The strained moment of indecision endured for several seconds as the three individuals on the summit of the Path of Blood considered how to proceed. The Master eyed both of the challengers to his authority suspiciously. The man who had invited Randidly’s mouth worked without sound, hinting at the chaotic mess of his mind.

And Randidly watched them both, his attention split equally between figuring out what sort of power he had obtained by grabbing the carp and estimating his own chances of surviving in a conflict with both of them. The lines around his eyes tightened as he admitted to himself it would be difficult. Even if I’m quite sturdy and their images are limited by the Mountain, and even if I have so many new abilities that I can’t figure them all out, they are both old figures in the Nexus. Against both of them-

Randidly kept his gaze focused and intense, hiding the unease he felt. Showing weakness now would be a very bad idea.

Luckily, when someone finally broke the silence, Randidly wasn’t the chosen target.

The Master snorted with even more gusto than he had previously, stirring complex patterns into being around his body. They gathered especially closely around his left arm. His narrowed eyes regarded the other man. “Number One. Even I must admit that I’m surprised by what you have accomplished. Who knew that you had created a piece that could climb the Path of Blood under his own power. But even so, your rebellion was poorly conceived.”

For a brief moment, Number One’s face flickered with indecision. He glanced at Randidly, clearly weighing his options. On the one hand, he could agree with the Master’s incorrect read that this was all his plan. Yet it was clear he saw Randidly as a rogue element. From Number One’s response when he first appeared, he definitely didn’t expect him to climb this high. Combined with the fact that even now Randidly’s consciousness continued to spread across the sky-

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 332!

-the more Randidly’s consciousness spread, the more the lingering clouds and remnant breezes above took on a particular flavor. Because of his inexperience with whatever ability he had just gained, the patterns on the whole of the Path of Blood began to take on the organization he had invented to become the Moirae of Ripples. He tried to slow that transition, but his attempts of were understandably rough; it was like acquiring a new and unfamiliar limb. His first few experiments resulted in little more than flailing. And flying with this broad power-

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 333!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 361!

The clouds darkened above them. The winds hadn’t yet coalesced to become a maelstrom yet, but Randidly’s attempts to control his ability seemed to just hasten the process. The consciousness in the sky based on him seemed to take his movements as prodding to accelerate its efforts to overwhelm the surroundings.

Randidly felt somewhat helpless, a storm of his making that he couldn’t control above him and hundreds of malicious baby spirits clinging to his back and glaring hatefully at the Master. Is it too much to hope that I won’t look very dangerous to Number One…?

When Number One’s expression finally firmed, he whirled to glare at the Master. Apparently, the blatant aggression registered as more of a threat than Randidly and his developing storm. “There’s no point in discussing further. As I said, today is the day you die.”

Both blazed in sudden bursts of power. Randidly was rendered blind by the flurry of ripples they generated as they mobilized their own patterns into new forms. Number One quickly conjured a dozen small whirlwinds that buzzed with potential energy. Randidly quickly backed away, content to lets these two fight against each other. Besides, with each second that passed, his storm in the sky strengthened itself.

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 375!

“Futile.”

The Master raised his left hand and beckoned. And just like that, the whirlwinds sputtered and stilled. The churning force in the sky dissipated. A million disparate ripples gathered together into the Master’s palm and became meek. As Randidly watch, the ripples he gathered seemed to be strangled by the patterns he had created.

In the echoing silence that followed, the Master sniffed. “You each might have a small amount of authority in this place and your own variation of the Grand Pattern, but never forget that all these things you take from my hand. I created everything you see and feel here. Within this place, I am a god. I am invincible.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Number One bared his teeth and then conjured more tiny whirlwinds. They skittered and hummed across the stone ground, sending small pebbles flying in every direction. “You might have made these tools, but I’ve spent my entire life studying them. I don’t believe I lose out when compared to you-”

The Master waved his hand again and gathered all the ripples from Number One’s patterns. More power got stuffed into that left hand, but it also continued to steadily dissipate. “You will never understand the capability required to challenge the structure of the universe like I have chosen to do. So many Paths… yes, I’ve failed to reach the Pinnacle, but my toil has led me to this point. Can you rival that tireless effort? No, you cannot. Before me, your powers will evaporate.”

“You-!” Number One’s eyes bulged. His patterns returned, but sluggishly.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cursed Fates of the Unborn (M) has grown to Level 199!

Against Randidly’s back, the horrifying Unborn seemed to whisper that they would be able to help defeat this monster, so long as Randidly closed the distance between them and allowed them to feast. At the same time, Randidly watched the contained ripples in the Master’s hand. His eyes narrowed. Others might not notice that you are keeping those ripples suppressed in your hand, but I won’t miss it. What’s your limit?

