LoRG 5

The silver flames faltered as Randidly twisted with his Grey MonarchÆs Authority and reframed reality DuulysÆs eyes widened Then with all the force of his significance Randidly slammed his powerful body into the doorway and forced it open His wings spread wide to fill the unlocked space dripping blood and charred leaves around him

Chapter 2037

With a resounding crack the flames stuttered and dispersed The silver lion yelped Suddenly they were just two men standing opposite each other Randidly gripping the wounded Acri still stuck in his opponentÆs chest His emerald eyes flickering Randidly squeezed the weapon and prepared to rip it across

But when Randidly tried to move he found himself empty His image physicalizations were already dispersing Completely totally empty His emotions spent his Nether almost entirely dry his images crumbling away The two men continued to stare at each other Duulys stunned and Randidly vaguely disappointed that this was his limit He tugged listlessly at AcriÆs shaft just barely managing to dislodge the weapon from

But of course Randidly was not alone

The process of Pullas activating her tattoo was extremely painful as it scraped away the last scraps of Nether he possessed But then Randidly fell on his butt next to her leaving the solemn faced Fiona facing her former husband

Why did you say the barren one was me Fiona whispered Her words had the acidic tang of a phrase long held in the shadows

DuulysÆs mouth worked silently for several seconds Above him his silver lion slumped and shrank until it was a guilty kitten His head began to shake slowly I never said that

Memories came to him the memories that had kept him going to this point

Duulys Ambar had fought on the frontlines for a long time His relationship with Fiona had been well established while he was at his peak he had finally forced his family to accept her with his series of victories on the frontlines He threw himself into the thick of every battle determined to leave no room for criticism

Each victory felt like a stamp of approval on the future Duulys wanted

She was the one who always encouraged him to train She was the one who would look up at the stars and wave her fist when they were just teenagers constantly boasting about everything she would accomplish when she grew up and developed her own powerful image And Duulys had watched and laughed while inwardly resolving to prove himself as a worthy partner for her

On the frontlines he found that platform to cement his dominance Sure he would sometimes lose his temper with the incompetence of the surrounding Commanders but he always won against the Nether forces He had sent Fiona teasing messages bragging shamelessly that she had better step up her performance if she wanted to be a worthy partner of him

Her replies were acidic and scathing to the point that they threw him So Duulys did the only thing he knew how fighting more valiantly on the frontlines Each stamp of a victory helped alleviate a strange uneasiness that built in him

Of course as with any battlefield Duulys occasionally sustained injuries Steadily small amounts of antagonistic Nether began to accumulate in his body With his powerful image it was relatively easy to isolate and trap them So he didnÆt worry about it

Finally the war ended He returned home For the first time in three years Duulys and Fiona met The weirdly disjointed and awkwardness of their communications wasnÆt that important because they had finally found each other After several glasses of brandy and a long talk DuulysÆs nerves had thawed and Fiona was laughing

He cupped her cheeks with his scarred hands and she deftly unbuttoned his shirt with one hand They made love It should have been wonderful

Suddenly a hidden consequence of the angry bits of Nether in his body became apparent There holding himself poised above her naked body he had felt it

Afterward he returned to the military barracks unable to even face Fiona He destroyed his standard issue cot shredded his uniform even thoroughly beat a subordinate for failing to follow exact military protocol It was there his shoulders rising and falling and his emotions seething that Mimic had found him

Sorry about this Randidly but I think itÆs the best method to end this Fiona called over her shoulder only infuriating Duulys further The flames lengthened as he gathered force into himself He couldnÆt quite look Fiona in the eye but he could fight Even if it was her even if even if everything wasnÆt her fault at all he would fight

That was the only way Duulys could keep moving

He tensed as Fiona took a step closer to him but more because of all the memories associated with her than any fear of retribution His Fate began to glow with power the armor preparing for every eventuality

Fiona took another step forward Duulys froze because he knew this motion It used to be one of his favorite ways that she moved graceful like a bird dipping her beak into water Fiona leaned forward and pressed her lips against his

This wasnÆt a memory It rocked him shattered all his emotions and left him raw This was real

In the next instant a terrible darkness came It was a weapon of Nether that bit into the fabric of the world and ripped away a larger chunk of him Because of their proximity because of how vulnerable that kiss made him Duulys didnÆt even have time to react before his image had vanished consumed by the hungry darkness Even the warmth seemed to have been stolen out of his body

He tried to gasp but DuulysÆs lungs wouldnÆt work He rocked back on his heels Fiona patted his cheek her eyes bright and a false smile plastered across her face This is for taking something from me

Duulys fell to the ground He wanted to claim that he had done nothing to her but he had done nothing at all Even when his wife had needed him most he could manage nothing His shame swelled within his body smothering the defensive rage

Fiona turned away from him without another glance Duulys fell to his knees listlessly watching her Still his lungs refused to work She gestured at her three companions He should be out of commission for a while That one had some extra punch eh Good work Randidly Fuck IÆm cold

I think Randidly is dead the metal man piped up

That obnoxious Pullas puffed out her cheeks and scolded the metal one HeÆs not dead HeÆs just unconscious And you are going to carry him

That seems unlikely The metal man folded his arms

Fiona cool as a cucumber as if she hadnÆt figuratively ripped out a chunk of him joined the group Well we would carry him but you know how slow we get when we get encumbered Meanwhile you have all the makings of a great packhorse

And if I refuse He growled in response

Fiona shrugged Well IÆm going inside You can leave him out to rest here with that pile of shit if you want

The metal man looked over at Duulys Despite this pathetic climberÆs sneer Duulys couldnÆt find the energy within his body to react at all Pah no I suppose I cannot allow that Alright up you go you big gah How is he this heavy

Duulys watched the three of them totter away heading into the home he had built to mirror the one he had shared so long ago with Fiona Before he had remained silent His lungs still refused to work his image had vanished All the fire and heat disappeared from his person

Those happy memories felt so so long ago now All that remained was a frozen gasp seizing his entire body

Chapter 2038

Xershi scowled as he dragged Randidly GhosthoundÆs limp body across the threshold truthfully he was barely managing to stay upright as he staggered under the uneven yet ponderous weight of their companion Pullas chatted happily with Fiona as the two women entered through the stone arch into DuulysÆs true dwelling

Xershi followed behind doing his best to ignore the whine of the servo engines in his knees

Whether it was the fight against Duulys or the impossible density that seemed to exist within the Ghosthound Xershi almost released a moan of pleasure when he slopped the dark haired humanÆs body down on a chair Unfortunately the unconscious form keeled sideways until he collapsed onto the floor with a loud thump Pullas twisted around and gave Xershi a piercing glance but Xershi just folded his arms across his chest I got him in here didnÆt I Which was just as horrible as I expected it would be

We should celebrate Fiona announced as she pivoted on the wooden floors and looked at him and Pullas Her eyes flicked briefly to Randidly but then returned to the two conscious individuals She seemed determined I have finally cleared up something that IÆve been wondering about for a long time my ex husband is indeed a giant dick So letÆs make a meal throw a party just really let loose If anyone has it I could really use some alcohol I just feel so free

Her eyes were so so bright as she spoke Her smile released so much charm that it pressed against their skin Truly Fiona was a beautiful humanoid However the moment felt wrong Xershi wouldnÆt consider himself an expert in emotions yet it was obvious that Fiona was using a smile to mask her inner turmoil

Yet he couldnÆt deny that a meal sounded quite nice

I agree A meal would be excellent at a time like this Pullas nodded eagerly Then she seemed to pout and glanced back at the body on the wooden ground RandidlyÆs chest slowly rose and fell Ahem I feel like we should face the elephant in the room usually Randidly is the one to provide the ingredients and cook the meal So between the three of us we should divide up tasks

For this at least Fiona said brightly She walked to the far wall behind the sturdy wood of the kitchen table Her hand reached out for the cabinet I have a solution Based on the fact that none of the security protocols are different in this replica of our original home I bet that the food is stored in the same spot This bastard is a creature of habit

Fiona gripped the handle of the cabinet and pulled it open But to everyoneÆs surprise the cabinet creaked but didnÆt open Even XershiÆs eyebrows rose at the failure with the boost in Stats provided by their connection to the Ghosthound the fact that a mundane task wasnÆt simplicity itself was strange Fiona glowered at the door and tugged harder finally prying it open

A smell wafted out of the shadowy opening Pullas made a strangled noise with her throat as she had intended to take a normal breath but her instincts stopped her halfway Even XershiÆs receptors sizzled unpleasantly at the stench of rot and death that came out of the small cavity

A thick cockroach peaked its head out of the hollowed out crust of what could only have once been a loaf of bread now covered in dreadful green protrusions of mold It waved its antenna in irritation as though the three were disturbing its peaceful slumber Deeper in the shadows of the cupboard older and even more warped remnants of perishable foodstuffs oozed vaguely The presence of fresh air seemed to invigorate their decay

This fucking bastard still canÆt even clean Fiona shook her image rising with her body and becoming a searing wave of incredulity that annihilated both the smelly contents and the cupboard itself in a flash of mauve judgment The wood burnt in a furious few seconds of heat leaving only a charred mark on the wall As the image reverberations slowly died down in the room Xershi noted with distaste that the smell still lingered

He and Pullas exchanged a glance Both moved to the small windows in the cottage dwelling and pushed them open

When they returned FionaÆs shoulders were still rising and falling the emotions she had masked earlier now roused to incandescent wakefulness I just canÆt understand did he really eat nothing since he created this home Is he fine allowing our home to simply rot

Her jaw clicked shut perhaps only now registering that she had said our home Xershi scratched his neck awkwardly suddenly aware that it didnÆt seem likely that they would be able to eat a meal with what they had on hand Pullas moved to FionaÆs side and put a hand on her shoulder I know itÆs not exactly good etiquette But why donÆt I take a look inside of RandidlyÆs interspatial rings and just find some food that way A party is still a good idea

Fiona nodded curtly and Pullas walked toward RandidlyÆs slumped form Before actually reaching for his interspatial ring she shot Xershi a sharp glare Did you really need to be so cruel as just to leave him collapsed here At least make him comfortable

IÆm not a thief Pullas said defensively I just wanted to cook a meal

The Earth Golem Emperor gave her a scathing look With ingredients that donÆt belong to you

PullasÆs face began rapidly to redden and puff up She very clearly wanted to contradict what the projection was saying but had no way to do so Xershi suppressed another snicker feeling cheer spread through his body Weirdly nothing gave him quite the same sense of release as watching PullasÆs frustration build

WhatÆs the Alpha Cosmos Fiona spoke aloud completely ignoring the whole issue of Pullas being a thief

Suddenly it was the projectionÆs turn to freeze Even Xershi could sense his panic as he looked around at the three of them and tried to backpedal verbally Ah well there is no need for you to know It is a fearsome place filled with towering figures of untold power

Certainly it seems like quite the marvelous location Fiona revealed one of her dazzling smiles She swayed forward as she crossed the room Strange hero I would quite like to visit such a majestic cosmos Did you say you were an emperor Your palace must be quite the sight to see

Ahh well The projection rapidly began to fade Anyway just try and resist the impulse to steal in the future

Then the projection faded But the powerful senses of the trio very clearly followed the path of the projectionÆs retreat Fiona looked around with a much more genuine grin on her face You felt that yes

The projection faded back into RandidlyÆs body directly Pullas nodded slowly Perhaps this Alpha Cosmos is actually located within him

It would explain why heÆs so heavy Xershi commented

His Nether is beginning to stabilize back to healthy levels Fiona seemed weirdly excited as she crouched down next to Randidly and pressed her hands against his chest Pullas see if you can activate your tattoo to move us inside his body into this so called Alpha Cosmos

WonÆt that just antagonize that emperor further Pullas said uncertainly

Fiona’s smile was slow and dripping temptation Pullas you canÆt tell me you arenÆt a little interested in flustering that man who called you a thief a little bit more After he was so rude Surely he was overzealous in his accusations How could we Ascension Pact members with Randidly be thieves

But also wonÆt that be invasive Goody two shoes Pullas wavered slightly in the face of FionaÆs words Of Randidly I mean

Consider this Xershi interrupted talking out of his ass What if we can help Randidly recover Perhaps it is some interior damage that keeps him sleeping like this Honestly we might have a duty to investigate his internal world and figure out the situation

When Pullas paused to think about it Xershi and Fiona exchanged a triumphant smile

Chapter 2039

Randidly dreamed about those doors to his locked away emotion The starting point was the same as always within the room he had lived in as a child Sighing he tried to push himself up out of the plush and bobbing surface of his bed but instantly the whole dream around him began to tremble

His expression soured as he felt the extent of the strain that afflicted him Yet even more than his empty internal space the dream around him began to suffer Nether ran through the whole construction creating the fabric of the inner world

Yet right now Randidly felt a deep Nether exhaustion like he had never felt not since he had first created his Nether Core Gradually he reconstructed the situation as best he could After he had managed to activate his three images with a unified emotional affect and sunder the Silver Flame Hell Fiona had stepped into a very emotional space kissing Duulys on the battlefield The manÆs guard had instantly dropped With that opening she had activated her Ascension Pact Tattoo and ripped out all her deep connections that man as well as huge chunks of his image She had taken all of the Nether that Randidly had spare which hadnÆt been much to dig as deeply into Duulys as she could

The Stillborn Phoenix hummed pleasantly very pleased with the meal it had been given

Sighing Randidly leaned back in the dream bed and closed his eyes He felt a small thrill of success at how his images had activated in a new image physicalization form but he was currently more concerned with his empty Nether tanks FionaÆs desire for revenge harmonized very well with the ability But even if she succeeded in wounding Duulys thereÆs no way that Fiona isnÆt just as deeply injured by the process I hope

As RandidlyÆs thoughts began to stir with more intensity the dream trembled again barely holding itself together Clicking his tongue he forced himself to relax I get it I get it I need a rest LetÆs let myself recover

An even more dangerous tremor erupted splitting open the ceiling of his childhood bedroom and revealing a raging torrent of dark emotions What little shallow layer of Nether remained was ripped away Randidly blinked to have the veil pulled briefly away he looked up into the swirling animosity that he had long housed within himself almost unable to acknowledge that this was his inner world

Yet that darkness looked back at him and sneered at his disbelief The mouth of the storm stretched wide and a long tongue began to unwind stretching out to grasp through the sudden hole in the roof The fact that it aimed for him was clear In his weakened state Randidly knew he couldnÆt let that tongue connect itself to him

He pressed his lips together This swirling system of emotions was the side of himself he needed to master to take that last step toward power Yet now right after having all his Nether drained and with a pounding headache he wouldnÆt be able to handle the connection It would overwhelm him

That masked darkness oozed destructive impulses His raw primal covetous side given a pulsing monstrous form All the suppressed hate fear shame and other violent impulses had been closeted away here to mutant and form into this violent mass The tongue drooped closer The dream continued to shudder and stutter struggling to reconstruct itself into the correct form

The darkness leaned down against the torn dream trying to widen the wound

Yet looking at this approaching tongue he began to suspect that it wasnÆt just capriciousness that had caused Devick to bond onto him and treat him as her child Even if he hadnÆt done so she still would have been positively disposed toward him

The monster in each of their hearts probably resembled one another This dark shapeless thing was bound by wild currents and storms just as hers was constricted by rusty chains

Caustic saliva dripped off the apparitionÆs tongue melting RandidlyÆs childhood dresser with raw emotion It casually extended down through the torn roof It extended further now as thin as a finger rolling outward toward his face

After stuttering for a few strained seconds the flow of RandidlyÆs Nether snapped back into place The reality of the dream emphasized itself rapid strands of meaning drawing themselves across the hole in the ceiling and then rapidly reeling themselves shut The opening snapped shut like a trap severing the tongue The dream almost collapsed from the strain but the defenses Randidly had subconsciously built to protect himself from this monster still had some teeth

The black prehensile protrusion fell down and thumped heavily against the ground For a few seconds it flailed ripping holes in the carpet and slicing one of the legs of his bed so it teetered and thumped down at an angle But then the struggles ceased With a glitter of light a floating trading card formed in front of him

Officer Quincy Wright didnÆt know why but he began to sweat as soon as he saw the three figures talking animatedly in the middle of the manatech rail lines He had already been having a shitty patrol even before he got the call when Clarence got the nod for the promotion over him two days ago it had been pretty much determined that he would spend his off day drinking and dwelling

Even now after guzzling a gallon of water and wolfing down overcooked eggs his head throbbed near constantly He hoped that the people of Zone 1 would just for fucking once not be utter fools

He eased off the thruster in his jetpack landing nearby to the source of the disturbance Those three figures didnÆt project any sort of images yet somehow that only made their bold stance even more anxiety inducing Quincy hesitated checking his wrist terminal So far their presence hadnÆt disrupted any of the timetables but they needed to be out of the way in six minutes to avoid becoming rail paste

The trio turned and looked at him as he landed The middle one a strange man wearing a queer but powerful manatech suit with cat augments gestured to Quincy See I knew if we stayed here a local would approach eventually

That is literally the dumbest plan A woman with short hair bit her lip and sent a glare at Quincy

anyways fellow machine please direct us to the nearest city center We wish to sample some of your finest cuisine

HeÆs not a machine The third woman cut in pointing rather rudely at Quincy He just wears a metal exoskeleton to protect his weak body Honestly everyone on this entire planet is weak Why does the Ghosthound keep it inside his body

Quincy blinked unable to follow the logic of these three

His organic composition The catman admitted But certainly it at least shows promise that he recognizes his soft flesh is better served supporting a capable machine than simply existing alone Someday he might amount to something if he keeps putting in the proper amount of effort

The combination of his sweating and the obvious dismissal from the three figures did not improve QuincyÆs mood He cleared his throat trying to regain control of the situation You three IÆm Sergeant Wright of Zone 1Æs internal policing force When you address me you will do so with respect Is that clear

The three looked at him The metal man snickered

Quincy scowled and pressed a button in the interior of the suit to call for backup His headache seemed to worsen with every second the metal man smirked at him IÆm going to need to see identification from the three of you

Ah we are travelers from the Nexus The short haired woman waved her hand Obviously we donÆt have the proper identification for your planet However we are more than willing to fill out the necessary forms And for the record we are close personal friends of Randidly Ghosthound

Yea real fucking funny Quincy rolled his shoulder The gleaming modular backpack shifted and snapped into the rifle attachment against his right arm The barrel began to glow with the azure light of pressurized Mana He pointed it at the metal manÆs chest IÆll only ask one more time Produce your identification or IÆll be forced to place you under arrest

HeÆs going to arrest us The metal man said to the short haired woman He seemed to be barely restraining his laughter With pfft A weapon without any image keh

Chapter 2040

The old air raid horns had been blasting for the last half hour making Delilah doubt her tingling sense that it was a good idea to rush toward the source of the disturbance in Zone 1 But that subtle Nether Sense the Ghosthound had planted into the core of Expira was quite insistent on this course of action So she lowered her head had the sky glittering with manatech exhaust and accelerated

