LoRG 5

When the hawk humanoid tried to shut the tunnel a few key individuals counteracted her decision The Nether Lattice wavered Its power remained open to him and Don Beigon did not stand on ceremony

He pulled and pulled dumping out all the significance they possessed

Raymund Ballast kept his back straight and his chin lifted In his body he denied any presence of exhaustion Report

A group of six five standing and one sitting tense individuals gathered in the makeshift command tent they had erected at the edges of the ghastly plains in which they found themselves They had just broken through the encirclement not once but twice to give the Vulpis Squad a picture of how bad their situation had really become

Hieffal sniffed and looked at her Perhaps it was the pain or the slow collapse of his image but there was an icy certainty at the center of the previously jovial man Speak for yourself But more than our individual power we are acting as Nether overflow stabilizers for the Ghosthound while we are in this separate temporal flow Cannot you feel it Fiero isnt stupid So long as we exist out here the shift in Randidlys core is being accelerated Yes restraining Pines arrival is important but that doesnt solve the problem of Randidly kicking him off the throne So I say we are missing something Before we run we need to find it

We dont have the personnel to send another scouting expedition Everyone is too exhausted Clamman shook his head

I believe Heiffal suggests a full mobilization Raymund said slowly

Of course Charlottes gaze grew alarmed Thats impossible In your condition

Ive survived this long havent I Besides Ive absorbed more Nether than the rest of you It should hold me together long enough to see this through Heiffal looked around at the group his eyes chips of ice Look at our situation We wont get out of this without paying a price Better I pay it than some of you with real potential

Sir Edgar interrupted with a sharp step forward Your potential

Heiffal waved his hand in dismissal My significance grows quickly but thats just because my image is almost completely gone My potential is nothing significant

If we get you back to the Alpha Cosmos Charlotte began but Heiffal silenced her with a look

Into that heavy silence Raymund sighed His own instincts twitched He wondered how Techetadore recuperating in the Alpha Cosmos I trust Heiffals instincts We cannot allow ourselves to be dead weight for the Ghosthound The group will move tomorrow Vant take over from Jieu he will need time to bank his fire before we proceed Charlotte assist him At the half shift mark proceed to the injured quarters I hate to ask this of you but we need

Ill beggar myself to get them back on their feet Charlotte bowed As Hieffal has said I think the Nether Ive accumulated can keep me going even when my image has been drained to its last drop

Raymund watched them go Clamman went as well to take his own much needed rest Raymund knew the Canines pride was hurt he wasnt given an extra task in the interim but he acknowledged his own limits

If we possessed lassitude and opportunity we would all grow rapidly away from this killing field Raymund thought sadly But our opportunities might have run out

Meanwhile Edgar stepped tentatively up to Heiffals side Might look a bit grim now but look on the bright side at least its your left arm thats deteriorated When we make it back to the Alpha Cosmos return to Kharon your right arm bowling form wont have suffered Youll be able to show Commissioner Arrietti a flawless game

Keh Heiffal turned sideways for a brief second Then he smirked at Edgar Ive actually been thinking about that bastard quite a bit Yea definitely when this is all over lets go back and see how good that human has become No one respects perfection as much as he does

Edgar bowed and left

When he was gone Heiffal began to weep Silently but openly

After a few minutes of standing vigil Raymund released a breath and said the line he had been practicing for several weeks I could borrow a portion of your injuries you know Perhaps a brief respite would allow you to

We both know it would only hamstring you at the most important time Heiffal sniffed damming his tears He leaned sideways and spat then looked at Raymund with clear eyes No your talents are better spent elsewhere I have a different request How much can you repeatedly use your powers Compounding the borrowing The way my significance accumulates when it is spent it comes back faster So if you were to borrow the significance in my body allow more to accumulate then borrow more Would such a process be possible

It is possible But not advisable When such significance is returned Raymund paused He suddenly understood His gaze toward Heiffal sharpened Why

The certainty and resolve in Heiffals eyes felt like facing a deluge of glacier runoff Just insurance

Chapter 2393

Randidly looked at the barriers of time that had been built around this battlefield He felt the subtle flows tugging at his wrists and ankles the net had ensnared him deep enough that he would need to tear through a few temporal beats in order to escape His expression turned harsh both for Fiero for managing this and for himself for missing this areas construction He needed to be better than this

Are you willing to capitulate Fiero asked The question sounded like a taunt Randidly made a promise to himself that he would really pause and savor the next time he drove his fist through the ancient Vulpines jaw

A thousand considerations glittered in his awareness A thousand worries a thousand solutions The Alchemist in his chest narrowed his eyes

Randidly considered taking a step back that Path would put less strain on his isolated subordinates But he also knew he would be surrendering the initiative he had grasped through his fights thus far The Alchemist in him had been carefully considering the miracle ingredients he could manipulate but suddenly he would shift into a new role Randidly rubbed his thumb along Acris carved handle

Time and time again Fiero had proven he couldnt be trusted His whole kingdom was built upon a foundation of pilfering and repurposing Randidly did not wish to show his back to such an individual

Through his Nether and Aether connections Randidly felt the compressed struggles of the Vulpis Squad With his attention he saw the lines that had severed Their suffering sizzled through and made his hackles rise Randidly gritted his teeth His heart burned to not simply rip his way through to assist them but Fiero wouldnt have come here without a plan in place

He had clambored to this point by relying on others He should not falter now

Advance the Dread Homunculus whispered to him in a voice that was both mournful and anticipatory

If Randidly had to bet on his chances of escaping the prepared traps for the two traps laid before him he unfortunately had a lot more confidence in his fighting his way through the direct ambush He spun Acri and then aimed the point at the withered chest of his foe Randidly Ghosthound stood tall and did not capitulate

Your people will die Fiero spoke while eyeing the gleaming blade

Randidly released a long breath He felt like taking an hour break to cry mourning the fact Lyra had believed she had no avenues forward but to become a restraint upon the danger that a Devick had become with a Deviation Rarity Skill He wished he could sleep for a year for all the lives extinguished a few more sparks of fuel cast into that maw that was his own drive I wish I could save my people from all dangers But I cant I can just give them every opportunity to succeed

Fiero snorted What a peculiar methodology But fine this time I am ready for your insurgency The Seventh Fist Pinnacles Shibboleth

Fieros tails blazed with power cracking and smashing the ground beneath his feet with the pressure of his image activation From his body emerged a note of imitation a near perfect replication of the resonance that had earned him and Elhume a full moment at the Pinnacle It contained the hint of truth and the potency of a vessel The air quaked and seethed A tail turned fist sailed in Randidlys direction a blow that was proof of the heights Fiero had reached

He felt curiously numb struck with a sense of detachment and deja vu His eyes were wide and suddenly he saw

Congratulations Your Skill Emerald Eyes and Dove Whispers Certify the Objective has grown to Level 1559

Congratulations Your Skill Truth Within the Primordial Flux has grown to Level 1101

Very quickly Randidly had three almost irrelevant thoughts as he witnessed the patterns thrown in his face during these fights The first thought was almost inarticulate a blaze of emotional intensity that seared through his body It burned from his wrists and calves following the charred and incendiary remnants of his grief until it slammed into his emotional sea full of heat and intensity

The second thought was an acknowledgement of emotional exhaustion His fury shot out into his emotional sea and vanished within the wide expanse The breadth of the emotion Randidly had spent over the last hour lingered like a suffocating storm front and extinguished any new sparks with just the ghost of its presence He stood on the balls of his feet with Acri raised And he felt totally anchored in place by the gulf inside of his heart His people needed him He was also needed elsewhere

Erebuss Baleful Waltz Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs Singularity Engulfs the Finite

Congratulations Your Skill Singularity Engulfs the Finite has grown to Level 631

Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has grown to Level 1051

Congratulations Your Skill Singularity Engulfs the Finite has grown to Level 744

Randidly who had found this new point of emotional zen swung his spear A thousand screaming revenants flickered into existence and imitated his movement He manipulated their spears until they had woven themselves into a tapestry of resentment and resistance They met the descending crush of fists directly ghastly spearhead gleaming

A second powerful woven strike followed the first then a third then a fourth on and on as the fists refused to cease their arrival Randidly stood at the head of an army of bitter ghosts and fought against the font of bitterness and greed in the Nexus Halfway through the repeated concussive impacts he sucked in a breath and the army of the damned moved inside of him as a vessel he could house them

All at once the multitudes became a single figure standing against a sky full of fists

He became an avatar of the Nexuss forgotten and used He burned with ghastly strength Acri and Sulfur moving tirelessly Each strike shattered a Timeless fist He carved a path through the descending obliteration carrying an abused universes exhaustion on his back

And then the sky cleared Randidly stood for several seconds panting his chest rising and falling slowly to the rotation of his Nether Core The skin of his chest and arms tingled the prickling resentment of the ghosts lingering inside of him But the feeling wasnt wholly unpleasant even as his emotional sea began to slowly fill back up

Yet when the dust of blasted stone parted Fiero stood with his arms crossed and a sneer on his face The temporal shackles on Randidly tightened You have made a mistake making an enemy of me You may consider my time in the Nexus to have been wasted but believe me you just have not seen the eventualities I have been prepping for

On cue the sky filled with another wave of fists As they rumbled down he could sense another wave forming behind the first Then another then another A thunderstorm had appeared and its drops were fists with the power to level a city

Randidly felt a stirring of recognition as he heard the words watched the fake expression on Fieros face this was not his strongest blow For whatever reason whether to delay him or to test him Fiero wasnt attacking full force

A mistake Randidly showed his teeth This isnt enough to slow me down

Yggdrasil shivered housed inside the vessel of the filling emotional sea As Randidly planted his feet and charged forward without even a glance up at the descending Timeless fists it sank its roots into the emotions Its branches stretched up and up filling the wide vessel of the emotional seed

In the depths of the Alpha Cosmos while under assault from all the subconscious demons plaguing Randidly Devick accepted the sixth and final ritual offering from Enmya His Phaea to the Alpha Cosmos was complete it took a moment of stillness as the new path was recognized but then Nether surged and roared through the connection

The triangle had been completed His Nether Core rotated perfectly the mist dissipating in a second In the middle of a crystalline grey bubble was a gleaming emerald teardrop Its flawless facets caught the light reflecting different shades of green moss mint seafoam fresh grass sage chartreuse and olive

Just as quickly as the emotion began to return to Randidlys metaphysical vessel Nether began pumping and mixing freely His images and Nether Core hummed as they mixed at this stage the two energies were so interrelated there was no rejection Yet the Weight within the Nether pressured Randidlys Aether to the point that at the bottom of the emotional sea his Aether began to turn liquid

Chapter 2394

The powerful fist with the hint of a Pinnacles truth slid toward him His Nether Core shivered in response

The third thought was a weird moment of connection and clarity around where he might accumulate power The more he learned about the Pinnacle the more he learned that the power came not from the truth not in the long term but from the vessel His emotional sea the burning intensity that animated his attacks most of the time had been spent through repeated clashes at the height of his potential

But the bowl that contained all those emotions remained vast and hollow inside his consciousness He had already intuited the way his body physically became more due to the presence of the Alpha Cosmos but this was different He Randidly Ghosthound notoriously poor at handling his feelings could now contain an emotional multitudes

That too could be a weapon He raised the bowl and its hollow ghost

Randidly released a breath His Nether Core spun faster and faster pulling significance into a whirlpool around his body He executed a thrust his whole existence becoming part of the movement The frame of his emotional sea became the weight behind the blow blending seamlessly with his muscle and Nether

Acri cracked open Fieros stolen Seventh Fist and buried its head deep in the ancient Vulpines chest

Fiero snarled down at the wound You insolent wretch

A wave of Fieros image a grasping hand scrabbled against Randidlys attack The ancient monster of the Nexus sought purchase to pry away the image that had been wielded against him

The Dread Homunculus cackled

Because Randidly hadnt wielded an image against this old bastard He had simply relied on the vessel he had become And Fieros grip wasnt enough to hold him He wretched Acri sideways twisting the spearhead and deepening the wound He left Fiero groaning as he pulled out his weapon and twisted his left arm backward A pulse of pure glee came from his Nether Core From within the depths of the mist a gem began to sparkle

Randidly threw a left hook with all of his accumulation in the System behind it When he felt the jaw of Fiero crack he grinned wolfishly The ancient monsters body bounced its way through a collapsed tower

He fucking savored the moment of impact No matter what else could be said of him Randidly Ghosthound made good on his promises

Just as Randidly was about to pounce and followed up with more blows channeling this existence as a vessel into every movement Fiero waved his hand The sky above them suddenly bristled as Timeless fists phased into existence through the temporal barriers Not just a machine guns worth but millions a horrible invasion of fists

They werent even homing in on Randidlys position They descended in a wave smashing and obliterating the collapsed stone buildings that littered the ground Like a cement roller they ground closer

Randidly looked up at the sky and flexed his hands his exhaustion became armor allowing him to adjust without feeling His pupils dilated as he estimated the new threat His Nether Core continued to accelerate its spin the misty barrier steadily dissipating He felt immense So so drained but that just added to his sense of weight

He heard the roar of blood in his ears He raised his spear He sent a pulse through his left arm Ready you two

Name doesnt even make sense though Obviously it wasnt the first universe DiOrtho muttered but his commentary earned a sharp look from Raymund and a growl from Vizzeret The demon humanoid raised his hands and clenched his fists

While the two animals snapped at each other Alana continued walking forward Charlotte watched the easy fluidity of her movements It was difficult to believe how much of a burnt out husk Alana had seen only ten hours ago her image pushed too far for too long Even with her Primal Force assisting in the healing process Charlotte had believed a full recovery would have been impossible

But the Nether they accumulated acting as the overflow for Randidlys transformation synergized and behaved in ways that Charlotte still couldnt quite follow Although Alanas image had been completely broken down by overuse Nether had lined her inner world and protected it from scars Now that blemish free zone became a fertile bed to allow Alanas image which was proceeding through its own transition to rebuild itself from the ground up in a new shape

Alana spun on her heel and looked at them all We knew theoretically of the burden of supporting Randidly Ghosthound as he sought to dismantle the horrors of the Nexus We chose to follow him anyway And now the load is firmly upon our shoulders We bear wounds inflicted as those hooks and chains are removed from our bodies We bury those who paid for the freedom of their descendants with their lives For a moment lets bow our heads and pay our respects

The soldiers all bowed their heads for a moment standing next to the thirty four evenly made graves They said thank you

They said goodbye

Charlotte Wick felt the pulse of their Nether shivering as one The bonds between the squad members deepened Just as her senses tried to pick apart what exactly had shifted Alana raised her head and began to speak again It might feel unbearable now but do not lose hope I knew a woman whose people were a forged tool Her entire race was a reflection made to shatter or temper a real people In the end they did not matter They were dominated and manipulated by a tyrant pulled sideways by an obsession that had festered into madness

Yet this woman had a singular advantage Against all odds she had been born a Witch

Again the Nether of the group pulsed Charlotte released a slow breath feeling some of her tension bleed out of her All of the soldiers focused on the soldier as one of Alanas new Skills took effect

To be a Witch is to possess profane flesh To be an existence that transgresses That warps and taints the world Yet she was just a single witch and the whole world had been set on a collision course The reflection and the originals could only clash and grind each other to dust On some days she could not think of any method of adjusting this situation without being caught up between the two forces All that she held dear and this intriguing other version of her people were doomed She struggled but could only accomplish small feats Her small power of transgression was just within her blood and flesh And she could feel the fate of the entire world running out

She suffered Her people suffered Death crouched low over her world and breathed deeply savoring their pain

Edgar the soldier who had taken it upon himself to fashion a backpack that contained Heiffals still functioning torso let out a loud sniff Every from here Charlotte Wick could see how hard DiOrtho Vant clenched his teeth

She wondered what sort of expression she was making She suppressed the urge to reach up and feel her furry cheeks to find out

No hero arrived on this world at least not yet But the Witch had suffered in silence for long enough Because her power was so tied to the flesh she began experimenting on her own body pushing her limits in order to find some way to escape this constant hell of struggle and violence Her power proved to be just just insufficient to overturn the controls placed upon her The bindings stopped her just short of being able to escape the whims of the tyrant So she found the closest replacement for the hero who had not arrived a talented young warrior from the opposite people One who provided her with a spark of inspiration She altered her body composition to make procreation possible

When the two had a son she named him Shal Because through him she swore to herself the world shall end One way or the other And when that promised time came and everything that restrictive monster had built came crashing down it was fucking karma that tore the edifice to pieces Karma and one woman who endured through the hopeless days to the first stirrings of an opportunity Alana luminous eyes swept around the area She paused on each and every soldier met their eyes fed into the fire housed within them

When her mouth opened her smile bristled with fangs This Nexus lets go end it shall we

The volume of Nether pumping through him just kept increasing

Randidly Ghosthound felt energy burning its way through his veins The feeling was almost nostalgic few experiences these days were able to make his body feel so woefully insufficient as a container Yet when the dense translucent Nether swirled through his core tempering his veins and then Aether flooded through compressed down to a liquid trickle

Waves of heat rolled off his body as the rain of fists continued to fall down toward Randidly Opposite him Fieros eyes narrowed as the energy Randidly released shifted You what are you trying to do

Im trying a different Path Randidly took another step forward the ground shaking and shivering in his Soulspace the distortions were even more prominent His chest cavity felt aflame Nether and Aether circled faster and faster two concentric rings rotating in opposite directions waves of powerful force spreading out through him

The friction threw off sparks powerful enough to burn holes through most images

Yggdrasil hummed in pleasure as it spread out its roots and dipped into the liquid flows of energy now running through his body As Randidly accepted the concept of a vessel the possibility for what his body could be multiplied The connection between tree and energy was immediate and fulfilling In a very real way the World Tree seeded itself inside of him The roots flexed and grew The bonds deepened It sank deeper pushing into him It drank more from the well of endless energy dawning within him

Those sparks from energy circulation landed upon Yggdrasils branches glittering like primordial gems

Randidlys power surged and seethed Image and vessel were both enriched by the connection

Synchronicity detected your Skillset Yggdrasil the Universe that Was First a Tree is reacting

Detecting influences

Incorporating foreign elements

Balancing the Nether infusion

Setting up parameters of Nether integration

Randidly raised his spear his eyes flashing as he sensed the approach of the image evolution of his oldest and most reliable Skillset He offered Fiero a hunters smile You will regret holding back to this point

Fiero seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time He shifted his stance as quickly as he could His balance remained slightly off but no longer did he just populate the sky with Timeless fists he had stockpiled He threw a punch

The Eighth Fist Truth

Chapter 2395

Alana Donal led the charge toward the central defensive position within the barren sea bed the entire Vulpis Squad practically ghosting across the ground due to the lingering effects of her Second Parable A Determined Witch Alana still felt drained both because of the amount of powerful individuals she affected with her Parable and also with the effort of creating the Parable

As she charged headlong directly into the powerful temporal distortions she reflected on what she could have done differently

