LoRG 4

Occasionally Helen was struck by the strong impression that something was within those shadows watching her movements Yet HelenÆs lip just curled up under the shrouded gazes Even if some weird sort of monster had been modified by RandidlyÆs images wouldnÆt it be a much more interesting foe than the weaklings that filled this fucking place So she looked around with enthusiasm

Of course none dared attack her So Helen arrived quickly at the top of the peak

Randidly had leveled the top portion of the mountain creating a large flat area for himself Then he had reinforced the ground beneath his feet by lining the stone ground with a latticework of roots largely increasing the integrity of the mountain In addition to that he had set up a strange stone orb lined with runes as well as a small root hut on the far side of the area

When Helen arrived Randidly was standing in the center of the training area His form had warped to a larger than life version of himself with an eye that devoured light emerald hair and a long bony tail Although there was no doubt that he had sensed her coming quite a long time ago only when she stood at the edge of his training area did he pause

Despite the fact that she knew it was an image even Helen found it somewhat off putting as the Ghosthound studied her with one emerald eye and an egg of darkness Helen why are you here

Helen smiled wickedly Well why do you think

Then she unleashed her Tides of Blood Domain and crimson waves submerged the entirety of the peak

Chapter 1425

Once her Domain pressed down against the GhosthoundÆs images Helen didnÆt waste any time She could already feel his images eating outward from his body the images around him were ominously dense So she planted her foot into the ground and launched herself forward She flicked her hand out and produced a spear If she didnÆt act quickly she had no doubt that the Ghosthound would be able to forcefully break through her Domain

Congratulations Your Skill (Domain) Tides of Blood has grown to Level 299

The Ghosthound snorted and used his left arm to rake his heavy talons through the air His claws impacted the waves of crimson energy and ripped large gashes in the Domain before it had even settled over the surrounding area Even as Helen was still shooting forward the Ghosthound seized these torn edges of her Domain and pulled

The Domain shuddered and groaned The crimson shade to the air lightened as if he somehow managed to suppress her image with a simple physical action

HelenÆs breath hissed through her teeth she had only crossed half the distance but he had done so much damage to her Domain Damn I should have waited until I was closer before baring my fangs this overpowered piece of shit

But even as her anger flared to life so did HelenÆs excitement This was why she followed the Ghosthound as his knight This was the power that had captured her loyalty This overwhelming strength

Even Helen was shocked as the Ghosthound ripped his bone spear arm up through the flaws he had already seized and forcibly tore her Tides of Blood Domain in half The small beginnings of a headache began to worm its way into HelenÆs temples This move was a throwback to the times where Randidly had relentlessly trained her Domain by breaking it But her imageÆs strength was incomparable to those days he shouldnÆt have been able to accomplish it so casually

To see the Ghosthound repeat this while relying on only physical power no less was something of a shock

Yet it was a shock that caused HelenÆs face to twist into a wicked grin You couldnÆt help yourself could you

That blank sphere of darkness where RandidlyÆs left eye should have been fixed on Helen as she shot forward with her spear raised The light around it turned milky and thick clinging to the edge of that black abyss HelenÆs eyes narrowed as she felt pressured just from eye contact with him

Still Helen had covered most of the distance to him so the next wave of her Tides of Blood Domain was able to instantly fill in the gash that the Ghosthound had created Plus Helen threw her Willpower into whipping the surrounding currents into an immediate frenzy They settled across the GhosthoundÆs body binding him and suppressing his image With her target restricted Helen lashed forward with her spear while simultaneously striking at his back with Maw of the Hellfin

Amongst the crimson flows a shadow rapidly emerged resolving itself into a horrifying monster It opened its mouth and lurched toward his exposed back

The GhosthoundÆs right arm shot upward intercepting HelenÆs weapon To her shock her spear immediately shattered into bits and the GhosthoundÆs attack continued forward without wavering in the slightest from the collision Helen needed to rely on the currents around her to push her body out of the way And even so that viciously powerful attack ripped another huge gash in her Domain

As for her strike at his back the Ghosthound didnÆt even dodge The maw crunched down on him and then was shattered by a light shrug

Gritting her teeth Helen spun sideways and pulled another spear from her interspatial ring Then she lunched forward toward the GhosthoundÆs side But as soon as the tip of her spear was about to impact the pale skin of his torso Helen swore and scrambled backward to avoid the tail that scythed through the air toward her neck

What was ludicrous was even his tail was powerful enough to destabilize her Domain as it passed through the intervening space It struck the ground and cracked the reinforced stone Jesus how powerful is his physical body

Another blast of blood colored energy swirled outward darkening the surrounding space With her Domain she pulled all of them deep into the Hellsea Her image spread out to become an immense pressure over both of them But Helen was somewhat stumped to see that her Domain struggled to reclaim the area that had been previously torn by the Ghosthound with his arm even with the recently added weight Remnants of that blow were still physically present in the air preventing her from easily healing her Domain

Congratulations Your Skill (Domain) Tides of Blood has grown to Level 300

Helen froze for a split second from the shock then cursed herself and hopped backward to avoid the attack that she suspected would be forthcoming due to her focus slipping But as she retreated several meters no attack came Randidly Ghosthound simply turned with heavy steps to regard her with that oppressive left eye of his

Helen chewed her lip Certainly powerful but it seems like heÆs having difficulty wielding that strength and the images around him keep fluctuating itÆs clear that a lot of his focus is toward maintaining that state If thatÆs the case heheh then isnÆt it just a matter of outlasting him

Her eyes flashed with renewed confidence as Helen rushed toward the Ghosthound once more The Tides of Blood Domain gradually pressed forward and darkened around him

This flavor Elmer Arrietti frowned down at the danish in his hand Then he lifted it to his mouth in wonder He finished it in two bites and then licked his fingers to devour every last bit of the tasty morsel This is delicious I thought you were a construction contractor How are you so

Heh donÆt judge a book by its cover Ed Dugg said with a rather smug smile as he toyed with his impressive mustache Both men chatted cheerily considering the ground beneath them shook every few seconds It seemed that the training up on GhosthoundÆs peak was quite serious today While it is just a hobby I can tell you that I take baking very seriously My delicatessen was one of the most famous locations in all of Donnyton

Then EdÆs expression began to twist into a scowl before various jackals imitated me and flooded the market with mediocrity Confused by the signals of opportunists villains some of my significant following wavered but let me tell you I was conspired against and betrayed by those I once considered friends hey kids

Ed and Elmer were sitting on a low wooden bench that was placed in front of the mud brick building that was EdÆs bakery Around them were the slowly being assembled skeletons of other mud brick buildings Unlike EdÆs the bricks of these structures almost looked smudged and malformed it was clear that a much less talented builder had sweated and struggled to assemble these dwellings

As Ed spoke kids began to poke their heads over the partially assembled walls Then seeing EdÆs tense expression all of the thirty two kids that were here to learn various construction based Skills trotted out from their current projects and gathered in front of them

Ed gestured grandly like a composer readying his orchestra What is the first lesson of the Dugg School of Construction

Excellence in all things The children replied so nearly in unison that Elmer couldnÆt help but be impressed

Then Ed gestured again with bulging eyes this time jabbing his finger forward like he was skewering an overweight rat that had skittered into his well stocked pantry And the second lesson

Death to the traitorous bootlickers and sycophants The children said again This time however they seemed to hunch over as they were speaking and pushed out their hands in lightly curled fists Then after they finished speaking they straightened and resumed their bored expressions

It was immediately clear that Ed Dugg had instructed them very specifically in regard to the posture while enunciating his rules Suddenly Elmer had the vague impression that he should report these sort of actions to someone of consequence WasnÆt this the early stages of brainwashing And only a week had passed since the group had arrived in the Dungeon

Ed nodded with satisfaction as he watched the performance Good good Anyway get back to work Remember tomorrow I will demonstrate the creation of shingles once more Based on what the Ghosthound has decreed Clarissa will be sending a thunderstorm our way tomorrow night if you donÆt do a good job you will sleep in a puddle

The children quickly scattered back to their personal mud buildings going to the task of laying out bricks to dry in the sun with remarkable enthusiasm Elmer Arrietti politely wiped his mouth from invisible crumbs to give his hands something to do Well all of that was a bit unnecessary I just wished to compliment

The rest of his words were cut off as the familiar figure of Fenlin one of his most inept patrol officers stumbled down the slope toward the river Both Ed and Elmer watched the man who was covered in a mixture of mud and blood that made it seem like he had recently crawled out of a shallow grave rush past the mud brick huts and throw himself into the river

For almost a minute there was peace Both men sitting on the bench exchanged a glance and Elmer wondered if perhaps Fenlin had been so exhausted by AjaxÆs training schedule that he had come down to the river to seek sweet release However both witnesses to this act were also aware of the increased physical capacity that the System had brought so neither moved quite yet

And to repay their expectations Fenlin eventually drifted up out of the swiftly flowing river water and staggered back to shore The manÆs bleary eyes eventually settled on his small audience and widened in surprise Then specifically focusing on Elmer pride and respect emerged in his gaze

Commissioner Could you could you have already finished the training menu that Miss Helen created for you today Fenlin asked as he came closer

Elmer thought about that and glanced up toward GhosthoundÆs peak where powerful image reverberations continued to shake the surrounding terrain FenlinÆs assertion was likely inaccurate In a lot of ways First of all Helen didnÆt really seem to have any sort of training menu prepared for him she simply attacked Elmer with images and forced him to defend himself And also rather than finishing her training he had been knocked out by one of her attacks and woke up to find that she had vanished It was only when the fighting started on GhosthoundÆs peak that he realized where she had gone

Honestly he had been quite afraid that Helen had been so disgusted by his slow progress that she had given up on him ElmerÆs newest theory was that she had simply been so annoyed by his slow progress that she went to blow off some steam fighting the Ghosthound but at least she hadnÆt truly abandoned him

Yet a part of him quivered in fear as he realized that also meant his training would soon resume

Elmer coughed awkwardly Ah well Even training cannot last forever Sometimes you need a bit of time to recover your faculties how is your training coming along Fenlin

Fenlin looked at Elmer for a long time Then he swayed Then he began to cry Commissioner IÆm just a fraud I donÆt deserve to be here

ElmerÆs mouth twitched You somehow doesnÆt it feel like this young man is stealing my thunder

Chapter 1426

Within the Dungeon and without any pressing external threats Randidly easily fell into a very productive routine The days flowed ceaselessly past giving him the space and leisure to alternate between physically manifesting his images researching Engraving expanding plans for Kharon Academy and simply spending time refining the details of his images

Interspersed with these activities were clashes against Helen and rather long meetings with Gertrude and Sam Not that Randidly was complaining about the duoÆs enthusiasm for the subject matter but Gertrude especially sometimes made Randidly regret inviting her into the Dungeon She seemed to take a great deal of joy in deconstructing his rather haphazard previous plans for the Academy and listing a litany of terrible consequences that would have resulted without her input on the current project

Truthfully she also taught Randidly quite a bit about teaching But it did feel like it was a matter that could have been addressed in a more delicate manner Randidly didnÆt mean to claim he had any idea what he was doing when he arranged for KharonÆs education system They had just needed something

On top of his flattened mountain peak Randidly shook his head and stood He raised his arms and enjoyed the pleasant sensation of his shoulder and neck popping The sun was just now peeking above the horizon and it was time to finish with his meditative recovery session It had been one month since the group had come into the Dungeon and the benefits were starting to pile up

ThereÆs nothing better than being able to train for an extended period of time Randidly reflected as he watched the light of the dawn filtering down into the valley below

The Riders had basically explored the whole of the Dungeon at this point and were now beginning to gather the more valuable raw materials for later use Although Sam had dragged his feet in agreeing to throw his support behind the Kharon Academy project he was delighted to experiment with some of the raw materials in an effort to refine them into an even more powerful form This experimentation continued to the point that Randidly worried what amount of materials would remain when they left the Dungeon

Randidly didnÆt spend much time observing the thirty two children that they had brought but Gertrude seemed extremely pleased with their progress Apparently Ed Dugg was an excellent teacher aside from the fact that he often included irrelevant information as important as he taught

RandidlyÆs focus was mainly on TimÆs growth And according to Lucretia what Tim didnÆt possess in talent he made up with hard work

The Kharon police force was improving quickly as well But to be fair it would be shocking if they didnÆt improve with Helen and Ajax lighting a fire under their asses It was only because everyone around him fell so naturally into training that Randidly had a lot of time to dedicate to his own pursuits

Specifically the balancing of his three images

A month had seen Randidly progress from barely able to balance his images while fighting to being at least able to dodge and lash out at enemies while maintaining his manifested image form Basic Skill use no longer destabilized his efforts in a split second The reflection chamber of the Xyrt Brigade was invaluable in this effort With it Randidly could get a better grasp of the base balance at any time and would recover more quickly during his training attempts

Of course Randidly was also aware that his increasing success rate was also related to the fact that his images were altering the Aether within the Dungeon He was somewhat helpless in the face of this fact He could limit the spread of his image by focusing on it but it made it that much more difficult to keep his images balanced while a portion of his Willpower was keeping his influence under control

After a few days of reflection Randidly had decided that it was better to train himself than worry about the environment in the Dungeon So he shrugged his shoulders and let it happen Instead he continued to practice He hadnÆt started activating multiple Skills and images at once but soon he felt confident he could reach that point

In his body RandidlyÆs three images were gradually settling together in a harmonious form

Plus the physical effects of this training were soon making themselves known Even Randidly was slightly alarmed at how physically powerful he was becoming Although his Stats didnÆt change every movement of his carried with it the passive hint of his three images More than a hint at this point it seemed the specter of the Grim Chimera cast a long shadow over each of his limbs His gaze pierced with the horrible cravings of the Stillborn Phoenix Each beat of his heart sent a golden pulse through RandidlyÆs veins

His images were becoming an increasingly large part of his daily life As such even a basic attack had the characteristics of a pseudo Skill The power he could wield with a simple movement could shatter space if he wasnÆt paying close attention

Which meant that a little bit of his time had to be spent simply moving without any conscious images so that he understood his current capabilities From there he practiced his passive fighting related Skill His proficiency steadily increased Gradually Randidly felt the usage of ripping through the physical limitation of the Nexus becoming clearer to him

Of course the change to his body wasnÆt a unilaterally positive shift As he had previously noted the drops of liquid Aether that Randidly had thus far condensed began to unravel as he put more focus on his images becoming physical manifestations At this point the amount of liquid Aether that Randidly possessed had fallen to only three drops He planned on continuing to empower his body with his images but Randidly didnÆt think he should let his amount of liquid Aether ever drop below two drops At least not until he had a better understanding of where his new power level fit in the Nexus

Randidly sighed and shook himself as he began to walk down from his peak There are two problems with being in the Dungeon however The first is that I need to be careful about practicing Nether the Aether constructs inside the Dungeon seem delicate enough that I donÆt even dare to use Nether Ritual And the second thing liquid Aether and my images physically affecting me are both fueled by emotion of a certain depth The process of increasing that is very slow in this peaceful environment

In one or two more months IÆll have basically reached the limit of improving my physical form then itÆs just a matter of increasing my proficiency in balancing the images

But of course there would always be other things to train Randidly could direct more of his attention toward his Skill Levels which was always a steady avenue of self improvement He still had a ways to go in his MonstrosityÆs Growth Path but he believed that he could amass several hundred PP while he was within the Dungeon

Randidly followed the worn path down the mountain looking around with amusement at the weeping willow esque chime trees that lined the area around his peak They generated a veritable symphony around him their branches swaying back and forth in something that seemed to resemble joy At this point there were about a thousand of these trees on the mountain and Randidly was currently undecided whether they possessed actual intelligence or simply mimicked it with remarkable efficiency

The deep green leaves whispered and rung as Randidly walked past them From within the heavy foliage Randidly felt the gazes of dozens of raccoon like creatures that had grown two extra sets of arms and made their home within the chime trees They used the set of arms nearest to their head to hold some sort of nut to their sharp teeth while they gestured sinisterly with their other pairs

Randidly would have slaughtered the lot of them if Sam didnÆt point out that there was a strange symbiotic relationship between the raccoons and the trees And Sam was very interested in letting these chime trees flourish so they could be harvested for their unique raw materials later His gaze was almost fanatical when Randidly had seen him look up toward the greenery around his peak

It provided Randidly a strange amount of mental pressure to know that Sam seemed to regard his image as fertilizer for these organisms but Randidly was curious about them as well Hopefully they would continue to evolve as time passed in the Dungeon

Once he had passed the area dominated by chime trees Randidly accelerated downward Below the mountain was the valley and within the valley was the river that formed the core of the groupÆs base in the Dungeon There were a fifty or so rough edged adobe houses right near the river but since Ed Dugg had whipped the children into construction shape there were also several respectable looking houses around a small fountain Ed had made This was the core of their current Dungeon operation

Randidly proceeded to the largest of those buildings opening the heavy wooden door and walking into the food hall Immediately the raucous noise within the building ceased The kids looked up from their boar bacon and eggs with wide eyes Their mouths were frozen midway through shaping a word

KharonÆs police force had an even more abrupt reaction They dropped their silverware onto their trays with a loud clatter and immediately straightened as though their spines had universally been inflated into a completely standing position Not even the slightest slouch was allowed Randidly knew it was a show of respect yet his smile toward the police officers was somewhat tired as he swept forward into the low ceiling building

Suppressing the rumbling of his stomach Randidly Ghosthound idly waved a hand at the frozen groups As you were

The children slowly began to whisper amongst each other while eyeing Randidly with obvious anxiety but at least the police officers sat back down and began to continue eating in something resembling normalcy Randidly proceeded across the entire hall to the buffet where he put several generous helpings of fried meat and potatoes onto a tray Then he walked over and sat down next to Clarissa

The Weather Witch had a tray of food and two books laid out in front of her at her empty table She eyed him with a wry smile as he approached Certainly they are well trained

Randidly gave her a deadpan look as he sat down across from her and then began to dig into the food The taste was a little bit bland but the quality was excellent he wondered who the cook was Clarissa chuckled to herself and then began massacring the six muffins that were the only occupants of her tray Randidly watched the fluffy and buttery pastries disappear and resolved himself to grab a couple when he went back up for seconds

Gradually RandidlyÆs presence in the mess hall was normalized The volume of conversation in the food hall rose to more typical levels although it never reached its previous volume Randidly got himself a second tray of food and continued eating just throwing the food into the vast abyss that was his stomach Luckily Ed prepared food in bulk so there was enough that Randidly didnÆt need to hide the caloric needs of his empowered body

After RandidlyÆs third tray of food Clarissa straightened her posture and gave Randidly a frank look Alright I can recognize when you want to talk about something No need to continue to delay by forcing yourself to eat What is it Watching you gobble so much is just giving me anxiety

