When the first pain left Randidly had time to release a long breath If it stayed like this he would definitely be able to persist through several waves of pain The HomunculiÆs excitement rose even further He could almost imagine the image twisting its neck at an impossible angle to peer down into its opened chest
As he sucked in another breath the second wave of pain arrived Light and incendiary at first quickly deepening to a sharp chill that penetrated to his bones More than anything else it reminded Randidly of a combination of the light radiation and entropy layers of the Hierarchy of Burden
Randidly shifted uncomfortably acknowledging this would likely not be as easy as he had first expected
The third wave of pain finally brought a mental component A stomping strained headache like the many Randidly had acquired juggling all his abilities were the central component while his flesh seemed to ignite and tear itself away from his bones Perhaps even more ominously this wave of pain lasted much longer than the previous ones stretching to almost five minutes
A whole new worry clouded his expression with a frown but when he actually checked he released a soft sigh Looks like part of the passage of time is just mental The first two waves were thirty seconds but that third only lasted a minute despite the sensation Tsk but that means forcing my way through the Path could take a while
The fourth wave of pain arrived Yet it was a peculiar pain Rather than any harm to his flesh Randidly felt the almost unfamiliar sensation of fear An overwhelming fear poured into every inch of his body causing him to tremble and shake He felt like the blood was being drained out of his entire body devoured by a hungry entity capable of devouring him He squeezed his eyes tightly closed and endured it
The fifth wave was loneliness that old foe of RandidlyÆs
For what seemed to be an hour he swam through oblivion with no hope of release
It was almost a relief when the sixth wave arrived and it was once more pain Horrible thorn covered spikes plunged again and again through RandidlyÆs body but he could at least resist this more effectively than the mental attacks
During the lull between the sixth and seventh waves there was a knock at the door Randidly raised his head and squinted Who is it
Me Neveah replied ItÆs almost time to start bringing people into the Alpha Cosmos Considering the number of individuals coming and the disintegration of the memory structure if we donÆt start now we might run into trouble Are you ready
RandidlyÆs stomach bubbled He bit his lip then bounded to his feet and rushed over to a trashcan in the corner He opened his mouth and vomited as the worst sensation of nausea he had ever experienced seized him In the wake of the upheaval it felt like acid had been sprinkled across his stomach After a few seconds of wavering Randidly dry heaved expelling little more than stomach acid
The Dread Homunculus made a noise of interest and made a note
IÆm gonna need a minute Randidly panted
Chapter 2348
A small squirrel with two tails sat on a granite outcropping its expression blank as it chittered and gnawed on the severed finger of a yeti The small trophy was all that remained of the being that had previously held sway over the North face of the mountain With this last challenge vanquished none would challenge it for supremacy in the area
The squirrelÆs eyes traced the horizon as it considered the limits of this grand planet known as Expira The glitter in its eyes was not necessarily wisdom but definitely the seeds of ambition had been planted as it had rose to the absolute apex of the surrounding plateau Now it saw how its dominion could expand
Adventuring humanoids occasionally passed through its domain but the squirrel saw these interlopers as the positive sign that is was Based on the extra fur layers they hung across their persons the humanoids came from rich lands If the squirrel could expand its territory to include all the nut and fur producing lands in the entire world
A portal wrenched open nearby spitting out hunks of sizzling blue Mana For a second it wavered before settling down on the stone top of the mountain The squirrel king chittered angrily and hopped sideways to avoid the discharge When a humanoid figure stepped through the portal and glanced around the squirrel king decided to change its nonaggression pact with these fools No longer could they rely upon its generosity for safe passage
It drew itself up to its full height two tails fluffing up to double their usual size If they believed that this king would allow foreigners to walk all over him
Alabaster Finale
A gleaming feather flashed An overwhelming image of destruction cut down unwilling to brook any alien elements in its path The two tailed squirrel king only had a split second to react to the most powerful attack it had ever seen With its max Level and the bud of an image burning in its chest it just barely managed to twitch sideways and avoid the strike Its body twitched sideways as it wrung every drop of potential out of his wiry body
It turned out that it would be the last movement of its life
Its life as a two tailed squirrel king that is
With one of its tails severed and dribbling blood the squirrel fled The tall humanoid with arms covered in ivory feathers noticed the squirrel avoiding the killing strike but it acted like the squirrel king was beneath its notice In open mockery it turned away from the clear blood trail Instead the being folded his feathered arms and observed the surrounding plateaus with their meandering crags their small streams their harsh rock outcroppings and scraggly pine trees
Even these wild lands seemed beneath the beingÆs notice
A few seconds later the portal spat out more energy and additional humanoids appeared The squirrel king chittered out his plans for revenge at least a dozen trees away and hiding in the foliage but his chitterings fell off as humanoids just kept coming through the horrible portal Soon more humanoids had appeared than the squirrel king had ever seen They spread out and covered the entire mountain Several used small motions of the hand in order to cut down some of the tallest and finest nut producing trees
One of the latecomers moved to stand next to that warrior with alabaster feathers who clearly represented the pinnacle of humanoid attainment The squirrel kingÆs impression was reinforced as the other individual bowed Sir all our troops have made it through the portal No threats of note were detected in the surrounding area And this is to be our new lands Truly A higher Nether content is worrisome but the quality of the Aether
The Nether King said that an area almost the size of the entire Aetherlands around this portal is uninhabited It is hard to consider but I doubt he lied Even so arrange for both patrols in the immediate vicinity and far ranging scouts The Alabaster warrior spoke with the tone of one who knew he would be obeyed It is for the best if we can make contact with the locals as soon as possible The Nether King might have positioned the decision to put us out here in the isolated area as generosity but I suspect he hides something We cannot remain blind
The squirrel king observed the regal bearing of the feathered humanoid He stood on his back legs and straightened his spine waving his paws around imperiously in imitation He promptly fell on his face his balance thrown off by the missing tail
The subordinate shivered The Nether King did you sense the tightly contained fury of his expression Some of the soldiers they whisper about walking past the Nether King already on their way to enter the portal It felt more draining than hours of battle A few will need some time before they have recovered
The alabaster figure closed his eyes A warning I have no doubt Even though the energy only churned within his body it was apparent the force there would be overwhelming if unleashed Which is why we must now move cautiously From his explanations of what he will do next his attention will be largely focused outward and under no circumstances do we wish to be the reason he needs to break that vigil