Chapter 1382 (1/2)

Randidly looked down at the small object with curiosity. It appeared to be made of an ancient bone, yellowed with time and was covered with dark runes that shifted as Randidly watched them. Even with his focused attention and Aether Detection, he could not figure out the mysteries of the item presented to him. What his senses told him was inconsistent and fleeting in a way that was hard to describe.

But he did notice that one end of the baton was sharpened to a deadly point. Whatever it was, it certainly looked like a primitive weapon. Or an item used in some terrible ritual.

“Inspecting it won’t help due to its unique nature. Also… I understand how it looks. Because of the System will not provide a description, you will have to take my word on what it does. Still, I hope you will take the act of giving it to you as evidence of the truth of my words. Because even if we cannot see its true name, it has a common nickname that any associates from the Nexus will be able to corroborate; it is called the Bizarre Stake.”

For the moment, Randidly didn’t reach out to take the strange item. The Winged Serpent was right; not being able to understand what it was or how it worked made Randidly wary. And when Aether Detection continued to provide him with useless and shifting information, he used Nether Sensation.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 220!

...which got him a Skill Level, but presented Randidly with another wave of disorientating nonsense. Then, struck by an idea, he used both of the two Skills in conjunction. The information flooded Randidly’s mind and continued its strange motions… but seeing both sides of the energy, it was no longer as unpredictable. Gradually, an inkling of what this object might do began to form.

Randidly kept his expression stern as he looked down at it, however. “And what does this Bizarre Stake do that is so valuable to the Nemesai…?”

“It… well, the effects are always rather unpredictable. And of course, these Stakes are extraordinarily rare; I believe the System confiscates unused Bizarre Stakes as soon as a planet either succeeds or fails the Calamities. It has never been allowed into the Nexus proper. But…” The Winged Serpent hesitated for a second. Thea continued to stand silently, her arms crossed. “It conjures… an ally for the Nemesai. But it also removes an enemy at the same time. A Sacrifice is required for it to work.”

Randidly’s eyes never left the spike. The Aether and Nether mixed freely, the only example that Randidly had ever seen, aside from his own energies, of the two existing in harmony. Which further proved that the backbone of the System was built on both energies, whatever faux-war might be happening on the surface.

The patterns were gradually becoming clearer. As Randidly looked at Aether, he saw that the spike would become a beacon. The Nether informed him that it would establish a connection. The combination of energies… the way they shifted… Randidly’s lips twitched. He wasn’t positive, but it looked like the spike would then… replace.

An enemy removed and an ally conjured, huh… Randidly rubbed his chin. “And I assume the summoned ally is powerful if you believed it would be effective against me.”

“Very much so. The common tale is that the spike kills the target and revives an ancient hero in his place. A hero whose one desire is to sabotage the planet. Of course, that’s nonsense. But… I do believe that what the spike does is revive a relic of the past to aid the Nemesai.” The Winged Serpent’s tongue flicked out.

When Randidly raised an eyebrow, the Winged Serpent continued its hissing speech. “You might not be familiar with the structure of the Nexus, but the Capital is essentially a giant powerplant. The city itself is built on top of all of the gathered and compressed images that the Nexus has taken from powerful individuals in the past. By keeping a certain amount of pressure to the Aether there… the amount of energy generated from the conflicting and impacting images is overwhelming. It is the source of the Nexus’s power… and the engine that powers the System’s expansion.”

Randidly hummed at that. All the images of the deceased packed together and let to rampage against each other… no wonder the Aether the Nexus released was brittle. It likely wasn’t even something that the Nexus had set out to do. But the process of being used in such a destructive energy production method left it scarred.

Of course, the System was smart enough to find ways to take advantage of the brittle Aether. But it was just one more piece of the grand puzzle that currently threatened to devour the Earth. One more stretch of road that would eventually lead the Earth to ruin. Randidly carefully took note.

“So you are saying that this spike… pulls something out of the interior of the power planet and brings it to itself. Is the Bizarre Spike consumed by the process?” Randidly said slowly.

The Winged Serpent nodded. “Yes, it can only be used once. When I learned that I would be Nemesai on Earth, I did my best to investigate the phenomenon… but the reports of how exactly the summoning occurs and why the spike disappears after are… contradictory. Some say that what the Bizarre Stake does is twist the recipient, empowering them and making them a Nemesai, regardless of what they were before. Others say that it pulls an image that mutates the recipient into something no longer truly intelligent, but a base monster that operates based on instinct. Other say it switches the victim with something dead, as I mentioned earlier, essentially reviving a dead image.”

Randidly pointed at the stake and grinned at the Winged Serpent. “Quite… bizarre. But how am I to know whether touching the stake will trigger its effect against me?”

With a shrug, the Winged Serpent allowed the stake to float down and touch the ground. It sat there without triggering some horrible energy. “...I can offer you no more assurance than I already have. But I will leave the Bizarre Stake here, per our agreement. Please… help our worlds, Mr. Ghosthound.”