LoRG 4

Congratulations Your Skill the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis has grown to Level 261

Randidly smiled softly for the Skill Level but didnÆt do anything about it quite yet Instead he focused himself and continued to gently channel out that genesis energy After only five minutes thin sprouts poked their tips out of the rich dirt in the surrounding area

As though the success of those first plants was a flare exploding in the night sky the entirety of the area began to burst with thin green tendrils that thirstily drank from the energy that Yggdrasil provided Growths became saplings saplings became modest trees and those modest trees then rocketed upward spreading out dense layers of foliage next to each other as if some sort of cold war canopy race was occurring between the various trees

While most trees raced upward other plants picked their spots with more care Thick bushes and vines grew along the base of the higher trees thickening the ground cover Flowers bloomed and withered like exploding kernels of popcorn along the ground a testament to the sheer amount of vital energy that Randidly could provide

Gradually Randidly eased off He couldnÆt afford to taint this area with his image he had to gradually extract himself pulling the touch of Yggdrasil with him and leaving the energy A low headache had developed from pushing the area too far only on the potency of his image but he didnÆt regret it Plus he could already feel some of the images nibbling on the ambient energy in the air preparing to grow into something more potent

Content Randidly turned away from the restored forest and opened a portal with his Philosopher’s Key When he was back on his island he poured the final PP into place and finished the MonstrosityÆs Growth Path

Congratulations You have finished the MonstrosityÆs Growth Path The higher you climb the harsher the environment becomes But despite the inclement elements your body has continued to evolve to suit this place You have been marked Your skin thickens Your blood heats Your teeth sharpen Your determination grows

Yet driven by strange impulses there are moments when you turn and look back across the sloping Path that led you to this point You cannot help but wonder if you could truly return to where you started any longer

Your very presence might well be enough to destroy that peaceful life you once held All evolution comes with a price

Congratulations Nether Brawn +50 Health Regeneration +50 Congratulations your Skill MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality has evolved into AbominationÆs Grim Vigor Skill Levels will be maintained

For a second Randidly stiffened in the darkness With the silvery mist of his island around him his muscle fibers tightened and flex in a very particular pattern Then they seemed to spin together more tightly into a new form They coiled beneath his skin like waking vipers If someone were to see RandidlyÆs form at the moment they would clearly see the thick cables of muscle moving across his body

Randidly was forced to bite his lip to suppress the accelerating beat of his heart At the moment Mareen and her crew were hard at work constructing his house for him only a few dozen meters away The sort satisfying physical test of his new Skill would likely be too disturbing to perform here

So Randidly pulled out his PhilosopherÆs Key and opened another portal that took him ever further South of the Orchard nearing the edge of Zone 1Æs original lands There he released a deep growl that seemed to emerge from his very core The noise even resonated with the Nether Nebula that was spinning in his chest Heartbeat growl and Nether Nebula hummed in harmony with each other As his heart began to pound more quickly and blood rushed through his body Randidly felt his shadow lengthening behind him even though the only source of light was the soft touch of the stars

RandidlyÆs joints popped pleasantly as his muscles flexed again and shifted to a new form After breaking past the physical limitations of the System he had always felt while moving that he was wielding something just slightly too large for him to manage Despite all of the practice fights Randidly had engaged in against Helen in the Dungeon he couldnÆt shake that feeling of squandered power when he moved

Only now as his new AbominationÆs Grim Vigor spread throughout his body did Randidly achieve a sense of comfort and capability that he had been reaching for His fingers flexed A satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked down at his hands His long shadow stretching behind him moved independently of his body raising its head and silently laughing That silent laughter was a challenge to the universe a gauntlet thrown down

Do you dare try and kill me now

Almost without any effort RandidlyÆs heart began to pound more quickly and his body transformed His black hair turned into a brilliant emerald color His left eye faded to black and then was completely blotted out from the world as if an abyss had taken up residence in his eye socket Light in the surrounding area bled into that sudden vacuum Two segmented bone tails flicked back and forth a long one at his waist and a shorter one from the base of his neck

Inside of RandidlyÆs body those new braided muscle fibers tightened around his bones to an almost painful degree In a way it was a naked threat to his skeletal system continue to improve or you will be crushed to powder

But as quickly as the domineering mood seized him it was pushed away Randidly released a breath and began to calm his heart Not because he didnÆt want to experiment further but because someone was making a beeline toward his location Mildly surprised that someone would head directly toward him when he was releasing such a dense image Randidly prepared himself to receive a guest

Rather casually Randidly had teleported himself next to a small pond hidden below a ravine Otherwise it was rather devoid of vegetation or animal life It was a very isolated location So he stood in the shallow darkness of the area watching as Thea Glasshammer stomped forward to face Randidly

Despite the fact that TheaÆs image was so unstable and slightly violent that Randidly knew he shouldnÆt joke the corners of RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up subconsciously as he saw her Is even a Nemesis coming to complain that their loss in the tournament was unfair

I Thea’s face went a blotchy red and RandidlyÆs expression softened She really was so young Perhaps just over twenty And aside from the Path he had taken and LyraÆs own strange existence he had to admit that Thea Glasshammer likely had one of the most difficult roads in order to get to this point

Just just tell me the truth Thea eventually managed stopping only a few meters away from Randidly Her shoulders rose and fell with her erratic breathing Her eyes couldnÆt decide whether they wanted to stare at him or flit around the surroundings Why why is it only around other people that Chrysanthemum seems alive Does she has what I have become truly made her hate me so I just canÆt Everything was supposed to be

Then a Nemesis began to cry fat ugly sobs that shook her whole body Randidly sighed and shook his head Time slowly passed as the sobs softened into intermittent sniffles Only when Thea had some control of herself did Randidly speak I can only theorize ItÆs hard to know for sure but are you sure you want to hear my opinion Even if itÆs worse than your current situation

What could be worse than this Thea asked with a gesture toward herself

Chapter 1441

After Thea asked her rather naive question Randidly looked at the young woman for a long time Her armor was still torn from the Zone 7Æs wind blades and she had not brought her hammer Randidly had nurtured some theories about this problem of hers for a while especially after he worked so long with Neveah to learn YystrixÆs Living Engraving methods Well the truth might be that your instincts are correct

What do you mean It seemed that the crying had relieved Thea of all her sadness so now she regarded Randidly with a tired resignation

Randidly suppressed the urge to shrug and tried to explain his thought process IÆm still nowhere near YystrixÆs capability when it comes to bringing life to the lifeless with Engraving But while I suspect that at its pinnacle it can create life what was required at that moment was for life that had been extinguished to be recreated

You see Chrysanthemum react to others but to your senses she appears lifeless and hollow correct Her image grows but it doesnÆt really change It simply becomes more weighty I would say that you are the one who is Soulbound to her So no one would know your partner better than you would

What you are sensing might be the real status of Chrysanthemum The rest all those playful responses to me or looks might just be habitual reactions that were inherited from the actual Chrysanthemum Just muscle spasms in response to external stimulus Randidly continued slowly watching TheaÆs reaction the entire time There wasnÆt a single ripple on the nearby pond as the two remained three meters apart Basically they might be evidence of some sort of life But when it comes to ChrysanthemumÆs life trust your instincts

TheaÆs mouth was open and her bottom lip was trembling That no then that means that she already no I thought

Like I said itÆs just a theory Randidly said in a soothing voice But Thea let me say this Considering how much pain you are in right now would the real Chrysanthemum continue to act so apathetic Without reaching out to comfort you at all

ThatÆs only because this is all my fault sheÆs punishing me for TheaÆs legs gave out on her The human Nemesis known as Thea Glasshammer who had been at least powerful enough that Randidly had to give her some extra attention a few months ago now collapsed before him Her destructive image finally imploded wounded as it was by the fight against Huang Li And all he felt as he looked down at her was a distant pity

This world this existence there are no perfect Paths Just appropriate ends Thea

Leaving her with those thoughts Randidly opened a portal and returned to his island Even though he could empathize with how difficult it was to face the truth sometimes that didnÆt mean he would help her The harm she had inflicted on humanity in the last two years meant that even the little Randidly did do might be better than she deserved

Still Randidly was glad he said something Living honestly that was something he could do Something he wanted to choose And something he needed to do to impress that image upon Kharon for after he went up to the Nexus

Night turned to day and the crowds began to gather it was time for the third round of the grand duos tournament to name the Earth

For a second Huang Li and Huang Shou had no reaction as the first team walked out onto the arena and coolly surveyed the area The two menÆs hair was dark and done up in small buns on top of their heads Their eyebrows were as sharp and valiant as swords on their faces But as they slowly observed the two menÆs features Huang ShouÆs lined face twisted and bunched like a furious bulldog This this is impossible The mandates were clear Without official certification no one was to enter this tournament

Not all of Zone 7Æs population lives within our hive cities grandfather Huang Li said easily He even found the resolve to smile blithely at his adoptive relative Something in his heart had changed after the fight against Thea Glasshammer He was the bright mirror laid over a lake on a clear winter day Perhaps these hardy individuals survived independently and only came here to win honor for our Zone I watch our ambitious fellows with great pride

Of course considering the determined capability that was present on these two very Chinese faces it was much more likely that these were two unregisteredÆ citizens that did not submit to the Glorious Leaders or the mandates Likely they came in part exactly because they had been expressly forbidden by the central government of the Zone to do so

This was an act of civil disobedience The further they rose in the tournament the more livid the conservative faction of Zone 7 would become

Yet even if they seem capable Huang LiÆs expression turned serious as he looked over toward the other entrance to the arena The duo walking down in that darkened corridor seemed to shake the whole of the stadium as they approached They will not pass here These two

But of course Huang Li had thought a lot about fighting the duo walking down the corridor since the final bracket had been released As long as these two existed Huang LiÆs hopes of clinching the honor of naming the Earth would be stopped dead at the quarterfinals Such a confrontation was many rounds away but Huang Li had no doubt that these two would be waiting there

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers as Paolo and Kayle of Donnyton walked out into the arena Despite the general distaste for DonnytonÆs many entrants to the tournament these two were a special case they had managed to capture the hearts of many with their straightforward mannerisms

And as the twoÆs hands came into view the cheers only intensified Huang Li could feel thousands of people screaming and stomping their feet around them

Kayle glanced sideways at Paolo and spoke with a voice that somehow cut through all the noise His hands were relaxed and hung casually at his sides His body was completely free of his trademark long knives If you feel incapable of grasping victory feel free to admit defeat on our bet

Look who is talking Paolo grinned while striding confidently forward He had a tight hold on the hilt of long knife with each hand the blades pointing downward as he held them in a reverse grip If your soft fingers break you just have to ask and I will toss you these little toys so you can protect yourself

The expressions on the faces of their opponents turned ugly Huang Li did feel a bit of sympathy for his fellow individuals from Zone 7 It was certainly disrespectful that Paolo and Kayle had apparently bet with each other not to use their most powerful weapons in the tournament

Yet these two had the capability to be so domineering Relying on the opposites’ weapons they had already won and reached the third round And the previous fights of theirs had not been close

As the crowd’s cheers turned to excited whispers a member of the Order Ducis stepped onto the arena The woman glanced at both duos Is everyone ready

Both sides indicated that they were ready Paolo and KayleÆs bodies were loose and relaxed while tightly controlled fury made their opponents look as stiff as puppets as they inclined their heads Huang Li tskÆd lightly So much tension before a fight If you donÆt ready your muscles when it begins

Begin The woman announced Both Kayle and Paolo instantly sprung into motion

The space between Kayle and his opponent was instantly slashed in half and the man blinked in surprise as Kayle stood in front of him his hand raised to strike Then he struck with the same brutal efficiency The downward blow was so fast that Huang Li even felt Huang Shou next to him lean forward with a solemn expression

The man receiving the blow jerked backward slightly too late his eyes widening as he looked down at the deep gouge in his shoulder pauldron from the palm strike Still he definitely had the power to back up his presence in the third round After KayleÆs first attack failed the man teleported several meters backward and crossed his arms A dozen javelins of ice appeared and accelerated forward

Kayle walked amongst those javelins with the pointer fingers of his hands outstretched He flourished and twisted looking more like a renowned composer than a warrior But those conjured weapons of ice were sliced and diced into pieces until only a gentle swirl of falling snow reached KayleÆs body

He uses his hands but each of his fingers is just as dangerous as his knives although the range is slightly decreased Huang Li thought as he watched KayleÆs quick advance Before the man could conjure another wave of ice javelins Kayle planted his feet and accelerated forward But even more than his fingers

KayleÆs entire shoulder rotated inward culmination in a spinning palm strike that seemed to tap lightly against the manÆs chest The manÆs mouth twisted and moved likely he habitually released a curse Kayle smiled

A small geyser of blood erupted from the manÆs back instantly he went pale and stumbled several steps backward Just as he regained his footing he shook his head helplessly and collapsed Blood continued to hemorrhage from his back

There was a hole about two fingers thick from the spot that Kayle had hit him Even more impressive was the fact that Kayle had managed to land the strike in a position that didnÆt clip the manÆs lungs or any other organs

Paolo was even more overwhelming charging forward while guffawing uproariously He moved like a boulder bounding down a hill In terms of which of the two most closely adhered to the spirit of using the otherÆs weapons Huang Li leaned toward Kayle Paolo simply held two long daggers in a reverse grip and threw vicious haymakers forward

Rather than using long knives he seemed to be throwing punches while coincidentally holding knives But each time he threw a punch the knives in his hand would leave deep scars on the ground His normally unstoppable punched that could break through steel had now grown claws that could rip a person in half

While Kayle had faced someone who leaned toward Mana Skills PaoloÆs opponent was more of a speed based fighter He wielded two hatchets and seemed like he was used to weaving between his opponents blows Paolo did not allow him to dodge With the addition of the long knives his punches hit a large area

If he avoided the punches the knives would cut so deeply into the manÆs leather armor that blood would begin to seep outward If he tried to meet PaoloÆs strikes directly he would be smashed backward and sway dangerously for a few seconds while Paolo continued to laugh and bound forward The stage shook as Paolo began to gather momentum

It was a match with very little suspense

In short order both of the independent individuals from Zone 7 had been beaten Huang Li checked his watch Twenty three seconds

It is what they deserved Huang Shou snorted We forbade them from participating in this tournament for their own good Perhaps this will be a lesson to them

No you forbade them from participating so you could threaten our Glorious Leaders with our own ZoneÆs international standing Huang Li thought calmly You wanted to cut off the nose so our face would realize that it was powerless if it couldnÆt control both of its hands

But Huang Li didnÆt bother to argue with the older man It was still too early for that And in his current condition

Huang Li smiled showing his sharp canines like a carnivore

Chapter 1442

With a stubborn bullishness that refused to stop in the face of delays Randidly led the Order Ducis in pushing through two more rounds of the tournament and reached the final sixty four teams These in RandidlyÆs mind were the true elites He then announced that a two day break would occur so that the Orchard could clean up the event area and reinforce the actual arena for the following battles

There had been quite a few incidents in the last round where the careful schedule Wolfram created had to be discarded because an arena was thoroughly demolished by a prior fight Specialty marble was being shipped in from the Donnyton mine in order to construct a surface that could withstand a significant beating without shattering Hopefully that would be enough to keep things on schedule for the rest of the tournament

Of course Randidly didnÆt have much of a break even when the tournament was paused A majority of those two days was devoured by the bloated schedule of meetings and planning sessions that Tatiana insisted on in order to prepare Kharon for the up coming governmental change So Randidly was running between meetings with Gertrude and Sam talking about the function and purpose of Keystones and then listening to Wolfram carefully explaining the predicted issues for KharonÆs growth in the next two years all the while feeling like he should have dedicated a Skill or two to management

But realistically this might be the last chance he had to deal with such issues for a while so he didnÆt take the time to learn one

After much contemplation and reflection Randidly approved the proposal to recruit more contractors and specialists into Kharon and streamline the probationary process for entering the city His original fear was that his image would be too deeply ingrained in the city and therefore it was best to keep KharonÆs population small but Randidly was gradually realizing that his original premise was not true

Because with the tournament giving him a sense of perspective Randidly realized that the people of Kharon didnÆt necessarily internalize his image Rather than teaching them his image directly it was indeed true that Randidly had been setting himself up in an antagonistic role with the Eidolon Crucible If anything KharonÆs image more closely resembled the remnants of the Redemption Battlefield than Randidly himself It was chaotic and heterogeneous with an oddly pure determination serving as his base

Sensing the waves of those images mixing and mingling in the city Randidly felt oddly lonely He stood at the edge of his island and pushed the surrounding moonlight spirits away so he could look down at the city he had made

Somehow I can understand why Shal took me on as an apprentice even though I was a stranger in that Dungeon With that thought Randidly began to chuckle The steady laughs continued until finally escalating to a knee slapping guffaw

After all the effort I put into creating a place that could inspire the world and not infect it with my images seems like it didnÆt end up mattering Gradually RandidlyÆs smile disappeared Instead he became solemn as he looked more deeply at the bubbling metropolis below People flowed freely from Kharon into the Orchard and vice versa The many merchants of Kharon were ecstatic finally able to reliably sell off their stock of specialty products Some even were pushing for Kharon to set up a permanent location and settle down

And after learning that RandidlyÆs worry that his city would closely carry his image wasnÆt an issue he was slightly tempted to allow that permanence Randidly pivoted slightly his gaze sliding across the construction for the reinforced arena to the temporary restaurants and food stalls to the new construction where the Orchard was erecting a suburb around the base of Kharon There was something reassuring about human settlements More than personal strength these edifices were a physical representation of humanityÆs strength

Randidly raised his gaze higher and looked toward the Northeast The tall buildings of the Orchard were fingers reached up to the sky Cities were the hands with a thousand fingers that allowed humanity to grip the vital levers of the world

Despite the power of the monsters that had come to Earth the people have adapted We have reaffirmed our place on this planet

Looking at the eaves gutters glass windows the hundreds of electric lights the ornate wooden doors and level paving on all the roads leading into the city Randidly gradually shook his head As he did so Yggdrasil the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix stood with him This isnÆt enough Being reassured misses the point There are four Calamities coming This I suspect this amount of strength is only enough to defeat the first one

Randidly stood there and looked down As he let his eyes unfocus from the details it was only image that spiraled before his vision The images of so many people even when several people were present that possessed about 100x as much potency as others was a confusing mixture of so many influences that the resulting sensation was neutral It was a landscape of greys and softened edges The images robbed each other of their dangerous cravings and pure beliefs This was a humanity that didnÆt know its future

And although it was a hard truth oftentimes people couldnÆt find the correct Path forward without a concrete threat to whip them away from complacency But once the Earth was named in the eyes of the Nexus things would begin accelerating forward The System would come to collect the interest it was owed

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Smiling Horror has grown to Level 345

Randidly stood at the edge of his island and monitored the images below until Tatiana approached him She glanced around to make sure there was no one else present and then took several sharp steps forward to stand on RandidlyÆs left Her amber eyes were bright as she scrutinized the ground below But then she turned to Randidly and tilted her head to the side Penny for your thoughts

