LoRG 5

You think you know what it is to wither Randidly whispered His voice was hoarse Specters of grey flame rose from his back spreading into a massive shadow Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Watching Carrion Grins

Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Watching Carrion Grins has grown to Level 931

One armed Randidly Ghosthound channeled his entire emotional sea and tore at the world Bleak SkyÆs Domain shuddered forced slightly back by his efforts He hadnÆt considered it previously but very literally this Skill had a natural advantage against methods utilizing the horizon as a meaningful image fragment

Second his blow ripped through the snout and upper head of the Nether King Had he managed to delay himself he likely would have decapitated the foe As it was he dug through scales to reveal his enemyÆs skull and took its eyes The first ruptured from a scratch sagging and bleeding The second had been directly taken and Randidly took great pleasure in squeezing the flesh ripped off until the remnants dribbled out through his fingers

If this memory wanted to fucking hurt those precious to him there would be a price

Chapter 2169

The Nether King had earned RandidlyÆs ire and for that it would bleed

Screaming in pain the dragon instinctually twisted away from his aggressor A furious seething part of Randidly demanded additional compensation beyond the eyes but he managed to suppress his wild fury Instead he turned away and focused on Sulfur As soon as his senses settled across the Soulseed a notification popped up in front of him

Warning Soulseed Sulfur has experienced extreme damage Warning His core areas are being threatened However due to the nature of Sulfur an incredible amount of energy has been absorbed Due to the accumulation of previous energy and the recent additions Sulfur has begun the evolution process

Warning Please do not allow any outside source to interfere with the evolution process All extraneous influences should be prevented Soulseed Sulfur is attempting to incorporate aspects of Authority Wither into its body The balance is extremely delicate

Randidly snorted before he could suppress the flood of amused relief he felt Wordlessly he shook his head In front of him the sharpened ridges of Sulfurs armors began to grow soft almost like they were melting due to the confrontation YouÆve learned by watching me for too long havenÆt you Evolving and growing in the middle of a battle like this there are easier and more reliable ways Paths that wonÆt end with you dead almost 90% of the time

Sulfur didnÆt answer locked in its private struggle Strange fluids dripped away from its curled up body a testament to the continued corrosion of the Witherball Occasionally pieces of the semi solid Soulseed inflated rapidly due to the chaotic combination of energy but they gradually slowed their expansion and even more slowly contracted back to normal Randidly also noticed that there were three sharp spikes stretching out from the arm that didnÆt grow soft suffused with a green brown light

Even during the transformation some aspects remained the same Yet his relief felt short lived as the implications of one of the notifications hit him

All extraneous influences should be prevented

Hissing Randidly spun around A wave of force from Bleak Sky and CeruleanÆs confrontation rushed toward his position Not enough time had passed for the skyisland to move out of the line of fire either So an increasingly incensed Randidly gathered the storm of force he had absently created and forged a blade of concentrated energy He smashed the attack against the reverberation and was surprised to find he gave a little bit of ground before the force dispersed All of his accumulation dissipated spent to protect his charges

More than the lost energy Randidly felt drained as he looked out toward the battlefield His torso ached even if the wither had been removed he hadnÆt quite healed all the way from enduring the Authority Meanwhile Sulfur continued its strange bulging and deflation as it proceeded through its evolution He positioned it almost directly behind him so his body would soak up most of the aftershocks from the battle

With the pressure of the Nether Ritual looming over the whole situation Randidly glanced over at the clash in front of Malloon The ground had been blasted with waves of images and Nether leaving the surviving ground looking vaguely irradiated The two fighters flickered back and forth both moving at speeds that broke through the sound barrier and crackled the brutalized ground around them

However Randidly widened his eyes as he observed CeruleanÆs movements The raptor construct fell slightly short of the speed that Nether King Bleak Sky could utilize in his harsh movements but the aura and style of attack kept changing Usually he maintained his fierce predatory style But occasionally he flipped a switched and produced a violet spear He only used it to chase and thrust but his speed and piercing power kept catching Bleak Sky flatfooted

Yet Randidly could only grimace as he glanced between the swirling Nether Ritual and the confrontation in front of Malloon ItÆs one thing to understand the Nether Ritual itÆs another entirely to know how to proceed I think I see a way to break the Nether Ritual cleanly but I wonÆt be able to do it through three Nether KingÆs defenses If I want a chance to strike IÆll need a convenient distraction

maybe someone massive arrogant and covered in blue flames for example

Humming to himself Randidly applied his will to the movement of the Skyisland He reached out and gently dragged Sulfur along with him intending to watch over his companion carefully until the evolution had finished Then he drifted away from the fallen Nether King dragon in case it felt like seeking vengeance

Below for the first time in the confrontation between Bleak Sky and Cerulean CeruleanÆs third distortion began to stir

Prepare to move Westrisser announced his arms tight behind his back His gaze didnÆt waver from the fighting that would determine the fate of his city

Grettic raised a bald eyebrow What you want me to help I told you not my sort of fight at all IÆm a supporter a supporter And this Domain

I have some theories about what sort of being was hunted for Cerulean to form his third trophy Westrisser felt a deep sense of fear due to his theory but it also made a great deal of sense considering CeruleanÆs strict intensity He will soon make his move Based on my calculations he will seize the initiative I just want you to be prepared for when that occurs so you can move out and begin the assault on the other Nether Kings

Grettic spat again her saliva sizzling against the barrier But she stepped down off the wall and headed to the gate following his orders His daughter remained silently at his side Finally the girl had learned the proper sort of manners

Westrisser almost felt proud

Outside the barrier Cerulean lashed out with a powerful leg Bleak Sky managed to deflect the blow upward but the raptor construct simply spun and slammed his other heel against his enemyÆs chest And as he did so the third distortion behind him began to ripple

Bleak Sky shrieked releasing a powerful pulse of Nether in response The grey flames around his body spread to form a barrier around his body His eyes sharpened he had learned how dangerous those distortions in the air were Yet despite his preparations he couldnÆt expect that a raptor construct would rip through his Nether barrier from behind and shove his long claws through his torso His broken flesh parted as the tips pierced through to the other side

When he gasped blood dribbled out of Bleak SkyÆs beak His eyes were filled with a lack of understanding as he felt CeruleanÆs claws in his chest cavity and also looked at Fatia Cerulean standing about four meters in front of him while also being the one skewering him The Nether KingÆs expression twisted with disgust These trophies you gain them by hunting and absorbing your foes So why is your third trophy yourself

Chapter 2170

Cerulean chuckled His image spun more densely around himself violence and superiority forged into truth He always enjoyed this reveal the movement where he displayed the capability to subdue even himself A power that transcended his original identity and could stand on its own

It amused him how horrified most were by his choices By the resolve that had made it possible to control the trajectory of his life As though they also hadnÆt committed horrible crimes in order to accumulate power If anything Cerulean should be praised for his selflessness Both literally and because his actions exacted the price for his power from his own body not from those weaker than he Upstodatee from

Yet now was not the time for him to educate this Nether King regarding his well reasoned life philosophy It was time to drink that heady nectar of victory shattering this foe and claiming his power for a trophy His emotions quivered in anticipation

All he had to do now was to drag the trick out of the Nether King and break it over his knee

Bleak Sky growled and twisted turning to look at CeruleanÆs clone which spread his claws and churned the meat of his chest Or rather it was CeruleanÆs original personality broken and domesticated by the image he wished himself to be Due to the unique nature of what he had taken from himself this power could exist outside of his body unlike that of the other trophies It could even utilize trophies on its own While his foe was distracted Cerulean drew on the experience of the Violet Spear

His body cut through the intervening distance even as Bleak Sky managed to force back the clone Blood gushed out of the deep wound on his chest even as Cerulean cackled and rammed his violet spear into the other side of the Nether KingÆs body worsening his wounds He released a hungry blast of his image enhanced Predation but the Nether King managed to shrug it off and staggered sideways The being flared Desolate Horizon adding extra pressure to the dozen or so meters directly around him

Cerulean gnashed his teeth in annoyance but he wasnÆt too bothered by the drawn out struggle Nether Kings were always difficult to put down but Bleak Sky took this stubbornness to the extreme Although Cerulean had ripped the flesh of his body over and over again those wounds easily healed

However with blood flowing almost constantly from his body and most of his Nether tied up in maintaining the influence of Desolate Horizon Bleak SkyÆs defenses were extremely low His energy was being pulled in too many ways Cerulean cackled and struck at that vulnerability Erode Essence

The flaws inflicted in the Domain by himself and Nether King Hungry Eye were enough to slip a genuine attack through The concentrated viciousness Cerulean wielded rushed through the small gap and slammed into Bleak SkyÆs body The Nether King stiffened his Nether Core enduring the force of the attack directly After a teetering moment of struggle Desolate Horizon collapsed Beak Sky took two steps back

The grey sky shattered and darkness flooded back into the area

Small tongues of flame fluttered down from the Nether KingÆs defensive aura and fizzled out against the ground His bald head seemed damp with nervous sweat The tight grip he had maintained on his Nether finally loosened Power churned and frothed in the area Cerulean took advantage of that to spread his image and imprint it on the surrounding space

We both know this is not your limit Will you reveal your Authority now or shall I push you even further Cerulean jeered When Bleak Sky swayed without responding his cruel glee multiplied in his chest The other Cerulean circled around preparing to engage in a pincer strike at the shaky foe Yes this is how it needs to be Refuse me until the end Only then will obtaining your trophy be fulfilling Fatal Predation

Bleak Sky didnÆt speak His gaunt eyes just followed CeruleanÆs movements One Cerulean struck from the side the other from the front One began its attack with violet spear while the other leapt and slashed only both for switching their methods of assault at the last second Both attacks sunk into the Nether KingÆs body He wasnÆt able to defend either Hunger surged in CeruleanÆs chest He felt the hooks of his Fatal Predation digging into the weakened Nether King ready to rip out a trophy

Randidly hissed in displeasure as Bleak Sky unleashed the prodigious amount of Nether and attacked Cerulean His Nether Core struggled to neutralize the waves of significance heading toward Sulfur A strange barrier emerged around the orb and the target one Randidly wasnÆt able to peer through even as he folded his awareness over and over again However he had bigger problems

What the hell is this Nether

Bleak Sky remained in the same spot he had been standing although he withered and collapsed like a spent tube of toothpaste once he released the concentrated aqua light However the massive Nether Ritual continued to churn The dense storm of significance swirled above the city of Malloon coming closer every moment From his moment of insight into the Nether Ritual and NeveahÆs rapid research into its activities the Nether Ritual would finish in the next two minutes With Cerulean out of the picture it seemed a foregone conclusion the Nether Ritual would be completed

Randidly urged his skyislands again forcing them to speed across the sky and escape the area of Malloon With the Desolate Horizon Domain destroyed their speed had increased But even so Randidly had no idea how he should think about the area of fallout around an event like this I can use the AlchemistÆs Passport to move away quickly but so many will die I donÆt

Shit do I need to intervene directly Against three Nether Kings Seize will have a hard time slowing the Nether Ritual down for long Even if I destabilize it from within with the trap I built into the weather modulation pattern

But should I be changing the past in the first place Will it matter These memories

Shit Randidly whispered to himself He still had a headache from understanding the core functions of the Nether Ritual His body ached from being exposed to the Wither authority and given enough time to heal A part of him trembled with anxiety as Sulfur continued its fight toward a powerful evolution He sucked in a long breath through his nose and released the breath just as slowly

He had to make a decision How much was he willing to sacrifice to save Malloon

However before his emotions could work out their turmoil the air rippled and suddenly the distinct image of Cerulean flared in the air The raptor construct spared a single glance for the collapsed Bleak Sky then sneered up at the massive Nether Ritual Heh this was supposed to destroy us Not enough Not close enough Erode Essence

He unleashed a powerful blast of concentrated image not with a concrete shape but with a distinctly anti Nether focus The Nether Ritual was massive enough to barely slow even when impacted with the projectile but the three Nether Kings turned and glared at Cerulean And into that space a small goblin ish old woman appeared by the raptor construct

SinnerÆs Folly She croaked out

With a horrifying rumble one of the pillars of the woven Nether Ritual wrenched itself sideways with such force that it tore itself off of its place and separated from the Nether Ritual Randidly swore and threw himself in front of the tide of Nether before it could impact Sulfur

Chapter 2171

Like a massive tree with an ax driven partially into the trunk a portion of the Nether Ritual splintered and ruptured underneath the goblinÆs Skill Once the flaw became a part of the body the weakness made some sort of collapse inevitable

It was one thing to witness such a massive working being built as a road to the sky The sheer amount of energy both the defensive parts and the whole functional flows defied imagination It was altogether another to watch the materials come tumbling down in a veritable landslide A wall of darkness rumbled down obscuring all else ripping through the intervening clouds and demolishing every other influence

The Nether in sheets as a bleak annihilating rain

Randidly watched its approach solemnly Even more intimidating was the fact this was only a fraction of the Nether gathered to create the Nether RItual now tumbled downward in an inky billowing sprawl Yet Randidly could see the land would be stained by this for decades to come

Intermittent twitches lingered in the memory keeping Randidly from unleashing the full force of his Nether Core in response to the sudden rush of energy The darkness leaked out in every direction devouring the sky He especially wanted to remain cautious since he would soon utilize his Nether Authorities and strain the memory foundation even further His Nether Core accelerated toeing the line between powering up and respecting the balance He plucked up waves of energy to create friendly patterns lightening the load even before it arrived Otherwise he would have no chance of completely preventing any interference in SulfurÆs transformation

Randidly felt himself raising his hands in the face of the falling darkness only to belatedly realize he currently only had his right arm He hissed in annoyance and considered perhaps creating a scrawled limb to serve as a stand in for a time but tossed that idea to the side Not only would it take time he didnÆt have but the hand only served as a focus for his attention In the end it was a crutch He could handle this on his own

Randidly glanced to the left his skyislands would be hit by the periphery of this collapse but the energy wouldnÆt be inherently dangerous on its own Weaker individuals would have difficulty breathing but their bodies should adjust rather quickly to the increased Nether content Few had the sensitivities of the current Sulfur

He could focus his entirety on this task Which he needed to do because he sensed this Nether had achieved a density that filled him with admiration He wondered how long the Nether Kings had toiled to create this vicious flood to briefly channel PineÆs power

Right before the flood of Nether crashed into his body his eyes pierced through the waves of Nether and saw the beginnings of an altogether different threat Cerulean who overcame the condensed Nether blast from Bleak Sky almost instantly with no ill effects shot toward the base of the Nether Ritual One of the final three Nether Kings peeled away from the Nether Ritual and moved to meet him Even the dragon Nether King which had apparently recovered in the past few minutes drifted up out of the ground and launched attacks to keep Cerulean at bay

Underneath the hanging curtain of the hemorrhaging Nether the conflict over Malloon neared its climax RandidlyÆs heartbeat quickened

CeruleanÆs powerful predatory image smashed into the defenses of the Nether King and created dense shockwaves both of kinetic force and image RandidlyÆs eyes twitched as those waves mixed freely through the chaotic flow of Nether Even for his mind too many sources mixed to create an unpredictable mass of energy vectors Seriously all those energies arenÆt even canceling each other out Sulfur you have literally the WORST timing

Randidly cracked the knuckles on his right hand for good luck Then the wave of force arrived and he lost himself in the constant rush of generating eddies repurposing flow gathering strength crushing concentrated gushes of energy absorbing kinetic energy drawing a swirling maelstrom around his body and cradling Sulfur safely in the eye of the storm

More and more cutting blasts of energy required his attention His skin hissed and burned the dense Nether was just as dangerous as he had feared At the start he chained his responses together but the short interval between new threats meant he couldnÆt afford that luxury Within only a few seconds he moved entirely on instinct relying more and more on his Skills and his powerful Stats to give him an edge

His mind hummed setting down the truth of his own exhaustion because he did not dare fail here Before this test he marshaled his full capabilities He had crowned himself the Moirae of Ripples a Pinnacle imageless Skillset for wading into these situations with his head held high Now it was time to earn that title with sweat and grit

A huge onslaught of Nether rushed at him from the side Reverberations of a dispersed Nether King attack echoed around and struck at him from behind A jagged shard of CeruleanÆs Predation tumbled through the waves of Nether hiding in the shadow of the more plentiful energy The newly appeared Nether King manifested its authority and the goblin woman utilized another image empowered Skill to hamstring his attempt

Broken rays of energy and image mixed with the onslaught making RandidlyÆs efforts even more perilous

Congratulations Your Skill Unpredictable Eddy has grown to Level 835

Congratulations Your Skill Philosophy Within the Boundless Deluge has grown to Level 933

All one has to do is walk and the world will open before them Only the destination is in doubt not the worth of the journey

Through the humming of the violent Nether Randidly sensed the action happening in the core area Cerulean used a raw blast of force to charge past the two defending Nether Kings and approached the base of the Nether Ritual He raised his arm and activated a powerful Skill his image piercing through the screen of dense Nether RandidlyÆs eyes flashed His right hand curled into a rigid claw and he lashed forward A sharp blast of CerlueanÆs predatory image aimed Randidly from below but he cracked it into pieces

Exhaustion settled across his shoulders but to Randidly it was the embrace of an old friend He continued to move

Congratulations Your Skill Dragon QueenÆs Sinister Tongue has grown to Level 818

It is possible to create a new Rarity However some of the elements involved in approaching the Pinnacle will be adjusted and perhaps lost during the transition It is impossible to determine if increased Rarities will result in increased performance

If Rarity evolution is chosen the result will vary based upon

Randidly blurred sideways cutting his way out of the storm around him and Sulfur As his focus narrowed he could no longer maintain his energy storm It had become a liability His Soulseed/arm floated behind him ferried out of the worst of it A massive explosion cracked the ground and sky as Cerulean inflicted more damage on the Nether Ritual The process of its completion slowed and another Nether King left to fight against the raptor construct leaving only a single Nether King operating the grand pillar of Nether

RandidlyÆs eyes flickered His instincts whispered to him guiding his path forward Possibilities and information rushed through him so quickly he couldnÆt even acknowledge them Even with his extremely high Stats he pushed himself to the limit coping with the chaotic surges of energy His images each manifested only partially supporting his mental function while his body moved robotically to create the patterns he needed

The numbness had spread from his left leg to almost his entire left side Yet his body continued to obey his instincts so it wasnÆt much of a problem

He landed lightly on the ground turning his gaze upward With the ground beneath him the avenues energy could use to taint Sulfur was greatly reduced He pointed and his swirling storm of force whooshed down to surround his body He broke through the last few waves of Nether one of the Nether Kings apparently found a way to cut off the portion the goblin had wounded

It is impossible to guess what a new Rarity will bring However the Pantheon will endeavor to shape it to the best of its abilities and certainly the result will be based on the achievements of Randidly Ghosthound Compatibility with you will be incredibly high

Do you wish to attempt to continue with the evolution of the Moirae of Ripples Skillset

