Chapter 1220 (2/2)

Lowering his hand and wiping away the blood coming from his eye, Randidly shrugged. The pain ceased as he used raw Aether to smother Ileot’s image. “Sorry, nope. I’m an unrepentant weirdo.”

“Well, it’s certainly illuminating. I learned a lot from watching you.” Vualla floated easily into Randidly’s Nether Gatekeeper bubble and kissed him. Then she pulled back and said seriously. “In the same way that you learn lessons by watching a deranged mental patient dance at the edge of a ten-story building’s roof.”

As he laughed helplessly, Randidly felt warmth pass between them. More than enough to be a fair trade for the Aether that he provided to her. Then his expression turned serious as he scanned the extremely complicated Aether around Vualla. “Are you… alright…?”

“It’s just been a long day.” Vualla sighed and looked down at her hands. “I’ve got some pretty bad burns… but I can move for now. I avoided the worse of his attack against the Nether King.”

Then both turned to regard Ileot, who had stabilized himself and was glaring hatefully at Vualla and Randidly. Randidly didn’t miss the way that Ileot decisively sacrificed several more of his minor Skills and reaped the Aether from them.

“I didn’t see what happened with the Nether King… is it out of commission? That noise…” Randidly gestured over toward the continually rumbling cloud surrounded by black and white lightning.

Vualla hesitated. “Ileot Swacc definitely hit it hard. He wouldn’t be so exhausted otherwise. So at the very least, its wounded. For now… Ileot is probably the main threat. Especially if he is willing to just ambush you out of the blue. Also, saying something like ‘none will leave this place alive’...? I sincerely doubt that he didn’t notice that I was still here.”

Nodding, Randidly kept his emerald eyes fixed on Ileot. It was clear that he was carefully using the Aether he had harvested to restore some of his lucidity. “And Lady Iellaya? Lord Miln?”

“Lord Miln was right next to the Nether King when Ileot attacked; I think he’s dead. As for Lady Iellaya…” Vualla’s face knitted into a frown. Randidly was surprised to notice that for a brief moment, an expression of guilt flashed across her face. “...it seems like she is having some internal troubles controlling part of her image…”

Randidly’s eyes flashed. So that’s why that darkness in the sky was gone when I woke up… did it invade Lady Iellaya’s body…?

Vualla leaned forward and spoke pleadingly to him before his musings could continue any further. “Randidly, I don’t mean to be paranoid, but… if there is a voice in your head that talks about how important karma is, I want you to tell me right now.”

Randidly opened his mouth to deny that such a voice existed, then hesitated. Well, it’s not exactly a voice in my head, but otherwise Lucretia probably fits that description… It’s just that she’s not just a voice any longer! But I wonder how the acclimation to Nether is going in the Alpha Cosmos…?

Witnessing Randidly’s hesitation, Vualla gripped his arm. “Karma doesn’t mean anything. No matter what that voice tells you, it’s just bullshit.”

But Lucretia isn’t telling me to do anything at all…? Randidly wanted to roll his eyes, but he suppressed that impulse. After all, he was confused by Vualla’s words. “Bullshit? Karma is a pretty legitimate force. It’s just one that only works if you give power to it by believing in it. After all, it’s the patterns that make sense to you that end up affecting you. Of course, you don’t have the leisure to choose it in the moment; your karma is the thing you’ve been slowly choosing your entire life.”

Almost subconsciously, Randidly’s hand fell to the key at his waist. “That’s why… every decision you make is important. Every step you have taken forms your Path.”

“What…?” Vualla said.

But before the discussion could continue, Ileot surged forward, his entire body covered in white lightning. His chest was heaving. And for the first time since his ominous words earlier, he spoke. This time his voice was heavy with emotion. “Karma… I’ll destroy all your bullshit karma…!”

Rather deadpan, Randidly pointed out toward Ileot’s approaching figure. “Should I be worried that you share an opinion on karma with this psychopathic monster…?”

“Only if I should be worried that you handle Nether just as well as that obnoxious noise machine.” Vualla cracked a smile and pointed toward the Nether King’s cloud.

Then both their faces turned serious.

“I have one big attack. Big enough… that I think it could stop Ileot,” Randidly said shortly.

Vualla nodded and took a step forward. “Then I’ll open up a path.”