LoRG 3

Naffur seemed to be explaining the image stone to a new group of people who stood somewhat apart from the older potential inductees The reason that the difference between the two groups was obvious was their garb the individuals that had spent the past two months as part of the Order Ducis recruitment camp seemed more like refugees than well trained soldiers Their leathers were ripped and worn from long hours of fighting without the chance of a break

In addition the Order Ducis aspirantÆs legs were slathered with mud like they had already trooped to the training field once today already and had done more violent work than that besides Faded bloodstains were clear on their armor and their eyes looked extremely unfocused as Naffur faithfully recounted the information Randidly had given him about the stones It was almost like the Order Ducis aspirants were taking advantage of this explanation that they already understood in order to recover some mental strength

RandidlyÆs focus quickly shifted to the individual he had focused on to see this spectacle Vye Randidly had considered Naffur as the target but he didnÆt really care about what large scale actions the Order Ducis was engaged in right now After seeing the strength of Mjolnir what Randidly wanted most was to confirm that the Order Ducis had continued to furiously train itself while he was away To that end Randidly considered Vye the best target

Vye currently stood at the front of the crowd of people who had clearly been a part of the Order Ducis for a long time Next to her stood two men one of which Randidly recognized as someone Naffur considered to have the highest potential in the camp and the other was someone who Randidly was pleased to see didnÆt wear any shoes

ItÆs good to see that some people understand the simple pleasures of mud on bare feet Randidly grinned Then he released a breath and calmed his heart As he forced his own Perception to slow down the actions of the figures he was watching steadily accelerated to normal speed

But instead of using this chance to listen to NaffurÆs words Randidly inspected Vye more closely It was hard to see the image through the lens of Nether likely because of its antagonistic relationship with Aether but Randidly could definitely feel that there was a powerful image slowly taking shape in VyeÆs heart

While he had been gone the Order Ducis had not been idle

However Randidly could tell that this momentum would very soon peter out As he looked at the image stones it was clear that a lot of their potency had faded These people had been forced to grow from exposure to his powerful images but they were not permanent items that could hold his image they looked to have depleted to only half of the original power

If only he could send

Randidly blinked Because as he earnestly wished for something he could do Randidly suddenly felt that he could do something The Nether Ritual whispered in his ear some sort of instinctual explanation but he couldnÆt quite understand what it was saying The sensation the sensation itself was quite similar to what Randidly had felt when he had been watching Vualla There seemed suddenly to be an obvious path between him and Vye that Randidly could use to reach and affect the situation

There was a humming connection hanging between them built of inky black darkness and lined with pulsing blue veins

But why do I feel this now Randidly wondered I didnÆt feel it with Mrs Hamilton If I hadnÆt felt the sensation with Vualla I would just assume it was because of my Aether Connection with Vye But this

Shaking his head Randidly didnÆt worry about it any further He wasnÆt about to look a gift horse in the mouth now He could figure out why later For now he reached

Vye blinked dully as Naffur continued to explain the use of the image stones to the group of people from Zone 19 that had gathered around as Kharon the Wandering City settled down next to their Village After understanding that the city was part of one of the rumored OrdersÆ from New Earth there had been quite a bit of interest in applying which had led to a staggering amount of travelers heading to KharonÆs temporary resting place

Considering that the eight hundred or so applicants that had gathered over the last week for the trial had been narrowed down to two dozen Vye assumed that Naffur hadnÆt really bothered to adjust the entrance difficulty to match the fact that these individuals only recently passed their Raid Dungeon

Honestly Vye was a little disappointed she hadnÆt been able to witness it After two months of hard training to be a member of the Order Ducis Vye was tired She possessed a lot of pride being a part of the Order Ducis and raising her Level to 49 but to Ajax Naffur and Helen This was nowhere near enough To them Vye had much more to accomplish before her body was allowed to give out and they used her as such

VyeÆs dull eyes looked up at the sky I always understood how difficult it would be but I guess I thought about it as struggling against individual enemies I didnÆt realize how much of an Endurance game it was to so unrelentingly pursue the dream of independence And I

Hesitating Vye bit her lip She still wanted to walk to the cusp of the world and look over the edge She had taken up sketching to maintain her sanity and now she had a secret dream of mapping the entire world She had already begun to use her precious spare time to make composite drawings of the landscape they passed as Kharon moved

Perhaps these actions just exacerbated the problems but Vye felt wrung out There wasnÆt much substance left to her There was just wariness

Maybe it was better that most of the people had been rejected by the Order Ducis She was also certain that many had a very rude awakening when they realized

Vye took an unconscious step forward as her fist clenched in burning desire Then she shivered it felt like someone had struck her with lightning All of her wariness disappeared and suddenly the rather washed out surroundings popped into sharp relief

For a split second it seemed that Randidly Ghosthound had stood right beside her and placed his hand upon her shoulder sending electric thoughts through her body The imaginary spot on her shoulder where she had believed he touched was still warm Vye shifted uncomfortably as those strange currents of energy continued to spark through her limbs

AldoÆs eyes refocused as Vye began to twitch in front of her Folding his arms Aldo unleashed a big yawn The trio at the front of the group from the Order Ducis was currently the top three ranked in the camp and had spent all night hunting entrenched Raid Bosses in the surrounding area as a way to win favor with the local It also had the added benefit of attracting talented individuals to the recruitment Certainly it was a better activity than training with Helen but that was only because that woman was a taskmaster

It wasnÆt necessarily hard to kill the Raid Boss but sometimes it was exceedingly tiresome to cut through enough of the subordinates to find the progenitor

Especially so since these Raid Bosses had several powerful lieutenants that possessed superior growth rates to even the Raid Boss itself As such Vye Aldo and Valor were using this explanation time as a chance to recuperate a bit before they approached the image stones Even if image stones had lost a lot of their bite they were not simple things The fact that they continued to hold so much power even two months since Randidly had left

Yet suddenly all the exhaustion in VyeÆs body was gone Her hands flexed

Again the shocks spread through VyeÆs body She glared up at the heavens unsure of why the hell she was feeling this right now but absolutely sure it was Randidly GhosthoundÆs fault IÆm not going to just accomplish this IÆll keep improving My weakness its just a passing thing But if your training tools wear down what am I supposed to do I want to find the power to freely explore the world but

Valor also refocused as Vye continued to twitch so obviously as the energy ran rampant through her body He pushed his golden blonde hair back away from his eyes Eager to start Vye This time I solemnly swear that I will overcome you

Vye rolled her eyes not even bothering to answer All three shifted from foot to foot in expectation and turned their focus to Naffur Very soon he would ask for an explanation of the image stones and one of them would be chosen to walk forward through the image as though it was nothing to them so the new arrivals would be suitably impressed Of course it really was nothing to approach now compared to the original strength of the image stones

Ajax had let them known to be prepared last night before they even left to track down the Raid Bosses It was just part of a broader strategy to demonstrate KharonÆs strength for the newcomers so they understood what they were up against And also so word of the impossibilities of the Order Ducis would spread

But in the short term it was a harsh lesson to teach these recent arrivals how hard it would be to stay in this recruitment camp for the Order Ducis

Yet just as Naffur finished speaking and his eyes moved toward Vye the electricity made her shudder once more All the power that had shot outward through her limbs was suddenly spiraling back to gather in her core Abruptly there was this terrible weight on her chest and she couldnÆt breathe She could only watch Naffur move slowly to meet her gaze

Am I having a heart attack I thought most normal ailments were just cleared up by the System Vye panicked as she found herself unable to move her body The electricity in her limbs continued to build as her body rigidly refused to move Larger and larger pulses of power blasted outward from the tight ball in her chest Frantically her mind carefully examined the food she had so casually eaten in the last several months cursing herself for not really caring about calories or fat content

No I Tears formed in VyeÆs eyes as her only possible movement was blinking I refuse like this Not like this

Vye heard once more Clenching her teeth so tightly that her jaw began to ache Vye wished she could scream at the fucked up energy that bound her

I will NEVER give up

Then the pressure was gone and she collapsed to her knees feeling extremely light Her body seemed practically insubstantial as Vye tried to recover her bearings Strangely when she looked up she thought she saw the figure of Randidly Ghosthound walking forward toward the image stones His steps left the impression of boots in the mud For a brief moment he stopped and smiled over his shoulder at her And then he continued forward to press his hand up against the stone

Something so much more powerful than the electricity passed through VyeÆs body then worming its way into her body and then metaphysically ripping itself out of her chest and out into the world Even as her vision went empty and spotty she could feel the huge impossible darkness that stretched between Randidly and herself as she knelt there on the ground and he reached out to touch the image stone They were intrinsically connected

Or to put it another way they were one That strange darkness bridged the distance between them and there were no lines between their existences

As they brushed like this Vye was suddenly swimming in RandidlyÆs mind She could not hear his thoughts or emotions but she could see an endless string of memories leading back into the past Every emotion or action he had ever taken stored as memories like some sort of DNA for his personality Those brief moments of memory began to flicker in front of VyeÆs eyes too quickly for her to follow or truly understand Yet some whole of them seemed to be coalescing inside of VyeÆs core as she was exposed to them

Suddenly she understood his determination She saw the long and agonizing moments of his struggle Vye saw how difficult the Path was that Randidly had to follow in order to rise to this point The horrible lows he had experienced at the hands of the powers of the System had taught him valuable lessons that he refused to forget She felt the bitterness he felt as he could only lower his head and endure his situation For years The memories of his thoughts while he struggled against that task of enduring flowed around Vye And one of them

DonÆt let this be all you ever accomplish The inky black connection between them pulsed with power

And suddenly she was Randidly standing in front of the image stone with her hand on it Once more her body possessed weight but this heaviness was so terrible that Vye was inwardly shocked The image leaking out from the stone in front of her seemed fragile and mild to her sensitivities Which considering that these stones were made by Randidly

The situation was exceedingly strange Electricity danced through her body Somehow she seemed to be Vye but this was clearly RandidlyÆs perspective Perhaps the worst part was not the strange heaviness that his presence added to her body but the weight it gave her attention The heavy shift of his focus eviscerated Vye’s mind with spikes of pain as he poured over the state of the three images in the stones The raw weight behind his Willpower

Then Randidly or Vye or whatever mixture of them that stood before the image stone grinned A hand reached across the void through VyeÆs body and pressed against the image stone Something bright and precious passed through Vye

Suddenly the sense of Randidly was gone but Vye still couldnÆt control her body Her stubborn limbs turned her away from the image stone and stiffly walked back toward the watching group Dazed by the strange series of teleportations she just experienced and feeling incredibly drained Vye wondered what had just happened The whole of Order Ducis training camp looked blankly at her as she walked back to join them

Then the image stone behind her seemed to awaken The seed that RandidlyÆs hand had passed through Vye to plant began to sprout Huge banks of grey clouds began to swirl outward The air smelled like ash and spilt blood

When she reached the group she stood still for a few seconds Finally after what seemed like quite a long time the electric energy in Vye disappeared

There was a dull roar and suddenly Vye could move again She spun around and looked up at the image hovering about the image stone Although the area was now thick with ash the towering figure that stood in the center of this storm was clear It somehow was the same Grim Chimera of ash and loss from the image stone Vye trained with most often but something had changed within it on a fundamental level

For one thing the image revealed itself clearly before one even approached the image stone The Grim Chimera was no longer obscured by clouds of ash that needed to be pierced through to see him There was a wild challenge in his naked presence that was shockingly palpable For another the Grim Chimera now possessed RandidlyÆs face

More than that the pale skin of his torso now seemed almost translucent illuminated from within by a strange light coming from his chest Meanwhile the skin around his neck arms and legs was much rougher and almost corrupted looking Long blue veins curled up from his claw like left hand which had been greatly expanded His long dark talons gleamed in the mid morning sun

But setting aside all the aesthetic changes the more obvious change was the feeling The image that Randidly had left here was an unconscious weight that demonstrated to the people of the Order Ducis the power than an image could possess But this

This was a living thinking predator It watched the surrounding people with amusement as the weaker ones went pale and the stronger ones trembled as they more fully understood this ungodly powerful image that suddenly appeared in front of them

Is this is this really the same image Vye wondered as she considered the shudder inducing intensity of the image that had descended before them Its gaze swept back and forth as though measuring them If this image is really from Randidly what has he endured over the past two months to reach this point

and if he can endure I

Suddenly the image smiled Then the swirling clouds of dark matter and ash around him withdrew toward the image stone A split second later the air was clear and the day was bright and warm Even so the ominous feeling remained while you looked upon the stone Everyone knew that the new version of RandidlyÆs Grim Chimera image waited within for challengers to approach

After several heartbeats of silence Naffur coughed light Ahem thank you Vye for activating the image stone So which of you new arrivals would like to try approaching it first

Chapter 1109

RandidlyÆs had crossed space He could feel the rough stone of the hastily carved image tone even though he no longer had his physical body and he was quite some distance away He could even feel the thin seed of the seed he had originally left in the image stone

This time Randidly left something much more powerful with his meaningful touch Then the darkness consumed him

Randidly woke up intermittently several times over the next few hours but every time he did so his throbbing headache informed him that it was better to allow himself some more time to recover Perhaps it was due to using Vye as an intermediary but imparting a portion of his increasingly powerful image had taken a lot out of him

Although maybe thatÆs because I actually passed a kernel of my actual strength and consciousness through to Earth Randidly thought fuzzily I actually sacrificed something to so that they could continue to grow their images in the future But if it keeps them from being consumed by their fear of something like Zone 1Æs weapon it will be worth it

So Randidly allowed himself to rest Then there was one point where he had basically restored his mental strength to the point that he at least wanted to get up and speak with Salazar and Zauna but just as he was about to do so an annoyingly familiar drowsiness ambushed him His eyelids slid swiftly down to snap shut as his consciousness was buoyed away toward the waiting Eidolon Crucible

After all I do for you Kharon this is how you repay me

When the surroundings began to resolve themselves Randidly found himself in the vast darkness of the Great Rift The drifting blue veins danced in the air around him adding a little depth to the emptiness around him But the reason that Randidly gritted his teeth in fury was that when he looked down Vualla was lying unconscious in his arms Her eyelashes fluttered as she struggled against the nightmares that seized her in this fake image realm

You were the first stranger who trusted me to protect you RandidlyÆs claw tightened around VuallaÆs shoulder But even Randidly himself knew that it wasnÆt him speaking it was the Grim Chimera To everyone else I am a monster But to you

Even as his thought trailed off toward a rumbling sea of emotions the numerous images of KharonÆs people flowed out of the darkness to surround Randidly They wore the form of Nether Beasts strange amalgamations of different physical creatures that were designed to maim and kill those built of Aether These images disguised as Nether Beasts possessed none of the toxic constitution of NetherÆs servants but they flowed forward with the same determination that the attendants of the Nether Gatekeeper had possessed

Randidly knew this was fake The reason that this location was chosen was exactly that it affected him so strongly even now Randidly couldnÆt even prevent his claw from tightening around fake VuallaÆs shoulder But even so

Even so Maybe it was the constant heat that Randidly was devouring from the Fate blade but being pulled here pissed him off in a way that he hadnÆt been in a long time

It had been quite a while since the last Eidolon Crucible so these images possessed none of the fuzziness that Randidly had seen previously from the people of Kharon Perhaps because Randidly had so often pilfered some of their imageÆs weight they took advantage of the preparation time and came with dense and focused images to make up for the lack of weight that Randidly had repeatedly taken from them

But none of it matters The Grim Chimera said coldly His tail snapped back and forth as he considered the approaching images Not when you choose to bring me here For her I will never allow defeat

They came like a swarm of locusts but Randidly roared and his voice and body were suddenly fire He consumed them like beetles rushing toward a bonfire accepting their small popping bodies without comment The terrible intensity of his determination didnÆt waver as his image was impacted by thousands of smaller images all seeking to tear him down

Compared to the System you are nothing RandidlyÆs eyes were neon green lanterns in the fake Great Rift

As Randidly had expected this was the most difficulty that he had triumphing in the Eidolon Crucible since he had acquired the Skill It might have been the preparation time and the growing number of images that seemed to come from Kharon but Randidly could also sense that he truly had lost some amount of his power when he had repaired the image stone for the Order Ducis Not much but it was noticeable

Plus the fights against KharonÆs images were trials of resolve With a weakened mentality those sorts of struggles quickly became agonizing

Still as Randidly also had expected he eventually slaughtered all of the false Nether Beasts and took his due as victor of the Eidolon Crucible Weary and victorious his consciousness returned to his body Then he once again fell into a deep slumber that required a significant amount of time to work through

When Randidly opened his eyes again he was ready to move Hopping quickly to his feet Randidly left his hut and walked out to find Zauna and Salazar continuing to tend their ever growing farm on this Aether built island surrounding by Nether But what brought Randidly to an abrupt halt was how large the lush fields of crops had grown

Almost half of the land was now covered in fields that were flowering or covered with ripening vegetables And it also seemed like Salazar and Zauna had taken the time to build relatively modest lodgings of their own at the opposite end of the island from RandidlyÆs hut Slightly dazed by their accomplishments Randidly walked up to Zauna who was carefully weeding in a small herb garden This YouÆve done a lot

Zauna nodded Inwardly Randidly sighed In some ways Zauna was the exact opposite of Salazar but similarly obnoxious She would usually only speak if a question was asked directly to her Otherwise she kept her own council

How did you accomplish this so quickly Randidly asked tiredly

Zauna gave him a strange look not very quickly

Randidly reached up and rubbed his forehead Well nowhere near as obnoxious as Salazar but still Somewhat of a surprise for her to reply with snark right now

Alright how long did this take you Randidly asked

Three months maybe Zauna replied

Three months Randidly began but then he froze He raised his claw and did his best to gently rub at his temples how long has it been since we have last talked

Almost two months Zauna confirmed

For several seconds Randidly stood still Then he spun on his heel and marched back to his shed and shut the door behind him As he sat and tried to remain calm Randidly tried to remember how much time had passed before he had donated a portion of his image to the image stone He hadnÆt gone out to talk with them after using the Nether Ritual to spy on Mrs Hamilton so that could explain several days of the missing time Maybe even a week

Then Randidly had spent a smaller amount of time watching Vye before he had gone through her to repair the image stone Combined perhaps those Nether RItuals could explain two weeks of time Which meant that the combination of what he had done for Kharon and the Eidolon Crucible had taken more than a month from him in recovery time Which was relatively softened by the fact that time moved three times as quickly here surrounded by the dense Aether but that was still a week in the outside world

For Yggdrasil who had been threatened by Lord Miln a week on the frontlines was a long time

Even though Randidly had assured himself nothing dangerous would happen to Yggdrasil previously his inactivity for so long reignited those fears As Randidly wistfully savored the lack of pain in his hand after recovering from Nether overuse he prepared a Nether Ritual Better Nether pain than losing Yggdrasil

Randidly did notice however that the ivory lock was now over halfway corroded And now that most of the structure was damaged it was further corrupted much more easily by his Nether energy Quite soon Randidly believed he would be able to see what was within the trunk he had carried out of the Fate armory based solely on a feeling

Then his focus narrowed to the elaborate weaving of Nether that appeared in his hands The base of anti energy spiraled calmly together Feeling strangely inspired Randidly wove it more tightly than usual creating a branching root system of Nether that would ground the Nether Ritual Then he spun the Nether upward in a thick trunk to cover the distance between them With a smile Randidly regarded the small omage to the Nether RitualÆs target