RandidlyÆs body was slick with sweat His chest trembled from the wounds endured so far and the effort it took to withstand the blasts He assumed the rest of his body trembled as well but it had all become numb He barred his teeth up at the sky where Cerulean manifested his violent spear and managed to land a vicious blow on the emerald dragon that knocked it out of the fight likely permanently

He was so close He could look up and see them And he could definitely survive their attacks But more than that He needed to take a step forward

Evolve the Grey Creature whispered Randidly agreed

Congratulations Your Skillset the Moirae of Ripples is evolving

Chapter 2172

Standing on the ground the amount of pressure against Randidly sharply decreased to more manageable levels Cerulean continued his vicious offensive blasting apart the Nether Kings with the support of the goblin woman Each claw stroke ripped through some of the defenses opening a direct path to his target The final Nether King either risked giving free rein to Cerulean by standing idly by so it left the Nether Ritual and moved to stop him

The raptor construct burned with a house sized blue aura cackling and vicious in his momentous violence Rumbles from the confrontation shook the ground but they didnÆt distract Randidly much With the broken vein of Nether eased the flood of violent energy turned into a trickle Most dispersed rather harmlessly into the atmosphere The Nether Ritual hummed perhaps only ten seconds away from being guided to completion yet lingering on the last steps

Which allowed Randidly to focus on the notifications in front of him

The Rarity GhosthoundÆs Deviation has been generated to categorize the evolution Your Skillset the Moirae of Ripples has evolved to the Moirae of Minute Repercussions

Congratulations Due to the creation of your own Rarity you have gained +1000 to all Attributes It will be much more difficult to create additional Rarities in the future

+1 to MuseÆs Reverie

Estimating the value of the shift unable to determine

Incorporating new framework into the associated Skills

Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko has evolved into Severing Tide of Amenonuhoko Skill Levels will be maintained

Your Skill Unpredictable Eddy has evolved into From the Chaotic Sea Abrupt Reverberations User gains an increased ability to manipulate foreign energy in unexpected ways The area in which the user is able to activate the Skill is vastly increased Defensive capabilities have sharply increased Skill Levels will be maintained

Your Skill Philosophy Within the Boundless Deluge has evolved into Gospel Within the Seething Torrent User has developed an extremely strong intuition for the way disparate energies will interact Accuracy of predictions even involving newly discovered energies will increase Paradoxically these improvements come from the admittance that not all aspects are able to be quantified there exists within the sphere of energy many overwhelming mysteries User will be slightly more able to handle existences beyond understanding

(Gospel Within the Seething Torrent cont ) As user identifies further preceptsÆ of this gospel the effects of the Skills will vastly increase Warning The development of precepts will warp the perspective of the user It is possible to severely damage oneÆs potential with hastily chosen precepts Skill Levels will be maintained

Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has evolved into Motif of Unimagined Tolls User has begun to touch upon truths upon which all of existence has been built Proceed forward with caution interaction with such powers will have prices even if they are not immediately obvious User has a small chance of peering more deeply into these prices than others Skill Levels will be maintained

A groan escaped RandidlyÆs lips As the new Skills shifted in an agony fueled melting and crystallization of energy he barely remained on his feet His awareness blurred at the edges causing a near constant motion of his vision even while remaining still He felt NeveahÆs awareness finally shifting away from the problem of the Nether Ritual to reinforce his own cognition Her touch seeded tendrils of coolness into his mind Easy there Half of the Pantheon collapsed into unconsciousness creating the shift for you so I would expect the burden on you is even worse Concentrate and breathe

Hissing RandidlyÆs attention whipped back toward Cerulean The Aether monsterÆs claws moved tirelessly hacking at the Nether Ritual in a focused manner Each blow ripped out a huge chunk The massive pillar of darkness shuddered underneath his rough methods When viewed from the outside it seemed like Cerulean dutifully attempted to unmake the working

Yet Randidly had peered through to the inner workings and understood the functions of each portion of the Nether Ritual Very ominously each of CeruleanÆs blows struck at portions of the Nether Ritual relating to control and stabilization In essence he removed the limiters of the Nether Ritual that would make it sustainable

With so many strikes falling so precisely despite how rough and vicious each seemed to be it was hard to believe they fell coincidentally If the Nether Ritual activated now the resulting destruction might even be greatly increased Cerulean moved purposefully aiming to bring a violent hammer down on his target

ItÆs not about Malloon at all Randidly realized with a shiver It is for the Nether forces but Cerulean simply loves this If Malloon is destroyed so much the better the rest of the Aether lands will likely follow a call he would make for war Yet this chiseling is purposeful His real target

Cerulean Do you need assistance WestrisserÆs voice boomed out from MalloonÆs walls

Cerulean paused in his attacks His bloody jaws parted With how dense the teal aura around him had become it was difficult to make out his bare skull The task is more difficult than anticipated Please accept my apologies for what follows I require a small boost in power

Behind CeruleanÆs body the middle of his three trophies activated A strange and insidious Engraving flared to life reaching out and grabbing any energy in the surrounding Yet with the Nether Ritual largely neutered and left unfinished and Bleak SkyÆs Domain absent a horrifying suction emerged from CeruleanÆs body In the end the technique took from the weakest first targeting those that lacked resistance The people of Malloon were hit foremost while the drain also extended over to RandidlyÆs skyislands

No Randidly felt horror rising through his body and tried his best to manifest a protective barrier of Yggdrasil in the area around his body But he acted a second too late The ripples had warned him concentrating behind him but he was too fresh to his new awareness to understand Behind his back the inward focused Sulfur was completely blindsided by the activation

All that vital energy it had gathered for so long by absorbing kinetic force leaked out

Warning The energy of your Soulseed Sulfur has been depleted Warning the transformation is about to fail Failure will result in the death of your Soulseed Please provide a vast amount of energy to make up the difference

Please note that because it is necessary to heal the wound of this failure before the evolution continues an extremely vast amount of energy will be required Even then the resulting transformation may still bear ill effects Such a result will be made more unlikely by prodigious amounts of extra energy

Cerulean Randidly gritted his teeth His Nether Core accelerated

Before he could respond however confirmation for RandidlyÆs theory appeared From the spot where he had earlier vanished Fatia Cerulean reappeared His blue aura had been almost completely depleted with only his wireframe body he seemed sunken and starving His claws and talons had been broken and his raptor skull had a large crack running through it

Yet the newly appeared figure raised his head in triumph Keh Bleak Sky you were just the sort of foe worth killing Taking your trophy eh

The weakened Cerulean looked up Across the battlefield the other Cerulean likely the original personality that had been considered tamedÆ by the replacement flexed its arms With a deft stroke it threw a blast of power that struck the core of the Nether Ritual and then rapidly fled to the side out of the direct release of power

After a tremble the unfinished Nether Ritual stirred and activated Pine would soon descend

Chapter 2173

That fool As soon as the second version of Cerulean appeared the truth became clear to Westrisser The original raptor construct might have set out to create a superior version of himself to be used as an image but that option had been much more palatable to the original before the improved version captured the original and kept it around as a tool Now the vicious experiments of the soul committed by Cerulean were coming to a head and Malloon would be caught in the crossfire

A strike heavy enough to wipe away an entire city Westrisser supposed he understood why the one version of Cerulean would consider this amount of force necessary but still felt bitter about being caught in the crossfire

For a moment the leader of the Peregrine Serpents wavered in how he should proceed he had his own pride and power His own image should not be underestimated even by Cerulean He could intervene especially considering the broken weapon wielded against him The Nether Ritual activated in fits and starts huge crackling waves of energy blasting out from the rising tower of darkness Already a strange light blossomed in the core area of the working

In the end Westrisser turned away His mind ran the calculation and decided it would not be worth it Perhaps he could intervene in time His success would have been much more likely if he had been outside of the barrier when the process began but it was too risky to start within the city and pass through the gate

The hammer of the Nether RItual would fall But he refused to allow this development to end his research

His eyes flashed as he spun around He looked at his daughter once Follow

Then he launched himself from the walls heading toward his experiment lab

Fear gripped Randidly so tightly that he didnÆt move for a half second Too much emotion and information clogged up his processing so the world seemed to freeze

Very gradually tiny slid forward He saw every development with the utmost clarity even while he remained in a horrified stasis

Behind him SulfurÆs evolution failure continued to catastrophically go off course His existence degraded his valuable energy stolen away

The original Cerulean chuckled seeing the replacement personality that had so long oppressed him now helpless as the Nether Ritual shivered into motion The two Nether Kings and the elderly goblin woman took a few steps back from the unstable working above them but realized that escape was impossible so they shared a glance Despite their earlier conflicts it seemed they were the type to easily set aside their differences when the problem of survival came up Malloon remained silent completely mute before the descending threat

Above them all significance swirled lower the impending weight of this moment in history leaving its mark All the separate small actions of each individual became a ripple that spread and mixed in chaotic waves blended energy and intention an unpredictable and viciously implacable shift that would gladly grind them all to dust

The moment of inaction passed Time rushed forward and Randidly hummed into motion to keep up with it

His eyes began to glow as he rallied his spirits His right hand clenched He looked at the ripples at the intersection of all the decisions that led to this moment and saw how this had gone in the original timeline Malloon wiped The improved image of Cerulean ripped to shreds by the cruel revenge of the original Likely based on the fact CeruleanÆs name had vanished from history the surviving raptor construct took a massive wound in the process A war would follow a massive war sweeping up the Aether and Nether forces setting them against each other until one side demolished the other

Devick felt both warmth and jealousy as she watched him wounded and without his left arm standing in the sky Warmth because of the effort he poured into protecting them Jealousy because she wasnÆt qualified to join him in that position For the first time in quite a while she regretted choosing to dedicate herself to Hobfootie

Without a Class catching up to a Nether King felt impossible The prodigious distance between them couldnÆt even be bridged by her burning stubbornness Devick might choose not to acknowledge her lacking capability but a part of her knew her body would give out before she could help Hungry Eye even in the slightest

This might be our end Demetrius spoke slowly and sounded almost ill Even at this distance when all of that energy is released

Devick pushed aside her individual feelings sensing a shift in the Nether King The huge Nether Ritual seemed on the verge of shattering Not in a sad old collapsing house sort of way but in a more vicious lashing out before death sort of violence Even from here its power pressed against her skin

And of course Nether King Hungry Eye chose that moment to step forward The Third Authority Intangible Burial

The sky rumbled in response to his words The pressure from the Nether Ritual changed It didnÆt seem to lessen in any way but the pressure definitely felt different Devick narrowed her eyes trying to see the shift Despite the Nether King the Nether Ritual began to activate The light in its core area brightened

Beside her Demetrius gasped That How Nether King Hungry Eye somehow managed to sever the Nether RitualÆs core aspects without destroying it considering the damage already done to the Nether Ritual the precision required is ridiculous

He didnÆt stop it JotemÆs body as usually happened when he was worried began to inflate

no itÆs still about to finish its activation Demetrius shivered But the Nether King used his authority to remove the connection to Pine The Nether Ritual should have dragged his gaze to this location eradicating everything with the power that founded the Nexus Yet now it is a bridge built to nowhere Very literally nowhere If it activates as it is now

The Nether Ritual trembled slightly the pressure reaching the breaking point Then it activated and a hole the size of a city block was punched into space right at the top Wind and Nether howled as suddenly this flaw in the universe began to devour everything in the surrounding space No thunderous wave of energy descended to burn away them all but Devick yelped as the suction was powerful enough to grab at the Skyislands and shake them

Gradually the skyisland began to list and drift toward the flaw in the world

Biting her lip Devick pushed herself to her feet This is all part of the plan right I trust you You you wonÆt let anyone hurt me

On the heels of the sudden hole being punched in the world several powerful figures began to move However none moved as quickly as the Nether King that so obsessed Devick His strange image echoed out with enough force he knocked all others aside For a brief moment he achieved dominance over the environment The hole the Nether Ritual to nowhere had created became a massive eye

The eye opened and woe to all that must endure its hunger before it would be sated

Chapter 2174

Randidly did not pull any punches as he established his connection to the environment forcing back other energies in the area with a baleful glare Then he imprinted his Stillborn Phoenix upon the yawning rip in existence that the Nether Ritual tore Because of the inherent similarities between the two the process was easy His image could easily become the embodiment of the sundered Nether Ritual

Once the process started he punched it through with force But even then the transition lingered slightly longer than Randidly would have liked

It happened over the course of a few breaths while the Nether Kings Cerulean and the goblin woman were all concerned with other issues Everyone had assumed the Nether RitualÆs activation could not be stopped so they didnÆt try

In a way they were right Even Randidly probably couldnÆt have stopped the Nether RitualÆs inevitable discharge But he could change it And in that space a massive Eye of Depression stirred for the first time opening to view the world The sky shuddered underneath the descent of such a huge mass of darkness and impossible density Light began to run around the edge of this openingÆs event horizon the stirring image rapidly gathering the horrifying weight Randidly had built into it

As the presence within the Stillborn PhoenixÆs sudden manifestation gathered power strikes finally came from the Nether Kings and from Cerulean cut into its ankles Or at least they attempted to When a testing slice from CeruleanÆs claws vanished into the darkness without producing even a ripple he gathered more of his violence and fury and unleashed a full power Predation upon it

The stirrings of the eye grew more intense but not because Cerulean had inflicted damage upon the image The relative lack of effect was almost amusing Essentially Randidly cheated his way through the image physicalization step by relying on the Nether Ritual In its current admittedly unstable incarnation the Stillborn Phoenix was far too big to hunt even for Fatia Cerulean

Despite these attacks Randidly didnÆt lose sight of his intense resolve The hunger in his body had become a physical need The eye of the Stillborn Phoenix opened milky light quickening around its edges Its gaze became a mouth that could devour all of the energy in the surrounding space

Congratulations Your Skill Tug of Tragic Silence has grown to Level 800

Congratulations A powerful synergy has emerged Your Skill the Tug of Tragic Silence and Piercing Gaze of the Egg have combined to form a new Skill The two have joined to become The Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe Skill Level set at 900 Just the awareness of the user is enough to instinctually activate the Skill toward the surroundings The power of the pressure generated by the Skill is vastly increased Will take a small effort of will in order to prevent the Skill from activating in normal circumstances Ease of control increases with Skill Level Effects increase with Skill Level

Congratulations Your Skill the Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe has grown to Level 901

Randidly sucked in a breath as he even came under the purview of the Stillborn Phoenix and felt his edges being ground away by a foreign power His mind buzzed both from wielding and being targeted by the Skill even with the chunk of Stats he threw into Cognition of the Aberrant Alchemist the starting point of this Stillborn Phoenix manifestation was too large to handle It pulled and pulled at any thread unfortunate enough to be nearby The dark emotional need Randidly had forged served as a way to focus its efforts yet once unleashed its power continued to develop

Huge bursts of electromagnetic discharge and broken shards of violent light radiation ripped through the air around the edges of the hole in the universe The ground beneath the Stillborn PhoenixÆs manifestation was baptized for the second time by immense power the dirt melted and crystalized into a flat plain of glass And even then even more dangerous manifestations of the gap in the universe began to manifest

Congratulations A significant amount of energy has been provided Sulfur has managed to avoid catastrophic

A huge amount of energy is being provided to Sulfur Some of the deeper wounds inflicted on your Soulseed have begun to heal Providing more energy will speed up the healing proces

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed This time when he pulled from the Stillborn PhoenixÆs wild devouring he took everything that it had managed to gather He didnÆt want to mess around with these notifications for too much longer If Sulfur wanted ridiculous amounts of energy ridiculous amounts of energy was exactly what it would get

The original of this had been a tower of dark Nether built high enough to touch the sky and drag down the gaze of a sleeping god With his firm will Randidly now brought down a pillar of light to rival it a searing chaotic conflux of energy bound by necessity and desperation It was a plea for help and the resolve to impose his desire upon an unruly world

The tips of RandidlyÆs right hand buzzed even though he didnÆt touch the pillar of energy directly He realized rather belatedly he crammed into Sulfur enough raw force to burn away RandidlyÆs evolved body without leaving a scrap behind

A positively surreal accomplishment has been made You have gathered such an abundance of energy that the interrupted evolution process has been restarted SulfurÆs body boils over with abundant energy Due to the extremely intense mixture of Aether and Nether a mutation occurs Occasionally Soulseed Sulfur will cause Aether and Nether to behave exceptionally cooperatively increasing the power of all Skills

In extremely unlikely cases a faint hint of a ShallahÆs energy can be felt from abilities utilizing SulfurÆs body as a medium Every time this effect recurs slightly boost all of SulfurÆs Stats and vastly increase its growth potential

Congratulations Your SoulseedÆs evolution continues

Congratulations Sulfur is shifting into a new form

Chapter 2175

Fatia Cerulean had been stuck opposite that horrifying aqua orb for what felt like hours Its light waxed and waned twisting all avenues of retreat into knots and leaving the raptor construct helpless Time had dragged past as he avoided and resisted the attack unleashed by Nether King Bleak Sky His every trick had been pulled out the limits of his physical body had been tested and his cognition had dulled from overuse

For a while he had felt a thrill of pushing the edges of his potential but even that began to fade with time

However in the same way the raptor construct had tired so had the orb Its light had grown less overwhelming its size marginally shrinking as its power had been expended The weapon of the Apostate Nether King was fearsome but it was not infinite

Perhaps other beings would compare how bedraggled he had become with the small decrease in power from the aqua ball but Cerulean exceeded his limits time and time again He was crafted perfection built exactly to thrive in situations like this He would not hesitate before a challenge even though survival seemed impossible This foe would become one more corpse at his feet

And when he escaped and consumed the corpse of Nether King Bleak Sky taking this power for his own

The craving for satisfaction fueled him even when all other energies vanished When even that resolve began to wane he dug deeply into his potential All of the accumulated insights and inspiration he had made during his experiments in the last decade were trotted out searching for any method to last just a little bit longer

So he struggled He flailed His body cracked and shattered his framework twisted and hollowed out his spirit mortgaged and spent His awareness blurred leaving only the certainty that he would survive

And he did At the end of that indeterminable time Cerulean had panted over the defeated energy The world unfolded and he returned triumphantly to the pitched battle to defend Malloon He raised his head and grinned Heh Well Malloon might have been destroyed without my heroics but so long as I can track down that corpse Bleak Sky

Yet when he returned the situation had become exceedingly strange Cerulean immediately sensed the body of Bleak Sky nearby broken but clinging stubbornly to life Yet his gaze was filled with another figure The doll of the original personality which he had not been able to conjure while struggling against the aqua ball stood independently at the base of the Nether Ritual The absence suddenly made quite a lot of sense Although damaged the Nether Ritual now collapsed directly toward the spot where he had returned

For a long moment the gazes of the two CeruleanÆs met The original personalities eyes burned with spite and long suppressed fury Meanwhile Cerulean looked at the doll with something akin to fondness Yes a being who could have created me was not an average existence that would simply allowed itself to be ridden

