Randidly’s mind stuttered for several fractured seconds, trying to understand the implications of what would happen if an area near Malloon was connected to Pine, the swirling mass of significance and images that filled the sky and functioned like a constant moon. Setting aside the very real risk that the fallen Pine would reach back and destroy the entire memory if Randidly couldn’t avoid viewing the phenomenon, he tried to look at the process from the Nether King’s point of view.

To them, Pine was the powerful core of the universe. If the Nether Ritual could bridge the gap, even for a moment before the flood of dense force caused the whole working to collapse, it would be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb dropped on pre-System Expira. The area would be leveled. Anyone not as powerful as Randidly or Westrisser would probably be wiped away.

The barrier around Malloon might resist for a bit, but the quality of energy surrounding Pine would eventually invalidate it. Everything would be annihilated.

Above the threatened city of Malloon, the storm of significance pressed even closer, almost anticipatory. From the behavior of the energy, it was clear what had happened in the original memory. Westrisser obviously escaped to finish his research into Dungeons, but Malloon would be no more.

Neveah? Randidly pulled his companion’s attention to the situation. His stubbornness began to surge through his chest. A thousand patterns spun in his eyes, showing the movement of the Nether Ritual and the supports in place to keep outside interference from being able to stop the bridge from being made. Compared to the pillar of black energy growing toward the sky, a cursed beanstalk seeking to draw the gaze of a god, even Randidly’s massive weather working was a child’s toy.

Congratulations! Your Skill Infinite Incendiary Filaments of a Dove Moirae (P) has grown to Level 1100!

Congratulations! Your Skill Yearnings of the Nether Heir (P) has grown to Level 985!

Even mentally, Randidly could feel her grimace. Well, fuck. That’s going to be a tough one, especially if your senses will be distracted. I’ll get to work trying to parse everything apart, but it looks like you’ve got problems of your own.

Randidly’s eyes refocused on the Witherballs shooting toward him. They had crossed about half of the distance between the dragon and himself while he had been distracted by the Nether Ritual. His Animation Nova continued to falter and fade as they ate through more and more of the vital energy he could project. The well ran dry. Of his Authorities, the Fourth had the shallowest foundations and it was beginning to show. Of the second wave of Witherballs, he had worn the projectiles down until only eight remained.

But those crackled unpleasantly during their approach, continuing to warp and rot every element they encountered.

Narrowing his eyes, Randidly pulled even more deeply from his Nether Core. The memory’s soft shudders began to occur with slightly more frequency; he wasn’t in danger of destabilizing the area quite yet, but even the foundations he built began to be shaken. He extended his left hand and unleashed a gush of life energy. The eight Witherballs began to shrink, but they forced their way through the onslaught.

Randidly’s senses were pulled in so many directions he almost felt like he floated behind his body rather than being in it. The overwhelming fight between Bleak Sky and Cerulean continued to nag at his back. He utilized a few pinches of his awareness to gather kinetic energy and build a storm. Neveah frantically tried to pierce through the Nether Workings above him. And finally, he looked forward at the Witherballs.

He pushed himself to his limit, his Fourth Authority groaning. A last nova of life energy swept through the Witherballs, eliminating three and shrinking the remainder to half the size of their original form. The dragon opposite hissed and fury and his body twisted and coiled in on itself, but luckily it also seemed like his energy was expended.

Randidly huffed out a breath. His eyes unfocused as he considered the battlefield. With the purpose of the Nether RItual to create a bridge up to Pine in the sky, my presence here almost becomes a liability. If I want to continue to observe the fighting, I need to intervene. There is so much about the past I still don’t understand; I cannot allow the current Pine’s monstrous ability to absorb and crush significance to use me as a stepping stone.

Since I need to maintain my fighting capabilities… time to rely on my body to endure this. Randidly’s eyes flashed as his resolve firmed. The five minor Witherballs neared his skin and his Egg’s Illusory Plume activated, weakening them further. In the end, only two wisps of Witherball and a half-sized one arrived before his physical body.

Despite that, Randidly felt his body reacting with revulsion; they might be incredibly depleted, but this was still the power of a Nether King’s Authority that targeted biological life. He could feel his muscles beginning to fray and rot, even just from being near the attack. He briefly considered activating Seize now, but then he forced himself to stand firm.

The first little wisp struck his right shoulder. He could almost feel the bones aging within his body, even as his skin began to shred and turn into a partially liquid ooze. His muscles quickly followed, The aging of the bone happened so quickly that it became hollow and cracked. Shards of poisonous bone sunk into relatively unharmed muscles, seeding more instances of rot and withering.