Randidly sincerely doubted that anything gave Clarissa anxiety She was the most playful and irreverent person that Randidly knew It was why he sat with her now because she didnÆt walk on eggshells around him But she was right he wanted to discuss something How difficult has it been to control the weather as IÆve requested

Clarissa sighed dramatically IÆve struggled but because it was a request from you I have persevered

Good Because I want to see how intense your influence can make the weather How antagonistic Randidly stated

Clarissa tilted her head to the side Then she smiled Oho Finally time to start working on the whole reason you brought me into the Dungeon

Randidly grinned in response

Chapter 1427

After their meeting with Naffur for a debriefing regarding the findings of their interrogation Hydie rather blindly trailed after Derek Moss as they left the building It was somewhat of a relief when they walked out into the sunlight but the current climate meant that even in the afternoon the sunÆs rays were pale and weak The light was as weightless on her skin as the light from a bulb And Hydie felt

Well HydieÆs worries seemed to be multiplying by the second Despite her best efforts she

HydieÆs lowered forehead impacted DerekÆs back Derek had stopped and he turned around to regard her when she bumped up against him He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her Why are you being so depressing Did you really think we would get a confession about some grand conspiracy from just a single interrogation

Hydie swallowed back down a well it would have been niceÆ as soon as it rose and marshaled itself to parade off of her tongue Although Derek had a fine sense of humor he never laughed regarding work Instead she grimaced and gathered her thoughts When she saw the patience in his expression Hydie carefully released the secret fear that had been growing in her heart He he was so nervous and beginning to ramble about why he came to Kharon and then you pointed out the inconsistency in his story he froze but then I sneezed and it

You have really gotten yourself worked up over a sneeze Derek asked his mouth quirking up in amusement

Hydie abruptly frowned to see him act so flippantly about the situation It was a high stress scenario We tightened the screws and had him on his back foot He was panicking and about to reveal the truth Then I sneezed due to my damned luck and broke all the tension It wasnÆt just a sneeze

Snorting Derek turned away from Hydie and continued walking forward Rather incensed Hydie stomped after him What What is it WhatÆs so funny

I donÆt think this was about you at all Hydie Derek continued His serious eyes flicked side to side along the streets Even now he was weighing the surroundings for threats That man he was sent here by someone but he doesnÆt seem like he was given a mission It just feels more like he is an alcoholic that was maneuvered into walking into a bar the rest happened organically He had the propensity for violence and the opportunity triggered him Some people find the spirit of Kharon quite off putting you know

AND we could have learned that secret from his own lips rather than relying on all this conjecture Hydie huffed They proceeded off of KharonÆs main commercial thoroughfare and toward the large bridge between Kharon and the outskirts of the Orchard Next time I promise you I wonÆt let the bad luck hanging around me get in the way

As if on cue DerekÆs hand shot out and snatched an icicle that had been falling toward the head of an oblivious pedestrian in front of them Derek scrutinized the surrounding roofs but found that this was basically the last remaining icicle large enough to be an inconvenience It was a stubborn holdout from the storm two days ago finally succumbing to the sunÆs influence

Despite the fact that even Hydie would admit that the System largely made humanity powerful enough that such an icicle was harmless she pulled quite hard on DerekÆs shoulder to turn him around Then she jabbed her finger at the pick of ice in his hand See This is why IÆm worried Maybe I shouldnÆt be involved in these investigations I could normally focus my abilities on our enemies but we donÆt know who our enemies are So the bad coincidences keep piling up around us and you

This Derek waved the forearm sized icicle in front of HydieÆs face These things happen You donÆt have a monopoly on accidents Hydie Bad things happened before you were born

HydieÆs glare was vicious as she slapped DerekÆs arm to get the icicle out of her face How can you be stupid about this Just because you have reacted well to the hex so far doesnÆt mean you always will And what will you do if you are injured or killed huh What will your son Tim think of that Suddenly an orphan like all the other brats on this Wandering City All because you are too proud to admit

Suddenly Hydie ran out of steam She licked her lips and then bit them The pale light of the sun filtered down on them while people walked past the duo The people eyed the two Order Ducis operatives that stopped in the middle of the walkway but didnÆt give their presence much thought The wind was cold as it whistled past Abruptly Hydie flushed I probably shouldnÆt have thrown his son in his face

O o or said that bit about orphans

The rather blank way that Derek was staring at her seemed to energize all of HydieÆs insecurities People continued to walk past in both directions Her heartbeat began to quicken DerekÆs eyes were dark and heavy as he looked at her Was he realizing that what she said about the inherent risks of proximity to her was true That the two of them shouldnÆt be partners any longer

Eventually Hydie couldnÆt stand the silence any longer Hey Derek I

We have work Derek interrupted in a rough tone Then he turned away and flexed his hand crushing the icicle into harmless snow powder With the police force gone we are standing in for the patrol officers Besides can you feel it in the air The people of Kharon are angry Looks like word of the attack has spread Our job is especially important at the moment

Derek had taken several large strides forward before Hydie blinked and scrambled after him For whatever reason her heart was still uneasy as she looked at his broad shoulders But Hydie knew that now that he had brought up work he was absolutely done with the prior subject So Hydie could only bury her anxiety and ask Would people getting angry be a problem Sometimes sometimes people get angry but it really doesnÆt mean anything

You are right about that Derek grunted They had reached the archway that housed the segmented rope bridges swaying down to the city below Of course most people didnÆt need to utilize the bridges to get down they possessed enough Endurance and Vitality to just jump off the edge and crash into the ground But both to prevent damage to the surrounding area and for the sake of appearances they made the bridges It might not mean anything that the people of Kharon are angry by itself But that means we need to be extra careful that there isnÆt any further spark to set this place ablaze

Derek continued to walk forward toward the main thoroughfare into and out of Kharon but HydieÆs steps gradually slowed Her eyes were on the fragile ropes of the bridges that creaked side to side with the wind and peopleÆs casual steps Derek arenÆt we just supposed to patrol Kharon

With more speed than Hydie had expected Derek spun around and studied her with sharp eyes That gaze became a blade that lanced through her body and pinned her to the ground While he watched her Hydie felt like a rare butterfly that had been extremely difficult to catch now victoriously suppressed by a grudge holding insect collector

But gradually DerekÆs expression eased we wonÆt be leaving And I suppose waiting here is fine

So the two stood Hydie staring at the ground and wondering if he was mad at her and Derek looking toward the bridges They waited for about three minutes before a skinny man with excessive arm hair walked up onto Kharon proper and looked around Even though HydieÆs image detection was much less acute than DerekÆs her gaze immediately locked onto this young man when he entered her line of sight

The man scratched his arm habitually and looked around with a gaze encumbered by extremely deep purple bags under his eyes From the curl of his lip it was clear that he didnÆt have any positive intentions toward Kharon

Derek immediately stepped forward Excuse me sir can I ask you a few questions

DerekÆs voice was low but he immediately drew the gazes of everyone going in and out of the arch Those people subconsciously slowed their pace to get a better look at what was happening In the face of DerekÆs calm smile the man with the heavy bags under his eyes looked uneasily side to side

Even those not from Kharon would recognize the eye catching sigil of the Order Ducis on Derek and HydieÆs arm The young man cleared his throat I IÆm sorry do you have the wrong person IÆm just here

Kharon is home to some of the most sophisticated image users in the world Derek interrupted His smile widened Did you really think that you could walk in with all of that resentment and ill will and not be noticed

Hydie flexed her fingers and then dropped her hands to the pair of handcuffs at her belt Even if she was still feeling somewhat worried about DerekÆs opinions of her this was at least a good distraction Since they were filling in for patrol officers Hydie was ready to work out some of her frustrations through an arrest

What she didnÆt expect was for the young man to stare at Derek for a long time and then burst into tears

For the moment they took him back to the station to be put in a holding cell Then for the next six hours Hydie rushed after Derek Moss watching him avoid the misfortune that came along with remaining near her and also casually intercepting other individuals with malicious intent as they came into Kharon All told they had caught five such people before their shift was over

Hydie understood the principles behind what Derek was doing The moss spirits of Kharon were naturally attracted to people who loved Kharon and avoided the people who hated Kharon And because of the sheer amount of moss spirits that the city was producing basically every person who wanted to enter Kharon couldnÆt avoid passing through areas at least sporadically filled with moss spirits

Derek was simply monitoring the whole of Kharon looking for minute deviations of moss spirit movements Which was especially difficult because moss spirits behaved erratically even at the best of times Just thinking about it gave Hydie a headache

Basically all of HydieÆs enthusiasm had returned once they had all the perps in holding cells She grinned over at Derek Hehe no way we donÆt get a commendation for this We captured these fools before they could even accomplish anything

Derek frowned ThatÆs not necessarily true If someone was watching carefully they would realize that Kharon has the ability to detect infiltrators To a force with nefarious motives this is quite an important piece of information

You are always so negative Hydie muttered

Derek shrugged Comes with the job I guess Anyway ready for some more interviews

Chapter 1428

In a secluded grove of trees DelilahÆs small limbs moved in sharp cuts as she practiced her newly developed Skills in secret Despite her young age Delilah continued to go through the motions of activating the Skill experiencing the physical movement of her Ashen Chop with her body Her determination was made evident by her perseverance alone with the trees and the shadows

Minutes turned to hours but she continued to practice as she had done every day for almost four weeks Truly she was the child of DonnytonÆs best and brightest From a young age both Dozer and Annie had instilled in their daughter the need to accumulate practice They allowed her to have some personal time because they understood that variety and exposure were also important for children but to those two people who had grown strong under the System they would never let their daughter miss the importance of practice

It all began with repetition

DelilahÆs eyes were serious as she thought of that infuriating boy who had ruthlessly thrashed her only a month ago The scene remained vivid in her mind without blurring in the least his presence was why Delilah didnÆt dare slacken Even now she was unsure if this amount of work would be enough to make up for the difference in their abilities The three Skills she had learned from the mysterious womanÆs voice did not seem incredibly powerful Although Ashen Chop displayed clear attack power Ashen Mantle and Voice of the Hopeless were much more confusing Skills

From the moment that she saw the last two Skills Delilah had a bad feeling in the pit of her chest

Which was why she so desperately practiced Ashen Chop Because when Delilah had originally complained to the voice the voice had just laughed and told her that Delilah herself had chosen those Skills and there was nothing that the voice could do

So Delilah practiced burning with the desire to grow strong

Of course she wasnÆt really practicing secretly She was the sort of direct child that was easy to fool and would advertise her thoughts with her every move Floating in the air above DelilahÆs grove of trees were two shadowy forms Both were silent absorbed in the passivity of watching the girl below struggle and sweat

Both of the watchers saw a different ghost around that girlÆs form Just as much as they were looking at the present these two were looking into the past

Gradually Alta could sense the amusement beginning to radiate outward from the form of Lucretia next to her Alta pressed her lips together and strangled her annoyance as soon as it was born But this only seemed to further amuse Lucretia it seemed her suppression of the annoyance had been noticed Finally Alta could stand it no longer What is it Why are you so smug

ItÆs nothing Lucretia said lightly barely able to restrain her laughter

Alta sent a spike of her influence as a member of the Alpha CosmosÆ pantheon to prod Lucretia in the side This only seemed to fuel LucretiaÆs mirth and soon loud laughter spilled out of LucretiaÆs mouth to spill over the surrounding area Alta hastily mobilized more of her influence as a member of the Pantheon to dampen the noise so they wouldnÆt draw attention

Delilah paused in her training and looked around in confusion But without any further noises to clue her into what happened she quickly shrugged and returned to her task

I wish I could grind your sweet ass up and bake you into a pie Alta grimaced

Oh Alta you know what it is Lucretia said with a winning smile IÆm just glad you finally found someone who can inherit your domineering images so perfectly But also

Seeing the hesitation on Lucretia’s face Alta snorted What Surprised she hasnÆt become a walking death machine Hmph well sheÆs still quite young Nothing is set in stone yet ThatÆs the next step in my grand plan

Lucretia smiled again but it was a much softer smile than her previous one Then both women turned back to the young girl below and watched her stubbornly practice

ThatÆs it they are finally firing me Elmer Arrietti thought with a long sigh The worst part about it was that the dayÆs training had left him with a pounding headache After enduring this hellish training for two months and improving at a snailÆs pace theyÆve finally realized the truth that I could have told them a long time ago IÆm not cut out for this job Damnit I should have just directly turned in my resignation the first week in the Dungeon

But then I guess I would have had to just stay here in the Dungeon and twiddle my thumbs that would have been incredibly awkward And even if I donÆt have the power to lead the police force I have at least learned that I can be a certain kind of leader Had I not been here to talk with him I bet that Fenlin would have quit from the force already He has not thrived underneath the instruction of Ajax

ElmerÆs heavy footsteps echoed strangely in the quiet night Now that the Riders were ranging farther afield to hunt the area around their base was quite peaceful At least itÆs a good thing that the job market in Kharon is relatively robust Heh a fifty one year old like me passing out my resume

I might have more time to try dating but who will want to date a man without a job

Elmer continued to mutter to himself as he trudged toward the large building that had been erected at the base of the GhosthoundÆs mountain It was the main building in which the Dungeon group did work relating to the Kharon Academy and it also seemed that it would soon be the location of his executionÆ Everyone had taken to calling it the workshop

Eventually he arrived at the entrance and could delay no longer Elmer hurriedly brushed nonexistent particles off of his shoulders and faced the large double doors into the workshop He took several breaths in and out preparing himself mentally for whatever was waiting for him within

No matter what happens Elmer swore to himself My time as Commissioner

The doors in front of him opened interrupting the heavy moment Helen poked her head out and glared at Elmer in annoyance Commissioner why are you making us wait Get in here We have much to discuss

Ah Oh well then Elmer blinked and then lowered his head as he followed Helen through into the interior Perhaps because he hadnÆt ever been inside the workshop before ElmerÆs attention was immediately pulled in every direction Strangely glowing Engraved contraptions sat on top of heavy stone dais in the middle of the workshop Along the walls were huge hand drawn sketches and plans of Kharon Academy To ElmerÆs right was an area that looked more like a warehouse than a workshop Fully one half of the building was filled with towering piles of materials

Helen walked to the left entering into the area for which the building was named Workbenches hammers forges stills glowing edifices altars pools of mysterious liquid and messy piles of paper became a haphazard labyrinth in front of them

She continued forward past several tables bearing casually strewn brass instruments heading toward the far corner During their journey they passed the familiar form of Sam who was bent over a table and scribbling furiously Even from a distance of about ten meters the image of obsession that surrounded Sam was potent Before Elmer could get a good look at the messy scrawl on the paper in front of the man they cut along a side path and suddenly a large pile of metal ingots blocked SamÆs figure from view

So even the great Sam is worked to the bone by the Ghosthound Elmer reflected Considering all the free time that he would soon have Elmer realized that perhaps losing this job wouldnÆt be so bad

Eventually Helen brought Elmer to a small alcove in the very back of the workshop Already waiting there were Ajax and a boy that Elmer recognized named Nathan Both smiled as Elmer walked into the room

IÆm sure you can guess why we brought you here Commissioner Helen began with her signature bluntness Immediately the vague friendliness that was in ElmerÆs heart was plunged into cold water

Elmer sighed I mean yes Based on the people assembled I think I have a pretty clear idea of what is going on And honestly I have been expecting this conversation for a while IÆm not unaware of my situation

Eh Really Helen blinked in surprise which in turn caused Elmer to be slightly thrown by her reaction He didnÆt think that he had ever seen Helen caught off guard before Even when she was fighting the Ghosthound Then Helen released a light laugh Not as humble as you appear to be eh Well thatÆs a good thing Images require certainty

That does make things much easier though Nathan said with a sigh Do you know how many times IÆve had to do my job basically without any support from the individual in question Making the arrangements as a third party complicates things immensely no one knows the images and themes that make up your Skills better than you

Even Ajax seemed somewhat pleased by ElmerÆs response Heh good The more quickly I can get back to training the better

Abruptly Elmer Arrietti became aware that something very strange was going on around him The words they were saying did not sound at all like the sort of things you would say when someone was being let go

Just as Elmer was clearing his throat to test the waters with a vague question Nathan spoke again I mean if you are all ready we can start the planning immediately Do you have any ideas

Ideas Elmer narrowed his eyes Now even his confusion was hesitating Was he perhaps right and they were now asking for his input in training the next Commissioner It was somewhat emasculating to train the next generation but hohoho this just went to show that he did possess some value for the Order Ducis hum ideas well those sorts of things are somewhat hard to put into words and I am not really a man of words I think doing it personally would be best

NathanÆs eyes widened You want you want to make your own Class entirely by yourself Without anyone else’s input I mean it is possible but I suppose I can provide you with the energy

Eh Well this Elmer Arrietti began to sweat Wait what had Nathan just said

One by one Clarissa Ed Dugg Ajax and Sam wandered out of the dining hall on the pretext of going for a stroll Then when they were sure that none of the Riders or police force had followed them they turned sharply away from GhosthoundÆs peak and loped through the darkness

A few miles away in an unassuming stretch of forest there was a cleverly disguised cabin Inside was a table and four chairs On the table was twelve columns of chips three white three green three red three black

As they arrived each individual stretched to loosen their muscles and took a seat Ed Dugg began to professionally shuffle the deck Sam brought a sheaf of papers with him that he stared at and muttered

Clarrisa sorted the chips into four piles Then she smiled around at the other people in the cabin Why not make things interesting tonight The buy in will be one favor to be accomplished while still within the Dungeon

Everyone nodded with serious expressions

Chapter 1429

As RandidlyÆs chest rose and fell steam wafted up from his overheated body His breath left his partially opened mouth in a whoosh more akin to the activation of an industrial release valve on a steam engine than any sort of human noise The whole area within RandidlyÆs reverse engineered Xyrt BrigadeÆs reflection chamber was thick with steam giving the place a strange sense of mysticism The effect was somewhat hypnotizing Outside of himself there was only the steam and the soft light from the glowing Engravings as they were poised to activate at the slightest stray thought

And within himself RandidlyÆs three images raged No other thoughts could exist at the moment or else they would be weaponized and reflected back at him by the chamber around him Randidly Ghosthound was totally focused solely on those images and keeping them only within his Soulspace Not even his mind could brush against them before he was prepared His emerald eyes were heavy and determined Before he unleashed everything he must be totally controlled

After he released another steaming breath Randidly raised his right hand Two images and Skills moved together at once Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix The Chimera Weeps But Man Mourns

RandidlyÆs right hand was instantly covered with strange patterns as the painful stigma of the fake phoenix egg he held physically descended upon his flesh The abrupt pain forced even the experienced Randidly to twitch slightly but he did not flinch from the task At the same time his Grim Chimera Skill unleashed a lightning fast barrage of blows in the surrounding area