The original personality watched Cerulean like a hawk prepared to move if Cerulean attempted to flee or struggle Considering how depleted his energies were the raptor construct didnÆt bother to embarrass himself Instead he looked around And seeing that he wouldnÆt need to personally move he chuckled

Today it seems is not the day I die Cerulean thought fondly An authoritative voice boomed out over the battlefield

The Third Authority Intangible Burial

Despite the original personalityÆs best efforts the stream of energy cleanly transferred to Hungry EyeÆs target Grettic and the two remaining Nether Kings lurked nearby bottom feeders examining the situation to find out how they should behave Normally Cerulean would have scoffed but he had to be realistic about his current situation Depending on how the original personality reacted to this wrinkle in its plan he might need to set aside his pride to survive

As the pillar of energy began to fade the Hungry Eye also began to shrink and vanish The Nether Ritual had been sucked dry by the eye just like the rest of the surrounding environment and no longer attempted to bridge any gap The opening healed and left the manifestation without its foundation It floundered for a few moments the warping energy at its edges crackling in frustration Then it began to fade

The descent of the energy had kicked up a wave of dust but it settled rather quickly Nether King Hungry Eye crouched down picking up a strange twitching mass of grey matter CeruleanÆs senses couldnÆt detect the slightest hint of danger from the object

Which only made Cerulean more cautious it was not a simple existence if all that energy had vanished into its depths

As Nether King Hungry Eye straightened his aura billowed out around his body in a nearly visible fashion He had always had an unusual presence but achieving that moment of peerless authority and opening his eye had apparently been highly beneficial to him Almost ignoring all the individuals studying him in the wake of the environment briefly falling under his thrall Hungry Eye pressed the grey mass to his left shoulder

Nether King Hungry Eye CeruleanÆs original personality growled Cerulean almost felt fond That personality always seemed to act as though it had an itch it couldnÆt scratch But truth be told the inherent inferiority complex at least made it motivated Please make your intentions clear

Rather surprisingly the Nether King allowed a tired smile Do you really have the spare attention to ask me that I had assumed the two Ceruleans would need to fight to the death before either would be satisfied

The blue flames around the original personalityÆs body flared but the Nether King released the grey object and waved a hand The grey mass remained affixed to his shoulder and began to pulse If it makes you feel better then let me assure you I donÆt intend to intervene any further in this business Continue your valiant defense of Malloon

The original personality seemed uncertain Its gaze flicked to the two remaining Nether Kings who had moved some distance away from Grettic and recovered Nether King Bleak SkyÆs body Then it considered Cerulean himself who continued to stand very still and heal his wounds

When the original personality met CeruleanÆs eyes without immediately launching an attack he had to suppress a vicious grin After bowing his head the original personality became insubstantial once more and slipped back into the distortion at CeruleanÆs back As though it hadnÆt used the Nether KingÆs attack as a chance to split off and plot to kill his own generated image

The bulges on Nether King Hungry EyeÆs arm began to grow more frequent The color of the material began to lighten and steam wafted off of the joint After a short grimace of pain Nether King Hungry Eye tilted his head to the side as he considered Cerulean You are going to your trophy just put itself back up on the shelf without comment

A threat hanging at my back will keep me focused Cerulean chuckled On the one hand today held so much disappointment He had been deeply wounded his potential revealed and failed to even obtain a trophy from Bleak Sky Yet the raptor construct burned with enthusiasm the fighting had left him inspired We walk the Narrow Path Hungry Eye Without bodies to pile into stairs we will never near the Pinnacle

The Nether King just grunted After a long glance around the battlefield he began to casually walk away Cerulean noted his even gait with a pinch of smugness Likely Nether King Hungry Eye ended the day in the best condition but the production of how at ease he was revealed the true situation to be anything but Likely the opening of the eye did not come easily and channeling that energy had left him raw

Yet when he finally developes that arm positively monstrous Cerulean shivered in pleasure

Chapter 2176

Randidly left the frontlines in a hurry heading back to JotemÆs farm where he had sent the skyislands during the worst of the fighting His headache had developed into a constant throb The nerves of his shoulder and back felt aflame as Sulfur attached back to his body even while notifications continued to assure him that the SoulseedÆs evolution continued

After expending so much energy and focus to sculpt the remainder of the Nether Ritual and conjure the massive Stillborn Phoenix Randidly needed a nap Or maybe more accurately a short term coma Still he paused on a nearby hill and glanced back over his shoulder at the chaotic aftermath of the dayÆs events The ground had been forever marred by the developments but he was more interested in the relative draw of the outcome

The attacking Nether forces milled around for a short time but quickly fled back toward their own lands The goal of defending Malloon had been achieved but it did not feel like a victory Especially since CeruleanÆs internal conflict had almost meant that the Nether Ritual had been purposefully unleashed in the direction of the city

Essentially everyone but him left unsatisfied

Great job today Randidly encouraged the spirit of impossibility hiding within a black hole You really left the whole situation stillborn

One of the Unborn Duo cackled while the other just seemed confused Sighing Randidly turned away and continued his departure He supposed that was the best response he could have hoped for Especially exhausted his jokes werenÆt always the best

Congratulations Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 916

Congratulations Your Skill YggdrasilÆs Plasm Animus has grown to Level 816

A groan escaped RandidlyÆs mouth as a particularly dense wave of energy sizzled out from Sulfur and entered his body In the worst sort of way his bones acted as the medium to spread the shock through his flesh

Randidly needed to pause in a shadowed valley to take several breaths while he allowed the power to disperse Randidly suspected the real reason that SulfurÆs evolution hadnÆt finished wasnÆt because Sulfur wasnÆt ready but because he wasnÆt Which was a scary thought Even though he had handled the funneling he had a blurry impression of exactly how much energy he had snatched and purified to provide Sulfur

Most of his attention had gone toward not killing any of the weaker lifeforms in the surrounding area He had swept through the ambient energy like a ravenous swarm of locusts but he had tried to keep this draw light against living beings

The memory of Cerulean ripping energy out of the vulnerable Sulfur was too fresh in his mind

As for the relatively easier process of stuffing energy into Sulfur he had barely been paying attention However these periodic energy releases started to give him an idea about the magnitude he had provided And this was just the byproduct radiation released by the evolution It filled Randidly with anticipation toward the final

Congratulations Your Skill YgdrasilÆs Plasm Animus has grown to Level 817

Another burst of energy caused the muscles of RandidlyÆs back to flex into painful knots He leaned back and one of his vertebrae popped Several seconds passed before he could move easily again Randidly grimaced Sulfur you are protecting me until my body can withstand it arenÆt you buddy

And if even my body struggles to contain the energy

Once the skyislands returned and landed in the area outside of Malloon Devick left and proceeded to the place where the world warping confrontation had happened The air there still tingled charged with violent Aether and Nether

Some of the survivors on the ground had set up a few signs warning people to stay away from the area but Devick as well as scores of children who perched themselves on the nearby hills moved through to view the valley changed by Nether King Hungry Eye There was danger but everyone wanted to hold onto their small piece of history After all for the rest of their lives they would be able to proudly announce they had been there during the attack on Malloon

Although Devick wondered if this would eventually only be a prelude to a stretch of fighting that was much much worse based on the whispers of war

Devick skin tingled as she climbed the path up to the top of the hill Nether remained very dense in the air She overheard one older crabkin bragging that she had been near enough to Malloon to see it the first time the giant eye had opened The other children denied it could have happened without the kid dying but in hushed voices like it was simply reflex and they would rather believe

Another overheard childrenÆs conversation hashed out the rules of The Battle of MalloonÆ One side would be Cerulean and Grettic the other the Nether Kings but one individual would be Nether King Hungry Eye And when he opened his eye whoever was still moving would be instantly eliminated

Malloon is a city built near enough to the edges of the Nether territory to be very familiar with war Nether KingÆs are the object of fear here DevickÆs heart thumped in her chest as she heard the whispers the rumors spreading about one particular Nether King However nothing is more important to survival than power And Nether King Hungry Eye no matter his affiliations always seems to have the power to stand independent To resist both the Aether and Nether forces

heÆs so fucking cool

Devick topped the hill and looked down across the devastation Despite having prepared herself she still sucked in a breath

The ground had been melted into a flat glassy surface by the raw power of the energy manifested there However that smoothness distorted with unpredictable ripples with amazing frequency Rather than solid ground the area behaved like a liquid In the center of the strange poolÆ a twisted leafless tree grew its branched curled like desperate fingers grabbing at the sky The roots that stretched out from the tree were visible through the surface and seemed to be forged of golden light

The light from the roots shimmered through the rippling surface casting brilliant patterns across the nearby hills The sight was gorgeous

At the edge of the area a few teenagers had grown bolder than the children on the hill They had tied a rope around a nervous lizardperson who edged out to the edge of the rippling surface A few of the lizardpersonÆs friends were prepared to yank the rope and drag them back but surprisingly the surface held underneath their feet

The lizardperson took several tentative steps out wobbling the entire time as the melted surface rippled underneath their feet Due to the light source in the center now an enormous shadow of the lizardpersonÆs shadow stretched out across the nearby hills The lizardperson regained their balance and hopped up and down

Devick laughed in surprise the strange elastic surface of the warped area allowed the lizardperson to bounce Very soon the lizardperson was ecstatically going higher and higher as it put more strength into its legs and grew more confident Its friends forgot about the rope and surged forward to try it themselves Soon after a flood of kids rushed down to join in the fun

Soon the entire valley was filled with laughter and dancing shadows as a hundred children mixed freely on the bouncing rippling ground

Devick remained on the hill biting her lip Some part of her wanted to also try the strange bouncing ground but her heart lingered on another fact I want to be strong I need to be strong IÆm so tired of having him protect me

I need to finally get a Class

Chapter 2177

Randidly woke refreshed His instincts informed him he had slept for just a little less than twenty four hours While his body hadnÆt been able to totally recover due to the constant energy from Sulfur all his exhaustion had fallen away

Almost instinctively he eased back the influence that the Stillborn Phoenix could wield on the outside world His image pouted slightly but felt cheery enough from being briefly loosed that it didnÆt seriously complain

He rose and stretched his back legs and right arm cracking presently Then he looked with anticipation down at his left arm which had periodically zapped him even while he had been resting but the limb only stretched down to the elbow Several bulges continued to wriggle along the sides Randidly grimaced Not finished yet huh Well take your time I donÆt think I should be in a rush

Randidly frowned His mind grasped for a half remembered item and found nothing His Nether Core spun smoothly in his chest He raised his head and sniffed the air weirdly suspicious What was this feeling What was he missing

His thoughts were interrupted by Devick dashing up the nearby hill making a beeline for him Randidly rolled his eyes and considered going to another location to spend a bit more time lazily lounging around But whatever strange intuition the crimson haired woman possessed to find him out here she would probably just use to find him again

As annoying as it was to admit even Randidly wasnÆt stubborn enough to outlast Devick In terms of persistence the woman was the most intense in the entire Nexus past and future

Nether King Hungry Eye She called as she rushed up the hill Recognizing her scent the three Arakis Beasts didnÆt even bat an eye as she approached When she reached the top she opened her mouth to speak but then bent over and began to cough Her body glistened with a thin covering of sweat she appeared to have dashed at full speed here from Malloon

Considering she hadnÆt yet gained a Class it was a pretty impressive display of Stamina Randidly remembered almost fondly when Shal had forced him to do similar tasks

After a coughing fit and catching her breath Devick straightened and continued RandidlyÆs mouth twitched as he noticed the way her hands came up to rest against the chokerÆ he had given her I have come to a decision I want a Class And somehow somehow I think youÆll be able to do that Will you help me

No Randidly yawned after his response He didnÆt even need to think about it very hard

Devick apparently expecting him to be swept up in her enthusiasm was caught flatfooted by the total rejection She pouted as she glared at him What do you mean no DonÆt trivialize my resolve whatÆs IÆve made my decision no one can stop me

Finally Randidly had to roll his eyes No matter how strange this conversation was he appreciated it as another chance to get his brain moving in normal ways After the high level confrontation with Cerulean and Bleak Sky nothing reset him mentally like one of the ridiculous squabbles Devick could provide Despite the continued pain from Sulfur’s transformation this grounded him in the moment He offered her a small smile mentally comfortable IÆm not stopping you from doing it eventually and if you really want I can help you obtain a Class

Randidly spared Devick a single glance conscious of the effect of the Stillborn PhoenixÆs gaze even as he controlled the effect As he expected her body was a mess of ripples and unintended consequences it seemed that most of his actions had somehow tied very deeply into her original development Too late to worry about that now I suppose Hopefully you make better choices this time

He looked away IÆll be able to give you some assistance but just like this resolve has meaning so does your original resolve to challenge the Hobfootie tournament with your teammates How many of them actually wanted this and how many did you just drag along with you Especially with Toll injured as he is how do you think he would feel if you had just given it all up at the last minute With the Hobfootie finale in only a few days

Randidly cleared his throat grabbing ElhumeÆs attention The Patron of Feathers and the Patron of Truth are fine Malloon survived the fight Cerulean was rather deeply wounded by Bleak Sky but the Nether Ritual didnÆt engage properly

But the Prophet Elhume blinked Finally the franticness in his eyes faded He sucked in a breath and released it perhaps the ProphetÆs predictions are not as absolute as he claimed I I can feel MaeÆs lifeforce and the Patron of Feathers too They are still here in the area

The significance swirled around and pressed closer The memory stuttered The figure of the Patron of the Borrowed twitched and straightened A righteous aura settled across FieroÆs shoulders as he glanced sideways at Elhume He spoke in an echoing voice that Randidly had heard once before I know you need time to grieve for the lost lives Elhume but if the Prophet was correct about Malloon falling he was also likely correct about the Patron of Truth surviving and seeking power Just because you cannot sense her does not mean sheÆs dead

A meaningful memory from the original timeline Randidly observed Perhaps this is the start of ElhumeÆs descent into darkness

Elhume couldnÆt hear this echo of the original timeline and allowed a wide smile to bloom across his face Then he glanced toward Randidly with a measuring look One of the leaders of the Cult of the Savior calls himself the Prophet Quite a haughty prick He described in scathing detail CeruleanÆs betrayal of himself did that happen As well as how Malloon would be crushed He described several individuals who would participate but even at the time I noticed that you were absent from his explanation Hungry Eye You intervened didnÆt you

In the same way Elhume couldnÆt hear his words the Patron of the Borrowed continued the speech he had made in the original timeline Their two monologues were almost comedic pressed against each other DonÆt wallow We canÆt afford that Not with the mission we were given Especially now If Malloon is destroyed war will come The biggest war the Nexus has ever seen And if we are going to break into Wyndaos and kidnap our target we will need to move quickly And gather help

After a few seconds of silence Elhume chuckled Well if you donÆt want to admit it thatÆs fine IÆm sure I can just walk up to Mallon and ask But still this is a good chance We met with the Cult of the Savior and found out we need one specific individual before we can return to the core of the Nexus and save my son Hopefully Nether King Hungry Eye please help me

The Patron of the borrowed continued his own monologue Obviously we cannot do it alone But Well I would prefer not to do this but I have a connection in the Forbidden Lands So long as we pay the right price we can enlist the aid of Duo the Calamity It will supply the power we need

Randidly looked back and forth between the two individuals The name Duo was one he had heard before it was the sealed being within the lake where he had fought present Devick in the competition for Claudette Beigon From context clues this would be the being they would eventually need to destroy with the Hierarchy of Karma

Meanwhile the other conversation

Randidly looked at Elhume The significance seemed excited by the request He released a low breath and asked his question What is the mission given to you by the Cult of the Savior

Elhume offered a wry smile seeming to understand how dangerous a request it was To break into Wyndaos and to kidnap the Nether Arbiter

RandidlyÆs skin tingled almost impressed by the gall of the Cult of the Savior You want to kidnap the most powerful individual in all of the Nether Lands

Some of ElhumeÆs good cheer dimmed but he did not falter Technically the most powerful but it is a poisoned power If she were to use it all those who had given her Phaea would suffer and die Essentially all of the Nether Kings would be wiped out So long as we strike fast and push through the defenses of Wyndaos the kidnapping portion should be quite simple

Chapter 2178

With a complex heart Randidly returned to his farm The events of the past half hour meant that the journey was less than enjoyable The churning significance in the air had abated leaving RandidlyÆs Nether Core whining and struggling Once more he was in one of those connection times between relevant memories

Devick parted from him hopefully convinced by his words to stick out through the last match of the Hobfootie tournament He pulled his black robe with golden embroidery more closely around his body The flashes of buzzing energy from SulfurÆs transformation became a much needed distraction His Nether Core hummed constantly

Despite having made his decision he couldnÆt help but feel regretful Time marched forward carrying them all with it And Randidly wanted to put himself in the best position he could for the escalation of hostilities he was sure would be soon coming e had sincerely begged him for his assistance with the mission both heading to Wyndaos and helping him to kidnap the Nether Arbiter an individual who was likely the most powerful individual in existence After the first request Elhume had begun to shed tears while explaining how important this was to him How he understood he had made mistakes in the past but that there was one are where he regretted nothing his son Pine

Borrowing the young ShallahÆs power might be considered a selfish act but Elhume had ignored temptations and forged the Nexus as a way for Pine to develop without dissipating in the inhospitable environment of the original universe When the situation began to stall out in the Nexus Elhume had burned his remnant connection to the core area and opened the Nexus up once again He did not flinch before making sacrifices to protect his son

With tear filled eyes Elhume had acknowledged he understood he asked much from Randidly He asked him to betray his people which actually was less relevant than the fist user seemed to think and also to assist him in kidnaping the leading figure of the Nether Lands Feasibility was almost a secondary issue even if they succeeded trouble would follow them due to that act for the rest of their lives

With several heavy concerns on his mind Randidly had shaken his head to that emotional plea I cannot help you IÆm sorry

He took his time on his journey back walking slowly through the hills and valleys back toward the farm Gradually the strain on his Nether Core eased giving him more attention to spare for the environment His weather modulation Nether Ritual had been heavily damaged by the attack against Malloon so rain began to pour over him and soak him entirely Wind danced across the top of the hills the breath of a tireless storm grown frustrated from so long being stifled Now it raged freely over Malloon making up for lost time

In a way he found the fickle intensity of the storm reassuring Despite his powers and the weight of his presence some things bounced back once his influence was removed

He savored each long slow step Randidly left muddy footprints behind him which were rapidly washed away by the constant beating of the elements He paused and looked directly up into the sheets of rain considering the heavy clouds

The real reason I refused to help Elhume isnÆt so much about the Arbiter or the Nether people Randidly said slowly parsing apart his ambiguous certainty Or even worries over altering the course of the memory I think IÆve already burned that bridge No the reason why I donÆt want to be involved

His emerald eyes sharpened He recalled the dense cluster of ripples that guided ElhumeÆs current movements These he had recognized instantly were not unintended consequences Chance had very little to do with ElhumeÆs current circumstances The Cult of the Savior perhaps more specifically this individual they called the Prophet had put a lot of effort into pushing Elhume in this direction

