from his shoulder absorbed into the unending abyss at its core

And finally the Grey Creature came forward with a storm of violent emotions that suppressed the hunger and rattled the framework Randidly cut through the indiscriminate intensity reaching for the beating core of the affect He dug deeper and deeper seeking that volatile mixture that had so plagued him these past few weeks His body seemed to be moving in slow motion as he dug deeper and finally found what he was searching for

When he seized the affect his thoughts stalled out for a moment rather than anger or a wild urge to survive what Randidly found at the heart of the Grey Creature was shame

The shame of telling adults you really were okay and sitting with your arms crossed on the low concrete step in front of your school waiting to be picked up The shame of moving into a room and feeling eyes and mouths moving silently around you about you

Randidly�s breath hissed through his teeth With a pure effort of will his hand tightened on that emotion and brought the storm along with it as he pulled his images into one effort All three images moved together burning through his body The framework held Stepping up next to Pullas Randidly thrust out an Acri wreathed in all the emotional force his images possessed Randidly�s middle finger on his right hand tingled as his attack merged smoothly with Pullas�s pale death

A massive shudder rushed up Randidly�s arm as he met half of Duulys�s attack That silver blade sought not to cut but simply annihilate It was a door to a world of bleak fires and desecrated land But combined with Pullas they dispersed its force Randidly clenched his teeth allowing his body to absorb most of the rebound for Pullas

Duulys seemed surprised and annoyed that the attack had been stopped The man threw a backhand blow that caught Xershi and sent him stumbling backward then turned to face Randidly and Pullas again with glowing eyes

Pullas reached up and put her hand on Randidly�s shoulder I think I�ve figured out my tattoo Are you ready

Randidly didn�t even have time to reply before the space around them folded He blinked he now stood behind Duulys Ambar Across the battlefield Xershi stood with a bewildered expression and Pullas�s hand on his shoulder For a moment Randidly felt so lightheaded he almost collapsed It didn�t take as much as Fiona�s image devouring but it was still a large chunk of his Nether siphoned away

Yet Duulys was still turning away from him only now recognizing the strange switch Randidly�s eyes blazed His Willpower clamped down sharpening his focus with cruel intent Your image might be strong but how fast is it

Chapter 2034

All of the movements he had learned started with a step This one at this high level conflict in the Sonara was no different

Dreadful Alacrity had Randidly cutting sideways even as he finished the aggressive thought His body blurred destabilizing the surrounding space and allowing him to squeeze himself through even more quickly than should be possible

Perhaps instinctively Duulys Ambar�s image flared in a massive burst of silver fire A paw whipped sideways directly toward Randidly�s position even if Duulys didn�t have the Stats to keep up with Randidly�s movements his image believed itself strong� enough to make up that difference Speed wasn�t quite enough on its own

Snorting Randidly planted his foot and adjusted his vector All the muscles and tendons along his leg strained as they experienced the rapid transfer of forces but the movement was sharp and snappy Space twisted around his body as he ripped up in an unexpected direction Duulys�s image crushed the lingering spatial disturbance that Randidly left in his wake but didn�t manage to reach its target

Randidly kicked himself off the air to spin above Duulys and then launched himself directly downward He hefted Acri to pierce through the target and lance him into the ground while also groping once again for his emotional affects To his surprise Duulys�s gaze was already rotating to lock in on his position Randidly clicked his tongue This was not a man easy to take by surprise

Well if it was too easy it wouldn�t be fun Randidly thought

Even worse the silver lion began to shimmer with a dangerously light Its claws and teeth especially became incandescent as it looked up at him Swearing quietly Randidly twisted and kicked out a wave of kinetic force in every direction For a split second hung in the air as a sudden wall of silver flame seared through the airspace he had been about to enter

As the image faded Randidly kicked himself down to descend relying on Chimeric Impunity to force his way through the lingering heat and painful image remnants The Stillborn Phoenix could devour some of them but they were powerful enough that it took time Even Randidly�s powerful body began to ooze sweat as he cracked the ground with his landing Such was the power of Duulys�s image that even its departing shadow felt overwhelming squeezing against Randidly�s skin

In a smooth movement Randidly spun his weapon around and aimed Acri�s tip at the hollow of Duulys�s throat The strike was so quick that not even Duulys could react Yet right as he was about to land a serious blow a solid suit of silver flame manifested around Duulys�s body Acri�s tip skittered sideways leaving Randidly abruptly aware of the phantasmal silver lion standing over Duulys�s shoulder and growling at him

He pulled back the weapon with the same smooth return he had learned from Shal all those years ago Just as he prepared to unleash another thrust this one backed by a torrent of Nether and Duulys�s experience be damned a silver rune rapidly drew itself in looping lines on the ground beneath their feet

Swearing again Randidly ripped backward through space until he was out of the area covered by the rune Good thing too because Duulys soon became the single bit of tinder in a veritable pyre of chemically bright silver fire The heat wiped itself across Randidly�s face and hands leaving him slick and dripping Pullas and Xershi hopped to stand nearby looking solemnly at the shadow of Duulys within the flames

This guy doesn�t fuck around Xershi observed The fire gradually receded leaving a panting Duulys in its wake However where he had previously been bare chested and with cotton pants his entire body was covered in heavy silver armor

The most interesting point was that the armor was clearly a used item not unmarred or shiny There were dents and long scratches across its body a testament to its previous uses Looking at it Randidly realized that this was Duulys�s Fate

The teacher crossed and uncrossed his legs the dull brown covering of the chair groaning as he shifted his weight The clock continued to tick An hour had already passed since the agreed upon time His eyes on Randidly were sharp Did you lie about telling your mother about this meeting Mr Ghosthound

Randidly lowered his head and said yes His cheeks burned with shame

Saying yes was easier than facing the truth

The Grey Creature screamed with shame all that energy rushing up and intensifying the primordial energy around Acri Randidly thrust his eyes burning His entire body tremble craving a release of the burning energy and emotion he held In no uncertain terms this was the most powerful strike he had ever unleashed

The weapon cleaved apart the screen of silver flames around Duulys and arrived at his target Duulys�s armor screeched in failure as the attack forced it open A thin line of blood dribbled across Duulys�s exposed neck His skin sizzled from exposure to the energy

However Randidly�s emotions were already fading The opponent�s defense had exhausted his offensive He was panting and his head pounded the shame slipping from Randidly and leaving him exhausted

You truly are a Nether savage Just like them you always overestimate your strength Duulys laughed as Randidly ripped Acri out of his armor He raised his fists even as Randidly began to flicker backward Not so fast Pinning Gaze of the Apex Predator

The head of the silver lion shimmered catching Randidly�s gaze For whatever reason he found himself planting his feet and raising Acri By the time Randidly had realized what had happened a massive paw covered in silver flames was cutting toward his position Duulys guffawed loud and triumphant

Randidly showed his own teeth Drained he might be from using his emotional affects but he wasn�t out of tricks yet You think this is enough to catch me

He had been steadily absorbing kinetic energy from the image clashes and unleashed it now all at once His legs were still strangely stiff from Duulys�s Skill so he ignored them Instead he just released all the force he had gathered directly upward in a sudden spike The expulsion hammered Randidly into the ground cracking through the dusty floor and driving him down into the dirt The swipe passed harmlessly over him

Dust and debris rained down on Randidly�s head followed by several powerful blasts of silver flame The area began to smell like burnt hair but Randidly ignored that He spread out his fingers digging them in the surrounding dirt His toes stretched and squeezed From his spread limbs he began to drink of the area�s energy

All the layered Aether that had sunk into this ground over the last several hundred years became fuel Randidly�s Skills dug into the area and harvested the energy His body hummed as more and more energy was stolen converted and packed into his body

If even this amount of power isn�t enough Randidly spoke to the dirt Above he could feel Duulys�s image becoming more agitated He released more and more Nether into the area taking the place of the plundered Aether in the ground I guess I�ll need to dye the environment so that I can do better

Chapter 2035

Pullas gathered her image more tightly around her body observing as Duulys Ambar unleashed several thunderous blasts of silver fire into the hole Randidly used to vanish Huge bursts of light and heat radiated outward Based on his tightening expression Randidly had escaped from any serious damage

His pride injured Duulys raised both of his armored arms conjuring a dozen silver blades that pointed directly at the ground With a sharp gesturing he skewered the area beneath him with missiles of blade and silver flame More holes were burned open in the wide onslaught of images

Each blade was powerful even to Pullas�s senses Yet the high reinforced ground meant that it was difficult to damage it easily Even before the image of Duulys Ambar the ground sucked away energy as it melted and dribbled out of the way

If anything this attack only seemed to infuriate Duulys further Through the tattoo of the Ascension Pact Pullas could sense that Randidly had again avoided harm More than that he seemed to be thriving rapidly building up his power beneath the ground The powerful storm of Nether he could create rapidly expanded around his body

Pullas took a steadying breath as her attention turned back to her own predicament Her vision swayed not only did the heat of Duulys�s image warp the air but she had also continued to push her image far past the limits of her mental stamina for the entire fight With Fiona still lingering behind Pullas was the only one of the group that could meet the silver flames of Duulys directly

She had no choice but to continually step forward

The responsibility felt like an iron lined blanket draped across her shoulders Pullas�s pupils dilated as she straightened She began to hyperventilate Even worse forcing out so much of her image power was rapidly progressing her through the image fulfillment stage At some point she would reach the end of her world�s potential and

Randidly�s got this guy positively spitting Xershi cackled nudging Pullas�s shoulder What the hell is he doing down there anyway Insulting his mother

Pullas swayed from the touch feeling curiously unmoored and light Almost instinctively she smiled and shook her head at Xershi�s thoughtless words The familiar motion managed to pull her out of her own spiraling thoughts She took another steadying breath this one much more effective than the first Regardless of what he�s doing we need to assist him No matter how durable his body is

She gestured to Duulys His eyes seething with silver light he raised his hand and conjured almost a hundred pillar sized blades roared in the sky around them They were giant nails prepared to drive into the ground and bite deeply into the ground The silver lion paced back and forth above this massive display snarling at the ground The air hummed gathering in support of the desires of the ring owner

Sure something like that could kill anyone Xershi nodded coolly as though Duulys wasn�t pouring the entire force of his person into an extermination event aimed at Randidly He scratched his cheek as the swords swelled in size ballooning underneath Duulys�s zealous preparations We should probably get around to running some interference

Pullas was already mobilizing her tired image torn between exasperation and true worry Duulys bellowed and the destruction began to accelerate down Her image shuddered as she urged it into motion an old vehicle asked to shift into gear long after it should have rightfully been sent to the scrapyard Yet she could sense that this was the way to move forward Interacting with these three people as exasperating and anxiety inducing as they were helped her close the distance to the good death she wanted

She advanced along the path she had sought for so long simply by moving with them

Pullas thanked her lucky stars that she had heard Randidly speak and decided to abandon everything in Idylla She glanced quickly sideways at Xershi Sometimes it was difficult to tell how much the metal man noticed so she offered a warning And no more activating your tattoos You can feel Randidly creating a working of Nehter in the ground right

Duulys barely got his arm up in time to block the Ghosthound�s sweeping kick The concussive impact briefly knocked the air out of Pullas�s lungs even across the cooling ground For the first time in the confrontation Duulys Ambar was knocked sideways out of his secure stance

The Ghosthound moved after him in an instant drawing a dead zone of grey light on Pullas�s iris that lingered for a few moments Nether condensed rapidly in Randidly�s hands around his spear but somehow Duulys managed to flip back up to his feet and manifest his massive silver lion above his head

Do you think a single blow changes anything Duulys snarled already moving to counter the attack The silver lion swung its paw

At the last second before impact still gathering more and more Nether around him Randidly�s body flickered Duulys and the lion paused in their attack trying to catch their opponent�s rapid dodge However Randidly didn�t dodge After the feint he just accelerated forward to the point he became a grey comet in Pullas�s vision slamming into the lion�s paw and forcing his way forward

Duulys cursed and stumbled backward but the Ghosthound was already there His spear thrust was somehow both possible to observe in every detail and also impossible to dodge Duulys�s armor shrieked again but this time Randidly seemed to have gathered enough force His spear dug its way into Duulys�s torso That massive payload of Nether that Randidly had been gathering expended itself into his body

Pullas watched Randidly�s expression change as he released all his gathered Nether and the silver lion didn�t even waver For the first time the man with the powerful body seemed genuinely surprised You

Don�t speak worm Duulys grasped the shaft of the spear digging into him with body hands Just die Endless Silver Hell

The entire ring stirred in response to those words An inferno of silver flames exploded out of Duulys�s body the heat hitting Pullas�s face and knocking her backward Her image groaned trembling with weakness But at the same time she knew that she needed to help

Wave after wave of silver flames curdled the air They reached an endpoint about ten meters in every direction around the shadowy silhouettes of Duulys and Randidly Then the fire bloomed upward into a sinister bulb melting the surrounding ground and releasing such intense waves of hatred and heat that it was impossible to sense what happened in the interior

Xershi unleashed a powerful slash against the outside of the ability but after a few seconds the heat burned it away and he had to back away to avoid his image melting Pullas scrambled to her feet Her image trembled but it still came when she called Death was exempt from its own power moving forward long after it should have broken down Through their tattoos she could feel the horrible pain that Randidly was experiencing Being able to protect a friend was the life she so desperately wanted She needed

Fiona�s hand clamped down on her shoulder Wait You are not the only strong one in the group Pullas Sometimes you need to trust in others And there�s something only you can do I I�m almost ready Soon switch my place with Randidly I will handle my husband

Pullas looked at Fiona The blank emptiness in her expression frightened her Some part of Pullas worried that she would move Fiona into that flame and the woman would just let the heat and image lick through her body melting her to nothing Yet she found herself nodding

Her image hummed with the statement Fiona had made sometimes you need to trust

Both women turned back to face the core of silver flames Within that dangerous landscape both figures were locked in a silent embrace one experiencing agonizing physical pain the other channeling that pain with his internal emotional wounds At this point it became a battle of willpower between the two of them with how powerful Randidly�s physical body was

Soon Fiona whispered again Despite the heat a single tear ran down her cheek

Chapter 2036

The fire stalked around them like the lion it was based on Each tongue of flame possessed sharp eyes waiting for a single moment of weakness

Randidly felt a weird sense of grim relief held aloft by Duulys�s grasp amongst the sea of silver fire Everything became the jaws of the lion around him flaying away his skin puncturing into his body rupturing the normal flow of blood through him His powerful body was being ravaged caught in the middle of an extremely potent image

Emotional waves radiated out of Duulys and twisted the flow of energy Any sort of Randidly�s usually siphoning methods was impossible here somehow the rage and pain that Duulys felt locked them both in this horrifying hell They were isolated and alone forced to both experience the ministrations of the silver flames

Randidly Ghosthound had never flinched in the face of pain His mind trembled and quaked underneath its pressures but that was more an expulsion of kinks and distractions than everything else As he grew used to the sensation his senses sharpened

Soon alone with his swirling core of Nether battling against the flames he found a weird sort of peace Being so immersed in another�s projected emotional pain forced the Grey Creature to withdraw its own angst into a meeker spiral in self preservation A tension he had held for so long that he didn�t even notice finally eased

In the face of the grinding external threat the whole of his capabilities came together

Of course his vision swam and occasionally Randidly lost track of his thoughts amongst the surging waves of painful flames Bits of his awareness were erased by hot gushes of white agony leaving him unsteady and distracted So he just looked in the face of his opponent and observed the almost perfect emotional force being unleashed against him

Egg�s Illusory Plume struggled valiantly keeping the worse of the damage from clawing away chunks of flesh The Stillborn Phoenix howled and sucked down as much of the heat and vicious image as it could manage Yet steadily his protective barrier was forced back The image of Duulys Ambar was oppressive and implacable Uncommon Metabolism had to fight directly against the cleansing fire and rapidly lost Only with the heavy support of Nether currents did Randidly prevent himself from being wiped away Even then it was probably only because of the super physical reality of his body his body was an entire universe which gave him a resilience that was hard to overcome

Sulfur gurgled in strained enjoyment As much as the heat pained the plant arm the image also churned so much kinetic energy around that it was gathering itself for another evolution

Randidly�s gaze flickered in amusement In the end I�m surrounded by masochists

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 427

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 501

He knows the pattern Randidly�s thoughts stirred and popped His eyes widened absorbing all the shifts as this man sought to brutalize him He�s fought with himself for so long he knows his own texture down to the slightest detail I can�t quite manage that

but maybe

Randidly had a plan He saw the way to utilize emotions but needed some of his abandoned facilities to do it So he rose back through gathering the whole of himself The agony ambushed him gleeful over his return After focusing for so long being slapped in the face with the horrible pain felt like being awoken by a river of boiling water His thoughts turned chaotic for several seconds as he tried to gather himself After tensing his shoulders he forced himself to relax he couldn�t overpower pain

He floated on top of it He became a part of it

Duulys leaned forward his eyes glowing Randidly had no idea how long they had been here but even Duulys seemed exhausted Damnit what a cockroach you are But you will regret making an enemy of Duulys Ambar

The answer had come to him because of the difficult storm of emotions that Randidly had suffered underneath the Grey Creature There was obviously so much more to explore but he had been scraped raw by its wild fury for so long he understood the sensation of it With that knowledge he emulated the searing emotional intensity that Duulys generated

He had patterns and dances of his own

His heart stirred as his images moved But this time the order of arrival was different The Grey Creature came first the monstrous body that had evolved in order to survive becoming the template for the manifestation It was humanoid with sleek chitinous armor across the joints Sulfur was a heavy presence on his left side a hammer of a arm ready to begin the counterattack

The Stillborn Phoenix came next This time it didn�t stop with his left eye Both eyes and his mouth were filled with tiny points of swirling darkness Black smoke crackling with crimson electromagnetic impulses drifted out of his hungry orifices The hollow openings yawned wide depthless and infinite

Yggdrasil came last grateful and giving as always to its wilder fellow images The branches of the World Tree shoved themselves out of the image�s back ripping apart his flesh and branching out with sharp twigs Emerald leaves became feathers stretching almost double Randidly�s body length in each direction The massive monstrous wings beat twice the leaves rustling with the long sharpened sound

The new adjusted image physicalizations solidified across Randidly�s body His branch wings wove themselves into existence He raised his gaze both eyes replaced with Egg�s of Depression His wings spread wider pushing against the harsh waves of silver flames His Nether Core began to rotate faster and faster all his significance coming together

Already the leaves along his wings were beginning to char But Randidly needed to wait for the Skill to end He would take matters into his own hands Both his Authorities shivered and threw the force of their presence behind his triplicate image activation

The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs

All three images moved together shouting with all the surging emotional affect Randidly could manage that the space in front of him was a door A threshold A folded sky ready to bloom into reality

The silver flames faltered as Randidly twisted with his Grey Monarch�s Authority and reframed reality Duulys�s eyes widened Then with all the force of his significance Randidly slammed his powerful body into the doorway and forced it open His wings spread wide to fill the unlocked space dripping blood and charred leaves around him

Chapter 2037

With a resounding crack the flames stuttered and dispersed The silver lion yelped Suddenly they were just two men standing opposite each other Randidly gripping the wounded Acri still stuck in his opponent�s chest His emerald eyes flickering Randidly squeezed the weapon and prepared to rip it across

But when Randidly tried to move he found himself empty His image physicalizations were already dispersing Completely totally empty His emotions spent his Nether almost entirely dry his images crumbling away The two men continued to stare at each other Duulys stunned and Randidly vaguely disappointed that this was his limit He tugged listlessly at Acri�s shaft just barely managing to dislodge the weapon from

But of course Randidly was not alone

The process of Pullas activating her tattoo was extremely painful as it scraped away the last scraps of Nether he possessed But then Randidly fell on his butt next to her leaving the solemn faced Fiona facing her former husband

Why did you say the barren one was me Fiona whispered Her words had the acidic tang of a phrase long held in the shadows

Duulys�s mouth worked silently for several seconds Above him his silver lion slumped and shrank until it was a guilty kitten His head began to shake slowly I never said that

Memories came to him the memories that had kept him going to this point

Duulys Ambar had fought on the frontlines for a long time His relationship with Fiona had been well established while he was at his peak he had finally forced his family to accept her with his series of victories on the frontlines He threw himself into the thick of every battle determined to leave no room for criticism

Each victory felt like a stamp of approval on the future Duulys wanted

She was the one who always encouraged him to train She was the one who would look up at the stars and wave her fist when they were just teenagers constantly boasting about everything she would accomplish when she grew up and developed her own powerful image And Duulys had watched and laughed while inwardly resolving to prove himself as a worthy partner for her

On the frontlines he found that platform to cement his dominance Sure he would sometimes lose his temper with the incompetence of the surrounding Commanders but he always won against the Nether forces He had sent Fiona teasing messages bragging shamelessly that she had better step up her performance if she wanted to be a worthy partner of him

Her replies were acidic and scathing to the point that they threw him So Duulys did the only thing he knew how fighting more valiantly on the frontlines Each stamp of a victory helped alleviate a strange uneasiness that built in him

Of course as with any battlefield Duulys occasionally sustained injuries Steadily small amounts of antagonistic Nether began to accumulate in his body With his powerful image it was relatively easy to isolate and trap them So he didn�t worry about it

Finally the war ended He returned home For the first time in three years Duulys and Fiona met The weirdly disjointed and awkwardness of their communications wasn�t that important because they had finally found each other After several glasses of brandy and a long talk Duulys�s nerves had thawed and Fiona was laughing

He cupped her cheeks with his scarred hands and she deftly unbuttoned his shirt with one hand They made love It should have been wonderful

Suddenly a hidden consequence of the angry bits of Nether in his body became apparent There holding himself poised above her naked body he had felt it

Afterward he returned to the military barracks unable to even face Fiona He destroyed his standard issue cot shredded his uniform even thoroughly beat a subordinate for failing to follow exact military protocol It was there his shoulders rising and falling and his emotions seething that Mimic had found him

Sorry about this Randidly but I think it�s the best method to end this Fiona called over her shoulder only infuriating Duulys further The flames lengthened as he gathered force into himself He couldn�t quite look Fiona in the eye but he could fight Even if it was her even if even if everything wasn�t her fault at all he would fight

That was the only way Duulys could keep moving

He tensed as Fiona took a step closer to him but more because of all the memories associated with her than any fear of retribution His Fate began to glow with power the armor preparing for every eventuality

Fiona took another step forward Duulys froze because he knew this motion It used to be one of his favorite ways that she moved graceful like a bird dipping her beak into water Fiona leaned forward and pressed her lips against his

This wasn�t a memory It rocked him shattered all his emotions and left him raw This was real

In the next instant a terrible darkness came It was a weapon of Nether that bit into the fabric of the world and ripped away a larger chunk of him Because of their proximity because of how vulnerable that kiss made him Duulys didn�t even have time to react before his image had vanished consumed by the hungry darkness Even the warmth seemed to have been stolen out of his body

He tried to gasp but Duulys�s lungs wouldn�t work He rocked back on his heels Fiona patted his cheek her eyes bright and a false smile plastered across her face This is for taking something from me

Duulys fell to the ground He wanted to claim that he had done nothing to her but he had done nothing at all Even when his wife had needed him most he could manage nothing His shame swelled within his body smothering the defensive rage

Fiona turned away from him without another glance Duulys fell to his knees listlessly watching her Still his lungs refused to work She gestured at her three companions He should be out of commission for a while That one had some extra punch eh Good work Randidly Fuck I�m cold

I think Randidly is dead the metal man piped up

That obnoxious Pullas puffed out her cheeks and scolded the metal one He�s not dead He�s just unconscious And you are going to carry him

That seems unlikely The metal man folded his arms

Fiona cool as a cucumber as if she hadn�t figuratively ripped out a chunk of him joined the group Well we would carry him but you know how slow we get when we get encumbered Meanwhile you have all the makings of a great packhorse

And if I refuse He growled in response

Fiona shrugged Well I�m going inside You can leave him out to rest here with that pile of shit if you want

The metal man looked over at Duulys Despite this pathetic climber�s sneer Duulys couldn�t find the energy within his body to react at all Pah no I suppose I cannot allow that Alright up you go you big gah How is he this heavy

Duulys watched the three of them totter away heading into the home he had built to mirror the one he had shared so long ago with Fiona Before he had remained silent His lungs still refused to work his image had vanished All the fire and heat disappeared from his person

Those happy memories felt so so long ago now All that remained was a frozen gasp seizing his entire body

Chapter 2038

Xershi scowled as he dragged Randidly Ghosthound�s limp body across the threshold truthfully he was barely managing to stay upright as he staggered under the uneven yet ponderous weight of their companion Pullas chatted happily with Fiona as the two women entered through the stone arch into Duulys�s true dwelling

Xershi followed behind doing his best to ignore the whine of the servo engines in his knees

Whether it was the fight against Duulys or the impossible density that seemed to exist within the Ghosthound Xershi almost released a moan of pleasure when he slopped the dark haired human�s body down on a chair Unfortunately the unconscious form keeled sideways until he collapsed onto the floor with a loud thump Pullas twisted around and gave Xershi a piercing glance but Xershi just folded his arms across his chest I got him in here didn�t I Which was just as horrible as I expected it would be

We should celebrate Fiona announced as she pivoted on the wooden floors and looked at him and Pullas Her eyes flicked briefly to Randidly but then returned to the two conscious individuals She seemed determined I have finally cleared up something that I�ve been wondering about for a long time my ex husband is indeed a giant dick So let�s make a meal throw a party just really let loose If anyone has it I could really use some alcohol I just feel so free

Her eyes were so so bright as she spoke Her smile released so much charm that it pressed against their skin Truly Fiona was a beautiful humanoid However the moment felt wrong Xershi wouldn�t consider himself an expert in emotions yet it was obvious that Fiona was using a smile to mask her inner turmoil

Yet he couldn�t deny that a meal sounded quite nice

I agree A meal would be excellent at a time like this Pullas nodded eagerly Then she seemed to pout and glanced back at the body on the wooden ground Randidly�s chest slowly rose and fell Ahem I feel like we should face the elephant in the room usually Randidly is the one to provide the ingredients and cook the meal So between the three of us we should divide up tasks

For this at least Fiona said brightly She walked to the far wall behind the sturdy wood of the kitchen table Her hand reached out for the cabinet I have a solution Based on the fact that none of the security protocols are different in this replica of our original home I bet that the food is stored in the same spot This bastard is a creature of habit

Fiona gripped the handle of the cabinet and pulled it open But to everyone�s surprise the cabinet creaked but didn�t open Even Xershi�s eyebrows rose at the failure with the boost in Stats provided by their connection to the Ghosthound the fact that a mundane task wasn�t simplicity itself was strange Fiona glowered at the door and tugged harder finally prying it open

A smell wafted out of the shadowy opening Pullas made a strangled noise with her throat as she had intended to take a normal breath but her instincts stopped her halfway Even Xershi�s receptors sizzled unpleasantly at the stench of rot and death that came out of the small cavity

A thick cockroach peaked its head out of the hollowed out crust of what could only have once been a loaf of bread now covered in dreadful green protrusions of mold It waved its antenna in irritation as though the three were disturbing its peaceful slumber Deeper in the shadows of the cupboard older and even more warped remnants of perishable foodstuffs oozed vaguely The presence of fresh air seemed to invigorate their decay

This fucking bastard still can�t even clean Fiona shook her image rising with her body and becoming a searing wave of incredulity that annihilated both the smelly contents and the cupboard itself in a flash of mauve judgment The wood burnt in a furious few seconds of heat leaving only a charred mark on the wall As the image reverberations slowly died down in the room Xershi noted with distaste that the smell still lingered

He and Pullas exchanged a glance Both moved to the small windows in the cottage dwelling and pushed them open

When they returned Fiona�s shoulders were still rising and falling the emotions she had masked earlier now roused to incandescent wakefulness I just can�t understand did he really eat nothing since he created this home Is he fine allowing our home to simply rot

Her jaw clicked shut perhaps only now registering that she had said our home Xershi scratched his neck awkwardly suddenly aware that it didn�t seem likely that they would be able to eat a meal with what they had on hand Pullas moved to Fiona�s side and put a hand on her shoulder I know it�s not exactly good etiquette But why don�t I take a look inside of Randidly�s interspatial rings and just find some food that way A party is still a good idea

Fiona nodded curtly and Pullas walked toward Randidly�s slumped form Before actually reaching for his interspatial ring she shot Xershi a sharp glare Did you really need to be so cruel as just to leave him collapsed here At least make him comfortable

I�m not a thief Pullas said defensively I just wanted to cook a meal

The Earth Golem Emperor gave her a scathing look With ingredients that don�t belong to you

Pullas�s face began rapidly to redden and puff up She very clearly wanted to contradict what the projection was saying but had no way to do so Xershi suppressed another snicker feeling cheer spread through his body Weirdly nothing gave him quite the same sense of release as watching Pullas�s frustration build

What�s the Alpha Cosmos Fiona spoke aloud completely ignoring the whole issue of Pullas being a thief

Suddenly it was the projection�s turn to freeze Even Xershi could sense his panic as he looked around at the three of them and tried to backpedal verbally Ah well there is no need for you to know It is a fearsome place filled with towering figures of untold power

Certainly it seems like quite the marvelous location Fiona revealed one of her dazzling smiles She swayed forward as she crossed the room Strange hero I would quite like to visit such a majestic cosmos Did you say you were an emperor Your palace must be quite the sight to see

Ahh well The projection rapidly began to fade Anyway just try and resist the impulse to steal in the future

Then the projection faded But the powerful senses of the trio very clearly followed the path of the projection�s retreat Fiona looked around with a much more genuine grin on her face You felt that yes

The projection faded back into Randidly�s body directly Pullas nodded slowly Perhaps this Alpha Cosmos is actually located within him

It would explain why he�s so heavy Xershi commented

His Nether is beginning to stabilize back to healthy levels Fiona seemed weirdly excited as she crouched down next to Randidly and pressed her hands against his chest Pullas see if you can activate your tattoo to move us inside his body into this so called Alpha Cosmos

Won�t that just antagonize that emperor further Pullas said uncertainly

Fiona�s smile was slow and dripping temptation Pullas you can�t tell me you aren�t a little interested in flustering that man who called you a thief a little bit more After he was so rude Surely he was overzealous in his accusations How could we Ascension Pact members with Randidly be thieves

But also won�t that be invasive Goody two shoes Pullas wavered slightly in the face of Fiona�s words Of Randidly I mean

Consider this Xershi interrupted talking out of his ass What if we can help Randidly recover Perhaps it is some interior damage that keeps him sleeping like this Honestly we might have a duty to investigate his internal world and figure out the situation

When Pullas paused to think about it Xershi and Fiona exchanged a triumphant smile

Chapter 2039

Randidly dreamed about those doors to his locked away emotion The starting point was the same as always within the room he had lived in as a child Sighing he tried to push himself up out of the plush and bobbing surface of his bed but instantly the whole dream around him began to tremble

His expression soured as he felt the extent of the strain that afflicted him Yet even more than his empty internal space the dream around him began to suffer Nether ran through the whole construction creating the fabric of the inner world

Yet right now Randidly felt a deep Nether exhaustion like he had never felt not since he had first created his Nether Core Gradually he reconstructed the situation as best he could After he had managed to activate his three images with a unified emotional affect and sunder the Silver Flame Hell Fiona had stepped into a very emotional space kissing Duulys on the battlefield The man�s guard had instantly dropped With that opening she had activated her Ascension Pact Tattoo and ripped out all her deep connections that man as well as huge chunks of his image She had taken all of the Nether that Randidly had spare which hadn�t been much to dig as deeply into Duulys as she could

The Stillborn Phoenix hummed pleasantly very pleased with the meal it had been given

Sighing Randidly leaned back in the dream bed and closed his eyes He felt a small thrill of success at how his images had activated in a new image physicalization form but he was currently more concerned with his empty Nether tanks Fiona�s desire for revenge harmonized very well with the ability But even if she succeeded in wounding Duulys there�s no way that Fiona isn�t just as deeply injured by the process I hope

As Randidly�s thoughts began to stir with more intensity the dream trembled again barely holding itself together Clicking his tongue he forced himself to relax I get it I get it I need a rest Let�s let myself recover

An even more dangerous tremor erupted splitting open the ceiling of his childhood bedroom and revealing a raging torrent of dark emotions What little shallow layer of Nether remained was ripped away Randidly blinked to have the veil pulled briefly away he looked up into the swirling animosity that he had long housed within himself almost unable to acknowledge that this was his inner world

Yet that darkness looked back at him and sneered at his disbelief The mouth of the storm stretched wide and a long tongue began to unwind stretching out to grasp through the sudden hole in the roof The fact that it aimed for him was clear In his weakened state Randidly knew he couldn�t let that tongue connect itself to him

He pressed his lips together This swirling system of emotions was the side of himself he needed to master to take that last step toward power Yet now right after having all his Nether drained and with a pounding headache he wouldn�t be able to handle the connection It would overwhelm him

That masked darkness oozed destructive impulses His raw primal covetous side given a pulsing monstrous form All the suppressed hate fear shame and other violent impulses had been closeted away here to mutant and form into this violent mass The tongue drooped closer The dream continued to shudder and stutter struggling to reconstruct itself into the correct form

The darkness leaned down against the torn dream trying to widen the wound

Yet looking at this approaching tongue he began to suspect that it wasn�t just capriciousness that had caused Devick to bond onto him and treat him as her child Even if he hadn�t done so she still would have been positively disposed toward him

The monster in each of their hearts probably resembled one another This dark shapeless thing was bound by wild currents and storms just as hers was constricted by rusty chains

Caustic saliva dripped off the apparition�s tongue melting Randidly�s childhood dresser with raw emotion It casually extended down through the torn roof It extended further now as thin as a finger rolling outward toward his face

After stuttering for a few strained seconds the flow of Randidly�s Nether snapped back into place The reality of the dream emphasized itself rapid strands of meaning drawing themselves across the hole in the ceiling and then rapidly reeling themselves shut The opening snapped shut like a trap severing the tongue The dream almost collapsed from the strain but the defenses Randidly had subconsciously built to protect himself from this monster still had some teeth

The black prehensile protrusion fell down and thumped heavily against the ground For a few seconds it flailed ripping holes in the carpet and slicing one of the legs of his bed so it teetered and thumped down at an angle But then the struggles ceased With a glitter of light a floating trading card formed in front of him

Officer Quincy Wright didn�t know why but he began to sweat as soon as he saw the three figures talking animatedly in the middle of the manatech rail lines He had already been having a shitty patrol even before he got the call when Clarence got the nod for the promotion over him two days ago it had been pretty much determined that he would spend his off day drinking and dwelling

Even now after guzzling a gallon of water and wolfing down overcooked eggs his head throbbed near constantly He hoped that the people of Zone 1 would just for fucking once not be utter fools

He eased off the thruster in his jetpack landing nearby to the source of the disturbance Those three figures didn�t project any sort of images yet somehow that only made their bold stance even more anxiety inducing Quincy hesitated checking his wrist terminal So far their presence hadn�t disrupted any of the timetables but they needed to be out of the way in six minutes to avoid becoming rail paste

The trio turned and looked at him as he landed The middle one a strange man wearing a queer but powerful manatech suit with cat augments gestured to Quincy See I knew if we stayed here a local would approach eventually

That is literally the dumbest plan A woman with short hair bit her lip and sent a glare at Quincy

anyways fellow machine please direct us to the nearest city center We wish to sample some of your finest cuisine

He�s not a machine The third woman cut in pointing rather rudely at Quincy He just wears a metal exoskeleton to protect his weak body Honestly everyone on this entire planet is weak Why does the Ghosthound keep it inside his body

Quincy blinked unable to follow the logic of these three

His organic composition The catman admitted But certainly it at least shows promise that he recognizes his soft flesh is better served supporting a capable machine than simply existing alone Someday he might amount to something if he keeps putting in the proper amount of effort

The combination of his sweating and the obvious dismissal from the three figures did not improve Quincy�s mood He cleared his throat trying to regain control of the situation You three I�m Sergeant Wright of Zone 1�s internal policing force When you address me you will do so with respect Is that clear

The three looked at him The metal man snickered

Quincy scowled and pressed a button in the interior of the suit to call for backup His headache seemed to worsen with every second the metal man smirked at him I�m going to need to see identification from the three of you

Ah we are travelers from the Nexus The short haired woman waved her hand Obviously we don�t have the proper identification for your planet However we are more than willing to fill out the necessary forms And for the record we are close personal friends of Randidly Ghosthound

Yea real fucking funny Quincy rolled his shoulder The gleaming modular backpack shifted and snapped into the rifle attachment against his right arm The barrel began to glow with the azure light of pressurized Mana He pointed it at the metal man�s chest I�ll only ask one more time Produce your identification or I�ll be forced to place you under arrest

He�s going to arrest us The metal man said to the short haired woman He seemed to be barely restraining his laughter With pfft A weapon without any image keh

Chapter 2040

The old air raid horns had been blasting for the last half hour making Delilah doubt her tingling sense that it was a good idea to rush toward the source of the disturbance in Zone 1 But that subtle Nether Sense the Ghosthound had planted into the core of Expira was quite insistent on this course of action So she lowered her head had the sky glittering with manatech exhaust and accelerated

If she was being honest Delilah had felt somewhat adrift since she had parted with Vye a few weeks ago

Perhaps the one saving grace of the whole experience was that she hadn�t felt even the slightest hint of an image spreading out in the surrounding area Delilah mused to herself Her eyes were studiously down away from the drifting smoke that rose up ahead of her She dashed across the windy plateau toward here destination more worried about the placement of her feet than anything else So there might be some minor spat with Zone 1�s defensive forces but it couldn�t be that bad

Delilah loped to the top of the ridge finally getting a line of sight on the commotion She gritted her teeth at the sight waiting below regret filled her Are you fucking kidding me

The Nether Sense in the world seemed almost stricken wilting in the face of her expletive Delilah belatedly softened her stance but her eyes kept tracing the lines of devastation in the ground below Look you haven�t steered me wrong before but very clearly something very dangerous is going on down there That wreckage used to be a Manatech rail station

The smoldering crater did have some remnants of buildings and the now curled line of rails but mostly it was now filled with debris from shattered drones and shredded manatech exoskeletons The whole area was vaguely smoking with the air thick with manatech exhaust With the interior enforcement forces seemingly completely obliterated on the ground in front of Delilah no wonder Zone 1 was sounding all the alarms

Her skin tingled the reason there were no powerful images was only because the fight was already over Her traitorous eyes flicked around she counted almost thirty bodies slumped on the ground in addition to the legion of broken drones Perhaps the only reason that she didn�t pivot and flee immediately was she didn�t see any blood

The Nether Sense nudged Delilah again It hinted that not only was Delilah quite strong especially in comparison to these defeated clowns but that this wasn�t a confrontation that required power And she would be heavily rewarded for her involvement with the troublemakers It swore this fact up and down

I already have so many troublemakers in my life Delilah muttered But she found her traitorous feet moving As she aged she began to have more and more doubts about her wild and reckless habit of running directly toward danger Yet somehow her body never seemed to notice her mind�s reluctance

Perhaps it was because some part of her acknowledged that she was the troublemaker in the lives of a lot of adults around her

She skidded down the sandy slope and sprinted across the edge of the crater On closer inspection all of the defense forces did seem to have been left alive which made her slightly more confident in the Nether Sense�s assessment of safety As she hopped over the smoldering edge she passed two men lying in broken exoskeletons arguing with each other

You should have indicated a high level of danger when you called for backup The one raged

The other responded in deadpan I figured you would be able to handle it now that you are Master Sergeant Clarence Is it possible the higher ups� confidence in you was misplaced

Are you serious right now

Then Delilah�s blood drained from her face as she realized she had snapped at Fiona as she would have at her mother who often teased and complained about her attitude toward Randidly For a long second Fiona�s glittering eyes remained fixed on Delilah Then the older woman laughed showing an infectious smile Certainly he�s nothing like what I�ve seen before But isn�t that somewhat fun

Fifteen huh Pullas mused I haven�t been that young in almost nine hundred years what a time

Delilah shot a slightly alarmed glance at Pullas but Xershi leaned forward to get in on the conversation Okay okay Since you are such a baby I suppose your weak image makes a certain amount of sense But why is everyone else on this planet so weak Did the Ghosthound just overcome the Calamities and let everyone else live in peace

it�s actually a big political issue the Ghosthound refused to help with the Calamity Delilah began Then she tilted her head to the side Wait did you say Calamities How many are there We�ve only gone through the first

What Pullas spoke but all three of the powerful individuals seemed rather stunned What do you mean you�ve only experienced one Calamity And Randidly didn�t help

Delilah shrugged suddenly feeling anxiety for an entirely new reason she knew Randidly�s non participation in the Calamity was a big deal to a lot of people but never really cared enough to pay attention to the why It was just something people talked about So she answered the first question and ignored the second to cover her ignorance Yea we�ve only had one The Pantheon is still designing the Second I think

What do you mean the Pantheon is designing the Second This time it was Fiona of the glittering eyes who spoke so demandingly

That silly emperor Xershi rubbed his chin

After a few more increasingly incisive questions about the Alpha Cosmos and Randidly�s role in it Delilah could only shrug again Look okay I�m not sure about some of this stuff Normally we could call someone from the Pantheon and ask them directly but for whatever reason the Nether is especially thin and they aren�t really able to respond

Pullas coughed awkwardly but Delilah just continued to speak

so it�s probably just best that you save all these questions and I can take you to have dinner with someone who can answer them Delilah raised her hands placatingly Xershi shrugged and Pullas sighed but Fiona continued to stare at her with that overwhelming gaze How the hell had she known Delilah had fears about Randidly

She pushed her image slightly beyond her comfort zone ignoring the fact that the Scrawled vehicle began to rattle and shake The sooner she delivered these people the better With the boosted speed they traversed through the sky to the edge of the ocean in a little over an hour Delilah started their descent the little sheet metal boat sinking through the cloud and rushing through a blasting crucible of mist

Then they erupted from the bottom layer trails of water vapor streaming after them and saw their destination Or at least the periphery of their destination a swarm of speeding Scrawlers and drifting skyislands formed a semi solid barrier that made it difficult to see the core

How fascinating Xershi laughed A walking metal island And I can feel a race of automatons operating it from within Excellent

Delilah nodded This is Kharon it should have everything you are looking for I�ll introduce you to Tatiana She ahem She usually helps Randidly with things like this

Chapter 2041

In quick succession Faelmac Westrisser killed the rest of the floating insurrectionists He didn�t even really need to manifest his image The feathers binding them stretched and ripped through their bodies somehow ripping their way through any resistance Shredded remnants of their organs squeezed through the feathered and splattered down on the rooftops below

Idly Jotem reflected that if someone didn�t go up and clean up the offal Malloon would soon have quite a literal stink on its hands And probably a fly problem

I think I�ve had quite enough of city life Jotem resolved Uncle can handle the skyislands himself Perhaps the Nether King was right what I need is a stretch of peace nurturing plants on the farm

For almost two more minutes Westrisser remained in position his feathers softly falling across the whole of the city The purity and power of his image became an itch against the half origin Beast�s skin but he dare not move lest he draw the tyrant�s attention Let justice be served huh

Westrisser�s gaze burned brooding and intense focused on the crushed remnants of the insurrectionists he had just executed Finally the Patron of the Abyss cleared his throat and broke the tense silence Well it appears you have the situation well in hand Lord Westrisser We will leave you to mop up the remnants

You cannot yet leave Finally Westrisser shifted his focus to them A cyclone of discarded feathers swirled around his body I have not yet cast judgment on the two of you

For the first time since Nether King Hungry Eye had walked into his shop Jotem realized he would soon die The pressure of the city lord�s image against his skin suddenly took on a horrific note of finality

surely you jest Lord Westrisser The Patron of the Deep affected an amused tone Yet from the trembling of his inflated body Jotem knew his uncle also felt a horrible existential fear This used to be Jotem�s shop yes but we have no connection to these rabid anarchists We are not responsible for this attack

On the contrary Westrisser replied slowly spreading his arms and gesturing at the chaos still gripping the streets below Would we be suffering such attacks if Elhume had not spent years indulging and emboldening such foolishness I cannot think of individuals who are more at fault than you

Despite the pressure Jotem felt he found that statement a little difficult to swallow They might now be dead but clearly the captured individuals had been more at fault

Yet what really stopped Jotem�s heart were the Patron�s next words If you insist on being bullheaded about this at least let my fool of a nephew go I have no doubt you�ve been thoroughly observing him for a long time he is a simple and relatively talentless merchant He has not involved himself in the matters of Elhume

Jotem made the small noise of an animal being strangled He felt oddly touched that his uncle appeared to be defending him while simultaneously deeply bitter the Origin Beast had found the opportunity in that laudable pursuit to insult his acumen as a merchant

The Patron of the Deep lived to straddle that line Jotem knew

Westrisser smiled yet there was something different about this expression His long wings stretched out as he regarded the Patron He spoke in a low voice I have not been systematically slaughtering your people to allow you to now escape You both foolishly delivering yourselves to me is unexpected but I will not reject your generosity

You will stop me Heh Foolish mongrel Do your worst Westrisser gestured casually a hundred sharpened ivory feathers slanting down to slice through both of them After those densely packed projectiles ripped through their bodies all that remained of them would dribble away into Malloon�s gutters

I am a Nether Herald bound by the ancient rite of Phaea The old being of Nether announced to the air He seemed worryingly unconcerned with the descent of the feathers Wind and image howled almost drowning out his words As such any place I may speak

Is a place where I am Nether King Hungry Eye popped into existence next to the Nether Herald and growled his emerald eyes flashing He looked up at the descent of the feathers with a serious expression Nether erupted from his body in a tidal wave Seize

For a split second Westrisser�s massive and domineering image flared with power in response to the rush of Nether the sudden arrival unleashed The two forces smashed into each other not so much struggling as seeking to drown the other within themselves And despite the home ground and preparations made by Westrisser the two�s energies grappled evenly

Still broken on the ground right by the confrontation Jotem looked up into the face of Nether King Hungry eye as the moment stretched the thrum of tension between these two figures escalating toward some massive fissure

It was almost possible to allow the implications of the battle to fall away and indulge a curiosity that had long plagued Jotem Secretly he had always wondered why this being�s name had been Nether King Hungry Eye powerful the Nether King certainly was but his eyes usually looked mundane Certainly with a lovely hue and possessing obvious depth and intelligence but they had never seemed to earn the moniker hungry

Yet now Jotem understood Every moment of invisible struggle saw the coloring in the Nether King�s eyes growing more pale and luminous Until the color seemed to sear the world with such vehemence that everything else looked dull

Jotem�s ears popped In the next moment the sky shattered and the remnant bits of feathers fluttered down around the group Westrisser looked positively livid for a moment glaring at the Nether King Yet he quickly managed to cover up the expression with a sneer Nether King Hungry Eye A cute trick but I�m aware of the limitations of the bond of Phaea teleporting would leave your body under immense physical strain Do not antagonize me again or I will rip at your weakness and break you

The Nether King barred his teeth in a wolfish grin Rumors of my weakness are greatly exaggerated I think you�ll find Besides I don�t think I�m the one you need to worry about

On cue a well muscled being with a flaming fist appeared in the sky behind Westrisser His eyes burned his image of strength thundering through the void created when Nether King Hungry Eye managed to shake Westrisser�s grip on the area

This is for fucking with my people Elhume growled He punched and just the attack�s passage blasted away all the loose feathers filling the air

Westrisser spun with a growl and met the punch with his wing The resulting explosion probably would have stomped away the last remnants of Jotem�s life had the Nether King not been standing above him As it was the teetering remnants of the building collapsed inwards in another billowing cloud of dust

Everything started happening too quickly More Nether poured out of the Nether King filling the air and making it even easier to choke on the airborne debris Several large impacts shook the ground as the clash between Westrisser and Elhume continued out of Jotem�s awareness

However Westrisser�s voice rose calmly above the chaos Guards A few additional troublemakers are loose in Malloon Put them down

Chapter 2042

Events within the memory Randidly reflected as he took in the chaos and devastation around him Are spiraling out of control quite quickly And this time it�s not even my fault

With the power of Westrisser rushing down at him he reflected on what had led him to this point

