LoRG 5

Xershi swayed the words almost physically striking against him He glanced sideways toward the Ghosthound Fiona turned too slightly anxious that her previous tantrum would have made Randidly sensitive toward other people in the Ascension Pact turning against him

Randidly looked like he was daydreaming just leaning against one of the massive tubes with a distant expression

Pullas interjected into the extended motion Look we trust you Xershi We know you would never do something like that

Fiona cleared her throat to interrupt Pullas meant well but she lived in a world of pretty shapes and neat boxes Thoughts and actions are different fucking things Xershi Get out of your own head you havenÆt done anything yet Right now thatÆs all that matters

Do whatever you want The voice said with an implied shrug Fiona planted more and more mauve notes in the surroundings but the speaker was skilled enough to avoid her traps As I said this honesty is a favor Do with it what you will

That finally did seem to get Xershi to release the tight grip he had on his image The liger finally ceased spitting beginning to fade back into his body Xershi grimaced I the fact I was created to well fuck I donÆt want to think about this right now Can we just

Buurrpp

Randidly GhosthoundÆs thunderous belch flattened the conversation The group turned to him to find him finally pulling his hand away from the tube and tapping his chest Then he grinned around looking quite pleased with himself Yea letÆs just move on from here IÆll take us to the edge of the layer Godspeed creator

What a great burp Xershi said glumly

I honestly found it pretty obnoxious Pullas pouted Why the hell is he so gassy

Chapter 2062

Randidly tried to keep his expression even as he used his Fatepiece to bring them to the edge of the area His stomach was doing flip flops struggling to keep the huge chunk of energy he had taken from the tube in place His bowels gurgled his physiology responding to the shift in the Alpha Cosmos His hand trembled slightly from the strain right as he activated the AlchemistÆs Passport meaning they needed to walk ten minutes from the location to the edge of the layer

Each step threatened another massive burp The aura of power the Aetherium contained was that difficult to choke down But he didnÆt want to show any more signs in case the creator realized something was wrong

In the end the entire Ascension Pact seemed just to accept a short walk was better than making a second attempt Pullas kept shooting worried glances toward Xershi who spent most of the journey muttering to himself Meanwhile Fiona walked behind Randidly with a suspicious expression on her face by any chance did you steal whatever the creator was trying to plunder from that installation

Randidly coughed surprised to be so quickly seen through I have no idea what you are talking about

She rolled her eyes but didnÆt press the issue Which was good because Randidly felt quite a bit of regret about the whole process Originally he had just intended to store the energy in YystrixÆs tomb Sensing the chunk of her power had filled him with an immediate impulse to take the chunk of Aetherium which ended up being the size of a city block But very quickly it became obvious he couldnÆt just stuff it in the tomb Plus the Aetherium radiated a constant sort of image tainted aura This chunk of solidified energy was Yystrix through and through He didnÆt quite feel comfortable just keeping it on Expira where its influence might spread

His next move was to shift the huge piece of energy to hide behind the moon with the Sea of Emotion Path Randidly had also plundered and felt was too dangerous for the average person But when he placed it there the Sea of Emotion almost immediately reacted to the aura Before anything permanent could happen Randidly moved it again through the Alpha Cosmos fretting about how to prevent a bad reaction

Neveah suggested putting it inside the fake sun adding some credibility to the solar illusion But for obvious symbolism related reasons Randidly immediately refused Eventually he tossed the massive hunk into the darkness beyond the Nemesai planets and decided heÆd figure it out later All the while his metaphysical digestion gurgled even the thick Nether of his Alpha Cosmos having difficulty keeping down this item

This is a huge piece of Aetherium maybe five hundred times the size of the piece I used from NrorceÆs daughter Randidly shivered But itÆs just a fraction of the energy that had crusted around ElhumeÆs body in the scene I witnessed that first time he brushed up against me How powerful is he

Randidly put the issue out of his mind for now The group arrived at the exterior stairwell and began to climb each with their private thoughts The next floor was the 50th the site of ElhumeÆs whatever project the Sonara had become The other traps ended up being part of a previous setup which was left in place because they were effective at preventing individuals from climbing But this layer

The Ascension Pact soon stood before the golden barrier Randidly looked at them all Are we ready

They didnÆt need to respond Their firm gazes showed their willingness to climb True to his slightly immature personality Xershi grinned at the prospect of the challenge his existential confusion from the encounter with the creator forgotten Fiona nodded still with the group despite or perhaps even because they had met her ex husband and he had been taken away by Devick PullasÆs eyes were bright and clear A stillness had come over her as though she made some broader decision about her life

Randidly walked through the portal What waited on the other side was a much more well illuminated space

Immediately the restrictive environment made itself known Even Randidly grimaced at the sensation pressing against him Not only were his Nether flows restricted but there seemed to be some sort of cosmic order imposed on the area His images were reduced needing to struggle to get past the edges of his body

The surroundings were filled with tall towers These released periodic pulses of energy the combined tapestry of Engraving pulsing from these towers becoming the heavy restrictions of the layer And as Randidly looked up into a grey sky he realized the bindings he felt were just a side effect Even worse space here was similarly subdivided and isolated making the prospect of quickly using the AlchemistÆs Passport impossible

Above him he saw the complex and forced flows of Aether and Nether that produced the twisted combination of both that proved to be so destructive A completely shallow flow of Nether was forced to pass very close to a series of congregated nebula of dense emotion with such potency that Randidly only had to look at them to feel them pressing against his skin These emotional wells for lack of a better term radiated their particular brand of intensity and gradually infected the passing Nether with their vehemence

The tiniest drop of Nether flowed between those massive supernovas of dark emotion gradually absorbing the worst sort of lessons

However Randidly blinked when a tinny voice boomed out across the layer I have long waited for you Nether King Did you think I hadnÆt made preparations for direct contact like this

The group paused The voice was worse than DiOrtho VantÆs most rusted grinding image projection of the machine god Fiona shot a glance at Randidly This thing thinks you are one of the extinct Nether Kings

No wonder its behaving so violently Pullas adjusted her glasses image still at the ready

The enormous synthetic voice of the hand boomed out in what seemed to be a prerecorded message Still I know you have long refused to work with me But can you deny our goals are the same Let us shatter the dream and return to the real universe Perhaps both of our peoples decimated within this cursed Nexus will still be thriving Perhaps the bubble of the Pinnacle means only a moment has passed outside

Randidly felt the Nether in the air stirring He released a pulse of power to push back whatever the black hands had begun to create but that energy started a cascading process that began to suck out more and more of his dense significance from his Nether Core Cursing Randidly tried to pull back his energy But the Nether had been caught up in a complex pattern around him drawing him into increasingly wide and circular rotations of energy

He almost couldnÆt believe the sensation He felt oddly helpless taken by surprise his opponents targeting his Nether directly

His eyes widened in recognition The black hands were dragging his energy along into a knot so that the flows of his Nether Core would strange itself Immediately Randidly began to flare his Nether Weight to struggle out of it but he didnÆt seem to be doing much The power of Nether came from its significance weight and Synechdochence this was the energy that was connected to the whole and wielded the wholeÆs power even when only a pinch was available However by the same token Randidly couldnÆt simply cut off the kidnapped power now that it had been seized and pulled into a dangerous pattern

I have spent a century creating this trap A single Nether King is not much at all Are you struggling I bet you are If you do not submit immediately and allow yourself to be captured you will be bound all the same with your consciousness drawn into an agonizing hell IÆve created for you When you have been dealt with I will be notified

Gonna surrender Xershi asked flippantly

Randidly found himself sweating More and more black hands were rushing out of the surroundings Now there were three groups the chargers those somehow pulling on RandidlyÆs Nether and finally a new group created a Nether Ritual The towers began pulsing directing waves of restrictive force toward the group He licked his lips struggling to free his Nether from the grips of these hands I I just need a few seconds There is a trap pulling at my Nether

Pullas patted Randidly on the back She gave him a sunny smile Yea even if you werenÆt the target it seems like this layerÆs trap was designed specifically for you So take a step back rely on us for a change

Looking at her he felt himself relaxing almost unwillingly

Pullas moved past Randidly Fiona and Xershi moving to her side The smallest and slightest of the Ascension Pact released of a pulse of her image The pale golden specter of death showed a wide smile as it began to tear through the restrictive defenses of the layer

I donÆt know if this is my limit but Pullas announced to the layer I know the world of which I dream I know the life I wish to live so I can die without regrets

Chapter 2063

Pullas stepped forward in front of the other members of the Ascension Pact her small form upright and determined Black Nether Hands continued to churn in a circle around the group keeping Randidly Ghosthound behind her tense and with gritted teeth But PullasÆs eyes went to the massive undulating sable fingers that drifted closer their ill intent cast like a long shadow across the group

Randidly has done so much to help us arrive here PullasÆs eyes blazed Her image began a low song right at the vertebrae where her neck became her spine proper ItÆs time we pay him back a little bit

A pale light spread out from her body as her image unfolded continually inflating and intensifying and being painted into existence with bold brushstrokes of color Her wish to protect resonated increasing the volume of her imageÆs song The robbed figure of death with which Pullas had so long walked now skipped forward with a wide smile on her face finally confident that she had found an answer

Perhaps not a perfect answer but one she totally believed in For so long she had been working to gather elements to later incorporate Now she moved past that stage and felt prepared for her image to come into its own

Pullas felt Xershi and Fiona moving beside her activating their own images However they stood back swirling and vigilant to support her efforts The power of her image continued to churn and intensify like electromagnetic imbalance in a storm before a jump and thunderous discharge Milky mist spread out from her body It danced around her fingers and oozed from her ankles She took another step forward and raised her hand to unleash the power she had been gathering

With a silent descent one of the massive black fingers swept down from the sky to make good on its promise of violence Pullas probably wouldnÆt have been able to track it without the boost in Stats from the Ascensions Pact To her the mechanical voice didnÆt bother to speak It simply moved to eliminate her

Pullas let loose a tinkling laugh LetÆs see what I can do yes

Her mind was drifting or rather racing or rather receding back from the physical details of the oncoming confrontation to somewhere deep within her memories The song rose within her drowning out almost everything else Somehow she sought out a foundational truth for her image teetering as it was at the cusp of revolutionary power

The details began to fill in themselves rushing toward a solid power

The moment stretched She remembered her hundreds of years working on Idylla dragging the bones of the city from the ether constructing homes and markets and courthouses for the population creating a systematic framework to try and provide all the necessities that these powerful Nexus citizens needed to reach for the Pinnacle

She worked so hard so it truly was an ideal place The ideal launching pad She gathered more and more information and understanding trying to make even the minutia purposeful

She remembered her pride as the population of Idylla rapidly increased as more and more houses were built around the core cluster she had made to the point that Pullas began to hastily zone the surrounding space and maintain a healthy infrastructure within the accumulating sprawl

Bit by bit work on her image had fallen by the wayside as administration required more time and effort Pullas didnÆt mind she sought a good death a death that would not leave anyone lost like her parentsÆ death had left her so devastatingly bereft These things she would build could support the next generation

She worked and worked Brick by brick that entire city became close to perfection

In the present Pullas flexed her fingers shrouded in milky light The specter of death reached up and tugged at the edge of its hood A rumbling change began to occur beneath its hazy shadowy filled with the joyous song ringing through her body Beside her Xershi and Fiona braced themselves for impact Randidly still seemed lost in whatever trap had been laid for Nether beings on this layer

Pullas licked her lips And yet she had been endlessly frustrated hadnÆt she As Idylla had fallen into cyclical patterns of bickering posturing and small minded jealousy The things she provided soon became too little The population wanted more additional roads to improve not just a city but a launching point They needed some assistance to achieve greatness

Warning Your Great Fate Wisdom of the Nesting Death Lvl 298 is experiencing extreme strain Warning your beliefs are diverging from the foundational oaths you took upon creating a Great Fate

Considering the Level of your Great Fate should it shatter death will result

In a way havenÆt I been dead since I left Idylla A very important part of me died anyway A whole part of my life already atrophied and hanging inert Pullas giggled Everything seemed so light and amusing She raised her hand again an even more brilliant and gorgeous liquid light the first precious drips as dawn juiced itself on the jagged peaks of a mountain range radiated to fill the surrounding space A life I lived ended A sad belief was set aside And now rising through the Sonora I can finally take another step

The next impact drummed her body and forced out a wheezing phlegmy cough from Pullas The milky radiance she released hummed furiously resonating with the impact But this time the long finger was tossed almost fifty meters into the air being directly overpowered by her image Next to her Xershi seemed confused but FionaÆs eyes were intent on Pullas Perhaps she sensed something

Behind them RandidlyÆs face twisted into a grimace grey flames whispering along his skin His own problems dominated his attention

Pullas raised her head ignoring the ache in her chest Driven by that massive mechanical core in the distance two more tentacle like fingers whipped over The first had been driven backward by the collision by sustained no real damage whatever corrosive image constituted its body resisted PullasÆs power even with this blooming capability

Death whispered for her to take that last step To give her the freedom she needed

Further The attitude to earn myself the death I craved To protect the life I need to lead to get there

Pullas decisively squeezed on her Great Fate the rippling banner that stretched up from her completed Class Her deviated path her obsession with avoiding any recurrence of the loss of her parents was obliterated by the resolve to step forward into the future no matter the cost For so so long she had been afraid Deeply afraid petrified internally fiddling with rules and regulations and creating a small little box into which no fear could enter

Although maybe this is even crazier than believing in your own image more sociopathic than never questioning whether the basis of your Aether has shifted Pullas blinked several times unable to see through the writhing light that emerged from her own body But this is my decision even if its scary

The walls that had so long protected her collapsed All the power woven through her Great Fate and into her carefully constructed oaths were eviscerated by her sudden move Death shrieked with delight But then an abrupt suction emerged in her body the System immediately arising and demanding repayment for all the power it had given her It was like blood being sucked directly out of her veins her flesh cleaved off and sold

Pullas swayed but she did not fall Her light flickered then erupted from her body Because in that emptiness she found freedom Instead of doubting she moved forward in the space within her body bolding drawing a path forward for herself

Weirdly she didnÆt feel like ripping out so much of her Soulspace had left her adrift Because there churning quietly within her core Pullas felt the bond of the Ascension Pact keeping her grounded

In a sudden birth of inspiration and force Pullas gushed through her own inner world carving her image in a sudden reiteration avoiding the flaws and only arriving at the gorgeous whole of the finale Her energy rose to a fever pitch her briefly fractured projection of herself in the cloak of death laughed and clapped her hands

Her heart ached but looked up and gathered her power around her body Death raised her arms in preparation for the waltz to begin the inner music spreading out into the surrounding layer

Chapter 2064

Pullas felt incredibly light Her stomach flipped over itself She lifted her arms even higher facing the three long fingers whipping around to smash the group rat tat tat in quick succession More tiny hands marched around the group a grand current of Nether rising to smash over the group The strange towers on this layer continued to release pulses of image suppression squeezing at PullasÆs edges

Death snorted

Almost without effort the primordial heap of death Pullas wielded cut a jagged flaw in the suppression The towers flared with alternating violet and teal colors She forced herself to concentrate and glance around even as her image demanded more of her attention She could barely stop herself from swaying with the rising music Even with the power I feel rushing through me I cannot imagine fighting against the tentacle fingers and the suppression and the tiny hands

Fiona shifted uneasily next to them even while Death pouted at PullasÆs doubts The little ones are starting something

Xershi looked sideways at Pullas His eyes were strange in a way that made her chest feel extremely hot Death wiggled her eyebrows at Pullas but no one else appeared to notice Keep those tentacles off our backs IÆll rip up the little guys He glanced sideways and made a face Maybe it will help Randidly get out of his head too

Before Pullas could respond Xershi turned away and accelerated The metal liger stretched and roared filling the air a veritable force of nature stampeding into the group of black hands that wove a Nether Ritual around them His claws scythed their way through the thick groupings of enemies

Trust We trust each other Pullas purposefully ignored the growing pain in her Soulspace Ignoring the serious surroundings Death began to sway to the music More and more energy dripped out of her broken Great Fate but for now she had plenty to spare ThatÆs how we can get through this Together

Almost immediately the strangely lit towers shifted back into a unified teal gathering an Engraving of suppression toward XershiÆs destructive form With blazing eyes Pullas waved her hand and released a radiant wave of energy that passed through the suppression like it was naught but cobwebs The restriction fizzled and dispersed Xershi didnÆt even glance at the attempted impediment

Escaping is the real issue Fiona continued Her mauve light spread out around PullasÆs image keeping the tugging flows of Nether from affecting her Her eyes narrowed as she peered around Even more than the attacks

The three tentacles whipped down Pullas found herself growling as mobilized her image With the pressure of the attacks her emotions were wound together into a dense mass The details sharpened in response to the threat DeathÆs steps in the dance quickened

The first two attacks arrived both summarily repulsed Fiona reached forward and gripped PullasÆs waist keeping her upright Death just sighed and shook her head trying to gather more of all the shredded bits of power still tumbling within PullasÆs wounded Soulspace Her mind buzzed with the horrible tang of the finger tentacles substance Yet the third tentacle pivoted and whipped sideways aiming for XershiÆs back as he ravaged the tiny hands

DeathÆs smile only widened You a mechanized system bounded by tight rules and regulations thought you could fool me

The knuckles of PullasÆs left hand popped She released a pure blast of milky death that slammed into the side of the tentacle and knocked it just off so when it crashed into the ground with enough force to shake the surrounding layer it only crushed black psuedo Nether hands Their still twitching fingers tumbled in every direction

It simultaneously produced the energy and was bombarded by it setting his body to trembling It benefited from being a part of him a physical being who housed an isolated universe but it still ached The Nether around him the Nether manipulated by patterns against him accelerated around his exposed Nether Core drawing more speed and applying more pressure due to its presence

Wincing Randidly let himself sink back to the core of the trap I cannot force my way out I also have to admit if this trap was enough to bind the Nether King even with my insight I cannot think my way out

He felt himself grinding his teeth But at that very moment he felt a pulse of pure faith carried along through the Ascension Pact to him Pullas believing wholly that he would soon break his way out and help them escape His heart sank as he thought about that prospect

And then Neveah was there pressing against him Just let go of the other worries YouÆve found good reliable friends Focus on the task in front of you

Easy for you to say Randidly grumbled back But he forced himself to do as she said He isolated his consciousness from the sensation of Nether He allowed everything to fall away Then he very deliberately began switching off worries and musings in his mind that werenÆt currently helping him

The training with the Visage of Obsession once more coming in handy in more controlled doses

Randidly felt a little bit like standing on top of a small city and looking down as the light were cut off block by block Not until he began culling energy to his ancillary worries did he realize how much of his focus was lost to them Then when all that swirling intellectual potency snapped back to the chilling and overwhelming tide of Nether he quickly reviewed his situation