Interestingly the memory had shuddered its way into slowness immediately upon the rejection Apparently the moment that had mattered for Elhume in the original timeline was that moment when he felt like he had nowhere else to turn It was the beginning of something for Elhume something that ended in a very ugly manner

That realization didnÆt make RandidlyÆs decision any easier

Of course he rejected you Mae Myrna snorted and folded her arms across her chest Her strange image had been stabilized but Elhume still was unnerved by its constant rotation around her body Truly she had begun to straddle the line between Aether and Nether

The three of them were sitting on a hill above the gates of Malloon Even now with the surviving city inside of his view it was difficult to relax Mae flicked her fingers at Elhume refocusing him Breaking into Wyndaos and kidnapping the Arbiter Although Aether and Nether have never been able to coexist peacefully our problems have always been with rambunctious independent Nether Kings Exactly because the Arbiter has disapproved of any grand offensive we have continued to thrive Antagonizing the central figure seems like a mighty dangerous karmic gamble One that will result in a guaranteed loss

Elhume grimaced trying not to show on his face how disappointed he really was by the opinions of those close to him Not that he had expected a Nether King to easily move against the Arbiter but Hungry Eye had always struck him as an odd bird comfortable with rebellion So he had hoped

I hoped for someone more powerful than me to take responsibility ElhumeÆs heart wept bitterness as he faced the truth of himself He clenched his fists until his knuckles popped But that impulse is cowardice I should maybe I should be thanking Hungry Eye for this This is my fight I need to learn to take responsibility for the choices I have made

Elhume bumped the knuckles of his two hands together The impact calmed him To expect him to betray his people was too much I didnÆt think it through deeply enough

Mae Myrna rolled her eyes You latch upon the incorrect truth Elhume

He has established himself independently and has many friendships To uproot himself and risk losing everything especially with the difficulty associated with any mission intending to break through WyndaosÆs defenses Elhume replied but again he was interrupted

The Patron of Feathers spoke up This isnÆt about Nether or Wyndaos ItÆs about the bigger picture

Mae Myrna picked up that train of thought Ever since the attack on Malloon Aether forces have been drumming up support for another crusade against the Nether Lands However the speed is suspicious The propaganda machine in the areas around Cerulean City began a little too quickly Some elements were prepared beforehand Malloon just ended up being the spark

So what People have pushed for war before Elhume frowned

Mae Myrna leaned forward Aether forces broadly but Elhume your mission if it succeeds would provide the first justification ever for the entire Nether force to work together and assault us I have to ask do you think itÆs possible that the Cult of the Savior is using you to create widespread strife

ElhumeÆs lip trembled He hated himself for weakness but he couldn’t help it He released an explosive sigh yes It is very likely But Mae canÆt you feel it PineÆs time is running out If I donÆt move quickly

The silence between them stretched his grief a weeping willow dripping across the entire gathering Elhume felt the shadow on his heart Because as the threat to Pine to whom he had dedicated so much of his life became more real

Elhume began to realize there were very few things he would not do to protect his son

Chapter 2179

On the morning of the Hobfootie final Devick went to visit Toll right after she woke up and broke her fast As she walked she periodically broke out into skipping her warm certainty urging her to a faster pace She had trained tirelessly for the past two days her body burning with the resolve to grab a Class and discover her own power albeit tempered by the very legitimate point that Nether King Hungry Eyes had made

Her first goal would be to fulfill her end of the bargain she had made with her teammates She had dragged them here now it was time for her to put on one last display of capability And Devick had found another way to rapidly accumulate power which made the whole situation more acceptable the birthday present given to her by the Nether King

She had gotten a sense from her impression of the item that its power would grow but the truth was ridiculous The Frolic of the Needle Tooth Hare Skill had changed her movements into a caricature of a monstrous rabbit making her impossibly light one moment and ominously heavy the next In terms of acceleration Devick could not be matched If someone got in her way she increased her mass with the same Skill bashing through any impediment like a train of full grown Arakis Beasts

Of course there were bumps in her development Most of the rest of the team couldnÆt keep up with her to begin with let alone with this developing Skill Her understanding of how it would be able to manifest in an actual match was rough

Yet with the confidence she had gained from her rapid improvement Devick came to see Toll She marched into his room and was very pleased to find him sitting up in his bed chewing on his tongue as he attempted to figure out an interlocking metal puzzle mechanism She greeted him with a wave and sat down in the chair next to his bed

Cheery and focused Toll she could handle And she came bearing the best sort of news

Do you know what today is Devick tried not to fidget but her entire body was buzzing with anticipation Once she had refocused her attention on the task of winning the championship her excitement toward the upset built Besides wouldnÆt even the Nether King himself be impressed by a victory here

Toll raised an eyebrow and set down his puzzle What are you going to now claim today is your actual birthday If you continue periodically floating the idea people will begin to suspect your deceit Or they will pity your deteriorating mind

Devick waved a hand happy to lean into the playful exchange Let the gossipers spread their rumors I will not be cowed by bitter words from small minds Glad to see youÆve regained some of your good cheer Actually Leaning forward Devick put on her best conspiratorial grin IÆve developed a fool proof formula for completely overturning expectations and seizing the Hobfootie crown for the Miracles I shouldnÆt even ask considering your combative spirit but are you in

The moment stretched Devick leaning forward with a lopsided grin on her face next to TollÆs bed Gradually the smile slid off his face and what lay beneath was an emotion that made her recoil His gaze felt hollow

I think IÆll pass Toll said quietly

Devick leaned back into the chair and had an awkward smile on her face The small rejection had drilled a hole in the bottom of her soul and all of her excitement now drained out of her body maybe I wasnÆt being clear Honestly IÆve well not to be arrogant but IÆve found a way to very quickly accumulate power The way I can now move you just need to be on the field to experience it WeÆve worked so hard for this so I just want you to be out there

I donÆt want to play Hobfootie again Toll spat the words out through gritted teeth He seemed to notice how her expression sank so he tried to make a playful expression to make up for it His face just ended up seeming sad and empty however He couldnÆt shake the bleakness that had taken root at his core Look I appreciate youÆd be willing to let me back on the team at all in my condition But I donÆt want to hold you back IÆm not IÆm just no good

Your condition Your body is fine right so Devick bit her lip trying to keep more words from tumbling out of her mouth

Her teammate and her greatest supporter looked at her then his eyes haunted and grey Are you going to make me say it Devick Shit IÆm scared I felt my own skin boil The possibility of pain like that again not that I regret stepping up and putting my body in your way but whenever I imagine

Gradually the fanfare faded as more and more of the average person streamed into the stadium It was very obviously smaller than the stadium Randidly had built on the skyisland with inefficient seating entrances meaning that most people had to use one of two stairways up into the stands and then crabwalk in some cases literally across the whole of the row in order to arrive at their seats But they came with excitement and fury the confrontation between the Miracles and the Brass Sabers becoming the most hotly contested in the history of the sport

Even from his box RandidlyÆs senses picked up the threads of conversation on the stands below He could see the spiritual struggle between supporters of the two teams The Brass Sabers had actually been something of a dark horse in Malloon Hobfootie circles only the 6th seed prior to the start of the tournament But in the preliminaries they had achieved a notable 3rd seed and had dominated all of their opponents with exceptional teamwork and the strong leadership of their three captains

Compared to the other Malloon Hobfootie teams that relied on superior training and tradition to oppress their opposition the Brass SaberÆs considered style was much more of a threat to the Miracles who thrived on improvisation and chaos

In the end public sentiment leaned toward the Brass Sabers although most acknowledged that the Miracles were an extremely capable team despite having no real backing

Randidly smirked at the conclusion and waited for the inevitable beginning of the match Not that he knew much about strategy but he knew a little bit about overcoming the rules with raw force With the few days it took for Mallon to recover after the Nether attack he knew that Devick would have been extremely active It was time to see how well the item he had made for her had allowed her to grow

After a short speech by some relative unknown from MalloonÆs council the Hobfootie match began The crowd gasped and muttered with each other because while the Brass Sabers usually spread out their three captains they had chosen in this instance to gather them all in the middle section of the field where Devick had been deployed

Their strategy announced itself use their best players to isolate Devick who was far and away the favorite to win the MVP for the Hobfootie tournament due to her overwhelming ability to score points Then trust that their established methods had raised their ancillary players to have better performance

Randidly chuckled to himself as the balls were released and the game began in earnest Already ripples and significance traced out how this confrontation would unfold In this instance the Brass Sabers had made two critical mistakes The first they could be forgiven for they had assumed the difference between their weakest player and that of the Miracles would be decisive enough to earn them a massive lead Despite the fact they would spend three of their players to eliminate Devick entirely

In the end while the three captains of the Brass Sabers dealt with Devick they did accumulate steady points But the lead was much less anticipated

After fifteen minutes the Brass Sabers led 35 to 26 Not only did they underestimate the back breaking amount of cardio work Devick had pushed the team through but they also didnÆt consider the burning motivation the wounded Toll had become for the team

But this was not the end of the match

RandidlyÆs lip curled up as he watched the central portion of the arena already the significance there had swollen to the point it began to influence the entire match The Brass SaberÆs second mistake was underestimating Devick To the crowdÆs roaring approval Devick finally used her vicious movements to seriously injure one of the captains of the opposing team Within two minutes she had put all three captains out of commission

The central area now belonged almost exclusively to the MiracleÆs

She stood in the central area her shoulders heaving and blood dripping from her fingers Despite her relative weakness Randidly shivered In that defiant stance he could see the same intense madness of the current Devick revealed to the world

It took her ten minutes beyond that to achieve the promise of her teamÆs name

Chapter 2180

Randidly didnÆt go to see Elhume and his Patrons off as they departed All but the Patron of Feathers agreed to go with their leader despite the danger of the mission As he had anticipated without RandidlyÆs presence the Patron of the Borrowed had brought up his connection to the being within the forbidden zone They rushed away in the night thoroughly on the track of history

Duo would go with them And the Patron of Truth too who Randidly believed would have been elsewhere training in the original timeline In the end it turned out MalloonÆs survival mattered very little History rumbled forward

Significance began to swirl slowly in the sky The period of Nether Core strain passed to his great relief This time Randidly finally had some confidence that he could bring his full power to bear without the risk of tearing his way out of the Upper Sonora Repeated tempering had made its substance much more reliable

Some part of Randidly still wondered if he was making a mistake standing by while Elhume lit the inferno that would be the war between Aether and Nether However he suspected the conflict was almost inevitable A few very influential figures were pulling the strings bringing the two sides into stark opposition

Randidly clenched his right hand He stood in his small room in the farmhouse preparing himself for the day Allow the flow of history to continue in the same general direction as the original timeline So when the Cult of the Savior finally reveals its actual plan it makes a move for Pine letting me understand what the hell happened at the end of the second Cohort then I step in

I break every plot I rip out every truth I need from the past So that when I return to the present I understand the Elhume I need to overcome

The sooner the better Right now he flew under the radar but that would likely soon change This Prophet of the Cult of the Savior probably wouldnÆt ignore the fact its prediction of MalloonÆs destruction hadnÆt come to fruition

Randidly sighed and forced himself to relax He rolled his shoulders and spared a single glance for the horizon out the window of his room He wondered if during ElhumeÆs journey to Wyndaos the first user would begin his journey of compromise and invent some of the domineering fists that Randidly struggled to block in the present

Or did an even more devastating loss loom ahead

ThereÆs only so much a single person can do Randidly whispered to the sky Small tendrils of significance spiraled down from the mass above and created a lazy halo around his body Unintended consequences rippled out from his person a small force but one that hadnÆt been present in the Second Cohort originally He huffed a breath out through his nose but this time Elhume IÆll see if we can prevent everything from going to shit

He turned away from the window of his room and refocused on his own issues He wasnÆt ready to fulfill those promises quite yet Randidly walked out through the farmhouse and into the yard Several workers hired by Jotem to run the still very lucrative farming business after the Hobfootie tournament flinched and straightened at his presence He ignored them and headed back toward the Ara Fruit area

The painful pulses from Sulfur had slowed into a constant burning that ran through his body His instincts had informed him that his SoulseedÆs transformation would soon be completed Which was good because the evolution to the Moirae of Minute Repercussions brought Randidly to face with a rather humiliating truth

Considering his accumulated advantages he should be a much more overwhelming force than he was He hadnÆt been utilizing his abilities very effectively

Several Arakis Beasts raised their head as Randidly passed through the area glancing at him for a second before looking away out of respect for his strength Out of their individual caves the three Arakis Beasts that had imprinted onto him slunk out and followed behind them Randidly noted that their size had increased again almost nearing the weight of an elephant before ignoring them He analyzed his own movements as he walked the ripples of his step and his presence radiating out around him and fading into the environment

Not to say it was a weak attack it had earned Randidly a seat at the most powerful figures in the Nexus but it was simple and direct Additional information could only do so much to improve its performance

So mostly additional information had been superfluous and he had been rewarded for direct methods RandidlyÆs storms of Nether and kinetic force benefited more directly but it had always been a supporting tool The memory so far had been especially unstable when he wielded Nether so he had gotten away from wielding his overwhelming Synechdochence Now that the memory had been strengthened he wanted to once more return to such a fighting style

But that was the easy part The harder ask was changing his fighting style completely to become a method where he could leverage his understanding of energy and ripples So all the awareness he received could be turned into capability

Randidly raised his hand and snapped his fingers His emotional sea stirred again a lesser amount of force swirling together and descending upon the stage around him The emotional force split itself into three tendrils and sketched out the barest hint of RandidlyÆs three images Into those holes the three pillars of RandidlyÆs existence descended

Yggdrasil the first of his images had grown and developed once more into a towering force The massive trunk stretched up toward the sky covered in golden runes that told the story of existence Its emerald canopy jangled lightly with the wind more wind chime than plant matter Underneath the ground the golden roots dug until they found the heart of this world and sipped at the power resting there The strong and sturdy boughs created a powerful system of connections while also casting long shadows

RandidlyÆs eyes grew unfocused as he examined his first image Dense ripples surrounded the World Tree lingering touches from Yystrix herself guiding him to this point He wondered where she was currently hiding within the memory He wondered if she had known he would eventually use the image to support an inner world when she had nudged him to learn the Skill from Bert of DonnytonÆs sister village

He shifted his attention

Suddenly bombastic the Stillborn Phoenix keened out a luxurious cry The glossy black ground began to gleam with impossible energies The event horizon unfurled and warped the fabric of space around it Randidly didnÆt want to push his luck so kept the amount of power to this image as only a thin trickle Yet even so it pulled and pulled energy from the world itself gradually stabilizing its appearance and swelling to the size of a car

RandidlyÆs final image the Grey Creature came quietly A version of him with claws instead of fingers and a body covered in slate grey chitin formed behind the real Randidly its arms hanging slack at its sides Its gaze was harsh and cutting as it scanned the surroundings looking for external threats

More and more significance wandered down and curled around this moment Randidly sucked in a long breath His heart continued to beat quickly It was time to make a change

We are all connected Randidly said quietly The three images each acknowledged him with a small shift So I wonÆt belabor the point for too long Our direct style of fighting has served us well for a long time but there are limits to it The advantages we have earned should amount to more than this So we need to shift to a new paradigm One where the patterns of the world become central to our power a method impossible to those with a less total ability to perceive the world

The Stillborn Phoenix took the first step learning to open its eyeÆ and truly see It is a heavy gaze that corrodes the fabric of reality but so long as it can see Aether can be mobilized to cope with the information Yggdrasil as usual will serve as the bridge Handling the flow of information supporting the body And finally

Randidly twisted on his heel and looked at the Grey Creature A crooked grin stretched across his face Grey Creature we need to talk about how you need to evolve Because the premise of this shift hinges on you

You perhaps even more than my other images you can be better than this You can devour all the information and create a path forward

Chapter 2181

Randidly faced his image a wild force of momentum rising through his body A painful twinge from Sulfur reminded him that the Soulseed brushed up against the cusp of evolution waiting for his signal Yet this hurdle had to be addressed first

RandidlyÆs breathing grew heavy as the vague idea of what he would become sharpened into a more concrete image But for now he forced himself to relax and move gradually He did not have much time with the situation in the memory rushing toward a massive war But he had time enough to commune with his images so he had his support

Opposite him the Grey Creature tipped its head to the side in confusion

Randidly glanced sideways at the Stillborn Phoenix He couldnÆt help but chuckle A Nether Herald What a strange power they wield to name Can you see all the influences that have pushed us here Being called Nether King Hungry Eye and soon all that power manifesting in the Stillborn Phoenix seeing the world and taking from it Becoming the Moirae of Minute Repercussions has given me an even wider view than that A hint of the shape of my story

His Nether Core accelerated testing the limits of the surrounding memory As the entire stretch of ground changed by the Stillborn Phoenix experienced a thick veil of Nether the memory didnÆt even tremble RandidlyÆs vicious smile deepened

He turned back to the Grey Creature and spoke frankly We could not have made it this far without your constant efforts You survived even when it seemed impossible You survived and dragged me with you even when we were doomed to die When we did not deserve to survive In the face of impossible foes you retreated but never failed You were suckled on attacks beyond our imagining and capability growing in an environment where you were small and weak Until now we can finally stand up straight knowing we have grown strong But because of that change you need to be more than the creature that can always survive We cannot simply react to threats We can take the initiative for ourselves

Finally RandidlyÆs intention seemed to reach the Creature Its tail lashed back and forth agitated by the suggestion Shrugging Randidly continued his plea We do not need to struggle and scrape by any longer We need a new sort of monster One that can handle all the information devoured by the Stillborn Phoenix opening its eye One so powerful it requires the support of Yggdrasil or its power will tear itself to shred A being who can recognize and react to all inputs and outputs A being so perfect its execution resembles providence An asura of sorts

At its mention of opening its eye the Stillborn Phoenix flared excitedly spreading its influence a little bit further More electromagnetic discharge crackled around its event horizon Meanwhile Yggdrasil observed the developments with the long patience of the World Tree the occasional rustling of its leaves not giving a hint to its thoughts The tree could feel the risks but also the possible value in what was suggested Nether continued to pour out of RandidlyÆs Nether Core forming a dome around him

Yet all RandidlyÆs attention remained fixed on the Grey Creature

It cocked its head to the side It spoke to him in his voice one raw with a private grief it would never fully escape We would lose an important identity to transform me into something capable of wielding this power My purpose has always been to survive Without that imperative

Randidly nodded His palms tingled with a rush of adrenaline In an intangible way it would become much easier for Randidly Ghosthound to die once he made this decision I know

His tenacity would not vanish But the Weight and history he had created by surviving again and again would vanish

For several seconds the Grey Creature sucked on its teeth considering this At the very least it did not reject the suggestion immediately Perhaps all of the images had begun to feel the limits of their fighting methods even if we succeed I would suspect we would not gain enough power to overcome Elhume directly At least not yet

