Chapter 2326

Chapter 2326

The Keystone of the First Ghasthund looked like a misty sphere in Randidly’s hand. A grand collapse occurred as all that force building up around Elhume was prematurely activated. A shockwave ripped toward, cracking open the skyisland and shooting the participants in every direction. Randidly barely had time to reach out and send Devick into the Alpha Cosmos before he was knocked away.

He fell through the sky with the wreckage of his skyisland around him, just gripping his Sixth Fatepiece. He smiled. “This is the beginning, isn’t it? Because after this...”

His march toward the final confrontation felt like it had begun to gather momentum. Evolution of his Class. Refinement of his Nether. Creation of a Penance and Fate. Marshaling all the forces at his disposal to meet Elhume directly. Overthrow the leader of the Nexus.

Win. Create a universe where the weak aren’t used as fertilizer.

For now, the Keystone of the First Ghasthund sat at Level 1. But it hinted at a future-

Randidly crashed into the ground, almost losing his grip on his Fatepiece. Bits of cracked stone impacted his body as several large boulders crashed into the ground around him and burst. Gradually, the dust and debris faded, leaving Randidly staring up into the sky. The milky patterns of manipulated time began to fray and fall apart. A massive grey dome had spread across the area that Randidly had concentrated on, but now the barrier tore open, revealing a vast night sky. Countless stars twinkled through the widening gap.

Randidly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. What’s next?

You need to give up the extra benefit you earned for the Mille Deux, but it only really manifested within the memory, so it’s not much of a sacrifice. Neveah answered. Others have greater Skill Level achievement in the wider Nexus. As for the rest of it, heh. Obviously, we are going to try and strike as vicious a blow we can manage, now that you’ve defined Ghasthund.

Randidly’s lips quirked up. The sky above was beautiful, but he felt an emotion swinging between bemusement and annoyance. ...I can tell how smug you are. Alright, what’s your trick, Neveah?

Let me ask you this, Randidly Ghosthound. Neveah chuckled. What’s the easiest way to escape a Dungeon?

*****

Lowanna had been surprised when the Nether forces crumbled so quickly underneath the concerted onslaught from Aether. She watched the crush of bodies, her wrists aching from the heavy bindings of black wicker around them. Some warriors from Homewell were involved in the blitzkrieg offense, but the Nether Arbiter had stood in the core of their camp and seen the wicked shadows that slew her people. Fury bubbled in her chest, but she bided her time, waiting for Cult of the Savior’s Scythe to carve a path toward its own doom.Findd new stories at novelhall.com

The last line of defense had been several of Deganawidah’s powerful Nether Warriors, all elites that had severed the Thrice Drowned for at least a century. Their weapons gleamed with polished significance. Yet even they quickly fell before the concentrated strikes.

They could not speak, so she could only ask questions with her eyes. He avoided her gaze, but his massive fingers brushed her manacles, as though measuring their heft. When he lifted his gaze to meet hers, Deganawidah seemed strangely happy. His lips moved and his significance surged, just briefly knocking the Vigil askew.

Lowanna read his lips as he carefully intoned a phrase. Thrice-Drowned, Once Martyred.

Deganawidah’s hands twisted. He snapped her black wicker manacles in a sudden burst of violence. The shattered bits crumbled and fell to the ground. More importantly, Lowanna felt the shift in her Nether Core, a much more relevant change compared to the manacles. The breaking of the manacles had now actual meaning, but simultaneously all the Phaea she had been given flaked and faded away.

Be burdened no longer, Deganawidah stepped to the side with that ambiguous phrase. Lowanna’s body boiled, barely able to comprehend the situation. One fact became obvious: she no longer received energy flowing into her body due to Phaea, but all the energy she had accumulated remained under her control. Somehow, she could sense her people hadn’t been harmed by the process. She took a step forward and the ground shook.

She felt free.

She felt powerful.

The Nether Arbiter pointed and the Scythe erupted from Enmya’s body. Mid silent shout, Enmya deactivated his Vigil and the Scythe’s keening wail could be heard. But even louder was the follow-up laughter from the Prophet.

That smug bastard, with two mouths for eyes and a bulging eyeball for a mouth spread his arms wide. “So, finally, you couldn’t take it any longer, eh? How does it feel to reap the lives of your people and for it to feel so easy. They are all fuel on your pyre, Nether Arbiter. Embrace it. It will make this process much, much easier.”

Lowanna’s finger twitched. A massive blast of significance curled in from the side and knocked aside the pesky Turtline forces out of the way. Nether Warriors surged around, surrounding the two Cult of the Savior representatives. There was a slight change in the Prophet’s expression, but he didn’t back down. No, probably to him, the fact she acted was definitely a positive sign. “You know, I had imagined we would need to torture you. Heh, maybe just to satiate the Scythe a bit, but also to warp your perspective. Then, the real trick would be bringing a few of your Nether subordinates and killing them, extremely slowly, in front of you. But ha! None of that ended up being necessary. You, all on your own-”

Lowanna thrust her hands forward. At first she had believed that Hungry Eye’s interference had simply moved when this confrontation happened, but now she understood it was more than that. It also meant Deganawidah was present during this moment of tension. He could take his martyring action proactively, rather than reacting to her suddenly drawing on her people's debt.

So she knew exactly what she needed to do.

For a second, the Prophet seemed confused. Then he looked down at the hole in his chest, ripped open by a powerful explosion of significance. The small eye-mouths opened and closed. “You... what? Really? Without a hint of remorse.”

“I do not act casually,” Lowanna hissed. Then she raised her hands, the conductor finally freed from her constraints. “Once I have made a decision, I do not waste time regretting it.”