Chapter 901 (2/2)
For all Randidly’s teasing, a good fifty meters of ground was densely packed with sharp protrusions of bone. But Randidly’s eyes burned emerald as the ground in an almost one hundred meter circle, aside from a small area left so Shual and his basket wouldn’t be burnt to a crisp, exploded in a series of tightly packed Eruption of the Blazing Leylines.
It took almost half of Randidly’s Mana pool, but it was worth it. That thick emerald fire wrapped up around Drake and caused him to raise his head and spread his mouth wide as if to whistle. But when the bit of crystal in his mouth bobbed up and down, there was no noise. The dismal rain turned to steam, and the grey world was dyed a deep green for several seconds.
Before Drake could recover, Randidly followed up with Reach of the Jade Slag, but Drake was done messing around; apparently, that last wave of spells did enough damage for him to give Randidly the acknowledgment of being a true opponent.
Without even seeming to see the Skills, Drake sidestepped through a slim gap in the jade claws and gathered a thick rust colored aura around his sword. Randidly bared his teeth in response, even as Crown of Upheaval and Gloom, Deific Mien of Yggdrasil, and Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil surged to life. The arm warped and rumbled, small imperfections emerging in the world as his three auras blasted outward.
That tower specter of the World Tree that Randidly had planted as he had rushed across the marsh rustled in pleasure, sending thick tendrils of power down to Randidly. Even then, Randidly pressed harder, his Willpower sharpening those images into a blade that he raised as Drake advanced.
As that rust colored light gathered around Drake, Randidly could feel it sucking the life and Vitality out of everything in the nearby area. It was a self-destructive, vicious power. As one who wielded Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil, he recognized a kindred spirit in that image that Drake held.
Which was why Randidly rushed forward without a second thought. Sometimes, the best message was beating someone at their own game. Acri sang in the air, thrusting forward to meet Drake’s chest. Drake brought his bastard sword down to deflect the strike and Randidly twisted his spear and pulled it back.
Drake’s slash turned into a lunge and Randidly’s pullback turned into a sidestep. The two combatants passed within a hair of each other, and at that moment both gazes studied the other. Their images clashed, the weight of those destructive ideologies grinding against each other and physically churning up the marsh with their presence.
But Randidly’s expression darkened. It was a strange feeling, but he was abruptly reminded of his image practice with Skarch. Yet instead of himself, he was now playing the role of Skarch. Drake’s image was amorphous and poorly defined, but Randidly could tell that the man who still lived believed extremely deeply in it. Meanwhile, Randidly’s image was well established and strong.
Still, that image that wafted toward Randidly was overwhelming in its tenacity. Randidly didn’t want to acknowledge it, but the image that Drake had resonated with his Fate and seemed to multiply the substance of what it was.
Were those images the role of the Fates, then…? Which was why the System interfered so directly, because of its strange fixation upon images…?
But those were thoughts for later. For now, Randidly needed to beat Drake. Honestly, everything Drake was doing right now reminded Randidly...
...Of what I would do if I faced a stronger foe, Randidly thought. Which means what comes next would be…
Drake’s figure blurred as he launched himself forward and cut toward Randidly’s chest. Almost lazily, Randidly brought his spear up and blocked the blow. Immediately, Drake lowered his shoulders and began to press downward on Randidly.
...a direct contest of Strength, Randidly thought as he gritted his teeth and resisted the push. Yet Randidly found himself almost hopelessly overmatched in the Strength department. It seemed that Endurance wasn’t the only stat that Drake had poured his points into before he multiplied his Stats. But Randidly wasn’t going to be outdone.
Stalemate Breaker brought them both to a stalemate, Randidly on his back foot and almost off his stance altogether. The Skill devoured his Stamina, but the sudden resistance brought a little bit of uncertainty to Drake’s pressure. The pressure eased somewhat, and Randidly began to push back. So you are conscious in there, aren’t you Drake? Is it strange? To know the heights of your stats… and then to meet someone who exceeds you?
Acri twisted up and seized one of Drake’s legs. Before Randidly completely ran out of gas, a sharp yank destroyed Drake’s stance and let Randidly push past the attack. The bastard sword smashed into his shoulder, but Sulfur could handle a deflection of that level.
The first Raucous Phantom’s Finale Randidly used was once more a hit to the face. But Randidly had noticed that these didn’t seem to phase Drake much. He followed up with two more in quick succession, depleting quite a bit of the energy stored in the Engraving. Both smashed into Drake’s collarbone. The first staggering him and the second knocking Drake to the ground.
“You know what the difference between us is, Drake?” Randidly asked rhetorically. His eyes flicked sideways to the mass of roots still restraining Roy by continuing to grind his bones to nothing, then back at Drake. It didn’t matter if Roy heard this. Randidly used the Inevitable Phantom Arrives to send a powerful blow crashing like a freight train into Drake’s collar bone, then grimaced as he didn’t get the response he wanted.
“We might fight the same… such stubborn boldness. But it's the opponents we've been facing are what make us. And while have been struggling for my life on Tellus…” This time Randidly activated Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil and Spear Advances, Ash Trails, point blank. The blow sent Drake tumbling backward.
But the fucker hopped up to his feet in a split second, raising his bastard sword in preparation. Another Raucous Phantom’s Finale knocked the sword away and allowed the giant fist of roots that Randidly had conjured to forcibly smash Drake into the ground. No matter how much Strength he had, he wasn’t ready for the sheer mass that crashed into him.
And yet, even as his body bounced and it was clear even through his gruesome and warped face that he was stunned, Drake managed to land on both feet and stare uncannily at Randidly. Tenacity and determination burned in those still sockets.
“What have you been fighting, Drake?” Randidly said softly. Drake’s gaze remained focused on Randidly.
Which was why he didn’t see the refined and molten sphere of metal that smashed into his left shoulder from above. Influence of the Molten Core was slightly ungainly, but Randidly had simply held it up and let it drop. While it was doing so, he pressed as hard as he could with his Willpower so that more and more metal was pressed into a smaller sphere. By the time it hid Drake, it was about the size of a bowling ball.
If mass didn’t work, Randidly would use density.
Crack.
As Drake’s left arm swung down at his side, Randidly grinned.