Chapter 2321

Chapter 2321

Randidly kept his breathing even as his heartbeat quickened from the familiar thrill of conflict. He ignored the shifts happening in the environment as the World State image began to seep beneath his own images and influence the surrounding space. He balanced on a precipice as he met the descending judgment from the Monarch of Karma, both with kinetic force and his images. He carefully plucked the tools he needed and fought against the rare force manifested in the sky in the form of a sword of light.

Randidly looked up with a pained expression at the most recent clash. His muscles had begun to ache; he might regret his bold statement that he feared no slugging matches. Not only was the grind of Nether against Aether uncomfortable, but he couldn’t figure out any other way for his images to efficiently become involved. It was aggravating, but Mae Myrna’s concept of ‘deserve’ and Randidly’s Yggdrasil didn’t have a great matchup against one another.

Yes, the World Tree towered powerfully in the space around the skyisland. Because of its dominance there, even as more and more tiny chips of crystalized Aether appeared in the sword of light wielded by the Monarch of Karma, Randidly held its own by utilizing the overwhelming Status of his body and his exceedingly dense Nether. Yet at the same time, while Yggdrasil stretched toward the sky and cast a longer shadow, the world-state image slid underneath the area of Randidly’s influence, trying to shift the fabric of existence.

Even now, Randidly didn’t have a particularly deep understanding of world-state images. He had assisted Mae Myrna in creating this monstrosity, albeit without thinking too much about the process at the time, but mostly he helped create a pattern it could use to propagate. But the principles and narcissism required to make use of them remained a mystery. So as the Monarch of Karma adjusted the world, Randidly did the only thing he could.

He advanced, although in a very particular fashion.

The roots of the World Tree dug even more deeply into existence, avoiding the surface layers adjusted by the foe. If this world began to change its face, Randidly would sink down toward its core to drink pure energy.

Congratulations! Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) has grown to Level 1065!

...

Congratulations! Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) has grown to Level 1091!

He watched his opponent with sharp eyes, waiting for an opening. With the partially restarted temporal acceleration in the area, Randidly at least was still making progress on his challenge against the impossible. But an already daunting task would become pure torture if Randidly didn’t manage to quell the world-state image before the Pinancle event occurred. Without a concrete opponent’s image for his images to attack, he could only observe and hone his execution.

It’s possible that perhaps using either Seize or Intangible Burial will be necessary, Randidly calculated as he thrust out his spear. But will it truly end with just these two?

In response to his most recent attack, the Monarch of Karma swung his sword while trying to advance the influence of ‘deserving’. The two combatants fought like this, both deepening the influence of their images, both gathering more momentum to their prowess, for almost a full minute without any notable changes. In a high-speed clash like this one, a world-wrenching crash had exploded out thirty-seven times.

The surrounding sky, still both forced into acceleration by Randidly’s strumming and frozen back toward ‘proper’ time by Mae’s image, became thick and calcified. Despite that, the sheer force of the images on display cracked and sundered the sky in multiple directions, so wide chasms of the abyss opened up in the previous milky vistas.

Congratulations! Your Skill the World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) has grown to Level 1101!

Devick looked at him for a long second. He had to turn away, focusing all his intent on the foe in front of him. His Nether Core roared, filled to bursting with significance as currents of Nether flowed outward through his veins. All that potential exploded out of his body, through his limbs, and into Acri. A massive spear ripped upward and deflected the Monarch of Karma’s attack.

When he turned back, Devick squinted at him. “Are you making fun of me? Launch an attack on the Patron of Truth? I’d break my fist punching her stomach. Even I can see that.”

Randidly could only chuckle as his attention swiveled back to the blow from the Monarch of Karma. This time when he thrust out Acri in response, he moved Nether in two directions, creating an inner rotation and outer rotation. Significance seethed and sparked along the boundary between those energies and conveying an overwhelming aura of Nether Weight to the strike. His spear rushed up and impacted the descending blade.

For the first time in the last dozen exchanges, the power of the Monarch’s Aether stuttered before Randidly’s strike. His smile widened and he looked back at Devick. He didn’t linger on the physical but observed the flow of energy through her body. Should I tell her? No, probably the effect would be lessened if she didn’t take action based on faith...

Yggdrasil released waves of roots to dig down through the layers of existence and pull energy, but as time went on, more and more of those roots began to spiral toward Devick’s position. They formed an interchange of energy right below where she squatted, with gossamer thin golden threads stretching out to connect to her body. Due to her presence, Yggdrasil had a slightly easier time.

And Randidly vaguely understood why. His Fateset... in setting its direction, he had purposefully acknowledged that he was one who would open a Path to the impossible, but he didn’t intend to do it alone.

His smile widened as he looked at Devick, trying to reassure her. “Normally you are right, but... Well, let me put it this way. You seem to be thinking that your shameless request to be here and your ridiculous sense of entitlement are a problem- okay, also, they aren’t necessarily ideal traits. However, for me—”

Randidly needed to pause and unleash another powerful blow at the Monarch of Karma. His power had grown a bit more difficult to deal with as the world-state image deepened in the surrounding area. With gritted teeth, he still managed to again repel the opponent’s strike and then speak. “For me... the reason you fit so well by my side is exactly because of how unreasonable you are, Devick. You were right when you said my Path is nonsense earlier. But... I promise this Path can really take us where we want to go. So long as you don’t let what is possible, what you think you deserve, hold you back.

“When it comes to this strike against Mae Myrna... it can only be you, Devick.”

Their eyes met for several seconds.

Whatever she saw in him, Devick smiled. She crawled forward like a bug to hunch almost directly against his ankles. “Okay, okay. Tch, since you asked so nicely, I’ll do my best. Just promise me one thing.”

“What is it?” Randidly straightened against, gathering more refined Nether inside of his body. Considering the effectiveness of the two counter-rotations within the energy, he had a few ideas of how to improve-

“If I... d-die, at least once...” Devick licked her lips. “...t-try to wake me up with a kiss. Like a princess.”

Randidly blinked. He shook his head, but not in rejection. Just because sometimes, he really couldn’t follow Devick’s train of thought. Which, in its own way, was quite exciting.