LoRG 1

It was at that moment that Randidly’s momentum collected at the point of his obsidian spear met the wave of force from her skill and her skill shattered like an egg some of the recoil coming back towards her sending Ciel stumbling backwards Then she was hit by the noise of the world cracking

Aethon Thai jumped to his feet his hands balled into fists

The referee a man that Aethon trusted completely gave him a knowing look He was well aware that Aethon Thai wanted to immediately leap out there and protect Ciel but that would be an automatic forfeiture no matter how much influence Aethon had on the Northern Regional Tournament

In the referee’s mind the hope that Ciel would turn this around and win was why Aethon Thai didn’t act but the referee was mistake Sure Aethon was filled with fear but it was a dreadful excited fear

Because in the moments that the Ghosthound boy used his skill such was the force of his will in that moment that the world changed And not just for the recipient but for the whole of the audience The world flickered just for a split second as the skill was unleashed but everyone watching saw that desolate ashy world of broken ground and volcanos

The boy had reached the Artisan level Even if it was only for a short moment he had crossed the threshold of potency of image The rest would come with time

And it was with a skill that was definitely not from the Spear Phantom’s inheritance

This meant well it could possibly mean many many things But what it definitely meant was that there would be changes to the Northern Regions politics as this boy from a storied but relatively weak Style fought toe to toe with the greats of his generation And possibly earned himself a place in the Inter School Tournament

This potential would shake up the political structure It was hard to maintain a sense of superiority in the face of this example Even if most believed he was a once in a lifetime talent others would see the example he set and plot clawing their way up the social ladder And it was currently crowded enough up here as it was especially as they extended a hand towards the Breaking Dawn Style

Which was not what they needed Aethon felt a headache coming on But again the excitement about the boy’s talent especially as he continually improved over the course of the tournament couldn’t be discounted either All in all

Heh His drinking partner who was apparently the Ghosthound’s spear attendant said as he elbowed Aethon Thai in the ribs At this rate it looks like you will have a new son in law

Aethon froze The strange business man announcer they sat with at the table began to grind his teeth as he stared out at match

Still laughing his drinking partner slapped Claptrap the businessman Ah don’t make that face The Ghosthound already has Helen She will only ever be a second wife anyway so Claptrap I’m sure you will get a turn

Aethon made a brushing motion with his hand Very quickly it was only him and Claptrap remaining on the platform the previous bug having been flung and smashed into the ground behind them with a small act of will To Aethon’s surprise that bug had some skill because he was able to activate a skill with a strong image preserving its life But that was no matter

It was not that he really would hold this against his drinking partner in the long run But a precedent must be set Ciel should not be discussed in such terms

Ciel would never marry this Ghosthound

Ahem Aethon said lightly Let us continue watching the match

Claptrap nodded mutely

His chest heaving Randidly stumbled forward towards Ciel who just watched him with wide eyes As their gazes locked they both became abruptly aware of how weak the other was in the aftermath of those strikes

Randidly had used the force from his skill to break Ciel’s but it had stopped him almost dead leaving his body once more twitchy and weak Ciel was still struggling to cope with the huge force she had created early and then she was buffeted by the backlash from Randidly’s actions

Both of them breathed for several seconds Several small bits of obsidian fell to the ground making a tinkling noise The crack had become even larger spreading almost the entirety of the shaft and from the original crack more and more bits were falling away to the ground

Of the two of them Ciel recovered first raising her spear

The Silent Hunter Descends

Her spear whipped upwards then smashed down towards Randidly Again he was deeply impressed by the sudden speed with which she moved And from the look of that strike it was a level of power above her previous skills this skill was designed to crush and kill

Unfortunately for her Randidly had some rather unfair skills in his repertoire Although he had never used it like this in the past he had some faith that it would work Her attack was fast but it wasn’t so fast that Randidly couldn’t raise his spear to block it So Randidly stood still his spear raised in a defensive posture watching the powerful attack spiral towards him

Then Randidly narrowed his eyes

Ciel twisted her spear whistling right past Randidly but not striking him Her eyes widened and their gazes once more locked

Ciel had expected Randidly had been holding something back and would have just enough strength squirreled away to use the Spear Phantom’s Embrace again To her it was absolutely ridiculous that Randidly would stand and allow her to strike him like that especially after she had been overpowering the entirety of the match

The fact that he just stood there meant he was either an idiot or had another card left

The fact that he hadn’t reacted at all meant he had to be an idiot Which caused Ciel’s mental gears to fall out of sync for a split second and sputter to come back together Randidly grinned All the while warm rejuvenating energy was flooding up through his bare feet into his body The longer that Ciel took to attack the better

Still she wasn’t the drilled prodigal daughter of the Steel Feather Style for nothing Instantly her spear whipped around sideways aiming to smash his weakened stance Again Randidly simply stood but this time Ciel just narrowed her eyes and committed putting everything into this blow This would make or break her shot here

The spears touched

Absolute Control Freeze

Randidly couldn’t resist the force on his own But if he borrowed the systems help

Their spears smashed together His obsidian chipped even further The wave of force traveled into him through his froze body and then finding no purchase rebounded back outwards his body used almost like a trampoline tensing up and throwing it back That wave of force went back through his spear where more obsidian chips fell off and into Ciel’s body

She swayed then dropped her spear and brought both her hands up to her mouth trying to block the blood filled vomit that spewed out onto the stage

Then the skill wore off of Randidly and very part of his body screamed at him Although he wanted to he couldn’t find the strength to raise his spear so he dropped that too mimicking her Then with all the strength he could manage he took a step towards Ciel who regarded him silently

For a long time they just breathed and looked at each other Then Ciel took a step towards each him and suddenly they were only a half meter away both weaponless

How did you Ciel asked wonderingly her eyes boring into him

Randidly didn’t even have the strength to shrug He just looked at her gathering his mana for one last spell although it was hard to imagine moving his mana burdened with wariness as he was

It was fun

Then Ciel collapsed forward her head hitting his chest For a second he froze but then his traitorous hands which had previously been so tired instinctively caught her

The entire arena was silent

Then a cough

The winner is Randidly Ghosthound The referee announced

Chapter 261

Aethon Thai couldn’t deny that his instincts which had told him right as the fight was beginning that this might happen This was always a possibility But he just he just wished

He watched his daughter fall forward her head leaning against the boy’s chest The boy instantly embraced her A roaring filled his ears as his fists on the desk in front of him tightened This this presumptuous

A voice drifted over from a nearby crater in the ground where the voice’s owner had been smashed earlier Kukuku Stop it you two save something for the wedding night

The blood drained out of Claptrap’s face and he looked deathly ill Meanwhile that blood seemed to drain straight out of him and into Aethon who felt his vision become tinged with red Still Aethon was forced to push down his urge to once more smash his drinking partner because several referees rushed the arena as the Ghosthound too collapsed after the announcement of his victory

Because they were touching already as they fell towards the ground all Aethon Thai could imagine was the worthless Ghosthound taking advantage of the confusion and

Wow I truly am lucky to be a spear attendant to such a bold man right in front of her father kukukuku

With a twitching eyelid Aethon moved at the maximum possible speed cracking the announcer booth and sending Claptrap sprawling appearing at the two youth’s side before the referees could get there his hands extending to shove the Ghosthound away and grab his daughter

To his surprise there was an individual who was only a half step behind him who was reaching for the Ghosthound A bald aged man with soft eyes and a firm jaw Someone that after a split second of surprise Aethon recognized

Divveltian It truly has been too long Heh I was wondering about how this Ghosthound could accomplish so much so he was your student as well

Divveltian smiled and there was something very bitter about it that threw Aethon Heh I’m surprised you remembered me Captain Thai but no I cannot claim responsibility for this boy That move was self invented

Aethon Thai’s eyes widened He created that

A runic rarity skill set Divveltian answered in a very small voice

Hey don’t act like I’m not still here The Ghosthound boy said struggling to stand up To Aethon’s surprise Divveltian stepped back and away letting him stand on his own and although he swayed back and forth the Ghosthound stood straight looking haggard but well enough

Congratulations boy He said simply his face becoming much more serious as his eyes scanned the youth in front of him searching for something And also deathly afraid that he would bring up Ciel’s promise of marriage at this juncture in such a public location Although it would hurt his pride he would simply deny it no matter

It really was a lot of fun But we still have much more to do The Ghosthound boy muttered staring fixedly at Ciel and then fell backwards where Divveltian was there to grab his shoulders

If it wasn’t for both of them having served together on the frontlines for several years Aethon Thai might have eviscerated the Ghosthound and Divveltian both It was a lot of fun GRABBING HIS DAUGHTER LIKE THAT AND THEY STILL HAD MORE TO

His chest heaving Aethon forced himself to turn away holding his daughter protectively Perhaps he thought they would simply flee the city running from this womanizing fool Ghosthound No matter what promises promise ahem his daughter might have made this was truly too much for him to handle

Divveltian’s final words gave Aethon pause but then they parted ways with their injured charges Be careful Captain Thai There is something very bad going on in Deardun I smell a very familiar perfume Something very very nostalgic

Randidly grinned up at Divveltian’s stern face But the older spear user continued to glower at him before finally sighing

You mean to tell me Divveltian said slowly That both of those moves were done for the first time there on the stage That you did them blindly without understanding their effect on your body

Randidly’s smile faltered somewhat Well mostly I didn’t make the mental connection that I needed to ever before It was a concept sort of thing For both of them Once they clicked I felt like I could accomplish it so

Are you mentally handicapped Divveltian said his glare even more vicious now Setting aside the damage you could have done to your body your own resilient nature would have probably protected you I’ll give you that why would you think that you could successfully perform one let alone TWO variants of your moves in one match You are a lucky piece of shit that she didn’t force you to use the Phantom’s Embrace again or you would have just gotten yourself a shattered spine

I Randidly went to say but he was swiftly cut off

No don’t even start I’ve seen the Phantom’s Embrace done you got lucky today Without powerful observational skills and the physical abilities to keep up with what you will see you will just smash yourself without any guard up into their attack Maybe your variant on the charging skill is more reasonable but for the Phantom’s Embrace you played with fire Don’t be gleeful because you won but nervous because you almost died

Again Randidly opened his mouth but then what Divvet was saying slowly sank in and his mouth drifted closed He had a point He wasn’t sure how he had found the perfect edge of force to ride on the first time It had just been instinct Nothing more

But also

You knew Aemont You saw him fight Randidly asked After all Shal hadn’t been able to master the Phantom’s Embrace which was why Shal tried to get Randidly to master it It had ultimately paid off but still it could clearly demonstrate his frustration with his inability to master the skill If Divvet knew of the Phantom’s Embrace

yes Divvet answered shortly When used at its full force it made him invulnerable You are not at that point yet You cause ripples but that skill isn’t even at the Artisan level You need to focus on your image more But I suppose now you understand its full strength

But it couldn’t have made him invulnerable right Randidly asked sitting up wincing Even his own powerful regeneration was having a hard time coping with the huge amount of strain and micro muscle tears that he was plagued with After all he was killed by the Devourer

Divvet was silent for a long time It cannot be denied that Aemont is dead But I stayed on the front lines after he returned to his family The details of what happened in that castle no one truly knows

You fucking ghost Shal spat out along with a mouthful of blood glaring at the figure of Aemont standing over him Maybe he had gotten soft from all the time he had spent training Randidly but Shal had sorta believed that his level of skill and control had increased a level based on his spar with the boy without killing him

But his father no Aemont continued to stand tall and firm a wall in his path

The other real impediment to victory was the fact Shal was stubbornly refusing to attack with the Spear Phantom Style He would only use the Style created by himself and Pronto in those whispered brotherly moments all those years ago

It was shallow and contradictory and inefficient but Shal refused to give up At least this Style was based on integrity And no matter the disparity between them Shal would not give in and use the skills taught to him by Aemont

What was most annoying about the whole arrangement was not that Shal was being beaten but that the whole time ghost Aemont didn’t say anything about it He didn’t encourage Shal to switch from the weak Style didn’t taunt him on his weakness and the weakness of the Style didn’t lord his superiority over Shal at all

It seemed that Aemont even had a deep respect for Shal’s decision Which of course made Shal furious The damn ghost had even stopped its constant Take It’s that had become so common in the last few stretches of dreamscape that Shal remembered

Straightening slowly Shal readied his spear Aemont watched him his eyes mild his hands on his spear relaxed He exuded an impossible confidence just like the real thing had done A strength that made all other things unnecessary A strength that gave him the confidence to take what he wanted and expect others around him would do the same

A strength that inspired strength A strength that

that had a certain brutal integrity

Fuck you Shal whispered eyes burning as he tightened his hands on the shaft of the spear then lashed out towards Aemont

Chapter 262

Randidly smiled at his path screen looking at all of the PP he had accumulated in the last day There truly was nothing quite like almost dying to boost PP accumulation

Randidly had gained 3 Skill Levels in Spear Mastery 2 in Heavy Blow and Dodge 1 in Fighting Proficiency and Block 4 in Haste Empower and Idiosyncratic Cut 3 in Battle Intent and Struggle 5 in Body Control Freeze and the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 2 in Stalemate Breaker 3 in Spearing Roots 2 in Root Control and Wall of Thorns 1 in Physical Fitness and Meditation 3 in Grace and Bacterial Regeneration 4 in Superiority and Second Wind and 2 in Flexibility of the White Hunters and Living Blood

Of course the greatest gains were the 9 Lvls gained in Phantom’s Embrace and the 17 gained in the Spear Advances Ash Trails

Not included in the list of benefits was the fact that Randidly had apparently crossed the threshold of the Artisan level during his Spear Advances which meant that soon most of his skills would receive a large boost in utility as they grew to meet that threshold as well

There was apparently a certain potency of Willpower that was required for this a certain discipline Once you had proven to yourself that you possessed that it would soon pervade every part of your fighting style which Randidly was looking forward to very much

After he had finished the Anguish I Path Randidly had started putting points into the Intermediate Battle Intent Path which had given 1 Willpower every 10 PP Randidly poured all of these new points into that path before falling short of the goal of 200 at 117 Still it was a significant step towards the end of the path which Randidly predicted would have a nice boost on his Battle Intent

His Soul Skill also finished another complete rotation and a notification popped up

The world of your soul skill turns The denizens of your inner world evolve After the descent of your two blessings upon the world word of your existence has spread from the White Hunters to all races All begin in their private ways to whisper your name

The Matriarch grows old and her daughters bicker the White Hunters’ power beginning to splinter For this reason their population grows as they spread apart but also their previously united strength wanes and they become drawn into the struggles of the other races

A Swampling Champion has risen wielding the Hammer of Dawn to defend the The Great Weave Their power becomes increasingly consolidated as their spells grow more esoteric their influence on the world more insidious

A long and bitter war has raged between the Earth Golems and the Spriggits over control of the Scepter of Dominance Populations of both of both have taken hits but Spriggit fertility had given them an overwhelming numerical advantage But the Earth Golems have the Scepter in their grasp and an Emperor is rising one who dreams of the world under his control

The monster variants taking advantage of the world grow stronger and more bold Boss class monsters are occasionally spotted with enough strength to require an army to defeat them

Underneath this all the gears of the world start to turn Ambient Aether in the world has slightly increased

It has been three cycles since this world’s creation Would you like to add anything to the world (Warning the added qualities will be taken from a skill A single skill level will be consumed in the taking Other side effects are unknown)

Randidly winced Adding those skills as specific items of power to the world certainly had effects Effects that didn’t appear particularly positive Randidly made a mental note that he really needed to check out that Godling Path after he had some downtime in the wake of the tournament Being able to influence the world in a more direct way would make him feel slightly less guilty about what he was doing to them

Although to be fair it was likely that he would just fuck it up worse maybe it was smarter to create more Soul Seed plants that seemed to have some more subdued influence Although they were now causing boss class monsters to spawn so it’s not like it was a gentle thing either

Randidly had a headache Truly it was not easy having a small world floating in his chest But ultimately he believed that improving the world was for the best so Randidly chose to add Bacterial Regeneration and the Spear Advances Ash Trails The former to hopefully mitigate some of the damage dealt by the fighting the latter because well honestly because Randidly was proud of it and it was his own skill Maybe that would add something meaningful to the world

Both were split into a fine mist that drifted downward over the world settling over everything There also didn’t seem to be any immediate effects which was reassuring

Although the biggest gains had come from the Spear Advances Ash Trails it had been because Randidly had suddenly had a profound sense of inspiration about what he wanted to accomplish with the image Everything had come together Repeating that would be extremely difficult If he could then finishing off this Path before the next match was possible but

Not that he necessarily needed it but every edge would be something Still 80 or so PP in the week break before the next match 50 would maybe be doable with the assistance of Azriel with Divvet giving pointers as well

Even if Shal was here

Randidly’s face scrunched up in annoyance That was something he needed to deal with How to handle Lucretia if she were to turn up again

Then Randidly sighed because there was a strange tickling on the back of his neck He turned around slowly much more prepared this time

Speak of the devil

Lucretia blinked at him What does that mean

After a second of floundering Randidly shook his head smiling slightly Of course she wouldn’t know it was a saying from his world It means that when you speak of an unlucky star it will hear and come find you

With her lovely eyes and flowing lavender hair Lucretia smiled a small smile of shock and satisfaction pointing to herself after a small hesitation She almost seemed to be flattered by the thought of it Randidly nodded

Speak of the devil and she will hear and come find you I like it Lucretia said humming Then she turned to him So have you thought about my proposal

I have Randidly said firmly squashing his nervousness Let’s trade

Randidly looked for a long time at Lucretia who just smiled at him Again the room around them was extremely dark The inn around them was completely silent The water in the basin under the mirror was still not even the slightest ripple

Lucretia’s smile stretched wider Well State your terms

Gritting his teeth Randidly hesitated for several more seconds He just didn’t have any confidence in being able to get what he wanted because he had no real understanding of what was going on with Shal What was her influence over him What was the deal with the final gift for Aemont Had it been given already

Randidly had seen Shal in his vision and he seemed deeply in a trance But

What Randidly didn’t have was time There was too much going on at once too much pressure from this situation and from the tournament and the bonds pulling him towards the two people that have assisted him Azriel and Shal He knew this would impact his reasoning skills but in the moment he couldn’t see any way around taking a gamble

Which probably was further proof it was a bad idea

Shal must be released and brought here All your influence on him should be removed And Now Randidly sputtered out but then he forced himself to continue Even if this was the wrong answer it was better to act confident than to let Lucretia have anymore clues that he felt out of his depth Aemont’s final gift don’t hold Shal accountable for it