An idea came to him I am not strong enough to just rip my way out of this trap And I am not quite clever enough to think my way out with deft manipulation of energies but I really donÆt need to be do I Not when I have both

Randidly once more pressed himself forward into the raging rapids of Nether The pressure built on his Nether Core as the Nether accelerated Randidly ignored the pressure the Nether Core of an entire universe wasnÆt so fragile to quickly shatter under this Instead he looked at the rapid flows of energy traveling around his Nether Core

The strange thing about Nether patterns is that two flows heading in opposite directions almost stick to each other the friction becomes a line of support So with these accelerating flows

Randidly began to rotate his Nether Core spinning on a horizontal axis while the restrictive flow moved on a vertical one The counterflows began to stick to each other forming a firm bond He gritted his teeth as the pressure intensified but into that sticky bond of Nether he could insert more energy churning in a minuscule whirlwind between the two flows

His smile widened Gotcha

He unleashed wave after wave of Nether into that tiny little inflatable building up some space for himself to work Bit by bit he pried open the Nether trap taking the brunt of the forceful restriction on his body and playing with the slack

Outside his Ascension Pact was waiting for him And they needed to keep climbing if they wanted to survive

Chapter 2065

RandidlyÆs thoughts began to rapidly align once he had found the method for ripping his way free of this trap

The rotations of his Nether Core accelerated into a tightly compacted spiral moving perpendicularly with the tight flows of Nether around Randidly The faster he revved himself into motion the more sturdy the little bond between the two opposing flows became The stronger that bond was the more energy he could force into it without the bond collapsing in a messy implosion

And with the density of RandidlyÆs Nether even a little energy could force back the relatively uncontrolled flows that the trap used against him

Of course with any increase in speed also came the pressure Yet pressure was Randidly GhosthoundÆs oldest friend from the System

Without it he wouldnÆt have grown nearly as quickly

Faster and faster wilder and wilder the axis of the rotation beginning to tremble from the constant flux of pressures Within RandidlyÆs chest that violent sea of the Grey CreatureÆs emotions shivered with a strange joy He felt the soft presence of Yggdrasil and the constant hunger of the Stillborn Phoenix moving on either side of his most problematic image It released a crooning note turning all that acidic bile on an outside source

With the support of his images the space he had to himself widened He rapidly wove together a Nether Ritual running directly counter to the binding around himself a tiny horizontal rotation within a vertical rotation within a larger constricting horizontal one His Nether Core buzzed uneasily ground from both the inside and the outside

The Grey Creature crooned its mad support urging him forward Randidly stuff more Nether into the energy buffer giving him more and more space to utilize Pressure continued to mount against him but the more he worked the more glee he felt He had found a way Now he just needed to stop the trap

His Nether Ritual rapidly spread and pressed itself open He felt it ripening to fulfillment After saying a silent apology to his Nether Core he ripped out the buffer area The massive Nether Ritual fueled by these hands and his own rotation came directly in contact with each other each with its own momentum

His Nether Core groaned with the strain sputtering and wobbling Essentially Randidly bet that his Nether Core could withstand more of the pressure than the massive columns of black hands around him by setting both rituals against each other

For a strained moment Randidly felt his Nether constricting and twisting against itself His internal rotation slowed unable to keep up with the force of the trap So much pulled against him yanking on the significance that had been unspooled by those hands He felt his memories stretch and waver beginning to tear at the edges

Within him through the pain and pressure the Grey Creature reached out and seized upon the movement of energy and his strained memories desperate and snarling Its long claws sunk into the essence of Randidly and squeezed

This time some of the black hands stuttered and stopped due to the sudden interference The flow of the trap became uneven as some currents moved more quickly than others The intersection points teetered off their balance In a single moment Randidly reached out and yanked back some of his pulled Nether freeing up almost a third

However the hands seemed to become aware of what was happening A Nether Ritual that must have been prepared as a fallback slammed into RandidlyÆs Soulspace briefly distracting him But it wasnÆt enough just as the trap tried to restart itself Randidly took his liberated Nether and slammed it into the energy that was being pulled back into the pattern jarring both himself and those unfortunate black hands

More and more of his energy came free With the liberty he had restored he created a new Nether Ritual riding a huge surging wave of power to crunch the last of the resistance And RandidlyÆs eyes physically open suddenly panting and feeling deliriously happy and also somewhat achy A slew of Level Up notifications popped up in front of his face

Seeing these attacks he felt inclined to believe the voice Yet despite the intensity of the assault the group remained unscathed All due to one woman

Pullas didnÆt even bat an eyelash as her image projection whirled in an imaginary ballroom knocking back each attack with an intense conviction that Randidly almost envied Each collision shook the surrounding air making it almost impossible to hear Beyond them the army of dark hands began shifting once again attempting to drag out RandidlyÆs Nether from his body He had to fold and spin his energy inward to avoid it several restricting his Nether senses XershiÆs liger image raised its head and unleashed a howl

Only the droning recorded voice of Elhume could overwhelm the chaos Did you know that he kept some remnants from the sacking of Wyndaos Almost a hundred little seeds cultivated over the last several hundred years to become Nether Princes The history of the NexusÆs greatest Nether city kept in a cave as insurance To be an irresistible bait

Is it not for these answers that you have so long resisted and fought against me For the keys to discovering your lost history and culture For a short period after this message is read the defenses will deactivate Come to SonaraÆs Core A portal there will allow you to travel directly to me If you agree to cooperate I will gladly give you these Nether Princes

This message intended for another recipient sounded strange to Randidly for two critical reasons First because Elhume spoke so normally To have the monstrous villain so long lurking at the end of the NexusÆs tunnel seem so mundane made his skin crawl Secondly the offer seemed quite genuine Right after the words finished booming out across the layer the massive fingers paused in their movements They didnÆt withdraw entirely but they certainly ceased looming directly above the group The hands of twisted Nether crouched against the ground waiting spiders that almost blended into the ground

The shift was so abrupt that it took a while to actually acknowledge

Randidly and Fiona exchanged a glance Next to them Xershi scratched his head Pullas remained the most vigilant even as the brilliant light of her image faded somewhat For almost ten seconds they simply stood like that waiting

Randidly broke the silence Anyone recognize the term Wyndaos Is this not just a ploy to make us lower our guard

Pullas answered her voice strangely hoarse It was from when I was much younger but we studied how Wyndaos was definitely the seat of Nether power in the Nexus It wasnÆt just their greatest city but also their greatest weapon a mobile fortress of immense power During the Second Cohort after a Nether attack on one of the larger established countries a small group snuck into Wyndaos and helped Elhume and his Patrons track it down It was the first joint action of the various Aether factions and the victorious attack on Wyndaos helped cement his leadership at the end of the Second Cohort

The last Nether city huh Fiona frowned and looked down at the ground IÆm not quite as old as Pullas And Wyndaos definitely sounds familiar But thatÆs not really how I heard it happening

But based on this inertness Randidly gestured vaguely at the stillness around him Even the towers had settled Elhume definitely believed Nether Princes obtained from that location would be enough to draw the Nether King into what is definitely another trap

Congratulations Your Skill GhosthoundÆs Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1029

Randidly narrowed his eyes as he tried to peer up into the vast emptiness above them Distantly he could sense the palmÆ that was the source of the fingers He also had a pretty good picture of the area where that horrifying drop of Nether was being tainted by an unending torrent of dark emotions Yet his estimations put the coverage of his senses at only a tenth of the whole layer Perhaps even less than that

The area to which the call drew the theoretical Nether King was outside his vision The core remained distant one more ominous secret casting a long shadow across the group

Good thing we arenÆt actual Nether Kings then Xershi observed If this shit is distracted letÆs just get out of here

Chapter 2066

Randidly knew Xershi was correct However some part of him felt deeply regretful he couldnÆt sneak in and peer into the remnant Nether Princes from such a formative time in the Nexus Considering his ongoing journey to figure out a weakness of ElhumeÆs it was almost an ideal opportunity

And perhaps the sort of traps waiting would be just as geared to capturing a Nether King as these had been Maybe he could

Hey Randidly whatÆs that look on your face Fiona scowled and prodded him in the back with her knuckles

Randidly forced himself to focus Still worst case scenario is that I would try and sneak through the portal and find Elhume himself waiting on the other side Or his consciousness whatever portion of him isnÆt trapped within that mountain range of crystalized Aether At that point I donÆt think he would just let me waltz around and figure anything out He would crack me open and rip out my Fateset and Alpha Cosmos from my body

He flicked his wrist and produced the AlchemistÆs Passport still not quite trusting the lack of response from the hands in the surroundings Immediately he grimaced as he activated the Fatepiece still the towers might be but they hadnÆt stopped isolating the space He gestured to the group IÆll be able to move us but we will need to rip our way out Gather around

Fiona and Xershi moved and put their hands on his shoulder All three of them looked at Pullas who was just standing there her expression blank Small motes of light continued to dance around her body the momentum from her previous defensive showing maintaining their motion

Pullas you alright Xershi said

She blinked and turned to look at the group Even as she looked right at them her eyes never quite focused to pull them into frame Her mind was clearly elsewhere Oh yes Just getting a feel for my image ItÆs nothing

As she moved to join the group Randidly took another glance at Pullas In terms of outward appearance she seemed fine but he frowned as he noticed the way she was hemorrhaging Aether Her body leaked the previous energy like a cracked vase Her suddenly overwhelming image became even more bewildering in RandidlyÆs mind

While moving his wrists and beginning to feel at the edges of space in front of them Randidly deepened the connection between the two of them and the Ascension Pact Nether Ritual Then he flooded that bond with Aether Immediately the energy began to flow from high concentration to low sliding gladly to fill the vacated space inside of PullasÆs body She continued to leak energy but at least that would probably stave off any permanent consequences for a while

RandidlyÆs directed a very specific flourish of his hand feeling two portions of his Fateset activating in tandem The transformed flat Hierarchy of Burden spun out in front of the Philosopher’s Passport Randidly pressed the key forward moving into the first layer ripping through space with enough speed to create roaring serpents of crimson electromagnetic discharge around their bodies

and was almost immediately yanked out of the activation his Soulspace and Nether core aching and shaken from the sudden deceleration The other Ascension Pact members were even more confused and stunned than he was Pullas and Fiona fell sideways and Xershi careened forward for about ten meters slamming into the base of one of the suppression pillars and toppling it with a loud crash

RandidlyÆs chest wouldnÆt relax he couldnÆt breathe He turned his attention inward to try and figure out the cause just as the voice of Elhume returned with an edge

Both of you are such idiots The two of you will stick to your principles even if it requires you to sit back and watch everything you held dear turn to ash Even if you are guiding the entire Nexus to its doom Nothing is more important than your pride The voice buzzed against RandidlyÆs skin For the first time he could hear the hint of emotion a roaring inferno of emotional affect even though this was just a recording If IÆm being honest I expect you will choose this option and trigger the emergency defenses Fine then Die Your corpse and the Nether Prince that results will be plenty valuable enough for me

Abruptly the maroon firework erupted illuminating a very distant portion of the layer One that Randidly recognized His eyes widened You

Pullas still maintained an almost effortless defense her image bright and clear But her left arm finally moved straightening and pointing at the maroon ball hanging in the distance A Good Death Arrives to Collect its Debt

The release of that pent of power smacked Randidly in the face with enough force that he reflexively closed his eyes When he opened them it didnÆt change much the light released by Pullas was so bright that his pupils could squeeze together quickly enough to make any sense of the surroundings

But he felt the attack even more than he saw it She wanted to protect the Ascension Pact to pry open a path to the next layer more than almost anything else in the world The desire made Randidly catch his breath swept away by how pure and simple PullasÆs emotions had become

ThatÆs where the power came from She somehow cut everything else out of her RandidlyÆs expression became troubled But what happens when the group begins to split up

That blast of pure energy of death so righteously seeking to defend itself soared up through the sky Randidly heard the sounds of several massive fingers throwing themselves in the way seeking to slow and defeat the projectile But while these caustic hunks of fake Nether had a natural restrictive quality they couldnÆt quench something as pure as PullasÆs wish

The attack surged farther away revealing the group Xershi seemed floored Fiona smirked at RandidlyÆs confused look Before Pullas asked me to identify the most vulnerable location in the area for her In case we needed to create a distraction My image might be nowhere close to the raw power of the current Pullas but there are some things that are quite easy for me

And you chose that Randidly whispered watching the gleaming comet streak through space directly toward the refinement area of that horrifying dense drop of antagonistic Nether Even from here he felt the empty depths that drop possessed brought repeatedly close to overwhelming emotions without having any history being made

In terms of Nether Randidly hadnÆt seen its equal ever before The Nether King was a master manipulator of the energy but that drop was a natural calamity without consciousness or any real direction Made increasingly dangerous based on the exposure to emotion

Significance began rapidly flowing through the surrounding space RandidlyÆs skin began to tingle it was the same wave of significance that they had shifted earlier when the Ascension Pact was released All the pent up dreams of those coming to the Sonara all the original goals all the calcified emotions Except now those waves of energy had rushed up from the starting point and hit the top

Now that Nether came back down Backwash thick and tainted rushed around them building to an ominous shift

Randidly could see it as hundreds of massive fingers so distant they looked no bigger than hairs frantically spun together to try and keep that attack from reaching its target Yet the current Pullas seemed unstoppable

Suddenly this empty vessel that Elhume is refining as a bomb is going to encounter a shape for the first time Randidly licked his lips And that shape is death

In that moment he could suddenly understand why everyone he had encountered in the Nexus always considered him to be a destabilizing force Watching that attack rush toward that drop of Nether he became very sure that climbing to the next layer would be the least of their worries

Chapter 2067

The strike ripped through the dark sky of the central facility of the Sonara dragging all attention to its proud capability

PullasÆs image was an overwhelming wind in a field of dry fallen leaves The massive fingers that had so plagued them were raked away in a single blast leaving the group curiously alone and bare on the ground As the attack traveled further away and the light faded Randidly could see that two of the nearest pulsing towers had their tops completely melted off just from ambient radiated potency

All of the suppressing images in the area fell away allowing the group to release a breath

Almost in slow motion Randidly observed PullasÆs attack reaching the small dot of Nether so long refined between massive supernovas of dark emotions It hit these exterior volatile elements first crashing into a massive sea of chilled rage and burning its way directly through without slowing However very obviously the light of PullasÆs attack took on a soft blue light as it continued Her radiance didnÆt dim so much as incorporate a chilling practicality that sharpened its edge

Randidly believed it did not bode well for them and the impending reaction based on how quickly the attack had been tainted He steeled himself and raised the AlchemistÆs Passport bringing his Fatepieces back into resonance with each other

LetÆs get the fuck out of here Fiona announced her voice wavering just slightly Pullas seemed to be almost completely spent just staring vaguely up after her attack so Fiona just walked over to her and dragged her back to stand with the rest of the group

Randidly released a breath and tried to focus His tired mind sloshed around as he shifted to the new task But he couldnÆt tear his eyes away from the moment of impact Or rather the moment that chilling blast of death Pullas released ripped its way through two more horrifying emotions and simply vanished as it encountered the drop

It had been devoured wholly and immediately The light had been extinguished Randidly allowed himself a moment of optimism

Then the Nether in the area began to accelerate toward the drop

Even worse a strange muttering rose from the aftermath of the contact With huge holes in their sides the dense clouds of dark emotions began to whisper the identity of the image that passed through them The sounds were inaudible but each word felt like a pounding hammer at the significance in the area

A ripple ran across the surface of the small bead of refined fake Nether Then that ripple continued outward past its edges gathering more and more momentum through the backwash significance that spread out around the group An enormous whirlpool emerged with that small dot as the center

However in the next moment a powerful image restriction crashed down upon his shoulders All three of his images faltered underneath the tight blurring barrier Even the Grey CreatureÆs emotional violence seperate and wild as it was couldnÆt fight its way through the pressure

His previously confident steps slowed and his pupils dilated Physically he remained quite capable but Randidly looked on at the twisting and writhing finger with trepidation

Flows of golden light danced around his body condensing into PullasÆs projection of death She turned and winked at Randidly before spreading her arms out A radiate nova blasted out obliterating the restriction on images Then Death began to dance smashing backward the wild and hungry fingers They bounced off the ground with enough force to crack the ground already ruined by craters

After a brief pause to again admire how overwhelming PullasÆs image had become Randidly hopped back to join the group Still dazed Pullas nodded to him Sorry I was a bit lost ItÆs so hard Staying focused ThereÆs just something

Feeling the surrounding Nether RandidlyÆs heart began to ache as he looked at Pullas The strangeness grew around her every second Every whispered death by those distant emotions seemed to be reinforcing the lesson on that small bead of Nether echoing out through the significance and then came back together in PullasÆs body Some connection was being forged between them

The leaking Aether dribbled over that bond solidifying it adding shape and flesh to the raw metaphysical bone RandidlyÆs heart sank Whatever that drop is becoming IÆll bet anything that its first purpose in life will be to kill Pullas

However on the plus side this strange existential growth began to block up the cracks that had emerged in her during the process of finishing her image Even as she fought against the tentacles her eyes began to refocus on the foes in front of her Life seemed to visibly be returning to her bloodless cheeks Which was good because they would need her if they had to head to the core area

Randidly raised his Fatepieces The Hierarchy of Burden spun and glittered prepared to be used Alright come on back LetÆs get the hell out of here

Despite PullasÆs relative vibrancy Xershi still swept her up with an arm around her waist and carried her to cluster with the rest of them She didnÆt even seem to notice the hands of death flicking out and knocking away the caustic energy worms As they moved into position Randidly wove some Nether together still allowing his energy to spread out and demolish the hands seeking to restrain him

In a massive twist he pulled the whooshing tide of force back in on himself and wove a tight and rough Nether Ritual

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 889

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 850

LetÆs arrive right at the core past the defenses Randidly said a silent prayer as he finished weaving the energy together The Nether Ritual hummed in recognition When he thrust his AlchemistÆs Passport into the Hierarchy of Burden he pushed directly through the first two layers and into the beginning of the third

The yawning maw of entropy sucked at their edges as they ripped through space

Chapter 2068

The embrace of the cold fingers of entropy felt oddly invigorating and addicting The thin flaws within space blurred around them as they tunneled deeper toward their destination Like Randidly would only too happily struggle against the greed of entropy until his existence was inevitably extinguished As though it was somehow beautiful to toil so thanklessly against the natural universal force that would one day claim them all

Maybe thatÆs part of the danger of Entropy You experience it and are filled with a perverse desire to fill it no matter how well you know thatÆs impossible

Yet another part of Randidly pointed out that he had accomplished many previously considered impossible accomplishments His mind wandered Perhaps this would be another

