LoRG 4

Will be back after the Match

Randidly rubbed the back of his head and then settled down to wait on the stoop outside and play with Nether Luckily Helio seemed relatively professional about opening his restaurant for the lunch rush When the traffic in the area was still only a trickle he was striding down the path

He paused slightly when he saw Randidly then resumed his high speed walk and raised an eyebrow Hungry

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 299

Randidly flicked his hand to disperse the Nether and nodded IÆm thinking IÆll take twenty servings if you can manage it

Helplessly Helio unlocked the door to his shop and walked into the building with Randidly in tow ItÆs possible but it will take some time to make that much My grill is only so wide Also usually the lunch hashes are different than the breakfast offering Would you like to look at the ingredients or just have the breakfast option again

Randidly looked at the menu along the wall and selected the option that combined beef onions carrots and turnips together and was served over biscuits that were freshly baked this morning Then he sat and did his best to control his drool as he waited for the meal to be finished

Helio could only make six servings at a time so Randidly amused himself by imagining he was being served different courses as he inhaled the delicious food

Chapter 1457

In the third match of the day Randidly watched Alana and Wivanya absolutely dominate Lucifer and Giuliana Perhaps together the whip wielding Giuliana and the tenacious Lucifer would have been able to rival AlanaÆs positively biblical strikes and images but it seemed that almost everyone who was present in the tournament had overlooked the scaled elephant in the room Wivanya

The frost dragon alone was a force to be reckoned with the image of frigid chill she released was no joke As it radiated outward Randidly suppressed the urge to eradicate it from the area around him as he suppressed an urge to shiver Combined with a Mana pool that made even Randidly raise his eyebrows the duo from Franksburg soon couldnÆt keep up with the Dragon BroodmotherÆs attacks

Still until the last moment Randidly did not avert his eyes from the battle That was the respect that he gave to the heroes or Legends as the fans had begun to call the most powerful image users who had managed to make it this far

Lucifer and Giuliana were strong They had just encountered two individuals who were stronger still

At the end of the match LuciferÆs feet were frozen to the ground and Giuliana had collapsed in a snowdrift But he still raised his massive saber and turned his attention to Wivanya who was hovering in the air and bombarding them with chilling waves of ice His image began to boil and his fingers tightened on the hilt of his weapon Lucifer Slash

Alana shot forward to strike at LuciferÆs exposed back but he didnÆt waver from his attack His image ballooned upward in a destructive aura that then rushed through the sky toward Wivanya The frost dragon raised her head and roared in challenge Frigid Storm

She breathed out ice and sleet in a dense cone but the slash ripped through that Compared to the image of cold the direct power of LuciferÆs image had enough of an advantage that he could strike a serious blow He wasnÆt powerful enough to prevent his body from being riddled by wounds in his clashes with Alana but more than enough to suppress Wivanya if he ignored everything else

But such an attack obviously came with a cost

Alana drove her spear through LuciferÆs shoulder while LuciferÆs slash ripped open WivanyaÆs scales and set the dragon spiraling toward the ground Wivanya landed with a crash that shook the stands Meanwhile Alana pursed her lips adjusted the grip on her spear and then twisted it painfully while it was still within his shoulder Why

Pride Lucifer replied simply The dust slowly began to clear and the dragon struggled to prop herself back up into a sitting position It seemed her right wing was badly damaged

Satisfied Alana asked

Not when I am about to lose no Lucifer replied But he didnÆt lower his head He turned and gazed at Alana Do you intend to win everything

Alana didnÆt bother to respond She just smashed her fist against LuciferÆs jaw and sent him sprawling Just like that the third semi final duo was determined

Immediately as the audience seethed and chattered excitedly below him Randidly returned to the task of weaving Nether The energy spun quickly into the desired thin strands and then wove themselves together to the Nether equivalent of linen After making sure the thickness was exactingly uniform Randidly spread the Nether out into the surrounding space and began to weave

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 300

Congratulations Your Skill Experienced CreatorÆs Ingenuity has grown to Level 145

His movements were smooth and even as he spread his Nether out to fill the surrounding area When Randidly closed his eyes he could still sense the immense amount of memory and historic weight that had existed here due to the tournament Of course it was slowly being broken down and stolen away by the high pressure of the System Aether

Randidly rolled his shoulders and then sighed

Even compared to watching that weight be stolen it was somewhat vexing to weave for an hour and to suddenly realize that the thickness had been gradually increasing to the point where it would warp surrounding space So he needed to banish his earlier work and start again Randidly could only throw his hands up in the air and make attempt after attempt the time between matches

Before the fourth and final match of today began Randidly had time to start and scrap his woven Nether nine times

As he did so he was careful to control his Nether Nebula very purposefully When he was weaving it spun clockwise and generated energy outward When he needed to destroy and start anew it spun counterclockwise and devoured all the Nether in the vicinity He was somewhat bitter to see that light grey color steadily decreasing at the core of his Nether Nebula but Randidly supposed it was worth it to increase his control

He could always refine the density later But for now he simply couldnÆt weave Nether that dense effectively He needed it in a relatively less cumbersome state to keep the movements as precise as was required for the weave And now he was faced with the rather disheartening thought that perhaps he needed to decrease the density even further so flaws wouldnÆt emerge so consistently as he extended the scale

But ultimately Randidly wasnÆt willing to abandon his current method quite yet His Nether Sensation steadily rose in Level providing him with marginal improvements And with his almost ridiculously high Control RandidlyÆs base proficiency with utilizing his Skill was growing just as quickly He was definitely improving at a ridiculous pace But part of that improvement just ended up demonstrating how little he had understood about Nether when he had begun this side project

Sighing Randidly once again rolled his shoulders and ripped his failed weave to pieces The final match was about to begin BreakÆ time was over

Lyra and Stan came out first and Randidly allowed his emerald gaze to focus on Stan Since he had helped adjust the manÆs Soulskill and the result had been so negative he couldnÆt help but be curious about him Perhaps more directly some old portion of RandidlyÆs paranoia dedicated to Lyra raised his hackles at this unexpected arrival

A sudden and complete recovery to randomly participate in the tournament didnÆt seem likely

Yet when Randidly peered down at the man he could detect almost nothing from him It was like his image didnÆt exist Rather than being concerned RandidlyÆs mouth slowly curved into a smile To test a theory he eased his tight control over his image and allowed the horrible hunger of the Stillborn Phoenix to radiate in a tightly controlled beam downward

Below Stan stiffened Then he raised his vacant gaze toward RandidlyÆs island As Randidly watched the manÆs expression twisted and his face darkened His two innocuous brown eyes became portals to the abyss that widened and deepened as the exposure continued With a short nod Randidly pulled back his image and suddenly Stan was just an ordinary person once more He blinked and then resumed his walk

A pure copycat type huh Randidly tapped his jaw Then he looked at the other end of the arena Just what are you planning Lyra Do you really think thatÆs enough to beak your opponent

Hank Howard rode his horse Ancho out of the long hallway and was met by the howls of approval Perhaps it was because he was from Zone 1 and now fought essentially alone but he appealed to the crowd even more than Paolo and Kayle did Yet between this duo RandidlyÆs focus turned toward the horse It cantered calmly forward not even batting an eyelid at the chaotic mess of noise around it Compared to skittish horses that Randidly had seen in the past it was a suspicious response Despite the strange environment it was calm and almost haughty

yet no matter how I look at it that is just a normal horse Randidly awkwardly scratched his cheek

With great gravity Hank hopped down from AnchoÆs saddle and handed the reins to the referee Then he strolled across the arena to his side his leather cowboy boots very prominently on display The referee frowned down at the horse next to him but then shook his head helplessly Are both sides prepared

While the two teams nodded Randidly finally turned his gaze to Lyra Even now some part of his heart froze when he looked at her It wasnÆt that his feelings for her both for good or bad were still present within him Through time and reflection he had moved past them But somehow she had changed the anatomy of his heart That brief stutter was simply a part of his psychology now when he saw her golden hair and violet eyes

Her leather armor was almost stylish across her slender form as she toyed with a long knife and waited for the match to begin Her image was self contained and controlled As far as Randidly could tell there was nothing suspicious about her involvement in the tournament she simply wanted to see how far she could go as a human

but you arenÆt just a human anymore Lyra Still if it makes you feel better neither really am I But that means we need to be very careful with our actions

Immediately RandidlyÆs mouth curled upward with the irony of that thought heh I suppose I have no right to say that to you considering I boldly challenged Yystrix with no rationale basis for overcoming her

Let the final match of the quarter finals begin The referee announced

A violet moon condensed in the air above Lyra as she dashed forward Hank Howard drew his repeater and laid down several crisp shots each bullet heavy with his image And that image was so sharp that when Lyra deflected the first bullet to reach her her face immediately twisted into a grimace She activated some Skill to boost her speed and shot forward trying to bring the match into close quarters as she wove between shots

Stan watched the entire thing placidly his image slowly morphing

Unfortunately for Lyra Hank Howard wasnÆt a man that was only proficient with distant battles When she came close he changed his grip on his pistol and readily moved in for a round of fisticuffs He strikes were sharp and powerful and if Lyra ever attempted to open up some distance and attempt a Skill Hank could simply level his pistol at her

Lyra spun and slash and Hank calmly stepped forward He endured blows with his arms and struck to crush Lyra where she was weakest Her fighting style well it wasnÆt that it was rusty but it clearly was specced more toward assassinations Confronting him directly LyraÆs tricks fell flat

As Randidly watched his respect for Hank Howard slowly growing His image wasnÆt as destructive as even the defeated Huang LiÆs but it was pervasive Rather than being a weapon it became the setting the more Lyra fought against Hank Howard the more she waded into the deep river of his image At the corner of RandidlyÆs gaze he saw a rolling tumbleweed that vanished when he looked at it more directly The noise from the crowd warped to become the lonesome howl of a coyote

The arena transformed in HankÆs hands become the platonic ideal fo the Wild West It was a land where gritty loners wandered from town to town searching through the dust and spent bullet casings for their dreams Although criminals might make a few quick bucks the course of history was inevitably pulled back toward righteousness

But even as HankÆs image became even more powerful Lyra ducked under a bullet and laughed Stan I think itÆs about time that you started to move

With the wind whistling behind him Stan sauntered forward an almost perfect copy of Hank HowardÆs image Lyra unleashed a few slashes to keep Hank distracted but took on a more passive role as Stan rolled up his sleeves here she could prepare for a sudden ambush Hank and Stan stared at each other for five seconds and then rushed toward each other in a brutal brawl Soon the ground was spattered with blood

although the primary reason that the brawl was brutal was that Hank wiped the floor with Stan

ThatÆs Lyra seemed genuinely surprised as she looked at the crumpled form of Stan He hadnÆt even lasted long enough for her to strike ThatÆs ridiculous He can copy an image almost perfectly His strength should be almost the same as yours Yet you won so easily

A manÆs only as good as is horse Hank said wiping the blood from his knuckles Then he shrugged and spat over to the side He can copy the image but heÆs not singinÆ the ballad girly How can a cowboy not ave a horse

LyraÆs smile transformed into a haphazard collage of broken glass Did you seriously call me girly IÆll kick your ass

Randidly could see Lyra furious visibly mounting as Hank chuckled Girly if ya could kick my ass wouldnÆt ya have done it already LetÆs git this over with

Lyra image howled to the fore the violet moon that hovered above her sunk lower It seemed to close that it was like an eerie eye glaring down at the Earth But the Wild West didnÆt care about the color of the moon In fact it accepted it willingly many different individuals and ideologies had swarmed through the Wild West That was part of its charm

It was a Path that could be taken by almost anyone

Her sharp and vicious image wasnÆt enough to overcome HankÆs easy dependability Lyra slumped to the ground with a bullet in her shoulder and three in her thigh The referee waved his hands The winners are Hank and his horse Ancho

Chapter 1458

You cooked all of this Randidly asked as he looked down at the three meter long table in front of him There basically wasnÆt space on it that wasnÆt filled with pleasantly steaming food

Lyra shrugged the sharp smile that she was wearing since the beginning of their meeting not having moved an inch as she brought him directly into the dining room Of course For especially the early part of the System I didnÆt have much to do When people didnÆt want a Class Village Spirits are pretty passive There was some information I could obtain through the Nexus but I couldnÆt do that all the time Everyone needs a hobby

Lyra pointed at the table So I practiced cooking but I donÆt have much focus I just made whatever I felt like eating that night So please dig on in And if you have an opinion donÆt try and spare my feelings tell me what you really think

Randidly nodded and then surveyed the table As per their agreement he had come to her house for dinner after her loss to Hank Howard in the duos tournament She had built a small cottage on the outskirts of Donnyton so Randidly had used the PhilosopherÆs Key to return to his old stomping grounds for the meal She had opened the door and welcomed him in with a smile And the fact that she had made it from the arena in the Orchard to Donnyton and still had the time to prepare a meal meant that she had likely relied upon her Village Spirit abilities

I suppose anything I could learn from her about the Nexus Ways I can learn from Octavius as well Randidly chewed on his lip then glanced around

The house wasnÆt sparsely decorated but Randidly suspected that someone like Tatiana would find the building to be lacking personality Everything here was clean and orderly which was nice But the details were almost too perfect The furniture was at perfect right angles to each other The table was perfectly in the center of the room The abstract painting on the wall was monochrome and vague

This placed seemed like an example home not a building where someone lived

What does the great Randidly Ghosthound suddenly have opinions about interior design Lyra asked as she noticed the direction of RandidlyÆs gaze Then she put her hands on her hips Well IÆm starving If you wonÆt start I will

His mouth twisting slightly Randidly looked again down at the table in front of him Immediately to his right was an appetizing looking plate of pork fried rice Beyond that was some blueberry scones and clotted cream To his left were grilled lamb kabobs with onions and peppers Below that was a small plate filled with spicy kimchi And these dishes only constituted about a third of the total food on the table

Asparagus mashed potatoes shrimp scampi lasagna a plate filled with goat cheese fried fish a beef stew macaroni and cheese collard greens

Eclectic doesnÆt even begin to cover it Randidly thought He took the plate Lyra offered him and started with a kabob Even if he was slightly bewildered at LyraÆs silence insistence that he eat after providing no justification for the sudden meal invitation Randidly was willing to play along for now He lifted the kabob to his lips and took a bite It seemed like she had drizzled some light teriyaki sauce across the kabobs but it was mostly the natural flavors of the meat and vegetables that he tasted He chewed rather carefully enjoying the texture

After a kabob Randidly tried a few scoops of fried rice When he went back for a third type of dish Lyra stopped him with a level look Randidly lightly scratched his cheek feeling even more confused than he had been before ItÆs pretty good

Right But only pretty good Lyra nodded emphatically apparently quite pleased with RandidlyÆs assessment She moved with increased vigor and a cheery smile on her face with her own plate heading directly for the macaroni and cheese So tonightÆs theme is going to be honestly Perfect

I guess so Randidly watched her eat for several seconds Then he started to feel slightly awkward So he shifted and helped himself to some beef stew fried fish and mashed potatoes At first he tried small bites of each so he could sample the flavors Then he chaotically mixed them all together and began to shovel the food into his mouth If nothing else he wasnÆt going to pass up this chance to fill himself up on food

A night of honesty huh Randidly thought as he chewed If I hadnÆt answered that way would it not be

But he had been completely honest about the dishes he had tried The food was pretty good but also it could be said that it was only pretty good Compared to the hash that Randidly had for lunch this food in front of him was nothing to speak of He forgot the flavor as soon as he swallowed There was no defect that his tongue could detect but also

When his plate was clear Randidly set down his fork with a frown on his face He finally realized what the taste must mean you donÆt have a Cooking Skill

Correct Lyra answered around a mouthful of mac and cheese Randidly pursed his lips and didnÆt ask any more He continued to consume the fine food until almost the entire table was left with empty plates that sat with just as stark emptiness as bare bones Once he understood what he was tasting more things began to make sense The food seemed empty to him because he had been used to high Level Cooking Skills adding something extra to the food

More than that the hash he had for lunch had a nascent quiet image as part of its appeal It was a warmth and hominess that lingered on the tongue and passively alleviated small amounts of stress in the diner Honestly Randidly had returned to HelioÆs shop less for the food itself and more for that valuable image Aside from Yggdrasil Randidly hadnÆt encountered any other images that addressed the accumulating mental damage that inevitably resulted from fighting with images

But this food was perfectly ordinary It was fine fare that would have been possible for a woman with quite a bit of spare time before the System

After doing a swarm of locusts proud Randidly set his plate down on the table He put both his hands on its wooden edge and leaned forward as he studied Lyra So I assume you wanted to teach me something with the food

You know me too well LyraÆs smile was slightly bitter as though she had bit into a cherry and discovered that it was a crabapple Yet instead of answering at first she reached up and toyed with the shoulder strap of her spiraling navy blue dress The skin of her arms looked almost unhealthily pale as she fidgeted

RandidlyÆs confusion continued to grow Then Lyra sighed and shook her head Maybe itÆs fair to say I thought I could teach you something with this but I invited you here for two things One is a reminder and the other just a disclosure A reminder IÆll say that is just as much for me as it is for you

IÆve just always been fascinated by what humans can accomplish without the System Even before the System arrived I thought about it a lot Now fighting against Hank and cooking It has helped me feel the broad capability of humans Images you might think of it as the natural evolution of our power underneath the System but I think thatÆs not the case Lyra wrapped her arms around her shoulders The fabric of her dress flared just a little as it came up around her shoulders and she tugged at it ThatÆs just a clever sleight of hand from the Nexus Are they really the source of images Images like HankÆs it is positively sublime A Skill might mimic the effect but think about energy efficiency

Something that disguised itself as excitement but might be closer to mania came over LyraÆs features The corner of her eyes crinkled and she licked her lips As she talked the pace of her words quickened The System provides inefficient mechanisms in the form of Skills that can transform energy into effect Then they provide a low level flow of energy and teach the kidnapped worlds how to use that energy Or rather demand that we learn But images perhaps the System provides the shape that we mimic to grow but arenÆt images all our own

Randidly gave Lyra a long look His emerald eyes slowly dimmed as he considered her words

Lyra continued to speak Then the System provides trials Trials that are increasingly difficult to pass to the point that its shoddily made mechanisms no longer cut it You are required to contribute high efficiency images that take emotion and energy to manifest in order to produce greater and greater effects And the moment you cease being able to surpass yourself the flow of energy is cut off A worldÆs only option then is to send its people to be the grunts of the Nexus in order to cast an even wider net in the next Cohort That is the System

LyraÆs violet eyes met RandidlyÆs emerald ones She bit her lip Randidly blinked very deliberately He didnÆt disagree with what Lyra was saying although he hadnÆt considered it But to Randidly it was a largely semantic decision whether images were the natural evolution of Skills or not So your point

IÆm trying to remind you why I disagree with your method Lyra hands tightened on her opposite shoulders as she held herself Because of the forces arrayed against you the System was designed for people like you No matter what new image you manage to develop the Nexus will just throw another test at you There is only one way to accomplish your goal to become more powerful than the maker of the Nexus