Congratulations Your Skill Nether RItual has grown to Level 55

As RandidlyÆs experience with Nether RItuals grew he began to be able to pick out individual differences between the energies and sensations of the rituals as he created them Or rather than the energy it was the flavor that was different Even while only making the Ritual the connection to the target was already partially established Therefore bits of their flavor began to manifest

His experience with reaching through Vye had been extremely illuminating because rather than his ambiguous grasp toward Vualla Randidly had attempted to accomplish something very specific when he reached through Vye So for a few seconds Randidly had been completely aligned with Vye as he accomplished his goal During that time Nether had acted as a conduit to bind the two of them

It had been strange Because although he couldnÆt sense VyeÆs consciousness itself or images Randidly had swum through VyeÆs memories as they were connected by the Ritual

It was a far different way of sensing another than what Randidly was used to But Randidly could begin to see how memories were the inverse of image Or the seed of images Or the price of images Which had given Randidly a weird sense of insight toward what actually happened when Aether and Nether met

Aether and Nether were two sides of a coin An image came from memories memories were born from the continual growth of an image Yet when Aether and Nether typically met each other there was a sharp dissonance as it became obvious that the Aether and Nether present were from different coinsÆ The images and memories that formed them were not complimentary

So Nether denied the imageÆs memories while Aether denied the memoryÆs direction So both hissed and spat themselves out of existence by denying each other with every bit of their energy

Which did beg the question was it then possible to have Aether and Nether in harmony

For a brief moment RandidlyÆs focus turned toward the true Nether core that he now possessed Perhaps someday

Then his focus turned back to the Nether Ritual Very quickly the image of the frontlines resolved before Randidly He was relatively relieved to see that Yggdrasil was still in Lady IellayaÆs camp but there were several facts about the picture that Randidly saw that gave him pause

First Abiodun was standing next to the hunched over form of Yggdrasil The two were in a long and dimly lit tent lined with low cots

Second even though the Nether Ritual Randidly could feel the tang of Nether in the air It wasnÆt strong but it was much stronger than Randidly would have expected even on the front lines And the visual effects of the Great Rift meant that the whole tent around them seemed to be buzzing

Third and finally shadowy and blood covered figures lined the costs on the ground in front of Yggdrasil as he bent over them It was clear from the energies around YggdrasilÆs branches that he was pouring energy into these wounded figures in order to heal them And the real kicker that all of these people possessed physical bodies and werenÆt simply images

I suppose there is no reason that Yggdrasil canÆt heal the images of people with bodies But if all these people are injured Things on the front line took a turn for the worst

When Yggdrasil leaned back from the patient he was tending Abiodun spoke quietly to him Even if you truly can help us recover our fighting strength there is no time Lady Iellaya is stalling but Lord Miln wonÆt wait forever

I appreciate your candor As Yggdrasil spoke RandidlyÆs heart broke to hear how weary his voice was But there was iron in the treeÆs spine as he straightened Which is why my answer remains the same Agree to give me over once it is confirmed that the Grim Chimera image has perished There is no other way

Chapter 1110

AbiodunÆs eyes glowed and faded slowly as he considered YggdrasilÆs words if we do so you will really agree to cooperate You will help Lady Iellaya with her project

Yes It will be difficult alone but I believe I will be able to craft a large enough Class to support the whole of the potential your lady has gathered to herself given enough time to prepare Yggdrasil nodded slowly When Abiodun pressed his mouth together and didnÆt respond Yggdrasil couldnÆt resist releasing a chuckle

Suddenly you feel remorse over an unfair deal IÆm surprised at you Abiodun I had assumed you were more cutthroat than this Have you not been very involved in Lady IellayaÆs recruitment

Abiodun barred his broad and flat stone teeth I will not mourn your death you insubstantial tree But if you agree to support Iellaya I will be forever in your debt Also I worry that this agreement will mean you will be plundered by Lord Miln before you have sufficient time to craft what Lady Iellaya truly desires It is not simply a Class she wishes to be

As one of the wounded patients moaned and shifted onto his side Abiodun fell silent and shook his head

Yggdrasil chuckled again Perhaps better than anyone besides my own physical body I understand the magnitude of what you are asking And you might think it is a risk but itÆs a comically safe one to make Both you and Lord Miln are underestimating the Grim Chimera It was designed to endure through the fickle attentions of individuals like Lord Miln and Lady Iellaya As long as there is a way to objectively determine if the Grim Chimera remains alive it is a good course of action to accede to Lord MilnÆs demands

Frowning Abiodun slowly inclined his head the process used to extract images from a physical body is extremely intricate Especially in a case like yours where there were three discrete images present The array must constantly remain active to keep the images from naturally returning to the body and that array can be used to ascertain the general status of an image

Well then We have ourselves a deal Yggdrasil said simply as he moved on to the wounded body on the next palette After a few seconds of furious study Abiodun turned away from Yggdrasil and strode rapidly out of the tent to leave the tree to its work

Randidly hummed softly to himself as he continued to watch Yggdrasil focus his attention on the task of guiding his image into the bodies of these people to heal their images directly So what Lady Iellaya wants is basically a vast Class Based on AbiodunÆs tone there is some other factor at play but that desire certainly makes a certain amount of sense

If Classes are a prayer to become the ideal version of yourself the idealÆ Lady Iellaya currently possesses is an individual And even as she has stolen the potential and images of others to try and move closer to that goal but its still an individual goal What she wants now is to become not just an individual but an entire Kingdom Which would likely possess a much more powerful ideal version of itself waiting down the line

Finally hearing this goal of Lady IellayaÆs did quite a bit to alleviate RandidlyÆs worries about YggdrasilÆs fate After all Randidly was uniquely poised to help Lady Iellaya achieve something like this Despite the differences in power between Lord Miln and himself Randidly possessed the tools to give Lady Iellaya exactly what she wanted

Which was not a common thing and would explain Lady IellayaÆs previous fascination with his ability to survive

This stated goal might be a lie of course But it at least revealed something about Lady IellayaÆs focus that Randidly didnÆt know before Even if it was a distraction there would be something in it that Lady Iellaya really wanted

For a while Randidly continued to watch Yggdrasil gently treating the wounded individuals But ultimately it didnÆt give him much more information on what was occurring on the front lines For that sort of information

The Grim Chimera shivered He hadnÆt used Nether Ritual to look at Vualla since he had vaguely reached out to reassure her Randidly didnÆt even know if it had any effect So as he closed down the Nether Ritual for Yggdrasil he once more conjured his extremely poignant memories of Vualla to establish a connection

Memory and connection Randidly reflected as he wove the ritual together Those are the things that embody Nether

Then the picture appeared and Randidly focused on the figure of Vualla before his eyes

Vualla awkwardly wiped blood from her mouth with her large iron gauntlets Unfortunately what she really accomplished was spreading a large amount of mud across her jaw that made the itching of her face even worse Hissing her breath out of her nose Vualla pressed her eyes closed and did her best to control the tightly leased fury bubbling inside of her

IÆm so fucking tired

But then there was another Nether Beast in front of her and Vualla could only let her hands drop back into a fighting stance as she opened her eyes to face it Her will narrowed to the sharp blade of a sword and her azure eyes began to glow With the steadily accumulated intent Destroy

Her will descended and the visual cues of the surrounding area stilled for a split second as the weight of her Willpower simply overwhelmed the instability caused by Nether A gauntlet shot forward The Nether Beast was eradicated to nothing along with its two companions that followed along behind it

Even if the surrounding area was now clear Nether Beasts continued to steadily march forward toward the overworked defensive line around the camp After the Nether Beasts in front of her disappeared Vualla huffed out a breath and turned to a Nether Beast that was clamoring up of the rocky terrain to attack the camp

After a brief hesitation Vualla raised her fist and marshaled her will once more But instead of using the focus that Cail Tweocs recommend she use Vualla tried something else Protect

She punched The Nether Beast staggered but it quickly regained its posture and continued to scuttle toward Vualla Frowning she tried again The shape of the desire was awkward but Vualla put everything she had behind it

We are connected Randidly

This time a huge chunk was taken out of the Nether BeastÆs shoulder Her will had come together well but it was still insufficient to cut Vualla punched again and put the Nether Beast out of its misery then turned fo find another whole beast that she could test her edge against

I will wait for you

The top half of the Nether beast seemed to dematerialize before VuallaÆs eyes Its legs continued forward for several steps then collapsed backward and began to disintegrate A better result but still not enough Still nowhere near as powerful as the raw and dangerous focus of destroyÆ Which Vualla supposed was why Cail was constantly pushing her toward focusing her mind toward her destructive impulses

After fifteen more minutes of fighting Vualla sat down on a cracked and scorched rock and looked out over the battlefield It wasnÆt that the attack had really ended they were near constant now but the bulk of the Nether forces appeared to have died If the Aether forces wanted to reestablish themselves they needed to act now

Fellow soldiers were slowly spreading out across the wrecked ground and began searching for wounded to carry back to the camp proper VuallaÆs gaze shifted back toward the center of camp where her father continued to frantically command and prepare his camp as wave after wave of Nether Beasts continued to invade

But even if I have to become a weapon that can only destroy I at least can remember why it is I need to destroy And as long as I donÆt lose that VuallaÆs features softened and a fragile smile flickered to life on her face Father I wonÆt end up like you I wonÆt let people who are important me fade to nothing but memories

Then the smile was gone and Vualla forced herself to her feet After almost eight hours of constant fighting she needed to get to walking so she could make it back to the far side of the front line in time for her daily training session with Cail Tweocs And although Cail didnÆt care how she spent her time away from him there would be hell to pay if she was even a second late to a training session

Is the Xyrt Brigade really such a big deal if you have the spare time to stand around and just train one possible recruit for all this time Vualla thought rather grumpily And if it’s such a big deal why is it that IÆve never heard of it before Although everyone I ask about it seems to be aware of it

Despite her sour attitude Vualla quickly accelerated to make it back to Commander TerithÆs camp in time for the training session But while she moved she didnÆt stop looking around at the surroundings Her mouth firmed into a grim line The most obvious point that was continually reinforced as how disparate the current status of the camps was due to the NetherÆs repeated attacks

The camps on the periphery her fatherÆs and Lady IellayaÆs had been constantly inundated by floods of Nether Beasts for the past week or so To the point that even most of the conservative Commanders set up in the interior of the defensive line were confused by why such a thing was happening Very rarely did Nether launch ground assaults like this where they simply sent Nether Beasts to attack camps Even more rarely while a screening of Aether Keys was in effect

And perhaps the greatest source of concern was the number of Nether Beasts It was acknowledged that the Nether Beasts were more numerous than the superior Aether soldiers but the current flood of beasts was preposterous It was like Nether had somehow been able to double the size of its army overnight And at this point it was just content to spend some of the numerical advantages to whittle down the Aether camps

Still from what Cail had told Vualla Lord Miln had been firm and confident in front of the worried Commanders And as most of the most grievous losses were away from their camps the majority supported Lord MilnÆs decision to wait out this desperate offensive ployÆ

But Vualla couldnÆt support waiting at all For every life lost at her fatherÆs camp all Vualla could think of was her brothers walking out and dying on these very same fields And she had no doubt that her father would think the same thing Her memory of the man was distant but she had been always told there was a certain sort of romantic imagination to him It was by this token that he had won the heart of VuallaÆs mother who was widely agreed to be one of the most beautiful women in the Nexus

That imagination combined with her fatherÆs almost savant like capability to recognize patterns on the battlefield meant that he would see the scenes of his sons dying would be repeated before his gaze ad nauseum His heart would be ground slowly down to nothing After spending so many years refusing to even visit home Vualla wondered how much her father had left to lose

Which is why we cannot wait What we need is the capability to eradicate the Nether RIght now VuallaÆs eyes burned so brightly that the azure shifted more toward an eery seafoam green And if I have to become a weapon of destruction to accomplish that so be it

Chapter 1111

Randidly closed the Nether Ritual with a twist of his mouth

The Vualla he had witnessed through the Nether Ritual was a slightly different one than he was used to seeing Some part of him was almost numb with shock to see her so positively murderous but another part of him tried to justify it by saying that he truly hadnÆt known her for very long

Gone were the bright laughter and sudden smiles Even if she had always been someone inclined to violence the large swathe of kindness he had seen in her previously was conspicuously absent What was left was a grim faced Vualla that had brooded and stared out over a chaotic battlefield before stoically walking back toward her camp

There had been a brief moment that Randidly had seen the same Vualla that had seized his attention For a split second it was like the mask she wore split open and she smiled out toward the world despite the deep wounds that she bore by being vulnerable in this fucked up world But then the mask was back The Vualla he knew seemed suddenly so distant

Still Randidly could understand why she was reacting like this The vast assault of Nether Beasts that Randidly had witnessed was staggering to say the least Perhaps a hundred thousand of the horrible creatures had crawled out of the Great Rift and assaulted the camp of VuallaÆs father And even if each of VuallaÆs punch could destroy one or two Nether Beasts the numbers meant that casualties continued to pile up around her as she helplessly swung her arms

But still seeing her like this after she said those things about cultivating the part of ourselves that has the drive to use the power we are accumulating Randidly clenched his teeth did my support not reach her This version of her seems like sheÆs completely forgotten the why of fighting

Such thoughts led the Grim Chimera on a tormenting emotional rollercoaster that he was not well equipped to handle Randidly was no great hand at unpacking recent emotional baggage either so he reverted to the tried and true method he had gotten by with his entire life setting it aside and planning to revisit it later

At the very least observing Vualla for a time had given Randidly quite a bit of understanding regarding the current state of affairs on the frontlines The grip of something was tightening on that area although it was difficult for Randidly to understand the shape of it From the beginning Lord MilnÆs movements didnÆt make much sense to Randidly but Randidly didnÆt for a second believe that meant that Lord Miln didnÆt have a plan in the works

Randidly could only refine his power and hope that he was a small piece in the manÆs plans not the main goal But if Randidly had been the main goal Lord Miln likely would have taken a more direct route to killing him rather than hanging him out here with this Aether Key

Anyway knowing there was little he could do to help the frontlines freed RandidlyÆs attention somewhat up to refocus on the EarthÆs issues It was strange to have been so swayed by VuallaÆs bold statement that the passion to use power was just as important to cultivate as power itself and then have her to abruptly become so grim and serious but he still agreed with those sentiments

And I hope her current hard edges are a result of circumstances not from a change of heart Randidly thought bitterly It is hard to have faith without any evidence of your belief

This time when he began conjuring the Nether Ritual his target was Tatiana As the day to day decision maker behind Kharon and Erickson Steel Tatiana would be much more connected to the broader sentiment in the new Zone than Vye had been In addition a non insignificant portion of Randidly was curious about how the functioning of Kharon itself was going He had spent quite a bit of time creating the Levelable Engraving that fueled the city so Randidly had a somewhat personal stake in checking up on it

Releasing a breath Randidly forced his heart rate to slow as TatianaÆs familiar form sitting in her office formed in the RItual Very soon Randidly settled in to watch

Tatiana limbs tingled as she considered the woman opposite her across her desk Felicia Melbourne had been prior to a few months before the SystemÆs arrival TatianaÆs best friend and a pretty ambitious player at the Department of Education Immediately prior to the SystemÆs arrival Felicia had become TatianaÆs most recent and most confusing ex after a relationship of being undermined and dismissed

We have Levels now Felicia cooed ThatÆs fascinating What Level are you Tati

Fifty Six Tatiana replied stiffly

Like many individuals who Tatiana hadnÆt been able to find in Zone 1 after the System arrived a part of Tatiana believed Felicia had died or was a part of one of the many Zones that never would pass the Raid Dungeon Perhaps because her feelings toward Felicia were largely unsettled it was quite easy to set those emotions to the side and write her off as gone forever

Monsters too Felicia mused as she dragged her fingers across the wooden armrests I think I saw someone kill a dinosaur on the way over

Of course this woman being gone was more of a fantasy than the System Because in one of the most recent missions the Order Ducis took on to save individuals newly freed up from the rapidly expanding borderlands Felicia had been part of the group that was considered to have high potential and was brought back to Kharon to be interviewed in more detail

And Tatiana objectively agreed that Felicia possessed a lot of the traits that they were looking for in recently freed refugees But

Titiana licked her lips and tried to decide what to say After experiencing a physical jolt after seeing Felicia in the crowd of refugees she had given the order to have Felicia brought up to her office They had hugged like old friends when Felicia realized who she was meeting greeting Tatiana with that same magical gaze that had seemed electric early on in their relationship

Yet now no words would come to Tatiana Instead she simply watched Felicia play with the rather large amount of moss spirits that gathered curiously around her Tatiana couldnÆt help but smile Felicia always had a way with animals

So Felicia cupped her hands and the moss spirits filled her palms it like they were liquid Then Felicia twisted her hands and threw the spirits upward For their part the floating green lights were happy to erupt into sudden dance The world is like a video game now

Grateful for finally finding an appropriate topic Tatiana nodded ItÆs a bit of an oversimplification to say so but yes There are now similar systems in place to what you would see in role playing games Stats Classes Skills that sort of thing

And the monsters Felicia chuckled It feels like IÆm in Lord of the Rings Are their magic rings and elves

Tatiana sighed Yes there is magic everything now

After a few moments of silence Felicia began to fidget Then she blurted out Are you strong Like you have a lot of Stats or a high Level or whatever

After blinking Tatiana began to laugh Oh yes this was the Felicia that she knew Always quick on the uptake and even quicker to identify the person in the room who was in charge The walk to the penthouse suite and the rich decor of TatianaÆs office wouldnÆt have escaped her notice Well IÆm not the strongest Most of my Skills are geared toward management But strong enough yea Why

Well IÆm just wondering like how strong you are How strong everyone is now you know ItÆs just such an abstract thing Felicia shrugged

Struck by a sudden impulse Tatiana stood from her chair and walked around to stand in front of Felicia Felicia straightened as he approached but otherwise just watched Tatiana curiously like a cat that was ready to take offense And Tatiana reached out grabbed the wooden armrests of FeliciaÆs chair and lifted the woman up into the air

Honestly it wasnÆt even that hard to do

Wow Felicia watched Tatiana in fascination as she continued to hold Felicia up without apparent effort Then Felicia slowly turned around ran her fingers over the flexing muscles of TatianaÆs forearms Only after examining TatianaÆs arms for several more seconds did Felicia flash a smoldering smile ThatÆs kinda hot

Feeling exhausted for a very different reason than the physical exertion Tatiana set Felicia back down and walked around her desk once more Suddenly Tatiana wondered if it was such a good idea to bring Felicia here for a personal chat She really was so busy And soon she would need to make a decision over whether to send someone from the Order Ducis to help catch whoever was committing the gruesome bloodless murders

Then Felicia spoke and her question took Tatiana by surprise

Who is Randidly Ghosthound

IÆm surprised you already have heard his name Tatiana said slowly Then she shrugged Perhaps it wasnÆt so strange But to hear Felicia say RandidlyÆs name now it was like her two lives were colliding with each other Seeing Felicia wreathed by moss spirits it was extremely surreal HeÆs our leader

