LoRG 3

While Randidly was waiting for the tremors from overexerting himself to subside the three Nether Gatekeepers simply watched him The six armed Nether GatekeeperÆs eyes were tight with anger but it seemed to be carefully considering what to do

After a few more seconds passed the tremors finally seemed to have run their course Randidly could only chuckle in amusement at his foes hesitation After all what could he have done if they rushed toward him in that moment of weakness Well Is that all

For a second there was silence Then the Great Rift above pulsed with power Almost two hundred comets fell downward toward the frontlines all emanating an aura that proved they were superior to the three almost Nether Gatekeepers that Randidly had been playing with Beyond those comets nearly one thousand large comets crashed down in their wake carrying with them the next wave in the Nether assault

It seemed the Nether King was done playing around

Chapter 1190

That night Heiffal hadnÆt gotten much sleep He had a dream that kept him twitching on the edge of consciousness He had been called forward to a battle one very like todayÆs battle and he had been stationed at the front behind a powerful figure

Yet as the battle went on it rapidly became clear that the figure in front of them didnÆt care at all for their lives In fact that figure allowed more and more of HeiffalÆs soldiers to die in order to drink from their deaths and grow more powerful Worst of all Heiffal had died too his stomach ripped out by the claws of a Nether Beast

The cold darkness that greedily devoured him then was something that he would probably never forget Which meant that he woke up very confused and disoriented from this dream with the powerful image of his own death hanging over him as he prepared to march to battle

Heiffal obviously didnÆt want to die but he was a professional soldier he understood why he might need to die on this day This area had only been recently captured by the Nexus from the terrible Nether savages Without such a staging area the Aether would forever be without useful thoroughfares to proactively destroy the NetherÆs forces

Yet it had not been an easy go of it from the start The grouped up reinforcements simply didnÆt have enough time training together to form a cohesive unit Even with the benefits of the fortifications casualties began to mount And that was before the Nether Gatekeeper had made its appearance

Luckily a young man stepped forward and stemmed the bleeding before the entire trope was slaughtered From time to time as Heiffal rotated through being on watch being support then being on the front itself back to a resting position he glanced at the young man He heard talk about the young man all around him

When the claw of dense Nether had crashed to the ground toward the young man who had held off the Nether Gatekeeper Heiffal had been close enough to be blasted backward but not close enough to have been simply snuffed out as some had been In the wake of the blast Heiffal found himself burning and face down in the dirt

As Heiffal had blew out a mouthful of dirt and winced as Nether corroded his skin he had struggled to his feet and witnessed the agonizing death by dissolution of some of his squad that he had probably missed by only a few meters

HeiffalÆs heart tightened as he looked around and saw the annihilated fortifications in the surrounding twenty meters They had been so reliant on in the past If necessary Heiffal would gladly give his life to protect all the innocents who would remain safe as long as they established a base here Yet Heiffal couldnÆt get over the impression that what they did here wouldnÆt be enough The dream he had this morning weighed heavily on his mind The figure defending them might be different but the outcome seemed to be the same

With this number of Nether Beasts once more he would die

It was at that moment that the smoke clear enough for Heiffal to see through to the figure standing between the forces of Aether and the forces of Nether As reinforcements Heiffal and his fellow soldiers didnÆt know much about the chain of command here They had been made aware that they were under Lady Iellaya but for most of the average soldiers like Heiffal they didnÆt know much more than that Likely the commanding officers were informed who could give them orders but with the attack a short time away it wasnÆt something that had been addressed in the lead up to the battle

Even so there were whispers about this man Ghosthound they called him Although there were conflicting rumors about who exactly he was while they were in the resting portion of the rotation a good friend had told Heiffal that the Ghosthound was Lady IellayaÆs left hand and the one in charge of mobilizing the common soldiers

And he had certainly been the one here as the Nether Gatekeeper surged forward to slaughter them but it was more than that Even if the battlefield was extremely chaotic it was impossible to miss the frequent interference of roots at very convenient times vastly weakening the power of the Nether Beasts And also that strange chaotic aura that everyone carried visibly empowering their attacks in small ways

Just as Heiffal was reaching down toward a nearby soldier to help him to his feet there were two loud cracks that made both of the soldiers jump They looked into each otherÆs eyes in fear then looked forward Beyond the Ghosthound two more Nether Gatekeepers had crashed into the ground

Even as Heiffal assisted his fellow in standing his heart trembled once again Even if it was possible to protect others by sacrificing themselves here would their sacrifice really end up mattering With this number of Nether Gatekeepers

That terrible darkness that Heiffal had felt when he died

Heh seems like you donÆt want this continuing for much longer The GhosthoundÆs voice was so young So much younger than Heiffal had expected Yet it was bright and clear even as the Great Rift hung above him like a headsmanÆs ax But did you think I was stalling just to bleed your footsoldiers Hey Acri have you been enjoying your meal

This time HeiffalÆs shock was one of anticipation For the first time since he had seen the sea of Nether Beasts that wanted to kill them he felt the stirrings of hope With this young man in front of them they could accomplish anything

As if to evidence the inexplicable capability of the Ghosthound a Nether Beast was skewered through the chest as something erupted out of the approaching army Mid air the slender spear grew to an incomparable size Although it certainly grew longer what was the most impressive was the way it widened to become a huge spike to rip out the heart of these tenacious Nether Beasts

Heiffal took a step forward toward the GhosthoundÆs shoulders His eyes were fixed on the sleek dark grey armor that covered his back and ran down his right arm Barely able to control his breathing Heiffal took another step forward Incredible this amount of power is this man really just someone from the Third Cohort like me

In the next second Heiffal was blasted backward by a huge surge of energy that erupted out of the end of the GhosthoundÆs lance By the time that Heiffal had righted himself he saw the Ghosthound piercing one Nether Gatekeeper with his lance and smashing another Nether Gatekeeper to the ground like the dog it was

Heiffal hadnÆt even noticed the threat from above when somehow the Ghosthound flicked his gaze upward and materialized a long tail of bone that struck upward and pierced into the six armed Nether GatekeeperÆs chest The moment stretched as the Ghosthound surveyed them all Then the three Nether Gatekeepers all collapsed and fell back leaving only the tall figure with black hair standing in the closest portion of the ditch

His body was slightly angled so Heiffal was able to see the tight smile that stretched across the GhosthoundÆs face A smile that Heiffal definitely did not remember from his dream this morning That shadowy figure had never smiled Combined with the extremely small shakes that Heiffal could see in the GhosthoundÆs shoulders he could only come to one reasonable conclusion this man was having fun He could barely control his laughter

The Ghosthound generously waited for the three Nether Gatekeepers to recover enough to stand Heiffal could feel the valiant spirit of this man burning in the sky driving away the last lingering vestiges of that disturbing dream he had had After all what did three Nether Gatekeepers matter The Ghosthound would forge a path forward no matter how difficult it was

It doesnÆt matter how difficult it will be The tightness in HeiffalÆs shoulders relaxed The ghost of fear that had been hanging over him from this morning was finally exorcised This is worth doing As long as thatÆs true we cannot flinch

When the sky opened up and began to belch Nether Gatekeepers down toward their forces Heiffal was already shouting and gesticulating to get the surrounding forces in order Like him most seemed motivated enough by watching the Ghosthound that they rapidly shifted into formations that oozed determination

Toward the spectacle descending toward them Heiffal looked up once and then ignored it He continued moving along the lines shouting and gathering everyone up in preparation After all there was still work to do today

Goddamnit if it wasnÆt for that fool The Interim Commander whined as he looked worriedly over to Lady IellayaÆs camp next to him He attracted so much attention How are we supposed to handle eight Nether Gatekeepers

Vualla figured it was pointless to point out that due to the fact that there were two hundred Nether Gatekeepers the entire frontline was in a similar situation In fact the presence of Lady IellayaÆs camp now dealing with twenty six Nether Gatekeepers probably would end up being a boon for Commander TerithÆs camp Yet tension kept VuallaÆs mouth locked shut

DonÆt die on me Randidly Vualla tapped her metal gauntlets lightly together as an offering DonÆt die before we can tear down this System together

The heavy darkness that Vualla carried swirled tightly around her heart pulling at the knot of emotions that Vualla had released At this point Vualla practically expected such a drain so she didnÆt put much mind to it And she wasnÆt shocked that the darkness quickly found that the knot of emotions was made out of a few cores strings of emotions that werenÆt superfluous and wouldnÆt be extinguished by the cold

Taking that small victory Vualla was humming in pleasure as she prepared to move out when a voice tugged on those emotions and spun them upward to the fore of VuallaÆs attention Do you wish to win this battle

Vualla froze Without waiting for Vualla to respond the darkness asked another question

How many foes can you handle at your current strength Enough to save these people

What Vualla began but already the strange darkness shifted forward in her core Vualla could feel the way it was pulling itself more tightly together Where before it seemed like a layer of heavy gauze that muffled her entire experience now it spiraled together to form a heavy iron lock that seemed to be directly binding VuallaÆs heart

The darkness observed Vualla for a few more seconds Then it spoke again its voice lined with curiosity You know how to take more power Absorb it from these departing souls You cannot deny that your own power is insufficient Or that this will provide you with more power

You refuse out of principle but are your principles worth allowing so many people to die

Chapter 1191

Randidly stared intensely upward at the approaching wave of comet Nether Gatekeepers for several seconds With his Grim Intuition he could hear the persistent rustle of the dense Nether burning away at the Aether in the atmosphere as they shot downward The visual variations grew increasingly thick as the structure of the space was corroded by the Great Rift

Faced with the weight of the forces heading down toward them it was difficult to remain positive The hammer of the Nether King hadnÆt even made an appearance but this wave of Nether GatekeeperÆs demonstrated the disparity between the two forces

RandidlyÆs mind kept smashing itself up against the numerical disadvantage the Aether soldiers found themselves facing yet he wasnÆt able to unearth any useful countermeasures Even RandidlyÆs tools had no great method for this He could certainly use creative application of his Skills to delay their approach yet in the face of this sort of offensive

Ultimately itÆs a matter of power His gaze flicked down to the surrounding three Nether Gatekeepers Grim Intuition provided a rather constant stream of information regarding their mood and their rising excitement was clear in their posture Yet the growing sense of wariness remained in their posture especially apparent from the Six armed Nether Gatekeeper who had been so wounded by RandidlyÆs conjured tail

I have more than enough power to handle these but these are just the appetizers And all the time IÆve spent cultivating a perspective that cares enough to justify the pursuit of power

RandidlyÆs heart bled to realize that this foe was not one that he could prevent from massacring the surrounding soldiers He was weak on this battlefield For a short while Randidly had managed to determine the course of the battlefield by stepping forward when the more powerful fighters on both sides wanted to play a waiting game But it seemed that RandidlyÆs time had come to an end

I wonÆt let my inability to imagine a world where I lose disguise any small thing I can do now Randidly said to the air Acri hummed against his hand and wound itself back into the pyramidal point form Even if IÆm still weak IÆm not insignificant

Randidly took a deep breath and pulled deeply at the surrounding world The vibrancy and potency around Randidly shivered and struggled feebly against his grip Randidly was careful to not pull too deeply from the Aether soldiers but from the ground sky and Great Rift Randidly dragged power down into himself Although he physically breathed while performing the Skill Randidly kept pulling after his lungs were full

Because behind him was a monster that was always hungry and struggling When it took from the world it took

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 270

Bereft of his World Tree images but positively humming with energy Randidly lowered his head and studied the three foes His sharp emerald eyes measured each one in turn Above the approaching reinforcements rushed closer ever second Time was short but Randidly pushed that to the side He focused instead on what he could still accomplish Do I force the issue and try to one of them now

The image of the Grim Chimera almost immediately coalesced around Randidly The dark corroded skin of its long left claw and right bone spear stood starkly out against the pale skin of the Grim ChimeraÆs chest Within that ribcage the Nether Wells glowed with a cosmic light illuminating the veins running through his body When the Grim Chimera smiled it was wide and toothy

Of course Randidly would force the issue He would not quietly step away from the challenge even as the approaching foe would clearly overmatch him

Yet before he could move a voice seized his attention You sick bastard I think itÆs time you allowed some of your superiors to participate in the fun DonÆt bite off more than you can chew or you will choke on it and I wonÆt save you

Glancing sideways some of RandidlyÆs almost manic tension eased as he saw AbiodunÆs rather reassuring form striding up next to him The roughshod solid body seemed to emanate a sense of dependableness that was more than just an image And that sense of solidity was an entirely new sensation coming from this typically bloodthirsty man

But this kind of bastard is exactly the sort that you need on your side at times like these

Rather than simply acquiescing Randidly tilted his head to the side in mock confusion Anyone could have stepped forward to fight Imagine my surprise when I was the only one brave enough to accept their challenge I lost quite a bit of respect for you when I was out here alone I suppose you were simply nervous right

Punk AbiodunÆs voice rumbled with amusement as he shook his head Then his presence blasted outward making the hesitating three Nether Gatekeepers around them edge backward from this new arrival You and I both know that this is a bigger game than one petty fight against these assorted pieces of scum We stand on the precipice of a war between two species Show some restraint It is supremely unlikely that we will get a chance like this again in our lifetimes

Congratulations Your Skill MonstrositiyÆs Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 249

Show some initiative Randidly replied rather nonchalantly Still his mood was improving immensely A lot of the sense of helplessness was evaporating away as Abiodun made his presence known Although Randidly was not enough on his known the two working in concert could probably slow down even Nether Gatekeepers Plus every second that Randidly had to recuperate was a second his fine control over his Vitality could build up some momentum to restore himself to fighting condition

CanÆt do anything about the mental strain though Randidly thought still somewhat frustrated that his moment of distraction in his Skill had been so mentally taxing But part of that might be the fact that he had been abusing Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil so constantly to keep the battlefield in a manageable form

Fine then let me teach you a lesson about seizing the initiative Abiodun raised his head and laughed But with that laugh came an ominous rumbling that slowly filled the air Even though he wasnÆt the target Randidly still felt his hairs begin to stand on end as an image that was vastly empowered from what he had seen previously from Abiodun rushed over their heads In that steadily growing noise was a sense of terrible loss and destruction the crumbling of the most beautiful gardens to ever exist Yet now those gardens had grown cold and slowly evolved into a necropolis a tomb for beauty and pride Those foundational stones that held up this edifice cracked and disintegrated turning into a grand landslide that rushed forward toward the three pseudo Nether Gatekeepers in a barrage of noise

All three roared in furious denial but AbiodunÆs image became too powerful too quickly they were smashed backward as the noise rolled over them their Nether bodies rupturing from running up against an image that possessed not even an ounce of give

Looks like Lady Iellaya wasnÆt the only one to improve from her transformation RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition lightly followed the edges of the enormous image that appeared from Abiodun Very quickly he found the same sort of strange notes of darkness that he had sensed within Lady IellayaÆs image present in here as well In a much more muted way but it was clear that the two had influenced each other This obviously resulted in a stark increase in power for Abiodun but Randidly still couldnÆt relax due to such an inexplicable increase in power that distracted from the changes to the image

Those changes were not constructive ones They reminded him too much of IllymÆs fatalistic outlook Destruction rode gleefully in that darkness that both Lady Iellaya and Abiodun now carried completely willing to pay any price to accomplish its goals It seemed to revel in the struggle and depravity

Yet it was hard for Randidly to be too critical of the philosophical changes to the images when he witnessed how easily that Abiodun was able to smash back these three foes even while he challenged all three at once It was a sharp reminder that even while these three had all been near the power of a Nether Gatekeeper none had truly reached that tier of power

And Abiodun had reached that tier and then some with this new boost

That thought drew RandidlyÆs eyes back upward to the fistfuls of blue black flame that careened down toward the ground Perhaps quite soon Randidly would experience what it was truly like to fight a Nether Gatekeeper That slight difference in Nether density that the true monsters of the opposition could manage to wield would never be as deadly to Randidly as it was to most beings of Aether but that slight increase in Nether density was a hard barrier to overcome no matter what natural defenses Randidly had

It was like comparing swords made of stone to those made of steel The shape had always been there but now the blade could cut much more deeply

Still IÆll be ready Randidly glanced to the right to Commander TerithÆs camp Although his eyes couldnÆt find her Randidly could easily feel Vualla moving through the frantic reorganization of bodies to move to the front I canÆt let you fight alone out there Even if its not much IÆll do what I can

Oh also orders from Lady Iellaya Abiodun casually said as he twisted back around to look at Randidly Take a break We will need you later but for now its better to save your strength IÆll protect this rabble in the meantime

Blinking Randidly felt like he must have misheard Abiodun Two hundred Nether Gatekeepers smashed into the already broken ground near the edge of the Great Rift sending large chunks of stone spinning weightlessly through the air as they crashed down The noise was not loud from all the way back here but Randidly could feel the impact reverberate through the distant ground to the toes of his bare feet You want me to take a break IÆm still

A subordinate to Lady Iellaya AbiodunÆs eyes glowed ominously even as his tone was even So no matter what merits you have rendered in your service her word is law Take a break Ghosthound At least four hours We need you back at your sharpest for this and from how you are staring at me it is clear that you are more than a little dull right now

The truth in that statement made RandidlyÆs temper flare but he quickly mastered that and gave Abiodun a hard look You believe you can handle this many foes alone

I believe in carrying out the orders given to me Some of that destructive pressure that Abiodun released earlier to knock back the three Nether Gatekeepers pulsed outward Randidly barely resisted the urge to bare his teeth

but if Abiodun refused to engage on any tack aside from the unimpeachable status of orders Randidly knew that he would be unable to sway the man to give easily In terms of his dedication to his superior Abiodun was one of the most powerful men that Randidly had ever met Some part of Randidly was still unwilling to simply walk away however

It wasnÆt worry for Abiodun but worry for the soldiers Yet even as Randidly wracked his brain for a solution none materialized The same helplessness Randidly had struggled with previously was back in a different form Randidly feared what would be lost if he wasnÆt struggling likely because he feared that his struggling accomplished nothing

To make matters worse the physical and mental beating that Randidly had endured from a half hour of confrontation with the Nether forces truly had blunted some of his focus Abiodun was correct on that front Even with the flickering assistance of Ignition Essence Randidly was stumped by AbiodunÆs message

Gritting his teeth Randidly turned away This is why I struggle so hard to grow stronger So I donÆt need to simply turn away when people worth protecting are in danger Even if I know that cultivate the whyÆ of strength is important it doesnÆt make me want additional strength now any less

Oh also you are not allowed to intervene with your plant Skills No active Skills at all We want you to be fully rested for the offensive later Enjoy your break Lucky bastard

Randidly pressed his jaw so tightly shut that it popped He glanced once over his shoulder but Abiodun was already striding forward toward the common Nether Beasts that had already arrived He raised his stony hand and brought it down smashing wide areas into misshapen pancakes made from pulped Nether bodies

Again Randidly was tempted to disobey this order The huge lance form of Acri shifted slightly sensing its masterÆs unwillingness Even Sulfur hummed against RandidlyÆs torso and left arm trying to comfort him