She had some thoughts about how she could perfect the story her image could use some honing in its execution However a door had opened in her heart She didnÆt just need to follow Randidly Ghosthound She could observe all of the Legend he had created

There were so many stories from his crusade that were worth telling but had been sidelined as he dominated the discourse But through the budding Nether Core in her chest she knew the other stories were just as important to what the Alpha Cosmos would become in the future She could spread these other more modest tales so that when the people of the Alpha Cosmos thought about the long shadow cast by Randidly Ghosthound they didnÆt miss the thousands of individuals enabling him to take swings at the Pinnacle

People like me AlanaÆs heart fluttered It was too vulnerable to say out loud but it animated her entire existence It was a painful pleasure an acknowledgment she had denied herself for too long People like me matter He couldnÆt have done this without us

Not that she had ever believed she was worthless but she definitely hadnÆt felt like enough Her Parables finally nudged her obsessive discipline to the side and offered her some grace

An echoing bark came from the front of the group Vizzeret Clamman had spotted the first line of defenders The shade of the witch hovering over all of their shoulders hissed and spat out her animosity The opportunity had arrived and all their movements sharpened The formation tightened as Vulpine husks ripped their way up out of the ground and glared at the approaching offensive In the sky above them the density of temporal distortions had reached the point a vortex spun in the air

Those temporal waves tugged at them but the presence of Nether in their chests kept the group safely anchored in place

Vulpis Squad Raymund Ballast bellowed out in his clipped tone But then he loosed a low growl Even Alana felt herself shivering in response to the raw noise Their collected leader had lost his temper with the determined witch riding him Cut them down We do not slow

The Squad roared back its approval Alana felt her steps quickening She became a blur bounding through the formation until she stood at the head of the column Her body was so so tired But she felt the warm presence of her Nether Core grounding her She pulled from its strength

The First Parable A Hopeless Soldier

She felt HeiffalÆs frustrations his fear his acknowledgment of his approaching death And then she felt him push those feelings aside for now and use his body to advance his cause his soul alight with the belief that he did the right thing

She burned with the belief that her actions here mattered And if she just pushed a little harder she could matter a little more

Three husks hissed at her and took steps forward Their remnant and jagged images slashed through the air to shred her Alana Donal released a breath She was a human fighting at the edge of a strange world She was a hundred stories tied together in a single body

Alana sidestepped the first blow leaned sideways and deflected the second then channeled all her Nether and belief into her spear to shatter the third The witch dug her claws more deeply into her torso urging her forward

She felt a muscle in her shoulder tear but she broke through and her spear ripped out the throats of these three defenders When they collapsed the Vulpis Squad swept her up with their momentum and carried her further deeper into the central perimeter Their uniform steps were almost contagious so soon she was back to loping in the middle of the group A ringing alarm began to blare the familiar whirring of the porcelain dolls filled the air as their light bodies floated up into the sky The temporal distortion crackled

The next line of defense please allow me

Alana glanced sideways at Charlotte Wick who had come to gallop beside her with her long legs The ghost of the witch over WickÆs shoulder possessed a particularly vivid lavender color The WitchÆs long fingers had sunk into CharlotteÆs back And the light in the bear womanÆs eyes

Alana nodded slowly and ceded her core position Ballast noticed but made no comment as the Squad surged forward Parables functioned differently than her Revelations On the one hand they took a great deal more energy and lasted longer And while they were currently weaker than the Revelations that would soon change with time But the real advantage was in how they functioned

She thought about all her images in terms of light Revelations were Alana acting as a medium catching the radiance thrown off by Randidly Ghosthound A blank canvas to a projector screen Powerful and direct they had provided her with potent force as she had honed her image But with Revelations the flow of light was the same but Alana now styled herself as a prism The pure power refracted through her different versions reaching different audiences

Alana kept her eyes on CharlotteÆs back the haze of lavender determination hovering around her Perhaps today we will get to see what it means to be the Knight of the Ghosthound

With a screech the porcelain dolls descended toward the group their torsos whirring

Charlotte Wick roared and gestured The dead ground beneath their feet came alive in answer

Randidly continued to glide forward in his attack his rapid evolution making his own movements feel slow by comparison The clash between the changing Yggdrasil and FieroÆs Truth moved toward their confrontation Nether flowed rapidly upward through the World Tree and congregated in the canopy rapidly darkening one particular section into a cage of shadow and thorn

Yet in the middle of those restrictions grew an entirely obsidian apple Its skin glistened

RandidlyÆs lips slid back from his teeth The Alchemist in him rubbed his hands together at a well made trap Now time to do a little bit of cleaning up Did you really think I would miss your lingering touch Devick

More and more significance and potential congregated along the dense vein of Nether running up through the World Tree Yggdrasil shivered with its presence especially around the dense and unshaped node of energy that served as an endpoint The obsidian apple grew and grew so much raw power fed into it For a long moment there was no movement But then he heard the echo of a mad cackle From a hundred small flaws in RandidlyÆs Aether and Nether little rust colored serpents swam out and couldnÆt resist biting into the power

They all dove straight for the apple Fang after spectral fang pierced through the skin and drank the sweet juice

Randidly smirked His Nether Core accelerated its rotations the gleaming gem at his core growing slightly larger For now he had been able to simply ignore the consequences of grappling directly against DevickÆs image but he couldnÆt allow that to last forever The individual herself had been neutralized but that didnÆt mean the horror she unleashed would behave long term

Unless it was tempted and harnessed The Alchemist snapped his fingers Nether Rituals came to life all along the Nether touched portion of YggdrasilÆs trunk All those small details spun together and snapped into place at the core binding in the canopy

DevickÆs lingering corruption felt his trap close around it and shivered in something like pleasure

Congratulations Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins has evolved into Insatiable Deviation Promises Doom (DD) Skill Levels will be maintained

Congratulations You have incorporated a Second Deviation Rarity into your Skills MuseÆs Reverie +1

IÆll consume you The horror waiting in the branches of the World Tree whispered It tried to move but the thorns of the Nether pathway bound it in place its rage shook the leaves adding an aggressive note to the rustling All along the thick Nether vein running up through Yggdrasil her madness flourished Bright purple and orange flowers bulbed and bloomed and began rotting in rapid succession Compared to the trunk lined with history and stories that stretch became a symbol of overindulgence of self destructive excess

Someday Randidly agreed easily Her aggression became a part of him Or rather it was always a part of him He accepted it and gave it its place within him and his image and suddenly he felt a whole new surge of power running through him His eyes went to Fiero But not yet

Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has evolved into Genesis Opens a Thousand Doors and Baptizes All Comers Skill Level will be maintained

RandidlyÆs spear lashed forward carrying with it the power of his vessel the howling prophecies of DevickÆs madness the accumulation of significance that began when he first learned the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil almost thirty years ago No Skill was more instrumental to his growth no aspect of him was more honed than this

When the attacks met the ground beneath their feet vanished entirely obliterated The clouds vanished driven by fear and self preservation toward the edges of the horizon Spatial tears danced around their bodies The secondary shockwave arrived the ground further away seething and fracturing due to the force of the meeting

Slowly however Randidly pushed Acri forward Within his chest he felt three notes all perfecting themselves the Pinnacle his own variant GhosthoundÆs Deviation and now even DevickÆs Deviation His Soulspace sang as he kept himself just back from reaching the Pinnacle slowly perfecting his truth Randidly Ghosthound leaned back and laughed

Their clash involved powers he at one point couldnÆt fathom Against a being who had simply glanced at him and shattered his Class And now

Now YggdrasilÆs roots drank down FieroÆs power like a child trying soda for the first time

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Sips From Every Realm has become the World Tree Guzzles Even Truth Skill Level will be maintained

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Guzzles Even Truth has grown to Level 1125

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Guzzles Even Truth has grown to Level 1299

Chapter 2396

With the shimmer of temporal distortions above them Charlotte Wick acted as the cutting edge of the Vulpis SquadÆs blitzkrieg into the defensive array Her spine burned animating her entire form into violence She pivoted with grace and wielded huge mallets of force Her image surged in response the ground shaking out its vindictive support

And she fucking enjoyed smashing the porcelain dolls to pieces Her paws lashed left and right each blow containing the force of an earthquake She felt powerful she felt like an incarnation of violence with bits of porcelain fracturing and spitting away from every one of her attacks Perhaps for the first time with the Vulpis Squad surging behind her she truly felt like she deserved the title of Knight of the Ghosthound

That feeling took root in her Nether Charlotte Wick felt a small pop as a Nether Core condensed inside of her and began to rapidly rotate She breathed in a whole new version of herself animating and inflating with the energy she pulled through her limbs

Brace Raymund bellowed out from behind her as almost two hundred porcelain dolls floated up and rolled in front of their advance with gleaming crystal apertures Light snaked across their individual bodies and then crackled form one body to another until a massive collective weapon hovered over the group

Charlotte crooked a finger and the ground rumbled its amusement at their petty resistance The other images of the Vulpis Squad became a buoy around her own granting her strength They cleared out the environment so her image could shine Even now Charlotte felt her skin tingling with the Parable that Alana had given her

Upon Dirt A Mortal Quells the Sky Charlotte planted her feet She brought her two paws together and interlaced her claws She raised her hands above her head

When she hammered the intricate offensive array of the porcelain dolls sputtered and failed And then the porcelain defenders tinkled into a million glittering pieces as the secondary wave of pressure blasted them apart Charlotte Wick leaned back and bellowed out a cry of triumph even as she heard from behind a soft gasp from Alana A split second later CharlotteÆs instincts caught up with the sudden threat she folded waves of natural force into an impromptu armor twisting around

She wasnÆt going to make it

Images clashed and Charlotte felt her fur standing on end She finished her rotation bitter and chagrined By the time she had been ready to respond to the threat another half familiar figure had interceded between her and the assailant Pullas one of the two irregulars who Randidly had left with the Vulpis Squad looked at the ambusher with disdain Xershi what the fuck are you doing here And why are you attacking us

This side just seemed like more fun A slinky metallic liger humanoid gave Charlotte an extremely pointed glance one full of promises of death The bearwoman bit her lip wondering how well she would have fared if Pullas hadnÆt been there Then he unwillingly turned back to face the woman in front of him Besides my creator fights to save our universe After recanting his earlier statements

That fuck approached you again peddling lies HeÆs using you Xershi Pullas said quietly

Xershi fleshed his clawed hands IÆm not being used This side will give me the chance to clash against the Ghosthound and our rivalry

Charlotte couldnÆt suppress a snort at that Seems like you havenÆt seen Randidly lately if you think a grub like you stands a chance

You The liger pounced forward Pullas intervened again a dense aura of death emanating from her body Even CharlotteÆs Primal Ground recoiled somewhat unwilling to pass so closely by her genial death Xershi hissed as their images clashed After a prolonged moment of contact the liger hopped backward and opened up some distance

Raymund Ballast appeared at CharlotteÆs side giving her a light touch on the shoulder Then he looked at Pullas You will handle this impediment

Gladly ItÆs my responsibility as he was part of our Ascension Pact Pullas nodded Xershi started gnashing his teeth and swearing but the leader of the Vulpis Squad was done with his antics The Vulpine raised a claw and snapped his fingers Suddenly XershiÆs rapid mouth movements were totally inert his voice had been stolen

Raymund looked at Charlotte Several more large groupings of porcelain dolls floated up from the ground sending bolts of crackling energy smashing into the sides of the stalled out column Continue to lead the charge If we are to break through to the core area we cannot lose ourselves here for too long Th e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n( )co/m

Which was a relief he would rather save his reversal of fortune for later aimed at threats they would meet upon the Path of the Pinnacle From what he had heard about the trials installed there by Elhume he would need all the strength he could muster to actually proceed to that high summit of harmonious image tuning

The Don believed he cut a very dashing figure rolling his bamboo wheel chair through the portal while the group fell into formation behind him There was a horrible lurching sensation that shook up his organs and then the Don steppedÆ onto this harrowing Path With trepidation in his heart he looked around

The Path was a literal one A grey cobblestone thoroughfare cut with godlike precision rolled forward up and up and up However the true magic of this place lay beyond the edges of the five meter wide road

Because past the edge of the pathway cosmic tapestries of rainbow radiances glittered in the distance They moved in a place of spinning nebulas and glittering light Small luminous orbs hung haphazardly in space around them so as they walked they seemed to be in a frozen snow globe or an interactive astronomy display In the background the rainbow colorations shifted slowly seafoam green undulating to indigo and then to royal purple before shifting toward the color of blood

Don Beigon understood this was a deliberately constructed place Elhume had created this Pathway originally for his own use then as an obvious trap for the greedy within the Nexus The Don had some private theories as to why the original purpose of the Path to the Pinnacle had been discarded but at the very least it served as the perfect venue for his vengeance

He would pretend to have bought into its magic until the last possible moment

It was a place of beauty and possibility And glittering in the distance sat an island shrouded in robinÆs egg blue mist Despite preparing himself mentally the Don still squeezed the arms of his chair as he looked Raw yearning rose up in his chest whispering about a different life he might have lived a life where his wife would be here at his side for this moment

With his very own eyes Don Beigon could see the Pinnacle

As the last few Nether Lattice lackeys were scurrying there the portal another rumble shook the threshold ElhumeÆs attack had landed and all of the DonÆs preparations crumbled One of the unfortunates cried out a note of pure fear and then the portal winked out of existence leaving three individuals stranded in the transitionary space

The moment when the pried open doorway closed was silent as their bodies were squished and crushed to naught An acceptable development because it weakened the Hawk humanoidÆs support

The Don Beigon looked around and measured the fear of the others He cleared his throat We cannot hesitate We need to move forward So long as he isnÆt following we have the chance to reach the Pinnacle unmolested

Almost immediately to counter his statement the air in front of the group flickered A specter manifested his ghostly lines solidifying before their eyes The humanoid swung his long glaive thunder crackling along its length Well met challenger Before you proceed on this Path to the Pinnacle you must

The ten soldiers the Don had brought leapt into formation Engravings glowed between their painstakingly wrought armor Then just as the specter seemed to recognize what was about to happen they cut from ten directions toward the specter The specter hissed and straightened bolts of lightning smashing down in the surrounding area He released a pure and powerful image

However within twenty seconds Don BeigonÆs elites had driven ten blades into his heart and caused the specter to fade from existence

You must face the specters alone to hone your image The Hawk humanoid protested weakly

The Don sneered Not only can we currently not afford to waste time but did you not examine the essence of its body That thing is almost a half Nether Prince hewn with the roughest and most caustic Nether Clashing directly with it will only weaken your image This whole Path was designed to tire you out no the foes we must face are the PathÆs guardians Follow me

Chapter 2397

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Guzzles Even Truth has grown to Level 1300

Randidly Ghosthound felt the shifts happening in his Soulspace like the most satisfying kind of back cracks finally releasing long forgotten tension A sense of peace began to spread through his whole being already tingling and lively from the newly refined energies rushing through his veins

His Nether Core spun a dribble more of liquid Aether pumping through him every second His images seethed and burned

Yggdrasil swelled and stretched with the abundant fuel The concentration point of DevickÆs Deviation in him howled out doom over and over again The canopy thickened and strengthened despite her threats The unruly strip of Yggdrasil bulged out with flowers so tall and eye catching it resembled a peacock tail The roots thickened Its thirst was finally sated as it could drink down the refined forms of Aether and Nether

Your Skillset Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree is evolving

In front of Randidly Fiero gritted his teeth and snarled Every time the Vulpine attempted to rev up his image Yggdrasil consumed it The roots pulled from existence and the fabric of the Nexus wore thin before its hunger Randidly clenched his will and focused on the area around his target He squeezed and squeezed thoroughly breaking down the defensive energy around Fiero Those infinite fists thrown outside of time and now crashing down around the two fighters were broken and shredded just from the physical distortions that warped the air around them

Devick as the devil within the World Tree howled and tore when her threats were ignored However her scrabbling fingers only ended up ripping through the power wielded by Fiero and it almost made Randidly smile His emotions his vessel his newly evolved Nether all of it surged together

Randidly kept suppressing the rising urgency of his own notes of Truth but they were becoming clarion songs Grinding against this foe was invaluable for his own preparations to reach the Pinnacle

They hung there struggling on either end of a crash course RandidlyÆs spear depleted of momentum now sawing as best as it could manage to cut through FieroÆs desperation and fury

And Yggdrasil continued to feed

Incorporating influences balancing images Skillset elements are shifting into alignment

The ground beneath them cracked but really it wasnÆt even the groundÆs fault because the entire world around them was cracking under the strain of simply existing near the collision RandidlyÆs skin began to flake and flare with bright tongues of grey flames as liquid Aether and clear Nether moved in incendiary concert within him Negative electric discharge skittered from their position like the legs of a dying spider

Randidly saw it in FieroÆs eyes the moment the Vulpine realized he was about to lose their grappling match And this time as YggdrasilÆs roots slithered closer the wound wouldnÆt be one the fake Elhume would be able to shrug off

Fiero pulled back with one hand and an incensed Actus Suprem avatar ravaged through the flaw in his defense Yet the Vulpine still persisted gesturing emphatically with his long and skeletally thin fingers Randidly felt the air shiver even through the densely layered distortions they already created

A cloak of darkness manifested briefly upon his shoulders humming with warning at the force moving now against him The flat mirror reflecting Nether connections inside of his body experienced a brief ripple of distaste before drawing a web of connections to restrict any interference

In the next moment Randidly felt the release of several time pulses out from FieroÆs body He barred his teeth even as the tyrant of the Nexus accelerated back away from him with a sudden burst of quickness Or rather than the Vulpine moving more quickly Randidly was simply locked in a temporal morass

The Alchemist licked his lips as he looked at the approaching dense flow of time

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Guzzles Even Truth has grown to Level 1309

Congratulations Your Skill DeviationÆs Inevitable Machinations has grown to Level 1811

Solomon snorted With a great effort he tore his attention away from Fiero and looked at Randidly I know we have not yet reached an actual agreement regarding the fallout but subduing Fiero now is most important We can work out the details later With these temporal distortions

Why do people today keep offering to help me with tasks IÆm managing on my own Randidly asked The corner of his mouth turned down The Alchemist whispered furiously to him we was still missing something

You are strong But Fiero is a beast When cornered he still has a few more tricks to throw at you Solomon Rex said He straightened authoritatively His plans are never the most efficient or the most transparent just the simplest DonÆt underestimate that

Fiero growled Bitterness poured out of him in a dense wave His note of truth which Randidly had thoroughly stomped out of the surrounding area with Yggdrasil began to rise again

And in that moment of decision Randidly received a message from Alana Donal

Ah He let out a long breath His emerald eyes brightened with the promise of violence So thatÆs how it is

Alana and the Vulpis Squad trudged through the melee their images restricted by Engravings blasts of temporal distortions scattering their tight fighting groups and waves of porcelain dolls unleashing pure blasts of energy on their flanks At this point the blood spattered across their armor could have been from anyone

