Chapter 930 (2/2)
But then a brilliant golden cat streaked outward from Clarissa. Growling, it raised its claws and swung rapidly at Randidly’s throat.
Randidly didn’t even blink. Infinite FIngers of Yggdrasil ripped upward out of the ground. The frost slowed them a little, but as the Liger attempted to dodge around them and strike at Randidly from the side, more sharp thorns were waiting for it. Its energy body was rapidly dispersed as the tenacious roots ripped up through its torso and tore apart its limbs.
With a cry, it was forced to disperse. But Randidly was now frowning. Because Clarissa’s constant strikes had regained their prior intensity. In fact, they were growing stronger every second.
Storm’s Fury crashed down toward him like raindrops in a spring shower. In the sky above, the dark storm clouds withstood the blast of concentrated Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil. Slowly, those black clouds began to spread a small amount.
Relying on quantity, Clarissa truly was able to withstand Randidly’s Yggdrasil image.
However, from what Randidly could tell, she was hemorrhaging Mana. And it seemed like one of the earlier Skills she used increased her expenditure to gather incremental strength that increased with each Skill she used.
She was working herself up to something. Randidly bared his teeth.
“Storm’s Fury! Storm’s Fury! Storm’s Fury! Perfect! Excellent! Stupendous!” Clarissa’s hair was whipped around her frail figure by the tumultuous storm she summoned. Then she drew a dagger and slid it across her finger, allowing several drops of blood to be carried away by the hungry air. “By my hand, Storm! I beseech you! Condense! Form the Eternum of Wind!”
Immediately, the wind rose in velocity until it seemed to be howling. Those black clouds began to slowly spiral inward until they formed a tightly wound cord of black air. Tighter and tighter it wound, ripping downward from high in the sky to crash into the arena ground in front of Clarissa with a wave of force.
Immediately, Randidly grimaced and staggered as he was smashed forcefully in the chest with a blast of stray wind. The howling had grown higher, until it formed a terrible keening noise. What followed the blast was first dust and debris that obscured the air for a split second, and Randidly raised his metal left arm in case an attack came.
But then the wind continued unabated and everything was blasted away. A towering black whirlwind stood at the center of the arena, picking up the carefully reinforced stone ground and spinning it around with gale-force winds. Clarissa spoke, but her words were snatched away by the wind’s keening. At the moment, there was only Randidly and the wind. Everything else was pulled away.
The terrible noise continued as Randidly looked up at this “Eternum of Wind”. All told, the condensed wind thing likely stood at around thirty meters high. It had seemed so small when compared to the World Tree, but Randidly had to admit that his image was becoming so large that it was warping the scale of his vision.
There were no eyes on the creature of wind, but Randidly knew it was watching him. Slowly, it lowered its towering form into a crouch and began to rush toward Randidly. This was Clarissa’s ultimate strike, then. A being of wind that gathered more and more debris the longer it existed, becoming a walking natural disaster.
Randidly spread his hands and grinned. Truly, he could understand what Clarissa had longed for. A way to use this and not destroy have the town and leave someone dead. That he could give to her. It would bring him a great deal of joy to put down this monster.
And in the process, test out exactly how “infinite” his Skill was.
Infinite Fingers of Yggdrasil.
One hundred thick roots surged out of the ground, shattering the remaining ground of the arena on Randidly’s side of the arena as the wind being turned into a drill aimed directly at his heart. Such was the force of the winds that even he was having difficulty standing against its indirect onslaught.
The first wave of roots that hit the whirlwind was ripped to shreds and simply became fodder that strengthened the wind. As Randidly anchored himself to the ground with roots around his legs and waist, the second wave of roots he sent was smashed aside by the debris of the first wave, adding even more mass to the fucking thing.
It should be impossible, but…
The wind thing was only fifteen meters away, and eating up distance fast. It grew as it devoured more, becoming a juggernaut. Dust and small flecks of plant matter filled the air, screening the activity in the arena from view. Yet Randidly could still sense the wind howling toward him. He needed to slow it down.
So the next wave of roots Randidly sent was composed of a series of two roots wound around each other for strength. And he sent one thousand of those, grasping up to seize this wayward wind that would stand against the World Tree.
Perhaps it took a split second to rip through, but rip through the defenses it did. Again, it only grew in size from the destroyed roots-
But it couldn’t gather all of the plant matter, the surface level of the whirlwind was already heavy with debris. Randidly’s eyes burned like an engineered chemical fire.
Randidly sent five thousand roots, these roots being three roots wrapped together and incestuously penetrating each other with thorns. When those ripped, Randidly was ready with ten thousand four root braided chains.
More and more, as the distance narrowed down to six meters and the Wind Eternum flung ripped roots in every direction. Some smashed into the surrounding area while others were twisted and useless, still sticking up out of the soil. Undoubtedly, the audience was being showered with them while being totally unable to see what was occurring in the arena.
A huge mass roared in fury, the weight of it grinding against itself to deepen its battle cry.
Once again Randidly sent ten thousand, this time a dozen small roots braided together in each thorny rope. Still the Wind Eternum advanced. Mana flowed out of Randidly like water through a net, filling the air with its ambient power. In spite of himself, Randidly released a breath of excitement. His heart was pounding.
Above him, the World Tree towered. Very lightly, the noise of the leaves rustling drowned out the scream of the wind.
Why do they think it's impossible to grasp the wind?
Only because they haven’t seen hands wide enough.
But Yggdrasil can hold seven worlds. To it… wind isn’t such a grand thing.
Ten thousand roots made of one hundred woven thorny vines sprung upward into the air, absolutely demolishing the remnants of the arena. Those roots were able to withstand the tearing wind for a split second.
Which was just enough time for those roots to form claws and rip downward. Although Randidly couldn’t hit the wind directly, it could seize all of the gathered mass. And when that was stolen… all the energy used to pick the debris up would be wasted.
CRASH.
The tightly packed creature of wind smashed into Randidly’s chest, bits of debris and shattered wood pricking his face. But Randidly just smiled. No heavy stone or long vines followed to smash against him. Indeed, even the cutting edge of the air had been dulled. The wind had been gutted, smashed to the ground with raw power.
Around him, the debris slowly collapsed to the ground. Without the wind animating it, the visual obstruction slowly drifted away. Rather than an arena, they were now standing in a twisted forest. Plant matter sprinkled the entire area, stretching upward in vicious curves.
Portions of the erect vines were ripped down, but the strange, silent forest gave testament to the tenacity of Randidly’s Skills. There was even a gradient. Extremely small tattered plants were sticking up on the far end of the arena, yet near Randidly they stood almost a meter tall. And the vines were thick and dangerously studded with thorns.
An honor guard fit for a king.
Clarissa sat on her ass, looking up at him. Her hair was windswept and tattered. Even without looking, Randidly could tell that her Mana pool was empty; when he ripped through the wind, it had given out. It was a power she didn't have the strength yet to wield.
Then she sighed. “...thank you. I concede.”