The Nether Ritual humming in RandidlyÆs chest began to come unwound having almost accomplished its purpose In an extended instant they had arrived Randidly forced himself to move stunned by how numbed his hands had become His fingers would barely twitch With a great effort he pulled back on the AlchemistÆs Passport and disengaged their spatial rush

Emerging from the between existence of the void to the layer felt like hitting the surface of a lake from a great height Combined with the numbness of too long exposure to entropy Randidly felt briefly stunned by the return Behind him Fiona and Xershi seemed similarly to struggle while Pullas immediately released her projection of death to block any threats

The group stood on the surface of a city sized hunk of rock their bodies feeding them a conflicting series of information about which was up as the rock continued to lazily spin The same massive cords that they had seen siphoning energy away from the captured individuals below ran into the floating core digging through gloomy tunnels into the center of the area As he looked around he grimaced the way to the next layer wasnÆt in sight

They would probably still need to go deeper

Randidly crouched down releasing a pulse of Stillborn Phoenix gravity to fix them to the surface of the rock However the confusing tugs on their bodies continued to occur His head whipped around to peer into the inscrutable surface of the asteroid as Randidly realized the source this sort of gravityÆ was the same force exerted by Pine

Within the surface of the asteroid extremely dense Engravings prohibited RandidlyÆs senses from scanning the interior and figuring out what sort of threats awaited them They had to proceed forward blind

Movement dragged RandidlyÆs attention back around He paled he had been being dramatic earlier when he called the mass of tentacles that approached them through the mist a wave But now from every direction the fingers came in such numbers they filled every angle of approach

The sheer number made it seem like a new sinister horror restriction of the layer was approaching until the individual writhing movements of the fingers became clear Apparently the mass they had been fighting earlier was only a fraction of the beings of twisted Nether wriggling on this enormous layer All he could see in every direction was the fingers hungrily swimming toward them

So into the asteroid Fiona prompted Randidly nodded The group hopped to the nearest hole and followed the cords into the inner area

The companions kicked themselves off the walls ricocheting their way deeper toward their objective As they moved the pull of significance in the area got stronger It never approached the sort of all consuming significance that made it impossible for the average person to descend the Shaft but it pressed against their skin Meanwhile Randidly did his best to absorb as much as possible of the dense Engravings that lined the walls

Neveah you are going to have so many research projects after we get through this

A blast of golden light swept outward this time passing harmlessly through the Ascension Pact group and slamming into the suits Of course this barely rocked them back Then they moved with a horrible jittering speed to catch up to them Xershi and Fiona had already dashed to the left threshold which pulsed with Engravings and activated due to their presence The familiar golden barrier that led to another layer formed in the opening

DonÆt linger too long Fiona called over her shoulder as she vanished following Xershi forward

Pullas paused and looked at Randidly Above her head death continued to shoot out prismatic waves that held the suits at bay Is everything alright This is the right portal yes

ItÆs not that Randidly said slowly He could distantly feel more significance firming up between Pullas and the distant drop of Nether the horrible repetition of the word death continued as those emotions latched until it even as they moved away Feeling that develop Randidly was again reminded how much influence he could exert with Ghasthund should he find a use for the word

His attention fixated instead on the reaction from his Hierarchy of Burden which had grown more intense since they moved to the central platform

Following his instincts RandidlyÆs gaze went to the massive ball of yarn From here he could see cuniform symbols all across the thread minuscule and too simplistic to be any sort of functional Engraving system But his eyes widened in recognition The Hierarchy of Burden is reacting because this item too is a Hierarchy An old tool used to handle the pressures of creating an isolated universe

The Nether Princes within the oppositionÆs chests had begun to stir in response to PullasÆs attacks Memories from previous battles soaked out from the Nether Prince empowering the armors They moved forward with more confidence withstanding her strikes and advancing across the last few meters to the duo More and more climbed over the edge of the platform

Randidly There was a low warning in PullasÆs voice even as she blazed with a brighter light Her incarnation of death spun with a wide smile on her face seeming to enjoy the frantic series of collisions that shook Randidly to his bones

He knew he was wasting time but he was also impossibly quick Dreadful Alacrity zipped him across the platform to the middle area He stretched out a hand and rested it against the yarn He realized two things at once First something lived within the yarn although it was somehow incomplete Randidly could see how large chunks of this tragic beingÆs significance had been cut away

Secondly the contact fed him the name of the object The Hierarchy of Karma

His eyes widened completely sidetracked despite the dangerous nature of their current situation The Hierarchy of Karma from the history Randidly had heard of Elhume from the Patrons had been used on a mission with Elhume the Patron of Truth the Patron of Feathers and the Patron of the Borrowed to slay a being that had been an existential crisis to the Nexus Such was the violence of that conflict that the Patron of Truth had died in that battle

The same Patron of Truth whose doll even in its weakened form had landed a strike on Randidly without him being able to avoid it

Why the hell RandidlyÆs eyes bulged as he looked at the cables bringing image power up here feeding it into the Hierarchy of Karma would Elhume be keeping this thing alive

However answers mattered less right now than escaping Randidly plucked up the still fighting Pullas the suits reaching out at their backs to seize them and leapt through the portal into the next layer

Chapter 2069

Travel through the golden layer lasted for several seconds Randidly still filled with a strange dread from the imposing tool he had touched briefly and then left behind He felt a headache building within the bridge of his nose The Hierarchy of Karma and its still living target were another threat they had rushed past Randidly just hopped that touching it hadnÆt somehow unleashed it

as had happened with the Nether King

Or that the small drop which now was being raised on a constant diet of the repeated word death wouldnÆt later rampage through the area and shake things loose

Or that the mounting concentration of image fragments in the flaw they inflicted on the Sonora would rupture with enough violence to destroy the Sonara but not enough force to destroy the Hierarchy of Karma and its captive instead flinging that being into freedom so that Randidly would have another Elhume powered enemy to climb over

However Randidly ultimately just shrugged in the face of the dangers One problem at a time I need to climb up and save the Patron of Feathers She might have some more understanding of whether the being with the Hierarchy of Karma is an issue anyway For now I have plenty of my own issues to deal with

In his chest the Grey Creature paced back and forth surly and wild Every moment brought more and more of the deep sea of negative emotion within the Alpha Cosmos to rest within his core image

Randidly burst through the transitionary membrane to the fifty first layer Randidly planted his feet and scanned the surroundings for any threats A grey sky stretched above him and several massive buildings loomed to either side of the landing area Fiona waved and a little further Xershi stood on top of a pile of sparking and twitching humanoid drones

Checked the inside this place is just filled with stuffy warehouses Xershi almost shrugged He kicked a few of the broken drones for good measure And these guys can barely take a hit There arenÆt really any defenses that I can find

Next to Randidly Pullas released a long breath For the first time the light of death around her body completely faded Without that light around her her shoulders seemed so small and thin So we made it We really climbed past the layers of Elhume

A creaking door slid open in the large building next to them and brought the whole group sliding around Milky death bloomed around Pullas and RandidlyÆs body blazed with grey flames of Nether Weight But it was Xershi that moved first streaking across the distance and crushing the torso of the humanoid metal exoskeleton that had stepped out to consider the new arrivals

When the warped metal body had hit the ground he kicked it several times for good measure A wide smile crossed his face Ah so refreshing This is the type of foe I like facing

Fiona barked out a low laugh and shook her head Inwardly Randidly sorta agreed with Xershi The last several floors had been stressful and trying And even now it was difficult to know when Elhume would receive word of their passage through the fiftieth floor whether he would find traces of their images or whether Elhume would just believe it had been the Nether King Either way he didnÆt want to linger around the area

He produced the PhilosopherÆs Passport Alright letÆs get out of here Even if we made it past the worst of it we donÆt want to let any pursuit catch up to us

The lack of defenses on the fifty first layer was almost alarming Randidly didnÆt even need to utilize the Hierarchy of Burden He could just peer across space and open them up at the wall to take the exterior stairwell

Likely haunted by the ghost of ElhumeÆs traps the group remained silent and rapidly ascended through the next few layers without pausing for a break The fifty second fifty third and fifty four floors were a lot more of the same endless buildings albeit at slightly decreased sizes Just warehouses and autonomous drones to transport the various materials Randidly did sweep through a few of the warehouses past the fifty first layer stealing away huge quantities of metals and crystals that Elhume considered high value enough to store there He sent samples to Kharon letting them try and reverse engineer the forging process for building blocks of the sturdy Sonara

Other than moving Randidly examined his exhausted companions both with his eyes and through the Ascension Pact His lingering anger toward Fiona had faded into cinders the trying experience of struggling against ElhumeÆs defenses had helped him set his anger to the side While the transgression she had committed had really infuriated him he could also tell she was genuinely sorry

Lady IellayaÆs expression never wavered as she shook her head while bringing over the wine colored dress Unfortunately not

Devick felt the urge to prod rising within her chest As an inheritor of the Peregrine Serpents even if she wasnÆt related by blood Lady Iellaya possessed exceptional emotional resilience That was why she functioned for so long as her aide Considering how bloody and hysterical most had become from extended proximity even Wick himself Lady Iellaya was extremely useful

And yet That usefulness would only save her for so long

Even now Devick teased herself with thoughts that this woman who had been kept so long by her side with constant and deliberate low grade exposure to her madness hadnÆt truly maintained her sanity but only faked it She wanted to poke a little enough to satisfy her curiosity without digging into some emotional rot and ruining the wondering

She cleared her throat as Lady Iellaya brought the dress around for her to step into IÆm surprised to hear that DidnÆt he have subordinates with him When he served on the frontlines below Ileot Swacc

He did but the only one I remember was Helen Lady Iellaya pulled the dress up around her allowing her to slide her arms through

Devick clicked her tongue Ah The one so theatrically murdered by Wick to send a message The one who so spurred Randidly to action that he improved by leaps and bounds until he could shatter Wick personally

Just so

Both paused in their conversation to look at Devick in this new dress This one was much sleeker a tight bodice descending into a flowing skirt that trailed along the ground around Devick as she spun back and forth With a twist of her lip she shook her head decisively No it cannot drag like this during the party WonÆt it become extremely dirty

Lady Iellaya bowed and began undoing the clasps This Devick suffered through she might not like the cut of the skirts but the rest was very flattering

Struck by a sudden impulse Devick switched topics The party is only two weeks away Do you think Randidly will bring me a present

That finally brought Lady Iellaya to a halt from what I understand from Randidly Ghosthound he is not the type to give gifts He shows his loyalty in other ways

ItÆs not about loyalty Devick said breezily with a wave of her hand Besides IÆm not looking for a typical gift Especially from an iconoclast like Randidly Ghosthound No what I really want is something special Something that will mark our relationship He hasnÆt decided on the definition for his word yes Perhaps he will make Ghasthund mean something like duty beyond compare

Both women looked up Lady Iellaya who only possessed Tier 2 Citizenships frowned but was unable to determine the cause for the massive energy disturbance But Devick showed a massive grin There you see This is what IÆm talking about This is the sort of gift that no one but he can give

Above the massive drill of the Sonora hung over the Nexus proper And on the left side of that drill a small black dot had appeared Devick put her hands to her cheeks barely preventing herself from blushing

Like a giant pinata the Sonara unraveled and began to dump huge quantities of Aether and twisted metal down over the Nexus Devick knew that it was all for her

Chapter 2070

The reverberations through the Sonara were not constant but they came at regular intervals The constant flow of images acting in a perfect environment rippled outward accumulating in the flaw forcing it further open

The shakes came more slowly but with more vigor The final collapse seemed inevitable

On the forty ninth floor the being who had created Xershi began to laugh The powerful rumbles ran up and down the Sonara as the structural integrity of the bottom portion steadily eroded destroying the powerful Engravings that protected this place from any outside interference

His eyes turned to the three teal tubes kept locked away for so long underneath a dense network of overlapping defenses Both to keep people like him away and to keep the power they contained locked away Even with the Sonara slowly collapsing the runic sigils remained bold and bright

He licked his lips The right tube would be a dud Elhume had never willingly given away some of his own power once his greedy hands began to squeeze into it But the central tube would hold a small fraction of PineÆs power The true shadow of a Shallah And the left tube

Soon The creator grinned

Randidly kept himself in the golden transitionary period between the fifty eighth and fifty ninth floors straining his senses to the limit to understand exactly what was happening within the Sonara

It was not enough just to feel the cataclysmic consequences of slamming headfirst into the wall He wanted to reassure himself everything wouldnÆt soon disintegrate around him while he still needed to climb

After the initial aftershocks the group had hunkered down and prepared for a quick and overwhelming wave of annihilation sweeping their way Five minutes of intermittent rumbles and no further massive shockwave had given them plenty of time to sweat and realize the process would be more drawn out So they ascended one more layer taking the time to investigate

The golden interstitial space buzzed against his skin From what Randidly could tell the destruction was heading down before it came up the lower layers were getting popped one by one torn apart by the accumulated image flaws like a helpless coat before a zipper Every ten minutes or so another layer collapsed underneath the pressure and caused more flaws to build up

Now what Randidly didnÆt know was what would happen when the lower layers had all been demolished Would the entire Sonara be sundered in a flash bisected completely in a sudden eruption of force Would the layers just begin collapsing upward in the same methodical destruction

At the very least ElhumeÆs reinforced layers were between the flaw and their current position And Randidly knew that those layers would have been thoroughly reinforced They had some extra time to discover the truth and plan their next move

But once more Randidly knew he needed to quickly ascend to reach the relevant layer before it was obliterated He was becoming slightly impatient although some of that might be the exhaustion from forcing his way past ElhumeÆs defenses

Huh Why What the fuck are they trying to do with a party Some fucked up image trap like Fiona XershiÆs image leaked out of his skin rough and perturbed by the suggestion And honestly Randidly couldnÆt blame him he had similar suspicions as he looked around at the group

IÆm literally right here Fiona muttered

Randidly turned and watched the talking and quiet laughter amongst the group humanoids and beast people and strange oozes and metal constructs he couldnÆt detect a flaw in their mirthful display They pulled out huge slabs of meat and stacked them in juicy piles next to the grilling area Two began a loud debate over the best sort of marinade Others conjured bottles of spirits and began to mix cocktails Laughter spread as one stubby legged woman dropped the entire bottle into a giant punch bowl

To RandidlyÆs left another group pulled out a game of chess A crowd of about twelve people congregated around the board clearly fascinated by the process

Look we all know what kind of place the Nexus is We realize arriving here so suddenly without an acclimation period makes it difficult to believe Tuthak Eloise rolled his body slowly forward He used a tentacle to gesture around at the group We grew up under its thumb just like the rest of you We sought the Pinnacle but had enough moral fiber not to descend into madness like our peers So first because we sought something that seemed impossible then because whispers of this society began to spread more and more individuals came here to find a peaceful collaborative area to grow And you four well you will be our final members

He waved another tentacle Hence a party to celebrate the final group marking all those who managed to arrive at this hallowed place The remnant of the old dream for the Nexus One last hurrah before we return to the Nexus and make war on everything Elhume has built

That finally seized RandidlyÆs attention Make war on Elhume

ItÆs all a lot to take in I understand A leathery skinned man with vulture wings stepped up to stand next to Tuthak But we are the best and brightest of the Nexus those born with integrity in the last few Cohorts Working together we have the capability

That bold declaration combined with the serious and supportive gazes of the other figures in the surroundings finally extinguished the last of XershiÆs antagonism The Ascension Pact just looked at Tuthak then around at the rest of the crowd

Making war on Elhume Fiona said slowly RandidlyÆs heart pounded in his chest ThatÆs a bold claim Does one of you intend to ascend to the Pinnacle and rival him

No Considering Elhume to be at the Pinnacle is a mistake Tuthak shook his head He has reached that height in the moment the Nexus was created He gained deep insight into the universe then as well as a frightful power But his launching pad was always Pine in the years since he has gotten close but he cannot cross that boundary As such we will be able to tear him down After all your group has begun unraveling his last great unresolved threat in the Sonara

And you really Randidly still felt somewhat dizzy to have encountered so suddenly a like minded group It was hard to trust it XershiÆs suspicion seemed the most reasonable You really wonÆt stop us from climbing higher

What Well no but I wouldnÆt recommend going any higher than the sixtieth floor Tuthak said

Fiona interrupted before Randidly could follow up on that comment however Even if Elhume didnÆt reach the Pinnacle another individual did yes Yet Elhume still remains on top of the Nexus despite their mysterious existence So how could you think just the group of you would be enough to overthrow him How do you even plan to begin

TuthakÆs expression turned strange We will only share the details of our plans if you agree to join our cause let me emphasize that joining with us is completely voluntary Many of our number have already left unwilling to be part of our Grand Return As for Alymian technically no one individual reached the Pinnacle to create the isolated universe It was a collaboration using the abilities of four individuals A dealmaker named Beigon to hold everything together A genius named Kelnan to give it shape Then built by Solomon Rex and brought to life by Mae Mykna

Chapter 2071

Solomon Rex Randidly muttered to himself thinking of the shadowy figure who had so casually lent out the Nether Penance with a trap secreted away inside of it He also thought about Don Beigon and the short explanation he had given about what is required to reach the Pinnacle

An image a foundation and a perfect moment

Kelnan Mae Mykna Pullas frowned and puffed out her cheeks Obviously the others I recognize but I have definitely heard those names before

Ah a true history buff Tuthak Eloise seemed cheered by her interest He brought two tentacles curling to his chest and wiggled his sagging head You have definitely heard of them both but likely not by those names Kelnan is more commonly known now as the Master although he recently suffered an extreme setback on his mountain At this point Tuthak gave Randidly a heavy glance Since then he has been constantly attempting to recover although most believe he will never regain his former glory

For the record The vulture man interjected here On the sixtieth floor before you attempt to climb there is a service exit So our news is quite up to date

Finally Mae Mykna well she died a long time ago Tuthak sighed She I think had somehow become ElhumeÆs main brake during the worst of the Nether Wars After she died he went a little bit crazy That combined with the loss of the Duelmo in the ritual to create humans really tore him to shreds He lost control of his body and is even now forced to use image projections to interact with others

Mae Mykna is the name of the Patron of Truth Randidly guessed his Nether pointing him in the right direction

Tuthak nodded The Aetherium she left behind was apparently quite small but potent With it and the planning of Kelnan and Solomon they created an isolated universe inside of another universe A land they claimed would be a place where a weary traveler could lay down their arms and remember peace Alymian could provide a respite from realityÆ

Solomon for the Foundation then The Patron of TruthÆs Aetherium for an image But what would the moment be The transition between the Second and Third Cohorts