If she was being honest Delilah had felt somewhat adrift since she had parted with Vye a few weeks ago

Perhaps the one saving grace of the whole experience was that she hadnÆt felt even the slightest hint of an image spreading out in the surrounding area Delilah mused to herself Her eyes were studiously down away from the drifting smoke that rose up ahead of her She dashed across the windy plateau toward here destination more worried about the placement of her feet than anything else So there might be some minor spat with Zone 1Æs defensive forces but it couldnÆt be that bad

Delilah loped to the top of the ridge finally getting a line of sight on the commotion She gritted her teeth at the sight waiting below regret filled her Are you fucking kidding me

The Nether Sense in the world seemed almost stricken wilting in the face of her expletive Delilah belatedly softened her stance but her eyes kept tracing the lines of devastation in the ground below Look you havenÆt steered me wrong before but very clearly something very dangerous is going on down there That wreckage used to be a Manatech rail station

The smoldering crater did have some remnants of buildings and the now curled line of rails but mostly it was now filled with debris from shattered drones and shredded manatech exoskeletons The whole area was vaguely smoking with the air thick with manatech exhaust With the interior enforcement forces seemingly completely obliterated on the ground in front of Delilah no wonder Zone 1 was sounding all the alarms

Her skin tingled the reason there were no powerful images was only because the fight was already over Her traitorous eyes flicked around she counted almost thirty bodies slumped on the ground in addition to the legion of broken drones Perhaps the only reason that she didnÆt pivot and flee immediately was she didnÆt see any blood

The Nether Sense nudged Delilah again It hinted that not only was Delilah quite strong especially in comparison to these defeated clowns but that this wasnÆt a confrontation that required power And she would be heavily rewarded for her involvement with the troublemakers It swore this fact up and down

I already have so many troublemakers in my life Delilah muttered But she found her traitorous feet moving As she aged she began to have more and more doubts about her wild and reckless habit of running directly toward danger Yet somehow her body never seemed to notice her mindÆs reluctance

Perhaps it was because some part of her acknowledged that she was the troublemaker in the lives of a lot of adults around her

She skidded down the sandy slope and sprinted across the edge of the crater On closer inspection all of the defense forces did seem to have been left alive which made her slightly more confident in the Nether SenseÆs assessment of safety As she hopped over the smoldering edge she passed two men lying in broken exoskeletons arguing with each other

You should have indicated a high level of danger when you called for backup The one raged

The other responded in deadpan I figured you would be able to handle it now that you are Master Sergeant Clarence Is it possible the higher upsÆ confidence in you was misplaced

Are you serious right now

Then DelilahÆs blood drained from her face as she realized she had snapped at Fiona as she would have at her mother who often teased and complained about her attitude toward Randidly For a long second FionaÆs glittering eyes remained fixed on Delilah Then the older woman laughed showing an infectious smile Certainly heÆs nothing like what IÆve seen before But isnÆt that somewhat fun

Fifteen huh Pullas mused I havenÆt been that young in almost nine hundred years what a time

Delilah shot a slightly alarmed glance at Pullas but Xershi leaned forward to get in on the conversation Okay okay Since you are such a baby I suppose your weak image makes a certain amount of sense But why is everyone else on this planet so weak Did the Ghosthound just overcome the Calamities and let everyone else live in peace

itÆs actually a big political issue the Ghosthound refused to help with the Calamity Delilah began Then she tilted her head to the side Wait did you say Calamities How many are there WeÆve only gone through the first

What Pullas spoke but all three of the powerful individuals seemed rather stunned What do you mean youÆve only experienced one Calamity And Randidly didnÆt help

Delilah shrugged suddenly feeling anxiety for an entirely new reason she knew RandidlyÆs non participation in the Calamity was a big deal to a lot of people but never really cared enough to pay attention to the why It was just something people talked about So she answered the first question and ignored the second to cover her ignorance Yea weÆve only had one The Pantheon is still designing the Second I think

What do you mean the Pantheon is designing the Second This time it was Fiona of the glittering eyes who spoke so demandingly

That silly emperor Xershi rubbed his chin

After a few more increasingly incisive questions about the Alpha Cosmos and RandidlyÆs role in it Delilah could only shrug again Look okay IÆm not sure about some of this stuff Normally we could call someone from the Pantheon and ask them directly but for whatever reason the Nether is especially thin and they arenÆt really able to respond

Pullas coughed awkwardly but Delilah just continued to speak

so itÆs probably just best that you save all these questions and I can take you to have dinner with someone who can answer them Delilah raised her hands placatingly Xershi shrugged and Pullas sighed but Fiona continued to stare at her with that overwhelming gaze How the hell had she known Delilah had fears about Randidly

She pushed her image slightly beyond her comfort zone ignoring the fact that the Scrawled vehicle began to rattle and shake The sooner she delivered these people the better With the boosted speed they traversed through the sky to the edge of the ocean in a little over an hour Delilah started their descent the little sheet metal boat sinking through the cloud and rushing through a blasting crucible of mist

Then they erupted from the bottom layer trails of water vapor streaming after them and saw their destination Or at least the periphery of their destination a swarm of speeding Scrawlers and drifting skyislands formed a semi solid barrier that made it difficult to see the core

How fascinating Xershi laughed A walking metal island And I can feel a race of automatons operating it from within Excellent

Delilah nodded This is Kharon it should have everything you are looking for IÆll introduce you to Tatiana She ahem She usually helps Randidly with things like this

Chapter 2041

In quick succession Faelmac Westrisser killed the rest of the floating insurrectionists He didnÆt even really need to manifest his image The feathers binding them stretched and ripped through their bodies somehow ripping their way through any resistance Shredded remnants of their organs squeezed through the feathered and splattered down on the rooftops below

Idly Jotem reflected that if someone didnÆt go up and clean up the offal Malloon would soon have quite a literal stink on its hands And probably a fly problem

I think IÆve had quite enough of city life Jotem resolved Uncle can handle the skyislands himself Perhaps the Nether King was right what I need is a stretch of peace nurturing plants on the farm

For almost two more minutes Westrisser remained in position his feathers softly falling across the whole of the city The purity and power of his image became an itch against the half origin BeastÆs skin but he dare not move lest he draw the tyrantÆs attention Let justice be served huh

WestrisserÆs gaze burned brooding and intense focused on the crushed remnants of the insurrectionists he had just executed Finally the Patron of the Abyss cleared his throat and broke the tense silence Well it appears you have the situation well in hand Lord Westrisser We will leave you to mop up the remnants

You cannot yet leave Finally Westrisser shifted his focus to them A cyclone of discarded feathers swirled around his body I have not yet cast judgment on the two of you

For the first time since Nether King Hungry Eye had walked into his shop Jotem realized he would soon die The pressure of the city lordÆs image against his skin suddenly took on a horrific note of finality

surely you jest Lord Westrisser The Patron of the Deep affected an amused tone Yet from the trembling of his inflated body Jotem knew his uncle also felt a horrible existential fear This used to be JotemÆs shop yes but we have no connection to these rabid anarchists We are not responsible for this attack

On the contrary Westrisser replied slowly spreading his arms and gesturing at the chaos still gripping the streets below Would we be suffering such attacks if Elhume had not spent years indulging and emboldening such foolishness I cannot think of individuals who are more at fault than you

Despite the pressure Jotem felt he found that statement a little difficult to swallow They might now be dead but clearly the captured individuals had been more at fault

Yet what really stopped JotemÆs heart were the PatronÆs next words If you insist on being bullheaded about this at least let my fool of a nephew go I have no doubt youÆve been thoroughly observing him for a long time he is a simple and relatively talentless merchant He has not involved himself in the matters of Elhume

Jotem made the small noise of an animal being strangled He felt oddly touched that his uncle appeared to be defending him while simultaneously deeply bitter the Origin Beast had found the opportunity in that laudable pursuit to insult his acumen as a merchant

The Patron of the Deep lived to straddle that line Jotem knew

Westrisser smiled yet there was something different about this expression His long wings stretched out as he regarded the Patron He spoke in a low voice I have not been systematically slaughtering your people to allow you to now escape You both foolishly delivering yourselves to me is unexpected but I will not reject your generosity

You will stop me Heh Foolish mongrel Do your worst Westrisser gestured casually a hundred sharpened ivory feathers slanting down to slice through both of them After those densely packed projectiles ripped through their bodies all that remained of them would dribble away into MalloonÆs gutters

I am a Nether Herald bound by the ancient rite of Phaea The old being of Nether announced to the air He seemed worryingly unconcerned with the descent of the feathers Wind and image howled almost drowning out his words As such any place I may speak

Is a place where I am Nether King Hungry Eye popped into existence next to the Nether Herald and growled his emerald eyes flashing He looked up at the descent of the feathers with a serious expression Nether erupted from his body in a tidal wave Seize

For a split second WestrisserÆs massive and domineering image flared with power in response to the rush of Nether the sudden arrival unleashed The two forces smashed into each other not so much struggling as seeking to drown the other within themselves And despite the home ground and preparations made by Westrisser the twoÆs energies grappled evenly

Still broken on the ground right by the confrontation Jotem looked up into the face of Nether King Hungry eye as the moment stretched the thrum of tension between these two figures escalating toward some massive fissure

It was almost possible to allow the implications of the battle to fall away and indulge a curiosity that had long plagued Jotem Secretly he had always wondered why this beingÆs name had been Nether King Hungry Eye powerful the Nether King certainly was but his eyes usually looked mundane Certainly with a lovely hue and possessing obvious depth and intelligence but they had never seemed to earn the moniker hungry

Yet now Jotem understood Every moment of invisible struggle saw the coloring in the Nether KingÆs eyes growing more pale and luminous Until the color seemed to sear the world with such vehemence that everything else looked dull

JotemÆs ears popped In the next moment the sky shattered and the remnant bits of feathers fluttered down around the group Westrisser looked positively livid for a moment glaring at the Nether King Yet he quickly managed to cover up the expression with a sneer Nether King Hungry Eye A cute trick but IÆm aware of the limitations of the bond of Phaea teleporting would leave your body under immense physical strain Do not antagonize me again or I will rip at your weakness and break you

The Nether King barred his teeth in a wolfish grin Rumors of my weakness are greatly exaggerated I think youÆll find Besides I donÆt think IÆm the one you need to worry about

On cue a well muscled being with a flaming fist appeared in the sky behind Westrisser His eyes burned his image of strength thundering through the void created when Nether King Hungry Eye managed to shake WestrisserÆs grip on the area

This is for fucking with my people Elhume growled He punched and just the attackÆs passage blasted away all the loose feathers filling the air

Westrisser spun with a growl and met the punch with his wing The resulting explosion probably would have stomped away the last remnants of JotemÆs life had the Nether King not been standing above him As it was the teetering remnants of the building collapsed inwards in another billowing cloud of dust

Everything started happening too quickly More Nether poured out of the Nether King filling the air and making it even easier to choke on the airborne debris Several large impacts shook the ground as the clash between Westrisser and Elhume continued out of JotemÆs awareness

However WestrisserÆs voice rose calmly above the chaos Guards A few additional troublemakers are loose in Malloon Put them down

Chapter 2042

Events within the memory Randidly reflected as he took in the chaos and devastation around him Are spiraling out of control quite quickly And this time itÆs not even my fault

With the power of Westrisser rushing down at him he reflected on what had led him to this point

After furiously training to gather PP and then discovering his new Fatepiece he had rushed toward Malloon due to the rapid gathering of significance around the city Just as he approached the voice of Westrisser had boomed out with orders to bar the gates to him To his surprise several individuals in official robes had stepped in front of him to block his path Full of fury Randidly stopped and weighed the consequences On the one hand antagonizing Westrisser had consequences both for remaining in the area and for keeping him from destabilizing the memory Him punching his way through the gates of Malloon obviously hadnÆt occurred in true history

On the other hand even through the walls he could feel Elhume losing his temper That manÆs righteous fury was truly a sight to behold warping the sky with its presence As more and more significance tied itself into a vicious throbbing knot in the sky Randidly resolved himself and clenched a fist The exhausting spot on his left hand throbbed but he ignored it Whatever the consequences he needed to be inside Malloon for this this was the most powerful pivot moment he had felt in the memory by far

The Grey Creature growled as Randidly raised his hand but then he felt the stirrings from the first Phaea he had created Trusting the Nether Herald he accepted the summons

In the aftermath RandidlyÆs teeth ached It was a strange feeling the most annoying of the various aches that plagued him after the strange ability activated Despite that he felt more than capable of rebuffing Westrisser long enough for Elhume to finish checking on the Patron of the DeepÆs condition and thunder over for vengeance

Now apparently Westrisser considered it sufficient to send guards after him Randidly felt vaguely insulted

Booms wracked the house around him as Elhume and Westrisser clashed a half dozen times in quick succession ElhumeÆs image slammed again and again into WestrisserÆs dominance over the area loosening its hold For his part WestrisserÆs response was surprisingly tame he didnÆt attempt to bring to bear the full force of his image that Randidly sensed he possessed Instead he simply held fast to the current status quo but the rising tide of fury he felt within the ivory winged serpent likely meant that would soon change

He doesnÆt want to display his full powers RandidlyÆs gaze flickered Ah of course Outside of Malloon Nether King Bleak Sky is lurking

Tame in this context was a matter of perception the civilian population of Malloon continued to flee Buildings swayed one good push away from collapse Warnings continued to blare across the city

Demetrius touched Randidly on his shoulder shaking him out of his thoughts The Nether Herald looked at him with concern My liege lean on me if you need to I understand how difficult it is to travel through the Phaea even if you have only a single connection to pull through with you

That at least explained the strange ache that reached even his teeth But Randidly shook himself lightly DonÆt worry about me My body can handle a lot For now stay here and take care of Jotem I need to

Someone kicked down the last remaining wall of their crumbling building Randidly pivoted and saw two stone skinned humanoids standing there the front one practically licking his granite lips The aggressorÆs voice sounded low and violent Nether King Hungry Eye You are disturbing the LordÆs peace in Malloon and as such are under arrest If you resist we will not hesitate to break you

Randidly felt more guards swarming out to surround this house and also reinforce Westrisser himself in the confrontation against Elhume Mass images began to gather in the tightly clumped groups at the sides of the formation Yet he felt a flicker of recognition as he looked at these two individuals Ah Kopal You were idiot enough to take your threat of vengeance against me seriously

The two in front of him were Kopal and Dogoel the two Randidly had clashed against directly when he had first encountered Mae Myrna and the other Patrons in the outskirts of the underground market Both possessed powerful bodies and used image physicalizations to empower them further And yet

Three images came together in RandidlyÆs body all with the intensified emotional affect he had earned by overcoming the emotional tumors brought into his subconscious by the Alpha Cosmos He stepped forward and punched Kopal in his rocky chest Almost instinctively the rockmanÆs image spread out in a buzzing manner designed to resist the invasion of Nether

But right now Nether no longer had to be half of RandidlyÆs force Now it was his blood cycling quickly through his body and empowering his muscles His image physicalizations gleamed and intensified seeming so vivid their power bled into the space around his body

A defense designed against Nether crumpled helplessly before concentrated Aether KopalÆs chest caved in and his body skidded three times across the ground before bouncing off bits of broken stone and tumbling through the air Several of MalloonÆs weaker guards that had been surrounding the house were knocked off their feet by the sudden stone man projectile

Only a meter away from RandidlyÆs current position DogeolÆs own image rose The guard didnÆt retreat just watched Randidly with serious eyes this one wouldnÆt be foolish enough to underestimate Randidly especially not after seeking his subordinate getting his chest caved in

The rockmanÆs body visibly became heavier as Randidly planted his foot and spun around Dogeol channeled his entire image into his thick arm and punched Yet despite how much enhancement DogeolÆs body possessed it was nothing to RandidlyÆs Dreadful Alacrity He sidestepped the strike and brought his arm whipped upward to his DogeolÆs forearm intent on snapping it in half

The sound of the impact was a heavy crack The rockman grunted in pain and took a half step backward but the limb did not break as he had imagined RandidlyÆs expression twitched What a tough bastard

The other guards in the area finally marshaled their own images and charged forward to join the fray but the Randidly mentally unleashed the storm of force he had been accumulating above their heads Sharp blades of wind and Nether howled out and cut off the lizardman frontrunnerÆs legs The second guard got her arms up and her image flared enough to block the next blade but she got kicked back and cracked into the unfortunate building on the opposite side of the street for her trouble The dozen guards behind her didnÆt fare much better although they crouched down to weather the attacks

Almost absently Randidly gathered up all the kinetic force and distorted reactions from Aether and Nether interacting His whirling storm above his head grew even stronger as it gobbled down the energy Meanwhile he adjusted his strategy against Dogeol With Aether and Nether both singing in his body he spun around the second blow and kicked the rockmanÆs legs out from under him

The rockman reacted quickly and twisted around to land on all fours like some sort of cubist cat which was both oddly impressive and disturbing to watch but Randidly had already blurred into motion He stood above Dogeol ripping apart the manÆs image and stomped down with all the force he could muster The rockmanÆs head shattered the ground and buried itself up to his neck His spine didnÆt snap and Randidly admitted to himself that it would take quite a bit of time and effort to actually inflict a deep wound

Instead he plucked up the stunned rockman and whipped him around through the air Dogeol made quite the projectile zipping through the air right at WestrisserÆs back as the Winged Serpent paused to block another thunderous blow from Elhume

At the last second Westrisser glanced sideways and cut sharply with his hand A blast of wind solidified in front of the guard and kept him from impacting his master But that gave Elhume another moment to plant his foot lower his arm then unleash a punch from his waist that erupted forward with all the subtlety of a volcano

RandidlyÆs eyes flickered at the perfect transfer of force of the attack That attack looks just like VuallaÆs

WestrisserÆs hand painted a smooth circle in front of the punch his image suppressing the attack before it could build up too much momentum The ivory winged individualÆs grip on the environment shuddered but held Yet even though he had easily dispensed with the image power he then had to physically block the attack On impact the street beneath them cracked and seethed The surrounding buildings shuddered and began to groan The higher floors shook themselves to pieces

Randidly gathered the force from the conflict into his storm but simply watched for a moment His eyes narrowed If this keeps up much longer we are going to destroy quite a bit of MalloonÆs infrastructure Westrisser is still hesitating to use his full power with the hunter waiting outside of the city but surely this isnÆt all the defenses

On cue Dogeol forced himself up off the ground Despite enduring several of RandidlyÆs blows directly he seemed uninjured Code Divinity Activate the defensive array Crush the intruders into paste

Chapter 2043

Another contingent of MalloonÆs guards must have been waiting for the signal because they marched down from the end of the street almost immediately RandidlyÆs eyes flicked sideways to the group their combined image was one of sticky spider silk and mud With twenty of them activating altogether the image inflated enough to pose him an actual threat

But RandidlyÆs main thought was that this group couldnÆt have earned a moniker like divinity all on their own

Of course they werenÆt designed to defeat him just slow him down Despite their continued approach Randidly remained poised observing Elhume and Westrisser as well as the surrounding guards If this group was a pitfall there would be a blade coming soon to actually give teeth to the trap