She had seen him giving pointers to that oaf of a Nether Warrior Devick had no doubt that she would make a better apprentice than that clumsy bastard

Her certainty the giant black dome had been created by Nether King Hungry Eye only increased as she approached Devick recognized the strange constant motion of the wind through her hair If she paid only a certain amount of attention it was possible to pretend it was Hungry EyeÆs fingers moving through her hair in a gesture of fondness

Devick continued to march forward her eyes twinkling with possibilities Perhaps after a long day of training he might touch her fondly on the shoulder A mark of approval but because of their natural physical chemistry

Her fantasies screeched to a halt as Devick rounded the bottom of a ridge and saw a small gazebo sitting in the middle of nowhere with a churning force field of Nether directly behind it Within the gazebo three women were having tea

Uh Devick stopped She glanced behind her as though there would be an explanation for what she had discovered by looking the way she had come A boring bland gazebo less stretch lay behind her She pivoted forward again The three women had clearly noticed Devick but simply observed her From their slender and clean limbs they seemed to be the same race as Nether King Hungry Eye albeit built on a smaller scale

The left figure had long hair lavender hair that seemed to be constantly fluttering behind her She wore a similarly light summer dress that combined seafoam green and golden orbs She smiled mysteriously at Devick unfathomable and soft as DevickÆs instincts failed to grasp her capabilities

The right woman made a quiet comment and produced a glass flask of whiskey adding a healthy pour to her cup of tea This woman had a rather elegant leather jacket across her shoulders with a cream blouse and a pair of tight denim pants Very deliberately she uncrossed and recrossed her legs Her gaze was intense with enough force behind her eyes that Devick knew instantly this woman was a great deal more powerful than she was

Yet it was the central woman who made Devick the most nervous Perhaps the least traditionally beautiful this individual had long dark hair and features so similar to Nether King Hungry EyeÆs that she could only be family She wore a heavy looking forest green dress that seemed immensely comfortable and had plenty of pockets

Devick sucked in a breath and kept her head raised as she approached The three women waited for her sipping their tea

Hello Devick tried when she stood only a few meters away from the gazebo

Good afternoon the central woman smiled rather warmly at Devick The Nether of the dome began to accelerate and seeth with more intensity The woman frowned briefly and glanced over her shoulder She made a cutting gesture with her hand The Nether quieted immediately Pleased with herself the woman faced forward again WeÆve been expecting you Would you like to join us for tea

You YouÆre a Nether King Devick couldnÆt stop herself from blurting out

The womanÆs eyes crinkled with good cheer Only by blood My nameÆs Neveah Miss Devick and IÆve wanted to meet you for quite some time Why donÆt you come up here and we can discuss how dangerous it is to get too emotionally involved with Randidly Ghosthound “

Chapter 2182

Silver dust covered EnmyaÆs boots as he moved but it did not go any higher than that The wind might sing a constant song but somehow the ground was too solid to be touched Sky and ground stood opposite one another a well established border of silver and navy blue

No longer were sky and ground the only presences filling the expanse

Enmya nodded to the guards as he passed through the woven black wicker gateway Here the gateway was purely ceremonial ornate and fanciful with elaborate flourishes along the sign The Nether Warriors inclined their heads in a gesture of respect for him but EnmyaÆs eyes quickly returned to the sky Huge brightly colored kites drifted across the settlement as the constant wind continued to tug everything toward the edges of the plains

A winged wolf made from magenta and sage fluttered past a massive rainbow colored square construction large enough for a child to climb into Smaller whistlers with their flashy strips of cloth and long tails streaked past as the wind caught their small sails Ornate ships designed to imitate water vessels formed the lionÆs share of the kites hewn from oranges reds and yellows so a fleet of fire seemed to cruise through the sky

None would ever be so bold to refer to these kites as any sort of resistance against the environment but certainly it spoke to an existence beyond the monochrome tableau of their chosen existence

The Hollow Plains the silvery flat expanse on which they now traveled possessed a sort of beauty but the kites of their people brought a whole new dimension The constant influx of fluttering paper and cloth bridged the distance between ground and sky on the almost blank expanse of the plains A brief and purely symbolic bridge eventually pulled away by the wind but so many people found cheer in the practice that it had continued for hundreds of years

Two initiates spoke quietly next to the water barrels their elaborate tattoo denoting an approaching attempt at being named a Nether Herald Perhaps out of some sense of rivalry both drew deeply from the Nether insinuating their personal patterns into the broader ecosystem of the Nether encampment

Keeping his head down he avoided walking through their area of influence Drawing their attention wouldnÆt be worth the trouble

Enmya passed through another wicker gateway a few minutes later moving from the residential areas to the wider circles of their wandering settlement This entrance had a heavy wall of wicker spreading out from the gate and was guarded by Nether Gatekeepers The wicker resembled corrupted ivory more than the relatively light wicker ending in horrifyingly sharp points so that the transport crews regularly had injuries from a thoughtless grip The nods of acknowledgment from the Nether Gatekeepers were curter than the Nether Warriors earlier but still respectful

Respect was the foundation on which society was built It gave Enmya hope that their civilization would continue for a long time to see them offer it to him when they clearly didnÆt recognize him out of his usual ornamental dress

Enmya had to pause as he passed through the large gate letting a rush of children stream around along the wall A small smile hovered on his lips almost in spite of his personal opinions on the practice the typical rite of passage for a Nether beingÆs first kite involved looseing the kite at one end of the settlement and racing to the other side to catch it To fail to make it in time meant not only that the kite was lost but that the wind of the Hollow Plains found the individual wanting For a year they would be considered unlucky given the worst chores around the camp as punishment for the failure

Which necessarily meant their first kites were often the largest and most expensive both so they moved more slowly across the sky and were possible to identify in a mass of kites Any child could offer a pinch of grace to an artisan for a whistler but those were impossible to distinguish in the mass

Picking his way forward through groups of jostling Nether Warriors and more sedate foraging groups resting around cooking fires Enmya remembered a conversation he had with Lowanna on the kite ritual years ago He had complained about the practice partially because he had failed his first two attempts and had experienced the derision of his peers for two frustrating years Enmya seemed to possess woefully deficient luck but also because of the economic strain

Sure we receive regular tithes but most of the bolts of dyed cloth have to be obtained from Aether lands And most Nether Kings choose the method of plunder rather than trade Enmya had argued The two had been sitting before a small fire the blue flames casting strange shadows across their hands as they had woven the black wicker of the plains into usable objects Kites can be considered the closest thing we upon the Hollow Plains have to a vice And the attrition is small but constant we lose kites every year With the festivals so many are released we could be so much more responsible with our riches Imagine buying metal implements Maybe not for the walls because of the weight but at least cookware

Working the black wicker to make solid bowls hones the skills needed to make more important tools later on in life Lowanna pointed out But she paused and set down her pieces of wicker Annoyingly her bowl already seemed perfect

LowannaÆs face crumpled to a scowl as though she had read his entire train of thought on his face But before Enmya could respond the look vanished Suddenly she simply seemed bored YouÆve got that sour look on your face that says you want to talk about something What is it

Enmya coughed lightly trying not to dwell on that heavy look of disappointment she had briefly shown This is a subject we have traversed before but the Lawless One continued to act freely We should send a team

Oh please Lowanna rolled her eyes She wove her fingers together and allowed her hands to fall in front of her Do you know they say you pluck crooked kites out of the sky and refuse to allow them to fly until they are fixed So what if this individual does not live the same way as us There is no reason to force our lifestyle upon others

There are no reins upon the spread of his influence Enmya countered

HeÆs not spreading any influence Lowanna countered

That could change

And it may not

The two stared at each other for a long minute Enmya was the first to look away but he still felt compelled to say a bit more He follows the old ways Which should be entirely impossible making the feat all the more alarming There are reasons these practices were discarded

Ah En A genuine smile crossed her face I love you dearly but youÆve never found a mystery that you didnÆt think would be more interesting if it were well illuminated IsnÆt the very fact he managed to generate his own Nether Core reason enough to let him be

Enmya felt a cold prickle on his spine He shot Lowanna and measuring look do you wish to understand his methods

Pah you Lowanna threw her bound hands up the black wicker of her bracelets clinking together You donÆt well there is no need to go into it I promise you the point will soon become moot Now a question for you Nagging Enmya if you had to choose between the soul of the universe and your own life which would you choose

EnmyaÆs lips twitched but he recognized the dismissal in her words She often posed hypotheticals to him so he took a few seconds to consider It was not a hard decision Assuming I allow for the sake of this question the universe possesses a soul I would offer myself for the good of all

She nodded as though she had expected that answer and asked a follow up question What if you needed to choose between the soul of the universe and my life

Your life Enmya answered this question even more quickly For a brief second Enmya slipped out of who had been born and became the role he had risen to become Even the wind above stilled cowed by the depth of his significance

Lowanna scowled and kicked Enmya in the shin You bastard you really mean it donÆt you If you are going to commit genocide use your own name as justification

Chapter 2183

Devick sipped her tea still slightly unsure of exactly what was happening The air in the delightful gazebo with its pillars decorated with carved flowers stayed meek due to the influence of the three women in front of her yet outside small pieces of scrub brush and pebbles were blown around by wild winds The dome of Nether generated by Nether King Hungry Eye howled visibly darkening as time passed

Whatever occurred within was not a kind process

Devick blinked in surprise when the tea registered the flavor of the hot liquid was surprisingly wonderful The main body of the tea was light and floral seeping out across her tongue Yet after holding the liquid in her mouth for a few seconds some very compelling orange notes revealed themselves She took a second sip

All three women studied her A plate of sandwiches with their crusts cut off sat in the middle of the table The woman on the left with the lavender hair ended up chuckling She plucked up a brush and began to paint on the small easel set up next ot her The woman on the right sighed Devick felt strangely nervous to have three powerful individuals appear out of nowhere and invite her to tea

The middle woman who so thoroughly resembled Nether King Hungry Eye who called herself Neveah smiled directly at Devick If she minded the silence of the last few minutes she didnÆt show it She jumped right into a new conversation What do you want your Class to look like

Devick sucked in a breath How did you

If there is something Randidly the one you call Nether King Hungry Eye knows assume I know it also Neveah airily waved a hand

Honestly assume she knows it better Or at least understands the consequences The lovely right woman muttered When Devick glanced at her in shock she winked at her and held up the bottle IÆm Tatiana IÆm in charge of sundry messes and fallout I donÆt suppose youÆd care for a little kick in your tea

IÆm err okay well why not Devick pushed her cup across the smooth table Meanwhile her gaze flicked back to Neveah Ah are you and the Nether King involved

It is a cold comfort but your affections will have no competition from me Neveah said rather dryly She folded her arms across her chest the gesture quite graceful Although again I assure you trying to be anything but friends with him is a foolÆs errand

Tatiana smoothly poured a few fingers of the amber liquid into the cup once more pushing the mug to fullness Unsure of how to respond Devick took the cup back and took a sip Her eyebrows rose this was some of the best liquor she ever tasted Just enough sweetness and heat to really better up the experience of the tea

Anyway Neveah smoothly pivoted back to the original conversation without pressing her point Randidly will be indisposed for a while He is in one of his bouts of furious training activity As such we are willing to assist you if you want Speaking very candidly I suspect we will do a better job than Randidly ever could

He is wary of you or of what you might become For the first time the woman on the left spoke She caught DevickÆs eye and offered her an enigmatic smile For that reason he would not be able to drag out your full potential But we will I am Lucretia

Why is Hungry Eye wary of me Devick fixated on that fact almost feeling hurt She tried to tack on a joke to lighten to the mood IÆve done all of my murders out of earshot

Neveah gave Lucretia a sharp look The other woman shrugged Neither acknowledged DevickÆs attempt at humor and Lucretia started by addressing Neveah It is easier to explain the gist of the situation than dancing around the issue for the entire meeting Girl listen to me The Ghosthound had seen a version of what you may become a monstrous overwhelming being that stands at the very top of the Nexus For this reason it is very simple for us to guide you to a Class and image that will endow you with amazing potential

What If anything that explanation just made Devick more confused What do you mean he has seen a monstrous version of me

Maybe thatÆs why they didnÆt respond to the murder joke note to self humor that kills amongst Hobfootie players might not always be suitable for tea

Devick had the strange impression that the woman had seen entirely through her thoughts and flushed From the carefully schooled expression on NeveahÆs face and the smirk on LucretiaÆs her wandering imagination had been perceivable She took another gulp of tea to calm herself and almost spat the liquid back out as TatianaÆs liquor burned on the way down

How strong is this stuff I almost feel lightheaded Devick looked down at her cup Luckily a slight breeze seemed to rise even within the area of the gazebo cooling her off

Lucretia chuckled and picked up the painting she had been working on since Devick first seated herself at the small table with the women With a smooth gesture she spun it around and displayed the delicately made brushtrokes LetÆs make this simple Look at this painting and tell me what you see girl

I see Devick sucked in a breath Every time she blinked the subject changed At first she saw nothing and was about to snap off a witty retort But once she had closed her eyes once she saw the paint white paint on a white background spread by confident strokes Another blink dyed the paint into different hues and a fourth created a visible scene

Sometimes the edges of what Devick observed seemed to wobble but whenever she looked the movement ceased

The painting mostly depicted the current situation in heartbreaking detail with the three women sitting at the table sipping tea TatianaÆs lovely eyes and the wry humor in NeveahÆs half smile the same expression Devick had seen before on Hungry EyeÆs face were completely reproduced The swirling mass of Nether had been left out The other change was Devick herself not sitting at the table but standing defiantly on a green field

Gradually she rediscovered her voice looking at herself with wonder She felt vaguely flattered by how lovely she looked athletic and confident I see me

The more she looked the more nuanced her impression became however Expressions seemed to flicker across the painted DevickÆs expression in real time although that should be impossible The painted figure burned with life defiant and stubborn willful and loyal capricious and cruel delighted and obsessed All of her darkness and her light was captured by that figure so accurately it hurt for Devick to look too closely

What else TatianaÆs voice prompted Suddenly the air seemed to smell faintly of lavender

A shadow stretched from DevickÆs back The other DevickÆs back not her own although the skin of her shoulders prickled

I see a shadow Devick whispered

Tatiana continued to press Does the shadow look like you

No itÆs Devick felt strange The heat from the last gulp of her tea had spread down her throat filling her entire body Yet even as nerves and confusion built up in her body the shadow cracked open and revealed its true form After freeing itself it smiled at her ItÆs a white furred hare Anthropomorphic When it smiles its teeth are needles It moves like blood spurting out of a wound When it smiles its teeth resemble needles It wears a crimson coat

And in its hand NeveahÆs voice somehow filled DevickÆs head The words carried resonance and in response to the direction DevickÆs focus shifted to another portion of the hypnotic painting

A heavy blade with a single sharpened edge Curved A saber A weapon designed to carve a path forward no matter who stands in the way

The smell of lavender grew overwhelming as Lucretia whispered in Devick ear And in your wake For this use your ears Listen dig deeply

Despite LucretiaÆs warning to listen deeply Devick could already hear it This truth about herself had been lurking below the surface ready to emerge She released a slightly breathless laugh I hear the clanking of metal on metal Chains The rabbit drags chains behind it each link a connection to the abyss it escaped to get here A memory a scar but also a weapon

Chapter 2184

Above RandidlyÆs head the Nether Dome seethed with chaotic patterns He mostly whirled the energy to create an absolute pressurized barrier the particulars of the flow didnÆt matter As such vast destructive maelstroms spun in lazy circles If he loosened that power out into the surrounding area it would act as a bulldozer leveling hills and crunching vegetation

Yet that only set the stage for his current activity The massive interior area around his body had been filled with darkness but he was perfectly aware of everything that occurred Breath steamed out from his nose air superheated by passing through his body adding more smokiness to the environment

The Grey Creature howled in the hollow space above him a mass of shadowy scythes ripping claws furiously beating wings and bulging muscles Instinct forced to descend to the material plain and reveal its animating force With the adjustment in focus a core shift happened within the concrete shapeÆ Randidly had always held for the image The central tentpole had been replaced While the new one assembled itself out of all of the times Randidly had gritted his teeth in the face of adversity and chosen to step forward of which there were a lot the shape remained ambiguous

However Randidly set that issue aside His whole left side felt aflame the final connections forming between his body and Sulfur Abused nerve endings were put through one last series of checks With the change in the Grey Creature his Soulseed had finally found its role going forward

So itÆs finally time Randidly muttered to himself His black hair fluttered around his face almost down to his chin again at this point Yggdrasil and the Stillborn Phoenix held down the fort in his body circulating his energy cleanly Every cell of his body sang in a harmony of rising energy prepared to accept whatever Sulfur brought to the table

With an audible crack the half arm Randidly had possessed for the last several days began to hatch The muscles in his shoulder knotted and bunched The heat across his side intensified creeping along his muscles before settling upon his spine

The cracks spiderwebbed out the harsh shell of Sulfur giving way to the new form beneath Yet just when Randidly thought the reveal would happen the limb began to tremble but did not erupt from its shell Instead he just stood there buffeted by the wind maintaining the ideal balance of energy within his body plus Aether and Nether without and felt heat settling along his spine A strange sense of aggravation seized him

Oh fucking come on Randidly released a nonverbal growl of frustration How long is this process going to be dragged out

Luckily the universe seemed to hear his complaints and with a tired sigh set about its business of moving the process along His spine became incendiary threatening the precarious balance of energies within his body but that was the last requirement Sulfur had waited for In an explosion of bits of melted armor Randidly felt his new limb connect to his bodyÆs circuitry He gasped partway between shock and pleasure as sensations flooded his brain

After having nothing for a few days the familiar weight of a limb filled Randidly with relief

For a few seconds the darkness and debris released by the reveal covered up the new arm But Yggdrasil manifested in the air above RandidlyÆs body as the traced golden outline of a tree shedding light into the interior of the training dome And secondly Randidly instinctively clenched his new unfamiliar hand with such force that any remnants were blasted away

First he saw the arm

Sleek humanoid with the grey cooling from its previously imperious slate to something closer to the uneven shading of charred bone The arm had thinned considerably from SulfurÆs brutish previous iteration settling on just slightly oversized for RandidlyÆs muscular body Rather than lugging around a sledgehammer it ended up being a usage limb His elbow had a few armored ridges to protect the joint but it had settled down to a more streamlined ideal

A dozen divots had been carved on RandidlyÆs forearm three of which glowed with a swampy green light When Randidly focused on them his face flickered in surprise even through the evolution Sulfur had captured some of the Authority of rot he had faced via HelenÆs inherited Domain The power of degeneration pulsed within his limb ready to be called upon For now he set that to the side

It would be a useful weapon if applied at the right time Meanwhile his minute examination of SulfurÆs new form continued

Nascent Nether Organ After housing vast amounts of Nether for so long Sulfur has begun to have its physiology adjust to its presence Several strange mechanisms have developed to empower localized Nether While using any Nether Skills the effects will be 10% greater so long as the energy passes through the body of Sulfur (Please note this is an inherent Skill of a foreign entity It may evolve along with them but it will not accumulate Skill Levels or generate Path Points)