Like the mayor of this town This place really looks like itÆs something out of a fantasy novel Felicia replied as she gestured and the moss spirits spun to follow her gestured commands FeliciaÆs eyes crinkled at the corners as she clearly enjoyed the control

Like she always did

Tatiana snorted looking away from the almost sadistic gleam in FeliciaÆs eyes No not the mayor We arenÆt very governmental And wait until you see the city when it moves It has these giant legs

Interrupting Tatiana with a look in her eye that was oh so familiar Felicia continued All IÆm saying is that its weird how everyone speaks so highly of him but he left you all to just go somewhere else ThatÆs not really a very enjoyable leader to follow right Besides it seems like you are the one doing all the work But I guess I donÆt really understand the situation

That bone deep weariness that Tatiana felt came surging back ItÆs really been so long for me but it hasnÆt been for you has it Felicia

Tatiana leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers You are right you donÆt understand Hopefully you someday have the pleasure of meeting him but heÆs a very busy man Speaking of which I need

Oh donÆt get grumpy Felicia waved her fingers at Tatiana Then she curled up in the wooden chair with all of the arrogance of a spoiled cat and stretched her arms above her head IÆm not criticizing your decisions IÆm just asking questions I think need to be asked DonÆt pretend you havenÆt thought the same thing

Felicia Tatiana gritted her teeth

Oh now IÆve made Tati grumpy Felicia made a face Well I can see why you are stressed by this job but thatÆs no reason to

Felicia

Felicia froze Because when Tatiana spoke she wasnÆt just speaking as an individual She was suddenly the individual who had risen to become the de facto leader of Erickson Steel and the one that Randidly Ghosthound trusted implicitly Despite the fact that Felicia had spent several months talking to Tatiana just like this telling her she shouldnÆt need to sell herself so cheaply to the Washington politicians in a way that should have been a compliment but really just made Tatiana feel like shit Felicia didnÆt know her any longer

When the world changed and the System arrived everyone had a choice Change or die

Tatiana had changed The System gave weight to things that had been insubstantial before so now when Tatiana glared at this woman who had been such a negative influence on her life Felicia couldnÆt even move That was what it meant that Tatiana had lived in the System for the past two years

You Felicia tried to begin but her voice was a small and weak thing She was trembling still shocked by the sudden steel that Tatiana had shown so it was quite easy to speak over her

We should catch up later Tatiana said with a fake smile But for now IÆll have to ask you to join the other new arrivals We have some experienced staff that will help explain some of the rules of this new world that you should listen to

Just like Randidly Ghosthound had things that only he could do there were things that only Tatiana could do as well The very reason that the Ghosthound was freed up to leave Kharon was that he had absolute faith in Tatiana to manage things while he was gone Such was the breadth of capability that the most powerful man in the world held no qualms with leaving her to manage things while he was gone

Tatiana gave Felicia one last razor sharp smile I wouldnÆt want you to make a mistake you would regret Our new world is not as forgiving as the old one

Chapter 1112

After watching Tatiana handle most of the day to day necessities of Erickson Steel Randidly returned to his small shed on the island of Aether and chuckled for several minutes to think of the way that Tatiana had handled this individual from her past Randidly understood very well how difficult it was to have been transformed by the System and somehow expect the people from the old world to understand So much had changed that couldnÆt be communicated with words

The strange wonder and horror of the System was something that needed to be experienced first hand

However RandidlyÆs amusement was very quick to ebb away and leave him slightly exhausted Although he definitely trusted Tatiana to keep a handle on things seeing her work gave Randidly a much more concrete idea about the status of Earth

Seeing the rising numbers related to stress tests done on metals made Randidly feel that at least the quality of steel was increasing but watching Tatiana also revealed reports on sickness and unconsciousness in the wake of the Eidolon Crucible It was treated as a minor thing that would quickly pass but Randidly felt not a little guilt due to the face that he had caused the sickness and benefited materially from that sickness

Every time they went unconscious Randidly probably grew stronger

Just like had been perhaps more wounded than he had expected by giving away a portion of his image to the image stone of the Order Ducis it was not without cost to claim a tribute of image from the people of Kharon when he was victorious And perhaps Randidly would have reconsidered his position on the Skill had he not noticed a line in the reports that had done a lot to alleviate his worries

Confirming prior hypothesis only 12% of those currently affected by Image Anemia were afflicted during the prior Eidolon Crucible Only 1% of all recorded cases have experienced Image Anemia more than twice It appears that the image reforms more steadily after being fully depleted Æ

I already accepted that I would lead you all through hell to become the demons to tear down the System Randidly pressed his eyes closed This is just another Path you need to tread in order to grow strong Even if you hate me for it itÆs better than dying without being able to accomplish anything

Shaking his head Randidly checked in on his own condition after the extended Nether Ritual Although some of the pain was back it appeared that his true Nether core was doing much better at regulating the energy that he was throwing off into the air In addition Randidly was pleased to find that he was very nearly finished cutting through the ivory lock that sealed the trunk containing his second Fate

Some part of him felt a thrill of excitement about that but then Randidly winced and had to turn his attention inward to regulate the burning energy that the Fate blade he already ingested was flooding his body with Although that energy would eventually be absorbed into his image body in the meantime it would hurt like being slowly devoured by poisonous fire ants

The sad truth was that the heat didnÆt decrease much once it was absorbed into his image body but it was still better than nothing In addition Randidly had been carefully monitoring any changes from absorbing the energy but the Fate blade seemed perfectly willing to continue to give over its power freely with no more contamination to him than the heat

But because of the reminder RandidlyÆs enthusiasm for forcing open the chest was somewhat dampened It would be slowly depleted by all the ambient Nether that he threw off now that it had degraded to this point Instead Randidly focused his attention inward and continued his ongoing attempts to remember the exact pattern needed to create pseudo Nether cores

Every time that Randidly felt that he was coming close there would be a weird moment of inertia and then he would lose the delicate balance required to form the fake cores But at the moment the fake cores were the only way that Randidly knew to form a true Nether core And after seeing how much the true Nether core changed his raw Nether power and his ability to manipulate Nether he dearly desired more

Even if he didnÆt need Nether to burn through the ivory lock Randidly still wanted to burn away the Aether KeyÆs vast amount of Aether and return to help at the front lines

So while Randidly allowed his body to slowly take some more time to acclimate to the presence of Nether running alongside the Aether in his veins he carefully began work trying to get the fake core to condense so he could fill it in with the abundant Nether that filled him Which Randidly was annoyed to notice was extremely difficult to due while the Fate blade continued to flood his body with more energy when he wasnÆt actively conveying his will to the Fate to slow down its energy expulsion

But I suppose itÆs good IÆm not trying to cope with all these things while also fighting against Nether Beasts or Lord Miln Randidly thought with a sigh But after the name Lord Miln crossed his mind all Randidly could remember is Lord MilnÆs sneer as he asked Lady Iellaya to sell out Yggdrasil so RandidlyÆs body would be completely devoid of images

Well as long as Ignition Essence is doing well Randidly thought with a twinge of panic Then he shook his head He needed to keep his focus on what he could do right now If he had the room to experiment with his Nether abilities he needed to do it now rather than worrying so he wouldnÆt regret it later

Randidly was still too small a figure on these cosmic battlegrounds He needed to rapidly strengthen his foundations so he wasnÆt so constantly at the mercy of the very powerful Commanders that populated the battlefields

Especially with the constant attacks being launched against the border camps including Lady IellayaÆs Even if Randidly somehow overcame Lord Miln and reclaimed his body he would still be just as dead if he were obliterated by a rampaging horde of Nether Beasts And the Nether Beasts wouldnÆt care at all about his careful images or the value of his body that contained the Alpha Cosmos It just wanted to destroy Aether

There were plenty of ways Randidly could choose to die And it was a very thin Path that Randidly walked to survive

So he trained Time began to pass more quickly as Randidly quickly found a pattern to his days First training his Skills that he had access to in his partial main body incarnation Then some time spent trying to condense the false Nether cores Finally Randidly would use Nether abilities he was slowly growing to understand in order corrode the surrounding Aether directly and passively working on the lock

Although the ivory lock was basically almost destroyed RandidlyÆs attention was mostly directed toward depleting the Aether Key and managing the Fate blade he had already ingested Based on the steady stream of energy that continued to flow from the dull grey blade Randidly could sense that he wasnÆt in danger of depleting it anytime soon There was quite a bit more than he could absorb within its mysterious metal depths

And this was just ambient energies of the blade Randidly hadnÆt even gotten near the cores images that had formed it yet He had a long way to go

Then after practicing with his energies for a full 24 hours Randidly would open up a Nether RItual and watch someone for 8 hours of their time and restart his two day cycle Mostly he focused on Vualla and Yggdrasil as they continued to endure the brutal attacks of a constant flood of Nether Beasts He could see wariness building in the expressions as their postures continued to strain underneath the weight of their responsibilities

YggdrasilÆs generosity was put to the test time and time against as more and more people in Lady IellayaÆs camp learned of his ability to help alleviate image damage Yet to the Grim ChimeraÆs clenched teeth shock Yggdrasil never turned anyone away If anything he continued to push himself harder and harder in order to make a difference where he could

The emerald leaves of Yggdrasil began to fade and look positively wilted as he constantly pressed his image to the limits of what it could endure Yet Randidly could not find fault with Yggdrasil not after he had done similarly dangerous things as the Grim Chimera It left him feeling rather suffocated

Vualla was even more aggravating to watch Most of her time was either spent alone fighting against Nether Beasts or enduring the constant physical and verbal abuse of Cail Tweocs She began silent and unreadable often leaning forward to allow the veil of her azure hair to fall across her features while maintaining her silence As Cail harassed her she simply endured

When Randidly didnÆt look at either of those two people he watched Earth and remember exactly why he was willing to sacrifice so much time and effort to protect this planet He watched Donny and Dozer continually serving as an example of exemplary leadership by example He watched Mrs Hamilton making frantic preparation for the next World Summit He watched Simon sleep but with the Nether RItual he could follow the line of the human turned Champions dreams to witness the entire Zone reacting to the sudden threat of Zone 1Æs weapon

RandidlyÆs gaze moved to Hank Howard who was ruthlessly rushing after the trail of bodies sucked dry of blood in the newly arrived Zone 19 His understanding of Earth grew His gaze grew solemn

As days turned to weeks and then months Randidly began to finally have some consistent success with creating fake Nether cores It was still a delicate trick to pull off but once Randidly had it happen once it quickly happened twice Within a week of his first success he now had the four fake Nether cores he needed and he tried to push his energy to the next level

At least that was the plan It quickly became apparent that the true Nether core had too much of a stabilizing influence over the Nether so he needed more fake cores to get the energy to reach the requisite density and instability to condense into one whole

So Randidly created two additional cores before finally succeeding at condensing a second true Nether core with six fake ones and feeling his ability to work with Nether skyrocket once again

Now however the density of Nether that was swirling through his body became a problem With all of the ambient energy the delicate balance he had gradually got the hang of for creating the false cores was thrown off Randidly was forced to start the learning curve from the bottom which was not a little frustrating

In addition the Fate blade was deeply suspicious of the increase in Nether density and behaved erratically for quite some time Even as Randidly did his best to reassure it the intermittent consciousness of the Fate blade wasnÆt interested in his excuses It was much more directly concerned with Nether

And what really bothered Randidly was that the Fate blade between burning rage and a subdued relief at the possibility of its existence ending Randidly could only shake his head and spend quite a few days working on his control of Nether so it wasnÆt such a problem

Then after Randidly believe he had reached an equilibrium Randidly confronted a fear that was building in his heart that his father Ezekiel was the one who was committing the bloodless murders

With a tired expression Randidly wove together a Nether Ritual and studied the scene that appeared in front of him

Chapter 1113

Ezekiel sat completely still and savored the feeling of the shade of a wide oak tree against his skin and his back pressed against the pitted bark of the trunk Those sensations helped separate him from what he was here for Below him on a low hill was a rather quaint looking log cabin with smoke wafting upward from the chimney in puffy gasps

Aside from the wind running its fingers through the foliage on the tree lined hills there was no other movement in front of Ezekiel as he fixed the cabin with his intense gaze Almost reflexively Ezekiel activated his Eyes of Avarice that would let him see what were the likeliest Skills he would earn by killing someone Unfortunately they could not pierce through physical objects So Ezekiel could only wait

The familiar hunger of his Class gnawed at EzekielÆs stomach but he had endured the constant need to feed for so long that this relatively shallow iteration of the hunger that defined his current life that he didnÆt even respond His eyes remained trained on the house below waiting for some proof that he was right

Are you sure this is the right place

Ezekiel glanced sideways at the man named Ace who was reclining with a lazy arrogance against a pile of leaves It was doubly aggravating because Ace didnÆt care at all about the answer to the question EzekielÆs tanned and muscled companion only asked because he knew how much it bothered Ezekiel

Yes Ezekiel said shortly The few short seconds of looking at Ace with his Eyes of Avarice had returned the answer Brutality Mastery Level 170 Steel Grip Level 101 and Savor Pain Level 122 Ezekiel quickly turned away from Ace It was always something of a shock to look at Ace and constantly different Skills It just spoke to the depth of power that EzekielÆs companion possessed Better by far for EzekielÆs nerve to focus on the task at hand

Based on their calculations their only chance to catch this very valuable quarry was here They had already waited for several hours and soon it wouldnÆt be worth it to remain But Ace was determined to strike here These days Ezekiel rarely went more than several hours without eating and he wouldnÆt have even considered this mission if he hadnÆt been tempted by the payment that Ace had offered for his very peculiar assistance

And even if Ace was blatantly ignoring all of EzekielÆs attempts to remain stealthy there was a reason that Ezekiel didnÆt bother to reprimand Ace A very straightforward and primal one

Ezekiel had already discovered to his horror that Ace was stronger than him

It had been months since Ezekiel had last missed a meal and had his Stats decreased from the side effect of his Class Combining his maintained Stats with the high Level Skills that Ezekiel had been able to gain with his daily kills he had grown into something of a monstrous all rounder He didnÆt often start fights that he wasnÆt confident of winning but there werenÆt many individuals that Ezekiel encountered these days that triggered his Danger Sense Quite like his son Randidly Ezekiel Ghosthound had walked the Path of having so many Skills that he wasnÆt too concerned about what his opponent did

Although admittedly their similar styles were due to very different reasons

Even as Ace was about to open his mouth and let out another lazy needling comment the door to the cottage opened and both menÆs gazes both sharpened A tall woman with short red hair walked out of the cabin and twisted her torso lazily as if to crack her back

Ace chuckled darkly Ezekiel looked at her with sad eyes She is so young Is she the one that

DonÆt think about it Ace rumbled lightly Better to play it safe Just think about her The greatest healer of Zone 19 one of the three people of the original twenty that survived the journey into the Raid Dungeon

Clenching his hands Ezekiel tried to speak again If we wait

We need the assistance of those Skills of hers AceÆs eyes flicked sideways to Ezekiel There was almost something like amusement there Are you thinking of backing out

And what comes after you will handle it Ezekiel whispered as he closed his eyes Too much had happened since the System arrived He had made too many decisions that he couldnÆt escape from Although he tried his best to keep his hands clean it was impossible The world constantly pushed him toward darkness He needed to kill to survive

How long had it been since Ezekiel had really considered starving himself so other people didnÆt need to die

A while

Obviously Ace pounded his chest with a hand There arenÆt many people on Earth who can last long in a fight against me If things go South IÆll take care of it Have some faith will you

Ezekiel slowly nodded his head And no sooner had he agreed than the woman began walking down the low slope of the hill toward the treeline below Both men slowly got to their feet and began to make their way down their own slope to meet her among the trees Based on the research they had done over the past two days there was a thin stream hidden amongst the trees that was the womanÆs most likely destination

And if this healer was to be murdered the stream was the best place for the killer to strike

These days the highest combat Skill that Ezekiel had taken was Axe Mastery so he flexed his hand and instinctually produced a steel ax from his interspatial watch Ezekiel couldnÆt help but spare Ace a glance and inwardly sighed as he watched the only preparatory action that the young man took was to remove his motorcycle helmet and hold it under his arm as they wove amongst the trees

To EzekielÆs relief Ace at least was utilizing a high Level Sneak Skill in order to move through the brush toward the stream Which combined with their high Agility Stats meant that both had arrived at the edge of the stream with time to watch the womanÆs form winding its way down the game trail toward them

She wore jeans and a dark green linen shirt providing a stark contrast for her cherry red hair Her eye catching head was like a fishing floater bobbing through the green underbrush sinking down toward the stream

Ready Ace said but there was none of his usual amusement in his tone It seemed that most of the teasing indulgent Ace had faded away leaving only the frosty monster that lurked within his core His eyes were flinty and grey as he considered the woman approaching the stream

Ezekiel straightened and tightened his grip on his ax as he looked at Ace again almost reflexively activating Eyes of Avarice This time Ezekiel saw Overriding Will Level 199 Audacious Charge Level 76 and Savor Pain Level 122 Idly Ezekiel wondered whether his eyes told him what he would currently get or just gave a few possible options

And then there was a soft splash and both Ezekiel and Ace were surging to motion

Roaring Ace ripped forward as the stream between them and the woman turned an increasingly dark shade of red By the time that Ace reached the stream and leapt across the waterway the liquid in the surrounding area was the crimson shade of blood As Ace was blurring across the meandering waterway the liquid began to bubble and seeth

The woman for her part reacted surprisingly well Her eyes quickly widened as she noticed AceÆs rushing form but Ezekiel also saw her take in the sudden shift of the stream She kicked backward creating about five meters of further distance that would give her time to react to these strange new developments Although they had received word that she was a healer she obviously possessed a decent amount of physical Stats to respond so decisively

Likely she had been required to fight on the frontlines in the past

EzekielÆs eyes flashed Honestly your experience is more of a hindrance than a help when we are trying to save your life Blink

In a flash Ezekiel appeared behind the woman and activated Stunning Grasp Electricity crackled around his claw like hand as he sharply smashed his palm into her back Immediately the woman gasped and staggered forward Narrowing his eyes Ezekiel raised his palm to prepare for another strike her Endurance and Resistance was enough to stay conscious after the first one

But before he could move the foe lurking in the stream made its move As Ace landed on the far bank the same side on which both the woman and Ezekiel now stood a crimson blur cut out of the water and toward AceÆs back

Without a care in the world Ace raised his arms and slipped his helmet over his head Then just as it seemed like he was going to be punctured by the blur AceÆs body contorted and he twisted out of the way Then his hands shot out and grabbed the blur

Sudden Recovery Status Inoculation The woman in front of Ezekiel muttered EzekielÆs eyes jumped back to her and his mouth twisted in annoyance If she would have just gone down easily we could have begun their escape plan immediately

My my my Ace drawled as he heaved on the limb he had seized and dragged a huge monster out of the stream It was a huge crimson scorpion about the size of a motorcycle Floating above its head was the name Bloodbeast Scorpion Level 50

But again EzekielÆs wavering focus allowed the woman to spin away and dodge his second Stunning Grasp And when Ezekiel stepped forward and followed up with a third the womanÆs arms twined forward in a judo esque move to avoid his attack and throw him This time however Ezekiel was ready Maybe against someone else this would work but against me

