Devick’s voice sounded entirely sincere; she was here for him.

Somehow, her genuine show of emotion didn’t comfort Randidly in the slightest. He knew that the reasons that she fixated on him were not good ones for his wellbeing, either mental or physical.

Randidly tore his gaze away from Devick; if nothing else, she needed to proceed through the process of ascending the tower to reach him. Maybe she would even spar with Moonlight Blade, giving him some extra time to prepare. At some point his system of Nether and kinetic force would become self-fulfilling even if he could only maintain Synecdochence below 100%. Even now as he unleashed more flares of Nether, his body crackled again with ready-to-unleash power.

Bursts created ripples, ripples flowed through his body and then spread out through the grey firestorm, strengthening its effects. A strengthened firestorm created superior Nether bursts, which then generated additional ripples.

Randidly clenched his left fist. The beam he currently could unleash probably had more destructive force than either of his previous two. If he could increase that scaling by the time she arrived-

MacDuul regained his composure and released his image. A portion of Randidly’s environmental storm was impacted by the rampant meadow, immediately weakening the Nether flares that he could wield. Grimacing, Randidly churned out more and more Nether and prepared to attack MacDuul, but Devick continued to speak as though all this chaotic combat was beneath her.

“Are you really just going to ignore me? Your superior officer? Well, perhaps Wick was right about you needing some discipline.”

The mention of Wick being right sent a hot stab of anger into Randidly’s gut, but he refused to allow himself to be distracted. His focus was on MacDuul. Ignoring the rapidly accumulating strain in his mind, Randidly unleashed wave after wave of flaring pinches of Nether. The Synechdochence was powerful enough to keep MacDuul on the defensive, but Randidly couldn’t get any advantage on him with just flares of Nether. While Claudette’s chilling hatred forced Tyune to retreat, Randidly needed only thirty seconds-

Each flare created more ripples, which spiraled around him and strengthened the horrifying storm-

“Challenger, I appreciate your enthusiasm,” A new automated message from Don Beigon spoke above them as Devick made some move. His tone was jovial, if slightly condescending. “However, the only way to enter into this final area is by climbing-”

CRACK!

Strange, wafting flakes of madness and the shattered remnants of the barrier tinkled down to disappear in the sea of black flames waiting below.

Devick shattered the Engraving protections that enforced the rules of the upper level with such speed that none understood what had happened for several seconds. Even more horrifying was the way that the grand Engraving seemed to gradually be unmade by whatever attack she unleashed. The cracks spread out from her position and soon everything collapsed.

Even the barrier around the final dais. Randidly’s gaze flickered as he saw the strange coin waiting up there.

All of the other challengers froze as Devick floated down to the platform. Her golden mask pointed straight at Randidly, she beckoned with a single finger. “Now that this small impediment is out of the way, how about we figure out how much re-education you need? Are you prepared, Mr. Ghosthound? And while we are at it… let’s root out the little pests hiding behind your back too.”

The two Unborn spirits keened their fear and took their worry out by gnawing on the soft flesh of his lower back. In direct response to their anxiety, Randidly felt the Stillborn Phoenix swirling itself into a massive size in his left eye, wanting to seek revenge on this being that dared threaten the two kindred spirits that had chosen to remain with it.

Randidly heard his heart in his ears, pounding. Time seemed to slow as his brain struggled to come up with the best way to proceed. Especially since Devick had cracked this competition wide open. The pressure she released toward him doubled without the barrier between them. The featureless gold match made even him feel a shiver of fear.

I don’t need to beat her, just for the game to end. He told himself. He straightened his spine and began to weigh the situation.

Before Randidly had even arrived in the upper platform, Claudette and Tyune had forced MacDuul slightly away from the dais with the ‘treasure’. Technically, now that Randidly had so aggressively been attacking MacDuul, he was the closest to the treasure. But the fist of foreign dread that lodged itself in his chest made him very sure that Devick wouldn’t let him simply run up to the coin and end this.

Randidly had absolute confidence in his speed, now even more solid as he grew more adept with Devick’s methods. But precisely because she had shown him those methods, he had no confidence of using them against her.

After utilizing his body, she knew what he could accomplish.

A part of him urged him to gamble anyway and rely on his physical body to withstand the inevitable counterattack from Devick, but he knew that was beyond foolish; his skin turned clammy as he remembered the strange corrosion her chains had left briefly on his skin, before it had been cleansed by the sapphire liquid of the lake. The same sort of corrosion that turned her casual punch into a force that unraveled the Don’s entire Engraving. No, Randidly couldn’t move easily or Devick would run wild.

The air around her seemed to be dyed red with her madness, but he could only see it out of the corners of his eyes. Her presence warped space. That, he supposed, was what it meant to have passed through the image fulfillment stage.

A genuine Speculum now looked at him with ill-intent.

“Ah, one more thing,” Devick added. “If you flee, I’ll just kill Claudette. The girl is important to you, yes? Or at least useful, which is essentially the same thing.”

Randidly’s brain continued to hum in the face of this threat. He imagined steam rising from his ears as he combed through his abilities for the best way to handle this. The best option was for either Claudette or Neshamah to make a move and seize the coin. Neshamah was bloodless and standing below the floating Devick, near the spot where the staircase reached the final platform.

