Chapter 1440 (1/2)
When the curtain of night had been drawn over the world, Randidly walked out to the area that had been decimated by the Redemption Arena. Even he couldn’t help but be impressed by the wild exuberance of humanity that had demolished the surroundings. The forest had been blasted and smashed to pieces until the charred debris formed piles that resembled ashen snowdrifts. The ground was pitted and cracked throughout the entirety of the area from concussive force. Weapons of all sorts had left deep scars on the ground that still possessed wisps of the user’s images. The hissed and rippled as Randidly walked past.
This place had been indelibly marked by what happened here.
After marathoning through the first two rounds of the tournament, taking three and two days respectively to finish them, Randidly declared that the fifth day of the tournament would be a break. In addition, the Order Ducis now set out the entire bracket for everyone to see. So all the various factions were pleased to have an entire day to prepare for their next round opponents.
Which left Randidly with some time to address some other responsibilities. Unfortunately, most of that was paperwork regarding the change in governance for Kharon. But at night, he slipped away to accomplish a task he believed he would enjoy.
I can regrow the forest, but those image remnants might make this place rather strange… Randidly mused. He considered using Erode Image to clear the images out of the area, but Randidly could detect no trace of his images or images relating to him in the area; apparently Helen and Ajax had been more reserved than he had expected. As such, he thought it would be a shame to bulldoze the first time that other members of humanity had marked the surface of the planet with their image.
Plus, it would be a waste; as destroyed as this was, this was a testament to the growing image powers of Earth. The small remnants in the soil were relatively weak, but they would slowly blend together with each other and any living beings in the area to create something truly unique. Encouraging that growth was difficult, but Randidly was very confident that he was one of the individuals who could manage it.
“Compared to the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix…” Randidly spoke to the darkness, raising one mental arm and one fleshy one with his palms facing upward. Specters of golden Engraving swam up and down the surface of both his arms and the air in the surrounding area began to naturally swirl about his figure. There was a shuddering pressure on the air and then the towering image of Yggdrasil appeared behind him. “These little image remnants are quite well-behaved.”
An invisible wind rustled the emerald leaves. Then a veritable river of ambient energy gushed outward from Randidly’s body and soaked the surrounding ground.
Randidly couldn’t use Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil to actually manipulate the plant life, otherwise, his carefully constructed forest would ignite and turn to ash only a few minutes later. But he still could use his roots as the most efficient series of plows in the world. Within only a minute of activating the Skill, he had thoroughly leveled the ground that had been destroyed and mixed it with the burnt trees to enrich the soil. All the while, he supplied energy to those image remnants so they wouldn’t be lost in the chaos.
With great care, Randidly then began to add some elevation changes to the flat land. Not that he would have minded if the ground here was entirely flat, but the scars that held the remnant images were often at different elevations due to the chaotic fighting. So he sculpted the land so those areas would be prominently featured.
Then Randidly sat down and pressed his Willpower against the manifestation of the World Tree. The color of its leaves turned more vibrant and the brown of its massive trunk darkened. At the same time, Yggdrasil’s golden script began to release a soft, nurturing light over the surrounding area.
Congratulations! Your Skill the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M) has grown to Level 261!
Randidly smiled softly for the Skill Level, but didn’t do anything about it quite yet. Instead, he focused himself and continued to gently channel out that genesis energy. After only five minutes, thin sprouts poked their tips out of the rich dirt in the surrounding area.
As though the success of those first plants was a flare exploding in the night sky, the entirety of the area began to burst with thin green tendrils that thirstily drank from the energy that Yggdrasil provided. Growths became saplings, saplings became modest trees, and those modest trees then rocketed upward, spreading out dense layers of foliage next to each other as if some sort of cold-war canopy race was occurring between the various trees.
While most trees raced upward, other plants picked their spots with more care. Thick bushes and vines grew along the base of the higher trees, thickening the ground cover. Flowers bloomed and withered like exploding kernels of popcorn along the ground, a testament to the sheer amount of vital energy that Randidly could provide.
Gradually, Randidly eased off. He couldn’t afford to taint this area with his image, he had to gradually extract himself, pulling the touch of Yggdrasil with him and leaving the energy. A low headache had developed from pushing the area too far only on the potency of his image, but he didn’t regret it. Plus, he could already feel some of the images nibbling on the ambient energy in the air, preparing to grow into something more potent.
Content, Randidly turned away from the restored forest and opened a portal with his Philosopher's Key. When he was back on his island, he poured the final PP into place and finished the Monstrosity’s Growth Path.
Congratulations! You have finished the Monstrosity’s Growth Path! The higher you climb, the harsher the environment becomes. But despite the inclement elements, your body has continued to evolve to suit this place. You have been marked. Your skin thickens. Your blood heats. Your teeth sharpen. Your determination grows.