Bristling Ferocity

EzekielÆs body rapidly increased in size to the point that he was about 1 5 times larger than he had been originally As the womanÆs hands sought out leverage against him Ezekiel simply smashed into her and sent her stumbling backward The Skill would only last for a few seconds but in that few seconds Ezekiel was rather unmatched in physical contests The opponent would need to be quite a bit stronger

Eh Ezekiel blinked as the woman leaned back as he smashed into her rolling onto her back and kicking him up over her body For a few seconds he was sailing in the air looking back at the woman in shock This his mouth twisted in determination Blink

As the woman rolled back to her feet Ezekiel was standing there waiting his body shrinking back to his normal size Noxious Fumes

Stretching his hand forward he blasted the woman directly in the face with something akin to mustard gas Most would be reduced to a coughing sneezing fit from the direct hit with the Skill but this woman gritted her teeth and used her momentum to continue into another backward roll to open up space between them

Damnit if that Status Inoculation Skill is this powerful I knew I should have spent more time Leveling up my Skills Ezekiel thought bitterly But he had never found it easy to force himself to train not like everyone else Because the Skills he obtained came at high Levels anyway finding the motivation to grind them was a bit

But with the bit of space EzekielÆs eyes blazed as he activated Eyes of Avarice For a split second he could feel the Skill sinking into the woman and then there was a strange sense of wrongness A notification popped up in front of Ezekiel

Warning Your Skill has failed

Oy not that I want to stop your fight AceÆs voice cut across and dragged EzekielÆs eyes back to the stream But I think I we were a bit wrong about the reason that this fuck is taking all of the blood from his victims

EzekielÆs eyes widened as he looked over toward the stream The water had turned maroon by now and crimson forms dragged them out of the water one after another Three especially large bodies already surrounded Ace

Bloodbeast Grizzly Bear Level 53

Bloodbeast Vulture Level 57

Bloodbeast Cannibal Iguana Level 55

But as Ace quickly dodged out of the way of a slash by the VultureÆs talons more room was made for additional Bloodbeasts to crawl up onto the shore At this point there were almost thirty of them lumbering out through the surrounding trees to try and box the people into the area

As Ezekiel was torn with indecision the woman eyed him and then the Bloodbeasts warily

Finally Ezekiel shook his head We need to fall back At least then

Retreat Ha When AceÆs barked out his laughter it was like his voice drummed against the air in a way that sent reverberations throughout the area No We wonÆt retreat ItÆs time to drag this fuck out for his reckoning This is proof that he values this woman just as much as we do And he is a fool for taking me so lightly that he doesnÆt come out himself to fight

As the BloodbeastsÆ focus narrowed to Ace Ace raised his arms and transformed

Come you fodder let me show you why they call me Dauntless The masked man said with such violence that the air shivered in response

Chapter 1114

Lightning Blast Ezekiel yelled A bolt of cobalt electricity forked out of his hand and smashed into the chest of a Bloodbeast Wolf that hopped out of the nearby treeline with gnashing jaws It whined and stumbled to the side giving Ezekiel the chance to follow up with a sharp cut with his ax cutting the skull of the thing in half

Fresh blood began to dribble out of the cleft in the beastÆs flesh which would eventually cause the Bloodbeast to shrink but the real problem with these monsters was that they didnÆt possess actual bodies Ezekiel wasnÆt sure how they were made but the process certainly produced beings that were difficult to put down If he could find the maker and Take those Skills

Just as Ezekiel was raising his ask and working up his noise to strike again the woman was next to him making the sign of the cross and then pointing to the Bloodbeast Rest in Peace

The Bloodbeast hissed and thrashed but the spot where the woman had pointed began to go black Very quickly that black blood turned to ash and flaked away Within a few seconds the Bloodbeast had faded to nothing joining the growing piles of ash that surrounded the two of them

Ezekiel favored the woman with a sidelong glance This woman is obviously important but if I had these Skills it would make everything much easier

The woman noticed EzekielÆs glance and returned his gaze with obvious venom Still Ezekiel didnÆt have any intention to make any move to kill the woman With his Eyes of Avarice an Ancient rated Skill failing to read the woman a lot of EzekielÆs confidence drained out of him Better to stick to AceÆs plan

A gorilla Bloodbeast that was barreling toward the woman from the side was twisted sideways as she shifted smoothly to meet it The woman rapidly destroyed its momentum and then she kicked the side of its knee so hard that the joint ruptured in a gush of liquid The Bloodbeast collapsed and the woman stepped over the body to continue backing up the path to her cottage with Ezekiel

That made Ezekiel speculate that there was a limit to the number of times she could use the Rest in Peace Skill She certainly seemed pale and exhausted in a way that Ezekiel hadnÆt noticed before

Although it was destroyed in the short term the joint was ultimately built with blood It would quickly heal The past ten minutes had been a harsh lesson in how powerful the man behind the murders was and why he had been able to move through the new Zone with impunity They likely would have been overrun if it wasnÆt for the womanÆs Skill and AceÆs nascent image absolutely overwhelming the Bloodbeasts

Is this really all you can manage Dauntless rumbled disappointment clear in his voice The black visor of the motorcycle helmet was a cruelly reflecting the struggling face of the Vulture Bloodbeast as Dauntless seized its wings and began to pull them apart from its torso Compared to the intimidating wingspan of this Vulture Dauntless was relatively small He could only barely stretch his arms wide enough to grab both of the shoulder joints

Yet DauntlessÆ grip was heavy in a way that couldnÆt just be explained physically it was also energized by the power of images That rumbling and sloshing picture hanging in the air above him made it so that even foes above Level 50 were nothing

The Vulture screeched and thrashed as it tried to shake off DauntlessÆ grip But very swiftly those screeches devolved into whines as Dauntless physically tore off the wing with a wet thwak that sounded like someone pulling a boot out of deep mud Hot blood sprayed out of the ripped limb covering the surrounding area

The Iguana Bloodbeast righted itself from the crushing elbow Dauntless had smashed it with a few seconds earlier and charged to save its companion from further agony Dauntless simply glanced over his shoulder and brought his leg around in a vicious kick that smashed the IguanaÆs face inward Blood spurted out of the BloodbeastÆs skull and drenched DauntlessÆs leg Then the masked man calmly turned and faced the headless Grizzly Bear he had already decapitated as it staggered toward him

Weak Dauntless said simply completely covered in blood and surrounded by the dying remnants of the lionÆs share of the Bloodbeasts that had attacked them So terribly weak

Behind him AceÆs image was slowly coming into focus It came in fits and starts but now that most of the Bloodbeasts had been dealt with Ezekiel had time to set his feet and consider the shifting color in the air above the distinctive motorcycle helmet

The image that flickered as Dauntless moved was a towering figure of iron bound wood and brackish water As he twisted and stomped down to smash the head of a lesser Bloodbeast that was creeping up behind him Dauntless seemed to be a drowned ship in the sea at night Waves of forced crashed everywhere around him The world he inhabited was characterized by stormy chaos And yet Dauntless was implacable capricious shifting and dangerous Everything that came his way was devoured by the infinite depths of the sea that surrounded leaving him the only enduring entity

Then there was a shift The remaining half dozen or so Bloodbeast cried and began to limp back toward the creek Ezekiel felt an ominous feeling as he looked down at the water of the creek and noticed that it had shifted to become completely black

Heh about damn time Dauntless grinned

Even as Dauntless stepped up to stand before the creek Ezekiel was glancing sideways at the woman who was slowly backing away Stay We cannot protect you if you leave our side And I doubt that those monsters would have much hesitation to strike while you are alone

Protect me Is that why you attacked me earlier To protect me The woman asked sarcastically But at the very least she did stop moving away Reminding her of the threat was likely much more helpful to them now than trying to force her to stay with violence Ezekiel held the womanÆs gaze until she looked down at the ground with gritted teeth allowing her hair to swing forward and block her face

Well yes I never said we were gentle people Ezekiel turned around right in time to see a figure emerging from the water To EzekielÆs surprise the man was extremely old Although his slick backed hair was still black his face was lined and wrinkled His limbs were covered with liver spots and frail looking Perhaps strangest of all he was sitting in a wheelchair made entirely of bone pushed out of the stream by a humanoid Bloodbeast that was such a dark red that it appeared almost black

The manÆs gaze was a pure chilling blue Hovering in the air behind the man much more condensed than any Ezekiel had ever seen was a vivid image of a wan looking man with a long black cloak riding a horse As the man appeared the rider seemed to shiver and then slowly look up toward the waiting trio

You are hunting for me Rather than annoyed the man seemed genuinely curious And yet I could not sense it You used the woman

Dauntless began to laugh and didnÆt even acknowledge the manÆs question Ahahaha This is too much are you serious I looked and there before me was a pale horse Its rider was named death and all the wild demons of Earth followed behind him Æ Certainly your horseÆ is pale but isnÆt this a little underwhelming

The man favored the blank featured helmet of Dauntless with a sharp smile You may call me Straud boy No need to be so formal sd to address me as my higher calling IÆm only Death to my friends and certainly this is an unexpected meeting How did you learn that I was going to target this woman

Lucky guess Dauntless chuckled

Suddenly StraudÆs face creased into a deep frown DonÆt assume evading my Skill and you defeating these common beasts will change a single thing boy If I wanted it you would all die without any recourse Such is the mandate I carry And that woman is necessary for my purpose Stand aside and I will let the matter drop

If you truly possessed that sort of power to take life would you try and talk with me Dauntless rolled his shoulders But actually our aims are not entirely opposed If you pledge yourself as a subordinate to me I will let you do whatever you want to the woman

There was a frozen moment as StraudÆs eyes widened Even from the distance Ezekiel couldnÆt believe how icy blue that gaze was The fury contained there quickly became evident The air around the man chilled Of course Ezekiel was mostly focused on the woman next to him in case she wanted to run away Her glare tightened into something like hatred as she regarded the two men so casually discussing her fate as though she were naught more than chattel

Some part of Ezekiel felt a small urge to reassure her they didnÆt think about her that way but he couldnÆt bring himself to Ezekiel had killed so many people for simply crossing his path while he was hungry Feeling empathy toward the weak was a luxury he had forced himself to abandon Otherwise

Instead Ezekiel opened his Eyes of Avarice and looked at this Straud The Skills he saw were Bloodbeast Gestation Lvl 301 Blood Syphon Level 212 and Blood Manipulation Level 341 Which were truly the highest Level Skills that Ezekiel had ever seen Yet most of his shock was to the fact that even this strange figure couldnÆt stop his Eyes of Avarice in the same way that the woman could

Impudent Straud finally said as he seemed to measure Dauntless before him Raising his hand Straud pointed at the other man Suddenly the imaginary figure riding a pale horse behind him was even clearer than it had been in the past It seemed like there really was a rider there suddenly cantering forward toward Dauntless over the ground and raising a scythe above its head Ezekiel could hear the sound of the horse’s hoofs hitting the muddy ground Those hooves seemed to muffle and suffocate all other noise in the surrounding area

This level of image

But before Ezekiel could even be shocked the image already swung its weapon down toward Dauntless There was a horrible roar torn from DauntlessÆ mouth as he exploded upward to smash into the blow and then the two forces collided and EzekielÆs Perception was blinded by the impact

Dauntless was launched backward and crashed into a nearby tree There was a sickening crack as Ezekiel watched DauntlessÆs body impact the wide trunk of the tree and bend like a shrimp Then the tree collapsed landing on top of the limp form of Dauntless Ezekiel blinked slowly as he the completely split helmet of Dauntless rolling on the bloody ground

StraudÆs cold blue gaze turned toward Ezekiel Now the girl Bring her here or you will be next

How the fuck is his image so strong Ezekiel trembled as he regarded the broken form of Dauntless Even even though IÆd heard about how powerful RandidlyÆs image was but no one else but Randidly had managed to have a condensed image like that How does this man

My patience has already been tested Straud barked out You have three seconds If you do not act

Ah There was a moan from the side and then a limp shadow straightened and shoved aside the tree trunk that collapsed on his body Did you know how furious I was To watch him standing up there burning with an image Standing at the pinnacle of humanity daring challengers to step forward And for me to only be an observer

Some part of Ezekiel had always wondered what face Ace was making under his helmet while he allowed the persona of Dauntless to take over his body And now he saw it AceÆs wide and expressive eyes were completely glassy like that of a taxidermy stag His mouth was open in a slight grin and his tongue was hanging out of it Huge panting breaths had AceÆs shoulders heaving as he stared at Straud with murderous intensity

For his part StraudÆs eyes slowly narrowed as he regarded Ace

I should have been on that stage Ace hissed and the air trembled The dark water and unlit ship in AceÆs wavered with the intensity of the words It should’ve been me fighting against him not that pup Alana Only I only we we were best friends We shared and now you are telling me that I get to experience an image almost that powerful Even if its a knock off IÆm so happy You have no idea For giving me this experience IÆll remember your name after IÆve crushed your skull

A knock off Straud said coolly Hmph I hope youÆve made your peace boy Accept oblivion

Straud pointed again and the image of the rider cantered forward once more But Ace only threw back his head and laughed I am Dauntless Finally Randidly IÆll be able to see the view that you surveyed from that stage while the ants watched Finally I

The image struck The dark form of the wild sea behind Ace threw itself forward to impact the rider of the pale horse before it swung its scythe Even so the rider didnÆt slow in its attack The two images clashed and AceÆs surprising resistance was quickly ripped to shreds The attack sliced downward and cut open a deep gash in AceÆs chest

Ace stumbled backward two staggering steps but he did not fall Instead he laughed again louder and louder as the joy in his chest built toward a crescendo Yes Yes this is it So this is what an image should feel like The weight the density itÆs completely different To think Randidly has sharpened himself to this point while I was just

You impudent shit Straud hissed This time when he extended his hand threads of red violet energy seeped forward into the image Very soon the pale rider appeared completely present without any of the usual insubstantiality of an image Fine then IÆll show you why this world will soon be mine

Chapter 1115

RandidlyÆs jaw dropped That that man is actually empowering his image directly with Aether

It was enough of a shock to see someone with such a firm and detailed image on Earth that was not him Not that Randidly believed he was particularly special but his experience on Tellus gave him a huge advantage in developing an image It was due to that experience that he had seen how problematic DonnytonÆs image was and took actions to rectify it

Honestly before Randidly came to the frontlines and spent so much time refining his Willpower he wasnÆt sure who would have won in a direct confrontation against this image But that was nothing compared to the shock of seeing that this man possessed the capability to manipulate Aether even if it was the blunt sort of manipulation similar to what the System did so that his Judgement overwhelmed Randidly

RandidlyÆs gaze sharpened as he looked at this Straud more closely with Aether Detection activated Definitely Aether Does that mean he also possesses an Aether Crossroads Then he might be one of the other experiments supported by the Creature

The more Randidly looked at the manÆs cruelty the more it seemed like this connection to the Creature was the only logical explanation for his shocking strength With his mouth pressed into a thin line RandidlyÆs gaze shifted to Ezekiel and Ace A really strange combination of people and although dad didnÆt end up the one who was committing the murders it is also obvious that heÆs been killing something to maintain his Stats and gain all these Skills

Then Randidly focused on Ace And you Ace why

Do your worst Ace roared The image behind him roiled and rejoined from its bisected form As it spun a figure of seawater and metal came back with an even more imposing presence Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed to see how much Ace was improving with each strike It really was like every attack he received gave Ace a bit of insight into the power of images that he could make his own

As always AceÆs talent was monstrous Much more than Randidly had ever been his former best friend was something of a genius

Then letÆs settle this now Straud said as he poured more Aether into his rider Even through the Nether Ritual Randidly could feel the heavy pressure that radiated off of the image However Randidly also noticed how pale Straud was becoming as he channeled energy into the attack It seemed this process was not costless for him Then we

Ha are you an idiot

Ace hopped lightly backward all of the power in his image dissipating He landed next to Ezekiel who had rapidly activated a Skill with several sharp gestures Ace shook his head sadly at Straud Remember you are just a stand in for the real deal If you wonÆt serve me Why waste time dealing with you

You Straud was so furious that he spat saliva out with the word But Ezekiel already raised his arms and a strange formation filled the air

Long Distance Teleportation

With a pop RandidlyÆs focus was dragged after the three as they crossed space and time A half second later they were standing on the rocky beach of an island as waves crashed below and sprayed salt into the air Of the three the woman took the arrival the worst When they suddenly appeared she took a steadying step and stuck her foot into a tide pool

As she was windmilling her arms to keep her balance Ezekiel stretched out and put a steadying hand on her shoulder to help maintain her balance

Get your hand off me The woman said stiffly but it was clear that a lot of her earlier fire was extinguished Looking around she asked And where did you take me

A place thatÆs safe Ezekiel said We wanted to ask you a favor To help heal someone So

Before Ezekiel could continue Ace swayed and then collapsed Ezekiel had to hop forward and seize the other man so he didnÆt fall off of their perch into the water frothing around the rocks below

The woman raised an eyebrow is he the one who needs to be healed

Well not more than you can currently see Then Ezekiel shook his head and gave the woman a firm glance Look IÆm not gonna try and hide the fact we want to use you but it doesnÆt have to be a one way street I understand that you hold quite a bit of resentment to the sibling duo that currently rules Zone 19 after the actions they took in the Raid Dungeon

For the first time the woman seemed genuinely surprised How did you

Lucky guess Ezekiel said with a sharp smile He heaved Ace over his shoulder and walked next to the woman For now follow me back to our cabin We can rest for a few hours then we can talk business And if you donÆt agree I promise on the life of my son that I will take you back to your cabin You can return to face down that Straud all by your own if you want

RandidlyÆs most twisted at Ezekiel swearing on his life but the woman slowly nodded The two proceeded in silence across the rocky shore toward the interior of the small island which was covered in trees But Randidly had seen enough Both to reassure himself that Ezekiel wasnÆt going on a murder spree and that his father had once more given into the temptation of killing in order to survive

As Randidly allowed the Nether Ritual to fade and his heart rate to return to its normal speed he couldnÆt help but ask himself if he was truly any different He closed his eyes as the rather fresh memory of Ki Kunot came to him Can I really judge him for killing to remain strong and grow

Perhaps the main body would have more difficulty admitting such a truth but the Grim Chimera was too practical and honestly didnÆt care very much about morality to quibble about whether the father son duo was the same sort of immoral Instead Randidly simply sighed and stretched

If he had time to dwell he had time to train

But when Randidly stood he was surprised to find the ivory lock had completely been corroded and fallen to the ground The lines of Aether through the chest had faded to nothing slowly worn away by constant exposure to Nether As Randidly examined the raw physical object of wood he was struck by how fragile it suddenly seemed The wood was clearly worn down by time despite the fact that it had been reinforced by Aether speaking to how exactly how much time it must have seen

For some strange reason the main bodyÆs vehement warning against the strange ancient Aether around Vualla came back to Randidly as he looked down at the chest Likely for some of the same reasons the main body would probably strongly dislike this trunk For Randidly had chosen it mostly because it felt familiar to him

And Randidly did not have many friends within the Nexus Hell he barely had anyone who was ambivalent about him Everyone he encountered wanted to kill him or use him

Taking a deep breath Randidly reached out with his claw and opened the trunk Instantly the Aether in the surrounding area fluctuated as waves of intense imagery spread out and appeared around Randidly Such was the strength of those images that even the Fate blade in RandidlyÆs chest reacted with heat