After furiously training to gather PP and then discovering his new Fatepiece he had rushed toward Malloon due to the rapid gathering of significance around the city Just as he approached the voice of Westrisser had boomed out with orders to bar the gates to him To his surprise several individuals in official robes had stepped in front of him to block his path Full of fury Randidly stopped and weighed the consequences On the one hand antagonizing Westrisser had consequences both for remaining in the area and for keeping him from destabilizing the memory Him punching his way through the gates of Malloon obviously hadn�t occurred in true history

On the other hand even through the walls he could feel Elhume losing his temper That man�s righteous fury was truly a sight to behold warping the sky with its presence As more and more significance tied itself into a vicious throbbing knot in the sky Randidly resolved himself and clenched a fist The exhausting spot on his left hand throbbed but he ignored it Whatever the consequences he needed to be inside Malloon for this this was the most powerful pivot moment he had felt in the memory by far

The Grey Creature growled as Randidly raised his hand but then he felt the stirrings from the first Phaea he had created Trusting the Nether Herald he accepted the summons

In the aftermath Randidly�s teeth ached It was a strange feeling the most annoying of the various aches that plagued him after the strange ability activated Despite that he felt more than capable of rebuffing Westrisser long enough for Elhume to finish checking on the Patron of the Deep�s condition and thunder over for vengeance

Now apparently Westrisser considered it sufficient to send guards after him Randidly felt vaguely insulted

Booms wracked the house around him as Elhume and Westrisser clashed a half dozen times in quick succession Elhume�s image slammed again and again into Westrisser�s dominance over the area loosening its hold For his part Westrisser�s response was surprisingly tame he didn�t attempt to bring to bear the full force of his image that Randidly sensed he possessed Instead he simply held fast to the current status quo but the rising tide of fury he felt within the ivory winged serpent likely meant that would soon change

He doesn�t want to display his full powers Randidly�s gaze flickered Ah of course Outside of Malloon Nether King Bleak Sky is lurking

Tame in this context was a matter of perception the civilian population of Malloon continued to flee Buildings swayed one good push away from collapse Warnings continued to blare across the city

Demetrius touched Randidly on his shoulder shaking him out of his thoughts The Nether Herald looked at him with concern My liege lean on me if you need to I understand how difficult it is to travel through the Phaea even if you have only a single connection to pull through with you

That at least explained the strange ache that reached even his teeth But Randidly shook himself lightly Don�t worry about me My body can handle a lot For now stay here and take care of Jotem I need to

Someone kicked down the last remaining wall of their crumbling building Randidly pivoted and saw two stone skinned humanoids standing there the front one practically licking his granite lips The aggressor�s voice sounded low and violent Nether King Hungry Eye You are disturbing the Lord�s peace in Malloon and as such are under arrest If you resist we will not hesitate to break you

Randidly felt more guards swarming out to surround this house and also reinforce Westrisser himself in the confrontation against Elhume Mass images began to gather in the tightly clumped groups at the sides of the formation Yet he felt a flicker of recognition as he looked at these two individuals Ah Kopal You were idiot enough to take your threat of vengeance against me seriously

The two in front of him were Kopal and Dogoel the two Randidly had clashed against directly when he had first encountered Mae Myrna and the other Patrons in the outskirts of the underground market Both possessed powerful bodies and used image physicalizations to empower them further And yet

Three images came together in Randidly�s body all with the intensified emotional affect he had earned by overcoming the emotional tumors brought into his subconscious by the Alpha Cosmos He stepped forward and punched Kopal in his rocky chest Almost instinctively the rockman�s image spread out in a buzzing manner designed to resist the invasion of Nether

But right now Nether no longer had to be half of Randidly�s force Now it was his blood cycling quickly through his body and empowering his muscles His image physicalizations gleamed and intensified seeming so vivid their power bled into the space around his body

A defense designed against Nether crumpled helplessly before concentrated Aether Kopal�s chest caved in and his body skidded three times across the ground before bouncing off bits of broken stone and tumbling through the air Several of Malloon�s weaker guards that had been surrounding the house were knocked off their feet by the sudden stone man projectile

Only a meter away from Randidly�s current position Dogeol�s own image rose The guard didn�t retreat just watched Randidly with serious eyes this one wouldn�t be foolish enough to underestimate Randidly especially not after seeking his subordinate getting his chest caved in

The rockman�s body visibly became heavier as Randidly planted his foot and spun around Dogeol channeled his entire image into his thick arm and punched Yet despite how much enhancement Dogeol�s body possessed it was nothing to Randidly�s Dreadful Alacrity He sidestepped the strike and brought his arm whipped upward to his Dogeol�s forearm intent on snapping it in half

The sound of the impact was a heavy crack The rockman grunted in pain and took a half step backward but the limb did not break as he had imagined Randidly�s expression twitched What a tough bastard

The other guards in the area finally marshaled their own images and charged forward to join the fray but the Randidly mentally unleashed the storm of force he had been accumulating above their heads Sharp blades of wind and Nether howled out and cut off the lizardman frontrunner�s legs The second guard got her arms up and her image flared enough to block the next blade but she got kicked back and cracked into the unfortunate building on the opposite side of the street for her trouble The dozen guards behind her didn�t fare much better although they crouched down to weather the attacks

Almost absently Randidly gathered up all the kinetic force and distorted reactions from Aether and Nether interacting His whirling storm above his head grew even stronger as it gobbled down the energy Meanwhile he adjusted his strategy against Dogeol With Aether and Nether both singing in his body he spun around the second blow and kicked the rockman�s legs out from under him

The rockman reacted quickly and twisted around to land on all fours like some sort of cubist cat which was both oddly impressive and disturbing to watch but Randidly had already blurred into motion He stood above Dogeol ripping apart the man�s image and stomped down with all the force he could muster The rockman�s head shattered the ground and buried itself up to his neck His spine didn�t snap and Randidly admitted to himself that it would take quite a bit of time and effort to actually inflict a deep wound

Instead he plucked up the stunned rockman and whipped him around through the air Dogeol made quite the projectile zipping through the air right at Westrisser�s back as the Winged Serpent paused to block another thunderous blow from Elhume

At the last second Westrisser glanced sideways and cut sharply with his hand A blast of wind solidified in front of the guard and kept him from impacting his master But that gave Elhume another moment to plant his foot lower his arm then unleash a punch from his waist that erupted forward with all the subtlety of a volcano

Randidly�s eyes flickered at the perfect transfer of force of the attack That attack looks just like Vualla�s

Westrisser�s hand painted a smooth circle in front of the punch his image suppressing the attack before it could build up too much momentum The ivory winged individual�s grip on the environment shuddered but held Yet even though he had easily dispensed with the image power he then had to physically block the attack On impact the street beneath them cracked and seethed The surrounding buildings shuddered and began to groan The higher floors shook themselves to pieces

Randidly gathered the force from the conflict into his storm but simply watched for a moment His eyes narrowed If this keeps up much longer we are going to destroy quite a bit of Malloon�s infrastructure Westrisser is still hesitating to use his full power with the hunter waiting outside of the city but surely this isn�t all the defenses

On cue Dogeol forced himself up off the ground Despite enduring several of Randidly�s blows directly he seemed uninjured Code Divinity Activate the defensive array Crush the intruders into paste

Chapter 2043

Another contingent of Malloon�s guards must have been waiting for the signal because they marched down from the end of the street almost immediately Randidly�s eyes flicked sideways to the group their combined image was one of sticky spider silk and mud With twenty of them activating altogether the image inflated enough to pose him an actual threat

But Randidly�s main thought was that this group couldn�t have earned a moniker like divinity all on their own

Of course they weren�t designed to defeat him just slow him down Despite their continued approach Randidly remained poised observing Elhume and Westrisser as well as the surrounding guards If this group was a pitfall there would be a blade coming soon to actually give teeth to the trap

His ears actually clued him in first the distant thrum of Malloon�s monstrous barrier changed its tune to a breathy exhale of anticipation Glancing up his eyes widened In a surprisingly short amount of time the barrier had shifted to shunting the dangerous Aether exhaust inside the city rather than out A previously hidden mechanism activated all that ambient energy in the sky was compacted into a tight cylinder with a light seal on the front

Even upon the energy within his own maelstrom he could feel the slight tug although he resisted its gravity

Randidly whistled to himself as he examined the structure and made some rapid calculations That�s actually fascinating I always assumed the constant expulsion of exhaust was a costly mistake but looking at this

He trailed off as more and more energy gathered in the sky above Malloon The swirling power was invisible to the average person but to his energy senses it blazed like a sun More and more force packed itself into the tight cylinder preparing to erupt downward in a pillar of Malloon controlled smiting Divinity indeed His eyes narrowed as he calculated the threat it posed at the core he observed a few drops of kinetic energy condensing into a liquid form Soon a fist of sloshing power created a core

In the center of that core occasionally a pale flicker of ghastly plasma revealed itself

There was no pure image animating the energy but its association with the barrier apparently made it cohesive enough to condense into a dangerous form More Aether byproduct than actual Aether the imperfections weakening its punch while also making it easier to compress into a tight form But in terms of raw power the energy flooding the sky would be overwhelming for most foes

Yet Randidly could only smile up at the array above him despite the worry He had to admit to himself he probably couldn�t face the force such a working could unleash directly But like all of the Engraving and Nether Ritual combinations of the Second Cohort the construction was clumsy and rough Against such a inept work he had plenty of methods to neuter its power

His storm of force rushed upward the winds looping and weaving together like a pack of ravenous wolves falling upon a bleating elk Randidly nudged the assault pattern smoothly together cutting into the framework around this rapidly swelling pressure chamber and replacing it before the nascent bomb could destabilize His smile widened slightly as his Nether edges force scythed directly through the ungainly protections in place and snapped a cap on top of the cylinder

The sky hummed forward undeterred More force was still being compressed into the cylinder despite his interference he didn�t want to recklessly trigger the explosion while Jotem and a lot of other citizens of Malloon would probably be pulped by its release But he deftly tied a Nether Ritual over the planned opening binding it shut

Several seconds passed Elhume and Westrisser continued to brawl shaking the surrounding ground The first wave of guards sent to subdue Randidly staggered back to their feet Powerful bodies meant that unless they were killed they would recover quickly The group of guards with the swamp like image marched closer But more worrying of all Malloon�s grand array continued to pump energy into the block cylinder

The smile vanished from Randidly�s face He watched the pressurized area with increasing alarm By now the fist sized concentration of liquid energy had spread to become a bathtub The flickers of plasma at its core were becoming quite frequent Shit The individuals operating the array probably don�t even have the sophisticated understanding of energy necessary to understand what I just did All they saw was my energies shooting upward and failing to outwardly damage their weapon They haven�t stopped supplying energy

In a way it was a good thing More and more power flooded into that cylinder The vibrations in the air grew stronger But based on Randidly�s impression of the cylinder it would soon

Randidly stepped and arrived at Westrisser�s back while the lord of the city deflected Elhume�s attack and prepared for a follow up

To the old man�s credit he clearly noticed and responded immediately a rather deft piece of footwork shifted him sideways putting Elhume partially in Randidly�s way if he wanted to continue his dashing attack Which would have been a good idea had Elhume not had the same sort of super Perception and enough implicit trust to twist and show Randidly his back

Even Randidly felt his mind go blank as he realized what the movement implied

For a fraction of a moment some part of Randidly urged him to make use of the opportunity and strike at Elhume No matter that this version of him had no idea of the deep grudge that layer between a strike here would feel immensely satisfying

Yet while waves crashed and surged across the surface of his emotional sea the core didn�t stir Randidly was ultimately here as an observer to gain an advantage against Elhume yes but only through information about his history Actually wounding this Elhume in the memory had no meaning So instead of attacking Randidly planted a bare foot on Elhume�s back and kicked off redirecting his momentum back on target

Elhume hunched over with his feet planted on the ground to withstand the force Even then the stone beneath his feet splintered Randidly hadn�t held back in his step Yet Elhume weathered the blow well staggering slightly but pivoting so he could soon rejoin the fray

Randidly and Westrisser looked at each other Randidly didn�t know what Westrisser saw in his eyes but he saw in Westrisser an endless series of calculations and distractions as the leader of Malloon tried to keep part of his awareness testing the wind for any sign of Nether King Bleak Sky

Randidly�s eyes narrowed Part of the reason this started seems to be Westrisser saw the chance to eliminate Origin Beasts in truth I�m glad he failed the Patron of the Deep definitely lived longer than this in the original memory But the other reason he doesn�t see us as a real threat So he wants to use this chance to draw out Bleak Sky

His fingers clenched tighter as he raised his hand Space began to distort Westrisser�s eyes remained still as his gleaming wings crossed in front of his body to block the blow The best way to resolve this is to decisively prove he can�t both fight us and be prepared for Bleak Sky Once I�ve convinced him of that I think talking our way out of this mess will be possible But first

Randidly followed his instincts As he dismantled the forceful kinetic storm that howled above his head he didn�t simply force it into his body Instead he spontaneously generated a massive Nether Ritual behind his body The force became a prayer and he felt the natural world around his stir in answer

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 1003

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 905

The principles of the arrangement came from the sigils he had created around his Nether Core adding Nether Weight to his total His coiled muscles began to surge into motion as he unleashed his empowered blow Randidly released a quick series of sonic booms his rapid speed igniting legitimate flames across his arm just from air friction

The gains in power were largely additive but they did possess a slight multiplicative property So when an entire storm�s worth of power joined Randidly�s body the resulting force

Despite his early confidence the memory shivered around him One corner of Randidly�s mouth quirked up still locking gazes with Westriser over the winged serpent�s crossed wings Yeah this should send the right sort of message

Chapter 2044

Your Skill Dragon Queen�s Sinister Tongue is being incorporated into your Skill the Vindictive Chimera Smites

Incorporating influences from the Moirae of Ripples Skillset Recalculating

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 979

Randidly�s right arm burned conveying all the combined energy from the impromptu Nether Ritual and his emotional force His images sang of violence and strife the chorus of emotional affect moving together into a passable harmony at an extremely high amount of power All his focus was on the release of the energy and the implacable gaze of Westrisser in front of him so he couldn�t give much attention to the stream of notifications

He did note that his original purpose for creating the Moirae of Ripples Skillset was to create non image attack Skills Incorporating them would probably boost his capability but it left him slightly conflicted

Yet necessity dragged his focus back to the foe in front of him

Bright white light emerged from his target Westrisser�s instincts warning him that the oncoming attack couldn�t be stopped with just half measures and deploying his image in a halo of power The Ivory Serpent within his body uncoiled its tongue flicking out Randidly grimaced That was the trouble with powerful image users they usually shouldn�t be able to react in time but their sharp images allowed them to surpass that limit

At the last second Randidly�s mouth twisted in distaste he felt himself make the mistake The Nether Ritual spreading out from the back of his shoulder like a rocket�s launching pad definitely increased his raw power However the release came too early Only a finger�s width in front of Westrisser�s crossed wings the massive array discharged its power Nether surged and seethed ripping directly into the image in front of him

Congratulations Your Skills have merged to become the Chimera�s Suffocating Rebuke Skill Level will be set at 950

Congratulations Your Skill Chimera�s Suffocating Rebuke has grown to Level 951

Congratulations Your Skill Casting Blades from Insatiable Grievances has grown to Level 651

With the sudden crystalization of the Skill into its new form Randidly�s attack surged forward and slammed into Westrisser�s wing even after much of the Nether Boost blasted outward But it did have the effect of Westrisser�s sharp reactions picking up the first attack and assuming that it was purposeful releasing a sweeping wave of his image to annihilate the Nether tainted force Meanwhile his body instinctively relaxed

No sooner had that wave attempted to eat its way outward than Randidly hammered on the being�s wings crushing the image before it could spread out and also impacting the feathered serpent directly He felt Westrisser�s wings begin to give beneath his onslaught of force Malloon�s lord finally seemed to bring the whole of his attention to Randidly

The monster�s eyes gleamed and his image began to change even as Randidlys attack forced him back The ivory serpent hissed silently and evaporate

The serpent was a seal the realization felt like a slap in the face His iconic imagery is just a seal

Randidly aimed and released As soon as the cap vanished Westrisser�s image responded Randidly had to scramble backward in order to avoid having to face the image of absence settling across his skin

Despite his powerful body he believed exposing himself to a wave of energy was a very bad idea

Westrisser clenched his hand into a fist but then paused He observed the blast above A pure beam of power at Randidly�s aiming shot sideways and punched a hole directly through the barrier around Malloon The Aether exhaust scattered around the city caught fire in a massive flash of light causing quite a lot of screams of alarm both from the wall and the refugees beyond it

However the light and heat faded in only a moment leaving the tireless beam to charge forward and bulldoze its way through Bleak Sky�s forming cloud It punched a hole first then the heat from its passage expanded and burned away the whole cloud

After a few more seconds of rapid travel toward the horizon the dense core of energy that animated the beam destabilized and shattered into pieces An entire portion of the horizon burned for nearly five minutes as Malloon�s weapon discharged

Westriser gave Randidly a long look Clearing his throat Randidly took a step back and allowed his image physicalizations to fade He raised his palms There�s no need for this to escalate I genuinely mean to remain a friend of Malloon

You lash out at a fellow Nether King Westrisser grunted His eyes turned calculating in just a moment the avatar of annihilation vanished and the shrewd and calculating leader he had first met returned The horrible image receded but the seal didn�t reform over his image

Yet in the next moment Westrisser�s hands clenched His feathers once more began to burn with intensity The Winged Serpent didn�t even appear to exert himself and the remnant flow of Nether in the air was stamped out Randidly gritted his teeth His mind began to A little too far I wanted to prove I was a threat and succeeded But by the same token now he likely won�t want to let me escape

Randidly shot a quick glance over his shoulder Elhume walked slowly forward cracking his knuckles Their eyes met even if Westrisser used his overpowered image again with two of them

I overreacted Apologies Westrisser unfolded his wings and pulled them back against his back The last ripples of his image vanish almost as though he had erased his own power He still retained the pressure of a powerful lord of the city but no more than that Let�s pretend today didn�t happen I believe it will be easier for both of us

Randidly genuinely believed he had misheard for several seconds

Elhume stopped next to Randidly and blinked in surprise equally as thrown The other man�s face scrunched up You wish to just pretend like it didn�t happen After asking the question the implications seemed to sink in and Elhume�s face hardened You attacked the Patron of the Deep and his nephew without justification even admitting you have attempted to annihilate their entire race After that you wish to

If you would prefer we continue I will not reject your offer to dance A horrible stillness transfixed Westrisser�s face He flexed the muscles of his back only once sending several ivory feathers spiraling around him They scraped the air with their passage I would consider it a waste to slaughter you both but waste is simply a fact of life

When did I become the voice of reason Randidly�s lips twitched standing between Westrisser�s wounded pride and Elhume righteous fury He still didn�t quite trust Westrisser�s sudden change of heart for all it had been what he had hoped for but he wouldn�t dig too deeply at the moment He put a hand on Elhume�s shoulder Let�s withdraw then We can talk about the rest later Oh and Westrisser

Randidly didn�t flinch as Westrisser gave him a glance with his eyes burning with absence He kept his expression even I will donate the next harvest of lumber cucumbers to help rebuild As a show of goodwill

The absence vanished After a long moment Westrisser nodded Then he turned away and walked across the rubble strewn stretch an entire neighborhood leveled in only two minutes

Randidly released a breath He hadn�t exactly confirmed the skyislands would be able to continue functioning as is but it was better than nothing

Chapter 2045

Randidly�s mind stirred Dreams came wrapped in other dreams a series of Russian dolls unleashing complex and confusing sensations warnings and spikes of adrenaline a spikey maw of mauve a horrible wave of silver flames before shattering and letting him sink even deeper

This time Randidly didn�t proceed directly from waking from his restful coma down the dream ladder to that strange cavern with the doors locking away his hidden emotions Instead his consciousness shifted down to his Nether Core Empowered by the two Authorities he had already discovered within the nucleus the central piece of his existence spun and knitted together a continuous flow of Nether that glittered with his significance shoring up all the inconsistencies in its substance he hadn�t even noticed previously

Randidly�s awareness floated underneath his Nether Core new generated Nether undulating outward like some sort of shadowy yet reassuring blanket The dim light and the dreaming made the motion hypnotic The curved topography of the freshly birthed energy seemed almost random while also being completely natural Endlessly it flowed filling up the available and thirsty spaces within his body

This Nether Randidly narrowed his focus trying to urge his lazy awareness to acuity The process of depleting the Nether Core obviously has a powerful effect on its improvement Could my Nether Core be related to a certain form of masochistic space monkey

But amusements aside Randidly felt pleased to see his energy showing such immediate improvements as it stabilized its rotation The speed of production hadn�t increased that appeared to be limited by his steadily accumulating Influence but the energy would be much more efficient in the future

For a while he continued to study its genesis occasionally pushing his awareness up so he swam through the cool waves But eventually he pulled his awareness back to his body He adjusted his position in the dimly lit core of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth The sigils of his own foundation glittered on the heavy central pillar At this point about a score of students had made it down to this central place being baptized in the dense energy Randidly accumulated here and leaving their Scrawls as proof of their accomplishments

Randidly smiled around His Nether began to move Since so many people have started making it down here maybe it�s time to up the difficulty a bit

He pulled out his Alchemist�s Passport to forcefully adjust the space using the extra dense Nether to anchor the extra volume to this room He adjusted the core area to be a twenty three layer pyramid with the densest Nether at the top around the pillar but each level applying additional pressure

Right now all the Scrawls were moved to the bottom but the individuals who placed them there could come back and avail themselves to the pyramid steps Their Scrawls could show the height to which they could climb demonstrating how well their bodies had acclimated to the presence of Nether

Then finally Randidly sighed and turned his attention inward Weirdly addressing his own problems seemed like the easier task of figuring out what to do about Fiona That simmering pot he would let bubble for a bit longer before he took off the lid and peered inside

He sank into that dreamspace ready to face some of the monsters that prowled at the core of his soul

Or at least that�s what he told himself

Randidly opened his eyes In his childhood bedroom the floor again heaved beneath him The bed bobbed and tilted adjusting on the fly to the fickle grade of the ground Randidly stared at the still damaged ceiling for several seconds Then he huffed out a breath and pushed himself to his feet

The first thing he did was produce the card that had dropped when his defenses had snapped back into place The Origin of Enmity�s Tongue retained a rather sinister curl even in its 2D jail ready to whip outward and pierce through Randidly�s body The description didn�t clear up the situation much

Origin of Enmity�s Tongue A severed piece of the Origin of Enmity Contains some of its instinctual hunger Can be consumed several times to more quickly acclimate the user to certain negative effects

Randidly felt something like a growl curling tightly in his stomach Rubbing his eyes he shrugged his shoulders Around him the memory was already dissipating So what I�ve always known she wasn�t the greatest mother Or even very good at all But everyone has their own circumstances and this happened years ago What am I supposed to do after seeing these things

Child Sydney didn�t answer Neither did the adult version Randidly was alone with this almost inane memory

Randidly found himself back in the cavern The rocky ground gently swayed beneath his feet He pulled the Lantern of Harsh Truths out of his inventory and lifted it to look around at the surrounding doors But before he could choose another one a notification popped up in front of him

Applause An adjustment to your dream has been made by the Pantheon Please listen carefully to the following explanation

Instead of another notification however the air shimmered and a figure appeared in front of Randidly His eyes widened slightly You are helping structure this

Alta Bounty stood in front of Randidly her lips pressed tightly together Her body was in a form untouched by the horrifying heat she buried in her own chest after taking it from Randidly in his Soulskill She shifted her weight from foot to foot seemingly just as uncomfortable with her presence as he was confused by it Yes Because your body and the Alpha Cosmos are one and the same the Pantheon has been struggling recently in the wake of you creating the Nether Sense Ritual It�s tying together influences more quickly than we could keep up so we made the decision to begin building this structured space so all the influences coming directly from you were gathered in one space isolated from the Alpha Cosmos To keep the monster inside of you from lashing out

Randidly opened his mouth and then paused as something occurred to him He saw again the hungry face the unspooling tongue the stretched neck More than that he remembered the feeling of fear and insufficiency he had felt when he had faced it Obviously he had been exhausted at the time but still

A frown crossed Randidly�s face He raised his gaze and looked at the structure of this place seeing how densely the lines of Nether flowed into this dream I guess I haven�t thought much about it but it doesn�t make much sense that this history with my mother became so powerful on its own does it The shadow cast on me from my childhood should not be this long

He pictured the horrifying grey monster emotional violence which had ripped open the ceiling in his dream room of the intensity that Randidly had only seen from Devick and Elhume

Trauma isn�t such a blessing as to endow all the afflicted recipients with power Alta nodded Our scars do not usually become convenient weapons At the same time this relationship with your mother always meant something to you You would have been able to accomplish certain things by facing this repressed emotion but that monster the Origin of Enmity

Randidly�s mind raced His lips parted in a realization He rocked back on his heels suddenly feeling a tickle of alarm It�s not me Or at least I�m just an insignificant part of it It�s the people of the Alpha Cosmos

Alta squinted at him I�m surprised you realized so quickly But yes Your body is the Alpha Cosmos The shape of your psyche becomes part of the pattern of energy flows Aether doesn�t clump as easily but now that you�ve added Nether That comes with some extra consequences But hey we�ve set it up to be as fair as possible If you master all that suppressed meaning you will obtain a great power

A strange thought occurred to Randidly then His lip curled into an expression resembling a snarl He had possessed Reign of the Eidolon Crucible and now the Spirit Realm of Marshaled Endeavors for quite some time It has always struck him only as a way to train his subordinates up to the exacting standard of Willpower in the Nexus while also netting his PP in the process

But now he felt silly this whole he was the one being honed

To eventually fight and slay the monstrous and caustic subconscious of an entire universe

Chapter 2046

As always seeing the dangerous situation percolating in his emotional memories required Randidly to fold his perspective He ignored the dream around him and took a deep breath through his nose

Congratulations Your Skill Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1016

He had rather impulsively arranged the Nether Sense for the Alpha Cosmos following a deep instinct as to Nether that had proven invaluable to his intuitive handling of Nether And no one would deny that having access to ample amounts of Nether provided some stunted individuals with more compatible growth opportunities Powerful individual strengthened their foundation It helped accelerate the development of Expira by a large margin

Yet Randidly had not really looked at what these structures had shifted underneath the hood

These Nether Sense Rituals that sat at the core of the planets could be unfolded to look like nets however Randidly�s emerald eyes glowed sightlessly as he drew a deep breath in through his nose His created currents of Nether corralled other Nether flowing through the world Once he examined the spaces between his current he discovered a whole flowing ocean of Nether tides lapping up against the firm rituals and draining in particular directions through the channels around them

Which in turn ignored a whole layer of other strange phenomena that could only be seen through a bird�s eye view certain dense and oblong chunks of significance knocking against each other and spinning away the way a group of close minded individuals created an elastic whirlpool which kept too much significance from leaking outward into the grander current and made the flow filled with these masses of connections and finally the popping bubbles of significance metastasizing after traumatic events eventually erupting and launching shards of jagged significance to pierce and introduce new meaning into closed groups

Randidly continued to breathing feeling the whole of the Nether cycle brushing against his skin The largest closed groups rolled ponderously under the influence of the constant tide large bulging orbs that tried to squeeze through the gaps between the Nether Rituals With the tight proximity some was shaved off and left to fall into strange cesspools of significance where dark emotions curdled

Randidly forced the tension out of his body trying just to observe His awareness spread out to the whole of the Alpha Cosmos Expira might be the most densely populated of the worlds within him but it was only a fraction of the souls working and improving themselves Expira dominated the Nether landscape because they hadn�t suffered under the System long enough to know the difference and adapted quickly but the Nemesai worlds possessed much more unity The leadership there took longer to turn the ship around there but they were now racing to catch up to Expira�s improvements

With his awareness stretched as wide as it could go covering the space between several atmospheres and planets Randidly felt the slow gradual rotation of energy in a celestial pinwheel Observing the movement for a time Randidly began to feel the vaguest outline of himself Or at least the dark place in the universe where so much negative significance was plucked out of general circulation

Very clearly the Pantheon had created a massive moon with a complex orbit to physically anchor the process As the worlds orbited around the sun of the Alpha Cosmos this moon would intermittently rotate into perfect alignment and create an eclipse Right now Randidly saw the approach of the moon to do so above the world of the Winged Serpents

His gaze flickered At the exact moment of the eclipse the moon seemed to breathe It released a gushing pulse of Nether down previously taken and slightly cleansed from another planet while simultaneously inhaling and dragging all the world cultural darknesses that had been shaved off into itself

He didn�t know how to feel that in biological terms he essentially functioned as an emotional liver for the Alpha Cosmos Randidly returned to the dream conference with Alta and pursed his lips How did this happen

Alta bowed slightly You are right to be slightly accusatory but in our defense we really didn�t understand how Nether would change the landscape Everything happened too quickly The Pantheon was overworked trying to find our stride on providing Paths and Classes for the people of the Alpha Cosmos And a rapid amount of well it�s hard to think of it as anything but emotional pollution now began to accumulate in populated worlds

Thank Randidly began to say but Alta had vanished before he could finish He was alone in the cavern once more Shaking his head at his bashful subordinates Randidly opened his Path screen His lips twitched when he saw the Path she wanted him to take Care of the Pantheon 0/10000

She did say it required a lot of shenanigans but is this really the most efficient version you could create Randidly tsk�d But his mood improved when he realized that he currently had almost thirty nine thousand PP to spend A combination of a leftover chunk from the Tithe and his continued growth through the Sonara gave him a lot of leeway Ten thousand was a significant amount but he could finish the Path and still have plenty to spare

Although maybe I want to do a few more Paths after to try and push my Stats even further upward Especially my mental ones to handle the strain of dealing with this amalgamation of negative emotions Randidly mused Then he started the Path

The rewards for proceeding through the Path were rich as promised he earned one free Stats point every 5 PP spent which was two thousand free Stat points all told It was an efficiency that Randidly hadn�t earned from Paths for quite a while Considering his worries about handling the emotional load he distributed them between Grey Monarch�s Authority (evolved Willpower) and Discretion of the Apostate Moirae (evolved Control)

Just the addition of one thousand Stats each gave Randidly a flush of cool clarity through his brain The improvement rinsed ice water up and down his brainstem He had just gotten up from a nap but he hadn�t allowed himself to rest for too long The additional Stats taking him to 4084 and 4807 respectively rejuvenated him to a certain extent And then came the Path completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the Care of the Pantheon Path As you walk forward entire civilizations and worlds bloom in your footsteps The energy you radiate has supported people enough that they have grown large enough to assist you in your endeavors They drift and flourish in your wake The haunting presence of the Pantheon of the Alpha Cosmos has sensed the crucible waiting ahead of you due in part to their existence as a regulatory body within your Soulskill To that end they wrap you in the softest and most careful protection they can manage They entreat you to go with care because no one can replace you should you fall

On the one hand Randidly felt rather touched by the message On the other

His lips twisted as he scanned the single paragraph notification from first to last words to make sure he had missed nothing No other reward

However just as he was speaking he felt it The Earth Golem Emperor seemed to condense around his mind sitting in a meditative position He felt the projection superimpose itself upon his psyche before sinking in and becoming a part of him

Randidly reached up and scratched his head Hard to really tell how much it will do and to see how dangerous this monster of subconscious really is Guess the only way to know is to try it out

Randidly raised his Lantern of Harsh Truths and looked around Almost immediately his eyes were caught by the glittering door with the name Ace hanging above it Very clearly they considered this to be the next step in Alta�s carefully prepared dream

For a reason he couldn�t quite grasp Randidly turned and peered into the darkness A dimly lit and almost rotting wooden door seized his gaze until he couldn�t look away At this point Randidly Ghosthound trusted his instincts So he began to walk toward the dark and shabby door

The door had a name above it Ezekiel

Chapter 2047

Mrs Hamilton pushed open the doors and walked into the conference room The group was an unusual one with Huang Li Annie and Zone 1�s Resident Super Suit superhero with casually ruffled blonde hair and a rakish smile But even his expression was tinged with some sourness considering the seriousness of the occasion

Huang Li wasted no time tapping on the map laid out on the table in front of them this was the task force assembled by the world council His eyebrows pinched together in concentration Now that we are all here let�s discuss the specifics Are there any problems with the containment perimeter

None so far Supersuit whose name Mrs Hamilton didn�t know but who resemble a Thad or a Chad clicked on the electronic display and zoomed in on the area around West Providence The entire city was covered with a flashing red aura with the Northeastern portion had a solid maroon covering a puzzle piece shaped chunk But as you can see the municipal authorities tried to cover their original blunder by being extremely broad in the secondary quarantine zone The whole city is cut off from the outside world No travel in or out although we have firm communication to some of the security agencies who work with senators to indicate there are portions of the city that remain stable The story in the East and North regions of the city are more difficult to ascertain

We have a few tourists going through Zone 1 Huang Li added referring very obliquely to the tracking Skill Zone 7 used on its permanent residents Obviously the citizens learned very quickly about the problem when forces began to set up barricades along the roads and manatech railways And several possess enough power to resist the average infected Working together the people are putting up a wooden blockade If one of the powerful members of the original Orchard Squad doesn�t barrel through they will hold out

For now at least Annie squinted at the map There are a lot of residential neighborhoods in the North Ghost�s observational drones said that the infected Squad Leader is sweeping through those areas infecting as many as he can These buggers aren�t great at coordination but those with stronger Willpower can be effective leaders A wave is coming South soon to gobble up the rest of the city

But that�s why we�ve been called in Supersuit made a fist and pounded the table The electronic map flickered Look I know the odds aren�t in our favor

No speeches please Annie groaned Here let me cut to the chase We just go in beat up some infected people and get out without physical contact No need to make a big deal out of it

Rather amusingly Huang Li also nodded seriously along with Annie�s objection We should not waste any more time All it takes is a single powerful individual to have a moment of foolishness to a new threat to be born Considering all that we still don�t know we must act with due alacrity

Supersuit seemed genuinely disappointed he didn�t get to make a moving speech but was at least professional enough to move past it quickly He directed a sharp glance at Mrs Hamilton Any results on your end

She shook her head grimly Even she didn�t like having to deliver this report None at all After capturing a weaker infected we tried all sorts of images or Skills to try and drive that mauve light out of the host all failed It�s just that much more powerful than us Exposure for powerful individuals well Paolo forcefully volunteered for the task and is now taking up the attention of two of Donnyton�s strongest Squads just to restrain Essentially don�t get touched It isn�t deadly but we don�t have a cure

Even now Mrs Hamilton felt somewhat disgusted with herself that she had almost believed Paolo�s bravado and hadn�t prevented him from initiating contact She was going soft now she wasn�t concerned with running Donnyton any longer

Tch should have all been archers Annie flashed a smile No one else really acknowledged the teasing as they filed outside of the room and headed to the transport chopper waiting for the group They boarded with quick steps And the pilot seemed to know both the import of this mission and the strength of the passengers because its manatech thrusters engaged as soon as Supersuit had stepped into the vehicle and wrapped a large hand around the metal bar by the door

With a whoosh and a huge discharge of glittering mana exhaust particulate the chopper turned skyward Once it was right below the low grey cloud cover it really let loose causing Annie and Huang Li who hadn�t sat down in the seats onboard to sway and almost stagger Mrs Hamilton couldn�t help but be impressed at least in Manatech Zone 1 continued to doggedly make strides forward

Yet with that fool leading the Zone Mrs Hamilton shook her head slightly

As they approached West Providence Annie abruptly swore with her usual creativity and verve The three others looked at her in confusion Even Mrs Hamilton couldn�t quite follow the White Huntress�s acute senses and figure out what had caused such a string of expletives But about ten seconds later she discovered a familiar aura in the middle of the infected Zone

The ground erupted with mauve blades demolishing almost the entire block

Randidly pressed his hand against the cool wood and pushed open the door The material felt light and insubstantial flickering against his hand as he touched it He couldn�t quite put his feeling on the source of the feeling but his heart began to palpitate

As he walked forward he felt his body shrinking until he was his teenage self He looked around and saw the cool blue countertop and cramped refrigerator of his father�s apartment after the family had split A single coffee cup sat in the sink and a stack of deconstructed pizza boxes was folded next to the trash can

The sleek television Ezekiel Ghosthound had always insisted on updating to the new iteration every six months sat on the squat wooden entertainment console His unassuming grey couch its cushions thoroughly wrinkled from constant use sat empty in the middle of the room Randidly continued to pivot

After a few seconds he began to frown the apartment was empty

He opened his mouth to speak and hesitated unsure of what to say In the end he settled for an awkward sounding Father

For a few seconds there was absolute silence and Randidly had some strange worry that this memory would somehow be a dud Perhaps he made a mistake to follow that strange twinge in his stomach and walk over to the Ezekiel door before the Ace one But then the familiar if slightly tired sounding voice filled the room Ah you made it You�ll be wanting a memory then

Randidly continued to pivot looking around him The apartment remained empty His forehead creased in annoyance Where are you I can�t see you

Huh how strange Ezekiel�s voice answered Then Randidly heard a snort Well if you cannot see me I guess I guess I did it I got out of this hell

Now Randidly really scowled Okay look I get that this emotional monster inside of me isn�t very fun to deal with Especially now that it seems intent on wearing mother�s face But I figured you of all people would be especially happy to share negative memories of her You always told me

It�s not that son Ezekiel answered just as awkwardly as Randidly had said father Randidly continued to spin trying to catch some sight of his quarry even as it began to make him dizzy What I�ve escaped isn�t this memory game hell I�m just a memory myself But if you cannot see me I must be gone I�ve died

You Randidly finally planted both feet on the ground and stopped spinning He swayed You�re dead

A father like me Ezekiel sighed The voice was as hollow as the empty apartment in which Randidly now stood Well it�s not like you need me Look at all you�ve accomplished If I was around I�d just be in the way Good luck Oh but don�t worry I have the memory for you Just don�t be too hard on Emilee alright She only wanted the best for you

Randidly just stared blankly ahead still rocked from the fact that his father had died Died apparently on purpose without telling him

Stuck on the fact Randidly had studiously ignored his father for several years

Chapter 2048

Emotions washed through Randidly in tightly packed waves so he couldn�t even react to the arrival of the first one before the next was upon him He stood in that suspended dream of his father�s old apartment rapidly trying to stabilize his thoughts

The Grey Creature a proxy for his apparently disastrous relationship with his mother which now served as a rallying point for all the dangerous and free radical significance of the entire Alpha Cosmos possessed an emotional affect that seethed and stormed The destructive power it contained Randidly wanted to sew into his current attack patterns for an even more overwhelming offensive

Yet that was not what he now experienced

The emotion settling over him as he spread out his senses through the Alpha Cosmos and searched for Ezekiel Ghosthound felt quite different from that exuberant and vengeful energy This emotion was dark heavy and vaguely wet It settled across him like a moldy blanket chill and suffocating

In a daze Randidly walked over to the bland couch and sat down He shouldn�t be this thrown He barely had any association with Ezekiel not in the last few years Randidly could look at the Nether connections between the two of them suddenly appearing almost to visibly wilt and dim were thin and relatively minor This emotional response felt unreasonable

So why Randidly released a hissing breath He raised his arms and wrapped them around his shoulders

With a sudden gleam a small glowing chestnut appeared in the middle of the room Ezekiel�s voice echoing from so far away spoke again without any more acknowledgment of the end of his life Here�s the memory I have to give you It�s from the day we met your mother and I I bet we told you some cute story about how it went down but it wasn�t like that at all Your mother was very very strong Randidly She just was always fighting against something bigger than herself She didn�t have much energy leftover at least when she had to do something alone Like raising you Or like trying to love me

H hey wait I have something to say to you Randidly�s head snapped up He ignored the floating memory and swept the room with a piercing stare The blinds were in their perpetually slanted state so light filtered into the room with a decidedly blue tinge That wet emotion tightened around his body sticking to his skin and dripping down his throat

There was no answer Randidly�s eyes began to blaze Hey

I�m fucking talking to you

Are you really just

Just like when I was alive huh You ship off when you got tired of dealing

Randidly sniffed loudly interrupting his speech He could feel it in the air whatever remnant of Ezekiel had been here it had slipped away after delivering that last message Truly the echo had fulfilled its promised role and moved on

Biting his lip Randidly leaned forward and stared at the mildly offensive carpet That was what Ezekiel was always like he left when he was ready leaving with not a communication but more of a proclamation his decision so firmly made he had no willingness to consider any alternatives He felt concern for other people but it stemmed from a profoundly selfish place As far as Randidly could tell it honestly wouldn�t occur to his father that someone would want to speak to him Would want some closure on their own terms

The apartment was very silent In reality it had been in a rather crappy neighborhood next to the highway so the windows often rattled with the passage of heavy eighteen wheelers hauling freight Yet this was just a dream

Everything felt fake and frozen around him

Randidly tears forming in the corners of his eyes began to chuckle Although honestly maybe I�m a little like that too Sometimes I just make my decision and leave And the people who I leave behind

He released a shuddering breath He felt incredibly frustrated stifled in this familiar and uncomfortable room with its horrible unnatural silence Yet the longer he sat there the more the wet emotion seeped across all of Randidly More and more of his emotional affect his images the flow of his significance all of it became thoroughly dyed by a quiet and listless grief

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 80

Randidly pressed his hands against the stone ground with enough force that the material cracked His knuckles were white Yet he moved almost on autopilot looking up at the Hierarchy of Burden floating in the air in front of him The ivory layer was completely sparkling So his attention moved to the top layer the largest the silver layer

He pushed himself forward

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 81

Randidly shuddered He felt dizzy and blood spurted from his ears After another swaying moment blood also began to dribble from his tear ducts and ears His mouth tasted like copper but again he didn�t flinch Even in the face of the new pressures the blank resolve held up

The feeling was difficult to describe but Randidly�s entire person had become a hammer When entering the silver layer the Randidly hammer had struck what he believed to have been a flat plane keeping him out of another universe Perhaps this was the last rind of the space the barrier that would allow him to break out of a separate space and back into the main universe Or theoretically shatter his way out of the main universe and create his own separate space

Yet at the moment of impact as that pane of glass cracked and fractured Randidly became abruptly aware that what he wasn�t striking was one single barrier but infinite barriers all bisecting the single point Each was arranged at a slightly adjusted angle from the flat plane he had meant to strike so that the point of impact became a node and flat plateaus forming edges along every possible universe became radials around the impact

With the damaged space as its core the surrounding space became infinitely dense with the looming presence of infinite universes their possibilities seeping through the flaw and pressing against Randidly His Stat assisted mind sputtered and flickered reaching the verge of failure A horrible friction was created by the presence of so many possibilities rushing around him His Nether Core whined and strained trying to function while being so pressured His eyes began to bulge More blood spurted out of his nose

Yet his mouth twisted into a smile Thin rivulets of blood dribbled down past his lips and stained his teeth If you think possibilities would stop me

His new image physicalization form came down across his body His eyes and mouth were filled with darkness but from that darkness some purple black revelation energy began to glimmer Thick emerald wings spread out from his back and caught the friction of the flaws in the edge of this universe The Grey Creature raised its head and howled Its blank darkness filled eyes opened and stared into the folding perspectives of the world

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 899

Congratulations Your Skill the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 912

With that same stoic countenance Randidly forced his way forward His mind burned and sagged under the onslaught of the different universes he could glimpse through the fracture he had made His steps prying open that flaw and allowed more and more universes as numerous as molecules in drops of water in an ocean to inundate him

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 82

And yet weeping blood Randidly persisted The pain the numbness

Randidly threw himself into it wanting to briefly grieve his father in peace without the chaotic interference of his thoughts Effort washed everything away Somehow so long as he continued to push

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 90

His hands trembled For the proud and solitary Ezekiel Ghosthound he would not stop until he stopped aching

Chapter 2049

Randidly came back to himself gingerly almost as though his consciousness had been swaddled in bubble wrap and shipped across the country for several days It had been locked in the dark protected and cushioned through the arduous journey to get here Only now at his destination could it be safely removed and become prominently featured on the mantle once more He blinked several times his eyes crusty and gooey His mouth felt dry and tasted awful

He reached up and rubbed at his eyes in irritation dried blood flaking away from his face He flexed his stiff fingers the knuckles popping back into place His whole body seemed to ache And he almost jumped when a voice spoke next to him

For the record you would not have been able to do that without the presence of the Earth Golem Emperor inside of you Even for your stubborn psyche that was foolish Randidly pivoted Lucretia sat next to him looking at him with an intense gaze She uncrossed and recrossed her legs hanging over the edge of the stone pyramid and gestured to the ground around hdwim Also you might want to clean up before someone else comes here it will give the Academy students a real scare to see such a gruesome scene

Randidly groggily rolled his jaw noting the additional crusted mucus and blood around his mouth and nose He looked down at the ground The series of maroon sprays spatters and dribbles on the stone top of the pyramid did look like a cross between a toddler tipping over a paint can to roll around in the remnants and a brutal murder scene Made somehow worse by the perfectly stark bloodless handprints Randidly had created by staying so still for so long both sides monstrous and inhuman but the left characterized by lumpy digits and a too thick wrist while the right had elongated fingers

Growling he waved a hand and unleashed a blast of annihilation from the Stillborn Phoenix scrubbing away all the detritus of his extended training process While he was at it he peeled off the gruesome bloody mask he wore on his face this he was happy to destroy without ever seeing it It was about that time that Randidly saw the notification floating in front of him And subsequently finally absorbed Lucretia�s words

Congratulations You have successfully completed your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden When you gain Levels +4 to Uncommon Metabolism (Un) and Egg�s Illusory Plume

One of the original tools used to balance the Nexus the Hierarchy of Burden has a deep history for this isolated universe However as more sophisticated instruments were developed and the focus on refining physical bodies fell away the Hierarchies were all set aside as too dangerous or inefficient to utilize However sophistication doesn�t completely replace the original thrust of the tool

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has been unlocked and developed new capabilities Please experiment to find out its secrets

In addition two Fatepieces remain present in the universe Please seek them out and complete your Fateset to discover your destiny as an Alchemist

Randidly legitimately had to look at the notification several times almost disbelieving what he read He flexed his hand and produced the Hierarchy of Burden True to the notification its form had shifted no longer was it a pyramid It had flattened to become a floating square with the red layer forming the small center with each subsequent layer forming a rectangular band ending with the ominous silver layer of possibility inundation

Following an instinct Randidly raised his right hand and pressed it forward toward the square The small red central piece began to glow and slid backward away from his reach As it did so more and more pulses of electromagnetic force extended down his arm

As he continued to stretch Randidly hissed slightly Right at the edge of that layer there was an extra few levels of intensity to those snakes of crimson discharge The Hierarchy of Burden trained the body to withstand the force but now Randidly realized this was the real deal He extended his arm further despite an increase in the power Randidly�s body could handle it After stretching further the next layer light radiation began to engage The wider translucent band began to glow and retreat before his fingers right as the tips passed the plane of the other layers

Recently your images have found ways to combine in new and interesting ways Lucretia continued You inherited the moves of the Spear Phantom although they were later combined with other influences to form the Grey Creature So I�m just suggesting that there might be a way to use your familiarity and modular image to fight Shal not as yourself but as the Spear Phantom Perhaps that might finally reach him if you can prove the Spear Phantom invulnerable once more

Randidly�s mouth felt dry He allowed a pained smile to cross his face in theory I sort of understand what you are saying However my version even with my improved Stats and firmer images might not be able to match up against the current Shal

If you want to save him from himself you will find a way Lucretia said quietly

Randidly finally looked up and frowned at her Lucretia what are you doing Doesn�t this feel like an awkward time to spring something like this on me

What Weren�t you the one that brought it up And you were grieving and I provided you a task you can use to distract yourself Lucretia affected a snooty air She sniffed I had assumed you would be thanking me

In spite of himself Randidly chuckled Lucretia�s expression softened into something more genuine And I�m here if you ever need to talk you know

Thank you Randidly said meaning it Unlike Alta Lucretia didn�t run away from the acknowledgment but met it with a kind smile Randidly looked down at himself and blew out his lips Well doesn�t look like I�m making much headway with these memories today But at least at least I now know what happened to him I�m going to go back home and get some genuine sleep

Good luck Randidly Lucretia nodded Just remember you don�t have to do everything alone

If that was true you wouldn�t have seized upon the opportunity to talk about Shal at such a fraught time Randidly thought to himself No matter how much assistance you give me in the end you are right I�ll need to be the one to get through to him

But he stayed silent and turned away to hide his expression from her Any slightly bleak emotional fluctuations such a thought released were generally masked by the continued pulses of grief that ran through his body So he left the interior of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth and went back to his skyisland