Even with Charlotte Wick throwing around veritable tectonic plates they still stalled to a stop against the last line of the working’s defense Whatever secret they guarded they werenÆt making it easy to dig it out

Which makes me sure itÆs worth knowing Alana squeezed her weapon and forced the blade to sweep sideways and deflect a powerful blast of annihilation aimed at her chest She scraped her interior Soulspace and managed to come up with a handful of orange gold light She forced the feeble energy up through her spear and thought about the concept of sharpness

She remembered witnessing an effortless spear thrust from Helen when they briefly trained together A single blow within an unceasing flow that seemed wickedly sharp enough to make all the other strikes relevant

She felt her own exhaustion and how precariously she tiptoed along an abyss She felt the sharpness of the descent if she were to make a single misstep

Alana Donal cut Seventeen porcelain dolls sizzled and deactivated as the energy crescent thrown by her slash bisected them Yet in the next moment a new wave of porcelain dolls swarmed down as numerous as flies

Shit Alana muttered Her mind whirled as she tried to think of possible countermeasures Waves of images buffeted her back as Xershi and Pullas continued a vicious battle She could hear Raymund Ballast bellowing in the background trying to keep the rest of the squad together She could hear EdgarÆs labored breathing although she didnÆt hear even a small breath from Heiffal

Perhaps Alana began to panic but then an explosion from the far edge of the camp pulled her gaze

A new group of soldiers arrived bearing unfamiliar blue armor The hundred strong detachment smashed into the side of the porcelain formations distracting a sizable group and also managing to sabotage one of the major image suppression arrays Alana breathed a sigh of relief

At their head a woman with short blue grey hair stood with her arms folded EdraineÆs eyes flashed as she looked across at Raymund and offered him a solemn nod This might be going off the rails but that doesnÆt mean I donÆt want to be a part of dismantling this tower of shit Recover for a few minutes then breakthrough

Raymund saluted then started barking out new orders The Vulpis Squad hunkered down while EdraineÆs group carved a path through the backbone of the porcelain doll resistance Within a few minutes they destabilized the two other image suppression arrays while only suffering a few casualties

But the strength of the porcelain dolls was their replaceability and adaptability Already more image suppression arrays were under construction The sky still bristled with their stiff limbs But in those minutes the Vulpis Squad got a chance to breathe Their budding Nether Cores wove more significance through their limbs

Raymund looked at Alana Ready

She just grinned and raised her spear A whole cloak of orange gold fire sparkled across her shoulders

Chapter 2398

We are going to make it arenÆt we Heiffal Edgar panted as he did his best to stay in the tight formation of bodies Exhaustion squeezed in between the spaces between him and the other shoulders making him miss the easy fluidity he remembered from his training days

Yet that only made him grit his teeth and struggle harder Because if they failed now

His squad leader barked out a sharp order The extra burden on his back wasnÆt helping but Edgar shifted his weight in the squelching mud and unleashed a blast of annihilating energy over his head Several other squad members did other tasks each addressing a single issue to tackle the larger problem In the sky above the Order Ducis defended against a concentrated ray from the porcelain dolls

EdgarÆs knees trembled and sweat beaded across his face yet he remained standing The kinetic shockwave of the impact slapped him in the face Another sharp bark of orders from the squad leader and they were wading forward again

No matter how difficult it was to bear the weight Edgar knew he carried all their hopes on his back Heiffal had fallen silent since the worst of the fighting resumed but his hand remained tightly gripped on EdgarÆs bicep urging him forward

Brace for blast Vizzeret Clamman bellowed Edgar unleashed another annihilating pulse clearing out the glittering remnants of their previous image to make room for another This time Charlotte Wick filled the space of the entire Vulpis SquadÆs vacated images with a protective pulse The ground beneath their feet firmed Edgar took a step and could feel the dirt congregating beneath his feet A golden dome of light sprung into existence above them Energy filtered down relieving the smallest bit of the groupÆs fatigue

On the scale of the caloric and Willpower debt the soldiers had earned today the healing effect mattered not at all It was hard to even shut out the shouts and the constant whirring to check in with your own body

Each of EdgarÆs breaths felt like they lasted for an eternity Or he moved so frantically that he kept forgetting to breathe

Even with all of the small protections offered by CharlotteÆs image the impact almost toppled Edgar The Vulpis Squad wavered for a second and then Alana Donal howled upward shredding through the blast and opening a Path Ballast trumpeted out a charge order and the whole squad moved Edgar kept his head down watched where he set his feet and prepared his dwindling image reserves for the next challenge The chaos of the battlefield swirled around them like a drunken dream Even if they had a short time to break before this last charge he felt so so exhausted Edgar had to keep a constant cycle of his reasons for trying too hard on repeat in his mind to stay focused

He stepped forward as he imagined his bland childhood when he hadnÆt even felt like a real person just an observer floating around Getting called to the frontlines having a few sergeants who cared and guided him no matter how slow he was to learn Heading to the Alpha Cosmos because he hadnÆt known what else to do with himself

Witnessing a bowling match between Heiffal and Commissioner Arrietti an entire audience waiting with their breath held to gasp or groan depending on the outcome of each graceful throw And EdgarÆs eyes had been opened because finally he found an arena perhaps like soldiering where all that mattered was consistency

Around his right bicep HeiffalÆs tightening hand urging him forward with the last of his strength To continue to reliably serve

Edgar managed to put one foot in front of the other even while a broken porcelain doll crashed to the ground and splashed is side with mud His image sat in the recesses of his Soulspace just producing the cleansing destruction the group needed As the left hand supporter of his squad his own full image of a three faced brass idol saw very little daylight Instead Edgar simply blasted away other image fragments from the air so the Vulpis SquadÆs real heavy hitters could shine

IÆm consistent And that is plenty Edgar staggered forward when the rear supporter stumbled and needed to put a hand against his back in order not to fall Edgar turned his head slightly and offered the other soldier a smile of encouragement more of a grimace than anything else but the Squad Leader chose that moment to bark out words and he whipped back to face the front

EdgarÆs pupils dilated He saw Alana Donal frozen midair her body burning with gold orange flames massive wings spreading out from her helmet Next to her Charlotte Wick unleashed more and more of her Primal Force image But the ground in front of them exploded allowing a strange monstrous creature of warped metal and rapidly shifting sizes to rip its way out of the ground

The flesh of its quicksilver body undulated and pulsed the different limbs seeming to move independently of one another

Edgar unleashed his image as he had trained to do The Vulpis Squad moved as one striking a blow against this new monstrous foe that appeared in front of them the last defense But all those images sank into this beingÆs aura and faded or shifted or fractured Right behind this thingÆs back all those dense layers of temporal folds concentrated in a small ritual

The limbs continued to move and swirl After staring for a second as their attacks fell to nothing Edgar realized that the oozing and shiny flesh pulsed along with the ripples of time emerging from behind its back

The monster laughed as more slender tentacles slithered out from its core This is where this foolish crusade ceases It seems a shame to unleash this perfect form on you small fries but I have bound time through my limbs Unless you feel competent fighting me with all of the temporal versions of yourself from the beginning of my existence hehehe Well I wonder if any dares to step forward Come die

And in acknowledgment of the genuine threat posed by this strange being the Vulpis Squad had stalled to a halt The leaders stared forward watching the air warp around this thingÆs long metallic arms

They waited for only a moment Enough to take a breath Marginally EdgarÆs awareness steadied

full charge Raymund Ballast said quietly ending their brief reprieve His squad responded moving without considering the consequences They were a tool to help Randidly Ghosthound change the universe They were worthwhile because they consistently served a purpose

I Edgar cried for a second and then squeezed his eyes shut

He was a soldier he was consistent Heiffal might not have been there but Edgar knew this was exactly how he would have wanted it They had a missionù sentimentality couldnÆt be allowed to derail them

As Edgar stored the body in his interspatial ring he felt his image changing Previously his three faced brass idol had one main expression the forward facing visage of peace Slowly the left face had been shifting to one of wrath and annihilation due to his role in the Vulpis Squad And now the right face wept totally consumed in its grief

He felt long strands of Nether flowing into the newly transformed image sharpening its edges

Edgar released a shuddering breath When he opened his eyes his gaze had cleared The battle still raged behind him but by some crazy combination of miracles he had persisted through the barrier He walked up to the temporal ritual and examined it His eyes widened in horrified recognition

He realized the secret hidden in this place the one Heiffal had refused to depart without discovering

They arenÆt trying to slow the flow of time around the isolated pocket where Pine is kept Edgar immediately sent the message to Alana They are accelerating it

Randidly spun Acri as he felt the wicked vindictiveness settle across him Understanding finally cleared out all the extraneous thoughts in his mind As his Nether Core spun out thick energy the pure crystal ball and its emerald gem dripped out liquid Aether in the process

His wrath needed fuel And today he would break the world to remake it

He slowly shifted his Soulseed Spear to point the weapon at Solomon Rex Now when did the two of you start working together

Solomon stiffened Fiero released a cackling laugh

It canÆt have been the whole time otherwise well you were too obvious about it Or too lazy about pretending not to be cooperating Randidly reasoned his way through his thoughts his spear point never wavering The deal you offered me was a pittance it makes more sense you still wanted to use me as a stopgap to stabilize Pine but your main focus was on Fiero both because you wanted to recover your body and because the two of you would never agree on what to do about Pine And then Ah When I wounded Fiero in that first fight driving my spear into his flesh That was it wasnÆt it

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes glowed That was also the reason that he had so much time to settle his business with Devick The two of them had been negotiating For that bitter partnership what was one more handshake to remain atop the horrible pyramid they had built To monopolize a Pinnacle steeped in bitterness You realized the strength of this vesselÆ IÆve been building That maybe for the two of you who have so long feuded You could combine forces Eliminate an emerging third power while also buying the Nexus plenty of time to figure out how to proceed

When we speak of those who donÆt deserve what they have earned Fiero hissed The only one in the Nexus who rivals me is you Randidly Ghosthound You were anointed from your first blessed stumblings into the System Your elders and betters built the road on which you have walked It is time to pay us back for all the privilege you have enjoyed

Even your Alpha Cosmos will benefit Solomon began but at least he had the presence of mind to fall silent when RandidlyÆs smile widened

I think itÆs time to call your bluff Randidly said lightly Which of us needs the other more I wonder Which of us can handle more breaking

Because the current arrangement had been a bluff Randidly could see the fabric of the barrier that kept Pine isolated right in front of him but hadnÆt touched it But now he gave his Insatiable Deviation free reign The canopy of the World Tree shook

Congratulations Your Skill Insatiable Deviation Promises Doom (DD) has grown to Level 1293

Chains and rust and madness exploded out shredding through the temporal barrier Bits of darkness fluttered out like a murder of ravens taking flight before disintegrating into sludge that stunk of malice The DeviationÆs wild glee at opening this door was palpable

You fool Solomon said at the same moment FieroÆs jaw dropped

In the next moment Pine hung above them an inky black moon of oblivion looming too close for comfort crushing and grinding against their bodies with its desire to consume them all Even the Insatiable Deviation flinched

Chapter 2399

Randidly ripped through the temporal fabric and suddenly several separated timelines crashed together into a messy pile of forces His outside zone the middle borderland where the Vulpis Squad and Edraine had been fighting and also the area above ElhumeÆs body once more were brought into alignment

Gusts of wind blasted out from the sudden ‘imapcts’ but were smothered by an even more ominous presence

Pine manifested in the sky above Randidly opening like the mouth of a vengeful god to swallow them all And then on and on eating through the entire Nexus without ever experiencing satiation The dirt beneath their feet began to steadily vanish scrubbed from existence by the weight of PineÆs shadow

For a split second the people in the middle timeline withered underneath the pressure released by Pine Their images sputtered and shrank This brave group of soldiers had experienced extremely impressive Nether Core development but that just meant they werenÆt instantly gobbled from existence by that ominous mouth in the sky They shrunk and hunched their shoulders their life force stripped from their skin the emotion sucked out from their bodies by that vast absence that had once been a Shallah

The hanging conglomeration of Grand Fates left by Devick wavered uncertainly even their power suppressed by this being

Guided into place by a beacon of rage RandidlyÆs image snapped into existence and extended across them all He wore a cloak woven from a thousand nights he was a World Tree that stood up against the forces of the coming apocalypse he housed an event horizon of his own that released an intoxicating song of annihilation His eyes blazed as he looked up at the situation Pine and Solomon Rex had created

Congratulations Your Skill the Yyrflesh Vessel of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 1455

Congratulations Your Skill The Homunculi Pursues Perfection has grown to Level 1095

They primed Pine to the point he would arrive in the Nexus like a wrecking ball His once empty emotional sea was filled with choppy and thick waters that spun and spat Deep complex currents guided all that potency into destructive whirlpools RandidlyÆs eyebrows drew together They havenÆt been trying to prevent a problem since realizing they could make use of me they have been making the problem worse so I would have no choice but to help or all the people in the Nexus to die

And you thought I would just let this happen

RandidlyÆs protection didnÆt just cover his immediate subordinates below He stood between doom and the rest of the Nexus soaking up the brunt of PineÆs constant need to devour significance In a way Randidly did feel responsible he had liberated the worst and deepest danger from ElhumeÆs frozen body Yet after that point it was the machinations of these two blithe horrors that led to this situation Do the lives of these people really mean so little to you

Congratulations Your Skill Yyrflesh Vessel of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 1481

Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1120

Is this what you wanted SolomonÆs voice rose above the dull grinding of reality being stripped away in the presence of PineÆs corpse Mutually assured destruction Randidly Ghosthound

You believe you are so different from us Compared to the clarion release of SolomonÆs voice Fiero whispered But the words carried just as well due to his hissing voice And yet here you are dooming the Nexus in the same way we have Heh not only have you stolen the possibility from us but you are also walking the same Narrow Path to reach the top Your self righteousness didnÆt amount to much in the end

Randidly pressed his lips together More and more of his skin began to burn as he channeled so much of the need of Pine and endured it with his body His halo or protection channeled all the burden onto himself Yet this absence too was a sort of TruthÆ one of a corpse plucked clean by cosmic horrors and infected with their most destructive impulses

But exposure would refine his vessel And then

Due to Hierarchy of Burden +4 HomunculiÆs Engineered Perfection and Carrion DragonÆs Carapace per Level

Due to Visage of Obsession +10 Discretion of the Apostate Moirae +50 Mana per Level

Due to Codex Hexahedron +7 Grim Intuition +6 Chimeric Indifference +10 Stamina per Level

Due to Keystone of the First Ghasthund +8 Predictive Synapses +15 Grey MonarchÆs Authority

Congratulations You have reached Level 100 and unlocked the possibility of creating a Grand Fate

Grand Fates currently available to you Myth of the Alpha Cosmos is open to you Randidly Ghosthound Moirae Chimera is open to you Temporal Wanderer and Cultivator of Miracles is open to you Genesis and Cataclysm the Cycle of a World TreeÆs Seasons is open to you

The Vast and Fleeting Path of the Shallah will soon open to you

Devick sat on her butt looking up at the swirling vortex of energy they had helped to consolidate On either side of her Lowanna and Enmya were similarly splayed out with their limbs stretched wide Their exhausted pants were the only noise left in the destroyed valley

I cannot believe truly how can he contain such darkness Enmya huffed out his words

All living beings contain multitudes Enmya Do not underestimate the complexity of the soul Lowanna chided him Still she also seemed dazed by their recent experiences However the Ghosthound is uniquely animated by the presence of the Alpha Cosmos Even I well I did not expect this It is fascinating

Around them amongst the stretches of broken ground the fractured bodies of the zombie Randidlys lay like a thousand toys discarded by bored children after they broke from vigorous play Devick liked their haphazardly sticking limbs their vacant eyes It simultaneously filled her with a horrified thrill to be standing in a graveyard of his negative emotions Although she hadnÆt served the main role she had fought through his darkness and emerged unscaled

DevickÆs eyes slowly rose and looked at the result of their efforts The thick and dark energy of Nether smoothed and refined itself to the point it had become a translucent membrane of energy with a gleaming emerald core sitting in the center And at the center of the emerald core

It looks like an eye Devick whispered Enmya grimaced

Lowanna gave a slow nod and said Indeed And the balance isnÆt fully complete I would say it currently sits at about 95% it will still accelerate and stabilize further And when that happens Randidly GhosthoundÆs Hungry Eye will truly open He will stand on a new plateau of Nether accomplishment One not seen for ten thousand years

Chapter 2400

Don Beigon felt uneasy looking at the wreckage of the platform Beyond the smoking ground the glittering nebula continued to spin regardless of the mounting difficulties of the assent All the carefully streamlined transactions that should have led to his vengeance began to come up short

He needed an edge Badly

Fighting through the constant assault of the shades on the Path of the Pinnacle had been difficult but well within his expectations Despite the slightly wondrous and astral backdrop of the Path each specter reproduced here was a talented warrior that had an image potent enough to leave a lasting mark on the Nexus Despite that with superior numbers they forced their way forward without much difficulty

Until they arrived at the first of the real challenges the first of the three Guardians left on the Path of the Pinnacle by Elhume The three seals that prevented anyone in the history of the Nexus from reaching the summit of this Path

Their first opponent was a massive brontosaurus skeleton its solid image of history vitality resisting all their initial attacks Only after his personal warriors had started slowing and the Nether Lattice individuals became involved were they able to tear through the GuardianÆs defenses and crack open its resilient image And unfortunately not without a cost

Report Don Beigon rumbled already hating the amount of blood on the ground

The head of his elite soldiers bowed A thousand apologies sir One of our number died in the fight To our great shame three others bear significant injuries They will likely recover by the time we reach the next Guardian but for now our fighting strength is depleted by 25%

While the Don gritted his teeth the hawk humanoid added her thoughts No injuries here but if we must face any more opponents like this

You will not make it to the Pinnacle challengers

Despite their recent victory all of the present individuals twitched even Don Beigon twisted around in his bamboo seat toward the source of the noise Because the voice that spoke was the rumbling tones of the first Guardian There sitting in the shattered remnants of his thick bones the brontosaurus head sat propped up on a stone A thick crack ran through its forehead where the hawk humanoid had driven her pick but small red flames burned in its eyes as it considered them None make it to the Pinnacle no matter how many hopeless souls follow this Path

Stubborn bastard The hawk humanoid hissed and hefted her weapon up again IÆll make sure to end you entirely this time

But as she stepped forward the Don raised a hand and stopped her Suddenly he saw a method to balance some of the equations stalled out in his head Wait You Guardian Let us make a deal If you will assist us in our quest to reach the Pinnacle I shall grant you your freedom from this place

An impossible task The Guardian head snorted its weak and depleted image flickering just from their presences

A pointless risk The humanoid hawk frowned at the Don After fighting this bastard for so long how are we supposed to trust it

I have my methods for making sure those with which I make deals follow through with their end of the bargain And besides Do you see this Don Beigon gestured casually to the far end of the shattered platform Waiting there was a door of black wicker a spinning nebula of darkness that threw off tendrils of Nether that briefly obscured the path forward Proceeding through brute force is possible but I would prefer the gates just swing open