It was power in a way that Randidly hadnÆt felt except when he had come to the attention of that being that was suspended in a continent of solidified Aether His blood seemed to freeze as the weight of that power spread outward

But like light a sigh escaping an old and empty wallet suddenly there was nothing but the extremely frail seeming trunk Very quickly RandidlyÆs limbs thawed and he leaned forward to examine the object further The interior was lined with velvet or had been but most of it had disintegrated to curling wisps of fabric due to the passage of time And laying in the center of the trunk was a mahogany brown glove

It was small and leather and didnÆt cover the fingers There was also a large hole in the palm that went had a matching hole in the back of the hand As Randidly studied it he could sense absolutely nothing from it And in fact when he gently picked up the leather glove no explanation appeared No power at all seemed to reside in the glove

If he hadnÆt felt that sensation earlier Randidly might have been completely fooled

RandidlyÆs mouth twisted as he used his talons to deftly turn the glove over At least itÆs for the right hand so I can wear it and ChulroonÆs Chisel at the same time when I recover the main body And perhaps thatÆs why I donÆt see an explanation If I can examine it physically with a body

Even if it was rather useless as long as he wore the Grim ChimeraÆs body itÆs not like Randidly wanted to force the issue and try to absorb the power from another Fate Not when he was constantly struggling to manage the hiltless blade in his chest Sure it generated a lot of Fire Resistance and Pain Resistance Skill Levels but the struggle was starting to wear on RandidlyÆs nerves

Although perhaps slightly disappointed in its mundane shape Randidly felt that same sensation of familiarity as he stared down at the dark lustrous color of the glove This trunk had saved him from quite a bit of trouble as it randomly rolled out in the Fate armory to give him something to hold onto Was that just a coincidence Somehow this familiarity made Randidly feel like that wasnÆt the case

And it was just so damn reassuring Randidly pressed his eyes closed This feeling why couldnÆt he place it

Shaking his head Randidly set the glove down reverently back into the trunk and closed the lid He likely would need to absorb it eventually but Randidly didnÆt want to forcefully activate it before he needed to Instead Randidly walked outside waved toward Salazar and Zauna then began to practice his Grim Chimera Skills

When he had exhausted himself there he returned to the hut and activated a Nether Ritual checking in on Yggdrasil When Randidly aligned his Perception with his fellow image Yggdasil was meditating in their tent clearly exhausted Sighing Randidly was about to shut down the Nether Ritual when he noticed something else

In the corner of the room Randidly could clearly see the weird orb shelter that Yggdrasil had made for Ignition Essence out of the byproduct of Aether and Nether Focusing on it through the Nether RItual Randidly was surprised to find that it completely blocked off his Perception on what was happening within

Even stranger the orb was riddled with cracks It seemed like the exterior of that strange orb was barely held together

Hang on Ignition Essence RandidlyÆs heart fluttered He dearly wished he knew how he could help but he couldnÆt come up with anything Everyone had their own battles The best way to help Ignition Essence would be to make sure Randidly himself didnÆt fall behind by wasting time worrying So Randidly closed that Nether Ritual and prepared to open up another one

For a few seconds he wondered if he should look more at what Ace and Ezekiel were up to but they were just one of a dozen storylines that Randidly had tasted on Earth and was trying to keep track of For today Randidly chose to look deeply at Sam

Chapter 1116

Sam wrinkled his nose as he stirred the cauldron and waited for the impending arrival of the sun over the horizon Timing was extremely important with things like this which was why Sam had prepared for almost two full weeks before he had made this attempt This was the culmination of weeks of work that would hopefully give them the weapon they needed to assist with the rising threat of the Ogre Gorge

Even if a significant percent defected away from the invading forces and snuck through the portal to plead for sanctuary everyone involved knew that there would be spies planted amongst the ogres that were crossing over Yet the combined forces of Zone 1 Donnyton and the Orders didnÆt want to start turning individuals away

Well some did It was brought up quite a few times by the insufferable man who led Zone 1Æs forces in the area But Donnyton and the Orders agreed that allying with as many ogres as possible was the correct long term strategy Otherwise the ogres would simply fight their way out in order to have access to the abundant Aether of Earth

Instead of closing off their path for sanctuary each of the allied forces made their own preparations for the eventuality they all feared an attack that would result in the ogres gaining a foothold on Earth Once the Earthlings lost the chokepoint of the portal it would be very difficult to capture it again

SamÆs response was to forge a weapon A weapon that could become the keystone of their new defensive efforts Which was why he had spent the last week coming here at dawn to stir the cauldron As the seventh day this one would be the last

Yet the time dragged even after Sam covered his mouth and nose with a rag the entire time he could only look down at the cauldron full of ogre blood and do his best to not breathe deeply This had better be worth it

After seven days in the sun the smell was horrendous And yet somehow it hadnÆt occurred to him to manufacture a legitimate mask

Sam was standing in the shade of one of the sharp ridges of the salt flats several miles to the West of the Ogre Gorge Although he had been sent North to help with the enemies from the Epic Dungeon after Alana had dealt with one and Zone 1Æs Mjolnir dealt with another a lot of DonnytonÆs forces had been diverted to the East to help with the escalating problem of the ogre invasion

Sam fought a little but most of what he did was equip their forces Essentially EarthÆs strategy was to maintain an elite force at the portal at all times with a larger group standing ready a larger distance away Therefore fights were usually short and probing as the ogres tried to understand EarthÆs defenses

At the moment Sam was trying to equip someone who he had never created a weapon for in the past Specifically the leader of a very special division that had been given Status as an honorary Raid Group under DonnytonÆs auspices Which was why Sam was slightly bitter about the presentation now and Mrs Hamilton was quite jolly and insisted on calling SamÆs personal efforts proof of DonnytonÆs sincerity ”

The first rays of the sun made over the sparkling top of the ridge and began to illuminate the gulley in which Sam worked Sam continued to calmly stir as the warm yellow light of the sun slowly began to flow down the far side and toward his feet His movements were stable and practiced his grip on the wooden poll was firm By this point Sam was an old hand at ritual And although he had felt nothing special for the first six days that he did this every morning he began to feel it now

SamÆs Skills began to stir as the light flowed inevitably closer

It was a learning curve Sam reflected to create meaningful things You could rely on activating the Skills to force the ritual and weight of meaning into an item but Sam had ultimately concluded this led to half assed results after a long series of experiments What Randidly had taught all of Donnyton was that what they were doing with every aspect of the System was tellings small bits of an infinitely large story

You could activate the Skills to get a result of course But it was better still to tell a story so well that the image of what you wanted marshaled the Skills to action without you having to lift a finger

When the sunlight finally rose high enough to peek over the edge and shine down into the slowly whirling cauldron of blood Sam could feel something change a story had been planted here So he pulled out the wooden spoon he had used to manipulate the liquid every day for the past week and used a mesh next to fish out the metal biding its time within

As Sam did so he could visibly see the blood in the cauldron sinking away It was subtle at first but as he caught a ingot and pulled it to the surface the blood level began to visibly dip downward SamÆs grin was sharp as he pulled up the first ingot

The metal itself wasnÆt what he had originally planned on using for this project but a single day before Sam was to start the project a package had arrived from Kharon Inside Sam found quite a few examples of rare metals that Erickson Steel had pulled up out of Zone 19 Of them all the one that left Sam completely shocked were the White Phosphorus Steel

Rather than the usual dull grey of metal these looked almost silver plated their exterior reflecting the surrounding area with sharp clarity And when an ingot was sliced cleanly in half which was not an easy prospect even with KayleÆs assistance the interior was just as vividly reflective

Perhaps that was what pushed Sam into using this metal He could intuitively feel from it that this metal could hold meaning if it was planted deeply enough within it So he had shaped the reflective silver white metal into ingots and got to work

Now however after sitting within the cauldron and having been slowly woven together with ogre blood and sunlight the first White Phosphorus Steel ingot came out just as reflective but dyed scarlet Suddenly the world reflected within was no longer reality it was a bloody and horrifying dreamscape of endless maroon clouds and war

One by one Sam removed the heavy ingots from the cauldron and each one he pulled out seemed to suck out a little bit more of the ogre blood from the cauldron Which continued until Sam pulled out the last of the twenty ingots and the cauldron was abruptly bone dry all the blood was gone

Humming softly to himself Sam carried an armful of the new scarlet reflective ingots over the portable station that Sam had set up in full view of the sun Although Sam couldnÆt bring his station with him here he had spent some of his preparation time improving this station so it would suit his purposes

It might be superstitious but Sam preferred to physically carry the metal than storing it an interspatial ring for the movement Especially because the sun continued to shine above And since he was the Dawn Smith maintaining the sunÆs light on the metal could only help him in the long run

Still Sam was slightly surprised as he carried the scarlet ingots because of the feedback he received from his hands the metal was warm Heated to the temperature of luke warm milk Perhaps pushed up by the blood to reach the temperature of a recently deceased body

Good metal Sam thought with a smile

If metal was the most important ingredient the second most important was heat With almost obsessive intensity Sam considered the structure of his banked fire and added several thick and valuable oak logs that had grown large and fat in the dense elemental energy around East End

Very soon a high and vaguely blue fire was roaring in the furnace and Sam began to put the scarlet ingots into the heat to melt Unfortunately it was difficult to tell how close these ingots were to melting due to their newfound coloration but SamÆs eyes had grown used to the different visual cues of heat to try and predict when it would happen

Not that it really mattered The damn things were so strong that Sam had to pump the bellow and push up the temperature in order to get them to soften and melt And in the case of this metal that had drunk blood and dined on sunlight Sam wasnÆt afraid of ruining the metal by pushing it to a temperature that was too high If anything the additional heat would strengthen it

As his eyes followed the softening forms of the ingots in the furnace he picked up his heavy hammer from the table and prepared to work Sam had considered using a mold to form the desired weapon but he ultimately decided that it would be better to hammer it into shape And his reasoning was rather simplistic Sam simply liked the sensation of hammering

Nothing gave him a better read on the development of the story within the metal than the reverberation through his palm

So while keeping an eye on the temperature of the ingots still in the furnace Sam began to hammer the first pieces of metal His blows started high above his head and smashed downward like a meteor falling to Earth slowly flattening the two ingots that Sam had pulled out Some people speculated that there was value in hammering in a specific pattern and that pattern would then be imbued into the weapon Of course Sam agreed that this was a case And that a pattern was worth pursuing

But he didnÆt know a good pattern for this metal Or rather Sam didnÆt know THE pattern For something to truly matter nothing could simply be lazily supplied Reality had the natural advantage that any coincidence could be supplied to an instance because that coincidence was true

Details in stories needed to be much more sparingly added

Perhaps paradoxically Sam let his attention spread out It didnÆt waver but it didnÆt bother so much about the specifics of where he hammered Instead Sam listened to the clear noise of the noise of his heavy hammer smashing against the heated metal Rather than coming with a pattern prepared Sam listened

The primal portion of the human brain was an old hand at picking a pattern out of random noises after all And then when the human mind empowered by the System heard and believed with enough weight that belief became true That was an image

Tang

Sometimes the noise would just be right so Sam followed his instinct and stopped hammering that portion But sometimes there would be an off note At that point Sam pushed the partially heated metal back into the furnace for a few minutes and then continued to hammer until the noise rang true In SamÆs experience nothing was more important than purity of purpose Staying true to the goal of creating a weapon to slay ogres was all that SamÆs hammer sought to create

It was for those noises that Sam listened most closely With his spread out attention that goal of killing remained omnipresent But of course this weapon was truly meant to guard Earth Those two truths twined slowly together as Sam worked

It quickly became clear that the form of the weapon would be a shield Something large to deflect and thin to cut

Ingot by scarlet ingot Sam pulled out more and more of the metal and added it to the growing whole Spread out to be thin and strong the weapon grew to the size of a dinner table It was somewhat difficult to maneuver around its growing size but Sam was careful to be sure the interior was completely perfect before he moved outward Circling slowly around it and expanding the weapon soon a gleaming scarlet shield was laying on the worktable in front of Sam

Once the relatively simple portion of creating the weapon itself was done Sam toiled for an almost equal amount of time creating a handle for it Although the handle would eventually be wrapped in leather the first iteration of the handle was just a cold cylinder of metal Shaping the metal Sam could see his own face reflected in the handle To his own eyes SamÆs countenance looked warped into a demon’s

Chuckling Sam attached the handle to the shield He used some fire based Skills he had obtained to heat the metal around the attachment point and hammered the handle down Then he sat back on his heels and considered

Just as quickly as he began Sam stopped moving completely His hammer was lowered The fire cooled as Sam remained transfixed in his study of the shield The sun had completely crossed the sky and was now setting Sam sent a message and then considered the creation he had made

Perhaps three meters long and two wide the scarlet shield was an impressive creation Even someone like Dozer would have a problem managing the sheer size of this weapon The final shape ended up being a hexagon with six rough sides that hadnÆt exactly been sharpened to a razor thin blade but were still quite sharp enough that Sam regarded them warily More than sharp enough to cut through flesh

SamÆs eyes glimmered as night fell and left him completely alone with the shield He didnÆt bother to examine it yet because it wasnÆt yet finished The metal had been given a story but that was only half the battle Instead of simply waiting Sam reexamined every inch seeking the weak point When he couldnÆt find one he began his search again When he searched for flaws three times without any results Sam began using his sensitive fingers pouring over every inch of the scarlet steel

It was about an hour before dawn before the man who would use this weapon showed up

Obyrn Myyr former Ironfist of the West in the Ogre world and now the ruler of the Ogre Holy Land that rapidly grew from defections from the entrenched powers of the Ogre World walked over the hill and down the thin path that required him to carefully place his large feet one in front of the other When he arrived he smiled down at the large weapon Although it would be difficult for any human to wield the huge shield was perfect for the newly appointed leader of DonnytonÆs Ogre Raid Group

Behind Obyrn Myyr was his assistant Duaal who was dragging behind him a beaten and bound prisoner SamÆs lip twisted in distaste as he saw it but its not like he was guiltless he was the one that had recommended this course of action

After all it was the best way to ensure the weapon came out the way they wanted The story was already in the metal they just needed to make the weapon awaken to its true story

The timing Obyrn rumbled as he picked up the scarlet shield He passed it from one had to another then moved it through the air while twisting his arm From his sparkling eyes it was clear he enjoyed the weight of it in his hand

Right when dawn comes over the ridge Sam replied Then the four people turned toward the horizon and waited Time slowly slipped past under their watchful eyes Only Obyrn continued to be active playing with his new shield When twilight came Obyrn approached the unconscious ogre with the shield raised but Sam shook his head Then Sam showed the two ogres where to position the body

YouÆll want to cut with the edge of the sun Sam scratched his beard As if the cause of death isnÆt the shield but the light of the sun that strikes the blow Of course the sunlight will flow downward in a line but you will only be an edge So you need to be the blade hidden in the light moving perpendicular with the spread of sunlight Get it

Obyrn scratched his own scraggly beard he grew to mimic the human style Bad beards had abruptly become weirdly fashionable for the ogres of the Ogre Holy Land Sam sighed and waved his hand helplessly Then he turned to Duaal Just make sure to hold him still He will start to struggle once the operation starts and the effect will be diminished if the cut is diverted from where the light is touching

The operation which is basically a brutally torturous execution Sam thought tiredly

When the sun finally came Sam gave the signal and Obyrn began to slowly cut into the captured ogreÆs neck As Sam expected the sharp prospect of death quickly woke up the captured ogre and caused him to struggle But Obyrn moved the deadly edge of the shield with an intense and dispassionate control that reminded Sam of Regina Northwind

This ogre cut not a hair more than what was necessary in the moment

During the whole of the process Sam didnÆt look away He could sense something changing with the shield And he didnÆt miss the fact that not a drop of blood dripped down off the shield onto the dried ground below

All healthy babies are born thirsty Sam thought darkly

And of course by the time the bloody business concluded and the ogre ceased struggling Obyrn had calmly sliced all the way through the other ogreÆs neck Then Obyrn examined the shield unleashed a booming laugh and then shared the details of his creation with Sam

Thirsting Bloodsteel Buckler Shield Lvl 81 A shield forged to protect by drinking the blood of ogres Worked by a master craftsman for a very specific role and the purity of purpose greatly enhances its effects When facing ogres Strength Agility Reaction and Willpower +40 Will not break underneath the attack of an ogre Bloody Shield IV Blood Drinker IV For the Defense of Earth V

Bloody Dawn Shield IV Forged of White Phosphorus Steel and soaked in ogre blood for seven dawns the shield has greatly strengthened its structural integrity Endurance and Resistance +40

Blood Drinker IV Wearer will experience a minute of a berserk status when the weapon drinks the blood of ogres During that time the wearer will experience a 1% increase in Status for each kill up to a cap of 40% Each additional kill will refresh the one minute duration Health Regeneration will be doubled in the berserk state

For the Defense of Earth V Forged by a master craftsman to be held by a defector from the enemy it was an act of faith to give this weapon away Yet there is value to that faith especially when the survival of a world is on the line Wearer gains the Skill Defender of Earth « Skill slightly increases the effectiveness of all Skills when they are used to defend Earth Skill Level will rise to equal the number of foes that the wearer faces capped at the highest Skill Level the wearer currently possesses

I suppose it will have to do Sam said while coughing into his hand to hide his pleased smile

Chapter 1117

Vualla spat out a mouthful of blood and cracked her neck It was the only show of weakness she allowed herself having rushed back from the frontlines to stand at this position Because for the last two days during any downtime she received Vualla resumed her zombielike vigil with mechanical dedication

Cail Tweocs regarded Vualla carefully For the first time since they had met the small hairless man seemed unsure of what to say as he studied the younger woman You as I have said what you do in your own time is none of my business

Relax Vualla said harshly IÆll be back for your damn training

Perhaps because of the situation Cail ignored VuallaÆs disrespectful words that would normally set him off Instead he released a high pitched cough into his hand and nodded sagely Ahem then I must go There is quite a kerfuffle as Terith was able to locate and capture the Nether Prince that previously escaped his grasp Truly an auspicious thing but the fact that the Nether Prince was briefly freed is troublesome Even if it could not escape it seems very likely it contacted a Nether King

Cail Vualla breathed out and some of her destructive tendencies leaked out from her mouth Her hands flexed The ground around her began to sizzle and seeth Now is when you leave me the fuck alone

Blinking in shock Cail seemed to consider Vualla for several seconds before he nodded and hurried away Vualla glanced toward his retreating back with her nose wrinkled up in disgust Do you really think I donÆt know that you are doing this on purpose Swearing at me when IÆm calm prodding me with inanities when IÆm upset Every chance you get trying to get under my skin driving me toward rage Perhaps I understand why you think my rage will lead to more power but the fact that you want to try that shit today

Vualla turned back to the front Her eyes ached and her face felt long and stretched The body of her father lay before her solemn and very dead His hands were clasped in front of his chest hiding the gaping wound that had stopped his heart

In the end it hadnÆt mattered how much she had struggled against the unending tides of Nether Beasts that flooded out of the Great Rift Cail TweocsÆ demands and VuallaÆs continued service to Commander Terith meant that there were times where Vualla couldnÆt remain on the East end of the battle lines to protect her fatherÆs camp She did what she could when she could but it hadnÆt been enough