Looking at Lyra Randidly couldnÆt help but recall that immense mountain range of crystalized Aether that he had briefly sensed as Elhume had moved Even now some part of his spirit stilled before the echo of that immense display of power Even considering his the Aether that was gradually condensing as part of his physical body Randidly doubted he could generate eight or nine drops of liquid Aether

How many drops would it take to make a crystalized mountain range

You arenÆt wrong to say that that the task is almost impossible Randidly admitted But as he spoke he could hear the rustling of leaves the scream of an all devouring void and the cracking of a monstrosityÆs spine adapting All three of his images stirred with unwillingness But you also give up too easily

But ultimately Randidly didnÆt verbalize that thought Instead he stood in front of the table of empty dishes and considered Lyra Inwardly he was becoming even more confused did she truly want to use the same arguments against him now Is this what you brought me here to say

No I just well let me ask you something I need a reminder Are you going to to do it Randidly Ghosthound Become even more powerful than the maker of the Nexus Lyra asked still embracing herself In her red violet eyes Randidly could see the answer that she begged him to give her

It was not the answer he had expected her to want

First Randidly blinked Then he laughed aloud Even more than the weight he obtained from watching the tournament his Nether Nebula rapidly grew in density as he felt his lips and tongue shaping his next words Truly a reminder Yea I am going to become that powerful IÆll keep climbing until I stand atop the Nexus IÆm going to reach the Pinnacle And then IÆll burn everything to the ground

Lyra smiled Her face was so objectively lovely as she looked at him that the same physiological weakness in his heart constricted In the face of that expression Randidly had a single gut response that she adored him She had cursed him out attacked him and sold out the Earth but she also adored him in a way that he couldnÆt quite understand

Divining her motivations from her expression reminded Randidly of the sea He could see how the tides would rise and fall but there was some part of his brain that just wasnÆt capable of understanding how and why water needed to flow to make that happen Her fluttering eyelashes were the crash of waves against the shore filling the air with the scent of salt

And Randidly found it immensely difficult to look at the vulnerability and gentleness in her features The lines around her nose and mouth were soft and expressive as she considered him All of her snark and emotional defense mechanisms had been stripped away It was an expression that Randidly could never remember seeing on LyraÆs face in the past I believe you Randidly So good luck

Then Lyra spun around and continued talking while facing the wall My mind still cannot fathom how you will manage it but youÆve gotten this far havenÆt you So I guess what IÆm saying is that my heart is convinced Thanks for the reminder Tonight yea tonight is about honesty Oh Randidly did I ever tell you about that first night that I saw you fighting

RandidlyÆs gaze was on LyraÆs bare shoulders Her fingers were still tight on the navy blue fabric of the shoulder straps Without speaking he shook his head

Whether she sensed the motion or just didnÆt care Lyra continued to speak It was back when the monster hordes came for Donnyton But ha Can you believe that was considered a horde There probably werenÆt even a hundred those first few nights But you it was night on the field of grass around the wooden palisade we built There was a half full moon And you shot out Mana Bolts and Arcane Orbs like your Mana Pool was endless The lighting of the Skills meant that half of your face was constantly in shadow as you fought It was magical

Lyra Randidly began but she interrupted him

I cannot be like you I cannot even be like Hank Howard Lyra said still talking to the wall She lowered her arms from her grip of her own torso and clasped them behind her back Her knuckles were white Her nails were unpainted But I also donÆt believe that my Path is wrong This isnÆt something that that I can accomplish alone Allies and connections are how I grow So IÆm going to go look for help

ThatÆs where the disclosure comes in Donnyton has been a source of many high quality images for the Nexus It isnÆt just this tournament that they dominate As the Village Spirit of this lucrative Village IÆve earned some privileges IÆll also soon be heading into the Nexus Rather than simply becoming the most powerful person in the Nexus with information and allies I will be able to accomplish the same thing as you IÆll save the Earth Then Lyra hesitated briefly And I just didnÆt want us to run into each other there and you to think

Think that you had sold Earth out again Randidly thought but he quickly erased the thought before it could show on his face He continued to look at Lyra back Without even relying on Grim Intuition or Revelation energy he could feel the immense loneliness that surrounded Lyra For a weird second Randidly would have believed that the sword and sheath connection that had originally been between them had reemerged

But then Randidly realized the source of the sensation was something else entirely Randidly could feel how isolated Lyra was due to his increased sensitivity toward Nether The Nether around her radiated her immense sadness and lack of connection

Randidly licked his lips And I m supposed to do what Comfort you

No thatÆs not right All IÆm supposed to do is what I want to do So

He released a breath and smiled at LyraÆs back Then good luck Lyra

Allies and connections are how you grow huh

Lyra swayed but otherwise didnÆt respond Silence hung between them like Christmas lights left along the eaves as January stoically transitioned into February Lyra looked at the wall Randidly looked at her pale shoulders

It wasnÆt that there was more to say but that the saying wasnÆt everything that was at play here Knowing about the two fundamental energies meant that interactions were even more complicated than they were in the past So while Randidly could have stopped it he ultimately allowed some of the ambient Nether to catch an invisible current and spiral out toward Lyra

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Sensation has grown to Level 302

Then grow Lyra This time I wonÆt be able to watch you But if you manage to succeed and save the Earth without sacrificing our freedom well that certainly would make me happy

Chapter 1459

Commissioner Arrietti Commissioner Arrietti spoke to himself weighing the words with his tongue He was sitting in his office with only his desk lamp providing light The sun had fallen leaving the room with only a halo of light around his desk He was looking down at the mock up business card he had specially made the prior day First Responder of Kharon

It was truly a cool title for a Class One he was quite proud of despite the difficulty in the transition process Setting the business card down on his desk Arrietti leaned back and released a sigh Still though he knew the act of making these business cards was useless how often was he in a situation where he would be able to hand out business cards People around Kharon simply recognized him on sight Those who werenÆt from Kharon saw his Kharon Police uniform with all the stripes and commendations and leapt to their own probably accurate conclusions about who he was

He was a man who did not inspire the least bit of curiosity in an onlooker It was honestly quite depressing Especially when he had finally found a part of himself that was so idiosyncratic

It would probably be a bit too much to get my officeÆs nameplate changed to say Commissioner First Responder of Kharon Arrietti thought as he rubbed his chin Then he released another explosive sigh and let his body sag backward into his comfortable leather chair What it should say is Commissioner Arrietti 51 eternal bachelor

The man who inspires no curiosity in the opposite sex

This troublesome train of thought had started earlier today In the day long break between the rounds of the duos tournament Kharon had hosted its first random selection of representatives The police force and the Order Ducis had been working tirelessly through the night and early morning in order to make sure that nothing went awry with this first election They had carefully monitored the surging flow of individuals coming in an out of the city looking for anything suspicious

Riding high on the capabilities of his new Class Arrietti had been a man possessed When he wasnÆt apprehending someone for questioning he was hurrying across the city to intercept someone else His new Skills related to Kharon gave him subtle tip offs when rogue elements entered the city Combined with his growing sensitivity toward images the representative selection had gone off without a hitch

Well that wasnÆt exactly true As Tatiana had feared a foreign business owner had attempted to have themselves nominated as a representative even though they werenÆt a citizen of Kharon Luckily KharonÆs image had reacted almost immediately with a powerful wave of hostility With the support of the crowd the new Kharon Council had passed a few laws regarding who could sit on the Council and also a security value in that removing a Council member required an affirmative vote from 70% of KharonÆs population

Just like that things were back on track for the Wandering City The council excitedly began deciding their itinerary for the next two months But in the wake of the political excitement Commissioner Arrietti had been looking forward to finally having the break that he deserved He had walked through the busy thoroughfares around the arena waiting to receive one last report before he clocked out for the day And when he walked around the corner to the agreed upon meeting place with Derek Moss

He found Derek Moss locked in a gentle embrace with Gertrude Collins Needless to say their mouths were touching

Commissioner Arrietti froze He wanted to look at anything else but the place they had chosen was the service delivery side of the food court At this time of day it was completely deserted There was a broken wooden pallet a few meters behind the couple but focusing on that made them just vague seething blobs in the foreground of his vision That made it almost worse

Et tu Moss The First Responder of Kharon eventually couldnÆt stand anymore and turned to walk briskly away His slightly frazzled brain decided he would walk around the food court once or twice looking for any suspicious activity and then come back Hopefully at that point this public display will have ceased and they could speak professionally without any distractions Which was the way that police officers should be

Not that Derek is a police officer But this lack of professionalism is certainly Ahem Commissioner Arrietti had coughed lightly into his hand and glanced around at the people chatting happily about the tournament bracket Although there werenÆt any matches today it seemed people were out in force just to enjoy a meal and soak in the festive atmosphere

As Arrietti walked around most of the discussion he overheard centered on the fact that most people believed the side with Alana and Hank was much stronger than the other portion But overall it seemed that most people were quite happy with how the tournament had gone

Gradually Commissioner ArriettiÆs eyes had narrowed as he walked around The more he looked the more he realized that there were small signs of affection everywhere that he looked A woman with her hand on the arm of the man next to her A man nudging the man next to him with his elbow exchanging a heavy glance and a secret smile Two cats scampering excitedly underneath a funnel cake stall

And then right in front of him

If you donÆt like it pull your hand away Delilah announced dragging the Moss boy confidently behind her

The Moss boy rolled his eyes How many Strength Stat points do you have anyway I donÆt think I could overpower you even if I wanted to

A lady never tells Ohoho Delilah laughed exaggeratedly hiding her mouth behind her extremely small hand Then the two walked away laughing and joking Commissioner Arrietti could only reach up and wipe a small tear from his eye

Of course the kid probably didnÆt think of their involvement as romantic at all there was too much age difference between them Yet wouldnÆt this someday be the base setting of a heartwarming romantic comedy In comparison ArriettiÆs recent interactions

IÆm swimming in professional respect Arrietti said to himself in an attempt to inject some cheer but what did that really matter The more he thought about the more he realized how much work had consumed him for the past several months So he had staggered around the food court like a zombie met an obnoxiously cheery Derek Moss for the report and then returned to his office to consider the problem Yet the more he thought about it the more depressed Arrietti became

I am lonely He couldnÆt deny it any longer And everyone always said that you donÆt look for love it comes and finds you But he had been working tirelessly to make Kharon a great city and during that time love had conspicuously given him the cold shoulder Even worse Arrietti felt like there was nothing that he could do about it now after working so hard for so long he wasnÆt even sure how he would go about trying to meet someone

In addition Arrietti understood that his current attitude was the wrong one to have If he wanted to change his situation he needed to first adjust his attitude With a grimace he stood from his comfortable chair and walked to the cabinet along the far long He took one second to drag a finger across the beautifully stained wood and then opened the door to his private liquor supply He should not seek out companionship just for companionshipÆs sake he should wait for the right person to appear and then turn his attention gradually to a relationship But dammit he had been waiting for so long

Commissioner ArriettiÆs eyelid twitched His bottles of liquor were empty He carefully shut the cabinet door Was it Wolfram

A walk Arrietti announced to the room IÆll take a walk The greatest skill a man can learn in the pursuit of a mate is legwork Never stop walking

No one answered his pronouncement there was no one in the room to here his pearls of wisdom He could have said anything at all and nothing would have changed with the lack of answer he received When no one heard no one would ever respond That feeling of powerlessness stung

The feeling of being adrift grew stronger

With his sadness steadily deepening Arrietti took his coat off the hanger and slipped into the heavy wool garment He actually liked this coat quite a bit The bottom was quite long but buttoning it made him feel vaguely like a private eye Which his sour mood was quick to point out was the sexy version of a police officer

It also was so heavy that if he closed his eyes he could just image that its weight on his shoulders was a loverÆs arms Needless to say that thought very quickly turned sour as well

Releasing a deep sigh Arrietti swept out of the precinct Fellow officers that were finishing up their shift or writing up reports stood at attention and nodded to him as he passed by them Obviously this was a show of respect but it only served as a display that made Arrietti more bitter The space between him as Commissioner and the average officer couldnÆt be more clear

Then he was out the door Luckily the cold wind of the outside world blew away ArriettiÆs mood In a way the implacable seasons were reassuring It wasnÆt currently snowing but the steely sky above Kharon made it seem like that lack of precipitation wouldnÆt last much longer He pulled up his collar and put his hands deep within his pockets fishing out his expensive leather gloves

Then he strode purposefully through KharonÆs streets wondering where he was going on this walk

Thankfully his feet eventually answered that question simply by virtue of continuing to carry him forward even while his mind was elsewhere So as he considered his limp prospects of meeting new people he arrived at the residential district of Kharon Then he kept walking past the tall apartment buildings into the wealthy section along the edge of the city which currently provided great views of the Orchard below

The street ended rather abruptly and there was a small sloped park along KharonÆs edge Two people sat hunched over a stone table on the left side of the park but otherwise the area was completely deserted The speed of his strides slowed but Arrietti quickly made it right up to the edge He carefully positioned his toes flush with the sharp drop off The wind whistled past him warning him of the great expanse below

Arrietti breathed in and then breathed out released a lung full of air that was cloudy with the cold He could just barely make out the shapes of people below walking through the different pathways that had been constructed for the tournament Farther to the South Arrietti could see the construction crews putting glass panes up in the windows of the new development in preparation for people to begin to move into the area His eyes automatically followed their methodical assemblage of the building

Sometimes it felt like witnessing something allowed him to be part of it

The day was turning to evening and the light from the sun peeking between the clouds was perfectly angled to reflect off of the completed windows They glowed golden like the eyes of a cat at night So for a while Arrietti stood and watched as these workers gradually heaved the glass upward and opened the eyes of this massive apartment monster one by one

Arrietti shook himself as a bout of laughter from the couple at the stone table woke him from his strange trance As he had suspected the cold and the exercise did a lot to alleviate his dreariness In fact he was starting to feel better already Even though that couple

Wait I recognize these voices Commissioner Arrietti thought glancing over his shoulder Then his eyes widened

A good game Huang Shou said with a small smile on his face

Miranda Hamilton shrugged her shoulders I lost

Few can lose with such grace Huang Shou consoled but from his tone it was clear that he took immense pleasure in his victory Even to ArriettiÆs eyes he was quite self satisfied Shall we play again

Of course The game of life is long and really I suspect I only have to win once in order to shatter your smug attitude Mrs Hamilton began to grumble toward the end of her sentence but overall the feel between the two of them was slightly

The corners of ArriettiÆs mouth sagged downward as he turned and began to walk back toward his empty apartment

Chapter 1460

Before Commissioner Arrietti arrived at his place he received a message that jolted him awake In spite of himself his heart began to rapidly beat

Klein would you like to meet me tonight

Arrietti was gobsmacked to see that the sender was Helen He straightened his spine and lifted his chin but then realized that she couldnÆt see him His posture didnÆt matter Coughing awkwardly he glanced around to make sure no one else had seen this embarrassing behavior and then flexed his fingers in preparation to reply On such short notice Well I suppose Where should we meet

Everything began to click together After training for so long within the Dungeon Helen had been exposed to his manly determination to the point that she found it irresistible ArriettiÆs face broke into a wide smile He was a seaman on a small fishing dingy who after an extremely long storm looked up and saw a wide blue sky

The training area HelenÆs answer immediately crushed any whimsical delusions that had so briefly been allowed to flourish in ArrietiÆs mind The reason the area above him seemed blue was because he was staring at the surface of the water from below His boat had already crashed upon dangerous shoals and sunk to th bottom of the sea You havenÆt tested the limits of your Class right LetÆs do it

Arrietti wiped a tear from the corner of his eye He walked woodenly like a puppet His soul disintegrated to nothing leaving him in a state of emotional nirvana

Desire is the root of all evil

Are both sides ready The referee asked The crowd howled its approval as Paolo and Kayle faced off against Tykes and Dinesh The air between them was thick with tension Randidly hid a smile behind his hand For all that people had been complaining about the bracket they were certainly excited by the prospect of the two semifinals matches Everyone believed the teams were pretty evenly matched

But as Randidly carefully spread his modest success with Nether weaving through the arena his eyes were on the two teams Both regarded each other with the utmost sincerity the two were old rivals from Donnyton They were familiar with each otherÆs capabilities But below the surface Nether was already beginning to shift There was weight to what would happen today

Randidly grinned his eyes two luminous emerald lanterns that released enough lumens to be visible even during the daylight hours He was looking forward to this fight just as much as the crowd was The referee raised his hand Then let the first semi final match of the duos tournament begin

Labyrinth of Mirrors Dinesh instantly slapped his hands together and began to churn out shimmering panes of energy in the surrounding area The air around him rippled and spun Paolo cackled and dashed forward with Tykes grinning just as widely as he rushed forward to intercept him

But Kayle just shook his head and chopped with his hand toward Dinesh Sever

Dinesh had produced almost two dozen mirrors in that brief moment but almost all of them were marred with a deep crack by KayleÆs strike Those that had taken the attack more directly began to steadily disintegrate into nothing from the damage Glittering motes of shattered images fell on the ground

Meanwhile Paolo bounded forward and threw a punch at Tykes while coincidentally holding a knife in his hand Tykes didnÆt back down at all the veins on his arm throbbing as he lifted the heavy metal and launched it with all the force of a cannon at Paolo

Haymaker Paolo bellowed twisting his body midair and bringing his fist down to meet the huge iron ball The collision shook the ground and left Paolo and the ball almost suspended in the air Rather than any concussive detonation the two forces resonated with each other Images flared into towering pillars as the competition intensified

Paolo was indomitable Tykes had overwhelming strength

The two images were like two rutting rams who encountered each other in the wild They rushed immediately forward and locked horns the struggles between them so violent and all consuming that all other activities were gradually shut down in order to free up more resources for the current struggle

RandidlyÆs eyebrows slowly rose as the second stretched without a definitive conclusion Even he hadnÆt suspected that they were this even

PaoloÆs pillar ended up being just a little higher The muscles of his shoulder bulged and the flung the heavy iron ball back at Tykes A few drops of blood spurted from his knuckles indicating that the victory hadnÆt been a clean one

But the heavy iron ball smashed again into the marble floor of the arena and simply skidded back to its owner Tykes didnÆt seem bothered by the loss Instead he hopped up casually seized the wildly whirling metal ball then rushed forward again with his weapon held above his head As the two neared for their second clash both of their images intensified

While Dinesh continued to furiously try and achieve dominance over the surrounding space with his Domain Kayle took a step that cut through the surrounding distance and practically appeared behind Dinesh He immediately slashed his hand at DineshÆs neck

Sensing the strike Dinesh rolled forward and slapped his palms against the ground Kayle released a brutal palm as he hounded Dinesh aiming for the moment that he bounced back up to his feet but his palm only hit air Rather than throwing himself up into the air his palms hitting the ground had him sticking there Then before Kayle could respond the ground rippled like the surface of a pond and Dinesh sunk into it

Mirrors exploded outward from that rippling ground as Dinesh used the opportunity to spread his DomainÆs influence The tumbled weightlessly through the air flying past Kayle

For his part Kayle just chuckled Quick Slash

The Skill was a common one used by most blade wielding Classers but it KayleÆs hands it became something else entirely Everything else seemed frozen as Kayle slashed The peerless deadliness of his image lifted the basic Skill into a much higher Rarity Randidly wondered what his Skill Level with Quick Slash was