“I acknowledge your potential. Hopefully, it is enough to fertilize this newest attempt.” The Master shook his head, almost sadly. He raised his hand and conjured an obsidian cup that oozed mist. Immediately, the ripples in the area turned strange. They bent at their edges, seeming to want to connect to themselves. All the energy across the summit turned chaotic.

This time purposefully, Randidly pressed his Willpower to the sky and quickly spun his own version of the pattern into the theme of the Path of Blood. The influence of the strange cup the Master displayed was pervasive, but it couldn’t stop Randidly’s growing momentum. The Master frowned and looked away from his cup. He grasped at the sky and the storm immediately collapsed. However, the Master now had a near incandescent ball of ripples trapped in his hand.

Number One dashed forward; apparently, he shared Randidly’s belief that nothing good would come of letting the Master do as he wished with this strange cup. Drill-like whirlwinds formed over his hands and he unleashed several sharp punches toward the Master.

His beard billowing, the Master swayed around the strikes. He opened his left hand and closed it again, robbing Number One of the dangerous attacks he used. But Randidly didn’t miss how the gesture was much slower than it had been. It’s becoming more difficult for him to disperse the ripples and gather them. If we push him a little further-

Randidly sucked in a breath. His mind rose and filled the sky. The strange out-of-body experience made his head throb, but he endured. With his third attempt, Randidly directly generated a horrifying maelstrom of electromagnetic radiation, light radiation, natural force, and dangerous patterns. He channeled all that force into a sharp wind and scythed down at the Master.

A common wind blade that had tortured him immensely during his ascent now remade with enough power to obliterate even Randidly’s powerful body.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko (T) has grown to Level 602!

The Master took a step forward and grasped. His fingers seemed to be rusted from the exaggerated slowness, but all of Randidly’s force was suppressed. The wind blade vanished, plucked directly from existence. Number One gathered himself and lashed out again, but he paled as the Master seemed to ignore his drilling strikes and reached for the cup. The mist stirred and the ripples began to curve back on themselves once more.

“You dare ignore me!?!” Number One howled. He blurred into motion, leaping forward with fully formed patterns empowering the motion. All his potential seemed condensed into this sudden explosion. Randidly prepared his own counterattack, but then hesitated when the Master vanished and left the cup floating in the air. And to his incredulity and alarm, the Master appeared in front of him.

“Do you think your petty combination can’t be broken? Heh.” The Master’s eyes bored into Randidly. Up close, it was easier to feel the aura of timelessness that clung to his body.“I don’t know how you avoided the defenses, but the Path of Blood is very picky about its owner. And you… Heh. Watch this. I contest the Path of Blood.”

After he spoke the words, Randidly felt something resonant in the sky. His consciousness’s connection with the Path dimmed. It hadn’t been severed completely, but during the challenge, his influence had been reduced. He stepped back and took a fighting stance, but just ended up jerking right back forward; he found his feet had been rooted to the ground. His body swayed as he kept his balance. Randidly’s eyebrows shot upward as he felt a strange surge of heat through his entire body. He felt suddenly very, very light. His eyes widened in recognition. This feeling…

In front of him, the dignified and respectful form of the Master visibly exploded. His robe shredded as the man’s body swelled into an impossibly large muscle-bound brick house that would make any bodybuilder drool. With a grin on his grotesque new face, he raised a fist wrapped in pulsing veins. “The Path of Blood was one of my first Paths. It harkens back to a more primitive time. Therefore, the challenge to rule it is very specific. And for someone like you, who cheated his way to the top-”

“Stop!” Number One gathered up his whirlwinds and launched a volley at the Master’s back, but Randidly felt his own power moving to stop the Number One’s attempts. Without even his direction, the imprint he left on the Path reached out and unraveled those whirlwinds by pulling apart the binding ripples that formed them.

At least I know I can fare well against Number One. Randidly’s lips twitched. Then he turned to face the Master, whose body twisted with kinetic force. A punch from an arm as thick as an old-growth oak tree accelerated at Randidly’s chest. As for you...

The punch landed. Randidly didn’t even have to take a step back. The Master blinked in shock. Even Number One stumbled, stunned by the total lack of response.

The familiar and comforting heat continued to spread through his limbs. With the challenge for control over the Path of Blood, the 99% physical restriction that Randidly had struggled under vanished without a trace. He had an amused look on his face as he raised his hands and cracked his knuckles. “Based on the context… I’m guessing its my turn?”