The light from the reflection chamber grew brighter In response to RandidlyÆs thoughts and images the chamber produced a reflection of his disturbance and threw it back at him Both sides unleashed a dozen blows in a split second

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 274

Congratulations Your Skill The Chimera Weeps But Man Mourns has grown to Level 197

The blows smashed against one another and were equal in force such was the effectiveness of the Xyrt BrigadeÆs Engraving It could replicate this amount of power without difficulty But almost immediately the reflection from the sphere around him shuddered and then stopped all at once A flaw had emerged when the chamber was placed under stress The difference between the base materials between this imitation and the original was simply too great

The stone sphere that Randidly had painstakingly carved with Engraving crumbled beneath his blow Compared to RandidlyÆs physical body that had been slowly improved by his images over the last 70 days even the stone that had been nurtured by dense Aether for a week simply couldnÆt compare

Still Randidly looked down at his hand and grinned That was two images at once One step at a time IÆm getting there

Pleased with himself Randidly walked down from his peak to get some food Perhaps he should encourage Ed to shake up the mess hall menu a bit

Sam rubbed his hands with glee At this point almost the entirety of RandidlyÆs peak was covered with those chime trees They spread rapidly and eliminated any other foliage in the surrounding area creating a qualitative change for those trees at the core of the mountain The noise of their leaves became a constant companion in the valley The size of the trees increased too as the area they covered expanded so that the originally squat trees right next to the peak were now about ten meters tall

With height came lengthened shadows Toward those shadows Sam also held quite a few expectations

In order to test the depths of the chime treesÆ abilities Sam had some of the Riders gather monsters and herd them back toward their base The Riders then pushed the unwitting sacrifices into the chime tree forest and left Sam to watch the result And he was not disappointed

Compared to the stronger humans who walked amongst the trees with their heads held high the lurking six armed raccoons sensed much less of a threat from these confused monsters and struck decisively to maim and kill Then they dragged the corpses back within the chiming branches Although Sam couldnÆt exactly see what was happening he could clearly hear it

A strange buzzing floated above the forest that had been spawned by the Ghosthound for several hours

Not just timber from the trees Sam muttered as he stared at the swaying forest The leaves almost seem metallic perhaps a reagent after grinding them up And the bodies of the raccoons heh best to wait and just take them apart and experiment

Sam turned away and walked back down to the workshop Within the trees one of the strongest raccoons looked up and glanced around warily For a split second it had felt an immense chill It resolved itself to listen deeply to the great song so it might sense what god had in store for it

Ed Dugg lifted his chin and blew his breath out through his nose His hands were tightly clasped behind his back and quite sweaty But he knew he needed to stand firm on this Madam I am closed for business today If you wish to have any more pastries you will need to wait until tomorrow

Clarissa smiled casually but the wind in the valley rose to be a mournful moan around his bakery EdÆs eyebrows shot upward The speed of this wind was more than capable of picking up a small building and smashing it against the side of the nearby mountain And from ClarissaÆs expression

She batted her eyelids at him Truly your dedication to your advertised hours is very admirable But I do believe you owe me a favor Now tell me Ed Dugg are you the type of man who refuses to return a favor because of inconvenience

Tears formed in the corner of EdÆs eyes I thought the favor would be a one time thing But to ask for 50 muffins a day for the remainder of our stay in the Dungeon

I asked you a question Mr Dugg Clarissa countered

Ed Dugg could only slump his shoulders and allow Clarissa to walk into his bakery Outside thirty two children watched the whole process from the safety of their own adobe homes and resolved themselves never to cross the Weather Witch

Gertrude cursed her own cheeks for flushing as Randidly Ghosthound led her forward up the winding path to the summit of his mountain Jesus girl heÆs just a normal man just like everyone else Even if he practically owns a city Why canÆt you behave like a normal person for just ONE minute

As they entered into the area covered by the chime trees the Ghosthound paused and glanced over his shoulder at Gertrude You should stay close The wildlife around here has been getting a bit uppity lately

That caused Gertrude to blink as she crossed the distance between them She stopped short of actually touching him but Gertrude could still feel the heat of his body It wafted off of him like he was just as much a furnace as a human You you were attacked

What Oh no The Ghosthound chuckled as the duo continued forward His stride was deceptive even if he took only a single step Gertrude had to take several to keep up with him No even these raccoons arenÆt that stupid But there is no reason not to take simple precautions in these circumstances

Gertrude let her mind wander as they passed through the chime soundscape of the upper reaches of the mountain to reach the peak Each one of her steps was slow and deliberate as Gertrude tried again and again to parse apart the message that Randidly had sent to her Ready for a surprise Æ

IÆm IÆm practically an employee Gertrude scolded herself as they ascended to the peak Why am I letting myself get whisked away by dumb fantasies not that IÆm fantasizing about it itÆs just a figure of speech

ItÆs probably just was it my birthday How would he know my birthday anyway

The top area of the mountain was mostly flat with a few rather austere buildings that the Ghosthound used when he wasnÆt training But at the moment there was a large group of people milling about the center of the training area And as Gertrude Collins began to take in more and more details about the crowd her eyes widened

Wh who are all these people

Randidly gestured rather casually to the group who now turned to face the rather petrified Gertrude He had a self satisfied smile on his face like a child showing off a precious treasure to an adult Well we keep talking about the problems even with the housing plan of recruiting enough teachers for the Kharon Academy to run so I called in a few favors These individuals are willing to work for at least five years to cover the initial slew of teachers that we will need

Gertrude looked out at the strange group of people Most were clearly humanoid but at least a hundred of them were strange chittering spiders that were approaching them excitedly with their forelegs raised Beyond that there were several shorter and slender people that reminded Gertrude of elves They toyed with bronze contraptions while discussing quietly amongst themselves

Of course that wasnÆt the end of the strangeness A group of several dozen appeared to be entirely made of living stone They smiled politely in GertrudeÆs direction and gave a slight bow Yet the largest contingent were comprised of various beast people displaying the characteristic traits of their various animals while having humanoid arms and legs Their leader appeared to be a long necked giraffe woman who revealed dazzlingly white teeth when she smiled

How many Gertrude whispered as the group converged around her

Almost three hundred A good start right Randidly replied

After six months of being in the Dungeon Randidly stood along a chilly coast Air rife with salt and moisture howled around him as he surveyed the surrounding area Then he released a light pulse of image When there was no reaction Randidly smiled slightly that meant he was clear to make an actual attempt

This coast was a coast in its most natural state There was no sandy beaches but only broken rock and sea shells that had been flung on the shore Randidly stood above the rocks but the body of water still managed to splash and spit up at him almost three meters away Even if the waves looked small Randidly could sense the immense power that was contained within them The unrelenting power of water shouldnÆt be underestimated

For the pleasant sensation he was standing in a low tide pool The cool water lapped against his feet a rare cause of relaxation in this tense and busy Dungeon experience But although it was nice it was just a short distraction Randidly was not here to relax

His focus narrowed to only his inner space The Grim Chimera the Stillborn Phoenix and Yggdrasil all began to rise within him At this point they were very familiar with each other Even if he didnÆt have outward pressure Randidly was still capable of balancing his images That was the accumulation of practice at work

Unfortunately Randidly didnÆt really have the chance to practice the higher end of his capabilities on his peak The activation still took too much time and the image reverberations were becoming too strong for some of the thirty two children to handle even with Ed Dugg and Helen passively shielding them They would need to fully dedicate themselves to the task to manage it

Besides the work with Sam on keystones was intensifying and Gertrude wanted Randidly to be present for many of the teaching seminars she was holding with the people he had brought from his Alpha Cosmos it was all becoming quite overwhelming Of course the result of all that effort was constant progress on all fronts The pieces of Kharon Academy were slowly coming together before his very eyes

But his training had been put on the back burner while he focused on other things Which was a shame because the effects were very good

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes slowly opened A wave crashed against the rocks below and sprayed saltwater high into the air He raised his right hand Then he brought that hand sharply down and tightened his fingers into a fist MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil

The wind went silent The waves stopped poised to smash against the shore For a mile in every direction the sea was under RandidlyÆs control The glow of his eyes brightened as the strain increased He had discovered that as he mixed three Skill and image activations at once the effect became more unpredictable and powerful The various roles of the Skills could be substituted for each other making them more figurative than literal

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 274

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 313

So although he used gravity instead of roots the grasp of Yggdrasil was still absolute So much so that he even needed to use MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality in order to withstand the physical backlash Even now in this strained moment seizing the surrounding sea drops of sweat rapidly began to form on his forehead

RandidlyÆs eyes picked out the individual flecks of water floating in front of him in the midst of being spat out of the wild sea toward him He could see a surge of cold water that had been about to flood forward and wash into his tidepool But beneath his hand all of that was delayed

Congratulations Your Skill MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 320

Finally Randidly sighed and released the Skills and images The sea in front of him practically exploded from the pent up force he used to suppress it while the larger body of water had been pressing in from the outside It was a geyser upward to the sky evidence of RandidlyÆs success

Drained but satisfied Randidly closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the salty water landing on his skin Reached the limits of the physical improvement already and I can manage three images at once most of the time soon we will be ready to leave this Dungeon

Chapter 1430

Delilah was nervous More nervous than she ever remembered being in her entire life And it didnÆt help that as she stood at the top of the hill above LucretiaÆs strange little Engraving school nestled onto the slope she was completely alone Her eyes were locked onto the form of Tim standing halfway down the slope surrounded by the dozens of children who seemed to spend every second of their time in their tents training

Yet somehow TimÆs expression was warm and bright He belonged there

As they would be departing tomorrow the children had taken it upon themselves to give him a proper send off Each had prepared a small wooden placard that contained a very personal Engraving Delilah didnÆt really understand the Engraving process itself but she understood that it was different for each person everyone essentially developed their own language of Engraving to speak to the world These gifts from the fellow children were core pieces of their language that would inspire Tim in the future

After only six months Tim had become one of these children If Delilah didnÆt keep track of him she didnÆt doubt that he would set up a tent of his very own someday

Hmph not that I care about dumb stuff like that DelilahÆs gaze shifted to Annon Then she narrowed her eyes

The several months of practicing and training under that womanÆs voice had helped Delilah recover some of the confidence that had been obliterated by her conflict with Annon But even so she could tell from a single look at him that this amount wouldnÆt be enough She was still quite far from his dense and imposing strength

Just you wait Annon Someday IÆll Delilah grumbled to herself Then driven by the need to make sure he understood the threat she posed Delilah stomped down the hill toward the commotion around Tim The children saw her approaching and moved easily to the side to clear a path They exchanged meaningful glances

It seemed like they were looking forward to this Delilah scrunched up her brows and chewed on her lip

Soon she stopped in front of Annon Before he could speak and ruin things she seized the initiative Annon I might not be strong enough now but someday IÆll crush you Beating you thatÆs my goal And IÆve never failed to accomplish anything So be ready

Around them the group of children fell entirely silent They became spectators to this confrontation For his part Annon looked at Delilah with such serious consideration that she began to cheer up Heh it seems like he finally realizes the danger he is in So maybe he isnÆt such an idiot after all

Finally Annon nodded Fine I will await your challenge And well it is difficult to know what the future may bring but if you truly are able to best me I will accept your proposal

Proposal Accept Delilah was annoyed You cannot refuse You have no choice but to fight me

No not that Annon waved his hand If you truly best me you will have proved that your Style is pure and powerful I would have no qualms in taking you as my wife and producing children that will emulate your bravery

Delilah stood with her mouth wide open for quite a long time Somehow she wasnÆt completely able to gather the brain cells to process what Annon had just said to her

Apparently her confusion was clear on her face because Annon tilted his head to the side and considered Delilah There is an age difference yes but I suspect it will take you many years to catch up to me either way Due to that you might be currently obsessed with me now but feelings often change ThatÆs why we do not need to finalize the details as of yet Who knows if your love will persevere through the years

Delilah swayed love

Randidly couldnÆt stop laughing as he looked at the furious expression on SamÆs face You donÆt need to take this so personally Harvesting the materials is the easy part the time and effort spent to actually find their uses

Sam waved his hand in irritation His expression was pinched and severe in the dim light of the workshop You donÆt need to say that to me Heh IÆll bet that IÆve spent almost double as much time experimenting with materials than you have This is what I do But still to have everything appear so ordinary

Maybe IÆm not as amazing a fertilizer as you thought Randidly replied with a wicked smile

Sam just snorted He walked over to the precisely chopped and neatly stacked pile of timber from RandidlyÆs chime trees picking up an individual cord of wood that caught his eye and bringing it close to his face as though the secret he was looking for simply hadnÆt yet been viewed from the correct angle This wood reeks of your image You certainly arenÆt the problem Not in this case

Shaking his head Randidly left Sam to his continued obsession and began to stroll throughout the surrounding worktables They would be finally leaving the Dungeon tomorrow after almost six and a half months of diligently training within Most of the valuable preliminary work that had been done within the workshop was already stored in various interspatial objects but Randidly rather casually moved through the space anyway checking for anything they had missed

Honestly he was somewhat relieved to be getting out of the Dungeon soon The training he had done within the Dungeon had earned him a staggering 518 PP which was just short of having him finish off the MonstrosityÆs Growth Path all at once But Randidly did want to spend some more focused time reflecting on his Grim Chimera image so he could guide the result of the Path

Spying a small piece of metal hidden under a work table Randidly made a snatching motion and used Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart to pull the thing out and up to eye level On the one hand having no external threats gives me plenty of time to focus But that focus in turn makes it feel like time is flowing by more quickly Heh I wonder if I truly shut myself away from the world how long could I train without simply going insane

actually is that a real danger I should ask Octavius

But RandidlyÆs thoughts were jolted to a halt as his eyes registered the object in his hand He blinked slowly taking in the worn details of the piece Then he wound his way back through the empty work tables toward where Sam was still furiously examining the timber Randidly set the bit of worked metal down on the table with an audible snap Sam what the hell is this

Sam glanced over for a brief second before turning back to his precious timber It was an early attempt

There are more Randidly asked torn between irritation and amusement The object in question was a small figurine only half a fingerÆs length tall But despite the small size the character was made with remarkable detail The sort of detail only a master like Sam could make on such a small figure Randidly used his metallic left arm to push the figurine across the table This is clearly me

If it makes you feel better I only had to make five of you That one was the prototype Suddenly SamÆs mouth stretched wide and caused the lines across his face to deepen You have no idea how many figurines Clarissa made me make for her

So it was Clarissa huh RandidlyÆs mouth twitched as he pictured the cheery former librarian Certainly this act was in line with her peculiar branch of unpredictability Why does she want figurines of me

Not just you At least ten of most of the founding figures of Donnyton several other important figures too like Hank Lucifer and Tatiana But that wasnÆt even the worst part She also wanted about ten thousand each of various base monsters Zombies giant insects rapid beasts etc Sam hung his head The detail on each didnÆt matter but just the sheer number of them Well I developed the Skill Molten Fingertips in order to work through them quickly and even Leveled it to 61 so I suppose it wasnÆt a total waste of my time

you didnÆt answer the question Why figurines Randidly repeated

Sam shrugged and brought the piece of timber over to knock over the figurine She kept talking about creating a tabletopÆ experience but I huh

When the piece of wood hit the metal figurine there was a dull noise A noise that was quite unusual considering the materials involved and vaguely melodic Immediately SamÆs entire countenance brightened

Sighing Randidly left Sam alone for now He did not wish to spend his final night in the Dungeon listening to him banging on the timber with various metal hammers

The crimson flows of energy around Helen were so deep and powerful that they scoured deep grooves into the ground around her The current rolled and lashed out like furious serpents trying to entrap their prey The color of the air surrounding her had darkened toward dried blood She had to grit her teeth to withstand the pressure of this depth within her own image but still Helen persevered Just beyond this she felt the cusp of a grand change

A flow smashed into the ground particularly close to Helen and threw flecks of stone up toward her face She didnÆt flinch

Despite the trembling in her muscles HelenÆs razor sharp will continued to pressure herself deeper into the bloody image around her This incensed the currents around her they began to rage with all the ferocity of a hurricane making landfall She had chosen a rather secluded location for this final attempt while in the Dungeon but now Helen felt a sliver of pity for the rather modest gathering of trees that had been minding their business here previously

As the flows of blood raged around her those trees were blasted to splinters The ground was cracked and scarred Helen shivered keeping herself very still at the core of the whirling forces around her A spot of blood began to drip down from a small cut made by the earlier flecks of stone

Gradually even as her instincts warned her of the danger Helen forced her eyes to open and looked at the dense maroon coloration of the blood sea whirling around her Although this was her own image it wasnÆt one that she had necessarily created from scratch She had some portions that were her own invention but even Helen had to admit that most of the changes she made were very shallow to the sea of blood

Helen didnÆt understand the details but in their talks Randidly had theorized that she was tapping into an older image as she progressed And therefore she should be extremely careful when exploring the depths of this image

So Helen sank as deeply into the sea of blood as she dared and opened her eyes There was a constant rumbling as the currents constantly ripped at the ground around her The watersÆ here were thick and murky Her awareness was dismal Yet it was enough As she peered downward she sensed a vast something was sleeping before her Even as a headache exploded outward from between her brows Helen kept herself focused on that vague impression The headache grew worse Her chest seized Such was the pressure that her own body wouldnÆt allow her to breathe in this place

If she breathed some instinct urged her that a terrible accident would happen Yet still Helen didnÆt look away Crimson veins emerged on her eyeballs She forced her attention to sharpen

That thing in the depths stirred Something within Helen snapped into place

Congratulations Your Skill Tides of Blood (Domain) has evolved into the Sea of Flesh and Tragedy (Domain) Skill Level will be maintained Effects of the domain will slightly increase per each Skill Level

Just as soon as she brushed up against that thing deep in the depths it was gone It sank away so quickly that she almost believed that she had imagined it As it left it pulled those violent currents with it Helen was left sitting in a ruined stretched of forest releasing deep gasps as she struggled to recover her equilibrium She pressed her eyes shut and endured the headache allowing the throbbing pain to run its course

She had accomplished her goal Yet somehow doing so only made her more curious about the image she was steadily infiltrating What awaited at the bottom

Still Helen didnÆt linger long in her created clearing After she recovered she ate a small meal of dried meat and cheese and checked her reflection in a small mirror She unwound her hair and rebraided it so that it looked immaculate

No need to let any of the other people know how difficult the transition had been for her And yet while she certainly did feel some satisfaction at the increase in ability she had received it was somewhat hard to get too excited when she had spent the last six months training with the GhosthoundÆs evolving images

