Chapter 834 (2/2)

Each of those Aether constructs was part of his body within the System.

Their growth is my growth; they are a part of my physical body.

Which meant that rather than forming his arm, those constructs could be the foothold that he needed. Randidly looked down at the stump of his left arm, blinking slowly. His Health ticked downward, below 300 Health.

All things have a cost.

This time, as he spiraled the Aether around himself and into the fragments of the Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Skill, Randidly created a web of connections between himself and the fragments of Aether in the surrounding area. The Aether flickered uncertainly, and then slowly settled into place.

Then, like flicking a light switch, power rushed through the array.

Congratulations! You have-

Warning-

Recalculating…

Congratulations! You have created the Skill (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 1. Warning, Rarity cannot be determined. Warning, effects cannot be determined. Warning, Skill is beyond understanding.

Warning, the Heretic Path has grown-

Warning, the Heretic Path has grown-

Warning, the Heretic Path has grown-

Warning, notification has been sent to the Cohort Administrator-

Warning, the Heretic Path has grown to Heretic XLVI!

Although Randidly dearly wished to release a breath in relief, he ignored that urge. Instead, his new Domain exploded outward. It was only big enough to cover the plaza, but that was enough for now. And although the System couldn’t provide him with a tooltip, Randidly didn’t need it. Because he could sense what he had done.

His Aether and the System’s flowed together into a tapestry. Those fragments of Aether that had been the blueprint for his left arm spread and made the edges of the area. Suddenly, it was as though his body spread across the whole area, and that the System was included even more directly within himself.

What was within, was without. What was without, within. It was another tool the System could use to study the workings of the Alpha Cosmos, Randidly realized, but it was too late to regret that now.

But it had given both a foothold into each other. Now it was just a matter of who should step through the opening.

Aegiant could clearly sense the change in the air and frowned as he looked around. “...this… a Domain? How do you know one of the old Domains? I had thought they were lost-”

Then, there was a shimmering in the air as two figures emerged, accepting Randidly’s invitation to step through into the crossroads between his inner world and the outer world.

Rejt arrived beaming. “Ahaha! I have long waited for this. Oh? A battle? Randidly... don’t tell me that this isn’t my well-deserved vacation?”

The Monster Prince was a lot less amused, as his eyebrows were quickly smoldering from the heat. He had to backpedal rapidly away from the growing fireball. “Pah! Send me back, send me back! Oh Progenitor, I apologize for my sins. But I do not deserve this eternal damnation in the pits of hell-”

“Save it,” Randidly communicated shortly. It was cumbersome, but he had to use his influence with them to speak. Obviously, if he actually spoke Breath of the Spear Phantom would be released. He slapped the Monster Prince on the back to steady him, then pointed to the constantly igniting evaporated lava. “You fought the mechs to a standstill because you have a very unique image of Ferromancy, yes? So Ferromance. That igniting air is metal. Cool it, for us.”

It was another gamble, selecting the Monster Prince. But Randidly had been shocked to find that the Monster Prince had held his own against Lyra, who was piloting a mech. And it turned out that was because he had the ability to influence metal. A very specific deviation from Influence of the Molten Core.

Now, the Monster Prince obviously wouldn’t be able to face Aegiant’s images directly. But Aegiant was providing heat to ignite the evaporated metal. He didn’t have an actual image to burn the metal. Soon, if it became a sun, that image would take over, but Randidly believed that everything hadn’t been subsumed in that larger image yet.

In addition, hopefully, the scaling of images would be provided by this Skill too; that edge might give them a chance.

Gritting his teeth, the Monster Prince looked at Randidly, then turned and glared at the fireball. It wavered. Blood began to run out of the Monster Prince’s nose. There was also a spike of pain in Randidly’s Soulspace, and suddenly Randidly had a feeling this was a bad idea-

The fireball was snuffed out as the Monster Prince gripped the metal and smothered the atom vibrations that produced heat. Which, promptly caused the Monster Prince to pass out from overexerting himself. Randidly staggered too, barely holding onto Breath of the Spear Phantom. Luckily, Aegiant was too shocked by the sudden disappearance to strike at Randidly’s Skill or it would have broken.

The plaza bubbled and hissed, as everything looked in shock at the falling body of the Monster Prince.

Wincing, Randidly dismissed the Monster Prince. His body disintegrated as it collapsed, returning to whatever posh tent he was staying in back in the Alpha Cosmos. Then Randidly gestured at Rejt. “Your turn.”

Sighing meaningfully, Rejt turned to face Aegiant. “Let it be known that my instincts are telling me this is a very bad idea.”

“You and me both,” Randidly spiritually replied.