Even through his alien octopus features Randidly could read the bitterness on TuthakÆs face We have lost many companions to the temptation of Alymian It was an insidious trap for those long tired of ElhumeÆs tyranny it emphasized escape and a shedding of burdens over any truth completely against MaeÆs desires However you can rest assured that we have given much thought to our plan

Fiona opened her mouth to continue her interrogation of the elder Eloize but Randidly put a hand on her shoulder He waved off her glare and turned to the octopus man His mind whirled trying to catch up with all the different information being thrown at him A party huh We really do appreciate the invitation But I want to clarify something why did you say it would be a bad idea to continue climbing the Sonara

The air around them began to fill with the sound and smell of meat sizzling over an open flame A muscular woman strode up to the group and offered them frothy drinks ringed with fruit from her tray Randidly and Fiona declined while Xershi took two for himself Pullas cradled a single glass eyeing it suspiciously

Rather than answer Eloise simply gazed at Randidly for several seconds It is a tragedy but I always suspected that you would wish to climb the Sonara No matter how much I attempt to dissuade you you have committed to the journey have you not

Randidly lifted his chin

The octopus shrugged five of its tentacles stretching out and sweeping the womanÆs tray clean of any further drinks I suppose that is why you make such an appropriate individual to cause the SonaraÆs collapse Ah well there is no harm in telling you If the bottom portion of the Sonara covers space the top stretches across time With how much Nether has been pumped into the upper end it becomes a grind against your psyche to go higher

I want to get out of here And improve myself on my terms Xershi finished

Randidly watched him with most of his attention on the Nether Ritual within the Ascension Pact There wasnÆt even the slightest emotional reverberation coming through the Nether Xershi had somehow found the time to achieve a higher state of emotional control than Randidly had

Or heÆs just locking down everything He mused

Once the words were out both Fiona and Pullas seemed to be vaguely insulted Before Pullas could open her mouth and argue with him Randidly reached out and put his hand on her shoulder Actually this is probably for the best I think from here on I should climb the Sonara alone

PullasÆs eyes fixated on him disappointment growing into devastation before his very eyes Suddenly all the shock and outrage Xershi had generated rushed toward him And Randidly understood her feelings when you found a group of people with which you could work so well it was heartbreaking to lose that bond To go out on your own If it was a normal situation Randidly would try harder to keep the Ascension Pact together But two factors forced his hand

First moving up through the Sonara proved to Randidly how little he knew about the Nexus He proceeded from layer to layer almost randomly uncovering information about the past that he now struggled to juggle unable to see how it all pieced together The sudden collaboration between Solomon Rex the Master the Patron of Truth and Don Beigon was an example of that The passage through the forty ninth and fiftieth layer was studded with similar revelations which Randidly even now hadnÆt really been able to parse apart

Secondly he could feel the way the Grey Creature was approaching a point of no return The emotional violence contained within him rose within RandidlyÆs body like heartburn he could feel it seething within him even his physique unable to quite cope with its heat And despite how honest they had been with each other Randidly felt embarrassed to pause and so obviously work through his own trouble

Fiona moved between Randidly and Pullas touching both their shoulders Randidly still has his mission driving him But heÆs not leaving immediately right Randidly We should all rest first then maybe share a dinner in this strange atmosphere Then we can all decide what to do moving forward

About thirty meters away Tuthak began acting as a referee in an image competition A jagged saber and a massive woofy mammoth clashed with each other the details of both sharp and piercing If nothing else Randidly was inclined to believe EloiseÆs bold prediction about making war on Elhume just from the ability displayed

Randidly forced the tension from his shoulders Exactly LetÆs take a break then talk about the details over dinner

PullasÆs eyes gleamed like she was about to burst into tears but she managed a shaky nod of her head With that signal Xershi moved away loudly gasping and reacting to the action in the image competition His loudness only made his obvious desire to avoid a real conversation more obvious Despite his own desire to do the same Randidly forced himself to confront his feelings

He moved a short distance off from the fighting and sat down So much happened so quickly I can barely figure out what to do next beyond climbing to find the key to saving the Patron of Feathers After a rest

His thoughts began to drift away

thereÆs more to do But really Pullas do you think this is easy for me

IÆll miss traveling together Hopefully after I finish this back in the Nexus we can find each other again

Chapter 2072

Randidly came back to himself slowly buoyed up through his unfocused state by the feeling of surprise by how deeply he had fallen asleep almost immediately after he had relaxed Gradually the physical sensations of sitting in the fifty ninth layer came back to him The sounds of images clashing against each other the smell of roast beef laughter and the hint of music spreading throughout Tuthak EloiseÆs gathering The heat of bodies and good cheer

The Upper Sonara Society huh Randidly pursed his lips Can this group really threaten Elhume And if they do where does that leave me

The thought felt vaguely threatening The absence of a hurdle long predicted to bar the path Since he had found his footing under the System Randidly was trying to create space for Expira and the other planets of the Alpha Cosmos to learn and grow without the threat of Elhume If someone else managed to solve that problem he would be left holding the bill for all the psyche straining effort he had poured into the process of getting stronger and no closure

Afterward as FionaÆs image had pointed out Randidly had no idea what he would do with himself For now he flexed his hands Yet no sooner had he begun stringing coherent thoughts together than the Grey Creature began to growl It started as a low warning but rapidly the psychic strain rose to dangerous levels

He clenched his jaw and leaned forward dark thoughts stabbing into him The emotions from the Alpha Cosmos squeezed him almost seeming to surround his whole personality and do its best job to squash him underneath its weight

His Nether Core whirled He endured This amount of pressure wasnÆt enough to break him With a rest fueling him he made it through until the emotional sewage poured into the Grey Creature began to fade and his brain settled back into working order

Gratefully Randidly allowed another thought to rise and distract him these last few layers had been filled with strange bits of information The Hierarchy of Karma left a strong impression on him even now He remembered the competition for Claudette the strange lake he had been forced into my DevickÆs projection and the seething shadow he had felt beating in the core of that lack

Was that one of the missing pieces that had been cut away from the being bound within the Hierarchy of Karma

Rolling his shoulders Randidly stood He did a few more stretches loosening up his arms and hamstrings The small exertion caused blood and Nether to begin running rapidly through his body firming himself in the present He drew a deep breath in and then released it with purposeful slowness

He focused his thoughts on the feeling of air and sun on his skin the soft echoes of the jubilations around him Gradually the tension in his body vanished He took another deep breath preparing himself for the dinner that would follow The movements of the Nether told him it was time to say goodbye

He began to move and found Fiona sitting on a hill watching the High Sonara Society engaging in their revelry After a brief hesitation as he stifled another bit of emotional indigestion from the Grey Creature he walked up to join her Can I ask you a favor

Fiona blinked and then nodded She didnÆt seem to have even noticed his approach until he spoke Some of that stiff blankness had returned to her expression Randidly inwardly reviewed his memories of the last few layers how long had they gone without Fiona oscillating between a fake supercharged smile and that brittle mask

He tried to keep his shoulders from slumping The Grey Creature gurgled again acidic and slightly desperate Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix hummed with worry So Randidly forced himself forward After the group splits I hope youÆll travel with Pullas I swear as soon as I finish IÆll come find you two

Fiona managed a somewhat lopsided smile up at Randidly Randidly this role as emotional guide of the group doesnÆt suit you But itÆs nice to know you noticed her increasing well I had planned on it anyway And to be honest

Fiona paused Then she shook her head Anyway IÆll be watching her thatÆs for sure

You were about to say that you needed her just as badly as she would need you werenÆt you Randidly thought Guilt squeezed his stomach but he nodded and walked down the slope He felt Fiona get up behind him and wander down in a different direction

Xershi pointed at the plates after this staring contest started to drag on So is this just self serve

The interruption brought everything back on track Like a child throwing a tantrum Pullas pouted and slowly filled her plate with the various foods Xershi happily began devouring the meal cooked by Randidly the gears in his throat grinding up everything to nutritional paste Fiona wondered if he even appreciated how good the food was

She didnÆt miss the way that some of the individuals from the strange Upper Sonara Society drifted over looking with blatant longing at the food Randidly had used his image somehow to refine the food and the results spoke for themselves

For a brief time she could lose herself in the eating

Fiona took her time closing her eyes with each bite She directed all of her attention to the tongue trusting that the powerful individuals here wouldnÆt suddenly ambush them in a fit of covetous gluttony She existed entirely through her tastebuds She found herself trembling When she opened her eyes she was surprised to discover her plate empty She refilled herself and continued the glorious meal

WeÆve talked some to the people here while you were resting Pullas looked up from picking at her food Most of the intensity had vanished from her eyes but each glance still came across like an accusation toward Randidly They are always vague about the details but the group truly seems intent to antagonize Elhume when they leave the Sonara We well I plan on traveling with Fiona to help her find out what Devick did with her husband Perhaps when you are finished

IÆm going it alone Xershi spoke around a mouthful of food Like I said I think I just need some time alone

Xershi Pullas seemed torn between irritation and a newfound concern for the metal liger Fiona saw concern win out on her face It might be easier to travel with us first for a while until you get your bearings IÆm not sure how things are going right now but I have a lot of connections that might be able to help you

Fiona began to realize it wasnÆt just her The whole table was tense which was why they had several long minutes of silence Just each one of them coped in a different way It was just somewhat concerning to her that her method of eating to cope seemed to be the most mature

I donÆt want the help I want XershiÆs face twisted for the first time some of his inner worry showing through But very quickly he covered it up With a decisive gesture he pushed himself back from the table Well it doesnÆt matter WeÆve done it guys We climbed all the way up here However I think itÆs time for me to go I want to get a bit of a head start I really really need to spend some time finding myself

That declaration sent reverberations through the Ascension Pact

Randidly finally looked up from his own plate Xershi

The liger man stiffened What

Randidly stood and slowly stretched out his hand ItÆs been a pleasure We really couldnÆt have done it without you

Within the Ascension Pact the Nether Ritual Randidly had created began to come undone After a pause Xershi shook RandidlyÆs hand Fiona could practically see the potency flowing out of the tattoo on the metal manÆs body Xershi then shook FionaÆs hand and went in for a handshake with Pullas but the slight woman sprung up and wrapped him up in a hug

Then Xershi left Everyone at the table looked vaguely like they needed to vomit but were suppressing the impulse

Chapter 2073

Fiona tried to keep eating to distract herself from the deep sadness she felt creeping into her heart but it became increasingly difficult Her fork gradually slowed her appetite dissipating in XershiÆs wake She glared down at her half full plate willing herself to recapture her zeal

Or rather it wasnÆt that his departure had caused some new trauma but no longer could Fiona ignore the yawning chasm that had so long existed inside of herself The wound from Duulys and his betrayal was still there She had just gotten lucky for a while After fucking up on RandidlyÆs homeworld the knowledge of how much she valued the group had allowed her to focus Conveniently problems kept throwing themselves in the groupÆs path

Randidly stood up abruptly drawing both Fiona and PullasÆs attention He grimaced then offered an apologetic smile I donÆt mean to cut this short but I think itÆs time that I head off on my own as well You two are going to stay together after Good ThatÆs for the best When I finish up here IÆll contact you

The crack in FionaÆs chest popped just the slightest bit wider by his sudden declaration She had expected a few more interactions before he rushed off From the wisps of light wicking away from PullasÆs skin as she glared at Randidly she had as well The glasses wearing woman pressed her hands against the table What You are just going to without even doing the dishes

Randidly blinked at her then down at the table in front of them as though the dishes rightfully had never even entered into his thought process His face still had a weird coloring like he would soon be ill

Into that space one of the lurking individuals around the dinner table stepped forward Actually if you would be willing to allow me to try that delicious smelling food IÆd be only too happy to handle

Fuck right off PullasÆs eyes were bright with the pale light of death Her fingers began to singe the wooden table This is a private event

The stranger closed his mouth and walked rapidly away Most of the other spectators whispered to each other and retreated

Pullas wheeled back toward Randidly What the hell are you doing After all that weÆve been through together you just want to run away without even are you going to offer me a handshake too Is that all we are to you You went out of your way to cheer me up with that memory when you needed me then you slip away when you have other business ThatÆs a horrible way to live

Fiona frowned slightly caught between them Rather than seeming upset Randidly only looked sad He winced and shook his head No if it were other circumstances I would want to take more time However I really need to begin climbing as soon as possible Pullas this isnÆt goodbye when I finish my business IÆll come find you I owe it to Fiona to help her find her husband My boss kidnapped him after all

Ex husband Fiona mumbled

If we arenÆt together how can I protect you Pullas hissed at him

Some part of Randidly folded as she said that even as Pullas seemed horrified by what had come out of her own mouth She finally leaned back and fiddled with her glasses He sighed Look Pullas you donÆt

Nevermind I didnÆt mean to force myself into your life I uh well Good luck Pullas spun away and blushed She only turned back around when he came up to her and hugged her They held each other for several seconds both leaning into the embrace

Fiona was next the long limbed man squeezing her with just the right about of strength His skin felt so very warm She scowled into his shoulder considering how high his Stats were he probably didnÆt even know how much force he was exerting When he stepped back his smile was more sure I appreciate your understanding I wish it didnÆt need to be this way but there is something that I need to take care of The sooner I start the better

With that he pivoted and moved across the rolling hills toward where Tuthak had indicated the sixtieth floor was His body blurred that he had vanished in only three seconds As he left the last few ties within the Ascension Pact faded away It was still a connection that would give a general impression of each other but its valuable function had deactivated

This is a bad idea Fiona thought

That itÆs a bad idea Randidly almost groaned out the words But as he spoke the strange blurry shapes sharpened The image he called the Grey Creature condensed behind him although the face continued to be wreathed in an obscuring layer of violent emotions But its horrifyingly vicious eyes were fixed on Pullas

Really Seems like your image disagrees It definitely wants to fight Pullas said boldly She condensed her own image of herself as death She began to walk slowly forward So

She crossed some sort of invisible boundary triggering a horrifying sea of vicious emotions to explode outward from RandidlyÆs body Even some distance back amongst the hills Fiona rocked back on her heels as she felt the impact of those emotions rush over her skin It was different than her own insidious pressure or the determined resolve that Pullas had found for her image this emotion felt like being a bloody carcass tossed into a sea of piranhas

Both in terms of depth of emotion and pure antagonism the image felt like a slap in the face from a barbed flail

You Pullas straightened and looked at Randidly with something like horror He remained sitting on the stone beneath the waterfall his face almost blank despite the vicious bloodthirstiness of his image So you do want to fight

Randidly laughed No Pullas I donÆt want to fight I need well maybe I should have been more honest I need some time to manage my image I just I didnÆt expect the need to arrive so suddenly And I was embarrassed by the timing so I ran away

Pullas began moving forward again So let me help

You cannot help RandidlyÆs image bared its teeth at her over his shoulder

Unfortunately hard denials did not work well on Pullas right now She crossed another invisible barrier Her movement ignited those piranhas and filled them with a rabid fury The emotional force in the air bit at PullasÆs death image It was too dispersed to do much damage but it was obvious that she began to feel the pressure PullasÆs face was white You how can you look at me with such hatred and pain and say I need help If your image is going wild I can help suppress it

Pullas itÆs not me or my main image RandidlyÆs mouth turned down at the edges He leaned forward and pressed his hands against the stone beneath him water trickling down his shoulders and forearms Fine then let me show you

The screening blurriness rippled and spread out from around his face FionaÆs eyes widened Because more and more projections of the Grey Creature formed behind the first But these were wild feral things madness given form More and more seemed to clamber out of the backs of their predecessors ripping themselves free Each was an emotional dagger a discordant note echoing through the area

Fiona watched the mass of bodes wrestle with each other with the wide eyed wholeheartedness of an insomniac They scrambled over the ground two pouncing on a third and ripping its limbs from its body Others just stood and shouted saliva flung from their lips by the noise Yet most latched onto the main Grey CreatureÆs back biting its legs and shoulders The main image form was dripping gore even while its face remained stoic

The true Grey Creature stood tall a thousand cannibal versions of itself ripping through its flesh and blurring its shape Fiona wrapped her image more tightly around herself

The worst part was that they seemed to notice they were no longer hidden All the rabid Grey Creatures froze Then their necks twisted their eyes glowed their emotions rose and coalesced into an oppressive pressure

Gradually PullasÆs image began to lose ground before their combined attention

What you are feeling isnÆt me at all Randidly said But an emotional debt that has suddenly come due

Chapter 2074

In front of him Pullas looked afraid

Randidly squeezed his eyes shut emotional potency raging through him like a hungry lion pacing the limits of his cage His joints ached in a way he hadnÆt felt in a long time the presence of the Alpha CosmosÆs psychological darkness felt like a physical burden he now carried One that sizzled and burned through his nerves and muscle fibers The presence in his body felt like a curse

He felt foolish for having allowed the problem to grow to this point At first Randidly had believed all these emotions would someday empower him That the unruly sea could be tamed and mastered

Yet now he wasnÆt so sure The intensity sat across his body bile and mud and shit and the accumulation of detritus Hatred anger envy hunger vengeance They swirled around him The emotions were pollution blunting his edge and filling him with rage A powerful all consuming rage sure But one too unwieldy to bring to bear on an opponent

A burden his body struggled to contain

Suddenly he was very conscious of his new no longer human body Shedding the shackles of humanity some nebulous connection to Elhume through his anchoring Stats had given him great power Yet now with these monstrous emotions prowling through him he felt it The near limitless capacity of the new body for gleeful violence His muscles shuddered with it There was a definite way to embrace the force contained within the Alpha Cosmos Each of his heartbeats carried waves

His eyes snapped open Fiona had suddenly appeared next to the stunned Pullas still transfixed by the specters of dark emotion hovering around the Grey Creature The woman took PullasÆs arm and led her forward passing deeper and deeper into the oppressive negativity hovering around Randidly His stomach groaned with a wild panic at their presence his emotions reacting to the proximity

Despite the fact they must be encountering increasing resistance from the air their pace did not falter

His attention soon became entangled with restraining those wild emotions in his body By the time he resurfaced Fiona and Pullas were wading across the shallow pool the curtains of mist from the waterfall soaking their clothing The trembling in his body got worse as the hopped up on nearby stones only five meters away

What are you doing Randidly asked evenly Moving his mouth and not just howling in a raw animal cry of suffering took quite a bit of will

Being here for you you dumbass Fiona said tartly She waved a hand and released a pulse of mauve light Several of the degenerative copies of the Grey Creature fixated on this image demonstration blasting antagonism her way The image shield began to melt from their combined efforts She frowned around gesturing again and reinforcing the image This time it held

She folded her hands in her lap and looked at Randidly Her eyes were calm You are struggling We are here for you

Randidly forced a smile on his face I appreciate the concern but as I said itÆs not necessary Besides IÆm afraid what comes next wonÆt be very pretty

If you have friends who just stay around because of how pretty you are Pullas said They arenÆt very good friends are they