That man has a way of making everyone elseÆs gains seem meager Helen reflected bitterly as she hurried back to the base Not that she needed to be there tonight the Riders would be killing the boss soon so they could leave without needing any assistance but there was some talk of a party

And nothing cheered Helen up quite like how sour Randidly would be when he was eventually strong armed into attending a party After he used her Domain as a punching bag for six months she deserved the exquisite treat of seeing his brow furrowed in annoyance

As she was descending into the valley however she saw Nathan sitting on a stump and looking down over the gathering below Although they werenÆt great several of the teachers that Randidly had brought from his Alpha Cosmos had pulled out instruments and were performing an impromptu concert in the middle of the more advanced houses the kids had built

For a second she hesitated Although they were peers she didnÆt often speak to Nathan But there was something focused about his gaze right now that gave her pause Plus Helen could sense Randidly wasnÆt yet below No need to rush

So she approached Nathan After casting her mind around she actually thought of a topic of conversation pretty easily So How did the Class making go

Nathan shook his head Commissioner Arrietti asked to delay until tomorrow He wants to center himself in his home Something about the Dungeon environment polluting his headspace

Helen frowned as she sat next to Nathan on a nearby stump IÆm actually surprised that man noticed RandidlyÆs image is too prevalent here makes it slightly stuffy to refine any other image Maybe heÆs not just a glorified punching bag

Nathan rolled his eyes You are too harsh He might not be very brave but he at least is honest HeÆs the type of man Kharon needs hey stop

Helen started ruffling NathanÆs hair with a smile What are you fourteen DonÆt talk like you are a wise old man ItÆs slightly creepy

But as she smiled some inner part of Helen sighed and deflated As she looked down at the joyous celebrating happening below she couldnÆt help but think of the corollary of what Nathan had said the reason that Kharon needs people like Commissioner Arrietti was because they would soon be losing the man they really needed Randidly Ghosthound

And yesterday Randidly had offered Helen a chance to come with him to the Nexus

Just trying to do my part Nathan scowled at Helen She ignored the gaze although she felt that Nathan had shifted his classification of her to becoming a condescending adult after that display

ArenÆt we all Helen replied without much heart

Chapter 1431

Taking every precaution to make extra sure there wouldnÆt be any adverse reactions the first thing that Randidly did when he exited the Dungeon and returned to Kharon was release a huge pulse of Aether that covered the surrounding area The Aether density of Earth was already extremely high but he didnÆt want to take any chances Especially for the children he brought into the Dungeon Aether Sickness would be extremely detrimental to their growth So he tipped the scales a bit in their favor

Of course the Aether he released would gradually disperse outward and affect the surrounding area But since the Orchard would soon be home to the duos tournament the extra Aether couldnÆt be considered favoritism toward the Orchard Everyone who came to fight for glory would unconsciously absorb the pure Aether in the air and rapidly improve

Randidly suspected that a few years down the line many power individuals would trace their beginnings back to this tournament Or at least he hoped that would be the case

The second thing Randidly did after arriving on his island and releasing the large contingent that had gone into the Dungeon was glare around at the surrounding melodrama Because his subordinates were too excited to have returned

ItÆs like finally breathing clean air after living next to a trash heap for a month Ed Dugg announced with his hands on his hips Then his expression briefly darkened as though he recalled something unpleasant

Helen nodded and glanced around at RandidlyÆs mist covered island Truly who would have known that high level images would cause such well for lack of a better word pollution

Flicking his fingers at them Randidly hopped off his island and proceeded to Kharon City Hall The various groups had already figured out what they would do next The teachers would go to the education facilities and introduce themselves to the children Especially for the groups from the Alpha Cosmos they were excited to start work as soon as possible

The kids that had now been trained by Ed Dugg would be going with him to work on other projects in order to get more practical experience before the main event The Riders would return to the Borderlands to patrol and play out their endless competition amongst themselves Sam would continue his research and the police force would return to their previous role in Kharon hopefully with a longer and firmer reach

A quick brush against KharonÆs image confirmed that while there was some agitation that wasnÆt there previously nothing of significance had happened while they had been gone The midday sun was warm on RandidlyÆs skin as he landed on the roof and descended through the familiar passageways toward TatianaÆs office Talking with her would be the quickest way to catch himself back up

Immediately as he entered Tatiana passed him a cup of iced mint tea and then gestured to several piles of papers that were on the table Light slanted sharply down through the windows and filled the stuffy office with life So want the quick or the long version

Inwardly Randidly sighed TatianaÆs good mood and preparations meant that things werenÆt as simple as they appeared LetÆs just start with the short version Exactly how long were we gone for

About 28 hours Tatiana replied with a smile A pretty small amount of time although it does mean the Duo Tournament preliminaries are scheduled to start tomorrow Is Clarissa prepared for that

Yea we will go ahead with plan A thank god Randidly rubbed his chin and took a sip of the tea The mint was cool on his tongue leaving a lingering taste of bitterness that remained long after he swallowed Tatiana certainly had nailed his taste So the short version

A fifteen year old boy was carved up on one of the side streets in the residential area of Kharon Luckily the boy survived and the culprit was caught But because of our lack of codified laws we havenÆt yet figured out how we wish to punish him

Randidly chewed on his lip Then he narrowed his eyes as purple black energy flashed across his pupils Huh You think this was arranged No you would have gotten a confession or launched a larger investigation otherwise This man was nudged into coming here Hum Let Helen return the favor by slashing him a bit and then drop him off in the Wildlands

Tatiana cocked an eyebrow and pursed her lips Randidly couldnÆt help but laugh Just like you seem to have a sixth sense regarding me weÆve worked together for so long that I can tell when you think IÆm being hasty even if you try to hide it

Randidly said aloud ItÆs a blunt response but I think the more we think about this the more time we waste And I assume you are already working to put out laws that mean this wonÆt happen again What else

Moving with an easy grace Tatiana walked to the piles of paper on the table and tapped her fingernail against them The statements are recorded here but several malcontents were gathered as they tried to infiltrate Kharon A man whose cologne business was bankrupted by competition with Kharon a woman whose boyfriend left her to pursue a dream of joining Kharon a few individuals who didnÆt pass the recruitment criteria and bore a grudge small things but I believe they were also nudged into acting now

A bunch of coincidences huh Randidly pressed his eyes closed Although he had been rather annoyed by their glee earlier the people were correct that it was somewhat refreshing to be away from that Dungeon that had been so thoroughly soaked in his image The scents of other images were sharp and clear in comparison It was an ecosystem of images with no hegemony So he could search carefully through Kharon for these people who came to cause trouble

Their images werenÆt strong but they were so different from the general image of Kharon that it was easy to locate them Once he locked on to the images he carefully brushed the relatively gentle roots of Yggdrasil against those images Although he couldnÆt find anything definite his Grim Intuition told him that there was definitely a common element between them all

Randidly opened his eyes Who caught them

Derek and Hydie Honestly even I was surprised by how good of a team they are turning out to be Tatiana replied Do you want to speak to them directly

Randidly opened his mouth to say no but his Revelation energy hummed to him

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 321

Actually yes That sounds like a good idea

Almost immediately Randidly left TatianaÆs office at her insistence taking the other various reports with him and proceeded to the Kharon police headquarters Valor Rend who had manned the headquarters while the police were gone met him at the door and led him toward the interrogation rooms The man practically begged Randidly to bring him on his next training expedition to which Randidly provided his amused agreement

But that training session might be quite far in the future perhaps even several years

Eventually Valor pointed to Randidly’s destination and Randidly thanked him for his time and increased his pace As he walked up to the door Randidly sensed more concretely why his Revelation energy had reacted to the suggestion earlier RandidlyÆs emerald eyes flashed But he didnÆt dwell on this revelation and simply walked into the room

Apparently RandidlyÆs casual training to conceal his image was more successful than he thought because both hopped to their feet as soon as they noticed him From the expressions on their faces neither had sensed his approach HydieÆs movement sent her chair clanging across the floor and slamming into the wall with a loud bang For a second the room fell into an awkward silence

Randidly grinned to break the mood Sorry to barge in on you like this but I wanted to spend some time focusing on these people trying to infiltrate Kharon Do you mind if I ask a few questions

Of course not sir Derek Moss responded immediately His arm twitched as though he was going to salute Randidly but he suppressed it RandidlyÆs smile widened marginally one of his strongest beliefs was that he didnÆt want to turn the Order Ducis into a military organization A salute was only a small part of that but Randidly was pleased that Derek had curbed this habit so quickly

IÆve read the reports Randidly lied imagining Tatiana shaking her head sorrowfully But I want more information about their attitude Or their images at the time immediately prior to capture or immediately after How were they behaving Was there anything unusual

Hydie and Derek exchanged a glance Both of their brows were furrowed in thought Hydie busied herself by moving to the chair she knocked over and setting it back on its feet For a second it looked like she was going to return to her seat in the chair but then seemed to recall RandidlyÆs presence and just swayed like she was drunk Eventually Derek shook his head Their image was just that of clearly intending to harm Kharon Otherwise we wouldnÆt have caught them nothing sticks out to me other than the fact they all came quietly when confronted

Randidly nodded Then he glanced at Hydie

She felt his gaze and visibly flinched Then she made a very overt show of considering the question carefully But the more she thought the more the lines of her face curved into a frown I donÆt know if itÆs worth mentioning but usually when we caught them they would burst into tears About half of them cried wouldnÆt you say

She glanced at Derek and he nodded slowly Then Hydie shrugged It didnÆt have anything to do with an image but they were all rather pathetic when it came down to it Helpless almost I IÆve felt like that in the past so

Randidly breathed out through his nose and considered that perspective The helplessness was interesting to note but it largely just conveyed that they werenÆt serious threats to Kharon on their face Perhaps if they didnÆt have the opportunity to come to the city the negative feelings would have withered and died naturally The reasons that these people had come here were rather mundane grievances after all

Randidly spared one last narrowed glance for Hydie before turning away IÆll keep that in mind In the meantime if you remember anything else please let me know And thank you both for the hard work

Yes sir Both replied Then Derek offered a small smile Honestly IÆm not so good at image detection Most of the work was done by the moss spirits I do recall having an impression of what Hydie is talking about I almost wish I could share my memory with you so you could view it yourself Maybe then you could learn more

Randidly opened his mouth to say something polite but he froze Because the rope wrapped around his right wrist twinged just slightly Frozen with his gaze on Derek RandidlyÆs Willpower reached out and touched his Dreamcatcher of the Long Night And the Fate proudly told him that it could accept donated memories from other individuals although there was a cost to doing so

You seriously waited until now to tell me RandidlyÆs mouth twitched Is that why the Leveling of the Fatepiece stopped in the seventies no matter how much I used it I had been focusing on thinking through definitions and functions of Dreamcatchers to unlock the rest but what if the operative words were Long NightÆ

This Fate is an extension of my Class It was an object made to accomplish the dream of my existence and a large part of that dream is Earth So the Long Night isnÆt just the troubles I face but the troubles of the entire Earth This dreamcatcher could contain the memories of many individuals hell do I even need to keep it on my person

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 72

Suddenly RandidlyÆs eyes widened further And we had already been designing keystones to act as focal points for images of weakness within Kharon Academy If the weight of memory could be added to that as well

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 73

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 81

Ahem Derek coughed lightly at the look of stunned surprise on RandidlyÆs face Is something the matter

No just some good news RandidlyÆs mouth curved into a smile There actually is a way for you to donate your memories to me

Chapter 1432

Despite his excitement Randidly watched the process of donation very carefully He was rather wary of the DreamcatcherÆs rather flippant admittance that there was a mysterious costÆ And while it clearly gave the impression that it was possible it included no guidance to what that cost might be So when Derek pressed his hand against the three dimensional rope Dreamcatcher RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition was pushed to his limit to watch this potential member of the Order Ducis

And as it turned out the costÆ was something rather valuable but it was something that Randidly knew would gradually recover The donation required that same emotional weight that Randidly had divvied up between his drops of liquid Aether and his physical improvements while in the Dungeon But luckily it didnÆt seem to require an extremely large amount of emotional weight

The problem was that Derek Moss wasnÆt Randidly So even this small cost left him rather pale and wan looking DerekÆs formerly robust and steadfast image had been reduced to a ghost of itself by the process Randidly put his hand on the manÆs shoulder and squeezed passing a thin vein of golden energy into his body You likely feel pretty weak right now but that should pass in a day or so Unfortunately you were the guinea pig so I didnÆt know what to expect

Ha IÆm just glad to help Derek said with a reassuring smile Randidly left it at that but he would devote a portion of his awareness toward Derek to make sure that the healing was a simple a process as he made it out to be If the recovery depended on the total amount of emotional energy Derek might remain this way for quite some time

Just as Randidly was leaving HydieÆs hesitant voice stopped him Do you do you want to take my memory too

Randidly glanced over his shoulder at her and turned around after seeing the firm line of her mouth while I donÆt think itÆs strictly necessary it may be valuable But are you willing to endure the cost As you can see from Mr Moss it isnÆt a small thing

Hydie Mordath glanced sideways at Derek Yet more than the heaviness in her gaze it was HydieÆs image that had RandidlyÆs attention

Even if itÆs difficult IÆd like to contribute In real time Randidly watched Hydie MordathÆs image rapidly progress in front of him The ethereal figure at the center of a web of misfortune gradually sharpened before his focus until it was a regal and austere Hydie that looked down on the surrounding world with grey eyes She seemed to be even more deeply mired in the threads of unluckiness that extended from her fingers but she seemed to have a measure of control over them that wasnÆt present before

In fact the hands of the figure in the image tightened on those strings Her aura was gradually weaving itself together into a tighter net She could never escape being inexorably tied to misfortune but she didnÆt need to let that rule her As the details of the image slowly harmonized with each other Randidly sensed a drastic change in power from the young woman in front of him

And strangely that similarity that Randidly had noticed early in HydieÆs image that likely stemmed from the same source as those malcontents was erased as she found her own Path forward That hint that she too had been nudged into coming into the Order Ducis vanished as if it had never been present

But does that mean that sheÆs no longer a danger to the Order Ducis or that sheÆs just blending exceeding well A suspicious part of Randidly mused But out loud he nodded solemnly to Hydie Well then thank you More data is exactly what we need right now

The process of extracting her memories was actually much more smooth than DerekÆs Perhaps because of how solid and uniform DerekÆs psyche was he possessed less of that necessary and valuable emotional weight that fueled the images Whatever had just happened to HydieÆs image proved that she had that emotional weight in droves even if she couldnÆt mobilize it yet

She possessed enough emotional weight Randidly reflected that she could probably refine herself a drop of liquid Aether If someone taught her about the process and how to do it of course But he let that thought lay for a while as Hydie donated her memory

Congratulations Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 82

Randidly pulled back his Dreamcatcher of the Long Night and wrapped it around his wrist Although the texture of the rope was familiar it certainly felt slightly more weighty after the recent additions Thank you I have a feeling that this will be very useful Due to your contributions IÆll arrange for the two of you to be part of the ten people inducted truly into the Order Ducis Thank you for your support

Then Randidly left moving before either of those two could react to the news Despite his kind words his sudden departure was purposeful in order to give them some space to react honestly without his presence As he walked out of the Kharon police office and back into the sunlight he felt both of their emotions permeate their images in very obvious ways In neither of their responses did he detect anything suspicious

Humming to himself Randidly sent a message to Neveah about a new Engraving he wanted to try making and then focused his attention on the Dreamcatcher Immediately as his perception went into that place filled with echoing chimes Randidly realized why the process had been so exhausting He didnÆt just take a single memory from the two newest memories of the Order Ducis he took a whole web of memories

The soundscape gleamed and echoed with new sounds around his surprised consciousness

Narrowing his eyes Randidly began to explore his adjusted Fatepiece The memories were there but Randidly could sense that it would be extremely difficult for him to visit them if he had no connection to the scenes The rapid pace at which his mental energy was consumed would be even more egregious if he tried to view anotherÆs memories As such he would only sparingly be able to dig into these twoÆs past

But this also set Randidly to thinking about his insight from before this Fatepiece wasnÆt the same as the Philosopher’s Key He had thought it was a simple tool that let him visit the past But the fact that it could take the memories of others and incorporate them

Well that meant he would need to obtain memories that he shared with another and experiment with how possessing both affected the chimescape

For the moment however RandidlyÆs mind turned in a different direction To a batch of memories he had been meaning to get around to but that he had kept pushing away It was time to view the movie left for him by Yystrix

Sydney released a sharp breath and rapped her knuckles against the door Several large crows sat in the surrounding trees watching her with beady eyes as the sleet continued to slant sideways down and plaster her hair to her skull The chilling rain seemed to skid off the crows’ feathers and leave them completely dry

Sydney knocked with more force almost wishing these strange crows would attack her Yet within the house the only response that Sydney sensed was silence

All in all she was in a very bad mood On the one hand she somehow felt that maintaining this general state of irritation would fare her very well in the near future the momentum of her emotions would make the hard acts she planned on undertaking tonight much easier But on the other hand

My underwear is soaked A very sour Sydney reflected My elemental means IÆm basically immune to the cold but in the face of precipitation

She was irrevocably damp The sort of damp that seems impossible to escape when you are in the thick of it Sydney knocked again on the door with enough force that the wood groaned Is anyone home IÆm going to come in if I donÆt receive an answer

There was no forthcoming answer which was exactly the sort of ambiguous answer that a woman with cold and wet clothes did not appreciate SydneyÆs eyes sharpened at the quaint wooden door in front of her as though she could will her eyes to penetrate through the material in front of her and reveal the innards of this place But her determined attempt was for naught

This house had been built by someone capable Not only were the materials solid enough to withstand the casual use of a System empowered human but there was a hint of an image at the edges of this construction Not enough that Sydney could sense who made it but enough that her senses couldnÆt easily reach the interior of the house

How is it even possible Do images really work like this Sydney bit the soft flesh on the inside of her cheeks to expend some of her mounting fury Her emotions were like a train slated for decommissioning rushing for the end of their tracks Too late to turn back now She knocked again and waited a few seconds There was no answer

Sydney considered simply using her image to rip the faint presence on these walls to shreds but the train wasnÆt off the tracks quite yet On the off chance that this was the wrong house she didnÆt wish to have an awkward conversation with the owner after she had eradicated that defensive image Sydney imagined it would be very useful against monsters

But would a person powerful enough to do this with an image need to worry about monsters

So instead she gritted her teeth pushed her dripping hair out of her eyes and seized the heavy copper handle of the door When she twisted the door opened easily and Sydney was able to step into the small hut