The gates open for the worthy The skull head rumbled but the Don controlled his expression at the tenor of the guardianÆs voice The DonÆs instincts had been honed over hundreds of years He could feel the note of yearning at the base of those words

Now all that remained was the task at which he was the most skilled making a deal

The ancient body of Elhume came first with huge bounding steps Randidly could feel the momentum Solomon produced the force wielded as he arrived before Randidly and planted a foot with his arm raised The note of truth grew louder The ancient monster threw a punch he attempted his original image But

Randidly tilted his head to the side at the clumsy application of that powerful truth You are Elhume no longer Strong you may be but you arenÆt whole enough to stop me

Randidly exploded forward with just as much momentum his whole self concentrating down to Acri and a focused thrust Fist and spearhead met together the two images ramming directly against one another with such force that pieces cracked and fractured off from the main portion Reflexively Randidly reached out to gather all that ambient kinetic force and create his storm but he arrived a hair too late

Already Pine licked up the image pieces and left them standing in an almost inert position

Almost inert because the space between Solomon Rex and Elhume meant that the image force wasnÆt as perfect That and whatever this being possessed It wasnÆt Primordial Nether Juju and the quantity of his Stat wasnÆt nearly as high

From the blow Elhume stumbled backward

RandidlyÆs Nether Core spun faster and faster the movement of the translucent energy almost invisible But a strange gleam came over the inner emerald gem A rumble spread out through RandidlyÆs entire body he felt a transformation coming He felt a thin whistle of more meaning flowing out from the depths of his Nether Core originating in the door to the Sea of Statues

From the place that birthed Momentos of Eternity A dangerous place of power available to those with refined Nether Cores

Randidly followed up on the stumbling Elhume with a hook to the gut his first wreathed in grey flames His knuckles slammed against his target and ElhumeÆs ribs popped RandildyÆs jaw clenched and Elhume looked at him with eyes filled with violet light He could almost see through to the gradual image readjustment happening That first blow had been clumsy but in the future he would wield all that power with a bit more of a bite This would be his main opportunity to inflict easy damage

He unleashed a pulse of Nether ravaging his opponentÆs note of truth as much as he could

But as Randidly knew would happen Fiero stepped forward once he was engaged with the Elhume/Solomon hybrid He raised his thing fingers The Ninth Fist

For a second Randidly felt his mind jolt to a halt The conception of a Ninth Fist didnÆt compute was this what his opponents experienced what he had to struggle against in his fight against Devick A move developed on the fly

Fiero raised an open hand RandidlyÆs eyes widened in recognition No of course Fiero didnÆt just make this up It was never Eight Fists It was Nine Tails pretending to be fists And this whole time the Ninth Fist

Mine Fiero growled reaching out and attempting to take RandidlyÆs body like he had taken ElhumeÆs for so long

RandidlyÆs eyes blazed he had been waiting for this moment His smile spread wide The First Authority Seize

Significance geysered up out of his Nether Core as he finally unleashed the power granted to him by his Authorities The nova of Nether seething around his body was enough to push back PineÆs power for a time

Chapter 2401

The Monarch of Karma tilted his head to the side trying to understand the firmness in the otherÆs tone Are you sure Considering the energy discharge I do not mean to offend but you no longer possess the power to affect the outcome let alone survive in the vicinity Do you still wish to go

Shal nodded as he wrapped the leather of his sandals around his well muscled legs The two still stood at the edge of their small area but the backdrop had changed significantly in the past twenty minutes The crystal Aether mountain had been broken into a billion small pieces The air glittered and swirled a sand sea filling the sky above them with its sinuous dance As the Monarch of Karma watched the particulate flowing he felt oddly at peace Underneath that sky they had talked for a long time

The Monarch of Karma remained calm despite the familiar patterns he could see in the glittering sky as his influence insinuated itself back into existence Because this other man grounded him despite their differences

And now he chose to leave

It was a lesson that I taught him a long time ago I think Shal straightened He too looked up at the gorgeous sky but then shifted down to focus on the ground When you do not know what else to do you advance

You will probably die

I was broken before Which is a kind of death And I will probably break down again But if I have learned anything it is that living under the shadow of fear and envy is the Path I will take no longer

The Monarch of Karma looked at Shal and all the certainty in his imageless frame Nether moved within ShalÆs body due to the shifts in the underlying Nether of the Nexus and due to the actions of Randidly Ghosthound at the peak of the Nexus but the thin and runny Nether within ShalÆs body was not impressive

That anchor could not sustain him through these wild winds

The Monarch felt a stirring in his chest More than for his own sake he looked and Shal and felt a powerful temptation to embrace the swirling self reinforcement image waiting in his gut He wavered for a second You deserve better than what you will find following your former pupil

This life is filled with discoveries and pitfalls that were in my path regardless of what I deserved Shal snorted He raised his spear examining the gleaming point I was cursed from the day I was born because my parents they could not protect me and they wanted so much from me But also I was blessed Because even now even because I have spent two years avoiding looking at myself and my life due to feelings of inadequacy I can still make a choice that will change my life

Shal pivoted and looked at the Monarch of Karma A smile tugged at his mouth Yes by choosing a Path that will kill me And who is more deserving of what will befall him than a fool who delivers himself into the lionÆs mouth I may not have deserved the journey but I will surely deserve my end

After Shal walked away the Monarch of Karma watched his back for as long as he could Then he allowed his eyes to drift up to the sky and its complex spiraling patterns The remnants of the crystal Aether glittered and howled From this distance it was impossible to tell that so much energy was contained within those smote bits of solidified energy that it would scrape the flesh from the bones of most until not even dust remained

Choices huh The Monarch said quietly to himself For the past several hours the choice for him had begun and ended with whether or not to allow the image gifted to him by Mae Myrna to be revived Yet that was just one of dozens of choices he had made And when he gave all his attention to this one little portion of being alive he missed all the other choices he could make

All the other aspects of being alive he could want without needing to believe he deserved them It was an incredibly selfish perspective that sent little shivers of pleasure through his body

Without really having a destination the Monarch of Karma stood and began to walk

Mind Randidly hissed in distaste all at once he could feel FieroÆs image scrabbling against his protections from a dozen new directions The image of the old monster couldnÆt be underestimated It felt like a thousand rats scampering across him digging their small claws into any weakness they could find and trying to establish themselves Each probe came with a shouted MINE over and over again

His Nether Core continued to rotate Randidly had almost endless significance surging through his limbs His First Authority Seize blazed with importance Yet

Mine mine mine mine mine mine MINE mine mineMINEMINE

Body Randidly swayed unable to follow up as Elhume stumbled backward A twinge of unease blossomed in his gut He reached out and brushed up against the steel plated focus of Mind Randidly Are you alright

I will need to be The other him thought back grimly Mind Randidly blazed with indignation as he felt those infinite claws starting to gain purchase at various points across his existence Suddenly he felt what a liability it was to have his existence to have grown to such a vast presence Most of the weaker parts related to the subconscious he inherited from the Alpha Cosmos were still protected within the depths of him but his legend hovered just beyond the edges of his skin making him slightly larger than life It was there that Fiero began to take from him

Seize roared in indignation but Mind Randidly didnÆt simply allow another pulse of its power to smother all this resistance He felt his frustration rising in the end it was a matter of matchup He had assumed their abilities were somewhat similar but they were not Seize was a single overwhelming usurpation Mine was a sea of unreasonability wave after wave lapping against the target until all records of the original owner were washed away

Both were abilities centered around taking but they differed in application

Mind Randidly felt bitter The easiest solution would just be to allow Fiero to take a significant portion of my presence then Seize it all back But IÆm more than just me at this point All of my supporters have added to this have become a part of me I cannot just let them go for the win here

Standing to the side Fiero showed his thin and sharp teeth Mine All of it

Mind Randidly slammed his dense Nether against the incursions smashing all the tiny mines to pieces The anchors of Seize released smaller pulses of power keeping the worst of the taking at bay He manipulated currents of significance flowing through his body to drive back the opponentÆs image

Body Randidly shifted to the side countering one of ElhumeÆs punches with a well timed thrust He followed up with a second thrust that drew a long line of blood from ElhumeÆs shoulder but the note of truth had become almost blinding shining out from the depths of ElhumeÆs eyes

Randidly could almost see Solomon Rex and Elhume steadily merging together The hybrid monster smiled at him You are talented Perhaps without peer in the history of the Nexus You have broken so many well established rules But to overcome both of us

MinemineminemineMINEMINEmineMINE

you are insufficient Elhume finished

At the same time Mind Randidly felt a prickle of a new fear as all of sudden FieroÆs mines avoided the small nipping bites at the edges of his legend and concentrated on a new target Sulfur

His left arm gave a rumble of fear as the enemy’s image inundated the Soulplant with ripping taking consuming stealing The image came with knives and began to carve And above them all Pine continued to loom closer At the edges of their battlefield the ground began to crumple and float up toward the doom waiting in the sky

Chapter 2402

Suddenly Sulfur was under attack

The shift in FieroÆs focus came so suddenly that Mind Randidly wasted a second in reacting By the time fury roared through his blood and he unleashed an obliterating cannon of significance through the arm several portions of his precious companion had been plundered by Fiero

Rather than trying to manipulate it at all and ruin the motion of Body Randidly the Vulpine fuck started destroying SulfurÆs valuable marrow The vital part that converted kinetic force to energy vanished under the assault of those infinite rat mouths

You fucking Randidly rage burned hot enough that even his body consciousness swore But just as he was about to eschew the First Authority entirely and obliterate this threat by wielding the Third Authority Intangible Burial Sulfur released a reassuring pulse

DonÆt waste too much We all are going to be scarred by this I will not die It is worth it Stay focused

For a brief moment RandidlyÆs chopping emotional sea stilled

Body Randidly pivoted and looked down at his left arm Bits of ashy armor flaked away from the limb The biggest loss was from the pinky finger the entire bit past the last knuckle crumbling away to nothing without its energy marrow Body and Mind Randidly came back together thoughts and impressions circulating between them both For a split second the whole of him became united by his own certainty

He felt such guilt But he could not fault his supporters for sacrificing for this goal not when Randidly had ignored his own needs for so long in order to chase this dream Not a single one of them would emerge unscarred Randidly hated himself for leading them down this Path

But he would not falter not now He would just teach the monsters of the Nexus contrition

The two consciousnesses parted and returned to their respective roles Within his body his violent Nether flows were frothed and invigorated by the presence of the suddenly well behaved and frigid injection of stilled emotion Those mixed energies began extemporaneously tracing out patterns His significance spun through his body A tremor echoed out from his Nether Core he was close so close

The Nether Rituals writ themselves into existence and slaughtered their way through the mouths of FieroÆs mines

Congratulations Your Skill Randidly Ghosthound Executive of Nether Reborn has grown to Level 1710

Congratulations Your Skill Randidly Ghosthound Executive of Nether Reborn has grown to Level 1760

Body Randidly stalled slightly earning a low chuckle from Solomon/Elhume The truth in his eyes brightened to the point the air began to stir with the imminent arrival of another Pinnacle moment I suppose this is your limit then Perhaps we should reopen negotiations

Randidly felt his Nether click into place grounded by the waves of chilling emotion spreading through his body Over the past few minutes he knew the different Nether bonds had been in place but they had gone through a testing period the energy flowing through him was partially shoring up the pathways so it could withstand the full force of his presence It had just been a few last experiments

And now the limiters were removed

Pantheon Intervention Recalculating a shift is occurring within your Nether Core

Space and time around Randidly began to distort

FIERO Elhume bellowed out the words his body covered in Nether wounds For once in your life put forth some effort

Fuck you Fiero snarled back but at the same time Mind Randidly felt a renewed assault of the mines an endless tide of demand that scratched and clawed and frothed and seemed to eat itself in order to fuel the assault From concentrating on Sulfur Fiero spread back out and began to assault the whole of him In that desperate image Randidly saw the corruption of Devick the twisted heart of Mae Myrna the self righteousness of so many of the NexusÆs monsters As a foil his own truths found their own pure notes

Randidly and Sulfur gave up small stretches of ground against that Ninth fist which caused cracks to form across the arms surface Parts of RandidlyÆs skin flaked away But they were superficial wounds and Body Randidly continued to act as a grey wreathed avatar of vengeance slamming spear and fist again and again into an Elhume who couldnÆt quite catch up despite the power of his body Those strange ripples blasted out from ElhumeÆs form as his truth dimmed

Through the haze of energies PineÆs horrible grinding and the assault of FieroÆs image Mind Randidly felt a strange tinkling in his Nether Core His attention immediately shifted worrying that this new plateau of significance would come with some drawbacks But he just felt the small pupilÆ of the eye opening Meaning flowed out and settled into the dense network of connections within PanguÆs Asymptote working double time to maintain all these Nether flows

Randidly felt his skin crawling as that meaning formed into a familiar figure within the reflected area a shadowy woman her face shrouded in darkness Nyx from which he had obtained quite a bit of value The female figure spoke to him

or at least tried to Her mouth moved so so slowly The syllables took so long to form

Well just gonna need to pinch off a bit of attention for now Mind Randidly spared a bit of itself and then focused back on the million other changes happening within him The Alchemist moved more purposefully drawing on different elements He funneled Nether in complex patterns He resisted the presence of Pine

Body Randidly drove Acri all the way into ElhumeÆs chest

With the notes of Truth within him turning triumphant in his chest Randidly twisted the spear Blood dribbled out and he forced waves of destructive silky smooth Nether into the opponentÆs body Like a match being tossed into a lake the note of truth sputtered out Solomon Rex snarled Randidly Ghosthound

Your truth of selfish predation we donÆt need it in the Nexus Randidly ripped the spear out of ElhumeÆs chest He was pivoting toward Fiero who still grappled valiantly against Mind Randidly when a new change came over him The strange unbalancing of his inner world was enough to dampen the notes of his truth His Nether Core wavered

RandidlyÆs face warped in bewilderment as he examined the sensation What the hell

Abruptly Randidly felt a tug against his significance Whereas he had been owed before he now somehow owed Don Beigon

And the other party demanded immediate repayment

RandidlyÆs eyes blazed for a moment torn between several vindictive moves You dumb piece of shit Well sorry to those who might suffer from this but

Randidly made a gift of all those gathered Grand Fates he had been hiding Devick snakes of madness and all Along with a generous wave of significance an amount that was a pittance to the current him Randidly repaidÆ his debt to Don Beigon

Balance restored Randidly looked around him Pine filled the sky Elhume crouched on the ground clutching the wound in his chest black veins of poisoned Nether worming its way out from the gash FieroÆs eyes bulged so wide they seemed about to pop

Randidly smiled Alright where were we Solomon Fiero I think itÆs time the two of you reveal your last trump card Otherwise we are done here

Chapter 2403

For a while the trio Nether Ritual stared at the glistening Nether Core they had assembled all in awe of the heights which Randidly Ghosthound had reached Waves of warm energy swirled around them the air had become warm and invigorating You could practically feel the significance in the environment deepening and those benefits spreading out across to the rest of the Alpha Cosmos

But as significant a milestone as this was after a few minutes

What next Devick couldnÆt help but ask Her foot tapped the ground impatiently Definitely she much preferred a little bit of violence to keep her on task

Lowanna had a dreamy smile on her face perfectly content in basking in the warm glow of their accomplishment for the next thousand years or so Now we wait

Devick nodded seriously and kept her eyes forward trying to absorb some of that attitude Enmya kept making shocked noises as he moved back and forth testing the energy thrown off by the translucent Nether Core For twelve seconds Devick managed to keep her expression focused She didnÆt look away from the Nether Core

On the thirteenth second she collapsed under the weight of her own exasperation

IÆm going to train a bit This is just so inspiring I canÆt help but be motivated Devick said as she hopped to her feet She neednÆt have even bothered with the lie both of the other two were too genuinely enthralled with the Nether Core to even examine her statements

Fucking children Devick grumbled to herself as she wandered away to find something to do For a while it was cool to see the environment changing at a visible pace to a thriving ecosystem Beyond the small valley they had used as the base for the Nether Ritual (still filled with the corpses of zombie Randidlys) the ground had exploded into a thick jungle Devick already heard growls and hoots as monsters were drawn to the dense significance of the location

Devick might not be as strong as the monsters determining the fate of the Nexus but these Alpha Cosmos pests intelligently avoided the bored and prowling young woman

As she was bending forward to smell a beautiful tangerine colored and definitely flesh eating flower Devick heard a whisper that sent a shiver down her spine She straightened abruptly just as the flower snapped ineffectually shut The flesh eating plant monster roared and pulled itself out of the ground to lunge at her

Devick absently reached out and stroked the flower with the hand warped and shriveled by a godslaying weapon The flower fell to rotting pieces in front of her its petals already bubbling She closed her eyes and listened The voices bobbed and drifted to her ears quiet but clear

Come to uss

We offer you

We offer you power

Us and youu

DevickÆs eyes snapped open Already she began walking She grimaced picturing what Randidly would say She argued to the air as though she could convince I mean sure their messaging was super shady But thatÆs why I had to investigate A liar would have been more convincing right Th e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n( )co/m

As I said The skull of the first guardian rumbled The Path to the Pinnacle can only be walked by the worthy If you do not deserve success

We will make it The Don forced the words out through gritted teeth He raised a placating hand toward the hawk humanoid You can feel the debt between us and I always pay my debts I still have a few more cards to play I have no doubt in my mind that we can overcome one more guardian with our current capability

The final guardian is the most powerful The skull remarked very unhelpfully Then to DonÆs relief it added However most of that strength stems from subterfuge and deceit that being is not without weaknesses It is a statue of pure alabaster with eight arms each with a different weapon Despite their superior reach the glaive and the ax are the weakest of the weapons It is the palm and the needle that you must avoid at all costs They will quell any thoughts of further climbing with just a touch

The Don filed that information away He checked in on the group After a few minutes he forced them to move with a small speech about how close they were In truth he simply could not waste too much more time here It was difficult to know what occurred outside of the Path to the Pinnacle isolated in this place within the spinning walls of the nebula Yet any moment now Elhume could tear a hole in the walls and crash their party

Before that happened the Don wanted to climb as high as possible That way his leverage would be better

As they proceeded forward much of the DonÆs last wisp of optimism vanished Even the nebula glittering around the tiled road began to grow dark and ominous Clouds of cosmic dust crackled with electrical discharge The number of tiles slowly dwindled as they continued to climb as the Path to the Pinnacle thinned By the time they reached the next platform two individuals could barely walk abreast

And upon that platform the eight armed alabaster statue waited for the group with her weapons raised

Can you really overcome this foe Even the skull of the first guardian seemed afraid its eyes smoldering uncertainly

Don Beigon didnÆt bother to answer at this point they were beyond talking about the hurdles in front of them Instead he pointed His remaining elites glided forward into position their images sparkling with emotional intensity The remaining members of the Nether Lattice followed sluggishly behind them

