Chapter 2108

Chapter 2108

Randidly observed Tuthak Eloise and his undulating tentacles beneath the bulging auspices of his white robe. My instincts still feel that he’s powerful, but don’t react especially strongly to his presence... but if he had the same strength in the Second Cohort that I sensed now... I might have missed a few details about the current him. Plus-

Congratulations! Your Skill Tapestry of Ten Thousand Radiances (M) has grown to Level 693!

The energy within the octopus man’s body was tense and looped together in layers so neat and tidy they had to be purposeful. Randidly’s Grim Intuition easily scanned and reacted to the outer layers, but his new awareness of energy allowed him to steadily pierce deeper and deeper into Tuthak to see that even brighter layers of energy were waiting within him under the ‘display’ layers. What he found there were waves of emotional power that he had only ever sensed from Devick at her most unhinged.

Maybe Tuthak has a chance to fight and overthrow Elhume after all, Randidly thought, almost uncomfortable with the prospect. And at the realization, there were still a few more powerful fighters in the Nexus he couldn’t fathom.

Mae Myrna stepped forward and brought Randidly’s attention back to the situation at hand. “Apologies for the delay, we ran into a bit of rough weather on the way over. But I’m sure we both know how important this issue is, there is no need for us to dawdle: provide your proof and we will return to Elhume with our report-”

“Wait,” The left white-robed figure interrupted. He raised a scaled finger and jabbed it at Randidly’s chest. “What about him? Why did you bring a Nether King to this meeting?”

Mae grinned. “Isn’t there a beauty in equity? There are three of you and three of us now.”

“You fucking brought a Nether King just to equal out our numbers?” The figure’s face was still hidden behind his cloak, but he released an ominous image of suffocating darkness. Randidly would have bet money he was glaring from within the shadows of the hood. “If those insane fools in Wyndaos hear about this meeting, they will attempt to interfere. We do not have the spare energy to handle the hassle of the Nether.”

“He gave his word. I trust him with my life,” Mae replied. She gestured vaguely toward Randidly. “Besides, don’t you just feel like he had to be here for this? But fine, I’ll give you a concrete reason. His honest curiosity is the sort of test we need; you’ve already primed us for what you’ll be showing us today, but he has no idea. His response... will be very informative.”

The left figure finally shut up at that, and Randidly gave Mae another glance. Beside him, Fiero groaned slightly but kept his peace.

“Fine then,” Tuthak said. He produced a small metal box covered in glittering Engravings. They flashed and flare quickly, clearly on the verge of breaking down under the pressure of containing whatever was within the box. The lock rattled. His beady eyes fixated on each of them for a single second. Then he disengaged the lock and pulled back the lid.

Randidly felt his body gasping, but he was somewhere else. An intoxicating golden radiance seeped out of the open box; it was like standing on top of the most rugged mountain range and having a sunset occur only a few meters away from where he was standing. The majesty was so close to him that he could see the minute details of its every aspect; he couldn’t decide where to dedicate his attention. Waves of light and color seeped in hazy, almost artistic lines. A series of overlapping halos surrounded the central wisp of energy that caused the phenomenon.

His Nether Core began to rev like a drunk farmer trying to start a lawnmower.

Congratulations! Due to resonance with your body, your Skill is evolving!

Congratulations! Your Skill Tapestry of Ten Thousand Radiances (M) has evolved into The Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae (P)(U). Skill Level will be maintained!

Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae (P)(U): The unique blend of talent and effort created by Randidly Ghosthound as he seeks to master both Aether and Nether. Only usable due to his remade body and incredibly high Stats. Pushed to the Pinnacle due to encountering several clues and a genuine remnant of the Shallah during his travels. Allows the observation and categorization of all energies that can be imagined. The shadow of the Apostate Moirae lays heavily across the Skill, birthed in a false memory that should not exist. With the Skill, it is possible to encounter several energies that never existed. By sensing the energies, control over other energies becomes slightly easier. Provides Randidly Ghosthound with extensive information on his opponents with just a glance. Provides an intuitive understanding of the universe and interactions between various energies. Vastly boosts the creation of Engravings and Nether Rituals by Randidly Ghosthound. Effects increase with Skill Level.

If earning Tapestry of Ten Thousand Radiances and engaging with his new senses had left Randidly stunned, this completely erased his senses. In the end, everything was energy; all matter was simply filaments burning at different frequencies. He floated there, within the sphere of his new Skill, simply growing accustomed to the feeling.

But unlike the wild and constant pressure he had grown accustomed to, this Skill was his, totally and completely. As he pulled back, the flows around him grew more muted. He found himself still sitting, the trio who had brought the wisp of the Shallah in the box had vanished, leaving only mud puddles in their wake.

Mae crouched in front of him, offering him a cup. “Want some water?”

Randidly nodded and took the drink. He began trying to organize his thoughts while his throat moved. Because while he felt a certain sort of excitement to know he stumbled across the main even of this particular memory, there was a problem.

Yes, he had witnessed a fraction of what a Shallah could accomplish. The natural order generated by this being was indeed enough to create an entire alternate universe. It gave entirely new meaning to the term Pinnacle. He suddenly understood Neveah and the Pantheon’s worry entirely; just training wouldn’t bridge that gap, even if Elhume had only partially made it to the Pinnacle.

However.

However, Randidly had felt no connection of significance to the present when he had looked upon Pine’s sleeping form. Which meant that the Pine he had seen there didn’t exist by the time of the Seventh Cohort.

What he didn’t know was whether that meant that innocent being came to a bad end or whether the display he had just seen had been faked. Both seemed vaguely impossible, but for different reasons: How could a universe’s spirit be killed or removed? Alternatively, if this faction in white robes was powerful enough to fake a Shallah, why were they messing around and trying to head to the core of the Nexus?

“You are probably curious about that group, right? I dragged you into this, so I’ll try and give some context,” Mae said. Distantly, Randidly heard Fiero sigh. “That group is called the Savior Cult. They didn’t appear until the Second Wave; most of their number came into the alternate universe purposefully. It is pretty apparent that this wasn’t the first alternate universe they entered into. We... believe the core group of that faction is ancient beyond reason. Thousands or tens of thousands of years old. Obviously, Elhume was deeply suspicious when they contacted him, trying to tell him that his son was still alive, and about to wake up. But this...”

Mae trailed off. She frowned down at the ground. Even her good cheer seemed to fade somewhat. When she looked back up at Randidly, her eyes were shining. “You saw him too, didn’t you? Pine. It wouldn’t be right not to try and help him, now that we know he’s there.”