Chapter 1775

Chapter 1775

It only took a moment for the expression on Shal’s face to harden once more. Perhaps due to his own emotional surge, his features became a little more clear on the shade: that open eye in the center of his forehead fixated on Randidly. “You will pay for your flippant attitude, boy.”

Randidly raised Acri and his three images roared to life. For now, he cast the natural energy back down to his tails to manage while he accumulated more. At the moment, increasingly powerful waves of force radiated out from the white dwarf array. Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil. Grit of the Ascendant Bane. Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart.

Congratulations! Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane (T) has grown to Level 420!

Congratulations! Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 426!

While empowering his body further, Randidly created a wall of gravity to create a firm foundation for a primarily physical attack. But although he didn’t yet unleash it, the natural energy his tails manipulated added mass to each of his movements. At the moment, it was like Randidly carried a portion of the dangerous warzone on his shoulders.

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!

For the first time in their fight, the shade was stopped dead by Randidly’s attack. Two more bodies drifted out from its edges, which once again seemed to firm Shal’s control over the image; a little more emotional affect leaked outward. True rage could be seen in the tight lines around his closed eyes.

Randidly’s joints ached from the impact, even through the overwhelming combination of his body and physical Stats. At the same time, that perfect emotional frequency was lost; once more he felt the authentic liveliness of his images diminish. The sensation of feeling himself dimming was not pleasant, but he squashed the frustration before it could develop into a distraction.

At the very least, he had definitely earned Shal’s attention with that last strike. His tails took the brief window to spool in more energy ripples to within his person.

“I’m not being flippant; I truly saved Tellus from the Nexus,” Randidly said. Sulfur used the kinetic force from the last impact to help shift into position on his left arm. “Why would I lie about that? If you stop fighting on the side of the Swacc Family, I can prove it to you. Tellus-”

However, something in the shade’s expression made him trail off. Shal seemed so exhausted. Even as its weapons continued to gleam with increasing deadliness, it lowered its daggers and its body sagged.

“Even if what you say is true, it is only delaying the inevitable,” Shal responded. “Can you compare to the overwhelming force of the Speculum? Or even those lessor powers that rule this place? Your foolish optimism... will only lead to you breaking yourself when reality comes knocking.”

Randidly felt his expression tighten and the image of Helen’s corpse appeared in his mind once more. Something dark and hopeless stirred in his chest, immediately destabilizing his emotional output further. But he forced himself to move past it. He focused on the strain of hosting all the energy ripples from the battlefield. The burning sensation grounded him.

I hate seeing you like this Shal. Was your pride really so fragile? Randidly opened his mouth to ask but hesitated.

Sulfur cracked a large portion of his left forearm in order to settle into place. Randidly licked his lips and avoided the deeper questions that plagued him. “And yet here I am, rivaling twenty people with your pointless outlook. I’ll teach you how much we can accomplish, even if I need to carve it into your body.”

Randidly flexed the fingers of his new left hand, adjusting his normal grip on Acri to suit this new limb. He flicked the tip of his weapon to the side, tracing the invisible and amble lines of natural energy. The shade had no response to his promise. Shal’s expression remained strained and lined as the shade charged toward Randidly.

Nether Weight flames surged along his body as he settled himself into a coiled position and created a plate of gravity beneath his feet. His muscles were spasming slightly as the natural energy continue to press against him, but still, he ignored it for now. Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart. The Implacable Price of Exodus. The Wrathful Calamity Rends.

Congratulations! Your Skill Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart (T) has grown to Level 348!

Congratulations! Your Skill the Vindictive Chimera Smites (M) has grown to Level 337!

Congratulations! Your Skill the Vindictive Chimera Smites (M) has grown to Level 338!

That time, as Randidly’s legs exploded and his whole person became a spear, he felt the way that his emotional force pushed his Skills to a slightly higher height, carrying up their Skill Level in the process. But then he lost himself in the pure adrenaline of the fight, adjusting the vector of his spear to intercept a dagger.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko (T) has grown to Level 451!

Randidly thrust and Acri shook the surrounding space with the force of the battlefield, all of the accumulated natural energy gathered into a single point. Finally, he released the tight grip he had kept on the natural energy. The shade whipped its dagger around, but the grey and gold beam that erupted from the tip of Acri punched a hole directly through the image’s side.

VROOOOOOOOSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!

The shade shivered and disintegrated into pieces, revealing three more floating bodies that were clearly unconscious and then seven stunned individuals in silver uniforms, including Shal. However, Randidly was briefly distracted as his eyes followed the beam he unleashed, which shot across the battlefield and smashed into one of the back columns of the Swacc Family that were assaulting the dug in remnants of the Engraving Guild.

The large metal golem had its back caved in from the force, and unlike Randidly’s attack against the shade, perhaps a hundred individuals were it directly by the steadily expanding beam. He watched those people disintegrate within the laser he unleashed.

Well, we are on opposite sides anyway, Randidly felt exhausted after he finally released all that natural force, but kept himself focused. He turned to Shal and gestured sharply with Acri. That was the decisive blow he had been waiting for; now Shal would be swayed.

But Shal’s expression crumpled when their eyes met. Randidly’s master sighed. “Fine. You win, Randidly. I suppose... I suppose we are different sorts of people.”

“You-” Randidly blinked. This was supposed to be the decisive proof that they could fight against the System. Yet looking at Shal’s face, all he felt was disappointment. This was their third confrontation, their fight with everything on the line.

Yet at the end of it, Randidly tightened his grip on his spear and felt empty.

You weren’t supposed to just rollover. This was supposed to wake you up. This fight should have been enough to reach you, right? Isn’t that what you taught me? That between master and student, the differences needed to be resolved with a spear? So why...

Randidly forced himself to speak, unwilling to allow that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach to grow stronger. “Why won’t you believe me? Isn’t this proof enough that I can-”

Randidly jerked backward to avoid a blast of pure, invisible, silent oblivion that streaked through the position where he had just been floating. It was only due to a sudden tingle along his ethereal upper tail that he even managed it, despite the distance. He watched the space filled by that attack with wide eyes. The Grey Creature and the Stillborn Phoenix warned that getting hit with that would have been extremely dangerous.

A powerful figure rapidly accelerated out of the main base of the Swacc forces. Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he watched them approach. Looks like I was a bit too eye-catching, especially if they intend to eliminate witnesses. Ah, no wonder Lady Iellaya is glaring at me, even while fighting...

...they probably won’t believe I’m too exhausted to try that again, huh?

And despite that, Shal-

Randidly gathered himself as best he could as the figure neared. And when he saw the six tails, his face twisted into a grimace.

“Mr. Ghosthound, I must say I’m quite surprised,” Techetadore’s eyes glittered as he slowed to a stop next to Shal. “Despite your appearance, you are remarkably capable, aren’t you? Shal, take the rest of your squad back to the base to recuperate. Each force the Swacc Family sends after you seems to mysteriously fail.

“But. That ends today.” Techetadore’s eyes turned white and his six tails spread out around him. Shal nodded woodenly. Randidly twitched, wanting to say something, but he felt the feral killing intent of the Vulpine making his skin tingle. Just as much as he wanted to force this conversation with Shal, he dared not push further.

What if Shal continued to disappoint? Then all the effort he had poured into their relationship-

Techetadore smirked. “I think you’ll find that I’m not such an easy foe to avoid. Succumb.”

Another completely imperceptible blast of destruction erupted from the Foxman’s fingertips.