Those eight arms shifted brandishing the powerful and heavy weapons Beyond those the smaller and more deadly attacks waited

The hawk humanoid hovered at the DonÆs elbow Nervousness radiated off of her body Based on those image reverberations we need a plan to overcome this foe if we just charge forward it seems inevitable that we sustain more losses

This is the final guardian Don Beigon nodded slowly We must charge

Finally the veneer of panic fell away and the hawk humanoid scowled at him You fool So what if this is the final hurdle We are not a resource you can spend to advance your own cause The debts you owe to us are deep Honestly I am no longer even sure you will ever be able to repay the significance you have borrowed Even if the whole of the Nexus falls into the palm of your hand

Perhaps you are correct Don Beigon mused He flicked a wrist and produced a worn photo of Diane Her expression was almost haughty standing next to a much younger version of Don Beigon She was so bold and fearless even just as memory With just those eyes those same eyes he fell in love with she seemed to be challenging the entire universe to stand in her path She had absolute confidence she would come out on top

In the depths of his heart the Don was almost glad he wasnÆt there when she was killed An even more vital fire in him would have gone out to know whether her spirit had broken when she realized she was about to die

Don Beigon closed his eyes Some debts can never be repaid And yet Perhaps in the right circumstances The engraving on the back of the picture activated DianeÆs special formula began to move White flames ate away at the photograph DianeÆs lovely face warped and vanished The Don began gritting his teeth Perhaps I can finally achieve a Reversal of Fortunes

His entire inner world a carefully measured emporium of debts and favors turned itself inside out

Chapter 2404

The Don had a moment of suspended anxiety as he activated the Skill Reversal of Fortunes

Even now this ability he had inherited from his wild wife felt unnatural He had built an identity by creating solid and reliable rules for business deals Actions had consequences prices would be paid no matter how the value needed to be extracted

His inner world was delicate and responsive And this treated it like a snow globe shaking it all up to see the bits and pieces flutter around in a wild storm

Diane Beigon laughed at his meticulous arrangements and measurements She enjoyed rigid systems but only because it let her manipulate the expectations of others and then take advantage of them in one fell swoop Not that she didnÆt value long term relationships but she pointed out in the cutthroat environment of the Nexus one often didnÆt have more than a few valuable interactions with another party The universe was vast

If they had the opportunity to vault up in power they needed to take it And losers could always be eliminated provided the deal cut them deeply enough

Her attitude had led to their rapid early assent and then caused her to be killed when she had gone behind his back and tried to pull one of her stunts against Elhume But there was a certain poetic justice to this moment that the Don now used the same wildness to serve her long awaited vengeance

The Skill activated Don Beigon could feel all of the weight of owing reversing All the ways he had beggared himself called in every favor in preparation for this day now became deep wells of debt that he could call upon For all that the Skill created chaos once it engaged it acted quickly He felt especially gleeful to yank with as much force as he could manage on the sudden debt that Randidly Ghosthound owed him

Do not interfere with a father who knows what is best for his daughter Don BeigonÆs eyes flashed You might have protected her for now but my methods bah you cannot understand what I intended

The individuals here felt the shift as well The seven remaining members of the Nether Lattice froze as the sensations percolated through their bodies Don Beigon ascended quickly through the Nether Lattice now sitting atop it He instantly sucked away all the significance from their bodies and concentrated it within himself And then he called in their debt and forcibly compelled them to attack the final guardian

DON The Hawk humanoid shrieked as her legs stuttered forward to join the fight The debt moved her body even if her mind was unwilling

Sitting on top of one of the corners of the DonÆs wheelchair back the skull let out a fearful groan Even with them this will not be enough

Don Beigon nodded grimly he didnÆt like their current odds His elites moved with all the swiftness he had drilled into them with long years fo training Their images slid atop one another hammering at this guardian But the Guardian had eight powerful weapons that mingled freely The glaive ripped sideways quelling the air The ax chopped down severing images in the middle of their explosive force Blasts of Nether were knocked to the side by a mirrored shield opening up space for the saber to cut downward

Right as the Don began to consider his other options he felt the connection from Randidly Ghosthound beginning to burn

First came a wave of significance The energy was so dense that its arrival forced a gasp out of Don Beigon Already he felt himself being damaged by hosting this repayment In terms of quantity Randidly Ghosthound had sent over maybe a tenth of the significance that the Don had just extracted from the Nether Lattice

Yet in terms of quality it was a volcanic eruption compared to a campfire It seared his veins threatening to burn its way out of him before he could utilize it

You bastard Anger surged through the DonÆs body but it wasnÆt nearly enough to chagrin this significance Did you beggar yourself in order to harm me like this What the hell is this significance

Behind him the skull released a low chuckle That energy heh what quick growth

Don BeigonÆs chest grew agonizing holding that significance within him it was so overwhelming that his image couldnÆt restrain it Despite the clumsiness of the expression Don Beigon had no choice but to raise a hand and unleash the caustic wave of significance as liquid blast just to get it out of his body To his surprise the energy came out fizzing and clear like a carbonated beverage

One of his subordinates let out a sigh as the arm with a needle brushed against his chest and stopped his heart The body collapsed without a sound The image of the statue blazed Don Beigon gritted his teeth I cannot stop now not with how close I am So long as I am decisive I should be able to contain the Actus SupremÆs influence

He didnÆt allow himself to second guess further Perhaps a little bit of DianeÆs defiant fire still blazed in him after using her Reversal of Fate Don Beigon reached out into those floating Grand Fates and beckoned down a powerful aura of thunder and lightning The Grand Fate came easily sliding into his body showing him how to create a powerful image of a world ending storm He breathed deeply ignoring the prickling feeling in his lungs as one of those snakes of madness slithered through him almost playfully

At least when it comes to WIllpower I donÆt believe any are my match Especially not just a wisp of her image Don BeigonÆs eyes blazed as he gathered electricity to his hands After the life I have lived after how long I have hidden my plans in terms of resolve I am without peer

Don Beigon aimed and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning Without the shield the alabaster statue needed to pivot away from a wounded Nether Lattice member and brandish its glaive in order to defend Which gave one of the DonÆs elites time to dash forward and hack into the ax arm

The alabaster statue shrieked again and unleashed the open palm in retaliation Wounded though that arm had been by the wave of significance it still popped the chest cavity of DonÆs subordinate like a bloody water balloon But the hawk humanoid swung in driven by her debt and scored a deep wound on another arm

The Don drew again on the lightning hammering down with an overhead blast to keep the statue distracted He tried to ignore the prickling sensation growing stronger spreading from his lungs to his skin As the Grand Fate settled into him the strangeness spread

DonÆs last two elites cut back and forth across each otherÆs path confusing the alabaster statue A member of the Nether Lattice hacked down and took off the saber arm The needle flashed outward but the Don unleashed a rumbling boom of thunder to deflect its stab The hawk humanoid screeched and swooped taking a chunk out of the statueÆs shoulder

The Actus Suprem watched with glittering eyes Her shoulders rose and fell slowly Somehow she seemed to be feeding on the environment The Don didnÆt like her presence but also didnÆt dare antagonize her not now

Although what do I do if she attempts to ambush me after this fight is over

Despite the risks Don Beigon pulled crackling electricity into his blood The whisper of madness across his skin was almost soothing

In the end the decisive blow was struck by the hawk humanoid Her image was much more powerful than the Don had given her credit for Driven by the debt between them she cut off the statueÆs head At which point she wheeled around and glared her debt cleared DON BEIGON I demand an explanation

Falling away the statue slipped the needle into the back of her head The hawk humanoid blinked several times She took another two steps forward fury becoming confusion Then she faceplanted her image extinguished

The statue collapsed backward its alabaster body breaking into pieces The Don tensed thunder roaring in his blood the Actus Suprem remained still just observing the process In terms of survivors there were only three side characters one of the DonÆs elites bearing a deep wound to his arm If she were to attempt to seize control of the expedition now

With this meager strength As the alabaster head rolled to a stop on the ground its mouth moved You will not be able to overcome the final guardian

The final guardian The DonÆs skin prickled but he couldnÆt tell whether it was anxiety or the crackling static of the Grand Fate within his body The practical part of his brain instantly activated he would not be able to overcome another guardian His brow furrowed Had Elhume truly made additional preparations He possessed extra significance but

Ah Suddenly the Don felt a confident grin spread across his face He looked down at the cracked head on the ground disinterested I have been warned about you did you think your last deceit would not be noticed You wield fear like it is a weapon however Don Beigon turned and looked at the twisting black wicker gate at the far end of the platform I will not stop More than I fear those petty ghosts at which you hint I fear living for even a moment more with the burden of this failure

Don Beigon spared one last look for the Actus Suprem who had just observed the process His subordinates gathered closer seeing to their wounds His lip twitched The moment for an ambush had passed on both sides For now it seemed they would proceed together

Chapter 2405

Devick felt torn on how she should proceed Right now she simply put one foot in front of the other Her skin tingled with the powerful images of this pathway Insanity in the form of snakes were whispering in her ears offering her truths about Grand Fates if only she would accept them into her body The man in the wheelchair was doing a very poor job of hiding both his malice and fear with his sharp glances over his shoulder

This is the Path to the Pinnacle And IÆm walking it Randidly would be so pissed if he knew I had somehow made it here Devick thought And she sorta hated herself for the thrill of pleasure that ran down her spine at the thought of RandidlyÆs displeasure

The small group passed through the gateway and into a tunnel of darkness and crackling mauve lightning In the distance there was the faintest pulse of light but sometimes it seemed more like a mirage than a destination The Don took the lead his two remaining subordinates walking just behind his wheelchair and Devick bringing up the rear with snakes slithering around her head and dragging the mass of Grand Fates behind her like a balloon with the potency of an atomic bomb

As always Devick moved with flair and an entourage

Malice Merry Consort of Perdition crouched down in DevickÆs body as the strange image refinement continued Whatever misunderstanding made the Don fear her now would be revealed if her image seeped out of the edge of her body At the moment the presence of the serpents of madness covered for her but even Devick wasnÆt so unreasonable that she believed she would be able to rely on them

She suspected at the worst moment they would pull back their protection and reveal her It was what she would do in their position

But hiding her image became more difficult as they advanced spitting electrical discharge the only light on the narrow path Every step forward sent a ringing echo up through DevickÆs heel the pulse concentrating on the core of Malice Each wave refined the image slightly Even without listening to the serpents she improved Sometimes it was enough just to be present to walk the path

The palm of her hand that had helped slay a god ached That deadliness deepened without even any conscious effort on her part

What a place Devick whispered

Ahead the Don paused in his rolling and glanced over his shoulder again Of course you can sense the profound implications of this space as well Ahem I had heard the Sonora contained similar image extrapolation chambers but the quality of this space is positively ridiculous And I believe the true prize waits ahead

The Don turned forward and continued but his tone revealed his anxiety As a damp powderkeg even at her most reasonable Devick understood he would likely soon try something desperate However her instincts warned her of a different threatù while she walked at the rear of the procession one of the eyes of the dinosaur skull remained fixed on her Of them all this broken being felt the most dangerous

Not because of its shattered image but because DevickÆs Nether had been transformed participating in the process of RandidlyÆs Nether Core evolution Even now she couldnÆt quite understand her own new depths Yet the waves of Nether she released vanished when they touched that skull

Her heart quivered with emotion And then those quivering emotions began to change too becoming invigorated and expansive If Devick didnÆt remain focused she could easily drown in them

She kept taking steps her image being refined Malice shifted her weight slightly one ear sticking straight up the other flopping down The imageÆs crimson fur became even more lustrous and smooth The warped and twisted left hand seemed even more monstrous the veins turning black and poisoned down into the wrist

DevickÆs eyes blazed Her selfÆ grew and grew given the rich environment She had been lured into this situation by the snakes but she would have done it again a thousand times Because here she felt the possibility that she might grow quickly enough to catch up with Randidly Ghosthound

Her eyes flicked from the skull to the Don and back again Then she looked straight ahead to the vast abyss stretching in front of them No viable escape routes presented themselves she would need to see this through to the end LetÆs just not pay with my life for this privilege alright

Actus Suprem We should speak on how we will behave when we arrive at the final chamber The Don said after a few more minutes of walking Devick almost missed a step she had gotten so caught up in a tumbling shift between anxiety about her situation and euphoria about her image improving that she had started to daydream However he didnÆt appear to notice Obviously there is not descriptions of the place we will soon witness Elhume has made sure of that But I have a few theories about what will be present Th e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n( )co/m

First space enough for both of us The benefits of the image amplification will be dampened by multiple images being simultaneously active but there is no need to compete I will allow you to have the first use of the space to better hone my own chance to improve The Don paused in his advancement and turned sideways to look at Devick

Devick looked up seeing the floating point of light in the darkness that they had been walking toward which seemed to have only barely drawn closer while her image had improved so much Devick shrugged at the delay more time in this place would be better for her survival in the long term So she followed after the others down the stairs not thinking too much of it

But soon she could only grimace and wish she had lingered at the top of the stairs for a while If the area above had been perfectly sculpted to allow an image to flourish as they descended the environment became increasingly jagged and inhospitable If an image was allowed to seep out of the body it would be scratched Even the Grand Fates floating behind Devick dimmed

Well except for you stubborn bastards DevickÆs eyes flicked sideways to the snakes of madness Sure as they flowed around they were clearly being raked by the dangerous environment but their jagged wounds only made them pulse with glee Their bodies grew thicker and longer underneath the constant pressure She could only shake her head Yea other me is an entitled bitch But this is impressive as fuck

The descent continued The oppression from the environment became overwhelming The scale had slid further back from Malice bubbling up from within Devick to not daring to move beyond her skin lest she be torn to shreds And without the reinforcement from her developing Nether Core Devick didnÆt know whether her body would have been able to cope with the environment

Walking down the steps felt like descending into the belly of the darkness And in that place where light died they began to be digested They glided down the danger increasing every moment DevickÆs pulse began to race but it was more excitement than anything else

These are the sorts of Paths he walked I bet To get as far as he did Devick straightened She lifted her chin She advanced into the darkness daring it to do its worst

After about ten minutes the bottom of this place came into view A small platform waited below only about three meters across In the middle of the platform a woman sat in a meditative posture As the group approached her head rose and she spoke The motions were wooden her words flat Welcome I am the Third Guardian Approach and offer me your hand I will determine whether you are worthy to continue forward on the Path to the Pinnacle

There was Devick reflected an almost comedic pause after the figureÆs words

What the hell is this The Don hissed

And to her own surprise Devick realized she knew the answer That is Mae Myrna

The Don wavered for a moment This is the corpse of the Patron of Truth But that still doesnÆt explain this being the Third Guardian

I suppose that is my cue

The dinosaur skull flickered and blurred In the next instant it became a humanoid standing at the bottom of the stairs right in front of the Don The sharp featured individual smiled at the man in the wheelchair We meet again I know youÆve had other problems on your mind but honestly IÆm slightly insulted that you didnÆt remember I was loitering here Perhaps you hoped I got myself killed

Nether King The Don growled and grasped at the new arrival but the Nether King took a step backward A barrier snapped into place around the platform the DonÆs attack bounced off of the barrier

Only one applicant can proceed forward at once The hollow eyed corpse said matter of factly Approach and let me see the Path you took to get here

You The Don screeched in fury frothing at the mouth Devick could see the rust colored serpent happily frolicking amongst the chaotic emotions You tricked me

You will always be a minor character in the history of the Nexus The Nether King shrugged clearly unimpressed with the display He looked over the DonÆs shoulder toward Devick for a last second then turned away If you can just pass this test We can settle this upon the Pinnacle Don Beigon

Chapter 2406

While the Don continued to howl and rave on this side of the barrier Devick watched the Nether King His wide eyes and full lips gave the being a surprisingly innocent feel despite the recent developments The Nether King walked to stand in front of the cross legged corpse It raised its head and looked up at him Her eyes were bright but with a soulless framework of reactions not with any of the intense commitment to justice that Mae Myrna had possessed

For several long moments those eyes remained bright as she examined the Nether King Then the light dimmed Interesting On this Path you have slain none of the defendersÆ spirits For such a righteous choice you deserve to ascend Enjoy your Path to the Pinnacle

Behind the Patron of TruthÆs corpse there was a small wooden door sitting in the darkness At the word deserve the door swung open and revealed a stairwell The Nether King walked forward and passed through the doorway beginning to ascend back toward whatever destination awaited

As soon as the barrier fell the Don wheeled forward his eyes blazing He arrived before the Patron of Truth and raised her gaze to examine him Her nose wrinkled in obvious distaste You have slain many to advance to this point Both enemies and allies have died by your hand to pave your Path You reak of blood and desperation You do not deserve to continue any further

The Don popped out of existence with a finality that made DevickÆs eyes shoot upward This corpse could kill so instantly However she heard his roar of impotent fury from her right She glanced sideways to a new platform that had appeared just to the side The Don raised a fist and slammed it against the barrier containing him sending a ripple through it but inflicting not lasting harm

The Patron of Truth frowned at his tantrum Serve your sentence of six thousand two hundred years of repentance Then your conscience will be cleansed and you will be deserving of further continuing Otherwise you must deal with my wrath

Actus Suprem The Don pivoted and looked at Devick His eyes were bloodshot and those small veins pulsed and wiggled with an unnatural liveliness Obviously we cannot allow a Nether King to proceed uncontested to such a holy place of the Nexus If we work together I have no doubt we can overcome this foe even with the image suppression We should immediately wait what are you doing

Devick walked down the stairs past the DonÆs subordinates who backed out of her way and onto the platform The barrier snapped into place as it had when the Nether King had been judged She shrugged I mean if we need to we can try your way But whatÆs the harm in letting me test myself Rules shouldnÆt always be broken

God who am I giving respect to rules IÆm spending way too much time around Enmya and Lowanna Devick clicked her tongue and focused forward on the corpse of Mae Myrna Despite her light words she felt nervous looking at this Third Guardian It hadnÆt yet revealed its wrath but Devick couldnÆt see through the mechanism of the DonÆs sudden incarceration

On cue the corpseÆs gaze pivoted upward and examined her Those eyes glowed with some internal measurement system scrutinizing the entirety of DevickÆs depths Despite its usually irreverent attitude even Malice straightened and preened a bit under the attention

The light died You are a difficult case You also have not taken the lives of any spirit on your ascension For that you deserve to continue However

At the word deserve the wooden door began opening The Don unleashed a cry of outrage Then the corpse said however and the door froze half opened The light in the corpseÆs eyes began glowing again The process restarted She examined Devick closely The light dimmed The light brightened The eyes flashed with an extra bit of intensity The light dimmed The light brightened

The light dimmed the corpse clearly caught in some sort of conundrum Devick felt her heart contracting what if she was stuck here in front of this robot the weirdness of Randidly making her real from a memory somehow fucking her over

