Chapter 1088 (2/2)
Unlike the individual who served as Randidly’s Judgment, it was immediately clear that Lord Miln’s power was not due to the weight of Aether behind him. No, this was simply someone who reached the pinnacle of power with his image. Abruptly, Randidly was very glad he hadn’t attempted anything more foolish than disrespect. This was not a foe he was ready to face directly.
“With all due respect,” Randidly said through gritted teeth, hating himself for every word, “Isn’t the situation on the front more important than our… previous differences?”
“Oh, I have the situation quite under control, don’t you worry,” Lord Miln said with remarkable cheeriness. He glanced to the side toward a specific suspension tank behind him, and Randidly was immediately sure that the object of his gaze was the very tank that held his own body. “I suspect that a very lucrative business deal that has been on the table for quite some time will finally go through quite soon. In which case, all of my problems will be solved.”
Then Lord Miln looked back to Randidly. “In any case, I’m a busy man and you are just one of many foot soldiers. You have your orders; get to it.”
Two powerful-looking guards stepped forward but Randidly looked at Lord Miln for several long seconds. His mind was whirring at a rapid clip as he studied the Supreme Commander of this frontline. Then Randidly turned away. The Grim Chimera roared silently and the muscles of his legs flexed. The ice that was binding him to the ground shattered and Randidly casually turned away, trying his best to look more in control than he actually felt.
If he is really referring directly to my body when talking about that business deal… Randidly thought with a sinking feeling in his chest, Then it might be that someone is aware that I, physically, am the Alpha Cosmos. And that this mission he is sending me on is especially designed to be deadly.
As he left the command tent and stood on the high rocky outcropping over the entire battlefield, Randidly had to suppress his desire to laugh. Or at least he tried to, but then the sheer irony of his solemn vow to avoid suicide missions from now on came back to bite him only a few days later.
Salazar reached out and patted Randidly’s shoulder. “It’s f-fine to be a little mentally b-b-broken by circumstance. Even if y-you start s-stuttering-”
Randidly waved his hand, still chuckling. “Relax, this isn’t a mental breakdown. It’s just… funny. This is how it always happens. It’s like there is a fickle god watching over me, constantly making my life more difficult than it needs to be.”
“Everyone has that,” Zagnal said with a scowl. “Sometimes its someone trying to kill you, sometimes its an idiot for a commanding officer. That’s just life.”
Randidly spared him an amused glance. The dragon-man still was both bitter about his inexplicable loss to Randidly in between the tents and also because he would be following Randidly on this mission designed to kill him.
But before Randidly replied, one of the guards spoke up. “Although this mission is difficult, that does not mean it is impossible. Lord Miln has seen fit to allow you to go to the Armory and remove two weapons before you depart.”
“The armory?” Randidly asked in confusion. Valuable weapons were slightly intriguing, but not so much that it would affect the outcome of the battle. Even if they were powerful, Randidly didn’t currently have a body that could be affected by the Stats or properties of a weapon right now. Although some part of him was intensely curious about what sort of weapons the warriors of the System possessed at the high end of things.
Sam would probably be drooling right now.
The guard nodded. “Yes, the armory. It contains thousands of years worth of Fates, harvested from those who have died fighting the Nether. If you are lucky, you might find something powerful in there that can save your life.”