For several seconds Randidly just looked at AbiodunÆs back Soldiers would die without the timely assistance of Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil And the soldiers had grown so used to fighting against the Nether Beasts Randidly interfered with that they would likely be surprised by the abrupt increase in difficulty

They dealt with it for the short time I had to be within the ditch Randidly turned away and walked back toward the Aether fortifications It was a difference to be without his assistance but it was one they could still handle He should not treat them as insignificant just because they were weak these soldiers had made it to the front line after all It wasnÆt so harsh a change that Randidly believed everything would fall to pieces without him

Tightness coiled through his arms into RandidlyÆs shoulders Then he forced it away and shook his head with a sigh Randidly had already learned this lesson He couldnÆt solve every problem by himself He needed to rely on others in order to progress

Then Randidly looked up toward Lady IellayaÆs tower She trusted me to remake her Class and Fate so the least I can do is trust that Lady Iellaya issued this order for a good reason They need me for whatever is happening in four hours need me at my best And honestly thatÆs almost exactly how much time I think it will take to restore myself to my peak condition

Trust is a difficult thing

Yet Randidly did not use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil as he walked away from the frontlines and returned to his tent It took a deliberate effort on his part and his heart wrenched for every scream that ended in sudden silence yet Randidly restrained himself His Grim Intuition was almost cruel in how efficiently it relayed to him the action of the front lines behind him as the new surge of Nether Gatekeepers surged forward toward the Aether soldiers

Even with Abiodun there he was only a single person Lives were being lost What was the cost of respect in terms of a single life Was there a number of lives that would motivate Randidly to intervene no matter how much a respected figure urged him to stop

Congratulations Your Skill Ruinous Drive has grown to Level 63

Of course Randidly still staunchly provided a boost to the frontlines in a passive way Which felt like a slight disobeying of orders in a way that satisfied a petty part of himself Yet that same part of himself just left Randidly tired

Hopefully this is worth it RandidlyÆs gaze sliced along the frontlines And when his gaze stopped being useful he opened the rest of his senses and felt the whole of the frontlines where thousands of beings on both sides were struggling to kill each other The air above the thickest of the fighting began to warp and ripple as the emotions and images were pressed together in a tight messy ball

Maybe someday this battlefield with give birth to a Nether Prince Randidly thought suddenly Then he shook his head and returned to his tent

Chapter 1192

Four hours of break on the frontlines of a battlefield was a long time even when there was quite a bit of work Randidly had to do to repair the accumulated damage to his body Explosive growth left most of the soft tissue in his body depleted His cells were tiny little furnaces taking in raw Aether and transforming it into chemical compounds to repair and replace the strained muscles and nerves At the beginning of the break Randidly put a lot of his focus into the details of what was happening but rapidly he allowed his body to instinctively take over the process

Part of the reason for the transition was that focusing didnÆt make much difference for the general bruising and repair Randidly had to deal with but also Randidly didnÆt want to squander the chance to give his Willpower a break In one way Abiodun and Lady IellayaÆs perspective was the right one the battle had just started He would need energy moving forward The small difference of directing the healing was a minor drain on his mental focus but his recovery would be all the faster if he cut out every exertion

Randidly didnÆt intend to wait in his tent a single second longer than the order directed

And the final reason for the release of control and the reason that wary was wary of additional distractors was that Grim Intuition continued to feed him information on the state of the battlefield There was a strong temptation to shut out the information flow but Randidly forced himself to not look away When he still had to endure this mental strain it was all the more important to rid himself of others

Needless to say the Nether Gatekeepers’ impressive descent to the battlefield struck a brutal blow against the Aether forces Fortifications fractured and failed When a dozen Nether Gatekeepers could move together they plowed forward through the defensive entrenchment without any real resistance Especially on the opposite flank from Lady IellayaÆs camp Randidly witnessed hundreds of Aether soldiers being melted into grey goo before the Commanders of their camps were forced to show themselves and defend their soldiers

Even then the Commanders at several of the camps could do nothing but give up ground in a steady retreat Even if they were individually strong there were simply too many Nether Gatekeepers attack each camp With raw superior numbers they surged forward overwhelming the defenses and destabilizing the surrounding area

With this amount of Nether Gatekeepers the average Nether Beast behind them was almost superfluous But the small skirmishes that involved only the footsoldiers on both sides were decided in largely the same manner by a difference in manpower The grand formation continued to siphon away ambient Nether and give a defensive boost to the Aether forces but it wasnÆt nearly enough

Everything was happening too quickly The moral that had slowly built itself up while Randidly fought that single Nether Gatekeeper was obliterated

Of course the one under the most strain initially was Abiodun himself the one who had so casually relieved Randidly from his post Yet as the enemies surged forward his image blossomed upward from his figure creating the phantom of a collapsing and shadowy ruin over this corner of the battlefield Bit by bit the edges of this storied edifice fell away and smashed against the oncoming Nether Gatekeepers

Even if there were twenty four Nether Gatekeepers that were coming toward him AbiodunÆs positioning for his attacks was especially canny It was clear that the Nether Gatekeepers could forcefully overpower the image that floated oppressively in front of Lady IellayaÆs camp but it was equally clear they would pay a cost to do so And Abiodun reminded them of that cost as frequently as he could

That ancient city was incomparably solid Which was why its gradual destruction had enough power to cow even the Nether Gatekeepers for a time The steady collapses smashed into small bunches of the Nether Gatekeepers constantly reminding them not to overestimate themselves and challenge him The air rumbled with the passage of these disintegrating slabs of stone So the Nether Gatekeepers satisfied themselves with small attacks for now chipping away at the imageÆs power gradually

Even if he uses it intelligently the image is literally being destroyed as time passes Randidly pressed his lips together as he examined what was occurring in front of the camp Will the image lose its power once it has been completely destroyed If so what Abiodun is doing right now

But then Randidly shook his head with an emotion close to disgust If Abiodun was truly sacrificing his future potential for current power it would make a certain amount of sense They were truly buying time for something And obviously Abiodun would consider his strength a worthy trade if he could assist Lady Iellaya

Lord Miln only made his presence note with small strikes to assist his subordinates but the battle in front of the rocky outcropping of headquarters was the most chaotic of the battlefield Randidly turned his attention there to search for the individual who looked so like him but he wasnÆt able to locate the doppelganger It was clear that he wasnÆt currently participating in the fighting but the total lack of presence also seemed to mean that someone quite capable was screening him from RandidlyÆs perception

Still Randidly watched that portion of the battlefield with complicated eyes for several minutes as he studied two individuals who he recognized fighting Nadia and Kailm the parents of Illym The two that had long struggled with the fact they had given birth to two daughters who shared one soul meaning one of them would have to die And then when one finally died they had to endure the truth that the reunited soul had been too wounded to continue for any longer In the end they were childless

Even though Illym had largely given up her consciousness in order to escape her constant guilt and grief Ignition Essence trembled as Randidly considered the two

Nadia was a blazing meteor of flame wielding two crimson phoenixes like they were daggers against the Nether Gatekeepers Although Randidly couldnÆt make out KailmÆs figure it was always apparent where he was he stood at the center of a maelstrom of acrid smog churning relentlessly and forcing the surround enemies backward

That same deft manipulation of solid images that Randidly had encountered when they tested him became a sharp edged weapon that they wielded against Nether Gatekeepers Even if they were so constrained by the numbers of the opponents that they hadnÆt been able to eliminate any single one they waved their hands and brought smoke and fire crashing down through the air Nether Gatekeepers were knocked away like bowling pins

Of course more surged forward to keep IllymÆs loving parents from gaining an advantage There were almost fifty Nether Gatekeepers moving toward the Aether headquarters And when even Nadia and Kailm could not hold their own Lord Miln would lift his hand and blast some Nether Gatekeepers backward In this way that battle entered into a strange cycle of stalemates

Inevitably there was one battlefield that RandidlyÆs attention wandered back to VuallaÆs fight When the rest of the battlefield became too difficult to endure or predictable his attention switched right back

Vualla was struggling to hold her own against four Nether Gatekeepers The other four powerful individuals in that camp met the other four Nether Gatekeepers heading for their position and were clearly being pushed back Yet what could be done Already it was Vualla who bore the worst of the Nether hordeÆs fury

It was especially worrying right at the beginning It was clear that Vualla possessed the capability to have an edge over a single Nether Gatekeeper but dealing with four attacks at once her heavy metal gauntlets slid forward through each attack neither too quick nor too slow The raw aura of destruction that Vualla utilized blasted out from each of her strikes But she simply couldnÆt keep up with the hungry circling of four foes

The destruction produced by her fists was pure and clear but it wasnÆt yet ready to bear all this weight

There was a moment about twenty minutes into RandidlyÆs break where he fully intended to ignore Lady IellayaÆs orders and go to VuallaÆs assistance Yet the word trust made him take a single step toward the door out of his tent and hesitate

Vualla was struggling sure but Randidly could never save her from every challenge in front of her too And Randidly knew all too well how pissed Vualla would be if he tried to intervene Yet even so

So before he set out Randidly examined his inner world to check his outflowing Aether Because he was nervous and wondered whether this performance had to do with an unintended side effect from him providing Aether to Vualla

What he found was a huge river of Aether surging out toward Vualla So much so that Randidly was briefly dumbstruck Of course it was quite small compared to the sea of Aether that both Helen and Alana took from Randidly but it was only three fourths the size of the Aether that Sam used To see that VuallaÆs Aether usage shot so sharply upward

Was it just because that energy was being used to support her presence here in the current day It was so difficult to know which of IleotÆs statements were worth believing and which were absolute bullshit That man had too much of an advantage over Randidly in regards to information and experience with Aether But it wasnÆt like there was enough time to research what was going on thoroughly with a Nether King trying to kill them all

In the following twenty minutes as he closely monitored the Aether going out and VuallaÆs determined expression Randidly slowly calmed down Because a change was occurring in VuallaÆs fighting style that slowly stabilized the situation

If anything her image of destruction was becoming fainter in her attacks Yet each of her punches seemed so much sharper and more destructive as a base Rather than trying to block or deflect VuallaÆs attacks Nether Gatekeepers now mostly jumped hastily out of the way to avoid conflicting with her As the time between Nethers attacks grew longer due to this need to dodge Vualla seized the initiative

Yet Randidly couldnÆt understand it and his inner paranoia slowly stirred to wakefulness why were VuallaÆs strikes becoming more powerful if her image was weakening

RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition fixated on that one area of the battlefield and carefully filtered out everything else Vualla gracefully stepped forward throwing two sharp left jabs toward a Nether Beast These blows were simple and quick with barely a whiff of a destructive image attached to them Yet they were almost blisteringly fast

The Nether Gatekeeper 1 scrambled out of the way to avoid the jabs while Nether Gatekeeper 2 surged toward VuallaÆs side with its claw raised Spinning away Vualla used the momentum from the twist to bring her arm around in a crushing hook toward Nether Gatekeeper 2Æs jaw It hastily pulled back but Vualla stepped forward and turned her hook into a right straight that cracked the bones of its torso

Which gave Nether Gatekeeper 1 and 3 enough of an opening to leap toward VuallaÆs back A long tongue and a huge paw both smashed toward Vualla She turned immediately after completing her strikes against Nether Gatekeeper 1 and examined the oncoming attacks Randidly could feel the emptiness around her filled with the strange immense weight she now wielded with her blows Her eyes were dark and flinty the azure color strangely muted

The tongue Vualla dodged simply by tilting her head to the side a movement so precise that even RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition was fuzzy on the distance by which she dodged the attack In the same instant Vualla threw a counter across the paw The two attacks were both vicious yet it was Nether Gatekeeper 3 that flinched away and pulled hastily back its arm to defend itself

And it was at that moment that Randidly finally realized what the change in VuallaÆs image was the wild destruction she previously wielded was slowly being condensed down into the natural and organic movements of a punch Quite like some individuals that Randidly had encountered on Tellus it wasnÆt a grand image that Vualla was relying on to grow more powerful

She was simply refining her image of what a perfect punch was It was exactly the same sort of heavy image that Skarch had created for herself done on a much more potent scale

Randidly had never slackened from his daily spear regimen that he learned from Shal but he had steadily emphasized it less The movements just had fallen by the wayside as he focused more and more time on refining his images and less on meticulously training the offensive shifts into his body Part of that was how much more variability he could achieve with high Control without any training but it had just seemed at the time that typical training became less valuable than image training

Yet here Vualla was using her prodigious knowledge of energy mechanics and her own body to create the perfect strike It was abundantly clear that she had never slackened from her own analog training of her strikes What she now refined was a strike that didnÆt need to wish dearly for destruction in an image because it was already so destructive on its own

The change to her image was gradual but now that Randidly was aware of it he could see it shift in real time Something was going on within Vualla Some spark of inspiration had put her on a different path Aether roared through the bond between them rapidly solidifying the change within Vualla

Even as her power spiked upward to the point that her four foes were being pressured Randidly smiled in genuine pleasure despite his earlier misgivings this was the woman who he wanted to partner with to destroy the System This was the raw potential she possessed Immersed in her impressive grace Randidly slipped into a focused state where time passed relatively quickly

Bit by bit he continued to recover his mental power

At about the two hour mark of RandidlyÆs break RandidlyÆs attention was finally dragged away as the sky above him darkened As Abiodun began to struggle to hold back so many Nether Gatekeepers he had lured the surrounding foes closer They had begun to circle him like sneering sharks

And now Lady Iellaya stepped forward to make them pay

Chapter 1193

That same shift in AbiodunÆs image that Randidly had sensed was put on an even grander display as Lady IellayaÆs image unfurled in the sky ItÆs raven wings stretched outward rapidly drawing the attention of the Nether Gatekeepers that had been eagerly approaching Abiodun Even without Grim Intuition anyone watching could tell that the Nether Gatekeepers rapidly realized that they had made a mistake Their postures oozed fear as the shadow of vast wings spread outward

The inky black wings of Lady IellayaÆs image stretched wider and wider until they gradually revealed an undulating scaly body within the sea of feathers Rather than being beautiful and glossy like the black wings the scales were mud brown tinged with rust It was a slender but eminently ugly body that the raven winged serpent revealed Its nose was square and oversized with a squat snout and beady eyes Its flicking tongue was tubular like a fleshy straw

Yet none could deny its power as the serpent raised its heads and roared

The whole of the frontlines stirred Compared to the other forces that had made their presence known thus far the power of Lady IellayaÆs image stood at the peak Randidly couldnÆt even tell exactly how powerful she truly was He didnÆt have the depth or perspective to conceptualize what he was seeing

With a beat of her wings raven feathers were scattered around to drift slowly down over her camp like a queer sort of snow The image was so poignant and realistic that Randidly sensed Salazar outside gleefully collecting the jet black feathers that had fallen into their area of the camp

Although the serpent at the core of those wings might be ugly it certainly knew its business As soon as it arrived its jaws chomped down on an unlucky Nether Gatekeeper that didnÆt retreat quickly enough There was a second of stillness as all present heard the distinctive sound of this winged serpent chewing up the body of a Nether Gatekeeper but then its companions hurriedly began to attack

Lady IellayaÆs image audibly swallowed raised its head and screamed and then threw its wings wide Most of the surrounding Nether Gatekeepers were thrown backward by the blast of force and emotion but one was acutely bisected as Lady Iellaya wielded the sharp edge of her raven wings like an enormous blade

Within five seconds of her arrival Lady IellayaÆs image began to run rampant intent on devouring the surrounding Nether Gatekeepers for sport Her influence on the surrounding battlefield was so immediately felt that two of the Nether Gatekeepers from TerithÆs camp hurried over to assist The four weaker individuals who had been struggling to survive for the past several hours finally had a chance to relax and it also gave Vualla more room to use her increasingly precise style of fighting to suppress the surrounding Nether Gatekeepers

Of course the Aether forces were still teetering on routing across the frontlines on the other flank The Commanders there couldnÆt hold on for much longer against multiple Nether Gatekeepers working together The common soldiers around said Commanders were trampled and died as their leaders could do nothing but give more ground

Randidly sighed lightly As much as he struggled he couldnÆt keep his heartbeat even We all have our roles to play Is my role really to just wait here for another two hours It was a bitter pill to swallow to have RandidlyÆs only touch across the fight to be his aura

Congratulations Your Skill Ruinous Drive has grown to Level 69

Congratulations Your Skill Ruinous Drive has grown to Level 70

As time marched by determinedly from the two hour mark toward three hours the rocky outcropping of the Aether Headquarters became the pivot point between two sides of the frontlines Like a teeter totter with a slightly chubbier child on one end the right flank buckled while Lady IellayaÆs dominance on the left gave Aether forces renewed vigor At the center Lord MilnÆs touches combined with Nadia and KailmÆs valiance meant that the fights were largely even

RandidlyÆs focus slid between Lord Miln Lady Iellaya and Vualla He watched their movements studied the reverberations of their images From them Randidly could slowly feel the dispositions of these three figures that stepped up and became the focal points of the battlefield after Randidly was outmatched

Although Lady Iellaya was the dominant force that allowed the left flank to thrive it was actually Vualla that ended up being the one to stabilize it At this point she now held the attention of six Nether Gatekeepers herself calmly throwing incisively sharp punches one after the other Which meant that none of Nether Gatekeepers attack Commander TerithÆs camp could be spared and reinforcements had to come from deeper along the sea of Nether forces

This eased up the strain on the camps along the left flank and allowed some second in commands there to be dispatched to assist with the right flankÆs woes It wasnÆt much but it was everything that could be spared

Yet that stuff was ultimately lost in RandidlyÆs near trance like state Like clouds in a blue sky those impressions passed as the wind of time continued to blow through Instead RandidlyÆs focus followed VuallaÆs strikes and Lady IellayaÆs stubby vicious jaws

Because there was a thread of similarity that he discovered there Randidly was absolutely sure that it hadnÆt been present before today His mind ticked forward Uneasiness gradually bubbled upward Both Lady Iellaya and Vualla now seemed more powerful than they had been yesterday And most of that power came from a sudden increase in personal strength

In Lady IellayaÆs case it was clearly relating to the change in her Class and Fate that empowered her image It was that strange darkness that was able to so suddenly blossom in the fertile ground of potential that Randidly had erected for her Yet that image of the raven winged serpent didnÆt have some grand image within it as it moved although it pulled along behind it some sort of eternal darkness No it was simply strong

Strong in a way that spoke to depth And for all that Lady Iellaya was RandidlyÆs superior and possessed the potential of hundreds of subordinates she had only been on the frontlines for five years Before that she was likely at the same tier of power as Randidly Five years was not enough to create the weight that Randidly sensed

But what really froze RandidlyÆs blood was the fact that Vualla was experiencing a similar shift No longer was she using the image of destruction as a bludgeon to empower her attacks Instead all the destruction came from her relatively mundane moves The fulcrum of transferring power through her limbs became so perfectly arranged that she didnÆt need to layer an image on top of what she was doing she simply created destruction by moving And she was growing more proficient in it with every strike

A sliver of uneasiness stirred the juices in RandidlyÆs stomach Was the focus on personal power really a coincidence Or did that shadow of the alternate Vualla that Randidly had passed onto Lady Iellaya have some basis in reality