The door closed behind her and immediately the ceaseless rustle of raindrops bursting on the ground was muted by that same image that had stymied her This place was isolated from the outside world The weight of the water that she carried in with her slowly dripped down SydneyÆs limbs and off her onto the floor Her eyes were sharp as they landed at the figure sitting at the table regarding her with a small smile

You were inside the entire time Sydney said Why didnÆt you answer

Neveah shook her head I was very afraid of this conversation I couldnÆt muster up the strength to answer It turns out IÆm something of a coward

Sydney flicked her hand and unleashed a wave of cold across her body The moisture on her turned to frost and her elemental pulled it off her person and pressed it into a human head sized chunk of ice Then Sydney flexed her hand and destroyed the ice sending frozen chips across the interior of the cabin You also didnÆt lock the door

To this Neveah inclined her head I donÆt think I could bear to support this secret on my own any longer I was torn

NeveahÆs response confused Sydney but she quickly pulled her attention away from that so she didnÆt get distracted The train tracks were ending soon The conductor on her emotion train was throwing the last of his coal into the engine causing the overstrained behemoth to accelerate toward its demise Her shoulders trembled as she considered the individual in front of her

Sydney cleared her throat It was very loud compared to the silence of the room and the pattering of rain outside Where is he

Neveah pointed to a chair opposite her at the table Take a seat

Almost subconsciously Sydney chilled the interior of the cabin with a flash of hatred DrakeÆs unconscious face flashed before her mindÆs eye She recognized the folded clothes in a corner next to a desk as RoyÆs IÆm very surprised that you of all people would protect him Is Randidly behind this If you think I wonÆt fight you two

Neveah rolled her eyes She didnÆt speak however just pointed

Sydney forcefully reigned in her irritation although she couldnÆt prevent the tightening of the muscles along her jaw But she followed NeveahÆs finger and saw a piece of paper With slow steps Sydney walked up to the table It was a letter She immediately recognized the handwriting as RoyÆs

What is this Sydney asked Despite herself her fingers reached out and brushed against the worn material Someone had crumpled this piece of paper several times before painstakingly smoothing it out

When she looked over at Neveah the woman was crying I suppose itÆs what you humans call a suicide note

Chapter 1433

Randidly floated in the in between space for a while wondering what message Yystrix had left him with this movie Then he released a breath and set everything around him into motion

Welcome YystrixÆs voice said lightly before her a strange purgatory where her breath no longer shaped words Instead Randidly could only hear the sound of her breath leave her body as he sat in the total darkness of her memories There were pauses between the breaths but there was never the sound of an inhale It was only an intermittent exhale as though Yystrix was a balloon struggling to keep its last bit of buoyancy within its form

Randidly hesitated but ultimately didnÆt respond to the strange depressing release He settled himself within the dense web of YystrixÆs memories and didnÆt attempt to wander from where she was leading him He allowed himself to be pulled forward as a last act of respect to the callous and cruel woman who had shaped him

Gradually light began to emerge in the surroundings In real time the world around them was calibrated into existence Randidly found himself sitting in a room with light blue walls The material of the walls caused Randidly to tilt his head to the side it seemed to glitter like metal yet also was vaguely see through like a crystal It was exactly the sort of rare material that would have Sam transfixed

Welcome to Hallohm The ancient home of my people Yystrix announced The holy land of energy beings Heh in fact it would be accurate to say that we looked down on the wider universe and the flesh beings that inhabited it To us to my people this land was everything

The cradle the home and the grave

It was also clear that Randidly was seeing from a perspective that was not his own The small body he possessed which he assumed was YystrixÆs heaved itself to its feet and slowly waddled toward an open passage As she moved Randidly was struck by the strangeness of what he was seeing Around him aside for the crystal walls almost everything was blurry What Randidly assumed to be furniture was just a vague bulge along the sides of the room It was only those walls and the open passageway that had any definition

My apologies Yystrix voice continued in between exhales Even my memory has degraded with time No amount of training or Stats can stop that I considered leaving this out but I think it is important to see Everything started from this The tragedy began here

From the passageway YystrixÆs small form entered an area that completely blurred as though it was a watercolor painting that was rained on before it dried Only after squinting did Randidly hazard that it was some sort of stairwell although Yystrix didnÆt ascend She continued forward clearly knowing the path even if the area around them was bleeding into itself

There was another clear passageway and Randidly found himself in a wide open area that was clearly an arid highlands The dirt beneath him was almost bright orange Before Randidly could scrutinize the blurry plant life scattered in the vicinity Yystrix wheeled around and looked up at the building that she had just left RandidlyÆs eyes widened as he saw a giant crystal tower that stretched upward toward maroon clouds It seemed to have no end each floor clearly possessing a wide window and an elaborately carved stone ramparts around the edge

The Tower to Heaven Yystrix whispered The crowning Jewel of Hallohm It houses the entirety of my people It possesses 512 floors one for each of my people It is a hierarchical building those at the top have lived the longest Those at the bottom well they were born later I was just born and thus I live on the bottom floor in this memory

All my people experience this The sense of loss and wonder the abrupt existence and then this Tower piercing both the ground and the clouds

Even while the metal crystal Tower to Heaven remained the same the surroundings began to blur and warp YystrixÆs voice continued to explain There are two types of individuals in my population The first and the last Generally it is very simple to separate individuals into these two categories

As I told you previously life energy is constant amongst my people We must give of our own lives in order to bear children Typically a couple will each give half of their lives to form a child So they have two children the First and the Last The First is raised with the guidance of the parents They become our historians our great philosophers and our most respected leaders They bear the weight of tradition on their shoulders

The Last well They are born alone They have no guidance except occasional kindness from the community But they are also the sources of growth and innovation within my peopleÆs community in so far as my people were willing to change at all The horrible loneliness the Last feel those feelings of envy that eat them up when they see the FirstÆs supportive parents those are purposeful acts They are designed to isolate us The historians spend our childhood telling us how meaningful that suffering is How strong it makes us

Why then did I never feel strong Heh but then again was isolating you not the first thing I did to you

The tower receded like an ocean time its bright blue materials gradually fading into sky blue and then pale grey Into that void a slightly larger Yystrix was sitting on top of an orange rock outcropping looking down over a narrow ravine The figures were still blurry here but the memory degradation had settled to an acceptable level that no longer made Randidly dizzy to look at it And as he examined the surroundings with a finer comb he saw the forms of YystrixÆs fellows

There were two in the ravine below standing across from each other They had humanoid shapes but as Randidly looked at them it seemed like the outer skin of their bodies was translucent The main meat of these beings was the waves of light that flowed within the confines of their skin They were in fact oddly beautiful sights The one nearer to Yystrix was a soft blue color mixed with bursts of deep green The other was a pure bright yellow

Between them was a chessboard At the two figuresÆ gestures blurry pieces moved There was definitely a game being played below but it was also clear that YystrixÆs memory didnÆt place much emphasis on it Sometimes the moves of the blurry pieces seemed contradictory and Randidly couldnÆt tell if it was due to rules he didnÆt comprehend or that Yystrix didnÆt bother to fact check her own memory

Yystrix widened her view looking side to side to see the broken whole of the ravine And Randidly saw that there were dozens of these boards up and down the wide crack within the rock filled with blurry figures facing off Then Yystrix looked back to the light blue and yellow individuals directly below her outcropping

As I have told you previously my people believe we are descended from the Shallah beings who truly were pure energy without form In comparison you could say that my people are energy suitably contained and corralled That wild freedom we were once blessed with was lost

Due to the horrible betrayal of the Nether people we were stripped of that freedom and forced to leave Eden Yet now with the perspective of age I see how strange the arrangement became The two energy races settled on a single extremely small world The Aether below the Tower to Heaven in Hallohm and the Nether next to Sinkhole in the badlands We stayed and we fought generation after generation

There was always a certain cold war going on where the people of Aether and Nether would periodically meet and clash People might die in combat but we would carefully gather their life energy and create more children while mourning their abrupt passing

Yystrix released another long breath But did we ever think to leave Of course not But perhaps perhaps there was something special about those locations for our people

Either way the constant presence of the Nether pushed most people into frantically played wargames This was our only real hobby as well as training for combat I found it less than compelling Our historian was often disappointed in my lack of interest but I was a Last For every one last that innovated for the Aether beings a hundred disappointed This just cemented in his mind that I was a placeholder a cup to hold life energy until I grew tired of life and gave myself to form children

Gradually as Yystrix was speaking the details of the game below them came into sharper focus Specifically a certain piece simply shaped like a pillar became so clear that Randidly vaguely sensed image energy emanating off of it Of course this wasnÆt a real phenomenon but much more likely the effect of how much importance a powerful individual like Yystrix placed on the piece in her own memory

A wildfire of meaning raged around that pillar of orange stone as it sat in one of the small squares on the chessboard Randidly could see the thousands of connections that spread outward moments in the future that Yystrix would someday attribute to this pillar at this moment The memory around Randidly began to shudder as it tried to withstand that heavy meaning

The blue figure gestured and a blurry piece lifted off the ground floated forward and crashed into the side of the pillar The pillar swayed and then toppled over hitting the ground and cracking into several pieces Even as the two figures spoke to each other with blurry words that Randidly couldnÆt understand he followed Yystrix’s gaze Her eyes were locked onto the shattered pillar looking at the glittery silver grey ore revealed in the heart of the pillar The shaking of the memory grew worse

I was quite inspired by that destruction The memory around them physically shattered and suddenly Randidly (who watching through Yystrix) was back within the tower At this point in time she was slightly older and living now on the 93rd floor of this slightly creepy building One of her rooms had been converted into a workshop and Randidly saw a blurry figure filled with red light waiting expectantly while Yystrix was carving a piece for him For the first time in my life I saw how something that was less than whole could be beautiful And as it turned out the rest of my people shared that aesthetic

Essentially every one of the 511 other individuals living in the tower wanted to have me carve their wargame pieces The historian wanted an official set for the Grand Arena which was where the yearly wargame tournaments was fought And then as though as an afterthought the priest mentioned that his son wanted to commission some pieces as well For a wargame rule variantÆ

The vision in front of Randidly shifted Yystrix was walking along what appeared to be a dried river bed with high stone walls on either side of her As far as Randidly could tell everything in the area around the Tower to Heaven was some variation of red or orange Even the clouds were maroon The furthest thing was the brown scrubby plants but his overall impression was that this was a barren land filled with swirling dust

If not for the light blue sword of the tower thrust into this ground it would be an entirely dead place

After a few more minutes of walking Yystrix walked around a bend and into a memory that was perfectly clear Again this was a place heavy with the image of what was to come Whereas the pillar had raged with wild flames this memory was cold and sticky like the scales of a tuna pulled out of the sea There was something strangely claustrophobic to the pulses of images in the surrounding air

And standing in a particularly flat area of the river bed of the memory surrounded by misshapen lumps of stone was an individual As opposed to the bright colors of most of the Aether people that Randidly had seen this one stood out His light was monochrome he was filled with waves of white and grey interspersed with thin lines of black

The figure walked forward Hello IÆm Elhume ItÆs nice to meet you

The area around these two rapidly compressed as though a wrathful god was squeezing the edges of the memory and crumpling it into a ball The body of that cold tuna stretch and contort into a python that squeezed that moment to a pulp The orange highlands and the dusty river bed and the maroon clouds and even the Tower to Heaven were folded over drawn and warped by the weight of this meeting

Elhume spoke about the new rules he wanted to make for the wargame but to Yystrix those words were blurry Instead she was mesmerized by the black arcs that spun in his chest as he spoke They were only the slightest portion of his light but they caught the eye They rippled like colored ink dropped into water They seemed to dance as he spoke

The surrounding rumbling grew louder as the fist that squeezed this memory tightened The chill intensified Randidly couldnÆt help but feel apprehensive as he felt the destructive power of the image that was annihilating this place But finally ElhumeÆs words came back into focus add some spice to the wargames donÆt you think By the way where do you get your inspiration for your carvings They really are something

Yystrix shrugged I guess sometimes you need to take something away to make it beautiful

If only I hadnÆt told him that Yystrix continued to exhale her existence continuing to dwindle

Chapter 1434

LetÆs speed things up a bit shall we Yystrix continued after a particularly long breath into the silence I made those special pieces for him and they were very well received Many praised him for his vision in commissioning them This was where most of the support for Elhume becoming the next historian began People said he combined the best of a First and Last He understood tradition and could innovate Plus he had been taught by the current historian It was as though he was born for the role

The memory shifted and that horrible image of destruction associated with Elhume was pushed back It howled at the edges of the new memory whirling around the current oasis like a grudge holding sandstorm Elhume and Yystrix were sitting on a high column of orange rock watching the plateau below Elhume was talking and Yystrix was just listening to his blurry words

Elhume pursued me for a long time before I could trust him Even then I could see the violence of his emotions Especially when it involved the Nether But in the end I truly did love him Because for every bit of rage he would use to lash out at the Nether he would turn double back on himself For being too weak For being so helpless in the face of the problems plaguing our people

He was determined to be the one who would lead us back to Eden It was the home our people deserved he would say It was stolen from us he would insist The people of Nether had the key to returning and they kept it from us

Yet even he admitted that as far as we could tell from the records of our bitter war with them neither side had an advantage Our combat strength was equal despite our innovations to the wargames that we played Aether defended the tower Nether defended the Sinkhole Suddenly Randidly could sense a smile in YystrixÆs voice Which in my heart only served to prove how useless these games we were so obsessed with were

The memory shifted again to an open air amphitheater With long strides surrounded by blurry figures bright with color Elhume with dense cords of black light in his chest ascended to the stage The crowd began to cheer To the surprise of no one Elhume became our historian Yet rather than being happy his depression grew To suit his new role the standards to which he held themselves were hoisted beyond the realm of possibility Almost overnight he transformed into a man possessed

The historians I suspect now had a bit of extra information about the true situation of my people Being faced with that truth broke Elhume in a very vital way just as it had with most other historians in the past

Toward the end in that brief happy time after I brought my son back for his help Elhume showed me some of his fatherÆs musings although not the records that led his father to create such strange and ominous ramblings In essence the former historian believed that the Aether people had never left the promised land The dead land in which we now lived was the very Eden we always dreamt about

The memory shifted again Yystrix was standing at a window high in the Tower to Heaven looking out over the surrounding area She glanced upward seeing that the maroon clouds were very close above her She was now on the 399th floor Soon her view from her window would be completely obstructed

To describe the historian Elhume as moody would be an understatement He was more natural force than a living being always shouting or swearing or crying or preaching There was only one place where he could be silent on those game boards He even made several variations to wargames in the wake of skirmishes with Nether forces perhaps to alleviate his sense of responsibility by increasing our combat ability

None of it made a difference Our people were evenly matched with the Nether But for all the raw emotion coursing through his being my spouse was extremely practical And interacting with me I believe I gave him the last bit of inspiration he needed to develop a very desperate plan

If he couldnÆt make our people stronger the only way to improve our military strength was for there to be more of us Of course life energy was constant An increase in our population was impossible without extreme methods

Yet one day a miracleÆ occurred its sudden arrival like a bolt of lightning splitting the tallest tree in the forest We the animals came out of our secret living spaces and were aghast But our historian proclaimed it was a cause for celebration His vehement words whipped up a grand jubilation to mark the event A couple had given birth to three children Within a few months such miracles began commonplace Elhume became our prophet proudly declaring that the time had come for us to return to Eden with our newfound strength

Do you want to know how he managed it Yystrix asked softly But Randidly didnÆt need much of an explanation The memories had gotten so sharp that he could see how diminished these new beings were their inner light was dim and muted Randidly couldnÆt just intuit the method but he remembered the mad experiments of Thomas Karmin on Earth

Something spiritual had been cut out of the original Aether being and placed into another body The wound had healed as well as it could but what had grown in the stolen soulÆs place was more than slightly wrong Randidly could sense

The window in front of Randidly blurred and vanished Then Randidly felt a sense of immense speed as the world slowly came back into focus He was rushing forward over orange highlands Although Yystrix didnÆt turn to look Randidly could sense that the Tower to Heaven was behind him The further than Yystrix proceeded the denser and lower the maroon clouds became

Gradually she rushed forward into a land of shadow The Badlands home of the Nether

I stated previously that I ran away from Elhume And that was true But I was also purposefully looking for something Maybe even what I was looking for was a clean death Because there is no way to describe my methods but foolish

Periodically Elhume would travel into the wastes to scout out the area IT quickly became a point of pride amongst my people that our historian was a powerful warrior Yet I watched him every day how could I miss that every time he returned from that place more miracle births would follow

As you can see those Births created individuals that were dull is the term that seemed to fit It was all too easy to miss at first however Because of the overwhelming joy of the miracle several of the elders gave up their lives to have multiple children All at once the grand and bright lights of our people dimmed

But our numbers soon swelled to a little under a thousand ElhumeÆs hatred was a beast that could now stalk openly through the halls of the Tower to Heaven He practically leaked emotion with his every brutal action All of Hallohm revered that beast and praised it endlessly He was transforming right before my eyes

The stones transformed from orange to black as she continued to run forward The sky too was completely black It was a lightless place illuminated only by the light from YystrixÆs own body She rushed forward while ignoring the changes I arranged for an accident It detained Elhume and I rushed into the wastes in his place I had hoped I donÆt know I had hoped for an answer

And in that darkness I met an agent of Nether He was wounded and desperate or else he might have detected that I wasnÆt my husband As it was by the time he realized his mistake it was too late

Amongst the rocks that were thoroughly soaked in shadow a figure gradually emerged in front of Yystrix He was large larger than any of her people and possessed two sets of thickly muscled arms The Nether man was hunched over and a portion of his substance seemed to be gradually seeping into the surrounding air Great wounds covered his torso and his essence made use of them to waft off of his skin in thick waves

You The Nether being seemed troubled as he looked at Yystrix Who are you You how

Stunning

Then the memory froze leaving Randidly staring at the strange innocence in the eyes of the Nether being in front of him IÆm sure you have questions about what I am telling you But just believe that this is true I do not wish to share my talks with this Nether King Suffice to say that I learned much including the fact that the Nether were just as pathetic a people as the Aether ones were

And I also learned that Elhume had been meeting with this man to appropriate Nether methods to mutilate our people and subdivide them into more bodies He was a butcher of the soul justifying any amount of suffering in order to appease his hatred

The frozen memory shifted In the next scene the Nether being was more hunched His essence that was wafting off his body had thickened even though the wounds that covered him had vanished Memory snapshot after memory snapshot flashed in front of RandidlyÆs eyes showing the gradual transformation of the being of Nether

We continued meeting secretly after I discovered this extremely confusing relationship of my husbandÆs The fact that he a constant font of vitriol and propaganda that painted the Nether as uneducated savages would somehow meet and work out a deal with a Nether King even now doesnÆt make much sense to me

