Chapter 1700 (1/2)

“Fuck…!” The word growled itself out of Randidly’s throat as he felt the ground beneath him shudder and crack. His impact had destabilized this former portion of Nrorce’s world, pushing it to the brink of annihilation. Now the natural tectonic tension was providing the final push. Which left Randidly infuriated by the methods that the Nexus used but also filled with scalding shame that he had been so incensed that he callously smashed into the ground and set this landmass on the path of destruction.

Hot, pure anger pumped through his veins, circulating with the Nether.

Hissing, Randidly reached out and gripped the entire planet with his Willpower. Vines and roots sprang up from the core of this world, rapidly growing from tiny bits of calcified bacteria that resonated with Randidly’s potent Mana. In the next instant, the tremors of the ground ceased as Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil squeezed everything together.

Yet Randidly looked down at the fallen, mummified goblin before him with a bleak expression. He swayed slightly. No matter how tightly I grasp… will I really be able to supply Mana to these roots forever? Because otherwise…

Because anything less than forever would mean nothing to the dead.

Randidly’s sigh was explosive. He reached up and rubbed his eyes with the butt of his right hand. Then he shook his head, releasing the domineering Skill. His Nether Core hummed in sympathy, its own significance aching with the act.

Gradually, the shuddering cracks resumed; this moon would soon tear itself to pieces.

Randidly knew that there was no meaning to his actions here, nor his unwillingness to make this place the basis for Expira’s Calamity. He even doubted whether Nrorce would take it personally that Randidly had accidentally destroyed a moon covered in the ruins of his planet and people. So none of his decisions mattered and he could do nothing to redress this tragedy.

And that sense of impotency was what left Randidly feeling frustrated. He activated Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart again to float away from the crumbling moon. Those corpse-filled houses buckled as the ridges beneath them collapsed and shattered. The bodies were obliterated. Randidly floated then for a while in the darkness of space, twisting through the air.

He took a breath and then released it. Only after his emotions had calmed somewhat did he turn and examine the surrounding space for other options.

Only by focusing on his current goal could he calm his fluttering heart. The preparation became the cure and his lifeline.

Randidly eventually settled on a massive asteroid as the home of Expira’s First Calamity. The size of the hunk of metal and stone was massive but much smaller than a normal planet. Still, it should suit their purposes fine. There would be the main base, but otherwise, the Nemesai just needed an area to house the monsters they would use to attack Expira. The barren and rocky surface would be perfect for such a role.

With a little work, the asteroid could be riddled with a complex network of tunnels too.

Randidly’s tail flicked side to side, the tip leaving a trail of Nether in its wake. Randidly raised both his hands and unspooled the accumulated Nether out through his limbs. When his aura was completely soaked in Nether, he began to weave.

Organic Systems… the strongest pillars strengthened by necessity… the stickiness of two flows of Nether running against each other… The insights Randidly had into the behavior of Nether swirled around in his mind. He settled into a strange balance: his hands were responsible for the flow of Nether, but it was his tail that guided the detail. Gradually, a growing blanket of Nether spread out before him. It undulated mysteriously, guided by the purpose of its making.

Congratulation! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 371!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 346!

Once Randidly had the template, the making was actually quite simple. He generated Nether and wove it into simple patterns that naturally flowed together into more complex systems. The blanket grew larger and larger, a hazy barrier that starting edging around the enormous asteroid. His focus entirely narrowed to the work.

The longer he utilized Nether, the lighter and more confident his tail became. The patterns began to twist and flourish at the edges, proof that Randidly’s mastery of Nether was gradually increasing. The effectiveness of each stroke inched forward.

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 353!

Of course, even as the details became easier, fueling the massive working became increasingly onerous. The interior of the shaft was extremely large, but it couldn’t compare to the dimensions of a planet. Randidly rapidly began to sweat as he had to keep a tighter and tighter grip on his Nether Core in order to produce the requisite energy. In addition, he dare not spin it too quickly, lest he lose control. His brows knit together in worry even as his weaving gradually grew larger and larger, covering half of the asteroid.

Randidly’s focus narrowed further. He only knew his hands, his tail, and the flow of Nether. No longer did he bother to monitor the broader situation; he was primarily concerned with finishing the pattern, one stitch of woven Nether at a time.

Congratulation! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 372!

In the end, Randidly finished. The web of Nether connected, fusing the two sides together to form a film around the enormous asteroid. Immediately, Randidly’s sputtering Nether Core began to pick up speed and churn out Nether wildly. There was a lot of meaning in his current actions. Randidly gritted his teeth, forcefully enduring the sense of wild resonance that was beginning to occur between himself and the Nether Ritual.

Influence +29!

Influence +13!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

…

While the Influence notification continued to churn, Randidly couldn’t help but his like a melted wheel spinning on hot asphalt. Both Aether and Nether were smashing and crashing around in his body like a sea gripped by storm. If not for his recently bodily refinements, he might have been torn in half by the collisions. From the depths of his Soulspace, a grand rumbling began to emerge. In a way that was very similar to the radiation from the Hierarchy of Burden, Randidly found his body being seized and immobilized by the powerful currents of energy snapping back and forth between his Soulskill and the Nether Ritual he had created.