Chapter 1293 (2/2)

All three of Randidly’s images worked in concert as he ripped through the sky. Like a cannonball headed for a mizzenmast, he simply streaked forward out of the portal he had conjured. Yggdrasil provided the weight and reach. Grim Chimera cut through the Creature’s image and blazed a path. And Ignition Essence ignited everything that Randidly left in his wake, rapidly weakening the Creature’s influence in the area.

He impacted the beach of the island like a ballistic missile; a wave of sand smashed outward from the shattered ground. Almost immediately, Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality had Randidly surging forward from the sandy ground to the edge of the tropical forest that took up the central portion of the island.

Immediately, Randidly knew that he had selected the right location. Strange barriers of Aether seemed to spring up with every few meters as Randidly dashed forward, rapidly impeding his advance. A burst of Nether infused strength allowed Randidly to rip forward despite the encumbrance, but also Neveah’s full consciousness was there with him; she used his metallic limb to masterfully hamstring the arrays of Aether that constituted the Creature’s defenses.

Today, Randidly had made his preparations; it was time to flush the Creature out of hiding. And he was very aware of the five precious drops of liquid Aether that he had managed to condense over the past several months, ready to smash through any sort of heavier resistance to his movements that he encountered. And Randidly didn’t miss how incredibly thick the Creature’s Aether was on this island now that he began to press deeper into the interior.

Past the edge of the treeline were brambles and vines, but none of that was enough to earn Randidly’s hesitation. His speed continued to rise. But as he burst through that barrier of foliage, Neveah clicked her tongue in admiration.

Your disturbance is concentrating the resistance in front of you. The construction is...spectacular. This might be quite difficult.

Even as Neveah sent him the mental message, Randidly could feel the air thickening in front of him. Although the image used wasn’t powerful, the way that it was quickly amassing in front of him with the sheer quantity of opposition did make it extremely difficult to continue forward. The Grim Chimera’s fury climbed quickly upward as it gnashed its teeth.

How long will it take to undo? Randidly forced his legs to take three large strides forward. The images functioned like elastic bands that made each bit of distance forward he covered that much more difficult.

Maybe an hour to completely take it apart. It’s really an interesting way to utilize Aether.

Randidly took another step. His eyes narrowed. From the edge of the dense zone of the Creature’s Aether to the island that Randidly had painstakingly located as being the most likely location for her base, he had only allowed a few seconds to elapse. He wanted to arrive before the Creature had the chance to adjust to his presence, if possible. He wanted to finally take that ancient being by surprise.

Which, Randidly admitted to himself, wasn’t likely. But if there was a chance…

In for a penny… Gritting his teeth, Randidly seized on of his drops of liquid Aether and let it diffuse through his body. His whole being suddenly seemed to hum with life as the qualitatively more powerful energy fueled him for a few seconds. The Grim Chimera fully condensed in front of Randidly’s body with a wild grin on his face. Letting out a snort of laughter, the liquid Aether based vision raised his bone spear and accelerated quickly forward.

Congratulations! Your Skill Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes (L) has grown to Level 196!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes (L) has grown to Level 200!

The accumulated weight of mundane images that the Creature’s Aether threw in front of Randidly with her formation was deftly pierced. Randidly took several large steps forward, forcing his way through the gap before it could adjust to his abrupt increase in power. His body trembled with the split-second exertion, but on the last vestiges of liquid Aether, Randidly ripped through almost one hundred meters of jungle in no time at all and arrived before a strangely carved building.

Congratulations! Your Skill Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality (A) has grown to Level 257!

The method of carving was one that Randidly recognized; it was the same thing he had found the Creature used inside the Raid Dungeon to avoid the gaze of the overlay System. Stale Aether tainted by the Creature gushed outward like the breath of a sleeping monster. Taking a single second of time to slow his rapid charge, Randidly readjusted his course and then dashed forward into the large tunnel that led into the building.

He braced himself for more defenses, but as Randidly pelted along the dimly lit tunnel, he didn’t encounter anything at all. The taint of the Creature grew thicker; her influence in the area was nearing what the Coin of Territory had granted Straud. Even Neveah slowly began to grow more solemn as they proceeded into the building that seemed outwardly relatively small, yet they could dash down the tunnel at a high speed for almost thirty seconds.

Something is strange in the Aether here, Neveah remarked.

Randidly nodded and prepared a second drop of liquid Aether for sudden use. After ten more seconds, Randidly exploded out into a more well-lit area. A quick glance around revealed that it was a vast underground cavern, so large that Randidly was only able to dimly see the distant walls even with his Grim Intuition. And each and every shadow was soaked in the Creature’s scent, making the place smell of age and decay.

Still, there was a central platform directly in the middle of the cavern that Randidly hurried toward. With several bounds, he ascended the stairs and arrived at the pinnacle. And there, the Creature’s familiar face-

Randidly slowed and then stopped. His images swirled around him uncertainly.

The Creature, still wearing a version of Lyra’s face, lay a wizened and grey-skinned version that seemed to reflect the Creature’s actual age. Her arms were folded across her chest. Her wrists looked extremely thin.

Randidly… doesn’t this… Neveah hesitated before vocalizing exactly at Randidly was thinking. Look like a tomb?