The second little wisp struck Randidly in the left side of his chest. He winced as his heart mutated and grew two extra ventricles. Then the weakened muscles of these new additions began to twitch wildly, both throwing the normal functions of his heart into chaos and also tearing themselves into shreds in the process. Blood spurted into his chest cavity, tainted by the withering energy.

Perhaps even more unfortunately, Randidly had tied his Nether Core so closely to his heart that the Nether in his body was thrown into chaos when his organ began to mutate and then collapse in on itself. Like a rotten melon, the outer portions of his powerful heart shrunk and deflated. More tainted blood leaked, dribbling across his lungs and down toward his other organs.

Randidly released a groan. Already, Yggdrasil busied itself with suppressing the Authority seeking to destabilize his body. Unnatural Metabolism knitted back the damaged body parts once the taint was removed. His eyes fixated on the final Witherball, this one not only a wisp, but remaining at half power. He pulled back his lips in a silent snarl. So long as I can handle this- eh?

Today seemed to be a day for surprises. Because as Randidly adjusted his position so the Witherball wouldn’t hit an already affected area, this time aiming for his waist (Randidly had already resigned himself to being too busy to actually take advantage of his manhood) his left arm moved of its own volition. Or perhaps it was better to say that Sulfur, which had integrated itself fully into his body, acted independently.

His left hand, usually so heavy with the exhaustion he had absorbed into it, swung up and caught the half-sized Witherball.

The movement looked so natural he couldn’t even respond and prevent it.

“You-!” Randidly gasped. Sulfur wasn’t biological in the same way that he was; the plant had evolved into a strange amalgamation of lava being and growth-focused kinetic absorption plant. But despite the fact its body was likely more resilient than even Randidly’s own, this Witherball was on a completely different level than the ones Randidly suffered through. And even now, he removed bits of corrosion from his body lest they spread and cause lingering harm.

His worries proved well-founded as pain flooded up the limb. White agony made the hand and forearm itself almost numb, with a vision invasion of shudder-inducing suffering running a blitzkrieg up through his elbow and bicep. But before the pain could really coalesce in Randidly’s mind, the sensation was cut off.

With the same independence that had allowed it to move, Sulfur severed the bond between body and arm. Even while Randidly reeled from the flash of pain, the limb disconnected and tumbled through the air. It curled as it began to fall, twisting around and smothering the remaining Witherball with the whole of its massive. The armored shoulder locked around the problem, preventing any escape. Horrible grey sludge dribbled from Sulfur’s body a testament to the living weapon suffering as it protected Randidly.

His breathing grew heavy; his Soulseed was trying to sacrifice itself to spare him pain.

His emotional sea began to churn. Almost immediately, Randidly found the perfect clarion note to harmonize with Yggdrasil. In a moment of flaring golden light, the last remnants of corrosion were banished from his body. Rapidly, his wounds began to heal.

Congratulations! Your Skill Casting Blades from Insatiable Emotional Grievances (M) has grown to Level 900!

Congratulations! Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 911!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs (T) has grown to Level 875!

The grey blob of Sulfur twisting his bulk into a ball fell toward the distant ground. After a moment of indecision, Randidly’s gaze focused to razor sharpness. He reached out with the Stillborn Phoenix and caught his long-time companion with a burst of gravity. He found himself trembling, horrified at the power of the Witherballs. “Sulfur, you don’t need-”

The Nether King dragon roared and rushed across the intervening distance. Randidly raised his head and observed the foe. His eyes were a pale green, too many emotions to count buzzing across his awareness. The pure note that harmonized so well with Yggdrasil still sang its ballad of violence. Had Randidly been himself, he would have waited another half second before lashing out. Yet to know Sulfur had been wounded by this foe made him lose his grip and slash before he could consider.

“You think you know what it is to wither?” Randidly whispered. His voice was hoarse. Specters of grey flame rose from his back, spreading into a massive shadow. “Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Watching Carrion Grins.”

Congratulations! Your Skill Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Watching Carrion Grins (T) has grown to Level 931!

One armed, Randidly Ghosthound channeled his entire emotional sea and tore at the world. Bleak Sky’s Domain shuddered, forced slightly back by his efforts. He hadn’t considered it previously, but very literally this Skill had a natural advantage against methods utilizing the horizon as a meaningful image fragment.

Second, his blow ripped through the snout and upper head of the Nether King. Had he managed to delay himself, he likely would have decapitated the foe. As it was, he dug through scales to reveal his enemy’s skull and took its eyes. The first ruptured from a scratch, sagging and bleeding. The second had been directly taken, and Randidly took great pleasure in squeezing the flesh ripped off until the remnants dribbled out through his fingers.

If this memory wanted to fucking hurt those precious to him, there would be a price.