His ears actually clued him in first the distant thrum of MalloonÆs monstrous barrier changed its tune to a breathy exhale of anticipation Glancing up his eyes widened In a surprisingly short amount of time the barrier had shifted to shunting the dangerous Aether exhaust inside the city rather than out A previously hidden mechanism activated all that ambient energy in the sky was compacted into a tight cylinder with a light seal on the front

Even upon the energy within his own maelstrom he could feel the slight tug although he resisted its gravity

Randidly whistled to himself as he examined the structure and made some rapid calculations ThatÆs actually fascinating I always assumed the constant expulsion of exhaust was a costly mistake but looking at this

He trailed off as more and more energy gathered in the sky above Malloon The swirling power was invisible to the average person but to his energy senses it blazed like a sun More and more force packed itself into the tight cylinder preparing to erupt downward in a pillar of Malloon controlled smiting Divinity indeed His eyes narrowed as he calculated the threat it posed at the core he observed a few drops of kinetic energy condensing into a liquid form Soon a fist of sloshing power created a core

In the center of that core occasionally a pale flicker of ghastly plasma revealed itself

There was no pure image animating the energy but its association with the barrier apparently made it cohesive enough to condense into a dangerous form More Aether byproduct than actual Aether the imperfections weakening its punch while also making it easier to compress into a tight form But in terms of raw power the energy flooding the sky would be overwhelming for most foes

Yet Randidly could only smile up at the array above him despite the worry He had to admit to himself he probably couldnÆt face the force such a working could unleash directly But like all of the Engraving and Nether Ritual combinations of the Second Cohort the construction was clumsy and rough Against such a inept work he had plenty of methods to neuter its power

His storm of force rushed upward the winds looping and weaving together like a pack of ravenous wolves falling upon a bleating elk Randidly nudged the assault pattern smoothly together cutting into the framework around this rapidly swelling pressure chamber and replacing it before the nascent bomb could destabilize His smile widened slightly as his Nether edges force scythed directly through the ungainly protections in place and snapped a cap on top of the cylinder

The sky hummed forward undeterred More force was still being compressed into the cylinder despite his interference he didnÆt want to recklessly trigger the explosion while Jotem and a lot of other citizens of Malloon would probably be pulped by its release But he deftly tied a Nether Ritual over the planned opening binding it shut

Several seconds passed Elhume and Westrisser continued to brawl shaking the surrounding ground The first wave of guards sent to subdue Randidly staggered back to their feet Powerful bodies meant that unless they were killed they would recover quickly The group of guards with the swamp like image marched closer But more worrying of all MalloonÆs grand array continued to pump energy into the block cylinder

The smile vanished from RandidlyÆs face He watched the pressurized area with increasing alarm By now the fist sized concentration of liquid energy had spread to become a bathtub The flickers of plasma at its core were becoming quite frequent Shit The individuals operating the array probably donÆt even have the sophisticated understanding of energy necessary to understand what I just did All they saw was my energies shooting upward and failing to outwardly damage their weapon They havenÆt stopped supplying energy

In a way it was a good thing More and more power flooded into that cylinder The vibrations in the air grew stronger But based on RandidlyÆs impression of the cylinder it would soon

Randidly stepped and arrived at WestrisserÆs back while the lord of the city deflected ElhumeÆs attack and prepared for a follow up

To the old manÆs credit he clearly noticed and responded immediately a rather deft piece of footwork shifted him sideways putting Elhume partially in RandidlyÆs way if he wanted to continue his dashing attack Which would have been a good idea had Elhume not had the same sort of super Perception and enough implicit trust to twist and show Randidly his back

Even Randidly felt his mind go blank as he realized what the movement implied

For a fraction of a moment some part of Randidly urged him to make use of the opportunity and strike at Elhume No matter that this version of him had no idea of the deep grudge that layer between a strike here would feel immensely satisfying

Yet while waves crashed and surged across the surface of his emotional sea the core didnÆt stir Randidly was ultimately here as an observer to gain an advantage against Elhume yes but only through information about his history Actually wounding this Elhume in the memory had no meaning So instead of attacking Randidly planted a bare foot on ElhumeÆs back and kicked off redirecting his momentum back on target

Elhume hunched over with his feet planted on the ground to withstand the force Even then the stone beneath his feet splintered Randidly hadnÆt held back in his step Yet Elhume weathered the blow well staggering slightly but pivoting so he could soon rejoin the fray

Randidly and Westrisser looked at each other Randidly didnÆt know what Westrisser saw in his eyes but he saw in Westrisser an endless series of calculations and distractions as the leader of Malloon tried to keep part of his awareness testing the wind for any sign of Nether King Bleak Sky

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed Part of the reason this started seems to be Westrisser saw the chance to eliminate Origin Beasts in truth IÆm glad he failed the Patron of the Deep definitely lived longer than this in the original memory But the other reason he doesnÆt see us as a real threat So he wants to use this chance to draw out Bleak Sky

His fingers clenched tighter as he raised his hand Space began to distort WestrisserÆs eyes remained still as his gleaming wings crossed in front of his body to block the blow The best way to resolve this is to decisively prove he canÆt both fight us and be prepared for Bleak Sky Once IÆve convinced him of that I think talking our way out of this mess will be possible But first

Randidly followed his instincts As he dismantled the forceful kinetic storm that howled above his head he didnÆt simply force it into his body Instead he spontaneously generated a massive Nether Ritual behind his body The force became a prayer and he felt the natural world around his stir in answer

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 1003

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 905

The principles of the arrangement came from the sigils he had created around his Nether Core adding Nether Weight to his total His coiled muscles began to surge into motion as he unleashed his empowered blow Randidly released a quick series of sonic booms his rapid speed igniting legitimate flames across his arm just from air friction

The gains in power were largely additive but they did possess a slight multiplicative property So when an entire stormÆs worth of power joined RandidlyÆs body the resulting force

Despite his early confidence the memory shivered around him One corner of RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up still locking gazes with Westriser over the winged serpentÆs crossed wings Yeah this should send the right sort of message

Chapter 2044

Your Skill Dragon QueenÆs Sinister Tongue is being incorporated into your Skill the Vindictive Chimera Smites

Incorporating influences from the Moirae of Ripples Skillset Recalculating

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 979

RandidlyÆs right arm burned conveying all the combined energy from the impromptu Nether Ritual and his emotional force His images sang of violence and strife the chorus of emotional affect moving together into a passable harmony at an extremely high amount of power All his focus was on the release of the energy and the implacable gaze of Westrisser in front of him so he couldnÆt give much attention to the stream of notifications

He did note that his original purpose for creating the Moirae of Ripples Skillset was to create non image attack Skills Incorporating them would probably boost his capability but it left him slightly conflicted

Yet necessity dragged his focus back to the foe in front of him

Bright white light emerged from his target WestrisserÆs instincts warning him that the oncoming attack couldnÆt be stopped with just half measures and deploying his image in a halo of power The Ivory Serpent within his body uncoiled its tongue flicking out Randidly grimaced That was the trouble with powerful image users they usually shouldnÆt be able to react in time but their sharp images allowed them to surpass that limit

At the last second RandidlyÆs mouth twisted in distaste he felt himself make the mistake The Nether Ritual spreading out from the back of his shoulder like a rocketÆs launching pad definitely increased his raw power However the release came too early Only a fingerÆs width in front of WestrisserÆs crossed wings the massive array discharged its power Nether surged and seethed ripping directly into the image in front of him

Congratulations Your Skills have merged to become the ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke Skill Level will be set at 950

Congratulations Your Skill ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke has grown to Level 951

Congratulations Your Skill Casting Blades from Insatiable Grievances has grown to Level 651

With the sudden crystalization of the Skill into its new form RandidlyÆs attack surged forward and slammed into WestrisserÆs wing even after much of the Nether Boost blasted outward But it did have the effect of WestrisserÆs sharp reactions picking up the first attack and assuming that it was purposeful releasing a sweeping wave of his image to annihilate the Nether tainted force Meanwhile his body instinctively relaxed

No sooner had that wave attempted to eat its way outward than Randidly hammered on the beingÆs wings crushing the image before it could spread out and also impacting the feathered serpent directly He felt WestrisserÆs wings begin to give beneath his onslaught of force MalloonÆs lord finally seemed to bring the whole of his attention to Randidly

The monsterÆs eyes gleamed and his image began to change even as Randidlys attack forced him back The ivory serpent hissed silently and evaporate

The serpent was a seal the realization felt like a slap in the face His iconic imagery is just a seal

Randidly aimed and released As soon as the cap vanished WestrisserÆs image responded Randidly had to scramble backward in order to avoid having to face the image of absence settling across his skin

Despite his powerful body he believed exposing himself to a wave of energy was a very bad idea

Westrisser clenched his hand into a fist but then paused He observed the blast above A pure beam of power at RandidlyÆs aiming shot sideways and punched a hole directly through the barrier around Malloon The Aether exhaust scattered around the city caught fire in a massive flash of light causing quite a lot of screams of alarm both from the wall and the refugees beyond it

However the light and heat faded in only a moment leaving the tireless beam to charge forward and bulldoze its way through Bleak SkyÆs forming cloud It punched a hole first then the heat from its passage expanded and burned away the whole cloud

After a few more seconds of rapid travel toward the horizon the dense core of energy that animated the beam destabilized and shattered into pieces An entire portion of the horizon burned for nearly five minutes as MalloonÆs weapon discharged

Westriser gave Randidly a long look Clearing his throat Randidly took a step back and allowed his image physicalizations to fade He raised his palms ThereÆs no need for this to escalate I genuinely mean to remain a friend of Malloon

You lash out at a fellow Nether King Westrisser grunted His eyes turned calculating in just a moment the avatar of annihilation vanished and the shrewd and calculating leader he had first met returned The horrible image receded but the seal didnÆt reform over his image

Yet in the next moment WestrisserÆs hands clenched His feathers once more began to burn with intensity The Winged Serpent didnÆt even appear to exert himself and the remnant flow of Nether in the air was stamped out Randidly gritted his teeth His mind began to A little too far I wanted to prove I was a threat and succeeded But by the same token now he likely wonÆt want to let me escape

Randidly shot a quick glance over his shoulder Elhume walked slowly forward cracking his knuckles Their eyes met even if Westrisser used his overpowered image again with two of them

I overreacted Apologies Westrisser unfolded his wings and pulled them back against his back The last ripples of his image vanish almost as though he had erased his own power He still retained the pressure of a powerful lord of the city but no more than that LetÆs pretend today didnÆt happen I believe it will be easier for both of us

Randidly genuinely believed he had misheard for several seconds

Elhume stopped next to Randidly and blinked in surprise equally as thrown The other manÆs face scrunched up You wish to just pretend like it didnÆt happen After asking the question the implications seemed to sink in and ElhumeÆs face hardened You attacked the Patron of the Deep and his nephew without justification even admitting you have attempted to annihilate their entire race After that you wish to

If you would prefer we continue I will not reject your offer to dance A horrible stillness transfixed WestrisserÆs face He flexed the muscles of his back only once sending several ivory feathers spiraling around him They scraped the air with their passage I would consider it a waste to slaughter you both but waste is simply a fact of life

When did I become the voice of reason RandidlyÆs lips twitched standing between WestrisserÆs wounded pride and Elhume righteous fury He still didnÆt quite trust WestrisserÆs sudden change of heart for all it had been what he had hoped for but he wouldnÆt dig too deeply at the moment He put a hand on ElhumeÆs shoulder LetÆs withdraw then We can talk about the rest later Oh and Westrisser

Randidly didnÆt flinch as Westrisser gave him a glance with his eyes burning with absence He kept his expression even I will donate the next harvest of lumber cucumbers to help rebuild As a show of goodwill

The absence vanished After a long moment Westrisser nodded Then he turned away and walked across the rubble strewn stretch an entire neighborhood leveled in only two minutes

Randidly released a breath He hadnÆt exactly confirmed the skyislands would be able to continue functioning as is but it was better than nothing

Chapter 2045

RandidlyÆs mind stirred Dreams came wrapped in other dreams a series of Russian dolls unleashing complex and confusing sensations warnings and spikes of adrenaline a spikey maw of mauve a horrible wave of silver flames before shattering and letting him sink even deeper

This time Randidly didnÆt proceed directly from waking from his restful coma down the dream ladder to that strange cavern with the doors locking away his hidden emotions Instead his consciousness shifted down to his Nether Core Empowered by the two Authorities he had already discovered within the nucleus the central piece of his existence spun and knitted together a continuous flow of Nether that glittered with his significance shoring up all the inconsistencies in its substance he hadnÆt even noticed previously

RandidlyÆs awareness floated underneath his Nether Core new generated Nether undulating outward like some sort of shadowy yet reassuring blanket The dim light and the dreaming made the motion hypnotic The curved topography of the freshly birthed energy seemed almost random while also being completely natural Endlessly it flowed filling up the available and thirsty spaces within his body

This Nether Randidly narrowed his focus trying to urge his lazy awareness to acuity The process of depleting the Nether Core obviously has a powerful effect on its improvement Could my Nether Core be related to a certain form of masochistic space monkey

But amusements aside Randidly felt pleased to see his energy showing such immediate improvements as it stabilized its rotation The speed of production hadnÆt increased that appeared to be limited by his steadily accumulating Influence but the energy would be much more efficient in the future

For a while he continued to study its genesis occasionally pushing his awareness up so he swam through the cool waves But eventually he pulled his awareness back to his body He adjusted his position in the dimly lit core of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth The sigils of his own foundation glittered on the heavy central pillar At this point about a score of students had made it down to this central place being baptized in the dense energy Randidly accumulated here and leaving their Scrawls as proof of their accomplishments

Randidly smiled around His Nether began to move Since so many people have started making it down here maybe itÆs time to up the difficulty a bit

He pulled out his AlchemistÆs Passport to forcefully adjust the space using the extra dense Nether to anchor the extra volume to this room He adjusted the core area to be a twenty three layer pyramid with the densest Nether at the top around the pillar but each level applying additional pressure

Right now all the Scrawls were moved to the bottom but the individuals who placed them there could come back and avail themselves to the pyramid steps Their Scrawls could show the height to which they could climb demonstrating how well their bodies had acclimated to the presence of Nether

Then finally Randidly sighed and turned his attention inward Weirdly addressing his own problems seemed like the easier task of figuring out what to do about Fiona That simmering pot he would let bubble for a bit longer before he took off the lid and peered inside

He sank into that dreamspace ready to face some of the monsters that prowled at the core of his soul

Or at least thatÆs what he told himself

Randidly opened his eyes In his childhood bedroom the floor again heaved beneath him The bed bobbed and tilted adjusting on the fly to the fickle grade of the ground Randidly stared at the still damaged ceiling for several seconds Then he huffed out a breath and pushed himself to his feet

The first thing he did was produce the card that had dropped when his defenses had snapped back into place The Origin of EnmityÆs Tongue retained a rather sinister curl even in its 2D jail ready to whip outward and pierce through RandidlyÆs body The description didnÆt clear up the situation much

Origin of EnmityÆs Tongue A severed piece of the Origin of Enmity Contains some of its instinctual hunger Can be consumed several times to more quickly acclimate the user to certain negative effects

Randidly felt something like a growl curling tightly in his stomach Rubbing his eyes he shrugged his shoulders Around him the memory was already dissipating So what IÆve always known she wasnÆt the greatest mother Or even very good at all But everyone has their own circumstances and this happened years ago What am I supposed to do after seeing these things

Child Sydney didnÆt answer Neither did the adult version Randidly was alone with this almost inane memory

Randidly found himself back in the cavern The rocky ground gently swayed beneath his feet He pulled the Lantern of Harsh Truths out of his inventory and lifted it to look around at the surrounding doors But before he could choose another one a notification popped up in front of him

Applause An adjustment to your dream has been made by the Pantheon Please listen carefully to the following explanation

Instead of another notification however the air shimmered and a figure appeared in front of Randidly His eyes widened slightly You are helping structure this

Alta Bounty stood in front of Randidly her lips pressed tightly together Her body was in a form untouched by the horrifying heat she buried in her own chest after taking it from Randidly in his Soulskill She shifted her weight from foot to foot seemingly just as uncomfortable with her presence as he was confused by it Yes Because your body and the Alpha Cosmos are one and the same the Pantheon has been struggling recently in the wake of you creating the Nether Sense Ritual ItÆs tying together influences more quickly than we could keep up so we made the decision to begin building this structured space so all the influences coming directly from you were gathered in one space isolated from the Alpha Cosmos To keep the monster inside of you from lashing out

Randidly opened his mouth and then paused as something occurred to him He saw again the hungry face the unspooling tongue the stretched neck More than that he remembered the feeling of fear and insufficiency he had felt when he had faced it Obviously he had been exhausted at the time but still

A frown crossed RandidlyÆs face He raised his gaze and looked at the structure of this place seeing how densely the lines of Nether flowed into this dream I guess I havenÆt thought much about it but it doesnÆt make much sense that this history with my mother became so powerful on its own does it The shadow cast on me from my childhood should not be this long

He pictured the horrifying grey monster emotional violence which had ripped open the ceiling in his dream room of the intensity that Randidly had only seen from Devick and Elhume

Trauma isnÆt such a blessing as to endow all the afflicted recipients with power Alta nodded Our scars do not usually become convenient weapons At the same time this relationship with your mother always meant something to you You would have been able to accomplish certain things by facing this repressed emotion but that monster the Origin of Enmity

RandidlyÆs mind raced His lips parted in a realization He rocked back on his heels suddenly feeling a tickle of alarm ItÆs not me Or at least IÆm just an insignificant part of it ItÆs the people of the Alpha Cosmos

Alta squinted at him IÆm surprised you realized so quickly But yes Your body is the Alpha Cosmos The shape of your psyche becomes part of the pattern of energy flows Aether doesnÆt clump as easily but now that youÆve added Nether That comes with some extra consequences But hey weÆve set it up to be as fair as possible If you master all that suppressed meaning you will obtain a great power

A strange thought occurred to Randidly then His lip curled into an expression resembling a snarl He had possessed Reign of the Eidolon Crucible and now the Spirit Realm of Marshaled Endeavors for quite some time It has always struck him only as a way to train his subordinates up to the exacting standard of Willpower in the Nexus while also netting his PP in the process

But now he felt silly this whole he was the one being honed

To eventually fight and slay the monstrous and caustic subconscious of an entire universe

Chapter 2046

As always seeing the dangerous situation percolating in his emotional memories required Randidly to fold his perspective He ignored the dream around him and took a deep breath through his nose

Congratulations Your Skill GhosthoundÆs Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1016

He had rather impulsively arranged the Nether Sense for the Alpha Cosmos following a deep instinct as to Nether that had proven invaluable to his intuitive handling of Nether And no one would deny that having access to ample amounts of Nether provided some stunted individuals with more compatible growth opportunities Powerful individual strengthened their foundation It helped accelerate the development of Expira by a large margin

