Huang Li flourished his sword The howling wind in the surroundings became almost deafening as both the intensity of the wind increased and the participants began to fall back down to the ground while they vigilantly watched RandidlyÆs motionless form Sky Slaying Sword
The air around them rumbled as that massive cloud dragon began to move Randidly continued to tumble forward seemingly oblivious to the approaching danger The dragon was certainly impressive and fueled by a towering image but it was slow He still had a bit of time to gather himself
Within his Soulspace the Grim Chimera sneered at Randidly An unpredictable loss There is only one consequence of a loss death That is the way that it has always been That is what it means to be the Grim Chimera It has been your privilege to be in situations where that is not the case but that is why I refuse to relent I will face this threat alone or I will be crushed alone That is the Path I walk
Randidly wished he could be mad at his image but it was an all too familiar refrain He had taken a similar stubborn Path in the past This result was just a result of those previous choices
Huang LiÆs sword cut downward perhaps a bit superfluously The maw of the cloud dragon opened as it accelerated downward seeming to gather the whole of the sky behind it as it built up momentum toward its target Randidly felt so tired from the training he had endured and then this attack that he couldnÆt sustain both experiencing emotions and physical movements at the same time So for a few scattered shards of time he simply mused about the gamble that he was about to take
This was a targeted threat at the Grim Chimera that his image hadnÆt really experienced since it had become a part of him There was great meaning to this unprecedented sense of crisis as he had obviously experienced with the rapid condensation of a new form of the Grim Chimera in the past few minutes But there was an equal risk
With his current mental state Randidly was unsure how the Grim Chimera would fare after any more direct confrontations with anotherÆs images The outcome that he feared most would be that his image would shatter damaging and forcing him a large step backward in terms of physical image manifestations
But in a way he had no choice It was either willingly maim the Grim Chimera directly or dance on the edge of a knife Survival above all else
Of the two dozen cradled grains of mental energy two were stolen to fuel the physical manifestations If he was going to do this he needed more mental energy than this
The Grim Chimera raised its gaze and looked up at the rushing cloud dragon that Huang Li unleashed A split second later he activated Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes in order to zip sideways toward Dinesh RandidlyÆs eyes were sharp and vicious as he cut through the countervailing winds Unfortunately it seemed Dinesh had let Acri in the training area when he teleported the rest of them out here I might be facing this threat alone but IÆve already disabused myself of the notion that I can handle every threat directly letÆs see how much control you have over that massive image Huang Li
Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Avoidance has grown to Level 293
As Randidly streaked sideways through the whistling wind the Sky Slaying Sword blasted through the spot where he had been originally floating with the rumbling vibrations of an avalanche Then like the titanic working that it was it twisted and undulated to shift its course in RandidlyÆs new direction In that time Randidly arrived before Dinesh and watched him shatter suddenly becoming a determined Paolo
Right Hand of the Challenger Paolo bellowed Somehow that indomitable quality that he possessed enabled him to resist the tug of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night and now Paolo seemed positively bristling with that same fighting spirit His attitude was completely contrary to his shattered left elbow joint that hung uselessly against his body
He practically stank of abundant mental energy
RandidlyÆs eyes flicked sideways finding Dinesh amongst the dropping individuals As I thought YouÆve still got some juice left But if IÆm being honest yours is an image that I can deal with Better to handle a foe like this while I can Then Randidly refocused on Paolo and grinned he was exactly what the doctor had ordered Cursed Appetite of a Wraith
Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 300
Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 301
Whereas the Skill could generally be used to absorb trace amounts of energy from the surrounding area RandidlyÆs Skill and image usage had be becoming increasingly sophisticated since the Skill had been created So when he directly reached into Paolo and pulled at his mental energy he was able to rip out a large handful Granules fell like raindrops on parched ground His physical form subtly intensified in color Details became increasingly clear Paolo stalled out in his punch confused as the brilliance in his fist dimmed Meanwhile that ember in the Grim ChimeraÆs chest began to send tongues of flame flickering up out of his heavy wounds once more
Randidly clenched his massive left hand and hammered PaoloÆs punch directly shattering the manÆs knuckles and sending him tumbling away Then Randidly squinted upward and kicked his feet sharply downward at the same time He shot upward relative to the other fighters aiming for the grouping of Donny Lyra and Huang Li
Of course others moved to intercept him almost instantly The cloud dragon had drifted horizontally through the air again to right its direction and now accelerated up at Randidly from below Alana streaked in sideways each beat of her FateÆs wings sending pearly feathers tumbling through the air
But what Randidly was actually waiting for was Kayle who obliging manifested behind RandidlyÆs back and aimed several slashes at his blindspot But as Kayle began to swing his long knives RandidlyÆs right hand whipped around and snatched at Kayle Just as lightning fast as he appeared the man twisted and slid away through the air but Randidly activated Man is Proud But the Chimera Takes to explode in pursuit and catch him
For the second time in the fight someoneÆs psyche stubbornly resisted the pull of the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night this particular duo of Paolo and Kayle from Donnyton was trouble When the thin fingers of RandidlyÆs hand squeezed around his face cutting several gashes across his cheekbones jaw and upper neck Kayle decided to ignore defense and manifested his image in one shimmering blaze along the knife in his right hand
Which was also what Randidly was waiting for Heh maybe you two arenÆt so bad after all So generous with your energy Cursed Appetite of a Wraith
Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 302
Because he hadnÆt experienced it personally Kayle was no more prepared for Randidly to reach within him and steal some of his mental energy to fuel images Another handful was tossed into RandidlyÆs starving Soulspace The sharp divide along KayleÆs swinging knife dimmed and only scratched at RandidlyÆs shoulder while Randidly dislodged the rest of KayleÆs pesky resistance by slamming his left fist into his stomach Finally the Dreamcatcher could pull some of his memories from his head
Randidly tossed Kayle to the side and stomped on the air again shooting upward Behind him the massive cloud dragon was growing in size making the distance between them seem increasingly small It was definitely accelerating as well As RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition considered the size of the thing he was really quite impressed by Huang Li managing all of that image energy and keeping it pure wasnÆt a small feat
You go no further Randidly Donny announced from above He brought the blade of his sword against his shield producing a clear and valiant noise Righteous Barricade
A dense network of golden lines sprayed outward from Donny spreading rapidly out to form a web above Randidly separating him from the remaining challengers With the barrier in place Randidly would be forced to avoid the cloud dragon below while they continued to pepper him with attacks from on high In particular Randidly felt quite wary when he saw the small dagger that Lyra was shaping from the liquid light she had gathered