Chapter 1486 (1/2)

After favoring Huang Li, Paolo, Dinesh, Glendel, Lyra, Alana, and Hank each with a few seconds of a long stare, Randidly glanced downward toward the churning clouds beneath. He felt like he was walking a tightrope above the eye of a tornado, with the howling maw of the cloud dragon yawning beneath him. He could see disturbingly far down its throat. And each second that he delayed, it rushed upward with an ever-growing fury. Randidly suspected that the longer it pursued him, the faster it would become.

It seemed like one of those Skills.

Yet simultaneously, he was walking a tightrope of image usage that was some of the best training he’d experienced in a long time. Although they opened with the announcement that this was an assassination attempt, Randidly could read how false that was in their images. They weren’t here to kill him; rather, it felt more like they wanted to prove to Randidly Ghosthound that Expira didn’t need him. This was a strange attempt to frame their parting as equals, rather than Randidly being in such a dominant position.

And at the moment, that framing did have merit. Randidly might only be using one of his images, but they still managed to threaten him. Encountering this fight was enough that Randidly would take care not to act too unilaterally paternal toward the planet in the future. He wasn’t the only person that could protect it.

Yet all that was for later. The fight wasn’t over yet and Randidly was ascendant while the ambushers adjusted their position in an attempt to strike a decisive blow. With the energy he was able to steal in the last several seconds from Donny and Lucifer, his physicalizations were blazing to life. The world ember in his chest released heat through the pounding of his heart, reddening his skin. His exhalations were thick with steam as he spread out his arms and flexed his muscles. His skin tightened and warped, its defensive properties strengthening every second.

The Grim Chimera’s grin at the surrounding circumstances was wicked. A dull roar reached his ears as the cloud dragon approached from below. Let’s see if you can catch me, then. Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe.

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 159!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 164!

The Skill Level was relatively low compared to Randidly’s other abilities, but the haze of ash, ill will, and heat waves that spun outward from his body combined with the steam he already released to form a thick blanket that shrouded the surrounding area. With his glowing emerald eyes at the core, Randidly gritted his teeth and forced that Mantle to explode outward. The thick particles of the Grim Chimera’s Mantle twisted and deflected energy away, making it difficult for anyone to locate him within the grey smog.

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 165!

Of course, compared to the mouth of the ravenous cloud dragon, Randidly’s fifteen-meter cloud was the size of a skittle thrown toward a human mouth. But it did make the fighters above hesitate. Hank Howard held his revolver at the ready, his eyes narrowed for any movement. Lyra continued whispering quietly to the dagger of violet light she was shaping. Sweat was dripping down Huang Li’s forehead as he maintained the huge working of the cloud dragon. His hands on his sword were only able to resist trembling because of how tightly he gripped the weapon.

Alana drifted downward toward the smog, her hair fluttering as all of them continued falling toward the ground. Her spear was held loosely in her right hand. Despite the fact that her image had been damaged in their prior clash, the tight expression on her face meant that Randidly wouldn’t take her lightly. In terms of determination, few could match Alana Donal.

Which was why Randidly sensed the strange desires of Alana’s image and was confused. There was a deep longing there, but she didn’t attack. She just stared intently at his Mantle.

Why try to do this, Alana…? Randidly wondered, even as the roar of the attack rushing toward him grew increasingly loud.

In spite of the tense situation, Randidly spared a glance downward, then back up toward Huang Li. He’s someone worth watching. I’ll have to get Tatiana to invite him to some Order Ducis training sessions to keep him on the right track…

But then he forced himself back to the task at hand. The haze around him continued to spread outward, but he noticed with distaste that the cloud dragon would catch up with him before any of the others were at the fringe of his Mantle. Even Alana was too far away. Randidly weighed his pilfered cache of mental energy but decided it was ultimately not worth it to challenge the cloud dragon directly. So instead, Randidly opened his mouth and shouted. “Man is Proud, But the Chimera Takes.”

Most of the opponent’s flinched and Hank’s revolver barrel twitched side to side, searching for Randidly’s presence. But Alana continued to calmly regard the murky depths of Randidly’s Skill without the slightest hint of fear. Those strange desires that swirled around her grew more intense the longer she stared. “It’s a feint. Remain calm. He is the one who needs to move.”

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 166!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 172!

Grimacing, Randidly maintained a tight grip on his Mantle around him. The wind continued to nip at the edges, attempting to pull it apart and reveal his form. But Alana was right, that shout was mostly a distraction. Using the principles he had learned from his extensive experience weaving Nether, he used those few seconds to weave together the caustic strands of his mantle into an even more dense barrier that he could carry around his person. There was no avoiding making a move here, but the Grim Chimera was gradually learning subtleties to its stubbornness. There was no shame making some preparations for unavoidable setbacks.

But soon, his prep time came to an end. The open mouth of the cloud dragon brushed the bottom of his Mantle and physically ground it to naught upon contact; the invisible winds within its throat had enough force to rip the Mantle to shreds. Randidly’s evaluation of Huang Li rose another few notches.

Man is Proud, but the Chimera Takes.

Congratulations! Your Skill Man is Proud, But the Chimera Takes (L) has grown to Level 225!