Yet Randidly had not really looked at what these structures had shifted underneath the hood

These Nether Sense Rituals that sat at the core of the planets could be unfolded to look like nets however RandidlyÆs emerald eyes glowed sightlessly as he drew a deep breath in through his nose His created currents of Nether corralled other Nether flowing through the world Once he examined the spaces between his current he discovered a whole flowing ocean of Nether tides lapping up against the firm rituals and draining in particular directions through the channels around them

Which in turn ignored a whole layer of other strange phenomena that could only be seen through a birdÆs eye view certain dense and oblong chunks of significance knocking against each other and spinning away the way a group of close minded individuals created an elastic whirlpool which kept too much significance from leaking outward into the grander current and made the flow filled with these masses of connections and finally the popping bubbles of significance metastasizing after traumatic events eventually erupting and launching shards of jagged significance to pierce and introduce new meaning into closed groups

Randidly continued to breathing feeling the whole of the Nether cycle brushing against his skin The largest closed groups rolled ponderously under the influence of the constant tide large bulging orbs that tried to squeeze through the gaps between the Nether Rituals With the tight proximity some was shaved off and left to fall into strange cesspools of significance where dark emotions curdled

Randidly forced the tension out of his body trying just to observe His awareness spread out to the whole of the Alpha Cosmos Expira might be the most densely populated of the worlds within him but it was only a fraction of the souls working and improving themselves Expira dominated the Nether landscape because they hadnÆt suffered under the System long enough to know the difference and adapted quickly but the Nemesai worlds possessed much more unity The leadership there took longer to turn the ship around there but they were now racing to catch up to ExpiraÆs improvements

With his awareness stretched as wide as it could go covering the space between several atmospheres and planets Randidly felt the slow gradual rotation of energy in a celestial pinwheel Observing the movement for a time Randidly began to feel the vaguest outline of himself Or at least the dark place in the universe where so much negative significance was plucked out of general circulation

Very clearly the Pantheon had created a massive moon with a complex orbit to physically anchor the process As the worlds orbited around the sun of the Alpha Cosmos this moon would intermittently rotate into perfect alignment and create an eclipse Right now Randidly saw the approach of the moon to do so above the world of the Winged Serpents

His gaze flickered At the exact moment of the eclipse the moon seemed to breathe It released a gushing pulse of Nether down previously taken and slightly cleansed from another planet while simultaneously inhaling and dragging all the world cultural darknesses that had been shaved off into itself

He didnÆt know how to feel that in biological terms he essentially functioned as an emotional liver for the Alpha Cosmos Randidly returned to the dream conference with Alta and pursed his lips How did this happen

Alta bowed slightly You are right to be slightly accusatory but in our defense we really didnÆt understand how Nether would change the landscape Everything happened too quickly The Pantheon was overworked trying to find our stride on providing Paths and Classes for the people of the Alpha Cosmos And a rapid amount of well itÆs hard to think of it as anything but emotional pollution now began to accumulate in populated worlds

Thank Randidly began to say but Alta had vanished before he could finish He was alone in the cavern once more Shaking his head at his bashful subordinates Randidly opened his Path screen His lips twitched when he saw the Path she wanted him to take Care of the Pantheon 0/10000

She did say it required a lot of shenanigans but is this really the most efficient version you could create Randidly tskÆd But his mood improved when he realized that he currently had almost thirty nine thousand PP to spend A combination of a leftover chunk from the Tithe and his continued growth through the Sonara gave him a lot of leeway Ten thousand was a significant amount but he could finish the Path and still have plenty to spare

Although maybe I want to do a few more Paths after to try and push my Stats even further upward Especially my mental ones to handle the strain of dealing with this amalgamation of negative emotions Randidly mused Then he started the Path

The rewards for proceeding through the Path were rich as promised he earned one free Stats point every 5 PP spent which was two thousand free Stat points all told It was an efficiency that Randidly hadnÆt earned from Paths for quite a while Considering his worries about handling the emotional load he distributed them between Grey MonarchÆs Authority (evolved Willpower) and Discretion of the Apostate Moirae (evolved Control)

Just the addition of one thousand Stats each gave Randidly a flush of cool clarity through his brain The improvement rinsed ice water up and down his brainstem He had just gotten up from a nap but he hadnÆt allowed himself to rest for too long The additional Stats taking him to 4084 and 4807 respectively rejuvenated him to a certain extent And then came the Path completion notification

Congratulations You have completed the Care of the Pantheon Path As you walk forward entire civilizations and worlds bloom in your footsteps The energy you radiate has supported people enough that they have grown large enough to assist you in your endeavors They drift and flourish in your wake The haunting presence of the Pantheon of the Alpha Cosmos has sensed the crucible waiting ahead of you due in part to their existence as a regulatory body within your Soulskill To that end they wrap you in the softest and most careful protection they can manage They entreat you to go with care because no one can replace you should you fall

On the one hand Randidly felt rather touched by the message On the other

His lips twisted as he scanned the single paragraph notification from first to last words to make sure he had missed nothing No other reward

However just as he was speaking he felt it The Earth Golem Emperor seemed to condense around his mind sitting in a meditative position He felt the projection superimpose itself upon his psyche before sinking in and becoming a part of him

Randidly reached up and scratched his head Hard to really tell how much it will do and to see how dangerous this monster of subconscious really is Guess the only way to know is to try it out

Randidly raised his Lantern of Harsh Truths and looked around Almost immediately his eyes were caught by the glittering door with the name Ace hanging above it Very clearly they considered this to be the next step in AltaÆs carefully prepared dream

For a reason he couldnÆt quite grasp Randidly turned and peered into the darkness A dimly lit and almost rotting wooden door seized his gaze until he couldnÆt look away At this point Randidly Ghosthound trusted his instincts So he began to walk toward the dark and shabby door

The door had a name above it Ezekiel

Chapter 2047

Mrs Hamilton pushed open the doors and walked into the conference room The group was an unusual one with Huang Li Annie and Zone 1Æs Resident Super Suit superhero with casually ruffled blonde hair and a rakish smile But even his expression was tinged with some sourness considering the seriousness of the occasion

Huang Li wasted no time tapping on the map laid out on the table in front of them this was the task force assembled by the world council His eyebrows pinched together in concentration Now that we are all here letÆs discuss the specifics Are there any problems with the containment perimeter

None so far Supersuit whose name Mrs Hamilton didnÆt know but who resemble a Thad or a Chad clicked on the electronic display and zoomed in on the area around West Providence The entire city was covered with a flashing red aura with the Northeastern portion had a solid maroon covering a puzzle piece shaped chunk But as you can see the municipal authorities tried to cover their original blunder by being extremely broad in the secondary quarantine zone The whole city is cut off from the outside world No travel in or out although we have firm communication to some of the security agencies who work with senators to indicate there are portions of the city that remain stable The story in the East and North regions of the city are more difficult to ascertain

We have a few tourists going through Zone 1 Huang Li added referring very obliquely to the tracking Skill Zone 7 used on its permanent residents Obviously the citizens learned very quickly about the problem when forces began to set up barricades along the roads and manatech railways And several possess enough power to resist the average infected Working together the people are putting up a wooden blockade If one of the powerful members of the original Orchard Squad doesnÆt barrel through they will hold out

For now at least Annie squinted at the map There are a lot of residential neighborhoods in the North GhostÆs observational drones said that the infected Squad Leader is sweeping through those areas infecting as many as he can These buggers arenÆt great at coordination but those with stronger Willpower can be effective leaders A wave is coming South soon to gobble up the rest of the city

But thatÆs why weÆve been called in Supersuit made a fist and pounded the table The electronic map flickered Look I know the odds arenÆt in our favor

No speeches please Annie groaned Here let me cut to the chase We just go in beat up some infected people and get out without physical contact No need to make a big deal out of it

Rather amusingly Huang Li also nodded seriously along with AnnieÆs objection We should not waste any more time All it takes is a single powerful individual to have a moment of foolishness to a new threat to be born Considering all that we still donÆt know we must act with due alacrity

Supersuit seemed genuinely disappointed he didnÆt get to make a moving speech but was at least professional enough to move past it quickly He directed a sharp glance at Mrs Hamilton Any results on your end

She shook her head grimly Even she didnÆt like having to deliver this report None at all After capturing a weaker infected we tried all sorts of images or Skills to try and drive that mauve light out of the host all failed ItÆs just that much more powerful than us Exposure for powerful individuals well Paolo forcefully volunteered for the task and is now taking up the attention of two of DonnytonÆs strongest Squads just to restrain Essentially donÆt get touched It isnÆt deadly but we donÆt have a cure

Even now Mrs Hamilton felt somewhat disgusted with herself that she had almost believed PaoloÆs bravado and hadnÆt prevented him from initiating contact She was going soft now she wasnÆt concerned with running Donnyton any longer

Tch should have all been archers Annie flashed a smile No one else really acknowledged the teasing as they filed outside of the room and headed to the transport chopper waiting for the group They boarded with quick steps And the pilot seemed to know both the import of this mission and the strength of the passengers because its manatech thrusters engaged as soon as Supersuit had stepped into the vehicle and wrapped a large hand around the metal bar by the door

With a whoosh and a huge discharge of glittering mana exhaust particulate the chopper turned skyward Once it was right below the low grey cloud cover it really let loose causing Annie and Huang Li who hadnÆt sat down in the seats onboard to sway and almost stagger Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt help but be impressed at least in Manatech Zone 1 continued to doggedly make strides forward

Yet with that fool leading the Zone Mrs Hamilton shook her head slightly

As they approached West Providence Annie abruptly swore with her usual creativity and verve The three others looked at her in confusion Even Mrs Hamilton couldnÆt quite follow the White HuntressÆs acute senses and figure out what had caused such a string of expletives But about ten seconds later she discovered a familiar aura in the middle of the infected Zone

The ground erupted with mauve blades demolishing almost the entire block

Randidly pressed his hand against the cool wood and pushed open the door The material felt light and insubstantial flickering against his hand as he touched it He couldnÆt quite put his feeling on the source of the feeling but his heart began to palpitate

As he walked forward he felt his body shrinking until he was his teenage self He looked around and saw the cool blue countertop and cramped refrigerator of his fatherÆs apartment after the family had split A single coffee cup sat in the sink and a stack of deconstructed pizza boxes was folded next to the trash can

The sleek television Ezekiel Ghosthound had always insisted on updating to the new iteration every six months sat on the squat wooden entertainment console His unassuming grey couch its cushions thoroughly wrinkled from constant use sat empty in the middle of the room Randidly continued to pivot

After a few seconds he began to frown the apartment was empty

He opened his mouth to speak and hesitated unsure of what to say In the end he settled for an awkward sounding Father

For a few seconds there was absolute silence and Randidly had some strange worry that this memory would somehow be a dud Perhaps he made a mistake to follow that strange twinge in his stomach and walk over to the Ezekiel door before the Ace one But then the familiar if slightly tired sounding voice filled the room Ah you made it YouÆll be wanting a memory then

Randidly continued to pivot looking around him The apartment remained empty His forehead creased in annoyance Where are you I canÆt see you

Huh how strange EzekielÆs voice answered Then Randidly heard a snort Well if you cannot see me I guess I guess I did it I got out of this hell

Now Randidly really scowled Okay look I get that this emotional monster inside of me isnÆt very fun to deal with Especially now that it seems intent on wearing motherÆs face But I figured you of all people would be especially happy to share negative memories of her You always told me

ItÆs not that son Ezekiel answered just as awkwardly as Randidly had said father Randidly continued to spin trying to catch some sight of his quarry even as it began to make him dizzy What IÆve escaped isnÆt this memory game hell IÆm just a memory myself But if you cannot see me I must be gone IÆve died

You Randidly finally planted both feet on the ground and stopped spinning He swayed YouÆre dead

A father like me Ezekiel sighed The voice was as hollow as the empty apartment in which Randidly now stood Well itÆs not like you need me Look at all youÆve accomplished If I was around IÆd just be in the way Good luck Oh but donÆt worry I have the memory for you Just donÆt be too hard on Emilee alright She only wanted the best for you

Randidly just stared blankly ahead still rocked from the fact that his father had died Died apparently on purpose without telling him

Stuck on the fact Randidly had studiously ignored his father for several years

Chapter 2048

Emotions washed through Randidly in tightly packed waves so he couldnÆt even react to the arrival of the first one before the next was upon him He stood in that suspended dream of his fatherÆs old apartment rapidly trying to stabilize his thoughts

The Grey Creature a proxy for his apparently disastrous relationship with his mother which now served as a rallying point for all the dangerous and free radical significance of the entire Alpha Cosmos possessed an emotional affect that seethed and stormed The destructive power it contained Randidly wanted to sew into his current attack patterns for an even more overwhelming offensive

Yet that was not what he now experienced

The emotion settling over him as he spread out his senses through the Alpha Cosmos and searched for Ezekiel Ghosthound felt quite different from that exuberant and vengeful energy This emotion was dark heavy and vaguely wet It settled across him like a moldy blanket chill and suffocating

In a daze Randidly walked over to the bland couch and sat down He shouldnÆt be this thrown He barely had any association with Ezekiel not in the last few years Randidly could look at the Nether connections between the two of them suddenly appearing almost to visibly wilt and dim were thin and relatively minor This emotional response felt unreasonable

So why Randidly released a hissing breath He raised his arms and wrapped them around his shoulders

With a sudden gleam a small glowing chestnut appeared in the middle of the room EzekielÆs voice echoing from so far away spoke again without any more acknowledgment of the end of his life HereÆs the memory I have to give you ItÆs from the day we met your mother and I I bet we told you some cute story about how it went down but it wasnÆt like that at all Your mother was very very strong Randidly She just was always fighting against something bigger than herself She didnÆt have much energy leftover at least when she had to do something alone Like raising you Or like trying to love me

H hey wait I have something to say to you RandidlyÆs head snapped up He ignored the floating memory and swept the room with a piercing stare The blinds were in their perpetually slanted state so light filtered into the room with a decidedly blue tinge That wet emotion tightened around his body sticking to his skin and dripping down his throat

There was no answer RandidlyÆs eyes began to blaze Hey

IÆm fucking talking to you

Are you really just

Just like when I was alive huh You ship off when you got tired of dealing

Randidly sniffed loudly interrupting his speech He could feel it in the air whatever remnant of Ezekiel had been here it had slipped away after delivering that last message Truly the echo had fulfilled its promised role and moved on

Biting his lip Randidly leaned forward and stared at the mildly offensive carpet That was what Ezekiel was always like he left when he was ready leaving with not a communication but more of a proclamation his decision so firmly made he had no willingness to consider any alternatives He felt concern for other people but it stemmed from a profoundly selfish place As far as Randidly could tell it honestly wouldnÆt occur to his father that someone would want to speak to him Would want some closure on their own terms

The apartment was very silent In reality it had been in a rather crappy neighborhood next to the highway so the windows often rattled with the passage of heavy eighteen wheelers hauling freight Yet this was just a dream

Everything felt fake and frozen around him

Randidly tears forming in the corners of his eyes began to chuckle Although honestly maybe IÆm a little like that too Sometimes I just make my decision and leave And the people who I leave behind

He released a shuddering breath He felt incredibly frustrated stifled in this familiar and uncomfortable room with its horrible unnatural silence Yet the longer he sat there the more the wet emotion seeped across all of Randidly More and more of his emotional affect his images the flow of his significance all of it became thoroughly dyed by a quiet and listless grief

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 80

Randidly pressed his hands against the stone ground with enough force that the material cracked His knuckles were white Yet he moved almost on autopilot looking up at the Hierarchy of Burden floating in the air in front of him The ivory layer was completely sparkling So his attention moved to the top layer the largest the silver layer

He pushed himself forward

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 81

Randidly shuddered He felt dizzy and blood spurted from his ears After another swaying moment blood also began to dribble from his tear ducts and ears His mouth tasted like copper but again he didnÆt flinch Even in the face of the new pressures the blank resolve held up

The feeling was difficult to describe but RandidlyÆs entire person had become a hammer When entering the silver layer the Randidly hammer had struck what he believed to have been a flat plane keeping him out of another universe Perhaps this was the last rind of the space the barrier that would allow him to break out of a separate space and back into the main universe Or theoretically shatter his way out of the main universe and create his own separate space

Yet at the moment of impact as that pane of glass cracked and fractured Randidly became abruptly aware that what he wasnÆt striking was one single barrier but infinite barriers all bisecting the single point Each was arranged at a slightly adjusted angle from the flat plane he had meant to strike so that the point of impact became a node and flat plateaus forming edges along every possible universe became radials around the impact

With the damaged space as its core the surrounding space became infinitely dense with the looming presence of infinite universes their possibilities seeping through the flaw and pressing against Randidly His Stat assisted mind sputtered and flickered reaching the verge of failure A horrible friction was created by the presence of so many possibilities rushing around him His Nether Core whined and strained trying to function while being so pressured His eyes began to bulge More blood spurted out of his nose

Yet his mouth twisted into a smile Thin rivulets of blood dribbled down past his lips and stained his teeth If you think possibilities would stop me

His new image physicalization form came down across his body His eyes and mouth were filled with darkness but from that darkness some purple black revelation energy began to glimmer Thick emerald wings spread out from his back and caught the friction of the flaws in the edge of this universe The Grey Creature raised its head and howled Its blank darkness filled eyes opened and stared into the folding perspectives of the world

Congratulations Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 899

Congratulations Your Skill the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 912

With that same stoic countenance Randidly forced his way forward His mind burned and sagged under the onslaught of the different universes he could glimpse through the fracture he had made His steps prying open that flaw and allowed more and more universes as numerous as molecules in drops of water in an ocean to inundate him

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 82

And yet weeping blood Randidly persisted The pain the numbness

Randidly threw himself into it wanting to briefly grieve his father in peace without the chaotic interference of his thoughts Effort washed everything away Somehow so long as he continued to push

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 90

His hands trembled For the proud and solitary Ezekiel Ghosthound he would not stop until he stopped aching

Chapter 2049

Randidly came back to himself gingerly almost as though his consciousness had been swaddled in bubble wrap and shipped across the country for several days It had been locked in the dark protected and cushioned through the arduous journey to get here Only now at his destination could it be safely removed and become prominently featured on the mantle once more He blinked several times his eyes crusty and gooey His mouth felt dry and tasted awful

He reached up and rubbed at his eyes in irritation dried blood flaking away from his face He flexed his stiff fingers the knuckles popping back into place His whole body seemed to ache And he almost jumped when a voice spoke next to him

For the record you would not have been able to do that without the presence of the Earth Golem Emperor inside of you Even for your stubborn psyche that was foolish Randidly pivoted Lucretia sat next to him looking at him with an intense gaze She uncrossed and recrossed her legs hanging over the edge of the stone pyramid and gestured to the ground around hdwim Also you might want to clean up before someone else comes here it will give the Academy students a real scare to see such a gruesome scene