Almost immediately the hairs on his arms stood on end The moonlight spirits flew to him and buzzed around in agitation someone was on his island

Someone who didn�t have any implicit permission to be there Randidly�s eyebrows slowly drew together He was in no mood for this His long legs stretched into massive strides to devour the ground around his manner The doors had been left partially open

His lips twitched again He walked through the front doors of his house and found a man seated on one of the couches that Tatiana had picked out for him The man set down a steaming cup of coffee and smiled up at him Mr Ghosthound I don�t believe we�ve had the opportunity to meet despite my best efforts I�m Cale West current President of Zone 1 And we need to talk Mr Ghosthound no disrespect intended but you�ve let too many of your messes spill out into my Zone

Chapter 2050

Randidly was so genuinely thrown by the expression of absolute conviction on this President�s face that he didn�t have much of a reaction for several seconds He had been ravaged by a storm of emotions over the course of his recent memory and this unexpected non sequitur of an appearance threw him In a peculiar way not even Randidly�s high Stats could help him react quickly to this The perhaps not especially sophisticated President Cale West of Zone 1 took his silence as an admission of guilt

He shook his head sorrowfully His lined face creased in a practiced look of empathy Look I can understand that there is a lot on your plate but as a leader you need to take responsibility for your actions In this case considering most of the infected have been locked down so long as you publicly apologize and cover the costs of the damages incurred

Very rapidly the President�s somewhat droning voice snapped Randidly�s focus to a razor�s edge The darkening cloud of his emotions choked off the man�s words without even a physical outlet as they clogged the air like acrid pollution causing the man to look at Randidly with an appalled and worried expression

Randidly�s emerald eyes narrowed as he mentally recounted the series of events that lead him here He had fought against Duulys to the point he was completely exhausted He had woken up prematurely from his rest because he felt some disturbances in his Alpha Cosmos to find the Ascension Pact on his homeworld a forgivable offense but also that Fiona was grieving in the worst sort of immature way

Then he had woken up from his next nap with the intent to train only to find that his relationship with his mother had become some sort of socio psychic dumping ground for unmoored significance As he began to take steps to correct that problem he was slapped over the head with the fact his father had died an indeterminate amount of time ago without him noticing

And now this

Fuck this A very indignant Randidly Ghosthound thought Violence was his first impulse tempted by the very cathartic image of Sulfur�s massive fist doing some much needed renovations on this man�s face A mental vignette of turning his cheekbones concave However the prospect of cleaning squirted brain matter out of Tatiana�s tasteful couch and explaining to Zone 1 what happened to their leader gave him some pause

He was a mature adult Violence was not the way to solve every problem

Especially when this man really didn�t have any sort of recourse against him Not when he had so many satisfying options

Randidly flexed his hands still slightly sore from the prolonged stiffness during his completion of the Hierarchy of Burden A dull burn of hateful frustration simmered along the edges of Randidly�s vision as he peered into the significance swirling across Expira to get the real story of this figure in front of him I don�t think that�s necessary soon to be former President West I have done nothing to earn responsibility for this matter wasn�t it your troops that behaved so irresponsibly and allowed the situation to escalate After Ghost had warned you as well Tsk tsk

You President West�s eyes bulged trying to figure which part of Randidly�s statement to respond to He settled on the easiest and first target his eyes narrowing Soon to be former Is that a threat Mr Ghosthound

Just an observation on Zone 1�s political system Randidly responded smoothly His mind buzzed as significance flowed into him feeding him strange situational context for the presidency of this man He didn�t even need to ask for it this world was very literally his body giving freely as he wondered Curiosity mobilized Nether to flow through his body and drop off nuggets of information You will eventually be replaced by someone whose platform mostly revolves around not being you No wonder you are so humble to constantly have that legacy hanging over you

President West gapped at Randidly for several seconds At least our democratic process gives everyone a voice While your cronyism in Kharon

Sighing he shook his head This is exactly why I refuse those political meetings I need a nap

Delilah looked around Can we really just make use of the University Forum for this A lot of people do group practices here

Xershi put his hands on his hips and laughed Somewhere over the past few hours he had found an ill fitting Kharon Academy hat He almost looked like a volunteer youth sports coach Of course An area like this with easy to damage locations around it helps foster image control But if you really aren�t sure Hey y�all does anyone have a problem with us using this space

The thousand or so Kharon Academy students that sat around on the tiered levels of the amphitheater emphatically shook their heads They remained curiously silent through the entire motion while also maintaining their worshipful looks toward the metal liger man Delilah felt some respect for the student body of Kharon collapsing as she saw this

So Xershi flashed his teeth Shall we begin Your wind needs to be broader D It needs to be bigger and more unrestrained so it can force its way through anything Pry open any sort of crack and find its way back to the sky Well let me ask you another question the question at the basis of the entire premise of us training together Do you want power

Delilah ignored the abrupt pivot to a pet name even if she had only ferried the Ghosthound�s companions and had one awkward night/dinner with them Instead her eyes drifted over the sea of watching students absorbing their rapt expressions Her thoughts drifted almost stumbling across his question She regarded it suspiciously as though it hid a trick Do I want power

She turned briefly to the past Xershi�s upheaval in the Academy had started this morning when a practice race was being run for the Ghosthound Grand Prix in a few weeks Students with Scrawled bits of wood and metal filled the sky in a whooshing and zooming slipstream the entire town�s commercial apparatus taking a half day off to give them time to practice in a low stress environment

Xershi had saw and demanded he be allowed to join in on the fun Bemused Delilah had taken him to the scrap yard and taught him how to Scrawl Of course his initial dozen attempts resulted in the small piece of whatever shattering into a million pieces His image was too intense and he had no knowledge of how to allow it to strengthen material before transferring all its force into the substance

Delilah had rather enjoyed seeing the powerful man fail Then he had abruptly announced he was going to seek a more suitable material� She had shrugged knowing this was a common reaction that sometimes helped but that Xershi�s image power was so great that he definitely needed at least a little bit of a sophisticated application to keep whatever unfortunate item from exploding

Xershi did not go out and pick up a massive log to handle his Mana as it was rumored Randidly Ghosthound had done during his early struggles Instead he found a gangly teen who could successfully Scrawl talked quickly to the bespectacled youth for under a minute then applied his Scrawl directly to the youth�s body Delilah watched in horror as the kid shivered and twitched the process was obviously painful

Once it was done the two shot off as though they were launched from a missile silo Their incredible speed released waves of wind that unseated almost every nearby Scrawl er was unseated from their vehicles They blasted back and forth across the sky quickly garnering the attention of the entire contingent It only took them a moment to cross the significant airspace above Kharon and its associate skyislands bank into a wide parabola of a turn and then roar right back past

When they landed the bespectacled teen was beset by jealous peers He had smugly announced that today was the most metal experience I�ve ever had�

Chapter 2051

In the wake of Xershi�s display a group of the most powerful Scrawlers met and conferred about the incident It was announced that using a Scrawl on another Scrawler was within the bounds of the rules for the Ghosthound Grand Prix it was specified that there be no limit on what objects be used as vehicles That freedom was part of the joy of Scrawling

Even other Scrawlers could be utilized

Delilah was alarmed by this decision but rather quickly some of the older students followed up with guidelines to keep the younger students from giving themselves de facto burns or tattoos from failed Scrawl on flesh attempts For now no one with a Skill Level under two hundred could try the advanced technique Which essentially meant no one could do it

Still regardless of the future consequence this thoughtless action had caused for now the entire student body worshiped his every word And while they gazed at him Xershi�s eyes remained fixed on her No one stood within ten meters of her in the forum

Do you want power D Xershi asked again

Delilah sucked in a breath She had seen Xershi and the boy shooting through the sky too And she had felt how much she held Vye back in the dangerous bits of exploration of the Danger Zones And she didn�t want to be afraid of anyone any longer Yea I want power

Well then His mouth curled upward into an expression more generous than cruelty and more anticipatory than benevolent The beginning of a wind stirred around the forum but Delilah�s heart began to pound The wind caressed her tempting her forward Yet she could already sense that this was just the beginning of a dangerous storm brewing above

She raised her eyes The sky was somehow entirely clear Her skin tingled as her senses simultaneously informed her nothing happened in the sky and also the wind twisted together to form a hammer about to descend

Let�s begin Xershi said his voice almost crooning The air currents about Kharon began to shriek as he pulled and the wind came along with him

Randidly pushed himself out of his sleeping position Nether gurgled happily in his chest all the aches in his brainstem had been massaged away and even the pulsing presence of grief had faded somewhat after his nap

Randidly wondered how long it would take to fade entirely But even still the similar hole Helen had left in him continued to weigh on him So he didn�t hold out much hope

He felt both rested and rushed as he took stock of himself He had made great strides forward to improve himself over the past few days especially strengthening the density of the Nether he produced and firming up the foundation of his body as he forced his way to finish the Hierarchy of Burden His mind too had been honed to a complexity of inputs that didn�t come up often in an average person�s life but Randidly seemed to be inundated with such circumstances that required a parsing of possibilities and incisive insight

Yet his relationship with his mother remained completely unaddressed and compoundingly difficult while the Patron of Feathers state continued to deteriorate

Randidly grunted still not sure how he felt about Fiona Especially in the context of the other negative developments recently it was tough to keep his sour mood from bleeding into other areas

Still she�s working She�s trying Randidly watched her for a while her hunched shoulders and her inane straw hat That alone is never enough to merit forgiveness But it�s definitely the best place to start

Randidly cleared his throat but didn�t comment on Fiona�s behavior What about the other two Are they behaving images intact

Neveah waved a hand Xershi has weirdly attached himself to Delilah and Kharon Academy Despite his personality or maybe because of his immaturity he�s surprisingly good with kids They are getting a real crash course in how to manifest and maintain a powerful image Pullas after she went to Zone 1 and secretly weakened Fiona�s image plague now has spent a lot of time with Tatiana The two are apparently fast friends

Good Tatiana needs more people she can relax around Randidly said casually Neveah gave him a sharp look but he shrugged the reason Tatiana needed those things is because he did and she enjoyed a certain heightened level of prestige because of her relationship with him No one understood that benefit better than he did

Tsk better not engage her on this Randidly leaned back and looked up at the sky She will just point out this is all the more reason to forgive Fiona someone who I can consider a peer

Instead of allowing that conversation to pass Randidly said So the image plague has been handled

Essentially but not totally When Randidly quirked his eyebrow Neveah shrugged People are strange A group has established what is essentially a convent for people to infect themselves Following the lead of Lucifer a lot of dissatisfied individuals have tried it to jumpstart their image development Apparently facing their taboos is rather motivating They�ve developed some methods to weaken Fiona�s image and some personal immunity so people recover eventually But for now the possibility of another outbreak still exists

Randidly cracked his neck A lot of desperate people huh

I prefer to think of it as a lot of people who are finally realizing you didn�t exaggerate when you told them how dangerous the Nexus could be Neveah responded This is a good thing even if their methods are them playing with fire Wouldn�t you do the same thing if you felt an urgent need to grow stronger

Randidly couldn�t remember the last time he didn�t feel an urgent need to grow stronger

While his mind drifted on that troubling realization Neveah pulled him back So Are you going to forgive Fiona

Randidly closed his eyes Right now No of course not Give me a bit more time Let�s see what sort of crops she can grow first How about this I�ll arrange for a dinner with the Ascension Pact members here at your place if you are willing to host in twenty four hours I�ll make my decision then

So you might not forgive her Neveah scowled at him Tsk can�t you feel how contrite she is Look at that dumb hat And what are you just going to kick her out anyway

No Randidly turned away This is about forgiveness for behaving recklessly on my homeworld I don�t need to let that go to work with her to climb in the Sonara

Chapter 2052

Pullas arrived a half hour early having gotten a recipe for cheesy scallop potatoes from Tatiana and positively bubbling in anticipation for the group dinner The last interaction between Randidly and Fiona had filled her with an existential dread related to the Ascension Pact Pullas couldn�t really believe it but her image was shaken by the prospective schism But the fact he arranged this for them all to meet rekindled her hopes of the group continuing to climb together

Pullas shifted the pot containing her potatoes from one hip to the other Still if we keep climbing what are we going to find in the upper portion of the Sonara

Neveah greeted her at the door with a smile invited her into her home and gracefully accepted her offer to help with the cooking A freshly picked batch of flowers leaned against the interior of a glass vase A fire crackled along the far wall Already the room smelled like Neveah was making a mouth watering meal

As Pullas washed her hands she cheerfully said Your homeworld is positively stupendous Of course the political situation is complex and even I can sense the tension between the different territories But centered around these tournaments where the reward is a powerful chunk of Nether undoubtedly a lot of people on Expira are going to die good deaths The conditions are excellent

Neveah chuckled as she sprinkled salt and paprika across the chicken breasts Well I certainly hope that�s true

Something slightly morbid about her tone gave Pullas pause She turned and looked at the woman who was Soulbound to Randidly Ghosthound whose sharp cheekbones and long black hair made her look like his sister ignored the layered of thick illusion around her body and simply peered at her as she slid the pan into the preheated oven You don�t think this is a good world

Neveah fidgeted as she straightened somewhere between a shrug and a head shake Ah I apologize I think some of Randidly�s anxiety is seeping into me Um to put it very simply I hope that the lives of the people in the Alpha Cosmos have been improving over the last few years The situation here is definitely becoming stable Which can be good and bad

Then Neveah clapped and offered Pullas a small smile The other reason for my half hearted response As for the context of their deaths it is simply difficult because of the System Natural causes will no longer claim you given enough time you can live as long as you avoid dangerous living Which I almost think is exactly the sort of thing you need to land well upon death�s doorstep Risks spice up life

Pullas opened her mouth to respond but couldn�t A weird sort of mental popping began to occur within her skull So she closed it While being directed to cut carrots she furiously considered this perspective consequence on the System She had been young when the System arrived in her world she had never really even considered what the almost constant delay of death by the System did to the possibility of a good death

Her image rapidly progressing through the image fulfillment stage began to rumble The psychic tremors were so violent she had to struggle not to release any outward sign The transformation didn�t happen on the surface where the details of her good death remained constant It might have sharpened slightly a little more humor added to the sharp smile on death�s face but it was the undercurrents that shifted

The inexorable tide had to be completely overhauled Neveah was correct that was just not the reality under the System

Death�s arrival was no longer a preordained thing So the whole concept of a good death had to pivot around that central tenant Pullas honestly felt like a fool for missing this before An alarming amount of momentum built through Pullas�s body following the constant churn of her image The engine of her power metastasized and began to multiply filling up the previously hollow interior

She wavered briefly on stopping this change this sudden accelerated shift that undoubtedly signaled she was close to the end of her image but she pressed her lips together and did not inhibit the transformation Neveah was right the role of death had changed with the arrival of the System Pullas had spent a lot of time thinking about her theoretical ideas of death What she had always lacked were the practical grapplings with the death that existed around her

That was why Randidly�s words had resonated so much with her He had obliquely pointed out an absence she couldn�t explain An absence that had swollen to massive proportions and she had been carrying it around without noticing it

So wrapped up was Pullas that she jumped and released a shrill little squeak when Neveah�s hands landed on her shoulders The noise sounded quite inhuman Neveah patted her trying to comfort her I don�t mean to surprise you I just think the carrots are thoroughly cut Here I�ve made a cup of tea Why don�t you sit down and rest

Pullas looked at Neveah How deeply does she love him And now I can see it the way all of the worries Randidly refuses to acknowledge build up in her Yet she maintains such a calm face always grounded always supportive Because he probably can�t do this alone not without that place to shunt his fears She has her battles just as he has his

Partners

Weirdly Pullas�s gaze circled the room and landed on Xershi He was crouching next to the fireplace holding his hat above the flames and grinning as it began to smolder She tried to imagine what it would be like to be Soulbonded to him and just shuddered

If just for the inane thoughts alone it would be torture

Fiona arrived last to the dinner even though she had the least distance to travel But she thumped in also without waiting for a response to her knock covered in dirt and smelling of sweat She stopped short looking at them all while specifically not looking at Randidly Her eyes skirted the edge of his figure The effortless ballet of the movements in the kitchen stopped Fiona cleared her throat Sorry I�m late But I I wanted to finish And look I brought some food from the garden Who new growing food was so easy

Weirdly desperately almost shy Fiona held up the wicker basket on her arm Within Pullas could see some weirdly lumpy and mishappen carrots turnips and onions

You To their surprise Randidly responded to her stepped forward and looking down into the basket A little smirk crossed his face and he couldn�t suppress a chortle You�re actually quite bad at growing crops aren�t you

I Fiona�s eyes flashed filled with a flare up of frustration and hurt But soon that settled and receded leaving the woman looking oddly nervous She shifted and spoke quietly Randidly I just wanted to say I�m really sorry for the way I behaved I shouldn�t have just lashed out at the people of your world

Thanks it means a lot to hear that Randidly�s expression became serious too as he studied her Then he offered her an unsatisfying shrug I don�t think I can quite say I forgive you at least not yet But we are still an Ascension Pact That�s part of why I wanted to have this dinner to talk about climbing further

You really mean to go past the layers protected by Elhume Pullas breathed out Her heart tightened with fear If you are caught

Then let�s just not get caught Xershi wheeled around an aggressive grin on his face

Randidly nodded toward Xershi That�s sorta the plan I�m not exactly sure what�s on the other side of the Sonara but it�s something I need to save a friend Therefore I�m going to continue to climb And I hope you all join me

But there is something else Randidly turned back to face Fiona directly again His expression became solemn And I should have told you earlier but well Things were tense However before I followed you guys into the Alpha Cosmos I saw something happening to Duulys Actus Suprem Devick came into the Sonara I had thought she was pursuing me but it seems like she was under orders to fetch Duulys She wrapped him up in her image and took him away

So he Fiona�s facial muscles froze for a split second before contorting inward The shift was like sheet metal being crumpled into a ball The emptiness in her eyes now unnerved Pullas more than the stiffness and bitterness that had lived there before Devick with the chains The crazed baby obsessed insane person

Randidly winced It�s almost worse that you know who she is

They were rivals on the frontline Fiona whispered And because Duulys eventually surpassed her in fame well no one could ever prove it but many believe that Devick orchestrated the downfall of the Raesham All because of jealousy Her hand didn�t hold the knife but she gave the push that shredded my people to bits

Chapter 2053

The mood of the dinner became strange while Fiona mulled over the news about her ex husband and Randidly found no issue picturing Devick as vindictively annihilating an entire race of people

Randidly at least felt the issue was settled with Fiona while he mulled over his other complex and volatile inner turmoil Which to be frank required a level of committed introspection that he couldn�t bear to spare at the moment

Still Fiona clammed up and also became intensely inwardly focused while the group cut into the chicken and carrots Randidly hoped she wasn�t aware enough of Devick�s image to envision in lurid detail what that unhinged woman could do to someone as obviously out of it as Duulys had been but the whiteness in Fiona�s face didn�t give Randidly much hope on that front

Pullas tried to make conversation about Kharon and Neveah gracefully supported her efforts Xershi as usual acted completely unmoored from any of the emotional tensions that filled the room He barked out laughter and slapped his knee almost the entire time In a way Randidly admired his attitude

The dinner finished in agreement however The entire Ascension Pact would continue to climb the following morning heading through the areas with the inert infrastructure put there long ago by Elhume to try and find the object the Patron of Feathers required Randidly kept the exact goal somewhat vague both because he wasn�t sure what he sought and because he didn�t want to reveal how expressly anti Elhume his goals ran

Which meant Randidly had one last night on Expira to ready himself A very sizable portion of his personality urged him to address the tumor ish problem growing within the Grey Creature but he had wised up to his own bad habits of throwing himself without pause from one project to another Besides being right in front of Neveah for the night had made him uncomfortably aware of the worry she had for him

Instead of any sort of focused training Randidly just went back to the core area of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth and focused on the flow of Nether through his body He sat down and existed observing his own self

After he began the self examination he discovered a lot of small defects and unpredictable eddies had made themselves a home within his body Rather than an efficient system he had become a mass of tangled brambles Considering the clutter of his internal energy flow he almost was glad his emotional problems weren�t even more catastrophic

Randidly emphatically stomped out the inefficiencies and snags within the Nether flows in his body marveling at the way Nether mirrored organic systems in their inevitable deviations Judging by the shape of the flaws most of them had been inflicted by Randidly�s finish of the Hierarchy of Burden The process of handling all the layers at once had not been smooth leaving him with lingering defects

Yet direct attention could heal them His body gradually returned to alignment

As Randidly knitted together the flaws he felt an unconscious tension in his body ease The rotation of energy through him became increasingly smooth He could close his eyes and just drift on that flow going around and around through his veins laying the groundwork for the next rotation of energy Nothing else mattered but polishing that road

His body had become an irreplaceable part of his continued growth Giving it a night at this juncture felt like a solid investment And the more he moved the more the flow of energy eased His Nether Core spun more quickly The connection of energy became that much more natural A humming sort of capability he almost didn�t know he had wandered away from now returned to him

The world turned around him leaving Randidly in a small step toward healing

The process was enough that he only jolted out of the effort remembering his father�s abrupt passage a few times

When the morning came he stood and stretched His back popped pleasantly Waves of heat wriggled off his muscles positively sizzling with energy As he made to leave and gather the rest of the Ascension Pact he noticed that suddenly a Scrawl had moved up onto the second level of his pyramid He paused and examined it the image tied to it was someone he didn�t know Even from just a look he could tell that the creator was young and full of fiery ambition It must have been here last night but he had been too distracted to notice

After an hour of intense travel the group found the exterior stairwell and ascended However while they were climbing through the most resonant edge of the Sonara something immediately caught Randidly�s attention The Nether content in the air had begun to thicken With this extra bit of energy content Randidly breathed deeply in through his nose trying to peer up through to the next few floors

He scowled when he failed Still they arrived at the 41st layer and the Nether continued to thicken giving him some hope

Pullas released a soft breath as they arrived in almost total darkness This is pure chaos An untouched space to hone an image Duulys Ambar must have had more self control than I thought if he left this place untouched

Then Pullas flinched slightly perhaps realizing the partial insult she had thrown at Duulys Xershi rubbed his neck Fiona looked around her eyes luminous in the gloom Perhaps perhaps not Everyone has things that they fear in the world

The group began to move At least with the Nether content in the atmosphere Randidly moved without hesitation toward the exit And certainly it was a strange sort of torture to pass through the space without releasing his images at all to stretch and empower themselves As Pullas had said the layer around them felt like some sort of cosmic womb A place where his images could gestate and be reborn into a more powerful form

Perhaps it was the silence Perhaps it was how absolutely perfect the environment felt Perhaps it was the lack of any sort of current in the growing concentration of Nether which should have been present if this area was as empowering as it seemed to hint

Because of Randidly�s hesitation and caution he kept his images inside of himself Out of respect for him the other three did the same Xershi even began to use some of his strange tricks to erase his presence making it easy to forget he was there with them letterman jacket and all

When they reached the next exterior staircase all four drew up short Randidly grimaced Well I suppose this is the sign we�ve been waiting for Avoiding Elhume�s attention has already started

The stairwell ran along a glittering metallic wall Randidly wasn�t sure whether it was artifice or the actual exterior of the drill but hanging along the wall were about a hundred crystal orbs Complex metal apparati used Engraving covered tubes to connect to the orbs siphoning out energy and drawing them up along a weird ventilation system to the next layer

Within the orbs were curled up bodies Living breathing image refining bodies

What the hell is this Xershi whispered

The group crept closer to the humming display With a thought Randidly summoned Neveah�s consciousness to him She rapidly began to interpret the Engravings that he could see while he also breathed again through his nose Here was the dark whirlpool of significance sucking away meaning from the rest of the layer and greedily keeping it all in one spot

Fiona pointed to the ground Look You can just see the Engravings on the ground by the edge I suspect the whole layer is Engraved So when you start training your image getting lost in the process triggering the whole layer to tighten this bubble around you You stay in that perfect moment of epiphany maybe under some sort of illusion until you get bottled and then connected to that

Where Elhume steals your image Pullas asked in disbelief Uses you like a battery

And with a hundred powerful image users providing the juice what has Elhume been powering for so long Randidly solemnly followed the massive cables running up through the wall

Chapter 2054

The small orbs swung back and forth due to almost imperceptible twitches from their occupants The entire wall hummed with stifled energy This area felt like walking in a warm room in winter with warm socks just tingling with static

unbelievable Fuck this Fuck being trapped and displayed like that Xershi barked out somewhat surprising Randidly with the vehemence of each word The usually chill metal liger glared up at the glittering machinery along the exterior stairwell with a quiet sort of intensity that seemed to imply he was about to lose his temper This is impossible If these guys are really that powerful how the hell could they just be trapped There must be a trick

Pullas gestured vaguely at the wall From the look in her eye she was similarly thrown by the abrupt intensity Xershi displayed I mean just look at what happened You can�t argue with what you see You can feel their individual auras And Elhume is known

You believe in a world where a capable image user can simply be bottled Let me ask you something what if we are the ones under the illusion right now Wild eyed Xershi wheeled around His metal joints shook with the intensity of the emotion that his body currently channeled Some inner turmoil agitated him until he rattled Like the Engraving is activated convincing us that so many other powerful warriors are captured but that�s the fake part How can you say that it�s not possible

Randidly opened his mouth and licked his lips He had been about to point out that Elhume was most likely the greatest and most experienced Engraver in the Nexus with no one coming very close to his mastery Perhaps Yystrix but she was now dead and Neveah was currently still struggling to unpack her legacy However the real reason he didn�t offer this tidbit of information was that Xershi seemed likely to just throw this fact back in his face Without any sort of proof speculations weren�t much use

Neveah whispered into Randidly�s mind her attention considering Xershi Something else is at play here Better to let him expend the emotion I�ll use this chance to memorize more of these Engravings

Xershi took several steps forward The closer he came to the wall and to the bodies curled up inside of the orbs the worse his shaking became

Fiona and Randidly exchanged a wordless glance falling back into the easy practicality of cooperation Despite their other tensions both were of one mind about the Xershi issue Both could feel the spasming Nether within the metal man�s body

Meanwhile Pullas took another step toward Xershi Her voice was low and urgent You are being unreasonable Sure both are possibilities but one requires many more convoluted leaps of logic than the other And when we have two crazy options first assuming the most realistic is correct is the best practice

I�m going to fucking tear it down Xershi announced He immediately tightened his hands into fists and began to march toward the wall His body shimmered with his image running rampant through his limbs Almost immediately the ground at the edge of the layer began to glitter as the Engravings activated sensing an image for it to target In the face of a paradox just tear it to pieces We can figure out the details after

Randidly stepped lightly landing in front of Xershi and pressing a hand to his chest Wait Just from you moving your image the Engravings here are activating And I bet if you start ripping into things here it will trigger an alarm

But this thing Xershi glared at Randidly and then at the wall The liger�s emotional affect seethed violent and desperate

Randidly observed the powerful emotions with a bit of alarm This I�m not emotional poison am I Neveah

Neveah declined to answer Pullas moved and put her hand tentatively on Xershi�s shoulder Is something wrong

The reason you are climbing Fiona whispered from behind the group Her eyes were again luminous with the faintest caress of her mauve image giving her insight Randidly could also feel her reading through their Ascension Pact into Xershi�s significance the woman was learning how to manipulate Nether quite quickly It isn�t just because you want to prove yourself You aren�t a Climber at all You are looking for someone Someone specific

They wouldn�t be tied down in a shitty place like this Xershi hissed not bothering to deny the assertion But even while he was speaking his eyes frantically scanned through the hundred odd orbs hanging from the walls still quietly having their images sucked away into some deeper part of the Sonara Gradually the speed and desperation of his search tapered off His shoulders heaved and he released a sigh Definitely not in a place like this

Randidly passed through that golden barrier at the top of the staircase briefly withstanding the growing presence of image fragments between the layers and stood upon the next level It turned out to be a very good thing he had been in front

Almost immediately a whistling wrought iron bolt attempted to rip its way through Randidy�s chest and pulp his heart on the way through Almost casually while scratching his neck with the other hand he slapped the projectile sideways The metal crumpled and deformed immediately skittering and ricocheting off the ground

It occurred to him primarily due to the intense sonic boom his arm produced to block the attack that the speed of the assault would be too much for most to react At least without utilizing their image in a moment of sudden panic

Randidly glanced around quickly getting a lay of the land Like the previous layer a tempting primordial darkness that seemed ripe for the harvest of a superior image hovered above him constantly beckoning About a hundred meters away a tall machine faced the entrance a small circular mouth three fourths of the way up making a constant o

His attention turned to the ground beneath his feet The Engravings were difficult to sense in the middle of the vast floor of the Sonara like this but Neveah assured him they were there waiting for a mistake

Fiona followed Randidly stumbling through the barrier and another obsidian bolt shot out of the machine�s mouth Fiona reacted too late reeling around but Randidly had already slapped down the attack

She stared at the shattered bolt for a second as the pieces of torn metal spread out and jingled to a stop This is it just trying to scare someone into activating your image

Seems like it Randidly said with a long sigh He looked again at the machine Can�t decide if its genius or insulting Also if the Engravings can capture you just from mobilizing your image defensively

Yea Fiona nodded The golden portal behind her wobbled and she stepped to the side Pullas came next and Randidly spiked another bolt into the ground Xershi came through a few seconds later and didn�t even react to Randidly�s protective swipe

It shoots an attack as soon as you walk through How methodical Pullas muttered

The group approached the machine that had released the rather ineffective assault It stood about the size of deep set wooden bookshelf a weirdly square and hefty edifice for only that single hole that released the bolts Fiona put her hands on her hips Does this mean this thing always works Because if anyone managed to dodge and not get captured I would think they would have destroyed it

Randidly squinted at the thing sorely tempted to simply wrap his arms around the edges and crumple it inward like an empty soda can Well one no one can use their image to attack or they�d be trapped In the Nexus being relatively sturdy makes it nearly invulnerable And for those who survive they probably also don�t want to attract too much attention But I have an idea

With a few light steps Randidly gathered up the crumpled pieces of metal that he had previously deflected When he found the scattered remnants he easily mashed them together to make a thick ball Then he examined the area behind the portal Heading back a fair distance he found the skidded remnants of hundreds of similar bolts some melted or frozen or covered in what was unmistakable dried blood Grimly he gathered these and sculpted them into a thick tube of metal thinner at the front and thicker toward the end

Randidly carried the tube back finding Xershi muttering to himself and kicking the machine Randidly hoisted the dense metal tube and shoved it into the opening that shot out bolts careful not to shove too hard Obviously he could destroy this without an image But he also didn�t want to trigger any sort of alarm

When the tube felt relatively stuck Randidly gave it a few tentative pats that sent the whole machine shuddering underneath his force Sulfur hummed wanting a turn but Randidly shook his head

He turned back to the group Alright let�s go

Chapter 2055

Randidly sighed as he looked up at the wall in front of them having reached the end of the layer Well I guess that answers whether the bolt was an effective trap

Fiona�s laugh was hollow Who knew people were so fucking predictable

Blunt and simple instruments are often the most effective especially against diverse groups Pullas offered but she also sounded shaken by the evidence in front of them Xershi didn�t say a word his eyes intense and brooding as he examined the wall

If the prior floor had a little over a hundred individuals trapped in orbs this level had about six hundred tiny little ornaments They hung and swayed and burned with a fierce and repressed aura in their tiny cells continually refining their image ad nauseum A near physical emotional curtain shimmered along the wall generated by the ambient force of so many image users furiously image refining for so long It was a woven tapestry of color of Aether based sweat hanging in broad swaths of oranges indigos and emeralds

What worried Randidly most about the situation was that the captured individuals were hung around the exterior stairwell He couldn�t decide if that probably meant there were more around the interior stairwell or whether it was possible the exterior stairwell helped transition the stolen energy more easily to the next layer

Either way the bodies were densely grouped in their tight orbs The jagged auras mixed and clashed due to proximity each suppressed just enough by the Engravings that they couldn�t inflict any harm on each other The more Randidly looked the more he seemed to see a vast painting of a battlefield drawn along the boundaries between the different images

He stared and the shape changed warping to plumes of dust and a wide blue sky Forces marched into position The different columns of forces cantered across a muddy expanse of contested terrain Massive artillery strikes hung in the air a whistling trail of smoke tracing their perfect arc and impending descent into the maw of the battlefield

Significance swirled underneath the images becoming a foundation for the strange illusion Randidly witnessed A strange meaning seized this group of individuals being used as batteries a hint of their true purpose that Randidly couldn�t quite intuit The forces of each individual image bristled various members of minor nobility in the illusion silent and frozen with a sort of tense uplift of torso implying each was in the midst of a moving speech about what this battlefield would mean for the future

Yet of course the forces never moved They were locked away frozen in a painting that wasn�t a painting but a tragic pool of significance and Aether locked in a silent world that had meaning inside of it but not to any unbiased viewer

Randidly released a breath The strange impression of a painting dissolved into six hundred individuals bristling with very different images After Xershi had personally examined every inch of the containment system they moved up

When they arrived on the forty third floor Randidly came prepared for another trap or sudden ambush He was almost disappointed when the bone shuddering pain of the image echoes passed and he found himself in the same darkness but without any immediate threats Supposing that the trap would be a different sort of method he advanced a bit and kept his senses as sharp as he could

His skin began to tingle Quite a distance away Randidly sensed movement He breathed deeply through his nose and received a better picture of the surroundings There were massive holes in the ground around their arrival point leading to deep warrens And from those subterranean caverns came a swarm of porcelain puppets that defended the Shaft

Randidly clicked his tongue as Fiona passed through to join him Get ready to saddle up We need to force our way through Some pesky bugs are crawling toward us

Can you handle most of them alone Even with the Stats boost you provide for us Fiona pressed her lips together as Pullas stumbled through the portal and wheeled around with wide eyes apparently expecting an immediate ambush She steadied the other woman with a touch on the elbow You are fine for now Pullas Just get ready to move

Randidly was already swirling his arms in alternating windmill motions around his body The movements weren�t fast but they followed a cadence that spread rippling waves of kinetic force out through the surrounding air Yea I think I�ll be able to push back interference without using an image So long as these are the dolls I think they are

The sooner we get out of this fucked up place the better Xershi announced Randidly looked at Fiona Fiona looked at the ground abstaining from the vote out of some lingering guilt from her tantrum in his Alpha Cosmos

Rubbing his chin Randidly nodded forward into the darkness Let�s keep moving How well can we rest in this place anyway

Pullas nodded and Xershi spat to the side thrusting his hands more deeply into the pockets of his letterman jacket The group began to move rapidly gaining speed in the end they still needed to cross an entire layer before they could reach the relative safety of the stairwell However Randidly quickly skidded to a stop and waved for the group to do the same Shit

It was already too late Some hidden trigger had activated and the ground glittered with initializing Engravings Randidly warred briefly between gathering themselves here accelerating to gather kinetic energy or returning to the prior stairwell but the Engraving pattern activated even more quickly than expected Some function of the floor zeroed in on their location creating a glowing disc on the ground for the surrounding several miles

Space along that threshold began to spit bolts of red lightning and distort

Randidly could physically cover that distance and rip through the forming isolation barrier but the rest couldn�t Just as his racing mind considered putting the group back in the Alpha Cosmos Pullas cleared her throat Her cheeks flushed If we are all going to be squished into a tiny ball I think it�s time we talk about ahem Appropriate positionings

Despite the looming threat everyone halted and gave her a long look

We won�t be conscious Pullas Fiona said almost gently It was the first time in the last few days that she seemed genuinely to have forgotten her own angst

The soft reception almost seemed to embarrass Pullas more A ahem Obviously I t trust all of you but just in case there needs to be some contact

Besides we won�t be needing to settle into this cage Xershi growled Already the activated disc of Engravings began to shrink A glittering wall of energy rose up preparing to fold around the group and bind them in place The liger man took a step forward his image rising through his body I�ll rip my way

Easy Randidly�s hand clamped on Xershi�s shoulders suppressing his image before it could gather too much traction Randidly inclined his head at the ground where a new level of Engravings began to activate You�ll still get pulled in by using your image This trap activating doesn�t mean the other is now dormant

Then can you Randidly Fiona gestured vaguely

Randidly narrowed his eyes to look at the barrier the Engravings formed with Neveah performing some rapid calculations in his mind Not with just kinetic force There�s a pure image of spatial folding in this But I do think gather up everyone We just need to move through the barrier

Randidly produced his Alchemist�s Passport and groped out with his Fatepiece sensing the breadth of space

But almost immediately he could feel the boundary taking shape in front of him Randidly scowled As he had expected if the barrier could be avoided by simply tunneling through space many more of the captured individuals would be able to avoid the trap He pressed his will against the almost elastic sensation of the tightening space around them unable to break through

Time to rip open a hole then Randidy�s eyes glittered His Hierarchy of Burden spun up in front of him the smallest middle portion activating and glowing crimson He pressed the Philosopher�s Key forward both Fatepieces acting in concert to generate a genuine tear in space

Chapter 2056

The Engraving beneath their feet crackled with energy rapidly erecting and tightening the barrier around the trio Randidly bit his lip his body wavering with the strange sensation of activating two of his Fatepieces at once and having difficulty keeping both energies in line His chest tingled Some connecting fulcrum some core of his Fateset began to shiver and awaken within his Soulspace

Without that bond holding the two together he somehow sensed it would be a very bad idea to try and just force the two to activate in concert

Dense energy crackled around his body as a new function began to activate utilizing two of his Fatepieces Raw Aether churned through his body drawing power through Neveah to fuel this sudden activation Randidly sucked in a breath and then released it slowly

However the bonding barrier in front of them began to strengthen itself and tighten as Randidly�s Fateset made its preparations The dense walls swirled closer more and more complicated sigils forming and erasing themselves on the inside of the barrier as they writ themselves into existence Randidly�s focus fractured one part of him observing the Engraving with interest another part managing his activating Fatepieces a third noticing the worried expressions on the faces of Pullas and Fiona

Xershi just bubbled with tension a fatalistic commitment to violence writ plain in his expression Randidly just felt relief he wasn�t flaring his image considering how murderous his stare was

Randidly sooner would be better Pullas whispered

The barrier began to melt into itself becoming an invisible truth rather than a constantly advancing presence but Randidly�s Acute Nether Nose still felt the limit on their new prison world approaching His hands began to tremble hosting more and more Aether and Nether that swirled together between his Hierarchy of Burden and the Alchemist�s Passport The two energies flowed against one another their friction generation some vital spark The inner connector almost began to glow with power forcefully brought to life before all six of his Fatepieces had been assembled

The trap around the group deepened Even his Nether senses could no longer feel the barrier A sky opened above them a seductive expanse that whispered they were not being locked into an isolated world but rather given the opportunity to run free

A huge shudder ran through Randidly�s body powerful as it was as that inner mechanism engaged Aether and Nether a cacophony of emotion and shape running above a river of connection and memory both ignited into a furious hand searing harmony Energy flowed smoothly between his two Fatepieces as his Alchemist�s Passport key form lengthened to become almost a dagger pointing directly at the tiled square of the Hierarchy of Burden

Randidly hefted the weapon as bits of crimson electromagnetic discharge teased the end of his Fatepiece Alright I�m ready Everyone come and put a hand on my back And be ready I suspect this is going to be a rough ride

All three placed their hands on his back Randidly could tell who was who based on the thickness of the fingers and lightness of the touch But he shoved those bits of minutia from his mind his eyes now scanning the wide horizon in front of them Fluffy clouds had formed and drifted randomly as though the wind was fickle enough to blow two adjacent clouds in different directions His expression darkened it was not a good sign that he could no longer sense the edge of this bounded place even with his nose

Ignoring this troubling fact he thrust his key weapon forward The first layer of the Hierarchy of Burden slid backward engaged by the movement of the other Fatepiece They accelerated forward faster than sound Dense pythons of lightning crackled around them as the group rapidly accelerated moving along space rather than through it Randidly�s lips pulled back from his teeth as everything blurred into white lines the combined activation hurtling them forward with more power than even he expected

Shit Fiona hissed her fingers tightening until she held a bunched fist of Randidly�s shirt But it was the bonds of Nether that kept them in one place the Ascension Pact resonating between them Without that the wind pressure alone might have blown his companions away

Randidly�s attuned senses felt thousands of possible landing spots but he flew past them all and continued to accelerate Light stretched into fluttering ribbons adorning the edges of their motion His expression darkened very quickly Because it quickly became clear that while they felt like they were moving he hadn�t encountered the barrier that was locking them into a fake world

It wasn�t even a true crack it didn�t break through to the outside It was just a bit of material that had been chipped away by their impact primarily from Randidly�s body However

As they watched the tiny flaw in the material began to wiggle like a worm Its movements became impossible erratic twitching and flailing The flaw seemed to breathe open and closing to experimentally Randidly�s eyes widened in alarm perhaps even more than weird red light pulses that problem signaled a much more violent security response from Elhume�s forces approached

Because he could feel how all the echoing image fragments and flaws that buzzed through the outside of the Sonara now swarmed to this location Where a small flaw gave them an escape or rather a re entry into the interior of the Sonara which allowed images to grow and thrive The gyrations of the small flaw became so emphatic the worm widened into a small sphere

Randidly couldn�t tell if the flaw was growing or simply the space around it began to edge backward fearful of its stirrings

That is going to rupture at some point Pullas took several steps forward The almost anti climactic red pulses of light cast a shadow over her face The accumulation of image flaws at this place will rip the entire Sonara open like a rotten

Fiona pointed upward Perhaps this is the signal that the mechanic is on the way They will solve the issue with no one the wiser

More likely an executioner heading after the culprits with a bloody fucking cleaver Xershi observed He peered speculative upward If it was a mechanic the light would probably be green or blue

Let�s just move before we need to find out Randidly interrupted He hopped over the broken bottom steps and began to climb the staircase The rest of the group followed Randidly winced as he settled into a loping run up the stairs either from the activation of the two Fatepieces or because of the impact his bones ached like someone has sprinkled bits of scrap metal into his marrow Even his high Uncommon Metabolism took its sweet time to knit together the microtears in his body

Although I think the issue is less that I�m not good at healing and more that my body has become so high quality that an Uncommon Stat takes a while to reconstruct it Randidly mused However the feelings had already begun to fade so he put this rather minute problem behind him

Because of the damage to the bottom their ascent took longer than usual The Engravings to accelerate the ascent didn�t engage until they were almost a hundred meters off the ground The red light continued to pulse a constant presence

As they began to speed up to the next layer Randidly paused and looked behind Even from here he could feel the flaws in the Sonara clustered down below them In addition he saw a veritable sea of porcelain dolls each pulsing with smaller sources of the red light clustering around the bottom of the staircase They moved their limbs frantically their arms flashing with Engravings

Whatever they were attempting it didn�t stem the dangerous fizzing congregation of image echoes The red light continued to sweep through the dark expanse

Gonna be a welcoming party above Randidly observed

Xershi released a complex series of clicks from his mouth Through their Ascension Pact Randidly could feel some of that raw frustration that had emerged in Xershi when he first saw the machinery lining these layers There better be I need to work off some steam

Chapter 2057

Don Beigon sat in his study his fingers idly tapping along the armrest of his bamboo wheelchair A few routine documents sat in front of him requiring his signature His eyes scanned through line by line Despite the mundane nature of the business agreements contained within them he took the time to read every single line of each

He paid such attention partially to avoid being fleeced even though his Skills had already given him an accurate picture of who was coming out on top of who through the agreement But also because the defined terms and rigid relationships were oddly calming Reading contracts always put him in a good mood

As much as he admired soft power it was not a jurisdiction that could support itself alone The thin ties of favors and debts could only be strung up between more rigid structures of influence So each contract he perused felt like a brick being laid in his foundation

But his senses began to tingle pulling his attention away A connection of his became abruptly very very important The Don set down his papers on the desk and began to frown due to the dense network of connections he maintained he could quite trace the origin He could only sense the general direction

He wheeled himself around and went to the window He peered out into the manicured gardens outside of his study his eyes digging through to whatever troublemaking individual had caused this Then he huffed and waved a hand unleashing a blast of force that destroyed his wall and leveled the pesky gardens screening his sight line

Bits of wood fell down around him in the aftermatch but he had carved himself an unobstructed view outside Then he stretched his hand up and pinched at the sky The complex Engraving barrier he had made to protect the Beigon Estate parted The calm sky opened up and revealed the glittering nebula above the Nexus Don adjusted his viewpoint through the layers of Nexus Citizenship until he could see the massive drill hanging in the sky above them all

There was a knock at the door behind him Don Beigon the preparations to bring the charges have been completed We can have them formally delivered at any time

Abruptly the Don realized who had suddenly produced this strange inkling Randidly Ghosthound

The connection between them hummed almost gleeful The remaining debt the Don owed the boy felt rather smug

Don Beigon narrowed his eyes trying to figure out why he would get such a strong but vague premonition at the moment What could the Ghosthound have done The connections didn�t give him much actual predictive power but he could sense enough to know the kid had really gone into the Sonara

Another knock came at the door from Fellador Don was there something wrong with the East garden

Quiet Don Beigon hissed His eyes were locked on the hanging drill That the Ghosthound was in the Sonara wasn�t any sort of surprise But why

The Don�s eyes widened There is only one logical explanation Well two technically considering how stupidly capable and wildly incautious the boy is Either he�s going to somehow activate the Sonara�s original purpose launching the attack down the Shaft or he�s going to destabilize and destroy the Sonara

Either way this fucker is going to inject more chaos into the Nexus A lot of very pivotal moments will be approaching

Change of plan Fellador Don Beigon said aloud Put the charges on hold for now Instead we need to prepare to take advantage of the chaos This kid is going to flip the fucking board on all of us When those old monsters who have been hiding away in there need to skitter out or risk being squashed

The Don paused Ah also please invite Claudette to a luncheon It�s time we had a chat about what it means to have a Foundation

Randidly stepped through golden barrier to the next layer and felt almost nothing Most of the pain and crunchy grinding against his psyche had vanished He arrived on the next stretch of featureless ground without any difficult He supposed that with all the dangerous radiation was now concentrated elsewhere the process of transferring layers wasn�t so difficult at all

Two things happened simultaneously just as Randidly took a step forward and clenched his fist First he felt some of his kinetic energy annihilated His head snapped to the left where he saw a massive weirdly spindly hand tapping and slithering toward him keeping itself low to the ground The palm was almost non existent but five powerful digits as thick as tree trunks flexed The movements were weirdly spider like as it skittered forward keeping itself hidden behind some injured porcelain dolls despite its massive fingers

Randidly�s skin tingled he sensed two others creeping closer to him from other directions but only because of his Acute Nether Nose They were uncannily good at hiding their presence

Secondly Xershi erupted from the golden portal his massive image of a liger already raising its head and roaring Randidly could visibly see how much Xershi�s image had improved since they had first met at the bottom of the Sonara just over two weeks ago in the details of the Liger�s teeth and the whirling gears of its servo reinforced joints Apparently their meeting with Duulys Ambar had been transformative Yet at the same time Randidly frowned at the display Xershi the Engraving

You can rip me out right I can�t hold back any longer Xershi howled throwing himself at the still staggered voltron forms of the porcelain dolls With the weaknesses that Randidly�s previous kinetic attack had inflicted he literally shredded them with several sharp blows He pounced and their still twitching limbs tumbled in his wake

All the while the Engravings began beneath his feet became increasingly animated As Pullas passed through to join Randidly a cylindrical area had formed around Xershi and the army of porcelain dolls that was only too happy to entertain him He ignored the restriction and ran rampant his foes his fists splintering their bodies and sending tiny bits of hardened material skittering across the ground

The barrier around him became blinding finalizing the total isolation within its confines Then it began to tighten and round off at the top Yet even with a huge chunk taken out of the opposing forces the other three wouldn�t have an easy time Randidly felt sweat trickling down his back keeping a very close eye on the three creepy hands that pressed themselves to the ground amongst the teeming waves of dolls

Fiona came through and coughed She looked at the tightening barrier and shook her head He really just

Yup Randidly grunted Alright hands on my back Time to spring him out

As the two women touched him the hand rushing from the front reared up its undulating fingers spreading wide to reveal the tiny palm Revelation energy glittered in Randidly�s eye as he felt the sudden threat and jerked sideways

