Chapter 2323

Chapter 2323

“No!”

A powerful shout pulled Randidly’s attention downward, even as Devick dazzled as the centerpiece of his three images. What he saw there made him blink; Fiero, the Patron of the Borrowed, his body riddled with wounds, bounded up off the edge of the skyisland. His hands were outstretched, desperation clear in his posture. His image grasped, trying to lock onto Devick as she attacked Mae.

Elhume, you bastard, you even had Fiero borrow your emotions? Another piece clicked into place in Randidly’s mind. Then all those times when the Patron of the Borrowed had those strange monologues-

Words that Elhume could never have spoken originally because he had given them away. A regret of emotions buried and cast aside. This tomb, this memory, this impossible second chance. Randidly eyes narrowed in contempt for several reasons. First, because Fiero’s wounded form couldn’t even cover half of the distance from skyisland to where Mae and Devick were. No matter who held all the feelings of dissatisfaction, nothing could be done about it. Second, the horrifying impact between spear and sword muddied the energy around their bodies, blocking the vulpine’s image from interfering.

Third... because Elhume was an even larger coward than he thought.

Almost on cue, the memory flickered and Fiero’s mouth opened, speaking words with no bearing on the current situation. “Do we truly need to utilize the Hierarchy of Karma against her? Is the world she would create truly so vile? Why not give her a chance?”

No one acknowledged the question. Devick’s claw, strengthened by Randidly’s images, slashed out, cutting through the suppression of the world-state image and sinking into Mae’s shoulder. The woman stumbled back, her expression crumbling.

Randidly grinned. Gotcha.

As Devick’s image penetrated into Mae’s body, the world-state image weakened. An echo of that attack manifested in the sky, as the grey stasis began to corrode. The Dread Homunculus wove together all the disparate strands of energy released by the earlier impact. Yggdrasil’s roots flowed quickly up from Devick’s body to sew together the edges of this manifestation. The Survivor of the Inhospitable Abyss breathed out pure craving and power to fill it with power.

A chimera was born of the three images. It ripped down with vicious claws, targeting not Mae’s body but the wound in the world-state image. Devick’s act of faith had inserted a little bit of uncertainty into the opposing image and Randidly could grip that flaw and pry everything open.

Devick’s image sank into Mae’s body. The replicating nature of the world-state image, the same reason it possessed such power, meant that the added flaw quickly exploded outward from just the Patron of Truth’s body and infested the whole of her surroundings. All the restrictions the image had impressed on the surroundings began to weaken; Randidly’s temporal accelerations began to push back the breaks.

At the same time, Mae pressed her lips together. Power gathered in her clenched fists. “You have no idea what you have done.”

“I’ve been undeniable,” Devick smirked, her cheeks flushed and her eyes triumphant.

Before Mae could smash Devick’s head into paste, Yggdrasil shrugged the roots that had buried beneath the fabric of reality to establish itself here. The layers left by the world-state image flaked and cracked. Devick’s capriciousness added variation to the world-state image, which led to weakness. Mae would be able to purify it with some time and effort, but Randidly had no intention of giving that to her now.

A root encircled Devick’s waist and pulled her away from a counterattack. Mae took a half step forward and then mastered her fury. She reached out and grabbed the Monarch of Karma. Randidly opened his mouth and released a booming voice. “Monarch of Karma! Now that the image has been broken, what is it you desire?”

“To die.” He said. His voice was painfully clear.

Randidly felt a chill; honestly, he hadn’t expected such a direct response. He looked to Mae Myrna, but she met him with a burning gaze that didn’t back down. “Is that such a strange desire? We, as the population of this twisted world... isn’t that what we deserve? To be consigned to oblivion?”

She turned away. Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Have my actions... really put her on such a dark path?

In Elhume’s eyes were nothing but the brush of what he could be. The first stirrings of that perfection that captured an entire moment. The resonance between Elhume and Fiero grew stronger. Metaphorically, a door opened. Through that threshold, Randidly could feel the powerful stirrings of the energy he had sought to reinvigorate his Class and regain the use of his Attribute Muse’s Reverie.

But all that was for later. For now, Elhume punched and the memory shuddered.

They hadn’t merged yet to form the perfection needed to dominate the moment, but Elhume’s shape of annihilation had been polished to the point of being blinding. A blast of force shot forward, beyond the limits of even crystallized Aether. That black line that had overwhelmed Mae and her world-state image, even slightly weakened by the destabilization in the memory, was erased by Elhume’s punch.

Yggdrasil roared in denial. Space rumbled as its roots took umbrage with this offense. It raised its canopy with the inviolable aura of a god and demanded obedience.

Congratulations! Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty (P) has grown to Level 1020!

When that failed, the powerful runic symbols across its trunk began to glow. All the depth it had achieved by sinking its roots into this area was brought to bear. Practically holding hands, the light of Dawn and Dusk cleaved downward and cut into the attack. With the combined effort of all those energies, a small portion of Elhume’s punch was chipped away.

Congratulations! Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs (T) has grown to Level 1009!

Congratulations! Your Skill Dusk Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins (T) has grown to Level 1008!

...

Congratulations! Your Skill Dusk Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins (T) has grown to Level 1025!

Randidly’s expression sunk. With very little other choices, Yggdrasil ripped all its carefully established roots out of the environment and wrapped them around the forceful blast. It acted as a dragnet, slowing down the attack any way it could.

Congratulations! Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 1053!

As they burned and disintegrated before that overwhelming punch, the roots bled off energy and fed it back to Randidly. His emerald eyes burned as his massive Yggdrasil image bought him time to gather his momentum.

Congratulations! Your Skill Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 1011!

Congratulations! Your Skill The World Tree Sips from Every Realm (T) has grown to Level 1111!

...

Congratulations! Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 1070!

Congratulations! Your Skill Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 1033