Randidly groggily rolled his jaw noting the additional crusted mucus and blood around his mouth and nose He looked down at the ground The series of maroon sprays spatters and dribbles on the stone top of the pyramid did look like a cross between a toddler tipping over a paint can to roll around in the remnants and a brutal murder scene Made somehow worse by the perfectly stark bloodless handprints Randidly had created by staying so still for so long both sides monstrous and inhuman but the left characterized by lumpy digits and a too thick wrist while the right had elongated fingers

Growling he waved a hand and unleashed a blast of annihilation from the Stillborn Phoenix scrubbing away all the detritus of his extended training process While he was at it he peeled off the gruesome bloody mask he wore on his face this he was happy to destroy without ever seeing it It was about that time that Randidly saw the notification floating in front of him And subsequently finally absorbed LucretiaÆs words

Congratulations You have successfully completed your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden When you gain Levels +4 to Uncommon Metabolism (Un) and EggÆs Illusory Plume

One of the original tools used to balance the Nexus the Hierarchy of Burden has a deep history for this isolated universe However as more sophisticated instruments were developed and the focus on refining physical bodies fell away the Hierarchies were all set aside as too dangerous or inefficient to utilize However sophistication doesnÆt completely replace the original thrust of the tool

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has been unlocked and developed new capabilities Please experiment to find out its secrets

In addition two Fatepieces remain present in the universe Please seek them out and complete your Fateset to discover your destiny as an Alchemist

Randidly legitimately had to look at the notification several times almost disbelieving what he read He flexed his hand and produced the Hierarchy of Burden True to the notification its form had shifted no longer was it a pyramid It had flattened to become a floating square with the red layer forming the small center with each subsequent layer forming a rectangular band ending with the ominous silver layer of possibility inundation

Following an instinct Randidly raised his right hand and pressed it forward toward the square The small red central piece began to glow and slid backward away from his reach As it did so more and more pulses of electromagnetic force extended down his arm

As he continued to stretch Randidly hissed slightly Right at the edge of that layer there was an extra few levels of intensity to those snakes of crimson discharge The Hierarchy of Burden trained the body to withstand the force but now Randidly realized this was the real deal He extended his arm further despite an increase in the power RandidlyÆs body could handle it After stretching further the next layer light radiation began to engage The wider translucent band began to glow and retreat before his fingers right as the tips passed the plane of the other layers

Recently your images have found ways to combine in new and interesting ways Lucretia continued You inherited the moves of the Spear Phantom although they were later combined with other influences to form the Grey Creature So IÆm just suggesting that there might be a way to use your familiarity and modular image to fight Shal not as yourself but as the Spear Phantom Perhaps that might finally reach him if you can prove the Spear Phantom invulnerable once more

RandidlyÆs mouth felt dry He allowed a pained smile to cross his face in theory I sort of understand what you are saying However my version even with my improved Stats and firmer images might not be able to match up against the current Shal

If you want to save him from himself you will find a way Lucretia said quietly

Randidly finally looked up and frowned at her Lucretia what are you doing DoesnÆt this feel like an awkward time to spring something like this on me

What WerenÆt you the one that brought it up And you were grieving and I provided you a task you can use to distract yourself Lucretia affected a snooty air She sniffed I had assumed you would be thanking me

In spite of himself Randidly chuckled LucretiaÆs expression softened into something more genuine And IÆm here if you ever need to talk you know

Thank you Randidly said meaning it Unlike Alta Lucretia didnÆt run away from the acknowledgment but met it with a kind smile Randidly looked down at himself and blew out his lips Well doesnÆt look like IÆm making much headway with these memories today But at least at least I now know what happened to him IÆm going to go back home and get some genuine sleep

Good luck Randidly Lucretia nodded Just remember you donÆt have to do everything alone

If that was true you wouldnÆt have seized upon the opportunity to talk about Shal at such a fraught time Randidly thought to himself No matter how much assistance you give me in the end you are right IÆll need to be the one to get through to him

But he stayed silent and turned away to hide his expression from her Any slightly bleak emotional fluctuations such a thought released were generally masked by the continued pulses of grief that ran through his body So he left the interior of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth and went back to his skyisland

Almost immediately the hairs on his arms stood on end The moonlight spirits flew to him and buzzed around in agitation someone was on his island

Someone who didnÆt have any implicit permission to be there RandidlyÆs eyebrows slowly drew together He was in no mood for this His long legs stretched into massive strides to devour the ground around his manner The doors had been left partially open

His lips twitched again He walked through the front doors of his house and found a man seated on one of the couches that Tatiana had picked out for him The man set down a steaming cup of coffee and smiled up at him Mr Ghosthound I donÆt believe weÆve had the opportunity to meet despite my best efforts IÆm Cale West current President of Zone 1 And we need to talk Mr Ghosthound no disrespect intended but youÆve let too many of your messes spill out into my Zone

Chapter 2050

Randidly was so genuinely thrown by the expression of absolute conviction on this PresidentÆs face that he didnÆt have much of a reaction for several seconds He had been ravaged by a storm of emotions over the course of his recent memory and this unexpected non sequitur of an appearance threw him In a peculiar way not even RandidlyÆs high Stats could help him react quickly to this The perhaps not especially sophisticated President Cale West of Zone 1 took his silence as an admission of guilt

He shook his head sorrowfully His lined face creased in a practiced look of empathy Look I can understand that there is a lot on your plate but as a leader you need to take responsibility for your actions In this case considering most of the infected have been locked down so long as you publicly apologize and cover the costs of the damages incurred

Very rapidly the PresidentÆs somewhat droning voice snapped RandidlyÆs focus to a razorÆs edge The darkening cloud of his emotions choked off the manÆs words without even a physical outlet as they clogged the air like acrid pollution causing the man to look at Randidly with an appalled and worried expression

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes narrowed as he mentally recounted the series of events that lead him here He had fought against Duulys to the point he was completely exhausted He had woken up prematurely from his rest because he felt some disturbances in his Alpha Cosmos to find the Ascension Pact on his homeworld a forgivable offense but also that Fiona was grieving in the worst sort of immature way

Then he had woken up from his next nap with the intent to train only to find that his relationship with his mother had become some sort of socio psychic dumping ground for unmoored significance As he began to take steps to correct that problem he was slapped over the head with the fact his father had died an indeterminate amount of time ago without him noticing

And now this

Fuck this A very indignant Randidly Ghosthound thought Violence was his first impulse tempted by the very cathartic image of SulfurÆs massive fist doing some much needed renovations on this manÆs face A mental vignette of turning his cheekbones concave However the prospect of cleaning squirted brain matter out of TatianaÆs tasteful couch and explaining to Zone 1 what happened to their leader gave him some pause

He was a mature adult Violence was not the way to solve every problem

Especially when this man really didnÆt have any sort of recourse against him Not when he had so many satisfying options

Randidly flexed his hands still slightly sore from the prolonged stiffness during his completion of the Hierarchy of Burden A dull burn of hateful frustration simmered along the edges of RandidlyÆs vision as he peered into the significance swirling across Expira to get the real story of this figure in front of him I donÆt think thatÆs necessary soon to be former President West I have done nothing to earn responsibility for this matter wasnÆt it your troops that behaved so irresponsibly and allowed the situation to escalate After Ghost had warned you as well Tsk tsk

You President WestÆs eyes bulged trying to figure which part of RandidlyÆs statement to respond to He settled on the easiest and first target his eyes narrowing Soon to be former Is that a threat Mr Ghosthound

Just an observation on Zone 1Æs political system Randidly responded smoothly His mind buzzed as significance flowed into him feeding him strange situational context for the presidency of this man He didnÆt even need to ask for it this world was very literally his body giving freely as he wondered Curiosity mobilized Nether to flow through his body and drop off nuggets of information You will eventually be replaced by someone whose platform mostly revolves around not being you No wonder you are so humble to constantly have that legacy hanging over you

President West gapped at Randidly for several seconds At least our democratic process gives everyone a voice While your cronyism in Kharon

Sighing he shook his head This is exactly why I refuse those political meetings I need a nap

Delilah looked around Can we really just make use of the University Forum for this A lot of people do group practices here

Xershi put his hands on his hips and laughed Somewhere over the past few hours he had found an ill fitting Kharon Academy hat He almost looked like a volunteer youth sports coach Of course An area like this with easy to damage locations around it helps foster image control But if you really arenÆt sure Hey yÆall does anyone have a problem with us using this space

The thousand or so Kharon Academy students that sat around on the tiered levels of the amphitheater emphatically shook their heads They remained curiously silent through the entire motion while also maintaining their worshipful looks toward the metal liger man Delilah felt some respect for the student body of Kharon collapsing as she saw this

So Xershi flashed his teeth Shall we begin Your wind needs to be broader D It needs to be bigger and more unrestrained so it can force its way through anything Pry open any sort of crack and find its way back to the sky Well let me ask you another question the question at the basis of the entire premise of us training together Do you want power

Delilah ignored the abrupt pivot to a pet name even if she had only ferried the GhosthoundÆs companions and had one awkward night/dinner with them Instead her eyes drifted over the sea of watching students absorbing their rapt expressions Her thoughts drifted almost stumbling across his question She regarded it suspiciously as though it hid a trick Do I want power

She turned briefly to the past XershiÆs upheaval in the Academy had started this morning when a practice race was being run for the Ghosthound Grand Prix in a few weeks Students with Scrawled bits of wood and metal filled the sky in a whooshing and zooming slipstream the entire townÆs commercial apparatus taking a half day off to give them time to practice in a low stress environment

Xershi had saw and demanded he be allowed to join in on the fun Bemused Delilah had taken him to the scrap yard and taught him how to Scrawl Of course his initial dozen attempts resulted in the small piece of whatever shattering into a million pieces His image was too intense and he had no knowledge of how to allow it to strengthen material before transferring all its force into the substance

Delilah had rather enjoyed seeing the powerful man fail Then he had abruptly announced he was going to seek a more suitable materialÆ She had shrugged knowing this was a common reaction that sometimes helped but that XershiÆs image power was so great that he definitely needed at least a little bit of a sophisticated application to keep whatever unfortunate item from exploding

Xershi did not go out and pick up a massive log to handle his Mana as it was rumored Randidly Ghosthound had done during his early struggles Instead he found a gangly teen who could successfully Scrawl talked quickly to the bespectacled youth for under a minute then applied his Scrawl directly to the youthÆs body Delilah watched in horror as the kid shivered and twitched the process was obviously painful

Once it was done the two shot off as though they were launched from a missile silo Their incredible speed released waves of wind that unseated almost every nearby Scrawl er was unseated from their vehicles They blasted back and forth across the sky quickly garnering the attention of the entire contingent It only took them a moment to cross the significant airspace above Kharon and its associate skyislands bank into a wide parabola of a turn and then roar right back past

When they landed the bespectacled teen was beset by jealous peers He had smugly announced that today was the most metal experience IÆve ever hadÆ

Chapter 2051

In the wake of XershiÆs display a group of the most powerful Scrawlers met and conferred about the incident It was announced that using a Scrawl on another Scrawler was within the bounds of the rules for the Ghosthound Grand Prix it was specified that there be no limit on what objects be used as vehicles That freedom was part of the joy of Scrawling

Even other Scrawlers could be utilized

Delilah was alarmed by this decision but rather quickly some of the older students followed up with guidelines to keep the younger students from giving themselves de facto burns or tattoos from failed Scrawl on flesh attempts For now no one with a Skill Level under two hundred could try the advanced technique Which essentially meant no one could do it

Still regardless of the future consequence this thoughtless action had caused for now the entire student body worshiped his every word And while they gazed at him XershiÆs eyes remained fixed on her No one stood within ten meters of her in the forum

Do you want power D Xershi asked again

Delilah sucked in a breath She had seen Xershi and the boy shooting through the sky too And she had felt how much she held Vye back in the dangerous bits of exploration of the Danger Zones And she didnÆt want to be afraid of anyone any longer Yea I want power

Well then His mouth curled upward into an expression more generous than cruelty and more anticipatory than benevolent The beginning of a wind stirred around the forum but DelilahÆs heart began to pound The wind caressed her tempting her forward Yet she could already sense that this was just the beginning of a dangerous storm brewing above

She raised her eyes The sky was somehow entirely clear Her skin tingled as her senses simultaneously informed her nothing happened in the sky and also the wind twisted together to form a hammer about to descend

Let’s begin Xershi said his voice almost crooning The air currents about Kharon began to shriek as he pulled and the wind came along with him

Randidly pushed himself out of his sleeping position Nether gurgled happily in his chest all the aches in his brainstem had been massaged away and even the pulsing presence of grief had faded somewhat after his nap

Randidly wondered how long it would take to fade entirely But even still the similar hole Helen had left in him continued to weigh on him So he didnÆt hold out much hope

He felt both rested and rushed as he took stock of himself He had made great strides forward to improve himself over the past few days especially strengthening the density of the Nether he produced and firming up the foundation of his body as he forced his way to finish the Hierarchy of Burden His mind too had been honed to a complexity of inputs that didnÆt come up often in an average personÆs life but Randidly seemed to be inundated with such circumstances that required a parsing of possibilities and incisive insight

Yet his relationship with his mother remained completely unaddressed and compoundingly difficult while the Patron of Feathers state continued to deteriorate

Randidly grunted still not sure how he felt about Fiona Especially in the context of the other negative developments recently it was tough to keep his sour mood from bleeding into other areas

Still sheÆs working SheÆs trying Randidly watched her for a while her hunched shoulders and her inane straw hat That alone is never enough to merit forgiveness But itÆs definitely the best place to start

Randidly cleared his throat but didnÆt comment on Fiona’s behavior What about the other two Are they behaving images intact

Neveah waved a hand Xershi has weirdly attached himself to Delilah and Kharon Academy Despite his personality or maybe because of his immaturity heÆs surprisingly good with kids They are getting a real crash course in how to manifest and maintain a powerful image Pullas after she went to Zone 1 and secretly weakened FionaÆs image plague now has spent a lot of time with Tatiana The two are apparently fast friends

Good Tatiana needs more people she can relax around Randidly said casually Neveah gave him a sharp look but he shrugged the reason Tatiana needed those things is because he did and she enjoyed a certain heightened level of prestige because of her relationship with him No one understood that benefit better than he did

Tsk better not engage her on this Randidly leaned back and looked up at the sky She will just point out this is all the more reason to forgive Fiona someone who I can consider a peer

Instead of allowing that conversation to pass Randidly said So the image plague has been handled

Essentially but not totally When Randidly quirked his eyebrow Neveah shrugged People are strange A group has established what is essentially a convent for people to infect themselves Following the lead of Lucifer a lot of dissatisfied individuals have tried it to jumpstart their image development Apparently facing their taboos is rather motivating TheyÆve developed some methods to weaken FionaÆs image and some personal immunity so people recover eventually But for now the possibility of another outbreak still exists

Randidly cracked his neck A lot of desperate people huh

I prefer to think of it as a lot of people who are finally realizing you didnÆt exaggerate when you told them how dangerous the Nexus could be Neveah responded This is a good thing even if their methods are them playing with fire WouldnÆt you do the same thing if you felt an urgent need to grow stronger

Randidly couldnÆt remember the last time he didnÆt feel an urgent need to grow stronger

While his mind drifted on that troubling realization Neveah pulled him back So Are you going to forgive Fiona

Randidly closed his eyes Right now No of course not Give me a bit more time LetÆs see what sort of crops she can grow first How about this IÆll arrange for a dinner with the Ascension Pact members here at your place if you are willing to host in twenty four hours IÆll make my decision then

So you might not forgive her Neveah scowled at him Tsk canÆt you feel how contrite she is Look at that dumb hat And what are you just going to kick her out anyway

No Randidly turned away This is about forgiveness for behaving recklessly on my homeworld I donÆt need to let that go to work with her to climb in the Sonara

Chapter 2052

Pullas arrived a half hour early having gotten a recipe for cheesy scallop potatoes from Tatiana and positively bubbling in anticipation for the group dinner The last interaction between Randidly and Fiona had filled her with an existential dread related to the Ascension Pact Pullas couldnÆt really believe it but her image was shaken by the prospective schism But the fact he arranged this for them all to meet rekindled her hopes of the group continuing to climb together

Pullas shifted the pot containing her potatoes from one hip to the other Still if we keep climbing what are we going to find in the upper portion of the Sonara

Neveah greeted her at the door with a smile invited her into her home and gracefully accepted her offer to help with the cooking A freshly picked batch of flowers leaned against the interior of a glass vase A fire crackled along the far wall Already the room smelled like Neveah was making a mouth watering meal

As Pullas washed her hands she cheerfully said Your homeworld is positively stupendous Of course the political situation is complex and even I can sense the tension between the different territories But centered around these tournaments where the reward is a powerful chunk of Nether undoubtedly a lot of people on Expira are going to die good deaths The conditions are excellent

Neveah chuckled as she sprinkled salt and paprika across the chicken breasts Well I certainly hope thatÆs true

Something slightly morbid about her tone gave Pullas pause She turned and looked at the woman who was Soulbound to Randidly Ghosthound whose sharp cheekbones and long black hair made her look like his sister ignored the layered of thick illusion around her body and simply peered at her as she slid the pan into the preheated oven You donÆt think this is a good world

Neveah fidgeted as she straightened somewhere between a shrug and a head shake Ah I apologize I think some of RandidlyÆs anxiety is seeping into me Um to put it very simply I hope that the lives of the people in the Alpha Cosmos have been improving over the last few years The situation here is definitely becoming stable Which can be good and bad

Then Neveah clapped and offered Pullas a small smile The other reason for my half hearted response As for the context of their deaths it is simply difficult because of the System Natural causes will no longer claim you given enough time you can live as long as you avoid dangerous living Which I almost think is exactly the sort of thing you need to land well upon deathÆs doorstep Risks spice up life

Pullas opened her mouth to respond but couldnÆt A weird sort of mental popping began to occur within her skull So she closed it While being directed to cut carrots she furiously considered this perspective consequence on the System She had been young when the System arrived in her world she had never really even considered what the almost constant delay of death by the System did to the possibility of a good death

Her image rapidly progressing through the image fulfillment stage began to rumble The psychic tremors were so violent she had to struggle not to release any outward sign The transformation didnÆt happen on the surface where the details of her good death remained constant It might have sharpened slightly a little more humor added to the sharp smile on deathÆs face but it was the undercurrents that shifted

The inexorable tide had to be completely overhauled Neveah was correct that was just not the reality under the System

DeathÆs arrival was no longer a preordained thing So the whole concept of a good death had to pivot around that central tenant Pullas honestly felt like a fool for missing this before An alarming amount of momentum built through PullasÆs body following the constant churn of her image The engine of her power metastasized and began to multiply filling up the previously hollow interior

She wavered briefly on stopping this change this sudden accelerated shift that undoubtedly signaled she was close to the end of her image but she pressed her lips together and did not inhibit the transformation Neveah was right the role of death had changed with the arrival of the System Pullas had spent a lot of time thinking about her theoretical ideas of death What she had always lacked were the practical grapplings with the death that existed around her