Meanwhile, Claudette was on Randidly’s left, between him and Tyune. Everyone remained still; the other competitors were suddenly content to wait, knowing that Devick had no designs on the alliance. If anything, they looked at Randidly with fear; if he fled, they would need to handle her wrath.

...but I will need to withstand her full image, at least for a little while, Randidly realized. He couldn’t avoid it; after all this, he wouldn’t abandon Claudette to this madwoman’s cruelty. He took another breath in and released it, even as Devick drifted and landed upon the platform. The stone bubbled around her shoes after a single step. As she approached, Randidly could hear a sea of chains and madness clinking behind her, the prisoners held within that darkness struggling to escape.

Randidly lowered his head. His Nether Core accelerated. His three images rose to the height of their power and his image physicalizations began to hum. Alright, boys. Let’s hold nothing back.

His Nether Core exploded with force and his head snapped up, but to his surprise, someone else had started the party; despite the casual earlier threat on her life, or perhaps exactly because of it, Claudette unleashed a crescent of inky blackness that sliced toward Devick. The force of its passage created a great wall of ice that also conveniently walled off Tyune.

Devick chuckled and waved a hand. “Cute.”

The attack vanished and the ice near Devick exploded. But that brief interaction did provide Randidly with an impetus to bring his emotions in line with his image. Due to the constant threats of this treasure hunt, he had been distracted from the core reason of all this effort; to help Claudette. Across the platform, blue-black eyes met emerald ones, and understanding passed between them. It was a meaningless attack, in terms of damage. But suddenly, Randidly found that thread of emotional resonance.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Randidly snapped his fingers. All his released Nether finally mobilized itself. Activating more at once meant that he couldn’t control the environment around all the manifestations, but Randidly didn’t need that. All he needed was a thousand volleyballs of Nether possessing 95% of his power to pressure MacDuul, Tyune, and Devick.

Tyune had taken a step toward the final dais but hissed and retreated before the wave of Nether. His image clashed against Randidly’s bombardment and eventually pushed the tides of Nether back. MacDuul responded similarly, releasing the wide pressure of the mass of ground to resist the attacks.

Devick chuckled again, but this sound was much harsher. “This again? I’ve already- oh, interesting. It’s all just an engine for your energy blast thing, isn’t it?”

Randidly felt a cool thrill that Devick so quickly identified his intention, but did his best to put that out of his mind. He pulled the energy and fed it back into the pattern so he could unleash more force. The chaotic mass of natural energy generated by the flaring of Nether surged through him, straining his tendons and joints. Yet Randidly raised his head with blazing eyes and compressed that energy, so he could devour more from his next wave of attacks.

“Well if I’m being honest,” Despite the crash and explosion of Nether impacting images, Devick’s remarks came clearly to Randidly’s ear. And behind her voice was the metallic rattle of chains. “Not quite so interesting. So, let the punishment begin.”

Even her words were so heavy that his grey maelstrom of fire briefly faltered. Randidly gnashed his teeth. The pressure of her image was insane.

Both Tyune and MacDuul tensed up as well, preparing to use the opportunity when Devick attacked to make their break for it. Claudette gripped her sword, seemingly dazed, but Randidly had no doubt she would be making her own preparations.

Devick pointed. A thick and rusted chain erupted from the air directly behind her and shot toward Randidly. Even just looking at this mental projection, Randidly felt himself flinching; he could feel the wholeness and density of Devick’s image. And as with their brief confrontation above the sapphire lake, she held nothing back.

I need a miracle, Randidly raised both of his hands and channeled the potent kinetic energy he had hastily gathered between his palms. A lashing plasma-flower of annihilation formed in his almost gentle grip. He aimed the attack at the chain, even as he spun his three images together to create a secondary resistance effort. An image that powerful… damnit, if only one of the other competitors would help-

Randidly paused, struck by a sudden thought. His instincts whispered excitedly. The chain snaked toward him, heedless of the sudden idea.

His mouth stretched in a reckless smile. He twisted again, ignoring the powerful chain surging toward him and instead pointing the powerful blast at MacDuul. The former Military High Command officer scowled and scrambled back as the attack surged toward him. “Fool! You would doom us both!”

But as Randidly had expected, the man flared his image. The powerful natural bounty of the ground rose in a self-righteous fury, prepared to blast apart Randidly’s attack. Meanwhile, Tyune and Claudette both exploded into a dead sprint, heading for the platform. With his body, Claudette had pulled ahead after only a few steps.

In that area, at least, things were going well.

Randidly also planted his foot and cracked the ground with movement, but he didn’t head for the dais; he charged directly toward that stony wave of vital energy that MacDuul created. He could feel the chain behind him, snaking forward and devouring distance, catching up to him despite his speed. But he was fast enough. He made it to the edge of MacDuul’s attack and stretched out his hand.

“The First Authority,” Randidly whispered. His fingers brushed the powerful image of an abundant, lively meadow. “Seize.”

