Chapter 1254 (2/2)

Obviously, his strength, if he pushed now through the ritual, would be relatively minor. But it did cause Randidly to make a mental note to work more on improving his Nether Ritual in the future. If he could control that influence well…

But Randidly let those thoughts fall away as he focused on the image he shared with Neveah. The frontlines and the Great Rift slowly swirled into focus. As he had expected, even more ground surrounding the area where the Nether King currently lay dormant had fallen away. Lady Iellaya’s repaired base stuck out like a sore thumb as the surrounding lands had been conquered by the Great Rift.

And seeing that Lady Iellaya’s hastily assembled camp was still manned made Randidly wince; he knew it was his Commandership that was stationed there. And without him there to nurture the image of Yggdrasil that held the Great Rift at bay, it would someday collapse into the vast darkness. He had used a drop of liquid Aether to fuel the Skill, which was why the effect was so exaggerated, but still…his soldiers remaining there was dangerous.

Although, most of those soldiers are not ones loyal to me at all… I’ll have to decide how much responsibility I have toward them...

Neveah prodded Randidly. Shaking his head mentally, Randidly turned his focus away from the land and let the Nether Ritual guide them out toward the Great Rift. There, the Xyrt Brigade continued to weave Aether using the principles of Nether in a tight knot around the Nether King. But Randidly instantly sensed that their attempts had become increasingly desperate. Since Randidly had departed from frontlines, another score of soldiers from the Xyrt Brigade had arrived to assist with the operation. Almost thirty people were working constantly, moving Aether to suppress what was occurring within the Nether King.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed and Neveah hummed. The Nether Ritual focused on the interplay of Aether and Nether around the core of the Nether King. Both understood that it was too late; whatever was going to occur with the Nether King could no longer be stopped, only delayed.

Neveah turned and looked at Randidly. “This reaction… is due to you?”

After hesitating, Randidly nodded slightly. “After seeing the weave used Nether principles… I’m starting to believe the System completely controls this war between the two sides. With my Philosopher’s Key… I unlocked whatever was holding the Nether King back. Perhaps it will give us some insight into what it means for us to stand against the System.”

“A gamble.” Immediately, Neveah hummed again. Then she shared the perceptions she gathered with her senses. Even if Grim Intuition was a more powerful Stat than Neveah possessed, her sensitivity to Aether was something that Randidly couldn’t rival. “Can you feel it…? Rather than unlocking the seal, you seemed to have marked the seal for the Nether… It was hidden previously, but that Key built a bridge that allowed the Nether to find what had kept it bound for so long…”

With Neveah’s senses providing perspective, Randidly felt the blurry edge of something sitting at the core of the Nether King. He couldn’t help but suck in a breath as that blurry sensation resolved itself. Because at the core of the Nether King, a fingernail’s worth of crystalized Aether floated. It was currently struggling to resist the full fury of the Nether King’s energy that swirled around and ate away at it. The efforts of the Xyrt Brigade were to distract the Nether King’s energy and keep it from turning its focus on this interloper at its core, but it was too late to calm the Nether’s fury.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Ritual (A) has grown to Level 143!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 99!

Both were thoughtful as Randidly allowed the Nether Ritual to fade away.

Finally, Neveah broke the silence. “The System is dangerous.”

Randidly barred his teeth. “We’ve known that for a while… and we haven’t even gotten rid of all the assorted threats here on Earth.”

To that, Neveah shrugged. “I too have felt the Creature’s energy spreading… she’s very obvious about her movements. Too obvious for it to be a simple thing on which she works. That is why I was wary of approaching her while you were gone. But I’ve been studying the Danger Zones… I believe I have discovered what the ‘benefit’ the System has teased recently is.”

That had Randidly’s attention. Nodding, Neveah continued to speak. “The old bones of the System are still present in the planets were are now connected to… and when I fought the Toad Lord, I sensed that there have been small adjustments among those old System constructs that have long lain dormant.

“As you know, each planet is given a flow of ambient Aether that pushes up the potential of the materials and organisms on the planet. That ambient energy permeates everything. Eventually, the percentage of an individual’s consumption of ambient Aether drops off as they are connected to a Village… but that ambient Aether in a world is a very important determinant when it comes to someone’s potential. Because the stronger they are when they obtain a Class…”

“The stronger the Class they are able to claim,” Randidly finished with glittering eyes. “At least theoretically.”

Neveah grinned, showcasing her formidable maw. “Yes. I believe Earth will absorb the old structures from these abandoned worlds by accomplishing the System’s stated task. At that time, Earth will receive almost double the amount of ambient Aether that it currently does. And at the same time… those old worlds, now without a System framework, will collapse upon themselves.”

“And the populations will either move to Earth… or die…” Randidly tapped his lip. Then he spared Neveah a glance. “I don’t suppose you showed enough mercy to the Toad Lord that he would be willing to negotiate? Adding his strength to Earth’s can only be a good thing. Assuming, of course, you believe he won’t betray us.”

Neveah’s smile was almost bashful. “That Toad Lord is actually quite interesting. Even I was surprised by the creative ways that he utilized Aether. I’ll contact him in a bit after he’s recovered from the wounds I inflicted on him… there is no way he would hold a grudge against a cute young woman like me, right?”

Randidly’s face twitched. “...how could he? No matter how… errr… serious the wounds you inflicted were, I’m sure that your genuine attitude will be enough…”

Neveah’s jaw, lined with razor-sharp teeth, clicked excitedly as she nodded cheerfully. “Of course. It must be so. And if he still holds a grudge… well, that’s fine too. Perhaps he has even more Aether tricks that he can show me.”