After KayleÆs fingers whipped sideways a third of the newly produced mirrors were bisected and began to crumble Dinesh appeared from a shattered mirror and zipped silently forward at his foeÆs back At the last moment Kayle spun around and chopped sharply upward Dinesh ducked under the attack and whipped his right leg toward KayleÆs knee

Rather than retreating Kayle stepped forward with fingers practically glittering with his image of severe sharpness

Across the arena the ground shook continually as Tykes and Paolo smashed against each other It wasnÆt as though there was no finesse in their fighting style from watching them it was obvious that they both had enough Stats in Control to manage their prodigious physical Skills But ultimately neither wished for a victory that had been seized through trickery

So as they smashed and bludgeoned each other their moved gradually lost their subtlety The minute adjustments for a small advantage fell away and simply left two men taking huge swings at each other Tykes especially had his chest heaving like he was an ancient hot air balloon preparing for its first ascension into the sky Somehow he seemed larger than life With just his physical strikes and that enormous iron ball he was capable of destabilizing the surrounding space

It was entirely different from the fight of feints and near misses happening on the other side fo the arena between Kayle and Dinesh Plus their images didnÆt clash nearly as directly Kayle was just using his image to suppress the spread of DineshÆs Domain If too many mirrors managed to avoid his attacks Kayle slashed outward and shattered most of them before continuing with the fight

Randidly sensed the sourness from Tykes before the split happened After unleashing two domineering blows that staggered even the unflappable Paolo Tykes leapt backward at the same time as Dinesh The two landed next to each other both staring at their opponents

Kayle and Paolo glanced at each other Paolo made a face like he had eaten a bug Do we need to Really

Tykes and Dinesh didnÆt bother to answer Kayle laughed mockingly It truly is a duos tournament Or had you forgotten

How can we compete if all your victories are only because of my assistance Paolo complained But he rolled his shoulders and settled into a low stance while bouncing on the balls of his feet Kayle cracked his neck and strolled forward

I hope you donÆt regret this Kayle said simply to his opponents Then he vanished once more utilizing the Skill that allowed him to cut through space Rather than his physical body appearing when he arrived there was just the impending sense of a keen cutting edge that ripped toward Tykes Tykes narrowed his eyes and raised his metal ball to defend himself

But of course Paolo arrived first exploding forward like an avalanche With the amplification of his image the cheers of the crowd became deafening Which of course only urged the crowd to even greater intensities of volume With a triumphant smile on his face Paolo proudly announced his next haymaker and threw a punch that hummed through the air

Right as Paolo and Tykes were about to clash Dinesh activated his Domain Dinesh and Tykes shattered and dispersed In the empty spot where they had just been standing KayleÆs slashes ripped large chunks up out of the marble ground and crisscrossed off the side of the raised arena That attack continued forward until Helen snorted and a massive fish swam over the stands and cast a long shadow In an instant KayleÆs attack was weakened enough that it dispersed naturally

Meanwhile Paolo skidded across the ground as he tried to disperse his momentum When he stopped he twisted around and cracked his spine Then he flexed his hand and grinned at Kayle You missed

As did you Kayle responded Then Kayle vanished again becoming those brutally sharp near invisible blades that rushed across the arena Wordlessly Dinesh and Tykes shifted into position

Paolo accelerated rapidly his thighs pumping to propel him forward Heh how many times can you keep this up for Dinesh HowÆs your Mana pool doing

Tykes produced a chain and hooked it to the end of the metal ball Then he lightly tossed the ball which probably had the mass of a compacted sedan and slapped his palm against it It shot forward to intercept Paolo

HAYMAKER Paolo howled as he pulled his arm back And swept away by the influence of his image the whole crowd joined in the yell

Haayymmaakkeerr

Fist and ball smashed against each other and Randidly narrowed his eyes Strangely Paolo had lost The man had been throwing his right fist forward but did so while planting his right foot and stepping forward with this left But the first impact was his fist hitting the ball before his left foot hit the ground Without the step his power was almost cut in half The bones of his right hand popped and shattered

But then while he was being pushed back by the ball Paolo slammed his left foot downward The reverberation was filled with a destructive image that triggered DineshÆs Domain Tykes and Dinesh cracked again and appeared ten meters away

Kayle was standing between them when they materialized his arms spread wide Gotcha

Tykes yanked on the chain and spun around but Kayle already slipped under his guard His hand cut sideways inflicting a shallow gash on TykesÆ arm that spurted a crimson arc of blood up into the air On its own the gash was practically meaningless it was a flashy flesh wound that would heal in a second

But that spray of blood obstructed TykesÆ vision for a second So while Tykes was shifting to defend Dinesh he didnÆt see Paolo aiming for him

Paolo didnÆt need to strike at Dinesh directly He simply smashed into Tykes with such force that Tykes became his weapon crashing into Dinesh and sending them both bouncing across the arena floor They careened off the edge hitting the dirt ground and quickly scraping up a large pile of debris behind them

Randidly raised a finger and allowed the referee to feel the presence of the Grim Chimera The man had been about to declare the Donnyton duo the winner But their tournament didnÆt have a rule against being pushed out of the ring it was just typically only the loser would be forced out

But as a new image spread across the arena it was clear that Tykes and Dinesh werenÆt done quite yet

Even to RandidlyÆs eyes the surroundings blurred The arena disappeared Kayle and Paolo both marshaled their image to stop it but Dinesh was clever likely he had been allowing his mirrors to shatter for most of the match so he could embed small pieces of his image in the surroundings Now without time neither Paolo nor Kayle could stop him

Suddenly Paolo and Kayle were standing on the completely flat surface of a pool of water Below them was the perfect reflection of themselves The light of the sky warped until everything was illuminated in a golden sheen As they shifted their weight ripples spread outward from their feet

They glanced at each other then forward The noise of the audience had been completely cut off They stood in an isolated world that was an endless reflective lake

Across from them Tykes stood hefting his metal ball The air around him crackled and shivered as the sheer weight of his image destabilized the surrounding space Beneath him the image of Dinesh was reflected as the man perfectly mimicked and empowered TykesÆs image

They merged images Paolo whistled

A good opponent Kayle replied with a grin

Chapter 1461

Randidly studied the phenomenon of the merging images for several seconds It wasnÆt something that he had ever seen before not at this level Then he shifted his focus toward the Nether coming together in vast quantities due to the achievement part of the reason that Tykes could destabilize space with his image right now was the surging current of Nether beneath all of this There was a great deal of weight to Earth seeing this method of utilizing images for the first time

Randidly smiled rather innocently as he casually touched his woven Nether Yes it was definitely worth it to host this tournament

Then the combatants moved and he refocused on the match below

On that endless reflective surface the combined form of Dinesh and Tykes moved with brutal speed Each step flung them across a vast distance but the touch of its feet against the surface only released the smallest of reflections Tykes was a freight train of significance trailing distorted space like a freight train puffing out smoke

Paolo glanced at Kayle and then studied his wounded right hand DonÆt cut the image until IÆve had my chance to smash it to pieces

DonÆt just go smashing things until IÆve had my chance to cut Kayle replied with just as much charged excitement Then they both blurred into motion following an unspoken communication They split sideways as Tykes arrived and smashed his iron ball where they had just been standing Then they were pouncing back on each side of them

TheyÆve fought each other so much that their teamwork is uncanny Randidly observed

But both Kayle and PaoloÆs faces quickly twisted into a grimace as they moved to attack The waves of ambient image that their opponentÆs combination unleashed slowed down their movements The distorted space was thick and unpredictable When their movements impeded Tykes could simply spin around smashing Paolo backward and then raising his iron ball to crush Kayle directly

Kayle flexed his fingers Sever

Tykes twitched to the side and then ignored the blood spurting out of his bicep The image around them didnÆt even waver from the Skill Then Tykes flung his iron ball backward at Paolo who had just regained his feet and threw a punch at Kayle An electric shock seemed to run through KayleÆs body his eyes beginning to glow The sense of sharpness around him intensified to the point that his smile gleamed like a barred blade beneath the mon

But before Tykes completed the motion of his punch he abruptly became Dinesh His hand opened and he unleashed a burst of orange smoke that completely covered Kayle Then his body was Tykes once more and he simply slammed his hands against the ground Unlike the soft ripples that he had produced when he walked across the ground this slam generated a two meter tall wave that knocked the coughing Kayle away

Paolo slowed down in his advance at Tykes as the man turned slowly around to regard him The spatial distortions were growing more frequent TykesÆ body seemed to be constantly buzzing Grimacing Paolo flexed his right hand and slapped it with his left The bones ground against each other painfully but the strike knocked the knuckles back into place Heh you two have grown strong This is the Ghosthound halo huh

But your basic Skills lack bite Kayle heaved himself to his feet after finally recovering enough to cut the wave that was suppressing him There were strange orange spots on his face but he still grinned over at Tykes and Dinesh Your image is broad yes but even the small things deserve love and attention

Dinesh and Tykes didnÆt reply Two bodies mirrored across the surface simply glanced at the two of them while slowly pulling the metal ball back into Tykes’ hand Then they began to gather their Willpower as they adjusted the image in the surrounding area RandidlyÆs blinked and then began to laugh they were using Tykes’ sense of momentum to increase the difficulty of shattering DineshÆs control over the surrounding space No matter how long Paolo and Kayle stalled if they couldnÆt shake the effect now they likely wouldnÆt be able to do it at all

Fine then letÆs do this the hard way Paolo announced but it was clear from his expression that he was greatly looking forward to the experience Once more through an unspoken communication DonnytonÆs greatest rivals dashed for Tykes across the featureless reflective surface Each step left large ripples that clashed chaotically against each other

This time they didnÆt hold back on using their images at all Although Tykes and Dinesh continued to maintain the strange isolated world that didnÆt stop Kayle and Paolo from manifesting the power of their images in this place Once more KayleÆs body gradually disappeared as he began simply a manifestation of a life thirsting blade Paolo seemed to grow imperceptibly becoming larger than life as he rushed toward the conflict

Paolo smashed his fist downward and met the TykesÆ swing of the metal ball directly Even with the increase in size Tykes held a power advantage in this form and knocked the man backward

But then Kayle was there spinning like top garnished with butcherÆs knives The attacks inflicted small flesh wounds onto Tykes which were completely ignored It was only when Kayle adjusted his stance and unleashed a thrust that Tykes became Dinesh who then immediately became Tykes again as Paolo bounded forward with both hands above his head and smashing brutally downward

Tykes eyes didnÆt waver as he considered the two attacks heading toward him He let the iron ball fall to the side and spread his hands wide Endure

The bone of his left arm shattered with an audible crunch as he simply stood there and allowed PaoloÆs punch to brutalize his body KayleÆs palm drilled into his side probably eviscerating one of his kidneys

Tykes trembled then he was a completely fine Dinesh who flicked his fingers Reflect

KayleÆs arm snapped and blood began to gush from PaoloÆs side A wounded Tykes snapped back into existence in DineshÆs spot and raised his head to roar in pain Then he reached with his good arm and picked up the iron ball

Rather than seeming worried about the wounds Kayle and Paolo simply grew more focused They didnÆt slow at all as they moved in unison to strike again Kayle slashed and Paolo smashed Tykes Endured the slash and brought his iron ball whipping upward to smash Paolo backward

Then ignoring KayleÆs continuing barrage of attacks Tykes pursued Paolo Paolo flipped up to his feet and settled into a fighting stance Then he took a sharp step forward and shifted his weight Haymaker

Tykes took the strike to the jaw without blinking and a millisecond after impact Dinesh was there once more Reflect

Kayle grunted and spewed blood behind the fighting as he endured the force of PaoloÆs punch Then Tykes was back and he brought his left arm around to strike PaoloÆs cheek with a backhand blow Paolo barely even stumbled His eyes were bright and focused as he whipped his head back around and grinned at Tykes Maybe against someone else this would have worked Æ

After spitting out another mouthful of blood Kayle straightened and nodded but no one has taken each otherÆs blows more than us Do you think you can last long enough for this damage to matter Sever

This time KayleÆs image flared powerfully to life Their continued sparring in the area had helped acclimate them to DineshÆs reflected world So before Tykes could dodge he staggered and then fell to one knee as Kayle tore open his back like it was a colorfully wrapped package on Christmas morning

Paolo didnÆt bother with small strikes with this opening he simply lowered his shoulder and tackled Tykes But to his surprise when he hit Tykes he sluggishly moved through the destabilized space and then rebounded In terms of weight the energy holding the surrounding image in place was completely based in Tykes’ body Even PaoloÆs image couldnÆt compete directly with its heaviness

Tykes didnÆt miss this moment of surprise His arms snapped out and seized the stunned PaoloÆs head and brought the brawler back for a brutal headbutt The strike was so sudden and vicious that Paolo’s hands subconsciously loosened on the practically useless long knives that he held

After their heads cracked together the first time Tykes pushed Paolo back and then pulled him back in for a second blow But PaoloÆs hands whipped forward He dropped the daggers and caught Tykes’ head with his own hands the two straining against each other in a bloody embrace

Heh thatÆs my win Kayle gloated with genuine cheer

I just dropped them coincidentally Paolo hissed through his gritted teeth IÆll pick them back up

Too late the winner was decided Kayle remarked When he raised his hands he was holding a long knife in each hand Endless Quick Slashes

In a way KayleÆs Skill resembled raindrops Rather than being able to view a single one you could only be aware of the raindrops by letting the focus of your gaze recede and by taking in the unending torrent that Kayle unleashed It was a force of nature that gradually overwhelmed the destabilized space and struck at TykesÆ flesh

While held in a strained embrace with Paolo Tykes could only ignore the wounds as Quick Slash after Quick Slash carved off the flesh and muscle of his body and left his bone bare to the air Even Randidly couldnÆt help but wrinkle his nose as he looked down at the gore of the fight below Chunks of viscera seemed to fan outward as Kayle continued to accelerate in his rhythm

Then between strikes Tykes became Dinesh and glanced over his shoulder Reflect

PaoloÆs back exploded like someone had buried a grenade there and then pulled out the pin But also in that split second Paolo exploded with force once more While Tykes was his equal in Strength Dinesh was nowhere close to being able to slow him down

This time Dinesh was on the losing end of a domineering headbutt Their skulls connected The surrounding image shook Kayle ceased his Endless Quick Slashes and stabbed forward his long knife slid into DineshÆs side but suddenly Dinesh was Tykes again

Before Kayle could respond Tykes slammed his fist against KayleÆs face in a brutally quick left straight

Kayle crashed against the far wall of the arena but Dinesh also was unable to maintain the image Once more they were back on the marble platform and the roars of approval from the crowd were deafening

Ha You knocked him out Paolo said as he stood At first he swayed but then he raised his hands The crowd’s volume seemed to be rapidly healing all the damage he had taken Thanks for that

Tykes looked down at Dinesh who was pressing his hands to his side to stem the blood from the wound Kayle inflicted Even now Tykes could sense KayleÆs image remaining in the wound and continuing to tear into DineshÆs body He glanced over in the direction he knocked Kayle then looked back up at Paolo Although one of each of their duos was knocked out with the roars of the crowd PaoloÆs image

Paolo licked his lips But now its time I pay you back that headbutt earlier with interest

Chapter 1462

In the end Tykes had endured too much without inflicting much damage on Paolo Although both he and Paolo had been marred by KayleÆs slashes what the Donnyton duo had said earlier was accurate no one could endure each otherÆs blows as well as they could In terms of practice none could even come close

Now that the duo had shed the pretense of using each other’s weapons they were truly standing near the pinnacle of Earth

That combined with the way that PaoloÆs image was strengthened by the crowd’s cheers meant that Tykes was eventually crushed into the marble beneath PaoloÆs foot The crowd went wild and PaoloÆs image turned practically blinding under the influence of the approval and triumph The first ticket to the finals of the duoÆs tournament had been sold paid for in blood

Randidly glanced down at Tykes and Dinesh as the two helped each other off the arena Neither of you are totally there quite yet your image is too vague If you find your truth your combination likely wonÆt lose next time

Then Randidly felt a headache coming on It would probably be good to encourage these sorts of tournaments to happen every year or so or maybe like every other year to demonstrate weaknesses like this Something like the System version of the Olympics but picturing TatianaÆs face as I suggest that she arrange it

Shaking his head Randidly set those thoughts aside Likely he wasnÆt the only person who was interested in continuing to host such tournaments on Earth In addition he would likely say a few words when the final winner was determined He could plant the seed of the idea in the populace then purple black Revelation energy flared to life at the corners of his eyes as he considered those options

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 325

Very quickly he allowed that energy to fade those concerns could wait for now After finally producing a weave of Nether that he was satisfied with Randidly reeled in the finished product to inspect the result The Nether Nebula in his chest spun in a clockwise direction pulling all the weight and significance into his core

Gradually Randidly began to smile Truly IÆm glad I decided to host this tournament

ItÆs time AlanaÆs eyes flicked open She picked up a glass of water and took a long sip Then she walked to the door and out into the hallway It was time for her match it was time to see how much Hank Howard had grown

But Alana frowned as she stepped into the dimly lit hallway from the waiting room to the participantÆs entrance and saw that someone was waiting there for her Are you unsatisfied

Lucifer folded his arms across his chest and studied Alana closely Yes Which is why IÆm here to ask you the same question that I asked you before Do you intend to win everything

Tilting her head to the side Alana considered the well muscled man in front of her His image was certainly strong but part of that strength was simplicity It was easy for her to read his emotions from it After following the web she sighed Your pride is certainly important to you huh

I would be greatly reassured if you would just tell me that you mean to win it all Losing to the eventual champion would have been my honor Lucifer spoke quietly seeming to become a part of the shadowy corridor that would lead Alana to the arena The only portion of him that had any presence was his piercing gaze as he weighed her

IÆll give him this at least heÆs earnest Alana eventually decided

And now that she thought about it this was probably the most words he had ever spoken to her When she continued to contemplate this strange behavior Lucifer then spoke again IÆll also say this Hank Howard is not a man you can defeat without craving victory Do not let your image embarrass you

You sound a bit obscene when you speak of victory Lucifer Alana said lightly as she stepped passed him But she patted him lightly on his shoulder before she starting walking at a brisk pace toward the end of the hall Already she could feel the cheers of the crowd through the soles of her feet the entire building was rumbling with their excitement But I will win DonÆt you worry about that

Due to her height and impressive wingspan Wivanya could only wait for Alana in an antechamber right before the open air of the arena But because of their connection she was looking at Alana with interest after her interaction with Lucifer So this match isnÆt just training We mean to win

Alana shot a sour glance at her companion and Wivanya snorted out two bouts of air that produced large patches of frost on the nearby stone wall Rolling her shoulders Alana produced her spear from her interspatial ring and inspected it closely She rubbed the blade with her thumb and then flicked it it hummed perfectly We always meant to win but yes This is a match we should win

You have finally agreed we must rename the world Ghostworld WivanyaÆs tail flicked back and forth in her excitement