Have I done enough Randidly asked lightly He entwined the metal fingers of his left hand with the fleshy ones of his right Purple black flames ignited in his eyes as he attempted to peer forward into the future and couldnÆt seem to glean any clues from the inert mass of images before him

On the plus side at least humanityÆs current position is stable Randidly mused

Tatiana chuckled You know those sorts of questions can only be answered in retrospect WeÆve done our best to predict the issues but itÆs the most likely the problems that we havenÆt considered that will make or break our efforts We can only prepare and stay vigilant

Our efforts ThatÆs true ItÆs not just me I came with the vision but I could never have accomplished this alone Randidly rolled his shoulders and then nodded slowly to Tatiana so what am I late for now

Sensing the change in RandidlyÆs mood Tatiana produced a clipboard and made several lightning fast notes Technically You are exactly on time But I want to make sure you stay that way Oh and I wanted to confirm that after this the Order Ducis will spend one day administering a round and then one day off until the championship So the final will be in 10 days

Randidly stretched his arms upward He had been doing this with Tatiana for several weeks he wasnÆt going to allow her to lull him into agreeing to something tiresome without good reason DonÆt try and hide it whatÆs up

I know it isnÆt something that you would usually do but since you would be leaving Earth soon anyway I have scheduled something special for you TatianaÆs eyes were glittering DonÆt you want a wider audience This would be your chance

Inwardly Randidly sighed

The two day break finished and the matches resumed

After the match Huang Li stood in front of the bathroom mirror and carefully wiped the blood off of his face His lips were crusted with it around the spot where he had been forced to chew on his bottom lip in order to remain conscious Even now his hands were slightly trembling as he held the damp cloth But as he looked at his reflection and carefully controlled his face to appear neutral he couldnÆt keep the fingers of his left hand from tightening on the porcelain of the sink

He had done it While Huang Shou had been completely aloof Huang Li had been able to win another match and push them into the top 32 duos due to his own strength Regardless of whether they could continue to the next round this result was proof

Huang Li stiffened Then he flexed his hands and rinsed the bloody rag under the cool water from the faucet Pink water was flushed down the drain IÆm inside Grandfather Is there something you need

May I come in

Huang Li pressed his lips together Then he lifted the rag to his collarbone and did his best to wipe away the remaining blood The System meant that his wounds healed relatively quickly but the dried blood stubbornly lingered a sign of how close Huang Li had come to failure earlier today After each of these brushes with failure Huang Li felt his image reinvigorating and reinventing itself to be more aptly poised to seize victory next time but he was rapidly approaching the limit of his strength and potential

This could not continue forever

His shirt was dark so the bloodstains were mostly hidden But it still felt dangerous to allow Huang Shou to come into the bathroom and see his weakness

Huang Li dabbed again with the rag The water was cool on his skin He released a long breath yes you may

The hinges were well oiled the door swung open without a sound Huang Shou stood there with his hands behind his back Huang Li didnÆt turn around but spared a glance for his grandfather in the mirror Then he returned to his task He dabbed for a few more seconds and then twisted the rag in order to squeeze out all of the moisture within it

Still the bathroom was silent Huang Li closed his eyes and centered himself before opening them again and speaking Is there something you need

Huang Shou ignored the question His brow was creased but it was not the rather familiar emotions of rage or disdain that deepened the lines on his adoptive grandfatherÆs face An entirely foreign emotion had taken up residence there It felt like Huang Li had walked up to a familiar restaurant only to realize that the storefront had changed and it was now a clothing store

Huang Li forced himself to release another breath and it was heavy and warm as the casual breath of a dragon If his grandfather wouldnÆt answer then he wouldnÆt press the issue He did his best to mask the sliver of weakness remaining in his body and resumed the act of wiping away his dried blood From his collarbone Huang Li proceeded to his torn and calloused knuckles

Today he had been forced to condense the image of his dragon in his right hand to finish the fight Huang Li had been inspired by the few sporadic occasions that he had seen Randidly Ghosthound manifest his image in those instances his entire body seemed to be replaced by his image And the result was a power that was so pure that it seemed to seep into the surrounding air

Yet the process of Huang Li attempting the same thing had not gone well Probably most of the damage done to his hand was done by himself for improperly utilizing his image It was a humbling lesson To review that lesson before the figurehead of the conservative faction

Well it did not feel like Huang Li deserved

WhenÆs your birthday Huang Shou eventually asked

Huang Li was surprised but didnÆt let it show He lowered his rag and looked at his grandfather in the mirror February 1st

Huang Shou simply nodded The strange standoff continued The air between the two of them was heavy

So Huang Li grimaced and spoke again Why do you ask grandfather

Huang Shou closed his eyes for a second Then he turned away before speaking His shoulders were still as he spoke impossible upright and steady Regardless of ideological differences did you think an old man like me wouldnÆt be moved by the honor you have earned for our Shou Family I will personally make sure you can understand what this means to me

Huang Li was so shocked that he turned around and looked at the back of his adoptive grandfather He was a short and stout man with heavy arms that seemed like they belonged to a hard laborer His style of dress was always loose and casual Yet still those heavy arms seemed so light compared to those shoulders Internally Huang Li had to admit to himself that aside from wanting the Glorious Leaders to step down he didnÆt know much about this man in front of him

Also please be quick Huang Shou walked away from the bathroom The interview will start soon

Chapter 1443

As Randidly walked onto the set he looked around at the lights and electrical equipment that hung over the small staged area where they would be sitting With all the additional equipment and people present the normal sized banquet hall quickly became cramped He knew immediately that he likely wouldnÆt enjoy what was about to happen

A number of individuals dressed in dark clothes were hurrying to and fro bringing cords or carrying clipboards or various drinks but they all stepped respectfully out of the way as Randidly passed amongst them They were extremely obvious about it too Which only magnified RandidlyÆs sense of being out of place here

The citizens of Kharon had a peculiar way of looking at Randidly But ultimately the dominant ideology of the city meant that Randidly was primarily a mirror to the people who followed him They looked at him and saw the best features of themselves willingness to embrace danger ingenuity and independence In the same manner his continued success was a constant reminder that this wasnÆt a perfect outcome That this state of being was shaped by hard working hands and a better future could be found by following this Path

But these people RandidlyÆs emerald eyes slid sideways as the people continued to freeze up and stare at him as he passed There was something worshipful in their gazes They did not in RandidlyÆs mind get the whole point of his message They admired his results not his outlook

Randidly Ghosthound as an individual became the integral component in this grand equation that resulted in his power Rather than focusing on the effort or the time training or the near death experiences Randidly could sense very clearly that these people attributed his success to near unparalleled personal exceptionalism that was present within him

Heh unfortunately that sort of attitude got beaten out of me by Shal very early on Randidly suppressed a smirk after he shook his head when someone offered him a bottle of water But feeling these images I can at least get a good look at why the image from Earth might stagnate

RandidlyÆs gaze finally settled on a woman who fit TatianaÆs description The host of the show was having an extremely rapid and low conversation with a production assistant regarding the quality of the food for this important recording but her expression brightened immediately as she noticed Randidly She threw her sandy hair over her shoulder and walked forward with clicking heels so evenly timed that the woman could have served as a metronome

She offered her hand forward for a handshake and graced Randidly with a curved open mouth full of very white teeth Mr Ghosthound I presume IÆm Amelia Skyne Wow it really is true what they say about you just standing near you feels different haha Please try to control your presence around the staff

Who has been talking about me I wonder Randidly carefully shook AmeliaÆs hand then glanced around at the staffÆ The people who had been awkwardly dragging their feet and listening in to the conversation jumped into the air like they had been prodded with a molten spear Then the only portion of them that Randidly could see was their backs as they hurried away

Randidly turned back to Amelia and offered a wry smile I guess I will keep that in mind Is this where we will be talking

He pointed off to the side at two comfortable looking green love seats were angled slightly apart from one another Considering the fact that there was a woman meticulously shifting roses in a vase on the table in front of them so that they were in the most appealing arrangement Randidly believed that this would be a location that would be broadcast

Amelia nodded enthusiastically Yes Let me know if you have any questions This is your first time on television right Not so easy as just fighting someone huh IÆll try to keep the questions easy and strick to the talking points I discussed with your assistant

Randidly smiled like a wolf He didnÆt release his image at all but he did allow some of the influence from his Nether Nebula to leak outward I think I will be fine

RandidlyÆs training with Nether recently meant that his touch was much lighter than anything he had been capable of in the past He didnÆt use brute force to completely dominate images in the enclosed area of the studio although it would have been relatively simple for him to do so Instead he used that thin disc of Nether to steadily erode the base images of the people around him Randidly wouldnÆt do it for long enough to have a lasting effect but the people of Earth only just discovered images They hadnÆt yet realized how much they rely on them

The sensation was a lot like a personÆs first time standing on a boat in the deep sea They would feel the movement beneath them without completely being able to adjust Instead they could only endure their uneasiness while hoping for land

As Randidly watched AmeliaÆs face slowly shifted Ah O oh Well IÆll let you settle yourself then The broadcast will start in fifteen minutes

Then she hurried off heading into the cramped halls that Randidly had walked through to get here Watching her he shook his head slightly Tatiana is so much more than my assistant And I donÆt think being on television will be any harder than speaking in front of thousands of people to start the tournament just more annoying

As everyone in the surrounding area was pushed away by the inexplicable heaviness that they felt when they were near him Randidly was left alone by the two comfortable chairs He calmly walked behind them and looked at the board that showed the bracket of the duos tournament From thirty two they would narrow it down to one Even Randidly wasnÆt sure who would win in the end His eyes calmly traced the various lines until it was time for the show to begin Then he took his seat and rolled his shoulders

Gradually people came together The movements of the production assistants stilled as the tasks were steadily completed The small live audience that would be in attendance sidled into the recording studio and took their seats

When everything else was ready the director raised his hand and voice The lights were brightened and the cameras and mics drifted inevitably forward to absorb the two individuals lounging in the green chairs Five four three

For the final numbers he just raised his fingers Two One

Hello Earth IÆm Amelia Skyne and we are broadcasting LIVE from the location of the pulse pounding duos tournament in the beautiful Orchard At the moment weÆve narrowed the most powerful partnerships on Earth down to just thirty two From within this group our champions will emerge who will officially name our planet in the eyes of the Nexus ItÆs a great honor and a heavy responsibility The only question is who will seize it

Very naturally Amelia shifted position from the camera right in front of them to one off to the left She uncrossed and recrossed her legs allowing her bright red dress to catch the light the material shifted and fluttered Somewhere during the shift her expression had changed from wide eyed delight to solemn contemplation Even Randidly was rather impressed by how smooth the transition was It didnÆt even take a second before she soulfully spoke to the other camera

But since today is a break day we here at WGNS thought it was a great chance to sit down and look at the current favorites for the tournament Not only that but we have a special guest here in the studio to weigh in Please everyone give a warm welcome to Randidly Ghosthound

The twenty two individuals in the live studio audience began to fervently clap and cheer as the production assistants raised signs with the words cheer nowÆ written on them The corner of RandidlyÆs mouth twitched upward There was a flash of purple black fire in his eyes Truly so much of our world is artifice isnÆt it But if people believe in it there is power here That what it means for image to be valuable

Randidly had agreed to come onto this show in part because he wanted to offer a gentle reminder to the people of Earth about images As such he would participate in this whimsical program in order to get his message across So he nodded lightly Thanks for having me

He had been given some other suggested lines for him to open with that would bring up other topics at the jump but he didnÆt bother to pander that much to the producers of the program At the same time he was quite pleased with the way that Amelia noticed his refusal and quickly moved onto the next issue

Mr Ghosthound you can see here our predicted top 4 finishers for the tournament Beyond that things get a bit dicey but we are relatively confident that these four are the most powerful groups on Earth From Block A Alana Donal and her Frost Dragon Wivanya seem almost guaranteed to win From Block B we have Hank Howard and a fan favorite his horse Ancho From Block C Richter and Blackhand And finally from Block D we believe that Lucifer and Guiliana will make it to the semi finals Not to put you on the spot Mr Ghosthound but I can see in your eyes that you donÆt agree with our choices Which one is the problem

Randidly had been rather worried when he was informed that he was supposed to disagree with at least one of the stations four picks But they were truly making it too easy I think your inclusion of Richter and Blackhand in the final four

Honestly I could argue against most of these Alana is likely the most powerful but Block A also has Lyra and Stan and I can tell that they have been hiding their actual strength Meanwhile Block D probably should go to Lucifer and Giuliana but its the murkiest of the remaining blocks Tykes and Dinesh and the ogre team are all very capable But definitely Block C will be the most interesting

Ahaha I think a lot of people agree with that Mr Ghosthound Amelia said with her trademark smile Block C also includes Paolo and Kayle of Donnyton But from all accounts they are using each otherÆs weapons and have no intention of changing even if they start to struggle in the tournament Compared to that Richter and Blackhand seem very reliable

RandidlyÆs eyes drifted over toward the bracket Block C is honestly quite deep But to your point about Paolo and Kayle I want to say that you forget how important images are Amelia The weapons are just tools But the images that they both wield are extremely pure As long as they have those the weapons wonÆt matter much

Are the images so powerful that even you the Ghosthound need to pay attention to them Amelia teased

Randidly ignored the question and rubbed his chin as he looked at the bracket Richter and the so called BlackhandÆ IÆll say this Their image isnÆt quite there yet They are relying on other forms of strength And because of that I donÆt even think they will make it through the next two rounds to face Paolo and Kayle

Amelia studied RandidlyÆs face for several seconds as though the secret machinations of his mind would be revealed in his expression Is that so If you are going to stake your reputation on it I suppose there is nothing I can say

I am Randidly replied with a short glance And do you want to know why IÆm so sure

Of course Please elaborate you are the expert Amelia replied coquettishly

Because they put in the work Randidly said in a low voice Because of time and effort Those two materials are the only guaranteed methods to strengthen yourself And for those of you out there who have let yourself get carried away by emotion or shallow epiphanies just watch It isnÆt easy to bridge the gap of repetition

Chapter 1444

Azure CRaaShh The blonde young man bellowed seeming to throw every ounce of air in his lungs behind the yell Randidly put his chin in his hand as he watched Somehow that same ridiculous guy who had leapt out and been defeated by Fenlin during his initial speech had made it to the top 32 teams

But he truly was rather weak at the start Randidly narrowed his eyes as he followed the action on the arena The blonde young manÆs entire arm was wreathed in azure flames and seemed to serve as a rocket propelling him forward But this tournament has thrown him against capable individuals and pushed his image to its limits Everyone participating is developing their images rapidly while fighting Heh if I would have known the result would be this good I would have hosted a tournament a long time ago

The only problem is my carefully considered bracket is starting to have some unexciting matches because the duos are improving at different rates But IÆm sorry idiot this time you arenÆt on the dominant side

Hank Howard smoothly drew his repeater and fired a Mana Bullet at the domineering blue missile arm The motion was casual and assured Compared to the bright illumination of the fire the bullet was quickly lost in the churn of heat and energy But when the two attacks met one another the result was immediately clear

The flames were blasted away and the young man was sent spinning across the arena He crashed painfully into the ground and bounced several times leaving a dribbling trail of blood on the ground from a broken nose after he face planted on the sturdy Donnyton marble He skidded to a stop as he encountered the far wall with a thump

Hank scratched the area above his ear with the barrel of his revolver and used his other hand to adjust his hat IÆm tellinÆ ya Ancho is just a horse DonÆt keep attackinÆ him or I wonÆt stay civil

Using the slight distraction the young manÆs partner pounced toward HankÆs back He wore spiked gloves and seemed quite confident in his own strength the fool attempted to grapple Hank Howard Without batting an eye Hank stepped to the side and slammed the butt of his gun into the partnerÆs face Before the kid could even recognize what happened Hank spun around and brought his heel into the partnerÆs temple

The kick was sharp it barely seemed to brush the victim as it passed And afterward there was a moment where his body swayed in place Then he fell backward stunned and bleeding

Hank spat to the side

Heh do you I think this is enough to stop me My name is Skyler Ross and I promise

Skyler raised his hand and once more erupted in azure flames His tiger image raised its head and roared Its shoulders and forelegs were thick with muscles to the point that Randidly found the image somewhat ridiculous Those powerful legs rushed forward empowering SkylerÆs attack further

But even with all of his strength gathered into one point HankÆs bullet smashed into him and annihilated his image Skyler was launched backward as though he had been blasted from a cannon slamming with much more force this time into the far wall of the arena The Donnyton Marble shuddered but withstood the pressure without cracking

Which also means that his body endured most of the force himself Probably broke his ribs Randidly mused

Hank sighed and shrugged Kids these days

Ancho neighed in agreement

Who do you think will win Donny asked casually as he popped fat purple grapes into his mouth

Mrs Hamilton glanced sideways at the leader of their Village You are altogether too pleased with having made it to the top 16 You realize that it isnÆt even because of you right GlendelÆs abilities are almost cheating against small numbers of foes

Donny just chuckled His expression was extremely self satisfied Mrs Hamilton shook her head with amusement and turned back to the stage The Huangs assumed their typical positions with Huang Shou sitting on a small stool at the back of the stage while Huang Li drew his wo dao and walked casually forward Opposite them were the Cortez siblings Isabella with her arms covered by her two long elongated oval shields and Pan making his daggers spin across his fingers

I honestly believe it will be close This Huang Li Zone 7 sure has been hiding deeply Or more like Mrs HamiltonÆs eyes glittered as she sipped her tea

every time he fights his image and Skills are being refined At a ridiculous pace If we had more people in Donnyton with that sort of improvement rate DonnyÆs expression also turned serious as he looked down at the Zone 7 representatives Randidly was too fucking accurate with the brackets at least in Block C Every fight has been dangerously close

The sort of danger that can stir growth but still our Cortez siblings arenÆt slouches either Mrs Hamilton said primly Her eyes were on the light reflected off of Huang LiÆs wo dao

Out on the arena the Order Ducis member raised his hand Begin

Mrs HamiltonÆs hair was stirred by the sudden arrival of a breeze as Huang Li launched himself forward An enormous maelstrom of invisible air began to stir around him and around the arena And when Mrs Hamilton didnÆt look at the effect directly she saw the flash of a scaled dragon slowly constricting in the area

At least in terms of size his image is monstrous

Isabella Cortez moved with just as much explosiveness not to be outdone by her opponent Her image was one of immense weight a prowling beast that launched itself forward with deadly intent They met in the middle of the arena and Isabella whipped her shield horizontally toward LiÆs temple The man practically vanished ducking and slashing at IsabellaÆs legs

Dragon and beast brushed past each other just out of reach The two images sizzled as both of their users tried to dominate the surrounding area with their own influence