That was why RandidlyÆs words had resonated so much with her He had obliquely pointed out an absence she couldnÆt explain An absence that had swollen to massive proportions and she had been carrying it around without noticing it

So wrapped up was Pullas that she jumped and released a shrill little squeak when NeveahÆs hands landed on her shoulders The noise sounded quite inhuman Neveah patted her trying to comfort her I donÆt mean to surprise you I just think the carrots are thoroughly cut Here IÆve made a cup of tea Why donÆt you sit down and rest

Pullas looked at Neveah How deeply does she love him And now I can see it the way all of the worries Randidly refuses to acknowledge build up in her Yet she maintains such a calm face always grounded always supportive Because he probably canÆt do this alone not without that place to shunt his fears She has her battles just as he has his

Partners

Weirdly PullasÆs gaze circled the room and landed on Xershi He was crouching next to the fireplace holding his hat above the flames and grinning as it began to smolder She tried to imagine what it would be like to be Soulbonded to him and just shuddered

If just for the inane thoughts alone it would be torture

Fiona arrived last to the dinner even though she had the least distance to travel But she thumped in also without waiting for a response to her knock covered in dirt and smelling of sweat She stopped short looking at them all while specifically not looking at Randidly Her eyes skirted the edge of his figure The effortless ballet of the movements in the kitchen stopped Fiona cleared her throat Sorry IÆm late But I I wanted to finish And look I brought some food from the garden Who new growing food was so easy

Weirdly desperately almost shy Fiona held up the wicker basket on her arm Within Pullas could see some weirdly lumpy and mishappen carrots turnips and onions

You To their surprise Randidly responded to her stepped forward and looking down into the basket A little smirk crossed his face and he couldnÆt suppress a chortle YouÆre actually quite bad at growing crops arenÆt you

I FionaÆs eyes flashed filled with a flare up of frustration and hurt But soon that settled and receded leaving the woman looking oddly nervous She shifted and spoke quietly Randidly I just wanted to say IÆm really sorry for the way I behaved I shouldnÆt have just lashed out at the people of your world

Thanks it means a lot to hear that RandidlyÆs expression became serious too as he studied her Then he offered her an unsatisfying shrug I donÆt think I can quite say I forgive you at least not yet But we are still an Ascension Pact ThatÆs part of why I wanted to have this dinner to talk about climbing further

You really mean to go past the layers protected by Elhume Pullas breathed out Her heart tightened with fear If you are caught

Then letÆs just not get caught Xershi wheeled around an aggressive grin on his face

Randidly nodded toward Xershi ThatÆs sorta the plan IÆm not exactly sure whatÆs on the other side of the Sonara but itÆs something I need to save a friend Therefore IÆm going to continue to climb And I hope you all join me

But there is something else Randidly turned back to face Fiona directly again His expression became solemn And I should have told you earlier but well Things were tense However before I followed you guys into the Alpha Cosmos I saw something happening to Duulys Actus Suprem Devick came into the Sonara I had thought she was pursuing me but it seems like she was under orders to fetch Duulys She wrapped him up in her image and took him away

So he FionaÆs facial muscles froze for a split second before contorting inward The shift was like sheet metal being crumpled into a ball The emptiness in her eyes now unnerved Pullas more than the stiffness and bitterness that had lived there before Devick with the chains The crazed baby obsessed insane person

Randidly winced ItÆs almost worse that you know who she is

They were rivals on the frontline Fiona whispered And because Duulys eventually surpassed her in fame well no one could ever prove it but many believe that Devick orchestrated the downfall of the Raesham All because of jealousy Her hand didnÆt hold the knife but she gave the push that shredded my people to bits

Chapter 2053

The mood of the dinner became strange while Fiona mulled over the news about her ex husband and Randidly found no issue picturing Devick as vindictively annihilating an entire race of people

Randidly at least felt the issue was settled with Fiona while he mulled over his other complex and volatile inner turmoil Which to be frank required a level of committed introspection that he couldnÆt bear to spare at the moment

Still Fiona clammed up and also became intensely inwardly focused while the group cut into the chicken and carrots Randidly hoped she wasnÆt aware enough of DevickÆs image to envision in lurid detail what that unhinged woman could do to someone as obviously out of it as Duulys had been but the whiteness in FionaÆs face didnÆt give Randidly much hope on that front

Pullas tried to make conversation about Kharon and Neveah gracefully supported her efforts Xershi as usual acted completely unmoored from any of the emotional tensions that filled the room He barked out laughter and slapped his knee almost the entire time In a way Randidly admired his attitude

The dinner finished in agreement however The entire Ascension Pact would continue to climb the following morning heading through the areas with the inert infrastructure put there long ago by Elhume to try and find the object the Patron of Feathers required Randidly kept the exact goal somewhat vague both because he wasnÆt sure what he sought and because he didnÆt want to reveal how expressly anti Elhume his goals ran

Which meant Randidly had one last night on Expira to ready himself A very sizable portion of his personality urged him to address the tumor ish problem growing within the Grey Creature but he had wised up to his own bad habits of throwing himself without pause from one project to another Besides being right in front of Neveah for the night had made him uncomfortably aware of the worry she had for him

Instead of any sort of focused training Randidly just went back to the core area of the Kharon Academy Labyrinth and focused on the flow of Nether through his body He sat down and existed observing his own self

After he began the self examination he discovered a lot of small defects and unpredictable eddies had made themselves a home within his body Rather than an efficient system he had become a mass of tangled brambles Considering the clutter of his internal energy flow he almost was glad his emotional problems werenÆt even more catastrophic

Randidly emphatically stomped out the inefficiencies and snags within the Nether flows in his body marveling at the way Nether mirrored organic systems in their inevitable deviations Judging by the shape of the flaws most of them had been inflicted by RandidlyÆs finish of the Hierarchy of Burden The process of handling all the layers at once had not been smooth leaving him with lingering defects

Yet direct attention could heal them His body gradually returned to alignment

As Randidly knitted together the flaws he felt an unconscious tension in his body ease The rotation of energy through him became increasingly smooth He could close his eyes and just drift on that flow going around and around through his veins laying the groundwork for the next rotation of energy Nothing else mattered but polishing that road

His body had become an irreplaceable part of his continued growth Giving it a night at this juncture felt like a solid investment And the more he moved the more the flow of energy eased His Nether Core spun more quickly The connection of energy became that much more natural A humming sort of capability he almost didnÆt know he had wandered away from now returned to him

The world turned around him leaving Randidly in a small step toward healing

The process was enough that he only jolted out of the effort remembering his fatherÆs abrupt passage a few times

When the morning came he stood and stretched His back popped pleasantly Waves of heat wriggled off his muscles positively sizzling with energy As he made to leave and gather the rest of the Ascension Pact he noticed that suddenly a Scrawl had moved up onto the second level of his pyramid He paused and examined it the image tied to it was someone he didnÆt know Even from just a look he could tell that the creator was young and full of fiery ambition It must have been here last night but he had been too distracted to notice

After an hour of intense travel the group found the exterior stairwell and ascended However while they were climbing through the most resonant edge of the Sonara something immediately caught RandidlyÆs attention The Nether content in the air had begun to thicken With this extra bit of energy content Randidly breathed deeply in through his nose trying to peer up through to the next few floors

He scowled when he failed Still they arrived at the 41st layer and the Nether continued to thicken giving him some hope

Pullas released a soft breath as they arrived in almost total darkness This is pure chaos An untouched space to hone an image Duulys Ambar must have had more self control than I thought if he left this place untouched

Then Pullas flinched slightly perhaps realizing the partial insult she had thrown at Duulys Xershi rubbed his neck Fiona looked around her eyes luminous in the gloom Perhaps perhaps not Everyone has things that they fear in the world

The group began to move At least with the Nether content in the atmosphere Randidly moved without hesitation toward the exit And certainly it was a strange sort of torture to pass through the space without releasing his images at all to stretch and empower themselves As Pullas had said the layer around them felt like some sort of cosmic womb A place where his images could gestate and be reborn into a more powerful form

Perhaps it was the silence Perhaps it was how absolutely perfect the environment felt Perhaps it was the lack of any sort of current in the growing concentration of Nether which should have been present if this area was as empowering as it seemed to hint

Because of RandidlyÆs hesitation and caution he kept his images inside of himself Out of respect for him the other three did the same Xershi even began to use some of his strange tricks to erase his presence making it easy to forget he was there with them letterman jacket and all

When they reached the next exterior staircase all four drew up short Randidly grimaced Well I suppose this is the sign weÆve been waiting for Avoiding ElhumeÆs attention has already started

The stairwell ran along a glittering metallic wall Randidly wasnÆt sure whether it was artifice or the actual exterior of the drill but hanging along the wall were about a hundred crystal orbs Complex metal apparati used Engraving covered tubes to connect to the orbs siphoning out energy and drawing them up along a weird ventilation system to the next layer

Within the orbs were curled up bodies Living breathing image refining bodies

What the hell is this Xershi whispered

The group crept closer to the humming display With a thought Randidly summoned NeveahÆs consciousness to him She rapidly began to interpret the Engravings that he could see while he also breathed again through his nose Here was the dark whirlpool of significance sucking away meaning from the rest of the layer and greedily keeping it all in one spot

Fiona pointed to the ground Look You can just see the Engravings on the ground by the edge I suspect the whole layer is Engraved So when you start training your image getting lost in the process triggering the whole layer to tighten this bubble around you You stay in that perfect moment of epiphany maybe under some sort of illusion until you get bottled and then connected to that

Where Elhume steals your image Pullas asked in disbelief Uses you like a battery

And with a hundred powerful image users providing the juice what has Elhume been powering for so long Randidly solemnly followed the massive cables running up through the wall

Chapter 2054

The small orbs swung back and forth due to almost imperceptible twitches from their occupants The entire wall hummed with stifled energy This area felt like walking in a warm room in winter with warm socks just tingling with static

unbelievable Fuck this Fuck being trapped and displayed like that Xershi barked out somewhat surprising Randidly with the vehemence of each word The usually chill metal liger glared up at the glittering machinery along the exterior stairwell with a quiet sort of intensity that seemed to imply he was about to lose his temper This is impossible If these guys are really that powerful how the hell could they just be trapped There must be a trick

Pullas gestured vaguely at the wall From the look in her eye she was similarly thrown by the abrupt intensity Xershi displayed I mean just look at what happened You canÆt argue with what you see You can feel their individual auras And Elhume is known

You believe in a world where a capable image user can simply be bottled Let me ask you something what if we are the ones under the illusion right now Wild eyed Xershi wheeled around His metal joints shook with the intensity of the emotion that his body currently channeled Some inner turmoil agitated him until he rattled Like the Engraving is activated convincing us that so many other powerful warriors are captured but thatÆs the fake part How can you say that itÆs not possible

Randidly opened his mouth and licked his lips He had been about to point out that Elhume was most likely the greatest and most experienced Engraver in the Nexus with no one coming very close to his mastery Perhaps Yystrix but she was now dead and Neveah was currently still struggling to unpack her legacy However the real reason he didnÆt offer this tidbit of information was that Xershi seemed likely to just throw this fact back in his face Without any sort of proof speculations werenÆt much use

Neveah whispered into RandidlyÆs mind her attention considering Xershi Something else is at play here Better to let him expend the emotion IÆll use this chance to memorize more of these Engravings

Xershi took several steps forward The closer he came to the wall and to the bodies curled up inside of the orbs the worse his shaking became

Fiona and Randidly exchanged a wordless glance falling back into the easy practicality of cooperation Despite their other tensions both were of one mind about the Xershi issue Both could feel the spasming Nether within the metal manÆs body

Meanwhile Pullas took another step toward Xershi Her voice was low and urgent You are being unreasonable Sure both are possibilities but one requires many more convoluted leaps of logic than the other And when we have two crazy options first assuming the most realistic is correct is the best practice

IÆm going to fucking tear it down Xershi announced He immediately tightened his hands into fists and began to march toward the wall His body shimmered with his image running rampant through his limbs Almost immediately the ground at the edge of the layer began to glitter as the Engravings activated sensing an image for it to target In the face of a paradox just tear it to pieces We can figure out the details after

Randidly stepped lightly landing in front of Xershi and pressing a hand to his chest Wait Just from you moving your image the Engravings here are activating And I bet if you start ripping into things here it will trigger an alarm

But this thing Xershi glared at Randidly and then at the wall The ligerÆs emotional affect seethed violent and desperate

Randidly observed the powerful emotions with a bit of alarm This IÆm not emotional poison am I Neveah

Neveah declined to answer Pullas moved and put her hand tentatively on XershiÆs shoulder Is something wrong

The reason you are climbing Fiona whispered from behind the group Her eyes were again luminous with the faintest caress of her mauve image giving her insight Randidly could also feel her reading through their Ascension Pact into XershiÆs significance the woman was learning how to manipulate Nether quite quickly It isnÆt just because you want to prove yourself You arenÆt a Climber at all You are looking for someone Someone specific

They wouldnÆt be tied down in a shitty place like this Xershi hissed not bothering to deny the assertion But even while he was speaking his eyes frantically scanned through the hundred odd orbs hanging from the walls still quietly having their images sucked away into some deeper part of the Sonara Gradually the speed and desperation of his search tapered off His shoulders heaved and he released a sigh Definitely not in a place like this

Randidly passed through that golden barrier at the top of the staircase briefly withstanding the growing presence of image fragments between the layers and stood upon the next level It turned out to be a very good thing he had been in front

Almost immediately a whistling wrought iron bolt attempted to rip its way through RandidyÆs chest and pulp his heart on the way through Almost casually while scratching his neck with the other hand he slapped the projectile sideways The metal crumpled and deformed immediately skittering and ricocheting off the ground

It occurred to him primarily due to the intense sonic boom his arm produced to block the attack that the speed of the assault would be too much for most to react At least without utilizing their image in a moment of sudden panic

Randidly glanced around quickly getting a lay of the land Like the previous layer a tempting primordial darkness that seemed ripe for the harvest of a superior image hovered above him constantly beckoning About a hundred meters away a tall machine faced the entrance a small circular mouth three fourths of the way up making a constant o

His attention turned to the ground beneath his feet The Engravings were difficult to sense in the middle of the vast floor of the Sonara like this but Neveah assured him they were there waiting for a mistake

Fiona followed Randidly stumbling through the barrier and another obsidian bolt shot out of the machineÆs mouth Fiona reacted too late reeling around but Randidly had already slapped down the attack

She stared at the shattered bolt for a second as the pieces of torn metal spread out and jingled to a stop This is it just trying to scare someone into activating your image

Seems like it Randidly said with a long sigh He looked again at the machine CanÆt decide if its genius or insulting Also if the Engravings can capture you just from mobilizing your image defensively

Yea Fiona nodded The golden portal behind her wobbled and she stepped to the side Pullas came next and Randidly spiked another bolt into the ground Xershi came through a few seconds later and didnÆt even react to RandidlyÆs protective swipe

It shoots an attack as soon as you walk through How methodical Pullas muttered

The group approached the machine that had released the rather ineffective assault It stood about the size of deep set wooden bookshelf a weirdly square and hefty edifice for only that single hole that released the bolts Fiona put her hands on her hips Does this mean this thing always works Because if anyone managed to dodge and not get captured I would think they would have destroyed it

Randidly squinted at the thing sorely tempted to simply wrap his arms around the edges and crumple it inward like an empty soda can Well one no one can use their image to attack or theyÆd be trapped In the Nexus being relatively sturdy makes it nearly invulnerable And for those who survive they probably also donÆt want to attract too much attention But I have an idea

With a few light steps Randidly gathered up the crumpled pieces of metal that he had previously deflected When he found the scattered remnants he easily mashed them together to make a thick ball Then he examined the area behind the portal Heading back a fair distance he found the skidded remnants of hundreds of similar bolts some melted or frozen or covered in what was unmistakable dried blood Grimly he gathered these and sculpted them into a thick tube of metal thinner at the front and thicker toward the end

Randidly carried the tube back finding Xershi muttering to himself and kicking the machine Randidly hoisted the dense metal tube and shoved it into the opening that shot out bolts careful not to shove too hard Obviously he could destroy this without an image But he also didnÆt want to trigger any sort of alarm

When the tube felt relatively stuck Randidly gave it a few tentative pats that sent the whole machine shuddering underneath his force Sulfur hummed wanting a turn but Randidly shook his head

He turned back to the group Alright letÆs go

Chapter 2055

Randidly sighed as he looked up at the wall in front of them having reached the end of the layer Well I guess that answers whether the bolt was an effective trap

FionaÆs laugh was hollow Who knew people were so fucking predictable

Blunt and simple instruments are often the most effective especially against diverse groups Pullas offered but she also sounded shaken by the evidence in front of them Xershi didnÆt say a word his eyes intense and brooding as he examined the wall

If the prior floor had a little over a hundred individuals trapped in orbs this level had about six hundred tiny little ornaments They hung and swayed and burned with a fierce and repressed aura in their tiny cells continually refining their image ad nauseum A near physical emotional curtain shimmered along the wall generated by the ambient force of so many image users furiously image refining for so long It was a woven tapestry of color of Aether based sweat hanging in broad swaths of oranges indigos and emeralds

What worried Randidly most about the situation was that the captured individuals were hung around the exterior stairwell He couldnÆt decide if that probably meant there were more around the interior stairwell or whether it was possible the exterior stairwell helped transition the stolen energy more easily to the next layer

Either way the bodies were densely grouped in their tight orbs The jagged auras mixed and clashed due to proximity each suppressed just enough by the Engravings that they couldnÆt inflict any harm on each other The more Randidly looked the more he seemed to see a vast painting of a battlefield drawn along the boundaries between the different images

He stared and the shape changed warping to plumes of dust and a wide blue sky Forces marched into position The different columns of forces cantered across a muddy expanse of contested terrain Massive artillery strikes hung in the air a whistling trail of smoke tracing their perfect arc and impending descent into the maw of the battlefield

Significance swirled underneath the images becoming a foundation for the strange illusion Randidly witnessed A strange meaning seized this group of individuals being used as batteries a hint of their true purpose that Randidly couldnÆt quite intuit The forces of each individual image bristled various members of minor nobility in the illusion silent and frozen with a sort of tense uplift of torso implying each was in the midst of a moving speech about what this battlefield would mean for the future

Yet of course the forces never moved They were locked away frozen in a painting that wasnÆt a painting but a tragic pool of significance and Aether locked in a silent world that had meaning inside of it but not to any unbiased viewer

Randidly released a breath The strange impression of a painting dissolved into six hundred individuals bristling with very different images After Xershi had personally examined every inch of the containment system they moved up

When they arrived on the forty third floor Randidly came prepared for another trap or sudden ambush He was almost disappointed when the bone shuddering pain of the image echoes passed and he found himself in the same darkness but without any immediate threats Supposing that the trap would be a different sort of method he advanced a bit and kept his senses as sharp as he could