And that same shadow was now cast over Vualla Even if Randidly couldnÆt sense that familiar darkness that touched Lady Iellaya and AbiodunÆs new images he wouldnÆt let down his guard So he watched letting the fights and images blur together in one large swirl

At about three hours and twenty minutes since his break had started Randidly blew a powerful breath out through his nose His trance was broken the swirl of his thoughts was starting to disturb his actual recovery Still even if he wasnÆt quite at his peak most of his capacity had been restored Remaining within the tent was a waste of time Especially when the dim lighting would drive his mind right back to dwelling on the shift in Vualla

Congratulations Your Skill Ruinous Drive has grown to Level 71

Although he still was going to follow AbiodunÆs relayed order Randidly had some thoughts on the way that he could still affect the battlefield Striding forward Randidly pushed open the door to his tent In their excitement both the enlarged Acri and Sulfur who had encased his left arm began to hum

Randidly could only shake his head at his plantÆs enthusiasm for violence and look out over the battlefield Yet just as quickly he narrowed his eyes and spoke to the idle Zauna whereÆs Salazar

Zauna flexed her stony hands and cracked her knuckles down on the frontlines He couldnÆt sit

Sure enough Grim Intuition quickly located Salazar a short distance behind the stable form of Abiodun Several exhausted Aether soldiers were crowded around him Inwardly Randidly shook his head at himself for being so distracted by the similarities in the changes between Lady Iellaya and VuallaÆs shift that he had missed his subordinate moving

Even from here Randidly could feel Salazar talking to those soldiers It wasnÆt an offensive boost but the visual variations around Salazar rapidly stilled as he enthusiastically orated If Abiodun was stone and Randidly was a tree SalazarÆs influence was more akin to water It was not exceedingly power but it flowed through the broken cracks that Nether had created in the surrounding space and stabilized the situation Even if it was just a morale boost to the surrounding groups it was an effective one

He has a good heart Randidly said with a lot of difficulty His heart trembled as he looked down at Salazar After all he was extremely clear on how weak Salazar was even a three star Nether Beast could devour the snake man while fending off another soldier with its other hand Yet even though he was weak his peculiar vehemence while telling stories was enough to steady even the air

Zauna nodded and crossed her arms RandidlyÆs tongue was thick in his mouth but some part of him was strangely comforted to look down at the back of SalazarÆs head Randidly wasnÆt the only one struggling out here

He wasnÆt alone

Tilting his head at Zauna Randidly asked Do you want to fight too

She shook her head but then added quietly waiting for orders

Randidly resisted an urge to roll his eyes What was it with these stone people and orders Must be purposefully aggravating Go IÆm almost fully recovered and will rejoin the battlefield shortly Warm them up for me

Without another word Zauna hurried away leaving Randidly alone on the high vantage point above Lady IellayaÆs camp The roars of Nether Beasts and the sounds of Aether weapons hitting the fake flesh of the opposition drifted upward Even with his Grim Intuition the two forces slowly blended together the bodies were pressed closely together in a chaotic stew of sweat and blood

This is war Randidly said softly And as he spoke that word he allowed all of the frustration over his own weakness to fall away He wasnÆt alone He had allies that he needed to trust Instead of letting his mind ferret at the strands of uneasiness that had recently manifested in his mind Randidly reached to his belt and hefted up the PhilosopherÆs Key

He didnÆt attempt to activate any of the abilities that would almost immediately negate all the gains that Randidly had made on the front of his mental energy but Randidly carefully examined the key itself

Its gold exterior gleamed dully The two square teeth at the end of the key were refreshingly simple It did not look expensive or powerful It simply looked functional Because ultimately a key is just a tool What really matters is how the key relates to the world And to find that out the easiest place to look is at the owner

The PhilosopherÆs Key huh

Ignition Essence stirred inside RandidlyÆs chest He didnÆt pursue any of those thoughts too deeply but Randidly mused over his role What could he accomplish Where did his personal strength come from

What was the Philosopher

The assigned timelimit to the break ticked ever closer And only a minute prior to the end of the four hour break several things on the battlefield changed

Even with the assistance of individuals from the left flank the right flank of the Aether forces finally buckled One of the interior camps was completely eviscerated leaving the two camps to its right completely isolated and surrounded by a season of vicious Nether Beasts looking on with hungry eyes

Lord MilnÆs familiar image stirred above the towering rocky outcropping His personal forces began to move

Lady Iellaya stopped toying with the thirty or so Nether Gatekeepers in front of her and surged forward killing a half dozen in only five seconds The black ichor of the Nether Gatekeeper dripped into her raven wings blending in completely

In response to these changes the entire battlefield became aware of one thing above the battlefield in the Great Rift the Nether King finally opened his eyes Its body wasnÆt vast but those two eyes burned like flares in the Great Rift Not a sound needed to be spoken for his hatred was sign enough that the state of the battlefield was about to change

Chapter 1194

With only thirty seconds remaining in his break Randidly tore his eyes away from the stirring forces of the battlefieldÆs two main combatants and took a brief moment to inspect his Path screen After all he had been steadily accumulating PP during the entirety of this frantic confrontation Even though Randidly had been active for only one fifth of the total battle he had gained a lot His current PP total sat at 523

And there were a few new Paths waiting for him

Monarch of the Baleful Woods 0/450 Image Cooperation I 0/100 Body Refinement I 0/ ChimeraÆs Struggle II 0/

Randidly hummed softly to himself as his eyes weighed each of the options in turn The first was a rather overt reference to his Class And one that seemed like it would continue the focus on Randidly as a leader The second on its face seemed to be built around creating a method of blending images together Which considering the individual power of RandidlyÆs three images was definitely an avenue worth pursuing

With both Yggdrasil and the Grim Chimera working together to empower my body Yet Randidly schooled his thoughts and continued through the other options

Perhaps the third option was due to the strain that Randidly had been putting his body under recently It seemed the System had taken his masochism as a deliberate choice to pursue the creation of a more powerful body The fourth and final option seemed to be the evolution of ChimeraÆs Grudge which had provided Randidly with the viciously targeted Nether Infection Skill Certainly that path had given Randidly quite a few Stats while completing but the targeted Skill filled Randidly for a thirst for revenge against the System that he intended to have sated

Later Randidly said to himself Combined with RandidlyÆs previously possessed Paths there were certainly too many options to pick on easily Especially when the fighting on the frontlines was so chaotic Especially when RandidlyÆs heart consistently urged him that something was wrong in the images of Lady Iellaya and Abiodun His mind was pulled in too many directions there was no rush to select a single option

As if to provide its own support to RandidlyÆs thoughts his internal clock told him that his break would end in ten seconds

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Timing has grown to Level 110

Randidly cracked his knuckles Above the open eyes of the Nether King continued to burn white hot and survey the battlefield Slowly and obviously the Nether Gatekeeper looked from Lord MilnÆs position on top of the rocky outcropping to Lady Iellaya Ignoring that gaze completely Lady Iellaya used her wings to eviscerate another Nether Gatekeeper Already the numbers of those remaining in front of her dwindled to fifteen To say nothing of the vast darkness that the raven winged serpent dragged in its wake which seemed to suffocate the average Nether Beast in the surrounding area with its presence

Although RandidlyÆs perception was muted so far across the battlefield he could sense the Nether forces using their new foothold to assail some of the Aether camps from three sides Losses were rapidly mounting Bodies were left piled to the side as Nether Beasts stalked forward Almost the entirety of the reinforcements sent to that side of the battlefield had been slaughtered leaving only the original forces turtled up in their fortifications

Yet those final holdouts were also under heavy fire Even with the advantages of a base to operate from the Commanders of these forces were rapidly tiring

And the Commanders were the only defense against the Nether Gatekeepers

My role Randidly glanced once more over toward Vualla and then shifted his gaze upward to Lady Iellaya

RandidlyÆs break was over He took a single step forward His Mana seethed in his veins as he took a deep breath and the expended almost five thousand of his nine thousand Mana in a single moment The sensation of immediate loss was certainly a strange one Due to his time Engraving Randidly was intimately familiar with the behavior of Mana At certain quantities Mana seemed to clump together Separating out individual drops of Mana was a difficult thing

Yet Randidly didnÆt bother with any sort of attempt at control Instead he allowed the huge mass of Mana to condense together and explode as he forced it through his Skill Around him the fortifications shivered When used all at once so much Mana became more than just five thousand drops of Mana It became a veritable bomb ready to explode with power RandidlyÆs Skill quaked

Congratulations Your Skill Riders of the Baleful Court has grown to Level 131

Congratulations Your Skill Riders of the Baleful Court has grown to Level 132

Congratulations Your Skill Riders of the Baleful Court has grown to Level 133

Congratulations Your Skill Riders of the Baleful Court has grown to Level 156

His breath hissed out through his teeth as Randidly pressed against the limits of what his Skill could give and did not relent for a second Rather than being an issue of Mana what Randidly faced was the numerical limit of how many RIders he could summon at any one time They were distant but Randidly knew that Neveah still possessed some in her service Some were also assisting Kharon So when Randidly tried to summon so many he was pulling at a well that was already partially tapped

Plus it was painful to push past that limit The Skill groaned and creaked from the strain Yet Randidly didnÆt waver Pain was something that he knew intimately After enduring the slow roasting that absorbing the hiltless blade Fate required this was nothing And as Randidly did not balk in response to rising levels of pain the Skill Level shot upward

Then Randidly rolled his shoulders in discomfort There were a few breaths of silence as he waited Then a gnarled hand of root pierced up out of the fortification beneath him and grasped desperately at the air Its fingers twisted and popped

One by one RandidlyÆs newly summoned Riders pulled themselves out of the top of the fortifications grown out of the same heavy wood that Randidly had nurtured to create the tall fortifications Not that he had this location in mind as a birthing place for Riders but it was certainly convenient now that it had been constructed of wood

And a powerful wood at that

ItÆs not like these forts turned out to be very useful anyway As the chitinous steeds clambered awkwardly out of the gutted would of the groud Randidly glance out toward the Nether Gatekeepers Just serves as a symbol There is no power to these forts Maybe if I had time to think up an Engraving for them but for now that symbol was all I could give Hopefully that will be enough

All told there were about one hundred and seventy Riders that Randidly had managed to summon It pleased him immensely that he had been able to push past the limit of his Skill Level even as it was frustrating to know that these Riders were barely at the power of a one star Nether Beast to start

Help the right flank Randidly said lightly His eyes scanned amongst the entirely uniform riders who watched his every move with blank eyes At the moment they were completely identical to one another Slender bodies leafy spears mounts there were a mix between a camel a rhino and a spider Many of these would die when tossed toward the Nether Beasts But some of them would grow developing identities establishing themselves as leaders Those perhaps could make a difference Give it your all Leave no energy idle for later regrets

Most of the ones who evolved into more powerful individuals would still end up dead This was practically a suicide mission But the RIders of the Baleful Court nodded and cantered down off of the upper ramparts past several overwhelmed looking guards Then Randidly turned and looked back toward Lady IellayaÆs portion of the battlefield

She clearly had something specific in mind for Randidly so he would respect that wish and not expend too much of his mental energy But Randidly did have a slight realization as he considered what his role was and what his Fate meant

Perhaps he could barely rival a Nether Gatekeeper but that missed the point In a way that few others could match Randidly could rival the entire force of lesser Nether Beasts arrayed against them today To ignore that was to ignore his greatest strength And to demonstrate that ability didnÆt necessarily take mental power it only took Mana

Mana hadnÆt been exceedingly important since coming to the frontlines so Randidly hadnÆt been using it much But now he steadily removed the ten rings he kept in his interspatial ring that stored Mana and Stamina At this point Stamina recovery wasnÆt a problem but Randidly gladly absorbed the two thousand or so Mana that he had put there previously

Perhaps Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil was the most Mana efficient Skill that Randidly possessed but it was certainly not the most damaging Grinning Randidly raised his right hand and watched the emerald and orange fire dance across his fingers ItÆs been a while since I utilized my Ignition Essence Skills but IÆve felt the image of Illym slowly percolating down through them I think itÆs time to check that progress

With a light step Randidly tossed himself off the edge of the battlements and flew quickly over the recovering mass of Aether soldiers below He touched lightly down on a small open space on the battlefield that opened up as both forces were forced backward by the powerful darkness from Lady Iellaya Many of the Aether soldiers looked up to him in shock as he landed in one of the most dangerous areas of conflict very close to the back of Lady IellayaÆs image

Up closer to the image the sense of anxious struck Randidly much more fiercely Yet he did his best to ignore that feeling and concentrate on resonating with the Skills in his chest Skills that Randidly hadnÆt relied on in quite some time all started to hum in unison at his call The orange notes in Ignition Essence began to brighten in radiance on his hands

Ignition of the Emerald Essence Verdant Nova Influence of the Molten Core Eruption of the Blazing Leyline Ignition Bolt One day they would form the foundation of a Skillset based around Ignition Essence But for now they were simply the Skills that would benefit the most from the power brought to him by Illym the Above Average Child and her images

Although the Skill Levels of these Skill were relatively pedestrian compared to RandidlyÆs accomplishments with the Yggdrasil and Grim Chimera related Skills RandidlyÆs high Intelligence and Control would more than make up for that difference

From his hand the emerald and orange flame spread across RandidlyÆs forearm elbow and then ran up to his shoulder A few seconds later the surrounding Aether soldiers backed a few more steps away as Randidly became a human torch Even Salazar who was telling a story nearby stalled and stumbled over his words at the sight Heedless Lady Iellaya continued to shred and tear at the Nether Gatekeeper numbers

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 163

Yet Randidly didnÆt stop there He pushed the heat of his flames steadily upward Very quickly the ground around him began to melt and bubble Still the heat continued to rise Acri squirmed in annoyance while Sulfur seemed quite pleased with the change in temperature As the waves of heat rolling off Randidly spiked upward the neon orange streaks at the tips of Ignition Essence became more pronounced The heat soon approached the point that it was painful

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 164

Yet as all his Skills began to resonate from the power rolling off of him it was an unexpected Skill that cracked in half and then immediately reformed into something stronger

Synchronicity detected Warning continuing without sufficient energy

Congratulations Your Skill Mana Physique (Un) is involving Synchronicity detected Absorbing sympathetic Skills

Congratulations Your Skills Fire Resistance Pain Resistance Chosen of Ash and Catalyst of Agony have been absorbed by Mana Physique

Congratulations Mana Physique (Un) as evolved into Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix Calculating Skill Level Skill Level set at 201

Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix By taking the power of a deceased phoenix into the userÆs body the user has been gifted with immense resistances to fire and pain In addition wielding fire will result in vastly increased power of Skills However absorbing a true corpse of a phoenix comes with costs All Skills that require Mana will now partially exhaust you requiring a portion of the Mana cost to be spent as Health and Stamina to fuel the Skills Activating all Skills will result in a small amount of pain Resistances increase with Skill Level Potency of fire Skills increases with Skill Level Pain increase with Skill Level

Chapter 1195

All in all Randidly believed that a slight shift in Skill costs with Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix was well worth it After all Health and Stamina were immensely more simple for Randidly to recover than Mana On the other hand Randidly could already feel a burning sensation in his chest akin to heartburn as he continued to resonate his Skills Still if Randidly was good at anything it was handling the constant pain

Plus increasing the power of his fire spells was an unexpected bonus The biggest real loss was in future PP revenue but RandidlyÆs current list of Skills was so long that he didnÆt worry about it very much There would also likely also be hidden synergies to the Skill that Randidly would only discover as he continued to use it

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 165

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has grown to Level 202

Randidly stood at the center of a four meter tall pillar of flame rapidly attracting more and more attention to himself But he simply allowed his Skills to howl upward their activations howling together in a symphony of fire as the Skill shifted Yet Randidly couldnÆt help but be bemused as he saw Lady Iellaya rather pointedly ignoring his antics up above no matter how eye catching he became

Honestly Randidly didnÆt blame her The longer the battle drew on the more adroit she became at leveraging her advantage in strength to harm the Nether Gatekeepers Yet RandidlyÆs focus rapidly returned to himself as the rest of his Skills followed Mana Physique in shattering and reforming

Congratulations Your Skill Verdant Nova (Un) has evolved into FirebirdÆs Lament Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Influence of the Molten Core « has evolved into Authority of the Burning Heart Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition Bolt « has evolved into Phoenix Slaying Bolt Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill Eruption of the Blazing Leyline has evolved into Talon of the Restless Immortal All Skill Levels will be maintained

The resonance between Skills increased Randidly felt the tongues of flames flicker across his skin with greater vigor than ever As with the usage of Molten Fang of the Pariah Acri began to smoke and burn transforming slowly into a huge smoldering brand Sulfur continued to hum contentedly and enjoy the heat The flames around Randidly brightened and rose to a height of five meters The raven winged serpent snatched another Nether Gatekeeper into its jaws and delightedly crunched down

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 166

At this point the emerald and orange pillar began to slowly rotate around Randidly as it transformed into a vortex of fire and superheated air Mana continued to flow steadily out of him and into his fire raising it higher and higher To the point that even Nether Gatekeepers that were desperately trying to restrain Lady Iellaya glanced over toward RandidlyÆs position

and yet Randidly quickly sighed and released the activation of his Skill It had become clear that although the other Skills were ready to shift into a more powerful form Ignition of the Emerald Essence itself was not Which made a certain amount of sense because evolving Ignition Essence was likely the key point to create a Skillset So before Randidly had an idea for how that would eventually fit together it was better not to force a reaction to occur

Still this was already enough With a malicious grin Randidly stared out toward the milling group of Nether Beasts that edged around the battlefield of Lady Iellaya and the Nether Gatekeepers to attack normal Aether soldiers He raised his right hand and brought his fingers together into a fist Talon of the Restless Immortal

Congratulations Your Skill Talon of the Restless Immortal has grown to Level 115

The ground beneath a group of Nether Beasts trudging through the ditch split open revealing a gaping chasm lined with tongues of emerald and orange flames The Nether Beasts were so surprised by the sudden change that several tripped and fell into the hole only to meet the three meter long inflamed tripod of bone talons that rushed upward out of the gap

As the bones sizzled and popped from the intense heat those long talons lashed out and ripped into the bodies of several nearby Nether Beasts The wounds inflicted werenÆt deadly but the most intimidating factor was how quickly the long talons moved They were blurred reapers of fire striking before even Nether Beasts could respond

And just as the surrounding Nether Beasts moved aside to avoid that Skill Randidly laughed aloud and used Talon of the Restless Immortal ten more times each about five meters apart from one another A whole line of flaming talons burst out of the ground rapidly seizing and maiming several Nether Beasts before the other side could even react

Congratulations Your Skill Talon of the Restless Immortal has grown to Level 116

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the LIfeless Phoenix has grown to Level 203

Congratulations Your Skill Talon of the Restless Immortal has grown to Level 117

Randidly shook his arm to indicate to Acri that it could go attack freely for now then flexed the large and cumbersome fingers that Sulfur created for him over his left hand He brought his two hands together in an audible slap and birthed fire from the impact Two gloves of fire wrapped around RandidlyÆs uneven hands But he was interrupted before he could begin to dispense with further fire

