Chapter 1078 (2/2)

Congratulations! Your Skill All Things Succumb, Yet Time Whirls the Earth (M) has grown to Level 148!

Congratulations! Your Skill All Things Succumb, Yet Time Whirls the Earth (M) has grown to Level 149!

Congratulations! Your Skill All Things Succumb, Yet Time Whirls the Earth (M) has grown to Level 150!

Even as he moved with more speed and elusiveness than should be possible, the Grim Chimera sensed something was wrong. The fragment of personality that it had inherited flickered and cracked. That certainty of self went dim, leaving the Grim Chimera in near darkness while surrounded by foes.

Of course, that just made the Grim Chimera smile. When had it not been this way? Such a situation was more familiar than family or friends.

A pressure the Grim Chimera hadn’t truly noticed until now suddenly disappeared as he had been able to lose the gaze of the Nether Gatekeeper for a brief moment. The Grim Chimera shivered. A frightful beast, the Nether Gatekeeper, one best avoided. And even though its sense of self departed, the Grim Chimera still remembered the old mind’s plan. It was a good one, although dangerous-

BOOOOOOOOOOM.

The Grim Chimera glanced behind as it continued to streak forward through the final few meters. That fool Kel’ev had swelled again, becoming almost ten meters tall. In addition, the Grim Chimera suddenly could sense that this swelling body was just a puppet; something vast and dangerous was lurking behind this strange transformation.

But the body it currently possessed was simply too weak to handle that terrible, empty image. Three of the tentacles had punctured the body and now ate rapidly away at Kel’ev’s flesh. But even though he was incredibly injured, Kel’ev only looked confused.

Finally, Kel’ev’s eyes located the Grim Chimera’s form. He ground his teeth in fury. It was obvious who he blamed for this turn of events

The Grim Chimera grinned, allowing its long tongue to loll out of his mouth. Following its instincts, the Grim Chimera pressed Vualla against himself and absorbed her into itself. She became a core, and the Grim Chimera the bubble. It was slightly uncomfortable, but it would do for the moment.

Then, while Kel’ev continued to bellow something unintelligible, the Grim Chimera reached out and touched one of the blue veins. He became a core to the bubble that was this vast network that the Nether Beasts hadn’t bothered to shut down around him.

With an effort that had the Grim Chimera shivering and sweating, he pressed himself elsewhere and disappeared.

Unfortunately, the Grim Chimera hadn’t been able to make it completely to the location of the hidden Nether Key. Still, it was now only a short while away and no Nether Beasts materialized to attack it.

Perhaps more importantly, the density of the Nether in this area was so much less than it had previously been enduring that it felt almost refreshing. Still with its tongue hanging out of its mouth, the Grim Chimera took several steadying breaths.

ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!

Grinning with the glee of a successful delay of its final death, the Grim Chimera quickly began to move through the Great Rift. It seemed like the Nether Gatekeeper was not pleased to find that it had escaped.

Very quickly, the Grim Chimera moved until he was very near to the Aether Key. Then, with another shudder-inducing effort, it removed Vualla from his chest. It studied Vualla carefully. Even though most of its cognition was gone, it still was deeply attached to Vualla. The destruction she pursued seemed sublime to its sensibilities.

Luckily, she seemed to still be sleeping peacefully; being a core didn’t have any lingering effects.

So the Grim Chimera took a step forward and arrived at the hidden space with the Aether Key.

Nine pairs of eyes widened as the Grim Chimera appeared. Then they noticed Vualla in the Grim Chimera’s arms and they instantly became annoyingly agitated. They were speaking to the Grim Chimera, but it couldn’t understand what they were saying. The words were as empty as their eyes.

The Grim Chimera gestured toward itself Vualla, hoping this would convey what it wanted. Then it pointed toward the Aether Key.

It would be difficult to kill these people, the Grim Chimera decided, but not impossible. But considering that Nether Gatekeeper was likely pursuing it… fighting would take too much time. And the Grim Chimera was so, so tired.

One of the people stepped forward and said something else in a low voice.

Helpless, the Grim Chimera cast its weary mind around to try and remember how the personality would have handled such a situation.

But before it found an answer, another roar ripped through the Great Rift. And this roar was much closer; it seemed that the Nether Gatekeeper was heading in their direction.

Just as the Grim Chimera was about to take action, the individual that had spoken to it last reached out and touched the Grim Chimera’s shoulder. The Grim Chimera’s first instinct was to cut off this offending limb, but it kept control and observed this motion. It remembered dimly that this sort of gesture could convey intimacy. Which was quite confusing.

After that, the speaker gestured to itself and spoke several sentences very quickly. The individual patted the Grim Chimera’s shoulder and then offered it the Aether Key.

The Grim Chimera didn’t really care what they were saying. After blinking rapidly several times, the Grim Chimera confirmed that they truly had understood it. So it simply took the key and was finally teleported with Vualla back to safety.