Isabella caught the slash with her shield but the slightly large piece of metal blocked her sight so she missed LiÆs powerful leg that smashed into her shield and send her stumbling backward That caught Mrs HamiltonÆs attention he had enough raw force to overpower the prodigiously strong Isabella

And then with trails of wind swirling about him Li twisted and shot toward Pan

PanÆs hands blurred into several strange seals and then he split into seven clones of himself each raising their daggers and rushing toward Li with significant bloodlust The wind dragonÆs influence waned as it so quickly faced off against another image

At least that was true for the area by the stage The breeze teasing Mrs HamiltonÆs hair intensified

Li planted his foot and shot to the left so that he was no longer facing several of the clones at once they got in each otherÆs way after he repositioned himself Then he continued his charge utilizing his longer sword to bisect the clones with only a single deadly slash each

Donny shook his head at the rapid death of the clones Pan still doesnÆt have enough Control to fight effectively with that many bodes Mrs Hamilton nodded in agreement

However after Li had dispersed five of the clones into puffs of smoke that were quickly whisked away by his aura of wind Pan was able to manage two clones quite efficiently They worked with the implicit understanding that came from being controlled by a single mind The split Pan avoided Huang LiÆs attacks and inflicted a shallow cut on his shoulder

With Isabella recovering and rushing toward his back Huang LiÆs expression turned dark DragonÆs Dance

The wind in the surrounding area intensified Even the clouds above the arena trembled Huang LiÆs sword began to glow He feinted forward and Pan bit hard both clones raising their daggers and lowering their stances to defend But Huang LiÆs steps were suddenly so light he seemed to be a man made of folded paper He was less a human being than a leaf drifting on the wind With a single step he changed direction and rushed to Isabella Cortez Without missing a beat he unleashed a powerful downward slash

But with her feet on the ground Isabella rapidly drew strength from the stones beneath her feet The beast bristled with indignation Her shields whipped out with enough force to shatter Huang LiÆs image and sword in the same strike

Yet LiÆs Agility while under the influence of this most recent Skill left Mrs Hamilton incredulous His slash seemed to slide sideways through the air and turned into a thrust This was also dealt with by the decisive action of Isabella but Li spun away and attacked from another angle They were only a small distance apart but they didnÆt touch at all It looked like they were dancing together

After hesitating for a second Pan split up his two clones One carefully approaching Huang Li from his blind spot while the other rushed toward Huang Shou with his daggers raised

Mrs Hamilton sighed at the action below Pan gets too hotheaded while fighting still

Better to finish off the one foe in front of them before dragging a second into the mix Donny agreed

Huang Shou slowly raised his head as Pan rushed toward him Isabella raised her shields and brought them crashing down making the stage shudder Huang Li floated backward skimming across the stage like a dragonfly over a pond His quick moves kept PanÆs clone from getting in a good spot for an ambush But from Huang LiÆs deep breathing it was clear that he was reaching the end of his Stamina

But he did not hesitate despite his dwindling resources Huang Li lowered his shoulders and charged back toward Isabella Swimming amongst the clouds above the dragon roared She smiled and raised her shields her eyes blazing with fighting spirit As the two once more resumed their lightning fast attacks and dodges Pan Cortez arrived before Huang Shou

I apologize for this sir Pan said quickly before unleashing a cross slash at the sitting old man

Huang Shou shook his head This old man certainly isnÆt as young as he used to be but it is too much to ask me to stay still in this case Boy Sleep

Wha PanÆs attack faltered as his eyelids flickered for a half second But he quickly shook off the foreign influence just in time for his eyes to widen as Huang Shou smashed his temple with the cane in his hand Pan fell to the ground boneless

Pan Isabella bellowed Her attacks became even more furious toward Huang Li But without the assistance of PanÆs bloodlust the beast was quickly losing ground to the image of the true dragon floating in the sky

He probably wouldnÆt have interfered at all if he hadnÆt been attacked no matter how much he wanted to His pride wouldnÆt let him Mrs Hamilton took another sip of her tea Pan played right into their hands

Huang Shou sat back down not even bothering to look at the unconscious body sprawled only a meter away from him I trust you can handle the rest

Huang LiÆs shoulder rose and fell He wiped his hand across his lips as he considered the growling Isabella yes grandfather

Chapter 1445

On the breakday after the top 16 duos were decided Randidly followed an image trail to find the source of the strange probes that had been sent to test Kharon He likely would have forgotten all about the issue of the antagonistic agents mostly due to his busy schedule if he hadnÆt noticed that the same image was lingering around the recently defeated participant in the tournament Skyler Ross

And Randidly was finalizing his preparations to leave Earth so he felt like he had a responsibility to investigate these strange circumstances The image touch disappeared from Hydie Mordath on its own but that only made Randidly warier He needed to make sure such images wouldnÆt develop into a threat

But also it gave him a very good excuse to cancel all the dayÆs meetings Due to all the distractions Randidly felt like he hadnÆt made any meaningful progress with his Skills since leaving the Dungeon It was almost becoming too much to bear

So Randidly followed that trail of image all the way North to the edge of the Nordawn Mountain range where Randidly located a small villa sitting on the slope of a mountain There were no other human buildings in the surrounding area and the only way to arrive at this villa was by following a game trail This was the home of someone who truly didnÆt like being disturbed

Not quite as effective as a floating island however Randidly pursed his lips and then approached the villa directly knocking boldly on the front door While Randidly waited for the movement he sensed within the villa he carefully examined his surroundings he looked at the rows of mountain laurel and blueberry bushes along the sides of the villa He saw the mailbox and the small pond that was positively teeming with fish

This was a well cultivated area This was a home

A short woman opened the door and nodded at him as though Randidly Ghosthound turning up on her doorstep was the most natural thing in the world Please follow me Mr Syllo will see you now

Randidly was quite perplexed by her reaction to him but inwardly shrugged There was no point in arguing with the woman Instead he simply followed her through a hallway toward an open air courtyard and then through to another covered area of the house All the while RandidlyÆs senses were tasting the image that flowed through this place

The image was heavy in the air around the woman But it was also present in every polished surface and trimmed bush in the courtyard Whoever this Mr Syllo was he did all of the cleaning himself From RandidlyÆs interactions with it in the small tests of Kharon he had expected that the image itself would be insidious or controlling Perhaps even leaning toward manipulation like the image of Mrs Hamilton

But breathing it in here none of those were quite correct The image was a much milder thing that that It was surprisingly straightforward and open

But still very powerful Randidly mused More powerful than I would have believed It could even give Alana a run for her money although the two images are obviously focused on two very different things

Randidly was rather amused to see that the image was devoured by the Stillborn Phoenix as soon as it dared approaching him Unwilling to actually damage the image without understanding it he began to use Yggdrasil to guide this image away from him But he kept an eye on how it interacted with his aura

The short woman brought Randidly passed a library and to a closed door She knocked on the door opened it for him then stepped to the side Unable to resist the stirrings of curiosity in his chest Randidly walked forward

The room was dark and a shadowy figure stood on the other side of the room next to an empty wooden chair Aside from the man and the chair no other piece of furniture was present in the room it was completely bare Randidly was greeted by a soft voice filled with amusement as he entered I hope you will forgive the setting You took me something by surprise with your visit And often people have strange reactions from seeing me for the first time

After taking several steps into the room Randidly stopped and tilted his head to the side The room was so small that Randidly could feel the warmth wicking off the figure in front of him and spreading to the surrounding air And with his Grim Intuition Randidly could easily pierce through the dim lighting to see the details of Mr Syllo He began to frown You well I can understand why you would be hesitant to introduce yourself

Mr Syllo stepped forward Although his legs and left side of his torso was human his right arm was a giant red crab claw Two eyeballs at the end of strange antenna like appendages were trained on Randidly The mandibles of his mouth made a rather consistent clicking noise Heh Certainly I didnÆt expect you to be a petty person So why have you come to visit me I cannot deny IÆve been very curious about you and your cityÆs aspirations

Before that Randidly said with narrowed eyes IÆd like to ask why you have Father KarmanÆs image over you More than you would just have from being a part of his Raid Boss and human experiments

you have sharp eyes Mr Syllo shrugged Thomas and I were friends Before they called him Father Karmin We used to talk a lot about philosophy and I was one of the first people to participate in his experiments Back then he believed he had made a breakthrough but his methods were still rough And let me assure you that I wouldnÆt have agreed if I understood the purpose of his experiments I just I believed he was a good man It seems that I was wrong

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes were bright in the dark room as he scrutinized the crab person in front of him But gradually his expression eased from every detail that his Grim Intuition was able to observe Mr Syllo was telling the truth In addition Randidly couldnÆt detect any significant power in the body in front of him He was just an experiment gone wrong Perhaps you werenÆt wrong about him being a good man Perhaps he just changed after being exposed to power for too long

Mr Syllo shook his head Mr Ghosthound this might just be my humble opinion but I donÆt believe people can truly change Now if you are comfortable with my aesthetic we can move to the courtyard Even though IÆve looked like this for two and a half years itÆs been difficult to get over the vestiges of vanity

Nodding slowly Randidly stepped out fo the room and Mr Syllo followed him In the light the juxtaposition of his body parts was even more striking His crab claw seemed to bulge suddenly out of his torso in an unnatural fashion The flesh around the transition was inflamed But even more than that Randidly suddenly understood the image of Mr Syllo

His was an image that believed that people could never change

His was an image that said this is what we areÆ It was an image of acceptance and encouragement of a very particular sort

RandidlyÆs mind was tracing the newly understood shape of this image as they moved to the middle portion of the house They sat on adirondack chairs in the courtyard and Randidly refused the offered refreshment Mr Syllo calmly waited for him to bring up the reason for his visit while Randidly considered the image around him The reason the image was so powerful was that it was so simple and stable It encouraged people to simply accept themselves as who they were

To put it another way it would tell people not to deny or ignore their thoughts or desires even if they were negative

To some this message would be encouraging and reassuring The image would function as a salve to heal wounds and strengthen their Willpower In others it would lead to dangerous self indulgence and a downward spiral of negative behaviors Overall it was a neutral image It was a powerful but a blunt tool

Although Randidly knew the act would always end in disappointment he still methodically cracked the knuckles of his right hand and then tried to crack the knuckles of his left The motions were just so familiar that it was easy to thoughtlessly mirror them Several people that have interacted with your image have come to Kharon I wanted to make sure that my city wasnÆt being targeted

Well I didnÆt deliberately target you itÆs more like your city is too dominant in the minds of most people In a way congratulations Mr Syllo brought a straw up to mandible filled mouth and slurped noisily I actually imitated you Mr Ghosthound in my company In placing the image at the center of everything that we do

I run a number of banks and lending institutions across the Zones thatÆs how I encounter so many people And it is my companyÆs policy to judge peopleÆs future productivity by their current actions Obviously there are some special circumstances that can be considered but I believe that actions are what ultimately what displays a person’s true character I watch the way individuals behave and see the truth Thoughts and emotions are just facades

Randidly tilted his head to the side Then he chuckled Honestly IÆm not really one for philosophical debate I just wanted to warn you I donÆt mind your ideology And I have seen proof that your image increases the power of the people around you regardless of other side effects ThatÆs good for Earth

But IÆll say this Kharon right now is confident because I am present on Earth That means they donÆt feel threatened by these people that have felt empowered by your ideology to pursue their small grudges and give in to impulses But after I leave I donÆt think Kharon will play as nicely

As Randidly spoke he was imagining the confrontation between this image and KharonÆs He saw in Mr Syllo a new shape for the old privilege of the elites of Earth Even after being warped by Father KarminÆs experiments this man still came back and was able to manage quite a few banks and lending institutionsÆ And to the weakness that he found in himself and others during the difficult transition to the System he said this ItÆs not your fault People cannot change

Honestly Kharon could level this type of foe in its sleep But Randidly was also aware that he didnÆt need to be the only image in the world As with this duos tournament hurdles give rise to improvement

It was hard to read Mr SylloÆs expression considering his features but he currently seemed to exude amusement Are you expecting me to control people Restrict the actions that they wish to take on their own

of course not thatÆs against your code right Randidly grinned like a wolf You believe that people will do what they will People cannot change They will ultimately follow their nature But what is missing from your outlook is a recognition of perspective these people that drifted into Kharon were not in the position to do anything about their emotions In fact indulging in them recklessly could be very dangerous if one of our police officers lost his or her temper Humanity must know patience You should address that oversight in your creed

And yet you claim not to be a philosopher Mr Syllo observed

Randidly shrugged IÆm a realist

Well thank you for the warning I will consider this The crab man said with a small bow As thanks would you like me to tell you a secret about yourself

Randidly arched his eyebrow Mr Syllo spread his arms one human and one crab His image tried to approach Randidly again only to be devoured by the Stillborn Phoenix RandidlyÆs image whined hungry for more

After gathering his thoughts Mr Syllo spoke You are quite interesting to talk to Mr Ghosthound I can feel your three images and the three desires that drive them quite clearly But you know I consider myself a study of human character And all three of your desires well it is a bit like the guardian of hell Cerberus They appear to be separate but they grow from one true core

Oh Randidly said

Dominance That is what you crave Randidly Ghosthound You wrap it in pretty justifications but that is the true longing in your heart Mr Syllo brought the straw to his mouth and took another slurping drink Is that not why you are planning to leave this planet Because there is no more for you to dominate here on Earth You cannot and should not contain your nature

Ha The difference between what I am and what you think I am is exactly what I told you earlier Perspective A perspective that gives me a true understanding of my capability in the Nexus Randidly glanced at Mr Syllo Then he smiled mildly well everyone can have their own opinion Just be glad we didnÆt end up being enemies Mr Syllo DonÆt lose your sense of perspective in the future

Then Randidly left Before too much of the day was lost he wanted to reach out and heal Vualla

Chapter 1446

Through the tenuous and thin threshold that was a Nether Ritual Randidly released waves of YggdrasilÆs image to alleviate the exhaustion and image dehydration that Vualla was experiencing She absorbed the imageÆs ambient energy and her breathing eased As always the process made RandidlyÆs mouth tighten in dissatisfaction The Xyrt Brigade had not done much to earn RandidlyÆs affection

At least the situation with Earth was a high level political move that much he could at least forgive after he had defeated Kaan But the suffering they claimed was training and forced Vualla to endure

Stay focused Your other image is expanding and it wants to eat me Vualla chuckled Your Stillborn PhoenixÆs bedside manner is shit

Randidly shook himself and quelled the rising hunger of his egg of hunger Sorry about that IÆm just well IÆll be heading to the Nexus soon IÆm just trying to take some notes about the debts IÆll have to collect when I arrive

Through there connection Randidly could feel every detail of VuallaÆs smile IÆll be waiting DonÆt have too much fun before I finish this Seven more months and IÆll be free

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Ritual has grown to Level 172

Although he was unwilling Randidly let the connection fade after a few more minutes Vualla had told him that his timing was rather poor there was only a short time remaining before she would be allowed out of the isolation chamber and return to the training So they didnÆt have much time to interact Randidly simply had to frantically try and let VuallaÆs image heal so that terrible wasting sickness of her personality he had encountered last time wouldnÆt recur

Sitting on his floating island he waved a hand and cleared a sightline to the night sky His manor here was getting rather close to being completed so the noises coming from the construction site had changed drastically The quieter and more methodical noises of the wood and stone being carved replaced the heavy assemblage of the past few days

It was almost peaceful here He reached out to the side dragging his fingers through the silver mist and watching the moonlight spirits happily twining around his hand And with dawn still some time away Randidly could do engage in some training to relax

He first stretched his body then beckoned Acri over and practiced utilizing the spear The post Kaan Acri was still quiet lethargic but it was clear that RandidlyÆs Soulseed weapon was steadily shrinking Apparently the amount of experience his spear had received was even greater than Randidly had expected he wasnÆt done digesting it even though two weeks had passed

AcriÆs next form is something to look forward to however

After Randidly set Acri to the side he moved calmly shifted into the movements fo Cosmic Necessity and practiced fighting without the spear As his skin heated the night air began to turn to steam as it brushed against him His heart rapidly began to pound and the physical force that his body could manifest shot sharply upward To the point where Randidly needed to be very careful in his movements and direct his force toward the largely invulnerable sky Otherwise he might shatter his island and ruin the buzzing construction that he had endured for quite some time

Still despite the annoyance of restraining himself Randidly quite enjoyed the sensation of throwing punched and seeing holes erupt in clouds hundreds of meters away The effects of the gradual physical condensation of his images in his body was ridiculous He whipped his left hand sideways and watched as a massive cloud was shredded into thin strips of water vapor in the distance Sometimes itÆs difficult to believe that IÆm still human

Congratulations Your Skill AbominationÆs Grim Vigor has grown to Level 321

The timing of the Skill Leveling up forced a chuckle out of RandidlyÆs mouth and he shook his limbs Gradually his heart rate fell back toward its baseline and his breaths stopped coming out of his nose as steam From there he activated each of his images in turn checking in on their substance and making minute adjustments

Even now Randidly could sense that a gap still existed between his image and someone like Lady Iellaya that he had seen fighting on the front line It wasnÆt so large a gap that he couldn’t bridge it with his immense Stat Nether and physical advantages but in terms of raw image he still had a long way to go That realization was both exciting and nostalgic

ThereÆs always someone stronger Randidly thought looking out at the slowly healing holes in the surrounding clouds It amused him to think about other people below might be looking up at the same clouds and thinking the same thought for different reasons In a way the entire universe was a large circle of perspectives

Governed by life and death and powered by time the cycle steadily churned everything to dust

After musing on the nature of the world Randidly focused back on his images The process of pushing them up to a higher potency wasnÆt that complicated as far as he could tell he just needed to iron out the small almost unnoticeable inconsistencies and sharpen the details It was a refinement process that couldnÆt be rushed just undertaken steadily

The process was somewhat satisfying although it was monotonous It was similar to running oneÆs fingers across a silk blanket If you did it for long enough you would notice small tears in the fabric and could then repair those flaws

But with the big flaws out of the way smaller flaws would gradually emerge as the largest deviations from the smooth blanket currently present In a way it felt like the refinement would never cease

After adjusting his images for two hours Randidly had a new thought and focused instead on his Nether Nebula The core continued to thicken and turn slightly grey as the meaning of overseeing this tournament flowed steadily into RandidlyÆs Nether Honestly the effect was so good that Randidly was looking forward to how much significance he would be able to extract from the quarters semis and finals

Outside of the Nether NebulaÆs core RandidlyÆs powerful Willpower pressed the Nether into a flat disc that spun slowly around him But inspired by his work with his images Randidly released the Nether and let it bulge outward Almost instantly small stones near where he was standing began to levitate off the ground There was a strange grinding sound in the air and visual distortions appeared around RandidlyÆs body as space near him destabilized

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 322

With small purple black flames at the edges of his emerald eyes Randidly began to take that wild and raw Nether and condense it Not to the point that it would begin to shift into the intimidating grey of that bubble Randidly had condensed but close He didnÆt force it into a ring but instead spun and concentrated the substance of the Nether The visual deviations began to settle as Randidly brought the Nether under control