Randidly gave Pullas a long look She looked so slight and small her hair dripping wet and clinging to her skull She braved the violent emotional waste directly not even bothering to shield her body with her image Grey Creatures stalked around her their long and insubstantial fingers flexing All the while she stared straight at Randidly with the same sort of intimate vulnerability

It made Randidly uncomfortable for an entirely different reason than the emotional indigestion he experienced

The next few weeks had seen Randidly constantly tormented by nightmares centered around the uncovered vent he now knew lurked behind the dresser However these were not the usual kind of dreams Randidly was not the sort of child that feared monsters or snakes or insects crawling out of the hidden passage and entering his room

No each nightmare concerned the same very specific situation No matter how much he tried to resist it or not think about the opening or smother his curiosity or distract himself Randidly would eventually find himself on his hands and knees crawling helplessly down into the dusty passage And eventually he would find a dead end trapped in the cramped ventilation shaft unable to escape

The opening called to him Drew him in no matter how much he struggled

He woke up screaming until his fed up mother took away the vent cover After that the possibility slipped from his mind and his subconscious eased its tormented grip on him Now in the dream world he pursed his lips at the irony he now needed to descend amongst the veins to try and face his fear

Like his nightmare the passage quickly became cramped He started hobbling along then crouching then crawling until he had to drag himself along on his stomach every side rubbing up against the overly warm veins RandidlyÆs eyes were brutal and harsh and he tugged himself along proceeding deeper feeling the negative emotions in the air thickening around him It became difficult to breathe the surroundings were so clogged with negativity He swam through a haze of emotion the passage ahead becoming murky

He squirmed through a vaguely wet gap in the veins and forced himself into an open chamber Cold air hit his face and brought his head wheeling around He blinked at what he saw No longer was he within the dream world but he had become a floating projection in the soft mist surrounding the waterfall His body sat below with Fiona and Pullas watching him

He floated in the air in his own form no longer a child His hands tightened into fists feeling the satisfying feedback of a genuine body Ah so it must be done the old fashioned way

The surroundings were also filled with the twisted souls of the fake Grey Creatures and his words set them off As soon as Randidly spoke those hungry monsters jerked around and began licking their lips More phantoms condensed out of the emotional darkness he carried staggering toward him in a series of endless rows

This was but a pinch of the darkness he needed to clear before he could address his own calcified emotion at the heart of the Grey Creature

Randidly breathed out through his nose Nether flames surged along his arms covering him in an undulating grey layer ItÆs not an ideal scenario but I need to clean up some of the detritus before I can deal with the larger issues Each of these projections contains threads of malignant emotion given shape by the darkness within the Grey Creature One by one I can refine them and weave them together into my own emotional pattern So long as the frame is a good one I should quickly gather momentum

Even as RandidlyÆs mind ran through a dozen very esoteric calculations to incorporate the emotional force into his own foundation the first fake Grey Creature twitched and launched itself at him in a thrashing motion

Although it possessed no finesse the power it exerted was substantial each of these seemed to wield his own physical capability Its long claws lashed out aiming to rip RandidlyÆs right eye from his socket

He flared his images but there was no response he remained in a projected world with only a body although the venue had become somewhat strange Inwardly he shrugged Outwardly he side stepped the attack snatched the monsterÆs wrist with one hand and shattered its elbow with the other

The bone cracked to splinters and the forearm flopped around

It hit the ground and scurried sideways predicting his follow up attack It stepped sideways right as he had predicted it would RandidlyÆs eyes glowed emerald as his fingers raked across the thingÆs throat with enough force to shred the skin and scatter core this thing had his instincts but it had no idea how to use them

The body collapsed releasing a thread of emotional force Randidly spun it away into the enormous Nether Ritual he began to assemble Then he beckoned to the rest of the stuttering Grey Creatures with bloody fingers Come on then I donÆt have time to play around with you

Chapter 2075

Bodies moved each action connecting to the next

Low kick to the side of the knee folding the joint A sharp step forward a knee rising and cracking open a skull A sidestep to avoid a lunge a backstep to position to seize the nape of anotherÆs neck and wheel their charging form into another Screen a third setting both the feet

A full roundhouse kick snapping up the neck of a crouching Grey Creature clone and breaking its spine

Whirling to the side avoiding being pinned between six of the monsters Noticing the glitter of light off their nails A lashing cut with the hand shattering a forearm A heel kick to a temple Dropping to the stomach allowing to attackers to crash into each other above Tossing himself back up to his feet throwing out several sharp jabs to stun the approaching enemies

He lived and breathed violence It felt like a homecoming

Randidly stepped forward and unleashed a palm thrust aiming to destroy the shoulder of a Grey Creature To his surprise it managed to bring its hand up to partially block the attack RandidlyÆs eyes flashed in annoyance He seized the offending arm squeezed until he felt the bones rupturing beneath his fingers then slammed a haymaker blow into his opponentÆs face

I was on such a roll too

The thing howled as it died and became emotional force the thread being spun up into the Grand Nether Ritual that Randidly had thrown up around himself The powerful flows were high above or more accurately below within his physical body so they could not be used to restrict the opponents Randidly really just needed to engage in a massive melee of hand to hand combat Harvesting their emotional force for his own benefit

This sort of fighting was oddly refreshing Without all the accouterments of Aether and Nether there was only the body momentum and wits It was Randidly rediscovered a sort of engagement at which he was quite proficient

To survive in the System he had learned a brutal efficiency he steadily stopped relying upon Yet now against the fake Grey Creatures that part of himself came to the surface and made short work of these foes

A thought floated to the surface of his mind even through his focus This is why the path of image physicalizations always appealed to me Especially now I utilize Nether as well itÆs all becoming too intellectually intensive But if my powerful images just became portions of my body

Well it would need to wait until the emotional affects have been stabilized at least

Randidly grabbed the neck of one avoided its punch then wrenched it sideways into the path of another His eyes scanned the surroundings as he kicked backward taking another in the chest and opening up some breathing room Sweat trickled down from his temples As time passed these Grey Creatures condensed from negative emotion seemed to be growing more used to his body Their movements became more proficient

A Grey Creature pounced toward him Randidly swept a leg sideways and slammed the thingÆs ribcage but it softened the blow by twisting and seized upon his leg Two more Grey Creatures stepped forward lashing out at Randidly with their long fingers He could see the path of their attacks One blow came marginally faster than the other

Randidly hopped up and grabbed upon the arm of the first attacker with both hands His fingers tightened for a good grip and then he pulled using the arm as a foundation With the additional force he could generate with his abs Randidly spun his body the Grey Creature holding onto his leg gripped tightly enough that he was picked up off the ground and sent spinning through the air The other attacker missed as Randidly positioned his spinning body landing behind the arm of the Grey Creature he grabbed

They kept coming bloodthirsty and increasingly sure of their movements RandidlyÆs focus narrowed Block avoid strike block pounce finish avoid repeat Blood and emotion swirled through his body amongst the storm of wild limbs engaging in a vicious tireless melee

In the end Randidly tore his way through the Nether Ritual becoming powerful enough that his speed of ripping these fake Grey CreatureÆs increased considerably He could blow them away without worrying about subtlety prompting the subconscious to release more and more negative emotions He felt a deep wariness beginning to emerge in his chest but his body could proceed like this forever lost in the sensation of violence

If anything it was oddly peaceful Without images or Authorities Randidly just had to use his body His mind and heart could turn themselves over fully to trying to heal from the infection under which they now labored

From the ether more Grey Creature came wreathed in grey auras of malevolence and screeching out horrifying oaths to inflict eternal pain upon him RandidlyÆs face remained firm as he ripped their heads from their bodies When too many came he was forced to tear off the limbs of some of his victims and use them as weapons until the bones from the broken arms began to dissipate

However a small bit of RandidlyÆs mind observed the surroundings Even as his Nether Ritual began to gather more momentum for his slaughter the feeling in the air didnÆt change The current negativity did decrease as he refined the emotion but

What the hell is this feeling His skin tingled as he paused in the middle of the bellowing crowd of Grey Creatures his eyes scanning around Why do I

Randidly froze There amongst the crush of bodies he saw a figure that wasnÆt the Grey Creature just standing there and smiling

It was him his own familiar body a malevolent grin stretching his mouth

Ah The other Randidly chuckled and offered a theatrical bow YouÆve found me Well then I suppose IÆve got no choice but to fight you

The moment was so strange and unexpected that Randidly swayed unsure of how to respond That was a mistake

The other Randidly erupted in a wave of negativity so corrosive and dangerous that many of the nearest Grey Creatures to him had the flesh melted away from their bodies They collapsed screaming even as the dark Randidly strolled forward dragging along a wave of dark emotion with him

When the corruption pressed against Randidly his giant Nether Ritual began to falter and sizzle the energies of this being attacked it directly His eyes narrowed as he created counter measures and then felt his countermeasures get countered

This being was utilizing Nether patterns against him

What the hell are you Randidly said

Dark Randidly grinned Literally Your own self hatred But right now IÆm going to be the darkness that consumes you

Chapter 2076

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed as he studied the figure opposite him The other Randidly stood with his hands on his hips his chin length black hair and the lanky almost alien body the exact same as his own The same impossible dimensions the sleek torso and long arms The only difference was the eyes pure black as though the pupil had risen and swallowed the rest of the eye in a fit of avarice

At the same time as he studied this new figure Randidly engaged in a constant campaign to protect and strengthen the massive Nether Ritual above him that gathered the emotional force of the defeated Grey Creatures and empowered himself The other Randidly mostly used the tainted emotion to release pressure but it could still manipulate Nether with just as much finesse as he could

RandidlyÆs skin tingled He reversed currents and generated some small buffer areas to turn away the subterfuge It really is like facing myself

Luckily for him he had already established the foundation of the working before this being appeared With the momentum on his side Randidly quickly pushed back the attacks Then he raised his arms and prepared to fight So long as the working was maintained he would eventually overpower any foe

Even one of the seeds of negative emotion that had infested his body

The grin of Self Hatred widened What nothing to say to yourself Afraid to face your own darkness Or perhaps you are even having difficulty admitting that you even possess self hatred

That earned a laugh from Randidly What No of course I know I hate myself a little bit IÆve done some very shitty things since the System arrived IÆm just trying to figure out what to do about you What I require to overcome you

As he finished speaking Randidly moved it a burst of furious aggression With the force in his massive Nether Ritual he physically ripped through two Grey Creatures that stood in his path as he charged However Self Hatred responded just as quickly as though he as expected the attack

The other version of him hopped shortly forward lowering his center of gravity Randidly didnÆt slow down so he arrived and whipped a hook to crunch into the doppelgangerÆs ribcage But it raised its leg and caught the blow with a barefoot RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed as he followed through even as the Self Hatred kicked off the punch and soared into the sky without a scratch It spun gracefully as it flew upward like a dancer or a bird

Stretching its arms out in the air Self Hatred condensed two black spears and sent them streaking at Randidly Without his images Randidly was forced to duck under the long distance attacks and sprint across the mist filled projection battlefield above the oblivious heads of Pullas and Fiona Grey Creatures tried to slow him down with their vicious claws and howls but they werenÆt able to stop him at this point Each opponent in his path just added to his strength

Self Hatred spun slowly in the air occasionally sending black spears zipping down that Randidly was forced to dodge When it touched the ground it laughed and rushed directly at him with a black spear gripped between its familiar fingers Care to joust

Considering their earlier brush and the parity of power they wielded Randidly felt confident in the impending collision However the waves of dense negative emotions Self Hatred now released felt slightly different His eyes narrowed

When they arrived before each other their bodies blurred Randidly feinted a leg sweep and then brought his knee up for a brutal crash into Self HatredÆs chest But it just spun sideways releasing pulses of caustic emotion then unleashed a roundhouse kick Randidly blocked it but it had predicted his response already lifting the other foot off the ground and stomping toward RandidlyÆs face

His eyes glowed as he snatched the foot from the air Self Hatred whipping the first foot back around to try and smash into his temple Ducking and twisting Randidly moved underneath the doppelganger and launched a body blow into his torso Yet somehow Self Hatred kept twisting enough to snatch RandidlyÆs punch out of the air raising its other hand while stifling his attack

Randidly flexed his wrist breaking the grip For a split second they stared at one another Both of them showed their teeth as they brought their other arms around they would exchange blows simultaneously Right before impact a little bit of inky emotion spilled out of Self HatredÆs hand and empowered it

The Grey CreatureÆs smashed into him and Randidly let that thought go he didnÆt need to face Self Hatred immediately Instead he swam through the Grey Creatures in front of him buoyed on currents of violence His arms and legs moved constantly ripping through limbs and tossing his opponents from side to side The force of his passage shattered their bodies freeing up a widening river of negative emotion that flowed into the Nether Ritual Its influence grew and grew sharpening every aspect of RandidlyÆs imagined presence

Of course the darkness around Self Hatred grew overwhelming by the same measure Or even at a faster clip as more of its influence was purified Because this thing was a magnetic a part of his personality that drew all the similar emotions to its body That pull had gathered a mighty sinister heart of negative emotion to it but most of that was tainted by other extraneous feelings

Sadness desperation self pity rage hatred fear

The emotions swirled around in an endless poisonous maelstrom And now Self Hatred employed Randidly pushing away all the ancillary emotions and allowing its own core to be strengthened and purified

He scrubbed it clean with every killing of a Grey Creature

Randidly moved tirelessly his power growing to the point it became almost a chore not to slaughter the Grey Creatures They rushed at him and were annihilated in wide swaths The Nether Ritual hummed in pleasure

Self Hatred conjured black spears the size of massive trees and threw them with horrifying proficiency

Randidly almost wished he were worse at fighting just so this would be easier

There are foes and battlefields that cannot be won with just fighting Randidly sighed to himself Despite the difficulty he felt no fear Because these were fights he understood as well You have to be smarter You have to be more prepared Or you need to understand a deeper truth about the environment The entire world even

Some of the ambient Nether he maintained in his body began to stir Sensing what he needed to do Randidly let himself go into physical autopilot His attention went to his Nether Core where he began to fold and twist his perspective He followed the flow of significance through his body folding and unfolding seeking this strange sensation of truth The train of thought had touched upon an important lesson

At a particular twist of his Nether everything opened Randidly peered forward What he saw made his face darken Elhume is perhaps such a foe Is it really possible for me to fight fairly against him and win I have a Nether Core that he does not but he possesses an image that shook me even from afar when he attacked the Patrons And he definitely knows more about the fabric of this universe than I

So how can I win Truly

The thought made his Nether Core begin its own rotation a constant rumination on the answer The beginning of a long journey Two simultaneous movements the Core within and the Nether Ritual above moving in opposite directions their friction strengthening Randidly a little extra Not enough to catch up to the growth of Self Hatred however

RandidlyÆs eyes blazed However I already know the way to slay this foe

He planted his foot and began to rip a path to crush this emotional poison that had been growing fat within his body He would plunder its core and finally earn himself an image that could stand up to powerful foes in the Nexus

Chapter 2077

You wish for a decisive battle Self Hatred called across the screams and roars of the dying Grey Creatures The darkness around its body continued to thicken even as the madness in its eyes curled with glee I see you managed to create a synergistic effect with your Nether Core But do you think that will be enough to overcome the difference between us Be reasonable Randidly Or have you come to surrender your body Have you finally realized you should fear me

Randidly remained silent marching forward His certainty only grew with every step this emotion was a part of him yes but it was limited by what it was called Its essence blinded it to other options Self Hatred ceased tossing the massive black spears its inky black eyes glittering as Randidly crossed the distance content to dwell on on a few details and movements As he approached it raised its right hand a mass of emotional darkness congregating there A decisive strike just as the previous attacks had been attempts at decisive strikes

He made a mental note about the power of a name perhaps some of these opponents were smarter than Randidly had considered wanting to avoid earning the curse of the word Ghasthund

With a few bounding steps Randidly ignored the mass of Grey creatures slashing at him and crossed the last distance to Self Hatred It snarled and swung that right fist it had so long prepared The air became thick with emotional force Time seemed to slow Just like the shaft Randidly could feel the layers of time sweeping across him as the attack neared

His eyes followed the blow If it landed Randidly would sink into a whirlpool of self hatred that would last an eternity for each moment that passed Its slippery coolness pressed against him even now whispering that this was all he deserved It urged him to cease his struggles and simply suffer underneath its yoke Self hatred wished to send him down into an endless spiral of dwelling and self recrimination

Randidly did not slow He had trained too long against the pull of entropy to let a small bout of self hatred affect his combat ability Constricted by the press of inky darkness Randidly raised his left hand in the face of the blow It became a naked deflection

The fist wrapped in darkness hit him in a horrifying impact Waves of emotion and physical force swept outward eviscerating all of the Grey Creatures in the surrounding ten meters The projection area shook with enough force that below Pullas glanced up briefly Randidly felt his left shoulder groan in pain However he absorbed almost all of the attack Sulfur his left arm hummed in pleasure from the kinetic force

Self Hatred opened its mouth to spit out some words but Acri slid into its heart RandidlyÆs thrust even after all this time was a thing of beautiful efficiency

Shal had taught him well

Acri ripped out of his targetÆs back the sharp weapon easily penetrating through the reflection of his body The emotional core swayed looking at Randidly in disgust You donÆt deserve anything that you have These equipments these toys all your subordinates you donÆt deserve any of it

That may be true Randidly said quietly feeling a strange mixture of relief and guilt at the presence of his two Soulseeds within this place But this existence isnÆt so kind as to bother with giving or taking based on merit

If anything RandidlyÆs response only seemed to infuriate Self Hatred even more It forced mocking laughter from its lips even as black blood began to spurt from the wound in its chest Do you think this is the end Sure you have wounded me but did you think you could fight your self hatred into submission I will

This is a metaphor you dumbass Randidly sighed as he tugged Acri out of Self HatredÆs chest A different sort of shiver ran through the surroundings IÆm not literally slaying you IÆm accepting you I havenÆt addressed you before but now itÆs time

The projection in front of him shattered A massive wave of emotional raw emotional force wild and almost double the size of the emotions he had refined with the Nether Ritual so far erupted from the body His Nether working began to strain to contain all of it Randidly felt himself burning inside out as he gritted his teeth and attempted to handle all the emotions pumping into him

Yet before Fiona could determine anything more about what had happened the images vanished Randidly himself stirred twisting his neck back and forth and earning a long series of cracks He blinked several times his gaze unfocused When he could see them he smiled at them both You two thank you You make for great allies

And bad enemies Pullas said in a rare joke her lips trembling as she offered a smile

Randidly laughed and straightened He looked down at his hands and another hair raising image pulse came out of his body Pullas sniffed and released a pulse of her own one with so much intensity that Fiona jumped off of her stone and fell in the water