Alana could only roll her eyes and pat the scales of WivanyaÆs neck I still donÆt think thatÆs the name we should choose But Lucifer has a point Just because so much of my new image is based on Randidly doesnÆt mean I should be embarrassed It itÆs a demonstration That there are various types of images that are possible I have a responsibility

You are blushing Wivanya teased blowing a small amount of freezing air on the back of AlanaÆs neck Alana punched the dragon in the chest with a good deal of force and then walked haughtily away from the chortling lizard The rumbling grew louder Soon the duo began to near the light at the end of the tunnel

When they finally walked out into the daylight Wivanya spread her wings wide after being cramped for so long in the tunnel and the crowd went wild Stretched out WivanyaÆs wingspan was almost twenty meters long Meanwhile Alana looked across at Hank who was already passing AnchoÆs reins to the referee When he spotted her he grinned and said something that was lost in the noise of the crowd

But Alana knew him too well Even if she hadnÆt been able to read his lips she could guess what he was saying ItÆs a good day for a duel

Your enthusiasm is your greatest virtue Hank Alana reflected She wondered if he knew it Then she continued forward to the raised marble platform After they moved into their positions opposite each other on the arena the crowd gradually quieted down The referee looked back and forth Are both sides ready

Wivanya snorted Alana nodded Hank smiled and flexed his fingers Ancho whinnied and sniffed at the refereeÆs pockets for snacks

Ignoring the horse the referee raised his hand The let the second semi final match of the duos tournament begin

Alana raised her spear and released her tight control over her image Orange golden flames flickered to life along her limbs She flexed her hand and a winged helmet grew on top of her head But it was Wivanya who took the first step forward The Frostdragon Broodmother raised her head and roared Her frigid image exploded outward to seep into the surrounding air and drag down the temperature The heavy grey clouds that were already hanging above the arena darkened From the look of them it would only be a short amount of time until it began to snow

Hank just chuckled and drew his repeater Rather casually he spun the gun in his hand and popped out the magazine After flicking away a minuscule speck of dust he snapped the clip back into place and raised the gun to point at Alana

Alana boldly stood in position and slashed the bullet out of the air with the head of her spear HankÆs homemade bullets were quite strong but Alana was just as overwhelming Besides that bullet hadnÆt contained much of his image at all In old style westerns the first bullet was never the one that would finish the bad guy It wasnÆt until the end of the fight that the gunslinger could make the perfect shot that turned everything around

In a way your image makes you predictable

Alana casually strolled forward There was no need to rush right now As someone who had traveled and fought quite a bit with Hank Howard she was quite familiar with his strengths and weaknesses Which was why she felt confident that she and Wivanya would be able to defeat him even before she had made a decision regarding her image Now that she had finally decided to put everything on the line To put it bluntly there were two methods to defeat the man and Alana and Wivanya possessed both

As Alana walked forward Wivanya rose into the air and unleashed a blast of sleet and ice from her fanged maw Hank flashed a grin and Dodge Rolled to the side so fast that he briefly seemed to vanish It was almost impossible for a human eye to follow as his body hunched over and tumbled But then he was suddenly back on his feet unleashing a barrage of bullets up toward Wivanya

Most of them deflected harmlessly off the thickening layer of ice on WivanyaÆs body but one happened to strike the soft tissue at the corner of her left eye as she hovered in the air Wivanya roared in fury and flapped her wings with a few powerful wingbeats her bulk was suddenly propelled forward with powerful winds gathering behind her

The cold of WivanyaÆs image began to clash very directly with the subtle touch of Hank HowardÆs image Steam hissed off of WivanyaÆs body Despite the fact that the Wild West could accept cold at night the days were hot and dry In this way it was surprisingly delicate

Alana walked forward with her spear raised watching the interaction Attacking the image directly was the first way that Wivanya could defeat Hank After all he was just a man He had invested quite a few Stat points into his precious Focus but even he had limits If you could push Hank toward exhaustion his razor sharp Focus would naturally decline He would miss the opportunity to take a shot to turn everything around

Images that clashed directly with HankÆs like WivanyaÆs chill were rather rare If they pushed it they could use this opportunity to take him down

As the dragon continued to glide forward a veritable blizzard formed around Wivanya Although you could barely see the tips of her wings peeking out of the white maelstrom the rest was screened by ice and wind The result took up about a tenth of the massive marble arena likely blocking the vision of quite a few people in the audience Despite the fact that such a monster was bearing down on him Hank didnÆt panic at all He spun his repeater and then holstered it With light fingers he pulled out his revolver

AlanaÆs eyes narrowed Of course exhausting Hank was a slow game And the man had survived for this long in the System governed world so it was clear that he possessed plenty of tricks The process would not be as easy as it seemed There was of course a more reliable way to defeat Hank Howard Her fingers on her spear tightened and the orange golden flames grew higher

Crippling Shot Hank announced His revolver bucked and a piercing bullet ripped forward and blew a hole in WivanyaÆs blizzard Alana didnÆt need her high Perception to know that the bullet would impact WivanyaÆs wing joint Even with the dragonÆs high Physical Defense Stats that bullet would do significant damage

In the short term further flying would be almost impossible

A split second later Wivanya roared and the blizzard crashed into the ground a good twenty meters short of Hank Ice snaked outward in deadly slashes but the man Dodge RollÆd again and drew his repeater to fire a dozen shots in quick succession Wivanya responded with a blast of ice that Hank continued to duck and weave between When he ran out of bullets in his first clip he professionally ejected the empty and snapped another into place

Above them the sky was perfectly split as HankÆs insidious Wild West image caused the sun to peek through the clouds Opposite that bashful sun the grey clouds continued to darken toward a snowstorm

Gradually Alana began to spin her spear as she walked Hank HowardÆs image was undoubtedly strong and served as a way to emphasize HankÆs capability But its hardiness and constant spread came at a cost it didnÆt really attack the opponentÆs image HankÆs victory was premised on the fact that when all the chips were down his best was better than yours

So the second method to beat Hank was simple just overpower him directly

Alana raised her spear The wings on her helmet shivered and then began to grow The feathers transformed into a pearlescent white The First Book of Revelations Advance

Chapter 1463

The First Book of Revelations Advance

Hank rolled backward and popped up on his feet to avoid another blast of ice but inwardly he was sighing Already the composition of images in the surrounding area was shifting a heavyweight had finally bared her fangs IÆd hoped Alana woulda waited just a mite longer Ah well This way is more fun

His gaze slid sideways to the radiant form of Alana Donal crossing the arena Two wings as long as he was tall beat elegantly as she gliding toward him shedding ivory feathers that tumbled artistically through the air around her In her wake Alana also released a wave of orange gold fire that rapidly spread her imageÆs influence And both his and WivanyaÆs image were rapidly giving ground to Alana In terms of image potency Hank hadnÆt yet been forced to face something as overwhelming as her pseudo holiness in the whole of the tournament

A good day for a duel Hank thought with a smile sparing one more glance up toward the chaotic sky above the arena Then he drew his revolver popped the cylinder out and carefully inserted an extremely special bullet that he had made for just this occasion

With a whispered prayer he spun the cylinder and then snapped it back into place with a flick of his wrist He sidestepped another gout of frost as the Frost Dragon began to heave her body across the ground toward him and then aimed his revolver through the inclement elements toward the glorious charge of Alana Donal Stopping her here was important

Once Alana Donal caught the scent of your weakness she would pursue relentlessly

The bullet blasted a hole directly through the ice and wind Wivanya produced and arrived in front of Alana Donal The woman didnÆt even blink Hank was somewhat aggrieved to see that Alana had already planted her front foot and settled into a steady stance with her spear raised as he had aimed at her she had predicted his move perfectly But even so that bullet wasnÆt something that could be easily

Sunstrike Alana called It was difficult to tell whether the glorious light of the sun arrived or the spear blurred into motion first but Alana seemed to be suddenly standing at the center of a world of pure light Like a black hole pressing on the fabric of space everything in the surrounding was being inexorably pulled into her gravitational influence Her intent hung in the air with her words pure and clear

Spear met bullet in a brilliant kaleidoscope of light AlanaÆs image might be quite flashy but part of that sense of flashÆ was just the natural side effect of the obvious strength of her image It commanded attention like a lighthouse pulled in ships on stormy nights In that meeting of spear and bullet Hank felt AlanaÆs image continue to increase in intensity At AlanaÆs core was a religious veneration that informed every decision she had made since encountering Randidly Ghosthound There was no hesitation in her strike

And in exchange for that revenant loyalty Alana had followed a Path directly toward great power Looking at the light that Alana could produce with her bread and butter attack Skill even Hank felt a certain amount of awe for her determination and commitment He wondered how often she had practiced exactly this Skill in the past preparing for the day she might use that attack to cut a bullet out of the air

in summary HankÆs bullet and the image contained therein were summarily annihilated It was the same sort of execution that informed an uneasy populace that it would be no trouble for their despot leader to render them helpless again if need be This was just business

YouÆve gotta be fucking kidding me Hank muttered He considered trying another shot because he had prepared three bullets of increasing power to play into the natural narrative of his image but Wivanya was surging toward him He leapt backward creating some distance from those frosted claws and glanced over toward Ancho Ah buddy I need to borrow your image for a bit

Ancho huffed in dissatisfaction Hank winced as he rolled underneath a blast of frost that passed so close to his face he had to suppress the urge to sneeze Then he looked imploringly at his horse Look I know ya are hungry but right now we are fightinÆ I promise after taÆ fight IÆll getcha plenty of grub

To that Ancho snickered

HankÆs face turned red Alana sped past the wrathful Wivanya and approached him with her spear raised What do ya mean the fastest way ta end the match is for me to lose

But then Alana was before him and Hank couldnÆt spare any more attention for his unpredictable partner He cleanly drew his repeater but had to pause in the draw motion because AlanaÆs spear swept sideways through the space where his repeater would have been to perfectly unleash a barrage of bullets toward her position The only reason that the gun wasnÆt knocked out of his hand was that he had paused HankÆs eyes narrowed SheÆs faster than IÆve ever seen her

To avoid the cleansingÆ aspect of the holy light that Alana released which might just cleanse the flesh right from his bones if he was exposed for too long Hank leaned backward and launched himself into a back handspring As he flipped backward he caught himself on the ground with his left hand and raised his right to fire while performing a handstand but Alana was still moving too quickly for him to get a good shot Hank could only tuck his knees down hit the ground and then roll explosively to the side

Going to dodge all day Hank Alana said quietly Solar Flare

Her already overwhelming speed increased even further The flames that danced across her limbs surged Hank grimaced and accepted a shallow gash across his shoulder in order to avoid an even more brutal thrust toward his thigh Alana whipped the butt of her spear around and Hank narrowed avoided a shattered jaw

He finally brought his repeater up and unleashed several quick shots but her body blurred at the edges and the two lifelike wings that extended from her helmet stretched downward to swat the bullets away Not to be dissuaded Hank fired six more shots While her flames devoured most of the projectiles he did force her to flick her head from side to side in order to avoid the final two bullets

It was to put it simply an unfair comparison of their base specs And while she effortlessly squashed his counter attacks she continued to advance toward him

Of course Hank could feel his image slowly gaining traction in the surrounding space The pressure from AlanaÆs image greatly increased the speed of its spread Gradually the chill of Wivanya was being pushed back by the whistling austere beauty of the Wild West He was settling into the track of the plucky underdog Yet as Hank sidestepped an ice blast and blocked a kick that was crackling with holy energy he didnÆt feel optimistic about his chances

Alana whipped her spear around and thrust toward his stomach Hank fired several bullets at her waist to slow her down but she ignored the attacks The bullet struck her but only produced the smallest spurts of blood from the wounds His image didnÆt even manage to inconvenience her AlanaÆs ability to ignore outside influences was positively unfair

Her decisive lack of response to his attacks meant that Hank had to bring the butt of his pistol down to knock aside her spear thrust The skin of his hand sizzled and burned from the strange radiation of AlanaÆs image as the golden flames licked greedily upward but Hank was able to spin away without taking serious damage

Except then he found himself looking at the narrowed sapphire eyes of a three meter tall dragon It was a frozen moment that Hank knew would end as soon as he blinked or reacted to WivanyaÆs ambush Yet he wanted to remain in that strained piece of stretched time for as long as possible Because as the odds were stacked against him

As quick as lightning splitting an old oak Hank drew his revolver popped open the cylinder slid in a specialty bullet then popped the cylinder back into place As a dragon claw with all the fury of winter was howling toward him Hank pointed his gun toward the ground and fired The special bullet blasted him quickly upward about ten meters before he began to slow

He switched to his repeater and then cursed as he twisted midair and had to deflect another of AlanaÆs thrusts with the barrel of his gun Hank lashed out with his leg but Alana somehow managed to duck under the attack while midair and continue her preternatural rush toward him He aimed with the repeater but she was already too close

Hoping to seize the initiative Hank twisted and brought his knee upward in a brutal attack toward AlanaÆs forehead But she casually slapped his attack aside with her off hand dispersing his force Then her spear snaked forward and ripped a hole along HankÆs armpit Golden flames raced along her spear to spread to HankÆs body as they locked eyes The Second Revelation Struggle

What followed was a chaotic mess of split second decisions as AlanaÆs methodical thrusts inflicted increasing amounts of damage while Hank struggled to keep up HankÆs left shoulder was almost completely shredded and at least two of his ribs were shattered He felt something trickling down between his shoulder blades and couldnÆt tell if it was blood or sweat

In the meantime his image was rapidly gaining traction in the surrounding space the clouds had truly parted and allowed the sun to shine down on the match But the small accumulation of advantages simply wasnÆt enough to keep up with AlanaÆs efficient spear strikes

Even worse Hank could feel some vital energy in his chest being rapidly depleted as he stayed within the halo of light that Alana produced He had broken away before the flames spread directly to his body but they continued to damage him The holiness about her person was a spiritual poison that seeped into his mind Against the purity and grace that she displayed it was difficult to muster up the will to resist

Yet somehow HankÆs smile just kept widening Ya jus like this If Alana werenÆt like this

Eventually Hank managed to get himself smashed down into the marble of the arena rather than skewered He left a bloody stain on the ground As he staggered to his feet he cast a meaningful glance over at Ancho Due to the small distraction he was completely blindsided by a blast of frost that knocked him off of his feet

Ancho snickered clearly broadcasting his thoughts See Almost over

If we win you can have the trophy Hank muttered as he smacked his palm against his arms to restore feeling in the limbs God but his left shoulder ached every time he moved But he couldnÆt afford to remain still So he slid a new magazine into his repeater to pepper Wivanya with bullets The dragon surged forward with hatred in its eyes thankfully screening AlanaÆs vision of Hank as she drifted casually downward In that opportunity he Dodge RollÆd several times in quick succession to keep Alana from locking onto him in the short term

Ancho soft brown eyes displayed complete apathy for a humanÆs obsession with status The trophy was worthless to him Inwardly Hank was becoming very annoyed You can sell it I reckon The trophy For as many apples and sugar cubes as ya want

Ancho considered this chewing thoughtfully on the corner of the refereeÆs uniform even while snow began to fall chaotically over the arena Although Hank was moving with more vigor than he had been at the beginning of the match due to the growing momentum of his image he was still clipped by a large icicle that Wivanya launched out at him Hank swayed from the glancing impact but was ultimately able to stay on his feet Blood dribbled out of a half dozen wounds inflicted on him by AlanaÆs brutal assault

IÆm barely standinÆ bud Hank drawled with false humor At which point Ancho finally huffed in defeat and gave his permission

Eternal Companion Hank whispered even as Wivanya spread her wings wide and screeched The gains Hank had made in the sky were gradually forced back and snow fell more heavily in the surrounding area But Hank felt some warmth returning to his extremities From the distance the sound of hoofs reached his ear with the reassuring staccato of rain on a tin roof

Wivanya surged forward with an increasingly dense aura of chilling air around her forcing Hank to roll sideways and rip open the wounds his body was dutifully knitting together When the first strike missed Wivanya narrowed her eyes and conjured a half dozen ice spears that pierced the ground around Hank and hemmed him into a small area But at the same time a shadowy figure reached the edge of the arena

Hank honestly hadnÆt realized how much he had needed a horse until he saw one fleeing in panic from a giant grasshopper Something clicked instantly in his mind Because the monster was only Level 28 Hank had finished it in a single bullet and cautiously approached the horse That was how he met Ancho

But ultimately Ancho was just a normal horse even if Hank had his suspicions about that based on how expressive Ancho was So he couldnÆt actually play any role in a serious battle of HankÆs But really Ancho didnÆt need to he just needed to spend time with Hank exposing him to the details and meaning that could only be gathered slowly through observation

With enough time and dedication Hank could create for himself a companion with all the life and character of the real horse

minus a few superfluous personality traits of course

Once it leapt up onto the raised platform AnchoÆs shadow clone reared up and released a clarion neigh that attracted everyoneÆs attention Everyone but Ancho who buried his head against the refereeÆs back as his image equivalent bared himself before so many humans

Too late to save you now Wivanya hissed but no sooner had shadow Ancho landed back on all four hooves than it stepped forward and was right next to Hank As an image especially as an image within an area with the heavy presence of HankÆs image space was not a serious problem Hank swung up into the saddle and they stepped again escaping from the frigid encirclement And when they crossed the distance to the far side of the arena Hank had his revolver ready with the second powerful bullet in the chamber

It had been far too long since he had seen Alana Perhaps it had only been fifteen seconds but after her initial blitz it made him extremely wary

Yet as Hank scanned the arena seething with mist and falling snow as WivanyaÆs Skills affected a wider and wider area he couldnÆt find Alana or her tell tale orange flames Somehow this absence did not make him feel better His narrative instincts made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end something was about to happen

But in the meantime Wivanya beat her wings tentatively testing the earlier wound that Hank had inflicted Air churned around the dragon like she stood at the center of a wheel and the frigid currents around were spokes The swirling pillars of mist seemed capable of grinding Hank to dust if he allowed the dragon to draw too near to him The shadow horse beneath Hank shook out its mane loosening some frost that had began to form Hank frowned around but didnÆt yet move as Wivanya shuddered forward He just casually raised his revolver

He couldnÆt keep this up for long Relying on the image version of Ancho vastly increased his ability to respond to threats but it also increased the strain on HankÆs mind And although he considered himself one of the most determined individuals on Earth the combination of Alana and Wivanya had constantly dogged him and made the first few minutes of the match feel like hours He needed an opportunity but Hank couldnÆt win if his precious bullets were used on Wivanya

The Frost Dragon Broodmother was the perfect distraction that would eventually freeze his remaining strength from his bones Due to high Physical Defense Stats Hank couldnÆt easily put her out of commission If Alana truly committed to that path to victory she could simply sit back and wait until Hank made a fatal error to strike

Of course if Alana was the type to sit back and wait Hank wouldnÆt be under such pressure right now

His eyes flicked downward at the marble underneath his feet In the brief moment when his eyes landed on the marble that was swiftly turning red and bubbling the image horse underneath him was blurring away from the spot But even with the impossible quickness of the image Alana drilled out of the ground wreathed in that dangerous orange golden fire faster than he could escape The tongues of flame produced a harsh light that struck directly onto HankÆs psyche The flames snaked outward seeking to incinerate both his image and his flesh