IÆm not enough Vualla thought bleakly It was an old thought one she strongly associated with her father It hung above her head now fat and wet and heavy like an attic lost to rot and mold

Yesterday while Vualla was training the invasion against her FatherÆs camp had included two Nether Gatekeepers He was forced to step up to face them and although he had been able to slay them both he had paid for this valor with his life Despite his long service in the army no other Commander had reacted in time to help against the Nether Gatekeepers

VuallaÆs fist clenched If I had been there

But then her thoughts stuttered to a stop Would she have been able to make a difference against Nether Gatekeepers She had certainly grown but her power was short of being able to stand toe to toe against that level of foes Even though the constant fighting against Nether Beasts had pushed her to just short of condensing her fourth Nether star that only protected her

It was only by refining her image further that she would reach a place where she could dominate a battlefield Which was why she endured CailÆs training for so long despite all of the very obvious consequences she suffered

What was even more infuriating to Vualla was that no one else had really come to visit her fatherÆs body after it had been interred here on display for a week as was tradition His subordinates could be excused because most of them were either dead or still struggling to hold back the Nether Beasts but it was galling to find that most of the other Commanders seemed completely unfamiliar with her father

HeÆs been serving out here for fifty years Vualla gritted her teeth And yet none of you can be bothered to remember him Was all of his struggle for nothing

Yet this only happened because I was too weak to make a difference This danger came too soon VuallaÆs eyes dimmed as she stared at her fatherÆs body without even seeing it Does that mean that there is no choice but for me to give everything up and become a tool of destruction I had thought

And what made Vualla deeply afraid was that even thinking about becoming an empty tool of destruction filled Vualla with a sense of inevitably Yes her body told her this was always our fate This was always the Path that you were going to walk Although the deviated from it for a short time it is time to return to the true Path

Embrace your Fate and destroy everything that stands in your way

It was that same sleep walking sense of living that Vualla had experienced for almost her entire life Like nothing came as a surprise as long as she continued forward Like she wasnÆt even a living being but a machine proceeding forward on a track that had been designed by someone else for her Deja vu was her constant companion

And then she met Randidly Ghosthound Suddenly Vualla felt an intoxicating sense of freedom Somehow Vualla knew that Randidly Ghosthound was not something that should have happened to her life His presence gave her the resolve to leave that camp and go see her father He had shown her a Path toward reassuring herself

If she hadnÆt gone the guilt and concern over her father would have burrowed into her heart and turned rancid when she simply waited guided by that horrible track before her Eventually that malignant growth would taint the entirety of her being pushing her deeper and deeper into darkness

But Randidly had simply pushed all that away by being there He showed her another Path

Even more attractive was the fact he clearly possessed the same hatred for the System that she did He simply expressed it in a different way VuallaÆs destruction image was a much broader tool that she sharpened to strike against the System Meanwhile Randidly seemed almost uncaring of the tools he sharpened but rather his main focus was improving himself He possessed a strange arrogance that indicated he was sure that if he grew strong he would eventually be able to overcome the System

It was refreshing

But Vualla couldnÆt help but feel slightly betrayed by that bright ideal that Randidly had shown her If she hadnÆt followed him if she had instead remained on her pre written life and focused on making her power increase

I wouldnÆt have even been there to help him if I focused on improving my power VuallaÆs eyelids fluttered At least at least this way I was there I donÆt regret going But I wish

A tear gathered in each of VuallaÆs eyes She wanted to blink but some part of her wanted to hold that salty liquid in the corners of her eyes As though as long as she didnÆt actually shed the tears they wouldnÆt matter She was so very very afraid of being weak She felt so very very weak Somehow to release the tears was concrete proof that she was weak Yet even now Vualla could feel the warmth of RandidlyÆs hand on her back

There is another Path Vualla Randidly seemed to whisper

She began to cry First sniffing then sniffling then sobbing as more and more tears poured out of her and fell over her fatherÆs grave

I wish I would have said something to him I wish I wouldnÆt have just enlisted as a nameless soldier to fight and defend his camp I wish I could have talked to him about all the things I did in school all the friends I had I wish I wish I told him how much I missed him

Vualla was dimly aware that some other soldiers were crossing on the supply track behind her and slowing down as they heard the sound of her cries The grand and endless cemetery of the Aether forces was directly below the headquarters spreading almost as long as the frontlines despite the fact that the bodies were mostly thrown into mass pits

However time had seen that these pits soon became insufficient The only bright side was as a Commander that had achieved great merits before he died her father was prominently featured As was his due

Yet to be seen here so visibly emotional

I told Randidly once you couldnÆt consider yourself alive if you always lived in fear and that includes fear of being weak Vualla wrapped her arms around herself Being weak isnÆt something to fear None of us are perfect So so I shouldnÆt feel this bad I was just just being human So why

So why

Father

Vualla fell to her knees and continued to cry

There was so much that she still wanted to say to him So many things that she wanted to share about her life that her father had been too distant to ever hear from Vualla as she was growing up And despite the fact that her mother had expressly forbidden it she had snuck out of the Nexus and enrolled as a foot soldier

Now she was almost strong enough that her father would have been proud So why did he die now

Randidly looked down at the Nether Ritual that displayed Mrs Hamilton Frowning he watched as she cast her vote without even batting an eyelash Then only a few seconds later as the votes were tallied by unanimous decision Theodora Greyman was crowned as the first Chairwoman of the World Summit

Although the position only had a tenure of one year with an explicit rule against consecutive terms it felt like a strange move to Randidly for Mrs Hamilton to not try to seek the seat for herself He hadnÆt watched Mrs Hamilton very often in the intervening month since the first World Summit or three months for Randidly but from Mrs HamiltonÆs satisfied expression it wasnÆt that they had capitulated to the implied threat of Zone 1Æs Mjolnir

No Mrs Hamilton was playing a longer game than that For now all Randidly could do was trust that Mrs Hamilton knew what she was doing

Once they had selected a Chairwoman the meeting moved much more quickly They discussed the recent successes at the Ogre Gorge following DonnytonÆs outfitting of an Ogre Raid Group Everyone was also relieved that the bloodless murders had abruptly stopped although everyone was still on edge because no one took credit for putting an end to the murderer Then the discussion turned toward the Rakshasi

ItÆs rapid growth combined with the fact that it was often moving meant that Mjolnir was not an effective weapon to deal with it And aside from the absent Alana no one wanted to suggest that any single person was capable of taking it on Hank HowardÆs name was brought up before the World Summit but Theodora Greyman indicated that he had been granted the authority of special investigator which mean that he chose his own projects She would recommend it to him but he would make the final decision

Which is a smooth way of admitting that he refuses to listen to you Randidly thought with a grin

Although the World Summit continued Randidly closed the Nether Ritual The world moved in wide slow cycles He could tell from a look that there were a lot of undercurrents of tension on Earth but dwelling on them now was a waste of his time They would manifest on their own soon and it was an open question how long it would be until Randidly could do something about them So instead Randidly returned to the rather tiresome task of using Nether to deplete the Aether Key to hasten his return

Today whimsy struck Randidly and he played around with using NetherÆs Caress to try and actively damage the area around the Aether Key He was careful that none of his attacks ever struck the Key itself and triggered its defenses but he made sure the Nether was as dense as possible within the area

Congratulations Your Skill NetherÆs Caress has grown to Level 111

It is strange though Randidly thought with a frown as he continued to corrode the surrounding Aether Is the Mythic ranking due to its power The rarity of the effect Or is it just something dumb like the fact that the Skill intuitively opens a small hole to

Randidly blinked Then he activated NetherÆs Caress again this time allowing the portal that had caused him so much pain in his physical body to open rather than simply supplying the Nether himself from his cores Thick Nether came through forming to his will and sizzling against the ambient Aether

Randidly examined the portal closely then began to laugh

Chapter 1118

Time passed rapidly for Yggdrasil as he was now the only active image of Randidly Ghosthound remaining on the frontlines At least on the Aether side

During the day he hurried back and forth across the battlelines to repair the images of individuals wounded in the constant attacks against Lady IellayaÆs camp Then when night finally fell and usually Lady Iellaya or Abiodun took over most of the defensive efforts for the camp Yggdrasil returned to his tent and meditated on the Class he was making for Lady Iellaya

Without the presence of the Grim Chimera or his subordinates the tent was abruptly quite lonely It had been almost three months since they had been sent on that mission by now and the situation at the frontline was continuing to escalate toward a final confrontation Although Yggdrasil was growing stronger he inwardly worried that it wouldnÆt be enough

The fall of the Easternmost camp had taught Lady Iellaya a valuable lesson about showing herself and the danger of a Nether Gatekeeper ambush but she had refused to back down Honestly she seemed to be baiting out Nether Gatekeeper attacks which had resulted in several strikes against her Luckily for her Yggdrasil was willing to head over to Lady IellayaÆs tent several nights to nurture her image and while also continuing the work of creating a Class

Lady Iellaya appreciated the help recovering but her questions always pointed back to the task she had set to him to create a scaffolding of Aether large enough to support all of the potential she had absorbed into her self

Unfortunately it was difficult to work on it without the main body So what Yggdrasil had no choice but to focus on was capturing the feeling of Lady Iellaya As long as he possessed that the rest of the detail work would go much more quickly once they were able to recover the main body

Lady Iellaya was currently a Level 100 Raven Winged Vanguard which left Yggdrasil somewhat shocked Lady Iellaya had also given Yggdrasil the tidbit of information that Level 100 was the hard cap of Leveling in the System but you continued to grow after that by Leveling up the Great Fate you obtained at Level 100

Which was why upgrading her Class was such a hard ask It would require sufficient energy not only to break apart her Class and remake it but Lady Iellaya speculated that it would be necessary to also adjust her Great Fate as well

Yggdrasil was the first of RandidlyÆs images to be born and likely the one most closely associated with growth But the growth that Yggdrasil possessed was a steady and natural grown Grim Chimera governed the area of forced evolution in order to adapt Ignition Essence was the bright flash of inspiration that could set off a chain reaction of growth All three were heavily involved with growth and combined to create the kind of capability necessary for the creation of a Class

On his own

Yggrasil rustled his leaves in irritation and shook his canopy There was no point in getting worked up over this He knew in his heart that these Commanders were vastly underestimating the Grim ChimeraÆs ability to survive It was only a matter of time before the image that bore RandidlyÆs personality most closely returned to assist him In the meantime what really worried Yggdrasil was

He turned to look at the cracked egg in the far corner of the room Yggdrasil avoided looking at it as much as possible because it was clear that the egg where there was once light flickering within there was now none

In addition the egg was so cracked that it appeared ready to collapse from the slightest breeze During the worst of the Nether attacks Yggdrasil was agonized by the possibility that the shaking of the fighting would shift something and the egg would collapse to dust and reveal the situation within

Because so long as he didnÆt truly see that Ignition Essence was gone Yggdrasil would not give up hope

WeÆve been apart from the main body for far too long Yggdrasil thought tiredly We have grown for it but if we donÆt reunite soon

Shaking his canopy Yggdrasil dug his Perception into the ground and began to pull energy out from the world beneath him with Golden Roots of Yggdrasil It was only by heavily relying on this Skill that he had been able to survive to this point through all the accumulated Nether damage

Yet even as the Skill Level rapidly increased Yggdrasil felt tired

Closing his eyes Yggdrasil sighed This is my role however To endure even as the world slowly dies around me I am the tree that holds up the sky and the roots that support the Earth If I cannot manage to survive in these long moments how can I expect the other images to

I am Yggdrasil And I shall never fall By my hand the great saga of our existence is writ and it will be my will that this all will end

Congratulations Your Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 209

Yggdrasil sat silently allowing the vivifying strength to return to his branches

Congratulations Your Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 210

Unfortunately the night was too soon over Even here at the edge of the world where the very fabric of the stone ground shook from the constant grating presence of Nether dawn always came and Yggdrasil wearily raised his body and prepared for another day of healing But as Yggdrasil was reaching for the tent flap to return to the horrible conditions of the camp he felt a presence on his mind

Be prepared The voice of the main body whispered in his ear Then the impression was gone fled as quickly as it had arrived

Yet it made all the difference

Congratulations Your Skill Deific Mien of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 249

Finally Yggdrasil whispered as the weariness of enduring alone for the past three months fell away Although it had been nothing but a single phrase Yggdrasil could hear the main bodyÆs determination And with that reassurance he went about his tasks with renewed vigor

Days passed ceaselessly into each other until they became weeks Then the weeks grouped together and became months Even as the total time that had passed since the Grim Chimera had left with the Aether Key for the Great Rift was six months and since Yggdrasil had heard from the main body had been three months that hope didnÆt fade or ebb

If anything it grew surer Yggdrasil continued to push himself focusing more fully on Yyrwood Body and Infinite Fingers of Yggdrasil to prepare as a return gift for the main body when he finally liberated himself These Skills were the most difficult to practice in image form but it also gave Yggdrasil an excuse to become more involved directly in the fighting on the frontlines Which in turn led to him becoming even closer with Lady Iellaya and Abiodun

Perhaps for that reason Yggdrasil thought nothing of it when Abiodun showed up one morning at the edge of his tent

The Class Abiodun asked shortly as he faced Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil shook his leafy canopy I believe I have accurately been able to capture Lady IellayaÆs spirit However without the Skills of my actual body

There is no more time Abiodun rumbled But rather than angry the stone man seemed deeply agitated Lord Miln has just announced that one of the Aether Keys was likely defective Its energy deteriorated faster than should be possible significantly faster to the point that the Aether in the area was almost completely dispersed in only six months

Perhaps sensing this weakness and also motivated by that bastard Terith continuing to keep the Nether Prince alive AbiodunÆs eyes abruptly glowed together becoming piercingly bright as he examined Yggdrasil Then his eyes slowly faded back to a dimmer illumination The Nether King broke through the blockade with his army and is proceeding directly toward the front lines Initial estimates put his total forces at one million with at least one hundred of those possessing the power of a Nether Gatekeeper

A tremor went through Yggdrasil That was a lot of Nether Beasts but he doubted that Abiodun would grow so agitated from that information So

The Aether Key that was defective it was the one assigned to your fellow image Lord Miln made it known to Lady Iellaya that you were to be brought to the emergency council that is being called to deal with the approaching army After the council he will likely demand that you be handed over to him as per our agreement

In a rare display of emotion Abiodun reached up and grabbed YggdrasilÆs shoulder This is why I tried to warn you If we had insisted on another deal but we no longer have the capital to protect you And without you Lady IellayaÆs dream

Abiodun Yggdrasil cut the other man off Although Yggdrasil was aware that most of the concern was only due to the benefit that he could bring to Lady Iellaya it was still rather touching that the stone man displayed this much emotion I stand by my decision and I suspect that when we go to this council you will be very surprised by how this turns out We still have the array to trace the status of images yes

Abiodun looked at Yggdrasil blankly You believe that an image is able to survive in the Great Rift When the army of a Nether King came marching directly overtop of where he was stationed

The reminder about the army made Yggdrasil wince inwardly but he didnÆt let his hesitation show As long as the Grim Chimera didnÆt get it into his head to challenge the Nether King to a direct confrontation Yes

Sighing Abiodun shook his head You have a lot of faith in your fellow image

Yggdrasil chuckled Maybe so But donÆt you have faith in me for the same reason We can help you create a Class to make sure Lady Iellaya becomes truly powerful It is a very rare ability indeed I suspect its why our body is being coveted even now

To that Abiodun just grunted sourly Chuckling Yggdrasil followed after the stone man toward headquarters

Chapter 1119

Vualla folded her arms to hide her hand that had balled themselves into fists This farce of a meeting had gone on for far too long for her to sit still Yet she was bound here brought by Cail Tweocs who stood beside her looked as just as content with bored as the rest of the assembled Commanders

Yet right now VuallaÆs gaze flicked toward the door to the meeting tent

Lord Miln favored Commander Terith with a sharp look I must insist that you had over the Nether Prince Surely your current results have made it clear that your methods are incapable of breaking its will With the threat of the Nether King looming over us it is time to put aside this foolishness

I think IÆve already made my refusal clear Supreme Commander Commander Terith replied frostily Although he was certainly someone who was loyal to his commanding officer Commander TerithÆs pride made it so that he very easily took offense to this very direct dressing down Especially when it occurred in front of his peers

But still now is not the time for this infighting Vualla did her best to breathe out her nose and control her emotions

Yet this specific argument wasnÆt the reason that Vualla was so furious she was biting her lip hard enough to make her mouth taste like copper Well that was technically not true Because it was this argument that was infuriating It was the fact that they had time to bicker about this stupid thing while a million strong army of Nether Beasts sent detachments of ten thousand to assault the Aether ForceÆs forward defenses

Luckily the fact that the Nether King broke through an Aether Key directly gave them an early warning and they had pulled out their emergency defensive armaments It gave the forces an Aether another edge in a defensive battle which was much needed

Yet even though the initial numbers were extremely rosy in terms of loss ratios that entirely missed the point the Nether King was a foe far beyond the capability of any one individual on this frontline to battle Even Cail Tweocs seemed somewhat leery at the prospect And the forces of Aether only had about one hundred thousand troops stationed here with at least half of those currently on rest rotation

The early numbers might look good but the forces of Aether would tire out With numbers at their back more and more Nether Beasts would keep coming and killing And then they would all

Vualla had to press her eyes shut as the image of her fatherÆs pale and deceased form appeared before her eyes She bit her lip even harder I will not cry here I cannot

IÆm afraid I must insist Lord Miln said lightly

Commander Terith glared at Lord Miln but remained silent A heavy moment passed between them as their gazes remained locked Everyone else sat in various positions of polite listening while not particularly willing to get involved on either side

Seething inside Vualla looked away until her gaze settled onto the bushy and verdant form of Yggdrasil Vualla had met the treant man a few times in passing since Randidly had left for the Great Rift and overall she hadnÆt given him much attention in her mind he was only another one of the images that was a part of Randidly

Yet now looking at his serene expression

That familiar warmth of RandidlyÆs touch on her back returned to her Peace and tranquility seemed to radiate off of the emerald leaves of the treant And perhaps most poignantly the emerald of the leaves reminded Vualla of RandidlyÆs pure eyes The color of the leaves was slightly lighter but

But I canÆt be tranquil Vualla looked at the ground Not when so many die while we waste our time here

One of the other commanders coughed light Ahem Perhaps we can table this matter for now With the forces of the Nether King marching on us

Breaking the will of the Nether Prince is of tantamount importance Lord Miln said

The Commander that had seen fit to speak frowned at the brusque reaction from Lord Miln But our forces are currently grossly underprepared for the assault At least issue an emergency recall of those on rest leave so we can

The foot soldierÆs job Lord Miln said sharply as he rapped his knuckles on his heavy desk Is to buy time so that we the decision makers can move with the wisdom and clarity that befits our position And let me tell you the Nether Prince is how we win this war So Commander Terith

Those people will die Vualla cut in sharply No longer could she stay silent not when someone else had tried the argument gently No now that a Path had opened she would smash into it with everything she had That was her choice to make She straightened her back and prepared to meet Lord MilnÆs gaze Does that mean nothing to you

Silence fell in the council as everyone turned to look at Vualla Although many of the Commanders had brought attendants to the meeting they all stood as far back as possible and kept silent This was a place where only the Commanders had leave to speak So to suddenly step forward meant that Vualla abruptly experienced the heavy gaze of all of the assembled Commanders