His skin began to tingle Quite a distance away Randidly sensed movement He breathed deeply through his nose and received a better picture of the surroundings There were massive holes in the ground around their arrival point leading to deep warrens And from those subterranean caverns came a swarm of porcelain puppets that defended the Shaft

Randidly clicked his tongue as Fiona passed through to join him Get ready to saddle up We need to force our way through Some pesky bugs are crawling toward us

Can you handle most of them alone Even with the Stats boost you provide for us Fiona pressed her lips together as Pullas stumbled through the portal and wheeled around with wide eyes apparently expecting an immediate ambush She steadied the other woman with a touch on the elbow You are fine for now Pullas Just get ready to move

Randidly was already swirling his arms in alternating windmill motions around his body The movements werenÆt fast but they followed a cadence that spread rippling waves of kinetic force out through the surrounding air Yea I think IÆll be able to push back interference without using an image So long as these are the dolls I think they are

The sooner we get out of this fucked up place the better Xershi announced Randidly looked at Fiona Fiona looked at the ground abstaining from the vote out of some lingering guilt from her tantrum in his Alpha Cosmos

Rubbing his chin Randidly nodded forward into the darkness LetÆs keep moving How well can we rest in this place anyway

Pullas nodded and Xershi spat to the side thrusting his hands more deeply into the pockets of his letterman jacket The group began to move rapidly gaining speed in the end they still needed to cross an entire layer before they could reach the relative safety of the stairwell However Randidly quickly skidded to a stop and waved for the group to do the same Shit

It was already too late Some hidden trigger had activated and the ground glittered with initializing Engravings Randidly warred briefly between gathering themselves here accelerating to gather kinetic energy or returning to the prior stairwell but the Engraving pattern activated even more quickly than expected Some function of the floor zeroed in on their location creating a glowing disc on the ground for the surrounding several miles

Space along that threshold began to spit bolts of red lightning and distort

Randidly could physically cover that distance and rip through the forming isolation barrier but the rest couldnÆt Just as his racing mind considered putting the group back in the Alpha Cosmos Pullas cleared her throat Her cheeks flushed If we are all going to be squished into a tiny ball I think itÆs time we talk about ahem Appropriate positionings

Despite the looming threat everyone halted and gave her a long look

We wonÆt be conscious Pullas Fiona said almost gently It was the first time in the last few days that she seemed genuinely to have forgotten her own angst

The soft reception almost seemed to embarrass Pullas more A ahem Obviously I t trust all of you but just in case there needs to be some contact

Besides we wonÆt be needing to settle into this cage Xershi growled Already the activated disc of Engravings began to shrink A glittering wall of energy rose up preparing to fold around the group and bind them in place The liger man took a step forward his image rising through his body IÆll rip my way

Easy RandidlyÆs hand clamped on XershiÆs shoulders suppressing his image before it could gather too much traction Randidly inclined his head at the ground where a new level of Engravings began to activate YouÆll still get pulled in by using your image This trap activating doesnÆt mean the other is now dormant

Then can you Randidly Fiona gestured vaguely

Randidly narrowed his eyes to look at the barrier the Engravings formed with Neveah performing some rapid calculations in his mind Not with just kinetic force ThereÆs a pure image of spatial folding in this But I do think gather up everyone We just need to move through the barrier

Randidly produced his AlchemistÆs Passport and groped out with his Fatepiece sensing the breadth of space

But almost immediately he could feel the boundary taking shape in front of him Randidly scowled As he had expected if the barrier could be avoided by simply tunneling through space many more of the captured individuals would be able to avoid the trap He pressed his will against the almost elastic sensation of the tightening space around them unable to break through

Time to rip open a hole then RandidyÆs eyes glittered His Hierarchy of Burden spun up in front of him the smallest middle portion activating and glowing crimson He pressed the Philosopher’s Key forward both Fatepieces acting in concert to generate a genuine tear in space

Chapter 2056

The Engraving beneath their feet crackled with energy rapidly erecting and tightening the barrier around the trio Randidly bit his lip his body wavering with the strange sensation of activating two of his Fatepieces at once and having difficulty keeping both energies in line His chest tingled Some connecting fulcrum some core of his Fateset began to shiver and awaken within his Soulspace

Without that bond holding the two together he somehow sensed it would be a very bad idea to try and just force the two to activate in concert

Dense energy crackled around his body as a new function began to activate utilizing two of his Fatepieces Raw Aether churned through his body drawing power through Neveah to fuel this sudden activation Randidly sucked in a breath and then released it slowly

However the bonding barrier in front of them began to strengthen itself and tighten as RandidlyÆs Fateset made its preparations The dense walls swirled closer more and more complicated sigils forming and erasing themselves on the inside of the barrier as they writ themselves into existence RandidlyÆs focus fractured one part of him observing the Engraving with interest another part managing his activating Fatepieces a third noticing the worried expressions on the faces of Pullas and Fiona

Xershi just bubbled with tension a fatalistic commitment to violence writ plain in his expression Randidly just felt relief he wasnÆt flaring his image considering how murderous his stare was

Randidly sooner would be better Pullas whispered

The barrier began to melt into itself becoming an invisible truth rather than a constantly advancing presence but RandidlyÆs Acute Nether Nose still felt the limit on their new prison world approaching His hands began to tremble hosting more and more Aether and Nether that swirled together between his Hierarchy of Burden and the AlchemistÆs Passport The two energies flowed against one another their friction generation some vital spark The inner connector almost began to glow with power forcefully brought to life before all six of his Fatepieces had been assembled

The trap around the group deepened Even his Nether senses could no longer feel the barrier A sky opened above them a seductive expanse that whispered they were not being locked into an isolated world but rather given the opportunity to run free

A huge shudder ran through RandidlyÆs body powerful as it was as that inner mechanism engaged Aether and Nether a cacophony of emotion and shape running above a river of connection and memory both ignited into a furious hand searing harmony Energy flowed smoothly between his two Fatepieces as his AlchemistÆs Passport key form lengthened to become almost a dagger pointing directly at the tiled square of the Hierarchy of Burden

Randidly hefted the weapon as bits of crimson electromagnetic discharge teased the end of his Fatepiece Alright IÆm ready Everyone come and put a hand on my back And be ready I suspect this is going to be a rough ride

All three placed their hands on his back Randidly could tell who was who based on the thickness of the fingers and lightness of the touch But he shoved those bits of minutia from his mind his eyes now scanning the wide horizon in front of them Fluffy clouds had formed and drifted randomly as though the wind was fickle enough to blow two adjacent clouds in different directions His expression darkened it was not a good sign that he could no longer sense the edge of this bounded place even with his nose

Ignoring this troubling fact he thrust his key weapon forward The first layer of the Hierarchy of Burden slid backward engaged by the movement of the other Fatepiece They accelerated forward faster than sound Dense pythons of lightning crackled around them as the group rapidly accelerated moving along space rather than through it RandidlyÆs lips pulled back from his teeth as everything blurred into white lines the combined activation hurtling them forward with more power than even he expected

Shit Fiona hissed her fingers tightening until she held a bunched fist of RandidlyÆs shirt But it was the bonds of Nether that kept them in one place the Ascension Pact resonating between them Without that the wind pressure alone might have blown his companions away

RandidlyÆs attuned senses felt thousands of possible landing spots but he flew past them all and continued to accelerate Light stretched into fluttering ribbons adorning the edges of their motion His expression darkened very quickly Because it quickly became clear that while they felt like they were moving he hadnÆt encountered the barrier that was locking them into a fake world

It wasnÆt even a true crack it didnÆt break through to the outside It was just a bit of material that had been chipped away by their impact primarily from RandidlyÆs body However

As they watched the tiny flaw in the material began to wiggle like a worm Its movements became impossible erratic twitching and flailing The flaw seemed to breathe open and closing to experimentally RandidlyÆs eyes widened in alarm perhaps even more than weird red light pulses that problem signaled a much more violent security response from ElhumeÆs forces approached

Because he could feel how all the echoing image fragments and flaws that buzzed through the outside of the Sonara now swarmed to this location Where a small flaw gave them an escape or rather a re entry into the interior of the Sonara which allowed images to grow and thrive The gyrations of the small flaw became so emphatic the worm widened into a small sphere

Randidly couldnÆt tell if the flaw was growing or simply the space around it began to edge backward fearful of its stirrings

That is going to rupture at some point Pullas took several steps forward The almost anti climactic red pulses of light cast a shadow over her face The accumulation of image flaws at this place will rip the entire Sonara open like a rotten

Fiona pointed upward Perhaps this is the signal that the mechanic is on the way They will solve the issue with no one the wiser

More likely an executioner heading after the culprits with a bloody fucking cleaver Xershi observed He peered speculative upward If it was a mechanic the light would probably be green or blue

LetÆs just move before we need to find out Randidly interrupted He hopped over the broken bottom steps and began to climb the staircase The rest of the group followed Randidly winced as he settled into a loping run up the stairs either from the activation of the two Fatepieces or because of the impact his bones ached like someone has sprinkled bits of scrap metal into his marrow Even his high Uncommon Metabolism took its sweet time to knit together the microtears in his body

Although I think the issue is less that IÆm not good at healing and more that my body has become so high quality that an Uncommon Stat takes a while to reconstruct it Randidly mused However the feelings had already begun to fade so he put this rather minute problem behind him

Because of the damage to the bottom their ascent took longer than usual The Engravings to accelerate the ascent didnÆt engage until they were almost a hundred meters off the ground The red light continued to pulse a constant presence

As they began to speed up to the next layer Randidly paused and looked behind Even from here he could feel the flaws in the Sonara clustered down below them In addition he saw a veritable sea of porcelain dolls each pulsing with smaller sources of the red light clustering around the bottom of the staircase They moved their limbs frantically their arms flashing with Engravings

Whatever they were attempting it didnÆt stem the dangerous fizzing congregation of image echoes The red light continued to sweep through the dark expanse

Gonna be a welcoming party above Randidly observed

Xershi released a complex series of clicks from his mouth Through their Ascension Pact Randidly could feel some of that raw frustration that had emerged in Xershi when he first saw the machinery lining these layers There better be I need to work off some steam

Chapter 2057

Don Beigon sat in his study his fingers idly tapping along the armrest of his bamboo wheelchair A few routine documents sat in front of him requiring his signature His eyes scanned through line by line Despite the mundane nature of the business agreements contained within them he took the time to read every single line of each

He paid such attention partially to avoid being fleeced even though his Skills had already given him an accurate picture of who was coming out on top of who through the agreement But also because the defined terms and rigid relationships were oddly calming Reading contracts always put him in a good mood

As much as he admired soft power it was not a jurisdiction that could support itself alone The thin ties of favors and debts could only be strung up between more rigid structures of influence So each contract he perused felt like a brick being laid in his foundation

But his senses began to tingle pulling his attention away A connection of his became abruptly very very important The Don set down his papers on the desk and began to frown due to the dense network of connections he maintained he could quite trace the origin He could only sense the general direction

He wheeled himself around and went to the window He peered out into the manicured gardens outside of his study his eyes digging through to whatever troublemaking individual had caused this Then he huffed and waved a hand unleashing a blast of force that destroyed his wall and leveled the pesky gardens screening his sight line

Bits of wood fell down around him in the aftermatch but he had carved himself an unobstructed view outside Then he stretched his hand up and pinched at the sky The complex Engraving barrier he had made to protect the Beigon Estate parted The calm sky opened up and revealed the glittering nebula above the Nexus Don adjusted his viewpoint through the layers of Nexus Citizenship until he could see the massive drill hanging in the sky above them all

There was a knock at the door behind him Don Beigon the preparations to bring the charges have been completed We can have them formally delivered at any time

Abruptly the Don realized who had suddenly produced this strange inkling Randidly Ghosthound

The connection between them hummed almost gleeful The remaining debt the Don owed the boy felt rather smug

Don Beigon narrowed his eyes trying to figure out why he would get such a strong but vague premonition at the moment What could the Ghosthound have done The connections didnÆt give him much actual predictive power but he could sense enough to know the kid had really gone into the Sonara

Another knock came at the door from Fellador Don was there something wrong with the East garden

Quiet Don Beigon hissed His eyes were locked on the hanging drill That the Ghosthound was in the Sonara wasnÆt any sort of surprise But why

The DonÆs eyes widened There is only one logical explanation Well two technically considering how stupidly capable and wildly incautious the boy is Either heÆs going to somehow activate the SonaraÆs original purpose launching the attack down the Shaft or heÆs going to destabilize and destroy the Sonara

Either way this fucker is going to inject more chaos into the Nexus A lot of very pivotal moments will be approaching

Change of plan Fellador Don Beigon said aloud Put the charges on hold for now Instead we need to prepare to take advantage of the chaos This kid is going to flip the fucking board on all of us When those old monsters who have been hiding away in there need to skitter out or risk being squashed

The Don paused Ah also please invite Claudette to a luncheon ItÆs time we had a chat about what it means to have a Foundation

Randidly stepped through golden barrier to the next layer and felt almost nothing Most of the pain and crunchy grinding against his psyche had vanished He arrived on the next stretch of featureless ground without any difficult He supposed that with all the dangerous radiation was now concentrated elsewhere the process of transferring layers wasnÆt so difficult at all

Two things happened simultaneously just as Randidly took a step forward and clenched his fist First he felt some of his kinetic energy annihilated His head snapped to the left where he saw a massive weirdly spindly hand tapping and slithering toward him keeping itself low to the ground The palm was almost non existent but five powerful digits as thick as tree trunks flexed The movements were weirdly spider like as it skittered forward keeping itself hidden behind some injured porcelain dolls despite its massive fingers

RandidlyÆs skin tingled he sensed two others creeping closer to him from other directions but only because of his Acute Nether Nose They were uncannily good at hiding their presence

Secondly Xershi erupted from the golden portal his massive image of a liger already raising its head and roaring Randidly could visibly see how much XershiÆs image had improved since they had first met at the bottom of the Sonara just over two weeks ago in the details of the LigerÆs teeth and the whirling gears of its servo reinforced joints Apparently their meeting with Duulys Ambar had been transformative Yet at the same time Randidly frowned at the display Xershi the Engraving

You can rip me out right I canÆt hold back any longer Xershi howled throwing himself at the still staggered voltron forms of the porcelain dolls With the weaknesses that RandidlyÆs previous kinetic attack had inflicted he literally shredded them with several sharp blows He pounced and their still twitching limbs tumbled in his wake

All the while the Engravings began beneath his feet became increasingly animated As Pullas passed through to join Randidly a cylindrical area had formed around Xershi and the army of porcelain dolls that was only too happy to entertain him He ignored the restriction and ran rampant his foes his fists splintering their bodies and sending tiny bits of hardened material skittering across the ground

The barrier around him became blinding finalizing the total isolation within its confines Then it began to tighten and round off at the top Yet even with a huge chunk taken out of the opposing forces the other three wouldnÆt have an easy time Randidly felt sweat trickling down his back keeping a very close eye on the three creepy hands that pressed themselves to the ground amongst the teeming waves of dolls

Fiona came through and coughed She looked at the tightening barrier and shook her head He really just

Yup Randidly grunted Alright hands on my back Time to spring him out

As the two women touched him the hand rushing from the front reared up its undulating fingers spreading wide to reveal the tiny palm Revelation energy glittered in RandidlyÆs eye as he felt the sudden threat and jerked sideways

A beam of sizzling and caustic Nether smashed into his shoulder and sent him staggering The impact was less physical and more existential making his Nether Core stutter slightly For a few seconds RandidlyÆs arm hissed and spat out strange grey particles However his own flows of Nether quickly destroyed this flawed energy and his shoulder healed He clicked his tongue quickly falling into that same resonance between Fatepieces that he felt before That power its the same sort of Aether twisted into resembling Nether from the bone charm On a much much smaller scale

Because his awareness spread wide Randidly felt the other two weird hands moving to surround him However they released pulses of that same twisted energy but at each other He was so thrown by the targeting that when he realized what they were doing it was already too late

These fucked up hands connected their non Nether Nether and created a pseudo Nether Ritual They made a dangerous and malicious wish In a flickering moment Randidly Pullas and Fiona had the space around them wrenched and inverted Fiona shuddered and Pullas collapsed directly to her knees her eyelids fluttering

The twisted energy continued to try and turn them inside out Gritting his teeth Randidly grabbed FionaÆs hand and put an arm around PullasÆs waist to pluck her off the ground Even as he moved Randidly felt the space around him becoming gelatinous and cloying The twisted energy the hands used created a weird bond between one molecule of air and the next so that moving one required him to move them all

Primordial Nether Juju gurgled in RandidlyÆs body The air congealed to restrain him and he rolled his shoulders with quite a bit of energy to spare Steam began to waft off his body The surrounding layer trembled with the raw physical force he unleashed

However Randidly could see that he didnÆt have time to rip his way out as the hands continued to wrench and twist at the fabric of their spatial forms Pullas began to quietly vomit blood that dribbled onto his bare toes His Fatepieces manifested in front of his body He stepped forward pushing directly to the second layer Space began to bend and stretch then rip as he dipped his toe into the entropy layer

and he rebounded again dizzy and with an aching forehead Randidly cracked his jaw having just used his skull as a break This time he had controlled their speed so they reached the end of the layer without as much raw force Fiona was coughing PUllas seemed to have passed out

Xershi Fiona wheezed He

Yea you stay here with Pullas Randidly raised his AlchemistÆs Passport His head began to ache from the rapid spatial calculations IÆll be right back

Chapter 2058

With his third activation of his two Fatepieces in tandem Randidly started to retain a slight awareness of the space he passed through with the wicked physic melting speed The knowledge felt insubstantial but it was better than nothing Even his senses had difficulty reacting in time to the harsh limit waiting at the edge of the Sonara But luckily he could feel the spatial distortions created by the capturing barriers much more clearly

Like some ancient knight riding in a jousting tournament Randidly eviscerated the Engraving wall and deactivated his two Fatepieces as quickly as he could The slap of air against his face felt like a cool shock His momentum carried him forward another ten meters however plowing a way through a bunch of porcelain dolls that had gathered around XershiÆs small cage

As he slowed down his own uncontrolled kinetic force became a weapon Randidly used to clear the area He brushed a bit of porcelain dust off his shoulder With a single step he appeared back next to Xershi who just stared absently at the ground without even acknowledging his freedom

You alright Xershi Randidly asked wondering if some mental attack began when the barrier became fully realized

Thankfully XershiÆs voice was clear when he spoke Yea Yea IÆm fine Just How do I put this do you ever wonder who you really are

For a split second Randidly tilted his head to the side Then he made the executive decision not to get involved in this sudden question not when he felt those bulging fingered hands moving back into position around the two of them He gripped XershiÆs bicep and once again activated both Fatepieces at once The edges of the world blurred and melted becoming jagged shards that ripped through their bodies Randidly did his best to absorb most of the light radiation The strobing red light softened to a dripping pink periodically lapping against the surrounding space as they cruised across the layer

Because he didnÆt need to activate the Entropy layer to shred space he and Xershi came out of the dual activation relatively unscathed They again bowling balled their way through a crowd of porcelain dolls half of which had become the voltron form and had made Fiona and Pullas flee up onto the base of the staircase for whatever reason the dolls seemed unwilling or unable to ascend

