Chapter 1302 (2/2)

Whatever the Generous Caregiver was going to say was drowned out in bellow that Randidly unleashed. Alana’s skin tingled like she had been touched by an electric shock. And from the other’s faces, it seemed they experienced a similar sensation. Then there was a blur of motion and Randidly was streaking toward the still recovering Helen.

“I’m surprised you haven’t hopped down there to join them,” Tatiana said with forced casualness. And Alana had considered it. Yet...

Hank chuckled ruefully. “Ain’t our turn. We’ve been putting in our time for long enough.”

And as he spoke, two figures streaked from the shadows of the nearby ruined hills, intercepting Randidly before he reached Helen. The first Alana recognized immediately: it was Naffur Suite, the head of the Order Ducis. He wore a pair of ornate gloves and unleashed a huge haymaker of a punch toward Randidly’s side, which didn’t even earn a response from the energy-clad man.

On the other side, a solid emerald moss spirit the size of an ogre simply tried to spear tackle the Ghosthound. Randidly saw both of the attacks coming, but he didn’t even adjust. He simply continued to charge forward, daring an offensive against him.

The moss spirit slammed against the Ghosthound’s waist but Randidly just dragged the green giant forward like he didn't’ notice the impact. Naffur’s punch was only a tiny bit more effective; it slammed into Randidly’s jaw and forced him to take a half step to steady himself, but then he was back to charging forward.

Luckily for Helen, that was all the time she needed. Raising her hands, Helen’s face twisted in fury. The crimson coloration that was slowly sinking away as her image faded surged suddenly back. To the point that the area around her was completely soaked in blood.

Truly, Helen always hides her strength deeply… Alana folded her arms across her chest.

As Randidly closed the last two steps of distance between himself and Helen, those crimson tides turned into a tight spiral of blood. And from that frantic whirlpool came a pale and fleshy claw. This the Ghosthound actually reacted to; he raised his hand and attempted to smash the claw.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Randidly Ghosthound hit the fleshy claw with all the force of a freight train, splintering its bones and splattering its flesh before the image destabilized and fell to pieces. Helen stumbled backward but she had managed to disperse his momentum enough that she opened up some space.

Which gave Naffur the chance to explode with an image of a sharp, adventurous spirit. Of a challenger. He threw punch after punch at Randidly’s exposed back, gaining speed with each attack. The first couple of punches didn’t do much, but it seemed that the punches were gaining quite a bit of power with their increased speed. So much so that the Ghosthound gave up pursuing Helen and lashed out toward Naffur as he twisted around.

But this is where the moss spirit proved its usefulness. While its image, in Alana’s eyes, was relatively weak, its body was extremely stable. Randidly’s hand, positively crackling with that strange energy that circled him, seemed capable of ripping through images like they were paper. Yet the almost-elastic moss spirit used its body to significantly slow and weaken the Ghosthound’s casual swipe, enabling Naffur to duck under the strike and continue his own barrage.

And Naffur continued to accelerate as the moss spirit gave up its more humanoid form and shifted to a series of amorphous tentacles that bound the Ghosthound’s movements. However, almost immediately the emerald tentacles began to shrivel and shrink as the energy around Randidly ate away at its mass.

“Looks like he’s not going easy on them any longer,” Tatiana said. Alana nodded.

Naffur continued to accelerate to the point that he could avoid Randidly’s sharp counter-attacks, but he only had a few more seconds of landing pounding blows on the Ghosthound’s arms and chest before the moss spirit couldn’t hold on any longer. And then it was just Naffur and Randidly Ghosthound, throwing punch after punch after each other like two brothers brawling over a toy car.

And of course, when the two were facing each other directly, it was only a matter of time before Naffur faltered and was smashed backward. Although it seemed like the power in their fists was coming close to each other, it was clear that Randidly Ghosthound’s defense was in another tier altogether.

Alana had doubts whether, empowered as he was by that strange energy, even she would be able to inflict a serious blow. Despite the fact that he didn’t even bother to use an image.

But after Naffur was knocked backward, Randidly didn’t pursue. He simply raised his head and roared one last time. But then that dark, swirling energy dissipated and all that was left was the very human and vulnerable form of Randidly Ghosthound. His chest and feet were bare; the knuckles on his right hand dripped blood that sizzled against the ground.

“Guess he doesn’t like birthdays,” Hank joked, but Alana winced. Everyone stood for a few seconds then, transfixed by the twisted expression on the Ghosthound’s face before he opened up a portal and disappeared.