IsnÆt that why weÆve accumulated so much power Neveah poked Randidly in the side So you can Seize the moment
did you really just make a joke Randidly furrowed his brows Right now of all times
IÆm surprisingly free Neveah lifted her chin No one is attacking us yet
The energies of the working gurgled and seethed A thick liquid Aether formed a dense pool in the middle of the pillars A thousand small ripples fought and bred within the liquid energy a chaos that not even Randidly could see through
Just what the hell are you waiting for Elhume Randidly scowled Then he forced himself to relax as he breathed and did his best to recover his mental energy
Chapter 2358
Actus Suprem DevickÆs fingers were slick with blood yet her grin kept stretching wider and wider as she considered the sublime work of art she had woven Generally she considered Elhume an unimaginative prick but this plan had flair
Exactly her favorite iron flavored flair
It had been hard following the myriad traces and hooking the juicy meat waiting at the end but she had managed it Her image trembled in anticipation jangling chains of rust leading out to each of her targets Innumerable sweet meat fresh meat aged meat rotten meat The work of thousands of delis over hundreds of years After a week of focused effort she felt the usual triumphant exultation of success Just as quickly boredom arrived
It was an occupational hazard to being a prestigious person such as herself
And next Devick asked over her shoulder
For several long seconds the blurry form of Elhume didnÆt respond Its energy had been erratic in the last hour but Devick previously hadnÆt been so idle as to really take notice Now she felt a desire she believed long suppressed at the inconsistency she felt the overpowering impulse to pounce and attack Elhume He felt weak to her sensitive tongue
Not yet Devick chided herself She raised a hand and rubbed the corner of her mouth in case any drool had leaked I am a just and kind mother All this ehhehe yes this is all to prepare a platform for my cute son to have his ascension More than anything else isnÆt the act of motherhood one of innate generosity Perfectly describes one such as myself
although obviously if the Ghosthound putters around I will graciously also clean up after him A motherÆs toil never ceases
Next we drag them to us on their knees Elhume rumbled
The Actus Suprem squealed in anticipation boredom and treason forgotten Threads of rust color madness leaked out of her body ready to insinuate themselves into the entire Nexus The whisper of torture metal on metal spread throughout the entire Nexus
The giant array created by the Upper Sonara Society continued to crawl its way wider and wider requiring truly an impressive amount of energy to keep it running Aether lines were carefully carved and supported in their gradual evolution Randidly sat and meditated above the working partially observing its progress partially waiting impatiently for some change to manifest in the sky but also pulling his Aether and Nether into tight rotations within his body
The two flows ran opposite one another grinding against each other and eliminating impurities His body heated up from the constant friction generated between the two energies but it wasnÆt even enough for his HomunculiÆs Engineered Adaption to trigger Heat swirled about himù while his energies ground each other down into their purest form he drew ephemeral landscapes with the vapor rising from his body
Cosmic wind rising from the Engravings below swept through and distorted the misty reproduction of Donnyton while he moved on to sculpt Kharon He continued to work enjoying the distraction while he prepared his energy for the fight of his life
Congratulations Your Skill Motif of Unimagined Tolls has grown to Level 1150
yet still the final confrontation lingered right beyond his awareness Soon he had gone through every geographic formation on Expira that he knew without any further developments The Engraving continued to ooze its way outward
Randidly grinned He pointed and the drop spun and twisted flowing like liquid and gleaming like a gem Yet this was only the beginning While he was satisfied with this piece he needed more Randidly began working through each drop of liquid Aether taking it apart reinforcing and upgrading the insides and then reforming them
He felt his mental energy beginning to grow sluggish but he continued making drops of liquid Aether even after he had finished refining the old ones He pushed his mind until he had thirteen gleaming drops of energy hovering in the air in front of him
Congratulations Your Skill Apostate MoiraeÆs Seditious Touch has grown to Level 1313
Congratulations Your Skill DeviationÆs Inevitable Machinations has grown to Level 1755
in the middle of the intoxicating process Randidly heard the noise of chains rattling that also somewhat sounded like delighted laughter Madness ran a finger along his cheek
His eyes snapped open the process half finished In his awareness the isolating bubble began to crumble and fall At first he frowned but then a bitter expression twisted up the corners of his mouth Ah Well itÆs a little less bullshit like this A Reprieve is limited by your awareness of threats I had been prepared for Elhume to come at the head of the army or even to move by himself to crush us But for it to be Actus Suprem Devick
The chains rattled once more The noise seemed to originate from all around the area from the length and breadth of the Nexusù her madness had risen to encompass them all Randidly looked down at the Engraving Ritual to understand the scope of the threat against him However looking at the Engraving which still continued to grow he couldnÆt really understand
Randidly frowned ItÆs not an attack But that power
Her image sent chills down his spine From this distance it was impossible to tell the depth of darkness lurking in her heart But the shape of the image felt oppressive even for the current Randidly
The chains rattled again closer The Engraving faltered but not due to any attack for a brief moment the flow of energy into the array slowed
Lyra who had been standing next to Nathaz Eloise at the edges of the Engraving bent forward and vomited out blood
At that very moment Randidly understood He almost wished he hadnÆt Fuck They are doing a version of exactly our same attack An indiscriminate offensive But while we are trying to go after the NexusÆs supply of Aether they are targeting Grand Fates ElhumeÆs had Devick lace chains and madness through them all And now sheÆs hauling them back
Neveah flitted to RandidlyÆs side She nodded in agreement their thoughts moving together Stronger individuals can resist the pull after all Devick is targeting the whole of the Nexus with her effort
The chains came again loud and demanding
Fuck sheÆs a monster Randidly said impressed despite himself Did you feel that
Neveah gave him a harsh look DonÆt get distracted Your feelings toward Devick are complicated enough as it is but this isnÆt the pure hearted version youÆve come to appreciate This Devick is broken and hollow and wants to stuff you up inside her innards Or put her hand up your ass and use you to tapdance Domineering this definitely is but this is who you need to overcome And also
Randidly tilted his head to the side Neveah bit her lip ItÆs not quite correct to believe this method is similar to the Upper Sonara SocietyÆs It is a broad and indiscriminate attack yes but I suspect this isnÆt the endgame IÆm even more concerned with what followsù what does Elhume want Devick to do when she rips out Grand Fates from most of the Nexus and gathers them in one place
Chapter 2359
Devicks image tugging on all the Grand Fates in the Nexus had kicked the hive of the Upper Sonara Society The area around the Engraving buzzed with activity Only a token group remained behind to guard the members of the Xyrt Brigade The rest chattered about this newest threat