The second most powerful bullet that Hank had prepared for this match cut through the flames but was soon hollowed of its image by the heat and then melted to a superheated raindrop It splattered harmlessly on the ground barely buying Hank a split second of reprieve from the flames But it was enough for him to open up some distance

The ghost Ancho wheeled around and whinnied in complaint Hank lowered his revolver and fed the final bullet he had prepared into the cylinder His palms were sweaty and tingling as he raised the gun His image continued to frantically strengthen its influence in the surrounding area but it continued to shrink away beneath the light that Alana produced His image flared and strained with all the tragic huffing of a childrenÆs floatie being inflated while an adult sat on it

Not that he could blame his image much for being restrained even Hank could only keep one eye open as he aimed The light that Alana was overwhelming Ya never keep me waitinÆ ThatÆs what I like about ya Alana

Surrender Hank This is your last chance Alana replied softly Her enormous snowy wings beat softly sending a few stray feathers fluttering downward Those feathers settled on the molten tunnel that Alana had burned through the ground largely extinguishing any admiration Hank could feel for the featherÆs beauty They were practically weapons with enough tensile strength to smack away his empowered Mana Bullets

Hank allowed all thoughts of his image to fade away Or rather in a way he had stumbled across by watching the Ghosthound Hank became the best example of his image He didnÆt need to will them into existence he simply was the image made real He breathed in slowly then breathed out He wiped his left hand against his jeans while keeping his gun trained on Alana Nah We both know that ainÆt how this ends

The marble hissed as Alana drifted downward and settled onto the ground Her flaming boots gradually caused the extremely valuable stone to bubble beneath her feet IÆm honestly survived you survived the Second Revelation I didnÆt expect it

How many Revelations are there Hank asked casually But it was a distraction His right pointer finger twitched imperceptibly Alana blurred into motion as though she had known the shot was coming She probably had

BANG

This bullet was different from all the others Hank had prepared it precisely thinking of this moment To combat that inviolable self righteous holiness of AlanaÆs image it was filled with an image of the profane Even if an image like that wasnÆt HankÆs strong suit it was enough to slow the insidious radiation of her flames and strike a serious blow with the refined bullet within the brass casing

In a way I knew it would come ta this too Hank thought In a smooth motion AlanaÆs spearhead flashed forward riding a wave of golden flames Compared to that power his bullet was so small And as fer what happens now

The Third Revelation Anguish

Later when it had been determined that Paolo and Kayle would be facing Alana and Wivanya in the final match of the tournament Randidly and Tatiana had a dinner of stir fry together underneath the stars After the food was consumed by RandidlyÆs endless appetite Tatiana folded her hands in her lap She lightly cleared her throat Not to pry but I can sense your feelings have been complex since the match If you donÆt feel that AlanaÆs image is appropriately distant from your own enough to be the victorious one

Ha No itÆs not that Randidly waved his hand but that just made Tatiana more troubled For the first time in a long time she was having a difficult time intuiting what he was thinking as he sat and looked up at the moon Honestly itÆs fine It might be accurate to say IÆm struggling a bit with vanity

At least with that Tatiana knew her role She remained silent and waited for Randidly to continue The heavy grey clouds continued to drift across the sky seeming to tease that they would soon shroud the moon but never daring to actually impede RandidlyÆs gaze

Eventually Randidly did continue Her image is based on my shape It is premised on a gaze that has followed me for a long time filled with worship Due to that history due to the detail with which she has viewed me it is powerful It captures the right notes The shape is totally present

Then Tatiana saw what had Randidly in such a strange mood but even if it looks like you itÆs almost surprising how much it isnÆt you

Randidly nodded It misses all the important things The image is me but itÆs not mine Does that make sense

Slowly Tatiana nodded in return She was a fan first I think Of Randidly Ghosthound And it is very difficult for fans to look at their idols with empathy for their troubles They only see the bright spots and the glory

Chapter 1464

Hmph this tournament has just become a giant advertisement for Donnyton LiamÆs mouth twisted in dissatisfaction The group around him didnÆt respond overtly to his obvious emotional state having learned that it was best to just leave him to his rants Helio Undunes stood at the stove continuing to make minute adjustments to the temperature to achieve the ideal level of crispiness in his breakfast hash It was unfortunately an action that was so natural for him that it provided no distraction at all You know I wouldnÆt be surprised if the whole thing was rigged

Cleary displayed her trademark sneer and leaned forward Really All rigged Well which amongst the top 16 do you think you would have stood a chance against These people could all wipe the floor with you

Those Huangs didnÆt seem so tough Liam glowered across the table at Cleary Although he felt like it was somewhat of a betrayal to his pursuit of cooking perfection Helio began to hurry the completion of the food the four gamblers were always more touchy before they had eaten

It was the day after the semi final matches the first of a two day break before the final between Paolo and Kayle and Alana and Wivanya Generally no one dared directly find fault like Liam with the Order Ducis for how things turned out but there was some general dissatisfaction that both duos were originally from Donnyton

As for Helio he found the result rather natural Donnyton had created a competitive fighting ladder that had persisted successfully for several years From what he understood Donnyton had taken upon itself the role of clearing out Raid Bosses before the Orders were officially founded Of course that experience would mean its warriors were stronger

They might not have had much of an advantage when it came to images but their foundation was much stronger than any other area

But aside from that small emotional hiccup the mood for the tournament was still high Everyone crowded into the bars and restaurants announcing boldly to anyone who would listen that they had been inspired by watching someone else fight Soon their image would be powerful enough to have made it farther in the tournament finally proving their natural talent Helio glanced sideways at the foursome of Liam Cleary Evater and Ning sitting in his restaurant as he began to cut off large slices of his hash to serve

unfortunately Evater was one of those inspiredÆ people

Listen Evater said with a confident smile as he spread his hands out placatingly toward both Liam and Cleary LetÆs not forget that the audience has been the true winners here right And also didnÆt we all bet on these two making the final when the bracket was released Significant amounts So none of us are wanting for money CanÆt we just accept this as a victory

The outcome was obvious Cleary mumbled Liam nodded in agreement although the look on his face remained sour The two didnÆt look at each other Before anyone could speak again and break the fragile peace Helio was there laying a plate in front of each of them Without comment they began to eat

Helio returned to the grill and began to scrape off grease He had obtained the Cleanse Skill in his early days but had never bothered to use it on cooking implements It simply felt more natural to do it manually

For about five minutes the peace in the shop was maintained But of course it was a short lived peace Evater quickly had cleared his plate and rubbed his large hands together as he considered his companions Have yÆall heard about Zone 1 Apparently it is trying very hard to recruit the unaffiliated duos that got farther in the tournament They already have their eyes set on the next prize

Will there be another tournament Cleary asked in confusion

Liam snorted and folded his arms Still holding a grudge he wouldnÆt miss this chance to mock her Can you imagine how much money the Orchard must be making from hosting this Not just as a city but so many different groups came to trade their wares IÆm sure the economic benefits will keep the Orchard booming for at least a year Plus everyone wants to spot and poach talent So IÆm sure the Zones will push for it

But I think I remember reading something about how the hosts of big tournaments like this usually lose money Cleary frowned

To everyoneÆs surprise Ning spoke up ThatÆs different

Why is it different Cleary asked as her face creased even further in confusion Ning simply lifted her lemonade to her mouth and took a long sip draining the cup dry Evater and Liam exchanged a glance Helio moved out from behind the grill with a pitcher of lemonade for Ning

Seeing that the waspish Cleary was becoming agitated at the lack of answer Helio hesitated and then decided to speak while he was refilling NingÆs drink the difference between our current situation and something like the Olympics which is what you probably read about is twofold One the price of construction both labor and quality materials is probably only a tenth of what it was in pre System days Projects can be finished quickly The shorter duration of construction means delays wonÆt cascade into larger problems that end up being the hidden costs of hosting a large tournament And the second reason is that New Earth has so much space a lot of the old costs were related to updating existing infrastructure while also accommodating the several million high populations that were already present Here you can move a mile or two in most directions and find open land to construct a stadium

Helio returned to the grill and resumed his cleaning Liam blinked Damnit Helio you are truly wasted here Well actually nevermind your food is life changing So yea the Zones will push for tournaments in the future Maybe the defunct World Council can finally do something useful but aside from that did you hear KharonÆs announcement They will be visiting Ifrenne at the end of the month and the ogre city at the base of the Nordawn Mountains in two months They finally arenÆt just wandering around anymore

A good choice Ning announced Then she took another long drink of her lemonade Helio paused briefly with the grease brush waiting to see if she made the slurping sound that indicated she wanted a refill Thankfully she didnÆt finish the drink all in one go He resumed his determined scrubbing

People will go to those cities around those times just because Kharon is there Evater looked down at his hands with an intense expression Then he clenched his hands and spoke with a confidence that made him sound like a fool Heh people are naturally drawn to strength And at the head of Kharon is Randidly Ghosthound the most powerful image user on Earth

How can Kharon visit Ifrenne Cleary asked She pushed a few remnants of her hash around the plate with a fork and then looked around at the group It has legs right But the sea is pretty deep wonÆt it sink

The table considered that Even Helio couldnÆt help but picture Kharon slowly sinking into the sea as the ocean floor dropped away beneath it Somehow he doubted that it would end up being a problem

well anyway I think Cleary raises another good point Liam announced Is Randidly Ghosthound really that much stronger than we have seen All the people in the top 8 were Legends And Alana clearly demonstrated that she might be in another tier of strength above that how much stronger can the Ghosthound really be HeÆs just been sitting around while these people are fighting

And if I can have this much insight just from watching Evater muttered mysteriously as he looked down at his own clenched fist Helio wondered if the man was developing some sort of delusion about himself He hoped someone else would notice and say something I can only imagine the gains that the fighters have made Engaging in such struggles would fuel quite a bit of growth

shouldnÆt the winner just challenge him Cleary asked the group Everyone hummed to themselves considering this

Commissioner Arrietti felt his breath wheezing out through his swollen and bloody lips Helen stood above him in the training arena shaking her head You are quick That first movement you can take is explosive and almost absolute But you need to capitalize on that opportunity DonÆt you have any attacking Skills worth a damn

Licking his lips Arrietti considered the question Due to HelenÆs relaxed posture he considered it acceptable for him to push himself out of the small crater that currently served as his resting place His body creaked as he straightened His muscles were bruised and sore Ah I mean I do but compared to your Skills

Helen patted AriettiÆs shoulder Yes well I suppose you had the unfortunate handicap of being born on this Earth Aside from Randidly well the rest of you donÆt seem to have much of a desire to strike with deadly intent It makes your attacks flimsy

Commissioner Arrietti felt his heart bubbling with helpless despair but then the door to the training arena opened His expression immediately brightened Although it wouldnÆt solve his current emotional desolation it would certainly make him feel better to watch another person struggle underneath HelenÆs brutal standards IÆll reflect on this But it looks like someone else

Oh Helen this is where you were Mrs Hamilton said walking forward with a smile on her face She gestured to the two people following behind her Have you met the Huangs Li has been struggling to recapture the feeling of his image and I was hoping you would help by applying some pressure to him DonÆt bother to pull your punches normal methods havenÆt been working

Huang Li bowed Miss Helen I have heard much about you I hope you can please give me some guidance in regard to image And this Oh Commissioner Arrietti I apologize for interrupting your training

Seeing that the goals of these new arrivals coincided with his own Arrietti released a relieved smile Finally something was going his way Oh we were just finishing up

Actually this is good Helen announced She clapped Arrietti again on the shoulder sending a painful jolt through his torso Arrietti here is working on upgrading a Skill to be more deadly Your Sky Slaying Slash will serve as a good example Why donÆt the two of you fight me together

Mrs Hamilton and Huang Shou produced two seats and a table and began to set out a Go board between them ArrietiÆs throat was dry as Huang Li walked over with a bright expression Truly It is my honor to fight by the side of the man in charge of safety for Kharon Please take care of me

Chapter 1465

He stood alone on his island the surrounding space flickering and cracking just from his presence His two tails flicked back and forth conveying his barely suppressed anxiety His black hole of a left eye had extended to mask the whole of his face greedily devouring the surrounding light His veins pulsed with golden light as his powerful heart continued to steadily beat

Even though his carefully radiated image had strengthened the island beneath him he knew that he needed to be extremely careful about his movements right now His body contained immense potential energy Enough to become the cataclysm that sent his island crashing toward the ground

Randidly Ghosthound gritted his teeth dealing with a painful tightness in his chest that reminded him of heartburn Luckily the horrible sensation emanating from the grey core of his Nether Nebula was gradually receding as he sent thin threads of Nether flowing through his veins The hyperdense Nether gradually interacted with the physically condensed images throughout RandidlyÆs body reaching a strained equilibrium

But the digestion was a painful one The light grey crystal that had formed in his Nether Nebula stubbornly refused to shrink It continued to press against his chest acting as a burden on his image Without meaning to Randidly had bit off far more than he could comfortably chew in terms of Nether significance with his weave

Congratulations Your Skill AbominationÆs Grim Vigor has grown to Level 331

Randidly couldnÆt help but smile The dense Nether is so dangerous that itÆs driving up my Grim ChimeraÆs physical Skill

It was mostly due to the dangerous surge of Nether inside of him that Randidly had decided to make the break between matches a two day affair As planned he had successfully gathered quite a bit of EarthÆs significance with the weave he had slipped into the SystemÆs thin space for Nether And he could now feel how as that Nether density was incorporated into himself his own Aether was being stirred to greater heights The contrast between Aether and Nether served as a method to strengthen him If he wanted to he might be able to create eleven or twelve drops of liquid Nether now The improvement was immediate and obvious If this process of acclimation went off without a hitch Randidly held great anticipation toward what he could gain from the final

But he also felt a deep sense of helplessness Because for the first time Randidly had an inkling about how Elhume could create a mountain range of crystalized Aether that was the size of a small country That man had thousands of years world of Nether interacting with his Aether to strengthen it And that knowledge didnÆt give Randidly any confidence that he would be able to replicate the feat in the short term

Yet his growing understanding of the task he had set for himself only made the flames of his determination grow brighter That strength hasnÆt come freely according to Octavius ElhumeÆs body is actually trapped by the sheer amount of Aether around him So as long as I can handle the manifestation of his will

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Understanding has grown to Level 175

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 299

Randidly winced again as his chest spasmed painfully But he allowed his images to manifest further in the surrounding area The fingers of his left hand curled into long talons The ground around his bare feet rapidly turned into a field of lush grass Small bushes sprang into existence their roots digging greedily in every direction As the Stillborn PhoenixÆs influence grew the air was filled with the shrill sound of it sucking away small amounts of air

Randidly had his island floating high in the air hoping not to affect anyone with the waves his image was releasing But he could sense the clouds nearby slowing being influenced by his image They circled like massive insubstantial buzzards content to absorb any stray images he left behind The comparison was so apt that it earned a smile from Randidly But then he returned to the delicate task of refining his Nether

I need to finish this by tonight Tomorrow I have so many meetings to get through

Theodora Greyman woke up coughing in the dark Her initial impulse was to push herself to the sitting position but she ended up just flailing around and burying her face into the blanket Her left arm twitched but otherwise didnÆt move no matter how she struggled Her right arm felt like she was sticking it into a campfire At the same time a vice of iron tightened in her chest pressing her two lungs together into a useless lung

Needless to say the blanket in her mouth didnÆt help with her cough

She could only blink away tears and resist the urge to panic that crept through her brain like a lurking tarantula The darkness around her refused to part and she just tried her best to endure her bodyÆs response Very gradually her limbs stopped twitching and Theodora experienced a cough big enough to scoop out the gunk that lined her throat Unfortunately with her face pressed against the blanket she simply coughed it up right in front of her So as her coughs subsided she stared at the yellowed phlegm oozing slowly downward and felt the strangest sense of relief

IÆm alive She whispered Then she pressed her eyes shut as her torso trembled speaking almost set her into another fit of coughs In that arena she had truly resolved herself to die She had thought she was dying

And it had made her immensely afraid Death reminder her of cold rooms in her childhood and looking at pictures that didnÆt quite look like the deceased It reminded her of vanilla puddings she was given to keep her quiet while adults talked about who would take care of her

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Determined Tenacity Level 1

Determined Tenacity Despite the difficulties you have experienced you continue to persevere In the face of adversity your stubborn personality continues to propel you forward Each point of your Willpower is slightly more effective based on the obstacles in your Path Effect slightly increases with Skill Level

When the pain eventually passed the pressure in her chest slowly eased With great care Theodora began to experiment with her different limbs She felt like a toddler Despite the fact that she was alive her physical capabilities werenÆt encouraging Both legs appeared to function fine but the left side of her torso was completely numb and that arm was almost useless Her right arm appeared to follow directions but flashes of pain made it difficult to maintain extended actions

Even now Theodora could sense the extended damage that channeling the Nether had done to her body It ran parallel with her veins leaving a thousand tiny cracks that fanned outward from the vital thoroughfares of her body Suddenly she was a woman made of glass With great care and about ten minutes Theodora repositioned herself so she was once more lying on her back From that vantage she could see that aside from her bed and a curtained window on the far wall the room was empty

But mostly she stared at the ceiling The vivid emerald eyes of Randidly Ghosthound floated in front of her

Why why do I always lose to you

Madam Greyman We were never competing to begin with

It was such a strange contrast After her parents had died no one looked at her so directly like that

Soon Theodora couldnÆt bear it anymore and closed her eyes But that just made the strange visions worse She had been there on the arena her body filled with agonizing ice bitterness and resentment bubbling in her chest And when she threw it all in the GhosthoundÆs face his reaction said it all He looked at her directly She could tell that he was being honest In his eyes they had never been competing

He had been genuinely trying to help her the entire time Perhaps not her specifically but the Earth in general he wanted people to prosper Her pride had simply prevented her from seeing it in the past

After her parents died only a few feet in front of her in the car crash she was eventually placed with a cousin who worked as a news anchor Idly Theodora now wondered who would take her now that she was this weak

When she had been standing in the arena that realization that she had been pointlessly responsible for such suffering in Zone 1 had hit her with such force that she had lost consciousness Her grip on reality had slipped as some of her fundamental premises were challenged Yet she had awoken now crippled and injured as she was and felt a lot more at peace than she had in the past

Image huh Theodora said carefully lifting her right arm off of the bed Her fingers spasmed intermittently and the exercise seemed to light her right shoulder on fire but it was somehow satisfying to reach toward the ceiling She had been impeached she had used her body to the point that it seemed like even the System couldnÆt heal her wounds The only emotion her grand rivalÆ felt for her was pity

Yet she still lived She could still reach She still had things she wanted to accomplish

Weirdly she wanted a vanilla pudding She hadnÆt had a pudding cup in years

The door to her room opened And a rather large and strangely shaped man walked into the darkened interior For a few seconds Theodora couldnÆt tell if her vision was worse than she thought or whether the man was partially a crustacean It turned out that it was the latter

The man sat next to her bed President Greyman IÆm glad to see you have recovered your consciousness How are you feeling

Former president Just call me Theodora Theodora corrected almost absently Then her gaze sharpened somewhat This man didnÆt seem like he was associated with the Order Ducis or Zone 1 So why was she lying here But that wasnÆt her primary concern How is Richter