A beam of sizzling and caustic Nether smashed into his shoulder and sent him staggering The impact was less physical and more existential making his Nether Core stutter slightly For a few seconds Randidly�s arm hissed and spat out strange grey particles However his own flows of Nether quickly destroyed this flawed energy and his shoulder healed He clicked his tongue quickly falling into that same resonance between Fatepieces that he felt before That power its the same sort of Aether twisted into resembling Nether from the bone charm On a much much smaller scale

Because his awareness spread wide Randidly felt the other two weird hands moving to surround him However they released pulses of that same twisted energy but at each other He was so thrown by the targeting that when he realized what they were doing it was already too late

These fucked up hands connected their non Nether Nether and created a pseudo Nether Ritual They made a dangerous and malicious wish In a flickering moment Randidly Pullas and Fiona had the space around them wrenched and inverted Fiona shuddered and Pullas collapsed directly to her knees her eyelids fluttering

The twisted energy continued to try and turn them inside out Gritting his teeth Randidly grabbed Fiona�s hand and put an arm around Pullas�s waist to pluck her off the ground Even as he moved Randidly felt the space around him becoming gelatinous and cloying The twisted energy the hands used created a weird bond between one molecule of air and the next so that moving one required him to move them all

Primordial Nether Juju gurgled in Randidly�s body The air congealed to restrain him and he rolled his shoulders with quite a bit of energy to spare Steam began to waft off his body The surrounding layer trembled with the raw physical force he unleashed

However Randidly could see that he didn�t have time to rip his way out as the hands continued to wrench and twist at the fabric of their spatial forms Pullas began to quietly vomit blood that dribbled onto his bare toes His Fatepieces manifested in front of his body He stepped forward pushing directly to the second layer Space began to bend and stretch then rip as he dipped his toe into the entropy layer

and he rebounded again dizzy and with an aching forehead Randidly cracked his jaw having just used his skull as a break This time he had controlled their speed so they reached the end of the layer without as much raw force Fiona was coughing PUllas seemed to have passed out

Xershi Fiona wheezed He

Yea you stay here with Pullas Randidly raised his Alchemist�s Passport His head began to ache from the rapid spatial calculations I�ll be right back

Chapter 2058

With his third activation of his two Fatepieces in tandem Randidly started to retain a slight awareness of the space he passed through with the wicked physic melting speed The knowledge felt insubstantial but it was better than nothing Even his senses had difficulty reacting in time to the harsh limit waiting at the edge of the Sonara But luckily he could feel the spatial distortions created by the capturing barriers much more clearly

Like some ancient knight riding in a jousting tournament Randidly eviscerated the Engraving wall and deactivated his two Fatepieces as quickly as he could The slap of air against his face felt like a cool shock His momentum carried him forward another ten meters however plowing a way through a bunch of porcelain dolls that had gathered around Xershi�s small cage

As he slowed down his own uncontrolled kinetic force became a weapon Randidly used to clear the area He brushed a bit of porcelain dust off his shoulder With a single step he appeared back next to Xershi who just stared absently at the ground without even acknowledging his freedom

You alright Xershi Randidly asked wondering if some mental attack began when the barrier became fully realized

Thankfully Xershi�s voice was clear when he spoke Yea Yea I�m fine Just How do I put this do you ever wonder who you really are

For a split second Randidly tilted his head to the side Then he made the executive decision not to get involved in this sudden question not when he felt those bulging fingered hands moving back into position around the two of them He gripped Xershi�s bicep and once again activated both Fatepieces at once The edges of the world blurred and melted becoming jagged shards that ripped through their bodies Randidly did his best to absorb most of the light radiation The strobing red light softened to a dripping pink periodically lapping against the surrounding space as they cruised across the layer

Because he didn�t need to activate the Entropy layer to shred space he and Xershi came out of the dual activation relatively unscathed They again bowling balled their way through a crowd of porcelain dolls half of which had become the voltron form and had made Fiona and Pullas flee up onto the base of the staircase for whatever reason the dolls seemed unwilling or unable to ascend

At least this was one areas where the omnipresent Engravings across the layer actually served a purpose

Randidly still dragging Xershi behind him just blasted his way through the few dolls unfortunate enough to be in his way The liger man remained strangely listless allowing himself to be tugged along Once on the stairs he nodded at Pullas Glad to see you are up

What the hell was that That attack Fiona sucked in a breath while Pullas could only manage to nod tiredly at Randidly�s words Both still seemed weak after experiencing the faux Nether Ritual of those sausage fingered hands When he turned to look at her Fiona still flinched and looked away But her words were agitated That feeling was that Nether

I don�t quite know how it works just that its a fucked up process Elhume managed to create Randidly responded turning his gaze upward rather than address the simmering cauldron of emotions he still held in regards to Fiona�s actions They didn�t have time for so many things right now Aether behaving like Nether Energy twisted to be something other than what it is Anyway we need to prepare for more of those as we ascended Next is the forty seventh floor right

Only forty sixth Pullas managed to wheeze Randidly grimaced at the number of layers still under Elhume�s dominion above them Now on the stairs some of Pullas�s death�s pale light flickered around her body stabilizing her condition Xershi finally snapped out of his existential daze enough to crouch next to her produce a handkerchief and wipe some dried blood from the corner of her mouth

They blurred away right as he felt the Nether in the space around them beginning to turn strange Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest even as bolts of electricity and jagged beams of light groped at his body

There had been more hands hidden in the area around the entrance Waiting preparing to activate some sinister trap on the climbers And based on how they responded to the three hand antagonistic dirty Nether Ritual a massive working fueled with that energy might be deadly

They arrived at the far edge of the layer to no ambush but the group still hurried up the stairs Aside from a few glances at the increasingly complex machinery along the wall and three trapped individuals who had made it to this layer only to be stopped the group rose at double speed to the forty seventh layer

Randidly prepared for another sudden blast of twisted energy stepped through the golden barrier humming with tension Almost immediately his skin began to crawl Engravings moved beneath his feet rapidly rising to create an isolating barrier around Randidly He hadn�t activated any image so he simply pulled out his Fatepieces and prepared to rip his way through But very quickly he realized something was different about this barrier As he created the two flows of energy the process accelerated

An idea occurred to him Randidly reached into his Nether Core and slowed its rotation The pumping flows shuddered and then tapered off In response the Engravings faltered Groaning Randidly slowed the flow of Nether in his body even further He pulled away his Nether density forcing it into the Alpha Cosmos until he had the density of the energy in the surrounding space

His body ached his muscles had become far too used to Nether to not complain without it

Of course this at least meant that the hand spiders weren�t waiting to pounce Even if their energy wasn�t true Nether they apparently couldn�t function in this anti Nether area That or they were just waiting in the distance waiting to spring an even bigger trap on him

Randidly rubbed his neck Almost instantly the Engraving�s whirred back to life and a wall began to coalesce in front of him He cursed quietly and laid down on the ground He held himself very still holding his breath The Engravings once more dissipated and vanished

How the hell does it know Randidly�s face twitched as he kept his face from scowling

The rest of the Ascension Pact walked through the portal with their hackles raised only to find Randidly laying on the ground Pullas squinted down at him in concern Fiona cleared her throat Why are you on the ground

Aggrieved Randidly spoke quickly to avoid triggering a full isolation bubble This layer suppresses Nether My Strength Stat He took a break while the barrier began to form Then he spoke after it had faded has evolved into Primordial Nether Juju It seems like movements

Again he needed to take another pause The three looked blankly down at him

He cleared his throat Someone will need to carry me

Chapter 2059

Randidly looked up at his companions from the ground completely inert to avoid activating the defensive Engravings

The moment stretched as the three other members of the Ascension Pact looked at Randidly with sour expressions at his pronouncements Xershi especially seemed tense his neck oddly arched Whatever strange funk he had slipped into inside his isolated orb it lingered now on this next layer

Randidly wanted to clear his throat or point out it was mostly a joke He sent a pulse of meaning through the Ascensions Pact and activated his Alchemist�s Passport so that it manifested in front of his fingers if they didn�t need to rip through spatial walls and weren�t afraid of attracting more attention they could simply use the single Fatepiece to move across the layer

At this point letting Elhume know he possessed a Fate that could rip through distances seemed the least of their problems

Pullas and Xershi continued to look around awkwardly as the Ascension Pact transfer of meaning once more brought the rumblings of the Engraving Plus they felt the tingle through the bond but couldn�t make heads or tails of it Fiona understood and waited for the energy to pass When the energy had dissipated she moved next to Randidly and carefully lifted his arm

The process of locating the destination ended up taking about six minute as Fiona shifted her grip further and further down Randidly�s arm so she could make increasingly minute adjustments to the tip of the key allowing them to arrive nearer to their goal By the end she had his pointer finger in both of her hands making minute shifts The only reason this process ended was because Randidly grew impatient and simply pressed the key forward folding space around them and carrying it away even as the Engraving tried to clamp down on the group for the Nether running through his body

They popped out about a half mile from the exterior staircase finally stirring Xershi to sling Randidly across his back and just carry him to the steps When they finally got away from the restrictions on Nether Randidly twisted at the waist popping his back I suspect the next layer will be even worse Defense wise For whatever purpose the Sonara was made we are getting close to it

Pullas adjusted her glasses It wasn�t so bad for us You just became dead weight

Clicking his tongue Randidly led the group in heading up to the next layer He didn�t slow down at all as he moved through the golden layer into the forty eighth floor of the Sonara He also tried not to think about the concentration of image echoes in the flaw they left behind

Randidly didn�t make any sudden moves immediately freezing past the barrier However as he gradually unthawed his movements to test an Engraving didn�t form The strange darkness of Elhume�s layers continued with the pulsing red alarm periodically filling the space But he could find no new way to trigger an isolating reaction Not even releasing his image changed the space

Randidly frowned Is it because it�s taking its sweet time or are there really no defenses here Also the lack of porcelain puppets makes me a little concerned

Worse when Randidly brought out his Fatepiece and probed around in the air he couldn�t make sense of the information he received His mouth twisted into a scowl there were spatial barriers around them thousands of them shuffling and shifting constantly Although his senses couldn�t detect it they seemed to be sitting in the middle of some complex diced spatial arrangement The more his senses attempted to spread out the more confused he became

The contradictory information fed to him by his body versus from Nether gave him a headache

The group came through and filled in the space behind them Randidly was already pulling out his Fatepiece but Xershi�s gaze immediately whipped to directly behind their arrival point like a fisherman had yanked a hook in the corner of his mouth Pullas looked at him in concern Xershi Is something wrong

Just the chair Randidly reached up and rubbed his neck Fiona folded her arms across her chest Her tight expression revealed a similar unnerving quality to the moment

Much to the group�s surprise Xershi soon twisted around in much better spirits His gaze had firmed up quite a bit no longer did he seem to be balanced at the edge of a precipice Let�s go And I think we should climb the central staircase The creator wouldn�t have built a dwelling here without a reason

Based on the fact the creator was able to create a spatial maze here under Elhume�s watch that reason is probably that he�s working for Elhume or at least has Elhume�s permission to be here Randidly pressed his lips together but didn�t say anything The alternative was using his two Fatepieces to forcefully rip through millions of small spatial barriers Despite the low strain he had encountered so far Randidly didn�t want to attempt it

Besides the terminus of that tearing spree would be even more violent than the impact that had inflicted a flaw lower in the Sonara

So the group walked outside and climbed the staircase to the forty ninth floor one below Elhume�s hidden facilities This time Xershi�s sudden burst of enthusiasm had him leading half a step in front of Randidly to pass through the golden layer

So by the time Randidly passed through he witnessed one of Xershi�s arms being severed by a powerful slash So clean and stark was the strike that the air glittered and refracted in small beads around the impact like the weapon had been dipped in water before attacking

Randidly shifted into a fighting stance to address the threat but then jerked his head backward A powerful blast of sunlight seared past his face and began to melt the ground He wheeled around just in time to feel a powerful image moving beneath the ground The strange floor exploded with a rush of vegetation Thick tree trunks unfurled into powerful columns wide leaf ferns flaring out to block his vision

Randidly�s eyes flickered in recognition he knew these images That knowledge made him smirk Heh powerful these might be but I�ve faced the real thing

The First Authority Seize

His Nether Core spun and unleashed a domineering pulse Randidly looked across at the puppets arrayed in front of him each bearing the images of one of the original Patrons and grinned

Each looked like a normal porcelain doll except the material of their bodies was tinted The Patron of Blooms doll was a soft green while the Patron of the Sun was golden Xershi was being slapped around by a black Patron of the Abyss and a grey Patron of Blades

Randidly�s skin tingled as he felt the gravity turn so sticky around him that space began to congeal With raw physical force he twisted around and looked behind him His eyes widened having missed a clearly important installation here on the layer Three massive tubes were situated on a raised dais in the central area connected with heavy metal transistors Exhaust ports blew out grey sighs near constantly a testament to the continued activity of this device The interior of the tubes was filled with foggy blue liquid time steadily blurring the items within the five meter tall tubes

Standing in front of those tubes were four more porcelain dolls One purple one pink one indigo and one white

If one of those is the Patron of Feathers then the other three must be Randidly�s eyes narrowed The deceased Patrons Patron of the Deep Patron of the Borrowed and the Patron of Truth

Chapter 2060

The purple porcelain doll glowed with pulses of power space bending power wielding gravity against Randidly from afar It raised its hands and tightened the tiny fingers into fists Randidly felt daggers of inverted gravity attempting to rip holes in his flesh but Egg�s Illusory Plume easily shrugged the attack off

He tilted his head to the side as he felt the strange almost cosmic notes to the weakened image This one was probably the Patron of the Deep

However what drew Randidly�s eyes most about the strange tableau in front of him were the heavy cables that ran up out the ground and plugged into the dais A complex multilayered Engraving covered the base of the dais and fed all the energy stolen from powerful individuals in orbs below into those three blue tubes

Randidly�s eyes narrowed He tried to calculate how much Aether was being supplied to these devices near constantly What the hell is

I bet you are wondering what�s inside those three strange tubes Do you want to know their secret

Randidly pressed his lips together immediately suspicious about the invisible speaker The disembodied voice earned a sharp jerk from Xershi whose liger was not faring well against the combined forces of the Patrons of Abyss and Blades Creator You really are here

The indigo Patron of Feathers doll raised its arms unleashing a flurry of fluttering darkness that blossomed out from its torso Then with a remarkably sharp movement it streaked across the intervening distance and smashed into Xershi�s side while he was distracted The Patron of Blooms struggled back for control of its conjured plant matter but Randidly twisted those growths and tossed them against the beams of sunlight aimed at his back by the Patron of the Sun

As a group these dolls were difficult to handle but their images were only three fourths as powerful as the real thing Against his grip the fake Patron of Blooms could only sulk

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 897

The disembodied voice laughed as the ligerman skidded across the ground and scrambled back to his feet Ah Xershi I�m impressed you managed to climb this far But it looks like you have your own problems at the moment without capability I think it would be inappropriate for us to speak further don�t you

To Randidly�s surprise Xershi�s mouth snapped shut He flared his liger image using fang and claws to lash out against feathers the void and gleaming slashes that continued to brutalize him Fiona and Pullas stepped through the portal and looked around at the chaotic mess with very little surprise on their faces The three standing dolls launched into motion targeting Randidly perhaps they believed if they could eliminate him in time they could handle the rest

Snorting Randidly allowed the Grey Creature to flare around his body All those dangerous emotional elements crashed back and forth across his mind obliterating any mild thoughts that had been minding their business in that wild emotion�s path What remained was a wild dark rage with enough intensity that the Aether in the space around him shook with tremors

Randidly planned on obliterating a few dolls as quickly as possible

What is inside those tubes Fiona raised her finger and pointed voicing the question they probably all were thinking

Randidly rolled his eyes at how direct she was but his focus started to get pulled toward one tube in particular The left tube seemed to guide his attention to it No sort of aura flowed out of the surface yet he felt so sure of a familiar being within its confines He grasped for Aether and Nether and only received slight responses on both

He took a tentative step closer After several long seconds of staring Randidly blinked It must be some portion of Yystrix

Originally the Sonara tried to recreate a perfect version of the past An alternate history relived with the superior capability they had earned of the last few centuries The voice of the Xershi�s creator whispered Randidly tore his gaze away from the left tube and examined the surroundings trying to figure out where this figure hid Do you know much about the Pinnacle Several elements are required A foundation an image and a perfect moment Elhume sought to reach the Pinnacle with his entire family as he craved it to be He took a piece of each of them for the image the energy of the captured fools as a foundation the completed Sonara as the moment of transformation

That was the plan anyway Problems emerged immediately First the image was fractured Despite his wife generously donating half of her power to fuel the process Elhume couldn�t part with even a drop of his power even to achieve what he claimed to be his dearest held wish And of course Pine couldn�t be conveniently subdivided and brought here Attempts to gather up Pine�s energy had consequences

As far as I can tell the foundation functions fine Obviously moot without the other two Ah yes the most interesting part in my opinion as the Sonara neared completion the moment never quite manifested Most have since theorized that the moment must be extemporaneous Grasping for the past will never allow one to climb to the Pinnacle Perhaps facing this very same truth Elhume�s attitude experienced a full one eighty He built two extra layers shifting the perfect image reverberations to the fifty first layer Reinforcing that destructive enterprise he later invested all his efforts

Randidly licked his lips He started walking forward almost unconsciously until he stood right up in front of the left tube He pressed his fingers against the glass surprised by how chilled the exterior felt Why are you telling us this

Oh just as a favor Besides I�m going to take everything apart once you�ve moved through The voice laughed Honestly I should be thanking you Due to certain restrictions overcoming the Patrons would have been difficult for me Without your group�s appearance I would have needed to design a perfect foe to overcome them allow it to grow and then bring the lifeform to bear Of course if you hadn�t also started the collapse of the Sonara I would have had plenty of time

Wait Creator Xershi�s head whipped up His eyes once again had that watery quality of panic as though he couldn�t quite believe what he was seeing His gaze fixated at the space on top of the central tube of which Randidly made note Are you suggesting you would go through the profound process of creating life just to accomplish a goal But that goes against all the precepts

Those rules are designed for my precious children to keep them from crossing lines and walking into the abyss The voice from the invisible being dropped even lower until it was just a hiss against Randidly�s skin But considering how important it is that I plunder the power just sitting here yes I am willing to compromise some of the protections I have laid in place If that burden must be carried I will endure it

You Xershi gritted his teeth Nothing can justify the improper creation of life Is it not your words that creating a tool entity must plunder its life from somewhere Tear pieces out of your soul to come into existence If you are submitting yourself to oblivion

Ah Xershi The voice sighed Yet Randidly�s skin began to tingle While the voice seemed so gentle he could almost feel a condescending sneer unrolling itself across the hidden face So much of what I have left to my people is aspirational I wish I was as considered as those rules would make me seem Yet it is not so

I have walked deeply in darkness And now that I have caught the scent of a method to break out of this stagnant Nexus do you think I have compunctions about diving even deeper to seize an opportunity I need power So I�ll claim it

Chapter 2061

For just a moment as Xershi�s creator whispered Randidly felt emotions stirring in that spot where Xershi was looking The madness pulsed and writhed gleeful and self indulgent

Then the disturbance vanished leaving Randidly with a sinking feeling in his chest Not only was the emotional affect he felt on par with the most violent he had managed to see from the Grey Creature as emotional landfill but also this creator�s presence instantly vanished No matter how Randidly looked he couldn�t find a trace

His fingers tapped lightly at the frosted glass of the tube

Randidly�s thoughts shifted to a different issue the fact that Yystrix had donated to Elhume half her power was a familiar development that had come up in her explanation of her past However the way she had framed it was that this happened pre Nexus That most of their interactions had occurred before Elhume had risen to the Pinnacle and become the dictator that now crouched above them all

But what if that was a lie A deliberate misleading context

What if Yystrix and Elhume�s relationship had continued on for quite a while into the era of the Cohorts And based on Elhume�s sudden shift at the end of the Second Cohort with so many of the Patrons dying suddenly and mysteriously

Randidly blinked back to himself because Xershi�s image was roaring around his body rippling in the air with his emotional intensity The liger man showed his teeth even as the manifestation behind him raised its head and roared I will not allow you to compromise your integrity for this Before you are tempted I will destroy all of this

Randidly hadn�t been paying much attention to the environment on the forty ninth floor obviously it was positive for images but he had been sidetracked by the presence of the Patron dolls and hadn�t examined the area too closely His own use of images had been suppressed because of the Patron of the Borrowed�s capability His body ended up being enough

Yet now feeling the way Xershi�s image seemed to be unfolding and inflating to become a massive dense overwhelming vicious figure as they neared the center portion of the Sonara the environment became impossible helpful in sharpening an image Roaring and proud it truly felt like Xershi would be able to shatter everything in his path

Feeling his power Randidly wasn�t sure if a triplicate image activation of his right now could stop the prowling liger After being so cowed by Duulys Xershi had grown

Into that storm of emotion Pullas stepped in front of Xershi with both hands raised Xershi please wait Even if you can destroy these objects think of how much Aether has been funneled into them over the years If that�s unleashed we will all be swept away

Better that I die than allow the creator to succumb to temptation Xershi began At least this way my life will have a purpose

A purpose you chose The hidden voice cackled all softness and kindness suddenly vanished from its cadence Xershi flinched his image wavering The voice also didn�t sound very worried either just deeply amused Oh Xershi have you stumbled across a truth you don�t quite want to face I honestly should give you more credit apparently that feline brain of yours is somewhat savvy

Gritting his teeth Xershi began to walk forward His body trembled to contain his own rapidly growing image Out of my way Pullas

That The metal liger man stuttered at the pronouncement his eyes widening Fiona stood firmly in front of him observing his response From his expression of dawning horror it seemed like he believed the voice might be telling the truth Or at least he had been feeling quite jealous of the Ghosthound�s capability

Fiona wouldn�t blame him for that How constantly resourceful Randidly proved to be also left a sour note in her mouth as well

Pullas�s expression softened Xershi no matter what this thing says you are still

From my research Randidly Ghosthound has a profound effect in every area that he passes through The frontlines military high command his interactions with the overlay System strange errors keep popping up when he lingers for too long The voice seemed to now be gloating Considering how important moments have always held the key for a true chance at the Pinnacle I knew that I needed a representative close to him if just to keep abreast of developments Tuning you to be slowly consumed by jealousy was just to make sure he never developed enough to be a threat to me you were purposefully designed so you couldn�t handle that If you had to put it at a percentage how close to losing your temper and attacking him do you think you are Xershi

Xershi swayed the words almost physically striking against him He glanced sideways toward the Ghosthound Fiona turned too slightly anxious that her previous tantrum would have made Randidly sensitive toward other people in the Ascension Pact turning against him

Randidly looked like he was daydreaming just leaning against one of the massive tubes with a distant expression

Pullas interjected into the extended motion Look we trust you Xershi We know you would never do something like that

Fiona cleared her throat to interrupt Pullas meant well but she lived in a world of pretty shapes and neat boxes Thoughts and actions are different fucking things Xershi Get out of your own head you haven�t done anything yet Right now that�s all that matters

Do whatever you want The voice said with an implied shrug Fiona planted more and more mauve notes in the surroundings but the speaker was skilled enough to avoid her traps As I said this honesty is a favor Do with it what you will

That finally did seem to get Xershi to release the tight grip he had on his image The liger finally ceased spitting beginning to fade back into his body Xershi grimaced I the fact I was created to well fuck I don�t want to think about this right now Can we just

Buurrpp

Randidly Ghosthound�s thunderous belch flattened the conversation The group turned to him to find him finally pulling his hand away from the tube and tapping his chest Then he grinned around looking quite pleased with himself Yea let�s just move on from here I�ll take us to the edge of the layer Godspeed creator

What a great burp Xershi said glumly

I honestly found it pretty obnoxious Pullas pouted Why the hell is he so gassy

Chapter 2062

Randidly tried to keep his expression even as he used his Fatepiece to bring them to the edge of the area His stomach was doing flip flops struggling to keep the huge chunk of energy he had taken from the tube in place His bowels gurgled his physiology responding to the shift in the Alpha Cosmos His hand trembled slightly from the strain right as he activated the Alchemist�s Passport meaning they needed to walk ten minutes from the location to the edge of the layer

Each step threatened another massive burp The aura of power the Aetherium contained was that difficult to choke down But he didn�t want to show any more signs in case the creator realized something was wrong

In the end the entire Ascension Pact seemed just to accept a short walk was better than making a second attempt Pullas kept shooting worried glances toward Xershi who spent most of the journey muttering to himself Meanwhile Fiona walked behind Randidly with a suspicious expression on her face by any chance did you steal whatever the creator was trying to plunder from that installation

Randidly coughed surprised to be so quickly seen through I have no idea what you are talking about

She rolled her eyes but didn�t press the issue Which was good because Randidly felt quite a bit of regret about the whole process Originally he had just intended to store the energy in Yystrix�s tomb Sensing the chunk of her power had filled him with an immediate impulse to take the chunk of Aetherium which ended up being the size of a city block But very quickly it became obvious he couldn�t just stuff it in the tomb Plus the Aetherium radiated a constant sort of image tainted aura This chunk of solidified energy was Yystrix through and through He didn�t quite feel comfortable just keeping it on Expira where its influence might spread

His next move was to shift the huge piece of energy to hide behind the moon with the Sea of Emotion Path Randidly had also plundered and felt was too dangerous for the average person But when he placed it there the Sea of Emotion almost immediately reacted to the aura Before anything permanent could happen Randidly moved it again through the Alpha Cosmos fretting about how to prevent a bad reaction

Neveah suggested putting it inside the fake sun adding some credibility to the solar illusion But for obvious symbolism related reasons Randidly immediately refused Eventually he tossed the massive hunk into the darkness beyond the Nemesai planets and decided he�d figure it out later All the while his metaphysical digestion gurgled even the thick Nether of his Alpha Cosmos having difficulty keeping down this item

This is a huge piece of Aetherium maybe five hundred times the size of the piece I used from Nrorce�s daughter Randidly shivered But it�s just a fraction of the energy that had crusted around Elhume�s body in the scene I witnessed that first time he brushed up against me How powerful is he

Randidly put the issue out of his mind for now The group arrived at the exterior stairwell and began to climb each with their private thoughts The next floor was the 50th the site of Elhume�s whatever project the Sonara had become The other traps ended up being part of a previous setup which was left in place because they were effective at preventing individuals from climbing But this layer

The Ascension Pact soon stood before the golden barrier Randidly looked at them all Are we ready

They didn�t need to respond Their firm gazes showed their willingness to climb True to his slightly immature personality Xershi grinned at the prospect of the challenge his existential confusion from the encounter with the creator forgotten Fiona nodded still with the group despite or perhaps even because they had met her ex husband and he had been taken away by Devick Pullas�s eyes were bright and clear A stillness had come over her as though she made some broader decision about her life

Randidly walked through the portal What waited on the other side was a much more well illuminated space

Immediately the restrictive environment made itself known Even Randidly grimaced at the sensation pressing against him Not only were his Nether flows restricted but there seemed to be some sort of cosmic order imposed on the area His images were reduced needing to struggle to get past the edges of his body

The surroundings were filled with tall towers These released periodic pulses of energy the combined tapestry of Engraving pulsing from these towers becoming the heavy restrictions of the layer And as Randidly looked up into a grey sky he realized the bindings he felt were just a side effect Even worse space here was similarly subdivided and isolated making the prospect of quickly using the Alchemist�s Passport impossible

Above him he saw the complex and forced flows of Aether and Nether that produced the twisted combination of both that proved to be so destructive A completely shallow flow of Nether was forced to pass very close to a series of congregated nebula of dense emotion with such potency that Randidly only had to look at them to feel them pressing against his skin These emotional wells for lack of a better term radiated their particular brand of intensity and gradually infected the passing Nether with their vehemence

The tiniest drop of Nether flowed between those massive supernovas of dark emotion gradually absorbing the worst sort of lessons

However Randidly blinked when a tinny voice boomed out across the layer I have long waited for you Nether King Did you think I hadn�t made preparations for direct contact like this

The group paused The voice was worse than DiOrtho Vant�s most rusted grinding image projection of the machine god Fiona shot a glance at Randidly This thing thinks you are one of the extinct Nether Kings

No wonder its behaving so violently Pullas adjusted her glasses image still at the ready

The enormous synthetic voice of the hand boomed out in what seemed to be a prerecorded message Still I know you have long refused to work with me But can you deny our goals are the same Let us shatter the dream and return to the real universe Perhaps both of our peoples decimated within this cursed Nexus will still be thriving Perhaps the bubble of the Pinnacle means only a moment has passed outside

Randidly felt the Nether in the air stirring He released a pulse of power to push back whatever the black hands had begun to create but that energy started a cascading process that began to suck out more and more of his dense significance from his Nether Core Cursing Randidly tried to pull back his energy But the Nether had been caught up in a complex pattern around him drawing him into increasingly wide and circular rotations of energy

He almost couldn�t believe the sensation He felt oddly helpless taken by surprise his opponents targeting his Nether directly

His eyes widened in recognition The black hands were dragging his energy along into a knot so that the flows of his Nether Core would strange itself Immediately Randidly began to flare his Nether Weight to struggle out of it but he didn�t seem to be doing much The power of Nether came from its significance weight and Synechdochence this was the energy that was connected to the whole and wielded the whole�s power even when only a pinch was available However by the same token Randidly couldn�t simply cut off the kidnapped power now that it had been seized and pulled into a dangerous pattern

I have spent a century creating this trap A single Nether King is not much at all Are you struggling I bet you are If you do not submit immediately and allow yourself to be captured you will be bound all the same with your consciousness drawn into an agonizing hell I�ve created for you When you have been dealt with I will be notified

Gonna surrender Xershi asked flippantly

Randidly found himself sweating More and more black hands were rushing out of the surroundings Now there were three groups the chargers those somehow pulling on Randidly�s Nether and finally a new group created a Nether Ritual The towers began pulsing directing waves of restrictive force toward the group He licked his lips struggling to free his Nether from the grips of these hands I I just need a few seconds There is a trap pulling at my Nether

Pullas patted Randidly on the back She gave him a sunny smile Yea even if you weren�t the target it seems like this layer�s trap was designed specifically for you So take a step back rely on us for a change

Looking at her he felt himself relaxing almost unwillingly

Pullas moved past Randidly Fiona and Xershi moving to her side The smallest and slightest of the Ascension Pact released of a pulse of her image The pale golden specter of death showed a wide smile as it began to tear through the restrictive defenses of the layer

I don�t know if this is my limit but Pullas announced to the layer I know the world of which I dream I know the life I wish to live so I can die without regrets

Chapter 2063

Pullas stepped forward in front of the other members of the Ascension Pact her small form upright and determined Black Nether Hands continued to churn in a circle around the group keeping Randidly Ghosthound behind her tense and with gritted teeth But Pullas�s eyes went to the massive undulating sable fingers that drifted closer their ill intent cast like a long shadow across the group

Randidly has done so much to help us arrive here Pullas�s eyes blazed Her image began a low song right at the vertebrae where her neck became her spine proper It�s time we pay him back a little bit

A pale light spread out from her body as her image unfolded continually inflating and intensifying and being painted into existence with bold brushstrokes of color Her wish to protect resonated increasing the volume of her image�s song The robbed figure of death with which Pullas had so long walked now skipped forward with a wide smile on her face finally confident that she had found an answer

Perhaps not a perfect answer but one she totally believed in For so long she had been working to gather elements to later incorporate Now she moved past that stage and felt prepared for her image to come into its own

Pullas felt Xershi and Fiona moving beside her activating their own images However they stood back swirling and vigilant to support her efforts The power of her image continued to churn and intensify like electromagnetic imbalance in a storm before a jump and thunderous discharge Milky mist spread out from her body It danced around her fingers and oozed from her ankles She took another step forward and raised her hand to unleash the power she had been gathering

With a silent descent one of the massive black fingers swept down from the sky to make good on its promise of violence Pullas probably wouldn�t have been able to track it without the boost in Stats from the Ascensions Pact To her the mechanical voice didn�t bother to speak It simply moved to eliminate her

Pullas let loose a tinkling laugh Let�s see what I can do yes

Her mind was drifting or rather racing or rather receding back from the physical details of the oncoming confrontation to somewhere deep within her memories The song rose within her drowning out almost everything else Somehow she sought out a foundational truth for her image teetering as it was at the cusp of revolutionary power

The details began to fill in themselves rushing toward a solid power

The moment stretched She remembered her hundreds of years working on Idylla dragging the bones of the city from the ether constructing homes and markets and courthouses for the population creating a systematic framework to try and provide all the necessities that these powerful Nexus citizens needed to reach for the Pinnacle

She worked so hard so it truly was an ideal place The ideal launching pad She gathered more and more information and understanding trying to make even the minutia purposeful

She remembered her pride as the population of Idylla rapidly increased as more and more houses were built around the core cluster she had made to the point that Pullas began to hastily zone the surrounding space and maintain a healthy infrastructure within the accumulating sprawl

Bit by bit work on her image had fallen by the wayside as administration required more time and effort Pullas didn�t mind she sought a good death a death that would not leave anyone lost like her parents� death had left her so devastatingly bereft These things she would build could support the next generation

She worked and worked Brick by brick that entire city became close to perfection

In the present Pullas flexed her fingers shrouded in milky light The specter of death reached up and tugged at the edge of its hood A rumbling change began to occur beneath its hazy shadowy filled with the joyous song ringing through her body Beside her Xershi and Fiona braced themselves for impact Randidly still seemed lost in whatever trap had been laid for Nether beings on this layer

Pullas licked her lips And yet she had been endlessly frustrated hadn�t she As Idylla had fallen into cyclical patterns of bickering posturing and small minded jealousy The things she provided soon became too little The population wanted more additional roads to improve not just a city but a launching point They needed some assistance to achieve greatness

Warning Your Great Fate Wisdom of the Nesting Death Lvl 298 is experiencing extreme strain Warning your beliefs are diverging from the foundational oaths you took upon creating a Great Fate

Considering the Level of your Great Fate should it shatter death will result

In a way haven�t I been dead since I left Idylla A very important part of me died anyway A whole part of my life already atrophied and hanging inert Pullas giggled Everything seemed so light and amusing She raised her hand again an even more brilliant and gorgeous liquid light the first precious drips as dawn juiced itself on the jagged peaks of a mountain range radiated to fill the surrounding space A life I lived ended A sad belief was set aside And now rising through the Sonora I can finally take another step

The next impact drummed her body and forced out a wheezing phlegmy cough from Pullas The milky radiance she released hummed furiously resonating with the impact But this time the long finger was tossed almost fifty meters into the air being directly overpowered by her image Next to her Xershi seemed confused but Fiona�s eyes were intent on Pullas Perhaps she sensed something

Behind them Randidly�s face twisted into a grimace grey flames whispering along his skin His own problems dominated his attention

Pullas raised her head ignoring the ache in her chest Driven by that massive mechanical core in the distance two more tentacle like fingers whipped over The first had been driven backward by the collision by sustained no real damage whatever corrosive image constituted its body resisted Pullas�s power even with this blooming capability

Death whispered for her to take that last step To give her the freedom she needed

Further The attitude to earn myself the death I craved To protect the life I need to lead to get there

Pullas decisively squeezed on her Great Fate the rippling banner that stretched up from her completed Class Her deviated path her obsession with avoiding any recurrence of the loss of her parents was obliterated by the resolve to step forward into the future no matter the cost For so so long she had been afraid Deeply afraid petrified internally fiddling with rules and regulations and creating a small little box into which no fear could enter

Although maybe this is even crazier than believing in your own image more sociopathic than never questioning whether the basis of your Aether has shifted Pullas blinked several times unable to see through the writhing light that emerged from her own body But this is my decision even if its scary

The walls that had so long protected her collapsed All the power woven through her Great Fate and into her carefully constructed oaths were eviscerated by her sudden move Death shrieked with delight But then an abrupt suction emerged in her body the System immediately arising and demanding repayment for all the power it had given her It was like blood being sucked directly out of her veins her flesh cleaved off and sold

Pullas swayed but she did not fall Her light flickered then erupted from her body Because in that emptiness she found freedom Instead of doubting she moved forward in the space within her body bolding drawing a path forward for herself

Weirdly she didn�t feel like ripping out so much of her Soulspace had left her adrift Because there churning quietly within her core Pullas felt the bond of the Ascension Pact keeping her grounded

In a sudden birth of inspiration and force Pullas gushed through her own inner world carving her image in a sudden reiteration avoiding the flaws and only arriving at the gorgeous whole of the finale Her energy rose to a fever pitch her briefly fractured projection of herself in the cloak of death laughed and clapped her hands

Her heart ached but looked up and gathered her power around her body Death raised her arms in preparation for the waltz to begin the inner music spreading out into the surrounding layer

Chapter 2064

Pullas felt incredibly light Her stomach flipped over itself She lifted her arms even higher facing the three long fingers whipping around to smash the group rat tat tat in quick succession More tiny hands marched around the group a grand current of Nether rising to smash over the group The strange towers on this layer continued to release pulses of image suppression squeezing at Pullas�s edges

Death snorted

Almost without effort the primordial heap of death Pullas wielded cut a jagged flaw in the suppression The towers flared with alternating violet and teal colors She forced herself to concentrate and glance around even as her image demanded more of her attention She could barely stop herself from swaying with the rising music Even with the power I feel rushing through me I cannot imagine fighting against the tentacle fingers and the suppression and the tiny hands

Fiona shifted uneasily next to them even while Death pouted at Pullas�s doubts The little ones are starting something

Xershi looked sideways at Pullas His eyes were strange in a way that made her chest feel extremely hot Death wiggled her eyebrows at Pullas but no one else appeared to notice Keep those tentacles off our backs I�ll rip up the little guys He glanced sideways and made a face Maybe it will help Randidly get out of his head too

Before Pullas could respond Xershi turned away and accelerated The metal liger stretched and roared filling the air a veritable force of nature stampeding into the group of black hands that wove a Nether Ritual around them His claws scythed their way through the thick groupings of enemies

Trust We trust each other Pullas purposefully ignored the growing pain in her Soulspace Ignoring the serious surroundings Death began to sway to the music More and more energy dripped out of her broken Great Fate but for now she had plenty to spare That�s how we can get through this Together

Almost immediately the strangely lit towers shifted back into a unified teal gathering an Engraving of suppression toward Xershi�s destructive form With blazing eyes Pullas waved her hand and released a radiant wave of energy that passed through the suppression like it was naught but cobwebs The restriction fizzled and dispersed Xershi didn�t even glance at the attempted impediment

Escaping is the real issue Fiona continued Her mauve light spread out around Pullas�s image keeping the tugging flows of Nether from affecting her Her eyes narrowed as she peered around Even more than the attacks

The three tentacles whipped down Pullas found herself growling as mobilized her image With the pressure of the attacks her emotions were wound together into a dense mass The details sharpened in response to the threat Death�s steps in the dance quickened

The first two attacks arrived both summarily repulsed Fiona reached forward and gripped Pullas�s waist keeping her upright Death just sighed and shook her head trying to gather more of all the shredded bits of power still tumbling within Pullas�s wounded Soulspace Her mind buzzed with the horrible tang of the finger tentacles substance Yet the third tentacle pivoted and whipped sideways aiming for Xershi�s back as he ravaged the tiny hands

Death�s smile only widened You a mechanized system bounded by tight rules and regulations thought you could fool me

The knuckles of Pullas�s left hand popped She released a pure blast of milky death that slammed into the side of the tentacle and knocked it just off so when it crashed into the ground with enough force to shake the surrounding layer it only crushed black psuedo Nether hands Their still twitching fingers tumbled in every direction

It simultaneously produced the energy and was bombarded by it setting his body to trembling It benefited from being a part of him a physical being who housed an isolated universe but it still ached The Nether around him the Nether manipulated by patterns against him accelerated around his exposed Nether Core drawing more speed and applying more pressure due to its presence

Wincing Randidly let himself sink back to the core of the trap I cannot force my way out I also have to admit if this trap was enough to bind the Nether King even with my insight I cannot think my way out

He felt himself grinding his teeth But at that very moment he felt a pulse of pure faith carried along through the Ascension Pact to him Pullas believing wholly that he would soon break his way out and help them escape His heart sank as he thought about that prospect

And then Neveah was there pressing against him Just let go of the other worries You�ve found good reliable friends Focus on the task in front of you

Easy for you to say Randidly grumbled back But he forced himself to do as she said He isolated his consciousness from the sensation of Nether He allowed everything to fall away Then he very deliberately began switching off worries and musings in his mind that weren�t currently helping him

The training with the Visage of Obsession once more coming in handy in more controlled doses

Randidly felt a little bit like standing on top of a small city and looking down as the light were cut off block by block Not until he began culling energy to his ancillary worries did he realize how much of his focus was lost to them Then when all that swirling intellectual potency snapped back to the chilling and overwhelming tide of Nether he quickly reviewed his situation

An idea came to him I am not strong enough to just rip my way out of this trap And I am not quite clever enough to think my way out with deft manipulation of energies but I really don�t need to be do I Not when I have both

Randidly once more pressed himself forward into the raging rapids of Nether The pressure built on his Nether Core as the Nether accelerated Randidly ignored the pressure the Nether Core of an entire universe wasn�t so fragile to quickly shatter under this Instead he looked at the rapid flows of energy traveling around his Nether Core

The strange thing about Nether patterns is that two flows heading in opposite directions almost stick to each other the friction becomes a line of support So with these accelerating flows

Randidly began to rotate his Nether Core spinning on a horizontal axis while the restrictive flow moved on a vertical one The counterflows began to stick to each other forming a firm bond He gritted his teeth as the pressure intensified but into that sticky bond of Nether he could insert more energy churning in a minuscule whirlwind between the two flows

His smile widened Gotcha

He unleashed wave after wave of Nether into that tiny little inflatable building up some space for himself to work Bit by bit he pried open the Nether trap taking the brunt of the forceful restriction on his body and playing with the slack

Outside his Ascension Pact was waiting for him And they needed to keep climbing if they wanted to survive

Chapter 2065

Randidly�s thoughts began to rapidly align once he had found the method for ripping his way free of this trap

The rotations of his Nether Core accelerated into a tightly compacted spiral moving perpendicularly with the tight flows of Nether around Randidly The faster he revved himself into motion the more sturdy the little bond between the two opposing flows became The stronger that bond was the more energy he could force into it without the bond collapsing in a messy implosion

And with the density of Randidly�s Nether even a little energy could force back the relatively uncontrolled flows that the trap used against him

Of course with any increase in speed also came the pressure Yet pressure was Randidly Ghosthound�s oldest friend from the System

Without it he wouldn�t have grown nearly as quickly

Faster and faster wilder and wilder the axis of the rotation beginning to tremble from the constant flux of pressures Within Randidly�s chest that violent sea of the Grey Creature�s emotions shivered with a strange joy He felt the soft presence of Yggdrasil and the constant hunger of the Stillborn Phoenix moving on either side of his most problematic image It released a crooning note turning all that acidic bile on an outside source

With the support of his images the space he had to himself widened He rapidly wove together a Nether Ritual running directly counter to the binding around himself a tiny horizontal rotation within a vertical rotation within a larger constricting horizontal one His Nether Core buzzed uneasily ground from both the inside and the outside

The Grey Creature crooned its mad support urging him forward Randidly stuff more Nether into the energy buffer giving him more and more space to utilize Pressure continued to mount against him but the more he worked the more glee he felt He had found a way Now he just needed to stop the trap

His Nether Ritual rapidly spread and pressed itself open He felt it ripening to fulfillment After saying a silent apology to his Nether Core he ripped out the buffer area The massive Nether Ritual fueled by these hands and his own rotation came directly in contact with each other each with its own momentum

His Nether Core groaned with the strain sputtering and wobbling Essentially Randidly bet that his Nether Core could withstand more of the pressure than the massive columns of black hands around him by setting both rituals against each other

For a strained moment Randidly felt his Nether constricting and twisting against itself His internal rotation slowed unable to keep up with the force of the trap So much pulled against him yanking on the significance that had been unspooled by those hands He felt his memories stretch and waver beginning to tear at the edges

Within him through the pain and pressure the Grey Creature reached out and seized upon the movement of energy and his strained memories desperate and snarling Its long claws sunk into the essence of Randidly and squeezed

This time some of the black hands stuttered and stopped due to the sudden interference The flow of the trap became uneven as some currents moved more quickly than others The intersection points teetered off their balance In a single moment Randidly reached out and yanked back some of his pulled Nether freeing up almost a third

However the hands seemed to become aware of what was happening A Nether Ritual that must have been prepared as a fallback slammed into Randidly�s Soulspace briefly distracting him But it wasn�t enough just as the trap tried to restart itself Randidly took his liberated Nether and slammed it into the energy that was being pulled back into the pattern jarring both himself and those unfortunate black hands

More and more of his energy came free With the liberty he had restored he created a new Nether Ritual riding a huge surging wave of power to crunch the last of the resistance And Randidly�s eyes physically open suddenly panting and feeling deliriously happy and also somewhat achy A slew of Level Up notifications popped up in front of his face

Seeing these attacks he felt inclined to believe the voice Yet despite the intensity of the assault the group remained unscathed All due to one woman

Pullas didn�t even bat an eyelash as her image projection whirled in an imaginary ballroom knocking back each attack with an intense conviction that Randidly almost envied Each collision shook the surrounding air making it almost impossible to hear Beyond them the army of dark hands began shifting once again attempting to drag out Randidly�s Nether from his body He had to fold and spin his energy inward to avoid it several restricting his Nether senses Xershi�s liger image raised its head and unleashed a howl

Only the droning recorded voice of Elhume could overwhelm the chaos Did you know that he kept some remnants from the sacking of Wyndaos Almost a hundred little seeds cultivated over the last several hundred years to become Nether Princes The history of the Nexus�s greatest Nether city kept in a cave as insurance To be an irresistible bait

Is it not for these answers that you have so long resisted and fought against me For the keys to discovering your lost history and culture For a short period after this message is read the defenses will deactivate Come to Sonara�s Core A portal there will allow you to travel directly to me If you agree to cooperate I will gladly give you these Nether Princes

This message intended for another recipient sounded strange to Randidly for two critical reasons First because Elhume spoke so normally To have the monstrous villain so long lurking at the end of the Nexus�s tunnel seem so mundane made his skin crawl Secondly the offer seemed quite genuine Right after the words finished booming out across the layer the massive fingers paused in their movements They didn�t withdraw entirely but they certainly ceased looming directly above the group The hands of twisted Nether crouched against the ground waiting spiders that almost blended into the ground

The shift was so abrupt that it took a while to actually acknowledge

Randidly and Fiona exchanged a glance Next to them Xershi scratched his head Pullas remained the most vigilant even as the brilliant light of her image faded somewhat For almost ten seconds they simply stood like that waiting

Randidly broke the silence Anyone recognize the term Wyndaos Is this not just a ploy to make us lower our guard

Pullas answered her voice strangely hoarse It was from when I was much younger but we studied how Wyndaos was definitely the seat of Nether power in the Nexus It wasn�t just their greatest city but also their greatest weapon a mobile fortress of immense power During the Second Cohort after a Nether attack on one of the larger established countries a small group snuck into Wyndaos and helped Elhume and his Patrons track it down It was the first joint action of the various Aether factions and the victorious attack on Wyndaos helped cement his leadership at the end of the Second Cohort

The last Nether city huh Fiona frowned and looked down at the ground I�m not quite as old as Pullas And Wyndaos definitely sounds familiar But that�s not really how I heard it happening

But based on this inertness Randidly gestured vaguely at the stillness around him Even the towers had settled Elhume definitely believed Nether Princes obtained from that location would be enough to draw the Nether King into what is definitely another trap

Congratulations Your Skill Ghosthound�s Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1029

Randidly narrowed his eyes as he tried to peer up into the vast emptiness above them Distantly he could sense the palm� that was the source of the fingers He also had a pretty good picture of the area where that horrifying drop of Nether was being tainted by an unending torrent of dark emotions Yet his estimations put the coverage of his senses at only a tenth of the whole layer Perhaps even less than that

The area to which the call drew the theoretical Nether King was outside his vision The core remained distant one more ominous secret casting a long shadow across the group

Good thing we aren�t actual Nether Kings then Xershi observed If this shit is distracted let�s just get out of here

Chapter 2066

Randidly knew Xershi was correct However some part of him felt deeply regretful he couldn�t sneak in and peer into the remnant Nether Princes from such a formative time in the Nexus Considering his ongoing journey to figure out a weakness of Elhume�s it was almost an ideal opportunity

