Randidly was forced to bite his lip to suppress the accelerating beat of his heart At the moment Mareen and her crew were hard at work constructing his house for him only a few dozen meters away The sort satisfying physical test of his new Skill would likely be too disturbing to perform here
So Randidly pulled out his PhilosopherÆs Key and opened another portal that took him ever further South of the Orchard nearing the edge of Zone 1Æs original lands There he released a deep growl that seemed to emerge from his very core The noise even resonated with the Nether Nebula that was spinning in his chest Heartbeat growl and Nether Nebula hummed in harmony with each other As his heart began to pound more quickly and blood rushed through his body Randidly felt his shadow lengthening behind him even though the only source of light was the soft touch of the stars
RandidlyÆs joints popped pleasantly as his muscles flexed again and shifted to a new form After breaking past the physical limitations of the System he had always felt while moving that he was wielding something just slightly too large for him to manage Despite all of the practice fights Randidly had engaged in against Helen in the Dungeon he couldnÆt shake that feeling of squandered power when he moved
Only now as his new AbominationÆs Grim Vigor spread throughout his body did Randidly achieve a sense of comfort and capability that he had been reaching for His fingers flexed A satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked down at his hands His long shadow stretching behind him moved independently of his body raising its head and silently laughing That silent laughter was a challenge to the universe a gauntlet thrown down
Do you dare try and kill me now
Almost without any effort RandidlyÆs heart began to pound more quickly and his body transformed His black hair turned into a brilliant emerald color His left eye faded to black and then was completely blotted out from the world as if an abyss had taken up residence in his eye socket Light in the surrounding area bled into that sudden vacuum Two segmented bone tails flicked back and forth a long one at his waist and a shorter one from the base of his neck
Inside of RandidlyÆs body those new braided muscle fibers tightened around his bones to an almost painful degree In a way it was a naked threat to his skeletal system continue to improve or you will be crushed to powder
But as quickly as the domineering mood seized him it was pushed away Randidly released a breath and began to calm his heart Not because he didnÆt want to experiment further but because someone was making a beeline toward his location Mildly surprised that someone would head directly toward him when he was releasing such a dense image Randidly prepared himself to receive a guest
Rather casually Randidly had teleported himself next to a small pond hidden below a ravine Otherwise it was rather devoid of vegetation or animal life It was a very isolated location So he stood in the shallow darkness of the area watching as Thea Glasshammer stomped forward to face Randidly
Despite the fact that TheaÆs image was so unstable and slightly violent that Randidly knew he shouldnÆt joke the corners of RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up subconsciously as he saw her Is even a Nemesis coming to complain that their loss in the tournament was unfair
I Thea’s face went a blotchy red and RandidlyÆs expression softened She really was so young Perhaps just over twenty And aside from the Path he had taken and LyraÆs own strange existence he had to admit that Thea Glasshammer likely had one of the most difficult roads in order to get to this point
Just just tell me the truth Thea eventually managed stopping only a few meters away from Randidly Her shoulders rose and fell with her erratic breathing Her eyes couldnÆt decide whether they wanted to stare at him or flit around the surroundings Why why is it only around other people that Chrysanthemum seems alive Does she has what I have become truly made her hate me so I just canÆt Everything was supposed to be
Then a Nemesis began to cry fat ugly sobs that shook her whole body Randidly sighed and shook his head Time slowly passed as the sobs softened into intermittent sniffles Only when Thea had some control of herself did Randidly speak I can only theorize ItÆs hard to know for sure but are you sure you want to hear my opinion Even if itÆs worse than your current situation
What could be worse than this Thea asked with a gesture toward herself
Chapter 1441
After Thea asked her rather naive question Randidly looked at the young woman for a long time Her armor was still torn from the Zone 7Æs wind blades and she had not brought her hammer Randidly had nurtured some theories about this problem of hers for a while especially after he worked so long with Neveah to learn YystrixÆs Living Engraving methods Well the truth might be that your instincts are correct
What do you mean It seemed that the crying had relieved Thea of all her sadness so now she regarded Randidly with a tired resignation
Randidly suppressed the urge to shrug and tried to explain his thought process IÆm still nowhere near YystrixÆs capability when it comes to bringing life to the lifeless with Engraving But while I suspect that at its pinnacle it can create life what was required at that moment was for life that had been extinguished to be recreated
You see Chrysanthemum react to others but to your senses she appears lifeless and hollow correct Her image grows but it doesnÆt really change It simply becomes more weighty I would say that you are the one who is Soulbound to her So no one would know your partner better than you would
What you are sensing might be the real status of Chrysanthemum The rest all those playful responses to me or looks might just be habitual reactions that were inherited from the actual Chrysanthemum Just muscle spasms in response to external stimulus Randidly continued slowly watching TheaÆs reaction the entire time There wasnÆt a single ripple on the nearby pond as the two remained three meters apart Basically they might be evidence of some sort of life But when it comes to ChrysanthemumÆs life trust your instincts
TheaÆs mouth was open and her bottom lip was trembling That no then that means that she already no I thought
Like I said itÆs just a theory Randidly said in a soothing voice But Thea let me say this Considering how much pain you are in right now would the real Chrysanthemum continue to act so apathetic Without reaching out to comfort you at all
ThatÆs only because this is all my fault sheÆs punishing me for TheaÆs legs gave out on her The human Nemesis known as Thea Glasshammer who had been at least powerful enough that Randidly had to give her some extra attention a few months ago now collapsed before him Her destructive image finally imploded wounded as it was by the fight against Huang Li And all he felt as he looked down at her was a distant pity
This world this existence there are no perfect Paths Just appropriate ends Thea
Leaving her with those thoughts Randidly opened a portal and returned to his island Even though he could empathize with how difficult it was to face the truth sometimes that didnÆt mean he would help her The harm she had inflicted on humanity in the last two years meant that even the little Randidly did do might be better than she deserved
Still Randidly was glad he said something Living honestly that was something he could do Something he wanted to choose And something he needed to do to impress that image upon Kharon for after he went up to the Nexus
Night turned to day and the crowds began to gather it was time for the third round of the grand duos tournament to name the Earth
For a second Huang Li and Huang Shou had no reaction as the first team walked out onto the arena and coolly surveyed the area The two menÆs hair was dark and done up in small buns on top of their heads Their eyebrows were as sharp and valiant as swords on their faces But as they slowly observed the two menÆs features Huang ShouÆs lined face twisted and bunched like a furious bulldog This this is impossible The mandates were clear Without official certification no one was to enter this tournament