While the wingless dragon Nidhogg bit into the image in front of him, he rubbed two fingers of his other hand together and formed a small golden seed. He had improved, but his images paled in comparison to Devick and he didn’t have the luxury of forcefully elevating the power of his Nether right now. So instead, he needed to take a shortcut.

Kinetic force hadn’t worked, but what about borrowing another’s image power? Normally such a thing would be impossible, but based on the similarities between the two-

Nidhogg sank its fangs into the target meadow and took; a corner of MacDuul’s image became Randidly’s at least for a short amount of time. Pressing a seed of the World Tree image into that warm ground, Randidly whipped around and faced the ringing chain that aimed for his throat. His three images roared. The World Tree Sips from Every Realm. The Ashen Doors to Pandemonium Unlock. Breath of the Cosmos.

All three images pounced upon the well of MacDuul’s image power, ripping handfuls of force and detail for themselves. Like coals removed from a fire, they quickly faded, but much of the heat remained for a few moments. Pinned by Nidhogg, it couldn’t even resist this pilfering.

Dozens, even hundreds of Skill Level notifications flashed in front of Randidly, but he ignored them and urged his images to work more quickly. Then the Grey Creature and the Stillborn Phoenix passed along their stolen power to Yggdrasil, who swelled and exploded out of the image ground. Its trunk thickened and darkened even as its roots wormed their way deeply into the image manifestation that MacDuul had made.

The two images wove together, using the shape that Randidly had painstakingly refined but powered by the force the retired Commandant had gathered over his career.

MacDuul seemed too stunned to respond, just gaping at the tree suddenly growing out of his image and draining his power.

Randidly’s breath hissed through his teeth. He felt the overwhelming power of this man’s image, but handling it with his Willpower was agonizing. His eyes flashed with a strange blackness. He couldn’t handle this for long. But for now-

Randidly growled and attacked that horrifying chain. Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil. Piercing Gaze of the Egg. The Wrathful Calamity Rends.

If it hadn’t been for the Nether storm he had made, Randidly wasn’t sure he could have survived utilizing that image potency. The caustic Aether seared its way through his Soulspace, barely prevented from crippling him by the thick foundation of his significance. Then it was gone, surging and burning its way forward.

More Skill Levels blurred in front of him as symbiotic image roots exploded out of MacDuul’s meadow, containing the Stillborn Phoenix’s lust for vengeance and the unflinching desire of the Grey Creature to survive. The roots bulged and sizzled with grey lightning, possessing an impossible amount of power for the current Randidly. His emotions sang with those roots, and even as his senses flickered and got burned away by the image he handled, he existed totally in that effort to stop Devick.

To put it simply, it was a miracle.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the platform. Randidly fell over, his head pounding. This activation of his First Authority had been much more concentrated, which mean the effort wasn’t so gargantuan, but the target had also been extremely formidable. Behind him, he felt Nidhogg loosening its grip and the overpowered Yggdrasil slowly collapsing. Yet he laughed- he had spent everything and forced Devick’s image to a draw.

The chain now writhed and ripped its way through the collapsing roots to get at Randidly, but it had been brought to a dead stop, just for a moment. And now-

“Descent of the Wolf God!” Moonlight Blade’s rough howl cut through the remnants of the impact. Suddenly he was loping across the cracked ground to catch up with Claudette and Tyune. At the same time, Tyune had given up on trying to reach the platform and just unleashed his attacks on Claudette to slow her down.

Devick spared Moonlight Blade a glance and curled her lip up. Then she shook her head and turned back to Randidly. “One idiot at a time. Anyways, Ghosthound, you did it again; you surprised me. I’m trying to decide if this new information makes it more or less likely that I’ll kill you right here…”

I’m not just imagining it, For a brief moment, his forehead creased. She definitely is dyeing the air red.

Randidly tried not to let any emotion show on his face, even as Claudette was dragged into a direct confrontation with Tyune. The sallow-being’s weirdly damp image didn’t possess overwhelming force, but the repeated solid attacks from its amorphous tentacles smashed apart the walls of frost that Claudette threw up. Even with her sharp movements, the overall power of her image was less than this old monster.

Meanwhile, Moonlight Blade’s image grew more and more powerful as he charged. A new note spread through his image, creating a strange harmony of power. And when he raised his claws-

“That sensation…” Randidly muttered to himself. He felt a small strand of his own significance in this rising power. It wasn’t much, but the energy was familiar. With his significance as a counterweight, Randidly probably could affect Moonlight Blade’s attack.

“Alas, you are too pretty. I don’t like the prospect of you remaining alive.” Devick announced. She shook her masked face. “Perfection should be destroyed; I like you entirely too much. Perhaps if you had a broken nose or a few warts…? Well, there is no point crying over it. Accept your fate.”

A second attack, Randidly thought to himself, numb at the prospect. But despite that, he felt hope rising in his chest. Claudette and Tyune clashed three times in quick succession. Moonlight Blade raced to their position. MacDuul sagged behind Randidly, finally catching his breath. Neshamah crouched behind Devick by the staircase.

Devick pointed. The sluggish chain accelerated once more.

Randidly’s eyes were bright. He didn’t blink. I just need to survive one more attack.