Chapter 1186 (2/2)
The mention of that caused Lord Miln’s mouth to twitch. He glanced to the side, where the 90% copy of Randidly provided by Ileot stood, waiting for orders. “Will it be enough? It appears that Lady Iellaya obtained the valuable energy before he could absorb more of the essence of the Nether Prince-”
“It will be enough.” Ileot nodded sharply. “In fact, making sure the image is attached to that face might be unnecessary; in the wake of the Nether Prince’s demise, the Nether King will want to kill us all. That little toy is just insurance to make sure that the Nether King will aim to kill Randidly Ghosthound first.”
Again, Ileot’s face turned extremely serious. His eyes went back to the continuing brawl that held the entire battlefield transfixed. “But we must hurry. One thing that Randidly providing energy to Vualla will do is accelerate the breakdown of the incubation buffer.”
That caused Lord Miln to freeze. “Will the duplication disappear early? If my forces aren’t poised-”
Waving a hand, Ileot Swacc gave Lord Miln an aggrieved look. “Of course not. Am I some two-bit charlatan? No, I am Ileot Swacc, the Duplicator. No, but the buffer provides a very important metaphysical function of plausible deniability. There is a… alleviation of pressure. It integrates with the world and prevents other individuals from realizing the duplication is present. With a chaotic battlefield like this, the point is likely moot. But after that…”
“That’s fine.” Lord Miln looked up at the Great Rift and unleashed a fraction of his image. His Perception pierced upward, prickling the Nether King’s sphere of influence. Instantly, Lord Miln felt that hatred and rage fixate on him. “Everything is to strike a blow at this foe. After today… none of it will matter.”
*****
Abiodun looked troubled after the messenger from Headquarter departed. “Is this a trick? Some sort of trap?”
“A chance to shoot myself in the foot, perhaps.” Lady Iellaya lightly stroked a serpent of fuzzy darkness that twined itself through her fingers. “But giving me free rein to launch a counteroffensive at any time I wish… I too do not like it. It feels like Lord Miln has a better read of my intentions than I thought.”
Abiodun remained silent. Because he knew what his mistress would say next.
“Yet… I suspect the depth of my new strength will leave him quite surprised.” Lady Iellaya smiled like a satisfied cat. Then she shook her head. “But you see how he so effortlessly dodged the question of the involvement of the Xyrt Brigade? Them being unwilling to intervene on our behalf… seems unrealistic, considering the size of the army in front of us.”
“Nether Kings are worthy targets, as well,” Abiodun hummed in agreement. “But this isn’t just Lord Miln earning the ire of his subordinates; failure to provide this intel could get him brought before the Council of the Nexus.”
Lady Iellaya drew her tongue slowly across her upper lip before speaking. “It won’t end up mattering if he earns merits by wounding a Nether King. But just where does his confidence come from…?”
Which, unfortunately enough, put a finger directly on Abiodun’s current anxiety about Lady Iellaya.
After a brief hesitation, Abiodun could not prevent himself from asking. “And your new Class and Fate… Are you… fully integrated with the changes? I feel… much has changed within you. The solidified potential fills you with possibilities, true, but it is a risk to discover your own limits on such an important battlefield.”
“It is understandable to be nervous, dearest Abiodun; we have finally reached our goal.” Lady Iellaya reached up and drew a finger across Abiodun’s stone cheek. “We have looked for this chance our entire lives. We’ve grown so much, waiting for it. But it is finally here. I know that our connection has changed somewhat by the workings of the Ghosthound, but the costs come with benefits. When I fill the sky with darkness, you will see that it has all been worth it.”
Abiodun bowed his head. Truly, whatever Randidly had done had changed the relationship between Lady Iellaya and her followers. Or rather than that, the sensitivity that Abiodun had grown reliant on during their long years of partnership with Lady Iellaya had been… numbed. Rather than serving as a connection between them, the potential that Abiodun had donated now had been transformed into Lady Iellaya’s strength.
This was always our goal. Abiodun reprimanded himself. Am I truly thinking of my own needs over hers…? I should be ashamed of myself.
Yet with his bowed head, Abiodun’s eyes focused on that serpent of fuzzy darkness that slowly twined across Lady Iellaya’s fingers even now. Strangely, It paused in its sinuous motion and looked up at him. Their eyes met like there was a spark of intelligence present in that small and feeble image.
For a split second, Abiodun could have sworn that strange and unexplained snake of darkness smiled up at him.
“How long have they been fighting?” Lady Iellaya abruptly asked.
“Almost twenty-five minutes,” Abiodun shook his head and looked away from the dark snake.
Lady Iellaya clicked her jaw. “Be ready. The Nether King won’t allow this game to go on much longer. And as Randidly starts to struggle, that’s when we make our move.”