Resistant to Force Sulfur naturally absorbs all foreign forces and turns them into its strength and fuel This aspect has been slightly reproduced across your body Reduce all damage taken and foreign influences by 5% Effect triples when the area of impact is Sulfur (Please note )

You have regained access to (Domain) Mournful Sea HelenÆs Pernicious Riptide

Due to the will of Sulfur it is being integrated into your other Domain Due to high synchronicity it is possible for Sulfur to integrate further with the idea form of Randidly Ghosthound The relationship between the two deepens

The two Domains are interacting with one another

Warning Due to the power associated with Domains attempting to integrate two will likely result in an extremely dangerous

Dangers overwritten Continuing Domain evolution

Incorporating elements from your images

Reviewing potential shifts deviating from approved pathways to maintain unique structural power

Congratulations Your Domains (Domain) Mounful Sea HelenÆs Pernicious Riptide and (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos have been combined (Fusion Domain) HelenÆs Sea Cradle of Unlikely Lives has been created Skill Level has been set at 999 Skill has been incorporated into Skillset Moirae of Minute Ripples

(Fusion Domain) HelenÆs Sea Cradle of Unlikely Lives The unique Skill of a being who has begun to glimpse both the shape and substance of the Pinnacle although the traditional path had been discarded to reach that plateau The powerful and mysterious depths of the sea have housed many of the great miracles of existence Within those murky waters true life emerged from the void Small steps led to great advances The body of user had expanded both literally and figuratively to the proper vastness to include similar possibilities The density of energy has also reached the necessary parameters The proud spirit of a deceased knight swims in the shadows of these waters an ethereal presence that nudges the budding lives toward greatness The creation of this ability is only possible due to witnessing incredible truths about the universe and sacrificing much

User is surrounded constantly by patterns of force that can be manipulated The longer combat lasts the easier and more precisely the user is able to manipulate these All related Skills receive a massive boost in effectiveness User also has the ability to absorb a particular ability into himself allowing aspects of it to evolve and merge with other mysteries he has previously absorbed User may release the combination of power as a massive attack Effectiveness of the attack depends on the compatibility of the incorporated aspects and how long they have been refined by HelenÆs Sea Effects increase with Skill Level

Congratulations For such an impossible achievement MuseÆs Reverie +1

Chapter 2185

Randidly kept his breathing calm trying to acknowledge all of the changes that had happened with SulfurÆs evolution but finding that his brain just traveled halfway down a dozen tangents and then collapsed back to the middle He licked his lips eyes on the notification in front of him His fingers flexed clenched into a fist and then relaxed He needed to take this one issue at a time

First all the unique bonuses from joining their bodies including doubling his regenerations after being hit reducing all damage or foreign influences and boosting the power of Nether

Then there were the hints from the System notification about how Sulfur had evolved into a higher order lifeform beyond a Soulseed likely due to aspects of the ShallahÆs energy it had understood

His two Domains had combined into one earning another GhosthoundÆs Deviation Rarity The existence of the Alpha Cosmos within his body had begun powerful depth for the more offensive Mounful Sea HelenÆs Pernicious Riptide It would not also provide a huge boost to RandidlyÆs other Skills that let him manipulate currents of force of which he had quite a few

Finally the cherry on top MuseÆs Reverie the mysterious Attribute he had created when he had remade his body reached four out of five With a single more point the true purpose of the Attribute would finally be revealed

Randidly clapped his two hands together The sound resounded through the swirling dome blasting away mist and dirt A space opened up with the ground still that strange reinforced material that could withstand his steps His heartbeat quickened as his mind began to imagine all the ways he could utilize these new capabilities

But before anything else he paused and looked at his Status Screen It had been a while since he had simply admired all he had accumulated

Level 64 (89%)

Health(/R per hour) 30415/32415 (22509)

Mana(/R per hour) 23352/25352 (7716)

Stam(/R per min) 20790/21796 (5017)

MuseÆs Reverie 3/5 ( )

Uncommon Metabolism (Un) 1957

EggÆs Illusory Plume 1522

Primordial Nether Juju 2807

Dreadful Alacrity 3042

Grim Intuition 2866

Predictive Synapses 2742

Chimeric Indifference 2396

Grey MonarchÆs Authority 4294

Cognition of the Aberrant Alchemist 2070

Unnatural Capacity 2767

Neveah sat at the table her tea long forgotten in front of her Opposite the three women Devick sat with her eyes closed grappling with the formation of her image There were some risks with using the method Lucretia employed such as the psyche of the recipient being steamrolled but from the concentrated frown on DevickÆs face she managed well enough

As her inner development continued she poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth Even Neveah felt somewhat taken aback by how cute this incarnation of Devick appeared to be

Same vicious spine though Devick reminded herself The image she had witnessed in LucretiaÆs painting was one who sauntered through an endless field of corpses Her weapon had been designed for beheading and her teeth for guzzling lifeblood out of broken flesh Yet Neveah did her best not to hold that against her

Randidly GhosthoundÆs hands were not clean after all

Did you wish for her to be bound to her future by rusted chains Neveah turned to Lucretia and asked She had intended the question to be mild but it came out of her mouth barbed and hungry for blood

Tatiana very primly set down her cup of tea Lucretia who had been staring at Devick lifted her gaze and turned to Neveah I did not make the choice for her I just asked her to listen

You pushed Neveah countered When you could have allowed her to discover the character of her Needle Toothed Hare without any further input That would have consumed her for a time allowing all the other associations hanging around her due to RandidlyÆs foreknowledge to distort and fade And yet

She would have been weak Lucretia hissed out the words Her eyes glowed as she met NeveahÆs gaze and did not flinch Considering the size of her hopes and dreams that sort of weakness would have crushed her to dust This was the best way to build up her capability in a short amount of time

By guiding her path toward her worse impulses

By teaching her stubbornness the rough edged sort of imperatives that are necessary to foil even existence Lucretia pressed her lips together I can see why you are frustrated you worry that I refuse to prevent a tragedy even though I see it developing right in front of me You believe I am making the same mistake I did with Alta allowing her bitterness to take root in her heart Yet Devick is not Alta

NeveahÆs eyes blazed So many emotions warred in her chest she couldnÆt get them out of her mouth Yes because Randidly will not be able to descend as a god and stop DevickÆs madness from devouring she touches

Finally Tatiana spoke I think Neveah would have been more comfortable if we had discussed how to handle Devick before she arrived We had time

LucretiaÆs firm expression faltered slightly In the end she nodded her head in a small admission of guilt I kept silent knowing you would assume that my silence meant I would defer to your decision Neveah But I also knew that if we discussed what to do you would not acknowledge my point of view You would have given Devick access to only a neutered version of her potential I genuinely believe her growth could bring Randidly happiness in the form of a peer whether or not they can become emotionally involved I did my best to repay the debt I owe to him

Neveah released a tight breath Blindsiding me does not seem like putting Randidly interests first

Ha Neveah you might be connected to him but that only means you share RandidlyÆs blind spots Lucretia pivoted and looked again at Devick who struggled underneath the thrall of LucretiaÆs Skill You are the other side of the coin a single entity with him Yet you are the more cautious more considered variant all the fears Randidly has about Devick those will be magnified in you

Neveah stiffened I wonÆt apologize for proceeding cautiously considering the circumstances But I did not ask you to neuter her potential simply why you guided her with noise to fixate on her chains Especially considering AltaÆs fate

You do not understand Alta nor Devick if you think the two are the same Lucretia shook her head As much as I hate to admit it you do Devick a disservice here Alta was a woman who saw the way the world had been made and cursed the god who made it aiming to destroy everything she saw out of spite Devick would not even care about the presence of a god she would notice something she didnÆt appreciate about existence and pick up tools to remake everything That sort of unorthodox thinking and resolve

Ah Tatiana blinked She turned to Neveah Well not that she should be excused for blindsiding us but thatÆs not what this is about not really What Lucretia is saying is that the chains donÆt matter

Exactly Lucretia smiled The fear is tied to the presence of chains but they are just a shape An effective one for Devick but only that It was her obsessive madness that made her so powerful I have no doubt had we followed your recommendation Devick would have developed a different version of chains over the next ten years Because like everyone else she would have realized that no matter how pure her vision was it is useless until she can bind the universe to her whims

Ten years Neveah felt numb and slightly sick to her stomach Yet when she pushed down her annoyance she could see it Wasted time Probably Randidly will have left the memory

And she Lucretia began but Tatiana held up a hand to stop her from speaking

As both Neveah and Lucretia looked on in confusion Tatiana plucked a pebble off the ground and flicked it It smacked between DevickÆs eyebrows The crimson haired young womanÆs hand flew upward to block her forehead from further attacks and pouted Neveah sucked in a breath she had been so distracted by the argument she hadnÆt even noticed the process had ended

Oy did you think we wouldnÆt notice you waking up Tatiana grumbled affecting a heavy countenance She folded her arms across her chest So did you follow the light What Class were you offered

Chapter 2186

In a room filled with chairs hand carved from black wicker there was a single seat that towered over the rest The rest of the room waited as the duo approached They pivoted Their butts dropped into seats as Lowanna would say just like everyone else

LowannaÆs bells jangled as she sat adding a note of finality to the process Instantly the rest of the room busied itself with its own seats Children finally released from their guardians’ care whooped and dashed to get the best view from the pit at the front Nether Warriors followed more sedately mostly of the first and second tier settling into a natural hierarchy that mimicked their society

Although not considered an important holiday the Spirit of Unity Day was a special event in Wyndaos Which meant ceremony for the Nether people

And all modern ceremonies required the most important individual

Enmya pointedly did not look sideways at Lowanna as she squirmed in her chair clearly already bored but didnÆt make a peep of noise He couldnÆt for the life of him figure out how she managed to move so silently festooned with bells and then jangle them all at once with the act of taking a seat However the smug look she would get when he had to ask

May the darkness save us from childrenÆs theatre Lowanna sagged in her chair her face dramatically haggard I donÆt suppose you thought to pack moonshine

You know how some of these child rearers get around me I did not bring moonshine because you would pry open my lips and then my defenses would be lowered EnmyaÆs lips twitched a calculated amount at their bantering Too little of a response would make her feel like she needed to up her antics to earn a response too much would encourage her too much Please keep your voice even I donÆt wish to spread a panic

Seriously do you have a musk Lowanna spoke out of the corner of her mouth then pivoted all at once to look at three child rearers who had been lingering as they passed hands tugging at the waist of their dresses to pull the cloth tight for their long legged stride Instantly the three lowered their glances and blushed You can have a consort you know You are not thank the Shadows married to me

IÆm married to my job Enmya replied goodnaturedly And even he was somewhat surprised how much he meant it

More and more people streamed into the wide hall their movements causing slight fluttering from the long scrolls draped across the walls Torches hung along the edges of the hall cast shadows inward making the black wicker chairs almost invisible until you smashed your shin into them As Enmya watched hundreds of well dressed Nether warriors did just that stifling their curses and trying to seem dignified

Many times Enmya had tried to have the lighting changed in the room for Spirit of Unity Day but the conservative faction amongst the Nether Heralds strongly resisted And to his chagrin Lowanna had agreed with them

Only later out of her ceremonial dress had she giggled and admitted she did it because she found the chaos amusing

The space they used for the holiday had been a cleared orb plucked out of the ground the bottom filled to create a large flat space and connected to the surface by a long tunnel before Lowanna had decreed it undesirable to affect the orbs too much She had never explained the sudden announcement as the Arbiter but the area had proven too useful to replace easily The few ceremonies of Wyndaos continued to occur within the bowels of the ground with her stifling laughter at the stuttering shuffling movements

Please these people hardly need any assistance from me to become panicked Lowanna huffed Enmya watched as she leaned sideways likely to prop her leg up on top of one of the thick arms of her chair realized how it would look and turned the motion into a twitch before he could chide her

Despite the fact that he hadnÆt even needed to say anything she shot him a pout and then mimed guzzling alcohol He ignored it

Speaking of panic Enmya began slowly his eyes moving to a recently arrived group of Nether Warriors moving in tight formation Even though his glance was mild a Tier Four Nether Warrior jerked around seeking the threat Enmya averted his eyes You must be aware of the mutters amongst the Nether Kings Nether King Hightower has remained here for a week If five are willing to sit through this debacle they must be concerned about recent developments Leadership from the Arbiter

There are so many parts wrong with what you have said I donÆt know where to begin Lowanna sighed Her arms twitched as she tested the ceremonial black wicker bindings around her wrists Before she continued she somehow produced a flask from nowhere and took a long drag She offered it to him and winked when he glared at her

Along the far side of the stage more and more individuals joined the Bickering Circle Soon they had become a massive army moving in concert to encircle the deviant

why did I think that Bleak Sky had won He was defeated Enmya shrugged shaking his head slightly Perhaps I am more exhausted than I had thought Still I may indeed need to personally seek him out and drag him back For a sprung criminal he is certainly lingering around the zone of his failure for quite some time

As per their moniker the Bickering Circle bickered over how to use their large army They had the Mad King of Bone completely isolated her force taken by surprise but they did not attack The issue of settling the vanguard became a point of hot contention For three days the leaders argue with one another giving the Mad King of Bone time to prepare

When the attack finally came the King had prepared On stage about forty children whooped and rushed at each other more than willing to play fight in brutal detail in front of their parents The drum beat continued to accelerate The children approached with cartwheels and flips the youth demonstrating their capability Then the bodies slammed together with an audible clap blunt wicker clubs whipping back and forth with brutal efficiency

I hate it Lowanna squeezed her eyes shut her lips barely moving as she said the words We remember this warped shape yet somehow we have come to glorify violence most of all How can the memory of this horror do so little to prevent its revival

Enmya could not reply

In short order the children had so exhausted themselves that they all lay on the ground panting Then the sad tragic heroic leader of the Devout Fellowship took measured steps out onto the battlefield Here significance stirred in huge quantities more than Enmya had ever seen it before His eyes widened as the vision on the stage changed No longer was a child taking those steps but an aggrieved adult barely able to stand underneath the pressure of carnage

To the carrion goes the spoilers Lowanna said

Just as soon as it had come the vision vanished Only a child moving amongst childrenÆs bodies all trying their best to be completely still After a short speech the play ended with the eradication of all methods but Phaea and the creation of the Arbiter the being who would hold the reins of power lest some individuals bring ruin and death upon them all

Lowanna straightened for the final scene of the performance Oh this part Always my favorite

The feet of all the attendees except for two began to thump along in time with the accelerated beat Thump thump thump Thump thump thump

Behold Some chosen child likely related to some of the more important Nether Heralds in Wyndaos let loose his shrill line With a broad gesture the child took the ceremonial black cuffs from the gathered individuals and approached the leader of the Devout fellowship We have found Phaea the truth we needed And for our strife now we possess an Arbiter

The click from the manacles closing echoed through the partially filled absence Next to him Lowanna sat very still a forced smile on her face She looked at him and mouthed a single word

Possess

Despite being in public Enmya felt his temper rising None of you understand all she has done for us since becoming the second Arbiter to bear this weight Unlike her predecessor she has fled the suffering she bears into a coma to more easily pass the time Every day she walks around exchanging small greetings making you forget this entire society is built upon her back We do not deserve her

EnmyaÆs gaze shifted to the attending Nether Kings as the crowd burst into applause Then he raised his gaze and looked even further into the middle distance toward where he could feel the strangeness of the deviant Nether King

He didnÆt allow himself to smile But the timing couldnÆt be better this unfortunate nail remained in Malloon right with Faelmac Westrisser So long as Enmya moved quickly he could slaughter two fools with one strike

Chapter 2187

Once the issue of Sulfur had been settled Randidly meditated for several hours A lot of the benefits he had received wouldnÆt become obvious until he had a pitched battle but the explanations hinted at all the benefits he had earned

Randidly reached up and patted the new Sulfur Thanks buddy I really do appreciate everything you do for me

The soulseed well Soulseed no longer hummed with pleasure from the wave of genuine emotion Randidly released Sulfur had grown to an incredible degree easing the burdens on the rest of his body and even still housing the stigma of exhaustion although that had now been consumed by the Stillborn PhoenixÆs place on the limb

Randidly glanced up the sky above him was still a chaotic battlefield of wind blades and shadows The Grey Creature was in the process of discovering his new form which would have a profound impact on RandidlyÆs new fighting style Shades of a grey black and silver flashed back and forth a dogfight between chunks of celestial energy At the moment there didnÆt seem to be a consensus on what it would become

Without his mind clouding with worry Randidly turned away Some things took time This Grey Creature was a fundamental shift in how he would interact in the world In a way it was Randidly finally maturing into the fullness of his powers As such the process would not be simple

Besides even within the isolated reinforced platform Randidly had plenty of other tasks and concerns demanding his attention

Very quickly he tested out the new combined manifestation of his Domain HelenÆs Sea Cradle of Unlikely Lives His ability to track and manipulate multiple layers of force in the area around him improved even more than he had expected He needed to manifest his Synechdochence to add teeth to the mixture but it filled Randidly with anticipation for his next Nether Storm And he pretty easily pushed it to a Mille putting him well ahead of his ability to generate PP

In the wake of his movements he paused and looked down at the palms of his hands His heart ached Do you see Helen You have become the entire sea from which the Unlikely Lives have been born Your sacrifice it was not in vain

Randidly also tested his body frequently at first checking to make sure Sulfur integrated fully into his movements He planted his foot accelerated across most of the domed area then planted his foot and punched with his left arm His hip shoulder and elbow all transferred the force as he expected despite the fact that the volume of the arm had changed

Congratulations Your Skill ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke has grown to Level 960

A wave of force scoured across the warped ground finding not a single flaw to exploit As such the blast continued outward until it encountered the shadow dome which bulged for several seconds to contain it Randidly chuckled and hefted his arm the density of the limb had increased to keep the feel exactly the same Randidly loved it

Once he went through a few typical motions and felt comfortable he began pushing his limits The winds screamed around his body as he flitted back and forth unleashing concentrated bursts of force The dome bubbled and distorted but the constant rotation of Nether quickly pulled everything back into place

In addition Randidly took occasional pauses in his training to feed different materials from his interspatial ring into the Codex Hexahedron The process swiftly depleted his mental energy but the physical activities of determining SulfurÆs capabilities didnÆt require much thought And very soon he pushed its functionality to the next tier

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Codex Hexahedron has grown to Level 21

Congratulations The Codex HexahedronÆs capabilities have grown The complexity of substances it can analyze has grown Objects of larger size can now be scanned The efficiency of scanning objects you have already encountered has vastly increased Ability to offer slight predictions on how two scanned objects or materials will interact has greatly increased

As he gradually sifted through the flood of information received his expression grew increasingly solemn There were so many contradictions and unusual universal laws mixing within his Stats he likely was very close to imploding underneath it all Very clearly he had gotten lucky when one of his Stats had been able to intervene slightly guiding him to a successful conclusion

