Yet as Hank scanned the arena seething with mist and falling snow as WivanyaÆs Skills affected a wider and wider area he couldnÆt find Alana or her tell tale orange flames Somehow this absence did not make him feel better His narrative instincts made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end something was about to happen
But in the meantime Wivanya beat her wings tentatively testing the earlier wound that Hank had inflicted Air churned around the dragon like she stood at the center of a wheel and the frigid currents around were spokes The swirling pillars of mist seemed capable of grinding Hank to dust if he allowed the dragon to draw too near to him The shadow horse beneath Hank shook out its mane loosening some frost that had began to form Hank frowned around but didnÆt yet move as Wivanya shuddered forward He just casually raised his revolver
He couldnÆt keep this up for long Relying on the image version of Ancho vastly increased his ability to respond to threats but it also increased the strain on HankÆs mind And although he considered himself one of the most determined individuals on Earth the combination of Alana and Wivanya had constantly dogged him and made the first few minutes of the match feel like hours He needed an opportunity but Hank couldnÆt win if his precious bullets were used on Wivanya
The Frost Dragon Broodmother was the perfect distraction that would eventually freeze his remaining strength from his bones Due to high Physical Defense Stats Hank couldnÆt easily put her out of commission If Alana truly committed to that path to victory she could simply sit back and wait until Hank made a fatal error to strike
Of course if Alana was the type to sit back and wait Hank wouldnÆt be under such pressure right now
His eyes flicked downward at the marble underneath his feet In the brief moment when his eyes landed on the marble that was swiftly turning red and bubbling the image horse underneath him was blurring away from the spot But even with the impossible quickness of the image Alana drilled out of the ground wreathed in that dangerous orange golden fire faster than he could escape The tongues of flame produced a harsh light that struck directly onto HankÆs psyche The flames snaked outward seeking to incinerate both his image and his flesh
The second most powerful bullet that Hank had prepared for this match cut through the flames but was soon hollowed of its image by the heat and then melted to a superheated raindrop It splattered harmlessly on the ground barely buying Hank a split second of reprieve from the flames But it was enough for him to open up some distance
The ghost Ancho wheeled around and whinnied in complaint Hank lowered his revolver and fed the final bullet he had prepared into the cylinder His palms were sweaty and tingling as he raised the gun His image continued to frantically strengthen its influence in the surrounding area but it continued to shrink away beneath the light that Alana produced His image flared and strained with all the tragic huffing of a childrenÆs floatie being inflated while an adult sat on it
Not that he could blame his image much for being restrained even Hank could only keep one eye open as he aimed The light that Alana was overwhelming Ya never keep me waitinÆ ThatÆs what I like about ya Alana
Surrender Hank This is your last chance Alana replied softly Her enormous snowy wings beat softly sending a few stray feathers fluttering downward Those feathers settled on the molten tunnel that Alana had burned through the ground largely extinguishing any admiration Hank could feel for the featherÆs beauty They were practically weapons with enough tensile strength to smack away his empowered Mana Bullets
Hank allowed all thoughts of his image to fade away Or rather in a way he had stumbled across by watching the Ghosthound Hank became the best example of his image He didnÆt need to will them into existence he simply was the image made real He breathed in slowly then breathed out He wiped his left hand against his jeans while keeping his gun trained on Alana Nah We both know that ainÆt how this ends
The marble hissed as Alana drifted downward and settled onto the ground Her flaming boots gradually caused the extremely valuable stone to bubble beneath her feet IÆm honestly survived you survived the Second Revelation I didnÆt expect it
How many Revelations are there Hank asked casually But it was a distraction His right pointer finger twitched imperceptibly Alana blurred into motion as though she had known the shot was coming She probably had
BANG
This bullet was different from all the others Hank had prepared it precisely thinking of this moment To combat that inviolable self righteous holiness of AlanaÆs image it was filled with an image of the profane Even if an image like that wasnÆt HankÆs strong suit it was enough to slow the insidious radiation of her flames and strike a serious blow with the refined bullet within the brass casing
In a way I knew it would come ta this too Hank thought In a smooth motion AlanaÆs spearhead flashed forward riding a wave of golden flames Compared to that power his bullet was so small And as fer what happens now
The Third Revelation Anguish
Later when it had been determined that Paolo and Kayle would be facing Alana and Wivanya in the final match of the tournament Randidly and Tatiana had a dinner of stir fry together underneath the stars After the food was consumed by RandidlyÆs endless appetite Tatiana folded her hands in her lap She lightly cleared her throat Not to pry but I can sense your feelings have been complex since the match If you donÆt feel that AlanaÆs image is appropriately distant from your own enough to be the victorious one
Ha No itÆs not that Randidly waved his hand but that just made Tatiana more troubled For the first time in a long time she was having a difficult time intuiting what he was thinking as he sat and looked up at the moon Honestly itÆs fine It might be accurate to say IÆm struggling a bit with vanity
At least with that Tatiana knew her role She remained silent and waited for Randidly to continue The heavy grey clouds continued to drift across the sky seeming to tease that they would soon shroud the moon but never daring to actually impede RandidlyÆs gaze
Eventually Randidly did continue Her image is based on my shape It is premised on a gaze that has followed me for a long time filled with worship Due to that history due to the detail with which she has viewed me it is powerful It captures the right notes The shape is totally present
Then Tatiana saw what had Randidly in such a strange mood but even if it looks like you itÆs almost surprising how much it isnÆt you
Randidly nodded It misses all the important things The image is me but itÆs not mine Does that make sense
Slowly Tatiana nodded in return She was a fan first I think Of Randidly Ghosthound And it is very difficult for fans to look at their idols with empathy for their troubles They only see the bright spots and the glory
Chapter 1464
Hmph this tournament has just become a giant advertisement for Donnyton LiamÆs mouth twisted in dissatisfaction The group around him didnÆt respond overtly to his obvious emotional state having learned that it was best to just leave him to his rants Helio Undunes stood at the stove continuing to make minute adjustments to the temperature to achieve the ideal level of crispiness in his breakfast hash It was unfortunately an action that was so natural for him that it provided no distraction at all You know I wouldnÆt be surprised if the whole thing was rigged
Cleary displayed her trademark sneer and leaned forward Really All rigged Well which amongst the top 16 do you think you would have stood a chance against These people could all wipe the floor with you
Those Huangs didnÆt seem so tough Liam glowered across the table at Cleary Although he felt like it was somewhat of a betrayal to his pursuit of cooking perfection Helio began to hurry the completion of the food the four gamblers were always more touchy before they had eaten
It was the day after the semi final matches the first of a two day break before the final between Paolo and Kayle and Alana and Wivanya Generally no one dared directly find fault like Liam with the Order Ducis for how things turned out but there was some general dissatisfaction that both duos were originally from Donnyton