That was hopefully general enough This was also counting on Bertarn’s impression that Lucretia was heavily bound by her word If that wasn’t true all of this was worthless But she was stronger than him and he had nothing to offer but this

Smiling sweetly Lucretia snapped her fingers Shal appeared standing then swayed and fell onto the bed then sliding off onto the floor with a crash Chuckling Lucretia rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers Shal sighed then seemed to fall into a more peaceful slumber

Done All previous debts are eradicated All current influence has been removed Now Lucretia’s eyes began to glow lavender a sickly imitation of the powerful violet of Aether It’s time that you make good on your promise Give me Aether child

Lucretia left filled with a strange mix of anxiety and excitement She watched the whole process with her magical vision very closely but she was no closer to understanding how he did what he did or what the source of that Aether was than she had been before But what she did notice is that there was a strange faint connection between them now a gossamer thread drifting in the wind remaining constant even as she teleported away

It was something she knew she could use But she also was careful of his awareness This was not a process Lucretia understood and she didn’t want some sort of backlash to be unleashed on her just because she had rushed into something foolishly

Sitting down in her clearing Lucretia petted the head of the Yeti its eyes focusing on her hatefully I know you are lonely but it had to be done It’s fine though he will come back all on his own That little disciple of yours Shal I’m starting to wonder if he knows anything about you at all

Lucretia had very white teeth and flashed them to the Yeti head Then again poor Shally doesn’t even know it yet himself But soon he will And then he will come back to me seeking answers Or I’ll just go find him myself I haven’t decided yet

Chapter 263

Divvet stopped Randidly as he was leaving the inn He’s still asleep and he looks to be locked in some inner conflict Two parts of his Battle Intent are fighting each other It is exceedingly strange

Randidly nodded then moved to step past Divvet but the older man put his hand on his shoulder

Where are you going His voice was stern with a hint of fear hiding at the edges But the emotion was strong enough for Randidly to detect it even in his own emotional state Randidly’s emotion was mostly panic and a low current of self hatred If he had asked for more specific things if he hadn’t been afraid of seeming dumb by requesting too much or by pushing for more answers

Randidly hadn’t wanted to give away how little he knew but in retrospect two things were clear Lucretia had known exactly how little he had known and ultimately Randidly had held all of the power Lucretia wanted access to more Aether whatever the cost She would have agreed to his terms if he had only pushed

Then again Randidly had no idea whether his little information on how Lucretia operated was true at all Perhaps even if he had asked for more she would have just said yes and then

But ultimately Randidly knew what had held him back most was his own social weakness She had taken him by surprise by appearing before he had worked out a plan and taken advantage of it With her sudden arrival Randidly behaved exactly how he had learned to by instinct by advancing

In this instance however it was not for the best It had been several hours but Shal remained asleep locked in some combat of Battle Intent in his mind Divvet had suspected that someone could use Battle Intent to release him from it but it would require someone of the Pontiff level and those weren’t figures that were easy to bring to your side

Especially when Randidly had upset so many of the plans of Deardun’s elite Divvet promised to make inquiries but

All in all Randidly was frustrated at his own inexperience and weakness in the important moment It was a reminder though that although his strength was growing it was a one dimensional strength only focused on the spear use and offensive spells

You are worthless Randidly’s father whispered just to him

Randidly’s mother smiled prettily Sorry hun I’ll be out with tonight You can make yourself dinner right

Randidly’s mouth twitched but otherwise he ignored the phantoms There was no proof this was healthy or even helpful but Randidly had activated Torment letting the ghosts of his past haunt him Because what he needed was mental toughness whatever the cost

To train Randidly said softly as he pulled himself out of Divvet’s grip I’m no good just waiting around here I need the distraction If anything changes

Of course I’ll send someone Divvet said nodding his eyes shifting to a knowing look Perhaps he had some inkling of Randidly and Shal’s relationship because he made no further effort to stop Randidly’s departure

Everyone will leave you in the end His father mused If you have nothing of value to offer And you

Worthless Ace sighed shaking his head floating in the air around Randidly

Aethon Thai looked at the figure in front of him then over to the window to his study where Ciel was still recovering then back to the figure in front of him His drinking partner the Ghosthound’s male spear attendant was battered and bruised but still somehow managed to stagger back up to his feet his usual affable smile in place

Hmm some light exercise eh The foolish drinking partner said rubbing his hands together his expression especially bright

Aethon Thai was flummoxed You know I hit you with almost 20% of my power right there And you are still standing Not only that but You are almost an Artisan Your image

Then Aethon shook his head It seems that in taking a beating at least you are a genius But nothing else

Pounding his chest proudly his drinking partner nodded

Aethon sighed with exasperation This fool didn’t he realize that there were very few situations where a firm defense would be able to carry the day Only when defending can it be useful and when you are solely defending yourself it can only lead to a draw But still those other skills could be trained if he is this talented in

Father

Aethon turned around quickly forgetting this fool that he had brought back to the Steel Feather Style Compound to release some stress Ciel had walked out of the study and stood on the edge of the courtyard wearing simply a thin shirt of his which absolutely enveloped her

Unfortunately it only reached mid thigh on her revealing a bit too much leg in front of this idiot for Aethon’s tastes but You’ve recovered

Yes but Ciel frowned

Aethon’s face turned stormy Are there lingering wounds

Oh no nothing like that Ciel said waving her hand lightly If anything I feel amazing Lighter freer than I have ever before It isn’t such a bad thing right Daddy that I lost

His face softening Aethon stepped towards his daughter No sweet thing it’s not Even I have to admit that boy is strong He deserves to represent us to the Inter School competition

Yes he had very direct eyes It reminds me of you Ciel mused rubbing her chin I’m just wondering I think he completely forgot about our marriage bet Should I just wait or go to him and bring it up I want to be seen as a woman of her word With how many people know about it I probably need to

She trailed off The training spear in Aethon’s hand snapped and his blood beginning to pound Honey surely

No I need to do this Ciel said her eyes determined I’ve always just followed along with what you’ve said done everything for the sake of the Style this foolish bet was the first thing I did on my own I just want to handle the consequences myself To be myself

Although Aethon suddenly had a tirade of acidic commentary on her opponent’s flaws in his throat it remained lodged there he was torn between protecting his daughter and allowing her to grow Ultimately the urge to let her grow won and he remained silent

Not that this was a purely fatherly sentiment Aethon had known for a long time that Ciel had been too meek about her fate to ever be a truly influential powerhouse in her own right She could serve as one of the vice leaders of the Steel Feather Style but she hadn’t yet shown the spine or initiative to have the potential for anything more It was just profoundly aggravating that she chose to finally show some stubbornness for a dumb boy

Milady if you’d like to go over now I’d be happy to accompany you to see the Ghosthound Aethon’s drinking buddy said bowing foppishly I of course stay in the room next to his

Perfect Ciel said hopping down off the raised porch and into the courtyard proper Aethon’s eyebrows raised in horror as the small hop caused even more of his daughter’s legs to be exposed

Surely you Aethon began in his sweetest voice trying not to grab Ciel and just lock her in her room but he was interrupted by the drinking buddy walking up to Aethon and rapping his knuckles on Aethon’s chest

Can’t you see her mind is set Can you not even support your daughter

As the two then departed Aethon just stood frozen After they had gone he spoke enunciating each syllable very clearly

I will kill you someday It will not be quick

But the sentiment quickly dissipated and Aethon hurried over to the several craters he had made sparring with his drinking partner earlier to deal with his frustrations

Even after a careful investigation Aethon was left flummoxed The force had clearly dispersed through that fools body and impacted the ground Yet somehow his body hadn’t taken enough damage to incapacitate him at all It honestly hurt Aethon’s pride a bit This boy nothing short of cutting off his head or ripping out his heart would kill him

And filled his heart with a small amount of fear This Ghosthound he is definitely surrounded by complicated characters

Chapter 264

When will you be leaving the city Turn asked Ikaas his face red his grip on his glass of beer tight Helen just sighed

Being a chaperone was profoundly more fucking annoying than she would have expected In her mind her respect for her mother had risen a great deal that she had the patience to sit through the absolute cart crashes that Helen’s dates were showed a sort of mental strength that defied imagination

Uh well Ikaas’ face was red too but flushed in a good way As it had become apparent that Helen really didn’t need to pay for liquor the diminutive innocent looking girl had begun downing the stuff like there was no tomorrow What was perhaps most impressive about this exchange was that Ikaas was on her 12th beer while Turn had 4 and they both appeared to be at the same level of intoxication

It was in a way cute but in another way rather daunting because Helen was on her 6th and was starting to feel the edges of her vision blur Perhaps perhaps she had severely underestimated this cute cousin of hers

Well whenever the Ghosthound finishes I believe Ikaas finished meandering through her words looking to Helen for guidance We are supposed to stay until Helen leaves

I’m not coming back with you Helen interrupted wearily She had long suspected that her mother would try something like this but she wasn’t going to bite into the temptations left for her Even after spending time with Ikaas familial affection hadn’t filled her driving her to return to the leatherworking hovels she hailed from If anything it had filled her with surety that Ikaas could take care of herself

Ikaas just shrugged helplessly and turned back to Turn who simply burped and smiled pleasantly at Ikaas They both began to giggle like children Helen sighed The Aether in her chest flowing to her from the Ghosthound spun softly warming and cooling her at the same time filling her with life

And hope

The stores around them were closing as it was now late in the night and most people were heading home to sleep off the night’s alcohol in preparation to begin it again tomorrow Helen honestly had no idea how the economy of Deardun was going to survive the tournament and the subsequent introduction of alcohol into the common activities Most other businesses were ground to a halt She supposed the nearby dungeon dives were still occurring but

An explosion shook the streets of Deardun Helen and Turn both leapt to their feet their battle instincts cutting through the haze of intoxication peering towards the western part of the city where the noise had originated Turn frowned and opened his mouth to speak then a ripple crossed the entire city

It was a Battle Intent communication one that only a Pontiff level existence could create It said that a dangerous criminal was being apprehended and to avoid the site of the battle

The absolute dominance of it made Helen shiver She instinctively wanted to follow this will based communication and return to drinking Because everything was fine It was a huge muffling sensation as a will so large that it could affect a whole city settled over them

Fuck that Helen muttered rubbing her arms and standing

You shouldn’t go Turn said nervously There’s no mistaking that the Styles of Deardun support what is happening If you get involved

After a moment’s hesitation Helen shook her head and still began walking towards the noise Ikaas hopped up and followed dragging along Turn her eyes bright

Aren’t you at least curious The girl said her mouth twisting in a smile Then she skipped off after Helen Turn felt the blood drain out of his face

But he couldn’t resist her And after chugging the rest of his liquor he followed

We warned you The middle figure said simply The Spear Phantom Style was never to make it past the top 8 Now our only choice is to eliminate you

Randidly staggered to his feet He had barely managed to throw himself backwards out of the way when the three had launched their first attacks their wills all condensing and absolutely annihilating the spot where he had been standing

Luckily Shal had previously done similar sneak attacks while they were training in the prison and the footwork was practically second nature at this point Otherwise

And based on the attack all three of them were at the Artisan level And their images weren’t flimsy like Randidly’s they contained power

Why Randidly asked through gritted teeth desperately using his will to cause his blood to seep back into his body rapidly increasing his health It wouldn’t restore him to full but it would rid him of any encumbrances and probably bring him back to about half health

We don’t monologue The middle figure the spokesman of the group said with a sneer in his voice raising his spear and moving forward The three figures were all of similar height and were wearing brown robes The only way to differentiate them was by their spears The leader/center had a simple black spear The man on his left had one that appeared to be brown and made of wood The right man had a large golden spear

Do you think you can do just what you please inside the limits of Deardun Randidly said harshly while feeling inwardly very very nervous But just as the familiar fear of death rose in his throat the cold brutality he had learned in the prison rose to meet it He produced his large obsidian spear but winced looking at the huge cracks running through it

That certainly wasn’t helpful

The figures didn’t answer but simply attacked

What was even more intimidating was how well they worked together splitting up and moving to surround him as Black Spear blurred rushing directly forward

Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest and produced several Walls of Thorns getting rid of his assailants’ vision But to his dismay they simply ripped directly through the walls not swayed in the least Spearing Roots already ripped upward to meet them but all three displayed a high level of agility weaving through them

Desperate Randidly pressed with his will and Spearing Roots shot sideways out of the previous roots inflicting some small wounds Golden Spear was especially affected by this and a large gash was cut into his side But it barely slowed him at all

It was at that moment that Randidly rapidly used Phantom Half Step creating distance But even then his Stamina was rapidly depleted and Black Spear was too fast cutting through the distance faster than he could create it

Although Randidly was fresh off a win he had no confidence that he could withstand a direct strike from the other’s spear Even just being in the area after he had dodged had left him with significant wounds Aether roared in his body some inner beat waking His body began to heat very very rapidly so that his bones began to burn

With brilliant emerald eyes Randidly bared his teeth Circle of Flame

A huge blast of flame rushed outwards smashing into Black Spear making even his tyrannical advance pause Which was just what Randidly needed

He activated Phantom Half Step teleporting towards Gold Spear the slightly wounded one twice in quick succession Very quickly he appeared before the man whose almost super human reactions meant that a spear was already whistling towards Randidly’s throat

But it wasn’t an extremely accurate attack and Randidly activating Phantom’s Embrace and moving rapidly away was enough to avoid the blow Both of the other two adjusted with equal alacrity although Black Spear seemed singed and slightly slower than previously

Raising his hand Randidly continued to run away through the hole he had made for himself while shooting several Incinerating Bolts He may as well not have bothered the three spear users weaved around the bolts without the slightest decrease in speed Several beads of sweat wound their way down Randidly’s temples as the Aether inside of him roared in challenge

Everything began to spin in a furious current growing stronger and stronger in his chest Randidly spared the surrounding area a swift glance Not only had help not arrived but there was no one on the streets It’s as if

They were being kept away by the powers that be That this attack on him was sanctioned

Randidly’s heart sunk as he remembered the words of his attackers and the warning that Bertarn had given him about proceeding past the top 8 If these people were really supported by the city Then no foreign help would arrive

Shal was out of commission and Divvet was watching him Aside from them Randidly didn’t think there were any powerful spear users in the area

Hahaha need help little boy A dry and almost dead Aether Tether in Randidly’s chest vibrated and a soft feminine voice filled Randidly’s ears

Chapter 265

Lucretia’s voice was warm like rotting milk and it felt just as greasy and unwelcome as it dripped over his skin

What was worse was that it set off a huge surge of emotions inside Randidly causing the image of Phantom’s Embrace to waiver Only earlier that day had Lucretia appeared and Randidly had been too nervous to bargain much and it had likely cost Shal The fact that she dared show up now offering help

It showed how much Randidly had let her get away with She was cocky

And it really really pissed him off

With his will Randidly reached creating a firmer mental connection than she dared Anguish

A familiar pain crashed into him along with a heavy weight of mental buzzing that ground away at the edges of Randidly’s consciousness Immediately he could feel Lucretia’s shock and she attempted to recoil but he held fast mentally gripping her bringing her into his misery Actually

Randidly activated Torment then too and thousands upon thousands of whispers sprang up around him It was disconcerting to say the least This level of action from Torment was far beyond what he was used to but he supposed it triggers for the individual Since he had a mental connection with Lucretia at the moment the skill affected her as well and some of her deepest phantoms made their way to the surface

You are worthless unwanted They said hundreds at a time their whispers twisting and merging into a droning buzz You will die You cannot escape it Give up

Lucretia’s mental struggles began to grow but although he could feel the power of her Battle Intent because this was a connection based on an Aether Tether she could bring none of that to bare She flared wildly just aiming to crush him back with her superior Willpower Although it definitely seemed she was much much stronger than him he did have some levels in the Mental Strength and Mental Fortitude Skills and was able to endure just barely

Also as she resisted him he gained several levels in each which was a nice bonus

But this internal struggle was just a distraction and Randidly quickly put his vindictive strike back at Lucretia on the backburner Although it was incredibly insidious at weakening his will Randidly left Torment active at least as long as he could

Although Torment didn’t reach the three assailants Anguish certainly did and they all were approaching more hesitantly unable to understand the waves of agony that were caused by Randidly’s energy Randidly’s mouth quirked up in a wry smile He supposed they could just wait him out after all Anguish still ran off of health He would drain himself dry like this eventually

At the same time all three assailants burst back into motion blurring to a speed even greater than their previous advance It seemed the strange skills were increasing their sense of urgency Which was annoying because Randidly had to believe something would change if he bought himself enough time

Activating Burning Footsteps Randidly continued to flee backwards farther down the road towards the edge of the city It would be better to move deeper rather than farther out but that would mean somehow breaking through the web of the assailants Randidly thought he could manage it but until he ran out of options he wouldn’t want to expend all of that Stamina

The flames were rather weak due to the low Burning Footsteps skill level but Randidly had put a lot of points into Intelligence which upped the damage and pain they inflicted Although these three seemed to have enough Health to just charge through the fire hopefully the continued burns would lead to a mistake

Which they actually didn’t in terms of giving the spear users any sort of hesitation They stepped right onto them stomping with such force that a shockwave blasted outwards putting out most of the flames Spearing Roots shot out again but they weaved through them A raven condensed above the head of Black Spear as he thrust forward

Randidly threw himself to the side cursing himself letting Anguish and Torment drop

Let this be a lesson to you Randidly whispered mentally to Lucretia as he loosened his grip and let her go He could feel her fury and embarrassment but although it was a short term feeling it filled him with vindictive joy Serves her right

Unfortunately as Randidly got himself back in fighting position it placed him right in front of Brown Spear who lashed out with a speed so fast that Randidly could just block and hope for the best

With a sickening crack the head of Randidly’s obsidian spear shattered and Randidly was thrown backwards where he crashed into a building The wall cracked and caved in slightly and Randidly’s spine groaned painfully Little needles of numbness ran through his arms and legs especially present in his extremities

Holy fuck Randidly swore a real fear rising in him Already he could feel his regeneration kicking in trying to fix the problem but a spine injury he had healed through a lot since the System arrived so he had considered himself largely invulnerable But paralysis Could that be healed through He hadn’t seen any real handicapped people in Shal’s world aside from those people missing limbs

The three assailants approached spears raised Randidly’s hands tightened to fists and although the spear had shattered Randidly was surprised to find that he was still holding something It was still a spear likely the spine of the obsidian spear that Randidly had been using previously