And perhaps the sort of traps waiting would be just as geared to capturing a Nether King as these had been Maybe he could

Hey Randidly what�s that look on your face Fiona scowled and prodded him in the back with her knuckles

Randidly forced himself to focus Still worst case scenario is that I would try and sneak through the portal and find Elhume himself waiting on the other side Or his consciousness whatever portion of him isn�t trapped within that mountain range of crystalized Aether At that point I don�t think he would just let me waltz around and figure anything out He would crack me open and rip out my Fateset and Alpha Cosmos from my body

He flicked his wrist and produced the Alchemist�s Passport still not quite trusting the lack of response from the hands in the surroundings Immediately he grimaced as he activated the Fatepiece still the towers might be but they hadn�t stopped isolating the space He gestured to the group I�ll be able to move us but we will need to rip our way out Gather around

Fiona and Xershi moved and put their hands on his shoulder All three of them looked at Pullas who was just standing there her expression blank Small motes of light continued to dance around her body the momentum from her previous defensive showing maintaining their motion

Pullas you alright Xershi said

She blinked and turned to look at the group Even as she looked right at them her eyes never quite focused to pull them into frame Her mind was clearly elsewhere Oh yes Just getting a feel for my image It�s nothing

As she moved to join the group Randidly took another glance at Pullas In terms of outward appearance she seemed fine but he frowned as he noticed the way she was hemorrhaging Aether Her body leaked the previous energy like a cracked vase Her suddenly overwhelming image became even more bewildering in Randidly�s mind

While moving his wrists and beginning to feel at the edges of space in front of them Randidly deepened the connection between the two of them and the Ascension Pact Nether Ritual Then he flooded that bond with Aether Immediately the energy began to flow from high concentration to low sliding gladly to fill the vacated space inside of Pullas�s body She continued to leak energy but at least that would probably stave off any permanent consequences for a while

Randidly�s directed a very specific flourish of his hand feeling two portions of his Fateset activating in tandem The transformed flat Hierarchy of Burden spun out in front of the Philosopher�s Passport Randidly pressed the key forward moving into the first layer ripping through space with enough speed to create roaring serpents of crimson electromagnetic discharge around their bodies

and was almost immediately yanked out of the activation his Soulspace and Nether core aching and shaken from the sudden deceleration The other Ascension Pact members were even more confused and stunned than he was Pullas and Fiona fell sideways and Xershi careened forward for about ten meters slamming into the base of one of the suppression pillars and toppling it with a loud crash

Randidly�s chest wouldn�t relax he couldn�t breathe He turned his attention inward to try and figure out the cause just as the voice of Elhume returned with an edge

Both of you are such idiots The two of you will stick to your principles even if it requires you to sit back and watch everything you held dear turn to ash Even if you are guiding the entire Nexus to its doom Nothing is more important than your pride The voice buzzed against Randidly�s skin For the first time he could hear the hint of emotion a roaring inferno of emotional affect even though this was just a recording If I�m being honest I expect you will choose this option and trigger the emergency defenses Fine then Die Your corpse and the Nether Prince that results will be plenty valuable enough for me

Abruptly the maroon firework erupted illuminating a very distant portion of the layer One that Randidly recognized His eyes widened You

Pullas still maintained an almost effortless defense her image bright and clear But her left arm finally moved straightening and pointing at the maroon ball hanging in the distance A Good Death Arrives to Collect its Debt

The release of that pent of power smacked Randidly in the face with enough force that he reflexively closed his eyes When he opened them it didn�t change much the light released by Pullas was so bright that his pupils could squeeze together quickly enough to make any sense of the surroundings

But he felt the attack even more than he saw it She wanted to protect the Ascension Pact to pry open a path to the next layer more than almost anything else in the world The desire made Randidly catch his breath swept away by how pure and simple Pullas�s emotions had become

That�s where the power came from She somehow cut everything else out of her Randidly�s expression became troubled But what happens when the group begins to split up

That blast of pure energy of death so righteously seeking to defend itself soared up through the sky Randidly heard the sounds of several massive fingers throwing themselves in the way seeking to slow and defeat the projectile But while these caustic hunks of fake Nether had a natural restrictive quality they couldn�t quench something as pure as Pullas�s wish

The attack surged farther away revealing the group Xershi seemed floored Fiona smirked at Randidly�s confused look Before Pullas asked me to identify the most vulnerable location in the area for her In case we needed to create a distraction My image might be nowhere close to the raw power of the current Pullas but there are some things that are quite easy for me

And you chose that Randidly whispered watching the gleaming comet streak through space directly toward the refinement area of that horrifying dense drop of antagonistic Nether Even from here he felt the empty depths that drop possessed brought repeatedly close to overwhelming emotions without having any history being made

In terms of Nether Randidly hadn�t seen its equal ever before The Nether King was a master manipulator of the energy but that drop was a natural calamity without consciousness or any real direction Made increasingly dangerous based on the exposure to emotion

Significance began rapidly flowing through the surrounding space Randidly�s skin began to tingle it was the same wave of significance that they had shifted earlier when the Ascension Pact was released All the pent up dreams of those coming to the Sonara all the original goals all the calcified emotions Except now those waves of energy had rushed up from the starting point and hit the top

Now that Nether came back down Backwash thick and tainted rushed around them building to an ominous shift

Randidly could see it as hundreds of massive fingers so distant they looked no bigger than hairs frantically spun together to try and keep that attack from reaching its target Yet the current Pullas seemed unstoppable

Suddenly this empty vessel that Elhume is refining as a bomb is going to encounter a shape for the first time Randidly licked his lips And that shape is death

In that moment he could suddenly understand why everyone he had encountered in the Nexus always considered him to be a destabilizing force Watching that attack rush toward that drop of Nether he became very sure that climbing to the next layer would be the least of their worries

Chapter 2067

The strike ripped through the dark sky of the central facility of the Sonara dragging all attention to its proud capability

Pullas�s image was an overwhelming wind in a field of dry fallen leaves The massive fingers that had so plagued them were raked away in a single blast leaving the group curiously alone and bare on the ground As the attack traveled further away and the light faded Randidly could see that two of the nearest pulsing towers had their tops completely melted off just from ambient radiated potency

All of the suppressing images in the area fell away allowing the group to release a breath

Almost in slow motion Randidly observed Pullas�s attack reaching the small dot of Nether so long refined between massive supernovas of dark emotions It hit these exterior volatile elements first crashing into a massive sea of chilled rage and burning its way directly through without slowing However very obviously the light of Pullas�s attack took on a soft blue light as it continued Her radiance didn�t dim so much as incorporate a chilling practicality that sharpened its edge

Randidly believed it did not bode well for them and the impending reaction based on how quickly the attack had been tainted He steeled himself and raised the Alchemist�s Passport bringing his Fatepieces back into resonance with each other

Let�s get the fuck out of here Fiona announced her voice wavering just slightly Pullas seemed to be almost completely spent just staring vaguely up after her attack so Fiona just walked over to her and dragged her back to stand with the rest of the group

Randidly released a breath and tried to focus His tired mind sloshed around as he shifted to the new task But he couldn�t tear his eyes away from the moment of impact Or rather the moment that chilling blast of death Pullas released ripped its way through two more horrifying emotions and simply vanished as it encountered the drop

It had been devoured wholly and immediately The light had been extinguished Randidly allowed himself a moment of optimism

Then the Nether in the area began to accelerate toward the drop

Even worse a strange muttering rose from the aftermath of the contact With huge holes in their sides the dense clouds of dark emotions began to whisper the identity of the image that passed through them The sounds were inaudible but each word felt like a pounding hammer at the significance in the area

A ripple ran across the surface of the small bead of refined fake Nether Then that ripple continued outward past its edges gathering more and more momentum through the backwash significance that spread out around the group An enormous whirlpool emerged with that small dot as the center

However in the next moment a powerful image restriction crashed down upon his shoulders All three of his images faltered underneath the tight blurring barrier Even the Grey Creature�s emotional violence seperate and wild as it was couldn�t fight its way through the pressure

His previously confident steps slowed and his pupils dilated Physically he remained quite capable but Randidly looked on at the twisting and writhing finger with trepidation

Flows of golden light danced around his body condensing into Pullas�s projection of death She turned and winked at Randidly before spreading her arms out A radiate nova blasted out obliterating the restriction on images Then Death began to dance smashing backward the wild and hungry fingers They bounced off the ground with enough force to crack the ground already ruined by craters

After a brief pause to again admire how overwhelming Pullas�s image had become Randidly hopped back to join the group Still dazed Pullas nodded to him Sorry I was a bit lost It�s so hard Staying focused There�s just something

Feeling the surrounding Nether Randidly�s heart began to ache as he looked at Pullas The strangeness grew around her every second Every whispered death by those distant emotions seemed to be reinforcing the lesson on that small bead of Nether echoing out through the significance and then came back together in Pullas�s body Some connection was being forged between them

The leaking Aether dribbled over that bond solidifying it adding shape and flesh to the raw metaphysical bone Randidly�s heart sank Whatever that drop is becoming I�ll bet anything that its first purpose in life will be to kill Pullas

However on the plus side this strange existential growth began to block up the cracks that had emerged in her during the process of finishing her image Even as she fought against the tentacles her eyes began to refocus on the foes in front of her Life seemed to visibly be returning to her bloodless cheeks Which was good because they would need her if they had to head to the core area

Randidly raised his Fatepieces The Hierarchy of Burden spun and glittered prepared to be used Alright come on back Let�s get the hell out of here

Despite Pullas�s relative vibrancy Xershi still swept her up with an arm around her waist and carried her to cluster with the rest of them She didn�t even seem to notice the hands of death flicking out and knocking away the caustic energy worms As they moved into position Randidly wove some Nether together still allowing his energy to spread out and demolish the hands seeking to restrain him

In a massive twist he pulled the whooshing tide of force back in on himself and wove a tight and rough Nether Ritual

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 889

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 850

Let�s arrive right at the core past the defenses Randidly said a silent prayer as he finished weaving the energy together The Nether Ritual hummed in recognition When he thrust his Alchemist�s Passport into the Hierarchy of Burden he pushed directly through the first two layers and into the beginning of the third

The yawning maw of entropy sucked at their edges as they ripped through space

Chapter 2068

The embrace of the cold fingers of entropy felt oddly invigorating and addicting The thin flaws within space blurred around them as they tunneled deeper toward their destination Like Randidly would only too happily struggle against the greed of entropy until his existence was inevitably extinguished As though it was somehow beautiful to toil so thanklessly against the natural universal force that would one day claim them all

Maybe that�s part of the danger of Entropy You experience it and are filled with a perverse desire to fill it no matter how well you know that�s impossible

Yet another part of Randidly pointed out that he had accomplished many previously considered impossible accomplishments His mind wandered Perhaps this would be another

The Nether Ritual humming in Randidly�s chest began to come unwound having almost accomplished its purpose In an extended instant they had arrived Randidly forced himself to move stunned by how numbed his hands had become His fingers would barely twitch With a great effort he pulled back on the Alchemist�s Passport and disengaged their spatial rush

Emerging from the between existence of the void to the layer felt like hitting the surface of a lake from a great height Combined with the numbness of too long exposure to entropy Randidly felt briefly stunned by the return Behind him Fiona and Xershi seemed similarly to struggle while Pullas immediately released her projection of death to block any threats

The group stood on the surface of a city sized hunk of rock their bodies feeding them a conflicting series of information about which was up as the rock continued to lazily spin The same massive cords that they had seen siphoning energy away from the captured individuals below ran into the floating core digging through gloomy tunnels into the center of the area As he looked around he grimaced the way to the next layer wasn�t in sight

They would probably still need to go deeper

Randidly crouched down releasing a pulse of Stillborn Phoenix gravity to fix them to the surface of the rock However the confusing tugs on their bodies continued to occur His head whipped around to peer into the inscrutable surface of the asteroid as Randidly realized the source this sort of gravity� was the same force exerted by Pine

Within the surface of the asteroid extremely dense Engravings prohibited Randidly�s senses from scanning the interior and figuring out what sort of threats awaited them They had to proceed forward blind

Movement dragged Randidly�s attention back around He paled he had been being dramatic earlier when he called the mass of tentacles that approached them through the mist a wave But now from every direction the fingers came in such numbers they filled every angle of approach

The sheer number made it seem like a new sinister horror restriction of the layer was approaching until the individual writhing movements of the fingers became clear Apparently the mass they had been fighting earlier was only a fraction of the beings of twisted Nether wriggling on this enormous layer All he could see in every direction was the fingers hungrily swimming toward them

So into the asteroid Fiona prompted Randidly nodded The group hopped to the nearest hole and followed the cords into the inner area

The companions kicked themselves off the walls ricocheting their way deeper toward their objective As they moved the pull of significance in the area got stronger It never approached the sort of all consuming significance that made it impossible for the average person to descend the Shaft but it pressed against their skin Meanwhile Randidly did his best to absorb as much as possible of the dense Engravings that lined the walls

Neveah you are going to have so many research projects after we get through this

A blast of golden light swept outward this time passing harmlessly through the Ascension Pact group and slamming into the suits Of course this barely rocked them back Then they moved with a horrible jittering speed to catch up to them Xershi and Fiona had already dashed to the left threshold which pulsed with Engravings and activated due to their presence The familiar golden barrier that led to another layer formed in the opening

Don�t linger too long Fiona called over her shoulder as she vanished following Xershi forward

Pullas paused and looked at Randidly Above her head death continued to shoot out prismatic waves that held the suits at bay Is everything alright This is the right portal yes

It�s not that Randidly said slowly He could distantly feel more significance firming up between Pullas and the distant drop of Nether the horrible repetition of the word death continued as those emotions latched until it even as they moved away Feeling that develop Randidly was again reminded how much influence he could exert with Ghasthund should he find a use for the word

His attention fixated instead on the reaction from his Hierarchy of Burden which had grown more intense since they moved to the central platform

Following his instincts Randidly�s gaze went to the massive ball of yarn From here he could see cuniform symbols all across the thread minuscule and too simplistic to be any sort of functional Engraving system But his eyes widened in recognition The Hierarchy of Burden is reacting because this item too is a Hierarchy An old tool used to handle the pressures of creating an isolated universe

The Nether Princes within the opposition�s chests had begun to stir in response to Pullas�s attacks Memories from previous battles soaked out from the Nether Prince empowering the armors They moved forward with more confidence withstanding her strikes and advancing across the last few meters to the duo More and more climbed over the edge of the platform

Randidly There was a low warning in Pullas�s voice even as she blazed with a brighter light Her incarnation of death spun with a wide smile on her face seeming to enjoy the frantic series of collisions that shook Randidly to his bones

He knew he was wasting time but he was also impossibly quick Dreadful Alacrity zipped him across the platform to the middle area He stretched out a hand and rested it against the yarn He realized two things at once First something lived within the yarn although it was somehow incomplete Randidly could see how large chunks of this tragic being�s significance had been cut away

Secondly the contact fed him the name of the object The Hierarchy of Karma

His eyes widened completely sidetracked despite the dangerous nature of their current situation The Hierarchy of Karma from the history Randidly had heard of Elhume from the Patrons had been used on a mission with Elhume the Patron of Truth the Patron of Feathers and the Patron of the Borrowed to slay a being that had been an existential crisis to the Nexus Such was the violence of that conflict that the Patron of Truth had died in that battle

The same Patron of Truth whose doll even in its weakened form had landed a strike on Randidly without him being able to avoid it

Why the hell Randidly�s eyes bulged as he looked at the cables bringing image power up here feeding it into the Hierarchy of Karma would Elhume be keeping this thing alive

However answers mattered less right now than escaping Randidly plucked up the still fighting Pullas the suits reaching out at their backs to seize them and leapt through the portal into the next layer

Chapter 2069

Travel through the golden layer lasted for several seconds Randidly still filled with a strange dread from the imposing tool he had touched briefly and then left behind He felt a headache building within the bridge of his nose The Hierarchy of Karma and its still living target were another threat they had rushed past Randidly just hopped that touching it hadn�t somehow unleashed it

as had happened with the Nether King

Or that the small drop which now was being raised on a constant diet of the repeated word death wouldn�t later rampage through the area and shake things loose

Or that the mounting concentration of image fragments in the flaw they inflicted on the Sonora would rupture with enough violence to destroy the Sonara but not enough force to destroy the Hierarchy of Karma and its captive instead flinging that being into freedom so that Randidly would have another Elhume powered enemy to climb over

However Randidly ultimately just shrugged in the face of the dangers One problem at a time I need to climb up and save the Patron of Feathers She might have some more understanding of whether the being with the Hierarchy of Karma is an issue anyway For now I have plenty of my own issues to deal with

In his chest the Grey Creature paced back and forth surly and wild Every moment brought more and more of the deep sea of negative emotion within the Alpha Cosmos to rest within his core image

Randidly burst through the transitionary membrane to the fifty first layer Randidly planted his feet and scanned the surroundings for any threats A grey sky stretched above him and several massive buildings loomed to either side of the landing area Fiona waved and a little further Xershi stood on top of a pile of sparking and twitching humanoid drones

Checked the inside this place is just filled with stuffy warehouses Xershi almost shrugged He kicked a few of the broken drones for good measure And these guys can barely take a hit There aren�t really any defenses that I can find

Next to Randidly Pullas released a long breath For the first time the light of death around her body completely faded Without that light around her her shoulders seemed so small and thin So we made it We really climbed past the layers of Elhume

A creaking door slid open in the large building next to them and brought the whole group sliding around Milky death bloomed around Pullas and Randidly�s body blazed with grey flames of Nether Weight But it was Xershi that moved first streaking across the distance and crushing the torso of the humanoid metal exoskeleton that had stepped out to consider the new arrivals

When the warped metal body had hit the ground he kicked it several times for good measure A wide smile crossed his face Ah so refreshing This is the type of foe I like facing

Fiona barked out a low laugh and shook her head Inwardly Randidly sorta agreed with Xershi The last several floors had been stressful and trying And even now it was difficult to know when Elhume would receive word of their passage through the fiftieth floor whether he would find traces of their images or whether Elhume would just believe it had been the Nether King Either way he didn�t want to linger around the area

He produced the Philosopher�s Passport Alright let�s get out of here Even if we made it past the worst of it we don�t want to let any pursuit catch up to us

The lack of defenses on the fifty first layer was almost alarming Randidly didn�t even need to utilize the Hierarchy of Burden He could just peer across space and open them up at the wall to take the exterior stairwell

Likely haunted by the ghost of Elhume�s traps the group remained silent and rapidly ascended through the next few layers without pausing for a break The fifty second fifty third and fifty four floors were a lot more of the same endless buildings albeit at slightly decreased sizes Just warehouses and autonomous drones to transport the various materials Randidly did sweep through a few of the warehouses past the fifty first layer stealing away huge quantities of metals and crystals that Elhume considered high value enough to store there He sent samples to Kharon letting them try and reverse engineer the forging process for building blocks of the sturdy Sonara

Other than moving Randidly examined his exhausted companions both with his eyes and through the Ascension Pact His lingering anger toward Fiona had faded into cinders the trying experience of struggling against Elhume�s defenses had helped him set his anger to the side While the transgression she had committed had really infuriated him he could also tell she was genuinely sorry

Lady Iellaya�s expression never wavered as she shook her head while bringing over the wine colored dress Unfortunately not

Devick felt the urge to prod rising within her chest As an inheritor of the Peregrine Serpents even if she wasn�t related by blood Lady Iellaya possessed exceptional emotional resilience That was why she functioned for so long as her aide Considering how bloody and hysterical most had become from extended proximity even Wick himself Lady Iellaya was extremely useful

And yet That usefulness would only save her for so long

Even now Devick teased herself with thoughts that this woman who had been kept so long by her side with constant and deliberate low grade exposure to her madness hadn�t truly maintained her sanity but only faked it She wanted to poke a little enough to satisfy her curiosity without digging into some emotional rot and ruining the wondering

She cleared her throat as Lady Iellaya brought the dress around for her to step into I�m surprised to hear that Didn�t he have subordinates with him When he served on the frontlines below Ileot Swacc

He did but the only one I remember was Helen Lady Iellaya pulled the dress up around her allowing her to slide her arms through

Devick clicked her tongue Ah The one so theatrically murdered by Wick to send a message The one who so spurred Randidly to action that he improved by leaps and bounds until he could shatter Wick personally

Just so

Both paused in their conversation to look at Devick in this new dress This one was much sleeker a tight bodice descending into a flowing skirt that trailed along the ground around Devick as she spun back and forth With a twist of her lip she shook her head decisively No it cannot drag like this during the party Won�t it become extremely dirty

Lady Iellaya bowed and began undoing the clasps This Devick suffered through she might not like the cut of the skirts but the rest was very flattering

Struck by a sudden impulse Devick switched topics The party is only two weeks away Do you think Randidly will bring me a present

That finally brought Lady Iellaya to a halt from what I understand from Randidly Ghosthound he is not the type to give gifts He shows his loyalty in other ways

It�s not about loyalty Devick said breezily with a wave of her hand Besides I�m not looking for a typical gift Especially from an iconoclast like Randidly Ghosthound No what I really want is something special Something that will mark our relationship He hasn�t decided on the definition for his word yes Perhaps he will make Ghasthund mean something like duty beyond compare

Both women looked up Lady Iellaya who only possessed Tier 2 Citizenships frowned but was unable to determine the cause for the massive energy disturbance But Devick showed a massive grin There you see This is what I�m talking about This is the sort of gift that no one but he can give

Above the massive drill of the Sonora hung over the Nexus proper And on the left side of that drill a small black dot had appeared Devick put her hands to her cheeks barely preventing herself from blushing

Like a giant pinata the Sonara unraveled and began to dump huge quantities of Aether and twisted metal down over the Nexus Devick knew that it was all for her

Chapter 2070

The reverberations through the Sonara were not constant but they came at regular intervals The constant flow of images acting in a perfect environment rippled outward accumulating in the flaw forcing it further open

The shakes came more slowly but with more vigor The final collapse seemed inevitable

On the forty ninth floor the being who had created Xershi began to laugh The powerful rumbles ran up and down the Sonara as the structural integrity of the bottom portion steadily eroded destroying the powerful Engravings that protected this place from any outside interference

His eyes turned to the three teal tubes kept locked away for so long underneath a dense network of overlapping defenses Both to keep people like him away and to keep the power they contained locked away Even with the Sonara slowly collapsing the runic sigils remained bold and bright

He licked his lips The right tube would be a dud Elhume had never willingly given away some of his own power once his greedy hands began to squeeze into it But the central tube would hold a small fraction of Pine�s power The true shadow of a Shallah And the left tube

Soon The creator grinned

Randidly kept himself in the golden transitionary period between the fifty eighth and fifty ninth floors straining his senses to the limit to understand exactly what was happening within the Sonara

It was not enough just to feel the cataclysmic consequences of slamming headfirst into the wall He wanted to reassure himself everything wouldn�t soon disintegrate around him while he still needed to climb

After the initial aftershocks the group had hunkered down and prepared for a quick and overwhelming wave of annihilation sweeping their way Five minutes of intermittent rumbles and no further massive shockwave had given them plenty of time to sweat and realize the process would be more drawn out So they ascended one more layer taking the time to investigate

The golden interstitial space buzzed against his skin From what Randidly could tell the destruction was heading down before it came up the lower layers were getting popped one by one torn apart by the accumulated image flaws like a helpless coat before a zipper Every ten minutes or so another layer collapsed underneath the pressure and caused more flaws to build up

Now what Randidly didn�t know was what would happen when the lower layers had all been demolished Would the entire Sonara be sundered in a flash bisected completely in a sudden eruption of force Would the layers just begin collapsing upward in the same methodical destruction

At the very least Elhume�s reinforced layers were between the flaw and their current position And Randidly knew that those layers would have been thoroughly reinforced They had some extra time to discover the truth and plan their next move

But once more Randidly knew he needed to quickly ascend to reach the relevant layer before it was obliterated He was becoming slightly impatient although some of that might be the exhaustion from forcing his way past Elhume�s defenses

Huh Why What the fuck are they trying to do with a party Some fucked up image trap like Fiona Xershi�s image leaked out of his skin rough and perturbed by the suggestion And honestly Randidly couldn�t blame him he had similar suspicions as he looked around at the group

I�m literally right here Fiona muttered

Randidly turned and watched the talking and quiet laughter amongst the group humanoids and beast people and strange oozes and metal constructs he couldn�t detect a flaw in their mirthful display They pulled out huge slabs of meat and stacked them in juicy piles next to the grilling area Two began a loud debate over the best sort of marinade Others conjured bottles of spirits and began to mix cocktails Laughter spread as one stubby legged woman dropped the entire bottle into a giant punch bowl

To Randidly�s left another group pulled out a game of chess A crowd of about twelve people congregated around the board clearly fascinated by the process

Look we all know what kind of place the Nexus is We realize arriving here so suddenly without an acclimation period makes it difficult to believe Tuthak Eloise rolled his body slowly forward He used a tentacle to gesture around at the group We grew up under its thumb just like the rest of you We sought the Pinnacle but had enough moral fiber not to descend into madness like our peers So first because we sought something that seemed impossible then because whispers of this society began to spread more and more individuals came here to find a peaceful collaborative area to grow And you four well you will be our final members

He waved another tentacle Hence a party to celebrate the final group marking all those who managed to arrive at this hallowed place The remnant of the old dream for the Nexus One last hurrah before we return to the Nexus and make war on everything Elhume has built

That finally seized Randidly�s attention Make war on Elhume

It�s all a lot to take in I understand A leathery skinned man with vulture wings stepped up to stand next to Tuthak But we are the best and brightest of the Nexus those born with integrity in the last few Cohorts Working together we have the capability

That bold declaration combined with the serious and supportive gazes of the other figures in the surroundings finally extinguished the last of Xershi�s antagonism The Ascension Pact just looked at Tuthak then around at the rest of the crowd

Making war on Elhume Fiona said slowly Randidly�s heart pounded in his chest That�s a bold claim Does one of you intend to ascend to the Pinnacle and rival him

No Considering Elhume to be at the Pinnacle is a mistake Tuthak shook his head He has reached that height in the moment the Nexus was created He gained deep insight into the universe then as well as a frightful power But his launching pad was always Pine in the years since he has gotten close but he cannot cross that boundary As such we will be able to tear him down After all your group has begun unraveling his last great unresolved threat in the Sonara

And you really Randidly still felt somewhat dizzy to have encountered so suddenly a like minded group It was hard to trust it Xershi�s suspicion seemed the most reasonable You really won�t stop us from climbing higher

What Well no but I wouldn�t recommend going any higher than the sixtieth floor Tuthak said

Fiona interrupted before Randidly could follow up on that comment however Even if Elhume didn�t reach the Pinnacle another individual did yes Yet Elhume still remains on top of the Nexus despite their mysterious existence So how could you think just the group of you would be enough to overthrow him How do you even plan to begin

Tuthak�s expression turned strange We will only share the details of our plans if you agree to join our cause let me emphasize that joining with us is completely voluntary Many of our number have already left unwilling to be part of our Grand Return As for Alymian technically no one individual reached the Pinnacle to create the isolated universe It was a collaboration using the abilities of four individuals A dealmaker named Beigon to hold everything together A genius named Kelnan to give it shape Then built by Solomon Rex and brought to life by Mae Mykna

Chapter 2071

Solomon Rex Randidly muttered to himself thinking of the shadowy figure who had so casually lent out the Nether Penance with a trap secreted away inside of it He also thought about Don Beigon and the short explanation he had given about what is required to reach the Pinnacle

An image a foundation and a perfect moment

Kelnan Mae Mykna Pullas frowned and puffed out her cheeks Obviously the others I recognize but I have definitely heard those names before

Ah a true history buff Tuthak Eloise seemed cheered by her interest He brought two tentacles curling to his chest and wiggled his sagging head You have definitely heard of them both but likely not by those names Kelnan is more commonly known now as the Master although he recently suffered an extreme setback on his mountain At this point Tuthak gave Randidly a heavy glance Since then he has been constantly attempting to recover although most believe he will never regain his former glory

For the record The vulture man interjected here On the sixtieth floor before you attempt to climb there is a service exit So our news is quite up to date

Finally Mae Mykna well she died a long time ago Tuthak sighed She I think had somehow become Elhume�s main brake during the worst of the Nether Wars After she died he went a little bit crazy That combined with the loss of the Duelmo in the ritual to create humans really tore him to shreds He lost control of his body and is even now forced to use image projections to interact with others

Mae Mykna is the name of the Patron of Truth Randidly guessed his Nether pointing him in the right direction

Tuthak nodded The Aetherium she left behind was apparently quite small but potent With it and the planning of Kelnan and Solomon they created an isolated universe inside of another universe A land they claimed would be a place where a weary traveler could lay down their arms and remember peace Alymian could provide a respite from reality�

Solomon for the Foundation then The Patron of Truth�s Aetherium for an image But what would the moment be The transition between the Second and Third Cohorts

Even through his alien octopus features Randidly could read the bitterness on Tuthak�s face We have lost many companions to the temptation of Alymian It was an insidious trap for those long tired of Elhume�s tyranny it emphasized escape and a shedding of burdens over any truth completely against Mae�s desires However you can rest assured that we have given much thought to our plan

Fiona opened her mouth to continue her interrogation of the elder Eloize but Randidly put a hand on her shoulder He waved off her glare and turned to the octopus man His mind whirled trying to catch up with all the different information being thrown at him A party huh We really do appreciate the invitation But I want to clarify something why did you say it would be a bad idea to continue climbing the Sonara

The air around them began to fill with the sound and smell of meat sizzling over an open flame A muscular woman strode up to the group and offered them frothy drinks ringed with fruit from her tray Randidly and Fiona declined while Xershi took two for himself Pullas cradled a single glass eyeing it suspiciously

Rather than answer Eloise simply gazed at Randidly for several seconds It is a tragedy but I always suspected that you would wish to climb the Sonara No matter how much I attempt to dissuade you you have committed to the journey have you not

Randidly lifted his chin

The octopus shrugged five of its tentacles stretching out and sweeping the woman�s tray clean of any further drinks I suppose that is why you make such an appropriate individual to cause the Sonara�s collapse Ah well there is no harm in telling you If the bottom portion of the Sonara covers space the top stretches across time With how much Nether has been pumped into the upper end it becomes a grind against your psyche to go higher

I want to get out of here And improve myself on my terms Xershi finished

Randidly watched him with most of his attention on the Nether Ritual within the Ascension Pact There wasn�t even the slightest emotional reverberation coming through the Nether Xershi had somehow found the time to achieve a higher state of emotional control than Randidly had

Or he�s just locking down everything He mused

Once the words were out both Fiona and Pullas seemed to be vaguely insulted Before Pullas could open her mouth and argue with him Randidly reached out and put his hand on her shoulder Actually this is probably for the best I think from here on I should climb the Sonara alone

Pullas�s eyes fixated on him disappointment growing into devastation before his very eyes Suddenly all the shock and outrage Xershi had generated rushed toward him And Randidly understood her feelings when you found a group of people with which you could work so well it was heartbreaking to lose that bond To go out on your own If it was a normal situation Randidly would try harder to keep the Ascension Pact together But two factors forced his hand

First moving up through the Sonara proved to Randidly how little he knew about the Nexus He proceeded from layer to layer almost randomly uncovering information about the past that he now struggled to juggle unable to see how it all pieced together The sudden collaboration between Solomon Rex the Master the Patron of Truth and Don Beigon was an example of that The passage through the forty ninth and fiftieth layer was studded with similar revelations which Randidly even now hadn�t really been able to parse apart

Secondly he could feel the way the Grey Creature was approaching a point of no return The emotional violence contained within him rose within Randidly�s body like heartburn he could feel it seething within him even his physique unable to quite cope with its heat And despite how honest they had been with each other Randidly felt embarrassed to pause and so obviously work through his own trouble

Fiona moved between Randidly and Pullas touching both their shoulders Randidly still has his mission driving him But he�s not leaving immediately right Randidly We should all rest first then maybe share a dinner in this strange atmosphere Then we can all decide what to do moving forward

About thirty meters away Tuthak began acting as a referee in an image competition A jagged saber and a massive woofy mammoth clashed with each other the details of both sharp and piercing If nothing else Randidly was inclined to believe Eloise�s bold prediction about making war on Elhume just from the ability displayed

Randidly forced the tension from his shoulders Exactly Let�s take a break then talk about the details over dinner

Pullas�s eyes gleamed like she was about to burst into tears but she managed a shaky nod of her head With that signal Xershi moved away loudly gasping and reacting to the action in the image competition His loudness only made his obvious desire to avoid a real conversation more obvious Despite his own desire to do the same Randidly forced himself to confront his feelings

He moved a short distance off from the fighting and sat down So much happened so quickly I can barely figure out what to do next beyond climbing to find the key to saving the Patron of Feathers After a rest

His thoughts began to drift away

there�s more to do But really Pullas do you think this is easy for me

I�ll miss traveling together Hopefully after I finish this back in the Nexus we can find each other again

Chapter 2072

Randidly came back to himself slowly buoyed up through his unfocused state by the feeling of surprise by how deeply he had fallen asleep almost immediately after he had relaxed Gradually the physical sensations of sitting in the fifty ninth layer came back to him The sounds of images clashing against each other the smell of roast beef laughter and the hint of music spreading throughout Tuthak Eloise�s gathering The heat of bodies and good cheer

The Upper Sonara Society huh Randidly pursed his lips Can this group really threaten Elhume And if they do where does that leave me

The thought felt vaguely threatening The absence of a hurdle long predicted to bar the path Since he had found his footing under the System Randidly was trying to create space for Expira and the other planets of the Alpha Cosmos to learn and grow without the threat of Elhume If someone else managed to solve that problem he would be left holding the bill for all the psyche straining effort he had poured into the process of getting stronger and no closure

Afterward as Fiona�s image had pointed out Randidly had no idea what he would do with himself For now he flexed his hands Yet no sooner had he begun stringing coherent thoughts together than the Grey Creature began to growl It started as a low warning but rapidly the psychic strain rose to dangerous levels

He clenched his jaw and leaned forward dark thoughts stabbing into him The emotions from the Alpha Cosmos squeezed him almost seeming to surround his whole personality and do its best job to squash him underneath its weight

His Nether Core whirled He endured This amount of pressure wasn�t enough to break him With a rest fueling him he made it through until the emotional sewage poured into the Grey Creature began to fade and his brain settled back into working order

Gratefully Randidly allowed another thought to rise and distract him these last few layers had been filled with strange bits of information The Hierarchy of Karma left a strong impression on him even now He remembered the competition for Claudette the strange lake he had been forced into my Devick�s projection and the seething shadow he had felt beating in the core of that lack

Was that one of the missing pieces that had been cut away from the being bound within the Hierarchy of Karma

Rolling his shoulders Randidly stood He did a few more stretches loosening up his arms and hamstrings The small exertion caused blood and Nether to begin running rapidly through his body firming himself in the present He drew a deep breath in and then released it with purposeful slowness

He focused his thoughts on the feeling of air and sun on his skin the soft echoes of the jubilations around him Gradually the tension in his body vanished He took another deep breath preparing himself for the dinner that would follow The movements of the Nether told him it was time to say goodbye

He began to move and found Fiona sitting on a hill watching the High Sonara Society engaging in their revelry After a brief hesitation as he stifled another bit of emotional indigestion from the Grey Creature he walked up to join her Can I ask you a favor

Fiona blinked and then nodded She didn�t seem to have even noticed his approach until he spoke Some of that stiff blankness had returned to her expression Randidly inwardly reviewed his memories of the last few layers how long had they gone without Fiona oscillating between a fake supercharged smile and that brittle mask

He tried to keep his shoulders from slumping The Grey Creature gurgled again acidic and slightly desperate Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix hummed with worry So Randidly forced himself forward After the group splits I hope you�ll travel with Pullas I swear as soon as I finish I�ll come find you two

Fiona managed a somewhat lopsided smile up at Randidly Randidly this role as emotional guide of the group doesn�t suit you But it�s nice to know you noticed her increasing well I had planned on it anyway And to be honest

Fiona paused Then she shook her head Anyway I�ll be watching her that�s for sure

You were about to say that you needed her just as badly as she would need you weren�t you Randidly thought Guilt squeezed his stomach but he nodded and walked down the slope He felt Fiona get up behind him and wander down in a different direction

Xershi pointed at the plates after this staring contest started to drag on So is this just self serve

The interruption brought everything back on track Like a child throwing a tantrum Pullas pouted and slowly filled her plate with the various foods Xershi happily began devouring the meal cooked by Randidly the gears in his throat grinding up everything to nutritional paste Fiona wondered if he even appreciated how good the food was

She didn�t miss the way that some of the individuals from the strange Upper Sonara Society drifted over looking with blatant longing at the food Randidly had used his image somehow to refine the food and the results spoke for themselves

For a brief time she could lose herself in the eating

Fiona took her time closing her eyes with each bite She directed all of her attention to the tongue trusting that the powerful individuals here wouldn�t suddenly ambush them in a fit of covetous gluttony She existed entirely through her tastebuds She found herself trembling When she opened her eyes she was surprised to discover her plate empty She refilled herself and continued the glorious meal

We�ve talked some to the people here while you were resting Pullas looked up from picking at her food Most of the intensity had vanished from her eyes but each glance still came across like an accusation toward Randidly They are always vague about the details but the group truly seems intent to antagonize Elhume when they leave the Sonara We well I plan on traveling with Fiona to help her find out what Devick did with her husband Perhaps when you are finished

I�m going it alone Xershi spoke around a mouthful of food Like I said I think I just need some time alone

Xershi Pullas seemed torn between irritation and a newfound concern for the metal liger Fiona saw concern win out on her face It might be easier to travel with us first for a while until you get your bearings I�m not sure how things are going right now but I have a lot of connections that might be able to help you

Fiona began to realize it wasn�t just her The whole table was tense which was why they had several long minutes of silence Just each one of them coped in a different way It was just somewhat concerning to her that her method of eating to cope seemed to be the most mature

I don�t want the help I want Xershi�s face twisted for the first time some of his inner worry showing through But very quickly he covered it up With a decisive gesture he pushed himself back from the table Well it doesn�t matter We�ve done it guys We climbed all the way up here However I think it�s time for me to go I want to get a bit of a head start I really really need to spend some time finding myself

That declaration sent reverberations through the Ascension Pact

Randidly finally looked up from his own plate Xershi

The liger man stiffened What

Randidly stood and slowly stretched out his hand It�s been a pleasure We really couldn�t have done it without you

Within the Ascension Pact the Nether Ritual Randidly had created began to come undone After a pause Xershi shook Randidly�s hand Fiona could practically see the potency flowing out of the tattoo on the metal man�s body Xershi then shook Fiona�s hand and went in for a handshake with Pullas but the slight woman sprung up and wrapped him up in a hug

Then Xershi left Everyone at the table looked vaguely like they needed to vomit but were suppressing the impulse

Chapter 2073

Fiona tried to keep eating to distract herself from the deep sadness she felt creeping into her heart but it became increasingly difficult Her fork gradually slowed her appetite dissipating in Xershi�s wake She glared down at her half full plate willing herself to recapture her zeal

Or rather it wasn�t that his departure had caused some new trauma but no longer could Fiona ignore the yawning chasm that had so long existed inside of herself The wound from Duulys and his betrayal was still there She had just gotten lucky for a while After fucking up on Randidly�s homeworld the knowledge of how much she valued the group had allowed her to focus Conveniently problems kept throwing themselves in the group�s path

Randidly stood up abruptly drawing both Fiona and Pullas�s attention He grimaced then offered an apologetic smile I don�t mean to cut this short but I think it�s time that I head off on my own as well You two are going to stay together after Good That�s for the best When I finish up here I�ll contact you

The crack in Fiona�s chest popped just the slightest bit wider by his sudden declaration She had expected a few more interactions before he rushed off From the wisps of light wicking away from Pullas�s skin as she glared at Randidly she had as well The glasses wearing woman pressed her hands against the table What You are just going to without even doing the dishes

Randidly blinked at her then down at the table in front of them as though the dishes rightfully had never even entered into his thought process His face still had a weird coloring like he would soon be ill

Into that space one of the lurking individuals around the dinner table stepped forward Actually if you would be willing to allow me to try that delicious smelling food I�d be only too happy to handle

Fuck right off Pullas�s eyes were bright with the pale light of death Her fingers began to singe the wooden table This is a private event

The stranger closed his mouth and walked rapidly away Most of the other spectators whispered to each other and retreated

Pullas wheeled back toward Randidly What the hell are you doing After all that we�ve been through together you just want to run away without even are you going to offer me a handshake too Is that all we are to you You went out of your way to cheer me up with that memory when you needed me then you slip away when you have other business That�s a horrible way to live

Fiona frowned slightly caught between them Rather than seeming upset Randidly only looked sad He winced and shook his head No if it were other circumstances I would want to take more time However I really need to begin climbing as soon as possible Pullas this isn�t goodbye when I finish my business I�ll come find you I owe it to Fiona to help her find her husband My boss kidnapped him after all

Ex husband Fiona mumbled

If we aren�t together how can I protect you Pullas hissed at him

Some part of Randidly folded as she said that even as Pullas seemed horrified by what had come out of her own mouth She finally leaned back and fiddled with her glasses He sighed Look Pullas you don�t

Nevermind I didn�t mean to force myself into your life I uh well Good luck Pullas spun away and blushed She only turned back around when he came up to her and hugged her They held each other for several seconds both leaning into the embrace

Fiona was next the long limbed man squeezing her with just the right about of strength His skin felt so very warm She scowled into his shoulder considering how high his Stats were he probably didn�t even know how much force he was exerting When he stepped back his smile was more sure I appreciate your understanding I wish it didn�t need to be this way but there is something that I need to take care of The sooner I start the better

With that he pivoted and moved across the rolling hills toward where Tuthak had indicated the sixtieth floor was His body blurred that he had vanished in only three seconds As he left the last few ties within the Ascension Pact faded away It was still a connection that would give a general impression of each other but its valuable function had deactivated

This is a bad idea Fiona thought

That it�s a bad idea Randidly almost groaned out the words But as he spoke the strange blurry shapes sharpened The image he called the Grey Creature condensed behind him although the face continued to be wreathed in an obscuring layer of violent emotions But its horrifyingly vicious eyes were fixed on Pullas

Really Seems like your image disagrees It definitely wants to fight Pullas said boldly She condensed her own image of herself as death She began to walk slowly forward So

She crossed some sort of invisible boundary triggering a horrifying sea of vicious emotions to explode outward from Randidly�s body Even some distance back amongst the hills Fiona rocked back on her heels as she felt the impact of those emotions rush over her skin It was different than her own insidious pressure or the determined resolve that Pullas had found for her image this emotion felt like being a bloody carcass tossed into a sea of piranhas

Both in terms of depth of emotion and pure antagonism the image felt like a slap in the face from a barbed flail

You Pullas straightened and looked at Randidly with something like horror He remained sitting on the stone beneath the waterfall his face almost blank despite the vicious bloodthirstiness of his image So you do want to fight

Randidly laughed No Pullas I don�t want to fight I need well maybe I should have been more honest I need some time to manage my image I just I didn�t expect the need to arrive so suddenly And I was embarrassed by the timing so I ran away

Pullas began moving forward again So let me help

You cannot help Randidly�s image bared its teeth at her over his shoulder

Unfortunately hard denials did not work well on Pullas right now She crossed another invisible barrier Her movement ignited those piranhas and filled them with a rabid fury The emotional force in the air bit at Pullas�s death image It was too dispersed to do much damage but it was obvious that she began to feel the pressure Pullas�s face was white You how can you look at me with such hatred and pain and say I need help If your image is going wild I can help suppress it

Pullas it�s not me or my main image Randidly�s mouth turned down at the edges He leaned forward and pressed his hands against the stone beneath him water trickling down his shoulders and forearms Fine then let me show you

The screening blurriness rippled and spread out from around his face Fiona�s eyes widened Because more and more projections of the Grey Creature formed behind the first But these were wild feral things madness given form More and more seemed to clamber out of the backs of their predecessors ripping themselves free Each was an emotional dagger a discordant note echoing through the area

Fiona watched the mass of bodes wrestle with each other with the wide eyed wholeheartedness of an insomniac They scrambled over the ground two pouncing on a third and ripping its limbs from its body Others just stood and shouted saliva flung from their lips by the noise Yet most latched onto the main Grey Creature�s back biting its legs and shoulders The main image form was dripping gore even while its face remained stoic

The true Grey Creature stood tall a thousand cannibal versions of itself ripping through its flesh and blurring its shape Fiona wrapped her image more tightly around herself

The worst part was that they seemed to notice they were no longer hidden All the rabid Grey Creatures froze Then their necks twisted their eyes glowed their emotions rose and coalesced into an oppressive pressure

Gradually Pullas�s image began to lose ground before their combined attention

What you are feeling isn�t me at all Randidly said But an emotional debt that has suddenly come due

Chapter 2074

In front of him Pullas looked afraid

Randidly squeezed his eyes shut emotional potency raging through him like a hungry lion pacing the limits of his cage His joints ached in a way he hadn�t felt in a long time the presence of the Alpha Cosmos�s psychological darkness felt like a physical burden he now carried One that sizzled and burned through his nerves and muscle fibers The presence in his body felt like a curse

He felt foolish for having allowed the problem to grow to this point At first Randidly had believed all these emotions would someday empower him That the unruly sea could be tamed and mastered

Yet now he wasn�t so sure The intensity sat across his body bile and mud and shit and the accumulation of detritus Hatred anger envy hunger vengeance They swirled around him The emotions were pollution blunting his edge and filling him with rage A powerful all consuming rage sure But one too unwieldy to bring to bear on an opponent

A burden his body struggled to contain

Suddenly he was very conscious of his new no longer human body Shedding the shackles of humanity some nebulous connection to Elhume through his anchoring Stats had given him great power Yet now with these monstrous emotions prowling through him he felt it The near limitless capacity of the new body for gleeful violence His muscles shuddered with it There was a definite way to embrace the force contained within the Alpha Cosmos Each of his heartbeats carried waves

His eyes snapped open Fiona had suddenly appeared next to the stunned Pullas still transfixed by the specters of dark emotion hovering around the Grey Creature The woman took Pullas�s arm and led her forward passing deeper and deeper into the oppressive negativity hovering around Randidly His stomach groaned with a wild panic at their presence his emotions reacting to the proximity

Despite the fact they must be encountering increasing resistance from the air their pace did not falter

His attention soon became entangled with restraining those wild emotions in his body By the time he resurfaced Fiona and Pullas were wading across the shallow pool the curtains of mist from the waterfall soaking their clothing The trembling in his body got worse as the hopped up on nearby stones only five meters away

What are you doing Randidly asked evenly Moving his mouth and not just howling in a raw animal cry of suffering took quite a bit of will

Being here for you you dumbass Fiona said tartly She waved a hand and released a pulse of mauve light Several of the degenerative copies of the Grey Creature fixated on this image demonstration blasting antagonism her way The image shield began to melt from their combined efforts She frowned around gesturing again and reinforcing the image This time it held

She folded her hands in her lap and looked at Randidly Her eyes were calm You are struggling We are here for you

Randidly forced a smile on his face I appreciate the concern but as I said it�s not necessary Besides I�m afraid what comes next won�t be very pretty

If you have friends who just stay around because of how pretty you are Pullas said They aren�t very good friends are they

Randidly gave Pullas a long look She looked so slight and small her hair dripping wet and clinging to her skull She braved the violent emotional waste directly not even bothering to shield her body with her image Grey Creatures stalked around her their long and insubstantial fingers flexing All the while she stared straight at Randidly with the same sort of intimate vulnerability

It made Randidly uncomfortable for an entirely different reason than the emotional indigestion he experienced

The next few weeks had seen Randidly constantly tormented by nightmares centered around the uncovered vent he now knew lurked behind the dresser However these were not the usual kind of dreams Randidly was not the sort of child that feared monsters or snakes or insects crawling out of the hidden passage and entering his room

No each nightmare concerned the same very specific situation No matter how much he tried to resist it or not think about the opening or smother his curiosity or distract himself Randidly would eventually find himself on his hands and knees crawling helplessly down into the dusty passage And eventually he would find a dead end trapped in the cramped ventilation shaft unable to escape