Recovering well down the hall His body acclimated to this Nether much more ably than yours The man said as he shifted his giant claw We believe itÆs because he could establish a closed system within his legs to contain the corrosion that results from this energy being allowed free reign Meanwhile

Meanwhile I acted with no regard to the consequences Theodora confirmed thinking about more than just the Nether in her body She could feel the truth of her culpability in the subtle wheezing of her breathing There was suddenly an inherent frailty to her body that she hadnÆt experienced since the System arrived But in away that frailty was reassuring It felt extremely real This was what it meant to be human

This was it meant to be an orphan

With a lot of effort Theodora turned her head to the side and looked at the strange figure more directly This man possessed the head and arm of a crab he must have been one of those affected by Thomas KarminÆs experiments Also who might you be To be blunt I donÆt quite understand why IÆm laying here in a dark room right now

The man seemed surprisingly hurt by her words Ah I apologize for not introducing myself sooner My name is Mr Syllo IÆm a Tier 2 Citizen of Zone 1 I simply believed well that your privacy was of the utmost importance Considering your political position

I donÆt have a political position any longer Theodora said frankly and then she began to laugh which soon turned to another bout of coughing Truly she didnÆt have anything She then felt Mr Syllo activate a Skill and several tendrils of warmth lightly touched her body Although it couldnÆt combat the damage done by Nether directly it could ease the negative symptoms Gradually her coughing settled down and she released a sigh of pleasure

Congratulations Your Skill Determined Tenacity has grown to Level 2

Congratulations Your Skill Determined Tenacity has grown to Level 3

I become crippled and all I get in exchange is an almost meaningless Skill She somehow found herself smiling

Thank you for your Skill Just to confirm this is the state of my body after all the available methods were used to attempt to reverse the damage done to my body by Nether Theodora asked

For a second Mr Syllo was silent all typical methods have been exhausted yes

TheodoraÆs mouth twitched For whatever reason she was having a very hard time resisting the urge to laugh even though every time she did so her body was wracked with agony And I suppose part of the reason you are here is to offer me an atypical method yes Let me guess it involves the research of Thomas Karmin moving my mind into a more robust body that might even be superior to my mortal coil

This time Mr Syllo was entirely silent as he considered her

So Theodora continued to speak around giggle fueled coughs IÆm probably angry right That ahem that I was so obviously defeated all of my methods blowing up in my face I probably want someone to blame I probably need to build a shrine to my rage and mount Randidly GhosthoundÆs head atop it But right now

A young girl sat in a chair too big for her and mechanically brought a spoonful of vanilla pudding to her lips She didnÆt eat it she just wiggled the spoon back and forth watching the pudding shake The adults in the other room raised their voices

Congratulations Your Skill Determined Tenacity has grown to Level 4

Congratulations Your Skill Determined Tenacity has grown to Level 5

right now I just want to find out what these hands of mine can do Theodora finished Then with a jerky gesture that set Theodora giggling again she shooed Mr Syllo away Her hand looked like the bastard child of a handshake and the frantic movement of someone trying to dislodge a snake Thank you for the offer but I wonÆt be needing your help Mr Syllo

After a few seconds of silence Mr Syllo stood Well of course the decision is yours IÆll let Richter know that you are feeling better

IÆll give him this Theodora thought as she watched the crab man leave He knows when to withdraw cleanly His pitch was completely without any glaring flaws Completely invulnerable to reproach But you know Mr Syllo

Theodora Greyman closed her eyes RandidlyÆs intense emerald gaze was suddenly there once more seeming to peer into her very soul Images are becoming dominant not because of the power that is associated with them although thatÆs important Rather they are becoming dominant because you can finally shape who you really are Images are vulnerable and genuine Building that truth for yourself thatÆs a powerful thing

And I want the chance to build who I want to become

Chapter 1466

Randidly finally felt the stiffness in his body was easing His Nether Nebula was finally stabilized Simultaneously he experienced a profound sense of satisfaction that was difficult to describe His Aether and Nether seeped gradually together through his body becoming the fabric of his being The process of physicalizing his images accelerated with both of the energies working together Something was settling into place within him It was as though the energies had been his invisible skeletal structure for the last several years and the new ambient level of Nether allowed his bones to finally becoming concrete

He sat cross legged his palms touching the ground with his fingers splayed out around his hand Originally this had been an expression of strain yet now the position was perfectly comfortable His muscles spasmed occasionally as they adapted to the changes occurring within Randidly’s body but otherwise he was completely still His breath was so soft coming in and out of his lips that it was possible to miss it even with System enhanced senses

In that deep darkness of the night right before dawn Randidly felt strangely weightless Or rather he felt like the Earth beneath him could no longer influence him As his body was filled with the significance emotion meaning and connection of Aether and Nether gravity’s influence over him was steadily shattered His body became the dominant force in the surrounding space

Objects in orbit would be pulled toward him

With the increased strength came understanding And of course the more of that grey crystal in his chest that slowly deteriorated the more disturbed Randidly became by his insights First he began to rethink his plot to absorb the weight of the finals Because what the Nether did structurally in order to achieve the sensation of greater density was establish a network around and through his images

Unlike his images which could become true physicalizations through Aether Nether instead provided a network of energy veins that ran between his various images Perhaps obviously this was the energy of connection and balance But after he finally provided the elements of that connection his physicalizations could become that much more concrete

They were insubstantial inky serpents hanging in the Soulspace between his images They reminded Randidly of the blue veins of the Great Rift

This new addition to his Soulspace resulted in two things one very positive and another slightly disturbing The positive thing was that Randidly experimented a bit and the Nether veins made it significantly easier to utilize multiple Skills at once The disturbing thing was that this ease of complex activations came because of a resonance and inexplicable interconnected certainty that Randidly had seen in only one place before

This Nether network he subconsciously built on himself displayed all the insubstantial and ambiguous traits of karma

Which probably meant that karma Skills and also his Philosopher’s Key relied on an equally giant Nether Network to function Which was probably Elhume’s Nether equivalent to the mountain range of crystalized Aether that Randidly had briefly encountered and by which he had been shattered

For several seconds Randidly considered how little he truly knew about the Nexus His fingers flexed and dug into the grass covered ground of his island He released a sigh and lowered his head

“The Pinnacle gets farther away every time I look at it huh ” He said quietly to himself as he considered his Soulspace The small half built karmic network only existed between his images and the images of the people whose significance that he had used It was as frail as a sagging spiderweb

Yet there was an unexpected deviation from the typical Nether veins The connections through that weak Nether network did find a small purchase outside of himself in Alana Donal Because he already had an Aether connection there the veins had found a single support point outside of himself And as he inspected the twining lines of Nether Randidly suspected that at least half of the physical boost he felt came from this outside support Studying it gave him quite a few ideas about how he could extend this network even further around himself

But should I really extend this karmic network Randidly’s eyes slowly opened That would boost my strength but it would put tethers of Nether in people who might not be able to withstand them Someone of Alana’s caliber would barely notice the addition probably my other Aether connections could withstand it as well but is that the sort of strength that I want

A strength built on the backs of others Will I follow the Path of Lady Iellaya No of course not My strength will be my own

His emerald eyes flashed as Randidly recalled the Nether King in the sky above Earth with enough clout to attack the Seventh Cohort directly The power displayed there had been entirely within the hands of the Nether King Rather than being raised to that capability based on support from others an almost chemical reaction had occurred within the Nether King that Randidly didn’t understand It was somewhat akin to a caveman viewing the inner workings of a nuclear reactor

It might be impossible for him as a human to replicate that feat but Randidly certainly wanted to make an attempt before he borrowed power from outside sources

And with that thought Randidly gently reached out and plucked the thread of Nether he had subconsciously woven between Alana and himself The spectral tether wriggled in his fingers for a bit before deteriorating Instantly he felt some of that sense of gravitational immunity fade It wasn’t that the physical gains had evaporated but the leverage that Randidly could wield was lost He was once more just one body trying its best to rival the power of the System

“And that’s why it’s fun ” Randidly grinned He flexed his hands and stood He pulled out the Philosopher’s Key and opened a portal to a deserted ravine in the Nordawn Mountain Range Once he was there he stretched his arms wide and released the tight cap on his images that he had studiously been maintaining while the other individuals in the tournament were training and fighting Which he reflected might have been pointless it did not seem Earthlings absorbed the images of others in the same way as Tellus

But occasional self denial was always a productive exercise Whether it was the new veins of Nether running through his physical images or it was due to the strain of suppressing himself his images now roared out and instantly began to warp the surrounding space Even the darkness of the valley seemed to quiver in some instinctual warning Randidly’s smile widened

Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold The Inscrutable Mien of Genesis All Things Succumb Yet Time Whirls the Earth

The three Skills activated smoothly giving Randidly an unprecedented sense of insight into his own strengths as he reached for a world where he found a superior method of utilizing Nether The thin support veins he had recently obtained fed the intellectual and spiritual strain between the three images balancing them precariously together Perhaps All Things Succumb Yet Time Whirls the Earth would normally have difficulty grappling with seeking an answer in regards to Nether but the purple black revelation energy and the harsh light of Genesis spoke of impossible new beginnings Those two sources of light were like traffic controllers walking behind the heaving machinery of the Grim ChimeraÆs ultimate Skill guiding it safely into the sky

Congratulations All Things Succumb Yet TIme Whirls the Earth has grown to Level 204

Soon there were two Randidlys making different attempts to solve this problem Nether seethed in the two duplicated Nether Nebulas The ground around RandidlyÆs physical body shuddered and then sharply cracked Then there were four

Congratulations All Things Succumb Yet TIme Whirls the Earth has grown to Level 205

Congratulations All Things Succumb Yet TIme Whirls the Earth has grown to Level 229

The strain was immense It was only ponderously that the Skill chugged forward creating eight RandidlyÆs experimenting with Nether

And just like that the three Skills collapsed painfully twisting Randidly’s smile into a grimace Those spatial distortions in the surrounding area were snuffed out like candle flames pinched by cold fingers Peace returned to the dark valley marred only by the cracks in the ground directly beneath him Randidly chuckled and rubbed the side of his head to ease the throbbing headache “Well it’s easier but it’s still not easy “

Truthfully the combination of Skills he had tried had been quite ambitious All Things Succumb Yet Time Whirls the Earth was a Skill that Randidly still didn’t have complete control over The Grim Chimera had a thread of Nether in it that meant that the activation was closer to a prayer than it was a predictable process Adding other Skills into the mix increased the cost of fueling the Skill exponentially

He hadn’t kept the Skill active for long enough to have an effective answer but it did occur to Randidly that it might be useful to talk to some people who were involved in weaving mundane materials while he was still on Earth He had been rather busy practicing weaving with Nether but it couldn’t hurt to have some actual experience as a base

But that can wait for later For now

Yggdrasil spread its leafy branches over RandidlyÆs head to begin the steady erosion of the headache that had taken root in his temples Waves of calming energy flowed up through the Earth and then through YggdrasilÆs pulsing golden roots The leaves rustled releasing a relaxing noise Randidly stood and stretched allowing the soft and invisible radiation of his image to soak into his skin

Congratulations Your Skill The Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 231

As the pain eased Randidly could gradually focus on the small details of his image around him He stood with his eyes closed in the shadowy valley and felt the golden roots tracing the edges of the stony ground and squirming their way to complete domination of the area Even in darkness the leaves were almost luminously vibrant with life Yggdrasil became the center of an ecosystem of energy spurring the entire valley toward new growth

Randidly hummed as he observed the way energy cycled through the Earth and sky through the branches roots and trunk of the World Tree Then that energy became a part of the winding inscriptions and radiated back outward richer and more potent It sank into the ground and clouds and enriched the surroundings Yggdrasil became a natural filter for energy in a way that made him smile Randidly allowed the process to continue his attention turning to the details of his image

He adjusted the shape and noise of the leaves His consciousness followed the slender stems of the leaves as they stretched outward from the branches Randidly carefully heightened the rough surface of YggdrasilÆs bark He wove the growth and joy he had tasted during the tournament into the radiated energy

More than just filtering energy he added the slightest hint of that amorphous human concept of homeÆ

Detail by detail Randidly continued to work toward an image that could match the monsters he had met from the Nexus YggdrasilÆs branches stretched high up into the air seeming to hold up the shadow that covered the entire valley Dawn still dithered allowing Randidly to continue without rest

Releasing a breath Randidly moved on to the Grim Chimera As he focused on this other image the musculature along his body flexed and shifted Perhaps due to the new additions of the Nether veins running through his image body the physical manifestation had intensified

As Randidly became the Grim Chimera he felt the limbs of his arms and legs crack and shift Gritting his teeth he endured the pain as his limbs lengthened and thickened Tremors continued to run through his torso as small adjustments were made Organs were rearranged By the end of it Randidly was hunched over slightly with his newly elongated left arm reaching the ground With his bone spear of a right arm he drew small circles on the ground

The two tails Randidly possessed lengthened as well the lower tail thickening significantly as well In the past he could have used it like a whip but now the tightly interlocking segments of bone could smash as well as they could cut He took a tentative step forward and marveled at the way it naturally flicked to the side to keep him balanced

Yet the most striking change was his breath When Randidly breathed out a semi luminous fog flowed out between his lips In the dark valley his new breath immediately illuminated the cracked and warped surroundings with a sickly glow Like a broken glow stick the light of his breath slowly faded into nothing But for a few seconds the wicked curl of the Grim ChimeraÆs smile was visible to anyone watching

Chapter 1467

Miss Gertrude Collins was having an extremely wonderful twenty four hours The previous night she had met with Derek Moss and had a lovely steak dinner Afterward they had gone on a walk with Tim and allowed the pre teen to talk excitedly about his training with Randidly Ghosthound Apparently they would soon be traveling far to the South to choose a small chunk of land for Tim himself to engrave So Gertrude had delightedly answered TimÆs questions about the most aesthetically pleasing landscapes

At the end of the date Derek had squeezed her hands a little too tightly and given her a lingering peck on the lips that had Gertrude practically floating home Along the way she scolded herself playfully for behaving like she was one of the children she taught but couldnÆt shake the stupid grin from her face

One unexpected positive about the System was that you werenÆt obligated to even make an attempt to fall asleep in order to be functioning the next day you would probably function fine with or without sleep So then Gertrude allowed herself to experience a hormone fueled explosion of lesson plan production that often deviated into slightly scandalous daydreaming The lesson plans were a project that had been half finished for several weeks so she was quite pleased to make a sizeable dent in it

And the reason that Gertrude stopped working on that project was not that she ran out of steam but rather that the smell of raspberry scones from the bakery next door wafted in through her open window early the next morning She then went to the window and leaned out of the street breathing deeply through her nose A few passing moss spirits noticed her and made a beeline for Gertrude spinning playfully around her head

So with moss spirits in tow she walked down and bought herself several fresh from the oven baked goods She kept them in a wicker basket until she left the shop and then began to rapidly devour everything she had bought

By the end of the street her basket was empty and Gertrude shook her head ruefully An unexpected negative from the System was how quickly you could finish an amount of food that would have been perfectly satisfactory before the System But still she supposed it was balanced out by the fact that your body was impossibly efficient at burning fat

Then she toured the parks where KharonÆs huge throng of students was being taught pleased to see that engagement had tripled from its previous levels based on the recommendations she and other education experts had given to KharonÆs government Teachers put on demonstrations and the students gathered around to watch and ask questions Gertrude had walked around and helped where she could finally feeling like what she did here truly mattered

Then she had a lovely lunch of cucumber sandwiches with Tatiana at which she had confessed that she still sometimes felt a little starstruck when she was interacting with Randidly Tatiana had rolled her eyes poured Gertrude a tall coffee and then began to tell her the story of the night that she and Randidly first met

I donÆt mind admitting that at that time I was the head of a group of high end escorts servicing Zone 1Æs elite Tatiana had said And Randidly was making big waves in the metal smelting circles across the entire Zone So I was brought in to try and schmooze him I had planned to make conversation with him but he stayed locked up in a sunroom with two of the older metalworkers and just talked about chemical reactions and melting points for most of the night By the time he had finished the party was winding down and most of the other people were spreading apart And then right as I try talking to him

Tatiana gestured like she was throwing something underhand Somepne attacked with a Mana grenade And RandidlyÆs attention switched so fast from me to that bomb that I knew exactly how little of an impression I had made on him And the intensity of his gaze as he looked at the grenade Calm as a cucumber Randidly grabbed the unstable bomb out of the air and tossed it into the pool we were at a penthouse suite The resulting explosion destroyed the pool and ruined several of the floors of the building The owner was livid

And Randidly Ghosthound walked away as though this was the most normal thing in the world At that time violence wasnÆt quite as normalized as it is now So while most people were still fleeing and in shock from the explosion he had returned to work I think the next day he developed the schematics for a new drone The attack didnÆt even register on his radar ThatÆs just who he is

Gertrude had scratched her cheek and responded dryly This isnÆt making me feel any less nervous about meeting him

Waving a hand airly Tatiana laughed Just know that Randidly Ghosthound does indeed possess the male trait that his ears are tuned to several specific subjects and very few others At the same time he is currently using his hands on knowledge to guide Kharon the Order Ducis and by extension the rest of the world to the use of images I understand that you are nervous about this meeting regarding the Academy Keystones but practically it means that Randidly will be very focused on the details of this project to further his own goals As long as you donÆt say anything outlandish his attention wonÆt actually be focused on you He will be very sure of his own ideas

As Gertrude considered this and nibbled on another sandwich Tatiana shook her head helplessly IÆll be honest by the end of it you might want him to focus on you a bit more The great Randidly Ghosthound has a habit of making broad and grand goals without considering the details of how such things will be accomplished I can assure you that your meeting will simply involve Randidly dumping a lot of work on your plate and then leaving to train

So despite her nerves regarding the meeting Gertrude Collins was having a great day She arrived five minutes early in the small terrace on the Western edge of Kharon where Randidly Ghosthound had agreed to meet her and was somewhat embarrassed to see that he was already there And true to TatianaÆs word he didnÆt seem to notice Gertrude until she arrived next to his table

Oh good you are here Sit down The Ghosthound said nodding toward a chair After she had sat the Ghosthound steepled his fingers His expression was serious and his eyes were bright as he looked directly at Gertrude As the Keystones will be the guidelines to shape a studentÆs paths they are critically important to Kharon AcademyÆs development The identity of the Keystones will shape everything that follows So what are your ideas for the ideological flaws to address here

Eh Gertrude Collins blinked She shifted slightly in her seat The combination of the intensity of RandidlyÆs gaze and her rising heart rate meant that it took a few seconds to catch up with what he was saying And in the end what he was saying was that Tatiana had been very wrong about this meeting

Some part of Gertrude Collins began to panic Why had she spent last night drawing up lessonplans

The Ghosthound reached up and rubbed the back of his neck Some of the tensenesses in the air fell away Unfortunately I was rather indisposed yesterday due to some of my training IÆve recovered now but I havenÆt had the chance to consider the issue fully yet So I thought a brainstorming session might be useful Have any ideas