You have a role to play Abiodun rumbled with a frown The stone man took several long strides to stand next to Randidly Even though his own exhaustion was rather clear on his face his tone was even Do not tire yourself out killing Nether Beasts pointlessly It would waste

Randidly glanced sideways at Abiodun almost casually Yet in that instant the light of the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis shone out through the pupils of his eyes The weight of RandidlyÆs full and rested Willpower fueled the image of Yggdrasil hitting Abiodun with a physical weight It wasnÆt enough to suppress someone like Abiodun but it was enough to silence him

Randidly turned back forward and raised his hands IÆm just blowing off excess Mana right now Otherwise how could my Skills simply wound these small fries DonÆt worry my edge is just as sharp as it can be And in terms of roles more than anyone elseÆs exacting the price of hubris assembling this mass of Nether Beasts is mine So please leave me to my business

Randidly pointed across the battlefield Lightning fast one Phoenix Slaying Bolt after another shot out from his fingers They crossed the no manÆs land around Lady Iellaya and the Nether GatekeeperÆs confrontation in an instant piercing the unsuspecting chests of Nether Beasts Most of them were still stunned by the many Talons of a Restless Immortal and didnÆt even see the bolts coming Without much suspense the Nether bubbles of these relatively weak Nether Beasts were popped by the sizzling emerald/orange bolts

Congratulations Your Skill Phoenix Slaying Bolt has grown to Level 137

Congratulations Your Skill Phoenix Slaying Bolt has grown to Level 138

Compared to the shape of the previous Ignition Bolt the new Phoenix Slaying Bolts were pretty similar Aside from the addition of orange to the flaming bolt the only real difference was a bit of tapering toward the front of the projectile Rather than just being a solid rod the Phoenix Slaying Bolts possessed extremely sharp tips

A small thing but it meant that the defenses of these weaker Nether Beasts was almost insubstantial before RandidlyÆs Skills First one bolt then a dozen then a hundred then a thousand Randidly endured the growing sense of pain in his chest from Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix and unleashed a veritable artillery barrage upon the Nether Beasts that had been attacking Lady IellayaÆs camp

When Nether Beasts grouped up to try and assault his position Randidly scattered them with Talon of the Restless Immortal When they split up and tried to flank him Randidly picked them off steadily with Phoenix Slaying Bolt His Mana was being swiftly depleted but the Nether Beasts that had been queuing up to attack the base were forced steadily back Of course their numbers were such that there were simply more Nether Beasts waiting to take their place But because of the ruckus that Lady Iellaya was raising above most Nether Beasts wouldnÆt easily come forward while the Nether Gatekeepers were being suppressed

Congratulations You have reached Level 53 +8 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +35 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +36 Health +45 Mana +40 Stamina +3 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration

Due to the PhilosopherÆs Key +3 Intelligence Wisdom and Focus

Experience rolled steadily in pushing Randidly up into Level 53 and then almost halfway to Level 54 Unlike previous instances where Randidly would mostly maim and allow Aether soldiers to finish off the job on wounded Randidly accurately shattered the weakened cores of fallen Nether Beasts with Phoenix Slaying Bolts A river of fire flowed from his hands rapidly pushing the Skill Levels of his related Skills upward More and more PP flowed in pushing him above 600

Eventually Randidly stopped firing The flames on his hands dimmed leaving the lower part of his arms smoldering and smoking Practically every Nether Beast that was close to Lady IellayaÆs camp had been roasted Their corpses were charred and scattered Reinforcements were kept at bay by the high level fighting going on above

The Aether soldiers looked around in wonder as they had a genuine break from fighting

Randidly didnÆt stay still after accomplishing his goal Instead Randidly turned his head toward Commander TerithÆs camp and moved in that direction Abiodun watched him depart without commenting although he did cast another warning look at RandidlyÆs back

Waving a hand in recognition of that look Randidly lowered his shoulders and shot forward With several bounds he slowly devoured the distance to himself and the graceful form of Vualla

Randidly had been too distracted by his methodical grilling of Nether Beasts to notice but it seemed that Lady IellayaÆs sudden offensive had pulled another Nether Gatekeeper from Vualla over With only five foes against her and her constantly increasing proficiency with her new style Vualla had since been able to kill two Now the remaining three were rapidly retreating in the face of a near unstoppable Vualla It only took a single well timed surprised in the form of a Talon of the Restless Immortal to obstruct the Nether Gatekeepers and help Vualla finish them off

Yet it was clear to RandidlyÆs eyes that Vualla was exhausted Her face seemed so incredibly pale her gauntlets covered in the gore of broken Nether flesh As Randidly hurried over Vualla groaned and used her teeth to pull on the strap to her left gauntlet With a crash it fell to the ground and allowed her to more easily undue her right gauntlet

Congratulations Randidly said as he arrived He smiled at Vualla with genuine warmth as she gently massaged some feeling back into her hands RandidlyÆs eyes traced the visible lines of veins that snaked across her swollen forearms It seemed her new fighting style was not easy Five Nether Gatekeepers

Vualla looked over at Randidly with a sly smile that brought a little bit of azure color back to her eyes Heh Was there ever any doubt And I would have gotten the sixth but these gauntlets are getting in my way

Tilting his head to the side Randidly asked Too heavy

The opposite too light Vualla put her hands on her hips and shook her head in disgust as she stood over the gunk covered gauntlets Feels like I have balloons tied to the tips of my fists Extremely aggravating

Randidly chewed on his lip for a second The turned and glanced toward Abiodun Seeing no signal to return quite yet Randidly twisted back around to Vualla you know if all you want is weight I probably whip something up for you

Really Vualla blinked in faux surprise Then she unleashed an absolutely radiant smile on him Randidly Ghosthound you are the most useful individual I have ever met Meeting you has totally revived my spirit

Chapter 1196

Lady Iellaya and her ugly brown scaled serpent with raven wings gradually hunted down and eliminated the remaining Nether Gatekeepers on the left flank resulting in the entire side getting a sizeable break to regroup In the wake of that slaughter it was comically easy for her to spread her wings and simply smother the Nether Beasts remaining

The common soldiers could breathe a sigh of relief

Opposite the battlefield another one of the Aether camps fell The two isolated camps dropped to one and none of the other forces on the flank could spare anything to help that lone remaining camp hold out Soldiers collapsed before they were truly dead underneath the weight of the army surging toward them and were trampled until they stopped breathing A huge mass of Nether Beasts was sweeping around to the supply track using it to bring an even larger force to bear on the remaining camps They tightened like a vice hoping to crack the unfortunate camp that was now holding the flankÆ

Kailm and Nadia methodically pushed the Nether Gatekeepers attacking the Aether headquarters back allowing large contingents of Lord MilnÆs forces wearing violet armor to gather in neat ranks

Directly opposite Lord Miln the figure of the Nether King slowly stirred Blue veins in the Great Rift began to twist and gather ponderously constructing the grandest array that Randidly had ever seen from the Nether forces In terms of rituals it was on another scale altogether from apparatus they used to bring out Nether Gatekeepers The entire darkness of the Great Rift opposite them seemed to be filled with the squirming lines of those veins always stretching outward always connecting and weaving

Those phosphorus flair like eyes continued to burn carefully weighing the proceedings They radiated hate and determination They made no secret of their intention to slaughter everything they currently surveyed

Humming to himself Randidly continued to work The only other foreign distraction that entered into his notice was the fact that the grand formation that covered the battlefield was slowly shifting No longer was it in its defensive phase it had transitioned back into a gathering situation Rapidly Randidly could feel the formation trying its best to create a fake Nether core in his Nether dense body

Probably means Lord Miln will move soon Randidly spared a glance for the rocky outcropping Yet then the formation changed again after sitting in the gathering phase for a short time This shift was to something that was obviously more offensive in nature

Shaking his head Randidly did his best to ignore the posturing of the two Supreme Commanders His hands guided flame to grow tall and hot Where his hands could only handle one thing his Skills covered the rest His Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil steadily ground up the bones of powerful monsters that he had extra from his work on Kharon This was mixed with some of the raw ore that Randidly had remaining For good measure Randidly liberally mixed his blood into the resulting concoction

What Vualla wanted most of all was weight so Randidly didnÆt worry too much about the ratios of materials All that mattered was that the final product was evenly mixed He even added some of the strange grey putty that resulted from Aether and Nether combining chaotically It wasnÆt a particularly strong material but it was resilient And also it seemed to possess a steady mass while having variable volume

Because obviously who can understand energy using the laws of physics Randidly thought with amusement As if to underline the ridiculousness of his current scenario Randidly also earned a Skill Level in SpriggitÆs Tinkering

The mixing was a process that Randidly was intimately familiar with Luckily Authority of the Burning Heart still possessed the same deft gravity manipulation aspect that Influence of the Molten Core possessed allowing Randidly to thoroughly heat and mix the different inputs without requiring all the complicated equipment that he had left on Earth He could simply sit next to the bemused Vualla and whip up an alloy

While Randidly was meticulously separating the bits of putty within the mixture Abiodun walked over and surveyed the working with suspicious eyes Randidly had erected a small heat flume by heaping dirt up with roots so it was a pulsing silvery orb hovering over an emerald and orange flame inside of a dirt steeple The surface of the metal ball pulsed and rippled as Randidly continued to mix the alloy evenly

AbiodunÆs gaze slid sideways to Vualla She watched him blandly her expression not even twitching underneath the weight of AbiodunÆs disapproval Her delicate blue eyebrows and his heavy stone brow were certainly an interesting juxtaposition

Randidly coughed lightly to hide a grin

Harrumphing Abiodun shook his head and turned away from his staring contest You have fifteen minutes DonÆt be late

With a few blinks Randidly refocused on his work It only took him a few minutes to finish up the mixing then Randidly proceeded to the most difficult part the hammering

After all Randidly had mixed quite a bit of the strange new metal he was creating More than enough to make four gauntlets In order to reach the weight that Vualla seemed to desire he would need to smash these metals down to a more dense and refined state As he considered how best to do the refining Randidly used Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to examine the shape and construction of VuallaÆs previous gauntlets

The meticulousness of the gauntletÆs construction was something that struck Randidly immediately even though he had nowhere near the forging experience that someone like Sam possessed But he certainly understood the importance of balance And manipulating the gauntlets with his roots it immediately became clear that the gauntlet was not just extremely heavy at the tip a lot of the weight was distributed through the wide cuffs

It was obviously impossible for Randidly to duplicate such a perfectly created balance in a short amount of time No matter his ability to create metals this was a matter that would require a master But certainly Randidly could carefully examine the construction of the gauntlet to see where the plates of metal were layered to achieve an effect that would hopefully be similar enough

I canÆt make the fingers work in this short a time Randidly admitted as he began forming a dozen ingots of his new metal out of the floating blob At the same time he began to use some of his older bloodsteel to form an anvil for the tempering Below the ground Randidly created a network of roots that would distribute the force of his blows

After all this ground was already so cracked and destabilized from the conflict between Nether and Aether Without some preparation it would be impossible to find a location stable enough to allow Randidly to forge these heavy gauntlets

Vualla shrugged As long as I can punch thatÆs enough For now I suppose IÆm completely confined to just that

Kinda admire how direct she is Randidly glanced at the azure haired woman in front of him then back down to his work Above the bloodsteel anvil Randidly raised his heavy Sulfur arm and began to physically smash the ingots into shape

Randidly couldnÆt resist chuckling as he felt SulfurÆs obvious relish Being waved around and slammed against solid objects You arenÆt above stealing even my kinetic energy huh

Five minutes became ten and then twelve Randidly brought his fist down with greater and greater care gently curving pieces of the new metal into elongated plates Then he smashed them further condensing them down into smaller forms that would fit into the gauntlet The final color of this metal ended up being a light grey something shimmery and sparkly

Randidly ignored the color and continued to work At the same time he melted down more bloodsteel and created a frame for the gauntlet based on his continued investigation of VuallaÆs original equipment Piece by piece the gauntlet came together

At fourteen minutes Randidly began to slip the heavy pieces of metal into the framework creating a gauntlet Certainly in terms of weight Randidly had accomplished his goal The new gauntlet was probably three times as heavy as the prior gauntlets Yet Randidly couldnÆt help but wince as he tested the balance and felt how much of the weight distributed to the tip of the fist

Yet as Randidly finished the assembly there was a notification that flashed in front of him

Congratulations Your Skill Touch of the Ghosthound has activated This piece of equipment has gained 10% of a single one of your Stat The piece of equipment has gained +126 Control

ItÆs perfect Vualla said with obvious satisfaction as she plucked the silvery gauntlet from RandidlyÆs hands and slipped her hand into one of the prepared holes Because it used the same measurements from her prior equipment her hand fit perfect She then produced straps of leather and began to toy with the bindings Randidly rolled his eyes she had taken the gauntlet before he could even look at its description

But he truly had to move quickly to make it back over to see Abiodun So Randidly simply leaned forward and pressed his lips against VuallaÆs cheek Then he pulled back and said Be care

When he met VuallaÆs gaze her eyes were just as bright and azure as he remembered that day when he had met her and she was crying It was like a powerful sun finally burned through the cloud cover its rays reaching down to the ground Her eyes were so warm it was a shock to feel it on his skin And before he could react she took a step toward Randidly and kissed him full on the lips

They held that for a moment and then Vualla stepped back No Randidly you need to be careful She

Then Vualla pressed her eyes shut and shook her head Tilting his head to the side Randidly asked She

Lady Iellaya Vualla finally said with a sigh

Randidly pressed his lips together Even without her continuing Randidly believed he understood what she was trying to say IÆve noticed IÆm watching it With as much attention as I can spare

Vualla grinned at him DonÆt worry I wonÆt let you die

It would be bad form if such a dependable armorer died on you Randidly joked Vualla nodded very seriously and he couldnÆt help but laugh Then Randidly hurried back toward Abiodun

Chapter 1197

After Randidly had left Vualla raised her hand that wasnÆt currently slid into a gauntlet and pressed her pointer finger to her lips After removing her finger her tongue flicked out and tasted the scent of Randidly that still hung there Then she spoke lightly into the air the words being buoyed away by wind right as they were shaped by her tongue That that might have been my first kiss Took me a bit by surprise

Then her mouth twisted into a crooked grin DonÆt be a sore loser Let me have my fun for a while longer

Abiodun had his hands behind his back as he glanced to his right Randidly pushing right up against the time limit was hurrying back toward their position across the rather placid space between the camps Then AbiodunÆs gaze slid forward In front of him stood Lady Iellaya who looked calmly over the battlefield For now a strange peace had come to the left flank The Nether forces were concentrating most of their strength on the far flank leaving their side more or less uncontested for now

They will have reserve forces that would respond to a move This is clearly a plot by Lord Miln to use you to bring them out Abiodun said aloud even though he knew full well that Lady Iellaya didnÆt need him to remind her of such a basic tactic

Does it matter Lady IellayaÆs feathers flexed outward on her arms and shoulders Even now I donÆt think IÆve reached the true pinnacle of the potential my new image possesses Beating back the personal forces of the Nether King that is truly a feat worthy of merit

Lord Miln will try and steal the strike against the Nether King itself You will be used to create the opening he needs Abiodun stated

Lady Iellaya glanced back at him Lord Miln is currently being swarmed by about half of the Nether army If his one thousand elite soldiers have enough strength to open up an opportunity to strike at the Nether King in this scenario I suppose he certainly deserves all the accolades they can pin to the front of his shirt Besides does Lord Miln possess the power to wound a Nether King

That brought a moment of silence between them as the two studied the strange circle of Nether being erected in the Great Rift above them Even though they each had grown immensely from the work of Randidly Ghosthound the reverberations that were coming off of that working were disturbing The sheer size gave them pause

After all neither knew much about Nether Kings Just that they should be avoided at all costs

there is Cail Tweocs Lady Iellaya remarked I suspect they have some sort of measures prepared I highly doubt that their fixation on the Nether Prince was simply due to Lord MilnÆs greed

there is also the matter of the Xyrt Brigade representative AbdiodunÆs frown deepened as he considered the treachery of Lord Miln You were entirely correct they responded immediately even through unofficial channels when they received word that a Nether King was present here No official report on this incident was ever filed They will be visiting in a strictly unofficial capacity but an agent is heading our way currently Because this agent is currently off duty someone will need to be sent to the military checkpoint to vouch for them

Then Abiodun bowed lightly Randidly was moving closer and likely would be within earshot soon He intended to finish all of the sensitive business before the boy arrived IÆll send someone to handle it

No need Lady Iellaya shook her head Go yourself

I AbiodunÆs face went blank His mind mirrored his face The battle

Your performance earlier weakened you donÆt try to hide it Lady Iellaya continued Your presence here would be a liability more than an asset This is the most efficient use of your time

Abiodun pressed his mouth tightly shut He didnÆt allow the words and this foolish boy will be an asset Æ to pass his lips After all the understanding between him and his queen was almost perfect There was no way that she wouldnÆt understand his thought process

Yet Lady Iellaya said nothing further on the subject Her gaze remained forward fixed on the slowly forming Nether Ritual in the sky above them The sounds of the fighting on the right flank was a distant distraction barely registering Even now Randidly Ghosthound was hurrying closer to report for orders

What role can he even serve here AbiodunÆs brow furrowed as he looked at Lady IellayaÆs back I was the one who was always by your side Everything that IÆve done itÆs been for you

Why is our connection so numbed Why did things need to change

Yet Abiodun quickly disciplined himself He was complaining pointlessly They had accomplished their goals they had grown strong and now had the opportunity to earn true merit And it was definitely accurate that Abiodun had weakened himself today buying time for Lady Iellaya to make her transcendent descent onto the battlefield Which meant that his usefulness here was decreased

The matter of the Xyrt Brigade representative was extremely important

Could it truly be that Randidly Ghosthound was a more suitable companion now however

Yet Abiodun admitted to himself that the mission to bring the Xyrt Brigade representative to the frontlines was a task best left in his hands The testimony of a Xyrt Brigade member was just the knife they needed to dethrone Lord Miln The failure to report the appearance of a Nether King was an immense oversight

Yet Lord Miln remained confident despite this obvious weakness To be surrounded by two foes Lord Miln and the Nether King who both were so confident gave Abiodun pause Something was at play here that they didnÆt understand Which was why Abiodun dearly didnÆt want to leave Lady Iellaya alone

Before AbiodunÆs thoughts could continue further along that track Randidly arrived on the upper level of the fort that served as their surveyorÆs vantage He nodded to them both and straightened his posture but otherwise showed no respect to Lady Iellaya today of all days Instead he spoke in a tired voice WhatÆs the plan

Lady Iellaya glanced over her shoulder and smiled Abiodun

For a second AbiodunÆs mind again went blank Then he realized what Lady Iellaya intended and straightened After all he was still her right hand This changed nothing Very soon you and Lady Iellaya will move forward This will

No Abiodun A frown flickered across Lady IellayaÆs features Your task is time sensitive This is the perfect opportunity to depart while there is no threat against us Lord Miln will think nothing of it I can handle the explanation myself

Heiffal was only half listening to the story that Salazar was telling but it did fill his stomach with a strange sense of warmth The air was rich with its flavor Which was for the best because the world around them was slowly beginning to feel extremely strange