The snakes swam around her head clearly bored with all the waiting until the corpse raised her hand and pointed at them however these each bear the burden of many lives More lives than I can even imagine have been sucked dry by their hollow fangs And such delight for unimaginable cruelty They deserve nothing They are connected to you yes but Eyes brightening eyes dimming but they latch onto you without you desiring them So long as you leave them behind you may ascend

The door swung all the way open Simultaneously the snakes hurried down to float in front of DevickÆs face

But power

Take us

Kill the dead thing

Squish it Very dead

Us too Take

YouÆve had a thousand years more than that to guide us to a better end Randidly growled in response The Dread Homunculus sneered But all youÆve done is exploit the lives of those weaker than you ignore their pleas and monopolize the benefits of your position You two have built the game board I will not flinch from breaking the rules youÆve maintained for your own benefit

That power of yours it should be mine Fiero mumbled

Randidly flicked out Acri He pulled his three images through his body each pulling a slightly different emotional affect out of his deep well of power Significance traced the edges of the images sharpening their impact The steadfastness of Yggdrasil the ferocity of the Dread Homunculus and the abject yearning of the Songstress of Absence all came together Randidly used his Privilege of the Half Shallah to guide the three differing images together with perfect harmony

He raised his spear weight perfectly balanced a bomb a split second before detonation

Fiero we must acknowledge the situation Solomon as Elhume suddenly hissed He spared a disgusted sideways glance perhaps he had to come to terms with the fact that this mentally weak individual had managed to pry everything from his fingers He soldiered forward The contingency about which I spoke to you earlier I believe it is time

You believe our only hope is to ask for help Fiero gnashed his teeth

The truth is we have been receiving its help for a long time in bigger and smaller ways Now we must simply allow it freer rein

RandidlyÆs lip quirked Yea letÆs not let you get through this conversation He exploded into motion

Elhume waved his hand Temporal waves condensed just as Randidly surged forward The figures of Elhume and Fiero grew blurry Randidly simply narrowed his eyes and unleashed the full weight of the power he could now wield liquid Aether and translucent Nether seared through his back shoulder wrist guiding a thrust to unleash a combination image

The temporal barrier squeezed closer desperate to stop him Randidly felt his Truths rising in him He shredded through waves of time having fought against this move enough in this fight to understand it Yet even as he blazed forward Randidly felt more temporal waves coming at him from behind wrapping around his arms and waist Rather than stopping him it appeared they intended to try and force him to replay this moment

This time as Randidly gritted his teeth and adjusted his image he didnÆt target the temporal barrier directly He aimed instead for the persistent insistent truth of timeÆ underpinning the whole technique

If you are going to use these rules against me RandidlyÆs emerald eyes blazed IÆll just shatter them Singularity Engulfs the Finite The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty The Wrathful Calamity Rends

Spectral roots exploded out of his spear edged with the infinite hollowness of the voice Those void roots became a hand and Randidly Ghosthound took that claws to the very concept of time supporting the Nexus

He felt a tremor within himself that figure of Nyx that had condensed through the slightly wider opening to the Sea of Statues he now possessed was shouting and gesticulating He couldnÆt understand her as if

As if a temporal barrier blocked it As if it had been preventing the communication from this dubious ally the whole time

Randidly forced his way through the concept of time and immediately staggered backward by the radiation that slapped him on the other side For one reason Pine now had descended even closer The entire sky had vanished replaced by PineÆs looming corpse about to impact the ground and smash them all to paste

But it was another sensation that made RandidlyÆs instincts prickle in warning He could feel the shredded truth about time gradually being forced aside by a powerful something A portal flickered into existence next to Elhume and Fiero A portal to the Sea of Statues

Randidly Ghsothound Elhume had to shout to be heard above the roar of Pine yet his eyes were bright with triumph Allow me to introduce you to Laplace the Fickle Crossroads of Time A dear friend who will teach you the meaning of respect

Through the portal to the Sea of Statues three scaled fingers stretched out and curled slowly around the edge

Chapter 2407

Don Beigon felt like he was melting so hot were the flames of fury and panic inside of his head His thoughts chased and bit each other scrambling to be the first he addressed All his careful control was swept away by this intoxicating surety what happened in front of him now was injustice

And it would not be allowed

The DonÆs eyes bored into the back of the Actus Suprem as she walked up the stairwell to the Pinnacle Finally a thought made its way through the chaotic jumble and reached his tongue You you cannot be serious She bears more sins than any other individual in the Nexus She delights in misery and pain

Incorrect The corpse sniffed and turned to regard him It offered him an almost indulgent smile Think back to your journey on the Path to the Pinnacle Did she inflict any harm upon the guardians of this place Or were you constantly the instigator of violence I do not think the rules of this place are very difficult to comprehend

Wha The DonÆs mind went blank at the sarcastic remark Perhaps it was only the actions on the Path to the Pinnacle that determined the outcome of this final test All her sins in the wider Nexus were forgiven Yet as he considered those options his rage bubbled and frothed even more quickly So you mean to say you would reward her for tagging along with the expedition not lifting a finger

Correct The corpse smiled at this but the expression looked stiff and sinister

Hah Hahaha Hahahahahahah The Don trembled The blood pounded in his ears his heartbeat and the ponderous steps of his anger synchronizing into one thunderous knock For several seconds he hunched over and allowed his disbelieving laughter to tumble out of him Then he straightened his eyes bright He gripped the handles of his wheelchair feeling the bamboo beginning to crack This is indeed not what I expected to hear from you Actus Suprem Devick was rewarded because she did not earn the benefit with her actions Because she hadnÆt done anything to deserve it Compared to reality the cruelties of my Path are miniscule

The corpse regarded him with distaste Do not throw my own words against me Clarity and specificity are qualities worth pursuing This woman did not cross certain lines during her time on the Path to the Pinnacle and because of that

ItÆs exactly this attitude The Don seethed His veins seemed to be on fire He felt the thunder and lightning merging more and more closely with his own image the Grand Fate had almost been totally assimilated by him now Yet still trembling he attacked first with words This is the great truth about the world that is impossible for you disinterested arbiters to understand That there are two types of people Those who must sweat and toil and sacrifice to advance and this group is judged and punished for working hard to get anywhere And then there are those born with a natural advantage whose every stumble is applauded and who always will land on their feet because the world is willing to shift itself to accommodate them Do you not see how the winners are already chosen And you expect me to simply accept your regurgitated shit

His fingers curled static sparking between his fingers How do you think it feels to know your efforts matter less than someone elseÆs pedigree That those in power shape the world to reward the simple act of possessing power while devaluing effort To know you will never be enough a decision was made at my birth and now IÆm just suffering under it

The corpse remained unswayed You killed your way through the Path to the Pinnacle To not blame the situation for the sins you have committed

You made me choose between remaining forever locked out of the chambers of power or killing my way forward Don Beigon growled He barred his teeth I do not regret taking the only opportunity given to me For supporting your fucked up establishment they deserved to die

She found another way The corpse jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the departed Actus Suprem YouÆll find that cleverness and timing can do a lot to improve your life

Don Beigon felt as though all the veins in his upper body tensed and shuddered at her words His hands clenched the arms of his wheelchair snapping Righteous fury filled his body He sang with it He could overcome this corpse pry apart whatever framework animated it and then proceed upward Nothing could stop him so long as he fully embraced the power in his chest

And To finally have vengeance for his wife any price was worth it He became thunder and crimson serpent incarnate

Wait crimson serpent

Congratulations You have experienced a lucky event You have generated the Deviation Rarity DonÆs Deviation (DoD) Calculating effects

Power surged through the DonÆs limbs fizzing like electric discharge and smelling of blood The brief moment of confused clarity was washed away heat and panic and indignation igniting all his brain cells past the point of coherence He laughed again loud and booming as he raised his arms and unleashed wave after wave of copper colored lightning bolts He became the storm of justice to tear down this system that oppressed him and so many others

Can I fight even this Randidly wondered

The Dread Homunculus barred its teeth The World Tree rustled its leaves The Songstress of Absence opened its eye and stared at the new arrival

There is nothing I will not fight to protect my people RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed Although the reactions of my Truths are so strange Why do they shrink before an external shape

Why would you endanger us like this Randidly asked seeking more information

To his surprise Fiero opened his mouth and answered If I have another chance at living in the Nexus I will not lose my mother

Both Randidly and Elhume gave Fiero a sharp look RandidlyÆs one of horrified sympathy for Yystrix Elhume one of bitter fury for the wife that had been pilfered from him But Elhume shook his head and faced forward Randidly could tell the other man attempted to revive his image but he too was suppressed by this EternityÆs approach Temporal distortions may not be an ideal method but youÆve left us with no choice My son Pine he has fallen too far inside of himself At this point we are simply delaying the inevitable But if we intervene before the method of Grand Fates becomes widespread

You are fools Randidly blinked Both of you This none of it will be real Just distortions

Randidly grimaced unable to finish his sentence Existence turned liquid around them His significance attempted to add some weight to the space but Randidly could suddenly feel the way this Eternity used the wound he had inflicted on time to circumvent him Everything began to spiral in on itself The shape was a World State image but one of a power that Randidly had difficulty judging even as he watched it corrupt and spread right before his eyes

His energy halo vision just saw its inky influence seeping outward darkening and spreading without seeming to weaken

Did you not create reality from a memory Elhume said The first is always the most difficult event the second is nothing to speak of

You are not me Randidly countered But he felt a horrified prickling on his skin when Elhume smiled immediately in response In PanguÆs Asymptote Nyx continued to shout warnings

Sure but you are going to help us Randidly Ghosthound Did you ever wonder how we stabilized the method of creating Dungeons once the Nether Kings were hunted to extinction With a little help from Laplace All the time distortions in the Nexus were made possible by him YouÆve been borrowing this EternityÆs power for a long long time ElhumeÆs smile widened A pseudo Hierarchy has been created through repeated use And now finally he can receive the repayment he deserves

From the portal came a lanky serpentÆs head covered in dirty grey hair It forced its way through the portal and the Nexus unleashed a groan like rotten wood about to break RandidlyÆs eyes flashed he decisively pulled back his Nether no longer stabilizing the space

I will not save you from yourself Randidly announced

As the Nexus began to collapse the dirty hair shifted and revealed the face of the serpent With handless clocks for eyes Laplace looked at Randidly Ghosthound Its long tongue slid out between its lips and the collapse ceased Time had been frozen

The ominous color of its energy halo continued to darken More and more of its essence spilled out through the hole an obliterating wave of its Shape forcing the Nexus around it into a different and dangerous form

The Eternity heaved and pulled the rest of its belly dragging body through the portal surrounded by suspended spatial tears Its power radiated off from its body changing the fabric of the Nexus

Randidly wasnÆt sure whether to be relieved or horrified when next it was Pine that released a dangerous shudder Even the massive eclipse in the sky observed the shift and felt unease

Chapter 2408

Devick took the steps upward two at a time unwilling to remain close to either the bitter figure of the Don or the strange corpse for a moment longer than necessary At this point she acknowledged that speed was a more important element than grace and sophistication she currently had no audience to impress Plus the more she ascended the easier the pressure on her image became she no longer needed to reinforce her skin with significance just to avoid being burned to a crisp

And now Devick licked her lips in anticipation Adrenaline from surviving the previous circumstances still pounded through her veins What sort of prize do we get to claim at the top

Light filtered slowly back through the environment She felt like she swam up from the depths of the ocean and could feel the surface approaching by the second The steps remained sized to her legs but Devick felt like she was leaping huge distances with each step that she took Her footfalls were light but they thrummed through her entire body Revitalizing waves of image reinforcement filled her with a comfortable languid relaxation Malice stretched her joints popping pleasantly as any previous damage healed And now that Devick wasnÆt trying to hide her true power from Don Beigon the Merry Bride of Perdition to expand and breathe in the reinforcing power

Devick climbed to the Pinnacle wondering if this would be enough to narrow the gap between herself and Randidly Ghosthound

And if itÆs not Her eyes flashed Where do I climb next

What she found at the top was the familiar form of the Nether King standing in a wide flat area As close as she could tell the nondescript area was some sort of tomb There were two humanoid statues in the open area one made of obsidian and one of ivory A starry dome stretched overhead and Devick stared just a second too long at the celestial expanse rapidly coming back to herself after five seconds of vertigo

Her pulse beat rapidly in her ears and wrists accelerated into a gallop by the intoxicating sensation of her image expanding Malice had grown and developed immensely she could sense in that strange moment of falling But she had also been entirely defenseless

Weirdly the fact that she hadnÆt been ambushed almost annoyed her

The Nether King who had been standing in front of the obsidian statue grinned at her over his shoulder as though he could read her mind Ah finally present Excellent that will make this next part quite a bit easier Otherwise I would have needed to rely on some inefficient methods

Devick straightened imperceptibly shifting her weight to the balls of her feet Malice flexed the fingers of the withered hand Yet even with an empowered version of her image she didnÆt think she could stand against this being the last Nether King in the modern Nexus She reined in her impulse to toss a snarky answer in his face and instead said What the hell are you doing here

Taking the heritage of my people the possibility we have so long been deprived Ah Devick donÆt give me that look I mean neither you nor Randidly any harm The Nether King shrugged and gestured to the two statues Witness now the two pillars upon which the Nexus was built Luckily Pine has been loosed in the Nexus otherwise just being in this place would likely result in your annihilation And while you are here hehe you strike me as someone who would appreciate a small secret Look closely at that white pillar you will see the reason Elhume had such difficulty holding onto his power

Devick frowned but did take a longer glance at the white pillar Her curiosity practically demanded it Whatever she expected to find was not immediately apparent the statue was quite mundane no tentacles or flaming tridents whatsoever thatÆs a woman Should that mean something to me

Well perhaps not Let me just say that statue commemorates an image discarded a Foregone Fate The Nether King hummed Sometimes well meaning inaction is even more dangerous than taking an obviously foolish action For remaining idle opens the door for the unworthy to pervert something genuinely pure And leave the rest of us spending four thousand years to pick up the pieces

Quite lost and not at all titillated by this secretÆ Devick nodded toward the obsidian pillar What about that one You are collecting the heritage of your people but what does that mean

She took a few steps closer and saw that the Nether King had been angling his body to hide his left hand drawing slow circles in the air and siphoning off dense significance from the obsidian statue He watched her with sharp eyes while he continued his labor Yes this belongs to the Nether people It is the entire reason I needed to enter into the Path to the Pinnacle I do not know the particulars of how he died in the memory but in the original timeline Deganawidah the Thrice Drowned sacrificed himself in order to forgive the sins of the Nether Arbiter after she had spent a month being tortured by the Cult of the Savior

The aftermath was not pretty Despite his best efforts my people were afflicted with widespread weakness and dizziness for days opening us up to attacks from Aether forces I suspect Elhume believed this to be the Nether Prince of Deganawidah and rightly hid it here to avoid another abusing its power However this is quite a great deal more important than any old nascent Nether Prince

Devick watched his hands closely She felt a shiver in her own Nether Core witnessing the loving way the Nether Prince stroked the Nether IÆve never seen significance like that

Perhaps Randidly Ghosthound will achieve a similar purity someday but this this is the ripe remnant of a Penance entirely served Raw unused significance of the highest caliber As he spoke of it the energy seemed to shift Every time Devick looked at it it seemed to be shimmering a different color

She saw its translucence but light glinted off it as azure emerald and topaz always shifting always pure

You are going to swallow that and become Devick sucked in a breath as her mind raced through the possibilities

Again Pine shuddered Yet even an innate rejection of this interloper could not slacken its hunger If anything the corpse of the Shallah sucked down more and more soon accepting the whole of this scaled being into itself The dirty hair the heavy scaled body and even the trailing wisp of a tail soon disappeared

It goes to remake the Nexus Fiero cackled YouÆve provided just the help we needed to achieve our ends albeit in a method that we did not wish for And even that is your fault Is this your own Ghasthund The Nexus shall soon become a hell of your making

While Fiero continued to giggle and cackle alternatively Elhume just frowned up toward Pine Why must Laplace climb into Pine Surely the body of an Eternity possesses enough power to potency to remake the universe without relying on Pine

Even frozen Randidly found a point of freedom although the whole of him remained mixed up the reflection within PanguÆs Asymptote remained pure With brutal efficiency he began to weave together significance and complex patterns in that alternate reflection Nyx watched his motions with understanding and pity

He didnÆt like this as an option but he needed to solve this problem quickly

Touching the Universe Soul is the most direct method Fiero said But he suddenly regarded Elhume much more coolly All of the VulpineÆs manic glee had vanished On a fundamental level the Hierarchy of TimeÆs Crossroads will be entered into the Nexus Once that has happened you can proceed back in time freely

There are other ways The Present Pine this will hurt him Elhume said

You Fiero seemed almost shocked As the world ended around them these two individuals looked deeply into each othersÆ eyes almost past the point of empathy You short sighted fool Your son died long ago we are straddled with only his corpse If you had managed to elicit any sort of response mooning about below with this horrifying singularity

Elhume began to plead Perhaps just a little longer with more significance

ItÆs too late Fiero cut him off Then with surprising gentleness he said If it is easier I can take those feelings from you You need not suffer for your son any longer

I ElhumeÆs face crumpled For several long seconds he stared at the ground I do not wish to always be the one who runs from his feelings

And yet here you are Fiero observed Complaining about the situation you created after the fact Inviting an Eternity into the Nexus was your plot to trump even the potential of the Ghosthound So are you going to take responsibility or will you need me to handle it as always happens

While this extended conclusion to the duoÆs melodrama continued Neveah frantically reached out to Randidly At least consider the implications of this decision If you totally unmoor yourself from reality

ItÆs my Class Neveah It was always going to end like this He wrote with Aether to give the label shape He added Nether his own intoxicatingly dense significance to give it weight The implications spiraled out beyond even his own ability to conceptualize but he didnÆt care He needed access to himself And without an effective way to fight back

Neveah radiated waves of caution You Randidly Ghosthound always have chosen your own end And if you do this that will no longer be the case You will no longer be writing your story just living it

RandidlyÆs lips twitched If they would stop me from being able to control myself IÆll just fight even the people of the Alpha Cosmos Because I am a Legend

Within the depths of PanguÆs Asymptote the Nether Ritual and Engraving combo activated in a searing nova of sizzling light which frothed with energy and then ate itself

For his first trick Randidly Ghosthound created individuals from memory

For his second trick he discarded his reality like an old coat

Chapter 2409

Charlotte Wick swayed slightly while standing at attention as though she wanted so very badly to be pacing back and forth across the grass At her side Jieu Ronault served as a foil the flames of his fire elemental body having been purified and petrified from their last brutal offensive to discover the purpose of the Engraving

His existence didnÆt even quiver He had no breath he had no life he seemed very convincingly to have no emotion

Edgar the most honest of the group wept openly in front of the small and sharply cut stone markers His shoulders shook and every few seconds he used the cuffs of his uniform to wipe away thick waves of tears Around him the other foot soldiers of the Vulpis Squad tried to make up for the breach in etiquette by being physically as transfixed as statues but Raymund Ballast would not reprimand them for any flaws not today Besides his eyes mostly flicked sideways to check on DiOrtho Vant

