Chapter 1224 (1/2)

Randidly had burned the drop of liquid Aether in his chest without any hesitation. Every ounce of his remaining mental strength was thrown behind the image of the Skill the Lantern of Harsh Truths. It wasn’t actually related to any of Randidly’s three created images but was rather a Skill he received directly because of his Class the Lord of the Baleful Wood.

Still, Lantern of Harsh Truths was clearly pretty closely related to the partially evolved Ignition Essence image. So when he activated it, Randidly could clearly feel the depression and helplessness that filled Illym’s heart surging outward through his limbs. Perhaps that heavy weight of emotion was exactly why Randidly could clearly feel the duplicated Vualla riding with Ileot fall to pieces.

Those similar emotions became a bridge, and that bridge became a blade. If the duplicated Vualla was a marionette, all of its strings had just been cut.

Not that Randidly fared particularly well either. He had likely missed it when using the liquid Aether the first time, perhaps due to his groggy state, but burning liquid Aether forced away other Aether in the surrounding area. Even Randidly’s own pure Aether in its most basic form was forced away. Which resulted in a split second of immense weakness before Randidly’s Aether Crossroads rapidly recharged his energy.

That side effect probably why Ileot was in such a weakened state earlier… it’s rough not having your own Aether Crossroads.

The current Ileot blinked his eyes when faced with the brilliant emerald light, seemingly too lost in his own emotions to be affected by the Lantern of Harsh Truths. But almost immediately the black tears ceased oozing out of the pores around his eyes. Ileot’s eyeballs appeared to still be stained by the inky tears that were already cried, but as he blinked, more and more of his original eyes were revealed.

Congratulations! Your Skill Aether Detection has grown to Level 181!

Randidly didn’t resist as Lady Iellaya followed his earlier instructions and seized his waist as Ileot’s eyes narrowed in fury. Even if Ileot Swacc’s emotional state had shielded him from the same sort of disastrous realization that the duplicated Vualla had received, it seemed Randidly’s lantern was potent enough to shock him back to something close to clarity.

Yet the mission had accomplished its goal for the moment. Randidly didn’t miss the way that there was no longer any Aether flooding to fuel Ileot’s rapid Aether expenditure. Not that meant much. There was still more than enough burning Aether in Ileot’s chest for him to squash Randidly like a bug. And gradually, the resolve in Ileot’s eyes formed.

Randidly didn’t look away as he was pulled backward. Wavy reverberations of Nether framed Ileot’s body in a nova of darkness. Almost gently, the huge whips of white lightning twined there way back to Ileot’s side as he switched his targets to the arrogant Randidly Ghosthound who had struck at the duplicated Vualla.

Can he sense how important this decision is for him? Randidly wondered wearily. After using the Skill, most of his mental fortitude drained out of him. If Ileot would strike, there wasn’t much he could do to resist. Is he coherent enough to understand what I’ve done, or is he simply furious?

The moment seemed to stretch, as though Ileot’s anger were a physical force that mired Randidly in the surrounding space. You really could kill me and I wouldn’t be able to stop you. And now that you’ve reclaimed most of your reason, you are planning to do just that. But you know…

...it might have been more dangerous for me if you actually were exposed to the Lantern of Harsh Truths… Randidly’s gaze slid past Ileot to the pulsing maelstrom of Nether behind him. Because you might have glimpsed the flaw at your core that will now get you killed.

OOOOOONNNNNGGGGG.

The Nether King took advantage of the drawn-out second of inaction from Ileot and rapidly reassembled its defenses. The dense Nether that had been slowly beaten back by the assault by the enormous whips of white lightning now flooded back outward, pushing back the inert weapons of Ileot Swacc. In addition, the Nether King’s roar unleashed several dense ripples of Nether that harmonized strangely with each other and strengthened the final wave that thrust toward Ileot’s exposed back.

“FUCK!” Ileot bellowed as the huge attack of Nether caught him by surprise and immediately devoured a portion of Ileot’s limited amount of Aether with a sizzle. Randidly watched the whole thing calmly as he was pulled back through the Great Rift; as pain seized Ileot’s attention, inflammatory surged forward once more across his face and completely blinded him to the surrounding situation.

The threat of Randidly was forgotten. Ileot didn’t know or care about the fact his Aether was once more limited. The duplicated Vualla had fallen almost completely inert now. With a growl, Ileot unleashed attack after attack, once more trying to smash his way forward to slay the Nether King.

If you saw the lantern, you would likely have understood that it was your own fear and guilt that have made your life miserable for the last three thousand years… if you could just let your fear go…

With the Vualla in his body somehow broken by what she saw in the lantern, Ileot could only frantically burn away the Aether he had received already. For him, the afterward had been forgotten before the demanding needs of the now. He transformed into a monster of instinct and desire

Which, to be fair, was quite effective. As Lady Iellaya pulled Randidly and Vualla back across to the area controlled by Aether, Ileot had managed to once more force his way forward and could attack the Nether King directly. Where grace failed him, persistence and ferocity simply trampled the defenses of the Nether King.

Yet to Randidly’s eyes, his direct attacks were ultimately ineffective. Because with Ileot striking away the dense Nether in his wrathful onslaught, Randidly finally saw the pure form of the Nether King; it was an esoteric shape at the core of all that Nether that pulsed with power. Rather than a soul, it looked more like a floor plan of a very small house, filled with short intersecting lines.

Randidly wiggled his bare toes as the trio finally settled down back on true ground. He narrowed his eyes. That does make it seem like the weave I opened up earlier was the component that gave the Nether King intelligence… but why does it then seem like this pure symbol is so much scarier than an intelligent foe…?

Before his thoughts could go much further, Randidly felt lightheaded and swayed. It seemed like the significant strain of utilizing the Philosopher’s Key and then burning a drop of liquid Aether abruptly caught up to him. If Vualla had stepped behind him and supported him, Randidly probably would have just collapsed into a heap.

“You need a nap.” Vualla chuckled.