He created thick strips of Nether and then wove them into that same condensed disc But just as soon as he finished RandidlyÆs lips twitched he honestly didnÆt have much experience weaving and the result was rather unsatisfactory The visual distortions flared back to life as he shredded the result and started again

Spinning and weaving spinning and weaving over and over

Each time Randidly finished the weaving of Nether around the Nebula he saw the possibility for improvement and decisively tore his previous effort to shreds Iterations passed by the dozen as Randidly relentlessly pursued a veil of Nether that possessed the same near organic flow as it had in its natural state while also increasing the density of the Nether

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 239

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 250

It was almost hypnotic to work with the raw Nether and artificially shape it to mimic natural lines Because the folds of the weave needed to be soft to facilitate the flow while the actual intersections needed to be so tight inserted that there was no space between the different flows Randidly wanted it to reach the point that an observer wouldn’t be able to tell that there was a weave at all They would only sense the subtle presence of Nether around Randidly without understanding the overwhelming powerful contained on his person

Randidly paused in his work after ripping another failure apart and looked to the sky To the East the sky was beginning to lighten Randidly released a deep sigh as he considered the prospect of the day before him The actual matches wonÆt be so bad but with only sixteen IÆll bet that Tatiana has already arranged for me to be meetings for the rest of the time

Yet Randidly couldnÆt feel too annoyed at Tatiana She was doing what he asked preparing Kharon to survive without being able to rely on Randidly Ghosthound Not that he would be barred from returning to Earth but also despite his recent discovery that his image hadnÆt contaminated Kharon as much as he thought he still didnÆt want to interfere with the first two Calamities

Right now his focus was keeping Earth from appearing any more unique than it was already The attention of the Nexus had only brought complications so far It was better to proceed through the Calamities in a mundane manner while Randidly gathered power in the Nexus

Shaking his head Randidly returned to his Nether practice After making several attempts he had an idea of what he would actually like to do he wanted to draw Nether from several sources and weave it together into one whole tapestry Randidly sensed that if he were to teach others to properly utilize his Nether Wells and then combine all the disparate Nether he would finally be close to creating the Nether equivalent of a Class

However that would be quite dangerous and require everyone to have their own Aether to balance out the Nether Hum I wonder if there are other ways to mimic the effect Humming to himself and with the sun slowly rising Randidly continued to train

Unable to fall asleep and feeling too agitated to meditate Huang Li quickly ascended the stairs and reached the roof of the housing they had been provided by the Orchard Tomorrow they were matched up against Richter and Blackhand the representatives of Zone 1 They were surely the most difficult foes they had yet faced in all of their time living under the thumb of the Nexus

Huang Li sensed that Huang Shou was struggling with something internally but hadnÆt pressed the issue during their dinner of steamed fish and rice They both seemed locked in with their own thoughts separated by the gulf of distance created by their opposed beliefs And now Huang Li needed time to think

But when he arrived at the roof and looked up at the night sky Huang Li didnÆt have much time for thinking Instead he watched with wide eyes as he failed to sense even the sliver of an image reverberation and yet someone was casually punching holes in clouds

This This must be the work of Randidly Ghosthound Huang Li clenched his hands into fists and stared fervently upward The casual power displayed was overwhelming The distance between them was immense

But gradually as Huang Li watched he was able to calm down But I always knew I wasnÆt a grand character who would become a hero didnÆt I It is only with years of hard work and the guidance of my betters that I was able to reach this point And now those facts about myself havenÆt changed If I want to improve I need to observe carefully and learn

And these palm strikes the reason they are powerful is not that they utilize an image to dominate the surroundings all the way to the target but instead the Ghosthound just physically pushes aside all obstacles

An image that doesnÆt bother to attack the opponentÆs image an image that just draws a clear separation between them and cuts forward

Gradually his eyes began to glow and the long body of a dragon appeared with him on the roof Then Huang Li hurried back down to his room to retrieve his interspatial amulet and his wo dao within He needed to practice before the inspiration passed

Chapter 1447

Hotdogs Hamburgers Fries

Sweets and treats Ice cream and funnel cakes

Long odds and prop bets First contestant to swear first to bleed first to be knocked unconscious

The cries from the shopowners along the thoroughfare were just a few drops in the bucket Around them the general babble rising up from the thousands of gathered people was practically deafening

Hydie Mordath didnÆt like crowds When she was younger it was because she didnÆt feel like she fit into the groups of happy people After the System arrived it was because she feared the broad negative effect that she would have on those same fragile happy people Her Skill seemed only bound by distance the more people that were crowded into a small space the more people would suffer accidents due to her presence

But the crowd of people that churned happily through the broad roads leading to the arena for the round of sixteen couldnÆt even be called a crowd any longer it was a veritable sea of people with waves crashing in from every direction People joined lines for stalls or just wove through them to save time Others rushed out of bathrooms and were practically hopping with anticipation of getting a good seat for the matches The surroundings were absolute bedlam

Even with their Order Ducis uniforms there simply wasnÆt enough room for anyone to give them some respectful distance They were completely pressed together and HydieÆs mood rapidly degenerated into irritation as elbows and shoulders kept knocking against her

Derek Moss as annoyingly observant as he always was glanced back over his shoulder at her and then grinned Why donÆt we stop and grab a bite to eat WeÆre just supposed to keep any incidents from escalating anyway No need to follow all this traffic

So the two of them cut sideways through the main flow of bodies and swam toward a side path to another section of the fairgrounds There had originally been only a single food court arena planned but the number of the attendees for the tournament was so high that the original plan had to be scrapped and expanded to include four large food courts with stalls running up and down the paths around the stadium Otherwise the lines at the single food court would have been hours long as the tournament wore on

Once they were on the side path the crowd thinned out a lot and Hydie could release a breath without spitting on someone Then she scowled over at Derek CanÆt we just watch from up on Kharon Why do we need to be down here

Being immersed in the crowdÆs image is the best way to spot the first signs of trouble Derek replied Then he glanced over his shoulder When my partner isnÆt dominating the surrounding space with her surly image

You are literally a shiny piece of military shit Hydie said without any venom She took several more deep breaths The cool autumn air flowing into her body was a relief from the heat of the crowd They continued off of the dirt path into the well paved Northwest food court I just wish once I got to see you I donÆt know looking like an idiot Maybe we could walk past a pie shop and you get one splattered over your gob I just feel

Hydie paused because Derek was no longer walking beside her He had frozen the expression on his face studiously blank while his lips mimicked the mouth of a fish He stood with one leg slightly off the ground and one arm raised perfectly midstep Hydie couldnÆt help but be impressed by the casual athleticism he displayed by stopping like that

She followed his gaze and saw a pretty young woman sitting at one of the dozens of wooden picnic tables situated in the middle of the food court Hydie looked back at Derek and then turned again to the woman noticing this time that the table around her was filled with a half dozen grey spiders three strange people seemingly made of stone and a towering ogre woman that hunched over in order to listen into the conversation More impressively all of them had very poignant and restrained images they were not just ordinary people

Derek Moss Hydie said lightly The corners of her eyes crinkled as she felt her mood rapidly rising Oho ohohohohoho Do you happened to have a crush

I No thatÆs Gertrude is just an acquaintance Derek finally finished his step and began fussing with the buttons of his uniform and wiping his sweaty palms against his slacks We simply happened to move to Kharon at similar times

Uh huh I see A gloating Hydie practically glided forward and slid her arm through DerekÆs as a queen would imperiously grace a dust covered knight Well perhaps IÆm not such a constant source of bad luck after all Truly quite serendipitous for us to run into an acquaintance here Why donÆt we go say hello Ohoho

Derek licked his lips his eyes were still locked on Gertrude That would probably be inappropriate We are currently on duty And besides it appears they are in the middle of an important meeting

A meeting at a picnic table DonÆt mind that DidnÆt you just say we are here to deal with any escalating issues I certainly donÆt sense any big issues The first match doesnÆt start for another hour anyway letÆs just go over and say hi

Although DerekÆs face continued to be dominated by an uneasy frown his feet were more honest When Hydie pulled him forward he followed easily They wove their way through the wooden tables and Derek was so distracted that he actually stumbled over a discarded beer can It was with Hydie bearing a sunny smile that the two of them arrived at the table of Gertrude the teacher

Seeing as Derek was tongue tied Hydie took it upon herself to start the interaction She did her best not to giggle Miss Gertrude

ThatÆs why the location should match oh yes Oh Mr Moss hello And you are Gertrude looked over and met HydieÆs wide smile with a politely reciprocated smile

Hydie withdrew her arm from DerekÆs IÆm DerekÆs partner in the Order Ducis HeÆs told me so much about you itÆs nice to meet you all I must say though your images are all very powerful ItÆs very impressive

One of the spiders at the table clambered up onto the top and extended a foreleg toward Hydie Ahem We are simply some of KharonÆs teachers And I must say madam I find your sinister aura to be quite invigorating If you were a spider I would gladly allow you to devour my body and regurgitate it to feed our offspring

Everyone except the other spiders blinked For several seconds Hydie legitimately didnÆt know what to say

The spider began to rub its forelegs together Ah apologies I have not yet mastered the human art of humor I mean no offense

No that was actually quite sweet Thank you Hydie responded seriously Then she looked at the surrounding people Now that she thought about it she did hear from the Kharon police that the Ghosthound had produced a bunch of strange teachers from somewhere for the Dungeon training So you are teachers ItÆs quite reassuring to have KharonÆs youth educated by you Are you going to watch the first match

Yes This time the tall ogre woman spoke in a surprisingly soft voice I am very excited to watch the fight Say you are members of the Order Ducis right If you had been able to enter the tournament would you have made it to this round How powerful are these people

If I remember correctly Mr Moss is very strong Gertrude offered flashing Derek a shy smile

Hydie was barely able to suppress her urge to nudge him with her elbow and wink at him Derek cleared his throat and did his best to adopt a serious expression Well I think Hydie and I would have at least a 50% chance of getting to this round of 16 But beyond that no one here is weak And everyone is rapidly developing their images

DonÆt they have to Another spider scuttled up on to the table and began rubbing its forelegs together next to its companion The humans Hank Howard and Alana Donal are truly sublime Aside from Mister Randidly Ghosthound and Lady Helen I donÆt know if IÆve ever seen more intimidating humans

The tall ogre lowered her head her eyes still trained on Derek This first match between the Kir Nan and Hoowan two powerful ogre warriors and Glendel and Donny of Donnyton who do you think will win

Gertrude leaned across the table and punched the ogre lightly in the arm Then she turned to Derek and Hydie Illya here has something of a gambling problem Please donÆt bother to answer it will just mean that she runs off to the gambling houses to place one last bet before the match It isnÆt worth it

The ogre snorted and crossed her arms Then Gertrude stood up and smiled at Derek By the way would you like to watch the fight with us

Grandfather are you ready to go to the match Huang Li asked as he knocked on his partnerÆs door

Huang Shou ignored his question but did at least give an answer from within his chambers Please come in

With a small sigh Huang Li opened the door They didnÆt necessarily need to be as early to the match as leaving now would allow them to be but Huang Li wanted a bit of time to adjust his state of mind before the match After creating a new Skill last night he was quite excited to try it out but those emotions would make him hasty He would need to remain steady to have a chance of victory against Richter

To his surprise he found Huang Shou sitting in front of a Go board with a small book in his hand The board was partially covered in the black and white stones The two colors faced off boldly marshaled like armies about to slaughter their foes Huang Shou nodded when Li came in but then he turned his attention right back to the board As Huang Li watched he would place a stone and then study the board for several seconds

Eventually he would be satisfied and glance back over at the book to restart the cycle

Replaying historic games Huang Li eventually guessed As far as mental preparations went it was likely an effective one

Again Huang Shou ignored the question he asked but still replied Do you know how to play Go

Shaking his head Huang Li said I understand the rules But the intricacies of the game are beyond me

Huang Shou placed another stone onto the board This old man will teach you then YouÆve worked hard to reach this point it is time for others to assist you

Huang Li blinked Do you mean

ItÆs been quite a few years but I havenÆt forgotten my roots As he solemnly stood Huang ShouÆs face broke into a surprisingly childish smile The truth is I too was adopted into the Huang Family Heh Now that we have come this far it would be disrespectful to the Ghosthound if I were to remain idle any longer This honor of naming the Earth will belong to Zone 7

Chapter 1448

Then let the match begin The Order Ducis member announced with an extravagant gesture The crowd began to cheer as the third match of the day began

The cloaked Blackhand waved his arm and produced a dozen jet black spikes that hovered in the air above him With the thick cowl that hid all of his features and the meter long needles above him he was a sinister figure Plus the air was thick with his dense Mana and sharp piercing image Richter rolled himself a few meters backward with heaving shoulders Then he raised his head and regarded the Huangs with a steely gaze that demonstrated that he was just as determined to win as they were

Huang LiÆs image dragon roared and swam through the air to surround the stage It wove through air currents and left its infinitely long body binding the air tighter and tighter But the closer to the two opponents his image went the more resistance it encountered Huang Li began to frown There was something strange about the energy they released It seemed somehow to weaken his image innately without needing to attack it

But if it is only at this level I can forcefully withstand it Huang Li lowered his center of gravity and settled into a familiar fighting stance His fingers tightened on the leather wrap of his wo dao

Huang Shou appeared even more fearless leaning on his cane as he walked confidently forward Grandson give this old man the gift of freedom to warm up It has been a while since IÆve gotten serious exercise Then he twisted his torso starting a chain reaction of cracks up his spine as the vertebrae shifted from their settled position The effect was quite impressive

Still Huang Li had no room for distractions Blackhand gestured and the spikes above him shot forward Huang Li pounced forward in response blades of wind forming and smashing against the attacks as they neared Huang ShouÆs position But that same natural suppression in the energy was also present in the spikes LiÆs Skills were only half as effective as he expected at defending

Narrowing his eyes Huang Li blew through one third of his Mana to produce a veritable storm of wind blades that chipped and sliced the spikes to nothing They splintered and shattered After the attacks were defeated Blackhand just snorted and conjured twenty four more gleaming spikes that floated in the air He leaned forward seeming confident in a direct conflict of numbers

Huang Shou straightened and then twisted his torso in the other direction once more creating a cascading series of cracks Huang Li studied his opponents closely Behind Blackhand a large sinister shadow was forming around Richter Leathery tentacles covered in pulsing black veins seemed to rise from his shadow and grasp at the surrounding air

Huang Li focused on Blackhand Seize the initiative now He gestured with his left hand performing a grabbing motion almost casually The image that Huang Li had coincidentally witnessed last night was reproduced on a much smaller scale His fingers stabbed like daggers toward his own palm Cloud Slaying Claw

The attack ripped forward The suppression of Zone 1Æs energy affected it but it still traveled cleanly across the intervening distance Blackhand sent a black spike downward to intercept but that spike and the ethereal claw attack passed by each other without any contact The image of the claw was one that built a connection to a distant point As long as the opponent just relied on their usual image and didnÆt target the weaker image of the connection established it was practically unblockable

When the claw arrived and ripped open BlackhandÆs robes in a spray of blood Huang Li was already shooting forward DragonÆs Dance

Congratulations Your Skill DragonÆs Dance has grown to Level 229

Although even Li was surprised by the effectiveness he was not going to let this pass

BlackhandÆs nominal hand with wizened flesh and thick black veins rushed out pressing against the wound on his shoulder He took several steps backward unleashing all of the gathered spikes like he was firing a machine gun But with the boost of DragonÆs Dance Huang Li only had to take three steps and he had avoided the spikes and arrived directly in front of Blackhand

The flood dragon coiled around Huang LiÆs body raised its head and regarded Blackhand coolly Huang LiÆs body accelerated forward and he brought his blade swiftly around DragonÆs Claw

Blackhand gestured sharply upward and a veil of black energy rushed up in front of him Huang LiÆs eyes narrowed imperceptibly This Blackhand

His foot spun on the ground and he was around the veil and behind his foe Huang Li gritted his teeth and forcefully endured the physical backlash from the quick movement Still Blackhand had only partially twisted around in horror by the time Huang Li recovered and thrust his wodao into his opponentÆs side

With a twist of the blade and a kick Huang Li sent Blackhand sprawling More blood spurted out onto the arena ground is not very good at close combat He just relies on his high Mana and the suppression of his image

Still Blackhand spun mid air as he fell and slapped his palm on the ground The strike flipped him back to a standing position At the same time almost a hundred black spikes materialized above his hunched form and quickly accelerated to skewer Huang Li Shaking his head Huang Li wove amongst the spikes and relentlessly pursued his wounded foe

Above the arena his image continued to stir the wind

Right as Huang Li was about to strike once more he pivoted and leapt sideways several meters A long almost rotting tentacle smashed downward in his previous position striking with enough force that the Donnyton marble of the stage cracked

A towering monstrosity had finished manifesting above Richter It was a sea horror oozing puss and stricken by a horrible affliction of black veins that made its fleshy body seem to be in its death throes Yet two small and beady eyes could be seen on the spongy main body surrounded by a thousand such tentacles

Enough Richter was extremely pale and gaunt but that insidious and almost caustic energy that weakened images in the surrounding area was now radiating off of his person in dense waves DonÆt struggle any further At my full power

What hubris Ten Thousand Palm Huang Shou interrupted casually stepping forward and thrusting his hand forward Behind him an unadorned brass Buddha manifested As Huang Shou attacked the buddha mimicked him without even opening its eyes

The image that Huang Shou produced was so robust that Huang Li had to blink Perhaps I really should learn to play Go

Richter sent several of those ropy tentacles to meet the buddhaÆs palm but the tentacles were blasted to the side The palm moved serenely forward the Buddha advancing rapidly to attack the giant octopus monster

You RichterÆs eyes narrowed Well if a few wonÆt work how about a few hundred

Rumbles shook the arena as the two image projections clashed A small frown formed on Huang ShouÆs face and he used his other hand to chop through the air and blast away a significant portion of the tentacles seeking to smash and bind his image At the same time several tentacles whipped sideways along the ground aiming for Huang ShouÆs actual body

Meanwhile Huang Li pounced forward once more toward the wounded Blackhand he had his own foe to fight He dodged the spikes but was stopped dead as Blackhand spun and simply made a small spiked dome around his position to protect himself Pressing his lips together Huang Li once more raised his hand and unleashed the Cloud Slaying Claw Struck unexpectedly BlackhandÆs image faltered and Huang Li could forcefully smash his way through to stand before the Zone 1 representative

Huang LiÆs wo dao cut sideways and Blackhand clapped his hands together to unleash a blast of energy That caustic unstable wave smashed into Huang LiÆs chest even as he felt his blade ripping through the otherÆs flesh

Blackhand collapsed to the ground with yet another deep wound but Huang Li briefly lost consciousness hit him like a horse kick to the chest and left him dazed But he was awoken by the physical sensation of skidding across the arena and took stock of his situation It felt like acid had been poured on his image steadily eroding its strength Horrified Huang Li pressed his eyes closed and did his best to steady his image