For the moment Randidly accepted he would need to try the Codex on more objects He intended to return to his physical training but this time Acri flowed down from its usual perch around his waist and chirped at him

Randidly tilted his head to the side you want to evolve too

Acri didnÆt even bother to give RandidlyÆs question an answer All the experience the weapon had stored with its form bubbled up rising out of the flexible shaft and the sprig of leaves until it shined with a golden light

Congratulations Your Soulseed Acri is evolving It has incorporated aspects of your images into its form It has heard your desires for a new kind of weaponry It has compressed and strengthened the experience it gathered for a very long time generating a powerful wave of change through its composition

Congratulations Your Soulseed AcriÆs consciousness was greatly strengthened ItÆs ability to predict your movements have greatly increased AcriÆs main body has split into three mentally tethered portions

After observing your methods of materials creation your Soulseed Acri has improved the hardness of its blades to impossible proportions Warning unable to determine the rarity of this material If you report this to your closest Village Spirit you will be greatly rewarded

Randidly had a soft smile on his face as the glow faded Compared to the wave of notifications he had received from SulfurÆs evolution this felt a bit like a letdown However Acri had been RandidlyÆs weapon for so long that he wouldnÆt be able to imagine fighting without Acri Especially when the material of its blade became so valuable that the System itself very directly attempted to bribe him

Acri as promised by the notification had split into three different pieces RandidlyÆs gaze when to the first one a slender shafted weapon that ended in wickedly curving head almost more harpoon than a true spear It was much shorter than the previous Acri about as tall as he was Randidly plucked up the weapon and spun it As he did so his smile widened He flicked his wrist and the sharp movement made the flexible shaft hum

Just like Sulfur Acri had vastly increased the density of weapon All of the ungainly size had been stripped away revealing the deadly intent waiting beneath

In particular Randidly leaned forward and looked at the spearhead As promised the sharpened edge gleamed with an unnatural golden light With another flick Randidly spun the weapon around and dragged the tip very lightly against the warped ground Randidly had created He didnÆt even feel any resistance as the edge cut a small divot

Randidly stabbed the spear directly down much more confident Again the ground couldnÆt resist Acri in the slightest

Oh yes With this sort of edge RandidlyÆs eyes hardened Images might let people cheat and keep up with his movement speed but this impossible edge would make short work of enemies that believed they could casually block him

Humming in pleasure Randidly looked over at the other two pieces of Acri The first was a massive spearhead about twice as large as RandidlyÆs head a heavy implement of bone that looked half like it was an ancient work of art and half like it should be fired out of a canon Strange patterns of that same golden glaze covered the massive spearhead while also running along the edge Small hoops had been carved into the bottom but there was no grip this was not a weapon for him to wield as far as he could tell

He pivoted again the last portion of Acri was one derived from his older brother Thorn Acri had created a writhing fleshy core surrounded by thick and powerful vines Randidly folded his arms across his chest and looked at Acri suspiciously And what may I ask are we supposed to do with all this

Chapter 2188

To Lowanna the way she hid her true feelings within her small comments almost became a farce Nether King Hightower to think you would also enjoy the scenic vistas around Wyndaos What a pleasant surprise

Around them the Hollow Plains seemed to shiver raising itself to be at attention for what followed

She paused in her gesticulations turning and laying her chin upon the hand of her left arm Her tone possessed none of her usual humor The wind whispered around the group almost afraid to draw attention to itself Next to him Nether King Hightower straightened Enmya had led the Nether King out through the rings to one of LowannaÆs usual haunts He didnÆt know what was worse that she waited in all her ornate finery or that she sat in front of the spheric absence in the ground that she had told him she stored her regret in a few days prior

Enmya averted his eyes as he moved to his ArbiterÆs side She did not attempt to make light of the burden she bore this time She seemed immovable as she sat in front of them as solid and heavy as a mountain range Her words possessed enough depth to ring in their chests even as a whisper When she spoke the entire world listened

Nether King Hightower had sculpted his form to be a heavy golem of pale sandstone His carved features moved slowly as he bowed in respect His manner was why Enmya had chosen him Please forgive the intrusion But I must beg that the Arbiter intercede in the travesty developing The Aether rabble gathers their forces committing atrocities against our people and then complaining when we seek well deserved justice At this rate they will begin raiding Nether Kings along the border

Do you Again the voice hammered against their bodies The impossible weight of so many Phaea made her powerful beyond imagination Even Enmya had difficulty resisting the urge to tremble Have a conflict for me to judge

Despite the power in her tone Hightower was not cowed His brow slowly crinkled while his spine remained straight Nether Kings stood apart from the usual Tier Hierarchy of the other Nether roles unique due to their acceptance of Phaea from other Nether entities However Nether King Hightower had been a rare Tier Six Nether Warrior previously meaning his Nether had been incredibly pure before his ascension the conflict has not erupted but if we wait the costs will increase In addition to fuel the war effort additional Black Wicker Seeds will let us strangle the life out of the Aether

I will offer you free advice The Arbiter smiled slowly cruelly The wind above Wyndaos picked up urged from whispering to howling by her emotions The few unlucky kites in the sky were snatched up and crunched against the ground by a wind with only the concern of spiraling around their position The coming war will not be without immense costs The longer we wait the more those costs will decrease So We Wait

For a split second the wind died completely Without the movements of air the presence of Nether around LowannaÆs body became increasingly obvious EnmyaÆs face distorted he hated seeing Lowanna like this But without the sound of the wind to trick the ear a low hum emerged The hum came from LowannaÆs limbs her eyes blazing as she endured the grind the fabric of existence in a constant state of tearing underneath the pressure of her presence and healing itself Strange vicious energies associated with tears in existence crackled along her body even as she remained entirely still

Before the full force of the Nether Arbiter Nether King Hightower could only bow and retreat with his people The wind scoured the ground after he departed all remnants of his presence on the Hollow Plains scraped away

When they were out of sight all the sense of weight vanished Lowanna stood somehow keeping her bells silent through the movement and drew several currents of Nether out of her body and sent them into the hole Lowanna seemed light and free but Enmya understood that in fact this sort of careless effect took more effort than all of the furious power she had revealed to cow the Nether King

simply providing additional Black Wicker Seeds to them will reassure the Nether Kings Enmya finally broached the topic he had been dancing around for the last week

All his maneuvering overturned as an adult might do to a child

However she still shook her heavy head You miss the point however The same point the other Nether Kings and Nether Heralds have been forgetting for generations Methods matter just as much as outcomes with Nether You cannot erase the sins of the past for us they become us just as surely as our victories We might delay the arrival of our downfall but only in short gasps And those actions will make our eventual breaking so much the worse No matter how much I think I see no patterns that allow us to escape

With the Hollow Plains around them it was difficult to overcome the finality of her words Yet he tried

You Enmya licked his lips are not infallible

Ha And that Enmya is both definitely true and exactly why youÆve always been my Nether Herald She beamed at him visibly pleased Few others would have both your loyalty and the spine to point out not to get too wrapped up in my own predictions Yes yes perhaps IÆm entirely wrong and a hero will emerge to shatter the horrible restrictive caste system and the short sighted mentality of our people

Enmya grimaced You cannot call me a Nether Herald any longer You know that If they would hear you

Then Enmya cursed suddenly seeing that Lowanna had been the one to arrange this entire conversation guiding them to this point you believe this independent deviant Nether King is the key then A variable one small enough to escape your predictions that will have an effect on the future A chaotic gamble at best

Some of LowannaÆs cheer faded There are no small variables only squinted eyes before large patterns But well I admit you have a point I do not have much hope this one will come to anything productive Especially considering his moniker which seems to embody the worst of the gluttony displayed by the King of Bone Have you heard what they call him

Of course Enmya had he had been monitoring the situation since he first learned of it Nether King Hungry Eye

How positively monstrous Lowanna clicked her tongue Yet what choice do we have Within the week gather up a team of our greatest warriors in Wyndaos You will lead them Enmya All our strongest A failure once is unexpected but a second failure will not be tolerated Go to the area around Malloon and make contact with Nether King Hungry Eye

Enmya felt bewildered for a second being ordered to do exactly what he wanted to do His gaze sharpened the gears of his mind turning trying to figure out the possibilities And Westrisser and his horrid experiments

LowannaÆs gaze turned heavy My judgment remains the same For the crime of ripping out the hearts of Nether Kings he needs to be eliminated

Chapter 2189

Exactly a week after Lowanna gave the order to Enmya to subjugate Westrisser her favorite person in the world marched out of Wyndaos in grand fashion In the end he had too enthusiastically followed her orders to seek justice he took every Nether Warrior Tier Two and above in a grand column that would shake the Aether world with just its passage

Not for one hundred and seventy years had such a force set out from Wyndaos intending violence

The people cheered The Nether Heralds whispered to each other and to their chosen representatives departing with the force recognizing this would be a powerful chance for naming Amongst the Nether Heralds nothing was more important than who you were known to have named

Meanwhile vast crowds of children climbed the Black Wicker fences to get a better look Whistlers were shot off in celebration whizzed away by the wind The hundreds of orphans reclaimed from defeated Nether Kings and brought to Wyndaos to learn clenched their fists and watched EnmyaÆs passage with sparkling eyes

They dreamed of the day that they too would earn the honor of being part of such a beautiful procession striving for the glory of the Nether

Lowanna wept in the privacy of her chambers for many reasons but the first reason was this Enmya had refused to say goodbye to her When Lowanna had suggested it he had glared at her No one is this world is more powerful than I but you So long as you do not fight me there is no danger to my life A goodbye would be pointless

She had laughed and danced away from him Fine be that way Good hunting my Nether Herald

A nearby Nether Herald had stiffened Rage and indignation boiled on his face but he said nothing to her directly Enmya gave her a long suffering look Nether Heralds had been so touchy about his identity since he previously a Nether Herald had achieved such great accomplishments that he had been heralded in turn Which put him in a unique position of not being anything not a Nether King not a pure Nether Warrior no longer a Nether Herald

Just hers

He would pay for her flippancy in small slights and fastidious demands from Nether Heralds during their journey But Lowanna didnÆt care He deserved it for not being able to see beyond his own fat head to her desire to say goodbye to her closest friend

Enmya your journey will be hard For the sins you will soon commit I forgive you I would always forgive you no matter what

I wonder before the end whether you will see how your own hard methods through the years paved the way to this end for you Mercy and compassion is always worth it especially when it saves lives Can you not relent once IÆm gone

But of course I will be whip you use to torture yourself wonÆt I

They had spent enough time with each other that EnmyaÆs response appeared fully formed even in her mind You have forgiven them everything Lowanna Yet did that earn you even an ounce of softness for your own end If you must suffer so much they

Touche Lowanna whispered watching the patterns that encircled her She felt very very tired

As the procession departed Lowanna announced that the digging for Black Wicker would stop for a brief time The people rejoiced settling into a three day holiday Lowanna smiled at their joy spending the first two days working tirelessly with kitemakers to create the grandest and most majestic kites she could imagine

Most of these creations were so large and ornate they couldnÆt even get off the ground Too much expensive fabric had been woven into their architecture Lowanna spent ours crafting a palace of gold and crimson fluttering silk and peculiar construction that could have only been accomplished in dreams Patterns drew the eye and refreshed the viewer All the strange insight gained by a lifetime as Arbiter used to make a toy

Once she had finished the kitemakers stood around the three meter wide and two meter tall kite with their mouths dropped She had worked in to out starting with the ornate inner palace then moving to emerald and azure stretches of gardens and then spreading to the vaulted exterior making the glittering inside barely visible hinted at only through the swirling of fabrics

With trails of steam and wind trailing after his body he crashed from one edge of the circular platform to the other He took zig zag pathways leaving gashes in the air with his speed Sonic booms became his footsteps and whirlwinds marked the locations he veered The joyful crinkles around his eyes deepened as Randidly lost himself in the pure sensation of wind Nothing compared to the freedom he found in manipulating his body He flew and flitted danced and fluttered bounced and glided His power became a buzzing presence in his body so many ripples generated each second and rebounded back by the dense network of consequences he controlled around his form until the fuzzy lines became almost solid a physical presence around his body

His hands moved with even more grace than the rest of his body RandidlyÆs limbs were balanced once more and his fingers combed through the howling winds he left in his wake delighting at the sensation

Congratulations Your Skill From the Chaotic Sea Abrupt Reverberation has grown to Level 875

Congratulations Your Skill Wicked Waltz of Tartarus has grown to Level 960

He did not bother to pinch together Nether to influence the area and he did not impress his new Fusion Domain on the surrounding space Simply by guiding the movements of his body a storm formed He became wind and fury incarnate Yet Randidly Ghosthound knew this was not his limit

He stepped again tearing his way out of the storm he had made over the past fifteen minutes Even his powerful body protested the harsh movements the muscle fibers of his knees straining to constrain his momentum But then a notification popped up that surprised him so much he tripped and tumbled along the ground chuckling

Although you have not been struck by a blow such immense physical pressure has been applied to your body that the ability Combat Furnace has been activated All regenerations double for the next three minutes (duration shortened due to the unusual activation procedure)

Still amused Randidly tumbled across the ground until he settled on his back His heartbeat filled him with reassuring heat and momentum Wisps of steam continued to drift off of his superheated muscles The ripples so long condensed into a chaotic and dense aura around him were allowed to explode out and fill the whole of the dome For a long time he simply watched those reverberations fade into the dome

Just as he was about to stand and go investigate if Acri was prepared to experiment with his new form a shift in the sky focused RandidlyÆs attention

Little pieces of the amorphous mass that had been the possibilities and potential of the Grey CreatureÆs evolution began to fade away They glittered and sparkled as they disintegrated the debris of paths not chosen And at the center of the sky a more concrete shape began to form

Randidly blinked as he watched the movement of the shadows as flowed down and back across themselves Then he laughed Of course its the same way the ripples were layered

Above what had once been the Grey Creature hummed in agreement Given the prerogative to Advance it took the shadows and began to fold and compact them over and over Like Damascus steel the nascent image hammered these shadows into triangular fragments of possibility With threads of fate it wove those forged pieces into a body an assemblage of ravenÆs feathers interminable mist and gloomy denial

Those pieces were obsidian snake scales and the whisper of iron leaving a leather sheath They clung together like the remnants of a vicious nightmare in the psyche of a child refusing to depart even under the full light of day They were RandidlyÆs own nights alone in his room hoping for a morning that never seemed to come

They were long silences and the fractures perspective could inflict on reality

As the image plucked up fistfuls of darkness and shade most of the general smog of shadows that had hung over RandidlyÆs training area began to disperse From the depths another detail crystalized two emerald lighthouses blazed from the face of the image two eyes that burned and frothed like a chemical reaction about to combust or explode

No not a chemical reaction Alchemic RandidlyÆs lips stretched wide in a Cheshire grin And soon

The image who had once been the Grey Creature settled upon those two truths about itself for now Only a few of the details solidified A pair of burning emerald eyes within the churning depths A body forged of folded and refined shadows

But Randidly felt a great deal of pity for his opponents when the rest of its monstrous body finally took shape

Chapter 2190

As the group had approached Wyndaos it had been increasingly obvious that the reports of its impenetrability had been greatly exaggerated They had not been harried even once during their advance All the energy they poured into stealth suddenly seemed pointless

Yet Elhume had difficulty navigating through his emotions Perhaps it was the bleak statements made by the Cult of the Savior and then Nether King Hungry EyeÆs refusal to assist but he was beginning to feel slightly desperate He could almost feel himself unraveling the harsh Nether environment sizzling against his skin

Duo the massive segmented centipede companion that the Patron of the Borrowed had asked for assistance clicked its teeth together and called for the group to halt Its beady black eyes swept across the gathered individuals as they crouched in a small depression Chicheh I must remind all that our foes are as numerous as this blank silver expanse is wide Do not hesitate If we will have any hope of reaching the Arbiter we must carve a path through flesh

You know Mae Myrna had made her extreme dislike of Duo extremely clear in the two weeks of the journey through the Nether Lands it had taken them to get here Now she glowered at the five meter long creature You sound less like you offer a friendly reminder and more like you are trying to normalize your own cruelty

Cheh think what you wish girl Between its speaking DuoÆs jaws continued their metronome like clicking If you do not possess the requisite spine leave Dead weight will doom us in the attack on Wyndaos Mercy requires time and power of which we have a finite amount

Click Click Click

Elhume pressed his eyes shut Before they made it out onto the Hollow Plains the group had encountered several Nether patrols DuoÆs hungry response to the deadÆs still warm flesh had lingered in his mind He had a near constant headache knocking behind his eyes but he was also closer to saving Pine than he had been in a hundred years

He just it hadnÆt started to sound so hollow when he reminded himself of that fact

So close IÆm so close Elhume forced his eyes open I know the Cult of the Savior cannot be trusted but I havenÆt been able to accomplish anything on my own Maybe I can finally be a worthy father

much more than I ever was a proper husband

Mae opened her mouth to snap back at Duo but Elhume gave her a pleading look as difficult as it was to swallow they required its power in order to survive this deep in Nether territory Even if the journey had been uneventful so far that surely couldnÆt continue MaeÆs glower shifted to Elhume but she did twist and stomp away from the centipede creature Around her body her new swirling image lashed out at the air barely restrained by the loose envelope Nether King Hungry Eye had sewn for her

Looking at the imageÆs sloshing force Elhume couldnÆt help but wonder if his Patron of Truth had become more powerful than him He looked away suppressing the poisonous thought Just one more emotion he needed to ignore tossed into the growing pile Around them the other Patrons shifted uneasily

They continued their advance toward Wyndaos tirelessly gliding across the vast Hollow Plains

On the night before the attack they rested in one of the strange spherical hollows scooped out of the ground No one felt at enough ease to sleep but all made a show of it closing their eyes and forcing their muscles to relax Elhume affecting the same languid ease on the gentle slope of the sphere with the rest of his body squeezed his fists until every knuckle in his hands popped How long have you waited for me to make good on my promise to protect you Pine I used you to create this universe hoping it would shield you but youÆve been dispersing through this slightly smaller area If this continues in the way that the Cult of the Savior warned

Even if that group of bastards is clearly one of those meddling forces from the main universe

Time began to grow runny almost exactly when they spotted the high wall of carved black wicker that marked the edge of their main settlement Faces peeked out behind fixtures of twisted jet all ramsÆ horns and the devilsÆ claws Finally Nether Warriors raised a call of alarm and there was a flurry of movement Huge axes spears and greatswords could be seen popping up along the defensive perimeters Only a score now but if they had time to gather more assistance

ElhumeÆs mouth settled into a grim line As the group accelerated he licked his lips

The Patron of Blade led the way with the Patron of the Sun on his heels He hopped up and released a powerful slash grinding and cracking the powerful black wicker in a single strike Then came a blast of concentrated sunlight wedging itself into the flaw and prying open the defenses Small bits of the material sprayed in every direction and the Nether Warriors fell backward off the wall