They were taking their sweet time now that they had hit him and seen his weapon break sidling forward so Randidly shifted his grip brushing away the broken obsidian shards which glowed with a strange strength Spine was an appropriate term for this spear because it was long yellowed with age and made of smooth bone Swirls of Engravings covered its surface and for several long seconds Randidly got lost in the craft of it The mastery in the strokes the subtleties of the mana application

Black Spear raised his namesake and pointed it at Randidly Die

Inspiration Circle of Flame

The world turned into an explosive inferno The destructive force was compounded by the fact that directly behind him was the resilient stone home so most of the powerful flames rebounded and went forward left right or up All of these directions being the standing locations of the assailants

All three were sent flying the heat and sudden explosive power burning away their robes and flinging their bodies back As all the mana drained out of Randidly he sighed feeling profoundly tired No rest for the wicked And there was no telling whether that would be a finishing blow even though they all seemed to have low Resistance so it was probably better to run

You fucking bug

Black Spear staggered forward his cloak burnt away revealing a surprisingly young man with short orange hair Most of his leather armor had been charred and blackened and to Randidly’s amusement his boots had been burnt to ash leaving only bare feet behind But it was also extremely discouraging because several of the nearby houses had collapsed backwards from the force of the explosion It looked like Black Spear’s armor had quite a few intricate Engravings that he could no longer make use of but otherwise

He had survived his battle strength intact The other two also staggered upwards from piles of rubble but seemed largely weakened and winded unable to participate as directly as they had previously Both of these two had orange hair of varying lengths as well It seemed like they were family members

I’ll squish you and grind your bones into flour bake you and have your loved ones use your remains to break their fast Black Spear said through gritted teeth Randidly wished him luck in that endeavor almost bitterly He would be hard pressed to find someone who could be considered a loved one Although he was close with Shal they had been estranged especially recently Divvet was like a kindly uncle

Marco Polo Randidly frowned Honestly Marco Polo had disappeared while they were heading to Deardun and he hadn’t ever given it a thought Hadn’t he stayed after the others left

But Randidly was forced back into the moment at hand as Black Spear began to stomp forward his eyes bulging with fury Randidly looked at the pure slender bone spear in his hands checking the balance of it Honestly it felt perfect Better by far than the bulky obsidian spear although a lot of the power and weight had gone It just felt like

It would be the type of spear used by a Phantom There was a jet black stone set right below the blade that drew the eye and was the only blemish on the bone surface Randidly’s mouth twitched When he returned to Donnyton how would Sam react to seeing a bone spear done so well

Don’t you fucking ignore Black Spear began but he was interrupted

Randidly you are late How long were you going to make me wait A voice asked and Azriel strolled forward out from behind a ruined building spinning her needle idly If trash like this push you hard well Maybe my hopes in you are misplaced

Randidly winced It’s been a long day alright Just give me a hand

You need not ask these are foreigners Azriel said crisply And they will be delivered back to the Central Region with our condolences

Chapter 266

Black Spear sneered at Azriel Hmph get the fuck out of my way or die just the same It makes no difference to me Hehehe in what sort of world would one of the Great Pillars listen to some uppity bitch from the trashy North Do you know who you are fucking with

Azriel leveled her spear Oh no you are right Now that I’ve thought about the consequences I’m feeling slightly overwhelmed

Randidly sighed and readied his own stance He had long grow used to Azriel’s extremely dry sarcasm It would not win her any hearts but it at least made her next move predictable She blurred rushing toward Black Spear Randidly activated Phantom’s Embrace and followed It would be preferable if he could stay in the back and use spells to support her but

Inspiration had left his mana pool as dry as a mummy’s throat Or as Azriel’s humor

Brown Spear seemed the more capable of the remaining two so Randidly moved to superimpose himself between him and Azriel Black Spear met Azriel with a roar raising his spear and flourishing it

Brown Spear moved more slowly but his spear strokes were oddly misleading and it was extremely difficult to get a good sense of his tempo Against Randidly’s better judgement once twice three times clashed all three times Randidly had his teeth jarred and was pushed back But strangely the spear in Randidly’s had possessed a strange resiliency and strength that enabled him to just barely hold out Apparently this spear core wasn’t so bad as a spear by itself

But the difference in technique was swiftly showing itself Randidly would conservatively estimate that all of Brown Spear’s skills were at the 150 Level which was a daunting fact His stats were probably high for his level too but were perhaps only a bit above Randidly’s which seemed to leave Brown Spear Puzzled as Randidly managed to resist his strikes time and time again if just barely

While they were fighting Randidly spared a glance for Golden Spear but that man seemed to have taken a lot of damage when Circle of Flame had hit him and used him as a wrecking ball on a nearby house He could barely stand and was just watching the other fight

Randidly snapped back to focus chiding himself for getting distracted during a fight but Brown Spear just lowered his spear slowly and stared towards the other fight as well After backing off a few steps to make Randidly feel better he turned and looked over towards Black Spear and Azriel

Azriel stood arms crossed Black spear was on his knees a hole in his neck struggling to speak

Azriel just shook her head sadly I watched for a bit while Randidly fought against you If I already knew all the moves you would use what hope do you have against me Blame your own hubris Don’t toy with your food you might choke

The Black Spear user swayed then fell forwards barely catching himself at the last moment with his hands A glob of blood splashed onto the ground as his spear fell over and clanged against the stone Then he collapsed

Azriel walked towards Randidly Come we are done here You two feel free to take the body

Gold Spear looked shocked Brown Spear did as well but he seemed to maintain some semblance of speaking ability No he would prefer to be left on the battlefield where he died but he he was the son of

He raised his spear to kill Azriel said leading Randidly away He determined his own ending

Then the two left and after a few seconds the two spear users fled as well heading in a very different direction

Ciel frowned as she looked towards the noises a short distance to the east What’s going on Why hasn’t anyone stopped the fighting

The strange friend of the Ghosthound who had led her towards the inn at which they were staying simply waved his hand airily Likely some youngins who were excited by the tournament Ah the exuberance of youth aye

How old even are you Ciel wondered aloud but the man didn’t answer as he led them finally into a rather cheap looking inn Ciel’s eyebrows knit together as her nerves surfaced Did the Ghosthound even remember the bet she had made She just she just wanted to feel in charge of her own life and had put her hand in marriage on the line

She didn’t know what would be the worse outcome that he had heard and wasn’t interest or that he hadn’t heard and would just be confused by the whole thing And honestly Ciel was a little confused and scared herself It had been an impulsive decision a childish struggle against the influence of her parents in her life

Ciel raised her hands and began rubbing them wildly through her hair messing it up as much as possible What the fuck was she even doing

She hurriedly fixed her hair as they approached the door An old man looked up as they entered Oh boy Are you two ah going upstairs for activities Try and keep the noise level down Shal’s still resting Claptrap is up there visiting him too

Ciel’s guide nodded seriously and Ciel could only flush They weren’t doing the kind of activities that the old man was suggesting

We are gonna need the Ghosthound there too The guide said seriously Is he around

The old man’s eyebrows rose Ciel wanted to die Hopefully crushed to death by the huge weight of irony hanging over the situation Let she be squished so tightly that nothing remained so her father could just mourn her peacefully without knowing about the absolutely abhorrent situation that she was currently in

No The old man seemed to be struggling with something then he sighed He went to train with that Azriel character He had a lot of aggression to work out But be careful I don’t think Helen will approve of your activities if she finds out

For the first time Ciel saw her guide visibly flinch and wilt at the mention of Helen Yea let’s make sure she doesn’t find out Is she here

No she’s with her cousin The old man said and her guide let out a huge sigh and ushered Ciel back out into the street where he began looking around then began to walk directly towards the sounds of the fighting

Is that a good idea Ciel asked skeptically The last thing that she needed right now was to get involved in something that was political enough for none of the protectors of Deardun to interfere Her father had a lot of clout but the leader of the Steel Feather Style was something of a hardass and if there were consequences her father would not be able to protect her from a very large punishment

Unswayed her guide continued forward leading her in a beeline for the increasingly loud clashes

Um oh what’s your name Ciel asked curiously I don’t even know who you are No one ever seems to say your name

The man turned grinning widely Oh I’m the most talented of Mr Randidly Ghosthound’s spear attendants Roge

A huge wave of heat and flame smashed outward and even though there were buildings in between them and the source it hit the two of them and sent them tumbling to the ground After the wave of force had passed they picked themselves up exchanged a glance and then rushed towards the source

Turn Ikaas and Helen stood hiding behind what used to be spear seller’s store which had its front caved in by the force of the spell and watched as Azriel walked out dueled the strange ambusher for several seconds and ripped a hole in his throat

Amazing I want to be just like her Ikaas whispered with bright eyes Helen was slightly affronted that her cousin had chosen this strange woman as her role model especially when Helen who had been protecting Ikaas for years was standing right next to her But she didn’t say anything Azriel was powerful and capable in a way that made Helen extremely intimidated as well

That was true strength The power to seize control of your life To escape the chains of your past

They watched Azriel and the Ghosthound depart and then the two surviving assailants retreat as will without moving to stop either of the groups Helen felt a deep deep sourness in her chest After all she just didn’t feel qualified to step out into that battlefield Those people were on a level far above her

So they turned and left only to find the male spear attendant and Ciel the Ghosthound’s opponent from earlier sneaking up behind them curious about the commotion When Helen explained curtly what happened carefully examining the body language between the two new arrivals they both seemed genuinely shocked

Inwardly Helen nodded Good for him He certainly had appealing qualities although they were really hard to see under his large glaring deficiencies Mostly his ability to handle abuse

The pair of them had apparently been heading to talk to the Ghosthound for some reason but Turn advised against it Those two they seem to have their own business Perhaps it is better to give them some space for now Azriel’s strong opinions are very well acknowledged in Deardun

So the group left cautiously probing the others whether they would like to grab a drink It seemed nobody was really against it so while Turn and Ciel seriously discussed who could have caused this attack to happen in hushed tones and the male spear attendant interjected useless nonsense Helen and Ikaas brought up the rear

Her cousin spared one last glance for the body just left there in the middle of the street and frowned Helen where did the body go

Chapter 267

Shal’s mental’ body had been beaten time and time again by the shade of Aemont who was absolutely brutal Each lesson was long and slow carving into Shal’s body the insufficiencies of his execution of the Style Every flaw was exposed before the creator of the Spear Phantom Style and Shal was again and again left mortally wounded only to magically heal due to the strange circumstances of this place

It was definitely a dreamscape Shal knew but it wasn’t like any sort of dream that Shal had had in the past It was amorphous and shrouded by mist and Shal was barely able to distinguish what was happening in the backdrop It was basically just a flat ground in which to duel Aemont

Inch by brutal inch Shal knew he was gaining ground on the shade too

Their spears clashed and both utilized impossibly sharp footwork while twisting and turning moving gracefully around each other In terms of strength Shal was surprised to find that he was slightly higher but this had honestly been holding him back somewhat Aemont always knew which clashes he needed to win and threw everything behind those strikes making Shal’s earlier victories mean little

That was the genius of Aemont or at least one of the strokes of genius His strength was in the control of his own strength He knew the moments to throw it all into a strike and he knew the other strikes to keep it back holding his opponents at bay

It was intimidating to say the least but Shal quickly absorbed every brutal lesson with his body He refused to give in easily to his father or the shade of his father This was a fight for his pride He refused to give in

Again and again their spears smashed together or glanced off of each other striking and moving quickly Shal’s eyes unfocused and he became less aware of the details of each encounter but more concerned with the broader dance Give to take Move to return Shift to strike

Because the longer Shal witnessed Aemont move Shal realized that this was just a pale shadow of Aemont of old not in skill but in stats This projection probably was barely over 100 in everything and yet could completely outclass him Or the much more frightening possibility that this shade wasn’t relying on stats at all but was simply using his absurdly high skill levels to oppress Shal

It was a powerful lesson So this was the tyranny of the one they called the Spear Phantom Every strike was a set up Every move was looking 20 moves ahead to the conclusion of the fight The goal was not to wound but to guide the opponent down the path of their own demise The Spear Phantom as Aemont discussed in his journal did not bring death but was only the message sent by death to the victim This was inevitable just accept it

Aemont’s spear slid silently towards Shal’s neck Shal’s own momentum carrying him towards it Instead of twisting away or attempting to block Shal just raised his spear All injuries in this strange world had healed almost instantly so Shal decided to ignore it and go for a simultaneous strike

Aemont twisted slightly unwilling to stop his own thrust but also unwilling to trade his life for Shal’s but at the moment Shal’s eyes flashed His spear twisted and curved taking on a life of its own utilizing the skills from his and his brother’s self created style His spear sunk into the heart of the shade of Aemont

Desperation fear a crazed need for strength a way out a way to prove himself

Because the one that I love is so far above my station that I

A woman with long purple hair smiling at me her teeth a strange bone white I can send you deep into the bowels of hell While you are there there will be plenty of chances to create an image worthy of that love you hold so dear What will it cost Well Aemont how about you just consider it a gift

The place she sent me I recognized It was the world that had fallen to their Calamity and which we had to constantly defend against incursions from on the Frontlines The portal did not lead to their military strongholds but to their countryside far away from the battlefields Horrible raid bosses held sway creating their small fiefdoms away from the leadership of the Calamity

There I almost died hundreds of times

Fear loneliness despair

But I killed thousands Tens of thousands

Surrounded by death I found the power I had been promised

Gasping Shal fell back blood spurting out of the wound on his neck Aemont stood coldly his eyes narrowed examining Shal carefully

That was ’ Shal realized suddenly Aemont’s interaction with Lucretia ’

That cold eternal fear the warring pride and frustration that pure hungry love the emotions stuck with Shal preventing him from putting any strength into his limbs He just sat on the ground staring up at his father Aemont was a cold man but for the first time Shal recognized that Aemont was a man of stark opposites An incredible amount of stress was compressed and folded inside his body and he neutralized it with a powerful love that flowed freely without reservations

But that left him with little left to interact with the rest of the world It was just a cold ambivalence

Then a spark of fury arrived setting Shal on fire Do you think

Shal took his time drawing out the words as he slowly stood Do you think this makes up for it all All the time every hour where we needed you and you just weren’t there

With a speed born of anger Shal struck This time he moved with the sinuous grace of him and Pronto’s Twin Fang Style but combining that with the principles of the Spear Phantom Style What he lost in inevitability Shal gained back in an unrelenting adaptable offensive Style that seemed to give even Aemont trouble

Once again Shal’s and Aemont’s spear entered a dance but this time Shal was ready This was a dance he had prepared for all his life And at the cost of taking a spear to the thigh his spear once again shot towards Aemont’s heart

A deep sadness a deep fear a deep wariness like a dead pool of salt water eroding his will every day

I can take both the boys My old friend Haelthing said putting his hand on my shoulder

No

Resolution

I don’t want that thing anywhere near my son My eyes hardened and I turned to go

Shal fell to his knees He remembered very vividly being sent away to stay with family friends while Pronto stayed with Haelthing learning the spear in a much more direct manner Sure Pronto was the first born son so it made sense but

That Thing Shal whispered He was just a boy when it all happened Why why The deep fears of his childhood came surging back Everyday where he wondered whether there was something wrong with him something different something cursed that had him so far away from everyone was it fucking true Did you really take out your anger on a child

Aemont looked at him silently Then he raised his spear his face widening in a smile

Randidly was smashed into the ground for the third time the wind completely knocked out of him Azriel nodded as if pleased

Really it’s shocking I would think that training like this would stop being effective after a time But you recover quickly and learn even quicker You are probably the most talented person I’ve ever seen aside from Drak and myself of course

Of course Randidly grumbled staggering to his feet

Azriel gave him a searching look but I still sense no tenacity from you in these fights Which is understandable because of my level of control

Randidly’s heart dropped out of his chest This psycho murderer who actively moved her spear towards his heart to follow when he dodged was talking about her control

She continued to speak but also you are holding a few things back I can sense it

Scratching his head Randidly shrugged Sure there were some other skills he could use specifically Inspiration but he couldn’t use it now obviously since he had burned it to survive against Black Spear But it was a card that he could use in the fight

But Azriel seemed to accept this nodding to herself This is probably for the best a man without any secrets will not long keep the attention of a woman Let’s go again

Her whole body blurred and Randidly scrambled to throw up his guard

Chapter 268

While whistling lightly an old man stepped forward The world around him blurred and shifted He stepped and again the land beneath him shifted where he was once on a forest path he was now standing atop a mountain The shift this time was more violent as well the ground underneath him cracking as he finished the stepping motion unable to bear the force of his step

The whistling itself was tuneless but wildlife nearby and even monsters felt a deep chill in their bones as they heard it instinctively cowering in fear putting their bodies closer to the ground But luckily it was gone the next moment and those who heard it straightened up in confusion wondering if that strange visceral reaction was just their imagination acting up

But the old man continued to step his hair and beard with not a strand of hair out of place or buffeted by wind He was immaculate a small smile on his face a broken tune on his lips

Step

Step

Then the old man paused this landing creating a clearing in what had once been a dense thicket of trees The broken trunks weren’t just sent flying but annihilated by his steps such was the force with which he arrived at his location

Through layers and layers of wrinkles the old man’s eyes sharpened

Deardun The old man said with obvious disgust his eyes making the distance between him and his target irrelevant He always disliked coming up to the Northern Region Not like some of his compatriots who believed that the Styles up here were inferior This was obviously not the case across the board no matter how other elders might moan and groan about it

The North had been unclaimed land for generations before some of the Central Region Styles moved to a less ordered place The ones who had left were perhaps not the most well established but they were able to come into the North and seize the law of the land It was debatable whether any of the pampered Central Styles who acted so haughty could do something like that now

No the reason he disliked this Region was a certain man lived here one who the old man still held a twinge of fear for although the old man was all but sure the other had died years ago

But still if this could be avoided the old man would have done so It brought him no pleasure to be up here Aemont the cause of all of this trouble also hailed from the North

After a few more steps which brought him very close to Deardun proper probably only a few miles away the old man sighed and lost something His hair grew more ragged his posture less straight the domineering air around him disappeared

Then he sighed again and his stance changed from capable to feeble Instead of the powerhouse that he was the man appeared to just be an old man a target for malicious attacks

With his steps now severely reduced in effectiveness Gerroark Char current leader of the illustrious Endless Heat Style from the Central Region walked slowly towards Deardun each step barely covering a few feet

That the original group he had sent to investigate lost moved his schedule up The death of his nephew was annoying and surprising but the frustrating boy that had renewed the prestige of the Spear Phantom Style wasn’t the point just a bit of spite on Gerroark’s part The disciple wasn’t Gerroark’s goal the master was

