Even the most aggressive of the assembled forces, Military High Command, didn’t move at the Nether King’s arrogant gesture. The eyes of the man with the flaming bow were bright but firm. Now that they saw their foe, everyone was moving with caution.

This being was the prize. But his value was high only due to his proportional capability. This was a free Nether King, the first in the Nexus in a thousand years.

Randidly managed to tear his gaze away from the figure that had inflicted loss after loss upon the Nexus in the last year and looked at the two subordinates by his side. Both seemed to be more than Nether Heralds; the best Randidly could do was to consider them Nether Princes that had hatched from the embryonic form he had seen on the frontlines to something MUCH more dangerous. The one on the left was a large sable rabbit with luxurious fur and crimson eyes. The one on the right was a humanoid turtle carrying a plain wooden staff.

Both looked out blandly at the assembled forces of the Nexus arrayed before them. They held not the slightest hint of fear that it would be three individuals versus three entire factions.

With the only action being the rising sense of tension, Randidly returned to his examination of the passive way that the Nether King could make the Nether in his surroundings move. Small, innocuous shifts in Nether soon became the core of grand, grinding machinations of energy that briefly housed vast furnaces of significance. Just as quickly as they had come, they vanished, the Nether shifting so Randidly almost believed he had imagined the process. Compared to Randidly’s Nether Core, each of these brief and seemingly random patterns possessed more Weight.

Seeing it with his own eyes was incredibly humbling. Each of these was more powerful than the core Randidly had needed five years to forge. And hundreds of them were happening simultaneously.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 408!

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 274!

My Nether Core has given me an edge against image users in the Nexus… but just like my images are far from being able to rival those that have dedicated their lives to their individual craft… The lines around Randidly’s eyes steadily tightened as he looked up at the sky. ...no, the distance might be even more egregious when it comes to Nether. My Nether Core… compared to this…

Influence +3!

Congratulations! Your Skill Architecture of the Primordial Ways (M) has grown to Level 401!

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 275!

In a way, the rapid and diverse accumulation of Skill Levels spoke for itself.

“Gather around, everyone,” The Frost Matriarch’s voice eventually pulled Randidly out from his deep study of Nether. Her lantern-bright gaze surveyed the gathered Pinnacle Seekers. “Soon, I believe Seeker Pence will arrive. At that time, our group will head down to attempt to capture the Nether King. Who wishes to volunteer for the final expedition? But a warning… the spots are limited.”

Immediately, Randidly detected the strange mood in the air and this time understood its source: what would follow was strictly governed by the internal hierarchy of the Pinnacle Seekers.

“I shall go,” The Dusk Jackal spoke with gleaming eyes. “Two of my brightest followers will accompany me.”

Next, the Winged Serpent shook its head and flicked out its tongue. “I shall remain and protect the rest. Most of my people… I do not believe that could withstand what waits below.”

From there, the other powerful Pinnacle Seekers spoke. The three-tailed mouse would go. Thunder Seeker laughed and announced that he would be going. Seeker Ozaer seemed extremely uninterested, but still, she said yes with the same unreadable expression on her face.

Then the air shifted; Randidly recognized this too. It was now his turn to speak.

Next to him, Claudette offered him an arm. Her eyes were dancing. “Ready to accompany me on an adventure, sir knight? Protect me from potentially fatal and incredibly boring conversation?”

Randidly turned and looked over toward the Engraving Guild position, where he still sensed Shal and Techetadore’s images. Then he looked toward Military High Command, behind which was the specter of Commandant Wick, who would undoubtedly have quite a few opinions about why Randidly was traveling with the Pinnacle Seekers.

Finally, Randidly looked again at the Nether that filled the air and suppressed them all with its growing significance.

When he turned back to the Frost Matriarch, Randidly couldn’t believe he was going to do this. This decision ran counter to so many of the aggressive decisions he had made in the past. But he shook his head. “I will remain here and study the Nether.”

Only Claudette seemed shocked by the announcement as the process continued and the other Pinnacle Seekers made their decision. Meanwhile, Randidly sat down. Both Helen and Raymund were still recovering, and Randidly could use this opportunity to finally get a sense of where he stood in the Nexus.

Perhaps even then, with this perspective, he wouldn’t have made this decision without encountering Shal. Perhaps it was a sign that he was more deeply affected by Shal’s inexplicable decision to cast aside his image than Randidly revealed. Because Randidly understood Shal’s conviction and personality better than most. While Shal was prone to self-destructive downward spirals, they didn’t happen without justification.

Shal’s problem was that he was rigid in his beliefs. That was a strength against everything except an overwhelming force. To avoid a similar fate… Randidly took a step back from this battlefield where the best in the Nexus had gathered. There was no shame in admitting that he hadn’t yet reached this peak, not yet.

But Randidly remained confident in his own growth speed as he looked down at the smoky Nether King. A resolution slowly formed in his heart. Plus, he didn’t want this to become a habit in the future; he wouldn’t grow without being willing to push his limits. So in a quiet voice to himself, Randidly made a vow. Not this time… but next time I have a chance like this… To go toe to toe on an overwhelming battlefield… I won’t back away again.

There remained one last surprise in the volunteers. At an appropriate time, DiOrtho Vant quietly approached Randidly and asked if he could try and accompany the group. Randidly looked at his subordinate for several long moments as other subordinate Pinnacle Seekers made their pronouncements around him, measuring the ram demon with his emerald eyes. The same reasons that made this journey extremely deadly for him made the experience downright deadly for Vant.