The pressure against her built and built but VuallaÆs neck did not bend Her time training with Cail Tweocs was something very near abuse but that didnÆt mean that she hadnÆt grown from it Especially in the last three months since her father died she had been able to internalize many of CailÆs lessons to great effect Pressure flowed closer but the tightly leashed aura of destruction Vualla controlled ate it away

Just as VuallaÆs jaw was clenching from enduring the strain Cail stepped forward and spoke with his piping voice This woman is here with me If she truly wishes to express her opinions so be it

Immediately the pressure vanished like a veil had been drawn around Vualla Some part of her wondered if Cail Tweocs had done something directly but she suspected that wasnÆt the case Even at the best of times Cail was extremely arrogant too much so to bother with both speaking and acting on her behalf No the more likely answer was that CailÆs words were enough to completely distinguish the ire of the Commanders

Sorta fucked up I was so focused on my father being gone that I never paid attention this Xyrt Brigade Vualla thought bitterly

fine Even Lord Miln seemed to pull back somewhat He looked her up and down before shaking his head Say your piece girl

You know what There was a fire in VuallaÆs chest now put there by Lord MilnÆs indulgent tone Fuck you You donÆt deserve for me to point out that you are a shriveled empty husk of a person who is too afraid of letting your carefully laid plans fail than saving a life Someone like you should never have been chosen as the Supreme Commander of a battlefield If we have to wait for you to order us to live everyone but you will die

Vualla could feel it in her gauntlets The aura of destruction that Vualla carried with her began to leak outward Compared to when Vualla had activated in an exhausted state these past several months this destruction fueled by rage was incredibly dangerous The fire of rage ignited her and the world around her brightened into sharp clarity The beast in her chest called for a hungry destruction with grasping claws and red rimmed eyes that would dismantle this useless command structure that bound it

So she lashed out almost hoping that Lord Miln would move to meet her in combat At least then they wouldnÆt simply be sitting here while soldiers died At least then she could let this growing fire out of her

There was a second of numb silence as everyone heard VuallaÆs words and realized that it was a bared challenge against Lord Miln In this second of confusion Lord Miln displayed the same look of confusion Then as the words were given time to sink in his face became warped by rage

Hah Cail sighed Immediately Lord MilnÆs face went blank

VuallaÆs rage spiked upward I donÆt need you to protect me isnÆt this what you always wanted For me to just give in to rage and let everything go So why

If thatÆs how you feel Lord Miln said slowly That is something you have to settle with your own conscious Are you truly angry at us girl or are you angry at yourself To be weak is a tragic thing is it not

IÆm Vualla began but then she snapped her jaws shut with an audible click This fuck obviously didnÆt understand the first thing about her but that didnÆt mean he wasnÆt right Part of VuallaÆs rage was because she was forced to come here to this meeting by Cail Tweocs but had he really forced her to come

Right now she could go fight

But the enemy was a Nether Gatekeeper Even if she had grown

Even so this destruction that she felt now around her so hungry and familiar seemed to whisper that she could do it As long as she gave in to her most destructive impulses Vualla could rival a Nether Gatekeeper Hell maybe that wasnÆt her limit at all She could rival all of them so long as she trusted in this destruction

Then I guess IÆll be going Vualla said shortly Without another word she turned on her heel and walked out of the command tent and looked up at the sky The air above the Aether forces was dense with the weight of the Great Rift And beyond that she could see the rippling sea of blue tentacles that stretched outward from the Nether KingÆs assembled forces

Then she lowered her eyes toward the horizon and looked at the column of troop smashing into the hastily assembled defenses that the camps had created The grand formation that gave the soldiers their Nether stars had been activated defensively for now giving up the creation of stars and instead projecting a heavy restriction against the forces of Nether

Even so screams and rumbles echoed out from the front lines The Nether Gatekeeper was making his presence known And in the absence of a Commander to stand against that foe the forces of Aether had no choice but bunker down and endure

With the increased pressure from the Great Rift large chunks of land were beginning to levitate upward from the rocky ground So it seemed like as the Nether forces marched forward the lands themselves were rising to give them aid The high metal wall fortifications that the Aether forces brought out for emergencies appeared to have been constructed without issue The grey metal barricades were sturdy things but they began to warp and bubble as Nether crashed against them and Nether Beasts dug their claws into the physical substance for purchase

Images clashed against the Nether Beast sweeping them off the wall For a few seconds the forces of Aether had time to catch their breath and prepare for the next battle But then Vualla spotted the Nether Gatekeeper and her stomach dropped like a stone

It was a humanoid figure with six tails lashing back and forth Each swipe of the tail left a deep gash in the metal barricades Then the Nether Gatekeeper paused and gathered all of its tails together in one large swing The Nether energy gathering in that tail caused electric distortions in the surrounding physical space with its power When it cut the entire barricade split and a sea of Nether Beasts forced their way forward to fall upon the shocked defenders

Chapter 1120

As Vualla stood poised on the rocky outcropping of headquarters and looked down other the battlefield time seemed to slow She could pick out every single detail of the Nether Beasts that were leading the charge against the Aether defenders She could see their inky black fur and talons hear the reverberating noises of their battlecries

She could feel their fierce joy as they killed And she wanted to stop it with every fiber of her being

This is what Randidly taught me Vualla thought with remarkable lightness Her hands clenched into fists ThatI always have a choice Everything I thought everything I feel I can choose to do whatever I want I can follow those desires toward my goal no matter how unlikely it is ThatÆs what freedom is

Surviving if she went down to face that Nether Gatekeeper seemed entirely unlikely because that familiar voice that showed Vualla the track in her life was whispering now that this was too soon She was too weak If she went out now she would die And even if that was true Vualla knew she would step forward Because she wanted to that was all the reason she needed

If she wanted to become the person who would make her father proud

I wonÆt stand back and wait for when I know the perfect thing to say Vualla looked down at her gauntlets I wonÆt become like these Commanders who wait for their perfect opportunity Sometimes you just need to step forward and shape the world to become the opportunity you need

And if I see you again Randidly IÆll tell you that to me you

But Vualla stopped herself there because the urge to cry rose up in her chest once more Instead she fixed her eyes on the Nether Gatekeeper

For the sake of your lives IÆll bear the burden of destruction Vualla whispered quietly Then she took several steps forward Then she was running then sprinting her legs blurring as the distance between her and her target was devoured by her long steps Soon she had built up so much momentum that each of her steps left a large crater in her wake as she hurtled down the mountain toward the battlefield below

When she arrived her image billowed outward and prepared to rip and tear

For a time after VuallaÆs abrupt departure the discussions of how to address the threat continued But it was immediately clear that many of the Commanders present were swayed by VuallaÆs words The fact that they shared her opinion was evidenced by the fact that one had spoken up Despite Lord MilnÆs insistence that the Nether Prince was of paramount importance to their strategy they refused to voice any support of him against Commander TerithÆs stance

Yggdrasil felt rather happy that his treant face was rather naturally unexpressive Otherwise he would need to use a branch to cover his smile as Lord MilnÆs annoyance became increasingly pronounced

so you will not surrender the Nether Prince for anything less than a direct order Lord Miln said grimly Just as tight lipped Commander Terith nodded slowly The terms of the ultimatum were laid out Now it just depended on which path Lord Miln took

Lady Iellaya had given Yggdrasil some background on the behind the scenes politics of the battlefield Most of the time the Commanders were perfectly willing to look the other way from what personal projects the Supreme Commander used their influence for as long as the Supreme Commander refrained from issuing any direct orders to the Commanders

There seemed to be some sort of code of honor at work to make such a rule workable to the effect that most Commanders would obey requests even if they didnÆt like them as long as they were reasonable But it seemed that for whatever reason everyone in the room agreed that handing over the Nether Prince crossed that unspoken line It was not a reasonable request to make even with the Nether King breathing down their neck

Perhaps especially with the Nether King breathing down their neck

Which made Yggdrasil extremely curious about the Nether Prince He had just assumed that it was a moderately powerful individual within the Nether hierarchy but they wouldnÆt have such a bitter argument over this individual if they werenÆt special beyond that

After a long glare Lord Miln looked down at the table well I suppose thatÆs enough for now There is an army at our doorstep ladies and gentlemen We all have work to do You are dismissed

Then after a pause Ah Lady Iellaya and retinue stay We must speak on a personal matter

Perhaps because of Lord MilnÆs obvious pressure on Commander Terith during the meeting and the fact that she had earned significant respect for enduring the lion shareÆs of the attacks thus far several Commanders exchanged glances and then looked at Lady Iellaya for guidance before they left the tent She smiled in thanks for their concern but shook her head slightly Seeing her decision the lingering Commanders left

Very soon there were only five individuals left within the Command Tent Lord Miln Lady Iellaya Abiodun Yggdrasil and the strange Cail Tweocs

Lord Miln wasted no time The image of Randidly Ghosthound that was sent into the Great Rift has fallen heroically in battle Truly who could have expected that his Aether Key would be assaulted by the army of the Nether King His sacrifice will not be forgotten but per our agreement the other images of Randidly Ghosthound will now come under my jurisdiction Believe me I will remember this favor Lady Iellaya If its in my power in the future I will make your dream come true

Cail Tweocs chuckled darkly but Lady Iellaya just stared at Lord Miln for several seconds Then she spared Yggdrasil a meaningful glance The feathers on her arm flexed and then settled back against her skin as though she was considering something Finally she opened her mouth and said Does it really need to be this way

Twisting his mouth Lord Miln said coldly Are you trying to avoid our deal Lady Iellaya

No IÆm just trying to add an addendum to the deal Lady IellayaÆs face was carefully blank This image owes me a favor And letÆs not beat around the bush you plan on disposing of this man immediately once you possess jurisdiction over his adrift images So I would ask that you briefly allow the images to reunite with the body so this man can repay this favor before you take what you want from him

Lord Miln stilled His eyes were strangely haunted as he stared fixed at Lady Iellaya What a novel theory That I would covet the body of a Heretic

Just private speculation Please forgive me if IÆve overstepped Lady Iellaya barred her teeth toward Lord Miln Even with a body and reunited with his images there is no possibility that this man would be a threat to you right What is the harm in allowing me this

The atmosphere became increasingly cold Once more Cail Tweocs chuckled a little louder this time Abiodun gave Yggdrasil a meaningful look that said something like this is all we can do for you Please take this chance Æ

Yggdrasil shook his leafy canopy in amusement Truly what a farce

While the heavy atmosphere remained heavy Yggdrasil took a step forward and entered into that powerful battle of wills before we decide anything I would advise that neither of you jumps to conclusions WasnÆt it part of the original deal that you would use the array around the body to check the status of the Grim Chimera image

Both powerful figures blinked at Yggdrasil

is there any meaning to doing that Even I cannot stand against the forces of a Nether King Lord Miln said with a twist of his mouth The image has definitely died

Yggdrasil performed a short bow and clasped two branches together Then I suppose there is no harm in checking Please

Lord Miln sighed Lady Iellaya remained silent but she was looking at Yggdrasil with a burning intensity as her feathers slowly fluffed upward Her eyes begged him to allow the new deal she was arguing for come to pass rather than pursuing this foolishness Because once Lord Miln followed the request he would be much less willing to agree to another

Yggdrasil didnÆt waver He had faith He had been told to ready himself and now it was time for him to act

Hopefully IÆm reading this right Yggdrasil admitted to himself inwardly

Fine then Lord Miln turned away from his desk and scanned the rows of pods behind him His eyes flicked back and forth for a few seconds but then he smiled wickedly at one in particular He raised his hand and swirls of purple energy gathered around his hand With a light gesture those swirls of energy formed a complex series of geometric lines and flowed toward the pod in question

Those strange purple energy glyphs flowed into the pod and

nothing happened

Lord Miln blinked Then he coughed awkwardly and made another series of sharp gestures with his hand This time when the purple glyphs formed they were much more brilliant and blinding these had been loaded up with power With a flick they flowed forward But again when these glyphs sank into the pod nothing happened

The pod failed Lord Miln muttered Then he turned his sharp gaze toward Yggdrasil Although the glance was laden with suspicion and killing intent Yggdrasil did not waver He simply remained in his half bow position and let Lord Miln come to his own conclusions

Slowly Lord Miln settled down He turned toward Cail Master Tweocs it seems the body has managed to cut off the bindings of the pod I am unsure how this would be possible but it might mean he has a few tricks up his sleeve Can I trouble you to suppress anything that he attempts

Of course Cail Tweocs piped up with glimmering eyes I have long wished to meet Randidly Ghosthound This is just some extra anticipation Hehehe I do hope he has something extraordinarily special planned for this Otherwise well I have been told my disappointment is disastrous for those who betray my faith

Yggdrasil shivered But he believed The main body knew what he was doing

Much more assured now that he had Cail TweocsÆ agreement Lord Miln moved For the first time since Yggdrasil had seen him Lord Miln left his desk and walked directly over toward the offending pod which continued to stand completely unresponsive Once he was right in front of it Cail tried to open it once more with the purple energy The sigils disappeared once more without a trace Shaking his head Lord Miln began to conjure a set of heavy purple armor for himself out of that same energy

When he bristled like a lavender fortress of neon light he reached around the side of the pod and engaged a hidden mechanism There was a terrible grinding noise as Lord Miln forced the gears to move and then there was a light pop as the pod cracked open

Energy crackled outward as a dense wave of Nether spread outward The air began to vibrate and warp The metal of the pod hissed and steamed as the energy rushed outward and immediately began to corrode the surrounding pods Alarmed Lord Miln took several steps backward and glared at the opening

The hissing slowed to a sigh as more and more slate grey smoke billowed out of the opened pod Snorting Cail Tweocs waved his hand These sort of amateur tricks

A gust of wind whipped away all of the smoke revealing the contents of the pod to everyone present

Lord MilnÆs jaw dropped The body is gone

Chapter 1121

WHAT Cail Tweocs bellowed Faster than Yggdrasil believed possible Cail was sudden right in front of the pod reaching in and feeling around inside of it Despite the horrifying speed that Cail displayed it was somewhat amusing to see him so frantically searching the pod for the main body as though it was simply hiding in a nook

After an intense minute Cail took a step backward His face was contorted with fury and Yggdrasil could see his worm like veins wriggling in his forehead His hands were pale hairless claws and his fingers wiggled ineffectually like luminescent pale worms Luckily all of that anger was not directed toward Yggdrasil

You imbecile Cail Tweocs hissed as he rounded on Lord Miln In a way that made the frost between Lady Iellaya and Lord Miln look like a melting ice cube the entire tent was plunged into an artic glacier Yggdrasil barely was able to move while the fury of Cail was on full display How could you allow this to happen My investment

Mr Tweocs please Lord Miln raised his hands This should be impossible Besides can we not simply recover his body How can he escape your esteemed capture And I hope this doesnÆt mean our other deal is off the table

We CANNOT simply capture him once more Cail Tweocs eyes were twitching as his high pitched voice wavered wildly Jabbing his finger toward Lord MilnÆs chest he stalked forward The temporary punishment as a heretic divested him of his rights as one who possesses the qualifications for Tier I citizenship but as soon as he recovered his body those rights

Cail Tweocs paused and hissed through his teeth Then he straightened and adjusted his cloak Instantly the fury was gone He calmly turned and regarded Lady Iellaya Abiodun and Yggdrasil Leave Now

Lady Iellaya put her hand on YggdrasilÆs shoulder bowed and then hurried the trio out of the tent before they heard something that would mean Cail Tweocs was willing to kill them But Yggdrasil believed that they had heard more than enough already for it to have been worth it to be there

But it was only when they were out of the small tent that Yggdrasil realized how powerful Cail Tweocs truly was and the knife edge along which they had walked after leaving his presence it felt like Yggdrasil could finally breathe again

You were right about your body and likely the other image Lady Iellaya said quietly Chewing on her lip she studied Yggdrasil Apologies for doubting you

Yggdrasil shrugged I can understand why you didnÆt believe me Because what I was saying didnÆt make sense But that is just who Randidly Ghosthound is ThatÆs why we are the ones that can give you the Class you are seeking

With a rare genuine smile Lady Iellaya nodded Then her expression shifted to something more serious Now where is your main body They seemed angry but I believe what Mister Tweocs was saying is correct once a Heretic has recovered his physical body the punishment portion of the stay on the front lines has been servedÆ If we begin working on the Class now do you think you can have it finished before the main force of the Nether King arrives

Awkwardly scratching his face Yggdrasil could only say Well

The two regarded him with heads tilted to the side as Yggdrasil shifted awkwardly side to side Then Abiodun released a barking laugh you are saying that you also donÆt know where your physical body is Truly a troublesome individual weÆve involved herself with

ItÆs not like I donÆt have any ideas where he might be Yggdrasil winced The main body but especially the Grim Chimera image has an extremely bad habit of running directly toward the most dangerous place An old habit that weÆve never really been able to shake So if I had to guess

They were walking down a stone path from the headquarters toward the front of the battlefield but Lady Iellaya stopped abruptly and stared at Yggdrasil The most dangerous place I hope you donÆt mean

Yes Yggdrasil sighed and raised a branch to point directly forward I suspect that the main body has disguised itself and is now a part of the Nether KingÆs army

But how Lady Iellaya hissed

Yggdrasil could only use his verdant canopy to shrug

After a split second of stillness all three turned and hurried down toward the chaotic battlefield below them

Vualla roared in fury and raised her hand as the Nether Gatekeeper lashed at her with one of its deadly tails Her image of destruction condensed into a hard core and smashed into the tail but Vualla was still knocked several steps backward Without setting her stance correctly coping with the Nether Gatekeeper was a struggle

In that opening two lesser Nether Beasts about the four star level ambushed Vualla from behind With a single backhand she shattered their bodies and cores but it gave the Nether Gatekeeper the space to take another few steps forward and followed up with another whip like strike with two more of its tails

Groaning Vualla forced herself to hastily stop and raise her heavy gauntlets This time her defense was strong enough that she didn’t take a step back But as she panted and lowered her arms Vualla was stricken to see that the Nether Gatekeeper had finally pushed Vualla back enough to step through the iron barricades Nether Beasts began to swarm around it to attack the forces of Aether that had been able to huddle behind them

When Vualla had originally arrived at the battlefield almost fifteen minutes ago she had built enough momentum and image with her descent to the location that she had struck the Nether Gatekeeper and smashed him backward out of the rupture in the iron barricades The Nether GatekeeperÆs body was thrown back and crashed into one of the floating islands caused by the Great RiftÆs invasion Stone and rock rained downward burying the Nether Gatekeeper completely

Using that opportunity the forces of Aether rallied and rapidly slaughtered all of the Nether Beasts that had made it through the gap before Vualla had arrived and plugged it up But she knew that it was only a temporary thing Her blow hadnÆt been enough to deal serious damage to the Nether Gatekeeper only surprise it

And after the floating pillar of rock collapsed to the ground it only took a few seconds for the Nether Gatekeeper to rip apart the surrounding ground and stand back up Its eyes tight with fury it began to stride purposefully forward toward Vualla Lashing the surrounding ground with its tails it made its intent extremely obvious

