Chapter 903 (2/2)

This his focus turned to his captive. The octopus tentacles on the things right side had landed several savage blows against Randidly, but unluckily they had largely impacted Randidly’s metallic arm. The metal might need polish after smeared with this superheated goo, but nothing else. Randidly regarded this captive dispassionately. Not fun to be taken, eh?

But his main focus at the moment was on the Aether constructs that animated the Nemesai. Randidly wanted to understand the foes he was fighting a little better. If Classes were a central pillar that people’s Aether was built around, then the structure of the Nemesis was like a shark watching cage lowered into deep water. Within, Randidly could barely make out something akin to a Class and Stats that he would recognize, but that was limited by the bindings placed upon them by the System.

Which, in turn, afforded them some protection.

Randidly grunted and continually upped the heat in the fires he was producing. He felt in his own flames the origin of a world. Heat rising until the point that it broke through a barrier and became something more than heat. It became a physical phenomenon, thick and viscous. Deep and wide enough for someone to drown.

Genesis, and by the same token, oblivion.

A tightly controlled ball of fear that Randidly had possessed since being forced into the corner by Aegiant exploded. A part of him was surprised by the vehemence of the anger and insistence on heat, but another part had expected it and accepted it. As he had said to Drake, the foes Randidly fought shaped him. More than he would like to admit.

It was from fire that people drew inspiration… but the reason they were inspired was that it was a power they couldn’t understand. Something that filled them with fear. Randidly eyes narrowed as the Nemesai largely righted themselves and prepared a second attack around him. A power that defied their understand. A horrible power that reduced everything to ash.

Frigid Ash, Extinguishing Storm.

The flecks of ash that were floating up from the ground grew increasingly thick as Randidly split his focus and began to spread his influence into the surrounding area. Acri slithered along the ground toward Randidly. Thea and the boar-head Nemesis both took angles to come at Randidly and struck him from behind.

A sigh escaped the lips of the Nemesis that Randidly held. Through the cage of System Aether, Randidly could feel his flames finally starting to have a permanent effect on the being within. They weren’t invulnerable or immortal, just difficult to hurt.

Difficult wasn’t impossible. Impossible was forging a world from nothing. And that was exactly what Randidly had been able to do in the past.

The heat grew to the point that the air around him was warped and shimmering. Emerald light sparkled and twisted space as though it was a toy.

As the two close combat attacks fell toward his back, Randidly spun around and released his grip on the sea creature’s belt.

“Close that fucking portal and open the other one,” Thea hissed toward the serpent as she slashed at Randidly. Randidly tilted his head to the side as his gaze slid to the serpent. Without a care, Randidly’s left hand shot upward and attempted to grab Thea’s ax.

Unfortunately, that was a bit too bold. Thea noticed what he was doing and twisted her ax out of the way. Then she kicked at him in the side. Which he was forced to take and grimace in pain as his attention turned toward the much more dangerous hunk of metal that was crashing toward him.

“YOUR HEAD IS MINE!” The boar-head Nemesis bellowed. Randidly just sighed and activated the Wild Phantom’s Embrace. His body blurred into motion as he rode the momentum of the strike, but he had nowhere else to go but smashing into Thea. Which was exactly what he wanted.

Thea swore loudly, even as Randidly grabbed her shoulders and twisted the two of them around so she was between Randidly and the blade howling down toward them. The idiot was just guffawing orgasmically, refusing to stay his hand even the tiniest bit as it ripped toward Thea’s back.

But in that tight window, Thea moved decisively.

Again, Randidly was surprised by Thea’s resourcefulness. Although she was stunned as he bodily smashed into her, which had given him an edge, she swiftly recovered and conjured a dagger. After wreathing it in spectral fire, she thrust it at Randidly’s heart, forcing him to twist slightly to the side and let the blade sink deeply into his right shoulder.

Then she used the thrust’s momentum to shove herself backward, slipping under the boar-head Nemesis’ attack and crashing into him. Both of them were sent tumbling away and Randidly grimaced as he pulled the burning dagger out of his chest. Whatever this was enchanted with, it certainly hurt-

“ROAAAARRRR!”

Randidly twisted as a zombie Chrysanthemum, who was forced to keep her distance due to her prohibitive size, took advantage of the space around Randidly to charge him. At the same moment, Acri hopped up into Randidly’s hand.

Grinning, Randidly lowered his spear at the wild bear. I’m not going to play nice with you this time, Chrysanthemum.