The opening called to him Drew him in no matter how much he struggled

He woke up screaming until his fed up mother took away the vent cover After that the possibility slipped from his mind and his subconscious eased its tormented grip on him Now in the dream world he pursed his lips at the irony he now needed to descend amongst the veins to try and face his fear

Like his nightmare the passage quickly became cramped He started hobbling along then crouching then crawling until he had to drag himself along on his stomach every side rubbing up against the overly warm veins Randidly�s eyes were brutal and harsh and he tugged himself along proceeding deeper feeling the negative emotions in the air thickening around him It became difficult to breathe the surroundings were so clogged with negativity He swam through a haze of emotion the passage ahead becoming murky

He squirmed through a vaguely wet gap in the veins and forced himself into an open chamber Cold air hit his face and brought his head wheeling around He blinked at what he saw No longer was he within the dream world but he had become a floating projection in the soft mist surrounding the waterfall His body sat below with Fiona and Pullas watching him

He floated in the air in his own form no longer a child His hands tightened into fists feeling the satisfying feedback of a genuine body Ah so it must be done the old fashioned way

The surroundings were also filled with the twisted souls of the fake Grey Creatures and his words set them off As soon as Randidly spoke those hungry monsters jerked around and began licking their lips More phantoms condensed out of the emotional darkness he carried staggering toward him in a series of endless rows

This was but a pinch of the darkness he needed to clear before he could address his own calcified emotion at the heart of the Grey Creature

Randidly breathed out through his nose Nether flames surged along his arms covering him in an undulating grey layer It�s not an ideal scenario but I need to clean up some of the detritus before I can deal with the larger issues Each of these projections contains threads of malignant emotion given shape by the darkness within the Grey Creature One by one I can refine them and weave them together into my own emotional pattern So long as the frame is a good one I should quickly gather momentum

Even as Randidly�s mind ran through a dozen very esoteric calculations to incorporate the emotional force into his own foundation the first fake Grey Creature twitched and launched itself at him in a thrashing motion

Although it possessed no finesse the power it exerted was substantial each of these seemed to wield his own physical capability Its long claws lashed out aiming to rip Randidly�s right eye from his socket

He flared his images but there was no response he remained in a projected world with only a body although the venue had become somewhat strange Inwardly he shrugged Outwardly he side stepped the attack snatched the monster�s wrist with one hand and shattered its elbow with the other

The bone cracked to splinters and the forearm flopped around

It hit the ground and scurried sideways predicting his follow up attack It stepped sideways right as he had predicted it would Randidly�s eyes glowed emerald as his fingers raked across the thing�s throat with enough force to shred the skin and scatter core this thing had his instincts but it had no idea how to use them

The body collapsed releasing a thread of emotional force Randidly spun it away into the enormous Nether Ritual he began to assemble Then he beckoned to the rest of the stuttering Grey Creatures with bloody fingers Come on then I don�t have time to play around with you

Chapter 2075

Bodies moved each action connecting to the next

Low kick to the side of the knee folding the joint A sharp step forward a knee rising and cracking open a skull A sidestep to avoid a lunge a backstep to position to seize the nape of another�s neck and wheel their charging form into another Screen a third setting both the feet

A full roundhouse kick snapping up the neck of a crouching Grey Creature clone and breaking its spine

Whirling to the side avoiding being pinned between six of the monsters Noticing the glitter of light off their nails A lashing cut with the hand shattering a forearm A heel kick to a temple Dropping to the stomach allowing to attackers to crash into each other above Tossing himself back up to his feet throwing out several sharp jabs to stun the approaching enemies

He lived and breathed violence It felt like a homecoming

Randidly stepped forward and unleashed a palm thrust aiming to destroy the shoulder of a Grey Creature To his surprise it managed to bring its hand up to partially block the attack Randidly�s eyes flashed in annoyance He seized the offending arm squeezed until he felt the bones rupturing beneath his fingers then slammed a haymaker blow into his opponent�s face

I was on such a roll too

The thing howled as it died and became emotional force the thread being spun up into the Grand Nether Ritual that Randidly had thrown up around himself The powerful flows were high above or more accurately below within his physical body so they could not be used to restrict the opponents Randidly really just needed to engage in a massive melee of hand to hand combat Harvesting their emotional force for his own benefit

This sort of fighting was oddly refreshing Without all the accouterments of Aether and Nether there was only the body momentum and wits It was Randidly rediscovered a sort of engagement at which he was quite proficient

To survive in the System he had learned a brutal efficiency he steadily stopped relying upon Yet now against the fake Grey Creatures that part of himself came to the surface and made short work of these foes

A thought floated to the surface of his mind even through his focus This is why the path of image physicalizations always appealed to me Especially now I utilize Nether as well it�s all becoming too intellectually intensive But if my powerful images just became portions of my body

Well it would need to wait until the emotional affects have been stabilized at least

Randidly grabbed the neck of one avoided its punch then wrenched it sideways into the path of another His eyes scanned the surroundings as he kicked backward taking another in the chest and opening up some breathing room Sweat trickled down from his temples As time passed these Grey Creatures condensed from negative emotion seemed to be growing more used to his body Their movements became more proficient

A Grey Creature pounced toward him Randidly swept a leg sideways and slammed the thing�s ribcage but it softened the blow by twisting and seized upon his leg Two more Grey Creatures stepped forward lashing out at Randidly with their long fingers He could see the path of their attacks One blow came marginally faster than the other

Randidly hopped up and grabbed upon the arm of the first attacker with both hands His fingers tightened for a good grip and then he pulled using the arm as a foundation With the additional force he could generate with his abs Randidly spun his body the Grey Creature holding onto his leg gripped tightly enough that he was picked up off the ground and sent spinning through the air The other attacker missed as Randidly positioned his spinning body landing behind the arm of the Grey Creature he grabbed

They kept coming bloodthirsty and increasingly sure of their movements Randidly�s focus narrowed Block avoid strike block pounce finish avoid repeat Blood and emotion swirled through his body amongst the storm of wild limbs engaging in a vicious tireless melee

In the end Randidly tore his way through the Nether Ritual becoming powerful enough that his speed of ripping these fake Grey Creature�s increased considerably He could blow them away without worrying about subtlety prompting the subconscious to release more and more negative emotions He felt a deep wariness beginning to emerge in his chest but his body could proceed like this forever lost in the sensation of violence

If anything it was oddly peaceful Without images or Authorities Randidly just had to use his body His mind and heart could turn themselves over fully to trying to heal from the infection under which they now labored

From the ether more Grey Creature came wreathed in grey auras of malevolence and screeching out horrifying oaths to inflict eternal pain upon him Randidly�s face remained firm as he ripped their heads from their bodies When too many came he was forced to tear off the limbs of some of his victims and use them as weapons until the bones from the broken arms began to dissipate

However a small bit of Randidly�s mind observed the surroundings Even as his Nether Ritual began to gather more momentum for his slaughter the feeling in the air didn�t change The current negativity did decrease as he refined the emotion but

What the hell is this feeling His skin tingled as he paused in the middle of the bellowing crowd of Grey Creatures his eyes scanning around Why do I

Randidly froze There amongst the crush of bodies he saw a figure that wasn�t the Grey Creature just standing there and smiling

It was him his own familiar body a malevolent grin stretching his mouth

Ah The other Randidly chuckled and offered a theatrical bow You�ve found me Well then I suppose I�ve got no choice but to fight you

The moment was so strange and unexpected that Randidly swayed unsure of how to respond That was a mistake

The other Randidly erupted in a wave of negativity so corrosive and dangerous that many of the nearest Grey Creatures to him had the flesh melted away from their bodies They collapsed screaming even as the dark Randidly strolled forward dragging along a wave of dark emotion with him

When the corruption pressed against Randidly his giant Nether Ritual began to falter and sizzle the energies of this being attacked it directly His eyes narrowed as he created counter measures and then felt his countermeasures get countered

This being was utilizing Nether patterns against him

What the hell are you Randidly said

Dark Randidly grinned Literally Your own self hatred But right now I�m going to be the darkness that consumes you

Chapter 2076

Randidly�s eyes narrowed as he studied the figure opposite him The other Randidly stood with his hands on his hips his chin length black hair and the lanky almost alien body the exact same as his own The same impossible dimensions the sleek torso and long arms The only difference was the eyes pure black as though the pupil had risen and swallowed the rest of the eye in a fit of avarice

At the same time as he studied this new figure Randidly engaged in a constant campaign to protect and strengthen the massive Nether Ritual above him that gathered the emotional force of the defeated Grey Creatures and empowered himself The other Randidly mostly used the tainted emotion to release pressure but it could still manipulate Nether with just as much finesse as he could

Randidly�s skin tingled He reversed currents and generated some small buffer areas to turn away the subterfuge It really is like facing myself

Luckily for him he had already established the foundation of the working before this being appeared With the momentum on his side Randidly quickly pushed back the attacks Then he raised his arms and prepared to fight So long as the working was maintained he would eventually overpower any foe

Even one of the seeds of negative emotion that had infested his body

The grin of Self Hatred widened What nothing to say to yourself Afraid to face your own darkness Or perhaps you are even having difficulty admitting that you even possess self hatred

That earned a laugh from Randidly What No of course I know I hate myself a little bit I�ve done some very shitty things since the System arrived I�m just trying to figure out what to do about you What I require to overcome you

As he finished speaking Randidly moved it a burst of furious aggression With the force in his massive Nether Ritual he physically ripped through two Grey Creatures that stood in his path as he charged However Self Hatred responded just as quickly as though he as expected the attack

The other version of him hopped shortly forward lowering his center of gravity Randidly didn�t slow down so he arrived and whipped a hook to crunch into the doppelganger�s ribcage But it raised its leg and caught the blow with a barefoot Randidly�s eyes narrowed as he followed through even as the Self Hatred kicked off the punch and soared into the sky without a scratch It spun gracefully as it flew upward like a dancer or a bird

Stretching its arms out in the air Self Hatred condensed two black spears and sent them streaking at Randidly Without his images Randidly was forced to duck under the long distance attacks and sprint across the mist filled projection battlefield above the oblivious heads of Pullas and Fiona Grey Creatures tried to slow him down with their vicious claws and howls but they weren�t able to stop him at this point Each opponent in his path just added to his strength

Self Hatred spun slowly in the air occasionally sending black spears zipping down that Randidly was forced to dodge When it touched the ground it laughed and rushed directly at him with a black spear gripped between its familiar fingers Care to joust

Considering their earlier brush and the parity of power they wielded Randidly felt confident in the impending collision However the waves of dense negative emotions Self Hatred now released felt slightly different His eyes narrowed

When they arrived before each other their bodies blurred Randidly feinted a leg sweep and then brought his knee up for a brutal crash into Self Hatred�s chest But it just spun sideways releasing pulses of caustic emotion then unleashed a roundhouse kick Randidly blocked it but it had predicted his response already lifting the other foot off the ground and stomping toward Randidly�s face

His eyes glowed as he snatched the foot from the air Self Hatred whipping the first foot back around to try and smash into his temple Ducking and twisting Randidly moved underneath the doppelganger and launched a body blow into his torso Yet somehow Self Hatred kept twisting enough to snatch Randidly�s punch out of the air raising its other hand while stifling his attack

Randidly flexed his wrist breaking the grip For a split second they stared at one another Both of them showed their teeth as they brought their other arms around they would exchange blows simultaneously Right before impact a little bit of inky emotion spilled out of Self Hatred�s hand and empowered it

The Grey Creature�s smashed into him and Randidly let that thought go he didn�t need to face Self Hatred immediately Instead he swam through the Grey Creatures in front of him buoyed on currents of violence His arms and legs moved constantly ripping through limbs and tossing his opponents from side to side The force of his passage shattered their bodies freeing up a widening river of negative emotion that flowed into the Nether Ritual Its influence grew and grew sharpening every aspect of Randidly�s imagined presence

Of course the darkness around Self Hatred grew overwhelming by the same measure Or even at a faster clip as more of its influence was purified Because this thing was a magnetic a part of his personality that drew all the similar emotions to its body That pull had gathered a mighty sinister heart of negative emotion to it but most of that was tainted by other extraneous feelings

Sadness desperation self pity rage hatred fear

The emotions swirled around in an endless poisonous maelstrom And now Self Hatred employed Randidly pushing away all the ancillary emotions and allowing its own core to be strengthened and purified

He scrubbed it clean with every killing of a Grey Creature

Randidly moved tirelessly his power growing to the point it became almost a chore not to slaughter the Grey Creatures They rushed at him and were annihilated in wide swaths The Nether Ritual hummed in pleasure

Self Hatred conjured black spears the size of massive trees and threw them with horrifying proficiency

Randidly almost wished he were worse at fighting just so this would be easier

There are foes and battlefields that cannot be won with just fighting Randidly sighed to himself Despite the difficulty he felt no fear Because these were fights he understood as well You have to be smarter You have to be more prepared Or you need to understand a deeper truth about the environment The entire world even

Some of the ambient Nether he maintained in his body began to stir Sensing what he needed to do Randidly let himself go into physical autopilot His attention went to his Nether Core where he began to fold and twist his perspective He followed the flow of significance through his body folding and unfolding seeking this strange sensation of truth The train of thought had touched upon an important lesson

At a particular twist of his Nether everything opened Randidly peered forward What he saw made his face darken Elhume is perhaps such a foe Is it really possible for me to fight fairly against him and win I have a Nether Core that he does not but he possesses an image that shook me even from afar when he attacked the Patrons And he definitely knows more about the fabric of this universe than I

So how can I win Truly

The thought made his Nether Core begin its own rotation a constant rumination on the answer The beginning of a long journey Two simultaneous movements the Core within and the Nether Ritual above moving in opposite directions their friction strengthening Randidly a little extra Not enough to catch up to the growth of Self Hatred however

Randidly�s eyes blazed However I already know the way to slay this foe

He planted his foot and began to rip a path to crush this emotional poison that had been growing fat within his body He would plunder its core and finally earn himself an image that could stand up to powerful foes in the Nexus

Chapter 2077

You wish for a decisive battle Self Hatred called across the screams and roars of the dying Grey Creatures The darkness around its body continued to thicken even as the madness in its eyes curled with glee I see you managed to create a synergistic effect with your Nether Core But do you think that will be enough to overcome the difference between us Be reasonable Randidly Or have you come to surrender your body Have you finally realized you should fear me

Randidly remained silent marching forward His certainty only grew with every step this emotion was a part of him yes but it was limited by what it was called Its essence blinded it to other options Self Hatred ceased tossing the massive black spears its inky black eyes glittering as Randidly crossed the distance content to dwell on on a few details and movements As he approached it raised its right hand a mass of emotional darkness congregating there A decisive strike just as the previous attacks had been attempts at decisive strikes

He made a mental note about the power of a name perhaps some of these opponents were smarter than Randidly had considered wanting to avoid earning the curse of the word Ghasthund

With a few bounding steps Randidly ignored the mass of Grey creatures slashing at him and crossed the last distance to Self Hatred It snarled and swung that right fist it had so long prepared The air became thick with emotional force Time seemed to slow Just like the shaft Randidly could feel the layers of time sweeping across him as the attack neared

His eyes followed the blow If it landed Randidly would sink into a whirlpool of self hatred that would last an eternity for each moment that passed Its slippery coolness pressed against him even now whispering that this was all he deserved It urged him to cease his struggles and simply suffer underneath its yoke Self hatred wished to send him down into an endless spiral of dwelling and self recrimination

Randidly did not slow He had trained too long against the pull of entropy to let a small bout of self hatred affect his combat ability Constricted by the press of inky darkness Randidly raised his left hand in the face of the blow It became a naked deflection

The fist wrapped in darkness hit him in a horrifying impact Waves of emotion and physical force swept outward eviscerating all of the Grey Creatures in the surrounding ten meters The projection area shook with enough force that below Pullas glanced up briefly Randidly felt his left shoulder groan in pain However he absorbed almost all of the attack Sulfur his left arm hummed in pleasure from the kinetic force

Self Hatred opened its mouth to spit out some words but Acri slid into its heart Randidly�s thrust even after all this time was a thing of beautiful efficiency

Shal had taught him well

Acri ripped out of his target�s back the sharp weapon easily penetrating through the reflection of his body The emotional core swayed looking at Randidly in disgust You don�t deserve anything that you have These equipments these toys all your subordinates you don�t deserve any of it

That may be true Randidly said quietly feeling a strange mixture of relief and guilt at the presence of his two Soulseeds within this place But this existence isn�t so kind as to bother with giving or taking based on merit

If anything Randidly�s response only seemed to infuriate Self Hatred even more It forced mocking laughter from its lips even as black blood began to spurt from the wound in its chest Do you think this is the end Sure you have wounded me but did you think you could fight your self hatred into submission I will

This is a metaphor you dumbass Randidly sighed as he tugged Acri out of Self Hatred�s chest A different sort of shiver ran through the surroundings I�m not literally slaying you I�m accepting you I haven�t addressed you before but now it�s time

The projection in front of him shattered A massive wave of emotional raw emotional force wild and almost double the size of the emotions he had refined with the Nether Ritual so far erupted from the body His Nether working began to strain to contain all of it Randidly felt himself burning inside out as he gritted his teeth and attempted to handle all the emotions pumping into him

Yet before Fiona could determine anything more about what had happened the images vanished Randidly himself stirred twisting his neck back and forth and earning a long series of cracks He blinked several times his gaze unfocused When he could see them he smiled at them both You two thank you You make for great allies

And bad enemies Pullas said in a rare joke her lips trembling as she offered a smile

Randidly laughed and straightened He looked down at his hands and another hair raising image pulse came out of his body Pullas sniffed and released a pulse of her own one with so much intensity that Fiona jumped off of her stone and fell in the water

When she spluttered back to the surface Pullas pouted at Randidly Why are you being so aggressive You scared Fiona

Randidly�s mouth twitched I didn�t mean for anyone to be alarmed It really never occurred to me that my image had improved enough to so spook Fiona

Pullas nodded full of self righteousness as Fiona dragged herself out of the water Short sighted but understandable Still are you well All the darkness around you has vanished

Randidly offered a shallow smile I�m better

But you haven�t eliminated the source of that image blurriness Fiona prodded

Randidly gave her a sharp glance almost like he was annoyed then shrugged Well I can�t say I�ve completely gotten rid of the problem Just got a good start on it But for now I will no longer be troubled by rebellions from my images

Pullas sucked in a breath So now

I need to begin climbing again yes Randidly bowed his head He stood and hopped across the stones to sway next to Pullas He wrapped his arms and brought her into a hug Then he straightened Pullas still sniffing and hopped over to do the same to Fiona She accepted the hug mutely somewhat embarrassed how reassuring she found his warmth

Her fingers tightened on his back Be safe

I�ll do my best Randidly said as he pulled back He looked up at the misting waterfall and grinned With a wave of his hand he conjured the strange key he somehow utilized to burrow through space This was a perfect location Really I couldn�t have done this without the two of you

We will see you when you return Pullas said

Randidly nodded He thrust the key forward He vanished

Chapter 2078

Randidly arrived at the edge of the fifty ninth floor and found a peony bush Here the air moved softly almost as though it couldn�t bear to disturb the plant

The petals were curling pink feathers undulating with the soft wind of the layer He looked around to be sure then refocused on the peony bush the space around it expanded and contracted just like the edge of the lower layers An invisible lung functioned breathing here

There was no wind Only a gateway

With a small frown on his face Randidly reached out and touched the edge of the space He examined the sensation of pressing up against the boundary both employing his sharp senses and inwardly marveling at the increase in fidelity he experienced after absorbing so much emotional force into himself But for now he did not dwell on his gains from embracing his self hatred He simply used them

Based on what Eloise had said of the coming layers he would have time enough to do that later

It took a few experiments but Randidly found out how to proceed through this bush He envisioned himself sinking into the distorted space and exactly that began to happen He willed it into existence his body being absorbed by the breaths around the peonies Functionally Randidly began to shrink When he first noticed this he was so shocked by the shift that he lost his focus and snapped back to this layer But on his subsequent attempt he did not worry about the process He leaned into the spatial divide and was changed by it His limbs shortened his weight vanished the substance of his body being rewritten into a smaller scale

The impressions of his bare feet in the dirt became large enough to serve as tiny Randidly�s grave

Soon the pink peonies had become giant explosions in the sky above him the stocks as thick as skyscrapers Tiny Randidly stomped his bare feet making even more minute graves for unfortunate ant like versions of himself The grains of dirt felt large beneath his feet Then he began to walk up onto the peony bush stone which had become a sprawling mountain range He soon found a threshold of golden light hidden underneath the foliage and passed through to the next layer

The sixtieth layer felt much much smaller than those he had grown used to Here too there were several warehouses full of supplies Some ancient looking metal apparatus sat on a low plain gathering dust Randidly quickly located what could only be the exit back to the Nexus but kept going The Nether presence in the air continued to grow

A few times Randidly pulled out his Alchemist�s Passport and probed at the space of the layer However a heavy barrier he couldn�t quite understand blocked him from simply burrowing through to his target location He could have used the Hierarchy of Burden to rip a path but he wanted to figure out why before fighting his way forward So he walked

His senses tingled and he felt a small amount of tugging on his Nether Core but it took him a while to realize it was happening Then he stopped and laughed This is almost exactly the opposite of the shaft The flow of significance pushes people away you need to have a strong will or quite a bit of Nether density to ignore the flow around you Otherwise you could walk forever without ever nearing the next layer You need a certain sort of momentum to proceed I suppose Willpower would suffice

But for someone who possesses a solid Nether Core Once he understood the way this place functioned Randidly stepped while concentrating on emphasizing the significance of the action As he had expected space blurred He �sank� through the flows of this place arriving at the next golden threshold

Like this Randidly rapidly climbed through the sixty first through sixty ninth layers Each looked the same a blank almost endless expanse The repulsion from the higher layers increased as he climbed but it was never close to keeping Randidly away As he moved his certainty steadily increased the rejection he passed through was some sort of man made defense Whatever had been done with the upper layers was not accidental

Randidly stepped out onto the seventieth floor and looked around At least this confirms that Eloise wasn� trying to mislead me This sort of vista really takes me back

Randidly nodded slowly wondering what the Patron of Feathers required from the past to survive But he set that aside for now and instead considered the more immediate impediment �And this darkness What is it �

�A barrier � The old man said without irony

Randidly barely resisted the urge to click his tongue in distaste at the banal answer then felt a sort of bemusement that he had been infected by Xershi�s snarky humor Then a strange combination of guilt and loneliness struck him

Randidly rolled his shoulders to shake that feeling off and began to study the darkness The pressure he had endured to arrive here was generated by the force of this darkness He could not discover the medium on which the Engravings were made but

It�s the movement of energy The repulsion of significance Randidly�s eyes widened His perspective shifted folded in on itself Suddenly the darkness in front of him was a storm of wild whirlwinds a thousand bent and twisted vicious flows that had been arranged and tied into bows Bows that spelled out powerful and very familiar runes And these restrictions I have encountered them far too often in the Sonara to mistake them Elhume�s work Less refined than on those main layers but he made this thing This dream is his

After studying the arrangement of energy Randidly took a step forward so that he stood at the cusp the sharp divide between the layer and the darkness The old man coughed and spoke again I would not proceed forward if I were you You will die lost in darkness forever until your images and then your mind desert you The layers proceed at their own pace you see They must accept you You must give up yourself

Randidly raised a foot and stuck it out into the abyss His toes tingled from the pressure of the energies lashing at him and seeking to force him out Yet before the density of his Nether the energies could only howl and fail

Yet the old man seemed alarmed by the movement He began to speak more quickly Truly you might believe yourself powerful but unless you have some connection to the dream one that can guide you deeper into the darkness you will only

Thanks for the information Randidly glanced at the old man Then he stepped into the abyss

For a while the old man simply stared forward into the darkness As always his gaze never wavered But a few minutes after Randidly proceeded forward he raised his voice What about you Will you follow him

The air behind him shimmered parting to reveal a sweating and exhausted Xershi The servo engines of his joints whined from forcing his way forward relying on the remnant energies in his tattoo to make it this far

Grinding his teeth he stared after Randidly No Sometimes you need to admit when you are bested

Then he turned away At the very least the experience of being connected to the Ascension Pact had taught him one thing how to control his Nether well enough to avoid the Ghosthound�s inattention

Chapter 2079

What surprised Randidly most was how warm the darkness was even as it tried to rip and rend him into pieces with clumsy fingers Its hapless touch almost made him smile compared to the density his Nether Core had reached this was nothing

When its currents failed to penetrate through the barrier of Nether Weight he had conjured it reverted to other tactics The enormous Engravings made out of flows sought to confuse and mislead him somehow externally folding his perspective so it became impossible to know in which direction he was heading To his Nether and Aether senses there was only constant rushing motion in the space around him He sat in the eye of a shifting kaleidoscope

Pressing his lips together Randidly sank deeper and deeper into darkness to find the bottom

In his first few attempts he simply moved forward Randidly focused in the same way he had to get through the previous layers wondering if he would sink into an almost subatomic level of this place Yet very quickly it became obvious he made no progress in this manner the familiar sensation of proceeding to the next layer didn�t occur even after an hour He felt masses of significance in every direction but without a tether he kept losing track of them confusing them or feeling them fade from his awareness

Maybe Elhume arranged for false signposts in this place he mused to himself If I had toward these attractions what will I find

Randidly nodded to himself simply flailing around blindly would not help him here The influence of the grand Engravings although not enough to stop him definitely kept him bound and confused So instead he followed the hint given to him by the strange old man next to the precipice He focused on his goals the reason he came here the journey to save the Patron of Feathers Almost immediately a clear tether emerged shooting off into the darkness

For a while he studied it without moving Because even as he focused on it he felt the tether twist and twirl warped and dragged in strange directions by the Engravings Soon the path became looping with several cut backs on itself Randidly clicked his tongue Not that following this wouldn�t probably lead to his goal eventually but it seemed this place had also been designed to make that journey as long as possible Even now it through up roadblocks in his path

He gently examined the ethereal substance of the tether to understand it further It was a weird mixture of significance yes but it also bore a significant portion of emotion Perhaps the reason he could feel the way forward so clearly was his recent increase in emotional affect

He moved his mind elsewhere allowing that clear path forward to fade Its winding distortions faded with it Instead of returning to that true goal Randidly probed the environment around him and was relatively delighted to discover a score of inert connections glimmering� in the darkness around him And from what he could tell from these they led to much closer locations Less distance meant that the currents around him would cause less trouble

And he could figure out what exactly the old man had meant when he said this place was a place of dream and desire a lie about the past

He selected one almost at random choosing for the strength of connection and also for the relative shortness to the end goal The constant folding of perspective made it almost impossible to tell for sure but he believed this to be one of the quickest journeys in this abyss

He focused on that tether and it hummed to life creating a direct way forward to the destination Immediately the currents began to tug and twist to create veering and unnecessary curves With a step Randidly was off He surged forward with a controlled amount of speed blasting his way through the pesky currents of darkness to arrive at his destination

Apparently the rest of the people here recognized the presence of the Nether warrior at about the same time Tension skyrocketed and the few bits of laughter that had been present were shushed or choked off Space opened up in the plaza giving the black robed a straight path to the building where the bell holding wolverine stood shocked Parents pulled their children away from the suddenly silent plaza

With a soft snort the Nether Herald walked forward For several seconds nothing happened but his footsteps echoed across the open space Randidly studied him trying to figure out where and when in the Nexus he could be Not only did he not have enough information about history but he also came into this fake Nether Prince with the understanding that this was based upon a lie

The Nether Herald glanced sideways at Randidly an irritated and preoccupied expression on his face However as soon as their eyes met Randidly felt his heart sinking He had made a mistake

Just because his Nether capabilities couldn�t be utilized didn�t mean he didn�t possess them His entire physical body had come into this memory

My my liege The Nether Herald gasped and threw himself down to his knees He touched his forehead to the cobblestones three times making his tusks clink loudly against the stone My liege I apologize for not recognizing you sooner and showing such disrespect You

In the silent plaza the words filled the air like a two meter burst of flame in a library The attention of every individual shifted to Randidly the black robed Nether Herald on his knees before him Randidly�s eyebrow twitched unsure of how to proceed The coloration of the Nether Herald�s face curdled and he sent a panic filled burst of significance between them apologizing if Randidly was attempting to remain incognito while on his journey

Randidly resisted the urge to rub his temples Having people around here believe I�m a Nether King probably won�t make it easy to learn more but at least being powerful might let me skip some troublesome interactions

Very quickly a series of silver robed individuals marched in formation out of some of the sidestreets From the short interval from the words to their arrival they must have been waiting around the plaza for a disturbance They were not necessarily antagonistic but their intent gazes were fixated on Randidly

Randidly sighed inwardly Why does trouble always find me like this

The Nether Herald scrambled to his feet Nether began to swirl in the air around him A dangerous and sloppily made Nether Ritual formed around him His hands blurred as he relied on his body to guide the shaky ritual to completion with several fast hand signs My liege please retreat from this place I am resolved to protect you considering I am the cause of this The council will not let you leave Tatem easily now that you have been discovered

It set the memory around Randidly to shuddering but he raised a finger and tugged at the edge of the Nether Heralds Ritual causing it to fall to pieces The Nether Herald looked at Randidly in shock but Randidly wasn�t sure how to explain In the end he simply shook his head I am not trying to hide my presence here Don�t worry about it

Besides from the sound of this Council they might be able to provide more information about the timing His eyes watched the approaching guards The only risk is the presence of Elhume but it feels like I can rip out of this memory cluster directly if I need to If it feels like his attention reaches me I�ll just rush up to the memory that the Patron of Feathers needs

Everything else is a nice bonus chance for information but I do not need it

Chapter 2080

The guards arrayed themselves in a loose ring with a feathered woman stepping forward to speak A serpent with wings was sewn into the arm of her robe Her voice wavered betraying her fear Sir you appear to have a fully awakened Nether Core Is this true

Randidly wasn�t sure of the terminology but nodded

The guards gulped Those few individuals who were lingering in the plaza to watch the confrontation made themselves scarce The feathered woman lifted her chin Then according to the current peace treaty between our peoples you are required to display your status Attempting to disguise yourself in another affiliation is punishable by

Hmph my liege is obviously not disguising himself The Nether Herald folded his arms and glowered at the woman When he glanced sideways at Randidly he almost seemed to blush Ahem as you can see he is simply wearing tight under clothes You cannot accuse him of disguising himself when he wears no robe

The guards did actually seem quite thrown by this face giving Randidly strange looks once again The Nether Herald thumped a fist against his chest and continued Besides do you not see that his entire arm is dark His affiliations are obvious

The arm is grey not black and possesses no golden accents as is required The feathered woman shot back Her eyes went to Randidly Please do not attempt deceit What is your business here Nether King

My name is Randidly Ghosthound He said wondering if the name would mean anything in the memory When their faces remained blank he felt foolish for even offering it He hesitated to answer the second question but settled on the easiest answer He gestured toward the building at the end of the plaza And I�m here to listen to the lecture

The feathered woman choked at that Why would a Nether King be interested in

She shook her head to refocus That�s not the real issue We cannot allow you to hide your affiliations right now Not with the recent attacks on the border Tensions is high amongst the populace Obviously the treaty guarantees your relative freedom but for your own safety I must insist

If you have a proper robe I will wear it Randidly said That seemed to mollify the feathered woman He inclined his head forward I�ll go inside the hall for now Bring the robe as soon as you have it

Randidly began walking before waiting for an answer The woman seemed prepared to step up to stop him from departing so easily but the Nether Herald glowered again at her and she lowered her gaze In the suddenly vacant plaza Randdily and the black robed individual walked across it

Randidly�s mind spun A peace treaty recent attacks a council these robes announcing the affiliations of various groups A lot of information flowed to him but it wasn�t enough to get a good picture of what happened nor was it relevant to what he wanted to know That was part of the reason Randidly wanted to make it into this lecture he had a feeling that going away with the silver robed guards would severely reduce the sort of information he could gather

Besides the power he could feel from everyone in the area was rather unimpressive

My liege The Nether Herald spoke in a quiet voice Again I must apologize for revealing you Please do not hold a grudge over this Better they find out now rather than discover you in the middle of the lecture I assume you intend to prove this man a fraud Beings of Aether could never understand patterns as we can

Randidly�s lip curled This guy just wants to cause a ruckus everywhere we go

Not seeming to notice Randidly�s mood the Nether Herald continued to speak I�ll go in ahead perhaps you can have some time to gather information before that woman returns with the robe I will bother you no longer Good luck

And with that the tusked Nether Herald strode with confidence through the open doors Randidly sighed but was somewhat glad he was gone He followed more sedately up the marble steps nodding to the wolverine humanoid holding the bell

But after he had taken several steps past the individual an awkwardly cleared throat brought him back around He raised an eyebrow at the wolverine What is it

Either way he forced ancillary issues from his mind and began to pick apart the surrounding conversation

What a fine quiche Do you suppose they used

Leeks of course Although I think fine might be an aspirational term for this chef

Randidly�s attention radiated outward carefully separating and isolating the many voices The relative skill of the chef in the Second Cohort He found a new more promising conversation group

For all the Origin Beasts� power they are sure to soon fall from grace Randidly�s attention instantly fixated on those words trying to gather the responses around the speaker They sided with that young upstart fistmaster against the council

Dulumen not here We will be seen

He�s hardly an upstart

Oh dear did you see that near naked hairless being flitting across

Randidly began to zero in on his talking targets and push away the other voices

the fist master has been around for as long as the rest of them He�s just been too busy pursuing personal power to expand his influence He leads what a score of followers

Tsk if that All to expand the Nexus Can you imagine We already have so much conflict now with the population present within the System As though our problems would evaporate if we added more bodies

I agree but you know Ah apologies but you must excuse me Lord Yufellet is calling for me But mark my words The Origin Beasts are not long for this world Do you see a single individual with a purple robe here It�s the end of an era

Randidly heard footsteps as the one speaker moved The other inane conversations remained annoyingly present Shaking his head slightly he listened for other options in the surroundings But the conversations in the area concerned themselves either with the refreshment the upcoming presentation or with uninteresting and personal details of the attendees Sighing he looked around for another likely spot on the other side of the hall to listen in on conversations

What he noticed was a hidden stairwell tucked in the wall behind a pillar Pursing his lips Randidly walked over to it and was about to ascend but then stepped aside for a group of sky blue robbed individuals to walk down About a dozen passed his way each giving him rather unimpressed looks Only then did he ascend

The upper level was a more intimate room with low lighting and soft azure chairs However it appeared entirely deserted Randidly�s skin tingled from a breeze Still musing over the things he had heard from listening around he turned and followed the breeze back to its source without thinking He passed through a pair of open glass doors to a balcony The red sun remained hot and squat in the sky

Randidly walked up to the railing barely noticing the buildings in front of him So he was entirely surprised when someone spoke

You followed me

He pivoted Young Devick leaned against the wall in the shadow of the building out of the sun She walked out and offered him a dazzling smile Let me guess that stare earlier was love at first sight I simply must applaud your good taste sir

Chapter 2081

Randidly blinked at her words The skin of his ears buzzed Even here in a memory Devick still found ways to surprise him

Her eyes glittered She tilted her head to the side in that same keen manner she had later in life viewing him like he was some experiment Very little noise came to them from within the party and the city around this tall venue seemed curiously inert likely as word of a Nether King�s presence raced in every direction but within the pre lecture party They were entirely alone

Randidly released a breath Whatever she might be in the future the current Devick was just a playful innocent you remind me of someone with whom I have a very complicated relationship Finding you up here is just a coincidence

Boo Instantly Devick�s expression soured What is it with men and complicated relationships And also bringing up their uninteresting baggage at any excuse they find Is it really so unlikely an individual will be swept away by encountering me in all my majesty Maybe if you look for a few seconds longer the love with take

At this Devick took a step out of the shadows and raised both arms wrist first like she was a doll manipulated by puppet strings Her forearms were thin and pale sticking out from her forest green robe with silver embroidery She lifted her chin and turned so her head was in profile creating a striking distinct image Her bright red hair fell messily around her face but the wildness just radiated an endearing vitality She performed a small curtsy and then looked at him expectantly Well Head over heels

Literally I suppose so Despite himself Randidly felt somewhat amused The more he saw her move and behave the more he felt some inner tension relaxing In Devick�s mannerisms lay the shape of who she would become but her horror and spiteful madness was still for the future In this memory she more closely resembled the version of herself that had given him so much help on the Mountain He smiled Not quite swept away but the air is a little stuffy

Tsk well Perhaps I complimented your taste too soon Devick folded her arms across her chest and pouted Then she squinted at him as though seeing him for the first time She looked at his clothes and at his bare feet Her eyebrow made an arch worthy of the finest architect but maybe this is for the best You certainly are unapologetically unique which I appreciate but your lack of gravitas fails to set my feminine heart a beating And besides without the power to defend yourself my family would rip you to shreds for even daring to speak to me Audacity without conviction will just earn you ill fortune

Your family They live Randidly replied casting his mind back for what he knew about Devick

The mood on the balcony changed Her face flushed and true antagonism crossed her features I just meant my adopted father Byuresk of the Council So you knew who I was the whole time Her expression darkened further he could almost see bolts of sharp lightning flicking out from her irises A strange fear began to radiate out from her skin That�s why you looked at me that way Because you saw the pitiable orphan Devick and were curious about the kept creature of the Byuresk

Devick I Randidly blinked

Devick took a sharp step forward Her emotional intensity was sharp sharper even than most of the others Randidly felt in the memory See You use my name with such familiarity as though you know me Without even bothering to introduce yourself I�m sure you�ve heard the stories but I�m a person Is it really so much to ask to be treated like one

She reached up and fingered her green robes Her eyes looked extremely large and intent as she stared at him Yes this is not the color I dreamed of wearing in my childhood Yes my people my people are almost entirely gone It is up to me to sustain the race and earn back a color affiliation Is my plight funny This from a man who does not even possess a robe Has no backing no place in society Not even enough of a name to offer to a lady alone

In the face of the antagonism Randidly pressed his lips together My name is Randidly Ghosthound I Look I didn�t mean any insult I�m not trying to treat you like some sideshow entertainment I�m here I�m listening to you

Devick took a step toward him with her hands clenched into fists Tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes undercutting her anger Then look at me really look at me I�m so shunned by this group despite my adoptive father that all I can do is be stalked by a freak who doesn�t even possess their own robe All this because after my family selflessly poured themselves into defending the borders and these fucking cannibal weasels

Her words choked off Her shoulders heaved as she struggle to control her breathing In the wildness of her movements Randidly could again see the zealous and depraved woman she would become But right now

Now she just stood slender and alone The same Devick that so tortured him in the present now began to cry fat tears her hands still clenched They fled down her cheeks ugly and misshapen

Getting some air Randidly stepped away and held out his hand His mood toward the group went slightly downhill considering Devick�s desperate loneliness His tone turned rough The robe

The feathered woman offered Randidly a surprisingly high quality black robe The slippery material felt cool to the touch despite the sun beating down on them it must have been made with high quality thread The color allowed not a single mote of light to reflect off of it The only marring of the whispering garment was thick golden stripes sewn on the end of the sleeves which had clearly been added by hand rather recently They were blocky and harsh compared to the sultry rest of the garment

After slipping into the robe and tying off the waist Randidly indicated the golden threads at the end of the sleeves Does the gold need to stay here Or just be present somewhere on the robe

Any style is fine the feathered woman bowed slightly Apologies if the workmanship offends you We didn�t have a proper robe for someone of your station on hand

It�s fine Randidly waved a hand He brought out the slightest aspect of Yggdrasil which once again made the dream around him shiver The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty activated stirring the golden threads to wakefulness and had them swim up and down through the soft fabric of the robe Patterns instantly began to flow through the garment connecting it to Randidly across space and time Significance pooled and spun around him The weird sensation of revving occurred again in Randidly�s Nether Core only briefly before it settled back to its usual purr

The golden threads along the base of the robe drew wavy thickening lines Those lines became roots eventually twining together to form a radiant tree across his chest On his left arm thick horizontal blocks of gold On the right extended arcs ending in sharp points And upon his back a small minority of the golden threads traced out the image of a lidless eye or an open mouth that had never known satisfaction

His images nodded in approval at their work

Even without meaning to Randidly felt a Nether Ritual forming in the flow of energy through the garment He closed his eyes to follow the pattern Perhaps it was the high quality materials but this robe had become entirely his somehow The immediate bond was curious As though the mixture of image iconography significance and his presence left an indelible mark

Randidly opened his eyes and looked at the feathered woman So is this satisfactory

Of course She offered him another bow Into that silence a shocked whisper from Devick stepped

You are a Nether King

Pivoting Randidly looked at Devick The young woman�s face had gone strange Slack at the edges too wide at the eyes her mouth pinched together into a period Seeing that expression Randidly connected a few dotes he had missed earlier Specifically about her family giving their lives to fight on the borders

Against Nether forces Randidly�s heart tightened I

Without giving him a chance to say anything more Devick turned and ran

He watched her go with a sad expression The silver robbed guards bowed again and followed her probably relieved they didn�t have to leave their young mistress� with a Nether King His stomach felt heavy with acid but Randidly knew it was for the best Whether it�s in the past or the present we don�t seem meant to be amicable with each other Devick

Anyway he huffed out a breath Let�s see how much information I can gather while in this weird place

Chapter 2082

It turned out that Randidly couldn�t gather much information from the party which had become increasingly to feel like a waste of time He tried not to think about Devick�s horrified expression or let it taint his mood

However no one provided him with much useful distraction

The attendees seemed much more willing to embrace him now he possessed a robe many complimenting the fine artistry of its embroidery However whenever he asked substantive questions about where and when they were the recipient went pale made up some excuse and hurried away They hid in the crowd and refused to meet his eyes

Looks like the truce between Aether and Nether isn�t very firm He mused He scanned the ballroom That was the one thing he had noticed no one seemed willing to meet his gaze

He probably would have departed considering the fact he hadn�t spotted Devick since she ran from him and the gathering of information hadn�t occurred in the slightest but the wolverine man announced the start of the lecture right as he began to waver Randidly was curious enough about these wondrous patterns to allow himself to file into the room He was led to a seat close to the front of the auditorium but along the rightmost aisle so he was almost facing perpendicular to the stage

While the rest of the people seated themselves Randidly idly scanned the faces of the people in his row When everyone avoided his gaze and pretended not to notice his frank attention he looked up at the private balcony areas on the far side of the auditorium light curtains were drawn across to protect the privacy of those within

After a short and painfully complimentary introduction from the same wolverine man a figure in an indigo robe swept out onto the stage Welcome all you curious and noble souls who seek to improve yourselves For that everyone please give yourself a round of applause for having the moral fiber to seek out truth

Most of the crowd began to enthusiastically applaud Randidly rolled his eyes and didn�t even bother to stifle a yawn After cracking his back and straightening he caught a flicker of movement in one of the private balconies Devick pulled her face back into the darkness behind the curtains Feeling tired Randidly studied the grinning man who received the applause and clearly relished in it

Unlike most this man appeared more human than Randidly had been expecting Like Devick he appeared to be a part of a race that formed the basis for the humanity Elhume would later create His skin was mostly hairless apart from curly brown hair on his head His eyes were bright and lively and his cheeks seemed permanently red as though backstage he had been pinched by a kindly grandma His movements were quick and direct

Most of all Randidly felt curious he had sorta assumed the lecturer would have been an early version of the master His eyes flicked to the location in the balcony where he had briefly witnessed Devick Well at the very least this isn�t when Devick imprints on a man who was just an idea hah

You haven�t lived an easy life have you

Eventually the applause died and the man began to speak Welcome again friends If you do not know me I am Padraic Vhames An individual who saw in the methods of Nether ways to improve myself It might be an unpopular or untoward subject for many but there are lessons to be learned from the esoteric arrangements of Nether Rituals First let me give you a few examples

With great fanfare constant over exaggeration of the potency of the workings and a series of blatant lies this Padraic led the cooing audience through three messy examples of Nether patterns The first was competent enough of an energy rotation if a bit simplistic but the follow ups were pointlessly obtuse and near useless as actual patterns Randidly folded his arms across his chest and amused himself by imagining streamlined improved versions of the patterns that Padraic laid out

Even from a bad starting point it became an interesting diversion

What was curious about the whole arrangement was that at the same time Padraic began padding the middle area of the Nether Ritual with an image The combination was shoddy enough that the whole arrangement shot out periodic sparks which earned several impressed gasps from the audience but Aether and Nether really did work together as one And the arrangement itself

Randidly tilted his head to the side Is it just a coincidence because this individual is making a similar attempt or is this the same method that Elhume has been experimenting with in the Sonara

Just a few more moments Drops of sweat dangled from Padraic�s chin and then splattered on the stage Without any Nether Core to speak of he needed to expend a lot of energy to gather up any flows Still Randidly couldn�t help but be impressed by the evenness of his Nether

Aha There Padraic wiped the sweat from his brow and beamed The working hung in the air ready for activation I have generated my Pattern Now Mr Ghosthound do you think you�d be able to create a pattern that can stand against mine directly

Randidly raised an eyebrow as he looked at the arrangement As before stirring his Nether even the slightest bit sent shivers through the surroundings which none of the people around noticed The more he looked at the Nether Ritual� the more he could see how it would function differently than a normal pattern Randidly looked again at Padriac�s confident expression and decided he would tease him a bit Yes

Well then do your worst Padraic released a good natured laugh Then he ignited the image in the middle of the Nether Ritual setting off a cascading wave of energy The flows whirled and accelerated A circular portal of dark energy flared impressively across the stage Each moment it released another domineering pulse of significance The environment darkened with some individuals in the front of the auditorium looking up at the obvious grasp of Nether with stricken expressions

Randidly shrugged and generated a finger of significance all he could safely manage Padraic�s confidence apparently stemmed from Randidly�s identity as a Nether King� and his rather novel way of combining Aether and Nether He used Aether as fuel to create an exaggerated effect from the pattern That was very different from the Nether method of creating patterns that were organic and self sustaining Padraic was a sprinter challenging a long distance Nether King to a short race

Randidly wasn�t sure if he could actually generate more power but he didn�t need to The finger flicked forward cutting at the core of the working He severed the functional bridge between Aether and Nether Spluttering the dark orb collapsed in on itself and left the stage inert Without a power source the pattern puttered itself out

For dramatic effect Randidly�s bit of Nether continued forward and sliced along Padraic�s cheek leaving a line of blood

You Padraic�s jaw was slack His bewilderment was almost comical How with only a small amount of Nether

The audience began to mutter The feeling in the auditorium became awkward

Then in an announcement that did not help to dispel the tension a bearman in silver robes forced open the doors to the auditorium His eyes were wild Ware A massive Nether force is approaching Tatem We are under attack

Randidly�s first reaction was a small amount of relief If nothing else an attack will give me more of a chance to witness actual events of this memory

Then his mood became somewhat more depressed as everyone in the hall turned to look at him abject fear constricting their faces They finally found the will to look at him but only because he now had become the leering face of death in their minds

Chapter 2083

The crowd in the hall began to panic as recognition emerged from the stunned silence Individuals hopped up from their seats and shoved others out of the way to make a mad dash for the few exits Half of the people seemed transfixed in their seats color draining out of their faces as they considered what this development meant The fear radiating off them made Randidly realize what a threat the Nether forces still were to Tatem despite the apparent peace treaty But most of all

Randidly glanced at Padraic who just swayed and looked at Randidly This man didn�t even acknowledge the news He�s still stuck on the development of the pattern Even if he is moderately foolish I admire his dedication to the craft I wonder if this man will become someone important in the future

Very quickly silver robed guards flooded in from the side passages and restored order The feathered woman came up to Randidly and bowed her tone respectful but her eyes flinty This way Mr Nether King We will take you to the transfer area Per the treaty you will be handled extraneously to our town

The Nether Herald hopped over the front row and clambered up onto the stage And me as well Ahem my liege please let me be your honor guard

Randidly�s eyes sharpened Because more gazes from the crowd suddenly fixated on him People began shouting directly at him waving their arms to grab his attention The fear remained present but there was a new edge to their desperation

Please sir we spoke briefly

I�ll give you anything My entire family will serve you for five generations

Have mercy

Transfer area Randidly raised his head and looked at the ceiling Now that he knew what he was looking for he found a dangerous shell in the sky above A massive Nether Ritual covered the whole of Tatum remaining inert for now but hanging over the Aether town like a vicious curse ready to poison the entire area Spreading out his Acute Nether Nose sent dangerous ripples through the memory but his Nether Core hummed and the effect dimmed just slightly

