For the second time Alana was knocked down in a decisive blow
The crowd erupted in a roar as Paolo steadied himself and then raised his fists above his head in pure exultation His sense of accomplishment was an almost physical thing and those same slivers of image that flowed into him were now flowing back out popping and inflating to three times their original size so they seemed to be lopsided and overinflated balloons that meandered sluggishly through the surrounding air
Randidly could feel the hyper dense Nether running underneath everything catalyzing the images of the people here for as long as it remained The effect primarily seemed to be bloating but Randidly understood it was more than that it was like the aspect ratio of television being raised above the content on the screen The images looked bloated because they could now exist in high definition but they hadnÆt quite figured out how to manage it yet
Paolo Kayle spoke sharply staring intently at the downed form on the ground between them It isnÆt over yet
Randidly felt the significance of the Nether running underneath the arena deepen even further
Her right elbow had been shattered in the impact on the ground but Alana simply propped herself up with her left She rubbed the blood from her lips but only succeeded in smearing it across her cheek and making her countenance look positively ghastly Yet such was the intensity of her expression that the smeared blood only seemed appropriate
This was a woman out for blood
Paolo and Kayle shared a glance while the crowdÆs noise gradually receded Both of them were wounded although not as badly as Alana was Yet somehow AlanaÆs figure now completely devoid of the emphasis of images was even more intimidating than the radiance of her orange gold flames had been previously
YouÆve made it Paolo and Kayle Alana said woodenly She looked dispassionately down at her right arm at the spot where the flex of her forearm had been torn asunder and the fractured bone was revealed Her left hand flickered with warm flames and she pressed it over the wound The flesh began to sizzle This is the current pinnacle of Earth YouÆve proven that as long as you persevere any human can achieve this proficiency with images and control their own Path
Neither answered so the only noise was the sound of AlanaÆs wound being cauterized
After a few seconds Alana pulled her hand away from the charred flesh Her face hadnÆt even twitched I think I was confused before the match began I thought my role was to show you that you werenÆt quite there yet But you are there huh No what IÆm really supposed to do is show you whatÆs next
She reached up and rubbed her chin idly as though lost in thought I had always planned for five Revelations But it wasnÆt until I was here that I realized how my role can only carry me so far I cannot allow the role to become who I am the life and the vessel must be in balance with each other So this Fourth Revelation I cannot separate it from who I am And when you punched me Paolo I realized how much I want to win Right now Alana Donal wants to win more than almost anything else I donÆt want today to end in regrets
Her right arm was still hanging uselessly at her side but the flames on AlanaÆs left hand grew more intense Wincing Paolo settled into a defensive stance Kayle crossed his knives in front of his torso It was clear that he was having difficulty keeping the knives steady
The Fifth Revelation Alana said quietly Want
Chapter 1471
If AlanaÆs first four Revelations were about the emotions she experienced from interacting directly with Randidly Ghosthound the Fifth Revelation was her honest response to the news that he would be leaving and that she didnÆt possess the strength to follow him It was for that reason that Alana refused to stop getting up no matter how many times she was smashed into the ground
The previous night before she had gone to have dinner with Hank Alana Donal had gone to speak with Randidly she wanted to request that he take her and Wivanya along with him to the Nexus
Some part of her had understood that the request was rather unreasonable She and Randidly hadnÆt even had much interaction lately In addition she was aware vaguely of the gulf that existed between her own power and that of Randidly Ghosthound The scent of his images lingered in the air around his island constantly fascinating Alana If she went with him at her current power level she would only be a burden on him She could understand that But she also believed that by training with Randidly directly she would be able to quickly advance across most of the gap between them
Randidly had been in a lengthy meeting with Gertrude Collins when Alana had arrived at Town Hall and inquired with Tatiana so she had decided to politely wait until he was finished During the time that she was waiting Helen also came to talk about something with Randidly so the idle duo had agreed to grab a coffee to stall for a bit of time and see if the meeting finished soon
During that coffee Alana Donal had confessed the reason that she wanted to talk to Randidly was to ask whether she could come with him to the Nexus Helen had been silent for several seconds after she heard that and then set down her cup with a click Follow me
Then she had taken Alana to the training arena and tossed her a training spear Almost by instinct Alana caught the spear and frowned You want to spar right now
I just want to teach you a bit of fear Helen had responded in a voice that Alana had taken as being filled with arrogance And so she had tightened her grip on the spear and fought against Helen without holding anything back Although it was a little over twelve hours to the finals Alana had freely unleashed all four of the Revelations she had
At the end of the spar Helen had crouched next to the wheezing Alana Donal Think deeply about what your role in the life of Randidly Ghosthound truly is Only come back to make this request if you are absolutely sure of your answer
Which was why Alana had shown up at HankÆs covered in blood sweat and dirt She had been truly and utterly suppressed in a way that she hadnÆt experienced in quite a while Even when Randidly had become the avatar of the Grim Chimera in his challenge against Donnyton Alana hadnÆt felt so helpless She hadnÆt been able to reach him there but it had felt like he was only a short distance away
This was different Because in HelenÆs image there was an implacable certainty that Alana couldnÆt currently rival It wasnÆt confidence and it wasnÆt just concrete Willpower projecting a conclusion
Helen simply knew her role implicitly That certainty eliminated all hesitation in her person and image As small as AlanaÆs hesitations were they were still present She didnÆt quite know what she wanted to be That was an undeniable fact
Seeing her state last night Hank had demanded an explanation and then stomped away to exact vengeance on Helen He slunk back a half hour later looking a little roughed up but seemingly less mentally affected than Alana had been
Now standing with a useless dominant arm in front of Paolo and Kayle Alana acted without hesitation She wanted to be the woman who won this fight So she raised her head The Fifth Revelation Want
The white wings spreading outward from her Fate above her head beat rapidly and began to shrink As the wings receded white flames seeped out of the fingers of her left hand She rigidly extended her fingers forward to mimic the head of a spear and then settled down into a half crouch Both Paolo and Kayle watched her warily nursing their own wounds
Of the five revelations this one had the weakest Skill effect It simply granted Alana an increased clarity of intent between her thoughts Skills and body The effect was a slight but holistic amplification that grew more powerful the more single minded she became The change in the color of her flames just proved it was working as intended And standing in that arena as Randidly and the audience weighed their actions Alana could see with absolute clarity the Path she wanted to take