The more Heiffal thought about the details the stranger this battle seemed The dream he had last night seemed to transform into a queer beast that Heiffal wasnÆt sure whether to find threatening or disturbing Where had he and his squad been training before they came here to fight Why hadnÆt Heiffals group ever heard about this battlefront before If they were truly so close that they could easily reinforce each other surely they would have had some interaction

Something didnÆt make sense Yet with the warmth of the story wrapping around him Heiffal somehow realized worrying about it wouldnÆt change anything

” while I continued to use my power to hold sway over the area the Ghosthound strode forward across our small island right to the edge The tips of his bare toes stuck out past the limit of Aether and into the roiling Nether miasma Yet Randidly did not flinch Instead he paused there a turned around to look at me With a peal of booming laughter the Ghosthound said ‘Salazar it is only because you have my back that we will seize victory on this day There is no price I wouldnÆt pay for our eternal partnership ‘ In his green eyes was raw emotion at such an intimate level that I couldn’t even handle it I choked up Words failed me

Although if he was being honest with himself there were really two reasons that the surrounding thirty soldiers had gathered around Salazar The first was the aura of recovery that the snake man strangely produced during his talking of course It seemed to invalidate the surrounding strangeness But the second reason was the stories themselves

Because Salazar was one of the direct subordinates of the Ghosthound

All of the soldiers present were at least passingly familiar with the Ghosthound When the fighting against the Nether Beasts was at its worst when most of them faced the specter of their own deaths Randidly Ghosthound had been the one to step forward At that moment he lifted up the bright torch of hope that had been taken up across the battlefield Now with Lady Iellaya basically vanquishing the Nether forces on this side of the battlefield there were quite a few soldiers that were curious to learn more about their savior

Who was he Where did he come from Why was he willing to fight so hard for us

Well some of us are curious Heiffals eyes flicked across the assembled soldiers Of his original twenty person squad that he had been a part of Heiffal knew of only nine that were still living Eight of those were gathered around Salazar There was a circle of light around him illuminating the remnants of HeiffalÆs and two other squads Beyond that

The weirdness of Heiffal’s dream and the strange questions he couldn’t escape remained heavy outside of the sound of Salazar’s words The story created a curtail that pushed back those strange truths Yet Heiffal could see it in the one of his squad members that hadn’t bothered to walk over toward Salazar as the fighting slowed down That man’s eyes were glassy and blank as he sat on a broken stone and stared at the ground Clearly he was struggling with his own truth All of their truth But it seemed in his bleak expression that something else entirely was also at play

Had he witnessed a gruesome death that affected him strongly

Suddenly Heiffal frowned He slowly raised his gaze upward What’s this weird darkness in the air

Salazar’s story continued unabated while Heiffal pondered “Even if the emotions were so complex I couldn’t put them into words how could I let down the genuine announcement of my captain So I said to Randidly Ghosthound ‘Sir the only reason why I have the confidence to remain apart from the battlefield is because you lead the invincible vanguard at the front You will be the spear to slay the Nether King one day Do you perhaps remember the day that we met On that fateful eve “

The squad member of Heiffal’s who sat outside of the circle of the story abruptly stood up Not understand the strange sense of foreboding in his heart Heiffal also stood and hurried over to the edge of Salazar’s influence

“Estick Where are you going ” Heiffal asked Even to his own ears his voice sounded high pitched and worried

When Estick looked up his face was relatively blank “What does it matter My life does it have meaning in this place Can’t you tell that we are all already dead The very least I can do is die in the way I remember dying “

Heiffal felt the weirdness so much more poignantly at the edge of Salazar’s influence Something was very wrong with the world And looking at this man it suddenly occurred to Heiffal that he too had a strange dream last night where he experienced his own death That terrible knowledge of the sensation of cessation that extremely death like sensation it had been placed in EstickÆs heart Without any warmth that knowledge could change you Eat away at the edges of your sanity

But this was more than that Something was happening in the air A grand darkness was swirling over them wafting up from the Nether corpses into a maelstrom above the battlefield Heiffal couldn’t witness it if he looked up at it directly but his instincts told him it was there It stirred and swirled in the corners of his gaze

Those same instincts also told him that two long arms stretched down from that darkness picking Estick up from the ground and urging him gently forward over to the fighting

Heiffal watched in fascination unable to articulate any response to Estick’s strange statement and the resulting certainty in his own chest Until he noticed something that made his blood run cold another arm had twisted down from that maelstrom of darkness It beckoned Heiffal gently

Shivering Heiffal twisted around and hurried back toward Salazar and his strange story What the hell was going on at this battlefield

Chapter 1198

“We are launching an assault Attacking the Great Rift directly” Randidly frowned as he stared upward His eyes carefully followed the expanding lines of the blue veins that were snaking across the Great Rift in delicate patterns Rather than a portal the working above them was so intricately detailed that it looked like a grandmaster of art was confidently wielding a graphite pencil “Is that possible “

“It is always an amusing prospect to have you try to explain reasonability to me ” Lady Iellaya said with a dry chuckle Shrugging she continued “But yes it should be possible to disturb what is occurring above with a powerful enough image Perhaps slightly exhausting but It is in our best interest to delay this working anyway Threatening to strike against it will force them to commit energy to deploy a defensive force Or would you rather simply watching as this thing is created “

As long as you donÆt expect me to be the one to create the image large and piercing enough to reach that distance place Randidly squinted upward trying to gauge the distance Very quickly he gave up the Great Rift didnÆt closely follow the concept of space anyway Whoever struck the blow would be relying on Willpower to bridge the gap

Randidly’s gaze was still upward tracing the lines with a focus toward meaning It was difficult to make out the details but Randidly could get the barest sense of its purpose from the shape of the working His knowledge of Nether Rituals allowed him to see that this grand sigil wasn’t to teleport the Nether King but it rather to have a stabilizing influence on the surrounding area Whatever power this Nether King possessed would be amplified as long as it could remain in the scope of this working

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Ritual has grown to Level 119

Lady Iellaya smirked as she watched a powerful frown take hold of Randidly’s face “Exactly It is not a simple thing that these Nether savages are attempting to accomplish Better to destabilize it as quickly as possible The energies from it well they aren’t simple “

“What’s my role then ” Randidly asked Could he reach it Perhaps But only if he expended everything he had been saving up in the attempt

And that was assuming he was given the time and space to work without interruption

Lady Iellaya nodded to the deserted battlefield “Mostly reconnaissance and herding of the weaklings Obviously you barely have enough power to stand against a true Nether Gatekeeper forcing you to reach up and swat at that thing will just end up with you a corpse But when it comes to managing a battlefield you are practically invincible In addition that strange creature that consumed the trench earlier would give a Nether Gatekeeper pause for a brief amount of time We can always fall back on that if I am overwhelmed “

Randidly pressed his lips together Controlling the battlefield huh “There is a cost of that move “

“Then let’s hope you don’t have to pay it ” Lady Iellaya raised her arms above her head Her shoulders popped “Are you ready We should not tarry any longer than necessary “

For a second Randidly thought about the question Was he ready to change the battle like this Thus far they had been enduring the Nether King attacks rather passively This would be the first time that they antagonized this distant figure directly And Randidly only had to look at the Nether working in the sky to understand how powerful it was

It hadnÆt even moved yet the whole battlefield began to orbit the Nether KingÆs influence

No stopping once this starts Randidly raised his chin He glanced once over to Vualla who he could sense was practicing with her new gauntlets It was almost reassuring to see her there simply moving through the simple motions of her body She threw her fist forward and pivoted energy building up through her hips and shoulder to explode out of the tip of her fist Throwing a punch at them directly changes this into a fistfight Which it was always going to be but this is the time where knuckles will end up bloody

Then Randidly looked forward to Lady Iellaya and nodded It wasnÆt in his nature to falter from moving forward That was his greatest strength That was his resolve

Raising her head to the sky Lady Iellaya began to cackle wildly “Then let’s show these bastards the folly of standing against us We will devour the sun and caper amongst the corpses of their fallen Tonight Apep the Peregrine Serpent will dine on the tragedy of your deaths Do not weep because I will devour your tears just as gratefully as I take your life

The air around Lady Iellaya stirred immediately with the strange cadence of her words There was a sense of ritual there one that immediately amplified her image Waves of subtle darkness seemed to be lapping slowly out from Lady Iellaya washing up against RandidlyÆs skin like driftwood from a shipwreck The sensation of the darkness was sticky and alarming prompting Randidly to suppress an urge to step backward away from her And as soon as that darkness had lapped up against his skin RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition seemed to surge to life

Where he hadnÆt noticed it before now the whole battle seemed to be currently soaking in a shallow puddle of this wide and mundane darkness While the Nether forces had been driven back Randidly sensed how all the surrounding soldiers had been carefully steeped in this darkness It drizzled from the sky and bubbled up from the ground More than something dangerous it reminded Randidly of pollution It was a chemical byproduct on a grand scale

ItÆs the grand formation that is producing this as it spreads this offensive aura What the hell is this Randidly frowned as his eyes flicked from Lady Iellaya to the sky and then to the ground But before he could figure out what was going on the darkness changed again A deeper darkness by far from the sticky and dispersed darkness that was seeping into everyone reared its head It had the wings of a raven and dull brown scales tinged with rust It raised its stubby snout and screeched displaying misshapen and jagged teeth Its breath oozed out in a foul cloud

Its beady looked toward the mesmerizing blue veins of the Great Rift above with obvious anticipation

LetÆs pull their attention then shall we Lady Iellaya whispered

If itÆs just me controlling lesser Nether Beasts I understand my presence but The sudden strangeness of darkness gave Randidly the whiff of hesitation that his previous resolve had largely been willing to ignore The air seemed to hum strangely as Randidly felt Lady Iellaya next to him slowly gathering herself to move But does someone at Lady IellayaÆs level need much help with that What is my role in this portion of the mission

But there was no real chance to consider this point Lady IellayaÆs image beat its wings and the ground shook underneath the air pressure it created A second later it was spiraling lazily upward in the sky heading toward the Great Rift Almost immediately a ripple ran through the constantly expanding series of blue veins in the Great Rift the change below had been noticed The rapid creation of the pattern in the sky slowed in the area above Lady IellayaÆs camp as the Nether adjusted

The raven winged serpentÆs mouth twisted into a gleeful grin as it considered the stalling patterns above it It seemed immensely pleased to have had this effect Then without much fanfare its chest slowly swelled as it sucked in a deep breath It released that breath projecting a buzzing beam of darkness up toward the pattern

RandidlyÆs eyes burned as he witnessed that darkness for the first time

Hissing Randidly brought a hand to his chest to stabilize the chaos occurring within his mental space The effect was likely magnified because Randidly was standing directly next to Lady Iellaya but that darkness the image produced The darkness contained within was so complete and absolute that its existence seemed to grate against RandidlyÆs images It was a darkness of devouring and destroying Barely withstanding the reverberations Randidly looked solemnly up at the beam of darkness then to Lady Iellaya standing next to him

Her eyes were bright and glassy as she witnessed the power of her own image All across the battlefield below them soldiers fell to their knees as they struggled to withstand the weight that their proximity to that darkness had earned them

still the fact that I can stand here means IÆm closing the gap Soon IÆll have this amount of power too

The beam of darkness ripped upward The motions from the veins became immediately frantic as a large portion had to swerve away from their original position and swirl together to form a defensive fortification against the darkness Lady Iellaya produced Within a split second the two substances encountered each other the image of condensed darkness and the light blue veins of the Great Rift

The collision was anticlimactic but effective In a brief space in the Great Rift everything disappeared Or at least all of the veins had The surrounding blue veins had been annihilated by an invisible and voracious darkness leaving that portion of the Great Rift empty In terms of the whole of the working perhaps only one tenth had been destroyed by the conflict But it definitely grabbed the attention of the opposition

The Nether KingÆs lantern like eyes swept sideways And that was all it took for the forces of Nether to surge into action

A whole new sort of thick blue vein twisted sideways grasping like the fingers of the undead in tight vicious hooks down toward the land of Aether Then those thick veins as hooks flexed outward and unleashed a torrent of Nether comets that shot down toward the ground The already weakened rock outcroppings nearest to the Great Rift collapsed completely as this dense wave of projectiles hit the stone near Lady IellayaÆs camp

Randidly Lady Iellaya said serenely as she raised her eyebrow But Randidly didnÆt miss the way there was a slight tremor in her voice

Thank god creating such a powerful image wasnÆt completely effortless Randidly joked inwardly as he closed his eyes and let his Grim Intuition glide to the place where the Nether forces had made their descent Otherwise I might be tempted to see if this darkness was really powerful enough to be worth it

Within a second RandidlyÆs eyes opened again All below the Nether Gatekeeper tier Just fodder most likely

Take care of them If they wonÆt open up shop when we knocked I guess IÆll just kick down the door Give me a few seconds if you please Lady Iellaya took a slow step forward Randidly grimaced but kept pace with her while he began to use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to wound the recent arrivals to the battlefield

Of course there wasnÆt any real danger that they would get close enough to Lady Iellaya to do any damage in a few seconds The Aether forces were sitting in the way But the sudden reinforcements were all at least nearing the four star power level Mostly they would end up relying on Randidly anyway in order to finish them off quickly

It was likely an elite squad but it wasnÆt enough Since several hundred had come down at once it was difficult for Randidly to cut through them quickly But he put his mind toward the task cashing in on a little bit of his mental strength in order to empower the offensive power of the roots

Congratulations You have reached Level 54 +8 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +35 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +36 Health +45 Mana +40 Stamina +3 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration

Randidly quickly cut through enough of these powerful Nether Beasts to gain another Level But his attention was so focused on the fighting that Randidly didnÆt even have the chance to distribute his free Stat points At the same time the humming in the air around Lady Iellaya was growing intense once more The weight of the images she was throwing off shook the surrounding space RandidlyÆs chest buzzed with the barely contained power she wielded only a few meters away from him Above the stomach of her raven winged serpent bulged outward then it released a huge burp of darkness

Again Randidly had to endure several shuddering waves of pain from being so near to Lady Iellaya There was a psychic static around her that was painful to handle in much of the same way that Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil used to place mental strain on him It was simply this vast sense of otherness that was present within the image that was just as damaging to the structure of Aether as Nether was

well itÆs probably just short of that RandidlyÆs emerald eyes were locked onto the darkness that shot up toward the Great Rift Pieces slowly clicked into place in his head But its power is unbelievable Lady Iellaya her power shouldnÆt have jumped up so sharply just from the potential that I sensed Then this darkness must really have come from

That sense of certainty Randidly reached looking up at that darkness had some grim ramifications but that wouldnÆt mean he would turn away from this fight Once more blue veins were diverted to block the attack and once more the darkness devoured a portion of the grand working Another huge bite was taken out of the NetherÆs work And Randidly didnÆt miss how slow the edges that had been affected by Lady Iellaya were to heal

This time the blue veins in the sky threw out a single Nether comet Rather than hitting the now largely stabilized ground it exploded halfway to the ground rapidly revealing a figure that sped forward directly toward Lady Iellaya

As that figure moved the space surrounding it warped this foe was something a bit even beyond a Nether Gatekeeper

Lady Iellaya showed her teeth Finally

Chapter 1199

Lord Miln didnÆt attempt to stop the smile blooming across his face as he looked toward the new approaching representative of Nether Haha I donÆt know where that foolish woman got this sudden surge in power from but it is enough that the Nether King will send one of his Heralds eh Perfect This is exactly what we needed

Tutting lightly Ileot closed his eyes and shook his head We must wait for a bit more Of the Nether KingÆs seven Herald we need at least four to be occupied if we want to assure success when we move For my strike to land I will need to be completely undisturbed for three seconds Which requires you and your forces to keep the remaining Heralds off of me How many do you believe you can handle Tedric Miln

That certainly wiped the grin off of Lord MilnÆs face although he still was in a rather good mood at this development Still it was clear that Ileot was attempting to needle him purposefully by using his first name

And also with the truth that Lord Miln would likely still likely struggle to handle three Nether Heralds

Instead of replying directly Lord Miln looked over to the partial clone of the Ghosthound that Ileot had created The young man was meditating acting the part of a genuine living being Is everything prepared on that end

Relax After ascertaining what Lord Miln was talking about Ileot squeaked and rolled his eyes After we have antagonized the Nether King both that demon of Nether and I the two most powerful figures on the battlefield will want Randidly Ghosthound dead What chance will he have to survive

Licking his lips Lord Miln stared out over the battlefield Things were developing exactly according to their plan To the right the Nether Beasts were pushing further and further forward slaughtering their way toward the Aether headquarters and trampling on the unfortunate camps in their way To the left of headquarters the battlefield had descended into an almost surreal peace aside from the most recent batch of reinforcements thrown toward Lady Iellaya Which since it was accompanied by a Nether Herald could be considered a significant force

thankfully Lady Iellaya seems capable enough to suppress this Nether Herald and draw even more ire Lord MilnÆs eyes glowed with pleasure

Above the entirety of the battlefield a palpable darkness swirled It seemed that the grand formation had shifted into some emergency mode that Lord Miln didnÆt recognize but somehow the aura of grey black energy that it produced was invigorating It seemed that the more Lord Miln breathed it in the more that darkness became heat pumping through his veins

He clenched his fist So many sacrifices So many pointless moments of enduring the stupidity of his commanding officers in his career the stupidity of those who were blessed with superior circumstances and lorded it over him Finally after almost fifty years Lord Miln had climbed to the rank of Supreme Commander of a battlefront

All for this one opportunity

So soon Lord Miln whispered It will be worth it

Almost instinctively Lord Miln took another deep breath of the darkness laden air

As the newly arrived figure with more power than a Nether Gatekeeper streaked forward across the sky the air around it cracked and twisted just from its presence Even Lady IellayaÆs expression grew serious as she looked up toward the approaching figure and the trail of torn space it left in its wake

I believe they are called Nether Heralds The direct servents of the Nether King In terms of attracting attention mission accomplished Then she turned to Randidly and gave him a wink I donÆt suppose you would still be willing to consider adding your potential to mine at this crucial juncture I obviously can handle this foe alone but think of all we could accomplish together Randidly Ghosthound

Randidly laughed dryly and shook his head Trying to play hardball on the battlefield Lady Iellaya I donÆt think things are quite that grim yet Besides my potential wouldnÆt end up being part of the solidified base you have now It would just be draped over it An insignificant addition to something that was quite difficult to build and would be even more difficult to renovate now

If it was your potential we both know that its addition would be anything but insignificant Lady Iellaya turned back forward without pressing the issue any further Then she shrugged But it was mostly a comment to add levity to the moment IsnÆt it exciting We could die today This is our chance LetÆs show the world that they cannot afford to overlook us

Above the raven winged serpent roared and writhed its way down to intercept the Nether Herald that rocketed toward Lady Iellaya Yet RandidlyÆs ear caught on one phrase almost innocuously slipped into what Lady Iellaya had said