Vualla had tried her best since then Every tip she had learned from Cail Tweocs over the past six months came to her strengthening her immensely from her power before Her image was uniform and strong It could stand against a Nether GatekeeperÆs corrosive and dense Nether barely And with every blow she endured from the terrible foe she could feel her image being refined into something even more capable Right around the corner an epiphany was tantalizing her She was so close to being powerful enough

But when she had to handle the ambushes from the lesser Nether Beasts as well

When she had to give up ground in order to not take a wound serious enough to diminish her current combat capabilities

After fifteen minutes Vualla was exhausted and the levies against the Nether Beasts were overwhelmed Once again the terrifying mass of numbers the Nether forces possessed surged forward to overwhelm them

Even if she was very close to becoming strong enough to make a difference she wouldnÆt make it in time Those same soldiers that had rallied when she saved them now began to die as more and more Nether Beasts slashed their way forward With every Aether soldier who died the hole got bigger and Nether seized more of a foothold on this side of the barricades Very soon they would be overrun

And with the Nether Gatekeeper and its lackeys pinning her down she could not help them

You arenÆt enough That poisonous voice that was born by her father completely ignoring her as a child whispered You will never be enough Everything you want to protect will die

And strangely Vualla could feel it in the air All around her she could feel the small exodus of lives around her and the small burst of energy that was released when a soul was extinguished permanently The small gasp as a whole slew of images ceased to be But Vualla gritted her teeth and concentrated her Willpower She ignored the strange flood of information that was coming to her

No I will I have the freedom to choose my fate And I choose to save them all

The Nether Gatekeeper gathered its six tails into a single focused blade and thrust it forward at blinding speed toward Vualla Relying on her instincts all of Vualla power of destruction went into her left hand and she unleashed a brutal left hook toward the Nether GatekeeperÆs core The two blows crossed between them in a flash and then both landed heavily

Fuck Vualla said as the thrust from the tail pierced completely through the center of her right gauntlet and continued to rip forward Luckily the quick defense was enough to divert the blow slightly and the tail just bored a huge hole in her shoulder rather than skewering a lung Still this is what she had tried so hard to avoid now her right arm would be out of commission for quite a while

Yet VuallaÆs blow had also landed And this time she felt the Nether GatekeeperÆs body shuddering beneath the assault But before she could follow up the lesser Nether Beasts smashed into her and knocked her backward

ItÆs you fucks that are the problem Vualla thought furiously If you all just gave me the chance to strike

Tumbling through the air Vualla quickly flew backward and crashed into a medical tent that had been hastily set up near the frontlines Most everyone who could walk had already been evacuated so those that remained in the dim tent were afflicted with deadly wounds Her chest heaving Vualla looked around at the dying soldiers around her and then looked back at the Nether forces

At least it seemed that fucker was just as hurt as I was Vualla thought bitterly as she looked as the several Nether Beasts that were hovering around it worriedly Then her eyes refocused on the Nether Beast that was walking slowly forward to face her

It possessed a tall and relatively graceful form for Nether Beasts possessing two huge hands lined with long talons And with five star strength it was nothing to sneeze at The air around it crackled with particularly dense Nether energy Even if this one wasnÆt six star yet it wasnÆt far from it Certainly it would be enough to buy time for the Nether Gatekeeper to recover Hell considering VuallaÆs current injuries it might be enough to kill her itself

I cannot die here VuallaÆs eyes narrowed I cannot I cannot afford and even if I need to

The five star Nether Beast leaned forward and rushed quickly forward Despite its size it seemed to move with uncanny grace VuallaÆs instincts were screaming she needed to lash out against it but her thoughts kept following that strange sensation of death around If she could only just find

A realization struck her Suddenly she looked around at the surrounding bodies with a baleful light in her azure eyes That energy that is released when they die when the images cease to exist isnÆt that the purest energy of destruction If I take that power and make it my own

Even if its not mine they would think it worth it if I take it from them right They will die anyway So if I just

Vualla

VuallaÆs entire world froze at that single word spoken in a voice that was so impossibly familiar to her Eh

The Nether Beast in front of her rippled The black fire around its body dimmed and fell away The long talons became normal fingers There was black hair a striking face strong and wiry limbs and of course piercing emerald eyes

Randidly Ghosthound But you are

In the flesh finally Randidly said with obvious relish Then he gave her another look one that was laced with a deep sadness Shaking his head he turned around and looked back toward the forces of Nether that were surging forward To her surprise Vualla felt so strangely reassured having him standing next to her against the coming horde for now letÆs not waste time with small talk Shall we We have a miracle to make from scratch

Chapter 1122

Once Randidly really thought about NetherÆs Caress he had a whole host of questions But he also had one very tempting idea that sprung out of his musings

Why not use the portal to return to his body and surprise Lord Miln by breaking out of the suppression pod

Of course this idea had to be swiftly abandoned When all he been able to learn was how much the main body was struggling to manage against the Aether bindings of the pod it wasnÆt possible that Lord Miln wouldnÆt have other defenses in place to prevent exactly that from happening But that didnÆt mean the inverse wasnÆt possible

Why couldnÆt he use that portal to bring the main body out of the pod and into the Great Rift

It required the main body sustaining quite a bit of damage from Nether in order to loosen the restrictions on it in the pod itself but it worked out in the end As an image Randidly easily abandoned the Aether Key especially when he could sense the oncoming assault of a huge army and flowed through the portal into an unfamiliar part of the Great Rift Then the main body opened its own portal and with a lot more difficulty forced its way through

And once the Grim Chimera merged back together with the main body Randidly Ghosthound had the full benefit of both an Aether Crossroads and the five Nether Cores that he had condensed while preparing in the Great Rift for this very occasion

He had been somewhat worried about what would happen when the two energies were present at the same time but there was no negative reaction Because for the first time the Nether and Aether were aligned completely It didnÆt feel like he had grown stronger but a weird sort of understanding had grown in him from the harmonious combination

Aether held his images and gave him a physical presence Nether provided the history of his memories and connected him more intimately than ever before with the other images and histories of those he had bound himself to

Abruptly Randidly felt solid in a way that he never had before His energies had united

But of course he didnÆt have much time to examine the changes that were happening inwardly there was a war going on Randidly quickly located a nearby blue vein in his portion of the Great Rift and had to spend almost a week jumping along resting and then jumping along the vein some more to traverse the vast distance to the frontlines

Then using his five Nether Cores to disguise himself Randidly had joined in the assault of the frontlines to finally return from where he came after spending what felt like a year and four months in the Great Rift

IÆm so glad you made it An extremely bedraggled Vualla took a staggering step forward toward Randidly Due to her right arm being almost completely useless she reached up with her gauntleted left hand to touch his face I without you Randidly I

Pressing her eyes together Vualla shook her head I suppose it can wait Yes letÆs fight to save as many as we can

RandidlyÆs gaze contained immeasurable sadness as two truths warred with him as he looked at Vualla The truth of the Grim Chimera who possessed deep feelings for Vualla was perhaps stronger and purer Because Randidly did indeed share those same feelings for her The qualities the Grim Chimera admired Randidly also admired And even now wounded and exhausted Vualla was beautiful and bright as an iris growing wild on a mountainside

Yet Randidly now also knew the truth that the main body had been able to sense about Vualla He couldnÆt yet understand why her Aether was so familiar but he knew why it was so ancient And why it would be a tragedy to let his emotions for Vualla to develop further than they already had

Cail Tweocs ha what a joke Randidly gritted his teeth IÆll make you pay for this did you do this on purpose to toy with my emotions

Aloud Randidly said blithely No we will be saving them all

Blinking Vualla didnÆt react for a few seconds Then she began to laugh You ha fine then I shouldnÆt have expected anything less from the man with the emerald eyes Her braided azure hair swayed behind her back as she favored Randidly with a pure smile LetÆs save them all then Randidly

Well itÆs not like we wonÆt have help Randidly said as a smile tugged at his mouth Even if I know the truth if you smile at me like that God it feels good to smile back

Right on time three figures smashed into the ground nearby Lady Iellaya and Abiodun looked in wonder at Randidly but he ignored them Instead he smiled at Yggdrasil and opened his arms You were almost late

Heh please forgive me We were held up Yggdrasil said simply Then he became incorporeal and phased back into Randidly A warm familiar feeling spread through Randidly and he unleashed a relieved sigh

That two down one to go but for now this is enough

Then Randidly turned and looked at the battlefield The familiar feeling of Mana began to boil in his veins as he saw countless small battles across the clashing armies where Nether Beasts used their superior numbers to strike and slay soldiers of Aether Dark octopi bears hedgehogs wolverines dinosaurs werewolves and slugs lashed out and ate away ate the Aether in the air I will not let this turn into another tragedy like the Hallat River

Like an old friend when Randidly pulled his oldest and most influential image came Within a split second a towering image of Yggdrasil rumbled up out of the ground behind him Even if it was only a brief break before Randidly called on it again there was a very distinct difference between being a physical image and being an image that was based in a real body

It roared upward parting the ground on the Aether side of the battlefield as the deep brown trunk lined with golden script forced itself up into the sky Then the emerald leaves began to sprout so large and broad that a family could sleep under those leaves like they were a broad and comforting roof

Across the battlefield both sides paused as the enormous image weighed over them The Aether soldiers began to cheer The size difference from YggdrasilÆs form as a solo image was staggering The long shadow cast by the vast trunk and gleaming leaves of Yggdrasil covered the entire battlefield

Even Lady Iellaya raised her eyebrows as she looked upward at the towering tree This

IÆm not done yet Randidly said grimly Then he released a deep breath and forced that image to evolve For this battle Randidly didnÆt want just fingers And with the next batch of PP from his Soulskill right around the corner it was time to set the stage for the Growth of Yggdrasil (III) Path

Warning Your Skill Infinite Fingers of Yggdrasil Lvl 258 is attempting to evolve Warning a significant amount of life energy will be consumed

If you possess an insufficient amount of life energy loss of Stats or death may result

Oh donÆt worry I have life energy to spare RandidlyÆs eyes burned as Aether roared through him But it didnÆt escape his notice that there was the smallest drop of Nether that flowed along within the Aether he poured into the Skill becoming the core of his wish

Desire hope image and intensity wove themselves together There was an internal harmony Randidly felt pushing his power higher and higher The Skill in his Soulspace shivered then began to mutate rapidly into something much more imposing

Congratulations Your Skill Infinite Fingers of Yggdrasil has evolved into Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Skill Levels will be maintained Calculating Rarity

Congratulations A great result Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has been given the Rarity Transcendental

Now then Randidly said aloud even as he felt extremely excited to see the Rarity spike upward Shall we begin

The tree towering above the battlefield groaned with obvious pleasure After so long it finally had the chance to run wild And then it reached and there was nothing on the face of the world that was not within its absolute grasp

Although his experiences on the frontlines had done a lot to improve RandidlyÆs images and his image power in direct confrontations that was not where RandidlyÆs Stats were actually focused His main strength was in Control and Willpower and no one could rival the effect that he could have on a vast battlefield aided by his evolved Grim Intuition

It was not just a matter of being about to grasp it all Randidly Ghosthound could clearly sense and process every detail too

Across the entire location of this vast clash the ground beneath the combatants split and thick emerald vines with vaguely golden thorns ripped up and stabbed into the limbs and torsos of the Nether Beasts The first wave contained about one hundred python thick vines that rapidly slithered up through the Nether BeastsÆ bodies and wrapped around their vulnerable cores

Just as those cores began to crack from the vice like constriction of the vines another wave of grasping plant matter shot upward this time consisting of about one thousand vines RandidlyÆs Mana burned and seethed as he forced more and more out of his body and into the surrounding ground The third wave came with a horrifying rumble and the vines were almost uncountable the battlefield had transformed into a gleaming emerald and green jungle in only three seconds

Of course there were weaknesses in using solely this Skill

The Nether Gatekeeper roared and lashed out with its six sharp tails Although RandidlyÆs roots were powerful they were not near hearty enough to withstand the strikes from the Nether Gatekeeper Its tails quickly scythed through the surrounding area and freed up many of its minions And in fact any Nether Beast that had four star or above strength was able to fight their way free of Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil given enough time

These Nether elites began to gather together forming a tight column that pushed forward toward the place were RandidlyÆs group was standing to end this vast assault on their forces Yet Randidly simply smiled

Although Randidly couldnÆt eliminate the elites this way those elites were a distinct minority in the sea of Nether Beasts Just like that RandidlyÆs Skill had scraped an army of ten thousand down to a little less than one hundred

If its just these I Vualla began but Lady Iellaya placed a hand on her shoulder

YouÆve done enough Rest so we might fight together tomorrow Then Lady IellayaÆs eyes focused on Randidly Amazing So this is your true ability Randidly Well donÆt mind if we help ourselves to some share of the glory Abiodun itÆs time to sniff out the ambush

Of course my Lady Abiodun bowed shortly and began to walk forward Randidly watched him with a sharp gaze Although Randidly now possessed a physical body and two of his extremely powerful images he didnÆt allow that to go to his head To feel the heavy weight of each of AbiodunÆs steps as he strode boldly forward it showed Randidly that there was still a small difference before he could become powerful enough to rival even the assistant to a Commander

But even if thatÆs the case there are some things that only I can accomplish

When the first group of elites charged forward to meet Abiodun Randidly struck at them from below with Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil With that small distraction Abiodun had no trouble ripping his way through ten of the weaker elites Then a wave of stronger forces arrived but although they faired better against RandidlyÆs perfectly timed ambush it still hampered them

Like a boulder rolling downhill Abiodun gathered momentum as he crashed forward Very quickly Randidly barely needed to assist him AbiodunÆs power was enough that he simply crashed forward and blasted Nether Beasts out of the way by simply relying on his building momentum Screaming in fear and fury the wounded Nether Gatekeeper forced itself to rush forward to meet Abiodun with its tails raised

RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition tingled His gaze locked onto two of the weaker elites that had been knocked aside by Abiodun previously that had suddenly regained their feet and were charging at his back

Got you Lady Iellaya whispered with obvious glee As the Raven winged Vanguard spread her wings she spared Randidly a sly smile It seems like it will be quite the pleasure working together Mr Ghosthound I hope for a long and fruitful relationship between us

Then she glided forward and Nether Beasts began to die

Chapter 1123

As the ground vibrated and buzzed around them the combination of Randidly Lady Iellaya and Abiodun quickly ended the Nether offensive Yet by the end of it Randidly was grimacing

Even if Randidly was glad to be back in his body with all of his faculties the separated and now reunited perceptions made the whole experience of the reunion rather uncomfortable Mostly the fragments of consciousness that were previously just images now were chafing under the constant physical sensation of exhaustion that came along with a physical body

Although the images experienced a rough go of it on the frontlines they had shed the rather troublesomeness of a physical body and had been too preoccupied with the other problems to notice But now all those tiny experiences and sensations that were a constant companion to a physical body came right back and weighed down on Randidly

Which was to say nothing of the extremely significant mental exhaustion Making it back here had not been a simple or easy process

Just as Randidly was getting so frazzled that he barred his teeth toward the sky Vualla swayed next to him Turning quickly Randidly was there just in time to catch VuallaÆs shoulders as she collapsed sideways

The first thing that Randidly noticed was how light she was it barely took any effort on his part to support her slowly to a laying position

They were still standing on the broken wreckage of the land directly in front of the headquarters while Lady Iellaya mopped up the remnants of the Nether army Several collapsed tents and overturned supply wagons were scattered around them Nearby Abiodun stood by the warped remnants of the emergency battlements and barked out orders to the soldiers that were still doing well enough to follow them Under his direction they began to search the battlefield for the wounded

They saved the Aether soldiers and took great relish in killing the Nether Beasts

Seeing that there was no threat to them in the immediate vicinity Randidly allowed his attention to focus directly on Vualla But he did trust that his Grim Intuition would warn him if the situation changed

VuallaÆs eyelids fluttered and Randidly couldnÆt help but notice that even her eyelashes were that vivid shade of azure Almost unconsciously his hands tightened on her shoulders as he allowed her to lean all the way back against the ground There she remained for several seconds clearly struggling to get her bearings

After taking several rapid breaths some of the fogginess from VuallaÆs gaze lifted and she was able to focus on Randidly Her eyes crinkled at the edges and Randidly wasnÆt sure if she was smiling or about to cry

Sorry She whispered Her hand reached up and curled around RandidlyÆs forearm Or maybe she tried to reach his face and her hand ran out of steam and collapsed limp against the highest limb she could reach My Fate was damaged against the Nether Gatekeeper So I might be a bit it will take a while for me

Then she smiled but it was forced and awkward an obvious invitation for Randidly to join in VuallaÆs self mockery Fighting a Nether Gatekeeper It was too much even for me And I It was bad So so dark I could feel the way death while I was fighting it before you came I could feel

Vualla bit her lip Despite RandidlyÆs resolution to carefully control his emotional response toward Vualla he felt his gaze softening Even though the separate consciousnesses of the images that had been forcibly pulled apart were only starting to be blended back together it was hard to fight against the genuine purity of the emotion Grim Chimera felt for Vualla

To the Grim Chimera Vualla was singular

And it was precisely against that premise that Randidly felt so helpless Because it was simply not the case that no one like Vualla had ever existed Yet to say that to the Grim Chimera

But nowÆs not the time to have that internal fight Pressing his eyes together Randidly allowed some of his throbbing headache to pass Then he dropped his hand from her shoulder to her palm It was still sticky with dried blood as he squeezed it Rest It looks like everything is solved here

Randidly I have to Vualla struggled to sit up to bring her face toward his but she truly seemed feeble at the moment Her shoulders flexed but her neck seemed as limb as spaghetti Randidly wasnÆt sure about the details but based on what he knew about Fates the fact that it reduced Vualla to this was worth noting I need I swore that if I saw you again I would tell you IÆm so glad I met you Truly You youÆre beautiful You changed my life

ah Blinking Randidly considered Vualla for several seconds But it seemed that phrase had released the tension from VuallaÆs body and she slumped back onto the ground Her eyes fluttered and her mouth opened but then she was asleep

YouÆre beautiful The Grim Chimera that swirled around RandidlyÆs chest was buzzing like an entire powerplantÆs worth of electricity had been run through his body There was happiness confusion glee suspicion and mostly a dangerous anger directed at Randidly for continuing to keep his realization about Vualla from the Grim Chimera

But itÆs not that simple There are so many problems to solve letÆs worry about this one later Randidly could only sigh and massage his temples But damn it was good to have real human shaped hands against Even if one of them was metal

So Randidly was just sitting blankly over Vualla when Lady Iellaya and Abiodun returned from their work

Lady Iellaya cracked her neck with a huge smile on her face Heh itÆs been a while since IÆve been able to let loose like that You being able to sweep aside all the small fries Truly IÆve underestimated you Mr Ghosthound

Perhaps because he had been forced to completely deplete his Mana pool which was extremely impressive considering the small Mana expenditure of the Skill Randidly smiled thinly but said nothing to Lady IellayaÆs comment Truthfully his harassment had relied on momentum and image by the end of it Plus his joints ached Having a body was decidedly troublesome

Even if it only took a scant few points of Mana to launch a deadly attack with a thorny root when there were ten thousand Nether Beasts to deal with Randidly quickly ran out of gas to slaughter open a path to the Nether Gatekeepers And that didnÆt even take into account the mental strain that Randidly incurred while trying to manipulation the innumerable roots