But it does prove one thing necessity always guided ElhumeÆs hand He would do anything to achieve his goals

As Hallohm became increasingly frenzied in his preaching I would sneak away and meet the Nether King We would spend our time just talking I learned much about the problems amongst the Nether people but those arenÆt my secrets to share Nor is it really relevant But it was incredibly nice to know someone who would listen to my troubles without judgment It was a much needed release valve that kept me sane Because as I ascended the Tower to Heaven the pressure was mounting for me to give myself to the children

Elhume was not the principal source of this pressure of course Even then I think I was special to him Yet all of his dim followers didnÆt view me in such a favorable manner I was the wife of the historian using ElhumeÆs influence to avoid my duty And in a way they werenÆt wrong

But I was so inexplicably afraid Afraid that my three or four children would be dim and brief things within the cold grasp of ElhumeÆs hatred And after that being of Nether called me stunning I couldnÆt bear the thought of becoming anything else

Eventually Elhume and I argued This was when I ran for real It wasnÆt a time for my secret meeting with the Nether King but I just went anyway I was selfish

Then suddenly the frozen memories were gone and Yystrix was radiating palpable fear A cracking twisted figure hidden in the deep shadows of the wastes slowly straightened It was a being of Nether with a segmented body like an ant twisting and clicking as it sensed Yystrix Then it twitched and struck

I encountered a Nether patrol and was grievously wounded Heh the great irony was that I was incredibly weak After reading so many reports about skirmishes with Nether I was well aware of what I should be capable of As I fled I couldnÆt help but wonder if the war games actually served a purpose after all

Luckily my Nether King found me and nurtured me back to health in a secret cave hidden in the badlands That was when we mixed and the process of making my son occurred Pine a genuine Shallah a being that was pure raw energy I was scared and confused and at that very time the Nether King had to go distract his fellow beings so I wouldnÆt be found and as soon as Pine was born my son of pure energy began to die

As I looked at Pine I knew what my Nether King had seen when he had first seen me This was what it meant to be stunning He was so radiant and I stood frozen for several minutes and watched him die before the urgency hit me I was so desperate that my colors began to change

Randidly saw another memory YystrixÆs hands were outstretched holding an orb of light the size of a beachball But that light was rapidly dimming as the light flowed outward into the surrounding shadows It was like the world around them was hungrily devouring that light as quickly as it was being produced

But you know this part donÆt you I told you this before I returned to Elhume Our fight was about having a child anyway and this was me having a child He immediately used his understanding of runes to stall the babyÆs disintegration For a little while I was happy

Yet this was the beginning of the end for me as always I was instrumental in my own doom ElhumeÆs rhetoric regarding this being the time of miracles became even more vehement The dull youth of my people followed him without question And those that had noticed the same changes that I did finally had their fears allayed by the arrival of Pine

If Elhume was really diminishing us where did this brilliant baby come from So those few that had resisted finally gave in to ElhumeÆs pressure Within a few months I lived in the 512th floor of the Tower to Heaven From that height you can see nothing but thick clouds that are so dense they seem like complete darkness at all times of the day

Elhume had a grand plan a plan to finally overwhelm the Nether Inspired by his successes in splitting the Aether people Elhume wondered if he could somehow harvest energy from the flesh beings in the wider world With the power source that was Pine determined to see this through to the end he created the System

And on the eve of his greatest success I ran and hid in the wide universe

Then the memories vanished Yystrix wearing the modified version of LyraÆs face was standing in front of Randidly She smiled sadly You must have questions

Randidly slowly began to stir After being immersed in the protective cocoon of YystrixÆs memories for so long he almost had to dethaw before he could form coherent thoughts why take the time to show me these things After seeing them

You just have more questions right There wasnÆt really a strong central message Yystrix revealed a familiar very playful smile At that moment she reminded Randidly so very much of Lyra Because well for two reasons First because I owed it to you Because even if you donÆt see it yet you are walking upstream toward the Nexus and it will probably kill you But the second reason if you somehow manage to survive if you actually can live through the dangers of that place look for the Tower to Heaven Find the land of orange stone and wargames Hallohm

There is a subbasement below that tower that I was never allowed to enter the historianÆs personal quarters If you can go there I believe you can find the old records that Elhume used as inspiration to design the System With the knowledge I left to Neveah and those records she can reverse engineer the Aether constructs And then hopefully you can free my son from this torture

Randidly frowned If thatÆs such an important room located in his homeland I doubt that Elhume left it unguarded By finding it I would need enough strength to defeat Elhume anyway So

You would believe so but as far as I can tell the current Elhume no longer cares about our homeland He is now obsessed with either locating Eden or creating it for himself Yystrix released a low exhale In addition that world of energy beings is special as I referenced earlier We had to leave Hallohm to protect Pine and create the System But after you have left Eden it is very difficult to find your way back

Randidly sensed YystrixÆs memories folding in on themselves He could see the Aether constructs tucking away from him the things she didnÆt want him to see but Randidly also knew that he wasnÆt near skilled enough with Aether to take such defenses apart So the movie blurred and reset with the sound of someone taking a deep breath It sat waiting for him to go through it again

The resources that the Nexus has access to are extremely abundant Yystrix whispered But only if you know how to use them Randidly Ghosthound Never forget that your beginning was the middle of someone elseÆs story

And then she was gone leaving him alone in darkness

After hearing about the strange genesis of the System Randidly wasnÆt in the mood to go through it again immediately He exited YystrixÆs memories and stood up on his misty island The sun was rising Today would be the day of the duoÆs tournament

RandidlyÆs gaze turned up toward the sky with a dark expression Soon IÆll be going to the Nexus

Chapter 1435

Mommy Delilah spread her arms and dashed directly forward toward Annie as though she was drawn with a magnet

Annie kept the smile on her face serene while glancing sideways toward Dozer with an I told you soÆ look This kind smile was a far cry from her true feelings in her mind she was kekeke ing like a malicious witch who finally lured her target to willingly hop into the cauldron of boiling water Heh as expected she comes out of the Dungeon completely filled with fondness for her mother Ah my cute daughter has finally returned to me

Feeling very generous Annie glided forward and swept Delilah up into a hug As she spoke to her daughter Annie rubbed her cheek against the top of her head IÆve missed you honey How was the Dungeon How long were you in there for

Dozer rolled his eyes and stood to the side to keep other people from interfering with the reunion The small family was standing below Kharon away from the Orchard but almost the entirety of the area around the Wandering City was now thick with hastily set up housing and restaurants to handle the excess population that had come for the tournament Even the expansive Orchard was unable to handle this many visitors at once

Luckily the Orchard itself had been expanding pretty constantly over the past several years and had a lot of experience with throwing up new buildings on short notice In the seven days since Kharon had settled down next to the Orchard they had already completed the sewer and electric system in the area and were now constructing buildings in earnest Apparently they intended to create a new suburb in this area with all the manpower that they had access to right now

As it was the reunion was forced to take place in a rather loud area beset on all sides by people sparing them glances as they hurried about their business of either training or seeking lodging or constructing the lodging But seeing the genuine emotion on her daughterÆs face Annie didnÆt care at all about the scene around them Ahh yes truly Randidly Ghosthound has no idea of the favor he did for me It felt like only a few days to me but my disobedient daughter is now wagging her tail so joyously in my arms

For a few seconds Delilah buried her head into AnnieÆs shoulder and ignored her motherÆs questions But then Delilah slowly seemed to relax and pull back the Dungeon was okay It was a couple of months I didnÆt really keep track But mommy am I weak

Immediately AnnieÆs eyes gleamed But outwardly she made a great show of releasing a grand sigh and shaking her head Annie was definitely a mother who could empathize with her daughterÆs plight Well weakness is always relative sweetie You are strong for your age But there are a lot of people in the world Some of them are even as strong as your parents ThatÆs why training is so important

Delilah even began to tear up yeah IÆm sorry I ran away so much IÆm sorry I skipped out on training so often But I

Hush ItÆs all forgiven Annie squeezed her daughter tightly Even the fickle and pessimistic Annie couldnÆt help but be swayed by the straightforward nature of her daughter Her knuckles went white from how hard she wanted to grip her daughter to protect her but she kept her grip within normal bounds Since Randidly had so generously taught their daughter how powerful the dangers in this world was all Annie needed to do now was play the concerned parent Daddy and mommy are here

Dozer hearing his cue reached out and used his broad hand to gently pat DelilahÆs back Annie was slightly miffed that they hadnÆt thought to bring a camera to immortalize this harmonious moment when Delilah spoke again and shattered AnnieÆs rosy sense of satisfaction

Also is it possible that IÆm in love IsnÆt love an adult thing

eh Annie blinked Strangely her lips were abruptly dry Wait what did you just say

Delilah was still held in AnnieÆs arm but it was difficult for Annie to see her daughterÆs face as she was frowning down at AnnieÆs shoulder Love Like mommy daddy stuff A boy I met in the Dungeon said that I was in love with him but I would need to wait until IÆm older to marry So how do I know if IÆm in love with him

He said Annie felt like breathing out fire She shot Dozer a glance to warn him not to stop her from hunting this boy down but as soon as she saw the set of DozerÆs eyes Annie immediately felt the aggression drain out of her body And again that inner version of Annie began to laugh maniacally Hehehe this husband of mine might be very stoic normally but he does have quite the temper when the mood strikes him Ah this is the wild man that I fell for

The corners of DozerÆs mouth were very tight as he took the initiative to answer DelilahÆs question if you donÆt know if you love him you donÆt Love is a big thing but mostly itÆs being sure Now this boy

But doesnÆt mommy talk about how long you pursued her before she said yes Delilah insisted So she didnÆt love you immediately So maybe I just donÆt know yet How can I be sure I wonÆt love him someday

DozerÆs expression tightened further If it happens it will happen What is this boyÆs name

His nameÆs Annon Delilah replied without much thought Then her face pinched as though the key to concentration was simply pressing her features more closely together Are there Skills for love too Maybe I should learn some

Dozer turned and walked away without saying anything Annie had to release a bit of her image power as a White Hunter in order to screen Delilah from the ominous cracking sounds that Dozer released as he moved The two and a half meter tall man moved silently but Annie could see the veins on DozerÆs neck pulsing with his heartbeat

Annie batted her eyelashes at DozerÆs back Break some bones for me my lovely prince

Tatiana stepped off the small platform onto the island and raised her voice Randidly Are you prepared

Her voice clearly echoed through the misted areas of the GhosthoundÆs island Not that she needed to speak for him to sense her but undoubtedly Randidly was tied up in some sort of training from which he would need to be disentangled But to her surprise the only noise that Tatiana heard in response to her call was the sounds of hammering and shouts from where the GhosthoundÆs residence was being erected Despite her words Randidly Ghosthound didnÆt respond at all

The mist spirits circled around Tatiana cheerfully doing a lot to alleviate the feeling of awkwardness in her heart Is Randidly not here

Shaking her head Tatiana followed her intuition and began to walk across the island Although the information she received from the Skill wasnÆt exact it was more than enough to track Randidly down on the small island He was definitely present She walked for a few minutes and soon came to an area where the perpetual silver mist was thinning it seemed Randidly was currently sitting in the sun

Tatiana soon saw Randidly sitting on a stool and gazing out toward the horizon A tall leafy tree swayed above him painting the picture of a philosopher musing on the beauty of nature Just as she was opening her mouth to speak again however she felt there was something strange about the scene she was seeing After a single blink Tatiana narrowed her eyes

As she sharpened her gaze for a second examination she once more saw Randidly sitting on a stool below a leafy oak tree that seemed to be swaying slightly in the wind This time she also noticed that beneath RandidlyÆs bare feet there was a thick carpet of grass that appeared soft enough to serve as a bed The early morning sunlight on his face was warm and golden

Yet Tatiana felt no wind in the surrounding area Nor was it at all likely that there was grass here this island was almost constantly covered in silver mist Had Randidly been sitting here so long that his vital energy had spurred the growth of plant life beneath him That was possible but Tatiana had another theory everything she was seeing right now was an image that Randidly had conjured

What pushed her in that direction was the coloration of the sunlight With winter rapidly overtaking them golden sunlight like that wasnÆt a common sight these days

Tentatively Tatiana took another step out of the silver mist and into the clear area It wasnÆt that she felt any sort of apprehension toward the vision in front of her Rather it would be better to say that she couldnÆt believe that Randidly was so deeply distracted that he hadnÆt noticed her approach In addition it made her overwhelmed that RandidlyÆs trip into the Dungeon had improved his images to this extent For several seconds she had been entirely fooled despite the logical inconsistencies of what she was seeing

Randidly Tatiana began to get his attention but her word was suppressed by the surrounding space as though the slightest interference on the image was considered a trespass The image didnÆt take kindly to any interference and immediately squashed it Even her own ears could barely catch the word she had shaped

Even worse after she had spoken she sensed a strange change in the image in front of her While Randidly remained motionless upon his stool a dark swirling shadow floated up from his black hair and rapidly swelled in size The swirling of the shadow accelerated giving it the look of an inky whirlpool that hovered above RandidlyÆs shoulder

Somehow it reminded her of a lidless eye that was staring right at her

Tatiana felt a chill in her heart as she looked at that whirlpool Tendrils of darkness began to extend outward from that darkness reaching out toward where Tatiana was standing And as those meandering feelers approached her body Tatiana realized that her skin was numb and her muscles were stiff She awkwardly took a step backward and exploded with her own sharp image to counter that the strange heaviness that covered her body Although she didnÆt want to unduly disturb Randidly that dark whirlwind was clearly announcing its malicious intent She felt no qualms from lashing out especially when she knew there was very little chance of her accidentally injuring Randidly

TatianaÆs expression twisted as she sensed the outcome of lashing out with her image She had thought that RandidlyÆs image was like a pool of water and her image would be able to disturb the surface and alert him sitting at the center of it Even if the stoneÆ of her image was small in relation to the pool already present it would still spread ripples Yet her image was devoured by the air in front of her even before the tendrils from the dark whirlpool reached it

Her image was like a child climbing under a massive woolen blanket Any sort of movements she made could barely affect the whole With her strength it was almost impossible to pull the blanket off the bed and alert the man slumbering within

Damnit Randidly even your passive image is so powerful

Right when Tatiana began to truly panic thick golden roots imposed themselves between the swirling darkness and Tatiana Shimmering characters ran across the roots catching the eye Just as Tatiana was regarding their sudden appearance with shock another wave of roots shot upward and completely bound the struggling vortex The pit of darkness flared to twice its original size and lashed about Yet before those shimmering golden roots the whirlpool could do nothing

Tree branches creaked with the wind in a noise that sounded strangely like laughter Tatiana watched the tree manipulate its roots and bind its prey more tightly Casually the tree and the shadowy whirlpool seemed to be bickering Then somewhat helpless the tree used its golden root to jab in a certain direction Even Tatiana couldnÆt help but allow her gaze to be guided by the sentient plant image

And she realized with a start that the root was indicating the lumpy shadow of Randidly Ghosthound At first Tatiana was confused but then the shadow began to ripple and grow before her eyes It stretched outward from RandidlyÆs motionless form growing a shade darker for ever inch it grew outward Then it twisted and shivered before detaching itself from the ground and reaching up through itself as though it was a portal from another realm

With a great exertion something dangerous hauled itself out of RandidlyÆs shadow

By this point the shadowy whirlpool shrunk and seemed to plead with the tree but the tree just rustled lightly and refused to loosen its grip Meanwhile a monstrous and powerful figure that Tatiana recognized as RandidlyÆs Grim Chimera image completely manifested the tails at its neck and waist flicking side to side It stalked forward with a wide grin on its face its left arm stretched out to gleefully seize onto the shadowy whirlpool as though it was plucking a ripe apple

A second later both had vanished and Tatiana was rewarded for her trouble with the strange sight of the tree in front of her creaking as it forced its thick trunk to bow slightly in TatianaÆs direction With its golden roots it opened up a clear path to Randidly

Slightly bemused and still a little nervous after interacting with RandidlyÆs images Tatiana walked slowly forward Only when she was right next to her leader did she cough lightly Randidly

Huh The bubble around them popped as Randidly seemed to wake from his reverie The tree and grass vanished They were simply at the edge of his island on a dirt patch RandidlyÆs eyes were still slightly misty for several seconds as he looked at Tatiana Then he blinked and flinched Ah IÆm late arenÆt I Sorry I was just thinking about something

Tatiana bit her lip Is there a problem

What Oh no nothing to do with the Earth Randidly waved his hand Then he slapped his thighs and stood up Alright time for the preliminaries How big did this tournament end up being

Tatiana secretly released a sigh of relief Falling back to facts and figures she knew she was able to put the casual display of RandidlyÆs power out of her mind for the moment Ten thousand And thatÆs only after several exacting investigations to rule out those who were too weak to meaningfully compete

So five thousand teams Randidly rubbed the back of his neck This might take

Ah my mistake for being misleading Ten thousand teams We figured a round number was best So twenty thousand people Tatiana could only shrug helplessly Basically everyone powerful on Earth who isnÆt the head of a Zone is here to participate

shit So yea this is going to take a while Randidly sighed

Chapter 1436

Randidly stood on a wooden board that he had hastily covered in Engravings to support his weight He tapped his foot twice on the board to test it and then smiled when the Engravings began to glow emerald this would do After releasing a light breath he floated down from the edge of Kharon to hang over the sea of people who were waiting below for him to speak

It was the first day of the tournament The goal was to push through today and finish all the preliminaries

Although the number of participants had been cut down by Tatiana to only twenty thousand there were almost ten times as many people waiting below bright eyes Even if they didnÆt plan to compete far too many people came for the spectacle of this first world tournament At the edge of the vast crowd were tall platforms topped with powerful cameras Tatiana had jokingly informed Randidly that his tournament was going to be the first difficult test that the recovering broadcast companies would need to handle He was going to be a television star

The demand to see the fights and watch the most powerful individuals on Earth was extremely high Even if there were a lot of people currently who still felt that the pre System Earth was an infinitely preferable alternative to the violent present they couldnÆt deny power had become necessary They could only thrive when they could overcome the threat of monsters Subconsciously the values of the world gradually shifted under the weight of necessity

RandidlyÆs gaze swept over the crowd Compared to the immense weight of bodies below him and the size of Kharon behind him he was a relatively small figure floating between them Plus he didnÆt activate his images at all He just looked down in wonder a human standing before the weight of humanity

These people hold the future of this planet in their hands

With RandidlyÆs senses he very quickly had an accurate impression of the capability of the gathered people And what he found within the whispering sea of bodies surprised him Although he had largely been disappointed with the capabilities of the average population after scanning the Orchard the group in front of him was different