Now that it had come to this it was time for him to get personally involved And find out the secret of Aemont once and for all

I avoid the boy as much as possible Both of them really Both of my sons both of them have been through so much But to my eyes one of them is simply an enigma while the other is a monster

While I am on the front lines I can lose myself in the death a pale reflection of the other world that Lucretia sent me to but it is familiar and if not comforting all consuming In those moments my thoughts aren’t torn to bits by needless worry

But letters come about them both Haelthing the fool talks up Pronto’s potential the speed at which he learns But of course he learns quickly But of course he is exemplary The mind inside that body I wonder what rules it What cravings what urges

Time and time again I’ve thought to warn Haelthing but he would not listen He believes in his own strength He cannot know the weapon Pronto possesses

As for the other son the one Pronto named Shal all I hear in the letters is how soft he is how kind It leaves me confused

Are either of these boys still my sons

With a gasp Shal ripped his spear out of Aemont’s chest the spectral figure falling to the ground

How DARE you Shal growled his chest heaving as he stood over Aemont How DARE you We we loved you Were we still your sons YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT Were you even ever our father You left us out to dry you

But then the figure of Aemont morphed and shifted turning into a strange blob of energy The ground began to tremble and small wisps floated up to join that blob which began to swirl menacingly After several minutes of this where Shal just stared mutely it came back down to the ground condensing once more into the figure of Aemont

But this Aemont was more solid more real And the air around him had a different feel to it entirely It stunk of death and fear Aemont’s eyes were different too deeper more intense as he stared at Shal who was still trembling with his earlier emotions

If you have the strength then take the answers from me Shal Aemont said slowly raising his spear This Style of yours let me crush it

You fucking Shal spat out grinding his teeth But he couldn’t find the words to finish the sentence This is all Aemont always cared about when he visited Shal’s strength His dedication his power And power was in a way desirable Shal had no qualms with that but he had always worried that the way Aemont treated him was somewhat different than Aemont treated Pronto

Which Shal now knew was true Aemont viewed Pronto as some sort of monster and Shal as weak Which was why he was sent away Which was why

GaaH Shal bellowed unleashing his building frustration letting the those dissolve into violence fueling his body in a wild attack

Immediately after Shal struck he realized that the changes in Aemont weren’t just superficial His body seemed denser but it also didn’t have any presence as Shal lashed out towards it it faded away

and appeared behind him

Gritting his teeth Shal whirled around but Aemont was already gone scoring a shallow slice across the back of Shal’s arm Again and again Aemont moved and appeared striking quickly aiming for blind spots and tendons aiming to disable Shal with his strikes

And he was frightfully good at it Impossibly good His speed was absolutely impossible Like that fool Randidly had a knack for running away that made Shal initially believe that he would be a good fit for the Phantom Spear Style but Aemont’s movements now made Shal disgusted that he himself was considered the current head of the Spear Phantom Styles

Aemont did not run Aemont dominated that small area around him

But rather than feeling intimidated or overwhelmed a building wild hunger appeared in Shal As he lashed out towards Aemont his spear bending gracefully attacking at weird angles to try and reach him Shal’s eyes examined every movement very closely

Although he might not be the most talented or have the greatest understanding of the Spear Phantom Style what he did have was years of hard mind numbing work memorizing every little motion All he had was a month or two of seeing those moves used how they were designed to be But now with the real thing in front of him

Shal slowly deconstructed all the bad habits he had learned over the years his body slowly being sliced and diced to pieces in the process bearing the brunt of Aemont’s assault There were times that Shal was defeated and knocked to the ground but his body healed in this strange area absorbing the natural energy of the air and he would stand again

As he learned these new uses the proper uses for these old skills so many things clicked in Shal’s mind Step by step he learned the Spear Phantom Style from the ground up and then he twisted it for his own purposes learning to add the serpentine grace and vicious attacks to the repertoire

Time blurred Shal moved Aemont responded ever just beyond the range of Shal’s strikes ever just a step ahead

But that distance was slowly narrowing Shal’s eyes burned furious and hot

Chapter 269

Heaving a sigh Randidly used Living Blood to manipulate the red fluid back into his body

Azriel spared him a glance Take a break I’m hungry Then she walked off leaving him bleeding or almost bleeding in the courtyard of her building After several minutes of sitting on the ground recovering Randidly stood and he left the building wandering towards one of the bathhouses in Deardun

After cleaning himself off and giving his body time to heal through some of the deeper damage that Azriel had inflicted on him Randidly headed back towards his inn Then he froze Then chuckling Randidly continued walking

It was probably pretty foolish for him to just walk around Deardun Especially after those three had ambushed him so directly right in the middle of the city and seemed to have the implicit support of the Styles of Deardun It could happen again

But Randidly was tired And up until now it had completely slipped his mind So after putting on clothes that would cover his face giving him at least some semblance of cover as he returned to his inn Then at the door he hesitated again then shook his head annoyed at himself If they truly lost him after the ambush his old inn would probably be the place they were waiting for him huh

Truly Randidly wasn’t designed for this sort of sneaking around But it’s not like he had the strength to stand up to them directly at least right now so Best to take precautions belated as though they may be

Randidly entered the building and found Divvet and Claptrap who both looked sharply up at him seemingly surprised by his intrusion

Very quickly Divvet smiled widely Ah good you’re back Shal’s been better He still is asleep but his struggles had largely quieted Your friend Claptrap has been there the entire time watching over him

Claptrap seemed nervous which seemed odd to Randidly Perhaps he wanted something Trouble at work Either way Randidly was quite glad that Claptrap had done it Walking up Randidly patted him on the back

Thanks Claptrap Next time you need it I’ll give you some good business ideas to expand your corporation

To Randidly’s surprise Claptrap visibly flinched pulling away his eyes flashing Then Claptrap seemed to deflate and just said Yea Thanks

Then he left Randidly scratched his head and turned to Divvit Divvit just shrugged How am I supposed to keep up with the moods of the young Maybe he’s annoyed that you absolutely destroyed that girl he had a crush on oh that’s right She stopped by Wanted to talk to you about a bet And Helen wanted to speak with you ask well

Randidly had no idea what bet Ciel wanted to speak with him about but Helen’s desire to talk filled Randidly with a certain level of dread Through their connection of Aether he could feel her not her location really but the constant proximity of her life and meaning as they flowed back and forth between them freely mixing

Wasn’t that enough What did she want to talk about

But that of course was a stupid question She wanted to talk about the fact that he was pumping Aether into her body Randidly just wasn’t sure what he wanted to SAY about it At the moment it had felt right Helen had been dueling that asshole and she just needed a small boost to push her strength up to the level where she could win Randidly had given her that strength

Now Randidly was glad he hadn’t pursued the option of giving other people including Divveltian an Aether Donation anymore If he had to explain things to them in the same way Although it was abated for now Randidly was still aware that the System itself considered him a Heretic Even though the system was much much larger than the individual people Randidly still didn’t think it was a smart idea to let people know about his idea in case they secretly had a connection to the system

Although Earth had the Village Spirits Randidly had yet to see any here which made him leery of everyone It certainly was like a strange vacation here away from his planet But Randidly knew that was coming to an end and didn’t want to jeopardize it so close to his return

Besides with what Randidly was suspecting about the spear inside of the obsidian spear after training with Azriel

Randidly shook his head One thing at a time

After going up to Shal’s room checking on him briefly and then returning to his own room for books Randidly headed to the roof After a long amount of time away Randidly activated the Weeping Cloud skill letting the cleansing rain wash over him relieving him of a lot of his tension Then he brought out and equipped his concentration belt and some other engraved equipment boosting his stats to their highest possible levels

Then Randidly produced his spear and looked over it with a critical eye It was certainly strange using such a slender and light spear after he had used the large obsidian one for so long But there was something strangely compelling about this spear he had discovered while using it against Azriel A certain energizing factor

It wasn’t much just a small boost that helped stave off exhaustion in the earlier training rounds with Azriel It was barely anything not nearly as powerful as his own regeneration but it was still a push in the right direction Something noticeable

But then Randidly noticed what was happening and he immediately switched back over to a training spear Because this slender white spear was engraved with a rune that absorbed Aether from the air and from Azriel

Once he realized what was going on Randidly found the strange connection that was beginning to form between him and the spear and the thin trail of dirty Aether that was flowing over to him from it After being exposed to the Aether from his Aether Crossroads for so long this Aether was incredibly muddied and intractable and it was hard for Randidly to see any use for it

Still there were more questions than answers here After all he had gotten this spear by cracking the spear of Haelthing of the Devourer Which would seem to imply that perhaps this spear was the weapon used by Haelthing and the other was just a sheath

The way that the previous iteration was designed was completely counter to this theory however It was much more likely that the previous obsidian spear had in fact been prepared in order to seal this spear keep it out of others hands

Because like Randidly’s other Aether connection the one the spear was trying to form with him flowed both ways Randidly didn’t really understand what it would be taking from him but he sincerely doubted that it would be a healthy relationship If it hadn’t been due to his increased sensitivity to Aether Randidly probably wouldn’t have been able to so easy keep the connection closed as well

Even so even due to the danger

Randidly opened his eyes which flashed emerald Some things were worth the danger There was a secret tied into this spear something that Randidly couldn’t currently get the shape of But knowing more would help and he could sense that he was very near a realization

So with his mental state at its highest Randidly felt along the connection to the spear and began to press Aether from his side towards the spear Initial results were very poor clearly this connection was not designed this way nor was it strong enough to handle the strange Randidly was putting on it by forcing the Aether down it Multiple times that small weak connection collapsed and Randidly could only sigh and hold it waiting for it to reform

Part of the problem was how pure and plentiful his Aether was It gave Randidly a very warped sense of normal in terms of Aether But slowly he honed his control until a small even flow went along to the spear

The Engraving on it began to glow and then shift twisting the energy flow reversing At first it was slow and unsure like old machinery starting after years of disuse but then something gave and there was a crash Suddenly the spear began to devour the energy viciously and then it continued to suck eating away at his will causing him to go slightly lightheaded but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it

At the same time an explosion of meaning smashed into him setting him trembling As the wildness of the energy slowly began to abate its volatility subsiding it slowly settled into identifiable matter feelings emotions and memories Rich thick emotions Love Fear Respect Determination Regret

They rushed through and filled Randidly as he supplied more and more Aether churned out after years of storage

Within the currents the Aether flowed faster and faster more and more so much that even the deepest depths of Randidly’s Aether pool began to swirl albeit slowly This was the largest expenditure of Aether he had ever embarked upon and his body and mind began to buzz strangely a weird resonance occurring as so much power was channeled through him and into the spear The world around him went white

Then it stopped The memories slowed to a trickle More information flowed into Randidly but with a start he realized that it was information about what was going on around the spear Strips of incomplete meaning that it had sliced directly out of the air and ground here and fed to Randidly

Surprised Randidly stopped the flow of Aether If he could absorb meaning through it that would be interesting But that was for another time For now

Randidly touched the memories and they swirled around him And he felt it a picture slowly emerging out of the memories pieced together through a thousand small moments slowly coming together

My name is Aemont And by feeding this spear I could obtain a power the defies the will of the Spearman I could steal another’s strength I could cannibalize someone else’s soul

But

I could not I could not sacrifice another for my own power So

So there is only one choice To use my own emotions to feed the spear

To give away my heart to obtain the power to protect and to have faith I won’t forget my motivation once i’ve become a shell of the man I once was

Chapter 270

Randidly felt it then years of experience of implacable will of dominating violence of a deep sad knowing love and a yearning More than anything else the spear was filled with yearning It was wide and deep and so thick that Randidly couldn’t make sense of it all

There were flecks of memory soft warm moments with his sons as Aemont slowly grew as he returned to visit them while he fought on the front line He was so desperate to make more memories each time he returned Randidly could feel because he had to keep feeding the spear This strength wasn’t enough The challenge set for him by the elders of the Endless Heat Style was impossible some might say

Curious Randidly pushed looking for what he had to do but he was swamped then with a wave of dread and hatred a deep primal fear that caused Randidly to begin to tremble He pulled his mental feelers back shocked but it was exploding forth now a huge fear and anger threatening to consume Randidly Wave after wave of hungry emotion crashed into him threatening to eat away at his sanity and Randidly could only buckle down pressing his eyes closed and smashing the emotions back with his own Battle Intent and Rejection

It was a long slow slog through the waves of crashing emotions and no longer could Randidly spare the attention to sift through the memories They all swirled together in a jumble and just had to be slowly neutralized

Even though it had been years since their inception the poignancy of each individual emotion was intimidating Aemont truly was a master and just from the level of emotions he felt Randidly knew that Aemont’s Battle Intent was absurdly high So high it scared him

But then Randidly lost it again and could only sit there bobbing up and down in his own body besieged by the raging emotions that had been bottled up in the spear for so long

Azriel Blanche cleaned her spear applying small amounts of oil and then rubbing them into the spear with an old rag This was something that she had been taught long ago by her grandfather To care for the spear and not just the Spearman himself Although they were part of the Spearman School that didn’t mean the Spear School didn’t have its own merits

Your spear is just as important as you just as vital ’ Her grandfather had said whispering because his windpipe had been crushed one too many times on the frontline the injuries so heinous that even healing spells couldn’t correct the bone deviations Care for it train it as you do your own body ’

Her grandfather was profoundly weird but he was one of the only people who saw her talent early on in her life and supported her giving her tips and attention when she was just one of a brood of distant relatives Without him she would not have been able to see the things she had or followed the path that led her here to cultivating a monstrous physical memory

Out of respect for him although he was long dead Azriel continued to clean her spear

It was a spear she had been given recently this thin needle of a spear a spear she had demanded from her Style after she had demonstrated impeccably that she was the best bet the Style had to return to prominence

It had been a win she had long fought for and Azriel had originally thought that this would put the matter of marriage to bed the spear was a peace offering a silent apology given by the Style leadership And yet

There was a knock on the door and then a man entered into the room bowing

Ms Blanche Master Wyrd has invited you over to his courtyard for dinner

Azriel’s lips twitched And yet it was still like this Master Wyrd Huh

It’s 4 Does Drak dine so early in the evening

The spear attendant shook his head No but there are matters to dis

No I’ll arrive at 7 Have the food hot for me Azriel interrupted throwing out a powerful drilling Battle Intent that smashed into the man’s gut sending him staggering

Azriel The man said through gritted teeth but then he seemed to realize the situation he was in and hurried away Not that killing him wouldn’t cause hassle but both the leadership of her own Style and the Breaking Dawn Style would relish it it would give them an excuse that Azriel couldn’t deny to force her into talks with Drak After all it was tradition to pay a price for murdering another’s spear attendant

Well if she had to do it the timing was at least good With practiced ease Azriel continued to rub oil into the spear The Ghosthound had apparently taken her suggestion of a break and wandered off with it It had been several hours since she had seen him and she was getting profoundly tired of being forced to seek him out It was especially frustrating that Drak continued to pester her but her pet project to force Drak’s potential in front of her discerning eyes was so lackadaisical

But that was only while they weren’t training While they were training Azriel had always been of the opinion that the goal of strength was to do one thing so well that it makes the opponent’s plans irrelevant That was why she had worked on her speed and the piercing power of her spear She had turned that into an unstoppable advance

The Ghosthound instead grew stronger by applying pressure in 100 mediocre ways It certainly wasn’t near the point that it could threaten her but his strength increased by strange jumps and bursts And deep in her heart Azriel knew why and it filled her with a small sense of awe

Paths He’s completing a path every few weeks’

It was a ludicrous thought Most people could only choose and learn about 30 or so paths in their lifetime A lot of the times they would save up PP for the rarer paths that one would get associated with their Skill Sets which would vastly increase the power and effectiveness of their skills

But the Ghosthound had so many skills that he could just continue to grind them up gathering PP like he was farming radishes With such an upwelling of PP he could finish paths earn more skills and the amount of PP he could gather would just grow and grow

Azriel frowned the more she thought about it however Other people had heard about this strategy before and pushed to use it but they were stopped by the limits on skills imposed by their Class There were some rare spear user variants that allowed for higher numbers of skills but there were none that Azriel knew about that could allow this many skills Even if the Ghosthound had a prodigiously powerful Class it could at most give him 15 or so skill slots and that might be stretching it a little

But based on her own instincts Azriel suspected that he had upwards of 40 skills Which meant most of them had to have come before the Ghosthound got a class Most people preferred to push one or two skills high while getting themselves some useful passive skills before obtaining their Class so the Class they obtained would be focused in a certain direction

In rare cases they were able to obtain elemental spear user Classes giving all of their skills a use But perhaps the Ghosthound knew of a rare Class that he obtained

They weren’t questions that Azriel could answer now on her own so she let them drop sliding out of her consciousness Instead she began to let everything slip away Her consciousness of her surroundings her determination her will her thoughts the looming figure of Drak Wyrd above her and the small restless worry that she wasn’t as perfect as she thought and even if the Ghosthound brought out his true strength she wouldn’t be able to rival it That this whole plan was built on a sham

But it all fell away and left just the image Her mother calmly sitting above her instructing a young irritable Azriel in sewing Time and time again Azriel simmered as a child and then exploded on her mother asking why they had to practice this The spear was the way not the needle Her mother would just smile

On Azriel’s 7th birthday a man had come to the compound of the Sleeping Moon Style a rainbow hunter from the Death School After he had challenged her father and cut off his arm the hunter went for his life Azriel’s mother stepped in with a single thrust

In that moment it was like the world narrowed to become about solely the needle she attacked with With Azriel’s flawless memory every day she saw that move and marveled at the simplicity and dominance of it

Needless to say after that Azriel took her mother’s lessons much more seriously Because she realized that what her mother taught her was not just how to sew and hem but what she taught was patience understanding competence It soon became apparent to Azriel as she watched the situation in the Sleeping Moon Style that her mother had always been the true wielder of power But for a reason that Azriel couldn’t quite understand her mother allowed her father and his brothers to run things and do it poorly

A call to the frontlines that ended in her death had made it so Azriel would never know But immediately afterward Azriel had seized the reins of control disabusing her family about their previous ideas

The rumors had started then the whispered comments greedy whore bitch cunt Immense pressure from all sides from men and women just for leading the Style But the members of the Sleeping Moon Style couldn’t deny that Azriel Blanche was their future It would be based on her power that they would make a comeback She was the pillar they needed so desperately

Wanting to alleviate their worries Azriel made a deal A deal in regards to her hand in marriage Just to consider it but now it was a mistake She should have just broken their resistance with force

