Padraic nodded and cupped his palms together Out of his two hands rose a pulsing working of Aether and Nether all spider silk and dew drops The connections were ornate and delicate the edges fluttered like butterfly wings catching an invisible wind From just a look it was clear this work had taken a great degree of care and effort Suddenly the dark bags underneath PadraicÆs eyes made sense
While studying the heart Elhume and the Patron of the Deep came to the same conclusion at the same time ElhumeÆs pupils dilated The Patron of the Deep gasped This core would enable humanity to manipulate both Aether and Nether freely
Elhume struggled to conceptualize what this would mean Would adding Nether into the mix help expedite the process of creating essence to sustain Pine For a brief moment he considered Nether King Hungry Eye the only being who seemed to possess this ability Certainly the potential of humanity would grow but
this is dangerous The Prophet whispered his bulging chin eye narrowed at the heart
In the end Elhume found himself agreeing His eyes raked across the arrangement again seeking any elements he had misinterpreted The core area of the heart was a work of genius a layered integration of variants that essentially guaranteed the image potential that Elhume had sought However the problem became the wings they existed in a duology opposite one another with entirely different designs One with rigid passages to gather Aether while the other had been whimsically drawn with whorls to incorporate Nether Both energies could flow to the core area and produce a reaction
Truly a marvelous feat Can you feel the breadth of space below us the rich darkness awaiting our illumination To create such a race Even my sophisticated imagination trembles at the sundry potential Already the Patron of the DeepÆs body jiggled with excitement
A rumbling shift in the knot of significance hanging over them made him look sideways Randidly had overcome this trial none too soon because in the distance he felt the first rumblings of the ritual to create humanity
A flicker of movement brought his attention whipping around Although he still seemed oddly hollow Nether King Bleak Sky had ascended to stand opposite Randidly in the sky Do you know why I hate people like you Hungry Eye
Because IÆm different Randidly didnÆt even need to think meeting the gaze of this resentful Nether King the words stuffed themselves into his mouth
Bleak Sky nodded his brows heavy Because you are different you delight in the transgression of bounds Because you have lived a blessed existence where that difference was never questioned never challenged never punished Because although I can see you and know you completely you will never appreciate the suffering I have endured in order to protect the future of the Nether People You cannot know the depths of my toil and how painful it is to watch you flippantly upend the status quo
That same frosted poisonous spike of exhaustion sunk into the edge of RandidlyÆs heart prepared to slip forward in a moment of weakness and completely impale him It was the price of failure looming over him constantly He lifted his chin and frowned You might be right that I donÆt understand you But that doesnÆt mean you comprehend me I take no joy in being different I simply donÆt think the structures you work to build are very valuable
Bleak Sky considered that the two floating opposite one another as the three armies crashed into each other below EnmyaÆs army began to stir preparing to enter the fray as well In the end Bleak Sky just snorted He raised a hand and pressed it against his chest Instantly his Nether Core began to accelerate in its rotations The speed rapidly shot upward so that whisps of uncontrollable Nether spat out from his torso
Randidly felt a mix of sadness and wariness because now he could see the chunk taken out of Bleak SkyÆs Nether Core The rotation fluttered and sputtered seemingly just one wrong spin away from popping off of its axis and collapsing into a ball of self destructing energy He wasnÆt sure what damage a collapsing Nether Core could cause
Bleak Sky showed his teeth You can sense it yes Transforming into an Apostate King cannot be reversed only delayed I do not have long for this world Yet in that time let us see if I cannot educate you in the prowess of a Bleak Sky Authority Forlorn Rain
Bleak SkyÆs Nether Core buzzed and sputtered yet continued to stubbornly accelerate It began to tug at Nether in the environment desperate to stabilize its wild rotations Randidly stiffened at the activation of the Authority because a pure and irresistible imperative pulsed out of the opposing Nether King even in this weakened state Randidly wasnÆt sure he could have used his Authority to counter his foes
Grey clouds knitted themselves into existence overhead and a cool rain began to fall It tingled against RandidlyÆs skin yet he couldnÆt sense any other difference in the environment He warily watched Bleak Sky whose Nether Core careened toward self destruction
A thousand thousand drops fell across the surrounding space splattering against armor and exploding against dirt and stone A low rustle rose a humming soundscape instantly generated by the influence of Bleak Sky
Truth be told I am different from my peers as well Bleak Sky grunted Allow me to show you what has always been considered a failed Authority Updraft
Randidly blinked Bleak Sky had vanished at the world The rain fell around him tiny bits of regret and sadness from the Nether KingÆs Core made manifest in the world The drops spun around Randidly and made mud out of the ground under the feet of the marching armies He pivoted slowly rapidly gathering kinetic energy and the chaotic by product as Nether and Aether slammed into each other But where
Downcrash
And suddenly Bleak Sky returned soundlessly aside from that breathy word all unhinged Nether Core momentum and his arms merged together into a giant black greatsword raised overhead
Chapter 2278
Bleak Sky manifested in an explosion of caustic Nether sweeping down to try and freeze Randidly for just a split second And from the brief stalling of his Nether Core in response to the attack it almost succeeded
But Sulfur responded instinctively a vicious moment of frenzied twisting to bring the arm around above RandidlyÆs head right before the hammer blow fell The impact made the marrow in RandidlyÆs bone ache and to his surprise he felt his collarbone fracture
Congratulations Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 967
The force was overwhelming enough to spike him Randidly shot down through the air even as the impact activated SulfurÆs Combat Furnace Unique ability and suffused his body with heat With a vicious twist he righted himself and slammed into a conjured plane of gravity His chest heaving he raised his head and looked up at Bleak Sky floating above his hands morphed together into that elongated blunt instrument
An Authority can be considered a Nether KingÆs signature move Bleak Sky said even while RandidlyÆs shoulder ached and shifted back into alignment A decisive blow yes but not a debilitating one You can understand its role implicity just from the name an Authority In this area the Nether King has no peer Yet I believed I could do more with the concept of Authorities I didnÆt want a single area where I could thrive but a weapon I could wield against any foe And so I waited to condense my Authority believing I could prove them all wrong Overturn the common understanding to create something perfect What I eventually created was Forlorn Rain
The air around them remained soft and blurred by the constant water droplets tumbling down from the sky above The spatter of water on the ground in the distance made the conversation oddly intimate RandidlyÆs black robe began to cling to his body as it grew sodden