Eh

Randidly sat and waited for Gertrude to gather herself well enough to answer Her mouth was very dry

YouÆve fought them before right And beat em the way I heard it WhatÆs eatinÆ ya then Hank drawled He leaned back so far that his chair was only on two legs with his cowboy boots up on the table Currently he looked entirely too pleased with himself

Alana didnÆt answer for a while instead pushing open the windows to the balcony of the small room they were currently sharing The cool winter air felt good on her skin pushing at her partially buttoned shirt and cooling her sweat Then she stretched a hand out the window and made a fist The surrounding air stirred with the weight of her image Even her fist had meaning

Twisting her arm Alana offered her palm to the sky and for a split second orange flames blazed upward Whether it was a signal or a way of channeling her emotions she didnÆt really know It simply felt good to blaze a little bit right now Then she clenched her fist stifling the fire

She turned away from the window and looked at Hank He flipped his revolver around gripped the barrel and tried to use the grip to hook the neck of the whiskey bottle that was just out of his reach Rolling her eyes she walked over and slid the bottle over to his side I feel fairly confident about beating them Which is why I find my attention straying toward Randidly Have you felt the edges of it His image

The one he keeps bottled up Hank poured two glasses and offered one to Alana

She took it and sipped at the liquid It burned her throat pleasantly reminding her of her life before the System To suppress those memories she shot the rest of the glass and set it back down on the table with a grimace Perhaps but it doesnÆt make it any less alarming for those that know what they are looking for Your image is too easy going about its interactions with other images you miss some obvious things

While the world below is a chaotic mess of image fragments flying around and impacting each other during the fights a third of the sky is unnaturally still I canÆt get that monstrous motionlessness out of the mind Just how strong has he become And thatÆs why IÆm worried about the match tomorrow

Because yur distracted Hank asked He nudged the whiskey bottle toward AlanaÆs empty glass with the barrel of his revolver

Alana shook her head and crossed her arms The cold air continued to slip through the open window and lightly brush her hair Not distracted not exactly Although I do think that Paolo and Kayle want to win more than I do precisely because I always beat them individually in the past But no the reason IÆm worried is about the story that we were telling the world In the past Randidly was always the gatekeeper of strength Donnyton tried to catch him and he trounced us

But now the Ghosthound has taken a step back And I was practically ordained by him to take his place as the strongest on Earth I have been ambassador and preacher to his use of image for years If there is a Path that the Earth can take toward strength I currently stand at its gates Paolo and Kayle will want to destroy that impediment for the sake of everyone They need to destroy it and shred the lock

Easing himself forward Hank soon sat with all four legs of his chair on the ground He took a deep gulp of his whiskey before he spoke You think yur loss here will be good for Earth But fuck em If they canÆt earn the victory themselves

Alana flicked HankÆs forehead playfully before he could work up a head of steam Oh shush IÆm not going to throw the match for the good of Earth I respect both Paolo and Kayle too much for that And as Randidly pointed out in the past it isnÆt always for the best for the planet to be universally confident in what it has been doing A world needs something sinister An obvious villain Or perhaps its better in this case what the Earth needs is a Cerberus

A gatekeeper Hank said quietly He took his time and enunciated every syllable Then his mouth twisted like a confused earthworm But why do ya worry cause of this image stuff

Alana simply nodded meaning to affirm his initial word Rather idly she reached over toward his repeater which was sitting on the table She picked it up and carefully measured the weight with her left hand Because IÆve left Donnyton I now work with you freelancing for the Orders I no longer stand at the pinnacle of martial privilege on Earth As I take another Path that image as gatekeeper weakens

TraininÆ with me dragging ya down Hank grinned at her with a bright spark in his eyes

Alana wanted to point the repeater at him and make a bang sound with her mouth but understood that he wouldnÆt find it as funny as she did he was very serious about gun safety in other peopleÆs actions to an insufferable degree Which was rather difficult to take considering that he regularly used the barrel of his revolver to adjust the jaunty angle of his hat

She set the gun down on the table My image is shifting But someone needs to act as a gatekeeper It might be accurate to say that my image wants my role as Cerberos to be slain so it can completely become the prophet of Randidly Ghosthound Right now the weight of the worldÆs eyes pins my image to Donnyton

Huh Hank poured himself another glass of whiskey

Images are complicated Can you not sometimes feel how its easier to develop your image if you and everyone else simultaneously think the same thing about it Well I suppose you have the benefit of being a very one note character in the eyes of the public

Hank snorted but didnÆt seem to mind her comment Then jus stop lettinÆ the people dictate your image Also why are ya talkinÆ so much tonight

DidnÆt we already cover that IÆm nervous IÆm a human being too Alana said She wrapped her arms around her shoulders

Hank stood up from his chair Then I can

Easy cowboy YouÆve already taken your shot tonight Alana grinned wickedly at him She raised her leg high into the air and jabbed the big toe of her right foot against his chest as he made to stand Hank didnÆt resist and allowed himself to be pushed back into his seat with a dissatisfied expression

Alana turned away and walked back to the window When she spoke again she changed the subject YouÆll tell Dinesh and Tykes during your 3rd place match tomorrow

I reckonÆ theyÆve thought it themselves already Hank nodded They both were still for several minutes listening to the cold wind carrying in the noises of Kharon humming busily with life It was a reassuring soundtrack of peace

Alana hoped Kharon would stay like this for a long time

Chapter 1468

The roars of the crowd were thunderous as the third place match of the duos tournament reached its climax The noise was heavy with expectation and approval it only now wandered about the area as it sought its ultimate target the victor

Once more the entire arena was replaced by a vast reflective pool The duo of Dinesh and Tykes stood opposite one another split by the inverting dividing line by their feat Hank held the reigns of his spectral horse and raised his revolver into the sky his eyes blazing with determination Shadow Ancho pranced sideways clearly unnerved by the oppressive image that Tykes released

As the upper of the reflections Tykes allowed his image to press down over the surrounding area with a brutal cruelty Before that immense sense of weight that he carried on his shoulders all images shuddered and shrunk Against it the slow rise of HankÆs environmental image had been struggling to gain traction But it was obvious that soon that image would finally break free

But the fighters just regarded each other with a scientific intensity DineshÆs image had warped the surroundings but Hank had been steadily dodging TykesÆ attacks for the past several minutes and firing targeted repeater shots Only after struggling for some time Randidly could sense that HankÆs image had started to achieve some tangible influence over the area

Randidly rubbed his chin The one problem with HankÆs image was that once he achieved that influence his hand was then forced toward action he no longer had the excuse to delay His image wouldnÆt allow it In the West you eventually had to stand up for what you believed in or the narrative around you would collapse to dust Whether it was because of the expression on HankÆs face or the shifting images in the air the crowd seemed to sense this change They stomped their feet and waved their hands calling for conflict

The volume increased

Ancho reared answering their cheers even though Randidly suspected that the combatants werenÆt able to make out the noise through the screening of DineshÆs image But perhaps the image horse could sense the audienceÆs will anyway Tykes held his immense iron ball in front of him with both hands his fingers straining with barely suppressed eagerness

When ghost AnchoÆs hooves hit the ground Tykes accelerated forward His body blurred at the edge a blurred reflection of Dinesh following along with him like a ghastly spirit seeking to possess a living body Hank pressed his heels into the horseÆs flanks and they vanished only to reappear a few meters to TykesÆs left

Tykes planted his foot and adjusted his vector with a sharpness that seemed to defy physics The iron ball swung upward Hank lowered the barrel of his revolver and took aim

Bullet and iron ball smashed against each other The bullet screeched and screamed with unwillingness surrounding by a nova of vicious certainty that the bullet would pierce through Tykes weapon But in this case it wasnÆt enough It dug its way into the pounded metal and forced open a hairline fracture but that was it Everything else was suppressed by the weight Tykes continued forward smashing the ball at Hank and Ancho but they leaped away before they were caught

The large metal ball struck the ground and produced countless ripples that radiated outward in DineshÆs mirrored realm With gritted teeth Tykes hooked the chain around the ball and then began to spin gradually unspooling the chain The iron ball whipped around Tykes in steadily growing arcs covering a larger portion of the Arena

He planted his feet and spun in place gradually accelerating

Ghost Ancho whinnied and trotted away warily watching the aggressor Snorting Tykes abruptly twisted the chain and then yanked the ball back toward himself As the metal projectile was shooting back toward him Tykes became Dinesh Dinesh closed his eyes and suddenly Dinesh was a stunned Hank on top of the image Ancho

Well shit Hank swore as he looked at the projectile careening toward him

The ball smashed into Ancho before the image could carry Hank away getting blasted into bits of spectral matter Hank rolled out of the way of danger but then Dinesh was there his fingers fanning outward with poisoned knives

HankÆs repeater flashed up and bucked several times in quick succession as he deflected the knives away with bullets The knives then clattered harmlessly against the ground in a shower of poisonous sparks But before Hank could take aim for a more damaging shot Dinesh covered the distance and unleashed a brutal high kick Hank leaned backward and holstered his pistol he wasnÆt going to shy away from a brawl The influence of HankÆs image in the area steadily grew

He had fired his first bullet experienced a counterattack and survived The momentum began to flow steadily toward him

Dinesh spun and cut sideways at HankÆs waist with his palm Hank accepted the strike with a grunt and unleashed a vicious left hook in response but his fist ineffectually glanced off of TykesÆ shoulder as the larger man replaced the smaller

Hank reacted quickly to the change He jerked sideways and brought his elbow up to smash against Tykes’ face Tykes grinned and leaned forward into the blow using his image to steady himself through the strike and try and grapple Hank Snorting Hank Dodge Rolled backward and then kicked Tykes in the chest when he went to follow

Tykes immediately planted his foot and skidded to a halt but that opening was enough for Hank Howard to draw his revolver The barrel gleamed with a white light in the mirrored world

The bullet whizzed harmlessly past the ribs of the smaller Dinesh ruffling his hair HankÆs eyes narrowed Then Tykes was back yanking on the chain and bringing the iron slamming back into his hand

The cylinder of HankÆs revolver clicked to bring a new bullet before the hammer Both men grinned at each other Then Tykes exploded forward and Hank took aim At the last second Hank Dodge Rolled to the side and adjusted his angle

His bullet struck the other bullet still embedded in Tykes ball With the small pick driven only a fraction of distance deeper the lump of metal exploded into fragments

Ghostworld would be the best Wivanya grumbled as the two waited in the shadowy halls to walk out into the arena proper The frost dragonÆs tail flicked back and forth the appendage moving as though taking out her dissatisfaction by whipping the stone walls Can they not see everything that the Ghosthound has done for our world Naming the planet after him is the natural result of his divine effort for us This is a matter of principle

Alana didnÆt even bother to answer the moody dragon As always before a match her attention was focused on the inspection of her spear She dragged her fingers across the spearhead and felt the skin of her finger easily part The sharpness made her smile Perhaps because she had spoken her worries aloud last night all of that emotion had been churning in her chest for the past several hours and gradually had become excitement She moved her hands down to the spear shaft and waved it lightly testing the flexibility

What sort of story will we tell the world today I wonder Her fingers tightened until her knuckles were white

Soon they received the signal to proceed out into the arena and Wivanya released a massive dragon sized sigh that frosted the ground in front of them She waddled forward ahead of Alana down the hallway Finally time Well even if you balk at naming the planet after him you must still keep your edge in battle Alana We will not have the opportunity to honor the Ghosthound without first seizing victory DonÆt be distracted by unnecessary things

You donÆt need to tell me that Alana thought with a small smile But she didnÆt bother to reply She could sense through her bond with Wivanya that the Frost Dragon Broodmother was unprecedentedly excited for this match So Alana didnÆt mind the constant stream of cheery complaints

Due to her roleÆ on Earth Alana and Wivanya were given the right to walk out into the arena first The audience seethed and roared as the duo appeared in the mouth of the tunnel and then calmly proceeded toward the stage With Hank having gloriously clinched victory in the third place match the crowd was all hyped up for the final

Their appearance now was the signal for the simmering spirit of Earth to rise once more to the fore This time for all the marbles

Alana hopped up onto WivanyaÆs back and allowed the dragon to carry her up onto the stage Coming out first was of course a natural advantage in a duel that relied heavily upon images The first arrivalÆs image would naturally begin to influence the surrounding area unless they consciously tried to prevent the phenomenon Alana suspected that Randidly would say something if the effect was too obvious but Alana believed that in terms of image sensitivity few could currently match her

And one thing she knew for sure about Randidly was that he preferred to simply remain an observer So Alana took a risk and loosened the tight control she maintained on her image

The surrounding air became laced with the slightest note of holy energy That aspect of Inviolability that Alana had obtained spread outward through the air making this space sacrosanct Any who tried to influence the area with their own image would have a difficult time dislodging the hold of faith

Although the volume didnÆt change the crowd’s cheers and shrieks gradually faded to a buzzing More than their cacophony what Alana heard was the beating of her own heart

Today Alana was determined to act as the proper gatekeeper She would do everything in her power to win this tournament and keep the threshold through which both she and Randidly had passed locked Thinking this she was unable to resist the impulse to look upward after she released her image Distantly she was able to make out RandidlyÆs face he was laughing and shaking his head

Alana turned back down to the arena She was two Alanas one a bloated and massive image based on public perception that wanted to remain a dominant force on Earth The other was the Alana who wanted to win the tournament as proof that RandidlyÆs teachings were the true Path toward strength Both desired the same thing but Alana had learned the hard way about the dangers of accepting extraneous images

Besides Alana was confident that she could guard this nonexistent passageÆ to strength on her own for at least another year Her grin slowly widened as the excitement once more surged back to the forefront of her mind Heh Alright let them come IÆm ready

Wivanya lowered her scaled head next to AlanaÆs body Even through the already chilly winter air the dragonÆs scales radiated an intense cold that cut to the bone You seem different today Are you going to be alright for the match Your image

ItÆs just how the world sees me just ignore it Alana replied lightly She cracked the knuckles of her hand DonÆt go projecting your nerves on me though if you need me to punch you to wake you up feel free to ask

Hmph As if a human punch could have any effect on a dragon Wivanya snorted But she did begin to flex her claws cleary antsy with nervous energy

Right on cue Paolo and Kayle arrived Perhaps out of respect for Alana or perhaps because of how their prior match had ended they dropped all pretense of their weapon bet Paolo came out cracking his knuckles and Kayle played with his knives as they came into the publicÆs eye Both stood tall and proud their own images steadily pushing back the subtle notes of inviolability that Alana left in the air

And this is why this is a fight worth having Show me how much youÆve grown Alana thought with a smile Then she turned to the crowd Because as Paolo and Kayle arrived the tone of their cheers changed Because I need to show you how many more lessons you need to learn

In all likelihood the difference in the crowdÆs reaction wasnÆt even something that was done at a conscious level It was just that from a sense of awe and respect in their voices for Alana they shifted toward a raw animalistic approval for Paolo and Kayle Hearing the cheers AlanaÆs eyes drifted upward through the chaotic mass of images around the arena

These people wanted a victory Although the bets on who the ultimate victor would be proved to be rather even it was clear from the crowdÆs expression that there was a favorite Their approval became wishes and wishes from strong minded individuals became images that drifted steadily downward onto Paolo and KayleÆs parade toward the arena

Paolo was especially voracious rapidly absorbing any of the surrounding images and growing to an even more stupendous sky His image presence was like a pillar of light so bright and triumphant that it was difficult to look at it directly

AlanaÆs smile deepened Like I said You still have so much to learn

Chapter 1469

Gradually the noise from the audience fell away rather instinctively they understood what would soon be beginning and didnÆt want to miss a single moment of it The referee had asked both sides whether they were ready but then he stepped backward And from the island in the sky Randidly Ghosthound drifted downward By the time his bare feet hit the arena the audience had fallen completely silent

Mrs Hamilton glanced around at the people around her Not just the Donnyton contingent but even the representatives from Star Crossing and East End were unprecedentedly solemn as they saw the master of the Order Ducis move The ritual of the tournament final had seized their attention While inwardly sighing Mrs Hamilton turned back toward the arena to watch the spectacle along with the rest of them

Rather than speaking Randidly simply loosened his grip on his images His limbs flexed and elongated the muscles and tendons standing out in his skin His left eye became filled with absolute darkness His veins were golden and his hair was emerald like maple leaves in spring

Perhaps it was because the audience had been constantly exposed to the potency of images in gradually increasing doses over the course of the matches but this was the first time that the general populace had been exposed to the truth that had been obvious to the powerful for quite a few years compared to everyone else Randidly Ghosthound was on another level altogether

His images physically clung to him in a way that Mrs Hamilton had never seen in anyone else It seemed that at any moment the horrible specter of the Grim Chimera might surge to the fore and replace the humanity of Randidly immediately And even though it was just a shifting specter around him the amount of detail on the image was obvious It was almost impossible to tell that this was just a mental projection It was so vivid and present that it suppressed all other images

Randidly Ghosthound could make images real And as soon as the audience came to that realization he restrained himself once more the very human Ghosthound had returned

Glad to see that you are becoming more considered about your melodrama Mrs Hamilton hummed to herself And also good to see that your message to the Earth isnÆt changing This still isnÆt enough Æ

In a way RandidlyÆs image was the equivalent of a solar eclipse In reality nothing significant had occurred But the alignment of RandidlyÆs image in the sky casting a shadow and stifling all the images in the surroundings made the people of Earth reflect on their circumstances

Welcome Randidly said with remarkable lightness for someone who just stood calmly before a massive crowd in silence for almost ten seconds For the final match IÆll personally be the referee I want the participants to be confident that they can unleash their full potential during the fighting without fear of injuring their opponents

Then Randidly looked directly over at Alana DonÆt hold back YouÆll regret it

A ripple ran through the audience they mulled over why Randidly would engage in such an obviously targeted message Paolo and Kayle seemed to take it in stride simply waiting for the match to begin But Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt help but laugh Looks like Alana wonÆt take her time to warm up in this match ThatÆs unfortunate

So Randidly glanced between the two teams Begin

And that was that

While Kayle and Paolo lowered their stances and raced forward an enormous orange gold flower bulb inflated around Alana She was the epicenter the fuel and the spirit of an expanding inferno Then that bulb was ripped in twain by two enormous shimmering ivory wings The shattered remnants began to smolder with gold fire as those wings beat a few times and blew the debris into the surrounding area like the glowing remnants of a burned down library AlanaÆs image of austerity surged to the fore quickly gaining traction on the backs of those fleeting sparks She spoke with the mandate of a higher power and spread its influence Even for Mrs Hamilton it was becoming difficult to look directly at AlanaÆs person

But in the face of that surging holy energy Paolo laughed raucously Yes It needs to be like this Show me how much you eh

In the middle of his wild challenge the immense body of Wivanya smacked into the marble in front of him Her sapphire eyes shimmered her scaled body twisted with her enormous clawed hand held at the ready behind her And in the second as Paolo recognized the threat Wivanya whipped her claw downward and sheered through the arena like she was digging up loosely packed dirt

Paolo rolled to the side barely avoiding the strike And then his hands sprung upward as he caught the treetrunk thick tail that smashed at his chest He grunted in took a few steps backward but Kayle was already spinning lightly in the air above Wivanya with his long knives raised

