Randidly’s left arm warped into a taloned claw. Picking up Acri amongst the wrecked ground, Randidly’s right arm became a spear of bone stained with ancient blood. The skin of his torso grew almost translucent, while his arms and legs were warped and burned toward something like black chiton. Two tails flicked side to side, one from his waist and the other from the spot where his spine became his neck.

The Grim Chimera surged forward, practically swimming in a current of Nether. After its baptism on the frontlines, it was the image that had been fully immersed in the dark energy. Nether Brawn surged through Randidly’s physical body. The Nether Nebula within him spun, faster and faster. His heartbeat once more began to accelerate. His body began to heat back up.

Kaan sensed the threat and couldn’t even be bothered to look at Randidly; he simply gestured. While he bounded over the ground toward Neveah’s comically large body, his two pyramids shot back toward Randidly. Immediately, Randidly saw Kaan’s intention; he was going to hit them together and disperse Randidly’s momentum.

Heh.

The Grim Chimera’s chest was illuminated by an inner radiance that began to manifest itself as the image unleashed its full power. Randidly raised his left hand and seized the air. Not with any Skill of the Grim Chimera, but directly with the influence of the Nether Nebula. As the Nether had thickened, Randidly could feel that the core of the Nebula was becoming powerful. Now, he put that power to the test as he reached out and forcibly tore apart the space where the two pyramids were going to collide.

The pyramids shot past each other and smashed apart the nearby ground, close physically but separated by a torn stretch of space. Then Randidly activated Man is Proud, But the Chimera Takes to accelerate rapidly forward, raising Acri and becoming a freight train of weight and power as he arrived at Kaan’s back.

Kaan was finally forced to twist fully around, his face suffused with fury at another interruption. The pyramid tuned to Randidly released a wave of light and a new image to attack him: it was an image of surging life that seemed to rise out of the ground.

If anything… the Grim Chimera perked up in pleasure as the life-giving image flowed out of Kaan and into his body. Almost immediately, Kaan seemed to realize something was wrong and adjusted his image. Suddenly it wasn’t so much life, but a broad sense of freedom that filled the air.

Why the hell would he be trying to weaken the Grim Chimera like this…? Randidly thought in something close to amusement. And in the next moment, Kaan switched the image again to the sense of explosive growth that overwhelmed the senses. Which was the image he was maintaining as Acri pierced into Kaan’s chest.

Donnn- Crack!

For a second, it seemed as though Kaan’s defense would have been enough to disperse most of the force from Randidly’s attack. But Kaan’s attention was split between too many of his pyramids, trying to keep Neveah encumbered while also defending against Randidly’s attack. As such, the force was just enough. Acri’s huge shaft continued forward for several inches even after the strike, opening up a large wound on Kaan’s body.

Kaan looked at Randidly in shock as Acri’s tip just barely pierced through to his back. Thick, syrupy blood that looked something like honey dripped out of the wound. Randidly’s emerald eyes began to glow. Molten Fang of the Pariah.

Acri began to glow red hot. On the image of the Grim Chimera, the ancient blood of whatever beast the Grim Chimera had once slain began to awaken, waves of heat and unwillingness radiating outward from the implement of death. Unfortunately, the Skill quickly burned away the remnant of the attack Randidly had landed with All Things Succumb, but then it continued to sear outward into Kaan’s flesh.

“YOU!” Kaan bellowed. His image blasted outward but was literally met with enough thick Nether that the image drowned before it could accomplish anything. The thick energy current spun tightly around Randidly, and the Acri-length away Kaan couldn’t help but be caught up in its pull.

Chuckling, Randidly released Acri’s shaft and pounced forward. Once it was released, Acri’s tip came apart and it began to wrap its body around Kaan’s torso. With his heartbeat once more reaching a crescendo, Randidly simply threw himself at the struggling and wounded Kaan and used his fists to bludgeon the foe.

Congratulations! Your Skill Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality (A) has grown to Level 300!

Congratulations! Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe (L) has grown to Level 130!

