Chapter 2370

Chapter 2370

The Monarch of Karma tried to dream of a better life. A simpler existence of farming and laughing with his son.

But he woke up gasping every time he felt himself truly relax, worried that his subconscious would start reaching, grasping, demanding the world exist in a certain way and he would fall headlong back into the cycle. That he might forget for a moment his son had died, might be struck again by grief and be twisted into another spiral. His sleepless current situation needled him, his past scared, him, the future he viewed with bleary-sleepless eyes.

More than anything, he just wanted peace. The Monarch of Karma pressed his hands against the ground of his small stone coffin, drifting through the empty space. At least the environment remained blessedly inert. Recently, he felt the tug of a grand flow of energy; there seemed to be a current that had plucked him up and carried him along. But a motion this small was fine. Giving up control was a divine-

His vessel jolted unpleasantly. The Monarch of Karma sat up in surprise. Another platform, about double as large as his current one, had knocked into his. Now the two tumbled and spun lazily through space, seemingly unwilling to part.

The Monarch of Karma eyed this interloper to his self-imposed exile suspiciously. Waves of powerful emotion wafted off the new ground whether it had been sundered off a greater whole or used as a small platform he could not tell, but it was obvious this place had served as some sort of holy site. It had housed a powerful ritual and now just coincidentally smacked up against him. A very powerful ritual, from what the Monarch could sense.

Despite his current even-keeled current mental state, he didnt dare look too closely. Not because the land was that powerful, but because of the possibilities his instincts might covet even in some small amount of power.

This is always how it starts. The Monarch of Karma muttered. His body felt drained, but he still forced himself to clamber over and pry the two pieces of stone apart. He kicked this strange and mystic platform away. Better to be rid of it than allow the temptation to linger.

He settled back down to return to his rest that was not rest. A dreamless non-oblivion, his awareness grating against him every few moments. At the very least, he returned to prolonged inaction. He sought a state without desire as he meditated.

Perhaps in absence, he could find an answer. But reaching such a flow state was easier said than done.

To be frank, he was bored. For all that he didnt trust himself, he also had been largely unconscious for the last well, it felt like quite a long time. So after a minute or two, he glanced sideways in the direction he had kicked the stone platform, for a little bit of stimuli. He looked over just in time to see the platform bounce of one, two, three other drifting bits of debris which spun the platform back around and set it back drifting toward the Monarch of Karma.

He let out an aggrieved sigh. It always starts this way

*****

Alana Donals nerves sang as she gathered her image power into her hands. The golden-orange holy light rippled off of her body and forced back the pressure of the crystalline walls. Opposite her, Shals face twisted into a scowl. The heavy blade he swung back and forth could snap her in half their earlier clash while she activated Struggle had almost caused her liver to rupture and her shoulders to be dislocated from the few moments of contact.

If she made a single mistake, she would die.

She sucked in a breath. As above the Ghosthound struggled, she would hold the line below. She refused to fail. Because her strange instruction from Azriel had truly taught her that there were many methods of attack, even in battle. The Third Revelation: Anguish.

Alana smiled without any mirth. On the day that Azriel had agreed to personally teach her, the pale and streamlined woman had looked at Alana with quizzical eyes. You realize that Randidly would never ask this of you. You do not need to push yourself to such an extent. Considering the amount of time you have existed under the influence of the System, and now the Pantheon, you can be considered a genius. Your accomplishments speak for themselves. Why continue to push?

Because while chasing accomplishments would have me cross several arbitrary finish lines at this point, chasing him fills my view with a wide-open Path and hopes for a breathless future. Alana had responded.

Azriel shook her head, but they soon got to work.

A boom echoed out from above, shaking both the duelists. When the pressure faded, Alana and Shal both rushed toward each other. Shal planted his foot and launched himself forward with his weapon kept low. The violence of his Armament rose and almost suffocated Alanas image, already pressured on every side by the crystal cavern. Yet still she she raised her weapon.

She could feel it so acutely, fighting here, the difference between who she was and who she hoped she could be. The orange-gold motes of energy glittered against her skin, but couldnt spread much further beyond that. Her palms ached and blood leaked out of the impromptu energy bandage she had created to stabilize her water balloon of a foot.

But this is how we improve. Surviving this. Alana blinked. She felt her image rising up through her body. Not Anguish this time, but a different sort of feeling, one closer to awe. From the bottom of her heart, she understood that she never would catch up to Randidly Ghosthound, because this feeling weighed her down.

She admired him. She couldnt help but appreciate how many life-threatening situations he had crawled through to grow to his current form.

Yet she didnt feel regret that she had such feelings and her potential might be limited. She didnt intend to play mental games to try and avoid the problem. Feeling this was honest. And Alana Donal wielded an honest spear.

The Fourth Revelation: Divinity.

A point of flawless light opened at the tip of Alanas spear. She stood before heavy and inarticulate violence, smashing her reverence against the onslaught of force. A horrible screeching echoed out from their confrontation, cutting down through the brawl between Swacc Family and Vulpis Squad.

The pressure crunched her foot, sending a wave of pain up her body. She wavered but didnt fall. Her Divinity dimmed as Shals weapon ground against it but it did not vanish. The light did not fade.

Both stepped back, panting. From the pains in Alanas joints, her body felt much closer to collapsing than her image had. Yet her eyes blazed with pride. Even barely able to keep her grip on her spear and her body struggling to heal, she spoke with conviction. You cannot go up, Shal. This is your fight. Here, against me.

He looked at her with bitterness in his expression, for the first time of his emotional corruption revealed. The tears flowed down his cheeks now, bleak and pointless. Ive already lost my fight. I was not enough. Now Im simply attempting to demonstrate to my student how the world works. But you know-

Shals eyes glittered as he looked up. I did not strive for this burden. I wish I wish we had never encountered one another. Our paths separate perhaps then-

Suddenly, Alana felt a strange uneasiness. Before she could respond, the air shifted. She could almost feel the pivot. Azriel gasped, but Randidly Ghosthound stiffened in his fight against Elhume and looked down to meet Shals gaze.

And Shal saw the universe as it might have been.