IsnÆt it exciting We could die today Randidly began to frown

The raven winged serpent opened its mouth and blasted out a thick gout of darkness before the arrow like Nether Herald that was aimed for Lady IellayaÆs chest The damaging aura of her image buzzed outward as the raven winged serpent produced the darkness but this time Randidly was prepared for the reverberations He lifted his chin and endured the strange otherness that she produced At least in terms of adaption Randidly was rather confident in his own abilities

Congratulations Your Skill MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 250

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix has grown to Level 224

A slightly strange combination of Skills grew as Randidly endured the mental static that wafted out from Lady Iellaya but he didnÆt give those notifications much attention Instead his eyes were on the impending collision in the sky The blast of darkness swirled forward and the Nether HeraldÆs form cracked and twisted in response within a second an angular almost bug like bipedal creature stretched itself outward

Randidly couldnÆt help sucking in a breath as he that form weirdly unfurled in space from nothing It was immediately clear that the density of Nether within this form was much higher than a normal Nether Gatekeeper Even just looking at its ant body there seemed to be an ominous pressure that it exerted over the surrounding area The reality built upon Aether could barely handle it

The ant and the darkness smashed into each other The ant ripped through the other side without much fanfare leaving the sky behind it filled with motes of dispersed darkness that scattered harmlessly like dust blown off an old bookshelf After witnessing the failure Lady Iellaya released a forced chuckle Fine then IÆll hand this myself

With a single step she launched herself upward into the air above the battlefield Below Randidly could feel the strange seething mass of emotions the soldiers felt as they looked uneasily up at the first contact between the two foes They saw Lady IellayaÆs darkness lose Already the brief respite was retreating from the forefront of their minds and leaving the chaos of the earlier fighting the panic inducing center of their attention

As Lady Iellaya flew upward the raven winged serpent twisted away from its collision course from the ant Nether Herald and swam through the sky to meet Lady Iellaya It opened its stubby mouth and simply swallowed her Perhaps the most grotesque part of the maneuver was the audible gulp that it produced as she entered into its body Then it sinuously twisted its body around turning to face the Nether Herald that been on its tail the entire time

It was immediately clear that the details of the raven winged serpent grew incredibly clear as Lady Iellaya herself became the focal point of the image

Yet Randidly didnÆt miss how just the presence of the Nether HeraldÆs extremely dense Nether was enough to send a ripple through Lady IellayaÆs image despite her presence It was immediately obvious that this was not going to be an easy fight as evidenced by the initial clash

But sheÆs just getting started Randidly assured himself as he looked upward I felt her potential and I feel the presence of this swirling darkness This isnÆt her limit

Raven wings flapped outward crashing against the exo skeletonÆed arms of the Nether Herald The sky shook Lady IellayaÆs image trembled once more Yet Lady Iellaya dodged the Nether HeraldÆs next attack and raised her ugly snout to release a rallying cry The surrounding space steadied as her dark image dug its claws deeply into the area for leverage Then Lady Iellaya surged forward smashing her imageÆs head directly into the Nether Herald

sheÆs stronger but sheÆs not at as good at controlling her strength Randidly thought with a frown as she looked up at the two figures Once more the Nether Herald twisted its body strangely bending all the way over backward to dodge the raven winged serpentÆs jaws as it swept past Then its torso spun independently of its legs allowing it to twist and strike up toward the serpentÆs vulnerable belly

Bellowing in pain Lady Iellaya released a much more powerful pulse of hungry darkness It knocked away the Nether Herald who crashed into the ground and caused a low ridge to rumble slowly down on top of it For a split second everything silent Then the stone shifted and the Nether Herald leapt back out of the scattered debris Above Lady Iellaya had twisted her head and was preparing to fire another bolt of darkness up toward the pattern of blue veins in the Great Rift The Nether Herald accelerated

Of course the approaching threat of the Nether Herald had Lady IellayaÆs image twisting around blasting out a concentrated arrow of energy that was obviously created to attack the Nether Herald not the working in the sky Even the flexible Nether Herald with its preter natural reflexes wasnÆt able to dodge such a sudden attack completely and was knocked sideways by the strike

Randidly was honestly becoming increasingly optimistic about the confrontation as he witnessed the initial exchanges but then the thicker blue veins manifested again in the Great Rift Another large comet of Nether was thrown down toward Lady Iellaya The comet once more split halfway and a figure shot directly over to join the battle

Another Nether Herald

Randidly sucked in a breath trying to do some mental gymnastics to figure out whether Lady Iellaya could handle two of these foes at once Seconds ticked by as he attempted to estimate both of their strengths His initial response was yes it was possible but it would be difficult for Lady Iellaya to attract more attention than this with two Nether Heralds devoting their energies to stopping her

Which meant that perhaps Randidly needed to act Even if his images werenÆt yet powerful enough that they could alter the face of this fight his interference could be a fulcrum point to pivot the balance in Lady IellayaÆs favor To that end Randidly gently pulled the PhilosopherÆs Key off of his belt He ran his thumb across the smooth metal surface

This was his most powerful tool currently yet as Randidly lifted it up and looked at the battlefield he hesitated how should he intervene in the battle above Especially because the PhilosopherÆs Key was an instrument with relatively few applications

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a third huge comet of Nether that was thrown out of the Great Rift Perhaps it was because of the element of surprise but this one looked even larger than the prior two Before the second Nether Herald had even arrived to tussle with Lady Iellaya a third was thrown out to seal the deal No matter how much Lady Iellaya had improved she hadnÆt improved enough to handle this

Suddenly Randidly realized what he had to do The PhilosopherÆs Key in his hand was warm What he held in his hand was a key which possessed two main functions To open up a door and to lock it

It had even been explicitly stated in the notification that Randidly received when he obtained the first piece of his Fateset He just had to lock the sky

Chapter 1200

As soon as Randidly thought about locking the sky he could already feel the stirrings begin inside of the PhilosopherÆs Key It was like simply thinking the phrase unleashed a blast of sunlight that quickly burned through the mist that had covered the inner workings of the key The previously mysterious interior mechanisms gradually came to light As RandidlyÆs pupils dilated he suddenly understood what he had to do

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 57

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 58

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 59

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 71

Unfortunately the knowledge of how the process would work came with another realization it would be very difficult to completely lock out the Nether Herald It was too heavy of a projectile

Even with the change coming as a surprise tot he unfortunate Nether Herald Randidly had been able to sense the dense power of the previously Nether Herald that so briefly clashed with Lady Iellaya in the last few minutes The Nether of its body was so dense that it fuzzed the surrounding air Physical space folded and bent to its will allowing it to move in a way not unlike the Grim ChimeraÆs Chimeric Avoidance

At this point Randidly struggled to push his own inner Nether to that golden density that a Nether Gatekeeper used to manage its own impressive sphere of influence To see these Nether Heralds reach a density so obviously a step beyond that filled Randidly with the certainty that he couldnÆt compete directly

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes were locked onto the huge third Nether comet the second it was produced He held his breath in his chest Inside his mind rapidly accelerated pushing himself forward If the current him couldnÆt reliably lock the sky and reject this Nether Herald all he needed to do was rapidly increase his understanding which would in turn increase his Fate Level and his power

A blunt solution to a complicated problem Yet a brief scan of his available Paths didnÆt give Randidly any other hope of rapidly increasing his potency with his Fate on such incredibly short notice through any other method

so yea all I need to do is deepen my understanding in two point six seconds RandidlyÆs eyes were almost glassy as he stared outward at the Great Rift His mind got to work Ignition Essence flared brightly to life to fuel endeavor Without any remorse Randidly dipped into his mental power and focused his attention to a razor sharp point

The PhilosopherÆs Key was a simple tool with an uncomplicated motion In the past Randidly had used its function in a creative manner to unlockÆ Lady IellayaÆs Class but that was just getting cute What Randidly was attempting now wasnÆt some convoluted application this was exactly what the PhilosopherÆs Key was made to do lock

The image of locking the sky was clear but the origin of the image was a bit less so The keyÆs power seemed to arise from its functions but that was too limiting a way to think about it The key was simple yes but the person behind it wasnÆt If it could lock the sky that inevitably led back to the individual who held the key That capability began there

This was the PhilosopherÆs Key

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 72

Randidly took a small step forward as he pondered the process but it was far from enough Also the growth stopped almost immediately because he was suddenly faced with a question Who was the Philosopher

Fully half a second ticked past as Randidly strained his every brain cell in order to answer this question Images of alchemists and fantasy wizards flashed before his mindÆs eye but none of those felt right None made the act of locking the sky seem any more manageable Eventually Randidly settled on the simplest answer

The Philosopher or the Alchemist as referenced by the Fateset was himself Randidly Ghosthound

Again a dead stop inserted itself into RandidlyÆs mind for point two seconds The huge comet of Nether surged closer RandidlyÆs hands tightened into fists His mind whirred even faster to try and pull apart the secrets of the heavy golden key in his hands

Who was Randidly Ghosthound

Me But if the answer requires more detail

Over the years since the System arrived Randidly had changed in unimaginable ways He had become incredibly influential on Earth and later absconded from his budding political power He had traveled to Tellus and fought like a mercenary at ShalÆs request He had returned to Earth to struggle to find his identity making very little headway on this question He kept his gaze locked on the System vigilant for threats

He later returned to Tellus and watched thousands die on the banks of the Hallat as the Second Calamity of that world played itself out He had been admittedly instrumental in allowing Shal to seize control of the image of Tellus making it a place of heroes and dreams Then Randidly had returned to Earth and acted less as a leader of anything and more as a warning for the people of Earth

One they donÆt appear to be heeding very well based on what IÆve seen through Nether Rituals A small voice in RandidlyÆs head whispered but he quickly quieted that part of himself

He had learned much about himself as he blithely allowed the deaths of Ki KunotÆs people and later was confronted by Azriel in regards to his refusal to consider losing Meeting Vualla too had greatly put a spin on who Randidly was who he was going to be Finding someone who made him pause and believe in a genuine partnership It had made him happy

Incredibly so

But those were all external factors that affected him None were determinative of the who at the core of this question Even if Randidly was slowly realizing his own responsibilities and the importance of cultivating a passion to wield the power he gathered here on the frontlines it did very little to answer the question of who he was

Even as his images grew he had never turned his exacting focus back on himself But of course he hadnÆt because he hadnÆt wanted to It would have been

Ultimately images were stories believed to be real So there were a lot of images that Randidly could impose on himself as a grand explanation based on his history and have them be anchored in reality Yet to take any one of those images as gospel was to miss the numerous others that populated Randidly Ghosthound They would be diverging from his core by focusing on an aspect What Randidly could create with an image was a partial understanding And Randidly didnÆt believe that a partial understanding would be enough to lock this Nether Herald out of the sky

So he needed the whole Again who was Randidly Ghosthound

This time Randidly felt an answer almost immediately It was an honest answer from his heart An answer that turned all the way around looking past his time in the System to who he had been before An answer that stared his most glaring weakness in the face

A shy socially awkward kid who lucked into power and stumbled into responsibility Someone who was quiet and reserved and didnÆt know what he wanted out of life Someone who was always described as having potentialÆ without ever knowing what that meant Someone who was in the right place at the right time when the System hit

Then the PhilosopherÆs Key is his most of all This is the key of someone who fears every moment that they wonÆt be enough to protect the people counting on them Someone who fears that his luck will run out Someone who is terrified of what that would mean

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 73

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 74

RandidlyÆs eyes opened again as he realized something honestly that sort of basis for a story With his mouth twisted and time continuing to slip away Randidly opened his Path screen There his eyes locked onto a single option

Monarch of the Baleful Woods 0/450

Generally one thought of the monarch at the height of their power seated regally on their throne with an ornate crown on their head But that was only one portion of the monarchÆs journey One might become a monarch at any age in their life exactly when the previous monarch died Which sometimes occurred far before the heir apparent was ready for the responsibility that comes

Is there meaning in this Randidly wondered even as he poured PP into the Path to finish it Obviously the Stats werenÆt likely irrelevant but even then what was he hoping for But he supposed what he looked for was to find some clue in the completion text that would give Randidly a hint what he should be thinking in order to understand this image

Randidly was quite like a monarch thrust into the spotlight far before his time A youth that had escaped the sensation of helplessness time after time only to always find one more unexpected curveball in his way Yet how could he stop moving forward Without Randidly Ghosthound Earth

Randidly shook his head slightly Then he focused on this lead to revealing a truth about himself Pouring PP into the Path earned him 1 Willpower for each 10 PP spent

Congratulations You have completed the Monarch of the Baleful Woods Path To walk forward with a crown means that those behind you are your people They pass in your wake under your auspices Yet there exists a complicated relationship between the monarch and the populace they may follow you for a variety of reasons but the truth is each follower gives a little of themselves so that the monarch must always give everything to protect them

To walk this path is to acknowledge your duty It is not a complicated path but the weight you bear is not lightly taken It is not something that can be borne by a mundane individual As you wear this mantle you become a little more than human

Congratulations Health Mana and Stamina +1000 +3 to Health Mana and Stamina Regeneration per Level

Randidly frowned imperceptibly as he looked over the notification The message was unhelpful and the reward was really not relevant to his current quest to understand his own identity Of the two point six seconds that Randidly had estimated he could use before the Nether comet had arrived one point nine had passed His Fate Level had increased but not by much

Would any improvement have really been enough Randidly wondered idly Without much choice he raised the PhilosopherÆs Key and felt the karma present in the air Right before he activated the ability he looked once more at the Path completion notification Honestly all it talks about is the people that

Poised there with his key raised it hit Randidly like a bucket of wet snow to the face behind him were people that were counting on him It was a simple truth one that Randidly had always understood That truth was why he fought so desperately to protect the Earth But it was a very clinical knowledge that Randidly allowed before

Now at this moment Grim Intuition was only too happy to supply Randidly with a more visceral knowledge of those who were depending on him

As his perception instinctively spread outward Randidly could feel every breath the people around him released Hunching over he felt the constriction of the soldierÆs lungs and their dried lips He felt the sweat dripping down their backs and the uneven beat of their hearts He felt their eyes like thousands of laser pointers clustering like obsessive flies up to the battle in the sky He could smell the stink of their worry

Body by body Randidly felt them swaying with unease They were his body outside of himself Because he had taken on the role of the monarch

I always knew it even when I was on Earth RandidlyÆs eyes focused on his target with only point two seconds remaining until the Nether Herald arrived As he looked upward the Nether Herald shattered its comet and sped forward The second Nether Herald had arrived before Lady Iellaya deflecting a blast of darkness she unleashed and closed the distance between them

Below the first Nether Herald used that opportunity to surge upward and leave Lady Iellaya pincered between the two of them The raven winged serpent screeched and flapped its wings furiously

I knew that people talked about me That some people were afraid of me and even worse there were others that grew excited when they saw me They would follow me around say prayers and curses in my name Gradually to avoid their demanding gaze I could only isolate myself

But Neveah was correct in pointing out that one time that my existence was more of a story than I could control by disappearing I became a presence in peopleÆs lives by protecting them Maybe maybe giving control of Donnyton to Donny hiding in Zone 1 and then pushing everything away but the Order Ducis all of it was to avoid addressing the simple truth that I matter to these people

They all have opinions on me They are thinking about me and talking about me When I fail them they are disappointed When I do not act they are worried about what it means They give a little time of themselves to me by thinking about me by giving me space in their heart and in exchange I have to give them everything I give everything to protect the Earth

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 75

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 76

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 77

Randidly didnÆt hesitate any longer The PhilosopherÆs Key slid forward A low imperceptible shiver ran through the karma of the sky where space and Nether bent and twisted Exactly two point six seconds had passed The Nether Herald was twisting to reveal another insectoid form about to reach the barrier that Lord Miln erected The same barrier that its two predecessors had pierced through without difficulty It wasnÆt strong enough to slow these foes down but Randidly could use it to ground his working

It never was that the prince learned some precious secret when he became Monarch Randidly thought tiredly It was just that he realized he could no longer fail He couldnÆt afford to So he believed in the song of his own victory

So he had no choice but to listen and pay attention to the stories they told about him No matter if they were true or false

Randidly turned the PhilosopherÆs Key The karma of the world twisted

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 78

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 85

Randidly Ghosthound felt the sky lock beneath his hand He was the monarch and this was his land The Nether Herald impacted the aligned barriers of RandidlyÆs lock and Lord MilnÆs force field Both barriers shuddered under the violent pressure Almost as soon as they collided it seemed the Nether Herald realized something was wrong and twisted to bring its arm around in a sharp blow to shatter the lock

Randidly gritted his teeth His jaw popped His veins stood out from his arm that was holding onto the rotated PhilosopherÆs Key The sense of responsibility Randidly felt burned in his heart Grim Intuition continued to grasp the entire space Half the soldiers below were breathing out the other half breathing in RandidlyÆs head throbbed as using the Fate quickly drained all of his accumulated mental energy in a split second Yet even as his well of resilience was running dry Randidly refused to give up

I will not fail

Congratulations The Level of your Fate the Philosopher’s Key has grown to Level 86

Before the Nether Herald could strike the barrier repelled it gently backward Its strike swung harmlessly through the air The lock on the sky held The raven winged serpentÆs wings spread wider and wider casting a long shadow over the two Nether Heralds that faced Lady Iellaya alone

Chapter 1201

Perhaps due to the trembling in RandidlyÆs body due to the strain Sulfur tightened its constriction around his torso like a rippling hug Even though Randidly was just dealing with the repercussions of the collision he could barely move without risking himself completely collapsing His head throbbed his hand was vice tight around the PhilosopherÆs Key turned ninety degrees to the side He stood only because all of his muscles were straining to their limits locking him in place

Just the first collision was already so exhausting Directly above him Lady Iellaya exchanged almost a half dozen blasts of darkness with the elusive Nether Heralds that danced around her But that was mostly a distraction Randidly didnÆt avert his gaze from the foe that he was responsible for

Yet RandidlyÆs actions didnÆt go unnoticed For a brief moment the head of the raven winged serpent rose to consider the sky After recognizing what Randidly had accomplished Lady IellayaÆs darkness spread wider and wider

It seemed she resolved herself to take advantage of the opportunity as best she could

Mid air the Nether Herald that Randidly had repulsed twisted around by a top Its backward drifting motion stabilized into graceful floating With a vicious suddenness it surged back forward and whipped one of its insectoid limbs around to smash against the lock Randidly had created

The raven winged serpent slashed with its wing One Nether Herald twisted out of the way and the other surged to attack Lady IellayaÆs vulnerable back Yet the tail of the raven winged serpent slithered upward seizing onto the ambushing HeraldÆs leg when it least expected it Randidly braced himself

You want to strike against the very sky RandidlyÆs eyes burned Naive

The blow landed against the lock The strain of it hit RandidlyÆs chest like a hammer forcing his breath out in a ragged cough Yet the lock held The karma of the sky bore much of the force and held The headache that had taken root in RandidlyÆs brainstem seemed to intensify as Randidly strained to keep his focus in the face of all of the exhaustion that tugged at the edges of his will Reaching Level 86 in his Fate combined with Lord MilnÆs almost negligible assistance was just enough to withstand the Nether Herald