But that gradual separation of power made sense These were truly the EarthÆs elites They embraced RandidlyÆs call for images and had spent the last two years frantically training Probably more than that considering the recent bustle surrounding Dungeons There were several images present that Randidly didnÆt recognize but would be able to put up a good fight against someone of AlanaÆs caliber

These people would rag up the mean strength of Earth even while the Median remained weighed down by the majority of the population that was content to be protected

Almost instinctively Randidly bared his teeth The Nether Nebula that he had so carefully suppressed while he was within the Dungeon spun freely around him Heh although no one is a match for me individually if all of them combine their power it will be very difficult for me to win

should probably leave them with some confidence with them heading straight toward the First Calamity But still six months of image training has me itching for the chance to fight ItÆs almost become a habit

RandidlyÆs heart began to softly pound The weight of all the gazes of the people below him became weight that spun into his Nether After being thoroughly and purposefully strangled within the Dungeon RandidlyÆs Nether greedily absorbed this ambient weight until a tiny void appeared at the center of the nebula The edges were tinged with grey causing Randidly to highly anticipate how his Nebula would continue to grow If it could reach the weight of the innocuous grey bubble

But right now I have other business Randidly abruptly refocused his gaze on the light reflecting off of the lenses of the distant cameras I wonÆt be here to fight against the First Calamity I canÆt stick my fingers too deeply into this tournament that will capture the imagination of the entire world

Welcome Randidly said softly But with that word Randidly also included a wave of his imageÆs strength It wasnÆt a concrete thing Randidly didnÆt suppress the surrounding area with either the Grim Chimera Stillborn Phoenix or Yggdrasil Instead only that formless potency that made those three images terrifying spread out to cover the waiting crowd Combined with the subtle touch of RandidlyÆs Nether the weight he released on his audience was enough that he could clearly sense which individuals had hidden their powers from his initial scan

Before that weight the lurking predators subconsciously reacted before they could help themselves His eyes flashed side to side marking the people of interest below During the process RandidlyÆs smile widened This will be an interesting tournament

But then as he opened his mouth to continue someone forcefully pushed his way through RandidlyÆs aura You are the Ghosthound right LetÆs see if you are as strong as they say Azure Claw

Randidly blinked as one of the unknown images that had been hiding its presence blazed immediately to life A young man with spiky blonde hair leapt off the ground and shot upward toward Randidly and his wooden board The man glowed with blue energy and the spectral form of a Siberian tiger imposed itself on the young man making it seem like a tiger was pouncing upward with malicious intentions

The man was quick but not quick enough that Randidly wouldnÆt feel awkward bullying this obviously weaker individual

RandidlyÆs eyelids twitched as he considered the fact that most of the world was watching this The blonde haired man traveled upward at a painfully slow speed giving Randidly far too much time to think about what was happening Some idiot just had to try and to test himself against me well this IS the sort of place that the Earth is becoming But please wait for a more appropriate time to try and become the main character of a story Ah didnÆt I just decide to make sure I kept my images out of the public eye

Luckily Randidly didnÆt even have to move the police force of Kharon was running the security at the tournament and an officer quickly prepared to intercept the attack The nearest patrol officer exploded with a rather vague image of justice that manifested around his body as a spinning whirlwind of golden lights His legs flexed as he used his image to empower his physical body and leap upward

But as he did so Randidly felt a headache growing Everything felt like it was going in slow motion but it didnÆt feel appropriate to intervene directly ThatÆs Fenlin right Even before the Dungeon his control over his image was a bit And I have no doubt that he hasnÆt adjusted to using his new image on Earth

As Randidly had predicted the ground beneath FenlinÆs legs exploded and collapsed as he overutilized his image He shot upward like a rocket not so much blocking this Azure Claw attacker as directly intercepting him FenlinÆs shocked face smashing into the young manÆs chest with all the force of a ballistic missile

The casual image aura that remained around Fenlin was enough to shatter the image of the tiger with just the initial contact Then the two shot off to the side where they impacted the ground and created a smoking crater

Randidly rubbed his chin and sighed grateful that Fenlin had carried the attacker out of the area occupied by the crowd HeÆs so used to acting within the Dungeon where my image was a constant weight that he has no idea how much he needs to concentrate in order to accomplish basic tasks here on Earth itÆs like a man with a battle ax suddenly trying to wield a knife in the same manner Guess it just shows they need more training

A rather strained looking Fenlin stumbled out of the smoking crater and smiled awkwardly From within the hole some light coughing could be heard

Randidly smirked around and released a pulse of Nether to make sure everyoneÆs focus was back on him Better move this along Since it looks like everyone is itching to start IÆll keep this short

After a smattering of laughter from the crowd Randidly continued YouÆve already been divided into ten groups Today will be totally devoted to those ten preliminaries Each group will fight in a special environment for one hour Leaving the special environment will be considered a forfeit Defeating other duos grants points After the hour no matter how many people remain the top ten percent in terms of points will move on to the tomorrow’s rounds The round will finish early when 90% of the groups have been defeated

Other than that there are no rules Just know that IÆll intervene if I sense that anyone is out for blood obviously this competition might not be friendly but we arenÆt here to weaken ourselves Because beyond this tournament is the First Calamity

Randidly gritted his teeth Do not forget our true foe people of Earth

Gradually the people below nodded Randidly glanced sideways toward Clarissa who stood in the shadow of Kharon Seeing RandidlyÆs glance she began to gather her image Then her hands began to move through several complex signs as she started the process The Skills that Clarrissa had developed in the Dungeon were powerful but they did take a bit of time before they could be activated

So Randidly turned back to the crowd Group 1 you are up Show the world how much youÆve improved your images Everyone is watching

Very quickly Randidly floated upward and out of sight of the people below He quickly moved to the Southern edge of his island where he could look down at the battlefield and monitor the situation and prevent any accidents Although it cut into his training time he would be responsible for tracking the points of the fighters below In the end it wasnÆt such a big deal to lose out on a dayÆs worth of training all Randidly really wanted to do right now was work on Nether

Most of his other areas had already reached their limits within the Dungeon Besides centering the monitoring and safety activities in himself would mean saving the labor of at least two dozen members of the Order Ducis It was grunt work but also work that he was uniquely positioned to accomplish

As the crowd talked excitedly and split into the various groups Randidly also noticed that the blonde haired young man stumbled out of the crater covered in dirt and vaguely smoking After coughing several times he glared up toward RandidlyÆs island But compared to RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition it was clear that the blonde young man didnÆt possess the Perception to pierce through the silver mist around his island

Instead the blonde young man harrumphed and began to stomp his way toward the fighting ground It appeared that he was part of Group 1

Inwardly Randidly chuckled If defeating him was this individualÆs goal the blonde young man would need to improve quite a lot before he began a threat to Randidly Ghosthound So Randidly just looked up at the clouds Underneath ClarissaÆs influence the slate grey sky darkened toward black The clouds thickened ominously small flakes of snow drifting downward

Very soon the rate of snowing increased By the time al of the Group 1 was in position a veritable blizzard had descended Their battlefield had turned into a snow globe that was being rather violently shaken

Randidly closed his eyes When he spoke his words boomed out over the surrounding area You have one hour Begin

Chapter 1437

TosamÆs hand shot out and gripped KadirÆs extremely massive bicep He tightened his fingers making sure that Kadir could feel his grim through the chill of the surroundings Wait

Kadir glared hatefully at Tosam and yanked his arm out of his grip but did ultimately stop as requested By decree of King Phirun Tosam was in charge of their decisions during this very important tournament Kadir was the significant muscle while Tosam was the brains of the operation Yet even while they were both beset by temperatures low enough to affect even their System empowered bodies Kadir still found the energy to spitefully act out in small ways

Tosam was just glad Kadir had sensed the seriousness of this moment as he led his muscular companion to crouching next to a snowdrift and peering down the hill in front of them There standing in the middle of the oppressive blizzard like this was just a walk in the park were two men

Honestly the fact that there were only two of them standing so boldly in a large valley was the first warning sign in TosamÆs mind The arena for the preliminary fights was relatively small Perhaps only a single square mile With a thousand groups buzzing around it was inevitable that clashes happened frequently Only ten minutes had passed since the round started and the duo of Kadir and Tosam had been forced into several brutal fights that they barely survived

Even though the foes they fought were weaker even than Tosam the fights kept attracting the attention of other teams who would intervene when they thought they could strike decisively and earn points This meant that even during a fight a portion of their focus needed to be on the surrounding area so they wouldnÆt be ambushed Which made those ten minutes stretch to seem like several hours

All this while soaked to the skin with freezing sleet and forced to wade through two feet of snow

Which was why the calm expression on the two menÆs faces also put Tosam on his guard as their voices drifted up to them The chaos and difficulty of the surroundings didnÆt seem to affect them at all

We split up and see who can defeat more teams yea The first man said He was tall and slender with long knives strapped all across his waist and chest The thick snow seemed to be eviscerated by only his ambient image as it drifted closer leaving him completely untouched by the ceaseless precipitation I get the rules I just think betting money is too boring LetÆs get a bit more serious

Oh Hehehe what did you have in mind The other man wasnÆt wearing a shirt at all boldly standing the blizzard with his hands on his hips Yet as the snow swirled closer it immediately evaporated underneath the raw heat from his bronze colored skin His spirit seemed to have a physical presence dominating the area

The first man offered a small smile Just this whoever loses must fight the rest of the tournament with the otherÆs weapons Or lack thereof in your primitive case

Ha I like it The bronze man clapped his hands together and the noise echoed strangely in the valley For a brief moment all of the snow surrounding him was held suspended without moving Only when the noise passed did the snow continue to fall Heh I cannot wait to see you trying to throw a punch

KadirÆs eyes were wide It was clear he saw the effect of that clap too Tosam gestured sharply Both of them silently turned around and left never noticing that the two men spared them a glance while ironing out the rules of their bet Perhaps if they had remained there for a few more minutes they would not have been able to pass the preliminaries at all

In the third preliminary group the extreme environment chosen by the Order Ducis was a sweltering desert In the beginning there was almost crippling visibility on the relatively flat ground that led to some awkward standoffs Everybody basically held everybody else in check no one wanted to be the first group to get into a fight

But after only five minutes the heat had been turned up to the point that heatwaves completely distorted the surrounding vision Figures locked in combat were brown blurs the noises forced upward and away from ears by the constant rising air above the hot ground Even the sand beneath the participants’ feet seemed to warp and melt underneath that oppressive heat

Due to that heat Donny was starting to get quite uncomfortable in the dark robe he was wearing to hide his features Is this really alright Very few other political leaders are participating

His companion shrugged At least Warlord and Lucifer are participating There is no rule against it The Order Ducis wants the strongest images represented

Donny released a sigh and resisted the urge to adjust his pants There were dark smudges on the horizon that were probably other people approaching their location but it was difficult to tell through the shimmering heat waves True I just feel

His companion clapped DonnyÆs back with quite a bit of force Just admit to yourself that you want to fight And in this world wanting to fight isnÆt a problem After running Donnyton for so long I bet you have some stress to work out I certainly do

True The light in DonnyÆs eyes brightened His fingers tightened around the leather handles of his shield The smudges continued to become more detailed before his gaze resolving themselves into a pair of people fleeing from another pair Heh I really do need the exercise This group

Nope this group is mine His companion raised his hand There was a pulse of Mana and suddenly several spectral forms appeared around the two of them These captured souls of Raid Bosses spared glances laden with hatred for their owner but were quickly suppressed by the aura of the Sovereign of Ghosts

IÆve been scouting and maintaining communication for almost two years without a break I report trouble and watch someone else deal with it Glendel hissed After the first three Raid Boss Ghosts loped off toward the figures in front of them he instantly conjured a dozen more powerful Raid Bosses that radiated malevolence I think we need to remind these people why Donnyton was the most powerful Village on Earth

You brought a horse as your partner Alana asked in disbelief In front of her was the proof calmly munching at the verdant foliage underneath the heavy treeline They were in the seventh of the preliminary groups and Hank Howard was standing next to a completely ordinary brown horse that was enjoying its meal And he looked very pleased about the whole situation How did the Order Ducis let that happen

LetÆs defeat him now and take the points Wivanya suggested as she twined her neck around a nearby tree trunk For this preliminary the Order Ducis has created a thick jungle and Wivanya was having quite a lot of difficulty moving around As such her mood had turned sullen and spiteful To avoid attracting undue attention she kept her body still while her long neck slide between the trees

Hank just smiled and patted his horseÆs neck Well tehnic ally I have entered alone and they allowÆd me ta bring a horse But I found havinÆ this fella with me helped my image Feels more like a gunslinger with a horse yanno I might even set up a campfire

So now you are dragging around a liability with you Alana shook her head But at the same time she couldnÆt help but accept it That was just Hank for you He followed his own sort of tune even when it was the most illogical thing that most people had ever heard Can you be sure you will pass through the preliminaries with this guy

His nameÆs Ancho And havenÆt you noticed that the prior preliminaries all ended early Hank waved his hand People so itchinÆ to fight that as long as I survive and mind my own business IÆll pass Because the others will have been beaten

You are a certain sort of brave Hank Howard Wivanya hissed Then the Frost Dragon turned its reptilian gaze on the brown horse and blew a long breath out through its nose The horse straightened from the fern it was devouring seeming to sense the attention Frost Dragon and brown horse regarded each other seriously Then Ancho huffed out a breath unimpressed by Wivanya and returned to its meal

Alana immediately sensed Wivanya gathering her power in her throat to unleash a blast of frost to punish this horse and patted her partnerÆs side to calm her down there was no point in wasting energy against Hank right now anyway

Growling Wivanya followed AlanaÆs direction and began to stomp off simply smashing the tree trunks in her path to kindling It appeared they were done with the laying low strategy Alana spared Hank a small smile before she followed her dragon to save whoever was dumb enough to investigate the loud noises Be careful There are more powerful people here than I expected

Heh do you think I need to be reminded of that The world itÆs a wide place Hank replied placidly ThereÆs gonna be a good sky tonight I think

Lyra smiled sweetly at the two men in front of her They were in the ninth preliminary group and everything around them was covered in a seething mist that clung to their clothes ArenÆt you two members of the Order Ducis Hopefully no one gets the wrong idea about your participation in this tournament

Tykes tossed the heavy iron ball he carried from hand to hand spinning it lightly We are external contractors You on the other hand are a Village Spirit Donnyton is really throwing its whole weight behind this effort huh YÆall trying to name this world Donnydom

Lyra snickered She lifted a hand and a crimson orb appeared on her palm Ripples spread outward through the mist as she gathered her image When she concentrated the mist began to weaken and recede IÆm here strictly as an individual I even have a Class I donÆt think there is any problem with me entering this fun little tournament

Same with us Tykes countered as he eyed that crimson orb warily Then he looked sideways at Dinesh and spoke in a lower tone Are we fighting

Maybe Dinesh said with a frown He was facing LyraÆs partner who was an average looking man whose most distinguishing feature was the extremely blank expression on his face Even though Tykes could tell that Lyra was a dangerous foe he chose her rather than her partner as an opponent because of that disturbing expression on the manÆs face

After hesitating for a bit Dinesh spoke to him Stan I hadnÆt realized you had recovered How have you been

StanÆs eyes remained glazed and unresponsive as though he hadnÆt heard the question The only answer was the muffled booms reaching them through the mist as the other individuals in the preliminary fought each other Lyra batted her eyelids coquettishly at Dinesh HeÆs very shy donÆt take that personally HeÆs been doing very well

Dinesh pressed his mouth into a thin line Tykes chuckled Guess we are fighting then

Without waiting for an answer Tykes stomped his foot and shot forward with his iron ball raised in front of him Lyra raised her hand and thrust her marked palm forward with sinister quickness to meet TykesÆ advance Their impact blasted outward knocking away the surrounding mist and sending both Tykes and Lyra several steps backward

In the wake of the blast several other fights were revealed as their conflict pushed the mist further away Abruptly those fights broke off and regarded the figures of Lyra and Tykes with alarm they had been fighting only twenty meters away from them without noticing anything Truly this mist completely obliterated detection

For his part TykesÆ smile widened Not very high Stats but your image

This is going to be fun Lyra chuckled Then bought attacked each other once more

Chapter 1438

Randidly glanced up at the looming form of Dozer in front of him He had been surprised that Dozer made the trip up to his island and even more surprised by what he had to say You want to go into my Soulskill Why

It was night and with the constant presence of the silver mist DozerÆs silhouette was large and dark The overhanging clouds even smothered any hope of starlight They were facing each other in near darkness The man tilted his head to the side I believe it is my duty as a father

That certainly made Randidly alarmed He put his hands on his knees slightly distracted by the coolness of his metal left hand against his thigh Did something happen

No And I donÆt think it ever will Dozer replied in a placid tone After a moment of scrutiny Randidly leaned back and considered that He was actually very impressed by DozerÆs self control it was clear from a single look at his image that Dozer was deeply upset But considering the iron grip that he had over his reactions Randidly didnÆt think that Dozer would go wild within his Soulskill Despite the fact this matter clearly was related to Delilah

Besides the people in his Soulskill werenÆt that easy to bully If Dozer behaved too wildly he might encounter quite a bit of resistance

Randidly thought for several seconds and Dozer stood still in the darkness and didnÆt push That was enough to convince him

So Randidly agreed and teleported Dozer to within his Soulskill After monitoring him for a few seconds to make sure he didnÆt immediately destroy the surroundings Randidly pulled his attention away and made a mental note to ask Lucretia about the situation later Then Randidly turned his attention back to the swirling Nether Nebula in his chest Yet only a few seconds later Randidly frowned and looked over to the Southwest

Dusk had fallen with the Order Ducis managing to endure through all ten of the preliminaries to arrive at the goal of reducing the number of duos to 1000 The process of Randidly monitoring the situation and removing defeated teams while also counting points proved both tedious and unnecessary the people participating in the tournament were so enthusiastic about the violent competition that they quickly fought until their numbers dropped to the appropriate amount without needing Randidly to count at all

However they faced a new problem after the preliminaries were over complaints

It seemed like every one of the defeated people had special circumstances that made their loss unfair They were ambushed They were lied to The elements of the preliminary were particularly harmful to them Their opponent had cheated They hadnÆt realized that the match had started before they were attacked

On and on these complainers ranted about their lot in life They found the Order Ducis members that were busy keeping the peace and kept them from doing their jobs The huge crowds and the festive atmosphere already strained the small cityÆs resources even the Order Ducis couldnÆt handle everything itself let alone with the buzzing of these flies

So Randidly had intervened creating a Redemption Arena that would go on throughout the night until the matches started again tomorrow After all the ideal number for a tournament would be 1024 so the matches could proceed to the finals without byes So Randidly allowed that the 24 most powerful duos from the Redemption Arena would become a finalist even though they had lost in the preliminaries