The adjustment earned a mental note from Randidly There seemed to be some sort of momentum to his presence here that more and more of his Nether abilities were unlocked Yet still Randidly could only mobilize a pinch The whole town is held hostage by a Nether Ritual And I�m being treated with respect

They talked about a peace treaty but it sounds like the Aether forces are suffering under the harassment of Nether What a different environment to the current Nexus

Randidly nodded toward the Nether Herald who gratefully took a position next to him As for the rest he ignored them He glanced once to the side over to one of the distant balconies but saw no one within considering her presence in the future it seemed clear that Devick would survive on her own Likely due to her relationship with her adoptive father

Randidly and the Nether Herald followed the feathered woman out down a side hallway passing several nervous guards who threw belated salutes to the trio as they moved past and out of the concert hall The sun had begun to sink down so its red rays only passed sideways between the gaps in buildings

Is this common Randidly asked not caring who answered These ransom situations

The obnoxious Nether Herald blew out a powerful breath from his nose Small border spats like this are not as common as they used to be with the treaty Needing to allow some of the leaders to buy their freedom makes the process slow and dangerous a Nether tribe will receive some minor trinkets but much fewer quality captives in this manner And it�s very difficult to know what sort of haul you will get Most consider the practice to be a waste of time

Her image flooded his body clashing with the dense Nether and Aether physicalizations throughout his flesh The invasion was agonizing The memory rumbled ominously his instinctual rejection of this image nearly ripping him out of the fake Nether Prince So long as he controlled his movements he could handle it

Barely

Randidly narrowed his eyes One big push

He rotated his shoulder and thrust out his arm with as much force as his single limb could muster Another sonic boom blasted outward The motion launched the feathered woman backward out of the crater crashing through a stone wall and into what seemed to be a living room

For a few seconds the memory began to deteriorate as the image painfully sloshed around in his flesh But gradually as he remained still the surroundings began to heal themselves He sucked in a slow breath Well I hope that settled things because moving right now will be extremely fraught

Randidly straightened with exaggerated slowness fighting his body�s response to the foreign image It hurt like hell but it wouldn�t stop him And gradually the image was expending itself inside his reinforced body Around him the remnants of the street collapsed and splintered the debris gradually settling in new locations One of the guards whimpered

Randidly pivoted and looked at a man with an impressive silver mustache standing at the edge of the devastation His immaculate silver robes and ornate stitching instantly gave him an air of aristocracy But from the haggard look on his face and the bags under his eyes he had not been having a good week

The guards ambushed me and tried to use me as a bargaining chip against the forces threatening your city Randidly said He gestured at the surroundings As you can see their efforts were in vain And this time I tried to be gentle I understand the desperation of your predicament But I did not cause this

Just your people The man�s jaw worked even when he finished speaking as though waiting for some sort of sign from Randidly

In that silence the Nether Herald landed back on the ground and threw up another small cloud of dust Several of the guards got up out of the collapsed ruins of the surrounding buildings but no longer pointed their weapons at Randidly The feathered woman still clutching her saber limped out of the broken wall

In the end the man cleared his throat What will it take for you to speak on our behalf to your tribesmen Right now Tatem cannot afford to have more of its fighting population taken away for the next five years However we have much influence we can use to assist the ambition of a young Nether King like yourself

Randidly�s gaze wavered slightly Further behind the man were a half dozen more silver robed guards each with an image as powerful or more so than the feathered woman Considering the continued pain Randidly experienced and the fact he didn�t know if he could move without triggering a surge of Nether that would kick him out of the memory he could not fight

His pupils dilated For a brief moment he saw an unmistakable head of red hair amongst the powerful guards

Randidly nodded slowly as he faced the man who was probably Byuresk I wanted to speak to them anyway Lead me to them But if I can help you I�d like information

Chapter 2084

Byuresk walked slowly at the front of the group heading through the outskirts of Tatem to where the Nether Kings were waiting His eyes kept flicking up to the sky All he could sense was a vague threat which made him grit his teeth As head of the security force for the council how can I be so useless as to let this happen again If that bastard Dello makes a push to unseat me using this as an excuse how can I

He pressed his eyes shut Those thoughts were selfish He couldn�t have them dominating his mind right now while the crisis was still ongoing The Nether Kings would sense it They would cleave at his weakness and bleed Tatem dry The unfortunate truth was the other four members of the Council gave him complete freedom in responding to Nether threats At the time he assumed his position last year Byuresk was slightly impressed by their reasonable handling of the situation The head of security could not function if he needed to get all of his decisions approved by several other individuals

Now he understood it was just so all of the blame would rest solely on his shoulders In its current state Tatem being threatened was an inevitability Visitt for the latest updates

Still he schooled his face and kept his expression dignified as they crossed through the less sophisticated houses to reach the South gate Especially because his adoptive daughter had finally taken an interest in his job requesting to follow him to the meeting place and witness the transaction For that Byuresk felt slightly proud

Clearly she was moved by his heroism and constant toil

She might not be his biological daughter but he truly wanted the best for her The honor she might someday obtain due to her illustrious lineage would reflect well back on him Perhaps he might someday become famous for his generosity She would thank him publicly after coming into her own power and winning a massive victory over Nether forces All the crowd would come to their feet bringing their hands together

Byuresk licked his lips his eyes slightly glazed At a time like this the brief escape of a daydream was a much needed relief

The houses continued to degrade the further from the plaza they moved Faces peeped out of nearly shut windows before quickly withdrawing radiating an intense fear Rusted metal leaned against the propped up houses a testament to how much wealth had been sucked out of Tatem recently by the consistent raids

As they moved Byuresk observed the strange Nether King Randidly Ghosthound moving behind him The man definitely had a physical body and also released slight image reverberations Yet within his chest clearly churned a powerful Nether Core Byuresk found himself almost angry at the contradiction How could one individual house both energies How powerful would be be wielding both

The Ghosthound�s eyes moved frequently seeming to examine every inch of Tatem He felt slightly uncomfortable at the intensity of his examination the Nether King seemed to be searching for something but he wasn�t sure what that was Occasionally his eyes would flick upward He wondered what the trap looked like to this creature of Nether

He desires information Possibly Just what sort of information could he find at this small outpost Byuresk clenched his fist

To distract himself he sent a message to Llewella You experienced this Nether King�s power directly Will he be able to help us

Her response was immediate Perhaps I I am of the opinion that he must be heavily wounded after the confrontation In our brief clash he overwhelmed me with a single physical palm strike However he didn�t mobilize Nether at all even when my blow landed He is perhaps teetering on collapse Relying on him might be unwise Such individuals can be unpredictable

Byuresk paused and allowed the guards and the Nether King to walk past Randidly Ghosthound glanced sideways at him but just moved past without comment still examining the surroundings with such care Pursing his lips Byuresk began to move once more Nothing in his gait suggested an injury He exuded confidence despite the strange mixture of energies he possessed

Byuresk�s attention fixated on the strange hungry eye drawn in gold thread on his black robes Perhaps it was the subtle motions of his back but the few broad strokes seemed to stir He tore his eyes away a cold feeling in his chest an image fragment seemed to be bleeding out of just the thread and robe to affect the surroundings If it could even affect Byuresk it must indeed be powerful Next to the Nether King the Herald continued to jabber in a low voice

The right Nether King loudly sucked on his large and flat teeth Unbelievable How much do you offer to ransom yourself boy Out of respect it will not be expensive

After scanning the environment one more time Randidly shook his head I don�t think your Ritual can hold me I won�t need to ransom myself I�m just here to speak on behalf of the town of Tatem

Into this space Byuresk stepped forward to stand next to Randidly Most of our forces were attending to the needs of Nether King Hungry Eye You struck while we were in peaceful discussions with another of your representatives Therefore

Shut your useless mouth The big Nether King looked at Byuresk in irritation Your shitty town wouldn�t even be such a weakling if you would simply acknowledge the usability of Engravings Amongst the tribes you are a joke

The saber wielding woman stepped angrily forward Why the hell would we utilize filthy methods based on the insanity of the rival faction Their fanaticism will be the death of us all Power that does not come from an experience in the present

With another tsk the massive Nether King casually whipped his arm sideways A casual movement for Randidly but the limb was probably invisible to everyone else Randidly hand flicked out a dense spike of Nether impacting his palm and ricocheting off The woman yelped and scrambled backward

You really mean to protect them King Hungry Eye The smaller Nether King Ioot asked Her fingers thoughtfully tapped the edge of her mask as though ascertaining its material

Randidly winced inwardly at the name but nodded I have some business with them I would appreciate if you withdrew as a favor to me

Both Nether Kings just looked at Randidly for several seconds He forced himself to relax which became easier as the saber woman�s image was finally eliminated from his shoulder His Nether Core revved a little more Yet obviously he was worried Because he had no idea about the context of these attacks how often they occurred how important they would be to the Nether forces He had been dropped into the middle of this memory and had wandered around but now he brushed up against some serious forces

Yet to his surprise the right Nether King ended the silence by smiling at Randidly like he was an old friend alright have it your way However two points about this agreement One you will owe both of us a favor in the future And second we still need a single symbolic captive to leave with our pride

From the surge of relief that came from Byuresk Randidly knew that this was a good deal Even if the fate of that individual would likely not be kind

If I might have a suggestion Ioot said She raised a long hand and pointed back amongst the guards There is no need to look too far any would suffice really Amongst the guards is a girl child without any power about her She will be our captive The one with the gorgeous red hair Even if she possesses little fighting acumen she has an auspicious spirit

Randidly stiffened Even when Ioot began speaking he felt Nether beginning to move His Nether Core revved slightly There was only one individual who they could be talking about He barely resisted the urge to look back Why is she here

Is there a problem Ioot probed Her eyes gleamed

Next to him Byuresk lowered his head and looked at the ground Randidly could feel the muscles along the man�s jaw working His mustache trembled slightly Yet when he raised his head again the man nodded This is acceptable

Chapter 2085

Randidly�s eyes widened He couldn�t believe Byuresk would just say yes like that

He couldn�t believe he had made that decision so quickly

Father Devick gasped instantly revealing herself amongst the guards She stepped out of her group her hands reached up and tugging at the edges of her hood as though hiding her hair now would make much of a difference Her voice rang with fear Wha I don�t

Randidly felt strange cold prickles running across his arms and legs A wave of emotion crashed into his body tensing his muscles Suddenly he tried his best to focus on the fact he was within a memory She�s just a shade of a young woman Really my actions here matter very little I�m only here to gather information Besides her rise to power in the future might be exactly because she was taken in the past during one of these ransom situations in the past albeit probably not as the only hostage

And yet why is this such a punch to the gut

Ioot beckoned Come here girl Let us all have a look at you It is a great honor to exchange your freedom for that of your town Many will have memories of this moment for their entire life You bring much honor to your father through your sacrifice

Devick swayed a stray leaf tugged from the branch and sent spiraling down to rot and wither on the ground Randidly narrowed his eyes The Grey Creature in his chest began to stir pushing aside his attempts to distance himself from the reality of the situation He pictured her bright and enthusiastic face while they spoke on the balcony And the shadows in her eyes when she had spoken so defensively

its because of her loneliness And because I cannot just stand here while your father treats your life so cavalierly

Oy Hungry Eye is there a problem The massive Nether King grinned A long tongue lolled out of its mouth for a second then rolled itself back up He set his massive weapon down on the ground next to him It�s a great deal The girl for the lives of everyone in the town And despite its backward ideas about Engraving they really could help you I assume you are trying to set yourself up to condense a Penance yea If nothing else this town has connections

From his leering expression he clearly wanted Randidly to have a problem with the proposal Randidly felt ice settle below his stomach His lip curled up Of course I was a fool they can see the significance linking me to Devick Even though the events to form it haven�t yet occurred its robust enough for Nether Kings to note

Realizing they were needling him made two thirds of Randidly want to take a breath and calm down but right now the Grey Creature possessed the lion�s share of his emotional potency He felt some inner beast awakening in himself seething with barely controlled fury Emotion affect began to radiate out from his body Byuresk took a step back eyes wide at his aura

King Hungry Eye Ioot spoke slowly Her blank mask tilted to the side Why are you releasing so much Aether How unique You have quite a few talents don�t you

His eyes gleamed Randidly methodically cracked his knuckles the threads of his patience wearing thin Blood pounded through his body with enough force the memory began to shimmer Nether whirled through him urging him toward violence Steam began to congregate around his mouth and nose from the ambient heat of his biological function

Nether King what are you doing Byuresk asked quietly No one knows better than me how difficult a decision this is We are talking about my daughter who�ve I�ve watched grow in Tatem

Adoptive daughter The Grey Creature whispered

but we do not live in a utopia His voice lowered into a hiss briefly revealing something like concern for his offspring Then his expression hardened The Nexus is filled with ambitions crazed individuals desperate for a second chance away from the main universe The second wave knew what was coming and embraced it they razed the status quo when they arrived and now have fractured the entire situation We are a small village in the border areas between several larger factions Peace has a price

Now wait Byuresk began but the wave of Nether from Ioot�s body sent him scrambling backward With one last worried glance toward Randidly he gestured widely The grey robed guards gathered in a tight group to the side right inside the gate With several bounding steps Randidly accelerated back toward Padraic

His eyes widened as he saw Randidly but then the young man loudly cleared his throat Nether King do not attempt to engage me or I will be forced

Ignoring his words Randidly gestured sharply with a hand to add a flaw to Padraic�s Nether Ritual and then used his body to pry open a way through the waves of energy Padraic�s eyes widened but Randidly had already bounded around and pressed his hands to the man�s shoulders Actually we are working together this time

Ah I�ve given you inspiration But now seems like a bad time for a collaboration Padraic�s expression warred between excitement and worry For good reason opposite them the larger Nether King pushed himself up off the ground with his knuckles and roared Even if Randidly had inflicted a serious injury on him he still possessed his Nether Core Reaching behind him the Nether King snatched his club off the ground and used it to leverage himself into a standing position

A huge pool of dense Nether formed around him

Behind that foe a swarm of Nether harpoons floated around Ioot�s body She wove these into a dense barbed web And even further back the grand Nether Ritual covering Tatem began to activate The sky darkened as it spun choking off light to the people within

The problem with the transition is you don�t understand the shapes of the energy just feel they are different Randidly�s mouth moved while his mind spun through rapid calculations fueled by the vengeful Grey Creature riding in his chest As helpful as the emotional affect was he needed to spend just as much effort pushing it down to prevent the dream around him from shattering from a movement with all of his intensity But both Aether and Nether have roles Aether shape and emotion Nether memory and connection To simply to more functional terms there is the mast and the sail So if you are weaving the two of them together

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 899

Congratulations Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways has grown to Level 930

Even with only a few pinches of Nether and about double that of Aether Randidly completely reforged the ineffectual conjunction that served as the core of Padraic�s experiment Although he might be stunned and studying the shifted Randidly made Padriac still provided his image to fuel the working The light around them became blinding transporting them to a land of vague shapes and impressions Heat rippled the air around the duo

However the most abhorrent part of your attempts is the inefficiency within your patterns You waste so much energy on the light and the heat when you need the power to fight against enemies Randidly grunted His fingers tightened on Padraic�s back Pomp is useless in battle But I�m not at my full power so all I can do is show you the general pattern The rest is up to you Watch carefully

With his few pinches of Nether he drew a quick Nether pattern After wavering for a second Padraic used his rough grasp of Nether to imitate The replication was aggravatingly imprecise the casual and hasty portions of the pattern were well followed but the true nuance that Randidly added was ignored but almost immediately the light fell down to normal levels More of the transformation would be maintained

Which left them standing in front of a rising wave of Nether practically the last remaining light in the darkness And Randidly felt Padraic gradually running out of power to fuel the pattern

Maybe I could be a little less showy Padraic said rather suddenly He looked over his shoulder at Randidly But for some things efficiency isn�t everything you know This is to save the town This needs to be a symbol for the future to show that there are ways to overcome Nether Kings

Stay focused Randidly hissed twisting him back forward And now unleash everything you�ve got

The Grey Creature crooned in anticipation

Chapter 2086

Events accelerated crashing against the senses of a Randidly that struggled to control himself enough not to rip his way right out of the memory He walked a precarious line teetering on the edge of collapse

As Padraic followed Randidly�s directions the radiance of his hope filled Nether Ritual sharpened into an elongated blade between his clumsy fingers It rapidly extended its clean edge heading toward the tightening grip of the Nether Ritual around Tatem The blade released a cool mist fighting against the increasingly harsh environment

The massive Nether Herald bellowed again gathering all of his heavy significance into a massive train and shooting it directly toward Randidly and Padriac Its drilled its way forward obliterating a half meter of the ground as it rushed at them Its path took it through one side of the gate exploding the impediment in a burst of splinters and dust

Ioot conjured a swarm of harpoons that buzzed around this central attack prepared to target any weaknesses

Randidly wasn�t sure if it was just the darkness or the bright light springing from his hands but Padraic seemed to be paling Those attacks will reach us before I

You are the blade and I�ll be the shield Randidly said into his ear He pinched him slightly perhaps with more force than necessary With his buzzed senses it was difficult to tell Keep your eyes upward Save the town Give these people the symbol they need Make sure they don�t need to keep paying for the unfortunate particulars of their birth

Give Devick the freedom to choose who she becomes Randidly thought with not a little bitterness To become whatever sort of monster she wishes Give her madness space to germinate

Everyone deserves that opportunity To live as they see fit or to damn themselves

The blade rose The Nether Ritual above them all continued to spin the various elements releasing a firm power The grip on the town tightened The bulldozing force and its follow up swarm rushed to flatten them

Randidly released a slow breath and carefully gathered up the fist of Aether he could use without shaking the memory to pieces Sorry Grey Creature this job isn�t for you Yggdrasil will you handle this Teach them humility

The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty Visitt for the latest updates

The air surged underneath his prodding becoming invisible bars of iron that curled around the floating harpoons With a deft twist Randidly wrenched control of the projectiles away from Ioot and pulled them down to crash against the larger Nether King�s more dangerous and blunt offensive In the distance he could hear the massive tusked man roaring as the harpoons stabbed into the attack and weakened it

Randidly�s features tightened that wasn�t quite enough He didn�t have enough power to direct the harpoons exactly so the train of concentrated Nether force continued forward intent on obliterating their flesh

He took another deep breath Everything around him hummed as his power strained to fit itself into the memory like an aging bodybuilder inside the tuxedo he wore when graduating high school Even the wrong sort of breathing seemed capable of demolishing the surroundings in an explosion of cheap fabric

Just hit it again Randidly roared more and more frustration bleeding through and making the whole environment shudder Taking a gasping breath he managed to briefly quiet the disintegration of the memory Then he got to work He stepped forward and forcefully crushed several Nether harpoons out of the air With a grunt he lowered his stance and absorbed a massive blast of dense Nether

A concentrated beam of harsh energy ravaged his chest and arms Even Egg�s Illusory Plume quickly began to corrode at such a direct physical clash

Air hissing out through his teeth Randidly staggered several steps back He felt battered half of the problem was his power blurred the memory enough that he didn�t fight with his usual methodical precision Small micro adjustments he usually made to increase his own power or deplete an enemy�s were impossible like this And those advantages added up

Padraic took several seconds to waver His image energy continued to drain away almost depleted Wanting to rip out his hair Randidly avoided the next volley of harpoons and landed next to the young man His emerald eyes were blazing the only other luminance aside from the combined Aether and Nether Ritual It�s moments like this that determine the sort of life you want to live If you wish to offer up a symbol of hope there is not going to be a second chance Don�t let fear of failure keep you from making a difference

Randidly wheeled around His body blurred back and forth just acting as a sponge to soak up the attacks from the two Nether Kings Small injuries began to add up across his body Chunks of flesh were ripped away and all of his exposed skin became red and enflamed Thankfully Padriac began to move The light brightened the patterns around his Nether Ritual sharpened he raised his hands and generated a massive blade of light faster and faster even as the oppressive squeeze of the Nether Ritual became suffocating

I am a geninuss Padraic hissed to himself in some weird moment of self hypnosis The blade of light whipped upward aiming for the weakened spot where they had landed the attack previously

Yet looking at the relatively dimmer blade Randidly instantly knew it wouldn�t be enough Padraic was striking for a second time but again only took a single step forward in terms of capability It would not be nearly enough to cut through the powerful Nether Ritual

However he had been prepared for this His last pinch of Nether had been tucked into that blade of light waiting for the best moment to strike Randidly�s eyes went half lidded as he let his body move on autopilot His entire attention fixated on the environmental factors at the moment of impact

The sword of light struck the Nether Ritual and skidded forward slightly unable to rip through despite the previous weakness

Hahaha keep struggling Hungry Eye The massive Nether King roared Your last dance is immaculate

The Grey Creature shivered and reached wresting control away from Randidly�s Nether Core In a very similar manner that Padraic wielded his image for Nether Pattern the Grey Creature did the same When the pinch of Nether manifested into an image through Synechdochence it did not become a spearhead but a finger

With a single swipe that vindictive finger cut through the black sky The sword of light followed up through that opening burning away any lingering connections The Nether Ritual shuddered and then began to fail The pressure abruptly vanished

Yet at the same time the addition of the Grey Creature�s viciousness broke something within the dream Randidly felt his Nether Core rev in that strange manner to give him more leeway but it was too late

With a tinkling sound of dropped china Randidly found himself floating back in the sea of currents Shit

The memory had collapsed And continued to fall to pieces right in front of him

Chapter 2087

The Fake Nether Prince slowly began to collapse the energy hollowed out by the force of Randidly�s power His breath began to quicken He didn�t have any plan but Randidly followed his intuition

Somehow he fiercely wished to protect the world inside of the memory from his crushing presence With the same intensity he encouraged Padraic he now gathered up his significance to an inarticulable goal

He began weaving rapid patterns around the memory to relieve external pressure The tether that had brought him here continued to pulse with power this he flooded with as much significance as he could manage When it slowed the collapse but didn�t stop the memory�s disintegration entirely Randidly�s eyes scanned the surroundings

A small smile curled on his lips His wild resolve began to resonate with his Fatepieces all connecting back to his main Fate the Paradox of the Alchemist He burned with the desire to protect this dying memory If my connection isn�t enough I�ll just prop it up with others

Wild impulses came at him faster and faster He fixated upon this need to protect the alternate rendition of the memory he had entered Strangely he hoped Padraic had found the bravery to try and fail without fear He hoped the young Devick saw an adult go to bat to protect her autonomy

Randidly�s attention turned to the nearby connections He wove reinforcements into the air around them trying to tie the collapse fake Nether Prince to those in the surroundings more directly His Nether Core whirled and whirled suddenly liberated from the limits on its capabilities within the memory and very eager to demonstrate its true power

Gradually the collapse slowed More and more connections around the memory began to activate tethers of energy that went to god knows where A strange tightness started to emerge in Randidly�s chest a reaction to the resonance within his Fate His eyes narrowed This feeling is

Celebrations Your Attribute Muse�s Reverie has increased to 3/5 Continue to chase dreams and seek the impossible

The notification flipped a switch Randidly shivered the tightness in his body evaporated The gathered resonance began a force that leapt from a metaphysical sensation within his Soulspace and became a genuine force A seed of fire erupted from the fake Nether Prince racing along the connections and spreading at an incredible speed Randidly felt his significance being sucked away more quickly than he could replace it

The fire shot outward in every direction impacting other Nether Princes then exploding from there Randidly�s eyes widened as the inferno spread After five seconds the surrounding layer was entirely revealed the fake memories swirling with light

Ten seconds later Randidly looked up in wonder suspended in the middle of a wild celestial nebula Each memory a star each connection a dimmer line of radiance connecting them The sheer volume of memories and connections made the whole tableau glittering and brilliant Randidly stared upward and felt like he could see the top of the Sonara

Then the light began to fade The depletion of his significance slowed His breaths still came quickly feeling extremely drained by the sudden shift And perhaps worst of all he thought about the bitter expression on young Devick�s face on the balcony

Here suspended amongst the memories he felt a deep exhausting sense of loneliness

Randidly blinked several times and tried to focus on other things to clear away his moodiness I caused Muse�s Reverie to activate Making the impossible possible dealing in dreams I suppose it�s quite similar to what this top portion of the Sonara is supposed to do But I wonder what did I do What did I just spread throughout these memories

It does look like the tethers are a bit stronger but other than that

What do you want to talk about Randidly�s tension steadily climbed From the patterns the small boy released he could tell how difficult it would be for him to win in a fight against this Nether King Especially with his power restricted

The boy raised his fingers and started tracing loose patterns that became Nether Rituals almost accidentally as they drifted from his active digits Little prayers for luck warmth and happiness tucked themselves into the substance of the walls We want the same thing do we not Mr Ghosthound For the reign of the Nexus�s current ruler to come to an end For the parallel universe to return to the main one without the isolated space collapsing with so much force even the strongest of us are annihilated

The Nether King in his younger body pointed at his chest I have information but I do not have access to the upper Sonara like you do your actions have demolished its connection to the outside world You will likely be the first and last person to move through this pointlessly maudlin effort here And doing so with purpose will be very important

Why Randidly asked

There is only one way to defeat Elhume in his current form The Nether King looked Randidly straight in the eyes His eyes still had that almost hypnotizing sense of depth To have at least tasted the Pinnacle Without that piece the foe is invincible And as I always assumed the Path to the Pinnacle is blocked Not just with defenses but it is legitimately a dead end the portal that opens to assist in the ascent is a trap

Sounds like Elhume Randidly said shortly Then he frowned Does this mean he somehow prevented anyone from being able to ascend to the Pinnacle

That would be impossible The Nether King said Some things are inevitable just as someone like you was If the Path to the Pinnacle was entirely blocked another path would form it is the way of the universe So it is much more likely that the true Path to the Pinnacle is hidden somewhere else within the Nexus Considering the timeline there may be some clues in these memories So track down Elhume while you are passing through the layers and see if you can learn anything

And attract his attention That put Randidly�s teeth on edge

The Nether King smiled genuinely at Randidly his youthful features almost managing to cover up the monstrous power that currently inhabited him Heh You are unnerved by my presence here through my intermediary You assume our foe will do the same Well it is possible But I think you both underestimate my abilities and also the damage you have done to the Sonara The entire construction rumbles with the growing cacophony of fractious image fragments It roars above the Nexus a dying beast panting out its final breaths Without the fineness of the connection between myself and the past even I would miss your brushes with memories of me

Randidly just looked at the Nether King

The boy shrugged As I said I can do very little to convince you of my goodwill We both want a change I bring you here to say it will be impossible without at least locating the true Path You have long sought a blade to strike at the monster atop the Nexus I will be that blade But my own efforts to find the Path to the Pinnacle have been fruitless I need your assistance

Randidly stilled trying to judge the Nether King in front of him The patterns he wielded remained unfathomable and complex so simple and yet so meaningful Even through the frame of his humble origins his power and influence were obvious And Randidly didn�t forget for a second he had been making deals with Don Beigon At the one he witnessed for a Nexus Citizenship Coin fabricator but he doubted that was the extent of the arrangements

Randidly was growing constantly stronger but there were a few remaining figures that still made him cautious This Nether King was one of them

If you reached the Pinnacle what would you do Randidly asked on a whim The question was the best litmus test of the Nether King�s intent he could think of

The Nether King laughed again but this time it wasn�t the innocent giggle of a child This was an expression the Grey Creature recognized intimately the vicious glee of a survivor about to achieve his revenge I would slay the child Pine Or rather sunder the corpse perhaps We are maggots trapped in a corpse dreaming of liberation Randidly Ghosthound Do you not wonder what else we could be outside of the Nexus

Chapter 2088

Randidly just looked at the Nether King for several seconds after that bloodthirsty announcement Similar to being in the upper part of the Sonara just being near this powerful figure felt like standing in the current of a river It pressed against you constantly threatening to unmoor you and drag you away The force of his will tugged even at Randidly Ghosthound

The Nether King�s leering grimace vanished but only because he brought his small hands and covered up his twisted mouth Behind the fingers Randidly could occasionally still see teeth Apologies I�ve had a lot of time to consider this from when I was imprisoned within the patterns About this opportunity to escape I have too much intensity Even my patterns begin to warp before that much emotion Ahem but I do have two other gifts for you before you go

The first is a pattern I�ve been working on The Nether King extended a small and dirty hand A dazzling prismatic crystal spun slowly above his palm As Randidly watched The various extensions gleamed and drew new connections to each other the previous positions gradually fading It shifted near constantly becoming a new even more complex crystal with each shift The stark and harsh shape drew the eye I was attempting to condense a second Penance to increase my power beyond my current limit I had hoped I had hoped that my own suffering would have been enough to rival our opponent�s understanding of the Pinnacle But I did not have the space inside of myself to host another Penance

Randidly watched the shifts in the crystal What would this have sacrificed

The Nether King blinked at Randidly�s question Then he revealed the childish version of his smile dropping his hands away Ah you know of Penances eh This particular one would have given up my emotions Perhaps it would have crippled me but

The Nether King refocused on the crystal Obviously treat it with care isolate it however you feel necessary to be safe Even I would not easily trust such an arrangement of significance But I promise you this does contain some of my more recent and profound insights into Nether I believe it will be valuable to your growth

Randidly remembered the actions of Solomon Rex giving him a Penance where he would pay the price and the other man would secretly receive a benefit Yet still even looking at the crystal he could see the gleaming secrets it held Releasing a long breath Randidly extended a hand and took the powerful object

The second gift is a bit of information I remember from my childhood The Nether King continued He gestured at his small body Obviously I was too young and weak to be allowed near any of these important events And later I was too poor to be in the locations that received reprisals from the Aether forces but you want to find a way to a city called Malloon in the memories And in the next few layers It was one of the greatest seats of Aether power A center of commerce and culture home of the most powerful Aether Council in existence And it would be the sacking of Malloon the war that followed the slaughter at Wyndaos those would reveal the spirit of the age And create your predecessor who Elhume would need to slay

Randidly frowned My predecessor

The Nether King shrugged It is a slightly morbid truth but I will offer it Once one has reached the Pinnacle there is drag for others to join you Like calls to like Strange cosmic forces begin to push for others Some would call it karma but I believe it is more like a breeze from a rip in a tent Others will feel the force and find the way I believe very strongly that you have brushed against this Pinnacle seeking breath

Anyway your predecessor The early years were rough for Elhume due to his incomplete ascension Which is why the First and Second Cohorts were such chaos when individuals saw the alternate universe as a second chance and not the slowly collapsing tomb it has turned out to be Soon within these memories you will meet the great villain� of the Second Cohort The one who so warped the world the Hierarchy of Karma needed to be found and used to slay them A being of Aether and Nether in equal measure You could learn much from them I�m sure But it is also dangerous

Our enemy is distracted currently with his own plans and the chaos of the Sonara�s fall But this being will not be If you attract their attention you will most likely encounter them Visitt for the latest updates

And there is a chunk of this individual held below in the Sonara Randidly licked his lips and refocused It was good to be warned about that danger ahead of time But you are saying that I have an inherent connection to Elhume just like this individual One pulling me toward him

Ha No child The Nether King shook his head The patterns around his body began to fade The depth receded from his eyes his consciousness departing Never Elhume Remember your foe is simply the one who currently occupies the incomplete throne

No the like that calls to you the one pulling you the one who created the monster of the Second Cohort is Pine�s corpse The breath is from the child a dead remnant seeking to restore the universe to its rightful wholeness

Being restricted to not possessing a Class while they play professional Hobfootie obviously shortens their lives but when you consider the money they can bring to their families I think it�s not such

What do you mean I�m always making you out as the villain� Shit Lylla can we not do this here Let�s wait until we get home

Okay but emphasizing Classlessness clearly enforces socioeconomic differences does it not

Just the pageantry of it all

No No I�m not going to wait Your blood brother said right to my face that I wasn�t very nice

Not at all If they wanted to change their economic situation they should train harder Or pledge themselves to a larger affiliation with growth potential Many of the more dominant races are searching for valued subordinates Take the Peregrine Serpents or the Many Tailed Foxes

yet you didn�t even defend me All you say every time I bring it up

You and he just have different definitions of nice�

Now you sound like a fool Obviously these subordinate affiliations are predatory contracts Any wandering warriors who sign on will be used as fodder and then cast aside

Exactly Different definitions of nice� And you know what Iyork You know what I�m hearing That you and your brother have a definition of nice doesn�t apply to me Right Is that right What about me isn�t nice Just fucking say it to me if you think so At least your brother had the balls

Randidly pursed his lips almost all of the conversation on this side of the hall became dominated by the fight between the arguing couple Both had scaled arms and feathers sticking out of their elbows and shoulders She glared at him with dark eyes daring him to say anything The man stood with his mouth open eyes bulging He had started the process of responding but couldn�t find a safe way to proceed

The silence doomed him just as surely as speaking would have

Hmph The woman finally snorted and turned away heading for one of the side passages On her way she stomped up to a gathering of two servants swiped five flutes of champagne off their trays finished them all and tossed them to the ground so they loudly shattered into pieces Everyone in the surroundings even Randidly very pointedly did not look at her or the man she left behind as she walked away

Randidly politely took a sip of his own flute To his surprise it was much better than he had had previously the liquid bubbled and fizzed to nothing on his tongue leaving a vaguely pleasant taste in its wake

A few minutes later filled with more meaningless discussion about Hobfootie a man brought a small fork against his glass on the opposite side of the hall He strode out onto the dance floor with a wide smile on his face Ahem ahem may I have everyone�s attention I think it�s time for me to introduce the man of the hour for whom this party is being held Malloon�s new Under Secretary Drane Swacc

Chapter 2089

Randidly�s pupils dilated and he watched Drane Swacc walk out of the dance floor to polite applause Even the man nearby who had been complaining about how ostentatious the event was brought his hands together An instant dislike emerged in his chest

Drane Swacc was a smiling slender young man with thick glasses He quite looked quite undersized in his robes which included a heavy sash covered with Engravings Perhaps it was a sophisticated design for the age but the Engravings crammed onto the sash looked messy and superfluous He was young too age was a difficult concept to grasp for the Nexus but he was probably younger than the current Randidly

This possible progenitor of the Swacc Family looked a lot less humanoid than his descendants His limbs and neck were long and bony perhaps almost double the length of Randidly�s own His face was pinched to give it an almost insectoid quality The movements of his limbs were twitching and quick His orange and luminance eyes made him seem like a cave dwelling scum dragged out into the sun

Randidly acknowledged that perhaps some of the color of his response was bitterness over his history with the Swacc Family Not only had Ileot Swacc made his time on the frontlines hell but his early days in the Nexus were dogged by the antagonism from the Family They had sent individuals to Expira before it had been safely protected inside the Alpha Cosmos Shal had his spirit broken under their ministrations before they offended Elhume at the wrong time and vanished

Head of the merchant family huh Randidly sniffed But his image isn�t weak either Strong even for the modern day As strong as Wick

Despite his spindly physique Drane Swacc possessed a resonant and warm voice His words spread out from the dance floor and seemed to reach every corner of the hall Friends and business partners thank you so much for attending this small congratulatory party Looking around and seeing so many of my closest supporters brings me so much joy Together united with one purpose in mind we are so so strong And let me promise you something

Drane tightened a hand into a fist and raised it However his sickly thin limbs made the gesture appear vaguely sharp as though he held aloft a knife Unlike the many thankless individuals that have been corrupted by their presence on the council I will not forget the platform I used to get there And that means creating a strong central authority in Malloon just like I promised so we no longer need to cower inside our walls from the Nether Raids Aether forces are by far more numerous and more capable than our foes we simply get too distracted by petty concerns to unite against the Nether threat But I will never allow my focus to waver

Randidly�s eyes narrowed and flicked sideways to track movement noticing what was about to happen before it did Across the ballroom a squat individual with smooth slimy skin pushed one of the wait staff in the small of the back It was a sharp brutal gesture So just as Drane built momentum through his oration a few champagne flutes came crashing to the ground

Drane Swacc�s horrifying orange lantern eyes hummed and snapped to the source The crowd paused and pivoted to look following his lead Gasping the server began to splutter Sir I I�m sorry

Armel Drane Swacc spoke with the frosty hiss of sleet off a glacier His eyes were very still as he considered the unfortunate individual A very obviously fake smile came across Drane�s pinched features You and your family have served me for a long time Because of that this mistake is obviously a small matter For now please go back to my study and rest a bit it seems you are quite tired from today�s toil

Randidly felt anxiety radiating off of some of the other waitstaff but they kept their eyes on the ground

Sir really I The man�s eyes turned frantic He swiveled slightly side to side looking for the push that had made him break the glass at such an important juncture But the squat man had gone moving with remarkable speed out a side passage and leaving the waiter to take the entire fault

No apologies necessary Armel Drane�s voice was gentle Wait in my study

Guards materialized around the unfortunate individual their firm expressions giving lie to Drane�s request� The waiter could only hang his head and follow along After a few seconds of standing unnaturally still Drane launched again into an impassioned speech By the end of it everyone seemed to have forgotten about the brief interruption

Drane Swacc ended his speech to impassioned applause and began to walk around mingling with the guests gathered to celebrate him

After wiping her nose the woman nodded slowly Um well yes The biggest of the trade cities Some of the closed enclaves can be bigger but they mostly house children and the elderly Almost a million people but that can swell to almost five million on trade weekends or when there is a Hobfootie tournament hosted by Malloon Some people say its the greatest city in the universe

Is that true Randidly asked

The woman let out a small and bitter laugh When shit people walk around a great place everything starts to stink

Randidly offered a chuckle of his own to that The tension eased and the silence continued for a bit Eventually the woman rubbed her eyes and sighed Sorry about earlier I just I don�t know My fiance He drives me insane sometimes Like he would roll over and agree with everyone else but me I can�t decide if it�s just me or he just doesn�t feel like giving me the benefit of the doubt

To be honest all of my attempts to form any lasting relationships have become rather pitiful Randidly sighed His mouth moved without him even thinking a part of him noted that probably liberating so much emotional intensity freed up some previously restrained thoughts In a weird memory environment it was easy to be brutally honest So take everything I say with a grain of salt But as an observer you don�t seem like an individual who needs someone who just agrees with her

Of course I don�t need that idiot�s approval for anything The woman grumbled She pushed herself to her feet and brushed off the feathers on her arms Still there is such a thing as romance To have him even try to defend me to someone else would be nice Ugh honestly I�m surprised You really haven�t had much luck You are actually quite good looking Do you

The woman blinked several times Her eyes went very round as she looked at his robe Ah Oh You you�re a Nether King Well I don�t know much about the mating habits of the Nether but what are you doing at the celebration for such an anti Nether individual

The air chilled as a new arrival walked out onto the balcony I was wondering the same thing

Drane Swacc squinted at Randidly hands in the folds of his robe The garish sash continued to pulse weakly with inefficient Engravings across his chest Is your blatant presence a threat Or did you seek to embarass me beast We both know that would harm us both equally

Randidly just blinked with the confidence with which Drane addressed him And Lylla seemed even more bewildered than he Ah Undersecretary Drane We didn�t get much opportunity to talk at the party but my fiance and I

Drane Swacc gestured almost casually As before his limbs twitched with sudden speed But too late Randidly felt the vicious undercurrent in the movement An image flared and raged in his stick thin fingers Lylla gasped as a burst of Swacc�s image tore into her ribcage and pulled out her organs They splattered across the stone balcony a deflating lung skidding to the edge Randidly began to clench his jaw watching the woman sway and fall to her knees

By the time she hit the ground the remnants of Drane�s image had obliterated her consciousness

Once she saw you here knew we talked she needed to die Drane Swacc turned away Anyway follow me I�ll give you what you came for

Drane Swacc�s heels clicked on the ground as he departed the balcony For a second Randidly just stood there and watched blood seep from her body and light from her eyes Shock and fury warred in his heart Then he very consciously closed his mouth and walked after Swacc

His emerald eyes bore into the skinny man�s back All his emotional affect simmered through his veins adding a small tremor to the memory What the hell do you mean you�ll give me what I came for

Chapter 2090

Randidly swept after Drane down into the bowels of the building tensions high From the view afforded by the balcony Randidly had known that the building was spacious However after a series of wide staircases and their spiraling brethren even he felt somewhat suspicious that they remained on the same property as they descended into a subterranean complex Hallway after hallway led them down only their echoing footsteps for company

All the while his fury percolated and compressed into something violent and needy His eyes burned holes in this man�s back The brutal gesture capered across his vision over and over again He saw in Drane�s strike and Lylla�s collapse what had happened to Helen All over again he had let her be slaughtered by Wick He even stood right next to her while it happened

Drane paused in front of a heavy iron doorway and wrapped his knuckles against the metal Coppun get the door

The metal shrieked in protest as it was dragged along the wall to reveal an opening A head poked out stubby and slimy skinned It nodded to Drane and then less politely to Randidly before withdrawing into the shadows Drane glided forward into the even more dimly lit and grimy stone passageway Randidly paused for a second then followed

His emotions darkened for an entirely new reason He recognized this man it had been the individual who had shoved the servant Armel in the ballroom in the middle of Drane�s speech

It was arranged then Purposeful A play to give Drane a public excuse to reprimand him Randidly clenched his fist so hard his knuckles cracked Drane Swacc How much of you is artifice

They began passing holding cells blocked off with rusted metal bars Randidly glanced inside and almost wished he hadn�t The interiors were filled with small puddles of foul smelling liquid and indeterminate soggy piles of old robes As they proceeded more deeply the bars became thicker and the cells smaller The longer they walked the more Randidly considered the option of pouncing on this man�s back and snapping his thin overly long neck

He didn�t for two reasons First he worried that without access to his image he couldn�t overcome Drane Swacc and would just shatter the memory around him before accomplishing anything Another chance to learn about Elhume the Second Cohort and the hidden Path to the Pinnacle would be wasted And second due to his new position as Undersecretary an assumed Nether King killing him would be complicated

The truth of history would be muddled by this very public assassination attempt Randidly felt disgust rising in his chest as he looked again at Drane�s back His resistance to the idea despite the dangers was slowly eroding He heard his blood pounding in his ears With how publicly anti Nether he seems to be Shit they�d probably pin Lylla�s death on me too

Here we are Drane spun on his heel and gestured to one of the cells He barely looked at Randidly sparing him a glance and then raising his eyes to the ceiling As agreed with the other Nether Kings they are yours for the correct price You did bring the price did you not

To hide his confusion Randidly glanced into the cell Within the shadowy dank air of the cramped passageway he hadn�t expected to find two figures one an ancient Nether Herald so old his body was covered with wrinkles and his limbs appeared to have shrunken He sat like a tiny doll up near the iron bars of the cell where there was less standing water Even still Randidly could see the old man�s hands were puckered and the skin was flaking off His robes had rotted away along the bottom

Deeper within the cell against the reinforced far wall a muscular Nether Warrior crouched in meditation His robe had ratted away almost to the waist His skin was a dusky maroon with black horns curling almost gently up from his forehead The water there was so deep his knees were invisible the bulging thighs seeming to spawn directly from darkness

With the skin the horns and the muscles religious individuals from Expira likely would have assumed this was the fallen Lucifer himself held captive for his crimes

He thinks I�m here to ransom captured Nether fighters To pay for their freedom Randidly gradually caught up to the current situation Contextually it made a certain amount of sense Even if things were tense between Aether and Nether there were always ways to handle situations like this He looked back at Drane saying nothing He simply waited Because like everything else Randidly knew that Drane Swacc was not an individual who left things like this to chance

The silence between them felt strange as Randidly didn�t know how to act as their savior� but believed he might be able to obtain some useful information from them Nether figures even if captured for a while would have other insights into the Second Cohort Perhaps they might have even heard about the Aether forces worth being aware of

They reached the sliding metal door but Coppun wasn�t there to lead them out of the compound Somehow Randidly sensed this was also arranged by Drane or at least anticipated A thousand small slights he would use against helpless targets assuming you were too weak or too distracted to notice and retaliate Perhaps he judged the risk of the group causing trouble less than the potential inconvenience he could cause Randidly just filed this information away in his growing list of reasons why he wanted to fuck over the Swacc Family while he remained within the memory

Grim Intuition found the closest exit and Randidly guided the trio confidently out Soon they ascended into a narrow tunnel that very clearly led out of the Swacc compound Quarters were tight the Nether Beast needed to hunch over to not scrape his head against the ceiling but he did not complain They quickened their pace so they emerged into a relatively clean alley five minutes later pushing aside a few refuse bins to emerge into the air

After scanning the surroundings Randidly turned to address the two Nether individuals He caught the fist heading for his face almost casually Blinking he looked at the burning eyes of the Nether Warrior The punch hadn�t even been fast enough for him to notice it as a threat The aggressive devil struggled but was clearly just a Nether Warrior his physical capabilities were unimpressive Randidly felt vaguely stunned The form of the warrior�s punch had been even worse than its sluggish pace it was much more a desperate prayer than a domineering haymaker

When the first punch failed the devil simply twisted back raised the other fist and attempted a second strike with the other arm Because Randidly still had his other hand his stance was absolute shit Randidly couldn�t even muster up the tension to try and block it The fist hit his cheekbone and he felt the soft bones of the devil crack from the impact

Honestly he was somewhat taken aback the Nether Warrior was strong enough to hurt himself with his rabbit paw punches

You for hurting me I�ll tear The Nether Warrior hissed but Randidly drove a knee into his diaphragm He really didn�t have time for this and it felt quite cathartic after having to endure Drane�s disrespect for so long The rest of the contents of the Nether Warrior�s lungs wheezed out between his lips as the muscle seized up leaving him to collapse forward into the alley

Randidly glanced at the Nether Herald who shrugged like what can I say That�s what he�s like�

I�m Randidly Ghosthound Randidly said to the Nether Herald I hope that in exchange for my assistance you will provide me with some information Nothing vital just the general situation where you are from etc

The Nether Herald tilted his head to the side I am Demetrius But please allow me the pleasure of knowing your risen name and I will answer any and all questions you may have

Randidly�s eyes glittered His lips twitched even as felt the connection to the silly name given to him by the tusked Nether Herald Somehow he knew this was the proper answer to give They call me Nether King Hungry Eye

After saying the words feeling them ring true in the air a small piece of thought settled into place inside Randidly�s mind Nether Heralds huh Perhaps there was more to their name than I assumed They quite literally announce Nether Kings Since he gave me this name it lingers on my significance I wonder then what that means for Nether Gatekeepers

Demetrius nodded apparently hearing the same ringing trueness in the name Well met King Hungry Eye We appreciate your assistance considering the standing offer is just for common Nether slaves we feared we would need to suffer for far longer before we could escape Myself and my grandson Bogart here are at your disposal

Randidly nodded then grimaced down at Sulfur who purred in pleasure at the Nether Ritual tightening its pressure against him urging him to strike The conversation can wait I have some unfortunate merchant to remove

Chapter 2091

Randidly walked to the edge of the alley to get a better idea of their position They remained in a relatively rich part of town albeit more middle class than the mansion studded section where Drane Swacc lived Fewer gardens more business A few people walked around in the nearby street so concerned with their own business they didn�t see a Nether King in black robes poking his head out of the alley

Randidly scratched his cheek Part of him figured this would be easier to take off his robe to blend in with the average person but people�s reaction last time had been just as sharp and demanding Affiliation mattered in the Second Cohort And without knowing what the various colors meant it seemed like a gamble to just make a robe in a random hue

He glanced back into the alley where Bogart was finally groaning back to his feet Better to leave these two here

Randidly paused as the Nether Ritual twinged again urging him forward His smile became wicked as something occurred to him Ah of course No wonder the new Undersecretary was so quick to agree to an agreement with a Nether King He will be the one pushing for higher security for the upcoming events to solidify his power And what better excuse than a murdered merchant in the heart of Malloon to justify that He will likely make speeches about uniting in the face of tragedy of not forgetting joy even during the most dangerous of times

Well let�s see if we can disappoint him

The two of you are free to go I will not hold you here However if you want my assistance leaving the city and are willing to answer my questions you should wait here until dark I�ll return

We will be here Nether King Demetrius inclined his aged head Behind his back Bogart shot Randidly a vicious glance

Shrugging Randidly turned away whatever trouble they got into while he was away was their own business He would be annoyed if they ditched him but not too much so No one deserved to be locked away by a Swacc

