Chapter 1038 (1/2)

Randidly stood completely still as Kharon continued on without him, heading to the West. The air was warm from the late evening sun, but Randidly had a suspicion that would soon change. It was almost time.

5…

Cracking his knuckles, Randidly cast his mind around for anything that he had forgotten. It would likely be too late to do anything about it now, but nothing came to mind. He had said his goodbyes and left instructions with Helen, Naffur, and Tatiana. He had a long talk with Nathan about Classes and images. He had even been in contact with Ghost.

4…

All that remained was to face his Judgment.

3…

Randidly couldn’t stop a grin from creeping across his face.

2…

Goosebumps danced across Randidly’s arms. It was almost a nostalgic feeling.

1…

With a flick of the wrist, Acri stretched out into a peerlessly straight position. Sulfur hummed against his chest. Both had been relatively bored in the long months that Randidly spent focusing rather completely on his Engraving, so they were eager now to see action. Randidly licked his lips. “And I have a feeling, that this will be fun.”

0.

The sky cracked open and a world of snow and cold breathed down a column of sleet onto the Earth. The temperature dropped below the point of water freezing almost immediately as rolling grey clouds spread into the surrounding area. Soon, the sun was dimmed and the wind was chilling. With wide wings made of ice, the Wendigo Judgment floated down out of that hole in the sky toward Randidly. In both hands, he held golden hammers covered in complex Engraving.

Randidly’s hands were tingling as he watched the Judgment drift downward. Shifting in excitement from one foot to the other, Randidly called up to the Judgment. “Haven’t I already fought and beat you three times? Is there any meaning for you to come out once more?”

The Judgment snorted. “Is there any meaning to this display? You know that you have passed my tests. You have proven your power. All that remains…”

The Judgment touched to the ground in front of Randidly. Frost crept outward from the place its feet touched the ground. Randidly continued to grin up at the monster, who was about double his size and probably four times his weight. Snapping its fingers, the Judgment opened a glimmering blue portal behind it and gestured toward it. “Is for you to accept your fate. You have flaunted the rules of the System, fine. But you cannot escape conscription in the great war.”

“And if I refuse?” Randidly said lightly.

Even knowing how much he had been warped by the violence of the System. Even having made the mistake of killing Ki-Kunot and then struggling with his guilt for months. Even though it was likely a pointless gesture that would only bring him hardship.

Randidly had learned a lot from Shal, but one of the first things he internalized was the pure glory of fighting. The violence, the struggle… it called to him. And after almost a year of simply relying on the Riders to expand his influence…

Randidly wanted to fight. As an individual who wanted to test his edge. To clash with this known quantity now would be the perfect sort of warm-up before actually proceeding to the dangerous battlegrounds against Nether.

The Judgment sighed. “I suppose it won’t sway you to say that you will not just be fighting against myself; the entire weight of the System is behind me-”

If anything, Randidly’s grin widened even further. Shaking his head, the Judgment raised his hammers. “Fine then, let us get this over with. Domain of the Long Chill.”

Randidly felt the image coming before he felt the physical change in cold, but it was more than enough to make him abruptly serious. Seems like the System isn’t hampering his uses of images any longer. Ignition of the Emerald Essence erupted around him, bringing light and inspiration to smash against the horrifying greediness of the cold that slithered out to seize Randidly.

But then the physical cold caught up to the image, and Randidly’s expression twisted in a grimace of pain. The cold seemed to stab at him with bony fingers. Frost immediately began to condense just on his skin. Although Randidly could barely handle the refined image that the Judgment smashed him with, he was taken by surprise by the actual effect it had on the world. Or rather, Randidly abruptly realized that the Judgment hadn’t been lying; his Skills were being fueled by the System sitting behind it.

And this is only a Domain… Narrowing his eyes, Randidly lowered his spear and pointed it toward the Judgment’s Heart. Man is Proud, but the Chimera Craves.

The icy ground around Randidly’s feet cracked and shattered. Long splinters of ice shot upward in a nova as Randidly and Acri became a blur of violent toward the Judgment. The weight of all his momentum concentrated to the tip of his spear in a terribly destructive attack. But of course, the Judgment wasn’t slowed down at all by his own Domain and jumped to counter.

It stepped to the side and then brought one of its glowing golden hammers around in a heavy swing. “Freezing Detonation!”

With Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality, Randidly was able to twist mid-air and cause a minute adjustment to his charge. His spear slid upward to follow the Judgment’s torso while his left hand activated Molten Fang of the Pariah and shot out to intercept the hammer strike.

Acri skidded off of the layer of ice armor the Judgment hurriedly condensed around itself. And then Molten Fang of the Pariah struck Freezing Detonation. Once more, an overwhelming wave of cold blasted outward from the Judgment’s Skill. In fact, the cold was so intense and abrupt that Randidly felt like even his thoughts stuttered to a stop for the briefest of moments.

Grim Intuition, unhelpfully, pointed out that the cold was very dangerous and this individual bore him a significant amount of ill will.

“Heh, you are starting to feel it now, huh?” The Judgment loomed closer as it brought its other hammer around to strike in a horizontal blow. “So why don’t you just- Eh…?”