Chapter 223 (1/2)

Randidly sat, meditating, during the long break between the 1st and 2nd matches.

It wasn’t a difficulty of execution, it was a difficulty of balance and control. Although the skills had merged and become one larger skill, they still were activated relatively separately. He needed to focus on his movements, the image, the feints, and the mental attack all at once. It felt almost impossible on its own.

Still, every portion itself had a vastly increased effectiveness, so there were no real downsides to using the skill. But it was frustrating that he kept failing to achieve the perfect balance while moving. And the participants in the tournament were kept in the lower level, along these benches, so they couldn’t receive any help. In that way, it was fair, for the seeded individuals remained here as well.

But Randidly very much wanted to be underneath an open sky, so he could use his raincloud and his concentration belt in conjunction to really nail down how they should be combined. It hadn’t been easy, but it had been much more manageable this morning with the belt. Here, he had access to neither, and it was profoundly difficult to wrestle with the balance.

What he needed, really, was experience. Experience using the skill. Training, repetition. Randidly had grown strong, but that was through time. He wasn’t the genius type who could pick something up instantly when given it. He had to struggle his way forward.

His mouth narrowed into a thin line. Which was why Randidly was worried about the next match. It wasn’t necessarily against a seeded individual, but it could be. And based on the fact that he was able to defeat that seeded girl earlier, perhaps they would respond powerfully, seeking to crush him and knock him out of the tournament…

It was frustrating both to feel targeted, and also to feel helpless before their attempts. Randidly truly lacked the power to resist the upper level of these disciples. He could only endure.

At the point that he had completely dissected his experience in the past battle, and would no longer gain anything more from dwelling on it, Randidly switched to focusing on his image for the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil. His mind traced through the powerful roots that stretched downward, absorbing the strength from the ground beneath him, but now his attention rose, and he thought about himself, the trunk of the tree, the place where all these roots joined.

It didn’t have to be perfect, but he simply needed to focus on what that image was…

Very quickly, he lost himself in it, feeling the disparate golden lines slowly knitting themselves together in one powerful golden band that would funnel energy into him. It pulsed with power, its light becoming more and more reserved, yet somehow more concrete.

Time slowly passed, and when he heard his name, Randidly smiled ruefully. So they chose Dian, for his opponent for this round. How… simplistic. Did they know that they came from the same preliminary? Or was it simply enough for them that they were two individuals from a preliminary, who both remained in the tournament, where most others had lost. It also seemed like Dian was the one “Prince” who had won in spite of what they had thrown at her yesterday, so perhaps this was a punishment for her as much as it was for him, or even more so.

Randidly ascended to the stage, and was once more faced by the woman with fiery red hair. Her gaze had been sharp and searching last time they met, but now it was more determined and wary. It might have been a function of what she had experienced to get to this point, or maybe some of her resolve for vengeance had faded. Either way, the intensity remained.

“It’s been a while.” Randidly offered.

Dian was silent, her eyes burning. She simply lifted her spear and pointed it towards his heart. Randidly chuckled. In a way, it was relieving. He wasn’t the type to want to talk before a fight. He had simply done it because it seemed polite. Everything would be decided by spears anyway, why would they bother to communicate any other way?

“Are both fighters ready?” The referee asked, and immediately Dian launched herself forward, that strange, vicious energy gathering around her as she charged towards Randidly.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed. The referee frowned, but said nothing, backing out of the way. So it would stand, huh? So be it.

“Wall of Thorns!” Randidly called, erecting a thick barrier in Dian’s path. His eyes immediately narrowed, and he lowered himself into a very grounded stance. Golden Roots of Yggdrasil switched to the active mode, and he felt hot power flood his limbs as his Stamina began to drain away at a huge clip.

He focused, forcing his will to conjure a palpable phantom for the Inevitable Phantom Arrives. The woman’s face, half bone and half sagging flesh, wore a leery smile.

As predicted, Dian ripped through the Wall of Thorns, that strange, violent energy annihilating the obstacle, her eyes scanning around. For whatever reason, whenever a screen was thrown up in the way, everyone rushed forward with the idea that Randidly was running away, and was using the screen to gain some space. That somehow, it was simply a distraction to buy him time.

Randidly’s smile was sharp as his spear slid forward, as he activated Haste, Empower, and Mana Strengthening to improve the power of the strike to a ridiculous degree. His image smashed forward, concrete and powerful, and low, dull ticking and sense of inevitability spreading towards her.