She believed her thoughts were pretty clear Did we really liberate all these Patrons to simply allow them to wander off on their own
Wait Velio said Some of his previous intensity worn away by his childlike sense of wonder at having made it to the Sanctum returned as he walked up to the Patron of Blooms His eyes were sharp I understand that you probably have many personal matters to address after being locked up in here for thousands of years but now is not the time to be swayed by emotion Without a full understanding of the situation in the Nexus
Almost a dozen people are attempting to reach the Pinnacle right now The Patron of Blooms said Then she shrugged I might be vain but I think itÆs pretty clear that IÆm small potatoes to Elhume There is no better time than now to accomplish a task covertly
RandidlyÆs brows knitted together as he felt the chaotic waves of images turn into a mass of oppressive energy that radiated to fill almost the entirety of the Nexus In the starry nebula above the former home base of the Frost Matriarch several new light sources began to pulse with a sickly green light The illumination started small but gradually the color was leached out of the surroundings
All across the Nexus lights dimmed and were blended away until everything was pale and ghastly Detail only remained in the contrast as color seemed to drain away in the face of this monumental occurrence
Yet what transfixed Randidly were the images Yggdrasil the Grey Creature and the Stillborn Phoenix all condensed across his body seeking to memorize the varied and extreme image examples that reached for the Pinnacle Randidly felt a vast and wide open sky the damp and dripping bowels of planets that birthed monsters and also a sharp tang of ozone as a thunderstorm crashed upon the ground Each of these was warped by distance but most notably they were all being widely stretched by the tide of emotions that each individual brought to this attempt
Randidly could feel their hope their desperation their long suppressed fear and craving They wanted power Now their grasping hands stained the entire Nexus
ClaudetteÆs gaze toward Randidly changed as she heard his words and begun to hesitate They were working together to resist the plans of Don Beigon but Randidly had never stated his own private mission so directly But looking up at these massively powerful players clashing he saw no point in hiding it
Even if she didnÆt join him Randidly doubted that she would use this information against him The image refinement had created a certain understanding between them
Claudette released a slow breath If that is truly what you intend then you will never stop fighting Even if even if you somehow manage to catch up to Elhume others will not give you peace Watching Elhume now do you think he achieved what he wanted even with all the power he has If he had why would he struggle so hard against those now trying to reach the Pinnacle There is no peace at the end of the Path you are suggesting
As if on cue Elhume reached the group of three Pinnacle Seekers It was a distant invisible struggle These lasted a bit longer than the solo individual but one two three seconds passed and then had been annihilated just the same Their destruction echoed out through the Nether layer slapping Randidly like an unexpected splash of cold water
The amount of force Elhume utilized must have been horrifying for him to feel it so clearly Then without pause the most powerful figure in the Nexus turned and aimed for a new target Seeker Thunder Wing
There is no peace RandidlyÆs eyes glittered as he thought about the generous explanation that Seeker Thunder Wing had offered for the Hierarchies For me at the end of the Path yes But this was never about me
Not since I became the Alpha Cosmos
Perhaps it was because of his meeting with Seeker Thunder Wing but Randidly could practically feel the heavy footfalls of Elhume as he devoured distance and approached his next challenger The soundless impacts blasted out through Nether setting RandidlyÆs tail to flicking fitfully every time they reached him
Meanwhile each of the doors at different paces were cracking open
An oppressive cry of fury boomed outward Seeker Thunder WingÆs Path to the Pinnacle door was one fo the first to open The chaotic energy interference around his image finally ceased In the next instant Seeker Thunder WingÆs image vanished and the door closed leaving Elhume seeping in fury But the most powerful individual in the Nexus didnÆt pause He turned and made a beeline for another nearby individual whose door had not yet opened
As more proceeded to this special venue the greenish light that soaked the Nexus began to fade
I wonder then if the difficulty in opening the door to the Path to the Pinnacle is related to how powerful your image is Randidly speculated Which is why there are so many individuals attempting it you donÆt need to be at the Speculum Tier
Of course if it was so easy you could manage it without reaching the Speculum Tier unless they were inspired by the actions of the Nether King and intend to simply remain there until they can reasonably make their own attempt
All in all Elhume reached and crushed two more individuals before all of those who opened the Path to the Pinnacle had escaped So of the sixteen individuals how had attempted it only ten had made it
Randidly remained fascinated that the entire time the first individual to start the chain reaction hadnÆt been targeted although Nether informed him that person was the closest to Elhume It made him wonder if Elhume hadnÆt encouraged one particular individual to do it to draw out all the others
Which probably meant that those who intended to wait and train at the base of the Path to the Pinnacle would not easily find peace
Chapter 1799
As the remnant energies dissipated from the Nexus Randidly led Claudette down to the camp of the Elite Squad Talking helped him focus even though his mind was racing For now we wait I suspect that these next two days will be relatively mild while the Nexus Ways remain down But after that
After that what should I be doing Randidly wondered
The fallout will be immense Claudette winced If it is discovered that you are associated with anyone who attempted the Path to the Pinnacle well Elhume might not move against you directly but the orthodox factions will be only too happy to launch an inquisition to settle some old grudges with independent groups
We will likely be busy Randidly mused aloud The Elite Squad finally noticed their approach and Diortho Vant Most of the rest continued to churn in a scrum of images and chaotic Skills as two large groups battled About half were in this massive battle while the other half were doing individual training methods
Randidly could feel their flaring intensity feeling all the Paths to the Pinnacle opening had clearly motivated the group He felt a similar drive rising in his chest I need to improve in a concrete way Perhaps its time to look in on that invitation to the training camp
What next DiOrtho asked when he arrived next to them The ram demon face rippled with barely contained aggression His fighting spirit flared around him with a physical heat that wafted off of his body Likely the sensation he received about all those individuals reaching for the Pinnacle was a fraction of what Randidly and Claudette could sense but that green tinge that had briefly covered the universe was sign enough to light a fire in their chests
If Randidly had felt it Vant had definitely experienced that sense of minute helplessness staring up at a universal phenomenon They were still so small even after improving so much
Next we wait for a few days Randidly responded although he wanted so much to offer some small comfort to DiOrtho To tell his subordinate that he had definitely improved a lot since he joined the Elite Squad and it wasnÆt his fault that Randidly continued to drag them into conflicts with even more overwhelming foes But Randidly couldnÆt for whatever reason offer that comfort He found himself shrugging Until the Nexus Ways come back up we continue to pursue the Pinnacle Seekers who conspired with the Nether King But since all the leads have dried up we will remain here