Azriel

Azriel opened her eyes

Chapter 271

Frowning Azriel considered the man in front of her Liam Don’t you know not to disturb someone during their training

Liam’s smile was very tired The man had acted as an intermediary between Azriel and Drak for several years now and never failed to smile although it seemed that something had shaken the edges of his confidence Now now I’ve given you up to the limit the dinner is in 20 minutes It’s time

I’m very fast perhaps you’ve seen Azriel interrupted I could make it to his temporary residence in a handful of minutes

Perhaps Miss but I think Drak had something different than spear user casual dress code when he sent the invite Liam said eyeing her training equipment skeptically

Did he If only the previous invite had mentioned it I would have changed Azriel said

I’m mentioning it right now

And you are pulling me out the door in your insistence I arrive early There simply isn’t time Azriel said walking past Liam The man could only sigh and follow behind her

Randidly’s body was trembling His control of mana and Aether were both frayed although they were starting to recover That flood of emotions into his body He could only sit and feel them allowing them to sink into himself The furious angers and the vicious cold fears the love the wide acceptance the regret

Deep endless seas of regret flowed through him filled with grasping hands and discouraging whispers pressing pushing pulling attempting to wear away at the will But also from the emotions was the determination and focus slowly seeping into Randidly’s soul It was a strange experience And one that Randidly wished to have avoided

But Randidly had already gained several levels in Battle Intent and there was so much more fragments of emotions scattered through him

Still the strange trembling made things very difficult He couldn’t train and he didn’t really want to walk out like this in case that there were people who would just see a member of the top 4 trembling falling over his own feet So Randidly decided to remain here and ride out the emotions as best he could In the meantime

Randidly positioned the ivory spear on the table in a well lit area Then he began to study the complicated engraving on the spear a flowing thing that spanned almost the entirety of the shaft curving around and twisting together in strange ways

If what Randidly understood about the spear was correct it was an unbelievable piece of artisanry It could be fed Aether to absorb meaning from the world or it could absorb thoughts and emotions to produce dirty Aether And it seemed that these processes didn’t actually consume what was given but stored the fuel inside the spear itself These emotions flooding Randidly keeping his only movements to trembling felt just as real as his own emotions although he knew they weren’t How was this possible

Over the next 8 hours Randidly brought out more and more of the Engraving encyclopedias checking and rechecking His training with Azriel was temporarily on hold as he continued to tremble although now it was more intermittent than persistent Still wild waves of emotions crashed against him and he just gritted his teeth and focused on his research

The main accomplishment of this time was to divide the Engraving upon the spear into 4 parts At the center was what Randidly could only guess was the place that the consumed substances were stored It was the most intricate piece the most mystifying filled with strange eddies of energy and weird twists and turns

Surrounding this central storage region was the second most complicated work that seemed to act as the portion that allowed this process to be reversed It almost must somehow be the production portion of the spear but again Randidly was completely out of his depth Shadow IV as a rune continued to cause him to struggle and this was much much more refined than that filled with Engraving techniques that Randidly didn’t recognize from any of the volumes

The final two portions were positioned on the outside of the intricate engraving and were what Randidly believed to be the absorption portions They were similar but slightly different Still after his run ins with the Creature and its strange constructs Randidly had some familiarity with how to shape Aether and could identify with a strong degree of certainty which side did what

Both were dense but they were not complicated which was somewhat mystifying to Randidly Based on what he could guess this is the type of equipment that would legitimately make someone a Heretic Yet it was rather unimpressive

Well ’ Randidly supposed Not everything about the system is perfect I guess ’

With a much lowered frequency of tremors in his body Randidly went up to the roof and once more called down the Weeping Cloud and began to Engrave It seemed that the rain drops also did a lot to expedite and smooth the process of absorption too which was a big help but still it wasn’t enough to prevent Randidly from ruining a dozen spears trying to Engrave

It was at that point that the emotions finally seemed to break and calmness returned to Randidly’s inner world With a sigh he leaned back laying out on the ground just letting the raindrops hit him That was profoundly unenjoyable But Randidly drew a lot of benefits from it he knew

However now that he was done

Randidly once more began to Engrave All he had was an old dagger he stored away in his ring so that became the template At first Randidly thought it would be more difficult to Engrave on the relatively smaller dagger but it somehow seemed like the shape of his Engraving naturally changed It was almostas though the Engraving had to be a certain size relative to the weapon

This smaller size made the intricate and dense although simple patterns of this rune easier as the strokes were quick and it was easier to hold an even amount of mana for that time

And he succeeded Randidly inspected his new dagger

Basic Steel Dagger Lvl 13 Serviceable steel dagger made by a competent smith Vit +1 Str +1

Engraving of the Devourer 39% © An ancient cruel rune that can suck away the essence of life from others at the cost of the user’s soul The absorbed energy is raw and rough

Randidly was a little annoyed at his relatively poor showing on such a simple pattern but was more pleased that he had succeeded and his hypothesis was right But then his face twisted a bit It was just ironic to him that after being called a Heretic for so long he had finally become one

Which he supposed was just the way of the world

Putting that out of his mind Randidly turned and made another dagger this one based on the rune on the other side of the spear To his chagrin he succeeded again basically making him one of the fastest learning Heretics in existence

Basic Steel Dagger Lvl 13 Serviceable steel dagger made by a competent smith Vit +1 Agi +1

Engraving of the Inquisitor 47% (Un) A desperate rune that consumes the user’s life to extract meaning from the world A portion of this is lost to the void and the world becomes a little darker

That certainly was not a very encouraging explanation The world became just a little darker huh

After brooding for almost an hour over these strange daggers Randidly came to a decision Against his better judgement it might be worth it to use them on Shal to try and figure out what he was struggling against in his dreams Specifically the Engraving of the Inquisitor

Still best use the spear it didn’t show signs of Randidly’s shoddy workmanship

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN Shal bellowed all semblance of control lost gasping for breath looking at the shade of Aemont standing in front of him What the fuck was that

But Aemont remained silent only raising his spear Shal gritted his teeth

This unending spar stretched on and on but Shal had been slowly getting better He could see it now the way his Style was morphing into something different than Aemont’s the Phantom Viper something quick and brutal and vicious

Yet Aemont continued to show how his own Style was superior by putting hole after hole in Shal’s Which Shal then corrected and attempted again And again and again

Until Shal finally landed a blow on the upgraded version of Aemont and saw a vision a memory Of the 2nd gift of Lucretia and the tragedy surrounding it

Chapter 272

The power I received was great and everyday I grew stronger but it was not enough The mountain that they had put in front of me was high beyond belief Although I knew the curse of the Eternal Witch I could not dissuade myself

She obtained for me an ancient evil rune that would let me give my soul to obtain power from defeated enemies As long as I use it on the front lines against them

But first I must deal with the Engraving Guilds I must agree to ridiculous demands that have me working on special missions on the front lines obtaining materials for dark experiments that don’t bear thinking about But there is no choice Both sides are playing with dark forces and we hold in each other a mutual agreement for silence

For two years they struggle to understand the rune creating prototype after prototype They are broken dangerous weapons which can destroy a man But after two years while my strength is sharpened and I must spend almost all of my waking days away from my beloved and my two sons one freshly born one I’ve never even seen they’ve done it

Over the next three months at the cost of my soul my power doubles

I am death The Spear Phantom I can feel it so clearly as I hollow out my insides for power This is who I am

But I still remember I still know the purpose of the man who I was before I was emptied

So I return triumphant I have killed the enemy that I promised to slay and returned with its head

To find my eldest Pronto holding one of those cursed prototypes I had stored at home Standing over the cooling bodies of my wife and my unnamed son who I never got to see take a breath

What Shal was crying now his hands balled into fists WHAT DOES THAT MEAN

Sensing something Aemont lowered his spear his clear eyes running up and down Shal as if considering what to say And to Shal’s surprise Aemont sighed My son of the woman I had sworn to love died that day You

Shal slowly froze You didn’t name me Pronto did You never visited me like you visited him You To you I’m just

Time slipped past silence hanging between them Neither had anything to say

Then What am I Shal mumbled

Aemont’s eyes were profoundly sad as he raised his spear in salute Then for the first time since Shal had become stuck in this world Aemont began to advance toward him taking the initiative

Although he was struggling to figure out what was going on whether to believe the shade of Aemont and the strange memories he saw Shal’s instincts still kicked in as Aemont advanced Once more energy twisted and flowed out of the misty ground filling Aemont making him seem more real more solid even as the ground around him faded away

Soon it was just the two of them standing in a dimly lit darkness only them and their spears on a flat plane

Damnit It was only ever this huh Shal whispered looking at his hands around the spear This this was the only way you could the only way you tried to bond with us If I’m not your son why did you even bother

Suddenly Shal just felt profoundly tired as he looked at Aemont rushing towards him looking as if he had completely reincarnated But in the face of this Shal couldn’t care about this final confrontation He simply let his spear go letting it fall to the dark floor with a clatter

Aemont paused giving Shal a look pick up your spear

I’m tired of these games Shal said sitting down sighing to himself Just kill me if I really am an imposter son a fake to appease the Endless Heat Style or something reanimated corpse why bother

Because you are my son It is your destiny to hold a spear

Shal waved his hand airily Perhaps perhaps not I cannot find it in me to care I have a disciple now you know I’ve been just as poor a teacher as you have been a father

Shal’s head jerked up as Aemont nodded Then the shade looked at him critically You think I did not know I dwell not only in your chest but in the remnants of my will in my writings That boy threw himself upon the teeth of my diary many a time He has far more comprehension than you It is a pity that his path does not lie in the spear Still you have done well to find him He will bring our legacy honor

In that moment Shal just looked Then he felt a powerful burst of hatred wishing that Aemont’s words didn’t mean so much to him But there was no way around it Whether or not they were related or Shal was somehow risen from the dead Aemont had said that Shal was his son Could it perhaps be something empathetic like because I raised you you are my son Shal didn’t think so

Aemont was not the type to say such things

Your spear Aemont chided again interrupting Shal’s musings To end this to see the truth to escape we must fight You must fight

Suddenly Aemont looked up glaring balefully towards the sky But after a few seconds of this his gaze softened Truly the boy has excellent instincts Much less short sighted than some other people Now are you prepared to continue

Shal said nothing

Aemont sighed You know that boy will likely die in the wake of this tournament

Grunting Shal said He knew the risks participating At this level accidents

No no not due to the tournament not due to his actions but due to you Aemont said Due to your connection with me and the precious daughter of the Endless Heat Style They have a very particular way of letting their inheritance pass from generation to generation and it depends on blood Those old bastards knew more than they let on but they suspect just like you that you are not my son

For now I can only offer my word but I can show you To them your existence poses a threat both ways If you are truly the descendent they expect of the Endless Heat Style you need to be taught If you are not if you are a fake you must be killed so you cannot be used against the Char’s the current ruling family in the Style They will come for you but your disciple will not escape the culling They would rather kill more than they have to rather than miss a descendent

Still Shal remained silent But now Aemont relaxed stepping back watching Shal as he pondered Time to think was the one thing they had in droves

But then a voice made Shal look up towards the sky of this dark place

I miss you

For a few seconds Randidly stood above Shal holding the spear But as he did so he had a profound sense of regret Honestly did he really have to do this now His control over this weapon was pretty low just because he hadn’t had occasion to try out its particular powers Besides there was no proof that using it would have any effect

Also what if the effects were negative

There were too many bad outcomes to Randidly to feel anything but foolish He had an idea that might work and rushed to try it But that was definitely not the way to insure that there would be positive outcomes for them This this was hasty and this was desperate

I miss you Randidly said to the man who treated him roughly through their entire series of interactions beating him training him molding him Teaching him to kill and then becoming furious at him for his callous actions Shal was a lot like life in that way he didn’t make much sense

But Randidly didn’t hate him for it

Randidly also understood that Shal was fighting his own battle one independent of Randidly One that involved Lucretia and a debt generations in coming So on a strange impulse stirring in his chest Randidly removed both the Devourer and Inquisitor knives and set them on the table next to the sleeping Shal

A gift Then Randidly turned and left the room After he closed the door he felt the handle tingle absolutely charged with something It wasn’t mana and it wasn’t Aether but it was something just as powerful Something mysterious

Damnit Randidly whispered to himself standing in the dark hallway The world was wide and full and he was just a very small part of it As hard as it was to admit things moved beyond him things he would never understand He could see a small part of Shal’s journey through the memories and emotions scattered and jumbled as they were from Aemont but

That was not his path to walk

So Randidly returned to his room flexing his hands It really seemed like the tremors had stopped That was good Now it was time to check his gains from the previous 3 days and plan his way forward He didn’t have time for much just to put the finishing touches on his plan for the fight but Randidly planned to give it his all

For the honor of the Spear Phantom Style and for Azriel These were two individuals who gave him help when others would not For their own purposes yet and it was slightly tenuous in Azriel’s case But Randidly swore to himself that he wouldn’t be brittle and leave like his father In this situation far out of his depth he would stay and see this through

Chapter 273

Randidly opened up his Status screen and looked at what he had gained through training

First was Ash to Ash which although costly had increased by 12 Skill Levels They had made a concerted effort to work on that while they could and that had lowered the mana cost by a pittance but it had also given Randidly a marginally larger amount of control and deftness with its use

What the problem was for combat was how powerful the image already was so the very air changed when it was used Drak wouldn’t recognize it at first but if Randidly failed in its use then all that mana would be wasted

The match Randidly shivered He was looking forward to it

But he had also gained 6 Lvls in the Phantom’s Embrace 3 in Spear Mastery and Fighting Proficiency 2 in Haste Empower and Block 4 in Dodge and Bacterial Regeneration 3 in Living Blood 5 in Grace and Flexibility of the White Hunters 6 in Anguish 4 in Struggle and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil 3 in Torment and Rejection and 5 in Mana Engraving

Perhaps due to the vicious flood of emotions that had crashed through Randidly during the use of the spear his Mental Strength had increased by 8 his Mental Fortitude by 10 and Battle Intent by 16

The amount of PP he had earned for his battle related skills surprised him he didn’t think he had much more to learn in those regards or if he did it would require long hours of training to hone himself to a point He had reached a plateau But it seemed that there were still some things that Randidly had yet to work through from his earlier training sessions with Shal in the prison But in his heart Randidly knew that gains like this wouldn’t happen again for a while

All in all Randidly had a pile of PP to spend and he used it first to finish off the Intermediate Battle Intent Path

Congratulations You have completed the Intermediate Battle IntentPath This is a lonely path of constant sharpening and strife Yet you advance don’t you traveler Your path leads through pain yet you step forward This path has no end you know Endurance +5

Branching Path Your Battle Intent grows stronger Shall it expand becoming more multifarious or condense becoming more dense and solid

Randidly paused here but only briefly Although he knew that heading towards a solid Battle Intent was the better option giving him another surprising avenue of attack when he looked at that option all he saw was the word brittle

Randidly would not be brittle The other path might lead towards becoming an Adept and almost definitely defeating Drak but that was not how Randidly wanted to improve Physical condensation of Battle Intent was impressive but Besides although being an Adept was an advantage it was not everything A solid Battle Intent that was weak would be useless Better to focus on his own path now and not over think short jumps in power

Congratulations Your power grows and swirls The range of your Battle Intent has increased Shifts in your Battle Intent now happen more quickly Injuries to your Battle Intent are more easily healed although still not simply

Randidly nodded at this notification pleased There wouldn’t be any initial bonuses based on this but maybe Randidly could refine his control in the remaining few days in his spars with Azriel It was too bad it didn’t earn him another skill but Randidly supposed it was greedy and pointless to get another one at this point anyway

Then he looked at his options for paths with his remaining PP

Heretic XIII 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Path of Control 0/200 Basic Mana Engraving 0/100 Journeyman 0/150 Experimenter I 0/50 Steps of the Godling I 0/50 The Second Seedling 0/50 The Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom 0/ The Phantom’s Embrace 0/150 Mentalist I 0/50

Grimacing Randidly acknowledged that Heretic had went up again He supposed that was only natural he was continued to gain strength even though he didn’t have a Class But he wasn’t sure at all how the previous Judgement resolved Based on the fact that Lucretia still had the Yeti head it was possible there was a trap still waiting for him out there

Randidly sighed So many fucking loose ends to worry about

Then he focused looking at the list Again Heretic Nexus Traveler Cohort Basic Mana Engraving Experimenter I Steps of the Godling Mentalist I and the Second Seedling were ruled out because they didn’t seem immediately helpful or were confusing as to their effects

Aside from those Path of Control and Journeyman were also set aside for now they were more general improvements and Randidly was looking for more concrete specific ones especially after he chose to just expand the flexibility of his Battle Intent

Unlocking a skill for the Phantom’s Embrace was an obvious choice although the cost was high but Randidly couldn’t tear his eyes away from a path that left him very confused

The Ash of Aemont the Spear Phantom 0/

As he focused on it he felt the heat of that strange other world where he was tested under the watch of the Patron of Ash Then a voice rumbled in his ear

All that dies returns to Ash just as all that is living will become Ash We move in a cycle where meaning is fleeting and lives are worth nothing

But the Ash will remain You have eaten a portion of his remains in that spear there is a path there if you wish to take it

Be warned At the end of this path you will be tested Not by me but by Aemont himself and his Ash

Also although Ash is the basis of us all individual instances are fleeting If you do not choose this now while the remnants are fresh this path will no longer be yours to walk

Randidly pursed his lips Really Patron of Ash Buy now before we sell out and you lose your chance entirely to purchase this wonderful item

Shaking his head Randidly couldn’t deny however that he was powerfully tempted It seemed like a good path And if it ended up giving him some of Aemont’s strength That would be invaluable both in the long and short term He was given some pause by the question marks that prevented him from being able to see the total length but still If he had to

Looking at the other options there was nothing he could really finish quickly so why not take a gamble The Path wouldn’t likely become relevant until later anyway it would be a good idea to take back one last gift from Shal’s world to Earth on the 7th Cohort

So Randidly selected it Then his expression turned ugly for two reasons

First it was a 500 PP path This would take a while And second he had put his remaining 24 PP into the path and received nothing

Fucking Patron of Ash

Randidly swore to himself that he would never trust that molten piece of shit ever again

Azriel was surprised by how pleasant the dinner was Simple polite almost to the point where she was annoyed that Drak had nothing to press no issues to force They knew what was at stake They would fight in the finals and if she lost she would become his wife Not only due to the agreement of their respective Styles but because of a bet she had made for another man

