Distant shouts from the other fighting between Aether and Nether drifted to their position but their focuses didnÆt waver
Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest His emotional sea had shallowed from the constant act of empowering his images A defense right now would not see him through this confrontation Deganawidah might be similarly damaged at the moment but thatÆs because RandidlyÆs attacks came from inside while Deganawidah had to smash through his body
But just as Randidly was about to throw his last bit of vicious concentration toward the Singularity of the Inhospitable Depths to inflict as much damage as possible a development outside their fatal dance drew both Randidly and DeganawidahÆs attention
The light from the Lifeseal dimmed as so much of its power concentrated into a floating orb above the city of Homewell It glittered in the sky for a moment different energies contorting and tumbling inside like a lava lamp Gleeful bolts of cobalt lightning danced across the surface of the blast hinting at where Cerulean had fled With a rumbling crack the orb popped and avalanched down across the sky an enormously impressive quantity of energy exploding out like a collapsing mountain aiming to wipe out the lionÆs share of the Nether Warriors that marched toward the city
Deganawidah shifted his attention and Randidly could feel his reaction humming through his bones A tragic loss of life But more will be They always are
Deganawidah shifted back Randidly felt sweat beads beginning to form on the back of his neck
Chapter 2297
Once again Randidly suppressed his urge to gulp wondering if he would need to call on NeveahÆs assistance to endure through this wondering how much help she would truly be against this dense Nether His mind shifted through the possibilities available to him and none of them were ones he liked
Apparently Deganawidah could not be threatened effectively with mutual destruction
Yet simultaneously the burning brand of his resolve reasserted itself in his mind From the ashes of its exhaustion the Dread Homunculus sat up and stared at Deganawidah with bristlign intensity I might no longer Survive but I can Advance past this This wonÆt be my grave Or if it is
IÆll tear down this monster with me You can survive as many drownings as you want Deganawidah IÆll bury you in the empty void
Congratulations Your Skill SirenÆs Dirge of Bottomless Taking has grown to Level 910
Just as Randidly again was to throw his last pinch of focus behind the Survivor of the Void a new development occurred As fiery baptism was about to annihilate the advancing column of Nether Warriors a ripple manifested in the air above their heads A deft weave of Nether more pure genius than any sort of significant power sprung into existence and shielded them from being directly seared from existence
HomewellÆs vicious counter punch burned and quaked the sky on impact For a split second the defensive barrier strained and held In that prolonged moment as the lack of power made it seem inevitable it would collapse both Deganawidah and Randidly came to a realization Randidly blinked unable to understand Deganawidah blanched
Because they both recognized the source of that energy Lowana the Nether Arbiter had deployed the barrier to protect her people Using only the skimmed ambient energy that gathered around her true power as Randidly had helped honed her capabilities but still With how numbed her control likely was from combat she sat on a precarious perch
Despite that she was unable to sit by and watch her people be annihilated
In RandidlyÆs heart he knew her action meant she had an answer for his impossible question
Deganawidah tore away from Randidly and Randidly let him go without any regret Right now he would take a little bit of unexpected assistance The Songstress of Absence crooned out a muttered disappointment but she allowed her image manifestation to dissipate and return to RandidlyÆs body His emotional sea sloshed back and forth so much reused emotions seeping back into him with the departure
He felt his heart pound and his Nether Core swirl torn between relief and the humming collapse of a sated animal
Surging across the sky with a blanket of inky Nether behind him Deganawidah smothered HomewellÆs powerful strike like he simply pinched out a candle But then he turned away from the Aether forces entirely and flowed down to LowannaÆs position His powerful Nether spun around creating a new storm centered on that position
Both sides watched uneasily for several seconds but Deganawidah did not re emerge and rain death once more upon the Aether forces A collected sigh emerged from the wary warriors that had been squeezed and ground down between the two armies and Randidly felt himself sighing right along with them
Almost there to the most powerful individuals in existence He looked down at his hand and then made a fist But still just a little short huh
He shook his head and glanced up at the sky He ignored PineÆs presence and looked beyond to the Aether architecture that had been built up into the Nexus Those massive gears that would create and gulp down a new Cohort glittered in the distance Waiting for someone with an insane plot to pull the right levers With the transformation of his image into a powerful new form he had the last piece he needed for the second attempt on the impossible
Kethope leaned back in her chair and folded her arms Her joints ached from too long spent holding together a race that seemed intent on tearing itself to shreds Obviously we need to take advantage of this opportunity The question for your featherless chickens is what we are going to do while the Nether forces are confused Without a plan we will squander what little chance of survival remains to us
The members of the impromptu council glanced back and forth between each other largely looking more queasy from earlier casualty reports than they were thrilled to stake a raid on the otherÆs camp At the far end of the table the usual blowhard Ilwan with his golden armor inlaid across his shell sat and brooded while looking at the melted stump of his arm
KethopeÆs gaze briefly brushed against CeruleanÆs The raptor construct had its arm completely ripped away from its body and maintained the wound like a badge of armor Its usually oppressive sapphire energy hung close to its body evidence of the expansive struggle it claimed to have happened
Of course Kethope had been in the LifesealÆs observation platform Very few others possessed enough presence of mind to pay attention to anything but saving their own lives let alone the capability to witness a fight of the caliber Hungry Eye and Deganawidah demonstrated Therefore rumors were spreading that painted Cerulean in a much more capable light than he deserved
Kethope gritted her teeth And none of his subordinates lived to share the news of his weakness Almost a bit too coincidental
Not that she wished him dead his life had been the whole reason for her fixation If Fatia Cerulean had truly been about to die she would have needed to take responsibility and go out personally there were no other Turtlelines she trusted to be able to stand their ground against Deganawidah And watching CeruleanÆs defenses being ripped up from the ground as the Nether Monster stalked forward made her doubt she would have had a much better time trying to slow him down
The only reason we held long enough to have this opportunity is Nether King Hungry Eye Kethope pressed her lips together But being the first to acknowledge that
Where is Nether King Hungry Eye One of the captains of the free companies raised her hand in confusion The beast woman tilted her head to the side as she spoke to the group an unconscious tell regarding where she believed to fit within the hierarchy Which was an accurate reading of her standing but made her words doubly damning Surely considering his contributions to the defense he should have been invited