He couldnÆt spare any attention for what happened with the clay cradle of humanity but hoped Padraic could handle it He also began to suspect that even though his Nether Ritual supported the whole working it couldnÆt prevent degradation for long
Yet for now he worked as furiously and intently as he could manage
Randidly pulled his lips back more each second grimacing through the constant juggling of different energies cascading through his body His Nether Core whirled producing just enough Nether to maintain the connection between the Core and the funnel barely staying ahead of the dangerous friction as these shapes forced their way through him When he could spare some energy he pumped it into the fabric of the funnel hoping the dense Nether would act similar to a coolant
The last thing he needed would be for the funnel to burst for his body to become the battlefield between these ominous shapes and the cleansing net He knew he knew that this was exactly the sort of situation Neveah had been worried about him putting his life on the line pushing himself too far
Congratulations Health Mana and Stamina +1000 Your Skill GhosthoundÆs Proficiency has evolved into the GhosthoundÆs Ceaseless Toil All your abilities will be slightly boosted In addition the effect increases the more wild the attempt the more dire the circumstance Although many have urged you away from running these ruinous gauntlets it cannot be said that you havenÆt developed a knack for navigating the amorphous threshold between life and death
Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1100
Randidly felt a slight easing on the strain against him even as he felt part of him detach from his frantic motion of pulling cleansed shapes into the pearl That detached part looked around in amusement at his circumstances where frenzied brain activity pushed him toward an internal temperature that would soon liquefy normal flesh Yet he couldnÆt dwell on it long he needed to pull the shapes and insert them into the pearl
A new pressure emerged in RandidlyÆs body coming from his Fateset As he broke through 50% of his rough goal feeding shapes into the brilliant pearl the restriction set by Deganawidah began to glow with disapproval
Another surging wave of shapes forced their way up through the Nether Core causing even the Stillborn PhoenixÆs hunger to flag The event horizon it had maintained began to shrink forced backward before the lapping waves of annihilation Randidly pondered the problem for several long seconds the situation worsening
In the end Randidly chuckled When have I become so domineering eh Giving some ground is inevitable Just slow the tide Hold your ground Make them regret accepting our invitation
The Stillborn Phoenix screamed its agreement but shrunk the size of its manifestation slightly The shapes began to build up but Randidly was at least gladdened to discover they fought against each other as much as they lashed out at the pieces he had assembled
At the same time Neveah fed energy back to Randidly while the destructive forces thrown off by his body channeling these shapes were dangerous there was nothing he repurposed faster than diffused force All that heat and radiation and destruction came roaring back tightening into a cyclone of fire right past the edges of the funnel reinforcing the working from breaking down
At about 60% of the shapes Randidly aimed to provide for the PhilosopherÆs StoneÆs library the funnel began buzzing with the strain of staying in place The flaming barrier came none too soon and now all these shapes wanted to force their way out Randidly leaned against the working to stabilize it against his body but that just ended up tearing through portions of the flesh on his torso His mind buzzing and his body aching he raised Sulfur and tightened his fingers around the funnel absorbing as much kinetic force as he could manage
At 70% RandidlyÆs body trembled almost constantly the grinding effort sinking into his very bones He looked his old friend exhaustion in the face and smiled Welcome Care to lend a hand
At what could have been 85% Randidly felt the strangest certainty fill himù he neared a threshold with the pearl in terms of the complexity of shapes he had assembled They rippled and fluttered approaching a critical mass This had been 85% but it was more accurately only a bit over 70% He needed more
The Stillborn Phoenix screeched The Dread Homunculus image physicalizations continued to settle across his body helping absorb the strain As quickly as it could Yggdrasil fed tendrils of golden energy into his starved and strained body
At an entirely new 80% threshold his consciousness blurred and blunted by the constant plucking and insertion of shapes Randidly faced an entirely new threat the Prophet attacked him The strike slammed into his back but the Cloak of Utter Night sprang into being and absorbed most of the first
What survived punched a hole in his chest and sent a gushing spray of blood out across the array space but the heat and the energy were so violent even his own blood sizzled and evaporated before it could land and stain the surface
Dimly Randidly felt the Patron of the Deep come to his side to protect him but couldnÆt spare the attention
He reached 90% and felt a grim sense of recognition The compounding effect of complexity continued within the library but it began to come at a cost DeganawidahÆs imperative howled in his chest thoroughly incensed Randidly forced his eyes open ignoring the bright lights and flames surging from the warped funnel still gripped in SulfurÆs fingers
In front of him a tremor ran through the pearl The PhilosopherÆs Stone neared its physical limits with so many shapes stuffed into it
Chapter 2284
Fatia Cerulean looked at the sky unable to comprehend the scope of what he witnessed rushing toward him
Over the past week he had polished his Grand Fates despite the annoyances of others taking those same resources He had reached the height of his power possessing a potency he had craved for so long He had even found time to hunt down a capable Nether King and add it to his trophies giving him access albeit much reduced to that strange power which Hungry Eye had denied him previously
His army had been armed with Fates and given ample opportunity to hone their capabilities His current base had been surrounded with the densest Engraving he could muster almost rivaling HomewellÆs lifeseal in power Even a gust of wind caused the shield to flare to life and force all invading particles back Cerulean kept his elites close prepared to ambush this haughty Nether fool when he came for vengeance
He stood at the height of his power wreathed in sapphire flames Opposite the promised doom approached
Ink seeped out from the edge of the horizon poisoning the sky Clouds expanded quickly becoming the first harbingers of a dark apocalypse Cerulean had heard soldiers whispering earlier in the week referring to Deganawidah as Thrice Drowned or the Black Tide Gazing up at the approach he finally understood the second name
And the Tide began to come in
Is this what my fear tastes like The Raptor Construct stood transfixed as he watched the spreading darkness the perfected personality now ruling the body running up against its own mortal foibles A strange haze filled his brain as emotions he believed to have buried began to crawl out of their graves their fingers pushing up through the dirt
Fatia clawed his teeth together If nothing else today is a point of data To prove if my methods were the right ones
The soldiers have held thus far against the Nether rabble but the appearance of Deganawidah appears to have invigorated their offensive One of CeruleanÆs aides frowned over toward the location where the two armies wrestled Flashes of light and brief snatches of impressions radiated out to create strange kaleidoscopes in the air If they canÆt hold our defensive Engraving will falter
DeganawidahÆs energy streaked forward faster than Cerulean would have believed Darkness tightened to become a battering ram and slammed against the glittering energy dome around the base The barrier shattered instantly