Ah That’s it ’ Azriel thought to herself watching him closely He’s struggling to understand it Now that it has made his life more convenient he fears it for it was not something he expected ’

This realization made the dinner all the more enjoyable as Drak’s discomfort became obvious

Finally after they had eaten their meals and the table was cleared did Drak make his move giving her a deep look Azriel I hope you realize how much this means for the both of us Even if you win we can still unite our families with the North behind us

She said nothing just looking at him

Chapter 274

Intense That was Drak Wyrd Where others might have turned that fame and strength into arrogance Drak pushed it down filling his short brown hair his mild eyes his well muscled stature with it There was a density and permanence to him that others couldn’t rival That was part of his strength the very air crackling with his power

Azriel admired that But in the same way she admired a skilled fisherman who could feed a village in an extremely detached way She wouldn’t be attracted to a person simply because they were strong Because there were so many monsters out there with more strength than men What was the point in having that as the quality most valued in a mate

Are you not interested Are you worried about the pressure from your family I have never understood why you hesitated let it draw itself out this long Drak said slowly looking at her carefully Liam stood behind him ready at any point to give them service

It was honestly so amusing that Azriel found her hand moving gesturing for more wine

Not really to drink just to make the man move and fill her cup

how can you pretend this is beneath your notice Drak asked exasperated with her silence as they both watched Liam pour her more wine Are you really that much of a sociopath

Azriel chuckled It is bad form to tell someone whose values don’t line up with yours they are a sociopath The Northern Region It is not my responsibility

But it is You are the inheritor of a lineage that stretches back to the founding

Styles were established by the Spearman to get rid of exactly this sort of power consolidation Azriel interrupted swirling her wine around It is simple You value this region I don’t I would much rather proceed to the frontlines Out of respect for my family I have allowed this to happen What more is there to say Let it be said with spears

Drak seemed to be struggling with something Do you truly care for nothing but yourself and your freedom

Azriel shrugged and stood Liam brought her to the door But before she left she could hear Drak speaking to her back

But there is something you care about don’t you This Ghosthound To promise me your hand in exchange for a stay on his execution But it was just a stay Azriel Unless you agree

She walked out of the building without looking back

After she had gone Drak crushed the table to powder

He was still there his shoulders heaving when Liam returned The man stood respectfully beside him not commenting on the state of the table which if anything just infuriated Drak more But he channeled that rage elsewhere

Then he took a deep breath and the anger dissipated

Does she truly care so little for her family Drak muttered

Liam hesitated for a second then said It seems rather that her family did not value her mother and sent her as their representative to the frontlines I’ve looked into it too her performance was exemplary but alas before her 4 years were up Afterwards the family devolved into bickering Azriel’s father wasn’t very strong a man

She had to take over herself Drak grunted Yes I understand But still How can she bear the name Blanche and not feel pride for what her ancestors did coming with mine and taming the North

To that Liam had nothing to say He simply waited while his master thought Finally the silence was broken by Drak cursing to himself then shaking his head furious No no no the dungeons are all too far away Tch being out here away from Village Spirits is truly despicable that’s why we need to reunite the North

Drak’s gaze remained on the ground There has to be a way I refuse to believe that she doesn’t care at all for this man she made a promise over now I just need to have the time to crush him slowly

Is that wise Liam asked even though he knew what his master would say

But to his surprise it seemed that Drak truly considered what Liam had to say It wasn’t that Drak was a fool he just sometimes became obstinate on two subjects family and Azriel Blanche This situation was the unfortunate double whammy which gave Liam a headache but also a small measure of joy

Drak was always happiest when he had concrete goals he could aim for as he had always been That will was the reason he had become the dominant force he was in this tournament That will

Yes it is necessary For the first time in a while I feel slightly threatened His presence was not something I expected or can identify Drak said frowning This Ghosthound a generalist mage dabbling in the spear but his skills with those roots are uncanny In addition his spear skills have been steadily increasing

You’ve paid attention to him Liam asked impressed in spite of himself

Drak gave him a sour look Yes although I should have just had you do it When it comes to Azriel Blanche I will not allow anything to keep me from my goal The Ghosthound struggled through his qualifier then endured through the preliminaries then lost to Bertarn then beat Bertarn then beat Ciel in a direct contest of strength All the while as a member of the Spear Phantom Style

They both fell silent for a while They were both familiar with the public story but also with the less savory version that spread among the upper tiered Styles in the North

Do you think Liam asked slowly unsure of what he wanted his master to say Desperately Liam wanted to deny it but it was compelling evidence no one improves that fast no matter who their teachers are

Who can say But I do need power Drak’s eyes were determined

But the Aether Starvation

Can be staved off somewhat Until the tournament I will go into meditation Do not disturb me for any reason Even if Azriel comes to reconsider my offer

Liam blinked then he bowed For the glory of the Breaking Dawn Sir

Ha Drak said as he slowly walked towards the door I haven’t heard that in a while but yes For the glory of the Breaking Dawn

What are you going to do after the tournament The male spear attendant asked Helen in one of the breaks of their own training There was only 1 day remaining until the match between The Ghosthound and Drak and Helen was ready to rip her hair out

What was worse was that the Ghosthound seemed to spend every moment with Azriel sparring repeatedly In her heart Helen prayed and prayed that Shal got off his fucking ass and woke the fuck up just so she would have an excuse to go and interrupt their extended training session but that didn’t seem likely So she could only beat up on the male spear attendant

He annoyingly seemed to enjoy the spars too and to his credit was constantly refining his image of his Iron Bulwark becoming increasingly durable and strong Unfortunately for him his stiff defense could do little against Helen’s twisting and flowing attacks especially as her growth was fueled by the constant pulse of fresh Aether in her veins

Helen shivered God it felt so good It was a chance to become truly great and the Ghosthound had given it to her Inwardly she was torn between waiting to follow him around and show off her strength and murder him to prove she could be independent

But the male spear attendant’s question stopped her dead Because in a way it was everything that she had been dreading This past few months had been ones of constant change The impulse to go for the qualifier seeing the Ghosthound there winning Becoming his spear attendant

Training with him breaking him out of prison

Their Night

She could fuck him to death Helen decided That would be the way she murdered him for making her feel like this when she swore for so long she would never let exactly this happen

But in her heart she knew that he was leaving after the tournament Either to train for the Inter School Tournament or to the frontlines or anywhere basically If it was him if it was him

I don’t know Do you Her own hesitation made her want to eat the entire shaft of her spear but it was the male spear attendant They had seen each other at their worst and spent a lot of time together If nothing else he was someone she could easily kill if he were to threaten to reveal her secret

Yes I think I’m going to enlist Hopefully not to the frontlines but some of the border areas where there are occasional skirmishes After spending time with the Ghosthound it makes you realize you can’t get anywhere if you don’t grab something you know And after I have gloriously defeated the enemies in the area and received promotion after promotion kukuku

Helen rolled her eyes but her tongue got extremely heavy so much so that even the male spear attendant seemed to notice turning to regard her with shock that she hadn’t ripped him to pieces Yet still she said nothing but tears began to form in the corner of her eyes

Because what she wanted to say to the male spear attendant was Don’t die

But she couldn’t because that would open up all of her roiling emotions And she would run and run and break down the door and run up to the Ghosthound and say Don’t leave because all of her emotions were tied up together bound to this short span of time in her life where she had grown and changed more than she could have ever expected

And it was ending

Don’t ’ Helen thought the tears washing away her composure her hardened bitterness after years of suffering under her mother’s tongue and expectations Please ’

The night passed in silence above them rushing forward heedlessly

Chapter 275

Randidly breathed slowly in then out feeling the flow of air through him

He felt sharp There was no other way to describe it He had been training until late last night fighting time after time with Azriel They had trained until both of them were ragged and out of breath and then for the first time in several weeks Randidly allowed his body to relax and sleep Because today was the day of his match with Drak

A part of Randidly’s subconscious wanted him to feel panic that even by the end Randidly had never once managed to beat Azriel But there was another part of him one that rang more true to his ears that Azriel was the type that could instantly recognize and predict an attack after she had only seen it once It only took a single glance for her to reduce its effectiveness against her by 50%

Yet every match they fought lasted longer and longer became bloodier and grittier Their struggles became more intense even as Azriel kept categorically making some of his maneuvers obsolete

But Randidly continued to improve at a rate she couldn’t predict

She said nothing as he left just nodded at him But there was something in her eyes a strange sadness that Randidly couldn’t put his finger on Perhaps it was just that they had both realized that their impromptu alliance was ending today After this match it would be up to her

Randidly took another breath savoring the morning air He stretched out his arm and summoned the ivory spear into his hand For several long moments he simply looked at it running his fingers over it savoring the feel of the bone It was somehow dear to him at this point

There was a strange connection growing between them at this point It was part Aether and part of the same sort of connection that formed between himself and Lyra all those years ago in the village of Donnyton

Randidly’s mouth quirked up Of course it hadn’t been years to her

Very quickly he forced those thoughts out of his mind Better to focus on this connection that was forming because it was his one lingering doubt about the upcoming match Randidly didn’t like relying on a spear like this that he couldn’t understand And Randidly had believed he had understood the purposes of the runes on the spear but his examination was crude More secrets could be hidden inside of it ones that he didn’t want to encounter mid match

The emotions of Aemont were a grim reminder of what tragedy this spear could bring

At the same time Randidly had also discovered that he had the ability to store the spear inside himself somehow through the connection he shared with the spear It was convenient in a way because it gave him some ideas about how to fight against Drak Wyrd but it also escalated his fears to another level

Still after confirming with Divvet that it was allowed Randidly still planned on taking advantage of that small surprise Every little bit counted

Twisting his mouth in distaste Randidly walked up towards Shal’s room one last time He had certainly come a long way since he refused to use his spells so he could experience a true spear fight in the qualifiers He had learned things His inflated pride had been popped and he had learned to care less about experiencing something truly and more about giving his all towards his goal

Which was why he would fight and fight and fight to the bitter end today

Randidly entered Shal’s room and looked at his mentor who still slept Although he had transitioned to something that seemed exactly like a natural sleep he had still been like this for at least a week perhaps even longer That couldn’t be healthy

The daggers that he had engraved in his hotheaded attempt to affect the sleep still sat there on the bedside table Picking them up Randidly examined his work with a critical eye before returning them to to table Perhaps they would be good luck

And perhaps that strange impulse he had to put them there and leave them there was really the tug of fate

Randidly left the inn and walked towards the arena and was surprised to find the male spear attendant and Helen

If you go to fight with that sort of expression you definitely need an entourage to go with you The male spear attendant proclaimed

Randidly’s mouth twisted Then he frowned Where is

Damnit he had forgotten his other spear attendant’s name And he didn’t even know the male spear attendant’s name Struck by this sudden stunning realization Randidly opened his mouth to ask but was interrupted by Helen

our letter that Shal was found just caught him too late He was still traveling around the north asking for news and is only heading back now

Randidly looked at Helen feeling his heart quicken slightly It was amazing in a way Randidly thought that he had slept with this powerful opinionated independent woman And her bright gaze now as their eyes met made even Randidly who was uncommonly dense realize there could be something more there

He squirmed uncomfortably but didn’t look away It was a good feeling As their gazes continued to remain locked her eyes seemed to soften and she took a step forward

Goddamnit

Randidly’s eyes were torn away as the male spear attendant ran up to him and threw his arms around Randidly engulfing him in a hug Tears streamed down his face I’m I’m I’m gonna miss you so much

Patting his head awkwardly Randidly quickly extricated himself Almost instantly the male spear attendant’s eyes dried and he straightened adjusting his clothes Randidly walked up to Helen feeling a strange pressure in his chest

With words eluding him Randidly just blurted out something dumb Hug for luck

Strangely Helen glared at him Then she leaned forward bringing their faces and bodies very close and whispered There will be a lot more than a hug waiting for you after you win today

Then she turned spinning on her foot and their bodies were so close that as she twisted her ass brushed against his groin lightly before she took a step away Randidly just scratched his face briefly losing himself to memories

Helen spoke breaking his reverie They say he’s never known defeat never even broken a sweat

I might not win but you can bet I won’t let him off that easy Randidly said looking up at the sky For every gallon of blood I’ve shed these past few weeks I’ll make him pay What I’m aiming to break is his pride

On the walk to the arena Randidly looked at his path screen He really had only gained a few scant levels the past few days mostly in Living Blood and Golden Roots of Yggdrasil There was good news though at 25 PP in the Ash of Aemont Path he received 2 distributable stat points that he immediately put into Perception So at least that wasn’t a waste

People flooded the streets already an hour early waving their mugs emblazoned with Randidly’s Tassle yelling and cheering In a way it was already a win in a lot of people’s books that he had made it to the final 4 while just being from a small style It gave people hope

It really seemed that Claptrap’s strange absence from the inn was just a reflection of how busy he had been marketing products to the populace of Deardun Everyone had memorabilia To the point that Randidly couldn’t help but roll his eyes Hopefully this fad would fade quickly but not so quickly that Claptrap would find the ire of the populace turning against him

Either way Randidly was glad that he could have such a positive effect on Claptrap That shy merchant that he had encountered selling illegal product to had really grown into an individual who had a lot of things going for him Even without Randidly Claptrap would be fine

They arrived at the arena and were quickly ushered inside while the surging and cheering crowd was kept at bay Helen and the male spear attendant were led away to a private area while Randidly was taken to the familiar basement

There was only one other figure down there below the arena Azriel’s match wasn’t until the afternoon so even though it was only a silhouette Randidly knew who the other individual was

Drak Wyrd more a blob of darkness than a man looked up towards Randidly as he walked forward Their gazes met At the same time the two men smiled

But while Randidly’s smile was one of excitement and rising competitiveness Drak’s was twisted and cruel

It would for better or for worse definitely not be a simple match Randidly somehow knew But he simply sat For now it was just time to wait

Chapter 276

Humming to herself Lucretia strolled through the streets of Deardun openly ignoring the celebrating people drinking themselves into fits of jubilation and contests of strength To her eyes it was extremely distasteful but she didn’t really judge the average person for their strange ways of coping with life

Because honestly Lucretia had made her bread and butter playing to those people Of warping their expectations and changing their lives

In her chest warm and icy and sweet Aether flowed the fresh and extremely pure dose she had obtained from the Ghosthound It still shocked her how potent the Aether she had obtained from him was It was too much for her to handle at first But the more she savored it using it sparingly on a few pet projects she had long tinkered with bringing them to fruition the more she had a craving for more

All in good time She whispered to the air stepping carefully over a man who was passed out on the street

Lucretia dared walk openly here because although the highest powers in Deardun would give her pause their attention wouldn’t waiver from the arena today There was something in the air a powderkeg about to blow all related to the Ghosthound Several groups wanted him dead for various reasons and their noose was slowly tightening even though the boy didn’t know it

Which was inconvenient for Lucretia because she very much wanted more of this very pure Aether So it was necessary to finally force her sleeping card to awake Hopefully his time in the darkness had driven him a little off the edge and make Shal more amenable to her influence

Very quickly Lucretia arrived at the inn they were staying at and looked up smiling to find that her spell on Shal had faded to just a subconscious suggestion allowing him to remain asleep should he choose it And sleeping he still was just as she had intended

Almost as if he was waiting for her an elderly bald man was sitting in meditation in front of the inn a spear across his knees

Lucretia clicked her tongue How did you know Very rarely are my comings and goings not seen as a surprise

The man chuckled as he straightened and stood lowering his spear towards her You probably do not remember it but there was one night you snuck into Captain Aemont’s tent I saw it Even then I had a knack for hearing the music of the soul and now that ability has grown more than I thought possible It was unavoidable that I would hear the rising crescendo of your involvement increasing

To her surprise Lucretia was slightly happy that this man was here It meant that she could share just enough just so he would know about how wide and deep her influence ran Now when she was so close to succeeding at so many things it was a heady drug But Lucretia was also guarded by a caution that had kept her alive for 300 years There was no need to move quickly

Shal we head upstairs Lucretia said wagging her eyebrows at Divveltian hoping he would catch her invisible pun

Unfortunately he was supremely unamused and unwilling to listen to her I think not Shall you draw your spear in the next few seconds or am I going to kill an unarmed woman with a clean conscience

Even before he finished speaking he launched himself forward rushing towards Lucretia In her heart she felt a small glow of admiration at his decisiveness If he were a bit older and gave her a murderous look like that while they weren’t on a public street Lucretia was forced to fan herself with her hand desperately dispelling her manufactured blush

Of course she already had a date to this ball

Their spears crossed with a clang Divveltian seemingly surprised to find the slightly charred corpse with a hole in its neck fighting against him wielding a terrifying black spear The eyes of the man were almost completely dead without the slightest sign of life But his spear was quick impossibly quick moving at a speed that seemed to tear some of the muscles of the body as it made the moves

Narrowing his eyes Divvet turned his attention to the new threat a rising music filling the air making Lucretia coo in amusement and bob her head Truly Divvet was a talented and dedicated spear user that had finally found his own because he inflicted wound after wound on the wielder of the black spear

But he earned several small wounds of his own And the wounds of Black Spear were not bleeding but there was an increasingly bright red light coming from the body’s eyes

Lucretia laughed ignoring the passersby who seemed to realize this wasn’t normal

Divveltian hissed between his teeth What the fuck is this This body is from the Endless Heat Style and yet

Uses the Creeping Rot Style You have a good eye you really must have traveled around a bit after you retired from the Frontlines Lucretia mused But my transactions have earned me quite a few souls who want a chance at eternal life With a little bit of a certain kind of energy

Lucretia’s grin was wolfish It is very easy to tie some old souls to young bodies with a spark of life Even easier when the recipient is willing but Well no point in letting this drag out Isradius kill

Black Spear nodded his eyes glowing red He raised his spear and Divveltian roared and raised his own the phantom image of spears appearing behind him moving to the rising music sweeping everything else away

With a huge crash the two men rushed each other and lashed out aiming to break the other Black Spear with a strange dank weakness in his strike Divveltian filled with music of battle The shockwave passed harmlessly through Lucretia and smashed several of the gawking onlookers into nearby walls inflicting serious injuries

Divveltian staggered back but Black Spear was stopped dead too although he appeared slightly superior the light in his eyes was immensely diminished

Lucretia frowned however sensing how some of the bones in Black Spear’s arms had shattered and were healing very slowly Whether it was the difference in Style or body size and shape there was something about the soul using the body that was destroying it at a speed that was unacceptable But Lucretia was never one to only have one option

