Chapter 1962

Chapter 1962

The two fighters moved toward each other at rapid speeds. Their tendons stood out from their arms; the muscles of their legs bulged with each accelerating step. Their spears seemed to bend as they whipped the weapons around to face their opponent. When they met, the encounter almost seemed choreographed.

Thrust, block, dodge, advance, cut, sweep, hop, slash, thrust, dodge...

Randidly’s eyes followed the movements. Both possessed impeccable spearmanship. They were variants on different themes. Even from a glance, Randidly could tell Illdan came from the Spearman School where Daemont appeared to have heavy influences from the Death School, which he believed to have been all but extinguished during the Wight’s invasion. The surprise of his movements was a brief, if pleasant, diversion.

Illdan utilized grace, leaving a dozen small cuts on Daemont’s body from subtle strikes. Daemont’s eyes blazed with something very like hatred as he attempted to pin down the younger man and crush him. Eventually, his patience paid off and he unleashed a sinister thrust that Illdan was forced to block with his spear.

Both blazed with emotion and image power. Both refused to give up ground before the other.

The arena shivered, the growing cracks started by Tykes and, continually enhanced by every fight after that, leaving the entire location shuddering with the possibility of collapse. A few more good impacts would demolish the entire building.

Tatiana would be quite mad if I let that happen, Randidly resisted the urge to glance over at her. Undoubtedly, she was calculating costs even at this moment.

Illdan advanced, paving a path for himself with sharp thrusts. Daemont didn’t dodge at all, instead, he welcomed the possibility of trading several quick wounds for one quelling sweep of his spear. But then Illdan was gone, ghosting backward out of his opponent’s range before an attack could land.

Advance, sidestep, cut, roar, chase, thrust, thrust, thrust.

Yet even as he cataloged their movements with his eyes, Randidly’s mind wandered. He felt slightly uneasy, likely because he didn’t dare use the First Authority to stabilize the arena, afraid he would affect the fighters with the presence of his active Nether. Meanwhile, his mind fixed on the letter that Neveah had discovered within all those educational Engraving series Yystrix had left.

Based on the timeline that Neveah had provided-

Another impact shook the arena. Randidly crooked a finger, unwilling to let Tatiana’s worst fears come to pass. Under the pressure from his Grey Monarch’s Authority, air in the area twisted and wove itself into roots and tightened around the stage. He carefully activated only the Skill, with none of the potency his image could bring. Even if the fighting shook the location to pieces, it wouldn’t fall apart.

Congratulations! Your Skill The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty (P) has grown to Level 890!

-based on Neveah’s timeline, it would take years before she could decode the main message. She could interpret a few words, but she had hit a dead end with that method; it would be faster just to reveal it the old-fashioned way, by learning all the Engravings and revealing the inner portion.

But Randidly wondered if he could accelerate the process by taking apart the movie of her memories that Yystrix as left, using Nether. Perhaps he could obtain some clue from what he saw there. Because Yystrix-

His Nether Core twinged painfully. Randidly grimaced and pressed a hand against his chest. The sharp pains were becoming increasingly frequent in these past few days. His emotional affect training had almost been entirely derailed. He probably needed to make a decision about his Nether transformation soon. Even his powerful Nether Core had difficulty teetering on the brink of a transformation for so long.

Kimpap (the vaguely familiar middle-aged woman from Tellus) v. Wivanya

Paolo v. Mrs. Hamilton

DiOrtho Vant v. Charlotte Wick

Hank Howard v. Wolfram

Allowaen v. Li Hong (the smiling old man who Randidly sensed had a strong connection to Arbor)

Drake v. Kayle

And Finally, Illdan v. Beatrice

The most talented individuals in the Alpha Cosmos.

Randidly’s eyes blazed for a second as he went through the names once more. These would be the finalists for the tournament, and the winners of the next match would need to demonstrate capability far beyond what they had displayed this round if they wanted to threaten them. Some part of the Grey Creature stirred; it had been increasingly restive lately, likely due to the threat he hoped they would present.

But his Nether Core churned with such momentum he couldn’t imagine himself losing. Randidly looked down at his hands. After how far I’ve come... especially since Vant will probably knock out Charlotte to be the only member of the Vulpis Squad to join the challenge, how could they rival me?

“Also,” Randidly spoke aloud, bemused with himself. “Isn’t the whole point to show them the level of the Nexus? Why the hell would I want them to threaten me?”

Yggdrasil activated unconsciously to demonstrate the fullness of his presence. The emerald canopy spread behind Randidly, radiating the first light of the first dawn of existence. Everything was new, pure, and raw, burning with potential. His skin tingled. He felt his power swelling as he settled into the proper emotional affect, allowing his feelings to ebb and flow in the manner he learned from the Ashes of Helen Path. His spirit soared and his entire Skyisland began to hum with the force of his image.

The silver moonlight spirits followed the grooves of his will, becoming a massive silver tree that reached up to hold up the sky and down to grip the ground.

Randidly’s mouth twisted into a grin. With all the progress I’ve made with emotional affect for my images... aside from the slight problem of the Unborn Duo in the Stillborn Phoenix... I’ll cut them to pieces-

His Nether Core twinged. Randidly scowled then shook his head. If the pain was triggered by him going all out, that might be a problem. After napping, he would need to ponder the issue of shifting his Nether Core, so he wouldn’t need to hold back.

“And then...” Randidly’s mind flitted to the Patron of Feathers and the need she represented. “I’ll need to return to the Nexus... obtain Tier 3 Citizenship, and finally see the last group of monsters that have been hiding in the Nexus. How many of them, I wonder, are at the Speculum Tier...?

”What is waiting for me back at the Nexus? How will they react to my defeat of Commandant Wick?”