His discipline holds for now Raymund felt so drained Yet all living beings have a limit Even I

The demon man gritted his teeth his emotions so violent and furious that he stirred up a low wind in the area around him The freshly turned dirt shifted slightly restless in the face of this restless grief

After bowing his head briefly Raymund Ballast lifted his chin and assumed the mantle of the Squad leader Today we bury heroes A moniker earned through sacrifice and dedication Elucidating further cannot capture the risk these soldiers faced nor their willingness to put their lives on the line in order to protect the people of the Alpha Cosmos Their hearts swam through fear without letting it distract from their grim purpose And in fact many on their deathbed wounded and struggling on those alien battlefields only expressed they were sorry not to have done more for their families The Order Vulpis walks into hell itching for their next challenge

Let us hope they need not face it That what comes next for them is writ with serenity and peace

The only thing they needed to do Charlotte Wick whispered Was to make it home with us

Raymund Ballast shot her a reproving glance but continued without acknowledging her breach We will remember their names They trained with us they fought with us and they were the first to die for us So long as the Vulpis Squad exists we will remember them Duon Mlo Tzerik Falnor Heiffal Kimbant Lar Vizzeret Clamman

That fucking dumbass dog The air around Vant snapped Suddenly the Machine Horror was there razing its chainsaw arms grinding its ancient drill teeth screeching out a keening wail of mourning It was a body of jagged edges and barely contained energy Even after an hour of rest and recovery the image proudly bore the wounds it had taken during the fighting leaving huge rents in its sheet metal body VantÆs pupils dilated You if we had stayed in formation you didnÆt need to buy us a last few seconds holding off PineÆs gaze all on your own

I cannot call it festering being composed of metal Raymund thought But this soldier is not in a good place

Vant JieuÆs voice was cool and cutting

DiOrtho Vant gave him two middle fingers for his trouble Seriously why are we fucking acting like he did something great when he gave up his life so easily

Vant Raymund Ballast snapped his teeth shut on the name

The demon man glared at him for several seconds temper and grief igniting into a horrible conflagration The tension hummed the air a mirror of the strange rumbling changes occurring across the sky of the Alpha Cosmos Raymund Ballast did not reach for his image but simply stood and looked

In the end Vant looked away Ballast cleared his throat and enunciated the rest of the names His heart broke at how long the list was With two more deaths they would have lost fully half of their number A few others amongst the foot soldiers began to cry VantÆs display at least waking them up from their shock and giving them a chance to grieve

However finishing the names did not mean that BallastÆs responsibilities had come to an end While various soldiers drifted to the different graves to pay their respect a wild eyed squad leader marched up and asked What now

Several of the other soldiers looked over their eyes somewhat bleak Raymund released an inward sigh And without reading their mood Charlotte Wick stepped forward and executed a sharp salute toward the sky We watch and observe Can you not see that the Ghosthound still fights for us So long as the war continues we must be ready to spring into action at a momentÆs notice We hold our weapons ready waiting for the call

You speak with such absolute confidence Yet I wonder how long that attitude will last Fiero said If you truly possessed this sort of resolve we would not have ended up like this over and over again

Randidly pressed with Grey MonarchÆs Authority isolating the distorted version of his images and bringing them back into alignment When this proved extremely exhausting Randidly began remaking his images from scratch Which proved disturbingly easy as his sharp memory gave him all the details and emotional affects he needed to recreate them

Yea this is going to take some getting used to Randidly bit the inside of his cheek but kept working moving from his images to his body and then from his body to his Nether Core But here he began encountering more difficulties

Immediately it became clear that his efforts stirred the general consciousness of the Alpha Cosmos As he nudged the general world state image a referendum was passed to the mass of consciousnesses providing his legitimacy Could Randidly Ghosthound fight against an Eternity and overcome its mandate The people of the Alpha Cosmos didnÆt have any reckoning of what an Eternity was but Randidly did and a distorted and vague impression filtered down through to them

Could Randidly Ghosthound wrestle and overcome a dimensional horror crawling into the Nexus

Randidly left Elhume and Fiero and was suddenly in the Alpha Cosmos Dusk fell across the mainland of Expira covering the world in twilight He flitted across the sky looking at the way his significance restricted the mandate left by Laplace that time was fickle keeping it from infecting the Alpha Cosmos In his half whole dreamstate he steadily lost ground but would be able to keep the force at bay for a while

The question settled across the isolated universe And unfortunately the initial reaction was not good

Fear and worry exploded within the hearts of the denizens of the Alpha Cosmos a thousand tiny sparks sizzling in the homes and neighborhoods The response came mostly from those who had not developed their Class very far who found pleasure developing lifestyle related Skills who had gratefully put behind them the days they needed to fight to survive and Level

They also reacted most viscerally to the presence of this new monster looming over them

Fathers and mothers sat up in their beds their minds briefly going blank at the prospect of their children being exposed to the danger Partners still awake that night looked over at their sleeping love and considered what it would mean to lose them Teachers hunched over their desks to grade papers flashed back to those early days of the System when violence was rampant and children were often the first to suffer All these individuals didnÆt want this next generation to be exposed to a repeat of that bloody chaos Fear slithered through their hearts its cool scales warping their perspective

The question was about Randidly Ghosthound but all understood how they existed within him at this point So the people began to get distracted If he were to throw down against an extra dimensional being what would that mean for them

Then these individuals walked outside to get some fresh air and consider Their impression of looming doom was not alleviated when they looked up and saw clouds grappling with a monstrous seeming distortion If anything the visual was worse at night when it seemed as though a tide of oblivion swept down from the heavens to drown them all

A reality less Randidly felt his own efforts turning sluggish in the face of their doubts Whatever strange form he had achieved would let him avoid some of his other problems but he could not do it without the blessing of the Alpha Cosmos

Just as Neveah had desperately warned him

She was the one pure beacon of support in the frothing panic spreading across the Alpha Cosmos She steadied him but she alone would not be enough

The question spread and settled further across the Alpha Cosmos

Opposite their reticence Randidly felt his own resolve hardening

Chapter 2410

The question spread further through the Alpha Cosmos the main thrust again being deviated from Randidly to worries about the fallout

Of course the second beat of this instinctual reaction was from the critics Randidly streaked across the skies his lip curling as he drifted over radio and television stations He observed harried looking men and woman crossing out their previous programming and frantically gesturing to their news personalities to look at the teleprompter and pivot to this sudden story that had erupted

Considering its origins and the uniformity of its presence it was clear something had occurred And even if they werenÆt the most accurate all of these outlets wanted to be the first to have an opinion on the topic

Loud voices and table slamming fists entered into the fray with bold enunciations Especially in news originating in and around Zone 1 the pundits were especially harsh on Randidly They complained about how irresponsibly he behaved in regards to the Alpha Cosmos dragging them into all these horrible situations How his own over confidence and antagonistic nature constantly introduced new threats WerenÆt they still reeling from these Homunculi spawning across the Alpha Cosmos

Yet now he had found some new foe to fight against when he hadnÆt yet done anything about the troubles in the Alpha Cosmos Especially so soon after he unleashed an entire population of Nether based beings in the wildlands

ItÆs not even a question of whether the Big Dog in the sky could fight against something like this A red faced man flapped his lips toward a camera ItÆs whether he should whether he has any right to make this decision for us And I might just be a Level 62 Orator but I believe the answer is an emphatic no Stop asking us to pay your debts Big Dog in exchange for nothing in return

More organized smaller pulses of negativity began to surge from different locations Randidly jumped from meeting to meeting sensing the predatory and calculating nature of these individuals He watched them his mood chilling every second

A woman in a navy blazer and red blouse that screamed political candidate wrapped her knuckles on an oak table and glanced around at the people gathered there This is good This is an opportunity to attack all of the pro Ghosthound factions Obviously our main goal will be to get a foot in the door of the materials industry but even if we just discredit his affiliates we can build up momentum for the next election Heh and they say there is no such thing as bad press

At another location a group rapidly made plans based on this night to try and convince young Classers to apply to their Order rather than the prestigious Order Ducis There were several burning pyres of negativity from ancillary educational institutions urging their deans to write open letters to Randidly Ghosthound cashing in on this fear in order to demonstrate a sympathetic philosophy Even if not one the students would like one that would catch the eye and attention of the guardians of the next classroom cohort

Waves of consequences from his action spread out and Randidly quivered He pressed and pressed but his body and significance wanted to drift apart in a thousand directions NeveahÆs support helped along with other small spots of support that began to emerge but he couldnÆt proceed like this

With burning eyes he turned his attention onto the Alpha Cosmos We donÆt have fucking time for this Time is not fickle and we are on a clock people I donÆt want that thing swimming up toward Pine any longer than necessary

So if you wonÆt let me do this willingly

But just as the Hungry Eye of the Songstress of Absence turned to the people of the Alpha Cosmos a third wave of reactions arrived The more considered began to come to their conclusions and due to the flowing river of significance through the Alpha Cosmos these stronger beliefs held a lot of sway

In Kharon Academy a thousand teenagers and young adults looked up and saw Randidly Ghosthound fighting against an eldritch horror in the night sky Clouds marched to grapple with the ephemeral invader The teenagersÆ eyes sparkled even as their thoughts merged into a nearly uniform single reaction So fucking cool Someday that will be me

The children of the worried parents from the first wave woke up sensing the current of significance beginning to circle the world with increasing force The details of the situation percolated down into their consciousness And when that question alighted on their minds as soft as a feather the response was unanimous of course Randidly Ghosthound would win

He always won

He won against entire Zones against the entire Alpha Cosmos

He became a being who could fight and overcome the mandate of an Eternity

The members of the Pantheon smirked and crossed their arms not even needing to lift a finger to shift the outcome

Randidly growled as he came back to his body His Nether Core loosened up and began to accelerate He grabbed the pieces of his body he arranged his anchors he crashed back into the present and felt like himself Translucent significance rushed through his veins grounding him and reestablishing his presence He straightened and cracked his neck

His skin burned scraped raw by PineÆs presence But Randidly suspected that to solve this problem he would need to do more than just endure PineÆs presence he would need to follow Laplace into the belly of the beast

Congratulations For surviving the experience of becoming a Legend +1 MuseÆs Reverie

MuseÆs Reverie is now at 7/7 Congratulations Dreamer you may now take another Reverie

In front of Randidly Elhume now glared at Fiero Their little scene continued Do not act like your behavior is selfless we both know your true motive in wanting to take these feelings from me everything I have youÆve always craved You are hollow Fiero and you always will be No matter how much you pour into yourself this is who you are

Fiero growled Hollow Ha how rich coming from you No matter how much youÆve accomplished youÆve never been able to stop and just be content with what you have You must always build the pyramid of your life higher no matter what you need to sacrifice to do it I might have been hollow but at least I was born that way YouÆve dug out and extracted everything of value and for what So you can be alone and obsessed with your sonÆs death

Elhume grabbed Fiero by his shabby vest My son is proof of what IÆve accomplished That I can lead my people that my wife loves

Not to interrupt Randidly now standing beside the two patted their shoulders But why donÆt we move you two to a safer location to hash this out

The Songstress of Absence crooned out oblivion The two turned too enthralled by their complex emotions to recognize the threat and met her song without any defenses Their expressions went blank as their consciousnesses vanished Both collapsed to the ground

Randidly cracked his neck again He considered bringing the two into the Alpha Cosmos and having the Pantheon watch them but worried they would wake up and cause havoc He produced the AlchemistÆs Passport needing quite a bit of focused attention to punch through the greedy rind that PineÆs presence created

He unceremoniously dumped the unconscious bodies through to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station Then he looked upward

Took me by surprise the first time but I wonÆt let it happen again Randidly muttered His focus shifted to PanguÆs Asymptote Nyx well I appreciate your support I suppose you donÆt want LaplaceÆs influence to spread any further Is that why you helped me originally when you provided the Cloak of Utter Night and the Hollow Needle So what can you tell me about the ways you can face an Eternity

Nyx smiled By being an Eternity Or

Randidly grimaced understanding without her needing to finish the sentence He shook his head Just another day in the life Well fine LetÆs see what we can manage MuseÆs Reverie

Existence froze around him The energy halos rippled and came into alignment His awareness bloomed and expanded With this opportunity he needed to lay the groundwork for his third trick

Chapter 2411

The Nether King gathered significance around his fingers Now finally it was time to move forward

The Last Nether King a moniker once threatened by the presence of Randidly Ghosthound but no longer after the strange transformation pinned Devick to the ground and carefully wove threads of Nether together to target a particular connection His eyes didnÆt waver just like he didnÆt in keeping her torso pressed against the ground Every detail entered into his vision History and momentum rode upon his shoulders but he did not slouch

From the corpse of the Nexus he would extract the bones of a paradise for the Nether people A place where they could finally live in peace beyond the reach of Eternities or at the mercy of Pinnacles Hopefully without any of the involved parties noticing his actions until it was too late

His people deserved at least this much after everything they had been forced to endure

Usually Devick jerked and bucked beneath him but his grip was sure Blood leaked out of the corner of her lips and nose from where he had been forced to smash her face into the ground multiple times to ensure she wouldnÆt interrupt the process I would be more concerned with my virtue in this situation but youÆve been almost insultingly clear in your disinterest Ah my womanly pride is hurt

The echoes of their brief and violent conflict still rippled out through the empty chamber of the Pinnacle Blood spatters spread out in random patterns behind him the few signs of their brief and vicious struggle

All I need is your blood fresh from the vein The Nether King grunted as Devick wiggled the fingers of her left hand and corroded some of the Nether KingÆs significance The Nether King pressed his lips together even now DevickÆs image continued to improve in this place at a rate that left him speechless Especially that left hand now had reached the point where she could damage his refined Nether which was why he now spent so much careful effort binding it

The Nether KingÆs next project would take some focused attention That would need to be especially restricted

Father you would still call me persnickety even now huh The Nether KingÆs significance stirred slightly As always the phantom of his father lurked close to his Nether Core a blurry shadow cast by the swirling center of his existence And yet my persnicketiness is what has kept me alive for so long Heh youÆd say it was just luck and not to worry so much wouldnÆt you

Yet no one can deny it is the worrier who has reached these heights and has these opportunities

See when you say things like that I donÆt think you understand how sexual you sound Devick commenced a new round of thrashing but this time the Nether KingÆs bindings held Why should the freshness

After punching her hard enough to break the cartilage of her nose he sat back and regarded her If you are aware I will not be distracted by your antics why do you continue with them I will not waver

You unrepentant narcissist Devick leaned back against the cool ground and spat to the side adding a new tickle of blood and spit to their halo of fluids How dare you assume any of this was for you If anything this is all an elaborate show for Randidly Ghosthound Not sure if this is exactly up his alley but no reason not to add a little special sauce to a routine blood robbery

The Nether KingÆs lip twitched as he looked sideways at the spray of blood and phlegm she produced The greatest luck of your false existence is having a connection to Randidly Ghosthound Other than that you are the picture of disgusting excess I have no idea what he sees in you

Devick smiled at him sweetly her teeth bloody At least he looks at me IÆm just just a walking bag of blood to him

Right before he made his move the Nether King unleashed a dense wave of Nether to suppress her image But right as his Nether Ritual shifted into position around her that glob of spat blood had exploded with her concentrated image raking crimson claws across the bindings even as he formed them The Nether KingÆs eyes narrowed Her left hand flared Her long fingers curled touching and beginning to eat through the core portion of the Nether Ritual

The Nether King stood and slammed his heel against her face The back of her head cracked against the ground and bounced He flicked his fingers and produced spikes of Nether stabbing through the flesh of her left arm and pinning that dangerous hand to the ground before it could get loose His Nether swirled about him the patterns tumbling through an evolution to wrap more tightly around Devick

For a brief moment he glanced at the Nether around his left hand Even now the presence of those fingers deviates from the organic pattern evolution What a frightful witch In a few years exposed to Randidly GhosthoundÆs Nether and Aether what will she become

At first the bonding continued slowly The Nether King could feel DevickÆs continued struggles and regretted not taking the time to beat some more sense into her before he made his attempt Admittedly sense would be a waste of effort his real goal would have been to beat some unconsciousness into her

Too late now The Nether King thought The constant presence of his father in the back of his mind waved a hand DonÆt worry so much Never too late to change your life kid Æ

Then the significance caught and burned with a chemical intensity Strange patterns curled and wilted off of the fake coin The Nether King hissed surprised despite all his preparations for the density and strength of the Nether of Randidly Ghosthound After a few confused seconds where the Nether King wondered whether he would need to force his way forward after all the veil around the Alpha Cosmos wavered and parted

Devick clawed her way out of the restrictions just as the Nether King stepped through the bond into the Alpha Cosmos and shut the door behind him Already he wove his Nether into his body and allowed not even a whisper to leak out through his skin Originally he had believed he would be able to rely on his natural patterns to adjust and blend into the environment but that would take too much time

The Nether King glanced around He stood in space floating between the various planets orbiting through the Alpha Cosmos Around them spun a massive loop Even now he could only look in wonder at the natural currents of significance connecting the various locations

He nodded to himself The first step well the only step LetÆs just do it and worry about the consequences later

The Nether King tapped around lightly with his significance found the scent of what he sought and then became just another breath of significance in the vast river He passed through and rapidly moved through the Alpha Cosmos remaining as inconspicuous as possible So many interesting patterns glittered around him but he dared not investigate

Here he didnÆt need to worry about only Randidly Ghosthound but also the Pantheon Their capabilities were somewhat a mystery to the Nether King so he behaved as conservatively as possible

I have the Name I have the raw significance to Herald a Shallah from nothing but nothing is not the most fruitful soil What I need is the other half the Aether half of the engineered being I will make A Shallah is not just an unsaid name but also a shape without a shape A shapeless feeling Heh the incorrectly termed Nether PrinceÆ is the perfect counterpoint to an unspoken name The remnant of an influential life But it needs to be from a powerful Aether individual And ideally one who possessed at least contact with Nether in their lifetime Plus the selection must be in possession of an upstanding personality they are not the same but they have connections to that original existence

No one from the Nexus fits all those criteria but in the Alpha Cosmos

The Nether King slithered out of the river of significance just another nondescript breath of Nether in a roiling sea Definitely the Nether King felt inspired by feeling the natural energy development of this place He looked around cautiously but saw so many fascinating examples of the way the two energies could exist in harmony He became even more sure that a Nether universe would be exactly what his people needed

He manifested his body on Expira standing above a jagged ravine Down in the depths existed the most significant death in the history of the Alpha Cosmos the Nether Prince of the First Knight of the Ghosthound Helen Of all the possibilities she was the best option

She would help him birth a new Eden for the Nether people

Yet the Nether King stilled when he manifested For waiting there for him was Randidly Ghosthound his head slightly tilted to the side his eyes blazing emerald His black hair fell messily around his face The shadows of a massive tree a restless monster and an event horizon darkened the space around him