There was no room for even the slightest bit of easing up or everything would collapse His body the lock Lady IellayaÆs chances of gaining an advantage now Grim Perception continued to hum flooding Randidly with information that slowly gobbled up his remaining Willpower

It was a steep price to pay but Grim Intuition also kept Randidly firmly aware of the fearful posture of the bodies waiting beyond that lock The raven winged serpent gnashed its teeth and slammed one of the Nether Heralds into the ground with its tail grip around its foot Ignoring the attacks of the other Nether Herald she faced Lady Iellaya pounced down to rip into vulnerable Nether Herald with her jaws wide open

Although its blow had pushed it back somewhat from the barrier the Nether Herald Randidly locked out spun again to stabilize itself Its leg whipped up and around to smash down into the barrier Space shuddered The sky flickered There was the slightest tinkling sound of cracking

Randidly fell to one knee practically relying on his grip on the suspended PhilosopherÆs Key not to completely collapse into a coma The kick pushed the Nether Herald back a little further but it quickly twisted again to remain within striking distance Each strike pushed it a little farther back but it was not yet enough that Randidly was out of the woods

Yet the strangest result of this movement was that it letRandidly look directly into the face of the Nether Herald

It was completely blank just a ridged plate of black armor This foe had no features ItÆs head wandered side to side for a split second and Randidly winced as it quickly located the small flaw that had been created by its last blow Still drifting slowly backward it raised its arm once more and unleashed a devasting thrust to pierce through the flaw

There wasnÆt even the slightest bit of extra mental strength that Randidly could use to defend if Randidly ceased straining or eased up that flaw would spread to the whole of the lock And now to both keep the lock in place and withstand a direct strike to the crack

In the battlefield above the jaws of the raven winged serpent closed around the Nether HeraldÆs torso after it had pressed it down into the ground Aether and Nether strained against each other like two neighbors continually turning up their televisions to drown the other out Fetid breath and jagged teeth hissed against the body of the Nether Herald The other Nether Herald unleashed a barrage of attacks on Lady IellayaÆs image ripping out large chunks of flesh and fistfuls of raven feathers in an attempt to rescue its companion

The jaw of the raven winged serpent strained Very gradually it tightened

The thrust slid forward toward RandidlyÆs lock He was just so exhausted He hadnÆt been exhausted like this in a long time not since Randidly had recovered his body It was the same sort of blunted and fuzzy exhaustion that had threatened to devour his personality when he had simply been the Grim Chimera Keeping the lock in place had a cost he couldnÆt defer

And before that hell Was I ever this strained on Earth

Yet Randidly couldnÆt retreat He was the monarch He was the spine Once he broke there was no hope for the rest of the body The thrust smashed against the lock Gritting his teeth Randidly pressed his eyes shut

The thrust ripped open the flaw in the lock creating a jagged passage to the other side The rest of the lock trembled as Randidly barely was able to hold it together with a widening flaw Like a sled at the edge of a slope thinks were teetering at the point of going out of control

Yet as the Nether Herald rushed forward something met it in the crack between the outside and inside Grinning like a maniac the Grim Chimera unleashed a point blank roundhouse kick that smashed into the Nether HeraldÆs chest The leg of the Grim Chimera shimmered and spasmed weakened as Randidly was and forced to endure the density of Nether but it passed on the kinetic force to knock the Nether Herald backward

Perhaps normally that force wouldnÆt have been enough but the Nether Herald had been only able to maintain its position through spinning to disperse its own momentum All of its previous charge had already been endured Now taken by surprise it was pushed away and back

The blank face of the Nether Herald considered the Grim Chimera as it sailed backward Snorting in derision the Grim Chimera dug its claws into one side of the crack and thrust its bone spear into the other The muscles of its chest strained as it began to pull the flaw back together

Partway through the process the Grim Chimera rippled Its skin became rutted and brown and its limbs strange Suddenly it wasnÆt the Grim Chimera but the shimmering World Tree covered in golden script Its vast branches and leaves twisted inward using its prodigious natural energy to close the flaw Emerald leaves spread out gradually masking the original location of the crack in the wide canopy

Shortly after the canopy began to rustle and sway driven by a wild wind And in the next second leaves began to turn orange and the canopy became the raging inferno of Ignition Essence searing shut the flaw before the helpless Nether HeraldÆs blank face

In Lady IellayaÆs battle she was forced to use her tail to try and keep the other Nether Herald at bay while she capitalized on the otherÆs weakness Unfortunately the Nether Herald was too quick in its attacks It was clear that Lady Iellaya was taking significant damage Yet her jaw was slowly tightening The struggles of the pinned Nether Herald gradually slowed into sluggish spasms

Randidly wanted to take a breath but he couldnÆt the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up as the Nether KingÆs gaze abruptly fixed on him An emotion so vast that it resembled karma in its absolute existence slammed into Randidly Yet Randidly did not flinch He endured the horrible examination stoically with gritted teeth His skin crawled The bile of his stomach made its desire to be let out known

There was the sound of a rotten watermelon being smashed open and then the raven winged serpent raised its head and roared in triumph Bits of the former Nether Herald dribbled down its chin

When the Nether KingÆs gaze shifted away Randidly wanted to collapse into a puddle But the sky had other plans The was a shift among the blue veins and two more large arteries lifted themselves up and threw two huge Nether comets down toward RandidlyÆs lock

Two Nether Heralds Two at once

Almost unconsciously Randidly looked over to Lady Iellaya The beady eyes of the raven winged serpent met RandidlyÆs emerald gaze An understanding passed there even as the raven winged serpent was still drunk on its victory Both realized the otherÆs thoughts

Without waiting any longer the raven winged serpent began to rampage forward clashing against the remaining Nether Herald in front of it The movements of the two fighters were quick and brutal as the greatly wounded image of Lady Iellaya tried to take advantage of this opportunity to focus its ferocity on a single foe

She landed several glancing blows but it was clear that the Nether Herald understood what was going on and had learned a lesson from its companionÆs death It twisted out of the way of direct strikes and even avoided trading hits despite Lady IellayaÆs obvious wounds

Seeing that her small ploy was useless Lady Iellaya shed all pretense of weakness and surged forward Strange crimson lines slowly extended across the raven winged serpentÆs brown scales Obsidian feathers fell from the sky like rain as her wings spread wider and wider to cast a long shadow The darkness from her image seemed to draw on the vast darkness in the sky swelling larger and larger

But the two Nether comets were shooting closer They exploded into sizzling debris and two more Nether Heralds surged forward Randidly watched them calmly The second before they impacted the lock he had created Randidly bowed his head without any warning he turned the key and unlocked the sky

Rather comically the Nether Heralds spun impotently in their attempts to shatter the lock dispersing some of their momentum on their own It wasted several more seconds that Lady Iellaya used to unleash an onslaught against the struggling Nether Herald in front of her

Distraction achieved Randidly whispered Then he turned and leaned heavily on Acri as he hobbled away to find his subordinates

Chapter 1202

Lord Miln glanced at the giggling form of Ileot

Ileot Swacc grinned at Lord Miln his glee obvious Can you handle the two remaining Nether Heralds Now is not the time for hubris

IÆm confident in my capabilities Lord Miln said without any sort of enmity He understood very well how important this portion of the plan would be And also it was somewhat gratifying to see that Ileot shared his excitement for what was to come

Everything for this moment Every sacrifice every drop of sweat everything to create this opening

Then we began Ileot whispered in his high pitched voice He raised his hands like a music conductor slowly drawing them through the air in short circular motions Although the movements appeared casual his fingertips left trails of silvery light in their wake When a strange circular sigil was completed a strange pulse echoed outward

The veil that Ileot had maintained for the past several months was ripped violently away There was a heartbeat of silence as the surrounding area grasped the change Then while everything around him was still Ileot chuckled

Almost instantly the right flank of the Aether forces descended into chaos

With a small smile Lord Miln watched half of the Nether Beasts go wild turning on their companions in their rampage Above a flicker went through the blue veins that hung in the Great Rift A split second afterward fully one third of the blue veins above went dark leaving huge gaps in the grand working being made for the Nether King

Ileot pouted as he considered the change in the Great Rift I had hoped it would be more splashy than that

ItÆs just enough Lord Miln gestured sharply Time to head out

RandidlyÆs pace was not fast but that was not really because he was so exhausted that he couldnÆt move well And even if he was Acri would have been only too happy to use its newfound size to act as a mount

Randidly kept his gait even because there wasnÆt a need to move faster than was comfortable Although he couldnÆt deny how near he was to being forced to rely on Acri No the reason Randidly moved so slow was that his attention was split in several directions and he didnÆt want to miss developments in even one of the situations

Most easily for his attention he tried to assist the average soldier in the area Randidly moved back toward the basecamp of Lady IellayaÆs forces issuing orders for all of the assembled forces even the reinforcements that had just been standing in front of the fort to retreat back inside With all the losses they had experienced the numbers wouldnÆt be a problem And the fort was a much more defensible location that simply hanging around the field fortifications

Randidly had been rather worried whether the reinforcement troops would obey him someone how really didnÆt have any official rank in Lady IellayaÆs camp but honestly most people seemed more than happy to believe he was a leader and were dutifully trooping back to cover

Perhaps they just liked the order to retreat Randidly thought with a wry smile

Another portion of RandidlyÆs attention was on Lady IellayaÆs battle where the pressure she placed on her Nether Herald rose sharply after discarding all pretenses Her tail and teeth slashed back and forth constantly seeking to find a flaw in the Nether HeraldÆs slippery defense If she couldnÆt wound this singular Herald now she certainly wouldnÆt have a chance to do so when there were four working in concert

Yet it was the third bit of his attention focused on the three Nether Heralds that were hurrying over that were the most stressful Randidly burned through the remainder of his Mana to throw vines and flames up to strike and distract them but it barely slowed them down at all Since there were three of them they could simply rip their way through basically anything that Randidly had to throw at them Their bodies were powerful enough that it would take quite a lot for RandidlyÆs Skills to do much without a heavy image and Randidly didnÆt have that sort of juice right now

Yet suddenly a new sensation distracted Randidly A strange tremor ran throughout the battlefield Looking up sharply RandidlyÆs gaze turning toward the Aether Headquarters

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Detection has grown to Level 178

what the hell was that Randidly frowned Ileot Or even Lord Miln

The passing energy had been significant enough that Randidly had noticed it but it had passed quickly enough that he couldnÆt sense what the function of that energy was It hadnÆt engaged with him or his energy at all So instantly Randidly paused in his observation of the three original things and devoted himself solely to watching for repercussions for this energy pulse

It didnÆt take long to notice what was impacted some of the Aether reinforcements immediately turned listless and distracted They stopped in the walk falling to their knees even when their companions urged them forward Luckily it seemed it was a relatively small percentage that was affected mostly those walking at the edges of their formation

Yet RandidlyÆs gaze focused again on the rocky outcropping after he discovered the effect But why would they weaken our forces now Do they intend to sacrifice us

RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition billowed outward even as he used every trick he could think of to distract the trio of charging Nether Heralds What he found on the wider battlefield was even more confusing that his initial impression of the results of that energy It wasnÆt just Lady IellayaÆs reinforcements that were panicking it was every reinforcement on the battlefield

Yet that wasnÆt the weird part It was the fact that about half of the Nether Beasts seemed to be behaving strangely too And instead of becoming apathetic like the Aether forces these Nether Beasts become positively feral attacking anyone nearby even fellow Nether Beasts In terms of numbers Lady IellayaÆs camp seemed to be an outlier perhaps only twenty percent of their reinforcements were behaving strangely

Was it some sort of mental attack Randidly couldnÆt figure it out

Across the battlefield almost 100% of the reinforcements from the other camps had become mere decorations on the battlefield Not that it really affected the health of the lines much with the Nether forces turning on themselves Perhaps even more confusing is that the camp on the other side of Commander TerithÆs camp had completely gone feral They were killing each other and some of that aggression was spreading outward to the two camps around it

Pressing his lips together Randidly continued to walk quickly forward What the hell was going on Aether fighting Aether and Nether fighting Nether

Suddenly the crowd of retreating bodies parted and Randidly saw Salazar speaking happily to a group of exhausted looking followers caked in mud With a few light steps Randidly pushed himself to SalazarÆs side wincing while doing so Salazar paused in his story seemingly rather shocked to see Randidly And if anything the snakeman blushed S s s sir

Keep up the good work Randidly said clapping on SalazarÆs shoulder Then he moved forward With Salazar serving as a stabilizing influence it seemed that the retreat would continue despite the sudden strangeness on the battlefield One less thing to worry about then

Behind him Randidly overheard a little bit of what Salazar was saying after he moved away a ahem a as I was s saying although they all assured us that Randidly GhosthoundÆs journey into the Fate Armory was a fruitless endeavor my faith was never swayed Even after waiting for seven days and seven nights when Zauna came to me with her blubbering worries

Randidly could only shake his head helplessly before pushing Salazar out of his mind Instead he focused on the immediate problem of the Nether Heralds that would attack Lady Iellaya Yet to RandidlyÆs surprise someone had interposed themselves in the path of the trio while Randidly had been distracted

Is our camp really so weak you can ignore us Vualla favored the three Nether Heralds with a sharp smile Hefting the heavy gauntlets that Randidly had made for her she adopted a fighting stance Let me give you a lesson in mistakes and regrets children

It was a small thing but RandidlyÆs Ruinous Drive spread outward once more and settled across VuallaÆs back With his Mana depleted and his Willpower reduced to scraps there was very little else Randidly could do

Except of course reach through that bridge of warmth between them with all his emotion and hope and trust He followed that warmth to that spot on her back where he had touched her establishing the Nether Ritual and then stabilizing it later with an Aether connection Good luck

Vualla jumped like someone prodded her in the behind with a long icicle Seeing the movement as aggression the three Nether Heralds slowed down spreading out to box Vualla in Recovering quickly she took a sharp step toward the left accelerating toward one of the Nether Heralds on the edge

It reacted quickly twisting and spinning its torso and legs independently of each other as it moved forward to meet her The other two Nether Heralds surged toward VuallaÆs side and back Clearly they intended to deal with this sudden threat very quickly

Vualla punched and the simple motion caused the air to roar like the ignition of an engine The Nether Herald moved with an almost liquid like fluidity to avoid the blow but VuallaÆs punch seemed to slide sideways in the air after it and smash into its shoulder joint The Nether HeraldÆs exoskeleton cracked audibly

With a swift sway Vualla avoiding the slashing retaliation from the Nether HeraldÆs arm and then kicked it sharply backward in order to turn and deal with the other two foes And in fact her movements had a compact sharpness that practically drooled an incredibly refined image regarding kinetic energy in her body

One that didnÆt lose out at all to the dense Nether that was flooding the area The same Nether that was slowly being absorbed by the grand formation which slowly gathered it in a swirling mass above

When the two aggressive Nether Heralds reached her position they unleashed a flurry of combined attacks aiming to overwhelm Vualla Although most of the strikes Vualla was able to weave her way through several hits glanced off of her arms and shoulders earning a grimace from her face When relying on the heavy gauntlets Randidly had provided for her the attacks of the Nether HeraldÆs left subtle scratches in the material Very quickly serious damage began to accumulate

Vualla would step and jab driving one off and the other would pounce forward and bring its arms slashing downward at weird angles Then the third Nether Herald rejoined the fight and she was pressured even further She simply didnÆt have enough time to mount any sort of serious offensive it was already oppressive enough that her normal punches could hold three Nether Heralds at bay for this long

sheÆs really improving Randidly reflected with not a little pride But this is her limit As for how much longer

By this point the furious exchange of blows between the Nether HeraldÆs and Vualla had lasted about ten seconds Using her footwork Vualla kept shifting her body so she would only really need to deal with two of the foes at once Her quick steps were almost ghost like allowing her to move unexpectedly and accelerate out of positions where she was getting overwhelmed

Punch after punch flickered out Yet these were biting blows not breaking ones She hadnÆt again managed to inflict an injury

Yet for her trouble her arms were covered in bleeding scratches after struggling for ten seconds and her gauntlets bore deep scratches Randidly watched with worried eyes as one Nether Herald knocked away her guard and rushed forward simply occupying her two arms Then another twisted and rolled between the firstÆs legs like a ball bringing all four of its limbs together and smashing upward toward VuallaÆs chest

Dodge Randidly screamed inwardly Then he licked his lips as Vualla body was smashed backward up into the air flying rapidly backward from the powerful blow RandidlyÆs heart clenched for a second but he could immediately sense with Grim Intuition that Vualla had added her own strength into the jump to disperse some of the power from the attack and carrying her back to relative safety

With that much force she might make it to the supply track Randidly thought weirdly impressed Then he turned back to the issue at hand Besides the other battle

The Nether Herald that was facing Lady Iellaya moaned piteously It wasnÆt defeated but it was certainly severely injured Lady IellayaÆs strikes were finally hitting home the raven winged serpent grinned as it gleefully worsened the injury The strange crimson lines across Lady IellayaÆs scales were more eye catching than ever seeming to burn more brightly than its own gaping wounds With cries of fury the three Nether HeraldÆs that Vualla had delayed hurried over

Yet Randidly raised his head and looked away from Lady Iellaya toward the central area His eyes widened It was ridiculous but with all the chaos amongst the Nether ranks Lord Miln and his one thousand elites simply walked forward without contest

how did you manage this Randidly asked the air He felt the chaotic fighting growing more ridiculous by the second as the vast horde of Nether Beasts cannibalized themselves There was not a single threat to Lord MilnÆs personal unit as they marched in neat lines toward the edge of the Great Rift

Was this where Lord MilnÆs confidence had come from

Chapter 1203

Abiodun sprinted across the long dirt road that led to the front lines the off duty agent Vion Slit a constant presence at his side With a short sideways glance it was obvious that Vion had no difficulty keeping up with the pace that Abiodun set and was instead using most of his attention to study the slowly growing working in the sky While Abiodun had gone the Nether KingÆs grand formation had become incredibly intricate

Gritting his teeth at the memory of being sent away Abiodun accelerated slightly After exhausting his image earlier to fight against so many Nether Gatekeepers he was already pushing the limits of his remaining stamina to go this quickly Yet if he could get back even a second faster

Vion accelerated without comment still keeping his attention upward on the growing pattern in the Nether veins

Vion wore a long ornate leather coat that spoke of wealth but otherwise seemed just like an average wanderer It was somewhat of a letdown after everything Abiodun had heard about the finest forces in the Aether armies There was no outward indication that this man was a member of the extremely prestigious Xyrt Brigade But Abiodun didnÆt miss how not even a ripple of an image escaped the manÆs body even as he casually sped forward at a speed that Abiodun needed to push himself to keep up with

Powerful and controlled A dangerous foe Abiodun judged critically He did s best not to allow the obvious fact that he would never be this manÆs equal to sour his mood further

Once we cross this ridge the battlefield proper will be visible Abiodun grunted The longing in his chest to understand the situation on the battlefield grew by the second His heart hurt to know that his connection to Lady Iellaya no longer could give him a general feel for the situation All that remained was the almost insulting reassurance that they were connected The numbness had reached critical levels when they were far apart

All the sense of intimacy had disappeared And their miscommunication before he had been sent to fetch Vion

