Chapter 1619 (1/2)

After speaking, the Ghosthound turned and walked quickly away in the direction of the Lancers’ camp. Jieu Ronault followed their leader’s movements with focused eyes. Although he was still clearly their Head Drill Sergeant, the aura he revealed was completely different than he had possessed in the past.

Something had changed.

Part of it was that his one image was particularly suppressed, but also… the Ghosthound now seemed intimately connected with the natural world. It had always struck Jieu as strange that he chose not to wear any sort of foot covering, but now that choice seemed entirely natural. The figure of Randidly Ghosthound lived and breathed nature. That almost carnal vibe to his person only added to his strength.

Somehow, he had embedded himself in the environmental forces of existence. As a flame element, Jieu was exceedingly curious about such a capability. The more he learned about the Ghosthound, the more curious he became.

But for the moment, Jieu stopped examining Randidly Ghosthound and looked at Raymund Ballast who had stepped up in front of them. From the determination that radiated off of his tall and robust body, it was clear that Raymund took this challenge very seriously. Jieu wondered at that fact. He wished to join the expedition to prove his worth, yet there was something extremely personal about the set of Raymund’s shoulders.

Apparently, it wasn’t just Jieu’s acute senses that picked Raymund’s reaction up because Charlotte spoke softly to the Foxman. “You… clearly have some personal stake in this. But you should also recognize the value of this opportunity for all of us. We can seize that chance. You might not have witnessed it, but our combination attack is overwhelming. We can help Randidly-”

“Demonstrate such overwhelming capability. For me. Now.” Raymund growled as he adopted a fighting stance. His eyes were so intense that it was difficult to meet his gaze for an extended period of time.

Charlotte looked at her two companions. Jieu shrugged, unperturbed. Vizzeret barred his teeth, radiating a clear intent to prove himself against the Vulpine’s blatant threat. As the three seemed to be united in their desires, they mobilized their own images and prepared for battle.

Charlotte’s Primal Spirit raised its antlered head and glared at Raymund. Vital energy flowed in the air around its body. Vizzeret raised his head and howled, his Obsidian Wolf condensing behind him. From the earlier battles, the Obsidian Wolf had become increasingly streamlined, to the point that the sharp contours of its body gleamed with murderous intent as it stared over at Raymund.

Releasing a breath, Jieu reached into the depths of his soul and stoked the azure and black starfire that formed his core. Although there wasn’t an extremely obvious change, the flames of his body grew thicker and more vibrant. The three images swirled together, manifesting in the same space with none of the rejection of normal images. The three had improved their ability to cooperate earlier today, gaining a powerful advantage on any battlefield. Their energies freely twined together and released a palpable pressure.

Raymund just waited, a baleful light in his eyes. He didn’t manifest any image. He would clearly give them the first strike.

Vizzeret roared and gladly took that honor. His explosive acceleration had him cross the distance between him and Raymund in only a second. As he did so, he was howling, “Obsidian Fang!”

Charlotte moved quickly as a follow-up, releasing several pulses of life energy that strengthened and empowered Vizzeret and Jieu. Their combined pressure thickened. A green light clung to both the Obsidian Wolf and around Jieu’s flames. For his part, Jieu flicked his hand out and threw out several Starfire Bombs that hovered in the air around Raymund. The attack wasn’t very accurate, but as long as Raymund was hasty in his escape, he would trigger a Starfire Bomb and come to regret it.

Yet Raymund’s movements were unexpected. He simply reached forward with one hand and grasped at Vizzeret. And as he grasped forward, both the hovering figure of the Obsidian Wolf and all of Vizzeret’s momentum vanished. Then Raymund turned and seized the air, ripping away the waves of invigorating life that Charlotte’s Primal Force released. Finally and still casually, he reached up and seized the Starfire Bombs.

All of their mobilized images vanished, leaving the battlefield in a strange and silent state.

However, Jieu noticed that there was a change to Raymund. Behind him, above his three tails of flesh, blood, and fur, there were three new, spectral tails. One gleamed obsidian, one glowed with a soft green light, and the final had the hint of flickering starfire. These spectral tails flicked back and forth, behaving exactly like his normal tails.

But those spectral appendages gave Jieu a bad feeling. Can he…?

Raymund sighed and shook his head in the face of his three shocked subordinates. “Such a lesson with be brutal for you three, but it is a necessary reminder. And also… perhaps you should take my response as a sign of your ability. Truly, this attack… is quite powerful, in the right hands.”

As he said so, he raised his arms and the light from his three spectral tails dimmed. All that stolen energy began to congregate in his hand. He looked at the three of them with a peaceful expression. Then he opened his mouth and spoke a phrase that sent chills down their spine because they were the ones that invented that very Skill. “Jaws of the Primal Starbeast.”

*****

While Raymund took care of his overzealous subordinates, Randidly walked over to meet with the Lancers. They quickly formed up into neat rows when he approached, but Randidly’s ability to read emotions had grown quite a bit from when he had originally created the Riders. The rigid rows were an overcompensation for their nerves. In addition, their most recent evolution meant that they possessed a much higher degree of independence.

Beyond even the growth of their mounts and the weapons they wielded, the Lancers could now possess very different personalities. So as Randidly examined them all, he could feel the confusion and seething undercurrents of unrest amongst them.

Which was exactly why Randidly had come here; he planned to address the change before things could develop out of control.