I might be scarred but I cannot afford to fail After a few seconds of frantic image reinforcement Huang Li bit his lip and raised his head His vision was blurry and a pounding headache raced back and forth within the confines of his skull Still his breath hissed out between his teeth and he forced himself to his feet Then he held himself in a standing position even while he continued to sway

Gradually things came back into focus Blackhand was twitching on the ground but still down Blood was staining the arena beneath him Across the arena Huang ShouÆs palms were light and smooth the buddha above him turning those strikes into domineering thunderbolts that smashed away the surrounding tentacles But with the strange intuition that Huang Li had gained from his flood dragon swimming on the wind he could see that RichterÆs monster had cast out a tightly knit net It was only a matter of time before Huang Shou was captured

Huang Li began to take abrupt staggers toward Huang Shou and RichterÆs battlefield the hand not holding the wo dao tracing the lines of his own body to check for injuries He was certainly sore and dazed but he was lucky that nothing was broken

Honestly the worst of the damage was to his image

Huang Li raised his left hand to unleash a Cloud Slaying Claw to wound Richter but then he hesitated His headache gradually receded and his thoughts cleared Huang Li lowered his left hand with a frown If he truly is a similar fighter to me he will have noticed the move I used twice to wound Blackhand He hasnÆt experienced it himself but Richter probably will spot the weakness of it instantly if the first attempt doesnÆt put him out of commission

So instead Huang Li flexed his fingers and empowered his dragon image as much as he could The strange damage dealt by BlackhandÆs final attack made the effort painful but Huang Li would not let the first round that his adoptive grandfather conceded the point and helped him also be the round that they were decisively beaten

As the process continued Huang Li could no longer avoid the truth the damage to his image was almost crippling In his current state he simply couldnÆt wrap his mind around enough details to make the image potent

Yet if anything this only made Li relax further

I could never make an image that was truly this powerful on my own anyway Huang Li continued to walk forward his joints aching The clouds above the arena slowly began to circle the stage as a weak but determined wind spread rapidly outward It is only due to my heritage and instructors that I came this far It is only due to the spirit of my people that I can stand on this stage So now for all of you who are watching please I need your help Show me the dragon that can slay not just the clouds but the entire sky

The stirring wind spread outward seeking inspiration and support

Chapter 1449

Do you feel that Tatiana asked She tilted her head and scrutinized the sky The clouds were beginning to move in a slow whirlpool What was most impressive was the fact the effect extended far beyond just the area above the arena

Randidly resisted the urge to smile Sometimes it felt like a fluke that these two got here with only Huang Li fighting but that was just because most of what he was doing was subconscious drawing on otherÆs strength at points when he should have been defeated But now that he has reached out purposefully Heh this will be interesting to watch

Despite their images being very different Huang Li had taken principles from RandidlyÆs Skills and images to innovate in new ways Honestly Randidly felt a gentle swell of pride in his chest

The effect is slightly similar to the Eidolon Crucible only much more geared toward unity Tatiana observed Then she poked Randidly in the side with a sly smile on her face Having you been playing favorites and giving out free lessons on the side I hope you made Zone 7 pay an arm and a leg

Nope he did this all on his own Randidly shrugged

Then his gaze shifted to the inert form of Blackhand and his smile faded But will this be enough Show me whether the Earth really can create an image to overcome a monster

Huang Shou could see the efficient patterns of the corrosive and dangerous attacks from the ugly beast in front of him It only took a few clashes for Shou to grasp the difference in their abilities Perhaps in terms of physical strength they were equal but the added poison that ran through the octopusÆs body meant that Shou constantly needed to give up ground to survive

Shou followed the developments passively this much wasnÆt enough to shake him even as the moves available to him over here were being restricted

But there was another live stone on the board currently in the form of Huang Li Before the tournament Shou had honestly not thought much of his adoptive grandson despite his status as Captain of Zone 7Æs guard So he had come to the tournament as an agent of Zone 7Æs conservative faction to simply watch and teach the Glorious Leaders a very specific lesson Without the assistance of the conservative faction you are only capable of this much

Heh And yet after watching that boy bleed in front of me I have suddenly become nostalgic for the toil of my own youth Ah age takes us all eventually Shou reflected His brass Buddha lashed out left and right with its palms putting on the appearance of a furious increase in strength Of course it cost him quite a bit of Stamina to do so but he wanted to test his opponent

Very cleanly Richter manipulated the monster above him to act more passively while Shou exerted himself Huang Shou narrowed his eyes as he watched Richter tighten his hands on the armrests of his wheelchair and regard him in turn This boy would be quite good at Go

Still he is young With the space afforded to him Shou ceased attacking and brought his hands together Purifying Resonance A shiver spread through ShouÆs body as the sound of his clap cleansed much of the sinister energy that had seeped into him from RichterÆs attacks It was slightly shocking however that the effect was only able to rid him of 75% of the remnants Some stubbornly gathered in the corners of his body refusing to be shaken by a cleansing done in the heat of battle

Richter gestured sharply and those casual swirling tentacles now thundered downward at the brass buddha with its hands pressed together Huang Shou didnÆt even blink this was what he was waiting for Life is Suffering

White sigils flared to life across the body of the brass Buddha Shou couldnÆt keep the technique active for very long but in that instant all damage that each of them took was reflected back on the other But even as the Skill activated Huang ShouÆs wrinkled face twisted in shock You

The tentacles smashed downward spraying their corrosive and dark energy with their wild swings The white sigils flared to life and transferred that damage back to Richter whose face was locked into a grimace Richter and Shou looked eyes for a long moment feeling each otherÆs agony Then both slumped backward Richter in his chair and Huang Shou leaning heavily upon his cane His fingers were sweaty

The attacks from both sides ceased as both manifestations faded somewhat In the end the exchange was likely a draw Shou gave Richter another deep look You you have allowed something dark to take up residence within your legs huh Such an existence truly admirable that you have persevered through the pain

After a while pain is just that pain Richter wiped his hand blood leaking between his lips It is simply a body signaling a deviation from the typical As long as that deviation is expected you can easily ignore that signal

A dangerous way of thinking The mind is not the master of the body Huang Shou reprimanded His Mana had been instantly drained using that Skill but his image was quickly recovering to its former state Then Shou shook his head Either way you have lost My partner has defeated yours and will come to help me finish you Surrender now and spare yourself the humiliation of seeing your image crushed

Richter chuckled My partner has not been defeated she is simply trading away more of her body for power

An image ballooned into existence behind him and Shou shifted his feet and narrowed his eyes at this new threat Huang Li was about five meters behind him bent over and clasping his wo dao with both hands like he was still recovering from the hit he had taken earlier Perhaps fifteen meters beyond him Blackhand straightened and stood

The wizened hand lined with black veins reached up and ripped the remainder of the heavy cloak that obscured his features What was waiting beneath was a middle aged woman who looked to have one foot in the grave Her skin was grey and covered in liver spots The bags under her eyes were the color of a three day old bruise Thick black veins wiggled like worms across her body And her eyes were completely pitch black

Theodora Greyman Huang Shou said in shock The impeached former president of Zone 1 who once was believed to be the greatest roadblock to Zone 7Æs ascendance now looked like she had was just a shell of her former self

Theodora raised her head and seemed to scream with every fiber of her being Her complexion grew increasingly pale and yet somehow she didnÆt produce the slightest sound A second later a wave of that dark energy exploded from her like she was just a pipeline to a lake of caustic sewage While RichterÆs image was only soaked with the energy to the point that each movement dripped it this was the pure source

Just as Shou made to shift to fight the new foe RichterÆs octopus monster surged forward and smashed its tentacles at his back Snorting Huang Shou brought his focus back around and unleashed another One Thousand Palm To his surprise RichterÆs bold attack crumpled rather easily it seemed the Life is Suffering had inflicted more damage than he initially thought

Which meant that Huang Shou could quickly overpower Richter if he gave him his full attention but the new attack from behind would not give him that luxury He glanced over with concern at the wounded Huang Li Grandson

We see it grandfather Huang Li straightened slowly The wall of caustic energy rushed toward his face but he didnÆt even look at it He simply nodded as though reassuring himself and raised his sword upward The metal blade gleamed in the mid morning sun

The tip of the sword was perfectly upward Huang Shou found the form reassuring but there wasnÆt a single image that hung over that slash It was just a normal sword to Huang ShouÆs confused eyes

Huang Li spoke again before he attack I bet you can see it too if you look The True DragonÆs Shadow Sky Slaying Slash

The blade fell

For a second the sound of the wind drowned out everything else Huang ShouÆs eardrums ruptured and blood tricked out of his ears He could only watch with wide eyes as though he were watching one of the silent movies of his youth Huang Li swung his sword gracefully downward and something began to stir

Huang ShouÆs eyes shot upward and he witnessed it for the briefest moment an image even larger than the stadium staring down at Theodora Greyman with disdain The wave of dark energy rushed forward and was split without being able to resist at all

Bringing his palms together Huang Shou scraped together enough Mana and brought his hands together He shaped the word with his mouth but heard nothing but the roaring wind Harmonious Resonance

The energy ran through ShouÆs body and healed all his surface wounds His eardrums were once more restored

WHooH

The collision at the end was so powerful that Huang Shou was knocked to his knees when the concussive aftershocks hit his body He was breathing heavily struggling to see the outcome through the dirt and debris There was no way that she would be able to block that correct

As the dust cleared Huang ShouÆs expression twisted in unwillingness and bitterness Theodora Greyman was still standing seemingly unharmed But then that grimace faded into confusion Huang Li was panting and dropped his sword The weapon hit the ground and shattered into a thousand minuscule chunks of twisted metal

The strain of supporting that image had been too much

Suddenly a man with short black hair was standing between Huang Li and Theodora Greyman His emerald eyes weighed them both equally then he turned to Huang Li You need to be careful utilizing vast images like that She would have died if I hadnÆt intervened and you might have destroyed a portion of the stands in the process

Randidly Ghosthound rapped his knuckle solemnly against the large thorny root that had cracked the Donnyton marble arena to interpose itself between Theodora Greyman and the attack Huang Shou was intrigued by the glimmering golden roots across the root but his eyes were drawn to the deep gash that oozed sap Huang LiÆs strike had almost bisected the root completely

Huang Li blinked and then bowed deeply Then the Ghosthound turned to Theodora Greyman and gave her another few seconds of scrutiny anything you want to say You almost died from two things just now

The inky blackness faded from TheodoraÆs eyes But the whites of her eyes were lost in the deep bags that weighed her gaze down Why why do I always lose to you

Madam Greyman Randidly Ghosthound turned away from her We were never competing to begin with The winners of this round are Zone 7Æs Huang Shou and Huang Li Any objections

The Ghosthound glanced sideways at Richter but the young man just sighed Then the crowd began to cheer

Heh I appreciate the nod but this time Huang Shou looked at the silhouette of his adoptive grandson It is not I that should have been announced first

Chapter 1450

Theodora Greyman was dying slowly Randidly could sense it Her body was rejecting the Nether that had flushed through her veins As with the original Skill he had earned whatever she was doing just created a faucet that she could turn and bring in Nether from the Great Rift And her physical body wasnÆt being healed by the System as the Nether continued to further corrode her

Yet Randidly hesitated then turned away from her Fight the foe in front of you Theodora You chose this Now its time to see if you have the resolve to see it through

When he returned to his vantage point on his island RandidlyÆs mind was racing More than anything else he was struck with the immediate desire to train

Randidly realized something important when Huang Li pulled from the ambient images in the air he had missed something vital for the past several months Something that probably should have occurred to him as he was starting to understand Nether Just being the entity that stepped in and protected the former President Greyman from the consequences of the tournament he could feel his Nether roiling and bubbling as it experienced a heavy influx of memory and weight In all likelihood Huang Li and the other participants were experiencing something much more pronounced

But of course Huang Li didnÆt have his own personal Nether He subsisted almost unconsciously on the thin film of Nether that the System allowed people to possess That small amount kept the semblance of balance between the energies but it was a slight space that made it impossible for weight to accumulate around someone

Yet the weight was still being produced The function of Nether wasnÆt being affected just suppressed Randidly had sensed the process happening in the air He had experienced noticeable gains to his already developed Nether Nebula as he drank from a tributary of that weight The main river was undoubtedly thick and powerful So where did that weight go

Or to put it more directly what did the System do with that weight

The other matches ended without any incident like Huang LiÆs attack against Theodora Greyman and Randidly turned his attention away from the arena below His silver wrapped island drifted back over toward Kharon The top 8 of the duos tournament had been safely determined There would be a rest day tomorrow so Randidly would have quite a bit of time to investigate this phenomenon he finally identified

Unfortunately studying the actual Aether Constructs of the System revealed little to Randidly The actual infrastructure was that sophisticated Even when he tossed the problem to Neveah she was unable to give him any real insight after an hour of examination She did add that perhaps a more extended investigation would lead to more but Randidly told her not to bother He had another idea

Actually his idea was two fold First he would see what was happening with that weight To that end he split off a poignant memory and created a globe of Nether to house it The memory was RandidlyÆs first recollection of meeting Shal finding him sitting in the safe room in the healing pool Then he simply placed it outside of his body letting it get flattened and squeezed by the tightly pressing constructions of Aether

Gradually as Randidly watched that compressed memory he detected it flowing away from him and toward the sky In the process of being forced through that thin membrane the walls of the memory began to crack and break The details were rubbed away but the significance remained The strain was enough to damage RandidlyÆs thick Nether It would take a few days to fully crack it but Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed by the quietly efficient method of extracting weight

That was the genius of this portion of the System It syphoned this weight off and destroyed its individuality and even now to RandidlyÆs concerted focus it only seemed like a side effect He couldnÆt detect the source of the phenomenon at all

Randidly grinned up at the dark grey sky but his eyes werenÆt really taking in the clouds He was seeing that swirling Aether constructs beyond that Randidly was peering up toward the location that a Nether King had come to attack the Seventh Cohort His emerald eyes searched for any lingering traces of the Nexus There arenÆt that many actual coincidences here are there Just how deeply did your schemes run Elhume

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 253

The night stretched onward Randidly coolly watched his memory being smushed and stolen by the Nexus Then right before dawn of the break day Randidly reached out and plucked the memory back out of that thin membrane area

To Randidly that memory was quite precious It was enough to see that the weight of all these moments was really being stolen on a mass scale Now it was time for him to work on his second idea to take all of that Nether weight for himself

Clicking his tongue Randidly began to weave Nether once more He suspected that his arrangement would need to be near perfect in order to work

Huang Shou chuckled They sat in the main room of their allocated suite savoring the day of rest they had before the matches tomorrow Looking at it now will change nothing Rest for another few hours There is no rush to fight

I understand grandfather Huang Li said as he steadily worked his jaw For whatever reason Li just couldnÆt find it in him to relax He had always known this roadblock was coming He had prepared himself mentally for it quite far in the past But now having made it here having felt the vast subconscious image in the air above the tournament and briefly made use of its power Huang Li was strained and fraying

Of course even if it wasnÆt Paolo and Kayle it is not like any of the duos left at this point are push overs Huang Li grimaced and looked at the full schedule of matches for tomorrow

Match 1 (9 00 AM) Huang Shou and Huang Li v Paolo and Kayle

Match 2 (12 00 PM) Donny and Glendel v Tykes and Dinesh

Match 3 (3 00 PM) Alana Donal and Wivanya v Lucifer and Guiliana

Match 4 (6 00 PM) Hank Howard and Ancho v Lyra and Stan

Of the remainder Huang Li had to admit that the Zone 7 team was the one with the smallest chance of victory The power of the move that Huang Li was able to unleash captured the imaginations of the crowds and kept them relatively even with the more established duos in terms of bets but even Huang Li had to admit that his control over that image was shaky

But that power the fact that I wielded that power in the past Why is it now so hard Li gritted his teeth

Alana and Hank had proven themselves multiple times against multiple enemies of Earth over the last few years Lucifer had led a team to clear the challenge Danger Zone faster than any others Donny and Glendel were basically the original dominant main force of Donnyton a pair of individuals whose leadership skills meant they hadnÆt needed to act publicly in years Tykes and Dinesh were former members of Donnyton and heavily involved with the Order Ducis and the spread of images to other Zones

Even Lyra and Stan the least understood pair made Huang Li nervous Lyra also didnÆt appear recently in any sort of discussions but that was because she was nominally the VIllage Spirit of Donnyton She was the first Village Spirit that seemed capable of existing outside of the Village and actually fighting Viewers were left baffled by her unflappable and unhurried victories to reach the top 8

It was rumored that she made a deal with someone high up in the Seventh Cohort to transform herself into more than simply being a Village Spirit Yet during all the matches her image was dense and well controlled Which made her a figure that Huang Li felt great wariness toward

Li clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped No matter how he thought about it he would fail He was a failure And that failure

Ack Huang Li grunted and staggered a half step forward He twisted around and looked at Huang Shou primly holding his his knobby cane with both hands With a wince he straightened is there something you need grandfather

A grandson who listens Huang Shou said without any irony Then he inclined his head toward the dinner table Ever since you have seen that bracket you have not been able to eat or even produce a single productive thought through your your thick skull I look at you now and wonder if you are the same young man who won us the prior match

I know Huang Li whispered His hands were tingling like they were coming to life after being numb So even Huang Shou sensed that he had lost something precious in the prior match I I know

Huang Shou snorted Then he raised his cane to jab at Huang LIÆs stomach but paused After considering for a bit he appeared to think better of the violent action So he revered his grip on his cane and brough the larger knobbed head around in a baseball bat swing that hit Huang LiÆs thigh with enough force the limb spasmed

Caught rather off guard Huang Li collapsed While he was on the ground Huang Shou rolled his shoulders My grandfather was the greatest Go player that I have ever seen even to this day The current me could not give him a worthy match even with a seven stone handicap Randidly Ghosthound has enough personal strength and force that the Village he simply associated with in his earlier days now has enough clout to dominate the list of EarthÆs most powerful people Can you guess what these two individuals have in common

For a while Huang Li just blinked and rubbed the sore spot on his thigh His thoughts truly had been in chaos since they had won their previous match He had drifted around without any weight stunned and reeling The great achievement became a weight around Huang LiÆs neck that he couldnÆt support That strike by his adoptive grandfather had shocked him awake

But these questions Huang Li shook his head I do not know

Guess Huang Shou opened his mouth just enough for the frosty word to slip out then resumed his near perpetual frown But Huang Li didnÆt miss the way that Huang ShouÆs hands choked up on the can in preparation for another swing

Li released a large sigh Still his training from the Huang Family was deeply engraved in him It had been since he became Captain of Zone 7Æs guard but interrogations like this had used to be quite common for him He shifted his legs to be folded underneath him in a respectful posture from what little I know of both they were both very well respected men