The Nether King coughed lightly awkwardly embarrassed You have the time for this

The GhosthoundÆs smile just widened He looked every inch the sort of entity that could overthrow the entire Nexus The Nether King probably still had the advantage in Nether manipulation but feeling the energy flow in the Alpha Cosmos

Even the cleverest and most sophisticated aqueduct would be obliterated by a tsunami

Chapter 2412

With the smile of Randidly Ghosthound fixed upon him the Nether King knew he needed to quickly make a decision Before the ominous ripples of translucent significance made the air of the Alpha Cosmos any more hostile

The problem was that none of his options appealed to him Fleeing was possible but would mean that this opportunity was lost And the particular requirements for the Nether KingÆs plan could not be compromised Fighting seemed even more foolish but the more that the Nether King looked at Randidly Ghosthound the more he wondered about that

Because the Ghosthound felt strange for two separate reasons

First although a body was in front of him in possession of both dense Nether and his usual overwhelming images Randidly Ghosthound didnÆt seem to exist His body was present and yet it was not The Nether was there knotted up and rushing through the beating heart of the Alpha Cosmos but also the space was hollow Perhaps then this was just a reflected manifestation

However more alarmingly there was an overwhelming sense of connectedness to the current Randidly Ghosthound The Nether King couldnÆt sense the edges of his patterns He seemed to have expanded to encompass everything Even him

The Nether King felt a chill run through his body He wasnÆt sure how he knew but he had the distinct sensation that the Ghosthound had just reached within him and taken the knowledge of what he was doing here with just as much subterfuge as the Nether King had used to sneak into the Alpha Cosmos Just like that the third option of subterfuge vanished

Kid the joy about treating everyone else like they are idiots is that it becomes true Æ His father had once said flicking the young Nether King in the forehead Just donÆt forget that you are included in that everyone And finding out you are right in the worst way about yourself can be rough Æ

What the hell is this The Nether King whispered as he examined the other man wreathed in a network of strange undulating connections The more he tried to follow them the more he tried to trace the source of that taken knowledge the more the patterns spiraled into themselves

A Reverie Randidly Ghosthound said rather casually The flow of significance around them stilled He tilted his head to the side and his smile disappeared You are here to take HelenÆs Nether Prince in order to

Randidly Ghosthound frowned The awareness and thoughtfulness in his expression deepened You want to build a Shallah from scratch purposefully Huh thatÆs actually a pretty interesting idea But I donÆt think it will work not in the way you want In fact I can guarantee you that it wonÆtù youÆll fail for the same reason that Elhume could never quite master the Nexus even though he reached the Pinnacle twice This sort of existence I do not think it can be made just by going through the motions

The Nether King considered this being who had so rapidly risen to power He couldnÆt help but offer a bitter smile Perhaps not before but you have altered the fundamental fabric of the Nexus The materials I am gathering are of the highest quality And I believe with the weight of history behind me I can finally achieve a modicum of safety for my people Their should have earned as much with their suffering

The GhosthoundÆs emerald eyes flashed I have not made the Nexus more fair Nether King And I have been very firm in stomping out all notes of deserving If you think my actions have altered a function of the Nexus you have missed the point

The Nether King acknowledged the oversimplification with a shrug but didnÆt back down This was the chance and he was not going to miss it The two individuals looked at each other for a long time The Nether King tried to keep the patterns around his body smooth without allowing them to wiggle into more violent developments He observed the crystalline significance released by the Ghosthound but still found it to be somewhat unfathomable Should it come down to a confrontation between the two of them he would need to strike swiftly

Do you truly believe you can succeed The Ghosthound asked

The Nether King nodded In other areas I am not your match But in terms of prayer and hope I have the utmost confidence in my accomplishments The long wait of my people has not been in vain This time of upheaval is the opportunity we have been waiting for

To his great surprise Randidly Ghosthound stepped to the side He gestured down into the ravine Go ahead I donÆt have a good track record of giving up control but you truly believe in what you are doing ItÆs a good bit of magic To that end you can have this Nether Prince In exchange for a favor do not begin your attempt until you receive my signal Are we agreed

Her words echoed through the created Pinnacle chamber widening and warping with all the space around her But at the very least her firm stance helped solidify MaliceÆs body The gurgling toxicity grounded her with a foe she could focus

all of that focus was lost when after a second humming noise the culprit revealed itself A medium sized gecko probably two hand spans long crawled up onto the womanÆs shoulder and regarded her with wide and bulging eyes

Ahem Devick cleared her throat The Nether King had mentioned a treasure related to the original founding of the Nexus but was this stupid creature it Just to be clear you are a hyper intelligent sinister being prepared to ravage me and suck the marrow from my bones yes

The gecko blinked at her

Please Maybe monologue on your plot to cover the world in scales and shades of green

It blinked again

Devick tried another tack She cleared her throat and put her hand on her hip Perhaps seeing my flawless physical form has left you boiling over with lust YouÆve got quite the thing for redheads

Rather than answer the gecko shivered Its body began to glow vaguely It wiggled its shoulders as the light brightened and Devick settled back into a battle crouch Honestly this didnÆt actually seem lust related but she would take it The fingers of her left hand curled into claws She felt the mantle of god slayer settling across her The light became blinding

Yet when it faded it was DevickÆs turn to blink You are a lizard not a snake

Where the gecko had been on the womanÆs shoulder there now sat a perfectly preserved husk of skin The creature had shed its skin and left it there a glittering perfect shape And now that it sat on the ground DevickÆs jaw dropped this time the small creature now sat with a different form A crimson furred bunny tilted its head as it examined her one ear flopping down on its head

Seriously what the fuck Devick whispered Just to be sure she swiped at the bunny with her left hand She unleashed her image but almost half heartedly considering its rather charming new body The body hopped to the side just avoiding the attack Rather than seeming threatened by it however the bunny just seemed curious It hopped closer and regarded her very seriously

Devick threw her hands up in the air Not even strong enough to kill a lizard rabbit One that lives in this Pinnacle place sure but dammit Well come here

She stepped forward and pounced on the bunny expecting it to dodge But it did not Even as DevickÆs left hand tightened around its furry and warm body it just looked at her She lifted it up and frowned at it Then she pulled it into her arms and stroked its fur each second with a little bit more enthusiasm

Honestly its fur was addictively soft

So now what Devick asked the air The remnants of her disappointment and bitterness formed discarded debris in the corner of her heart but the worst of it was soothed away Yet still she was alone here not quite properly motivated to throw herself into training At least she now had a stress pet

Yet obviously this was the point at which the rabbit opened its mouth Should I take you to the Pinnacle

Chapter 2413

Even after he suppressed his presence Randidly Ghosthound lingered and observed the Nether King as he descended into the ravine that housed HelenÆs Nether Prince The decision had been made but he still wavered

Randidly wasnÆt in the habit of regretting a choice but all the sticky emotions he tried to suppress in his heart latched onto this parting

He saw the Nether KingÆs slow gait He watched as the Nether King paused in front of the swirling orb of energy grown larger since Randidly had last viewed it dense with the lessons impressions and personality of Helen grown more ripe The Nether King gave this Nether Prince a bow

Although he had no body RandidlyÆs jaw clenched Helen is this the right choice Would you really have wanted to be a part of this Heh youÆd gladly embark on the journey to create an entire world Or am I really just scared of letting the Nether Prince remain here and become something obviously not you

Letting go is suffering

Seconds trickled past against his skin like scalding grains of sand In the end Randidly could only turn away If he couldnÆt move past the issue he could at least distract himself He was in the middle of his Reverie the last chance he would have to prepare himself before he needed to follow Laplace into the depths of Pine and subdue this invading Eternity Once this process started Randidly knew he would be on a hurtling ride to the conclusion of this challenge to revolutionize the Nexus

Randidly had overpowered Elhume and Fiero leaving the duo no choice but to invite an even more powerful ally deep into the Nexus to stop him Once he pried this thing out of here Randidly Ghosthound would have won

His Legend would have reached its conclusion The shape of his story will have reached its end

Again the passage of time snapped Randidly back to focus It whispered against his skin a constant reminder of necessity lurking right outside this brief interlude With a soundless growl his manifestation vanished and spread out to cover the whole of the Alpha Cosmos His inner universe glittered beneath him the combination of the Reverie state and his energy halo awareness turned the world into a place of frozen time and luminous rainbow rays He had spent a single one of his Reverie points already to read the intentions of the Nether King

Which meant he had six more remaining to prepare a miracle

What had calmed RandidlyÆs anger was not the plan of the Nether which while Randidly believed would have some effect seemed likely to stop short of creating a Shallah but rather the pure intensity of the Nether KingÆs emotions After piercing past the enigmatic expression and patterns that had always been the modus operandi of the Nether King what Randidly encountered was a quiet resolve to do whatever necessary to provide some safety for his people

And for that goal Randidly felt quite a bit of empathy

He shifted and returned to his body/nonbody standing in the Nexus He opened his eyes and looked up Despite the activation of the Reverie the maelstrom of Pine churned with a glacial momentum Even more ominously Randidly could see the lingering effects of Laplace Fickle Crossroads of Time rippling out and infecting the Nexus Every second it sank deeper into the fabric of existence

Randidly pressed his lips together Alright one point of MuseÆs Reverie spent six to go How do I best prepare to halt an eternity

Humming softly to himself Randidly raised his hands His six Fatepieces floated out of his body and spun around him tumbling in the air Each possessed an ability under normal situations but a Reverie intensified that power even further The Reverie was the ultimate state of inspiration and insight of the Alchemist At its core it wove the dreams of a Heretic into reality one small impossibility at a time

With the AlchemistÆs Passport distance lost meaning during a Reverie

The Visage of Obsession allowed existence to be paused and parsed apart the valuable goal extracted freely from the complicated mess of reality

The Hierarchy of Burden could unleash a blast from the boundary of the universe striking a foe while they were completely unprepared for the attack

A point of MuseÆs Reverie vanished as the cube made up of thirty six smaller metal cubes expanded and spun outward Space parted allowing the cube to fold the universe into a witnessable shape The pieces rushed out in every direction spreading to the ends of the Nexus The pieces avoided Pine and Laplace waiting within he saw no need to break through the barrier around this just yet not while he had a bit of time to compose himself

Soon RandidlyÆs awareness buzzed with a sense of vastness He breathed and the whole of the Nexus hummed in response resonating with his Reverie empowered Fatepiece

He felt the Codex Hexahedron complaining as it began to feed information back to him requiring another point of MuseÆs Reverie Decisively Randidly narrowed his focus at this point he couldnÆt afford to waste a single point So he looked only at the fabric of time An awareness of the full state of time across the Nexus flowed into him

Randidly sighed and shook his head I didnÆt realize it was already this bad

With Reverie eliminating the pulses that ran through time he had the ability to completely read the fabric of time lying draped across the Nexus And what the examination revealed was that the damage was much worse than Randidly had thought What he witnessed was the fabric of time was like a knitted quilt which as it spread outward from its origins had invited basically anyone with yarn and knitting needles to join in its creation

As it turns out peopleÆs ability to manage time was extremely unreliable

There were solid reliable portions that had been tightly woven together but there were also gaping holes and lumpy sections Sometimes there were wide tears that probably had persisted for a thousand years In other places the base threads of time wisped outward where a particularly powerful individual might have just ripped through the fabric to impose their will on existence

Randidly couldnÆt help but cough He didnÆt look too closely but his powerful DeityÆs Ruthless Cerebral Scope found several chunky gashes definitely attributable to him

Honestly the fabric of time had probably been under attack since the dawning of the Nexus But what Randidly had done when he struck out against time earlier was the equivalent of kicking out his legs to untuck a sheet that had been wrapped around a mattress When the fabric of time had been pulled tight the wounds werenÆt so noticeable the great wounds were just narrow slits But now

What am I missing Whispered to himself The understanding of time was valuable but already his mind shifted back to the problem of the Shallah Several bits of insights fell into the hole in his understanding trying to fit Yet none filled the gap and Randidly felt frustrated Although his energy had become increasingly powerful and valuable his Nether translucent and an increasing amount of his Aether liquid it did not appear to be approaching any sort of grand fusion he would have expected from the precipitation of a Shallah

Randidly remembered the horrible visions that had stricken him on the Glimpse of the Shallah Path He had seen the two wrong Paths Aether and Nether individual pushed to their extreme Aether solid and unmoving a massive crystal mountain range Nether concentrated to the point that it devoured everything else a substance that took but did not give The horrible ends reached in the Nexus due to ElhumeÆs clumsy attempts At the time Randidly turned around and glimpsed the truth of the Shallah albeit vaguely

He had thought he was taking that path Yet now it seemed obvious he had somehow gone down a third Path One that took him to power but perhaps not to Hallohym the ancestral eden of the Shallah

Randidly rubbed his forehead But he also felt a bit of clarity he understood a few weapons he needed to gather from the Alpha Cosmos to fight specifically against Laplace He felt confident about those choices And his MuseÆs Reverie points might be tight but he should have enough to ask a few questions about the Shallah And about Eternities

His awareness filtered down into his Soulspace From there he proceeded to PanguÆs Asymptote the tool that made the impossible acceleration of his Nether Core possible which had allowed him to escape LaplaceÆs technique earlier As she had been earlier Nyx floated there regarding him with worry

Randidly considered trying this with the Codex Hexahedron but suspected the amount of information contained within an Eternity would not be small Instead after a bit of hesitation he reached out and touched the Keystone of the First Ghasthund He extended an invitation for a conversation with a foreign Eternity

Nyx accepted

The corners of RandidlyÆs mouth turned down as he felt not one but two points of MuseÆs Reverie being taken to facilitate the experience This better be worth it

Chapter 2414

The surface of PanguÆs Asymptote rippled as the invitation from Randidly was accepted They stood opposite one another separated by the reflected barrier but the rest of existence fell away The surroundings softened into a dark misty space Nyx had ceased to mouth warnings at Randidly warped by LaplaceÆs time shenanigans Now she simply looked sad The barrier between them glittered and then everything fell away

While within the sway of RandidlyÆs Reverie they seemed to be the only two people in the world At the same time their auras spread out and pressed against one another RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed his significance and powerful images remained potent but he could also feel the raw chaotic power of the Eternity in front of her NyxÆs was a softer power than Laplace of darkness and chaos but he still sense this was another foe he would have a difficult time fighting

Staring at her Randidly Ghosthound swore to himself that he would not make the same deal Elhume did He could not invite Nyx into the Nexus in order to balance out the presence of Eternities

Otherwise he really would just be knocking aside the previous tyrant and installing himself at the top

Randidly cleared his throat unwilling to waste any time after needing to use two points of MuseÆs Reverie He cut right to the chase What makes you different than Laplace Why should I trust your assistance

Nyx nodded with a serene expression You ask the right questions nephew You see to the crux of the issue immediately Allow me to provide some context Among those of us whose hubris grasps for Eternity there are two methods of expression Those who grasp the cycle and reach Eternity to create a Momento or those who instead seek to become the cycle I am the former while Laplace is the latter Our choices make us incompatible with each other

Why incompatible Randidly asked rather skeptically Definitely Nyx had supported him But just from the vibration of the word incompatible the divide was deeper than that

Nyx blinked as though considering Her eyes were completely black without sclera iris or pupil but small bits of glittering stars seemed to be embedded in that deep darkness There are infinite worlds but when an Eternity becomes the cycle they create a Samsara An inescapable cycle designed by the Eternity to perpetuate themselves for well until the last bit of chaos vanishes and Stasis becomes all Just as the Pinnacle focuses on a choice in a moment the Nether equivalent fixates on shapeÆ Meanwhile for those Eternities that externalize the shape through a Momento well if existence becomes a series of Samsaras we will have no freedom to advance down on own Path

Randidly frowned at that both starting to understand the basis of the rivalry while also still understanding the assistance Nyx gave him felt a little heavy But he switched topics What is the choice given to those who reach the Pinnacle

Ah Nephew You have already seen the effects of both you just didnÆt understand you saw different results Nyx hummed and offered him a kind smile Randidly expected to feel rather annoyed at her tone but the genuine warmth felt nice Which simultaneously made him trust her less and more At the Pinnacle you have a moment of absolute influence However it is better to think of that moment as passing across a threshold At that moment you have a choice become the threshold or open the door to everyone

RandidlyÆs skin prickled finally seeing it Whether you host a powerful truth and strengthen your vessel or you create a new dimension

Indeed Randidly Ghosthound there is one more truth worth noting we speak of Eternities and Pinnacles but the only truly absolute of existence is that your Path is only limited by the steps you take Not all truths and universes all Mementos and Samsaras are created equal Finally committing to the process of a Pinnacle or an Eternity is akin to cashing in all the potential you have earned on your journey

The Path goes ever onward Now it was RandidlyÆs turn to blink The way Nyx spoke reminded him so much of the common refrain he had heard from his days of moving through Paths Was this a coincidence a sign of this philosophy being spread in the wider multiverse or a sign NyxÆs touch on the Nexus was deeper than Randidly suspected

NyxÆs smile stretched wider her expression becoming almost sinful Which is why although Elhume at first managed to use Pine to create such a stable Nexus capable of supporting so many Hierarchies his later attempts at the Pinnacle accomplished little His truths were wan expressions with poor nutrition His own legs barely carried him forward

RandidlyÆs mind raced as he extrapolated out the meaning of her words Based on what Nyx had said although the Nether King probably wouldnÆt be able to condense a genuine Shallah through his methods he probably would be able to create a stable universe for his people So long as both the Aether and Nether possessed the requisite power

Perhaps sensing his hesitance Nyx offered him a cool smile You do not need to embrace the Truth And if you do not use it in your methods I will not hold you to this promise

To that Randidly rolled his eyes We both know that simply hearing a Truth can change everything

Which begs the question Nyx folded her hands in front of her body Once again they seemed to be drifting closer Which do you fear more my truth or my assistance

Randidly didnÆt like the amount that Nyx appeared to understand him But in the end he supposed he was also a being that gave birth to three Moiraes He didnÆt like to consider it but perhaps they shared more of the same base DNA than Randidly would like to admit His eyes flicked to the floating truth

Randidly reached out and took it The Truth sank into his hand light and insubstantial But when it arrived in his Soulspace it crashed down like a meteor capable of exterminating all life RandidlyÆs powerful Willpower wrapped around it keeping the reverberations small Yet from just a touch he could immediately sense two things first this truth was a deeper and sharper one than any he possessed In terms of specificity it had been reduced down to an articulable phrase much in contrast to the vague images and certainties that Randidly had gathered

And the second thing was the exact nature of the Truth

RandidlyÆs eyes opened flashing with emerald light you canÆt have it both ways

Nyx nodded slowly A base Truth but one I think someone like you will find useful

Once Randidly had seen it his awareness of its influence spread out to prickle across all of his accumulation Specifically in regards to Pinnacle and Eternity events He understood why Elhume had failed so spectacularly in his later attempts you could not both birth a universe and empower your vessel A Truth could be used for only one of the two tasks Similarly it was impossible to both create a Momento and a Samsara