She raised her hand to cue another card but a voice interrupted her

Kukuku It is for the best then that I came back for a quick drink before the match otherwise how could I have ended up the hero A young man that Lucretia vaguely recognized as one of the Ghosthound’s spear attendants arrived producing his spear and pointing it at Black Spear

Kid don’t get in Divveltian began but the young man just waved him off

Old man you know there is only one thing I’m good at and that’s taking blows There is no need to worry about the glorious I or my name is not Roger K

The young man was struck from behind a spear smashing into his back and sending him tumbling like a ragdoll The body hit the ground and bounced then rolled several feet then went still Her second pawn walked forward his eyes glowing red

Divveltian’s eyes widened You why

The wounded young man stirred even as the wound in his shoulder began to bleed profusely He got his hands underneath him and then grunted moving himself up Then he grabbed his spear and pushed himself farther off the ground even as he trembled

An ambush Fool the more wounded I become The stronger my will to survive

The young man heaved himself up with a momentous act of will Although he was a bug to her Lucretia was so impressed with his determination that she clapped for him Sensing the applause the young man grinned and bowed to her almost falling over in the process and losing large spurts of blood as his weight shifted

In spite of herself Lucretia smiled He was truly amusing But what was even more amusing was the look on his face as he straightened and saw the assailant who attacked him There was a long silence as the two regarded each other

The young man rubbed at his eyes Holy shit I must have drank more this morning than I thought I had

Are you really so shocked that I’m strong That I’m not relying on you guys for power The voice was filled with barely disguised disgust and fury

The young man simply shrugged seemingly at a loss Claptrap what

No don’t bother to talk Claptrap hissed his body walking forward his eyes glowing red as the soul Lucretia had grafted onto him seized control to use the spear to its full effect I’m tired of it I’m tired of you all pitying me of treating me like I’m just a convenience rather than part of the team So I’m done with you all And I will make you pay for every ounce of misery you forced me to experience

Chapter 277

Even with a wound in his side the male spear attendant stood perplexed almost heedless of his own blood loss Of course his high physical defense stats were starting to slow the bleeding down but he had lost a majority of his health in the single blow and must be feeling it Lucretia mused

But in his stance there was no weakness only confusion

Misery Does our friendship really mean so little Claptrap The male spear attendant said his eyes sorrowful But this heartfelt wondering served only to infuriate Claptrap further

There This is exactly why Claptrap bellowed the red glow in his eyes hardening You don’t take me seriously at ll Even now even as I hold the power to kill you you don’t feel threatened Because it’s me Because I’m Claptrap the lovable merchant the SIDEKICK With the final word Claptrap threw himself forward his spear raised A powerful image of a monster appeared in the air behind him fuzzy and distant but vicious and potent

However unlike his first strike the male spear attendant was ready this time and his Iron Bulwark sprung into being around him his spear held defensively The two forces crashed and the Bulwark was ripped into scrap metal The male spear attendant managed to interpose his spear between himself and the strike but even the shaft of that was bent slightly with the force of Claptrap’s attack

This exchange served as a signal for the other two and the fight between Black Spear and Divveltian resumed Divveltian throwing all his reserves at Black Spear pounding him forcing his body into awkward positions Whereas before Divveltian had challenged Black Spear directly and lost now he continued to harry him slowly increasing the damage done to the physical body which the deceased soul inside of the body had little ways of addressing

Still those small wounds were short lived as the red in Black Spear’s eyes grew more bright and small flames began to emerge on those wounds licking at them Slowly they grew closed healing through sheer force of will

Black Spear stepped forward its eyes baleful and glowing Divveltian just growled and closed his eyes A music was emerging sweeping the streets higher and stronger than before and spears began to materialize everywhere

The small crowd that had gathered at the end of the street watched eyes wide This level of confrontation was rarely seen by the public Lucretia knew and she didn’t want to be the one that spoiled how weak the average person really was So she waved her hand and her third and final zombie moved out of the shadows cutting the onlookers down

Beckoning the final zombie over to her side Lucretia turned to watch the two contests with interest

Whatever Divveltian was doing it was working Although Black Spear was able to heal he couldn’t do it quickly enough not with the weight of the crescendo of spears that Divveltian was using to slowly tear the skin off of Black Spear’s body

If Lucretia didn’t know better she would have said that Divveltian just had an epiphany mid battle and was powering up immensely But the likelihood of that actually happening Shaking her head Lucretia turned to the other battle

It seemed that Claptrap had seen the state Black Spear was being reduced to and lashed out harder and harder Each time the male spear attendant was knocked to the ground But each time the male spear attendant also sprung to his feet his shoulder broken his thigh bleeding heavily now as well but the image of the Iron Bulwark behind him stronger more vibrant

GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY Claptrap bellowed and there were tears in his eyes Lucretia saw But she just smiled She could feel his emotions roiling within Claptrap Fear shame uncertainty But also behind the others a certain amount of satisfaction and excitement and pride He enjoyed these new powers very much she could tell He just wasn’t sure if it was worth the cost yet

Too late Lucretia whispered patting her third zombie on the head Then to amuse herself she began to braid his hair

The male spear attendant stood his ground Why did you come here if not for us We

IF NOT FOR US Claptrap was spitting with fury now almost insensible That’s exactly why I know you think I’d be nothing without you I know you think all of my success is just because of the Ghosthound And maybe maybe he is responsible Maybe he deserves it He’s all they talk about all anyone talks about even But I refuse to be a fucking dog living in his shadow like you

Besides Claptrap continued his voice going lower more menacing and Lucretia was gleeful as dark angry emotions grew stronger filling his body It was never about you it was always about Ciel and then to see like everything else her bet her hand in marriage to the Ghosthound And you cracking jokes after she lost treating her like a cheap harlot

In spite of himself the male spear attendant chuckled Oh kukuku Yes my wit is sharp But they were aimed more at Aethon than her I

Just shut the fuck up and get out of my way Claptrap interrupted his eyes flicking to Divveltian who continued his onslaught on Black Spear Or I will show you the difference between us

The male spear attendant didn’t move Claptrap’s eyes hardened The monster appeared more defined but also different larger now with a human torso but with the head of a slug and arms that were part tentacle part hook They lashes forward with vicious intent

Although the Iron Bulwark was definitely improved it was still ripped to the side and the male spear attendant’s body was hammered into the ground One of his legs snapped and a deep gash was left on his chest

Claptrap stepped over him not trying to finish him off but also not paying him any attention The monster above him roared for blood the red light growing brighter and Claptrap stumbled but continued further

No point help first Claptrap mumbled annoyed at the way the monster inside of him was rebelling against his control After a brief struggle the monster relented

Lucretia was overjoyed The fact that they were fighting already she couldn’t wait to watch the monster inside of him slowly eroding Claptrap’s own will beating him down haunting his dreams and twisting his perspective Although she hadn’t started out like this now watching this sort of dark transformation was her favorite part

But to both her and Claptrap’s surprise after a flicker an image appeared interposing itself between Claptrap and the ongoing fight an Iron Bulwark

Claptrap snorted and swiped his spear aiming to disperse it but his spear hit the Iron Bulwark and rebounded off with a clang

Even Divveltian paused briefly at the sound his eyes widening before he resumed his furious offensive inflicting large blows on Black Spear

Lucretia tapped her jaw frowning

You you’re at the Adept level Claptrap said some of his confidence visibly leaving his face

There was a chuckle Perhaps you didn’t know My name is Roger Kingsley and I am a genius

Claptrap turned around to gaze at the male spear attendant Roger Kingsley who held his gaudy spear flashing with light from the slowly rising sun Although his body was trembling his eyes were bright his gaze even More and more of his Iron Bulwark sprang into being hemming Claptrap into one spot

Sit in timeout Roger announced Until you remember that we are friends I meant no insult to your woman

She was never my woman Claptrap said bitterly raising his spear The monster bellowed morphing and twisting growing a shark fin and an arm that resembled a spear Then it they lashed out together attacking the Bulwark between him and Roger The thing cracked but the image held much to everyone’s surprise

Lucretia narrowed her eyes The transition to an Adept level was mostly one in utility rather than power There were some that got to that level through a mental insight allowing them to prematurely condense their image Or they used the Intermediate Battle Intent Path which gave you a very real boost to crossing that line

Somehow she knew that this Roger had done neither This was done through sheer force of repetition constantly refining his image This was an annoying variable

You you Claptrap roared fear and confusion filling him as he ripped through wall after wall of spiky iron some of the stray metal ripping small gashes on his side He was surprised when Roger stepped forward meeting him in close combat

Claptrap’s eyes glinted and he lashed out using the techniques of the soul inside of him to attack unpredictably Roger was sent staggering but recovered instantly righting his stance As Claptrap watched the Iron Bulwarks around him wavered then disappeared Condensing suddenly those Bulwarks reappeared on a smaller scale covering Roger in a thick glistening armor He looked like a chosen of god glittering there his body covered in huge sheets of spiked iron

In that moment Claptrap began to sweat The armor flickered and then reformed a more refined form more sleek And yet there was still a billowing aura of power that spread out from Roger that shook Claptrap to his core This was even now even now they treated him like he was just a joke to be stepped on

Roger grinned at Claptrap One spar for old times sake friend I promise to go easy on your or my name is not Roger K

At Lucretia’s instruction her third zombie struck him from behind drilling a hole through the armor and into Roger’s back puncturing a lung

Roger stumbled forward and his Bulwarks flickered Claptrap watched it happen almost in slow motion the man who he would have once referred to as a friend falling in front of him defenseless his self created armor technique broken

Although it was a chance Claptrap couldn’t find the strength to strike Now that he was at this moment this

But Claptrap was no longer the only passenger in his body His arm lashed out the blow catching the male spear attendant cleanly in the neck

Chapter 278

Everyone was silent as the head tumbled to the ground and the decapitated body fell to the side sagging in on itself Claptrap began to tremble his eyes wide his front wet with blood The monster above him seemed pleased and gathered up scraps of the dispersing image incorporating the Iron Bulwark into its body

You will all pay for that A furious voice echoed and Lucretia glanced to the side Black Spear was down his head smashed to a pulp his spear rolling away from the body Divveltian’s eyes bulged as he took in the fallen form of Roger

Lucretia smiled and gestured Her third zombie threw himself at Divveltian and after a second of staring at the life he just took Claptrap shook himself and followed after the monster braying for more blood

Seeing the three of them engage in furious battle Lucretia stepped past them slightly bored Instantly she appeared in Shal’s room standing above him Reaching down she stroked his face lightly checking he was alright Unfortunately that annoying energy still hung around him obscuring his mind from her skills Still

Lucretia glanced to the side and made a surprised sound She picked up the dagger laying there curious This was a crude rune based on the one she had provided to Aemont all those years ago

The more she looked at it the more she grinned Crude was perhaps the wrong word It was simply less discerning in the Aether it could grab It would fill you with polluted Aether very quickly A dagger like this would be very useful if given to a foolish individual With access to Aether from the Ghosthound methods like this were less efficient but that didn’t mean they still wouldn’t be fun

On the other table was a dagger with rune she was shocked to see This would extract meaning

This caused Lucretia to frown as she picked up the other dagger Also dangerous Probably so much so that she wouldn’t ever give it to someone else It was also clear that this was the Ghosthound’s work It made her wonder how many skills that boy had Was he planning on performing some sort of soul surgery on Shal in order to wake him up

She abruptly felt a flash of hatred for the boy then relief he clearly hadn’t tried A foolish gambit like that and it probably would have ruined her plan

Ah speak of the devil Lucretia muttered feeling along the thin emaciated almost dispersed connection the Ghosthound had used to donate Aether to her She could feel him best this way feel his desperation and pain at the way the battle was going Her smile stretched wide and hungry She had been sure to tilt the odds even further against him so he got to this point

But now now that she sensed his weakness her will flooded along the connection reaching into his Aether then she pulled She could sense his resistance at first brief and strong so strong that it stopped her dead both with his unwavering resolve and with her shock at how powerful he was But then that faltered and she could escape dragging a river of Aether behind her

She felt a connection growing between them and her eyes widened So it could also be used like this But then things began to happen very very fast

She felt a consciousness notice her mental attack on the Ghosthound tracing the huge fluctuations of Aether Which was enough of a shock that it took her a second to feel its aura to understand what was happening

Found you The air vibrated with the consciousness’ satisfaction Her eyes widened

There was only one group of people that could make her feel this instinctive fear Master

While the other classifications weren’t really defined increases in strength but rather in qualitative differences in their ability to use images Master was different You could not trick your way into the abilities of a Master

But why was he here

The Inn rumbled and the wall was suddenly gone and a normal old man was there Just a normal old man who began to change before her eyes growing more indomitable and vicious his expression gleeful as his eyes flicked from Lucretia to the bed behind her

Her heart sank He wasn’t even here for her He was here for

Die He said simply and to her great disgust a Spear Phantom appeared drifting towards them She recognized the gaunt edges of Aemont’s jaw If anything this filled Lucretia with an enormous amount of fury To have the gall to mimic the Spear Phantom to kill his own son

Fuck you She spat the fresh pure Aether cycling through her body faster than she would have believed it was possible Her movements were fast drawing her spear and striking a defensive pose Normally Lucretia would consider herself a mid tier Pontiff able to hold her own against those at that level She perhaps had less actual firepower than most at that level but she was smarter and wiser always picking her battles

This was not a battle she picked but she was fueling her defensive strike on the raw pure Aether flowing through her heedless of the consequences Stars appeared overhead innumerable and deeply mysterious thousands of galaxies swirling above

Both attacks met each other and shattered Lucretia staggering backwards and spitting up blood to absorb the force of the shockwave so it wouldn’t hit Shal’s sleeping form The man Gerroark Char leader of the Endless Heat Style just frowned

Heh this strong No wonder you’ve been so annoying for so long But if you are this desperate to protect him It’s true isn’t it

Lucretia said nothing furiously reaching for more Aether But to her surprise she found that her body simply couldn’t absorb anymore without giving something back Meaning she thought her eyes narrowing She didn’t have time to find a way around this not without giving the Ghosthound strength through her meaning so she did something desperate and instead reached further into him grasping for anything

Gerroark continued to speak But that still means you both need to die For the purity of our line you understand And that disciple of his too and probably that man outside I believe he defeated one of my disciples you have possessed but it’s the principle you know Ha look at me so chatty But I never believed I would be so lucky to slay the Eternal Witch today

The man’s eyes narrowed to gleeful slits Now die for me

This time Gerroark didn’t play around with other images and the world around them transformed into a desert heat crashing against her Shal rolled over in his trance frowning

Damnit Lucretia howled inwardly

But then she found it inside of the Ghosthound It was smooth like a ball but it glowed with power sitting deep in the Ghosthound’s soul realm Lucretia’s eyes widened SoulSkill And not just something basic like controlling a Village but something so potent that she couldn’t wrap her head around it

As the heat grew more intense Lucretia reverted to banging against the strange barrier around the skill desperate If she could somehow convert it

Then to her surprise it opened Before she could reach into it however something came out

Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior the world had ever seen In the bitter war against the Spriggits he had always been at the forefront seizing control of the Scepter of Dominance for his own use Very soon he had become the Emperor of the Earth Golems beating the Spriggit machinations back to their mountains The war stalled and he turned his attention abroad

A dispute over the Progenitor based on the Weave started a cultural revolution as more and more doubted the existence of a Progenitor at all In his greed Xierk used this fueling a war with the Swamplings confident that the Hunters would maintain their neutrality as always It was so and he waged a bloody war to seize the Weave and take the Hammer of the Dawn

Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior this world had ever seen

But the Swamplings surprised him He was able to seize the hammer but they burned the Weave rather than allowing him to have access to it Xierk wondered what answers were there but he had other concerns

His greatest friend and general died in that final fight holding the hammer wielder at bay for just the moment Xierk needed In the aftermath he looked around and saw his people grim impossibly strong tragically few and Xierk felt regret He looked at the two relics in his hands wondering why the Progenitor had decided to create them

He wondered if the life of his best friend was worth all this

He wondered if he really believed in the Progenitor any longer

Desperate he asked for the Hunters for help and they assented And so before all of the gathered races Xierk demanded peace and offered his life He laid himself upon the funeral pyre holding the two weapons an example he had hoped for why chasing power was fruitless

An appeasement he hoped to the other races to show there was no need for revenge against the remaining Earth Golems For although Xierk Taf was the greatest warrior the world had ever known he could not protect his people It was his great shame

Instead of dying in the fire Xierk blinked and found himself standing in a room facing off against an elderly creature producing a crushing aura of heat A woman was on her knees behind him and there was another one of these strange soft creatures on the bed behind him They reminded him of Spriggits but almost stretched upwards with longer arms and torsos and legs

You are Xierk The voice was questioning but it also was soft eternal and filled Xierk with a strange familiarity

Xierk to his surprise shed a tear a mixture of sulfur and water And you are the Progenitor

Xierk’s wasn’t a question

Chapter 279

There was a pause and the voice ignored Xierk as it continued You feel regret You crave assistance for your people I will do what I can but it must be a trade For my assistance you must buy time for the man behind you in the bed Stop the opponent in front of you

Xierk felt confusion but there was just something reassuring about the voice There was also the strange warm emerald glow that Xierk could feel filling him the same glowing emerald that came up out of the earth which they always called the Breath of the Progenitor

Narrowing his eyes Xierk tightened his grip then he smiled So he came over with his scepter and the hammer Well then

It was not that Xierk’s anger and bitterness towards the Progenitor had disappeared and yet he could not bring himself to ask the questions that had been burning in his heart since his friend died Because as soon as he heard the Progenitor’s voice

Xierk found a truth inside himself That the path he was on was one he had chosen for himself It was a heavy weight

Although Xierk didn’t know where he was or why the directive was simple fight the opponent before him He would show this enemy of the Progenitor why he was called the strongest warrior his world had ever seen

Perhaps in this world he would be the strongest too Xierk’s smile grew wide With the Progenitor protecting his people there was no reason to hold back

Lucretia was struggling inwardly to understand A few things were immediately clear

The strange rocky figure had definitely come out of the Ghosthound’s Soul Skill Was it the spirit of the Soul Skill Somehow it had appeared answering her call And

The Rockman spun the scepter in his hand which glowed emerald The image of the desert around them shattered and the Rockman stepped forward Gerroark’s face instantly turned serious He even drew his spear

Well met warrior Gerroark said his eyes with a trace of uncertainty in them The Rockman rumbled his agreement and then moved blurring forward raising his hammer Gerroark moved to engage and very swiftly they were trading blows at a speed that Lucretia couldn’t follow