There were a split second where Li detected Huang ShouÆs movements and could have dodged the vicious strike His adoptive grandfather had hid his high Stats very well but even so Huang Li had higher base specs But ultimately Li pressed his lips together and allowed the strike to hit his face

With an aching jaw Huang Li turned and listened to Huang Shou The older manÆs eyes were dark and flinty Your first thought is to talk of other peopleÆs opinions of them Are you a newspaper or a gossip

LiÆs breath came out threw his nose and tried a different answer They both earned the respect and admiration of their peers

Actually my grandfather was rather universally criticized and avoided He had an irascible temper and couldnÆt accept even the slightest sign of disrespect His tongue was vicious I often believed that had it not been for my interest in Go he wouldnÆt have even bothered to allow me to visit his estate The old man would derive great enjoyment from keeping the gate shut in my face but as you truly did not ever know him I will not count this against you Try again

How generous Very quickly Huang LiÆs flash of annoyance was suppressed beneath his practicality The wheels of his thoughts began to quickly whirr to life LiÆs mind felt even more clear in the wake of the second strike It suddenly occurred to him that these were not normal attacks there was a Skill hidden in their movements one so subtle that Huang Li had missed its activation

An entirely different sort of bitterness emerged in LiÆs heart as he considered the truth that Huang Shou was doing this currently in order to help him The method was rough but the old man wasnÆt just lashing out randomly So Huang Li did his best to consider the question posed by his grandfather what did these two people have in common

As LiÆs emotions began to calm something else occurred to him despite his high standards Huang Shou wouldnÆt give him an impossible task Because Li didnÆt know anything about this previous Huang Grandfather the answer would lay with what he knew about Randidly Ghosthound So what did the Ghosthound have in common with this former patriarch of the Huang Family A man who that Li knew nothing about aside from the fact he was very good at

That line of thoughts made Li paused Almost reflexively he spoke to Huang Shou in a question How much did your grandfather play Go

Huang Shou tapped the base of his cane twice against the ground I cannot think of a time that I saw him when he wasnÆt playing Go That board was the most important object in his life

then what unites them is dedication to their pursuits Huang Li said with confidence As his emotions calmed further and his thoughts cooled it was like his mental state was being filtered The mess of his mind was purified and streamlined the silt and pollution of the past few days being stripped away LiÆs expression turned increasingly serious as he considered the internal chaos of the last twenty hours the usage of that Sky Slaying Slash was more dangerous than he thought

Setting aside the emotional reaction using that amalgamation of images while Huang LiÆs image had been partially wounded by BlackhandÆs energy resulted in some foreign elements bleeding into his image Foreign elements that affected Huang LiÆs mental state

Of course I am a failure I am just a simple man who was raised to this point on the backs of my predecessors Why would being a failure bother me ThatÆs not the point Huang Li released a much lighter breath The point is to contribute so those that follows can achieve even greater things

Well I suppose that is close enough Huang Shou allowed He tapped the base of his cane twice more on the ground But in this case it is better to remember that both men were obsessed to the point of being isolated from the world Never forget the steps you took to get to this point The Go my grandfather constantly played or the battlefields the Ghosthound has traversed to reach this point Do not turn your back on your prior efforts The masses have coined the term Legend and put you in that category but you are the most recent and the most eye catching of a dozen such individuals You are still the soldier from Zone 7 That is all you are and that is your strength

LiÆs mouth twitched That was probably the longest speech he had ever heard from Huang Shou And he couldnÆt deny it was something that he had needed to hear at the moment They sat in silence then for almost ten minutes Huang Li pressed his fingers against the windows of the housing and felt the chill of the outside world creeping through the glass Small snowflakes drifted downward dancing lazily with each other on their journey to the ground

Eventually Li flexed his hands to disperse the numbness in his fingertips and spoke although I donÆt think the Ghosthound is quite so isolated as you say He is currently hosting the tournament after all

Huang Shou snorted The altar that young man worships at is power This whole arrangement is an edifice to that power Aside from protecting the participants have you seen the Ghosthound do much else I wouldnÆt be surprised if he was also constantly training on the side during the matches The obsessed donÆt easily waiver

Chapter 1451

This rest day was a day filled with expectation The shape of the final matches had been made clear Anticipation was thick in the air

Helio Udunes expertly chopped the onions and then threw them into the large wooden bowl with the shredded potatoes His left hand squirted oil into the bowl while his right grabbed a handful of mixed salt and spices and tossed it on top With experienced movements he brought a wooden spoon into the bowl and churned the base ingredients for his famous Orchard Hash

Rather than human movements his hands had achieved something close to a machine like precision as he furiously pumped away at the ingredients The long tendons of his forearm stood out in sharp relief as he engaged in the labor intensive act He didnÆt consciously count the number of times he churned and spun the potatoes and onions but his eyes closely followed the color and consistency

If someone had been counting the number they would have noticed that he set the finished bowl down on the aluminum table after the exact same number of stirs as he had with the previous batch But even then his hands didnÆt rest Helio turned to the layered hash that was already sizzling on the griddle and expertly began cutting off square portions that spat out grease

Finding a minute imperfection Helio frowned He added a pinch more of shredded cheddar cheese on top of one of the squares

Because the seasons had finally laboriously began shifting deeper into autumn the heat of the griddle and the sound of sizzling oil was extremely reassuring compared to the light dusting of snow outside Individuals with glasses pushed through the wooden door and had their glasses fogged up Even though most people in the Orchard had high enough Stats that the cold wasnÆt a significant inconvenience there was just something compelling about warmth the streets generally housed only people hurrying from one shelter to another

Aside from Helio working the grill there were four people sitting in HelioÆs small restaurant There were two cramped wooden tables and sets of chairs that he had barely been able to squeeze into the lot given to him but strangely all four of the customers were sitting at a single table They were crumpled like sardines but no one seemed to mind That was just the way that it was

Their voices were loud so it was quite easy for Helio to keep track of their conversation At first Helio had believed that they were purposefully trying to include him and was slightly touched But as he understood these people better they were simply loud

Oh Alana has been a Legend for at least a year now since when the Ghosthound cast aside Donnyton Liam was saying with a deep frown His hands were resting on his bulging stomach Liam was a Zone 1 native and claimed to have obtained his Class from East Providence For those who cared about such things this was apparently quite prestigious a claim Heh this Li or whatever might look flashy but heÆs newly arrived at that type of strength I have no doubt they will lose quickly in the next match

Liam had large hands and thick fingers He used those almost sausage like fingers to poke the table every few words as though to emphasize his point

Helio turned his attention from the cooking hash to the next batch in the bowl Narrowing his eyes Helio consulted his Skill Then he took several smaller pinches of spices and mixed them in more carefully Personally Helio didnÆt believe that Liam was anything close to one of the original members of Zone 1 He was to put it bluntly quite weak The air around him held not even a whiff of an image

But Helio was exactly the opposite of these people he was a very quiet person

Are you sure Were you there I was sitting directly behind the Zone 1 side of the stands so the attack was coming right at me Cleary was a sharp eyed woman who seemed to be constantly looking at the exit to the restaurant while she was here Helio always wondered whether she was dreading or anticipating someoneÆs arrival She didnÆt wear a wedding ring or have a tan line but Helio suspected all was not settled in her personal life The woman continued to talk with a wide open mouth completely obviously to HelioÆs sharp but brief glance That attack was powerful I think that they can at least make it to the finals with an attack like that

Sluurrpp Ning sucked deeply at her straw her eyes on the table Of the four the woman from the Great Sea Zone didnÆt speak much For that reason Helio liked her the best But that didnÆt mean he liked her very much in the end

He walked out from behind the grill with a pitcher and poured her another large glass of lemonade She didnÆt even acknowledge him this was simply his role Helio turned away and placed the pitch back on the shelf Then his finely honed Skills from cooking prodded him to return and check on the hash once more

Evater who was a veritable wall of flexing muscle shook his head with enough force that his ponytail bobbed behind his head He was from the Zone 32 but had gotten his Class and training from the Refuge Impossible The finals At least on this subject Liam is right They might have shown they have the power of a Legend but do you think any of the people they will be fighting arenÆt at that level These people can level a city just like that

Helios slipped his spatula underneath the cooking hash and checked the bottom it was golden brown and perfect He moved the chunks of finished hash to four plates

Lucifer Hank and Alana Cleary said counting on her fingers They are definitely Legends But the Ghosthound only had to intervene in that one fight in the prior round DoesnÆt that prove how powerful the Huangs are

Bah thatÆs only because the other fights were more one sided That fight was just the best matchup If that chinaman hadnÆt been so wild he would have just lost Liam harrumphed and crossed his arms Helios brought out the four plates and set them in front of everyone For a brief while the conversation was stalled as people began to eat Helios truly relished the silence

He opened up a cooler and pulled out a few more lemons He could already see the level of NingÆs lemonade in her cup sinking downward toward empty With a small knife Helio sliced the lemons in half and squeezed their juice out into a bowl

The four didnÆt have any reason in particular to be friends but there was a betting house next to HelioÆs restaurant that was the common point between them After several tumultuous rounds these four winning gamblers simply made it a habit to head here and gossip after all the bets were tallied

They all were locked into a strange competition outside of the actual competition who between them had the most insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the contenders And that competition was only becoming more vicious as the number of participants was narrowed down With only eight duos remaining HeliosÆs four customers were determined to prove their superiority over each other

The matches before even to HeliosÆs casual observation had been rather straightforward But truly these last sixteen individuals were overwhelming

well fifteen individuals and a horse

Still Helio was not someone who enjoyed violence The tournament was simply a necessary evil That was the sort of world they now lived in

But Zone 32 is pretty much the clear winner Evater said with pride We have six out of the top eight spots

Liam grimaced Yes well five of those six are duos with ties to Donnyton And Donnyton is special

IÆm honestly surprised no one from a bubble city made it even to the top 16 Evater rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke They are supposed to be pretty powerful arenÆt they People said they would move into the Zones and push regular Classers out of military roles But where the hell are they now

People from the bubble cities come in two types Liam announced His sausage like finger hit the table Murderers and layabouts Neither has any real sense of morality The strong ones are the criminals so the Order Ducis crushed them without any restraint as soon as they scuttled into civilized lands The rest are too lazy to make anything of themselves oh Helio you are a special case You do pretty well for yourself running this shop right Keep up the good work

Helio smiled politely but didnÆt comment He had come from Mexico City before moving to the Orchard And more than anything else he was a professional He pulled down the sugar and added a handful to the bowl of lemon juice

Mark my words Cleary said again ignoring LiamÆs prior comment Her narrowed eyes flicked to the door The door remained shut Zone 7 will get a spot in the top four That attack was breath taking They can make it

No Ning raised her head slightly She met HelioÆs eyes and shook her cup Then she turned back to the other three at her table and shook her head Paolo and Kayle

With those words and the sight of Helio once more returning with the pitcher she returned her focus to the task of annihilating the remainder of her lemonade The others looked at her with sympathy Paolo and Kayle had faced and defeated the representatives of King Phirun in the prior round and Ning had lost quite a lot of money

But privately Helios agreed with her assessment Paolo and Kayle are very strong

The table considered that Finally Evater sighed They might be Legend tier too I bet their images are strong But donÆt you think the winner will be Lucifer That GiulianaÆs no slouch either

I just want to know why the hell they put Alana and Hank on the same side of the bracket Cleary grimaced They were my picks for the finals right when the tournament started How dumb can the Order Ducis be Did they think someone on the other side of the bracket can rival them

Paolo and Kayle Ning said again Slurrp

Helio poured more lemonade into her cup with a completely straight face

Chapter 1452

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 279

The notification was a welcome indication of RandidlyÆs tireless progress on his most recent ploy to dismantle the System pilfering the weight of this tournament by being better than the Nexus at its own ancient game of copying Nether That glee was somewhat diminished by the realization that he would be relying on the small scale of the theft to keep the System from noticing and by the fact Randidly didnÆt know what the System did with the weight but it was still a good feeling to be legitimately working against the Nexus

But despite his general optimism his face creased into a frown as he looked at the working before him He waved his hand and dismantled the sweeping tapestry of Nether that he had been creating for the last several hours the project was ultimately a failure The inky threads ripped and dissipated in only a few seconds as he steadily recalled all the Nether into his body

Randidly looked toward the east where the veil of night was rapidly lightening toward a dreary grey morning and sighed Below both Kharon and the Orchard were slowly humming to life in preparation for the four matches that would happen today Restaurants opened and gambling halls adjusted their odds for a few last minute gamblers

I didnÆt make it in time Randidly said to the air The weave of the Nether still isnÆt tight enough The result is too thick Damnit I hate time crunches

Grumbling to himself Randidly stepped off the side of his island and dropped silently down toward the ground Even if he didnÆt yet feel confident stealing away the weight of the tournament he wasnÆt displeased with his progress over the last day Even if it was just his familiarity with Nether the repeated experiments and attempts were drastically transforming his understanding of the mysterious energy The more he wove with the substance of Nether the more Randidly began to have some ideas about how he could create the Nether equivalent of a Class

He didnÆt have anything concrete yet But he at least had some viable ideas worth investigating

Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 276

Right before Randidly smashed into the ground like a human sized bomb the Stillborn Phoenix spread its imaginary wings and released a silent cry toward the sky ItÆs twisted will warped space decelerating Randidly and letting him alight almost gently against the ground without any disturbance to the surrounding area Randidly narrowed his eyes breathed deeply through his nose then set off along one of the side paths around the arena It was only about 5 A M but it seemed that the air here was already thick with the scents of food

Which was good because Randidly felt like having breakfast

In a raw lack of self control RandidlyÆs stomach rumbled What was even worse was that his physically enhanced body produced a noise that was closer to a bearÆs growl than to a usual stomach gurgle The sound was so unexpected that Randidly could help but laugh He felt somewhat lucky that no one else was yet on the street with him

He picked up his pace as he strolled toward the nearest source of a good smell while simultaneously checking his messages

He had received three messages that required his attention The first was from Tatiana continuing her dutiful tailoring of all of KharonÆs news so that Randidly could skim through and make key decisions regarding his city It was almost too easy to understand the issues from the reports Truly her dedication to her role was somewhat humbling to him This time the specific focus was the first ever Kharon Board Election which would occur tomorrow the next break day

In case Randidly missed her general opinion of the timing by her framing of the concerns Tatiana laid it out very clearly at the end of her message Having the election now is begging the Zones to take a swing at influencing us A government should above all do its best to provide healthy and intelligent options for its population and allies not expect such decisions to be made irrespective of the options available

Randidly grinned as he walked up to a wooden door leaking a particularly compelling smell having the Zones try something was kinda the point

When he opened the door the scent within was even more appetizing than he had anticipated Randidly couldnÆt help but lick his lips and smile widely Which he did at the exact moment that the slender tanned man standing behind the stove glanced up and met RandidlyÆs gaze Then the manÆs entire body twitched as though he had been doused with a bucket of partially melted snow

Randidly rapidly pulled in his leaking image and shifted his expression to something more neutral The combination of the hunger and the thought of these Zone bastards trying something I need to be more careful Well honestly he endured exposure to my image better than I would have expected

Ah sorry about that Randidly cleared his throat The small restaurant only had two tables and both were currently deserted Randidly stepped forward and sat in one of the cramped wooden chairs at the left table I was distracted and let a little bit of my image slip through Are you alright WhatÆs your name

Although Randidly could clearly feel that the man was physically fine with Grim Intuition there was meaning to actually asking the man how he was As Randidly expected the man blinked and patted himself several times across his body as though he was searching for invisible flaws in his muscles and joints Then something seemed to click into place and the man moved back toward his sizzling grill

While he worked on the cooking food he took periodic glances at Randidly yes I am alright Please forgive me for my poor manners as the owner of this establishment welcome My name is Helio Udunes What can I get for you

Two plates of whatever smells so delicious Randidly smiled but then he suddenly regretted only ordering two plates his appetite now was truly ridiculous

That thought was all the permission his stomach needed to release another intimidatingly loud rumble His wooden chair vibrated with the noise HelioÆs mouth twitched but otherwise his expression didnÆt change at the slip honestly Randidly was amused to see him struggling so hard not to laugh

Letting the man work Randidly rubbed the back of his neck and turned toward the second of the two messages he needed to address The second message was blessedly short Lyra simply urged him to finally meet with her for dinner as he had promised a few weeks ago She wanted to meet this evening after her match

Which probably means she is very confident about the result since the match is scheduled for 6 P M and she is still willing to get dinner Randidly reflected as he chewed on his lip But her opponent is Hank Has she just accepted that she is going to lose Damnit every time I think IÆve settled and moved past our relationship

But still Randidly was somewhat curious What more could Lyra have to say at this point He had made it clear when he provided her with a Class that she should consider their history buried Being sword and sheath for the Village her support of Yystrix Randidly had labeled her as effectively banished from his life Yet she behaved so insistently now

If this was Lyra from four years ago this sort of reaction would make sense when they had first met Lyra was a rather spoiled young actress She was extremely clever and capable but privilege and inexperience meant that she wasnÆt the most self aware individual This display would simply be her failing to understand the consequences of her actions

But even if Randidly judged her for the decisions she had made he couldnÆt deny that the Lyra that he had met and seen obtain a Class was a much more sophisticated version of the young woman that he knew She also knew RandidlyÆs personality about as well as anyone on Earth did

If she broke the silence she likely thought she had something worth the possibility of earning his ire

Well Tatiana probably has a better grasp on me now Her Skill practically monitors my every move Randidly shook his head sharply Then he replied to Lyra with an agreement Fine itÆs just one dinner I plan on leaving Earth soon anyway so I can just reject any other requests

And speaking of leaving Earth

The third message was from Octavius Shrike Randidly finally received the details he had so long waited for of the situation in the Nexus

Randidly sat at the small wooden table and drummed his fingers as he sifted through the absolutely massive message that Octavius sent him It appeared that the reason the message had taken so long was that Octavius was creating a huge repository of information for Randidly to smooth over his transition into the Nexus proper

The letter would probably have taken up about a hundred pages if it was converted to a book form Randidly felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction as he scrolled through huge blocks of text and skimmed through the extremely detailed bios of famous individuals in the Nexus to look out for His first thought was to forward the message to Tatiana and have her create a more readable version but he somehow sensed that she would not be pleased about that So he resolved himself to speed skimming

Is this proof IÆve gotten spoiled Randidly thought with a sardonic grin

Helio eventually brought over two plates of steaming potatoes onions and cheese and set them before Randidly without a word Randidly began to rapidly eat his eyes searching through the sea of words

the worst part is how officious Octavius writes Randidly grimaced and used his cool metal fingers to rub the bridge of his nose Then he blinked at the empty plates in front of him and signaled Helios to bring him two more This isnÆt a report to the Nexus Council just tell me what I need to know

About halfway through the letter some relevant details about the situation began to emerge The original Vualla had effectively established herself but was in something of a bind due to abandoning her old identity and therefore her previously held Nexus citizenship Octavius lectured Randidly for several paragraphs that he should only refer to her as Edraine from this moment forward This was her new identity

