Time to begin
Sulfur cracked the Arch demonÆs head back with a sharp left straight Force poured through his joints corralled and unleashed with enough power to shatter a mountain Randidly kicked off the air to accelerate upward but the merperson clapped their slimy hands together Authority Jealous Depths
Abruptly RandidlyÆs ears popped The chains of Nether that Randidly had been rather casually ripping his way through on the ascent tightened And then multiplied A dozen manifested in the space around him and tightened across his body His body wrenched to a stop leaving him scowling
Congratulations Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart has grown to Level 950
Congratulations Your Skill the Wrathful Calamity Rends has grown to Level 939
Bleak SkyÆs attack was condensed wind and ill will a grey fuzzy crescent cutting down toward RandidlyÆs position RandidlyÆs attack was absence and desperation a rough edges black void burning across the retina as space collapsed He showed his teeth in a joyless smile even his slashes now had that element of endeavor reaching for the impossible He felt the uphill battle against the universe as he felt another twinge of disapproval from DeganawidahÆs imperative left within his Fateset
And yet on impact RandidlyÆs Rend shattered the Ominous Squall
With deliberate malice Randidly stomped on the Arch DemonÆs face and shot up to his next foe on the way to face the fearsome Nether King He gathered an orb of gravity and corruption in his left hand unleashing a blast of absence directly in the merpersonÆs face as he shot past His Authority might be potent but his face was wan and pale Which just left Bleak Sky still floating above and watching with disinterest as Randidly approached
Your lack of purity muddies expectations I give you that Bleak Sky nodded Yet if you drink from too many sources you inevitably pollute yourself You have grown abruptly strong just like other Aether filth Yet the Nether has been aware of these Fates And has made preparations Definitely it is worth expending one of these upon you
Bleak Sky flicked his wrist and produced a scroll It flipped out to between the two of them then exploded in a nova of violet light Randidly wove a shield of Nether around his body and also conjured the Cloak of Utter Night across his shoulders Yet when the energy arrived it almost ignored both of those barriers squeezing past and targeting his Fateset
Randidly lurched to a stop as he felt a burning force sear through and begin to burn away parts of his Fateset The pain felt so familiar although it was a different portion of him targeted it brought him viscerally back to his second visit to Tellus where he had been submerged in an ever deepening pool of lava to avoid the image of the sun For a split second he couldnÆt breathe
Warning bells rang in his ears as his Fateset began to rumble He desperately reached into his Soulspace to find the Fatepieces They were being stripped of their bindings taking them from a unified identity to just tools
Although it continued to be horribly painful Randidly blinked Then he began to laugh It makes sense Nether would know to attack Fates like this However heh arenÆt you just clearing the path to make it much easier for my first attempt DonÆt mind if I do
The restriction on the impossible left by Deganawidah was so overwhelming it simply ignored the cleansing blasts But everything else the context of his Fatepieces the arrangement the history of each the small leanings that had begun to develop and affect the Paradox of the Alchemist all of that was scraped away
After a few seconds of fiery scourings the violet light receded Randidly floated opposite Nether King Bleak Sky the ancient being looking him up and down Something in his countenance must have revealed his satisfaction because the Nether King’s face darkened Desolate Horizon
The hanging cloud faces were obliterated by the smashing pressure brought down by Bleak SkyÆs powerful Domain Everything was flattened by the pressure Randidly felt almost suffocated by the force of Nether squeezing around his body Compared to his merperson companion Bleak SkyÆs Nether possessed an absolute discipline that made it much more forceful In this the Nether King benefited from his age
Yet feeling the technique for the second time Randidly could tell Bleak Sky still bore wounds from whatever he had released on Fatia Cerulean Or becoming an Apostate King had a steep cost that lingered The pressure didnÆt feel quite as absolute as it had on their first meeting Not only had Randidly grown since the previous encounter but Bleak Sky had weakened just slightly
Not enough Randidly said softly His eyes glittered and he raised his hands in supplication toward the sky All the gathered kinetic force from his earlier movements churned around him the beginning of his maelstrom Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe The ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs
From within RandidlyÆs heart a single seed sprouted The manifestation of the World Tree sent up slender green shoots and split open the horizon
Congratulations Your Skill Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe has grown to Level 1007
Congratulations Your Skill ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke has grown to Level 1001
Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has grown to Level 993
Chapter 2277
Elhume glanced around at the figures gathered around the dais He felt torn between desperation to begin assisting his son and worry that even this attempt would just create more problems
Perhaps due to that conflict his voice came out much rougher than he expected Is everyone prepared We will not have another chance
Is naught lifeÆs idiosyncrasy part of its irresistible charm The Patron of the Deep observed Without singularity we become routine Empathy becomes moot between stock copies Which is why the creation of this race with such potential ah it effervesces a wild certainty of purpose does it not It may seem like a single step but with our efforts the future may blossom
ElhumeÆs face twitched but he didnÆt bother to respond Pouring his energy into the attempt had lessened the buzz of static in his mind toil centered him and removed the strange interference All the personnel they needed were present along with some observers Himself The Patron of the Deep The talented Engraver who could also utilize Nether Padraic The Prophet and loitering in the darkness at the far end the Scythe
Padraic young and looking suitably nervous nodded when Elhume glanced at him Elhume spared a moment to eye the Cult of the Savior individuals then refocused on the ground between them The project was all that was important right now Elhume had painstakingly carved a general body shape into the stone dais between them a mold into which they would pour everything else
Above the grey rock several sigils of pure energy rippled in the air The color shifted through a rainbow kaleidoscope the curving lines moving from pink to aqua and back to tangerine These were more ephemeral aspects of the humanity Elhume tried to impart onto them a series of generalized blessings Of possibilities and vague philosophical shapes to thrive within their minds They glittered like garish jewels prepared to be added into the mix
Elhume release a low breath when nothing appeared amiss glad he had been able to iron out the details Hidden within those blessingsÆ were the three locks he would place on humanity Not that he particularly minded if Padraic or the Patron of the Deep understood the insurance policy Elhume made but with the philosophies disassembled it was difficult to see how they would snap into place when all the benefits were added at the same time
But I suppose thatÆs people Unknowable when viewing the disparate elements in isolation
Elhume looked sideways at the young Engraver A sliver of doubt remained in his heart Everyone had a role Elhume would shape and oversee the Patron of the Deep would provide the raw essence of life and Padraic would need to create a conduit to handle that power If the Engraver had not succeeded he would need to rely on the ProphetÆs backup plan Please letÆs see this heartÆ you have been working on