With an ashen energy filled with notes of Nether swirling around him like a cloak, Randidly lashed outward with his left and right hands. The talon’d claw ripped deep gashes in Kaan’s shoulder. The bone spear pierced his thigh and ripped out a large chunk of flesh as Randidly twisted before pulling it back out. Although Kaan was furiously struggling to throw Acri off of him, the problem was that Acri had pierced through his chest and then bloomed open on the other side, like a hook.

Each of Kaan’s movements worsened the injury on his chest. Randidly ripped again with his left hand, inflicting several shallow cuts on the side of Kaan’s face. But then another of Kaan’s pyramids flew to over his head and began to glow with an image of strength. The change was immediate; Kaan’s movements turned sharper and he was able to smash away Randidly’s thrust even while it was empowered his bone spear image.

Randidly sent a mental message to Acri and his spear wiggled itself out and sprung backward of Kaan’s chest before the Special Investigator could seize the spear and attempt to break it. Although Randidly still outclassed him in speed, Kaan’s physical power combined with his image’s boost was nothing to sneeze at.

Undoubtedly, that strike did a lot of damage, but why do I feel like it won’t be enough… Randidly took several steps backward from the ragged form of Kaan. Because even if he was wounded, the four bright pyramids that were active didn’t waver in the slightest. His images were still rock-solid, despite the slow drip of the honey-blood.

Kaan slowly raised his head as the two dormant pyramids pushed up out of the ground by Kaan’s feet. They were waiting, hoping that Randidly would continue to attack and expose a weakness. “For a spy, you have sharp eyes.”

Then he gestured sharply. The honey-like blood shivered, then rapidly began to flow upward into the air. After spinning together for a second, it formed into an amber-colored pyramid. Immediately, it surged with light. And rather than hearing anything, Randidly felt through their Soulbound connection that this attack didn’t target him.

Neveah whimpered and her bone wyrm collapsed while the wounded Kaan began to laugh.

*****

Ace had originally been completely distraught when Randidly Ghosthound and the foe he was preparing to face immediately vanished. With a subordinate with long-range spying capabilities, he had seen how Neveah had set about preparations for some sort of ritual, seeming intent on bringing Randidly back. Yet Ace’s worry was that he had missed his chance.

For a little while, Ace had considered intervening then to stop Neveah, but that didn’t feel right. Suddenly he would be an interloper in the fight between a hero and another villain, adding onto the villain’s side. Typically in that scenario, the side villain would be crushed with almost comical ease.

No, that wasn’t the move. What he needed was a grand entrance; he needed to set himself up as a third party, demonstrating the powerful forces present on Earth. He would be Randidly’s ultimate rival. So Ace had forcefully stilled his fingers tapping against his biker helmet and waited.

Luckily, he was soon vindicated. Neveah finished her Engraving and the air in the area shimmered. Soon, Randidly Ghosthound was back, laughing in the face of the villain he was currently facing. Instantly, the surrounding space was full of chaotic images as the fight resumed.

Ace lifted his helmet and then hesitated as he looked at the fight. Although this was… a little bit more intense than he had expected, he should be fine. He had stolen that agonizing training method from Randidly. He had the egg he helped refined. There was no reason to fear the man who had once been his best friend.

No reason at all.

Before Ace shifted completely to become Dauntless, he turned away from his spying subordinate to look behind him. “Ezekiel, is the egg-”

Ace paused. Where they had set up camp, Ezekiel was unconscious on the ground. Instead, A familiar woman stood over Ezekiel and next to the extremely large egg into which Ace had poured months of effort. A chittering rodent sat on the woman’s shoulder, tilting its head to the side to peer at Ace.

“Sydney…” Ace said slowly. He scrutinized Sydney. From her position and gaze, it was clear that she wasn’t here on accident. “You came to stop me? Do you truly think you are strong enough to beat me with only one of your elemental creatures? Let me tell you, as soon as that egg hatches-”

“I won’t let it hatch,” Sydney said. Then she lifted her left hand. The creature exploded in a burst of blue light. “And these days, I only have one elemental. One that is more than enough to put you out of your misery, Ace. Frigid Lightning!”