Chapter 1333 (1/2)

Nether energies generally constituted three portions that made a whole: the core, the bubble, and the ambient energy field that lay between the former two portions. What Randidly did to explode in a tide of Nether was essentially flood the energy field with his raw Nether and then forcefully condensing the bubble down until the energy was left with no choice but to explode outward.

An eruption of shadows occurred with him at the epicenter. The shadowy flames spiked upward high into the air above him as he raised his head and roared.

His grip over his energy squeezed so tightly that the bubble was superimposed over the core. The two parts became one. Then the exploding energy became a wide, amorphous bubble that rushed outward in waves of spectral energy that blasted away the nearby trees and began to corrode them. Bark sizzled and leaves withered after only a second of exposure.

And still Randidly produced more and more power. The thick Nether that Randidly now possessed unrolled itself slowly, spreading to fill the surrounding space. The nebula grew, seeming to manifest itself around Randidly’s body. Those same shadowy flames that sprung from his skin now began to spring up from spots of unfortunate ground and even on the trees that had been soaked in Nether. More and more air was pushed away, resulting in a constant wind that fluttered the strange, ghastly flames that were the silent observers of Randidly’s display.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 161!

The nearby Razor Eagles squawked in agitation and hurriedly fled from the ridge on which Randidly stood as Nether continued to spread. Perhaps some instinct of theirs hinted at the harm that would result from any exposure.

Chuckling, Randidly pushed himself further. A shiver ran through his body as the Nebula continued to manifest. The suppressing effect of his Nether exploded out of his body and seized the surrounding air in a chilling grip. In a way that Randidly hadn’t witnessed since he had been on the frontlines, the surrounding space began to distort. The ground beneath his feet split into reality and a visual overlay that twitched uncontrollably in unpredictable directions as Nether eroded the fabric of space. The ‘image’ of Earth’s natural laws in the surrounding area shuddered and caved as Randidly applied more and more pressure.

A small frown crossed Randidly’s face. Well… it’s not that space is breaking… just that the Nether is somehow slipping into a crack and exposing it...

With the changes around him, Randidly’s focus narrowed so he could observe this phenomenon. At the same time, he few a ripple as the Nebula inside his chest and the Nebula around his body became one, in the same way Randidly’s body was the same as the Alpha Cosmos. A connection was established and the visual variation spread into the whole area affected by Nether.

As he influenced the space, Randidly was creating an even larger bubble. Spectral fire swirled wildly around, spinning in that same current that dominated his Nebula. What was within, without. What was without, within. Then there was a strange vibration simultaneously from the surrounding air and from deep within him. Pitchback cracks in the fabric of existence began to extend outward from Randidly’s body.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed. My Nether is becoming too big for that thin crack that is present… and is forcefully pushing the two apart now…?

Closing in on the limits of his Nether powers, Randidly released a deep breath. Pitch black, corrupted air flowed out of his mouth. That Nether tainted air crackled with cobalt bolts of lightning until it dissipated.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 162!

But as Randidly was nearing his limits, the changes continued. The surrounding area became strangely ethereal and dreamlike. The visual distortions rapidly spread. It was like Randidly was standing in a broken snowglobe that shifted unpredictably by the whim of a capricious giant. The cracks spreading from Randidly’s body through space continued to twist their way outward and thicken.

With his Grim Intuition, Randidly could sense that ghastly aura of oppression that radiated out from those cracks. It was the same sensation of the Great Rift, albeit on a much smaller scale. But what struck Randidly most directly was how it looked.

He seemed to have grown wings that resembled the shadow of tree branches in the dead of winter: all sharp lines and knobby forks.

And in that moment, Randidly felt a profound sense of… connection. Perhaps he had always been able to sense it, but now that it had been enlarged by the influence of Nether he could finally notice it. That thin crack of Nether that had been expanded now began to feed Randidly a confusing stream of information.

The world became his bubble, and he the core. Natural laws and images that had been present in the area weakened and died because the area became ‘him’. Nether bridged the gap in a much more literal way than the Alpha Cosmos did. Through that ‘connection’ Randidly could feel everything shift.

Spectral flames began to lick outward from the edges of the black cracks Randidly created. He gritted his teeth, operating Nether at the limit of what he was capable. Then the ground beneath him groaned and cracked, gradually collapsing from the strain of enduring the Nether.

Not the Nether as energy… I’ve… literally grown heavy… Randidly was somewhat stunned. He lifted his left and right hands, staring at them. Nether is manifesting physically as I connect with the surrounding area…?

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 163!

Releasing another smog-like breath, Randidly no longer maintained his Nether. The cracks rapidly retracted themselves back to his body and the Nebula vanished almost instantly. On the other hand, the flames stayed for another five minutes, slowly shrinking down to nothing. Randidly glanced around and smiled wryly at what he saw; it looked like he had been testing bomb detonations from the space where he was standing.

The ground was shattered and weak, the surrounding area scorched, and the nearby trees had been withered to charcoal.

That sense of connection and weight was… unexpected. Randidly bent over and rubbed some of the charred ground between his fingers. Like embers from a fire, the substance was brittle and porous, rapidly disintegrating due to his touch.