You have always made me so proud to be your father A voice was suddenly whispering in ClaudetteÆs ear as she lurched forward expecting resistance and not encountering any Go on honey Seize your destiny DaddyÆs watching
Claudette stumbled forward off the staircase and onto a wide platform Kyl MacDuul who had been skulking back and forth before a wide obsidian platform now turned to face her He rotated in a lumbering ungainly way that worsened her disgust His thick eyebrows shot up as he looked at her Well I certainly didnÆt expect that you would be the first to catch me Interesting But with that image do you really think you can hold your own against me
Considering our future union I will be gentle in this first reprimand Kyl MacDuul continued He stepped toward her with his hands folded behind his back causing his belly to bulge forward A warm rolling prairie manifested in front of him The solid smell of sun warmed dirt rose and filled the platform I will even allow you the first strike
The words Claudette heard only distantly Her eyes were fixated on the treasureÆ that would determine her fate Her gaze went unfocused as a slew of memories rushed to the surface of her mind Of all things why would you use the token of that creature
Sitting at the top of the obsidian alter was a common copper coin stamped with the likeness of a certain being On that beingÆs homeworld it was the currency and that being a creature that had now risen to become one of the most powerful monsters that lurked in the Tier III of the Nexus had a soft spot in its heart for its home So it had given out the coins bearing its face in order to show when favors were lent or owed
It had been that being calling in an old favor that even Don Beigon hadnÆt been able to avoid that had taken ClaudetteÆs mother and transformed her into a puppet To this day that empty husk served the being
The seeping numbness in ClaudetteÆs body went deeper She felt immense That isolating liquid medium she had felt trapped by for so long now became a howling heart of frigid air that existed within every gesture When she moved that power the world would tremble and storms would be born
Kyl MacDuul raised a hand and beckoned her to approach Confidence made his image warm and ineffective against her Slowly Claudette shifted her grip on Clarent and raised it over her head But at the same time an even more profound shift was happening within Claudette
The blade Clarent had been created by her father in ClaudetteÆs image Her father had once been one of four Lightbringers but in his greed he wanted to be the brightest and most brilliant of all So he created Clarent to consume and seal away the other Lightbringers At the end of ClarentÆs journey the blade had fled and doomed the Lizakh people with its calamitous presence
And then the blade realized that the only solution was to kill her father Claudette released a gushing breath of chilling air For although she was the blade of destruction and doom his was the twisted heart that had wrought all of this In order to ensure that the universe would no longer suffer beneath his selfish whims he must die
Her emotions rose and resonated with Clarent Some last hidden barrier had existed between Claudette and Clarent but that paradoxically began to melt before this unified purpose The song of the blade of desolation became audible for all to hear rising in a mournful march Winds blasted out from ClaudetteÆs body painting the platform with thick crusts of snow and frost A small frown formed on MacDuulÆs face
Then she stepped forward her eyes black and empty all pupil and refusal to remain under Don BeigonÆs thumb any longer
Chapter 1870
Neshamah saw Tyune and Moonlight Blade rush past her hurrying up the spiral staircase to join the battle at the top The warm smell of soil clashed against a powerful blizzard the edges of that clash spilled over the edges and drifted down to their current position She let them pass only thirty or so seconds had passed since Kyl MacDuul had been the first to reach the top Allowing the three competitors to go up first and weaken each other was in their best interest
They had to acknowledge their position ClaudetteÆs team was not in a position of power here The best option would be to use their opponents against themselves
But at the same time Neshamah glanced upward and pressed her lips tightly together The snow wafting down from the upper level was thickening It even accumulated on those portions of the ground not being taken by the black flames Claudette certainly is going all out Was her image always that powerful Or is Randidly truly also talented in image refinement
Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 565
Randidly stirred Or rather his mind stirred A bleary pulse of wakefulness came through him flipping the switch to the rest of his consciousness
Being suspended in the sapphire liquid still kept him from utilizing his body and waking to that sensation sent a thrill of panic through him before he remembered where he was Then he smiled bitterly at his own behavior
Despite the pressing nature of ClaudetteÆs struggle he simply couldnÆt keep the exhaustion at bay after straining himself with his First Authority He had affected too many individuals and many of them had struggled and torn through his grip That had made this activation even more depleting than the first had been when he had no idea what he was doing This he had mobilized the full force of his significance To have that aspect of himself be spent was a uniquely torturous experience
So he allowed himself to sink into a few minutes of unconsciousness
Waking up now Randidly wondered if he had recovered to a useful degree His head continued to pound His mind felt fuzzy and clumsy like a newly born chicken The few strands of Nether that his Nether Core managed to produce listlessly circled through his body without grounding him much at all
Then Randidly discovered that he hadnÆt been awoken simply because his subconscious dedication to Claudette functioned as an alarm clock On the other side of the barrier seen by Randidly through the spiraling lines of dim light two individuals were floating As he watched they attempted several times to manifest their images with very little to show for their efforts It took them almost a minute to create something approximating an image and then when it spent itself upon the barrier it dissipated without leaving any mark
Although after watching the serpent of black flame fail to penetrate this barrier the Patron of Truth had constructed it was no wonder that these weak attempts failed
Gradually Yggdrasil continued to feed mental and physical energy to Randidly and the blurriness of his perception begrudgingly released its grip on him The two figures were on the other side of the barrier but they gradually resolved themselves into two of the rebels that had entered into the competition at the last minute including Allilia
Randidly began to spread out his own image so he could reposition himself wondering whether this was their purpose the whole time they intended to break into the sapphire lake and free this MonarchÆ Randidly supposed that if they had held this goal for a long time this opportunity was relatively unique the Skull of Truth did not appear very often in the public eye
But maybe thatÆs a foolish question it is exactly because of your connection with the founding of the Nexus that you were ordained to rule it Randidly mused still gazing lightly at the fire pillar so as not to be drawn into it But who could you be Where does that connection come from How long with this new barrier keep you here
And why did you help me after I held you down and allowed the Patron of Truth to lock the door
Then Randidly shook himself He had not gained many clear answers within the sapphire lake but he couldnÆt deny that he had gathered a lot of information He simply didnÆt understand how it all fitted together When he left this Skull of Truth he could consult the Patrons in his Alpha Cosmos they might be able to give him context based on the individuals and scenes he had seen With that he could plan for the future