Luckily Vion had already made it through the military checkpoint without AbiodunÆs assistance so he had only needed to travel half the distance laid out in their original plan Plus he had completely avoided the paperwork of bringing a civilianÆ through the military checkpoint This provided Abiodun with plenty of time to return while the thick of the fighting was still occurring His place was at Lady IellayaÆs side Anything that helped with that was a positive thing so Abiodun didnÆt question VionÆs methods

Truly a Nether King Vion frowned upward toward the complicated pattern being drawn in the Great Rift Every second allowed it to grow more complete and ominous And this power not an average King at that Hmph how dare they try to hide this harvest for themselves this Lord Miln well justice will be dispensed If things are truly as you say I will handle the punishment personally and immediately

VionÆs voice was so icy and certain that AbiodunÆs mind was briefly thrown by the suddenness of the sentiment But then Abiodun rationalized that after knowing he was coming here it made sense that Vion would investigate the leadership and make some preparations to handle the situation But from that tone of voice it was immediately clear that VionÆs intended punishment was death

a decisive bunch Abiodun thought

Suddenly a shift occurred in the Great Rift above them Almost a third of the blue veins present in the formation flickered and vanished For a brief second the working seemed to strain and stretch underneath its own weight as so many supporting lines disappeared Some portions began to droop But then the veins sprung back to furious activity recreating the vanished support patterns

Ah perfect We still have time to move VionÆs stride lengthened and devoured the remaining distance toward the ridge that was the final visibility screen before the battlefield At this point the sounds of the chaotic combat drifted over the broken and orange dirt to reach their ears

Vion grimaced Even I would hesitate to face such a Nether King alone Once we arrive on site I can set up a portable communications array and

There was a frozen moment where Abiodun was glancing sideways at Vion considering this man on whom they had pinned their hopes Then a flicker of uneasy struck Abiodun from nowhere

Things after that began to happen very very quickly

There was a blur of motion and suddenly there was a figure standing directly in front of Abiodun and Vion The figure seemed to have materialized rather than moved suddenly becoming a roadblock that they needed to circumvent VionÆs eyes widened The figure moved with impossible quickness bringing a huge arm up and clotheslining Vion

Yelping VionÆs momentum carried his legs forward for a brief second while that shadowy figure lifted up the Xyrt Brigade agent and slammed him into the ground and produced a huge crunching noise The orange stone cracked immediately spraying dust and pebbles in a scattered wave of shrapnel

I IÆm from the Xyrt Brigade Vion whined in a high pitch tone as he was physically lifted once more His hands instantly crackled with electricity but when he brought his hands up to the grip on his collar the otherÆs image completely suppressed his It wasnÆt even a contest If you do this

Vion was silenced by another brutal slam into the ground forcing the air from the lungs of the Xyrt Brigade agent Then the figure casually tossed Vion to the side like he was a misbehaving child

Blinking Abiodun recognized the figure For a second his tongue forgot how to move Vualla What the hell are you doing That man heÆs our only hope of escaping from Lord MilnÆs madness Otherwise the Nether King

Abiodun didnÆt even notice the intervening moments that must have passed First he was standing there then he was bent over It was like he woke up and VuallaÆs fist had already smashed into his chest shattering his stone torso and doing significant damage to his internal organs A terrible image of condensed destruction rushed up through the point of impact seemingly gripping AbiodunÆs throat and squeezing it closed Coughing feebly Abiodun collapsed sideways onto the ground

Wait here for a bit IÆll be back for you Vualla said to Abiodun Then she turned away and sauntered calmly over to Vion who was struggling to his feet Once more electricity crackled around his limbs swimming in the surrounding air like water serpents

VionÆs hands slowly orbited his body in some sort of defensive fighting stance You caught me by surprise before but now

With three vicious punches Vualla beat Vion physically into the ground Even shellshocked as he was Abiodun could hear the sounds of bones breaking She then continued to pound the helpless Vion with such force that it created a tiny little stone coffin in the dirt With a little assistance from VuallaÆs fists VionÆs body was twisted and bent to fit into the hole

Then with all the respect one would treat a trash bag Vualla lifted up Vion and held him at armÆs length Still coughing Abiodun attempted to get up but that destructive image from VuallaÆs punch reigned supreme in his body It seemed to somehow know every avenue of his Willpower utilizing his earlier flaw he had created in his image for power in order to paralyze him

Gritting his teeth Abiodun forced his body to slowly move He could tell that Vualla and Vion were talking but both were speaking so quietly that Abiodun couldnÆt make out the words

If it wasnÆt for this damn coughing AbiodunÆs body trembled with the violence of the exertion to break out of this situation yet he still remained paralyzed The image was too strong

Casually Vualla threw a punch at the helpless Vion and caved his face in Then probably for good measure she gripped his neck and physically ripped off his head It came away with a portion of yellowed spine still dangling Blood splattered down onto the orange dirt Both the body and the head/spine were tossed in the small grave that Vualla had created earlier using Vion himself like a pickaxe

Then with crimson streams of blood running down off of her heavy gauntlets Vualla turned and walked back over to Abiodun

At that moment Abiodun felt very very cold Resolve filled him Although he didnÆt quite understand why Vualla would do this her decisiveness told him one thing she wouldnÆt want survivors Kill me then you bitch

Vualla just chuckled Then she looked upward and gestured downward and a little bit of the swirling darkness the grand formation was gathering wove its way down to Abiodun As it came closer it seemed to solidify from a strange amorphous feeling into a gas and then further condense itself to become an inky black liquid that pooled above him

Very quickly about an ale barrelÆs worth of black liquid pulsed slowly above AbiodunÆs head VuallaÆs face was in shadow as she looked down toward Abiodun but he could see the twisted shape of her smile stretching grotesquely like an old scar across her face Why are you so willing to die Abiodun Because youÆve finally accomplished your goal Or because you know that Lady Iellaya doesnÆt need you any longer

Abiodun could only cough violently He wanted to deny what she was saying but he couldnÆt get around the cough to form any words His tongue was fat and helpless And there was a dark whisper in the back of AbiodunÆs head that was asking the question that he so feared to face The question that plagued him since Randidly Ghosthound had empowered Lady IellayaÆs Class

If she still needed you why are you here

VuallaÆs eyes seemed to glow the dark murky blue of seas in a storm If she still needed you why are you here

With a supreme effort of will Abiodun pressed down the urgent cough and opened his mouth Yet all the arguments he wanted to throw out there seemed feeble in the face of the truth that Lady Iellaya had ordered him to come out here and kept that fool Randidly Ghosthound by her side And in that moment of hesitation the liquid darkness surged downward and forced itself into his throat

Choking and gagging on the darkness Abiodun decisively shut his mouth and felt his body strain to vomit back up the weird liquid Yet it wiggled around the decisive upheavals of his stomach working itself deeper into his body Even worse his mouth closed the liquid didnÆt stop its attempts It swirled around pressing painfully into his tear ducts and ripping its way into AbiodunÆs body

It came for his nose and ears practically drowning him All Abiodun felt was a terrible panic and a growing sense of cold All he wanted to do was scream

Vualla continued to smile down at him and silently watch

Lord MilnÆs troops charged forward without any trouble whatsoever Sometimes they needed to shove away Nether Beasts but often those Nether Beasts were only too happy to launch attacks on their fellows once the Aether soldiers pointed them in the right direction Very quickly they moved out past the edge of the chaotic combat and reached the badlands within striking distance of the Great Rift above them

Lord Miln kept the pace up and behind him his troops shot forward quickly aiming to get as close as possible before the Nether responded And it was clear that the trouble was not just below for the Nether King in the blue veins remaining above there seemed to be several different factions that were trying to manage everything at once and were failing pretty equally at everything The growth of the working had stalled out

The formation luckily took a heavy blow Ileot grinned upward Not flashy yes but it would have been hard to shake the Nether King if he had entrenched itself there

What is the function of the formation Lord Miln asked curiously as the two continued to lead the rest forward

Ileot grimaced and wiggled his stubby and hairless fingers Partially a buffer so space wonÆt collapse just from the weight of the Nether KingÆs presence Which aides us but in exchange for that buffer the power of the Nether King is amplified to a ridiculous degree I have not seen it in person but those sorts of fixtures become the bases that the Nether has used to take back some of their ancestral lands that we have previously liberated Such workings are troublesome things even for someone like me

Truly so powerful Lord Miln craned his neck to look up to the complicated formation in the Great Rift above them Even though several large chunks had been ripped out by IleotÆs abilities the size was still something that dwarfed the whole of the battlefront It was a huge mass of squirming blue veins one that couldnÆt be fully grasped without turning and scanning the whole sky

Do you have time for idle questions Ileot sneered at Lord Miln YouÆre up bucko

Without the benefit of the vein system to aid them the two figures simply shot rapidly downward out of the Great Rift But it was clear that these two Nether Heralds were more powerful than the others that had gone to deal with Lady Iellaya

Huffing lightly Lord Miln cracked his knuckles It was all for this It was time for him to stop hiding and seize his chance

Chapter 1204

It was like the knowledge had always been present only hidden behind a veil Yet suddenly that veil was gone in an eerie gust of wind Heiffal felt the realization about his own existence ripple through him Although he had maintained himself during the retreat he could instantly empathize with those that lost their willingness to continue when they abruptly realized this sick truth hanging over them

That they were imitations of the original That they all had originally died at this very same place bitterly defending against the Nether assault thousands of years ago That they had been consumed by a shadowy figure who took their deaths and feasted on them to grow fat with power And now that same swirling darkness remained above the battlefield

It seemed to mock them As though its shadowy presence whispered you thought you would have a second chance to live peacefully Too naive

And on the right flank that same pattern from the past repeated itself Even with the rocky outcropping largely blocking off his view HeiffalÆs vantage from inside Lady IellayaÆs fort was enough for him to see the edges of the brutal battle occurring on the far flank And to clearly see the very familiar darkness drifting upward off of the cooling bodies to join a terrible whirlwind of energy that was forming above them

IÆve already died Heiffal said to the air tasting the words They tasted true His parents were dead likely just from the passage of time That cute girl from the flower shop where Heiffal grew up who covered her mouth when she laughed had probably moved on from their small dalliance and then later died of that same old age He didnÆt have any siblings or children so his name was probably completely forgotten

Everything he had known had passed on to the next life He was a vestige of a bygone era A fossil A relic

Heiffal turned away from the battlefield and looked back down toward the courtyard behind him The reason that he had chosen this spot was that he could still hear SalazarÆs voice from his current position but he wasnÆt overwhelmed by it Plus almost five hundred people were tightly packed into the said courtyard straining to hear SalazarÆs voice

Because for whatever reason listening to the story he told was grounding It helped push away the frantic sense of futility that knowledge of their existence granted them It helped them forget that they had already died and this current experience was about as substantial as a dream Who knew when they would wake up and once more experience that terrible cold the draining of everything vital the gradual oblivion that

Heiffal pressed his eyes closed It was a conscious choice to stand where he was near the edges of SalazarÆs influence The effect of the reassurance waned here There were times that the existential dread broke through the lulling static of SalazarÆs voice reminding him of what he was What he could never be again

The knowledge was torture Yet to simply ignore the truth and huddle near Salazar

Heiffal quickly turned back to look at the battlefield Lady Iellaya their commander was being slowly pushed back by the four Nether Heralds working in tandem Yet she was managing pretty well all things considered One possessed a serious wound already inflicted by her and another had been struck with a minor inconvenience created by the other woman how had stalled the reinforcements

Yet there was now also hesitation in their formation as another force was charging directly out from Aether headquarters to attack the center of the Nether forces The troop passed swiftly through the infighting among the Nether Beasts as the chaos fed more energy into that swirling darkness hanging above them So the Nether HeraldÆs fighting Lady Iellaya couldnÆt decide whether they should retreat and assist or stay and continue to wound this foe After all she had decidedly been a thorn in their side To retreat now felt like a loss

Especially because her image was reeling from all the accumulated damage it took Yet the raven winged serpent somehow seemed to become all the more dangerous as its blood continually poured out onto the ground the closer it was to death the more brightly the crimson patterns on its scales gleamed

Fighting started between two powerful Nether figures that moved forward to defend the Great Rift and the Aether force that marched steadily forward Instantly the powerful reverberations filled the sky

And suddenly Heiffal realized that someone was standing next to him Out of the corner of his eye he examined the new arrival and then had to press his mouth shut to cover up a gasp it was Randidly Ghosthound himself

He looked so so tired The stark line of his profile seemed lonely standing up here on the battlements and considering the surrounding chaos His dark hair was matted to his head from sweat His breathing was labored and he was leaning against his lance which was even curled protectively around his shoulders His left arm was covered in a strange carbon looking armor that seemed to be a part of him His shirt and pants were cheap looking and ripped and his feet were bare

But it was Randidly Ghosthound Everyone had seen him somehow freezing the sky to buy more time for lady Iellaya and then witnessed him personally come back to help their forces retreat within the fortress It was clear that Lady Iellaya was more powerful than the Ghosthound but everyone knew that it was the Ghosthound that bled to keep them safe

Heiffal licked his lips How long had the Ghosthound been here Had he heard him say IÆve already diedÆ earlier

While Heiffal was still scrambling to figure out what he was feeling the Ghosthound took the initiative to speak to him You of all the people affected by whatever changed suddenly you are the only one that isnÆt either immediately apathetic or hurrying toward Salazar I was hoping you could give me some clarity on the matter Tell me what you are experiencing

For a second HeiffalÆs mind was blank from the GhosthoundÆs careful tone Then slowly he began to see how things would appear from their perspective Unfamiliar reinforcements appearing then very suddenly losing all their will to move or speak Suddenly the fort around them shifted in HeiffalÆs eyes For whatever reason he couldnÆt control his breathing The darkness in the air was so thick Every breath was laced with it

Did this man not bring us in for protection HeiffalÆs glazed eyes slid sideways to all the bodies packed into the courtyard around Salazar The terrible memory of death that horrible dream that reality that Heiffal had already experienced seemed to throb in his mind But rather to keep us contained In case we were traitors So they could

Yet Heiffal stopped those thoughts with a great effort of will Instead he looked back at Randidly Ghosthound Really looked at him

And what Heiffal saw was someone young with very very tired emerald eyes

HeiffalÆs eyes softened Yet how could Heiffal answered the GhosthoundÆs question The truth was too ridiculous to believe So instead Heiffal said softly I think we we just realized that what we are fighting for what we thought we were fighting for isnÆt the truth The foundation of our existence is a lie Some of that took it hard So itÆs nice To listen to the story AnotherÆs story to feel part of something Even if we’re not truly a part of that either

As Heiffal trailed off Randidly looked at him with obvious amusement What do you mean itÆs not true that you are part of this ItÆs certainly a loosely adapted story But life is a story that you tell yourself about yourself You can change your story at any time Sure this isnÆt the story youÆve always told yourself about how you live but as long as you believe you can be a part of this story too

This this isnÆt Heiffal stumbled forward with his words trying to impress upon the Ghosthound what he was feeling Because of the awkward way that Heiffal had originally worded their emotions it was difficult to grapple effectively with the metaphor to convey what he felt You cannot just having meaning by listening to a story And life without meaning

Its very difficult to find meaning if you donÆt believe that you can find it The Ghosthound nodded reasonably looking at Heiffal with bright emerald eyes Eyes that grew more luminous the longer that Heiffal looked at him Eyes that seemed to be slowly unraveling HeiffalÆs words to locate the truth But if you believe you can find it it doesnÆt seem that difficult to establish yourself here

I IÆm not looking for meaning Heiffal stammered Then he opened his mouth again to say he was looking for truth but the words died on his lips The Ghosthound was looking at him with empathetic eyes simply watching him And Heiffal was not a weak willed individual his image was powerful enough to have earned him a place here Or at least there in the past then it had earned him a place So he understood how much could be accomplished with belief

Yet images didnÆt make reality Right There was a limit A standard of depth that was impossible to replicate

But why do I want to believe that itÆs possible to even change reality if we believe in something and work toward it as I look at him Tears formed in HeiffalÆs eyes We if itÆs with him following him is it really possible for us phantasms to have meaning

All we would need to do is listen decide what we want and reach for it Heiffal took another steadying breath and instead of darkness the air tasted like spring and sounded like the slight rustling of leaves Blinking rapidly Heiffal shook his head Why why was I so afraid of having no meaning

Then what are you looking for The Ghosthound tilted his head to the side

A way to feel like I mattered Heiffal whispered And if he was honest with himself that was probably what hurt the most about dreaming his own death Not the admittedly terrible experience of death not knowing that everyone he had ever known or met was already dead but that was part of it

No what struck Heiffal the deepest was that the world had gone on without him after he had died In the grand scheme of things his life hadnÆt spread out the slightest ripple He was a pebble drowned out in the rapids of a river Or at least he had produced no ripples that could be seen or could be felt in this far flung future

Rather than immediately moving to reassure Heiffal as he had expected the Ghosthound seemed somewhat at a loss Then he shook his head IÆll be honest even I donÆt know how to give you that But I can say one thing for sure if we do our damnedest to the trial in front of us if we press forward so completely we donÆt leave any room for regrets giving yourself over to the attempt will help you believe itÆs true If you canÆt find meaning settle for just the motion and let your instincts guide you

so we probably wonÆt ever truly matter Heiffal sighed softly He knew it was true He always knew that this was how the world worked But it was rough to hear

Clapping Heiffal on the back the Ghosthound said Maybe not to us But listen to them Listen to that story No matter how much we wanted it we were the never the ones who control whether we matter All we can do is accomplish something thatÆs worthy of being spun into a story And look out there

The Ghosthound pointed Bit by bit Lady Iellaya was taking advantage of their hesitance to inflict some wounds in the four Nether Heralds in front of her Across the battlefield the Supreme CommanderÆs forces began to clash against two more Nether Heralds that descended to defend the weird shape rapidly growing in the sky above them

And it was clear that there was a change in the movements of the blue veins For the first time the Nether King opened its mouth

oonngg

A terrible groaning noise shook the battlefield Even standing next to the Ghosthound Heiffal gritted his teeth and swayed to endure the jarring noise It seemed to attack the very fabric of his flesh seeking to destabilize him from within With a grunt Heiffal pressed that strange force away But across the front Heiffal could see thousands of his listless fellows simply perish from that terrible noise Combined with the bleak truth they saw in front of them the noise was too much

Black death energy wafted upward The blue veins seemed invigorated by the noise and surged forward with renewed vigor Fighting everywhere intensified

Slowly Heiffal turned back to the Ghosthound The truth this man presented was not as absolute but it was certainly not reassuring it was clearly not in the GhosthoundÆs nature to offer any sort of emotional affirmation No what the Ghosthound was holding out to Heiffal right now was faith

Faith that things could get better if Heiffal was willing to work

today is a day that will be remembered Being a part of that has meaning The Ghosthound said softly LetÆs just slay the Nether King and put a bow on the whole experience

Looking at him Heiffal started to believe

Chapter 1205

Randidly couldnÆt figure out the details of what was going on across the battlefield His mood was listless as he leaned against Acri and peered out amongst the chaotic brawl as though he could find an answer hidden in the violence