You need to be faster Mrs Hamilton thought reprovingly You should know that by now

Sun Strike

Even from across the arena Alana raised her spear and thrust it calmly forward from the core of the spreading inferno A golden light that was only vaguely spear shaped ripped forward and smashed into Kayle His long knives whipped out in an X shape dispersing most of the power but he was still knocked away from Wivanya

The First Revelation Advance

To follow up Alana beat her wings and surged forward with golden orange flames raging in her wake Compared to the size of her wings her actual body was easy to miss in the ambient light she released But she shot across the arena like a shooting star so quickly that an average humanÆs eye even empowered by the System wouldnÆt have the time to make a wish

But Paolo and Kayle were not average at all Paolo heaved on the tail in his arms shocking Wivanya when he possessed enough Strength to jerk the several ton dragon a half step forward Then he hopped up onto WivanyaÆs tail and then leapt up in a beeline to intercept Alana

Yet Wivanya was just as quick extending her left wing and simply whacking Paolo back toward the ground Kayle spun his knives across his fingers while he floated mid air his eyes locked on Alana You decided to go after me first Thank you

Alana didnÆt respond at all seeming to simply be an avatar of light and holiness as she surged forward In a move that seemed so natural that it appeared slower than it actually was she once more thrust her spear forward and unleashed a wave of golden light Kayle reversed his grip on the knife in his left hand and used it to nudge the thrust to the side while spinning

He narrowly dodged the thrust but Mrs HamiltonÆs acute senses picked up that his leather armor began to sizzle from the proximity of the attack AlanaÆs powerful image warped the surrounding air with a holy energy that was followed immediately by a blast of heat But then KayleÆs right hand surged forward in counter attack aiming a thrust toward AlanaÆs heart

The light around Alana intensified Fire roared around her as she beat her wings a single time

Puh

Before KayleÆs could respond Alana unleashed a brutal cross counter with her non dominant hand that smashed into his cheek and knocked him into the ground Kayle bounced once uncontrollably before he spun and righted himself He glanced down at the knife in his right hand it appeared the entire blade had melted before it could reach Alana

KayleÆs face spasmed in an expression halfway between a confused frown and an excited smile but he had to quickly toss the melted blade to the side and produce another as Alana descended down toward him like an approaching cataclysm

Paolo flipped up onto his feet and glared up at Wivanya His fighting spirit churned the air around him He jabbed his finger forward If you block my way one more time

He abruptly pulled his hand back as the massive jaws of Wivanya clicked shut right in front of him Paolo was taller than the height of WivanyaÆs jaws but only by a small amount Still that transgression by the Frost Dragon Broodmother appeared to be the last straw Paolo clenched his fists and yelled Haymaker but was tossed sideways when WivanyaÆs tail whipped into his waist from an unexpected angle He skidded across the arena and dug quickly into the ground between the arena and the stands

You Paolo became incensed and the crowd seemed to respond to the shift in his mood They roared their shared fury detesting the constant interference by Wivanya PaoloÆs image gradually began to push back against AlanaÆs slow spread of the golden inferno For her part Wivanya cooly regarded Paolo while flicking her tail back in forth with all the contempt of a cat considering its human roommate Then Wivanya turned and rushed to assist in AlanaÆs fight against Kayle

Paolo growled and sprinted back across to the arena while Kayle gritted his teeth and spread his own image out In a vast sea of darkness a single line of light separated the two sides As Alana and Wivnaya both surged toward him he slashed forward aiming for the space directly between himself and Alana Vast Divide

Then he turned around and pounced toward Wivanya

Alana calmly raised her spear Her wings beat again throwing off ivory feathers that sizzled and caught fire from the inferno around her Sun Strike

Her entire right arm seemed to ignite in her trademark gold and orange flames as her spear surged forward toward the boundary line that Kayle had drawn That spear encountered that divide and space seemed to screech in pain Like a buzz saw brought against sheet metal there was a great grinding noise and sparks shot out in every direction

But ultimately Alana took a step back with a look of surprise on her face The lapping waves of fire that she released lost a bit of their bite Mrs Hamilton didnÆt miss the smirk on KayleÆs face as he ducked underneath WivaynaÆs tail and rushed in to wound the dragon Paolo vaulted back onto the arena and moved to strike at Wivanya from behind

When another few whips of the tail proved ineffective Wivanya howled toward the sky Absolute Frost

There was a strange keening followed by the howling of the wind as the rapid temperature drop around the dragon churned through the surrounding air A wind picked up across the whole of the stadium Paolo was immediately blanketed by several inches of ice and crashed to the ground where his new popsicle form skidded forward several feet But then he appeared to use brute Strength explode out of his chilly prison in a burst of mist Once more he moved forward to continue his assault Meanwhile Kayle cut forward with his long knife Sever

Ice shrouded his blade and crept up his right arm but largely his Skill protected him from WivanyaÆs defense Shaking his arm to dislodge the remain frost he rushed forward

But Absolute Frost had slowed the duo AlanaÆs eyes narrowed Solar Flare Sun Strike Sun Strike Sun Strike

With brute force Alana tore through KayleÆs barrier and surged toward the battle The walls of flame trailing in her wake were almost two meters tall Wivanya whipped her bulk around bringing her claw slashing toward Paolo He ducked to the side and then hopped over her follow up tail whip She had used the same pattern one too many times to catch him with it right now

While in the air he raised both hands above his head and grinned like a maniac as he flew forward Although she twisted Wivanya couldnÆt avoid Paolo bringing his hands down powerfully on her side Several scales in the area were shattered by the force of the blow The dragon hissed in pain

Meanwhile Kayle was forced to plant his foot and turn around as the shimmering waves of heat caught up with him You wonÆt make it in time Alana Vast Divide

This time he used both knives when he slashed creating a barrier that was so thick that it was visible to the naked eye Alana laughed lightly as she raised her spear The Fourth Revelation Divinity

Alana was the edge of the horizon and dawn had suddenly arrived The pure light tore through everything in its path and seared into KayleÆs body before he could respond Even the flames in the surroundings were extinguished suffocated by that pure white light that she released

For a second she was the type of existence that truly held power over all others

Chapter 1470

Randidly folded his arms as he watched Alana unleash a Skill that may or may not be based on her reverence toward him As Kayle was rapidly moving back to avoid that light his long knives crisscrossed in front of him throwing up several smaller barriers in order to lessen the effect of AlanaÆs attack But the intensity of the image that Alana unleashed along with the Skill steadily eviscerated everything in the surrounding area Even Randidly felt impressed through his sense of awkwardness it certainly lived up to the moniker of DivinityÆ

But he could already tell that particular Skill had a steep usage cost After the first pulse of that all consuming light the illumination swiftly receded leaving a determined looking Alana glaring down at Kayle The flames behind her had shrunk to be about a handspan

Despite being hit rather directly with the Skill Kayle managed to leap back up to his feet almost immediately But his left arm was trembling as he took a fighting stance in front of Alana Most of his exposed flesh was covered with rapidly reddening burns Meanwhile Paolo was grinning from ear to ear as he considered his partner ThatÆs exactly right That is the sort of fight that this should be

Paolo raised his hands and the sluggish cheers from the crowd began to warp around his limbs Streams of partial images swirled through the air spinning and flowing into his body as he intensified his image of triumph Those partial images looked like wisps of silk sleek and light enough to be blown away by a strong breeze

Sensing the meaning to what he was doing Wivanya swept her claws at Paolo But this time he didnÆt even bother to dodge He stepped into the blow with lowered hands and let his heels grind into the marble as Wivanya smashed him sideways

Wivanya is reliable but her image conflicts too directly with AlanaÆs Randidly thought to himself Their combination isnÆt ideal

PaoloÆs face twitched but he stayed on his feet Although the claws shredded the flesh of his shoulder he was somehow able to endure WivanyaÆs attack Seeing him survive the noise from the crowd exploded upward More and more wispy images flowed to Paolo Even Randidly had to wonder about the physics of the move and narrowed his eyes to examine PaoloÆs image But Wivanya responded with a roar and unleashed a blast of concentrated frost from her mouth

A pillar of light exploded from Paolo the cheers and approval of the crowd becoming tinder to the flame burning in his heart It wasnÆt the exact same sort of inviolable light that Alana released but it at least shared the trait of being bright which seemed to further excited the audience They raised their voices and shook their limbs caught in the frenzy of the conflict

Alana glanced sideways at PaoloÆs ascendant image then returned her gaze to the panting form of Kayle in front of her If he continues to accept all those foreign influences to his image he is in for a rude awakening

He can handle it Kayle exposed a small smile and then both foes blurred into motion Although she clearly didnÆt have as much punch to her image any longer Alana Donal was still the human on Earth who had done the most combat training over the last several years Her step thrust and then follow up sweep with her spear were blisteringly fast

At his best he could hold his own but he was no longer in peak condition Kayle deflected the thrust but could only be smashed backward as Alana targeted his wounded arm Her spear cut deeply into the wrist of his bad arm But as Kayle was thrown backward he twisted mid air and once more manifested his stark image above his head The line seemed so slender but it cleanly divided infinity The Sword of Triumph

Alana tensed but she wasnÆt the target of the Skill Instead it appeared that Kayle cast several lightning fast barriers around Paolo Randidly chewed on his lip but then understanding gradually bloomed in RandidlyÆs eyes as Paolo rapidly exploded with the potency of the images that he had been absorbing Streams continued to flow into him from the crowd but now nothing could flow out any longer His body bounded by KayleÆs Absolute Divides was the vessel to the rapidly increasing pressure of those images While he stood there and seemed to rush rapidly towards some sort of detonation WivanyaÆs claws scratched helplessly at the barriers Kayle created

Randidly felt a small smile taking hold on his face The result isnÆt as integrated as Dinesh and TykesÆ combination Skill but I can already tell that this effect will be much more exaggerated

For a split second Alana frowned But ultimately she ignored the trembling Kayle and pounced over toward Paolo Wivanya switch

Keh You are lucky human Wivanya glared at the exultant Paolo and then bounded across toward Kayle Seeing the dragonÆs approach Kayle gritted his teeth and recovered his footing Just like Alana it seemed that the Skill he used cost him quite a bit of his Willpower He also had to replace another one of his long knives that had been shattered by Alana but he settled into a defensive stance and waited for Wivanya to approach

Once more light gathered around Alana while she moved forward but this light seemed to make the details of the surrounding space clearer rather than obscuring her person Her image had shifted once she had exhausted her image of divinity The color contrast of her person shot upward making the flames around her vividly orange and her wings almost blindingly white

The flavor of her image shifted slightly again as she raised her spear She was no longer a pure valkyrie but a prophet When her mouth opened something sanctified and almost solid flowed out she spoke the word of a God Spear Thrusts so Plentiful They Sound like Rain

And Randidly could hear it in the moments that followed the sizzling impact of hundreds of spear attacks that Alana threw outward each with a deceptive amount of force behind the attacks These were strikes that would have laid out any of the contestants below the top 8 But it appeared that Kayle had taken great care in the construction of these barriers because they cracked but didnÆt quite shatter AlanaÆs eyes sharpened

She withdrew slightly the intensity of her image rising further once more Waves of heat began to rise from her pearly wings as though the feathers were eternal tongues of flame Her eyes were determined as she considered the figure of Paolo The Fourth Revelation Divinity

The intense brightness that followed was a different sort of brightness from the first activation Randidly chewed on his lip she was developing her image further with every use True Alana was once again the epicenter of the phenomenon but rather than being blinded by the light AlanaÆs form seemed to swell and fill the attention span of the viewer In this baser form the shard of divinity that she channeled in her image became all consuming And with that power at the tip of her spear she thrust her weapon forward

At the same time Paolo exploded with a hurricane of force All of the pressurized energy of his image that had been funneled from the crowd through his body finally broke out through KayleÆs barriers from the inside So he was swimming at the head of an avalanche of concentrated images swinging his fists wildly challenging everything and anything in his path

The two forces collided and Randidly pressed his lips together in a thin line the battle was approaching the point that he was confident in his own safety but it would be more difficult to ensure the health of the participants His three images swam through his blood slowly altering his body in preparation for what might follow

And the confrontation stretched onward as Randidly watched The clash was a little like two spouts of water spraying at each other drops were flung in every direction but no immediate victor was determined With the addition of the audienceÆs image Paolo was able to force Alana into a standstill What he lacked in detail he made up for with a single minded pursuit of power

Into that strained stalemate stepped Kayle With the deft fingers of his uninjured right hand he reached up and grabbed the shattered edges of the barriers he had conjured around Paolo Eventually he settled on a jagged remnant that shimmered in his hand even as it began to disintegrate and scatter But while it remained he slashed downward at Alana Victory Severed

A white crescent of light shot forward toward Alana The shard in KayleÆs hand fell to pieces even as the hand holding it was torn to pieces

RandidlyÆs pupils instantly tightened to the size of a pin tip A lot of meaning and imagery was seething beneath the surface of KayleÆs gesture giving the slash vastly increased power based on the symbolism present But just as quickly as Randidly recognized the threat it presented Wivanya was moving She tossed her body in front of the attack and crossed her wings as an extra line of defense Heavy layers of ice formed across her body

Wivanya took the brunt of the slash and crashed into the arena with enough force to shake the surrounding ground Much of her left wing was shredded and enough blood to fill a small stream gushed out of the wound on her side Some of her organs were clearly visible through the ripped flesh Even so the white crescent had enough force to continue downward and strike Alana

Her image of divinity was cleanly dispersed by the shattered nature of Kayle and PaoloÆs combination attack but so was PaoloÆs the only problem was that Alana hadnÆt been expecting it at all A quick scan indicated that the damage to Wivanya was severe Randidly had no way of seeing her Health but based on the blood being knocked unconscious and the way her image was obliterated he made his decision

Wivanya has been knocked out for the remainder of the match Randidly announced Even as Paolo spear tackled Alana Randidly used Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to wrap the heavy dragonÆs body with roots and lift her to medical help Of course no sooner did Randidly lift Wivanya off the ground than she regained consciousness and began to struggle

I wait I can still Absolute Wivanya began but Randidly briefly unleashed the significance that he had gathered in his Nether Nebula The nebula paused in its clockwise rotation and briefly twisted in the counterclockwise direction Thick cords of Nether unspoiled and wound themselves around Wivanya

YouÆve been knocked out Randidly said quietly struggling to keep his Nether from interfering with the images of the surrounding people as he suppressed Wivanya Some part of him was unsure if his intervention was the right decision but he had already intervened He could sense how weak and feeble WivanyaÆs Willpower currently was It was best for her to retire and recover

There was an extended moment where chilly sapphire eyes met firm emerald ones then the dragon collapsed and curled up like a piece of carbon paper left next to an open flame Randidly carried her away with the roots toward the waiting medical team then turned back to the fight

After both images had been shattered by KayleÆs strike and most likely further weakened by the brief appearance of Nether in the space Paolo had rushed forward and tackled Alana directly Her spear was knocked from her hands as the two grappled and she was forced several steps backward

But Alana reacted quickly her hands finding purchase on PaoloÆs leather armor But with the advantage of momentum he unleashed several sharp punches to her sides and face shoved her once then threw a Haymaker that smashed Alana into the ground

Coughing heavily Alana rolled quickly to the side to avoid the several slashes that Kayle unleashed at her downed form Had not both of his arms been wounded she likely would have been eliminated right there Then she flipped up to her feet and produced another spear that she leveled at the two foes that were circling around her Blood was trickling from the corner of her mouth

Her eyes flicked between Paolo and Kayle who were carefully positioning themselves Golden flames surged to life along her limbs That was a great move But I can feel both of your images starting to fade Are you stalling for time now rather than attacking

Your image is even worse Kayle commented so quietly that his words were almost lost in the roar of the crowd Even if the participants were feeling quite drained the audience was still at its zenith

For his part Paolo guffawed and slapped his chest You think that IÆm done When the audience demands more Never I still have more gas in the tank

And true to his word his image once more began to churn He took several steps toward Alana the glorious glow of triumph around his body brightening back toward its previous levels She kept her spear steady but AlanaÆs eyes narrowed You if you keep absorbing so many external images your own image purity

Maybe for other people it would be a problem but I get to tell my own story Paolo countered He took another step forward The image around him intensified He glanced sideways as he flashed a grin at Kayle I know what you are thinking But I want your word that I get a single exchange right now with her without your interference You already got to fight with her for a while

ItÆs foolish Kayle replied sharply Paolo shrugged The two stared at each other for almost ten seconds while AlanaÆs breathing slowly grew more regular Blood stopped leaking from the wound on her shoulder

Finally Kayle sighed and shook his head Fine One exchange And I wonÆt do any follow up

Perfect Paolo cracked his knuckles and then lifted his left hand the fingers of his right tight around his left wrist All the images that surged toward him from the audience congregated around that hand filling it with a massive if a bit conflicting amount of meaning The Left Hand of the Champion

Paolo clenched his glowing fist Alana huffed out a breath and her flames surged even higher around her body She rolled her shoulders and the flames around her regained some of the previous intensity Waves of heat once more surrounded her The Second Revelation Struggle

She moved quickly her spear flicking side to side unpredictably while Paolo moved ponderously under the weight of his image He only threw a single punch so heavy with his Willpower that it blew all of AlanaÆs brutal attacks away Paolo had small gashes opened up across his arms and a deep wound right below his collarbone but he smashed Alana into the marble arena with enough force to crack the reinforced stone ground

For the second time Alana was knocked down in a decisive blow

The crowd erupted in a roar as Paolo steadied himself and then raised his fists above his head in pure exultation His sense of accomplishment was an almost physical thing and those same slivers of image that flowed into him were now flowing back out popping and inflating to three times their original size so they seemed to be lopsided and overinflated balloons that meandered sluggishly through the surrounding air

Randidly could feel the hyper dense Nether running underneath everything catalyzing the images of the people here for as long as it remained The effect primarily seemed to be bloating but Randidly understood it was more than that it was like the aspect ratio of television being raised above the content on the screen The images looked bloated because they could now exist in high definition but they hadnÆt quite figured out how to manage it yet

Paolo Kayle spoke sharply staring intently at the downed form on the ground between them It isnÆt over yet

Randidly felt the significance of the Nether running underneath the arena deepen even further

Her right elbow had been shattered in the impact on the ground but Alana simply propped herself up with her left She rubbed the blood from her lips but only succeeded in smearing it across her cheek and making her countenance look positively ghastly Yet such was the intensity of her expression that the smeared blood only seemed appropriate

This was a woman out for blood

Paolo and Kayle shared a glance while the crowdÆs noise gradually receded Both of them were wounded although not as badly as Alana was Yet somehow AlanaÆs figure now completely devoid of the emphasis of images was even more intimidating than the radiance of her orange gold flames had been previously

YouÆve made it Paolo and Kayle Alana said woodenly She looked dispassionately down at her right arm at the spot where the flex of her forearm had been torn asunder and the fractured bone was revealed Her left hand flickered with warm flames and she pressed it over the wound The flesh began to sizzle This is the current pinnacle of Earth YouÆve proven that as long as you persevere any human can achieve this proficiency with images and control their own Path