True the Rockman was fighting toe to toe with Gerroark just like she needed but Lucretia could barely move It was costing her an abhorrent amount to keep the creature here She could feel for every second that it remained in this realm outside of the Soul Skill part of her soul was being syphoned off into the Soul Skill

But she wouldn’t stop it she realized her heart sinking She felt the bindings of fate around her for safety but knew she wouldn’t struggle against them She had done this often enough to others it was just shocking that it had happened to her

Three gifts The first the daggers the second the Aether the third this strange Rockman And by the third gift she would destroy herself

For the first time in a long time Lucretia felt tired Her age caught up with her making her slightly listless and uncertain Was this truly how she was going to die

No She whispered heatedly even as the Rockman knocked Gerroark out onto the street and hopped down to follow him I refuse

A movement behind her caught her attention and Lucretia twisted around shocked Shal’s eyes were open He had sat up He was looking at her seemingly lost in thought

Earlier that morning Randidly finally stood as their match was announced The figure opposite him stood as well They did not bother to look at each other but both walked slowly up to their own individual stairs and up onto the stage

The crowd erupted into a wall of noise pounding the stage Ghosthound Ghosthound

Although he was not predicted to win there was no denying that Randidly was the more popular of the two spear users Drak was seen as surly and elitist Everyone craved the sight of Randidly striking this figure down making him bleed and struggle That was what people were here for

In his heart Randidly felt a small bit of disgust This was bloodsport to them But he couldn’t deny his own hand in this Whereas before it had simply been a point of pride a display of strength by the larger Styles now it was more than that It was something of people going to the zoo

It hit him all at once How the alcohol helped the people forget their own bitterness and just enjoy the show relegating themselves eternally to the sidelines How the people who drank the ale and watched would never think themselves the type to appear on stage They would always be the drinkers the watchers and how they would unconsciously fill their children with the same doubt in themselves

This had been going on for generations already of course in a lesser way After seeing the large Styles dominate But now there was alcohol available It would ease those frustrations relax the drinker Make them satiated with just this All because Randidly thought it would be funny to help Claptrap make a quick buck

Shaking his head slowly Randidly felt a strange weight settle on his shoulders That would be the case unless

Unless someone who came from nothing like them broke those expectations Grinning to himself Randidly drew his practice spear stretching lightly while the other spear sat inside of himself waiting for the moment he needed it

It was one more responsibility he could add to the pile Randidly thought grimly Break expectations for the people who didn’t come from the top tiered Styles Force Drak Wyrd to reveal his hidden cards for Azriel Let Shal come awake to an outcome that leaves him proud

Are both fighters ready The referee asked looking back and forth between the two of them Both nodded

Randidly hadn’t had much occasion to actually watch Drak Wyrd but his full attention was on him now Power seemed compressed in the man’s body a palpable aura of competency There seemed to be no weaknesses in his stance and his eyes were steady and determined There wasn’t even any overconfidence although there did seem to be some cruelty in his expression as he gazed at Randidly

Was it possible to use that

Incinerating Bolt The Spear Advances Ash Trails Randidly said

There had been some time when he had debated taking a more passive role but Randidly knew that this was not necessarily a race against time but against exertion Drak Wyrd with his dark determined eyes could only fight for so long without his Aether Starvation kicking in weakening him immensely

Trusting in Randidly’s own ability to keep himself alive Randidly decided the best option was a powerful offense that would force Drak to expend his energy while defending He would probably be able to quickly dispatch most things defending himself and wounding Randidly but Randidly knew of no other way to push this match than to gamble his Health Stamina and Mana were high enough to make Drak Wyrd expend his Aether

And Randidly was going to use all of them

As the bolt ripped forward Randidly’s body soon followed aiming for the moment Drak dodged or blocked the bolt to strike finding a moment of weakness

Drak opted to deflect it doing it effortlessly flicking his spear and knocking the bolt away At the same time he accelerated forward meeting Randidly in the middle of the arena with a crash

Immediately Randidly activated Stalemate Breaker and pressed forward with everything he had using Empower and Mana Strengthening as well They were dead even which shocked Randidly as much as it did Drak his normally blank expression stretching as he raised his eyebrows

But Randidly had used ? of his Stamina in those brief seconds just to bring him to a standstill Christ

Circle of Flame Randidly shouted

As he expected Drak leaped backwards moving quickly out of the blast radius but of course it was a feint Still what Randidly hadn’t expected was that Drak’s spear would slash out behind him without even looking cutting through the Spearing Roots he was aiming to use to catch him in the back without slowing him down at all

Still with Drak’s spear behind him Randidly activated the Spear Advances Ash Trails again Focusing on the concept of ignition feeling his body thrown forward with its power

Drak didn’t even blink blocking Randidly’s spear with a stance that made Randidly feel like he had just thrown himself into a concrete wall Then Drak’s spear wriggled and Randidly’s was knocked to the side leaving him completely undefended

Growling Randidly spun away aiming to slash at him from the side but he abruptly sensed that a kick was about to hit him as if Drak had predicted this very move and prepared to deal with it

Randidly’s eyes glowed Emerald The ground around them transformed into mist and there was a soft ticking in the background The Phantom’s Embrace

Unlike Azriel who had grown wary of this skill Drak made no move to change his kick Randidly felt every aspect of the kick in a second his eyes glazing over as his other senses took control Randidly spun borrowing the force of the attack to disappear spinning faster around Drak’s side his spear moving in an arc

An arc just short of Drak but it did rip upwards cutting a shallow gash into the corner of Drak’s mouth

Breathing heavily Randidly stepped backwards Thick roots of golden energy came upwards flooding his body with strength increasing his recovery Living Blood activated too doing its best to control the blood loss from the huge gash in Randidly’s left bicep where a counter attack that Randidly hadn’t even been able to follow with his eyes had struck him

Both fighters looked at each other A trail of blood dripped down Drak’s face to his chin then dropped onto the ground

Although he earned a pounding headache for it Randidly used Living Blood to its limit keeping all his blood flowing back into the wound as his body slowly knit together Grinning Randidly pointed down to the drop of crimson

Your blood hit the ground first

After he had spoken Randidly realized for the first time how silent it had become in the arena His words carried far and Drak’s face only darkened further Sighing inwardly to himself Randidly wished he had the presence of mind to wait a few more seconds An increased recovery time would have made this wound so much more manageable But noo he had to trash talk

We will see whose body hits the ground first Drak said his voice raw as he raised his spear once more

Chapter 280

Randidly opened his mouth for a retort but thought better of it His entire body was quivering slightly with the rebound from using the Phantom’s Embrace The physical toll was higher than it had ever been in battles against Azriel but Randidly had somehow expected it That was simply who Drak Wyrd was

But because of that Randidly was forced to allow Drak Wyrd to take the initiative This was both a necessity and strategic he needed those extra seconds to recover but he also wanted Drak to attack and use his Aether depleting himself Goading him on like this seemed like the best strategy

Then Drak moved and Randidly began to feel a prickling of doubt even as the rising tension in his body drew his mouth into a grin

Drak advanced like a force of nature Suddenly everything else fell away leaving only a wide vast expanse with the sun slowly creeping up over the horizon The light and heat smashed into Randidly sending him sprawling

The force of the image itself was enough to completely suppress him Randidly hoped that it had at least cost some Aether

Even though he was knocked up off balance the world became cold and dark in stark contrast to the rising sun A low mist clung to the ground in front of Randidly and a low ticking began With burning eyes Randidly felt Phantom’s Embrace settle around him like a mantle As long as he wasn’t forced to use the dodging component again

Drak’s displeasure was palpable as their images warred against each other So much so that Drak stopped and just pressed the huge sun smashing down towards Randidly’s image for the Phantom’s Embrace

An image of course wasn’t completely necessary for an attack Even Randidly who was starting to get a hang of using them wasn’t entirely sure of what exactly they did but they clearly helped As best as he could understand it the process of focusing on an image was strangely similar of focusing on punching through someone when you threw a fist

You obviously didn’t throw a fist hard enough to go through someone but the difference in mental aspects increased its power

Images were that except impossibly more broad and on a larger scale At least for the Phantom’s Embrace too there was a sensory component so that everything within the area of influence of the image Randidly was aware of

Which was hard to wrap your head around logically By pretending to be part of a cloud of energy his subconscious upped his detection skills within that cloud giving him a sort of radar Well not radar more like an amorphous body

Of course the System fueled by Aether and held within meaning took care of the details but it

Randidly twisted his mouth as the impact came Drak seeming to take his image and physically smash at Randidly’s causing him to stagger again The image of the dark location flickered the mantle around Randidly’s shoulders weakening

Gritting his teeth Randidly suppressed his first instinct to lash out at the image That was foolish From just the earlier contact it was clear whose image had more weight Randidly was very adamant that it wasn’t stronger

Which left only the option of testing how his completed path affected his Battle Intent

Multifarious and varied the darkness and mist and ticking pressed forward towards Drak Wyrd seeping swiftly forward Again he responded by lashing out but again the affected parts of the image were squished and dissipated but Randidly just pressed more forward filling the gaps

Within him Randidly felt as the Aether began to circulate more quickly moving to match the rising need

It was strange and oddly draining to allow his image to get knocked back but Randidly was starting to get the hang of it especially after his spars with Azriel She never bothered to clash against Randidly directly in terms of image likely because she didn’t feel the need to but it had given him at least the first steps in utilizing it otherwise he would simply have been smashed backwards by Drak here

Apparently Drak abruptly realized that this was pointless Or rather than pointless his own limit in terms of Aether was much different than Randidly’s Growling Drak continued his advance and Randidly winced inwardly torn

But it was too early to run He needed to save his highest mobility for when Drak struck with his higher tiered skills Better to meet him now before he worked up a head of steam

Empower and Haste Mana Strengthening and the active of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and finally Stalemate Breaker all activated Randidly thrust forward with the Inevitable Phantom Arrives the attack one of his most powerful on short notice with all of the combined active and passive boosts

Drak had twisted and was past him turning smoothly around Whatever he had done Randidly was shaken That speed the grace of his spear It wasn’t just levels higher than him Randidly would have sworn it was above Azriel No even possibly at the level of Divvet or Shal

But there was a joy too as Randidly twisted and tried to reset his stance to address the attack from this new direction As he turned however he found his right arm wouldn’t move There was a huge gash in his shoulder revealing the bone Blood belatedly realized that the skin was broken and began to bubble forwards

Even as his will stretched out to cover the wound corralling the blood back into his body the training spear that Randidly had brought into the arena cracked in the middle broken into two pieces The front piece fell from the numb fingers of Randidly’s right hand

Drak had finished his turn and his attack was already halfway towards Randidly’s exposed chest

Fuck

Randidly used the Phantom Half Step several times in quick succession and that gave Drak a brief pause but then he just came forward determined

Although it was slightly crazy Randidly was smiling He wasn’t sure if it was the pain or the absolutely flawless execution but Randidly felt something joyful and raw in his chest facing this opponent

Come Randidly whispered almost without realizing what he was doing

Drak narrowed his eyes a dark emotion taking over and continued to oblige Still the wave of Anguish that smashed outwards in an intangible flood set him back somewhat For Randidly the pain sharpened things but he also had a high Willpower and Resistance with a skill level that granted him some immunity to the brunt of the pain

Randidly also had several skills which dulled it somewhat He had been used to Azriel stilling briefly then continuing to rush forward so Randidly hadn’t necessarily had high hopes for its use But Drak stumbled

When he first realized what was happening Randidly hesitated so shocked that it had worked well that he suspected a trap But then long hours of duels kicked in his instincts warning him he couldn’t afford to miss this chance Hundreds of streams of Spearing Roots ripped upwards aiming for Drak’s body

Advancing Randidly conjured the strangely marked spear into his left hand which was still working while his passives worked away at recovering mobility in the right Moving quickly like this wasn’t ideal but at least the throbbing headache Randidly was earning kept blood from spilling everywhere

Even though it had taken him by surprise by the time Randidly’s attack arrived Drak was ready Without even blinking his spear whipped out shearing through most of the attacking roots in place to do any real damage to him

Still Randidly didn’t give a shit smashing forward with the rest and thrusting forward with the spear in his left hand At the same time Randidly produced a Wall of Roots directly beneath Drak aiming to throw him off balance and used Summon Pestilence to shoot handfuls of bugs to block the eyes of his enemy

Drak’s senses were better than Randidly could believe because even through the bugs and the roots and the thorns Drak’s off hand rose from the shaft of his spear and shot out catching the spearhead of Randidly’s spear

Randidly blinked A thin trickle of blood fell from Drak’s hand but the spear was stopped dead Roots slammed into Drak but only left shallow scratches What in the fuck was his body made out of And how high was his Resistance

Drak thrust forward Randidly’s life probably saved only because of the lift provided by the Wall of Thorns keeping Drak off balance As it was he could only twist to the side

Circle of

But Randidly was hit in the side of the head with the shaft of the spear as Drak grunted and swiped at him just using his superior physicality to interrupt the spell Randidly scowled Saying the name wasn’t necessary just a habit If he wanted to play that way

Fire smashed outward from Randidly burning away the roots and sending Drak stumbling backwards protecting his face

But Randidly’s grin fell away as Drak lowered his hands and seemed supremely unhurt From the fire and from

Drak to his own surprise fell to one knee his body trembling shutting down on himself

Randidly continued to grin as he looked at his competitor somewhat pleased Gotcha

Chapter 281

Randidly pressed his own Aether into the spear banishing the murky Aether he gathered from Drak and reclaiming some of the frustration and rage that Randidly had sacrificed to suck it out of his opponent Although it was just a small cut in the hand it was enough for the strange rune to act on that small wound

Drak blinked and then slowly looked up to stare solemnly at Randidly Then his eyes turned ugly

You are a Devourer A Heretic

Randidly said nothing although he couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably at how familiar Drak was with the term More than that though Randidly couldn’t deny that in this case he had purposefully sucked Aether out of his opponent as a way to get an advantage

Even though he had clearly heard and the crowd was murmuring the referee said nothing Which was all the signal Randidly needed

Another hot barbed wire jab of Anguish went out making the already trembling Drak flinch For his part Randidly made Spearing Roots smash Drak forward towards him

Which he suddenly realized was a mistake

Because although he had now a deep Aether debt to pay Drak was clearly very willing to dig himself deeper

Not only was Drak moving at a speed that Randidly was hard pressed to follow when he was caught flat footed he also simply punched Randidly rolling forward from his crouch and knocking Randidly flat

The spear followed silent the real threat Randidly could feel it in the air but was off his balance from the brutally strong punch

Gritting his teeth Randidly felt his world go grey Silence spread The spear pierced through his chest killing him

As the other body disintegrated another body formed unfortunately still with a useless right arm But he was behind his opponent The world was strange too strange connections and densities It seemed that the audience had a palpable presence of heavy grey Drak was thick and viscous too colors and distortions flitting around him in this strange world

To conserve his mana Randidly let the effect drop and raised his hand holding the spear and driving it into Drak’s side One more good syphon of the Aether and

That’s enough

Instincts kicked in again also from Azriel He was throwing himself backwards out of the line of the attack It was instantaneous so much so that some part of Randidly knew that it must have been a skill splitting the air to aim for Randidly’s vulnerable neck

Even afterwards Drak didn’t stop and Randidly’s eyes narrowed as he retreated farther missing the tip of his left pinky Just a small bit of flesh too slow to avoid Drak’s retaliation

A skill was good news for the depletion plan But there was also bad news Because Randidly had felt the spear cut Drak as he dropped it avoiding the first strike The continued connection growing stronger each time he used it let him syphon Aether again albeit more weakly without the physical contact with the spear

But Randidly had acted quickly and got a fair chunk of Aether from the wound Only to find

The Aether was different now Thicker and more familiar

His Aether Or

Aether that he had gifted to another regifted

Drak straightened the energy running through his body making him glow slightly his strong blunt features almost disappointed as he looked at Randidly

No more playing You will be the lesson that I need to give them

Again the powerful image of the sun came back but this time it was not just rising but seeming to fill the horizon then it rose expanding further and further filling the sky until all was the sun Until one realized that this celestial body that was dawning was so close and so much larger than the world that it was comical

This was not a dawn This was being consumed

There was a strange jaggedness to the air that Randidly recognized as something akin to his own Anguish it caused the opponent pain and slowly sapped away at their will with this heavy weight Drak for his part was the center of this sun seemingly concentrating very hard to maintain it but otherwise was staying put

Gritting his teeth Randidly realized that this was worse than he thought Because this didn’t just aim to eradicate his images leaving him naked but it also pressed like a physical force that drained his Health Mana and Stamina

Aether crackled around Drak’s body and he finally seemed satisfied his eyes flashing as he stepped forward even as the huge sun continued to dwarf the world in Randidly’s view

Desperate Randidly lashed out with Anguish even as he began to worry about the state of his health Drak paused briefly but a lot like Azriel he had seen this before and was able to neutralize it when it hadn’t taken him by surprise Maybe too the strain of defending against it would have cost too much Aether and he had decided against it

This was strong This was crazy strong the weight of the image the implacable nature of the attack even as Drak was left free to move And this was just a broader technique if his anti personal attacks were this strong

A wave of Spearing Roots came up out of the ground avoiding Drak’s spear as best they could and striking him Another wave even as Randidly winced at his depleted mana reserves They struck him again and again scratching wounding him a little further each time but Randidly quickly realized that there was something about Drak’s skin that was special Perhaps a Skill

It was like a piece of flesh armor Or a fine wrapping of silk It didn’t do much to prevent blunt force trauma but Drak had his Physical Defense stats for that Instead it was some sort of extra resiliency

Which might explain why Drak moved to protect his eyes so quickly but didn’t bother with his body And didn’t sport any burns even though he had been blasted with Randidly’s flames

Still there wasn’t really much that Randidly could really do with this information And with his mana running low

Randidly switched tactics stepping forward Again this was a terrible idea but at least this time Randidly had a better idea about how terrible it would end up being

Drak’s spear moved forward faster than Randidly could see and Randidly tensed his world going black and white before immediately dropping it to save mana

Twisting Drak avoided striking Randidly causing him to grin Like Azriel in that respect too if you used a skill the same way against them twice it would be less than half as effective But if you kept varying the use

So when Drak’s preternatural grace let him turn back to face Randidly this time he was punched in the face and sent sprawling Randidly bit the bullet and used Stalemate Breaker costing him a hung chunk of Stamina but it would restore itself quickly Health too was concerning now at about 30% but the regeneration was still high enough that Randidly could delude himself into thinking he might be able to get up around 50% should they banter for a bit