Chapter 1191 (2/2)

That thought drew Randidly’s eyes back upward to the fistfuls of blue-black flame that careened down toward the ground. Perhaps quite soon, Randidly would experience what it was truly like to fight a Nether Gatekeeper. That slight difference in Nether density that the true monsters of the opposition could manage to wield would never be as deadly to Randidly as it was to most beings of Aether, but that slight increase in Nether density was a hard barrier to overcome no matter what natural defenses Randidly had.

It was like comparing swords made of stone to those made of steel. The shape had always been there, but now the blade could cut much more deeply.

Still, I’ll be ready. Randidly glanced to the right, to Commander Terith’s camp. Although his eyes couldn’t find her, Randidly could easily feel Vualla moving through the frantic reorganization of bodies to move to the front. I can’t let you fight alone out there. Even if its not much, I’ll do what I can.

“Oh, also orders from Lady Iellaya,” Abiodun casually said as he twisted back around to look at Randidly. “Take a break. We will need you later, but for now, its better to save your strength. I’ll protect this rabble in the meantime.”

Blinking, Randidly felt like he must have misheard Abiodun. Two hundred Nether Gatekeepers smashed into the already broken ground near the edge of the Great Rift, sending large chunks of stone spinning weightlessly through the air as they crashed down. The noise was not loud from all the way back here, but Randidly could feel the impact reverberate through the distant ground to the toes of his bare feet. “You… want me to take a break? I’m still-”

“A subordinate to Lady Iellaya,” Abiodun’s eyes glowed ominously, even as his tone was even. “So no matter what merits you have rendered in your service, her word is law. Take a break, Ghosthound. At least four hours. We need you back at your sharpest for this… and from how you are staring at me, it is clear that you are more than a little dull right now.”

The truth in that statement made Randidly’s temper flare, but he quickly mastered that and gave Abiodun a hard look. “You believe you can handle this many foes alone?”

“I believe in carrying out the orders given to me,” Some of that destructive pressure that Abiodun released earlier to knock back the three Nether Gatekeepers pulsed outward. Randidly barely resisted the urge to bare his teeth.

...but if Abiodun refused to engage on any tack aside from the unimpeachable status of orders, Randidly knew that he would be unable to sway the man to give easily. In terms of his dedication to his superior, Abiodun was one of the most powerful men that Randidly had ever met. Some part of Randidly was still unwilling to simply walk away, however.

It wasn’t worry for Abiodun but worry for the soldiers. Yet even as Randidly wracked his brain for a solution, none materialized. The same helplessness Randidly had struggled with previously was back in a different form. Randidly feared what would be lost if he wasn’t struggling, likely because he feared that his struggling accomplished nothing.

To make matters worse, the physical and mental beating that Randidly had endured from a half-hour of confrontation with the Nether forces truly had blunted some of his focus; Abiodun was correct on that front. Even with the flickering assistance of Ignition Essence, Randidly was stumped by Abiodun’s message.

Gritting his teeth, Randidly turned away. This is why I struggle so hard to grow stronger. So I don’t need to simply turn away when people worth protecting are in danger…! Even if I know that cultivate the ‘why’ of strength is important, it doesn’t make me want additional strength now any less.

“Oh, also, you are not allowed to intervene with your plant Skills. No active Skills at all. We want you to be fully rested for the offensive later. Enjoy your break. Lucky bastard.”

Randidly pressed his jaw so tightly shut that it popped. He glanced once over his shoulder but Abiodun was already striding forward toward the common Nether Beasts that had already arrived. He raised his stony hand and brought it down, smashing wide areas into misshapen pancakes made from pulped Nether bodies.

Again, Randidly was tempted to disobey this order. The huge lance form of Acri shifted slightly, sensing its master’s unwillingness. Even Sulfur hummed against Randidly’s torso and left arm, trying to comfort him.

For several seconds, Randidly just looked at Abiodun’s back. Soldiers would die without the timely assistance of Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil. And the soldiers had grown so used to fighting against the Nether Beasts Randidly interfered with that they would likely be surprised by the abrupt increase in difficulty.

They dealt with it for the short time I had to be within the ditch… Randidly turned away and walked back toward the Aether fortifications. It was a difference to be without his assistance, but it was one they could still handle. He should not treat them as insignificant just because they were weak; these soldiers had made it to the front line, after all. It wasn’t so harsh a change that Randidly believed everything would fall to pieces without him.

Tightness coiled through his arms into Randidly’s shoulders. Then he forced it away and shook his head with a sigh. Randidly had already learned this lesson. He couldn’t solve every problem by himself. He needed to rely on others in order to progress.

Then Randidly looked up toward Lady Iellaya’s tower. She trusted me to remake her Class and Fate… so the least I can do is trust that Lady Iellaya issued this order for a good reason. They need me for whatever is happening in four hours… need me at my best. And honestly… that’s almost exactly how much time I think it will take to restore myself to my peak condition…

Trust is a difficult thing…

Yet Randidly did not use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil as he walked away from the frontlines and returned to his tent. It took a deliberate effort on his part, and his heart wrenched for every scream that ended in sudden silence, yet Randidly restrained himself. His Grim Intuition was almost cruel in how efficiently it relayed to him the action of the front lines behind him as the new surge of Nether Gatekeepers surged forward toward the Aether soldiers.

Even with Abiodun there, he was only a single person. Lives were being lost. What was the cost of respect in terms of a single life? Was there a number of lives that would motivate Randidly to intervene, no matter how much a respected figure urged him to stop?

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruinous Drive (Ru) has grown to Level 63!

Of course, Randidly still staunchly provided a boost to the frontlines in a passive way. Which felt like a slight disobeying of orders in a way that satisfied a petty part of himself. Yet that same part of himself just left Randidly tired.

“Hopefully this is worth it.” Randidly’s gaze sliced along the frontlines. And when his gaze stopped being useful, he opened the rest of his senses and felt the whole of the frontlines, where thousands of beings on both sides were struggling to kill each other. The air above the thickest of the fighting began to warp and ripple as the emotions and images were pressed together in a tight, messy ball.

Maybe someday this battlefield with give birth to a Nether Prince… Randidly thought suddenly. Then he shook his head and returned to his tent.