When she spluttered back to the surface Pullas pouted at Randidly Why are you being so aggressive You scared Fiona

RandidlyÆs mouth twitched I didnÆt mean for anyone to be alarmed It really never occurred to me that my image had improved enough to so spook Fiona

Pullas nodded full of self righteousness as Fiona dragged herself out of the water Short sighted but understandable Still are you well All the darkness around you has vanished

Randidly offered a shallow smile IÆm better

But you havenÆt eliminated the source of that image blurriness Fiona prodded

Randidly gave her a sharp glance almost like he was annoyed then shrugged Well I canÆt say IÆve completely gotten rid of the problem Just got a good start on it But for now I will no longer be troubled by rebellions from my images

Pullas sucked in a breath So now

I need to begin climbing again yes Randidly bowed his head He stood and hopped across the stones to sway next to Pullas He wrapped his arms and brought her into a hug Then he straightened Pullas still sniffing and hopped over to do the same to Fiona She accepted the hug mutely somewhat embarrassed how reassuring she found his warmth

Her fingers tightened on his back Be safe

IÆll do my best Randidly said as he pulled back He looked up at the misting waterfall and grinned With a wave of his hand he conjured the strange key he somehow utilized to burrow through space This was a perfect location Really I couldnÆt have done this without the two of you

We will see you when you return Pullas said

Randidly nodded He thrust the key forward He vanished

Chapter 2078

Randidly arrived at the edge of the fifty ninth floor and found a peony bush Here the air moved softly almost as though it couldnÆt bear to disturb the plant

The petals were curling pink feathers undulating with the soft wind of the layer He looked around to be sure then refocused on the peony bush the space around it expanded and contracted just like the edge of the lower layers An invisible lung functioned breathing here

There was no wind Only a gateway

With a small frown on his face Randidly reached out and touched the edge of the space He examined the sensation of pressing up against the boundary both employing his sharp senses and inwardly marveling at the increase in fidelity he experienced after absorbing so much emotional force into himself But for now he did not dwell on his gains from embracing his self hatred He simply used them

Based on what Eloise had said of the coming layers he would have time enough to do that later

It took a few experiments but Randidly found out how to proceed through this bush He envisioned himself sinking into the distorted space and exactly that began to happen He willed it into existence his body being absorbed by the breaths around the peonies Functionally Randidly began to shrink When he first noticed this he was so shocked by the shift that he lost his focus and snapped back to this layer But on his subsequent attempt he did not worry about the process He leaned into the spatial divide and was changed by it His limbs shortened his weight vanished the substance of his body being rewritten into a smaller scale

The impressions of his bare feet in the dirt became large enough to serve as tiny RandidlyÆs grave

Soon the pink peonies had become giant explosions in the sky above him the stocks as thick as skyscrapers Tiny Randidly stomped his bare feet making even more minute graves for unfortunate ant like versions of himself The grains of dirt felt large beneath his feet Then he began to walk up onto the peony bush stone which had become a sprawling mountain range He soon found a threshold of golden light hidden underneath the foliage and passed through to the next layer

The sixtieth layer felt much much smaller than those he had grown used to Here too there were several warehouses full of supplies Some ancient looking metal apparatus sat on a low plain gathering dust Randidly quickly located what could only be the exit back to the Nexus but kept going The Nether presence in the air continued to grow

A few times Randidly pulled out his Alchemist’s Passport and probed at the space of the layer However a heavy barrier he couldnÆt quite understand blocked him from simply burrowing through to his target location He could have used the Hierarchy of Burden to rip a path but he wanted to figure out why before fighting his way forward So he walked

His senses tingled and he felt a small amount of tugging on his Nether Core but it took him a while to realize it was happening Then he stopped and laughed This is almost exactly the opposite of the shaft The flow of significance pushes people away you need to have a strong will or quite a bit of Nether density to ignore the flow around you Otherwise you could walk forever without ever nearing the next layer You need a certain sort of momentum to proceed I suppose Willpower would suffice

But for someone who possesses a solid Nether Core Once he understood the way this place functioned Randidly stepped while concentrating on emphasizing the significance of the action As he had expected space blurred He ‘sank’ through the flows of this place arriving at the next golden threshold

Like this Randidly rapidly climbed through the sixty first through sixty ninth layers Each looked the same a blank almost endless expanse The repulsion from the higher layers increased as he climbed but it was never close to keeping Randidly away As he moved his certainty steadily increased the rejection he passed through was some sort of man made defense Whatever had been done with the upper layers was not accidental

Randidly stepped out onto the seventieth floor and looked around At least this confirms that Eloise wasn’ trying to mislead me This sort of vista really takes me back

Randidly nodded slowly wondering what the Patron of Feathers required from the past to survive But he set that aside for now and instead considered the more immediate impediment “And this darkness What is it “

“A barrier ” The old man said without irony

Randidly barely resisted the urge to click his tongue in distaste at the banal answer then felt a sort of bemusement that he had been infected by Xershi’s snarky humor Then a strange combination of guilt and loneliness struck him

Randidly rolled his shoulders to shake that feeling off and began to study the darkness The pressure he had endured to arrive here was generated by the force of this darkness He could not discover the medium on which the Engravings were made but

ItÆs the movement of energy The repulsion of significance RandidlyÆs eyes widened His perspective shifted folded in on itself Suddenly the darkness in front of him was a storm of wild whirlwinds a thousand bent and twisted vicious flows that had been arranged and tied into bows Bows that spelled out powerful and very familiar runes And these restrictions I have encountered them far too often in the Sonara to mistake them ElhumeÆs work Less refined than on those main layers but he made this thing This dream is his

After studying the arrangement of energy Randidly took a step forward so that he stood at the cusp the sharp divide between the layer and the darkness The old man coughed and spoke again I would not proceed forward if I were you You will die lost in darkness forever until your images and then your mind desert you The layers proceed at their own pace you see They must accept you You must give up yourself

Randidly raised a foot and stuck it out into the abyss His toes tingled from the pressure of the energies lashing at him and seeking to force him out Yet before the density of his Nether the energies could only howl and fail

Yet the old man seemed alarmed by the movement He began to speak more quickly Truly you might believe yourself powerful but unless you have some connection to the dream one that can guide you deeper into the darkness you will only

Thanks for the information Randidly glanced at the old man Then he stepped into the abyss

For a while the old man simply stared forward into the darkness As always his gaze never wavered But a few minutes after Randidly proceeded forward he raised his voice What about you Will you follow him

The air behind him shimmered parting to reveal a sweating and exhausted Xershi The servo engines of his joints whined from forcing his way forward relying on the remnant energies in his tattoo to make it this far

Grinding his teeth he stared after Randidly No Sometimes you need to admit when you are bested

Then he turned away At the very least the experience of being connected to the Ascension Pact had taught him one thing how to control his Nether well enough to avoid the GhosthoundÆs inattention

Chapter 2079

What surprised Randidly most was how warm the darkness was even as it tried to rip and rend him into pieces with clumsy fingers Its hapless touch almost made him smile compared to the density his Nether Core had reached this was nothing

When its currents failed to penetrate through the barrier of Nether Weight he had conjured it reverted to other tactics The enormous Engravings made out of flows sought to confuse and mislead him somehow externally folding his perspective so it became impossible to know in which direction he was heading To his Nether and Aether senses there was only constant rushing motion in the space around him He sat in the eye of a shifting kaleidoscope

Pressing his lips together Randidly sank deeper and deeper into darkness to find the bottom

In his first few attempts he simply moved forward Randidly focused in the same way he had to get through the previous layers wondering if he would sink into an almost subatomic level of this place Yet very quickly it became obvious he made no progress in this manner the familiar sensation of proceeding to the next layer didnÆt occur even after an hour He felt masses of significance in every direction but without a tether he kept losing track of them confusing them or feeling them fade from his awareness

Maybe Elhume arranged for false signposts in this place he mused to himself If I had toward these attractions what will I find

Randidly nodded to himself simply flailing around blindly would not help him here The influence of the grand Engravings although not enough to stop him definitely kept him bound and confused So instead he followed the hint given to him by the strange old man next to the precipice He focused on his goals the reason he came here the journey to save the Patron of Feathers Almost immediately a clear tether emerged shooting off into the darkness

For a while he studied it without moving Because even as he focused on it he felt the tether twist and twirl warped and dragged in strange directions by the Engravings Soon the path became looping with several cut backs on itself Randidly clicked his tongue Not that following this wouldnÆt probably lead to his goal eventually but it seemed this place had also been designed to make that journey as long as possible Even now it through up roadblocks in his path

He gently examined the ethereal substance of the tether to understand it further It was a weird mixture of significance yes but it also bore a significant portion of emotion Perhaps the reason he could feel the way forward so clearly was his recent increase in emotional affect

He moved his mind elsewhere allowing that clear path forward to fade Its winding distortions faded with it Instead of returning to that true goal Randidly probed the environment around him and was relatively delighted to discover a score of inert connections glimmeringÆ in the darkness around him And from what he could tell from these they led to much closer locations Less distance meant that the currents around him would cause less trouble

And he could figure out what exactly the old man had meant when he said this place was a place of dream and desire a lie about the past

He selected one almost at random choosing for the strength of connection and also for the relative shortness to the end goal The constant folding of perspective made it almost impossible to tell for sure but he believed this to be one of the quickest journeys in this abyss

He focused on that tether and it hummed to life creating a direct way forward to the destination Immediately the currents began to tug and twist to create veering and unnecessary curves With a step Randidly was off He surged forward with a controlled amount of speed blasting his way through the pesky currents of darkness to arrive at his destination

Apparently the rest of the people here recognized the presence of the Nether warrior at about the same time Tension skyrocketed and the few bits of laughter that had been present were shushed or choked off Space opened up in the plaza giving the black robed a straight path to the building where the bell holding wolverine stood shocked Parents pulled their children away from the suddenly silent plaza

With a soft snort the Nether Herald walked forward For several seconds nothing happened but his footsteps echoed across the open space Randidly studied him trying to figure out where and when in the Nexus he could be Not only did he not have enough information about history but he also came into this fake Nether Prince with the understanding that this was based upon a lie

The Nether Herald glanced sideways at Randidly an irritated and preoccupied expression on his face However as soon as their eyes met Randidly felt his heart sinking He had made a mistake

Just because his Nether capabilities couldnÆt be utilized didnÆt mean he didnÆt possess them His entire physical body had come into this memory

My my liege The Nether Herald gasped and threw himself down to his knees He touched his forehead to the cobblestones three times making his tusks clink loudly against the stone My liege I apologize for not recognizing you sooner and showing such disrespect You

In the silent plaza the words filled the air like a two meter burst of flame in a library The attention of every individual shifted to Randidly the black robed Nether Herald on his knees before him RandidlyÆs eyebrow twitched unsure of how to proceed The coloration of the Nether HeraldÆs face curdled and he sent a panic filled burst of significance between them apologizing if Randidly was attempting to remain incognito while on his journey

Randidly resisted the urge to rub his temples Having people around here believe IÆm a Nether King probably wonÆt make it easy to learn more but at least being powerful might let me skip some troublesome interactions

Very quickly a series of silver robed individuals marched in formation out of some of the sidestreets From the short interval from the words to their arrival they must have been waiting around the plaza for a disturbance They were not necessarily antagonistic but their intent gazes were fixated on Randidly

Randidly sighed inwardly Why does trouble always find me like this

The Nether Herald scrambled to his feet Nether began to swirl in the air around him A dangerous and sloppily made Nether Ritual formed around him His hands blurred as he relied on his body to guide the shaky ritual to completion with several fast hand signs My liege please retreat from this place I am resolved to protect you considering I am the cause of this The council will not let you leave Tatem easily now that you have been discovered

It set the memory around Randidly to shuddering but he raised a finger and tugged at the edge of the Nether Heralds Ritual causing it to fall to pieces The Nether Herald looked at Randidly in shock but Randidly wasnÆt sure how to explain In the end he simply shook his head I am not trying to hide my presence here DonÆt worry about it

Besides from the sound of this Council they might be able to provide more information about the timing His eyes watched the approaching guards The only risk is the presence of Elhume but it feels like I can rip out of this memory cluster directly if I need to If it feels like his attention reaches me IÆll just rush up to the memory that the Patron of Feathers needs

Everything else is a nice bonus chance for information but I do not need it

Chapter 2080

The guards arrayed themselves in a loose ring with a feathered woman stepping forward to speak A serpent with wings was sewn into the arm of her robe Her voice wavered betraying her fear Sir you appear to have a fully awakened Nether Core Is this true

Randidly wasnÆt sure of the terminology but nodded

The guards gulped Those few individuals who were lingering in the plaza to watch the confrontation made themselves scarce The feathered woman lifted her chin Then according to the current peace treaty between our peoples you are required to display your status Attempting to disguise yourself in another affiliation is punishable by

Hmph my liege is obviously not disguising himself The Nether Herald folded his arms and glowered at the woman When he glanced sideways at Randidly he almost seemed to blush Ahem as you can see he is simply wearing tight under clothes You cannot accuse him of disguising himself when he wears no robe

The guards did actually seem quite thrown by this face giving Randidly strange looks once again The Nether Herald thumped a fist against his chest and continued Besides do you not see that his entire arm is dark His affiliations are obvious

The arm is grey not black and possesses no golden accents as is required The feathered woman shot back Her eyes went to Randidly Please do not attempt deceit What is your business here Nether King

My name is Randidly Ghosthound He said wondering if the name would mean anything in the memory When their faces remained blank he felt foolish for even offering it He hesitated to answer the second question but settled on the easiest answer He gestured toward the building at the end of the plaza And IÆm here to listen to the lecture

The feathered woman choked at that Why would a Nether King be interested in

She shook her head to refocus ThatÆs not the real issue We cannot allow you to hide your affiliations right now Not with the recent attacks on the border Tensions is high amongst the populace Obviously the treaty guarantees your relative freedom but for your own safety I must insist

If you have a proper robe I will wear it Randidly said That seemed to mollify the feathered woman He inclined his head forward IÆll go inside the hall for now Bring the robe as soon as you have it

Randidly began walking before waiting for an answer The woman seemed prepared to step up to stop him from departing so easily but the Nether Herald glowered again at her and she lowered her gaze In the suddenly vacant plaza Randdily and the black robed individual walked across it

RandidlyÆs mind spun A peace treaty recent attacks a council these robes announcing the affiliations of various groups A lot of information flowed to him but it wasnÆt enough to get a good picture of what happened nor was it relevant to what he wanted to know That was part of the reason Randidly wanted to make it into this lecture he had a feeling that going away with the silver robed guards would severely reduce the sort of information he could gather

Besides the power he could feel from everyone in the area was rather unimpressive

My liege The Nether Herald spoke in a quiet voice Again I must apologize for revealing you Please do not hold a grudge over this Better they find out now rather than discover you in the middle of the lecture I assume you intend to prove this man a fraud Beings of Aether could never understand patterns as we can

RandidlyÆs lip curled This guy just wants to cause a ruckus everywhere we go

Not seeming to notice RandidlyÆs mood the Nether Herald continued to speak IÆll go in ahead perhaps you can have some time to gather information before that woman returns with the robe I will bother you no longer Good luck

And with that the tusked Nether Herald strode with confidence through the open doors Randidly sighed but was somewhat glad he was gone He followed more sedately up the marble steps nodding to the wolverine humanoid holding the bell

But after he had taken several steps past the individual an awkwardly cleared throat brought him back around He raised an eyebrow at the wolverine What is it

Either way he forced ancillary issues from his mind and began to pick apart the surrounding conversation

What a fine quiche Do you suppose they used

Leeks of course Although I think fine might be an aspirational term for this chef

RandidlyÆs attention radiated outward carefully separating and isolating the many voices The relative skill of the chef in the Second Cohort He found a new more promising conversation group

For all the Origin Beasts’ power they are sure to soon fall from grace RandidlyÆs attention instantly fixated on those words trying to gather the responses around the speaker They sided with that young upstart fistmaster against the council

Dulumen not here We will be seen

HeÆs hardly an upstart

Oh dear did you see that near naked hairless being flitting across

Randidly began to zero in on his talking targets and push away the other voices

the fist master has been around for as long as the rest of them HeÆs just been too busy pursuing personal power to expand his influence He leads what a score of followers

Tsk if that All to expand the Nexus Can you imagine We already have so much conflict now with the population present within the System As though our problems would evaporate if we added more bodies

I agree but you know Ah apologies but you must excuse me Lord Yufellet is calling for me But mark my words The Origin Beasts are not long for this world Do you see a single individual with a purple robe here ItÆs the end of an era

Randidly heard footsteps as the one speaker moved The other inane conversations remained annoyingly present Shaking his head slightly he listened for other options in the surroundings But the conversations in the area concerned themselves either with the refreshment the upcoming presentation or with uninteresting and personal details of the attendees Sighing he looked around for another likely spot on the other side of the hall to listen in on conversations

What he noticed was a hidden stairwell tucked in the wall behind a pillar Pursing his lips Randidly walked over to it and was about to ascend but then stepped aside for a group of sky blue robbed individuals to walk down About a dozen passed his way each giving him rather unimpressed looks Only then did he ascend

The upper level was a more intimate room with low lighting and soft azure chairs However it appeared entirely deserted RandidlyÆs skin tingled from a breeze Still musing over the things he had heard from listening around he turned and followed the breeze back to its source without thinking He passed through a pair of open glass doors to a balcony The red sun remained hot and squat in the sky

Randidly walked up to the railing barely noticing the buildings in front of him So he was entirely surprised when someone spoke

You followed me

He pivoted Young Devick leaned against the wall in the shadow of the building out of the sun She walked out and offered him a dazzling smile Let me guess that stare earlier was love at first sight I simply must applaud your good taste sir

Chapter 2081

Randidly blinked at her words The skin of his ears buzzed Even here in a memory Devick still found ways to surprise him

Her eyes glittered She tilted her head to the side in that same keen manner she had later in life viewing him like he was some experiment Very little noise came to them from within the party and the city around this tall venue seemed curiously inert likely as word of a Nether KingÆs presence raced in every direction but within the pre lecture party They were entirely alone

Randidly released a breath Whatever she might be in the future the current Devick was just a playful innocent you remind me of someone with whom I have a very complicated relationship Finding you up here is just a coincidence

Boo Instantly DevickÆs expression soured What is it with men and complicated relationships And also bringing up their uninteresting baggage at any excuse they find Is it really so unlikely an individual will be swept away by encountering me in all my majesty Maybe if you look for a few seconds longer the love with take

At this Devick took a step out of the shadows and raised both arms wrist first like she was a doll manipulated by puppet strings Her forearms were thin and pale sticking out from her forest green robe with silver embroidery She lifted her chin and turned so her head was in profile creating a striking distinct image Her bright red hair fell messily around her face but the wildness just radiated an endearing vitality She performed a small curtsy and then looked at him expectantly Well Head over heels