Randidly had quickly constructed an arena in a forest to the Southwest but that area had quickly been destroyed and the rubble flattened by the sheer number of people who enthusiastically participated RandidlyÆs eyelid twitched as he clearly sensed that many people that hadnÆt been allowed into the tournament rushed to participate The place quickly evolved into a raging brawl with no signs of abating after several hours of conflict

After all there were no rules to this arena It had been created too quickly just to alleviate the other problems So after people were wounded individuals could leave the worst of the fighting and recover some before returning to the action Randidly crossed his fingers and hoped that the mass of bodies would be able to agree on the 24 strongest come dawn

Helen and Ajax had been all too happy to monitor the situation so things didnÆt get too out of hand but they just ended up joining the melee But as long as they understood that they wouldnÆt be able to join the tournament Randidly didnÆt mind their enthusiasm He just welcomed the chance for a break

Tatiana did say that Senator Firefly sent over a short letter requesting that Randidly and Kharon help with the clean up effort afterward considering that a sizable area that was being demolished while the Redemption Arena raged The television broadcasts trained on the area went all night and talk show hosts apparently began claiming that RandidlyÆs image was so powerful that it incited anyone nearby to violence and referring to him sometimes as a Chaotic God of WarÆ

Tatiana found it very amusing But Randidly could only grimace It felt extremely strange to have the world so casually push all the responsibility for their repressed and violent population on to his shoulders

Shaking his head Randidly refocused himself He quickly pushed away the chaotic noises and images from the fighting below From the level of the people participating Helen and Ajax were more than capable of handling it They didnÆt need his help Instead he focused again on his Nether Nebula and the slowly increasing weight at its core

The pale streaks of grey around that core were increasing as time passed seemingly churned outward as the Nether Nebula completed a rotation Those grey streaks began to change the character of his Nether Randidly clearly felt that if he hadnÆt been suppressing the Nether around him into a thin disc he could rather easily destabilize the space around him

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 237

The question is whether I need to do something about this before heading to the Nexus Randidly thought with narrowed eyes In addition how can I establish the equivalent of a Class within my Nether Perhaps if I give the Nether more structure it wonÆt occupy such a large area or be so obvious

The problem with this idea was that Randidly truly didnÆt have the slightest clue where to begin His mind flashed back to YystrixÆs movie and he cursed her for not showing more of her interactions with the Nether King Without an example Randidly was essentially groping in the dark

The problem was that Randidly didnÆt have any ideas about the basic principles that governed Nether or how it functioned He could utilize it but that provided little illumination to its core essence Even in regards to Aether RandidlyÆs knowledge was woefully insignificant he only could study Engravings and hope to intuit some of its secrets in that manner

Which was why Randidly looked helplessly at the dense Nether in his chest He could rely on its weight to suppress others or weaken Aether but that was about it Essentially Randidly was currently doing the equivalent of trying to figure out the uses and traits of water by splashing himself with it He was clearly getting wet but he couldnÆt tell how to progress further in his understanding

So he sat in his Nether Nebula and allowed the dense waves of energy to flow through him More and more Nether was pulled up from his Nether Wells and surrounded his suspended consciousness Humming softly to himself Randidly simply existed there

If he couldnÆt find his epiphany he would approach this problem with determination That was how the Chaotic God of WarÆ would grow stronger

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 238

Huang Li the greatest warrior of Zone 7 and Captain of the Royal Guard bowed lightly to the man in front of him with a genuine expression of respect on his face Despite their differences the man in front of him clearly possessed an image as steadfast and vast as the sea Grandfather you go first

Haung Shou chuckled with a lightness that belied his casual strength and shook his head It makes no difference to me which of us goes first And with your youth you cannot deny that you are the more powerful

Please grandfather Huang Li stayed in his bent over posture without wavering It is a matter of prestige There is no doubt that the people of Zone Seven will be very proud to see that you a man who is over the age of seventy will be participating in the first match of this tournament Our people will raise their fists subconsciously buoyed by the pride in their hearts

What a cunning grandson I have Huang Shou mused a frozen standing foil to Huang Li remaining in his bowing position Huang Li could feel the older manÆs gaze like a physical weight on the back of his neck To think that even I the man to which you owe everything can be used as a political tool Are those three girls truly so important to you

They are important to all of our Zone 7 Huang Li replied The are the Glorious Leader

The elderly Huang Shou pursed his lips You fool we are not just some random Zone We are the descendants of the greatest dynasty to ever grace the surface of the Earth Leaders such as them are as common as cabbages in the grand expanse of history And if you think if your tiny role as Captain of the Guard gives you even the slightest ability to affect the trajectory of our world

The grandfather I know would not get so emotional over a small thing Huang Li replied placidly His words were like a strange catalyst that had been cast into the surroundings Both were silenced and suppressed That casual statement laid bare the years of abuse Huang Li had endured at the hands of Huang Shou justified by the mandate of educationÆ Huang Li stared at the ground while Huang Shou looked deeply at his grandson

Then Huang Shou smiled A cunning grandson indeed

Huang Li waited until his grandfather had walked forward into the arena and was greeted with the roaring cheers fo the crowd Per the intentions of their glorious leader Huang Shou was the first fighter to walk out onto the stage Even if they didnÆt want to be moved those intractable elements within Zone 7 would still be quite pleased by this development It was brought quite a bit of honor to their Zone to see a peer their age participating in this contest that was the apex of EarthÆs power

Huang Li straightened and followed the old man out to the arena Huang Shou had a tight smile on his face as he glanced over toward Huang Li Of course the two werenÆt related by blood Huang Li had been adopted into the Huang family soon after the arrival of the System when he had demonstrated his great strength

The two stood only two meters apart but a gap of age and outlook became a gulf that they couldnÆt cross Their shared name was as binding as gossamer between them If anything the closest comparison for their strained partnership was a political marriage Neither truly wanted to be here with each other but for the broader good both were willing to lower their heads

Things werenÆt exactly peaceful however And as such Huang Li produced a stool from his interspatial amulet Grandfather please take a seat Allow me to handle these ruffians

Huang ShouÆs eyebrow quirked upward but he still took the seat He then produced a thick walking stick and put both of his hands on its head as he serenely smiled around Somehow he managed to speak quietly to Huang Li without moving his mouth What nonsense Do you truly intend to participate in this tournament without my assistance Do you truly believe our terns are so insincere they cannot even be considered

Huang LiÆs eyes were on their opponents Both were large muscular men carrying assault rifles Likely they were part of Zone 1Æs so called Mana MarinesÆ This level of foe was still within his expectations He turned to his grandfather and bowed without acknowledging his question Please grandfather just a moment Allow me to handle this

Huang Shou harrumphed The crowd around them rapidly stilled as a great weight pressed down over them and silenced outside discussion Then Randidly Ghosthound spoke

Let the tournament begin

Chapter 1439

Truly Huang Li had been relatively lucky in the first round Both opponents had displayed powerful firepower but neither of the Mana Marines was capable of hitting Huang Li with their Skills or defending against his sword Just like that the first match of the tournament had ended in Zone 7Æs victory

Huang Li watched a few of the following matches but he quickly lost interest It seemed that the arrangements of the tournament werenÆt as random as the Order Ducis claimed they would be when they announced that before each round pairings would be drawn The first few matches all appeared to have one dominant force that was obviously superior None in the afternoon possessed very much tension either aside from matches between two relatively weak parties

Still Huang Li doubted that anyone would raise a fuss as the Order DucisÆ lie So long as the Order Ducis didnÆt show very much overt favoritism to one faction the knowledgeable leaders of Earth would cautiously allow them to guide the matches After all that was the way the Earth worked The public would react strongly to a true random distribution due to the inevitable emergence of a meaningful clash very early in the tournament

Those with power worked behind the scenes so that the people experienced a world that seemed to spontaneously veer toward order The randomÆ the public wanted was for the eventual winner of the tournament to go through several increasingly difficult fights to a climactic conclusion

In the small viewing booth given to their duo Huang Li sighed People were foolish and short sighted in so many ways

The first day of the tournament passed without much general tension from the crowd although there were many individual participants who experienced high mountains of excitement and low valleys of disappointment This tournament laid bare many peopleÆs relevance on the scale of the world Quietly the losers slipped away while the winners prepared for tomorrow With a punishing efficiency the Order Ducis marched forward finishing over one third of their matches within sixteen hours on the first day Each match was compressed to a brutal 5 minutes to keep them on schedule

The second and third day continued like the first with much of the attention of the public turning away from the current matches to the discussion of the favorite groups to win To Huang LiÆs quiet surprise their duo earned a relatively high standing they were projected as the tenth most likely to win the tournament Huang Li supposed it was because they were fresh in the publicÆs mind being the first match to be broadcast

But it was also true that Zone Seven was a well known and sometimes feared opponent for the people in the other Zones

Huang Li looked at the list of the rest of the Top 10 most likely to win

Immediately after them was another Duo from Donnyton led by Glendel in the eleventh spot and after that was two powerful warriors from the Great Sea Huang Shou had been very furious to see that they were outranked by Hank Howard and a normal horse that the betting houses didnÆt even see fit to acknowledge but ultimately there was not much to be said about their thinking Hank Howard had the accomplishments to back up his ranking

Although Huang Li had fought rather constantly since joining New Earth it was mostly within the confines of Zone 7 And Huang Shou was an entirely unknown element Tenth was truly a ranking that weighed heavily their status as the only representatives of Zone 7

Although the specific odds given varied depending on which establishment you patronized these were mostly the consensus ranks In addition two things were universal no matter which location you went to

First was that Alana Donal sat with her Frost Dragon at the top of the rankings Their advantage was so overwhelming that she hadnÆt needed to rely on anything but physical strikes to overwhelm their opponents The few brief fights they had been a part of in the preliminary were almost laughable

Second was that the establishments clearly favored the dark horses of Kir Nan and Hoowan who hadnÆt originally been interested in the tournament but had been drawn by the violence of the Redemption Arena to win one of the twenty four extra spots in the tournament Their first match saw them overwhelm two notable warriors of Donnyton instantly winning approval of the general public of Zone 1 that attended the live event who secretly wanted to see Donnyton fail

Just like that the first round was finished in three hectic days Just like that five hundred and twelve teams had been eliminated Without bothering to rest the Order Ducis announced the pairings for the second round that would begin tomorrow stretching over two days But when Huang Li saw who they were paired against his expression turned ugly

This round would be much more exciting for the fans to watch than the prior ones especially now that the constant talk had identified which fighters were the most important to watch Luckily or unluckily the Zone 7 duoÆs fight was scheduled for the end of the first day meaning that they had the entire day to prepare themselves

Honestly Huang Li wished for it to have been sooner Having the fight out of the way would be better But still his leaders could not afford him to lose so soon in the tournament He sat on his knees in his lodgings that were as small as a closet His hands tightened around the hilt of his sword I cannot fail

Huang Li felt the image he had nurtured for at least a year in various Dungeons of Zone 7 stirring as he could hear the cheers and boos of the crowd throughout the day The noise washed over him waves on an uncaring coastline No matter what shells or ship wrecked artifacts were thrown upon his shore by the current Huang Li would be entirely serene Only then would he have a chance

He would weather everything He was untouchable and pure

When it was finally their turn Huang ShouÆs deep wrinkles around his eyes revealed his pleasure even though he kept the rest of his expression entirely neutral They walked side by side through the dark passage to the open arena It is still possible to reach an agreement

The Glorious Leader will not step down Huang Li replied lightly Then he walked out through the currents of the crowdÆs cheers and regarded the foes waiting for them A towering flaming bear twisted her head and considered Huang Li Thea Glasshammer looked less intimidating than Huang Li had expected given her reputation but her eyes were laser focused

Honestly Huang Li felt rather bitter he hadnÆt realized that Thea was participating in the tournament Why hadnÆt she attracted the attention of the betting houses

As with the prior match Huang Li produced a stool Please sit grandfather

Hmph after walking so boldly out in front of me now you suddenly remember your manners Huang Shou replied lightly but he sat down with a heavy glance toward his grandson Huang Li didnÆt bother to return the look and instead straightened There was a cool wind that brushed against his face Rolling his shoulders he walked out to the middle of the arena alone

To his surprise the infernal bear Chrysanthemum lumbered off to the side and settled down on her belly opposite Huang Shou leaving small scorch marks on the edge of the arena in the process

Is this pity Huang Li asked bluntly as he glanced at Thea Glasshammer He didnÆt think most people would know of the political struggles of his Zone Seven but he wouldnÆt put it past the Nemesai to dip their toes into the edges of every pool

Yet Thea Glasshammer ignored him entirely she simply stared at the prone form of the bear with very red eyes

Are you both ready The judge from the Order Ducis carefully asked looking between the two of them The crowd too seemed confused by the situation But Thea slowly turned around and nodded after sparing one glance upward toward the silver isle of the Ghosthound

Suddenly understanding that some other force was at work here Huang Li also nodded with great care He drew his wodao and calmed his heart His image stirred again slowly circling the arena One foe was doable Another win would put them into the top 256 solely on the strength of their glorious leaders There was no need for the conservative faction to move at all

From there Then Huang Li shook his head From thereÆ he would worry about tomorrow Today he would fight the foe in front of him

Then begin The judge announced

Huang Li twisted his feet and launched himself forward That slight wind in the surroundings began to stir His sword cut horizontally without a sound the sharp blades of air around the strike just as dangerous as the blade itself Flood Dragon Across the Reeds

Thea ignored the strike raising her hammer and gathering a horrible destructive image into her body She a broken vase leaking out hatred and an ominous regret that dyed the surrounding air orange Right as Huang LiÆs attack was about to land she exploded into motion and brought her hammer crashing down through his attack The blades of wind were blasted apart and her hammer smashed into the ground at something close to its full force

Cracks quickly radiated outward but Huang Li practically glided over the damaged ground his sword cutting left and right with vicious quickness TheaÆs expression soured and she simply oppressed Huang LiÆs Skills with her raw image That orange light continued to leak out of her eyes and from her skin sapping his strikes of their strength to the point that they harmlessly rippled against TheaÆs leather armor

I donÆt have time for you Thea growled gathering even more of her image to herself Red lightning crackled around her limbs She raised her hammer high once more the heavy weapon radiating a terrible sense of loss and grief A minor character like you You are not my opponent

Before Thea whipped her hammer downward she abruptly stomped her foot and released another paralyzing wave With his attention drawn upward by the gathering power the stomp Skill caught Huang Li unaware and pinned his movements for a split second Gritting his teeth he had no choice but to raise his wodao and resist her strike directly as she brought her hammer viciously down

No use in regretting the mistake was made He spun the weapon into a backhand grip and lay the blade along his forearm He squeezed every drop of Willpower he could spare to fuel his Skill His eyes were bright and narrowed Tortoise Holds its Breath

The arena shook Sweat dripped rapidly down Huang LiÆs brow as he struggled to resist the hungry waves of TheaÆs image The ground beneath his feet cracked and he felt the joints of his arm groan and pop from the strain TheaÆs red rimmed gaze bored into him then turned and looked upward once more

Within Huang LiÆs heart something snapped into place The strain on his face gradually vanished even as he was being forced backward This is all waves upon the shore ceaseless

As the stone stage beneath him collapsed he could no longer maintain his footing Huang Li was smashed into the ground by Thea GlasshammerÆs strike without any further resistance Bits of the stage exploded outward leaving him crumpled in a small crater

But as the audience quieted and peered down to see what was happening Huang Li trembled and then forced himself to stand A minor character that might be true

His images stirred As Huang Li straightened an azure dragon rose with his sword twining its body along the shimmering length The surrounding wind began to howl At this point his image had completely surrounded the arena Huang LiÆs eyes were bright as he wiped the blood from his mouth and considered Thea But all countries are built on the backs of minor characters such as I Do not underestimate the humble power of a single human being

The azure dragon raised its head and howled at the sky

Chapter 1440

When the curtain of night had been drawn over the world Randidly walked out to the area that had been decimated by the Redemption Arena Even he couldnÆt help but be impressed by the wild exuberance of humanity that had demolished the surroundings The forest had been blasted and smashed to pieces until the charred debris formed piles that resembled ashen snowdrifts The ground was pitted and cracked throughout the entirety of the area from concussive force Weapons of all sorts had left deep scars on the ground that still possessed wisps of the userÆs images The hissed and rippled as Randidly walked past

This place had been indelibly marked by what happened here

After marathoning through the first two rounds of the tournament taking three and two days respectively to finish them Randidly declared that the fifth day of the tournament would be a break In addition the Order Ducis now set out the entire bracket for everyone to see So all the various factions were pleased to have an entire day to prepare for their next round opponents

Which left Randidly with some time to address some other responsibilities Unfortunately most of that was paperwork regarding the change in governance for Kharon But at night he slipped away to accomplish a task he believed he would enjoy

I can regrow the forest but those image remnants might make this place rather strange Randidly mused He considered using Erode Image to clear the images out of the area but Randidly could detect no trace of his images or images relating to him in the area apparently Helen and Ajax had been more reserved than he had expected As such he thought it would be a shame to bulldoze the first time that other members of humanity had marked the surface of the planet with their image

Plus it would be a waste as destroyed as this was this was a testament to the growing image powers of Earth The small remnants in the soil were relatively weak but they would slowly blend together with each other and any living beings in the area to create something truly unique Encouraging that growth was difficult but Randidly was very confident that he was one of the individuals who could manage it

Compared to the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix Randidly spoke to the darkness raising one mental arm and one fleshy one with his palms facing upward Specters of golden Engraving swam up and down the surface of both his arms and the air in the surrounding area began to naturally swirl about his figure There was a shuddering pressure on the air and then the towering image of Yggdrasil appeared behind him These little image remnants are quite well behaved

An invisible wind rustled the emerald leaves Then a veritable river of ambient energy gushed outward from RandidlyÆs body and soaked the surrounding ground

Randidly couldnÆt use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to actually manipulate the plant life otherwise his carefully constructed forest would ignite and turn to ash only a few minutes later But he still could use his roots as the most efficient series of plows in the world Within only a minute of activating the Skill he had thoroughly leveled the ground that had been destroyed and mixed it with the burnt trees to enrich the soil All the while he supplied energy to those image remnants so they wouldnÆt be lost in the chaos

With great care Randidly then began to add some elevation changes to the flat land Not that he would have minded if the ground here was entirely flat but the scars that held the remnant images were often at different elevations due to the chaotic fighting So he sculpted the land so those areas would be prominently featured

Then Randidly sat down and pressed his Willpower against the manifestation of the World Tree The color of its leaves turned more vibrant and the brown of its massive trunk darkened At the same time YggdrasilÆs golden script began to release a soft nurturing light over the surrounding area