Chapter 1631 (1/2)

BOOOOOM!

BOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOOOM!! BOOOOM! BOOM!

After Randidly dealt with the first few attacks, Shal’s spear once again split into a multi-headed hydra that had a particular craving for his blood. Again and again, those spectral heads struck with all the suddenness of a tweaking viper. Without the benefit of standing in absolute stillness for a half-second before each movement, Randidly’s basic physical abilities barely rivaled Shal’s abilities in the full throes of this concentrated image.

But barely was enough. Especially when every second, more and more natural energy flowed out of Randidly’s spear image and wreathed his body. Wind spiraled around him and decreased the friction of his movements. The ground beneath his feet subtly adjusted to assist his balance as Acri and the grey viperheads clashed again and again. And the energy continued to gather. Perhaps a normal individual wouldn’t be able to accumulate so much natural energy, but with the Nether flows and image physicalizations of his body, Randidly was a veritable empty reservoir; this was only the beginning of what he could handle.

Leafy spear met grey viper at such speeds that both spat sparks. Natural energy clashed against flaring images, gradually illuminating the flaws. Shal could demonstrate much more potency with this image because it was originally his, but he still incorporated some details that left it hollow. Randidly barred his teeth. This isn’t enough Shal.

Randidly adjusted his stance and steadily began to advance, cutting and thrusting mercilessly to exploit the rough edges of the image. In response, Shal continued to quicken his attacks, pushing even Randidly’s significant physical gifts to the limit. Yet at the same time as his hands were numbed from the impact of the two weapons slamming into each other, Randidly felt joy.

Because Shal shed all pretense and his image regained its purpose in those brief clashes. With a few more steps, Randidly could seize upon these hollow additions to Shal’s image and rip them away.

Shal’s eyes narrowed as he realized he wouldn’t stop his student at this rate. Randidly pressed his lips together to hide a smile. Yet perhaps due to that tight expression, more words were squeezed out of his mouth. “Didn’t you shape me? Do I look as broken as you seem to be right now!?!?”

Hydra heads surged forward with deadly intent. Acri, riding on a growing wave of natural energy, slid to meet them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

With the last strike, Randidly swung Acri and knocked away four of the grey viper-hydra’s strikes with the immensity of the natural energy he channeled. He landed lightly on the balls of his feet, perfectly poised, and raised the head of his spear. He saw the flawed additions to Shal’s image in front of him. In a smooth movement, Randidly stepped and thrust his spear forward.

The movement was one he must have practiced at least one million times. It was the first attack Shal had ever taught him.

Acri’s blade danced along a thick and potent ripple that actually seemed to adjust itself to him. The churning sea of natural energy within Randidly’s body was finally released. Without the benefit of an image, force was birthed and shook the surroundings. Ground and sky were sundered by the resulting attack. Shal marshaled his image, but by the time he reacted the projection of Aether had already been cut in half.

Blood spurted from Shal’s shoulder. The condensed elemental force rushed past Shal, smashing aside an unfortunate member of the Engraving Guild about thirty meters away, and then slammed into the spatial wall. The defensive array that the orthodox forces were creating broke before Randidly’s strike, warping the energy in a five-meter area from the impact point.

“Sometimes a spear is enough,” Randidly said softly, looking at Shal. He did not know what his master had gone through since they had seen each other last. But it was clear to Randidly that Shal held regrets that he refused to acknowledge. Because of that… his images were fractured and weak, blurred further by seizing upon the Nexus’s image combination methods.

If nothing else, Randidly hoped that his spear penetrating into Shal’s shoulder would force the man to acknowledge the hole that currently existed in his heart. That it would help him realize that since they had last met, the main reason Randidly won wasn’t how much stronger he had grown.

It was simply a result of how twisted Shal had become.

As the natural energy steadily drained away from the surroundings, Randidly tugged Acri out of its fleshy resting place and took a step back. His master sighed and lowered his spear. The extremely bloodthirsty hydra lost its aura of sharpness and sputtered twice before vanishing. With blood dripping down his chest, Shal’s expression collapsed into a grimace of immense pain.

For a long moment, the two just looked at each other. Randidly pressed his lips together, waiting to see if his intentions reached his master.

Finally, Shal sighed and broke the extended moment. “Heh. You remind me of how I felt when I was young. And it’s bittersweet, you know? Because… you might actually be able to accomplish your dreams, simply by relying on your own spear.”

Abruptly, something on the battlefield changed. Several of the images around them began to withdraw. The pause spread out from solely their flank to both the central region and the opposite flank. The combatants from the orthodox powers of the Nexus abruptly flared their images to create an opening, then began to retreat. The defensive formation that the Pinnacle Seekers had attacked for so long finally began to collapse.

Shal swayed slightly as his companions began to retreat around him. His fingers tightened on his spear. Then he shook his head with an expression of helplessness. “I wish we had more time. I wish I could explain… but please, Randidly. Leave this place. This is what you came for, yes? Take it and begone. Your bold spear will only be ruined by this place.”

Shal stored away his weapon and then held out both hands, palm-up, in front of him. There was a flicker of energy and an object appeared in each of his hands. In his left he held a pyramid with five distinct levels, each delicately wrought of a different material. In his right hand, he had a small black stylus.