Chapter 711 (1/2)

Randidly’s eyes snapped open as the Skill kicked in. Almost like a fresh flurry of snow, tiny motes of ash exploded outward from his body in a three-meter space around him. The thick currents of blood howled in and carried the ash some distance away, but very quickly the flows turned turbid. Those tiny motes of ash each carried with them an insatiable hunger and very quickly devoured the energy and substance of the currents of blood.

Helen’s eyes narrowed as she approached, but she didn’t slow. Like the flashing fin of a shark, her spear lashed out toward Randidly. With blazing emerald eyes, Randidly simply chuckled. More ashes were conjured into existence as he laughed. All the while the temperature around him plummeted, along with his Mana.

It wasn’t that Helen’s spear slowed, but discomfort became apparent on her face as she entered into the zone of the extinguishing storm. Gritting her teeth, she seemed to shove herself forward, unwilling to give up. Flows of blood from all over the arena twisted and redirected themselves to blast at the whirlpool of frigid ash in an attempt to drive it away.

Under the concentrated fire of the blood flows, Randidly felt his Skill faltering. But even so, he didn’t move. He simply watched Helen approach. Her spear slashed sideways, scoring a deep gash across Sulfur. It only took her a moment to set her feet and strike three more times, this time scoring two hits where she drew blood.

This seemed to invigorate her, and with this renewed energy she flourished her spear. But Randidly flexed his left hand with a grim pleasure. The few seconds that Helen had wasted attacking his body was enough for his arms to recover. It might have been a dangerous gamble to allow Helen a strike, but even with her new image, Helen wasn’t one to throw haymakers. She would tear her prey to pieces. She might even toy with her quarry.

And now Randidly once more had access to both hands.

While channeling Frigid Ash, Extinguishing Storm, Randidly allowed the force of Helen’s attacks to blow him gently backward. He raised his fingers and cracked them in deliberate challenge.

Helen’s mouth twitched. The flows of blood spiraled downwards around Randidly, but the waves of turned the current sluggish. Rather than binding Randidly, they seemed to get in each other’s way. Instantly, her expression turned sullen.

“How long can you keep this up?” Helen asked.

Randidly grinned. Then he rushed toward Helen. Already, his Mana had run dry and the ash around him was thinning. Like All is Ash, the cost was entirely too prohibitive for Randidly’s liking. But even after the Skill itself was no longer useful, Randidly realized that he could mimic the effect with the image. In took concentration, but it still could restrict her movements. Ash continued to billow out from him, deeply afflicted with the spirit of cold.

Even if the effect was much reduced, it would give him the space that he needed to act.

Showing her teeth, Helen thrust her spear out four times to Randidly. With light steps, he wove he was forward without being touched.

To counter, Helen twisted around and slammed the butt of her spear toward Randidly. But he chuckled and raised his hand in a casual Talon Strike. But as his hand was about to land on the spear shaft, the weapon blurred. The spear tip spun sideways toward Randidly’s temple.

Randidly simply turned his head, but his eyes were emerald lanterns.

As the Sun Stills.

All of the image of force and mass that Randidly could muster concentrated in his forehead. Then he bent it, folding that weight over on itself. Again, and then Again. On the fourth folding, the sensation of weight that Randidly had founded the Skill on bowed under the stress of being mentally bent like that. Imagining the vision as the Aether portal for the Judgement opened, Randidly pressed harder with his will.

The sense of weight snapped into a huge abyss of nothingness, concentrated at his forehead. When that encountered the spear, the weapon shattered.

Helen’s eyes widened as Randidly took the blow directly, and then hissed in deep indignation as his body was only left with a small cut while her spear was left a useless pole of wood. But she was nothing if not adaptable. If Randidly could fight without a spear, so could she.

But when she rushed forward, Randidly blurred sideways and smashed her side with a Talon Strike. In terms of unarmed combat, he was superior. Actually, he was likely superior with a spear as well. But her spear image made up that distance, and then a small bit more. Without that image aiding her…

It was a shark with all of its teeth removed. Even in water, it was simply a big body.

Coughing, Helen crashed to the ground. With red-rimmed eyes, she looked up at Randidly. The swirling ash continued to radiate out from him, containing that poisonous cold. Their previous close proximity had covered her with a thin dusting of ash, and Randidly could see it affecting her. The places where the ash touched her skin were soon angry sores as his Volatile Ash Skill took effect, even though this was only an image.

Helen sprawled on the ground, looking up at Randidly. He regarded her calmly. Her eyes were filled with unwillingness. But Randidly knew he had won this. He had two concrete breakthroughs. The first was his new Kata of the Ashen Spear, but the second was perhaps even more important. He realized that it was entirely possible to simulate Skills entirely, depending on your Willpower, with images. That was… powerful.

“Do you think I’ll let it end like this between us…?” Helen spat out. Displaying a dogged determination that left Randidly impressed, she heaved herself up to her feet. Her legs were trembling and already a deep bruise in the shape of Randidly’s hand was on her side. But she stood.

“Thing’s aren’t ending between us,” Randidly said softly. “Our bond… isn’t just a one-way street. I feel your images too. But in terms of what that night meant…”

Helen’s shoulders slumped. Her chin fell to her chest. Around the arena, the blood flows slowly thinned. Randidly could no longer see her face. “Do you mean that?”

“Yes. You hold one of my blessings.” The Crown over Randidly’s head grew increasingly clear. “A vassal. In time, I will call on you to repay what I have given you. But we are no longer…”

He didn’t finish the thought. He didn’t have to. Helen nodded, still keeping her long hair across her face. After releasing a sigh, Randidly turned to the referee.