Yet the DiOrtho stood in front of Randidly with eyes bright with determination. His time in Randidly’s Alpha Cosmos had done a lot to ground the demon. He could tell that this decision wasn’t a reckless one, it was a choice that had some thought behind it. The man even had a wife waiting for him back in the Alpha Cosmos.

Perhaps for the ghost of a timeline with a widow, Randidly was about to say deny him. But to his surprise, Seeker Ozaer approached the duo while they were talking. Other Pinnacle Seekers continued to, at the appropriate time, announce their intents around them. At this point, everyone said they would not be joining the expedition. The female Pinnacle Seekers heavy eyes followed Vant after Randidly gestured and the subordinate retreated a small distance.

Ozaer blinked slowly. “I assume your subordinate wishes to head with the delegation, yes? Obviously, his individual strength is meaningless here. But I wish to volunteer to protect him. Truthfully, I will not be much help in the climax of this scenario either. However, I can certainly manage to protect both my apprentice and yours.”

Randidly frowned at the strange Seeker Ozaer. The fact that she had taken the initiative to approach him was slightly bewildering. “Forgive me for saying this so bluntly… but why? You don’t… seem the type to involve yourself in the business of others.”

Seeker Ozaer’s face stayed extremely serious as she replied. “True. Unnecessary relationships, in my experience, just muddle one’s image. But your subordinate... is a special case. I don’t believe even he has realized it yet, but… the core of his image and my image are birthed from the same source. People like us… tend to be drawn to suicidal situations when we wish to improve. And if he manages to survive… his abilities are sure to explode.”

Randidly’s frown deepened. The way Seeker Ozaer spoke was genuine, but he couldn’t really follow what she was saying. “You believe Vant’s image… is related to clouds? Or a storm to end the world?”

“Destruction from a source most bizarre unites us,” Seeker Ozaer clarified, still with that completely no-nonsense expression. “The current form of his image is hollow because he hasn’t yet discovered this absence. He’s been working on improving his foundation these past few years, yes? Without his image achieving a breakthrough? Well, due to those efforts, his potential is now ripe. Should he walk the high precipice between life and death… the esoteric frivolity of ‘societal’ interaction will become obvious. From that, the logical conclusion is to eschew relationships and pursue the wide expanse of mysteries that plague our universe.”

Randidly looked rather blankly at the suddenly effusive Seeker Ozaer, which she took as an invitation to continue. “Heh, truly, I was similarly wondrous when I discovered this secret layer for myself. Do you know, hundreds of deaths occur each year that even the Nexus’s finest investigators are unable to solve. Images are conjured power, but their capability comes from very real horrors that still lurk in the depths of our universe. Yet because acknowledging the existence of such monstrosities requires one to reject all of one’s preconceived notions of security, the only time it can be done is after one has stared into the maw of death and escaped. Your subordinate hasn’t quite stumbled across this concrete truth, but his psyche already is aware that his current Path won’t carry him forward for much longer. Which is why he volunteered; he knows an extreme experience is necessary to bridge his uncertainty.”

Setting aside the issue of Seeker Ozaer’s strange philosophy, Randidly turned and looked at DiOrtho Vant. The ram demon was crouched next to the recuperating Helen and Raymund and staring at them with a serious expression on his face. He wasn’t sure if the ramblings of the Pinnacle Seeker were necessarily true, but there was definitely one fact that became abundantly clear after hearing the Seeker’s opinion: DiOrtho Vant was unsatisfied with his image’s progress.

Even as Raymund developed his ability to steal other fighters’ images, Vant remained stagnant. Despite his relatively calm exterior, the pressure under which he put himself must be massive.

Randidly released a breath. He believed this was a bad idea, but he wasn’t truly Vant’s commanding officer any longer. And he understood better than anyone the overwhelming mandate to accumulate strength.

Randidly beckoned and DiOrtho Vant came over. “Alright, you can go. But you’ll be under the command of Seeker Ozaer. Make sure you aren’t a nuisance.”

Vant clasped his fists and bowed to Randidly and then followed Seeker Ozaer, who had already begun wandering away, back toward the main force. Helen grimaced and raised her hands above her head. Her shoulders cracked in a chained series of pops. “Should I go with him?”

“Nah,” Randidly shook his head and offered her a bitter smile. “We cannot protect him. Besides, there is something else we need to do.”

Helen frowned at him and Randidly gestured around them. “The Nether King is currently the core of this conflict and isn’t going to go down easily. But afterward… the strange stratification of space will collapse; once more this will just be the Military Headquarters Planet of the Nexus. I need to do some research to prepare for the fallout, and I’ll need your help to construct some countermeasures.”

Helen sighed and nodded. Meanwhile, Randidly turned and looked at the shifting sparks of Nether above them. The air was filled with genesis and oblivion; significance spun through a very realistic cycle of life and death every moment. The brief flares of significance created shifts that affected the surroundings in unlikely and chaotic ways. Then they vanished, the disparate pieces breaking down until they were incorporated in surprising ways into new flares.

Not only Randidly’s understanding of Nether but also the aura of vitality of his Yggdrasil image and the Stillborn Phoenix’s all-consuming absence could be improved by studying the capabilities of the Nether King.

Time to get to work then. Randidly cracked his knuckles. So the next time I’m thrust onto this battlefield, I don’t need to retreat.

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 276!

Congratulations! Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold (T) has grown to Level 394!

Influence +4!

Congratulations! Your Skill the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis (M) Has grown to Level 329!