Randidly scraped his fork against the bottom of the second set of plates to clean up any gooey remnants and coughed lightly Then he signaled for four more to be brought to him Helio saint that he was simply nodded

I should come here more often Randidly reflected as he turned back to the tiresome message

Edraine wanted to take one of the civilian positions on the Nexus Council but needed Tier 3 Citizenship to do so Octavius explained that the Citizenship coins Randidly had were very valuable because they came directly from an active Cohort They were needed for her to accumulate Tier 3 Citizenship Therefore they were greatly anticipating his arrival In addition Randidly could discuss the compensation with Edraine directly when he arrived

Then the message continued to explain the escalating incursions from Nether forces the targeted strikes from the rogue Nether King and the low quality of images that were entering into the Nexus from the Seventh Cohort that had the situation in the Nexus rather strained Aside from a few unpredictable and inconsistent appearances there was no central leadership to speak of within the Nexus Different factions within the Nexus had emerged and were making moves to secure a supply of Aether for themselves and their subordinates rather than addressing the ailing System

Basically everything is about to come to blows huh Randidly said softly Helio looked up but then lowered his gaze just as quickly Shaking his head Randidly stretched Well they likely have been doing the same thing for hundreds of years At this rate this can continue for quite some time still

But itÆs volatile RandidlyÆs mouth twisted into a wicked grin A single spark might burn the whole place to the ground

Chapter 1453

Who do you think will win Mrs Hamilton asked lightly as the Donnyton group took their seats She suddenly regretted not bringing tea with her to the seats it would have given her an easy way to hide her smiles

Perhaps because Isabella Cortez had been defeated by the Huangs the young woman who sat next to Mrs Hamilton thought about the question with great care for several seconds Pan just scowled down at the arena and crossed his arms Isabella finally shook her head slightly That Huang Li is obviously very strong But I just cannot imagine Paolo and Kayle losing They have so much experience with battles that I donÆt think that Huang Shou shares

Normally I would agree with you Mrs Hamilton said lightly But there are two important weaknesses to this version of them Obviously one weakness is the fact they are not using their natural weapons At the base level it is almost irrelevant to them But if they face foes with similarly powerful images that small difference will end up being crucial As for the second reason care to guess

Donny and Glendel were absent doing their own preparations for their match later But Kayle and PaoloÆs squad as well as several of DonnytonÆs other powerful squads were filing in around them as Donnyton commandeered a large section of the stands Mrs Hamilton could feel the instinctive delicate threads of rejection from the people of Donnyton around her but she ignored their ambient emotions

To a Mrs Hamilton who had survived from the beginning of the SystemÆs arrival until now there was nothing more important that viewing everything with an unbiased eye

To her surprise Pan answered first Well they donÆt care much about winning right They are just battle maniacs ThatÆs always a handicap

An interesting point But I would say that they both enjoy the act of fighting too much to let that stop them once the match starts They possess plenty of tenacity toward victory once they begin to bleed But you are right that in the right circumstances that could be dangerous Mrs Hamilton replied with a smile Any other thoughts IÆm thinking of a personal factor related to image

Oh IsabellaÆs expression abruptly brightened Is it is it because the Ghosthound is here watching And he has very obviously put a lie to their invulnerability in the past So being here would weaken them because someone stronger is present

Also an interesting thought but well you might very well be right about that but it wasnÆt what I was thinking Mrs Hamilton filed that thought away so she could scrutinize the minute interactions between Paolo and KayleÆs images and RandidlyÆs aura during the fight But ultimately Randidly had been so studious about being self contained that there might not end up being any interaction to watch

Still it was reassuring for Isabella to bring something up that Mrs Hamilton hadnÆt considered Perhaps they could someday sit at the helm of Donnyton after all

PaoloÆs right hand man gave Mrs Hamilton a meaningful sidelong glance he wanted to know whether he should speak or night She inclined her head slightly It didnÆt matter where the answer came from just that the Cortez siblings heard it and understood

He cleared his throat to draw their attention and then spoke They have a handicap because they are curious No one has yet forced Huang Li to display his full potential His powerful attacks have generally ended his fights Rather than winning the tournament Paolo and Kayle will focus on finding the hidden potential of the tournament participants in the beginning and middle portions of the match They wonÆt strike decisively to end it early which should be extremely possible for someone like Kayle

Rick KayleÆs second interrupted as he leaned forward in his seat DonÆt be modest PaoloÆs ability to strike swiftly is in no way inferior to KayleÆs And in fact when you consider how destabilizing Paolo can be

I donÆt know what is more aggravating Kayle and Paolo fighting or the two of you complimenting each other constantly Pan complained The two men clicked their tongues and took their seats right next to each other Mrs Hamilton smiled slightly inwardly she was in agreement with Pan And in fact their bosses’ constant bickering was much more palatable than the alternative

anyway Mrs Hamilton eventually continued What Rick said was correct Look they took the opportunity to come out first Although I suppose this is their right as the higher seed they are the champions while the other duo is the challenger

Around Mrs Hamilton and the Cortez siblings the Donnyton group and much of the crowd leapt to their feet and began to roar as the figures of Paolo and Kayle sauntered out onto the stone arena Whether it was due to their affiliation with Donnyton their very public bet to use each otherÆs weapons their approachable personalities or their dominant wins thus far this duo had won the goodwill of the public

Mrs Hamilton closed her eyes feeling the volume of the cheers around her like the presence of a swarm of bees with their segmented legs pressing against her skin It was a living physical cloud It was both sound and energy echoing in the bowl like stadium And below on the arena floor she could feel both Paolo and Kayle steadily absorbing the outpouring of support

They raised their heads and that energy flowed into their confident smiles and settled through their images

Paolo benefited a lot more directly than Kayle but both had their images buoyed upward to fill the sky Mrs Hamilton even felt Randidly stirring above as the two images spread out to dominate the surrounding space Even that strange heaviness from Randidly couldnÆt hide his curiosity and interest as he looked down at the fighters of Earth

Mrs Hamilton followed the GhosthoundÆs sharp gaze truly these two were special From Paolo the typical exultation of a champion emerged He was indomitable invulnerable inexhaustible He might bleed or be beaten down but nothing would ever keep him from rising once more These cheers made his image concrete almost instantly His belief in his own strength towered above him like a thousand year old sandstone pillar

But the potency of KayleÆs image didnÆt fall behind his partner who was so at home in a coliseum And if anything KayleÆs image was slightly more aggressive than PaoloÆs Because KayleÆs image concerned distance Any distance really The space that could be severed almost absolutely by a single slash of a blade

Mrs HamiltonÆs eyes slowly opened until she looked down at Kayle with a half lidded gaze There was a swirling boundary around Kayle about six and a half meters from his person Even without his long knives he had an almost absolute control of that six and a half meters To the point that Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt be sure that she could defend herself if she went within that space

It used to be that it was a difference of combat practice but now Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt help but smile at the small stirrings of envy in her heart as she looked down at the prideful men on stage My attention went elsewhere Even if my image is just as robust as theirs the applications differ significantly In a fight Heh IÆll be lucky if I can overpower little Bella here

Gradually the cheering faded to a chaotic rumble from the crescendo Both Paolo and Kayle turned the opposite entrance to the fighting grounds For from there a new breeze was blowing Mrs Hamilton looked up at the sky above them The heavy clouds that had lingered after yesterdayÆs snow had previously seemed stoic and disapproving but her eyes could still trace the subtle ways they began to move

The wind wasnÆt oppressive but it was almost all encompassing

The Huangs walked out calmly with Huang Li standing a little behind and to Huang ShouÆs left as they proceeded forward ShouÆs wooden cane hit the ground at an even interval echoing to with enough of an imageÆs edge that it managed to suppress the cheers of the crowd Gradually silence was pulled over the stage as though it was being dragged by that limping old man

Oh This is new Tired of letting your grandson steal the spotlight eh Mrs Hamilton studied Huang Shou more closely Well it makes sense The elder generation isnÆt very well represented in this tournament letÆs prove that the unwavering belief an image requires isnÆt just a young personÆs game

Perhaps I should try and meet this man before they return to their Zone

Very quickly the Zone 7 team took its place opposite Paolo and Kayle who were playing a very fast paced game of rock paper scissors Their hands were only blurs as they adjusted their response on the fly The duo parted a few seconds later and Mrs Hamilton could tell from the rather glum expression on PaoloÆs face that he had lost

Meanwhile Kayle grinned over at Huang Li with a triumphant expression Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt help but roll her eyes You two maniacs never change

The referee looked back and forth between the duos Are both sides ready

Both duos nodded their heads and the referee cleared his throat He checked his watch and nodded Then let the first quarterfinals match of the duos tournament to name the Earth begin

Neither side moved immediately as the audience began to cheer more loudly The wind around the stadium began to howl a counterpoint to the cheers Although his expression was somewhat listless Paolo cracked his knuckles and began to advance The Huangs exchanged a glance and Huang Shou walked slowly forward to meet him It seemed that the purpose of Kayle and PaoloÆs brief competition was obvious to everyone

I find you uncouth Huang Shou remarked with a deep frown

Paolo grinned in response I find you disappointing

Meanwhile Kayle was studying Huang Li very closely as the winds around the stadium became more intense Even the heavy cloud cover was beginning to noticeably stir The man pursed his lips and then said Take your time I wish to fight you at your peak performance

Huang Li closed his eyes and released a deep breath I hope you are aware that I do not have full control over this image

I understand Kayle looked down at his hand and rubbed a bit of dirt off of one of his fingers Then he rolled his shoulders and settled into a martial arts stance By the same token my current weapons are blunt instruments DonÆt spend your health too cheaply against me or you will regret it

Rather than a duos tournament this is just two single fights happening next to each other Mrs Hamilton thought

As Paolo picked up speed toward him Huang Shou shook his head with an aggrieved expression on his face I admit I was the first to break the silence between us but to think that we would all waste so much time talking Close your mouth and fight

Ha ThatÆs the joy of it Paolo bellowed His face was beginning to turn red and he accelerated forward The last few meters between them melted to almost nothing in a single second This is it This conflict This expectation Being observed and struggling to emerge dominant If you are a man you must clench your fists and raise your voice in such a situation FIGHT ME

PaoloÆs large hand wrapped tightly around a knife blasted forward Huang Shou gritted his teeth and waved his cane a swirling geometric formation appeared in PaoloÆs path Bright lines of energy manifested in the formation blocking PaoloÆs path But that blow struck the formation and shattered it to smithereens

Huang Li spared a glance for his partner then faced Kayle with his sword raised The volume of wind was oppressive where Mrs Hamilton was sitting so she couldnÆt imagine the state of things in the arena below The referee was blinking rapidly struggling to keep his eyes open in the face of the strong wind

A sinuous dragon settled across Huang LiÆs shoulders Kayle just smiled and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet

Fine then LetÆs start The dragon raised its head and roared Huang LiÆs eyes blazed His sword ripped through the air Cloud Slaying Slash

Sever Kayle slashed his hand downward

The two were perhaps six meters apart when they struck Both attacks were relatively normal as far as attacks under the influence of the System went Both relied on pure images of intent rather than gratuitous special effects

Yet at the end of it Huang LiÆs eyes widened as blood spurted out of a fresh wound in his shoulder

Kayle grinned over at him and took a deliberate step forward Mrs HamiltonÆs eyes narrowed at the ominous aura that the Donnyton Classer began to release that was the smile of a man who believed he would be capable of cutting anything in his path Not that one show me your other sword The sword that can slay an entire sky

Chapter 1454

Huang LiÆs breathing was heavy as he struggled to maintain his combat readiness His bodyÆs natural recovery quickly stemmed the blood spurting out of his shoulder but he didnÆt have much confidence in being able to stop the slash that would likely follow it

KayleÆs hands were relaxed at his sides yet someone they looked more like iron spikes and meat cleavers than human appendages As much as he prodded and tested with his image Li couldnÆt even stir a strand of hair on his opponentÆs head That image of his ominously sliced away everything leaving only the inviolable man

Huang LiÆs grip on his wodao tightened He forcefully released a deep breath as Kayle took another step closer At the very least that strike from Kayle had completely disabused Huang Li of the idea of getting any cheap advantages by relying on the strange mechanism of Cloud Slaying Slash Kayle had sniffed out the trick and severed the connection between them before Li could strike casually wounding him in the process

Still the wound helped settled Huang LiÆs frayed nerves No matter what else he had made it to this round this was enough to prove the power of Zone 7 He didnÆt feel confident in winning against this opponent but something in his heart shifted now that he accomplished that goal his spirit could relax and simply meet the threat in front of him

Huang Li felt confident that the millions of practice slashes and stabs he had done with this sword werenÆt meaningless Even here at this high stage the accumulation was significant So when Kayle took his next step forward Huang Li moved forward to meet him

The wind gathered around LiÆs feet and accelerated his advance Around the arena the chaotic flows of air rushed around like a messy confluence of rivers Meanwhile that horrifically sharp smile on KayleÆs face curved upward as he adjusted his speed to meet Li

As Li and Kayle closed the distance between them the other half of the stage was filled with repeated explosions Huang Shou was throwing up carefully arranged formations in order to slow down PaoloÆs advance but the man threw knife punch after knife punch forward and shattered all of the hasty preparations without breaking a sweat Still Li couldnÆt spare much attention to helping his adoptive grandfather I hope you understand the risk you are taking grandfather Good luck

I sense we will need it on this day

Huang Li slashed his weapon diagonally upward and Kayle calmly leaned back to avoid the strike Hoping for his foeÆs balance to be off Huang Li twisted his sword midair as soon as it was clear the slash would miss and stabbed downward toward the other manÆs thigh If he could damage KayleÆs mobility

But of course Kayle spun away with his usual poise His hand flicked out almost delicately as he twisted around Li grimaced and brought his sword upward to block The invisible blade of air smashed into LiÆs defense and forced him a few steps backward Kayle lowered himself and rushed forward

You even use wind blades against me Such Huang Li wanted to accuse his opponent of arrogance as he swirled his flood dragon image even more violently around himself but he couldnÆt bring himself to do it That brief clash demonstrated that Kayle had more than enough reason to believe himself capable of challenging Li to a battle of wind

The cloud blade had pushed him back In terms of the potency of their Skills it was clear that Kayle had a decisive advantage

KayleÆs long fingered hands flicked out several more times as he threw invisible cuts toward Li For his part Li gave up on any pretense of offense and settled his stance as best he could in order to just survive His blade flowed reliably through the precise sword forms taught to him by the Huang Family but his expression stiffened as he felt the small adjustments that Kayle kept making to his attacks

More than the power what filled Huang Li with apprehension was the delicacy and deftness with which Kayle struck Li was forced to pull more and more deeply from the surrounding wind in order to keep up he couldnÆt give the wind even time to build itself up further considering KayleÆs implacable strikes

Congratulations Your Skill Great SkyÆs Embrace has grown to Level 202

If not with Skills then with image

Li was forced continually to retreat backward his grip on his wo dao trembling as he practically shoved away KayleÆs strikes As his image spread to the surrounding area Huang Li felt his limbs trembling less and less from blocking his foeÆs wind blades Li was even able to unleash a few counterattacks and achieved a reassuring rhythm in his movements But the problem was Kayle was growing stronger just as quickly if not a little bit more so

YouÆve studied me Huang Li said as the realization hit him feeling strangely honored and indignant in his heart

The only answer that Kayle provided was an impossibly sharp palm attack aimed at Huang LiÆs heart Pursing his lips Li prepared for the next stage of the fight

DragonÆs Dance

Domain Blade Halo

Just as Huang Li shot quickly backward with the sudden increase in mobility due to his Skill Kayle crossed his arms and manifested a swirling circle of blades around them Gritting his teeth Li pushing his roaring dragon through his Skill with more violence than he ever had in the past His body became slightly insubstantial As long as he remained within the halo he would need to be near perfect to survive

But rather than pounce Kayle paused His brow furrowed and there was a strange second of stillness from him

Huang Li passed through the edge of the halo and landed onto the ground He adjusted his stance and lowered his wo dao slightly bewildered But then he saw that all the hanging blades of KayleÆs Skill shimmer and then transform into hands

Li was dumbfounded This was a legitimate Skill And somehow Kayle had adjusted its shape on the fly Are you kidding me

Can this really be done with just an image Huang Li wondered

IÆm a man of my word Kayle responded Then he rushed forward that Domain of palms spinning and swirling outward to surround Huang Li

But with the few seconds of a break Li had regained his balance and connected with the air swirling around the whole of the arena That forceful usage of his image boosted his physical performance to a point that he had never experienced in the past His wo dao drifted downward and then he exploded forward to meet the palms directly

His blade could only be seen when it caught the light as it flickered and flashed to deflect the oncoming attacks But even now Li still trailed behind KayleÆs physical abilities by the smallest amount His steps were light and uneven as he forcefully pushed his muscles and joints to their limits to avoid the brutally sharp attacks from Kayle And for the first time since the battle began KayleÆs smile slowly faded

While the explosions from the other fight continued to blast their way across the wide arena Kayle spoke with a cold certainty Bring out the other sword This is no judgment on you but you are not my match otherwise Show me your sharpest sword or you will be beaten into the ground

But Huang Li didnÆt bother to answer Instead he continued to frantically swing his sword up down left right and around to defend against the veritable swarm of palms that struck at him His Stamina and mental energy were gradually being exhausted but Li somehow knew he couldnÆt survive by conserving his strength Besides he had the oddest sense that as long as he continued fighting for just a little while longer he would be able to find the answer he sought

Wo dao and palms repeatedly clashed The lines around KayleÆs eyes gradually hardened

Yet this couldnÆt last forever Even with the extra boost from his DragonÆs Dance Huang LiÆs momentum was gradually exhausted and he was barely able to hold his ground He could match the Domain well enough but KayleÆs actual attacks were brutally sharp His hands were so filled with the concentrated image of sharpness that Li could hear the wind whistling as those fingers cut through the air Li had to urge his body to keep up with the onslaught but an answer to his prayers continued to allude him

Congratulations Your Skill DragonÆs Dance has grown to Level 259

Not that he didnÆt understand KayleÆs frustration the other man wanted a challenge Huang LiÆs training was ultimately a job to him but he wouldnÆt have risen to his current station as head of the guard if he didnÆt find some joy and passion in the act of combat Even now as the wind whipped through LiÆs hair and he was trembling with the strain of resisting KayleÆs attacks he felt something reassuring about the conflict

This fight was a problem that could be solved with preparation and planning Which is why Huang Li didnÆt now try and create the sword he had used to such great results in the prior match That was far too blunt an instrument to be relied upon here

One of KayleÆs attacks slipped past Huang LiÆs guard and landed on his left bicep Rather than any true concussive force the strike actually drilled a small hole directly through LiÆs bone and muscle to blast out the other side Blood dribbled down his limb as he forced his hands to remain tight around his sword and block the next attack

