Chapter 1622 (1/2)

Randidly glanced around carefully at the surroundings when they arrived. This most recent fractured space centered around a large sandstone canyon. Tall stone walls hemmed them in on each side. When the group appeared, almost a hundred Nether Beasts and two Nether Gatekeepers deeper in the canyon noticed and focused on them. With a roar, a sea of Nether foes rushed to attack.

And Randidly could sense that deeper in the canyon, there were at least fifty more Nether Gatekeepers, plus two Nether Heralds. Which didn’t even include the countless Nether Beasts. His mouth twisted in annoyance. I knew there were plenty of Nether Beasts here, but even I didn’t realize we walked into a place where two Nether Pinions had landed… Looks like this place will require some light exercise...

Still, Randidly wasn’t overly worried if their Nether foes just amounted to this much. Two Nether Heralds should be just about right to work up a sweat. He gestured sharply at his subordinates. “DiOrtho, Helen, clear a path. Raymund, stay here for a second, I want to try something. Oh, and Lay’mel… try not to make Kerwin’s job too difficult.”

After nodding, Helen and DiOrtho both rushed forward. Randidly noted with approval that DiOrtho took a step back and allowed Helen to take the lead. Her Tides of Blood Domain surged out, instantly turning the air in a ten-meter area crimson. And with every step that she took toward the enemies, the color of her Tides darkened even further. The edges gradually spread outward.

Looks like she didn’t waste five years in my Alpha Cosmos. Randidly noted. Heh, the thickness of that Domain… I wonder if I could still break it like I did in the past…?

By the time that Helen’s spear lashed out toward the first unfortunate Nether Beast, she was standing at the core of a twenty-meter whirlpool of crimson flows. After she bisected the first Nether Beast with her spear, those in the surroundings were torn to shreds just from the force of her Domain. Meanwhile, DiOrtho’s Ancient Machine Horror stayed concentrated around his body. He shot forward to intercept the closest Nether Gatekeeper, keeping his image concentrated to not affect Helen’s Domain too much.

Raymund quickly approached Randidly. Randidly spun Acri and then settled into a fighting stance. Once more, the drifting lines of Ripple of Amenonuhoko appeared before him. “See if you can copy this Skill.”

Randidly cut sharply up through the air. Around him, the wind began to howl.

Congratulations! Your Skill Ripple of Amenonuhoko (M) has grown to Level 337!

Amongst the rippling lines that Randidly could perceive with his Skill, there were several different varieties. Generally, he utilized the thicker and firmer lines and manipulated the ground beneath his feet. Yet this time, Randidly’s cut seemed to glide and surf through the air, sliding forward in a complicated arc. As he finished the strike, the howling of the wind grew deafening. All the air in the isolated space was mobilized.

As the wind accelerated, the edges of the natural force grew increasingly sharp. Just as thirty meters of the Nether Beast army was shredded by Helen, a whirlwind of blades descended upon a hundred meters of space. The wind blades became a dragon that swooped down and annihilated everything within the tight confines of this area of the canyon. Those unfortunate Nether Beasts caught were diced into tiny cubes before they could even react. Only the Nether Gatekeepers in the area survived, although they were crisscrossed with several deep wounds that spurted blood.

The dangerous wind blade storm began to twist and writhe, but before it could head deeper into the canyon, Raymund reached out and grasped. After the first attempt, the Skill stalled somewhat, forcing Raymund to grasp again. But with the second attempt, the Skill disappeared entirely.

The wind blades glided on their previous inertia and harmlessly cut off chunks of stone from the canyon walls.

Randidly grimaced, in spite of the fact that Raymund was only taking action on his orders. The sensation of having a Skill stolen was not a pleasant one. It left him with a strange sense of helplessness, as though he was briefly cut off from his ability to utilize the Skill. Still, with Randidly’s extremely high Willpower, he could force the issue and quickly re-established his connection to the Skill.

Once he rid himself of the helplessness, he turned around to inspect Raymund. Sure enough, behind the Vulpine’s back a new spectral tail had appeared. In comparison to the three tails he had obtained from Vizzeret, Charlotte, and Jieu, the new tail was constantly flickering, like a candle about to be blown out by the wind. However, it was also double the size of the other three tails and radiated an oppressive aura.

Raymund chuckled at Randidly’s sour look. “...if you wish to know the truth, that single act of appropriating your Skill earned me ten Skill Levels. In terms of complexity, your Skills are quite a bit more difficult to manage than Lady Vualla’s. Ahem. Based on the success rate… I cannot use this Skill for long. Ripple of Amenonuhoko, huh…? Let me attempt to utilize it.”

Raymund flexed his fingers and then slashed his claws through the air. For a brief second, his entire visage changed. Randidly was shocked to discover that the Foxman could capture his expression almost perfectly. Immediately, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble… but as the crack in the ground ripped outward, it did not travel in the direction of Raymund’s strike. Instead, it snaked rapidly to the right, directly toward Lay’mel and Kerwin.

“Stop trying to kill me!” Lay’mel screamed as he hopped backward. But his speed couldn’t keep up with the attack. And since Kerwin simply possessed the basic attributes of a Lancer, neither could dodge the widening crack in time. Both fell into the widening gorge in the ground.

Which was honestly for the best, because when the crack reached the side of the canyon, the stone in the surroundings shattered and collapsed, quickly tumbling down in a small landslide. Had they not already fallen into the crack, both would likely have been bombarded by heavy stones.

Considering the Aether density in the isolated space, the materials in the environment were quite dense. The duo likely wouldn’t have died from the landslide, but they might have suffered quite painful injuries.

Raymund coughed lightly into his hand. The Ripple of Amenonuhoko tail flickered and died. “As expected, your Skills are too cumbersome for me to wield effectively. Targeting someone of your tier with my Skill is near pointless.”

Randidly didn’t bother to hide his pleased expression. Seeing Raymund so visibly failing to manage his spearmanship, it was much easier to accept a small deviation in the long-distance attack to clear the path in the prior space. His high Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae definitely was the reason he could handle it.

In the meantime, Helen and DiOrtho had slaughtered their way forward until they had eliminated enough Nether Gatekeepers that two powerful roars emerged from the depths of the canyon. Like a wave of flesh, Nether Beasts howled and charged forward. Yet they were just the appetizer; the Nether Heralds were approaching and they were furious.