Literally I suppose so Despite himself Randidly felt somewhat amused The more he saw her move and behave the more he felt some inner tension relaxing In DevickÆs mannerisms lay the shape of who she would become but her horror and spiteful madness was still for the future In this memory she more closely resembled the version of herself that had given him so much help on the Mountain He smiled Not quite swept away but the air is a little stuffy

Tsk well Perhaps I complimented your taste too soon Devick folded her arms across her chest and pouted Then she squinted at him as though seeing him for the first time She looked at his clothes and at his bare feet Her eyebrow made an arch worthy of the finest architect but maybe this is for the best You certainly are unapologetically unique which I appreciate but your lack of gravitas fails to set my feminine heart a beating And besides without the power to defend yourself my family would rip you to shreds for even daring to speak to me Audacity without conviction will just earn you ill fortune

Your family They live Randidly replied casting his mind back for what he knew about Devick

The mood on the balcony changed Her face flushed and true antagonism crossed her features I just meant my adopted father Byuresk of the Council So you knew who I was the whole time Her expression darkened further he could almost see bolts of sharp lightning flicking out from her irises A strange fear began to radiate out from her skin ThatÆs why you looked at me that way Because you saw the pitiable orphan Devick and were curious about the kept creature of the Byuresk

Devick I Randidly blinked

Devick took a sharp step forward Her emotional intensity was sharp sharper even than most of the others Randidly felt in the memory See You use my name with such familiarity as though you know me Without even bothering to introduce yourself IÆm sure youÆve heard the stories but IÆm a person Is it really so much to ask to be treated like one

She reached up and fingered her green robes Her eyes looked extremely large and intent as she stared at him Yes this is not the color I dreamed of wearing in my childhood Yes my people my people are almost entirely gone It is up to me to sustain the race and earn back a color affiliation Is my plight funny This from a man who does not even possess a robe Has no backing no place in society Not even enough of a name to offer to a lady alone

In the face of the antagonism Randidly pressed his lips together My name is Randidly Ghosthound I Look I didnÆt mean any insult IÆm not trying to treat you like some sideshow entertainment IÆm here IÆm listening to you

Devick took a step toward him with her hands clenched into fists Tears had begun to form in the corners of her eyes undercutting her anger Then look at me really look at me IÆm so shunned by this group despite my adoptive father that all I can do is be stalked by a freak who doesnÆt even possess their own robe All this because after my family selflessly poured themselves into defending the borders and these fucking cannibal weasels

Her words choked off Her shoulders heaved as she struggle to control her breathing In the wildness of her movements Randidly could again see the zealous and depraved woman she would become But right now

Now she just stood slender and alone The same Devick that so tortured him in the present now began to cry fat tears her hands still clenched They fled down her cheeks ugly and misshapen

Getting some air Randidly stepped away and held out his hand His mood toward the group went slightly downhill considering DevickÆs desperate loneliness His tone turned rough The robe

The feathered woman offered Randidly a surprisingly high quality black robe The slippery material felt cool to the touch despite the sun beating down on them it must have been made with high quality thread The color allowed not a single mote of light to reflect off of it The only marring of the whispering garment was thick golden stripes sewn on the end of the sleeves which had clearly been added by hand rather recently They were blocky and harsh compared to the sultry rest of the garment

After slipping into the robe and tying off the waist Randidly indicated the golden threads at the end of the sleeves Does the gold need to stay here Or just be present somewhere on the robe

Any style is fine the feathered woman bowed slightly Apologies if the workmanship offends you We didnÆt have a proper robe for someone of your station on hand

ItÆs fine Randidly waved a hand He brought out the slightest aspect of Yggdrasil which once again made the dream around him shiver The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty activated stirring the golden threads to wakefulness and had them swim up and down through the soft fabric of the robe Patterns instantly began to flow through the garment connecting it to Randidly across space and time Significance pooled and spun around him The weird sensation of revving occurred again in RandidlyÆs Nether Core only briefly before it settled back to its usual purr

The golden threads along the base of the robe drew wavy thickening lines Those lines became roots eventually twining together to form a radiant tree across his chest On his left arm thick horizontal blocks of gold On the right extended arcs ending in sharp points And upon his back a small minority of the golden threads traced out the image of a lidless eye or an open mouth that had never known satisfaction

His images nodded in approval at their work

Even without meaning to Randidly felt a Nether Ritual forming in the flow of energy through the garment He closed his eyes to follow the pattern Perhaps it was the high quality materials but this robe had become entirely his somehow The immediate bond was curious As though the mixture of image iconography significance and his presence left an indelible mark

Randidly opened his eyes and looked at the feathered woman So is this satisfactory

Of course She offered him another bow Into that silence a shocked whisper from Devick stepped

You are a Nether King

Pivoting Randidly looked at Devick The young womanÆs face had gone strange Slack at the edges too wide at the eyes her mouth pinched together into a period Seeing that expression Randidly connected a few dotes he had missed earlier Specifically about her family giving their lives to fight on the borders

Against Nether forces RandidlyÆs heart tightened I

Without giving him a chance to say anything more Devick turned and ran

He watched her go with a sad expression The silver robbed guards bowed again and followed her probably relieved they didnÆt have to leave their young mistressÆ with a Nether King His stomach felt heavy with acid but Randidly knew it was for the best Whether itÆs in the past or the present we donÆt seem meant to be amicable with each other Devick

Anyway he huffed out a breath LetÆs see how much information I can gather while in this weird place

Chapter 2082

It turned out that Randidly couldnÆt gather much information from the party which had become increasingly to feel like a waste of time He tried not to think about DevickÆs horrified expression or let it taint his mood

However no one provided him with much useful distraction

The attendees seemed much more willing to embrace him now he possessed a robe many complimenting the fine artistry of its embroidery However whenever he asked substantive questions about where and when they were the recipient went pale made up some excuse and hurried away They hid in the crowd and refused to meet his eyes

Looks like the truce between Aether and Nether isnÆt very firm He mused He scanned the ballroom That was the one thing he had noticed no one seemed willing to meet his gaze

He probably would have departed considering the fact he hadnÆt spotted Devick since she ran from him and the gathering of information hadnÆt occurred in the slightest but the wolverine man announced the start of the lecture right as he began to waver Randidly was curious enough about these wondrous patterns to allow himself to file into the room He was led to a seat close to the front of the auditorium but along the rightmost aisle so he was almost facing perpendicular to the stage

While the rest of the people seated themselves Randidly idly scanned the faces of the people in his row When everyone avoided his gaze and pretended not to notice his frank attention he looked up at the private balcony areas on the far side of the auditorium light curtains were drawn across to protect the privacy of those within

After a short and painfully complimentary introduction from the same wolverine man a figure in an indigo robe swept out onto the stage Welcome all you curious and noble souls who seek to improve yourselves For that everyone please give yourself a round of applause for having the moral fiber to seek out truth

Most of the crowd began to enthusiastically applaud Randidly rolled his eyes and didnÆt even bother to stifle a yawn After cracking his back and straightening he caught a flicker of movement in one of the private balconies Devick pulled her face back into the darkness behind the curtains Feeling tired Randidly studied the grinning man who received the applause and clearly relished in it

Unlike most this man appeared more human than Randidly had been expecting Like Devick he appeared to be a part of a race that formed the basis for the humanity Elhume would later create His skin was mostly hairless apart from curly brown hair on his head His eyes were bright and lively and his cheeks seemed permanently red as though backstage he had been pinched by a kindly grandma His movements were quick and direct

Most of all Randidly felt curious he had sorta assumed the lecturer would have been an early version of the master His eyes flicked to the location in the balcony where he had briefly witnessed Devick Well at the very least this isnÆt when Devick imprints on a man who was just an idea hah

You havenÆt lived an easy life have you

Eventually the applause died and the man began to speak Welcome again friends If you do not know me I am Padraic Vhames An individual who saw in the methods of Nether ways to improve myself It might be an unpopular or untoward subject for many but there are lessons to be learned from the esoteric arrangements of Nether Rituals First let me give you a few examples

With great fanfare constant over exaggeration of the potency of the workings and a series of blatant lies this Padraic led the cooing audience through three messy examples of Nether patterns The first was competent enough of an energy rotation if a bit simplistic but the follow ups were pointlessly obtuse and near useless as actual patterns Randidly folded his arms across his chest and amused himself by imagining streamlined improved versions of the patterns that Padraic laid out

Even from a bad starting point it became an interesting diversion

What was curious about the whole arrangement was that at the same time Padraic began padding the middle area of the Nether Ritual with an image The combination was shoddy enough that the whole arrangement shot out periodic sparks which earned several impressed gasps from the audience but Aether and Nether really did work together as one And the arrangement itself

Randidly tilted his head to the side Is it just a coincidence because this individual is making a similar attempt or is this the same method that Elhume has been experimenting with in the Sonara

Just a few more moments Drops of sweat dangled from PadraicÆs chin and then splattered on the stage Without any Nether Core to speak of he needed to expend a lot of energy to gather up any flows Still Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed by the evenness of his Nether

Aha There Padraic wiped the sweat from his brow and beamed The working hung in the air ready for activation I have generated my Pattern Now Mr Ghosthound do you think youÆd be able to create a pattern that can stand against mine directly

Randidly raised an eyebrow as he looked at the arrangement As before stirring his Nether even the slightest bit sent shivers through the surroundings which none of the people around noticed The more he looked at the Nether RitualÆ the more he could see how it would function differently than a normal pattern Randidly looked again at PadriacÆs confident expression and decided he would tease him a bit Yes

Well then do your worst Padraic released a good natured laugh Then he ignited the image in the middle of the Nether Ritual setting off a cascading wave of energy The flows whirled and accelerated A circular portal of dark energy flared impressively across the stage Each moment it released another domineering pulse of significance The environment darkened with some individuals in the front of the auditorium looking up at the obvious grasp of Nether with stricken expressions

Randidly shrugged and generated a finger of significance all he could safely manage PadraicÆs confidence apparently stemmed from RandidlyÆs identity as a Nether KingÆ and his rather novel way of combining Aether and Nether He used Aether as fuel to create an exaggerated effect from the pattern That was very different from the Nether method of creating patterns that were organic and self sustaining Padraic was a sprinter challenging a long distance Nether King to a short race

Randidly wasnÆt sure if he could actually generate more power but he didnÆt need to The finger flicked forward cutting at the core of the working He severed the functional bridge between Aether and Nether Spluttering the dark orb collapsed in on itself and left the stage inert Without a power source the pattern puttered itself out

For dramatic effect RandidlyÆs bit of Nether continued forward and sliced along PadraicÆs cheek leaving a line of blood

You PadraicÆs jaw was slack His bewilderment was almost comical How with only a small amount of Nether

The audience began to mutter The feeling in the auditorium became awkward

Then in an announcement that did not help to dispel the tension a bearman in silver robes forced open the doors to the auditorium His eyes were wild Ware A massive Nether force is approaching Tatem We are under attack

RandidlyÆs first reaction was a small amount of relief If nothing else an attack will give me more of a chance to witness actual events of this memory

Then his mood became somewhat more depressed as everyone in the hall turned to look at him abject fear constricting their faces They finally found the will to look at him but only because he now had become the leering face of death in their minds

Chapter 2083

The crowd in the hall began to panic as recognition emerged from the stunned silence Individuals hopped up from their seats and shoved others out of the way to make a mad dash for the few exits Half of the people seemed transfixed in their seats color draining out of their faces as they considered what this development meant The fear radiating off them made Randidly realize what a threat the Nether forces still were to Tatem despite the apparent peace treaty But most of all

Randidly glanced at Padraic who just swayed and looked at Randidly This man didnÆt even acknowledge the news HeÆs still stuck on the development of the pattern Even if he is moderately foolish I admire his dedication to the craft I wonder if this man will become someone important in the future

Very quickly silver robed guards flooded in from the side passages and restored order The feathered woman came up to Randidly and bowed her tone respectful but her eyes flinty This way Mr Nether King We will take you to the transfer area Per the treaty you will be handled extraneously to our town

The Nether Herald hopped over the front row and clambered up onto the stage And me as well Ahem my liege please let me be your honor guard

RandidlyÆs eyes sharpened Because more gazes from the crowd suddenly fixated on him People began shouting directly at him waving their arms to grab his attention The fear remained present but there was a new edge to their desperation

Please sir we spoke briefly

IÆll give you anything My entire family will serve you for five generations

Have mercy

Transfer area Randidly raised his head and looked at the ceiling Now that he knew what he was looking for he found a dangerous shell in the sky above A massive Nether Ritual covered the whole of Tatum remaining inert for now but hanging over the Aether town like a vicious curse ready to poison the entire area Spreading out his Acute Nether Nose sent dangerous ripples through the memory but his Nether Core hummed and the effect dimmed just slightly

The adjustment earned a mental note from Randidly There seemed to be some sort of momentum to his presence here that more and more of his Nether abilities were unlocked Yet still Randidly could only mobilize a pinch The whole town is held hostage by a Nether Ritual And IÆm being treated with respect

They talked about a peace treaty but it sounds like the Aether forces are suffering under the harassment of Nether What a different environment to the current Nexus

Randidly nodded toward the Nether Herald who gratefully took a position next to him As for the rest he ignored them He glanced once to the side over to one of the distant balconies but saw no one within considering her presence in the future it seemed clear that Devick would survive on her own Likely due to her relationship with her adoptive father

Randidly and the Nether Herald followed the feathered woman out down a side hallway passing several nervous guards who threw belated salutes to the trio as they moved past and out of the concert hall The sun had begun to sink down so its red rays only passed sideways between the gaps in buildings

Is this common Randidly asked not caring who answered These ransom situations

The obnoxious Nether Herald blew out a powerful breath from his nose Small border spats like this are not as common as they used to be with the treaty Needing to allow some of the leaders to buy their freedom makes the process slow and dangerous a Nether tribe will receive some minor trinkets but much fewer quality captives in this manner And itÆs very difficult to know what sort of haul you will get Most consider the practice to be a waste of time

Her image flooded his body clashing with the dense Nether and Aether physicalizations throughout his flesh The invasion was agonizing The memory rumbled ominously his instinctual rejection of this image nearly ripping him out of the fake Nether Prince So long as he controlled his movements he could handle it

Barely

Randidly narrowed his eyes One big push

He rotated his shoulder and thrust out his arm with as much force as his single limb could muster Another sonic boom blasted outward The motion launched the feathered woman backward out of the crater crashing through a stone wall and into what seemed to be a living room

For a few seconds the memory began to deteriorate as the image painfully sloshed around in his flesh But gradually as he remained still the surroundings began to heal themselves He sucked in a slow breath Well I hope that settled things because moving right now will be extremely fraught

Randidly straightened with exaggerated slowness fighting his bodyÆs response to the foreign image It hurt like hell but it wouldnÆt stop him And gradually the image was expending itself inside his reinforced body Around him the remnants of the street collapsed and splintered the debris gradually settling in new locations One of the guards whimpered

Randidly pivoted and looked at a man with an impressive silver mustache standing at the edge of the devastation His immaculate silver robes and ornate stitching instantly gave him an air of aristocracy But from the haggard look on his face and the bags under his eyes he had not been having a good week

The guards ambushed me and tried to use me as a bargaining chip against the forces threatening your city Randidly said He gestured at the surroundings As you can see their efforts were in vain And this time I tried to be gentle I understand the desperation of your predicament But I did not cause this

Just your people The manÆs jaw worked even when he finished speaking as though waiting for some sort of sign from Randidly

In that silence the Nether Herald landed back on the ground and threw up another small cloud of dust Several of the guards got up out of the collapsed ruins of the surrounding buildings but no longer pointed their weapons at Randidly The feathered woman still clutching her saber limped out of the broken wall

In the end the man cleared his throat What will it take for you to speak on our behalf to your tribesmen Right now Tatem cannot afford to have more of its fighting population taken away for the next five years However we have much influence we can use to assist the ambition of a young Nether King like yourself

RandidlyÆs gaze wavered slightly Further behind the man were a half dozen more silver robed guards each with an image as powerful or more so than the feathered woman Considering the continued pain Randidly experienced and the fact he didnÆt know if he could move without triggering a surge of Nether that would kick him out of the memory he could not fight

His pupils dilated For a brief moment he saw an unmistakable head of red hair amongst the powerful guards

Randidly nodded slowly as he faced the man who was probably Byuresk I wanted to speak to them anyway Lead me to them But if I can help you IÆd like information

Chapter 2084

Byuresk walked slowly at the front of the group heading through the outskirts of Tatem to where the Nether Kings were waiting His eyes kept flicking up to the sky All he could sense was a vague threat which made him grit his teeth As head of the security force for the council how can I be so useless as to let this happen again If that bastard Dello makes a push to unseat me using this as an excuse how can I

He pressed his eyes shut Those thoughts were selfish He couldnÆt have them dominating his mind right now while the crisis was still ongoing The Nether Kings would sense it They would cleave at his weakness and bleed Tatem dry The unfortunate truth was the other four members of the Council gave him complete freedom in responding to Nether threats At the time he assumed his position last year Byuresk was slightly impressed by their reasonable handling of the situation The head of security could not function if he needed to get all of his decisions approved by several other individuals

Now he understood it was just so all of the blame would rest solely on his shoulders In its current state Tatem being threatened was an inevitability Visitt for the latest updates

Still he schooled his face and kept his expression dignified as they crossed through the less sophisticated houses to reach the South gate Especially because his adoptive daughter had finally taken an interest in his job requesting to follow him to the meeting place and witness the transaction For that Byuresk felt slightly proud

Clearly she was moved by his heroism and constant toil

She might not be his biological daughter but he truly wanted the best for her The honor she might someday obtain due to her illustrious lineage would reflect well back on him Perhaps he might someday become famous for his generosity She would thank him publicly after coming into her own power and winning a massive victory over Nether forces All the crowd would come to their feet bringing their hands together

Byuresk licked his lips his eyes slightly glazed At a time like this the brief escape of a daydream was a much needed relief

The houses continued to degrade the further from the plaza they moved Faces peeped out of nearly shut windows before quickly withdrawing radiating an intense fear Rusted metal leaned against the propped up houses a testament to how much wealth had been sucked out of Tatem recently by the consistent raids

As they moved Byuresk observed the strange Nether King Randidly Ghosthound moving behind him The man definitely had a physical body and also released slight image reverberations Yet within his chest clearly churned a powerful Nether Core Byuresk found himself almost angry at the contradiction How could one individual house both energies How powerful would be be wielding both