Congratulations Your Skill Greater Swordsmanship (Un) has grown to Level 219

When Li had finally managed to unleash his Sky Slaying Sword in the prior match it had both left him completely drained and with lingering mental interference He had opened himself up to the ambient images in the air and gathered them together in an enormous mass That mass became the fuel to create the imposing effect that the Ghosthound himself was forced to move in order to block

But it was dangerous And it was not the sort of strike that Huang Li felt proud of

Fine then Kayle said lightly His movements seemed to blur at the edges as he brought down a series of curving palm strikes toward LiÆs body The increase in his speed was slight but the two of them had been already moving at Huang LiÆs limit The first attack he deflected but the second left a deep gash across his forearm and the third forced him to retreat a half step

Kayle twisted and brought his elbow smashing into LiÆs arm The domain of hands smashed downward at LiÆs head and back

Preparation and planning Huang LiÆs eyes flashed While the attacks closed in on him from every direction his mind seemed to spin furiously The motion was desperate but with his heightened senses Huang Li could feel his body come alive Time seemed to slow down His eyes flicked side to side to cover all the threats

Congratulations You have created the Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths Warning This action will consume your life energy Please see your Village Spirit in order to avoid sickness and death

Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 2

Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 3

Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 4

The truth was ambient images werenÆt the only way to absorb strength and empower himself Huang Li remembered the way his adoptive aunt smiled at him and poured him steaming tea He remembered the instructors at the academy standing with ramrod straight spines and pointing out the flaws in his sword grip He remembered the sound of wind rushing through the reeds along the river and the way his Glorious Leaders had joked it sounded like the laughter of dragons playing in the shallows

It was reality but it was also an image

KayleÆs attacks steadily inched closer A terrible headache made Huang Li grit his teeth But from those fragmented memories he could see the shape of the image he had been building for the past five years all for this moment

It would have been an impossible task on his own to build such a powerful image in such a short period of time Five years was nothing on the grand scale of human history But he wasnÆt on his own The weight of Chinese culture gave him shape detail and poignancy THAT was the power of being an average man

Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 5

Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 6

Finally Huang Li couldnÆt maintain his new Skill any longer But he whipped his sword around slightly altering the trajectory of KayleÆs attack and the sweeping away the Domain that struck at his back Li felt his pinky break from a glancing strike of the elbow but his gaze remained focused

Of course it wasnÆt that simple to bridge that gap between Kayle and himself even with a blooming image KayleÆs emotionless eyes detected the change in LiÆs style and he seemed to cut through the intervening space to strike before any further variations could appear His hands ripped forward like a falcon spiking downward at the unsuspecting back of a rabbit

DragonÆs Roar Huang Li hissed The explosion of wind barely slowed Kayle down at all but it did get LiÆs momentum heading backward So when KayleÆs attack landed he was smashed backward rather than simply being crushed

Chapter 1455

Wind and dust blasted outward as Kayle struck Huang Li Releasing a deep sigh Paolo pulled his envious gaze from the tumbling form of Huang Li and looked back at Huang Shou in front of him You know you are more tenacious than I would have thought But please give up Your teammate is at the end of his rope and I donÆt wish to win more slowly than Kayle

And I donÆt wish to lose to you The wrinkled old man said in response But he didnÆt glance upward and his hands were constantly moving In the brief span of time that Paolo stopped to speak to him he was rapidly creating a more sophisticated barrier to keep Paolo at bay for even a few seconds longer

Paolo rolled his eyes truly this old man didnÆt understand the concept of futility And the combination of his strange mental cantrip Skills and the energy constructions he could rapidly make with a few nodes of energy made him an extremely tiresome foe to face Yet truthfully the difficulty only made PaoloÆs enjoyment of the situation shoot upward

Paolo clenched his fists and boldly stepped forward The wind was so loud that he couldnÆt hear the cheers of the crowd but they still reached him through the fuzzy barrier of noise The belief and spectacle of the performance inevitably drew their gaze The absolute certainty that he was the center of their attention filled PaoloÆs body with strength He threw out his punch as the energy array closed in around him At the last second PaoloÆs eyes gleamed

Instead of clashing with him directly the newest array the old man had summoned twisted around his arm like a living net that sought to engulf him in its strands Yet as the energy net neared his skin it slowed and began to wither While in the arena Paolo released rather constant waves of an extremely intense aura of indomitability It was part of his image as a champion A tiny net like this

Paolo took great pleasure in shattering the net to pieces His blow even cracked the reinforced marble beneath his feet and sent Huang Shou fleeing

PaoloÆs pleasure sky rocketed as Kayle pursued Huang Li on the other side of the arena and created a smaller detonation than when Paolo had struck The victory was a small one but it made Paolo feel better He practically floated forward inwardly gloating about his superiority despite the handicap of holding these useless metal sticks

But at the same time Paolo glanced sideways at Kayle and LiÆs battle His mood soured further Huang LiÆs image is sharpening so noticeably and heÆs starting to be able to trade blows evenly with Kayle ugh why am I stuck with this boring old man

Paolo accelerated forward and Huang Shou knocked his cane against the ground Blind

After dealing with his antics for quite some time already Paolo closed his eyes and planned to proceed forward while ignoring the few seconds where his eyesight would be taken from him But he almost stumbled and fell as he did so rather than stealing his sight the man had yelled blind but in fact inflicted a tingling numbness across PaoloÆs body

Paolo opened his eyes and laughed stomping his feet to dispel the strange tingling His blood burned through his veins and quickly suppressed the effect Do you really think this will be enough

Yes Huang Shou said simply as he knocked his cane against the ground again and began to create yet another energy net

Still PaoloÆs patience was at an end He pressed his foot into the ground and accelerated forward He ripped directly through the howling wind and the half constructed edifice of energy and arrived in front of Huang Shou This time when the old man rapidly slid sideways with his strange footwork Paolo smashed the surrounding area with his image

For a brief second Paolo revealed the true primal glory of his image Conflict Confrontation Strife

In that single moment that PaoloÆs image was ascendant Huang Shou was compelled to stand his ground and face Paolo And to his credit the old man immediately recognized the situation and adjusted his stance to strike back at Paolo

PaoloÆs grin widened For that bravery IÆll make this quick

Paolo brought his right hand down in a hammering blow across his body to finish it quickly But Huang Shou leaned to the left and accepted the long gash across his chest from the knife in order to avoid the explosive power of PaoloÆs punch In an even more delightful surprise Huang Shou didnÆt then retreat the man twisted his cane and jabbed it forward in a counterattack

With extremely sharp eyes Paolo examined the on coming cane attack Gradually his intensity eased and he ignored it to prepare for his next strike So when the cane landed on his stomach and Huang Shou intoned Slow Paolo just exploded into motion and shattered the Skill before it could bind him

Huang Shou recovered quickly and brought his cane up across his body to defend but Paolo simply smashed that implement downward Huang Shou took a half step back and frantically tried to firm the shaken grip of his left hand Then he adjusted the positioning of the cane but it wasnÆt in time again Paolo simply blew him backward with raw force

Even through the wind the sounds of the crowd’s cheers reached Paolo and drove him onward He raised his left arm in preparation for a wicked hook that would likely be his final punch With this he would

Cloud Slaying Slash

Sever

The confrontation on the other side of the arena was enough to briefly distract Paolo and he allowed that distraction to persist and Huang Shou to slip away from him Gradually the flexing muscles of his left arm loosened and relaxed He lowered his limbs and studied the results of Huang Li and KayleÆs clash

Huang Li was covered in wounds holding his wo dao with only a single hand and panting But Kayle stood with a strange smile on his face There was a long cut across his shoulder that oozed a few small drops of blood This time it seemed like Kayle was on the losing end

Paolo almost felt bad for the young man from Zone 7

Like I said Huang Li managed to cough out while he struggled to catch his breath I am unable to control the full might of the Skill So if I use the Sky Slaying Sword

Then we will finally have an interesting clash Kayle interrupted He rolled his shoulders and accelerated forward DonÆt waste any more of my time

Huang LiÆs eyes narrowed But Paolo couldnÆt help but notice how the sharp image around the young man was becoming more concrete He was growing at an extremely fast rate So quickly that he couldnÆt help but be impressed

But in the end Paolo thought with a hint of sadness

Fine then Huang Li announced That endless tide of wind that had risen and towered above the arena finally shattered and the waves crashed downward Clouds howled and churned beneath the sheer mass of air that was swirling above There was a dragon crashing down to condense on Huang LiÆs wo dao but it was so large that Paolo could barely see light reflecting off of its scales It was a blurry and massive thing

With a simple cut toward the grinning Kayle Li yelled Sky Slaying Slash

The vast pillar of air condensed around his sword was ignited by the power of the motion The image exploded outward a huge spectral pair of jaws snapping shut on KayleÆs body But PaoloÆs partnerÆs smile never wavered His eyes in fact widened with joy Sever

WHooSH

Kayle staggered backward several fingers on his hand bleeding and broken from colliding directly with the Skill But in front of him Huang Li fell to his knees with a shocked expression the dragon above him was completely bisected

A cold sun shone down through the fissure KayleÆs Skill had made in the cloud cover

Damnit Kid The preparations are ready Huang Shou said loudly Paolo glanced at the old man but didnÆt bother to move at all as the other activated some Skill Inwardly Paolo was quite impressed at the old manÆs gumption the different spots where he and Huang Shou had clashed now began to glow in a grand formation The fact that he had managed to sneakily do so was a surprise

but in the end this is not a stage for the two of you

Hey Kayle Paolo grunted Huang Li spat out a mouthful of blood forced himself to his feet and then began to tremble as the formation Huang Shou created pumped power into his body His eyes narrowed into slits His image sharpened even further You took the first one how about I handle this next one

I believe you already lost your chance Kayle replied smugly looking up at the writhing body of the dragon that was condensing in the sky Whereas before it had simply been a hanging specter now each scale stood out in sharp relief The dragonÆs claws were the size of coffins Thin flames spurted out of its nostrils as it imperiously surveyed the humans below it This is all mine

Sky Slayingg Huang Li began Huang Shou sagged to the ground seemingly haven given all his strength to the formation The sky above darkened further the dragon casting a long shadow across the arena floor People in the stands chattered excitedly enjoying the powerful display

Thank you Huang Li Kayle replied with a satisfied expression Then he went completely still and focused his entire person on his image For a split second the purest form of Kayle image was like a blinding lunar eclipse below the massive body of a dragon A single pure divider between two vast swirling darknesses Or perhaps it was to distant points in the darkness connected by a single tether of energy The image spun slowly infinite and shifting

Even Paolo didnÆt know the true form and function of that image That was why fights against Kayle were so interesting

SllaassH The blade of Huang LiÆs sword was covered in a tornado that he brought brutally downward in a vertical cut Kayle adjusted his footing and moved his hand horizontally That blurred motion became the line of energy the divider

Before the force of the Skills met the two images clashed Without any fanfare KayleÆs image devoured the dragon of wind and ripped to shreds the hollowed out Skill that remained beneath it

It is not a fair contest Paolo reflected almost sadly as Huang Li collapsed In terms of specificity and dedication he is not in our league They might seem close but that last difference is not a simple gap to cross If images were colors Huang Li would be blue and Kayle would be turquoise Both a similar color but considering the total package

Across the stage Huang Shou released a long sigh as he saw his younger partner collapse A few seconds later the audience erupted in cheers

Chapter 1456

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 298

Randidly pursed his lips and shook his head after scanning through the result He waved his fingers through the air and the intricate weave of Nether he had been knitting since the first match now came undone The rotation of his Nether Nebula reversed and suddenly the pulsing Nether threads were wound back around RandidlyÆs core like a fire hose spun back onto a large spool

Almost unconsciously Randidly brought his left hand and pressed it to his chest He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation as he gathered the materials for the weave back within himself As he had worked on this with more and more dedication he couldnÆt miss the fact that the Nether he used somehow remembered how it had been used in the past Gradually the compatibility between that Nether and RandidlyÆs intent was rising Combined with his own improvements in understanding and Skill Level

Well for the moment it still isnÆt enough Randidly reflected as all his Nether arrived within him Then due to an all okayÆ message from Tatiana Randidly signaled the referee below to begin the match The two teams were allowed to walk out to the roaring approval of the crowd In the second match of the day Donny and Glendel would be taking on the combination of Tykes and Dinesh

The two duos were familiar with each other before Tykes and Dinesh left to become NathanÆs guardians they had been influential members of Donnyton But in the year and a half since they had left the Earth had experienced an explosive amount of growth in terms of fighting strength As Randidly followed the figures with his eyes even his Grim Intuition could only provide a vague answer on who was more powerful

The referee below raised his chin oblivious to RandidlyÆs scrutiny Let the second match begin

Well the best way to reach an answer is just to watch anyway Randidly reflected as he made himself comfortable peering over the edge of his island Both sides exploded into motion

If the first match was Kayle deliberately applying escalating pressure on Huang Li in order to flush out his full potential the second match was two old rivals furiously throwing haymakers at each other from the jump Dinesh clapped his hands together and summoned his Labyrinth of mirrors hiding his and Tykes’ presence in almost a hundred rotating panes of reflective glass They shifted and cut sideways soon surrounding the entire arena

At the same time Glendel elegantly waved his hand and summoned three ghastly specters that surged out of his shadow a five meter tall four armed gorilla a human sized heron with lines of razor sharp teeth along its beak and a high mound of slime that appeared to be crackling with electricity While the heron beat its wings and then launched itself forward to pierce through the nearest mirrors the ooze trembled and then began to flow around Glendel for its masterÆs protection

Of course Tykes was already on the move From one of the tumbling planes of glass the man dashed forward his huge iron ball raised to smash Glendel to pieces before he could dominate the battle with his ghosts Donny sidestepped into TykesÆ path and raised his shield A powerful image of momentum and stalwart purity faced off against each other

Randidly had to squint as DonnyÆs image released a brilliant radiance Really impressive manifestation but still

Tykes was stopped dead but Donny was forced back several steps from the collision He staggered so far back that DonnyÆs back foot accidentally stepped on the ooze and lines of electricity raced up his calf His face twisted into a grimace even as Tykes grabbed a chain from his waist and hooked it onto his absolutely massive iron ball

Rather than attacking the Donny struggling to recover Tykes flung his chained ball directly backward The four armed ape smashed its knuckles into the ground and bounded forward to bowl Tykes over before he could continue his attacks Tykes’ hand snapped shut on the clinking chain and then he twitched his wrist to haul the ball back toward him

It blasted apart the spinning panes directly behind him revealing a Dinesh that was gripping the chain and crouching on top of the heavy ball Tykes completely disregarded the ball then and lowered his shoulders toward the five meter tall ape Although he seemed like a child compared to it he accelerated forward and speared it in the chest The momentum that he could instantly generate was honestly intimidating

Donny regained his footing and unleashed a gleaming golden slash at TykesÆ back while the other man was grappling with the ape specter Then Donny turned to the approaching Dinesh and spun his sword in his hand So can you get past me

Dinesh didnÆt even answer His hands flickered and several daggers releasing green smoke fanned outward from between his fingers DonnyÆs face turned serious Aegis

Five shields composed entirely of light spun around him and then slid into place to block the daggers But Dinesh and the iron ball were moving so quickly that Donny swore and threw himself forward to intercept the heavy projectile once more When Donny moved into position Dinesh leapt off the ball and up over him pulling out another three smoking daggers while he flipped through the air

Randidly could see the indecision on DonnyÆs face for a split second But ultimately he settled himself to stop the metal ball which was still heading toward Glendel who wasnÆt quite fully covered by the ooze Between the daggers and the ball it was rather obvious which was more dangerous to a Glendel who only had up to his legs covered by the ooze

At the same time before Dinesh could throw his daggers the spectral heron screeched and dove toward the manÆs exposed back Its claws raked across his leather armor but that Dinesh simply shattered like the reflection that he was Donny sensed what was happening but had to smash his shield against the iron ball that arrived once more

Dinesh reformed on the ground between Donny and Glendel daggers fanning in every direction They ripped through the spectral ooze and made the substance sizzle and collapse Glendel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the rapidly disappearing defensive ghost With light steps Dinesh crossed the distance and arrived before the solemn faced Glendel before he could summon another helper

Gallant intervention Donny yelled But as he did so the visual in front of him shattered Instead of switching positions with Glendel he suddenly had his limbs tangled up with the four armed ape And Tykes almost effortlessly picked up his heavy iron ball next to where Donny had been standing tossing it immediately up in the air and smashing the surprised heron to ectoplasm oblivion He yanked on the chain and caught the ball again almost casually his arm raised as he scanned for his next target

DineshÆs Domain is not one that can be beaten by ignoring it Randidly shook his head slightly But it seemed like neither Glendel nor Donny had a Domain powerful enough to shake it in the short term

As Dinesh pulled out another smoking dagger and pounced forward Glendel tilted his head to the side Grey purple energy was beginning to gather around his arms Did you think that I havenÆt been working on my own strength as well Rampage of the Sovereign

The Dinesh in front of his shattered transforming into Tykes with his raised arm TykesÆ grin was wide Will that be enough against me

Randidly held his chin in his hand as he smiled down at the arena in terms of both teamwork and flair for the dramatic it was clear which team was superior He could sense a complaint from Tatiana coming as a team with direct ties to the Order Ducis had made it so far in the tournament but Randidly didnÆt mind Their images were very different from his And he hadnÆt particularly trained these two although they did often spar with Helen and Ajax

And besides their matches were exciting to watch

Glendel did certainly manage an impressive amount of power considering the focus of his image was summoning servants but it was nothing compared to the Tykes that dedicated his whole being to his power Glendel was knocked back and out of the arena a human arrow heading toward the stands Luckily Tatiana had stationed individuals strategically around for just this situation And Randidly watched with amusement as Commissioner Klein Arrietti moved with impressive speed to catch Glendel before he crashed

His new Class as The First Responder of Kharon is perhaps a little too on the nose but its good to see that the transition was a success Nathan said that the process was not an easy one Randidly chewed on his lip for a while then turned back to the match

With Glendel effectively out of commission Tykes and Dinesh ganged up on Donny and began to thoroughly dismantle his defenses Donny might be very skilled with a shield but the combination of overwhelming power and DineshÆs Domain was too much for him to handle In the end Donny was on his knees and the duo of Tykes and Dinesh was the second group to make it to the semi finals of the tournament

Tatiana sent Randidly a message asking if he would like to join them for lunch but Randidly immediately declined As TatianaÆs tricks to lure him into Kharon related meetings were getting more sophisticated he wouldnÆt take any chances even for quality food If she truly needed him she would request him so he didnÆt mind skipping these informational discussions

Besides he had his own ideas He took out his PhilosopherÆs Key and opened a portal to the space behind HelioÆs shop Most of the people were still within the arena so it was relatively deserted and Randidly eagerly anticipated eating in peace So he was in an excellent mood until he walked around the building and saw the sign on the door