With an opening created Duo skittered and hummed forward a train of death with long lashing legs

Elhume followed up quickly hurdling over the top of the wall and landing next to a Nether warrior with two short spears He tried not to notice how young the Nether Warrior looked as he shifted his weight back into his heel settled his stance then punched So long prepared and kept under wraps so as not to alert the Nether forces to their approach his image of power and potency exploded

He punched and ripped through the Nether WarriorÆs hasty defense caving in his chest The Nether Warrior was obviously weak but the problem was not this foe but those that would arrive if they were delayed too long

Elhume shifted his left foot sideways knocking the feet out from under another Nether Warrior that pounced up onto the wall With the other Patrons streaming over the black wicker wall around him he smashed his fist down into the back of the off balanced warriorÆs head Then he moved past that crumpled form and scanned the area for approaching threats

but he saw nothing but the backs of young or elderly Nether Warriors as they fled from the offensive Even now with shouts of alarm spreading out no powerful Nether auras revealed themselves in the surroundings

There are other defensive layers Duo hissed and as one the whole group charged forward Small flickers of power came from deeper within the Wyndaos complex so the Patrons held nothing back The fluttering tents in front of them were steamrolled in the charge

Sweat dribbled down ElhumeÆs forehead more from adrenaline than any sort of forceful exertion His fists splattered several more weak Nether Warriors across the ground and then they reached the next black wicker barrier This one was smaller more like a series of carved saplings lashed together into a two meter fence but when they jumped over a series of Nether Rituals exploded upward at their feet

Pain flared in ElhumeÆs side as a rod of pure force shattered one of his left ribs and finally his distractions were truly driven away He fell upon the Nether forces as a righteous god of vengeance his powerful punches methodically hammering back the defenses The wind the droning of Duo and the cries of his Patrons created a chaotic battlefield

All of it was for Pine And if this was the only way to save his son so be it

His resolve lasted only a short while Because his image ran roughshod over the Nether Rituals and his fist ended the lives of several ancient looking Nether Heralds leaving the group quite unopposed in their passage to the central areas

When the stiffest resistance they met was the sound of begging and sobbing as Duo ate its way through the Nether Warriors Elhume stood frozen over the corpses His numb mind gradually pieced together what had just happened

Until they found the Arbiter he dared not turn around he couldnÆt handle any evidence of what his mind began to suspect happened here

Chapter 2191

What the hell was that Mae Myrna stood at the edges of the Hollow Plains and trembled as she looked at Elhume Her armor and pants were splattered with dried blood

He rubbed his knuckles While the other Patrons guarded the Arbiter and Duo vanished to eliminate any pursuitÆ he and Mae had moved off to the side It was the first moment of peace they had since charging past the edges of Wyndaos

From the wrathful rotation of MaeÆs energy since they had slaughtered their way through trifling Nether Warriors and found the Arbiter waiting alone in the core area of Wyndaos Elhume had known a comeuppance was coming He forced out a breath His knuckles ached but they were from the clenching of the approach he hadnÆt been close to injuring himself in the raid We succeeded in capturing the Nether Arbiter There must have been some sort of other troop movements because their forces were so depleted But considering the rising tensions between the two people

We slaughtered our merry way through a host of toddlers and feeble elders Mae countered in an iron girded voice Her eyes flashed After hearing so much about the strength of the Nether for the Arbiter to meekly follow us Ignoring the queer developments is an exercise in idiocy If the equation doesnÆt seem balanced we are missing variables Elhume you are not fool enough to just ignore this

Elhume frowned He looked out to the hills rising in the horizon a welcome relief of a geographic vista out past the edges of the Hollow Plains He continued to rub his thumb across the knuckles of his pointer finger The ache there hadnÆt abated in the slightest The dramatic confrontation we expected didnÆt come sure But why are we lamenting the ease of accomplishing the mission

You arenÆt even listening Mae tossed her hair over her shoulder Yes I get that you are excited you are closer than ever before to a possible chance to help Pine But focus on what has been happening WyndaosÆs lack of defenses and our coincidental attack donÆt seem to be the result of chance Then you have this mysterious Cult of the Savior who are excessively ominous in their words and deeds by the way showing up and offering this plan just when you are feeling most desperate And the Arbiter following us without comment And donÆt get me started on this Duo piece of shit

At that Elhume looked up sharply At least that you canÆt blame on other people Duo was known to the Patron of the Borrowed

Fiero has the brains and guile of a loyal hound staggering home after leading his master to a boar and getting to slurp up the offal Mae snapped IÆm sure youÆve seen the way he moons after me Yes he provided the connection but with how frantic things have been Elhume IÆm starting to suspect this whole thing was in the works for a lot longer than makes me comfortable Despite how powerful and fearsome a reputation it built in the wasteland Duo accepted without any requirements but us each owing it a favor And letÆs not forget that despite our individual motivations what we just did definitely set off a war between Aether and Nether

A war was coming anyway Finally starting to get irritated Elhume turned and glared at Mae His hands found the ease position of clenching And honestly IÆm impressed you admit the way the Patron of the Borrowed looks at you you have seemed to enjoy the attention well enough

MaeÆs jaw dropped She blanched what

It was like one of those strange feedback less moments Of mental freefal Like Elhume had dozed and felt like he was reaching out with a foot only to find nothing there His stomach lurched as he watched the hurt and shame on her face

Feeling suddenly awkward Elhume twisted away His thumb went back to worrying at his knuckles that came out wrong Anyway what did you expect me to do The higher tiered Nether Warriors might not have been present in Wyndaos but we still

I expected you not to just shirk responsibility Mae reached over and grabbed his hand Her eyes were wide and trembling But I refuse to allow you to sail blithely by the bile you just spat at me You think I like his attention When weÆve had this discussion when the whole reason IÆm not with the man I truly have feelings for is he hasnÆt chosen me

Bitterly still unable to look at Mae Elhume tugged his hand away I have a wife

Below a newly Classed Devick struggled through the obstacle course created for her by Lucretia The young woman continued to struggle her movements becoming increasingly choppy As a denizen of the memory the instability didnÆt appear to even affect her

Lucretia materialized at NeveahÆs side her hair fluttering and splintering as the memory strained What the hell is that

It seems like our dabbling in the memory has finally caused a divisive shift from the original timeline to earn the memoryÆs ire Neveah mused She could feel the Nether Core on which this entire projection balanced fueled by the energy and structure of the upper Sonora sure but now sustained in this different direction by Randidly The whole trapeze began to tremble as the course was very noticeably altered as it struggled to cope with its bulk However there are no specific threads within the response ItÆs almost as if

A massive lurch ripped the world in half NeveahÆs expression fell as color leached out of the world and left them suspended in monochrome Emotion animated the destructive wave of Nether swirling around a dense heart or rejection This Nether came purposefully without any true sapience but seeking to shatter this deviation

In response she felt a rising flow of pure Nether from Randidly A dense river of energy curled out of his body and shot up to join the seething currents in the sky For a brief moment she felt the manifestation of his new image turning its attention to the threat a murky darkness filled with the fluttering of raven feathers and the whisper of scales while two lighthouse esque emerald eyes burned in the depths

Neveah couldnÆt help but shiver as she felt the image peer into the chaotic degeneration of Nether fraying through the memory despite the repeated reinforcements that had dragged it to this point RandidlyÆs mental energy depleted so quickly that Neveah saw the dome shrink and flicker

There was a yawning moment of tension then RandidlyÆs Grey Creature closed its eyes Its work was done

The Nether river unleashed exploded in every direction a thousand individual threads of Nether that sought the weaknesses in the shattering memory and worked their way through the edges With neat strokes Randidly sewed the fracturing memory back together His Nether fused itself to the memory keeping the entire operation stable

Almost as though it sensed his intentions the wild Nether gathered itself up into a bestial form centered around the heart or rejection and solidified It condensed claws of Nether and ripped flaws in the universe causing more and more color to seep out The stuttering around Neveah intensified

Very obviously the Nether of this memory did not want the deviation to continue

Without much hurry more threads of Nether flowed out of Randidly and started stitching up these flaws as well In a roar that squeezed at NeveahÆs heart the Nether stretched itself into a larger twisted version It grew another six limbs that flailed across the sky ripping its way through the fabric of reality

Above the almost completely lackluster Nether Dome a seed of darkness blossomed The effort it took for even such a minor manifestation was obvious but from the depths of the shade a bright emerald eye opened

The violent Nether didnÆt even get the chance to scream The focus of the new Grey Creature pierced through its chest The central animus vanished the Nether continued straining the memory with its presence but it no longer actively damaged the sky

Neveah released a small breath Gradually the memory recovered Below Devick continued to struggle through the course Truly IÆm looking forward to what your new image shows us Randidly

Chapter 2192

The Turtleline guard captain sedately raised his head and squinted toward the sky When everyone had noted the motion he followed it up with a grand show of checking his pocket watch and being deeply surprised at what he found there He shifted his bulk and the intricate designs across his shell glittered in the sun Well well well Shift rotation time The next shift might not be here quite yet but heh you’s wouldnÆt mind handling the transition yea

The other few Turtelines snickered as they glanced over toward the few miss matched other guards Moish kept his eyes toward the horizon scanning the edge of the wasteland for any threats Other long time non Turteline residents took the news with tired stoicism But next to Moish Raddeus began to tremble in agitation He was new to Homewell and unused to the abuses of the established races

Well Corporal The Captain stowed away his watch He sucked back air through his sinuses producing a gooey yellow glob that he spat by their feet

We will handle it Captain Moish just felt hungry He wondered if there would be a communal stew when he got home Other Homid refugees like him fleeing from the tyrants of Wasteland and arriving at Homewell had sought justice in response to the abuses of power within the military They had been quietly dealt with some transferred to horrid latrine duty others showing up one day with their arms and torsos covered with bruises and refusing to speak of what happened but publicly retracting their statements

Better to focus on stew Moish believed Now it wouldnÆt be anything substantial but perhaps the children had managed to catch another buzzard Simmered in salt for hours that carrion bird made for excellent eating

The assorted ancillary Turtlelines laughed louder and the Captain sauntered away happy to cut off work early One of the meaner Turtlelines lingered for a few seconds pausing to sneer at the three Homids and the beastkin left to man this section of the wall You know I fucking hope the war reaches here At least then your fleshy arms will have a use as a meat shield for lives that matter

With one final hacking bout of laughter the Turteline left his bulky shell casting a long shadow behind him When he finally vanished Raddeus couldnÆt stay quiet any longer He balanced himself on the knuckles of their peopleÆs muscular arms and hopped forward Corporal How can we accept this If an incident occurs while they are gone we will be blamed If an officer walks by and sees the undermanned wall we also

HowÆs your daughter adapting to her new school Moish interrupted

The shift in conversation caught Raddeus by surprise for a brief moment but then his eyes lit with the same furious anger Oh sure the facilities are nicer And Dattylan wonÆt say anything But I can tell by the way she droops when she doesnÆt think IÆm looking that sheÆs being bullied ItÆs one thing for these shellbacks to take out their anger on me but itÆs another

Its not ideal but its better than having her slurped up by the Hymntaker yes Moish nodded toward the stillness of the wasteland RaddeusÆs mouth clicked shut he was young compared to Moish his arms large but not even larger than his legs like the truly matured male Homid But their entire people remembered the crooning and cruel beast that had enslaved and oppressed their people for a hundred years

Compared to that suffocating doom the petty bullying of the Turtlelines was palatable

Besides the Hymntaker was so thorough a horror that there was never enough left of its victims to lure buzzards

Moish raised his gaze considering a series of gathering clouds on the distant horizon A storm would break across the city soon which was good because it would alleviate some of the sweltering heat wafting off the badlands even more oppressive in the slums where the Homids and other minorities stayed The Southwestern corner of the Aetherlands was dominated by the Wasteland a lawless area dominated by several insane Aetherlords and Homewell sat on its Eastern edge Suffering the vicious heat of the Wasteland and acting as a de facto jailer of its most heinous criminals

The sad truth was that even the Hymntaker was a minor figure compared to some of the ugly things that lurked out there

On the other hand Moish felt relief to be here as opposed to other places in the Aetherlands In recent weeks more and more news had come South about incursions by the Nether forces Increasingly ferocious raids masses of Nether Warriors charging over the borders and slaughtering everything in their path a shift in attitude from the other beings to a zealous mandate to eliminate every Aether being they could find

Rumors abound regarding the cause of the sudden shift One said that some Nether Herald had killed the Nether Arbiter and forged a host of hatred blaming the assassination on the Aether Another described how seeking revenge for the attack on his city Faelmac Westrisser charged across the border and crushed another Nether City Left the childrenÆs headless corpses but took the skulls for his experiments

No matter the way death had become increasingly common An all out war was brewing and several representatives from cities closer to the border had come to Homewell to ask for reinforcements

Lucretia stood nearby also watching their passage But now she gave Devick a pointed look I know that face You are going to do something stupid

You barely know me Devick raised her nose and affected her most obnoxious Westrisser impersonation Perhaps your association with low street thugs has confused your sensibilities but the matters on which I ponder are extremely intelligent

The conversation they held was one of seeking and avoidance War exacts a deep price for the growth it spurs Layers of scars eroding who you are and replacing it with callouses and desperation You do not need to make this choice

How quaint You still misinterpret my genius Devick denied Yet she couldnÆt look away from the Nether Warriors IÆm just admiring their swagger Perhaps its the weather in the Netherlands You know IÆve always wanted to vacation through their Hollow Plains Even the dust glitters there

Lucretia sighed Devick can I be quite frank Your spirit is overwhelmingly strong Even now I can feel the shade of what it will become Of the unending waterfall of fire that will fuel you But your spirit is insubstantial And that burning life force can become a weakness if the whole of what you are becomes twisted Because your constant drive will worsen those wounds deepen those divides You will force your way through flaws inscribing them more permanently into your own body If you walk a path of blades you will adapt to suffering and grow almost unable to know life without it

I do appreciate any conversations that revolve around me Oh while we arenÆt on the subject where does Neveah get her dresses I wish I could produce a better word than fetching but when that woman turns to leave a room mm My jaw drops Robes just make me look like a spider wearing an octopus costume

Lucretia huffed out an amused breath You arenÆt as complex as you think you are girl

I never said complex Just sophisticated Devick forced her gaze away from the Nether forces She blinked at Lucretia The older woman didnÆt seem worried per se but there were lines turned down at the edges of her mouth Devick continued spinning until she faced back toward the Nether dome

Why was she out here when he was staying locked up in there In the end perhaps it was a strange spite that ensured she would make this choice

Devick grimaced You all see a child when you look at me donÆt you

Why would we see anything else The gentle response came

A bleak and all consuming fury rose through DevickÆs body a vicious impulse to rage and thrash until everyone must acknowledge her With a great effort of will she suppressed it for the childish tantrum that it was She wondered what Nether King Hungry Eye thought of her the way she chased him

She scratched her cheek You know I would have been much more likely to stay if you had lied

Perhaps I simply detest you so much IÆm pushing you out into harmÆs way Lucretia suggested and Devick couldnÆt suppress a snort Honestly it was quite refreshing not to be the one who couldn’t admit her feelings They might have only trained for a short amount of time but a strange sense of kinship glimmered between them

Someday I’d really like to go into a bar and burn it down withyou Devick thought fondly as she affected an elaborate bow Lucretia made a disgusted noise and waved her hand

Devick walked to the base of the dome thanked Neveah for all her help promised to return quickly so she could borrow a few dresses then flew above the Nether army and circled around to join up with MalloonÆs forces Hopefully by the next time that she encountered Nether King Hungry Eye they would meet as peers

Or at least much closer to it than what we are now Devick grimaced

Chapter 2193

Randidly Ghosthound released a steaming breath out through his nose The ground hummed smote time and time again by all the kinetic power he could generate by remaining steady Truly the strange new radiation of the Stillborn Phoenix could work miracles

Possibilities and shadows danced around his body as he moved smoothly from one spear form to another With the streamlined Acri he practiced his spear forms the tip of the weapon tracing dazzling patterns in the air Small reverberations through the shaft of the weapon while he thrust became minute Nether Rituals adding extra power and strength to each strike

He danced and cut and drew His Nether became almost a melody Following along he could make the entire world sing with force

Congratulations Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir has grown to Level 1001

Congratulations Your Skill Casting Blades from Insatiable Grievances has grown to Level 941

His heart beat with a reassuring cadence in his chest animating the rest of his body The small Nether organ within SulfurÆs new form improved with each passing minute gradually becoming more sophisticated in its treatment of the energy His limbs were flush with the essence of memory and connection adding Weight to his every gesture When he moved ghosts of spectral flames danced in his wake

While the Grey Creature continued to move through its transformation the other two images learned to channel his massive emotional sea through their shapes In the process their specificity and detail increased by leaps and bounds He felt like he still fell slightly short of the images of the truly great individuals but not so much that they could overwhelm him any longer Randidly barred his teeth happy with how powerful he had become

Stomping his foot Randidly blasted away the storm of force that churned around him For several seconds he stood and panted looking up and around at the world he had created of Nether and possibilities The threads of energy made themselves visible in his eyes woven together to form a veritable womb for the new Grey Creature to be born

Congratulations Your Skill Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae has grown to Level 1132

His two weeks of training had sharpened his edge Yet Randidly scrunched his brow looking up at the Grey Creature Swelling clouds of grey smoke rapidly grew and then faded away without leaving any substantial form behind You canÆt quite see the whole of you yet huh We still have a bit more time but we are cutting it close

Unsure of whether he could afford to linger here Randidly allowed his senses to seep out through the dome and inspect the broader memory He touched upon NeveahÆs mind and suddenly a flood of information poured into him Even as he observed the memory of the Nether force flowing past his position he saw DevickÆs forced smile as she departed Not once did she pause to look over at the dome pride kept her head held high as she stalked away to join the war

Randidly sighed but pushed that to the side Neveah had provided her a Class and Lucretia had taken her through basic training to rapidly raise her Skill Levels He had already provided a connection of Aether allowing Devick to push her way through different Paths while she just played Hobfootie With these advantages she should be fine

As long as she didnÆt run directly toward the most dangerous area she would be fine Which Randidly reflected seemed exactly what she had done

IÆm not going to try to protect her from herself Randidly reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose Besides to her the events in the memory are her entire world This war will shape the entire future of the Nexus with its violence In retrospect it might even be more surprising if she hadnÆt gone off to fight

Randidly felt a sliver of bitterness in his chest that she had left without saying anything Yet on the heels of that he felt like a fool how would she have contacted him with his awareness isolated within the dome

Neveah looked up in surprise when he emerged standing up from her wrought iron table inside of a gazebo YouÆve finished

Not yet Randidly shook his head His emerald eyes were bright piercing South A slow fury stirred in him a snake waking up after a long hibernation The Grey Creature whispered promises of violence even as a half formed idea But an old friend revealed himself And IÆm not going to let him go this time