At least this was one areas where the omnipresent Engravings across the layer actually served a purpose

Randidly still dragging Xershi behind him just blasted his way through the few dolls unfortunate enough to be in his way The liger man remained strangely listless allowing himself to be tugged along Once on the stairs he nodded at Pullas Glad to see you are up

What the hell was that That attack Fiona sucked in a breath while Pullas could only manage to nod tiredly at RandidlyÆs words Both still seemed weak after experiencing the faux Nether Ritual of those sausage fingered hands When he turned to look at her Fiona still flinched and looked away But her words were agitated That feeling was that Nether

I donÆt quite know how it works just that its a fucked up process Elhume managed to create Randidly responded turning his gaze upward rather than address the simmering cauldron of emotions he still held in regards to FionaÆs actions They didnÆt have time for so many things right now Aether behaving like Nether Energy twisted to be something other than what it is Anyway we need to prepare for more of those as we ascended Next is the forty seventh floor right

Only forty sixth Pullas managed to wheeze Randidly grimaced at the number of layers still under ElhumeÆs dominion above them Now on the stairs some of PullasÆs deathÆs pale light flickered around her body stabilizing her condition Xershi finally snapped out of his existential daze enough to crouch next to her produce a handkerchief and wipe some dried blood from the corner of her mouth

They blurred away right as he felt the Nether in the space around them beginning to turn strange Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest even as bolts of electricity and jagged beams of light groped at his body

There had been more hands hidden in the area around the entrance Waiting preparing to activate some sinister trap on the climbers And based on how they responded to the three hand antagonistic dirty Nether Ritual a massive working fueled with that energy might be deadly

They arrived at the far edge of the layer to no ambush but the group still hurried up the stairs Aside from a few glances at the increasingly complex machinery along the wall and three trapped individuals who had made it to this layer only to be stopped the group rose at double speed to the forty seventh layer

Randidly prepared for another sudden blast of twisted energy stepped through the golden barrier humming with tension Almost immediately his skin began to crawl Engravings moved beneath his feet rapidly rising to create an isolating barrier around Randidly He hadnÆt activated any image so he simply pulled out his Fatepieces and prepared to rip his way through But very quickly he realized something was different about this barrier As he created the two flows of energy the process accelerated

An idea occurred to him Randidly reached into his Nether Core and slowed its rotation The pumping flows shuddered and then tapered off In response the Engravings faltered Groaning Randidly slowed the flow of Nether in his body even further He pulled away his Nether density forcing it into the Alpha Cosmos until he had the density of the energy in the surrounding space

His body ached his muscles had become far too used to Nether to not complain without it

Of course this at least meant that the hand spiders werenÆt waiting to pounce Even if their energy wasnÆt true Nether they apparently couldnÆt function in this anti Nether area That or they were just waiting in the distance waiting to spring an even bigger trap on him

Randidly rubbed his neck Almost instantly the EngravingÆs whirred back to life and a wall began to coalesce in front of him He cursed quietly and laid down on the ground He held himself very still holding his breath The Engravings once more dissipated and vanished

How the hell does it know RandidlyÆs face twitched as he kept his face from scowling

The rest of the Ascension Pact walked through the portal with their hackles raised only to find Randidly laying on the ground Pullas squinted down at him in concern Fiona cleared her throat Why are you on the ground

Aggrieved Randidly spoke quickly to avoid triggering a full isolation bubble This layer suppresses Nether My Strength Stat He took a break while the barrier began to form Then he spoke after it had faded has evolved into Primordial Nether Juju It seems like movements

Again he needed to take another pause The three looked blankly down at him

He cleared his throat Someone will need to carry me

Chapter 2059

Randidly looked up at his companions from the ground completely inert to avoid activating the defensive Engravings

The moment stretched as the three other members of the Ascension Pact looked at Randidly with sour expressions at his pronouncements Xershi especially seemed tense his neck oddly arched Whatever strange funk he had slipped into inside his isolated orb it lingered now on this next layer

Randidly wanted to clear his throat or point out it was mostly a joke He sent a pulse of meaning through the Ascensions Pact and activated his AlchemistÆs Passport so that it manifested in front of his fingers if they didnÆt need to rip through spatial walls and werenÆt afraid of attracting more attention they could simply use the single Fatepiece to move across the layer

At this point letting Elhume know he possessed a Fate that could rip through distances seemed the least of their problems

Pullas and Xershi continued to look around awkwardly as the Ascension Pact transfer of meaning once more brought the rumblings of the Engraving Plus they felt the tingle through the bond but couldnÆt make heads or tails of it Fiona understood and waited for the energy to pass When the energy had dissipated she moved next to Randidly and carefully lifted his arm

The process of locating the destination ended up taking about six minute as Fiona shifted her grip further and further down RandidlyÆs arm so she could make increasingly minute adjustments to the tip of the key allowing them to arrive nearer to their goal By the end she had his pointer finger in both of her hands making minute shifts The only reason this process ended was because Randidly grew impatient and simply pressed the key forward folding space around them and carrying it away even as the Engraving tried to clamp down on the group for the Nether running through his body

They popped out about a half mile from the exterior staircase finally stirring Xershi to sling Randidly across his back and just carry him to the steps When they finally got away from the restrictions on Nether Randidly twisted at the waist popping his back I suspect the next layer will be even worse Defense wise For whatever purpose the Sonara was made we are getting close to it

Pullas adjusted her glasses It wasnÆt so bad for us You just became dead weight

Clicking his tongue Randidly led the group in heading up to the next layer He didnÆt slow down at all as he moved through the golden layer into the forty eighth floor of the Sonara He also tried not to think about the concentration of image echoes in the flaw they left behind

Randidly didnÆt make any sudden moves immediately freezing past the barrier However as he gradually unthawed his movements to test an Engraving didnÆt form The strange darkness of ElhumeÆs layers continued with the pulsing red alarm periodically filling the space But he could find no new way to trigger an isolating reaction Not even releasing his image changed the space

Randidly frowned Is it because itÆs taking its sweet time or are there really no defenses here Also the lack of porcelain puppets makes me a little concerned

Worse when Randidly brought out his Fatepiece and probed around in the air he couldnÆt make sense of the information he received His mouth twisted into a scowl there were spatial barriers around them thousands of them shuffling and shifting constantly Although his senses couldnÆt detect it they seemed to be sitting in the middle of some complex diced spatial arrangement The more his senses attempted to spread out the more confused he became

The contradictory information fed to him by his body versus from Nether gave him a headache

The group came through and filled in the space behind them Randidly was already pulling out his Fatepiece but XershiÆs gaze immediately whipped to directly behind their arrival point like a fisherman had yanked a hook in the corner of his mouth Pullas looked at him in concern Xershi Is something wrong

Just the chair Randidly reached up and rubbed his neck Fiona folded her arms across her chest Her tight expression revealed a similar unnerving quality to the moment

Much to the groupÆs surprise Xershi soon twisted around in much better spirits His gaze had firmed up quite a bit no longer did he seem to be balanced at the edge of a precipice LetÆs go And I think we should climb the central staircase The creator wouldnÆt have built a dwelling here without a reason

Based on the fact the creator was able to create a spatial maze here under ElhumeÆs watch that reason is probably that heÆs working for Elhume or at least has ElhumeÆs permission to be here Randidly pressed his lips together but didnÆt say anything The alternative was using his two Fatepieces to forcefully rip through millions of small spatial barriers Despite the low strain he had encountered so far Randidly didnÆt want to attempt it

Besides the terminus of that tearing spree would be even more violent than the impact that had inflicted a flaw lower in the Sonara

So the group walked outside and climbed the staircase to the forty ninth floor one below ElhumeÆs hidden facilities This time XershiÆs sudden burst of enthusiasm had him leading half a step in front of Randidly to pass through the golden layer

So by the time Randidly passed through he witnessed one of XershiÆs arms being severed by a powerful slash So clean and stark was the strike that the air glittered and refracted in small beads around the impact like the weapon had been dipped in water before attacking

Randidly shifted into a fighting stance to address the threat but then jerked his head backward A powerful blast of sunlight seared past his face and began to melt the ground He wheeled around just in time to feel a powerful image moving beneath the ground The strange floor exploded with a rush of vegetation Thick tree trunks unfurled into powerful columns wide leaf ferns flaring out to block his vision

RandidlyÆs eyes flickered in recognition he knew these images That knowledge made him smirk Heh powerful these might be but IÆve faced the real thing

The First Authority Seize

His Nether Core spun and unleashed a domineering pulse Randidly looked across at the puppets arrayed in front of him each bearing the images of one of the original Patrons and grinned

Each looked like a normal porcelain doll except the material of their bodies was tinted The Patron of Blooms doll was a soft green while the Patron of the Sun was golden Xershi was being slapped around by a black Patron of the Abyss and a grey Patron of Blades

RandidlyÆs skin tingled as he felt the gravity turn so sticky around him that space began to congeal With raw physical force he twisted around and looked behind him His eyes widened having missed a clearly important installation here on the layer Three massive tubes were situated on a raised dais in the central area connected with heavy metal transistors Exhaust ports blew out grey sighs near constantly a testament to the continued activity of this device The interior of the tubes was filled with foggy blue liquid time steadily blurring the items within the five meter tall tubes

Standing in front of those tubes were four more porcelain dolls One purple one pink one indigo and one white

If one of those is the Patron of Feathers then the other three must be RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed The deceased Patrons Patron of the Deep Patron of the Borrowed and the Patron of Truth

Chapter 2060

The purple porcelain doll glowed with pulses of power space bending power wielding gravity against Randidly from afar It raised its hands and tightened the tiny fingers into fists Randidly felt daggers of inverted gravity attempting to rip holes in his flesh but EggÆs Illusory Plume easily shrugged the attack off

He tilted his head to the side as he felt the strange almost cosmic notes to the weakened image This one was probably the Patron of the Deep

However what drew RandidlyÆs eyes most about the strange tableau in front of him were the heavy cables that ran up out the ground and plugged into the dais A complex multilayered Engraving covered the base of the dais and fed all the energy stolen from powerful individuals in orbs below into those three blue tubes

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed He tried to calculate how much Aether was being supplied to these devices near constantly What the hell is

I bet you are wondering whatÆs inside those three strange tubes Do you want to know their secret

Randidly pressed his lips together immediately suspicious about the invisible speaker The disembodied voice earned a sharp jerk from Xershi whose liger was not faring well against the combined forces of the Patrons of Abyss and Blades Creator You really are here

The indigo Patron of Feathers doll raised its arms unleashing a flurry of fluttering darkness that blossomed out from its torso Then with a remarkably sharp movement it streaked across the intervening distance and smashed into XershiÆs side while he was distracted The Patron of Blooms struggled back for control of its conjured plant matter but Randidly twisted those growths and tossed them against the beams of sunlight aimed at his back by the Patron of the Sun

As a group these dolls were difficult to handle but their images were only three fourths as powerful as the real thing Against his grip the fake Patron of Blooms could only sulk

Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 897

The disembodied voice laughed as the ligerman skidded across the ground and scrambled back to his feet Ah Xershi IÆm impressed you managed to climb this far But it looks like you have your own problems at the moment without capability I think it would be inappropriate for us to speak further donÆt you

To RandidlyÆs surprise XershiÆs mouth snapped shut He flared his liger image using fang and claws to lash out against feathers the void and gleaming slashes that continued to brutalize him Fiona and Pullas stepped through the portal and looked around at the chaotic mess with very little surprise on their faces The three standing dolls launched into motion targeting Randidly perhaps they believed if they could eliminate him in time they could handle the rest

Snorting Randidly allowed the Grey Creature to flare around his body All those dangerous emotional elements crashed back and forth across his mind obliterating any mild thoughts that had been minding their business in that wild emotionÆs path What remained was a wild dark rage with enough intensity that the Aether in the space around him shook with tremors

Randidly planned on obliterating a few dolls as quickly as possible

What is inside those tubes Fiona raised her finger and pointed voicing the question they probably all were thinking

Randidly rolled his eyes at how direct she was but his focus started to get pulled toward one tube in particular The left tube seemed to guide his attention to it No sort of aura flowed out of the surface yet he felt so sure of a familiar being within its confines He grasped for Aether and Nether and only received slight responses on both

He took a tentative step closer After several long seconds of staring Randidly blinked It must be some portion of Yystrix

Originally the Sonara tried to recreate a perfect version of the past An alternate history relived with the superior capability they had earned of the last few centuries The voice of the XershiÆs creator whispered Randidly tore his gaze away from the left tube and examined the surroundings trying to figure out where this figure hid Do you know much about the Pinnacle Several elements are required A foundation an image and a perfect moment Elhume sought to reach the Pinnacle with his entire family as he craved it to be He took a piece of each of them for the image the energy of the captured fools as a foundation the completed Sonara as the moment of transformation

That was the plan anyway Problems emerged immediately First the image was fractured Despite his wife generously donating half of her power to fuel the process Elhume couldnÆt part with even a drop of his power even to achieve what he claimed to be his dearest held wish And of course Pine couldnÆt be conveniently subdivided and brought here Attempts to gather up PineÆs energy had consequences

As far as I can tell the foundation functions fine Obviously moot without the other two Ah yes the most interesting part in my opinion as the Sonara neared completion the moment never quite manifested Most have since theorized that the moment must be extemporaneous Grasping for the past will never allow one to climb to the Pinnacle Perhaps facing this very same truth ElhumeÆs attitude experienced a full one eighty He built two extra layers shifting the perfect image reverberations to the fifty first layer Reinforcing that destructive enterprise he later invested all his efforts

Randidly licked his lips He started walking forward almost unconsciously until he stood right up in front of the left tube He pressed his fingers against the glass surprised by how chilled the exterior felt Why are you telling us this

Oh just as a favor Besides IÆm going to take everything apart once youÆve moved through The voice laughed Honestly I should be thanking you Due to certain restrictions overcoming the Patrons would have been difficult for me Without your group’s appearance I would have needed to design a perfect foe to overcome them allow it to grow and then bring the lifeform to bear Of course if you hadnÆt also started the collapse of the Sonara I would have had plenty of time

Wait Creator XershiÆs head whipped up His eyes once again had that watery quality of panic as though he couldnÆt quite believe what he was seeing His gaze fixated at the space on top of the central tube of which Randidly made note Are you suggesting you would go through the profound process of creating life just to accomplish a goal But that goes against all the precepts

Those rules are designed for my precious children to keep them from crossing lines and walking into the abyss The voice from the invisible being dropped even lower until it was just a hiss against RandidlyÆs skin But considering how important it is that I plunder the power just sitting here yes I am willing to compromise some of the protections I have laid in place If that burden must be carried I will endure it

You Xershi gritted his teeth Nothing can justify the improper creation of life Is it not your words that creating a tool entity must plunder its life from somewhere Tear pieces out of your soul to come into existence If you are submitting yourself to oblivion

Ah Xershi The voice sighed Yet RandidlyÆs skin began to tingle While the voice seemed so gentle he could almost feel a condescending sneer unrolling itself across the hidden face So much of what I have left to my people is aspirational I wish I was as considered as those rules would make me seem Yet it is not so

I have walked deeply in darkness And now that I have caught the scent of a method to break out of this stagnant Nexus do you think I have compunctions about diving even deeper to seize an opportunity I need power So IÆll claim it

Chapter 2061

For just a moment as XershiÆs creator whispered Randidly felt emotions stirring in that spot where Xershi was looking The madness pulsed and writhed gleeful and self indulgent

Then the disturbance vanished leaving Randidly with a sinking feeling in his chest Not only was the emotional affect he felt on par with the most violent he had managed to see from the Grey Creature as emotional landfill but also this creatorÆs presence instantly vanished No matter how Randidly looked he couldnÆt find a trace

His fingers tapped lightly at the frosted glass of the tube

RandidlyÆs thoughts shifted to a different issue the fact that Yystrix had donated to Elhume half her power was a familiar development that had come up in her explanation of her past However the way she had framed it was that this happened pre Nexus That most of their interactions had occurred before Elhume had risen to the Pinnacle and become the dictator that now crouched above them all

But what if that was a lie A deliberate misleading context

What if Yystrix and ElhumeÆs relationship had continued on for quite a while into the era of the Cohorts And based on ElhumeÆs sudden shift at the end of the Second Cohort with so many of the Patrons dying suddenly and mysteriously

Randidly blinked back to himself because XershiÆs image was roaring around his body rippling in the air with his emotional intensity The liger man showed his teeth even as the manifestation behind him raised its head and roared I will not allow you to compromise your integrity for this Before you are tempted I will destroy all of this

Randidly hadnÆt been paying much attention to the environment on the forty ninth floor obviously it was positive for images but he had been sidetracked by the presence of the Patron dolls and hadnÆt examined the area too closely His own use of images had been suppressed because of the Patron of the BorrowedÆs capability His body ended up being enough

Yet now feeling the way XershiÆs image seemed to be unfolding and inflating to become a massive dense overwhelming vicious figure as they neared the center portion of the Sonara the environment became impossible helpful in sharpening an image Roaring and proud it truly felt like Xershi would be able to shatter everything in his path

Feeling his power Randidly wasnÆt sure if a triplicate image activation of his right now could stop the prowling liger After being so cowed by Duulys Xershi had grown

Into that storm of emotion Pullas stepped in front of Xershi with both hands raised Xershi please wait Even if you can destroy these objects think of how much Aether has been funneled into them over the years If thatÆs unleashed we will all be swept away

Better that I die than allow the creator to succumb to temptation Xershi began At least this way my life will have a purpose

A purpose you chose The hidden voice cackled all softness and kindness suddenly vanished from its cadence Xershi flinched his image wavering The voice also didnÆt sound very worried either just deeply amused Oh Xershi have you stumbled across a truth you donÆt quite want to face I honestly should give you more credit apparently that feline brain of yours is somewhat savvy

Gritting his teeth Xershi began to walk forward His body trembled to contain his own rapidly growing image Out of my way Pullas

That The metal liger man stuttered at the pronouncement his eyes widening Fiona stood firmly in front of him observing his response From his expression of dawning horror it seemed like he believed the voice might be telling the truth Or at least he had been feeling quite jealous of the GhosthoundÆs capability

Fiona wouldnÆt blame him for that How constantly resourceful Randidly proved to be also left a sour note in her mouth as well

PullasÆs expression softened Xershi no matter what this thing says you are still

From my research Randidly Ghosthound has a profound effect in every area that he passes through The frontlines military high command his interactions with the overlay System strange errors keep popping up when he lingers for too long The voice seemed to now be gloating Considering how important moments have always held the key for a true chance at the Pinnacle I knew that I needed a representative close to him if just to keep abreast of developments Tuning you to be slowly consumed by jealousy was just to make sure he never developed enough to be a threat to me you were purposefully designed so you couldnÆt handle that If you had to put it at a percentage how close to losing your temper and attacking him do you think you are Xershi