The GhosthoundÆs eyes moved frequently seeming to examine every inch of Tatem He felt slightly uncomfortable at the intensity of his examination the Nether King seemed to be searching for something but he wasnÆt sure what that was Occasionally his eyes would flick upward He wondered what the trap looked like to this creature of Nether

He desires information Possibly Just what sort of information could he find at this small outpost Byuresk clenched his fist

To distract himself he sent a message to Llewella You experienced this Nether KingÆs power directly Will he be able to help us

Her response was immediate Perhaps I I am of the opinion that he must be heavily wounded after the confrontation In our brief clash he overwhelmed me with a single physical palm strike However he didnÆt mobilize Nether at all even when my blow landed He is perhaps teetering on collapse Relying on him might be unwise Such individuals can be unpredictable

Byuresk paused and allowed the guards and the Nether King to walk past Randidly Ghosthound glanced sideways at him but just moved past without comment still examining the surroundings with such care Pursing his lips Byuresk began to move once more Nothing in his gait suggested an injury He exuded confidence despite the strange mixture of energies he possessed

ByureskÆs attention fixated on the strange hungry eye drawn in gold thread on his black robes Perhaps it was the subtle motions of his back but the few broad strokes seemed to stir He tore his eyes away a cold feeling in his chest an image fragment seemed to be bleeding out of just the thread and robe to affect the surroundings If it could even affect Byuresk it must indeed be powerful Next to the Nether King the Herald continued to jabber in a low voice

The right Nether King loudly sucked on his large and flat teeth Unbelievable How much do you offer to ransom yourself boy Out of respect it will not be expensive

After scanning the environment one more time Randidly shook his head I donÆt think your Ritual can hold me I wonÆt need to ransom myself IÆm just here to speak on behalf of the town of Tatem

Into this space Byuresk stepped forward to stand next to Randidly Most of our forces were attending to the needs of Nether King Hungry Eye You struck while we were in peaceful discussions with another of your representatives Therefore

Shut your useless mouth The big Nether King looked at Byuresk in irritation Your shitty town wouldnÆt even be such a weakling if you would simply acknowledge the usability of Engravings Amongst the tribes you are a joke

The saber wielding woman stepped angrily forward Why the hell would we utilize filthy methods based on the insanity of the rival faction Their fanaticism will be the death of us all Power that does not come from an experience in the present

With another tsk the massive Nether King casually whipped his arm sideways A casual movement for Randidly but the limb was probably invisible to everyone else Randidly hand flicked out a dense spike of Nether impacting his palm and ricocheting off The woman yelped and scrambled backward

You really mean to protect them King Hungry Eye The smaller Nether King Ioot asked Her fingers thoughtfully tapped the edge of her mask as though ascertaining its material

Randidly winced inwardly at the name but nodded I have some business with them I would appreciate if you withdrew as a favor to me

Both Nether Kings just looked at Randidly for several seconds He forced himself to relax which became easier as the saber womanÆs image was finally eliminated from his shoulder His Nether Core revved a little more Yet obviously he was worried Because he had no idea about the context of these attacks how often they occurred how important they would be to the Nether forces He had been dropped into the middle of this memory and had wandered around but now he brushed up against some serious forces

Yet to his surprise the right Nether King ended the silence by smiling at Randidly like he was an old friend alright have it your way However two points about this agreement One you will owe both of us a favor in the future And second we still need a single symbolic captive to leave with our pride

From the surge of relief that came from Byuresk Randidly knew that this was a good deal Even if the fate of that individual would likely not be kind

If I might have a suggestion Ioot said She raised a long hand and pointed back amongst the guards There is no need to look too far any would suffice really Amongst the guards is a girl child without any power about her She will be our captive The one with the gorgeous red hair Even if she possesses little fighting acumen she has an auspicious spirit

Randidly stiffened Even when Ioot began speaking he felt Nether beginning to move His Nether Core revved slightly There was only one individual who they could be talking about He barely resisted the urge to look back Why is she here

Is there a problem Ioot probed Her eyes gleamed

Next to him Byuresk lowered his head and looked at the ground Randidly could feel the muscles along the manÆs jaw working His mustache trembled slightly Yet when he raised his head again the man nodded This is acceptable

Chapter 2085

RandidlyÆs eyes widened He couldnÆt believe Byuresk would just say yes like that

He couldnÆt believe he had made that decision so quickly

Father Devick gasped instantly revealing herself amongst the guards She stepped out of her group her hands reached up and tugging at the edges of her hood as though hiding her hair now would make much of a difference Her voice rang with fear Wha I donÆt

Randidly felt strange cold prickles running across his arms and legs A wave of emotion crashed into his body tensing his muscles Suddenly he tried his best to focus on the fact he was within a memory SheÆs just a shade of a young woman Really my actions here matter very little IÆm only here to gather information Besides her rise to power in the future might be exactly because she was taken in the past during one of these ransom situations in the past albeit probably not as the only hostage

And yet why is this such a punch to the gut

Ioot beckoned Come here girl Let us all have a look at you It is a great honor to exchange your freedom for that of your town Many will have memories of this moment for their entire life You bring much honor to your father through your sacrifice

Devick swayed a stray leaf tugged from the branch and sent spiraling down to rot and wither on the ground Randidly narrowed his eyes The Grey Creature in his chest began to stir pushing aside his attempts to distance himself from the reality of the situation He pictured her bright and enthusiastic face while they spoke on the balcony And the shadows in her eyes when she had spoken so defensively

its because of her loneliness And because I cannot just stand here while your father treats your life so cavalierly

Oy Hungry Eye is there a problem The massive Nether King grinned A long tongue lolled out of its mouth for a second then rolled itself back up He set his massive weapon down on the ground next to him ItÆs a great deal The girl for the lives of everyone in the town And despite its backward ideas about Engraving they really could help you I assume you are trying to set yourself up to condense a Penance yea If nothing else this town has connections

From his leering expression he clearly wanted Randidly to have a problem with the proposal Randidly felt ice settle below his stomach His lip curled up Of course I was a fool they can see the significance linking me to Devick Even though the events to form it havenÆt yet occurred its robust enough for Nether Kings to note

Realizing they were needling him made two thirds of Randidly want to take a breath and calm down but right now the Grey Creature possessed the lionÆs share of his emotional potency He felt some inner beast awakening in himself seething with barely controlled fury Emotion affect began to radiate out from his body Byuresk took a step back eyes wide at his aura

King Hungry Eye Ioot spoke slowly Her blank mask tilted to the side Why are you releasing so much Aether How unique You have quite a few talents donÆt you

His eyes gleamed Randidly methodically cracked his knuckles the threads of his patience wearing thin Blood pounded through his body with enough force the memory began to shimmer Nether whirled through him urging him toward violence Steam began to congregate around his mouth and nose from the ambient heat of his biological function

Nether King what are you doing Byuresk asked quietly No one knows better than me how difficult a decision this is We are talking about my daughter whoÆve IÆve watched grow in Tatem

Adoptive daughter The Grey Creature whispered

but we do not live in a utopia His voice lowered into a hiss briefly revealing something like concern for his offspring Then his expression hardened The Nexus is filled with ambitions crazed individuals desperate for a second chance away from the main universe The second wave knew what was coming and embraced it they razed the status quo when they arrived and now have fractured the entire situation We are a small village in the border areas between several larger factions Peace has a price

Now wait Byuresk began but the wave of Nether from IootÆs body sent him scrambling backward With one last worried glance toward Randidly he gestured widely The grey robed guards gathered in a tight group to the side right inside the gate With several bounding steps Randidly accelerated back toward Padraic

His eyes widened as he saw Randidly but then the young man loudly cleared his throat Nether King do not attempt to engage me or I will be forced

Ignoring his words Randidly gestured sharply with a hand to add a flaw to PadraicÆs Nether Ritual and then used his body to pry open a way through the waves of energy PadraicÆs eyes widened but Randidly had already bounded around and pressed his hands to the manÆs shoulders Actually we are working together this time

Ah IÆve given you inspiration But now seems like a bad time for a collaboration PadraicÆs expression warred between excitement and worry For good reason opposite them the larger Nether King pushed himself up off the ground with his knuckles and roared Even if Randidly had inflicted a serious injury on him he still possessed his Nether Core Reaching behind him the Nether King snatched his club off the ground and used it to leverage himself into a standing position

A huge pool of dense Nether formed around him

Behind that foe a swarm of Nether harpoons floated around IootÆs body She wove these into a dense barbed web And even further back the grand Nether Ritual covering Tatem began to activate The sky darkened as it spun choking off light to the people within

The problem with the transition is you donÆt understand the shapes of the energy just feel they are different RandidlyÆs mouth moved while his mind spun through rapid calculations fueled by the vengeful Grey Creature riding in his chest As helpful as the emotional affect was he needed to spend just as much effort pushing it down to prevent the dream around him from shattering from a movement with all of his intensity But both Aether and Nether have roles Aether shape and emotion Nether memory and connection To simply to more functional terms there is the mast and the sail So if you are weaving the two of them together

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 899

Congratulations Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways has grown to Level 930

Even with only a few pinches of Nether and about double that of Aether Randidly completely reforged the ineffectual conjunction that served as the core of PadraicÆs experiment Although he might be stunned and studying the shifted Randidly made Padriac still provided his image to fuel the working The light around them became blinding transporting them to a land of vague shapes and impressions Heat rippled the air around the duo

However the most abhorrent part of your attempts is the inefficiency within your patterns You waste so much energy on the light and the heat when you need the power to fight against enemies Randidly grunted His fingers tightened on PadraicÆs back Pomp is useless in battle But IÆm not at my full power so all I can do is show you the general pattern The rest is up to you Watch carefully

With his few pinches of Nether he drew a quick Nether pattern After wavering for a second Padraic used his rough grasp of Nether to imitate The replication was aggravatingly imprecise the casual and hasty portions of the pattern were well followed but the true nuance that Randidly added was ignored but almost immediately the light fell down to normal levels More of the transformation would be maintained

Which left them standing in front of a rising wave of Nether practically the last remaining light in the darkness And Randidly felt Padraic gradually running out of power to fuel the pattern

Maybe I could be a little less showy Padraic said rather suddenly He looked over his shoulder at Randidly But for some things efficiency isnÆt everything you know This is to save the town This needs to be a symbol for the future to show that there are ways to overcome Nether Kings

Stay focused Randidly hissed twisting him back forward And now unleash everything youÆve got

The Grey Creature crooned in anticipation

Chapter 2086

Events accelerated crashing against the senses of a Randidly that struggled to control himself enough not to rip his way right out of the memory He walked a precarious line teetering on the edge of collapse

As Padraic followed RandidlyÆs directions the radiance of his hope filled Nether Ritual sharpened into an elongated blade between his clumsy fingers It rapidly extended its clean edge heading toward the tightening grip of the Nether Ritual around Tatem The blade released a cool mist fighting against the increasingly harsh environment

The massive Nether Herald bellowed again gathering all of his heavy significance into a massive train and shooting it directly toward Randidly and Padriac Its drilled its way forward obliterating a half meter of the ground as it rushed at them Its path took it through one side of the gate exploding the impediment in a burst of splinters and dust

Ioot conjured a swarm of harpoons that buzzed around this central attack prepared to target any weaknesses

Randidly wasnÆt sure if it was just the darkness or the bright light springing from his hands but Padraic seemed to be paling Those attacks will reach us before I

You are the blade and IÆll be the shield Randidly said into his ear He pinched him slightly perhaps with more force than necessary With his buzzed senses it was difficult to tell Keep your eyes upward Save the town Give these people the symbol they need Make sure they donÆt need to keep paying for the unfortunate particulars of their birth

Give Devick the freedom to choose who she becomes Randidly thought with not a little bitterness To become whatever sort of monster she wishes Give her madness space to germinate

Everyone deserves that opportunity To live as they see fit or to damn themselves

The blade rose The Nether Ritual above them all continued to spin the various elements releasing a firm power The grip on the town tightened The bulldozing force and its follow up swarm rushed to flatten them

Randidly released a slow breath and carefully gathered up the fist of Aether he could use without shaking the memory to pieces Sorry Grey Creature this job isnÆt for you Yggdrasil will you handle this Teach them humility

The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty Visitt for the latest updates

The air surged underneath his prodding becoming invisible bars of iron that curled around the floating harpoons With a deft twist Randidly wrenched control of the projectiles away from Ioot and pulled them down to crash against the larger Nether KingÆs more dangerous and blunt offensive In the distance he could hear the massive tusked man roaring as the harpoons stabbed into the attack and weakened it

RandidlyÆs features tightened that wasnÆt quite enough He didnÆt have enough power to direct the harpoons exactly so the train of concentrated Nether force continued forward intent on obliterating their flesh

He took another deep breath Everything around him hummed as his power strained to fit itself into the memory like an aging bodybuilder inside the tuxedo he wore when graduating high school Even the wrong sort of breathing seemed capable of demolishing the surroundings in an explosion of cheap fabric

Just hit it again Randidly roared more and more frustration bleeding through and making the whole environment shudder Taking a gasping breath he managed to briefly quiet the disintegration of the memory Then he got to work He stepped forward and forcefully crushed several Nether harpoons out of the air With a grunt he lowered his stance and absorbed a massive blast of dense Nether

A concentrated beam of harsh energy ravaged his chest and arms Even EggÆs Illusory Plume quickly began to corrode at such a direct physical clash

Air hissing out through his teeth Randidly staggered several steps back He felt battered half of the problem was his power blurred the memory enough that he didnÆt fight with his usual methodical precision Small micro adjustments he usually made to increase his own power or deplete an enemyÆs were impossible like this And those advantages added up

Padraic took several seconds to waver His image energy continued to drain away almost depleted Wanting to rip out his hair Randidly avoided the next volley of harpoons and landed next to the young man His emerald eyes were blazing the only other luminance aside from the combined Aether and Nether Ritual ItÆs moments like this that determine the sort of life you want to live If you wish to offer up a symbol of hope there is not going to be a second chance DonÆt let fear of failure keep you from making a difference

Randidly wheeled around His body blurred back and forth just acting as a sponge to soak up the attacks from the two Nether Kings Small injuries began to add up across his body Chunks of flesh were ripped away and all of his exposed skin became red and enflamed Thankfully Padriac began to move The light brightened the patterns around his Nether Ritual sharpened he raised his hands and generated a massive blade of light faster and faster even as the oppressive squeeze of the Nether Ritual became suffocating

I am a geninuss Padraic hissed to himself in some weird moment of self hypnosis The blade of light whipped upward aiming for the weakened spot where they had landed the attack previously

Yet looking at the relatively dimmer blade Randidly instantly knew it wouldnÆt be enough Padraic was striking for a second time but again only took a single step forward in terms of capability It would not be nearly enough to cut through the powerful Nether Ritual

However he had been prepared for this His last pinch of Nether had been tucked into that blade of light waiting for the best moment to strike RandidlyÆs eyes went half lidded as he let his body move on autopilot His entire attention fixated on the environmental factors at the moment of impact

The sword of light struck the Nether Ritual and skidded forward slightly unable to rip through despite the previous weakness

Hahaha keep struggling Hungry Eye The massive Nether King roared Your last dance is immaculate

The Grey Creature shivered and reached wresting control away from RandidlyÆs Nether Core In a very similar manner that Padraic wielded his image for Nether Pattern the Grey Creature did the same When the pinch of Nether manifested into an image through Synechdochence it did not become a spearhead but a finger

With a single swipe that vindictive finger cut through the black sky The sword of light followed up through that opening burning away any lingering connections The Nether Ritual shuddered and then began to fail The pressure abruptly vanished

Yet at the same time the addition of the Grey CreatureÆs viciousness broke something within the dream Randidly felt his Nether Core rev in that strange manner to give him more leeway but it was too late

With a tinkling sound of dropped china Randidly found himself floating back in the sea of currents Shit

The memory had collapsed And continued to fall to pieces right in front of him

Chapter 2087

The Fake Nether Prince slowly began to collapse the energy hollowed out by the force of RandidlyÆs power His breath began to quicken He didnÆt have any plan but Randidly followed his intuition

Somehow he fiercely wished to protect the world inside of the memory from his crushing presence With the same intensity he encouraged Padraic he now gathered up his significance to an inarticulable goal

He began weaving rapid patterns around the memory to relieve external pressure The tether that had brought him here continued to pulse with power this he flooded with as much significance as he could manage When it slowed the collapse but didnÆt stop the memory’s disintegration entirely RandidlyÆs eyes scanned the surroundings

A small smile curled on his lips His wild resolve began to resonate with his Fatepieces all connecting back to his main Fate the Paradox of the Alchemist He burned with the desire to protect this dying memory If my connection isnÆt enough IÆll just prop it up with others

Wild impulses came at him faster and faster He fixated upon this need to protect the alternate rendition of the memory he had entered Strangely he hoped Padraic had found the bravery to try and fail without fear He hoped the young Devick saw an adult go to bat to protect her autonomy

RandidlyÆs attention turned to the nearby connections He wove reinforcements into the air around them trying to tie the collapse fake Nether Prince to those in the surroundings more directly His Nether Core whirled and whirled suddenly liberated from the limits on its capabilities within the memory and very eager to demonstrate its true power

Gradually the collapse slowed More and more connections around the memory began to activate tethers of energy that went to god knows where A strange tightness started to emerge in RandidlyÆs chest a reaction to the resonance within his Fate His eyes narrowed This feeling is

Celebrations Your Attribute MuseÆs Reverie has increased to 3/5 Continue to chase dreams and seek the impossible

The notification flipped a switch Randidly shivered the tightness in his body evaporated The gathered resonance began a force that leapt from a metaphysical sensation within his Soulspace and became a genuine force A seed of fire erupted from the fake Nether Prince racing along the connections and spreading at an incredible speed Randidly felt his significance being sucked away more quickly than he could replace it

The fire shot outward in every direction impacting other Nether Princes then exploding from there RandidlyÆs eyes widened as the inferno spread After five seconds the surrounding layer was entirely revealed the fake memories swirling with light

Ten seconds later Randidly looked up in wonder suspended in the middle of a wild celestial nebula Each memory a star each connection a dimmer line of radiance connecting them The sheer volume of memories and connections made the whole tableau glittering and brilliant Randidly stared upward and felt like he could see the top of the Sonara

Then the light began to fade The depletion of his significance slowed His breaths still came quickly feeling extremely drained by the sudden shift And perhaps worst of all he thought about the bitter expression on young DevickÆs face on the balcony

Here suspended amongst the memories he felt a deep exhausting sense of loneliness

Randidly blinked several times and tried to focus on other things to clear away his moodiness I caused MuseÆs Reverie to activate Making the impossible possible dealing in dreams I suppose itÆs quite similar to what this top portion of the Sonara is supposed to do But I wonder what did I do What did I just spread throughout these memories