With a light hop he propelled his body to roof level His feet touched the slanted tile covered roof and Randidly blinked He felt a strange sense of rejection on the roof that grew steadily stronger like the pulse of an electric fence The feeling was actually quite unpleasant

His eyes went to the edge of the roof an Engraving there flared angrily pushing him to leave as quickly as possible lest he attract its wrath Electromagnetic dimensional wall caliber resistance it was not but it was clearly designed to grab attention

Of course it took Randidly all of a single moment to understand the Engraving and remove the lock� that prevented him from being accepted even with only a fistful of Aether He scanned the surrounding buildings finding slight variations on the same defense in every direction The buildings in the area were all attached to small security systems Randidly felt vaguely impressed Even if a defense like this wouldn�t stop someone truly powerful it likely did a lot against mundane burglars

For a few minutes Randidly examined the surrounding defenses and constructed his skeleton key Then he began to move rapidly across the rooftop heading in the direction indicated by Drane�s Nether Ritual Visitt for the latest updates

He moved from the upper scale residential area into a shopping plaza Wide well maintained roads led around a series of heavy jade statues Along the sides were anthropomorphic badgers standing next to high stacks of raw lumber and ore for those who wanted to buy in bulk Through the wide windows Randidly could see the finished products being sold within undoubtedly at a quite hefty markup

Bringing his hand to his chest Jotem said I would know It was I who sponsored the malicious spineless grotesque necked poison back when he was still a whelp With an open hand I provided a job as an assistant and gave my ringing endorsement of his work when he moved to start his own mercantile firm And now

Jotem fixated on Randidly Now you An angel of death simultaneously unexpected and inevitable Ah the poetry inherent to your existence moves me even now even with my approaching demise

Randidly felt bemused to hear the tangential thoughts of this being while simultaneously feeling the struggles of the Nether Ritual in his left arm It sensed the proximity and demanded immediate satisfaction Sulfur enjoyed its tightening grip

The floating figure swam through the air graceful and effortless He descended in front of Randidly and spread his arms wide Clearly the expectation of death had him positively swooning with emotion Please no more of this dwelling were you also required to torture me before my fire was snuffed But as I was with Drane I will be generous with you I will not fight Do your cruel work and be done with it

He closed his eyes Randidly scratched the side of his nose It was strange that this man couldn�t read the significance which very clearly indicated nothing of note would happen in the next few minutes He cleared his throat do you have somewhere you can go Outside of Malloon

The rain began to fall harder pelting the glass windows Thunder crackled with enough force to shake the building even through the defensive barrier around the city Randidly wondered how dangerous the storms were outside

What Jotem seemed confused but it got him to open his eyes again

Shrugging Randidly said Don�t misunderstand why I�m here Today is not the day you die if you wish to continue living All that is required is that I get rid of you If you have a place outside of the city well go there

His face creased with anger Once more his body puffed up Here I am baring my soul to you and you take the time to needle me further Do not give me false hope My whole life

You are an origin beast yes Randidly interrupted Based on the strange life energy he sensed out of Jotem and the easy mastery of gravity the man possessed he felt relatively confident in this assessment A powerful influential race even if you have fallen on hard times I have the utmost respect for you I have received quite a bit of inspiration from your fellows As such I would not lie to you All I�m required to do is get you to leave

The Nether Ritual on Randidly�s arm seemed confused Its constant urgings loosened

Just a half Origin Beast but You speak with an honest heart and tongue Jotem gaped at him This I do have a small far only a short distance from the city If I am allowed to live the rest of my life there what can I do to repay you

Actually Randidly offered a small smile I was hoping you would let myself He adjusted his initial statement based upon the Nether beings he had rescued and a few others stay with you for a while What do you say

Chapter 2092

The ice cold sheets of rain had driven everyone else from the streets so Randidly and Jotem moved quickly without anyone glancing around and asking too many questions about the presence of a Nether King The rain pattered around him but otherwise the environment was oddly peaceful Even with his robe sticking to his skin Randidly felt wonderful the tingling rain helped clear his mind from all the interactions with Swacc

Weirdly Jotem seemed quite sensitive to water quickly beginning to shiver and sneeze every few seconds as though the chill pierced through his buoyant body Randidly glanced at him but said nothing Would be quite ironic if I saved him only for him to catch some sickness later and die Or even perhaps he infected himself with the poison image

On his arm the Nether Ritual tugged ineffectually confused by the developments of the last few minutes But as Randidly had noticed earlier it was a rather lazy construction The individual who had given it to Drane probably wanted to skimp pretty badly after interactions with Swacc Its edges began to unravel as Randidly followed Drane�s careful wordings even if he didn�t satisfy the spirit of the request

They made it back to the alley and found Bogart and Demetrius still waiting for them The grandson towered over the small Nether Herald using his large and muscular body to block the rain Both were pretty much soaked through Both gave Jotem strange looks but fell into line without much comment

For everyone involved it had been a strange day

At the merchant�s direction they soon made it to one of Malloon�s gates It also functioned as a massive engine hunched against the edge of the city inside the barrier creating the protective force to repel both enemies and the worst of the storms The gates remained wide open even in the inclement weather although Jotem had to walk up and speak to a guard to get the group waved through Perhaps due to their bedraggled look the muscular ratman didn�t ask too many questions about the color of their robes

They passed through a narrow tunnel to get to a dark gold barrier Randidly looked around in fascination sensing the rather rough but extremely mechanical aspects of these barriers But all too soon they reached the edge and Jotem turned around Ware The fickle winds dance outside with malicious intent Adjusting to such worthy adversaries takes poise and inner strength

The Nether Herald nodded with a cheery smile while his grandson flexed and growled But Randidly put his hand on Jotem�s shoulder to stop him Let me go first and make a few preparations

Jotem seemed confused but Randidly just patted the half Origin Beast�s still shivering arm The barrier parted begrudgingly as he walked through like he pushed his way through hanging chains But honestly it ended up being a good thing

Because it prepared him for the moment he passed through the barrier and the storm watching outside started pelting him with fistfuls of mud Spluttering Randidly wiped the dripping sediment from his face The world outside of Malloon looked inhospitable and squat the only plants able to survive were crouching little bushes that still swayed and distorted within the hands of the wild wind Precipitation came horizontally as much as it fell on top of him Dust constantly scratched at his exposed feet and ankles making him feel like he was in a sandstorm while also being drenched

The raucous noise was a constant grind against the senses as well Even more than the howl of the wind it was the constant grind of the barrier�s engine that made the surrounding air rumble As Randidly got a better sense of his bearings he could see a short distance away were massive exhaust fans from the engine blowing out acrid air and image discharge from the inefficient Engraving of the era

Randidly wiped a little more mud from his face The engines and the massive discharge definitely don�t help the local environment But why is the climate here so harsh It�s almost like there is

He looked up and stilled in genuine apprehension Because there hanging far above beyond even his Grim Intuition could capture with any detail was a hanging sphere of massive significance Pine the memory version which hadn�t yet collapsed in on itself to become that suffocated inverted utopia hovered in the sky and tormented the people below with massive shifts in significance Huge hurricanes raged in the upper environment due to Pine�s presence what they felt down here was just the dregs

Randidly tore his gaze away because he could feel something opening up in the sky from his awareness The horrifying modern Pine reached into the memory and began to widen his hungry maw attempting to devour the entire memory and everything within through Randidly Luckily he noticed quickly and kept his gaze fixated very purposefully away Gradually the connection faded The memory Pine remained untainted by the present In the chaotic seething others probably wouldn�t even notice the shift

Focusing on his own position Randidly began using his small bits of Aether and Nether to adjust the surroundings He wove patterns of force to counteract the storm The small notes he could mobilize didn�t resist directly but guided it into recursive flows around his body Soon an orb of rotating sediment blunted the worst of the wind and rain By the time Jotem poked his head out through the barrier it was positively mild around him

He would have died out here Did die here in the real happening of these events Jotem would have been killed by some other Nether King or one of Drane�s lackeys And Demetrius and Bogart would both be stuck within Swacc�s Dungeon Randidly�s hands clenched Aether and Nether raced each other through his body making his muscles hum This is a group that never would have met who suffered under Swacc in the real occurrence

But now I fucking swear I�ll teach Drane Swacc the lesson he never learned in real life Randidly�s expression hardened Even if its just in this memory The Swacc Family will not prosper

My liege Demetrius said gently tugging at Randidly�s elbow His condition is worrisome We cannot simply let him lay here

Randidly blinked away and felt a flush of shame he let his anger distract him from what was most important Behind them Jotem cleared his throat Ah I suppose it cannot be helped With the blessings heaped upon me by my lineage allow me to restore what

Jotem gasped as Randidly reached forward and unleashed his Fourth Authority The memory began to shake dangerously but Animation Nova bloomed out of his palm in a silver sigh Pure vital energy radiated out from his fingers sinking into Armel�s body The man sucked in a breath His ruined eyelids fluttered revealing the horrific wounds within

Once his condition stabilized Randidly reached out and pressed a hand to his forehead Yggdrasil moved as gently as it could creating energy roots to flow through his body Bit by bit earning a shudder through the memory each time he wore down the image scars left to keep the body from healing

Breathing out through his nose Randidly pulled back The memory was dangerously unstable right now but the work was done Armel was no longer walking toward death�s door He would soon heal

You are a great healer Demetrius whispered Quite impressive

Randidly nodded barely able to understand the words The shaking in the memory wasn�t deteriorating it but it once more made it more difficult to understand the surroundings His Nether Core revved but it wasn�t enough His shield blocking the wind began to collapse Rain and mud fell harder soaking them all

He picked up Armel�s body and looked at Jotem Lead on

Actually Jotem blinked and peered beyond Randidly further down the side path I do believe these walls were carved by my hands How strange To think a body would be coincidentally here upon my doorstep Follow me before the storm sends it wrath to harry us

From Armel�s position it took them only two minutes to reach Jotem�s farm

Randidly could see it as he stepped out of the trench and saw a low building squatting between two rocks the Grey Creature still rabidly furious inside of him Having gotten Randidly�s word he would handle the issue of Jotem Drane Swacc had walked back to Coppun and ordered him to dump the wounded Armel in this very stretch of trench Because other than Jotem who would come here The body wouldn�t be discovered for a long long time

Long enough for the mud to claim it The servant Armel will have been forgotten Drane Swacc�s crimes would be buried by the constant storms

Randidly bared his teeth at Armel�s unconscious form He would not have shown such an expression if he were conscious likely it would have scared the man to death I wonder what you know that had him so decisively seek to get rid of you

Chapter 2093

When they made it inside the small building everyone needed some rest before they would discuss their next steps Jotem pulled water from the well and offered them all patties made of Ara Fruitmeal Everyone but Randidly declined and Randidly wished he had as soon as he had taken a bite The nuts had a very pungent taste something almost like citrus that refused to leave his mouth even after washing it out thoroughly with water

On a more positive note Jotem�s farmhouse was relatively spacious He took his own bedroom laid Armel upon the kitchen table led Demetrius and Bogart to his study and finally brought Randidly around to what he called his spare bedroom� but was definitely a dusty and empty storeroom with a small pallet Still it was enough for everyone to have their own rooms

Everyone separated to consider their own troubles Finally alone Randidly meditated He allowed his mind to go black for the churning awarenesses to go slack

Gradually the shaking of the memory stopped His Nether Core continued to rev in fixed intervals giving him access to marginally more of his energies He hummed tunelessly inspecting his inner situation He retreated into his mental area and physically hacked his way through more Grey Creature clones that had been steadily building up over the past few days

Compared to fighting one of the cores of emotion his efforts rewarded him with very little emotional potency But it did prevent a new core from forming like the self pity one had At the moment he didn�t feel prepared to face one of the true sources of emotional chaos in his body So he came out of the meditation and stretched

It�s strange to think but I do need to be aware of my presence here possibly affecting the memory Especially saving these individuals Obviously they seem relatively unimportant on the grand scale but it would probably be best if I can keep them here on the farm to not affect the memory in unexpected ways

He went to Jotem�s bedroom and knocked After getting permission Randidly entered the room and found Jotem rather frantically looking through stacks of paper Seeing Randidly he gave an exaggerated sigh and collapsed on a nearby love seat Tragically this decision to come to the farm has led us to a new kind of slow death Obviously I never put much stock in this place perhaps even acknowledged it failed as an investment but I must confess to you if we remain here we are doomed

The well of lucre has run dry At this rate hahh We will be naught but paupers Jotem shook his body in a form deflated of air and good cheer causing his skin to flap around him in a mournful way The particulars of which are I assume of little interest in a man of your station and regal bearing Yet the yoke of the common man is ever present

Actually I�d like to hear a little about the farm Randidly said Personally he couldn�t decide if Jotem was just a fool for trying to set up a farm in a location with such inclement weather or there was no arable land not stricken by a near constant hurricane

Well I suppose if you are curious we have no option but to grant you satisfaction Jotem sighed but not in an antagonistic way He gestured Come See my plight

As they left the small cabin they passed the room of the Nether individuals Randidly gave the door a single glance within he could tell they were engaging in some recovery Nether Ritual Considering the size and delicate care with which it was made it could have only been made by the Nether Herald Randidly�s estimation of the frail old man rose by another few pegs

Randidly had a weird mental picture which he sensed was almost entirely true A charismatic and enthusiastic young man going door to door selling all these established and rather foolhardy merchants of Malloon in the wonders of investing in Ara fruit farms considering the rise in popularity of this befuddling game Hobfootie Hell it might have even been Drane Swacc himself He sold them expensive seeds supplies and promises of a quick return on investment and then vanished with their money

Isolated and completely out of their depth these merchants failed one by one too proud to complain to anyone but each other

Yet even the possibility of an Engraving is perhaps also surmountable Yet there is one more block to keep such a plan from even being born Jotem paused for dramatic effect Money How can a failing farm afford to reinvest into an expansion It is just bad economics

Randidly briefly considered spending his time in Malloon opening the first ever investment bank but decided it would probably be a waste of time Better to return to his roots and see if he could make some DIY improvements to the farming operation

He nodded ready to move on for now And the second crop

His body undulating behind him Jotem floated back through the few mounds with Ara fruit and to the front area of the house He gestured broadly to the messily cluttered front yard Carrots Perhaps you haven�t heard of it but this root vegetable is extremely hardy

I have seen carrots before Randidly�s lips twitched He gestured to the garden which was sparsely populated with the distinctive top of the carrot stalk Why did you plant so few carrots And it looks like there are a lot of weeds you�ve let grow in the same area

I have seen plants grow large with more space in my wisdom I only planted a few carrots and let them joust against the riffraff of the plant kingdom to grow strong On the triumphant corpses of lesser veggies my carrots would have risen if not for the poor soil I have no doubt that I

Jotem continued to talk about his strategies but Randidly�s mind had already moved on He looked up into the wind wrenched air above the farm thick with dirt and other debris Rubbings his chin he began making plans on how to revitalize the farm

The plan will be to make this area profitable Spending time here will allow my Nether Core to rev further pushing my abilities back up to acceptable levels Also these saved individuals won�t interfere too much in the development of the timeline Especially since Elhume will apparently soon come to Malloon for a trial In the meantime I can learn more about the Second Cohort and refine my emotional affect

Antagonizing Drane Swacc will be an inevitability when he hears that Jotem�s farm is recovering he will investigate He will discover us here Jotem still alive Randidly grinned up at the sky and I don�t doubt he will be apoplectic But with all those important events coming up for Malloon the Hobfootie Tournament the Trial of Elhume I doubt he will have much time to come up with a thorough plan to handle the issue

Randidly turned slightly so his gaze pierced directly through the storms to Malloon And believe me I�m not someone you want to leave at liberty to fuck you

Excuse me Jotem coughed and collapsed onto the ground the violence of Randidly�s words making him lose control of the nearby gravitational waves

Chapter 2094

Having unexpected guests stay on his farm and being unable to provide a stimulating and entertaining experience was Jotem�s worst nightmare It featured heavily in several of the problematic nightmares that kept him from sleeping through the night After giving the Nether King a tour of the farm he retreated to his room to wallow in shame

By the end of the tour of the aspects of the farm the Nether King seemed profoundly preoccupied Undoubtedly he felt deeply perturbed by how simple Jotem�s compound was but was too polite to make harsh comments about it Jotem�s daydreams which had admittedly distracted him a little on the trip back from Malloon to the farm had featured the Nether King being so impressed by his hospitality that he invited Jotem back to his own home They swiftly became best friends both sharing a taste for the finer things in life

Jotem imagined the Nether King lived in a massive complex in the outer reaches of the Nether territory Everything was obsidian jade and gold on a moon without the chaotic environment that so afflicted him allowing direct looking up into the wide and gorgeous universe above They would sip glimmering liquors out of martini glasses and the Nether King couldn�t stop laughing at Jotem�s insightful humor

Yet all that crumbled after facing the reality of his situation He had a small house slathered with mud and a few lumps covered in the Ara Fruit vin And his homestead achieved such a miserable visage while the weather was being uncharacteristically charitable Had it been a bad storm the Nether King would have had to eat mud in order to ask his questions

Jotem released his grip on gravity and his body sank into the swinging hammock on which he slept Who am I kidding I might be descended from an Origin Beast but I never knew my father I�m just another abandoned kid unable to even fend for myself I got lucky And now that the luck has run out and I�ve spent my savings

A knock at the door interrupted his pity party Jotem cleared his throat several times to make his voice sound more resonant before answering Another visitor At this hour By all means I am simply reclining

Again the Nether King poked his head into the room Do you know much about which parts of the Ara Fruit are most valuable

Jotem followed the strangely animated Nether King his mood buoyed back up to cautious optimism the fact the Nether King came back to speak with him was a good sign In the main living area the still unconscious Armel had been moved to a very sophisticated but alien looking low couch On the table were several sliced Ara Fruits

Jotem pointed at the couch unable to stop himself This strange bit of elongated comfort is

When my home was redecorated my friend gave me several sample pieces of furniture to see which I would like The Nether King scratched his cheek casting his eyes around the interior of the farmhouse Obviously not a great fit style wise but I figure we might need the extra seats with us all staying here for a bit I�ll probably need to make a table by hand to fit us all Anyway I was looking at these fruits This portion came out fine but these black lines worry me

The Nether King pointed to half of the quartered fruit which had stark black tentacles running through the valuable flesh Jotem approached the table and shook his head sorrowfully Unfortunately the flavor of those pieces will be bitter and sickly A strange parasite infests Ara Fruit you cut these fruits into pieces yes You severed part of the body when you did that which caused the rest of the body to enter into a rancid state as a defense mechanism Many have tried to master the method but harvesting by hand requires preternatural fortune The impact from the wind picking up the fruit and smashing it to ground concusses the parasite perfectly Without wielding the same sort of thunderous shock

The Nether King pulled another Ara Fruit out of his interspatial ring For the first time Jotem noticed how strangely long his fingers were as he could wrap up most of the relatively large fruits His hands blurred in a twitching motion The fruit erupted in an explosion of pulp Some sprayed Jotem in the face

He couldn�t help but think that the whole room would stink of Ara fruit for days because of it However this figure was his savior so he didn�t say anything

Those are Arakis Beasts Jotem licked his lips The group looked sullenly over at the Nether King their eyes never leaving his movements Juveniles obviously but they are still quite agile did you let them bite you

The Nether King gave Jotem a strangely flat look Why the fixation on biting These little guys aren�t fast enough to touch me Anyway Demetrius look at these patterns I�ve been working on So I�ll throw up short term Engravings and whirl them through the storms

Jotem decided it wasn�t worth it to try and explain to the Nether King the complex history of the Arakis Beasts or their strict hierarchical play fighting that involved bites Because the proof was right in front of him the three juveniles were crouching down and just waiting there They didn�t seek to escape they didn�t try and steal the Ara Fruit laying around

Even more telling was the way that the juveniles stared at the Nether King The fixation most likely meant they had set them as their marks although Jotem had never heard of it happening to anyone but a mature Arakis Beast These monsters were incredibly intelligent and also incredibly adaptable And once in their life they could choose a foe to set their sights upon Their bodies began to work overdrive trying to bridge the gap between their capability and their target

Weirdly Jotem felt a strange pity for these juveniles

Demetrius ran his fingers across the papers on the table These are patterns Complex unfolding patterns across the whole of the sky Then this Ah Malloon Yes it is best to use them to absorb some of the wasted patterns but won�t there begin to be a troubling accumulation of these swirls in the next five years

The two Nether individuals leaned closer together above the table The Nether King grimaced Yes but I don�t think it can be avoided Slower patterns accumulate for longer but have worse consequences And as far as I can tell this will just be a particularly bad storm

Empowered both with Aether and Nether That sort of storm will be more weapon than natural Demetrius observed Can�t you use the friction between Aether and Nether to take care of some of this radiation

With my energy there is no friction between the two That�s why we can get the efficiency in some of the parts here The Nether King pulled one of the papers aside and pointed to another pattern underneath it It ends up being worth it And it�s not like many people seem to be spending time outside anyway And at least this way it will manifest as a peaceful period closer to the ground until everything collapses

Jotem turned and walked away from the conversation about which he didn�t understand anything at all His renovated front yard looked oddly professional which felt like an insult He retreated back into his room For a while he returned to his hammock and rocked himself back and forth to assuage his anxiety

But then he flung himself up and strode to his desk He pulled out his best quill and began to write a letter

Salutations Fair Geyssia

I�m writing to inquire whether you continue to have close personal connections to the Hobfootie industry After a great deal of toil and hiring a consultant I�ve gotten my Ara Fruit farm And I can assure you the juice from these fruits is crips and clear the flavor effervescent and soothing

Over the next hour Jotem wrote five similar letters essentially just changing out the names If the Nether King could really harvest Ara Fruit perhaps they wouldn�t need to be as poor as he had feared

Chapter 2095

Over the next few hours Randidly and Demetrius poured over the calculations he had made for modifying the environment The pure challenge of streamlining the patterns felt oddly enthralling Randidly completely lost track of time

The crux of his plan mainly involved a rotating series of replaceable Scrawl�d pieces of driftwood in the area around Malloon improving the situation for the entire area It would involve two circles one loose circle around everything and another that would be like a hoo la hoop if Malloon was the waist The smaller circle would spin around connecting a small area around Malloon to the bigger circle to maintain the broader pattern

Obviously there were some differences in understanding from the Nether Herald mostly because of his preconceptions about how Aether and Nether needed to interact as antagonistic forces As soon as those were cleared up their speed of refining the massive array increased by almost double Plus Demetrius offered up some truths about Nether that really broaden Randidly�s view of the energy

These were mostly aspects and truths that he had known intuitively and had been using in passing when he made Nether Rituals but once the different interactions were consciously known it really expanded the possibilities of incorporating them into his arrangements In the end the final result was entirely different from his initial attempt except for the rotating circle within the larger circle All the functional pieces were shifted out to create a more sustainable working

I had heard of some individuals making attempts to work with both Aether and Nether into patterns but I considered it largely to be rumor Or an endeavor doomed to endless frustrations Demetrius said as he sat back and looked at the massive diagram they had created together The lines and connections densely crisscrossed the page To see this perhaps it is not true that Pine has already seen all our attempts to improve our lot

Randidly�s lips twitched slightly at the colloquialism but he didn�t comment Demetrius continued to speak pointing to a few points of inflected radiation on the paper where a collision produced a wave of disruptive force I do have one question however Why did you include these I can see the fulcrums shift to stay in the area around the farm but what purpose do they accomplish

Ah those aren�t really about any particular pattern They are about the farming Randidly glanced upward very purposefully keeping his gaze away from the relatively mild Pine of the past so he didn�t trigger another demanding grope from the Pine in the present Pine being up there releases a lot of image fragments and chunks of significance that fall with just as much frequency as the rain Our bodies naturally annihilate them but they can lodge themselves in vegetables Small things but those flaws and conflicting half ideas can create an inferior product These bursts are to disrupt and disintegrate those image fragments Of course I�ll do some of my own sweeps but the more refinements the better the result will be This will run interference on anything falling down here in the first place

Fascinating Demetrius tilted his head to the side You I mean no disrespect but you know quite a bit about farming for a Nether King I would not have expected it Most Nether Kings are primarily concerned with either war or their own particular significance

Randidly grinned I don�t mind it�s true Farming is actually one of the first things I remember about the System It helped me adjust during a very difficult time And truth be told I�m not like most other Nether Kings I�ve encountered

He organized the papers with some quick movements and stored them away Jotem burst through the front door of the farm a fussing cloud of officious motion He quickly floated across the yard to a strange squat waist high stone pillar Randidly had noted while he revamped the farm but had left be due to the presence of some Engravings on it

Jotem produced five cream colored letter envelopes with a flourish Then he began to fiddle with some of the symbols on the side The stone pillar activated with a clicking sizzling hum Small sparks of discharge expended themselves in the air around the pillar Randidly looked up a small frown coming across his face the horrible static from this thing was throwing off the delicate balance that gave them a sunny day without any rain

Just wait Jotem He said walking forward and waving a hand to cut off the Engraving�s power supply before it could ruin the balance further The half Origin Beast looked at Randidly in shock but remained silent as Randidly began to draw lines of Mana with his fingers He grimaced as he examined the innards of the pillar it used the same horribly inefficient energy transfer system that Padraic had in the other memory Apparently shitty energy transference was just part of the Second Cohort

He produced a map and Randidly examined it quickly Blue for Nether controlled areas orange for Aether Two thirds of the map was Nether with a few stacked triangles of land in the bottom right corner belonging to Aether Randidly found Malloon along the Southwest portion of the Aether territories He scanned the map but did not see Wyndaos anywhere Which he supposed made sense because it was a moving fortress

He was about to give the map back but something gave him pause There in the Northern portion the Northernmost tip of the Aether territory he found the name Tatem The location of the first memory

He thought about the small Padraic and the innocent version of Devick sold by her father to save the town He hoped those memory versions of them had faired well cut off in their alternate dream

After a moment where his heart squeezed with nostalgia he handed the map back Can you tell me about the treaty between Aether and Nether The one that requires me to wear these robes and to represent my affiliations

Hum I know a little I believe it started about five years ago One of the councilmembers of this very city Faelmac Westrisser had enough of the constant raids from the Nether around Malloon�s territory He gathered up a force and crusaded out here to Uwittin Demetrius indicated a city on the map within the Nether territories His expression grew heavy What happened there is a matter of great debate He and his army claim the entire city resisted Which seems unlucky What is not disputed is that not a single Nether soul survived The bodies were left hacked to pieces because of the chaos of battle they say Westrisser had no choice

Randidly also stilled He could feel the chilling emotions that Demetrius released He had clearly lost someone in the battle

The old man�s mouth worked silently for several seconds revving up to handle words again Ahem anyway the other Nether Kings were furious but it also made them finally acknowledge the power of Aether forces They entered into a treaty essentially outlawing the wholesale slaughter that occurred in Uwittin on both sides As a counterdemand the Aether forces brought up the issue of robes Considering it petty and easily done the Nether Kings agreed

Yet since then it gradually became apparent that the robes were not about Nether at all it allowed the established powers and races to crack down on independent forces within Aether territory The upcoming trial of the man Elhume is also related to this Demetrius pointed to the Northern portion of the Aether territories including Tatem This area has recently started allowing individuals to walk around without robes Malloon and its allies claim this endangers the treating hence a reckoning is necessary The Fistmaster comes as their representative

Randidly allowed air to hiss through his teeth He tried to find the pieces he was looking for to understand how this past would lead to a tumultuous end to the Second Cohort And well forgive me for being blunt But do the Nether forces hold a grudge for Uwittin Do you believe that a massive invasion is coming

Demetrius sighed It is somewhat embarrassing to admit but no For all the horror of the aftermath Westrisser did slaughter the entire city which was ruled by only the one Nether King The other Nether Kings of similar power might feel threatened by this but they do not have a vendetta against the Aether They are too concerned about their rivalries amongst each other Which I think is the reason why there hasn�t been any massive war between the two forces both are more concerned with infighting

Randidly nodded slowly but his mind raced Then why am I here Why did Elhume want to dream of the past differently Is something massive about to happen to trigger the war Or is this more about that monster that needed to be put down with the Hierarchy of Karma

He filed those thoughts away and released a breath Alright I have one more question for now although it might sound strange What is it that Nether Gatekeepers guard

Demetrius released a dark chuckle Ah So you do know some things about your people Nether King Hungry Eye You just haven�t seen it for yourself

Chapter 2096

Demetrius turned away and looked up Not at the hole in the sky created by Randidly�s meddling but at the stormy clouds that circled like grey fluffy wolves Randidly didn�t press allowing him to gather his thoughts

You know Nether Gatekeepers don�t exist in the main universe Demetrius began slowly They were a role created within the isolated universe To guard well even I don�t know the details A massive gathering of significance one to rival the power of Pine A counterbalance made of memories to restrain his influence Occasionally Nether Kings interact with what is held there but for what purpose I do not know If you wish to know more you will need to go to Wyndaos yourself As a Nether King even without a Penance that is your right

Randidly mulled that over Considering the origins of the Nexus was more widely known at this time it made sense for Nether forces to make preparations against their environment But what exactly where they doing remained a mystery He looked again at Demetrius who still faced away from him

He suspected the old man knew more than he said but didn�t press him Part of it was out of respect and part of it was because Randidly sensed he would find out in time what the true role of the Nether Gatekeepers were

Thank you for answering Randidly finally said

Demetrius gave him a sharp look You do not wish to know more Perhaps about condensing your own Penance The strongest Nether Kings in existence Tricks to improve your Nether Weight even further

Randidly chuckled Well the particulars of condensing a Penance might be useful to know but finding my own path has worked out well for me thus far And besides the price I pay needs to be deeply personal Considering some of my own issues I�m not quite ready to figure out what that is

Demetrius nodded For a while the two of them simply stood and looked up at the whirling storm Randidly could close his eyes and feel the wild significance in the sky mixing with the radiation from Pine and the Aether exhaust from Malloon and creating a chemical concoction that constantly simmered

There was a pillar of clear sky above the farm but around that the storms continued to rumble and spit The natural patterns of the wind and precipitation prowled around the edges testing the limits of Randidly�s patterns and finding no weaknesses Both simply observed the interaction organic patterns crashing against structure

The conflict felt oddly soothing

Their peace was broken by Bogart whipping open the front door of the farmhouse and stomping out into the yard He had to duck not to scrape his curving horns on the low threshold He seemed briefly thrown by the changes to the surrounding environment but soon refocused Youth made him quick to ignore what wasn�t relevant to his current desire With a furrowed brow he stalked across the yard toward where he and Demetrius were standing Nether King Hungry Eye I wish to speak with you

Demetrius gave Randidly a mild look He sighed inwardly but kept his face even as he turned to look at the devil man Yes

Bogart stopped in front of Randidly and huffed out a breath from his nose The stench of this air was noticeable Then he clasped his fists in front of his chest His muscles were flexed showing through the rips in his robe I wish to offer you the privilege of teaching me to fight

I refuse Randidly yawned and waved a hand at the carrot patch I�ll be busy with the farm for a while

Demetrius kept looking at the sky next to him obviously even he wouldn�t say anything if Randidly rejected such a lackluster request

Perhaps Arakis meat was tastier and more lucrative a foodstuff than Ara Fruits That threat would keep them in line

The devil looking young man flung himself to his feet looking like he intended to immediately dash across and seize the Arakis Beasts right now The tiny monsters no larger than a racing dog hissed at him But before the chaos of chase could ensue Jotem poked his head out the front door Mr Nether King Armel has broken the chains of his slumber And requires fresh and pure groundwater

Randidly glanced at Bogart Get the bucket

And you heard him Demetrius folded his arms within the torn sleeves of his robe and fell into step beside Randidly as they walked to the house Make sure it is both fresh and pure

When they were inside a distracted and vaguely affronted Bogart behind them Demetrius bobbed his head in a quick bow Thank you I will not forget this favor

Randidly waved a hand and both turned to the issue of the injured servant Jotem helped prop up Armel and the middle aged individual took several deep breaths still quite pale looking However the duo walking in the door made Armel�s eyes widen and glaze over with panic likely two powerful Nether individuals were not what he needed to see to comfort him right now

Please we mean you no harm Armel Randidly said slowly He released a bit of his Yggdrasil image but subtly Just to release an aura of warmth and growth into the room Almost visibly Armel seemed to relax under its influence His breathing slowed With even and unhurried steps Randidly came and stood by his side He produced a well preserved raspberry scone from his interspatial ring and offered it to him Here try and recover When we found you well

A terrible scourge had plundered your hands and eyes You must tell us which devil afflicted you so Jotem unhelpfully supplied At the memory Armel�s face darkened At that time Bogart stumbled back into the room with the bucket The recovering man gulped down a glass of water then sipped his way through the second one while nibbling on the scone

Finally Armel seemed ready to talk He looked around at them all fear and indignation clear in his expression I I don�t wish to involve you in my business If my master finds out I am alive he will obviously I had heard some rumors about his tempers but

He blinked several times I apologize my story is a heavy burden I don�t wish to foist upon my benefactors Thank you for saving me Suffice to say I was the servant of a prominent man in Malloon And for the most minor of excuses

I was there at the party Armel Randidly interrupted I saw We all know Drane Swacc and his vindictive nature We are not his friends

You saw For such a minor thing I was Armel shuddered I tripped but I swear it was not my fault

His errand boy Coppun pushed you from behind It was all arranged Randidly said He cracked his knuckles one by one watching shock and anger lap in waves across the man�s face When those emotions settled he leaned forward Drane arranged this What we want to know is why Do you have any idea why he would suddenly want to eliminate you Did you see anything strange right before that party

Not right before but Armel bit his lip A month ago I was doing a special mission for Mr Swacc Trying to obtain a particular color of silk for the sash he had made I returned rather late and walked to his study just to drop it off but Mr Swacc was having a meeting by candlelight with a woman

All this to hide an affair Jotem shook his body

Armel waved his hands No no not like that Just there were candles on his desk But it was a woman recognized She is the associate of the Fistmaster Elhume The one they call Mae Mykna the Sword of Truth

Chapter 2097

Randidly sat in his bare and cobweb ridden storeroom meditating on the facts he had learned from Armel and Demetrius yesterday He pushed his Nether senses as far as he dared following the flow of significance Definitely the upcoming trial in a month would be an important point in history Tensions within the Aether lands were high Elhume himself was directly involved in the dispute

But what he couldn�t quite figure out was how everything would happen

Randidly opened his eyes More than that I want to make sure I can break down Drane while I�m here Give him a taste of his own bitter medicine But without knowledge of what exactly is going on I�m not sure how I can do so

His Nether Core revved in his chest giving him access to marginally more of his powers Releasing a long breath through his nose he stood and walked out of the storeroom Night had fallen across this portion of the Nexus but that didn�t stop him from working For now at least the farm was his primary concern It grounded him and gave him a way to establish influence in the memory

He would need it to keep abreast of the developments that he assumed would soon flood down around him Despite how unreliable Jotem and his connections seemed in the abstract

His daily farm chores began First he utilized the Stillborn Phoenix to cleanse any strange image fragments that had made it into the crop The hungry image greedily slurped up everything it could reach Then he physically blurred around the area checking for pests and weeds near the plantings Luckily the windy and rain filled environment made sure that bugs weren�t any sort of problem But that might change now that he moderating the weather in the immediate area so he wanted to get into the habit of being thorough

The Arakis Beasts woke up from his movements and crept out of the small burrow they had made nearby Their eyes were curiously vibrant in the darkness grey purple and inscrutable as they fixated upon him Earlier Jotem had explained they had fixated on him to one day try and overcome him physically They had some innate Skill that allowed them to observe his actions and goad their body into mimicking it The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi( )

Randidly wished them the best of luck

He then proceeded back to examine the Ara Fruit plants in detail He was still trying to gather all the factors involved in the growth of the purple pumpkins so he didn�t want to change anything without a solid understanding as Jotem had He considered the fruits along the mounds trying to look for patterns He pushed aside leaves and pursed his lips in thought

Halfway through he paused and headed back to the Arakis Beasts Hey one of you follow me I need a professional opinion

The three beasts blinked and then looked at each other About ten seconds of furiously tumbling snarling and wresting followed Randidly yawned and cracked his neck while he waited The victor raised its thin head proudly and trotted over to him while the two losers slunk on their bellies back to their small burrow

Randidly brought the beast over to the Ara Fruits and gestured around Is there a way you can tell which fruits are the best

The beast as though to ask if this was all he wanted tilted his head to the side Randidly nodded

Raising its narrow snout the Ara Beast scampered back and forth amongst the mounds Its movements were quick and efficient as it screened them all and headed back to Randidly to indicate its findings It took him back to the few Ara Fruits that smelled the most appetizing and sweet to it Randidly noted each of them it was clear the Ara Fruits that were tormented by wind smelled the tastiest Not that the others were bad but pressure and movement due to natural elements must assist in the fruit�s growth

Perhaps the parasites that helped the Ara Fruit develop also fed on its particular flavor The more time concussive force kept those parasites stunned the better

My father handled the planning but it was my hands that helped assembled Drane Swacc�s current residence For a moment a flash of fear crossed his features Ahem Obviously we don�t have the manpower for something of that size but probably doubling the area of the house wouldn�t be a problem

Then I�ll find the wood Randidly continued to scrawl His eyes flicked around to make note of the changes

Carrots Ara Fruit Apple seeds he had in his interspatial ring when he came here Now these weird giant underground trees for lumber This place really was beginning to round out into a proper farm

His stomach rumbled slightly All he needed to do now was find some meat

Freewall Yuuryin squinted at the clunky energy display The assistant engineer waited next to him clearly extremely nervous After all the possible irregularity had cropped up during his watch shift He would be held responsible if it turned out to be a disaster

Freewall used his stubby furry fingers to rub his eyes He was incredibly tired Around them the hum of the engine generating the defensive barrier around Malloon was a constant presence It crept into the skin then into the organs before finally settling in the senses and rubbing them nearly raw For those who had worked in the engine rooms for along time the shaking became an almost constant companion even when they were off duty

Freewall Yuuryin had maintained the walls of Malloon for almost twenty years Only here as his body adjusted to the constant pressures did his vision sharpen He looked at the display one more time

What�s your opinion Yuuryin asked

The assistant engineer squirmed that the defensive Engravings wouldn�t react without a reason I checked the sensors and the internal mechanisms there are no deviations Nether is present in the environment

There is Nether in every environment Yuuryin squinted checking other areas of the rough mechanical display The new panels were better than looking directly at the internal systems but only just Energy outflow was clean weather was mild exhaust valves hadn�t built up to too much pressure Are you saying there is a Nether Ritual in the surroundings Is a Nether King trying to hold Malloon hostage

The assistant shook his head No no That would be impossible

So which is it Yuuryin sighed

Perhaps The assistant engineer shrugged Perhaps the environment is just changing Nether content is rising Perhaps they have begun encroaching on Aether lands once more Slowly by adjusting the air

Yuuryin grunted this he could work with Alright I�ll notify the Protectorate Squads to be on guard Thank you for your work

Chapter 2098

Randidly�s days fell into a rather satisfying pattern while he remained on the farm

In the mornings before dawn he would rove around the property checking for image fragments and replacing the pieces of the climate altering Nether Ritual that had begun to fade He investigated every plant he stumbled across and checked on the new group of land walruses that he had found and wrangled to provide the farm with meat

Luckily these fellows seemed particularly non picky about their feed

Afterward he would sit and talk to Armel about the ongoing construction of the farmhouse expansion The rather dramatic Jotem had engaged in a heated argument with the impromptu architect about the scale and artistic influences� of the additions but they soon fell into a silence close enough to agreement that Randidly gladly didn�t get involved He had a few requests to improve the comfort of his own room but that was it

After lunch he proceeded to keep his emotions clean and refine his emotional affect for each of his images It was during that time that most of the Nether Core revving occurred as he gradually pulled more and more of his capability into the memory without the most minor of image manifestations shaking everything to pieces In essence he began to reinforce the memory to withstand his presence which was a slightly bemusing thought

Ever since I�ve become the Alpha Cosmos I�ve put on a few pounds Randidly patted his stomach in mock sorrow Maybe I should go on a planetary diet

In the evenings he discussed Nether patterns with Demetrius while watching Bogart try his best to chase the Arakis Beasts By this point the devil man had earned bites up and down his arms The little beasts snickered and snapped at him even when he wasn�t trying to catch them driving him to furiously prowl glaring around every corner of the farm

At night Randidly refined his Nether further and unfolded his perspective to try and peer into the future� of the memories The significance was heavy in the environment but he couldn�t just drag out its secrets He accomplished very little but the habit of familiarizing himself with the patterns was useful Occasionally he contemplated what his Nether Penance would be but it was mostly just musings

He gradually worked up his nerve to return to the memory area and challenge his next core of negative emotion He kept himself calm and sharpened the Grey Creature�s hunger There were occasional growing pains but largely the image understood he was working on the issue

Eight days after sending out the letters a squat frog looking individual road up through the trench to the homestead Randidly had widened the passage considerably during one of his freer mornings meaning the pony and cart the man brought with him didn�t have any difficulty pulling up in front of the carrot patch Randidly glanced up from the garden where he and Demetrius were bent over pulling out the forearm sized carrots

They both nodded to the frog and then got back to their work A few seconds later Jotem glided out of the newly renovated two story farmhouse in an intricate lavender robe that he had begged Randidly to embroider with jade thread Randidly wasn�t sure about the color combination but the workmanship was excellent Oh Battywuck Please excuse my dress and the state of the farm we were right in the middle of the harvest Can I get you something to drink

Holy fuck Battywuck muttered as he hopped down off of the front of his cart and looked around The apple trees were saplings by now rustling only slightly from the constant wind The ends of carrots not yet plucked from the ground stuck up in neat rows A small paddock containing the land walruses was pressed up against the side of the house opposite the side with the major expansion The only clouds allowed through Randidly�s new patterns were wispy fairy tail white versions Obviously I noticed the calm season had come early to Malloon but this

Indeed Well I won�t get in your way Jotem fled back within the house Armel shot a worried glance at Randidly but ultimately did the same When he walked back through the mound labyrinth he was only followed by Bogart and the three juvenile Arakis Beasts Demetrius continued to harvest carrots despite the hubbub

Randidly arrived at the close side of the him made canyon right as the full grown Arakis Beast reached the far end It was a hulking beast the size of an elephant with powerful armored limbs Its forelegs especially had several curved spikes jutting out from its length Compared to the three miniature ones that lurked around the farm the eyes of this full grown variant were a dull red The emotional aura it released pulsed with aggressive violence

It noticed him and sneered The Beast opened its mouth and trumpeted out a massive noise that buzzed through all the Ara Fruits But in the end it was just a loud noise Randidly planted his foot and lowered his shoulders Then he accelerated blasting through the thin passage and releasing a sonic boom that caused all the hanging fruits to shake like Christmas ornaments during an earthquake

To the large beast�s credit it saw and reacted to his movement it wasn�t just size and armor It hopped back landed on its own massive claws and then launched itself back forward It had trained this movement Its neck extended and his jaws snapped at him

With a light drag of his toe Randidly spun his body and slipped past the bite He pressed a palm against the Arakis Beast�s body to disperse his momentum The Beast grunted and raised itself up preparing to swing those armored forelegs Without much tension Randidly spun and brought Sulfur around to land a clobbering blow on its chest Not too hard because he didn�t exactly want to kill it

The beast�s eyes widened as its ribcage cracked After a few staggering steps backward it just collapsed onto the ground Its breath wheezed through its mouth as its two arms flexed ineffectually Randidly moved next to it and squatted down He clicked his tongue Now I�m not a huge fan of loud noises But there is no reason that we can�t live in peace eh

The beast nodded its head rather frantically

Randidly grinned down at it He much preferred the intelligent wildlife of the old Nexus You�ll be in charge of guarding the fruits here In exchange I�ll spare your life now and feed you some of them occasionally Take your job seriously if any Ara Fruits are missing I don�t care who actually did it You will be held responsible Do you understand

This time the best took longer to make its decision It blinked its dark eyes several times indignation and fear warring inside of its heart Randidly waited These sorts of situations weren�t enough to disturb the fabric of the memory let alone make him feel any tension Eventually whatever it saw in his eyes broke its spirit It bowed its head and nodded

Randidly patted its side and inserted some of his healing image into its body to speed up the recovery process Good Take a day to familiarize yourself with the area I�ll check back tomorrow to see how you are

With a few quick steps Randidly flew back over to the near portion of the canyon Bogart was there looking at him with bulging eyes However Randidly quickly fixated on the trembling and collapsed bodies of the other Arakis Beasts All three had collapsed and blood leaked out of their eyes ears mouth and nose What the hell happened to them

Bogart shrugged They tried to imprint on your movement Their eyes started glowing and their innate abilities engaged But when you actually started moving one by one they collapsed Their bodies just gave out

Huh Randidly said He gave Bogart a flat look Well catching them now doesn�t count Make sure they survive alright

Chapter 2099

Randidly opened his eyes to look at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom He sighed in resignation but still pushed himself up to his elbows he had known he would need to begin this process soon he just hadn�t realized it would call to him

Perhaps it wasn�t one of his four cores of negative emotions but patience had never been one of his strengths

Before he could move he noticed a doppelganger sitting at the end of the bed The other Randidly with pure black eyeballs smiled over at him Morning sleepyhead Did you think we would wait around forever for you to act against us Tsk what an optimistic soul you are We really are just like you you know we grow the most when our lives are on the line Giving us this time has only made us more powerful

The room shook as though the psyche born of emotion wanted to flex its capability Randidly scowled and hopped to his feet but his doppelganger just laughed and waved a hand Oh nothing can be done now It�s already too late You�ve continued to focus your energy in some areas and we�ve taken care of others I think you will find you lose something quite precious this time And if you don�t want it to happen again just back off trying to contain us alright There is no reason we separate personalities can�t exist

With a growl Randidly sat bolt upright in the real world hyperventilating His brow was damp with sweat and a vague anxiety He reflexively released a massive blast of Nether into the surroundings based on the implied threat in the doppelganger�s smile and caused the fabric of the memory around him to begin to tremble Cursing quietly Randidly pulled back and attempted a more reserved search for the source of his queasy feeling

He scanned the farm and found nothing amiss He reached into the Alpha Cosmos and contacted the Pantheon to see if someone had been kidnapped from there somehow Yet it was not until he walked out into the warm sun and glance around at the farm that he realized what he was missing

He looked down at Sulfur almost sadly His heart ached Do you know what happened to Acri

The arm released a pulse of bitter negativity that hung around Randidly�s inner awareness like curdled milk smelled Just from that strange taste of rot Randidly knew what core of negative emotion he now faced

Envy had taken Acri somehow Randidly still felt the connection to the Soulseed but it also felt muffled As though he was only distantly connected and the doppelganger had a closer connection Randidly�s expression darkened A black bleak fury crept into his body as he felt estranged from the weapon companion that had served him well for so long

That had evolved again and again for him as he grew in power That had suffered along with him to transform into something peerless A Soulseed that he admittedly provided very little support and guidance He had long grown to rely upon Acri

And now this uppity ball of emotion He gritted his teeth

Almost out of habit Randidly flicked his wrist Acri did not slither up from his waist and straighten out to become his peerless spear The weapon truly had gone to exist in some other space

Demetrius found Randidly like that almost an hour later as he struggled to control the rising tide of suffocating emotions within him The old man�s face creased with worry My liege Is something the matter

Randidly blinked himself awake whatever this core of Envy had done it had also opened him up to additional influence from the cores of negative emotion The current antagonist envy was obviously there and so was rage a foe Randidly would get to eventually He couldn�t yet tell what the third core of negative emotion waiting within him would be but having these two foes identified was enough

Forcing himself to calm down Randidly spoke to the Nether Herald I�m fine I just wanted to inform you I won�t be able to help around the farm today I have some internal issues I wish to address

Demetrius gave Randidly a long look but simply nodded and turned away from him Feeling a horrible cauldron of negativity swirling inside of him Randidly returned to his small storeroom He chided himself for so long allowing himself to be distracted by the abrupt loss With deliberate care he sat down cross legged and closed his eyes In a moment he had sunk down into the mental area

He swore to himself that he would not take long to resolve this Because feeling the emotions leak so easily into himself made him recognize another truth about this problem that plagued him they were not leaking into him not truly Randidly was just finally acknowledging what had been within him the whole time

Ace looked up and blinked as Randidly stood next to his table He offered a tentative smile Hey man seats are free if you want to join

Where�s Acri Randidly hissed