Randidly stood frozen, needing to make a decision within the next split second. Even with his hyperactive nerves, the opposition grew stronger with every moment. Those huge Nether Rituals created by the army around him began to hum with power. Dense Nether continued to fountain up out of Enmya, building itself back up in the area. Randidly’s chest ached. Behind him, the Nether symbols crept closer.

To his surprise, the decision came easily. Even the Dread Homunculus agreed without difficulty. And once he had focused on making sure the Stillborn Phoenix had the chance to recover safely, he saw the way forward.

He blurred into motion, all shadow and purpose. A thousand specters unified in purpose, if not in action. They split off from him and threw themselves into the gears of the giant Nether Rituals, slowing their activation.

Congratulations! Your Skill Erebus’ Baleful Waltz (P) has grown to Level 1005!

Right before Randidly landed in front of the thrown Enmya, he gestured deftly behind him. The Cloak of Utter Night expanded, becoming a small buzzing dome covering his back. The Nether symbols were preparing another wave of attacks on his Nether Core, but the fabric of primordial night fluttered in defiance.

After experiencing the wave of attacks several times in a row, Randidly sensed the trick and could activate his own Nether at the point of contact, to resist the effect. It wouldn’t be completely effective, but the combination of both would definitely reduce the damage these interlopers could accomplish.

At least in the short term. And hopefully, that would be all he needed.

His gaze flicked up, where the huge Nether Rituals still loomed. Actually, perhaps these big lugs will be useful after all…

He moved quickly, but the army following the Sovereign of the Breathless Vigil were some of the strongest warriors from the Nether Lands. The huge pillars of Nether power pushed back the haze, giving them clear sight lights on Randidly. While most stood at the base of their Nether Rituals and continued to feed energy through, others began to throw bolts of energy.

Randidly dashed forward, once more closing the distance between himself and Enmya, ignoring the wave of shouts and blasts of Nether that came from the army. A complex pattern tumbled in his vision, guiding him forward. Wind howled around him, reminding him briefly of the continued agony he housed. Thinking of the Stillborn Phoenix, he felt the flush of genuine fear. He corralled kinetic energy, possibilities, and all the power he had inherited from his first knight. He tried something new, something magical, something alchemic. The World Tree Suffers Only Fealty. Nyx’s Successor Births Fate. Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives.

Releasing a breath, Randidly pulled the two absorbed aspects out of Sulfur. The Domain hummed with power even while the resistance of the environment faltered due to Yggdrasil’s domineering display. His eyes blazed with a god’s insight. He saw the shapes and pathways that led toward life. Like a conductor before his, perhaps hostage, orchestra, Randidly raised his hand. He licked his lips.

When his Cloak of Utter Night rejected the notes several times in a row, the Nether Symbols reverted to blasts of pure energy. They started punching their way through the barrier, but it was too late. Randidly flicked his wrist. His Nether Core had sufficiently recovered. The Second Authority: the Hollow Needle.

A pulse from his Nether Core and the needle was there in his hand, long and pale and resonating with his Cloak of Utter Night. He peered at the two aspects he pulled out of Sulfur, the degenerative Authority he had taken from the Nether King outside of Malloon and the insidious influence of damaging notes. He looked up and examined all the energy rushing toward him. Aether and Nether splashed together in a chaotic goop around his body. He saw Enmya, only a short distance away, gnashing his teeth and flinching like he was about to attack.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nyx’s Successor Births Fate (GD) has grown to Level 1000!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill (Fusion Domain) Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives has grown to Level 1089!

Randidly smiled, feeling the ripples and eddies of unexpected influences. The Stillborn Phoenix wailed, releasing dangerous waves of radiation. Gently, Randidly plucked those up too to give his creation the spark it needed. With the whole army around him, his hand worked small swimming motions with the needle. He sewed together new life.

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He almost didn’t totally understand what he was doing; the needle undulated on its own, hemming the edges, lengthening the capability to its purpose. He worked with the raw fabric of ideas and existence. The primordial resonance grew with each moment, becoming nearly deafening within his body. His Nether Core shook, channeling a power from beyond him. And underneath the strain of the powerful Authority, the rotation of his Nether Core began to slow.

The invasive note, the surging energy in the environment, and the degenerative influence were all woven together in a split second. In front of Randidly, Enmya’s face split into a frown. But by then, Randidly had opened his hand and unleashed the energy being he had made. The fingertips of his right hand, which had been wielding the Hollow Needle, tingled.

Congratulations! Your Skill (Fusion Domain) Helen’s Sea, Cradle of Unlikely Lives has grown to Level 1100!

The result was a small, navy blue humanoid only a handspan tall. Two sapphire butterfly wings stretched from its back. It looked up at Randidly with eyes that were small pinpricks of night sky, filled with the faintest bruising of golden dust. It blinked in wonder, observing him, the being who took up almost its entire field of view in its first brush with existence.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nyx’s Successor Births Fate (GD) has grown to Level 1001!

Congratulations! +1 to Muse’s Reverie!

Congratulations! Your Muse’s Reverie has reached 5 of 5! A powerful effect will soon be triggered. Prepare yourself and firm your resolve, as the obsessive methods of the Alchemist are tested for the first time!

Randidly’s focus wavered for the slightest moment as the unexpected second notification appeared, but he pushed that thought to the side. During his brief moment of distraction, the created being blurred away, following its instincts. Its wings buzzed and it shot upward. Bolts of concentrated Nether whizzed past. Randidly, almost without thinking, slashed out sideways with Acri and shattered a few bolts.

“What are you-” Enmya began, but the small sprite had reached the zenith of its flight. It opened its mouth and unleashed a joyous whoop, savoring the feeling of being alive. Then the fabric of its existence unfolded, as it had been created to do. The glittering dust woven into its body spread out, rapidly sinking into all the dense waves of Nether and infecting it. Those giant Nether Rituals trembled.

Then, all at once, the world seemed to explode.

Even Randidly, who had seen and designed the effect, was blasted off his feet by the rapid expansion of Nether. He tumbled helplessly, wind and dust and roaring energy blinding him to his surroundings for several seconds. He heard distant screams and yelps, but the entire area was chaos. Then he scraped along the ground which gave him a sense of direction. Stabbing Acri into the ground allowed him to get his bearings.

He had taken the degenerative authority and combined it with the harsh, invasive notes and also some of the insights Randidly had received by opening the door to the sea and statues on the other side of his Nether Core. Not that he wanted to create a sickness, but he wanted an opening to the encirclement around him. So he had created a pattern that would rapidly cause the volume of Nether to swell, at the cost of density. The process would continue until the Nether in the environment was nothing more than a thin gas.

With all the powerful Nether Warriors gathered together, let alone Randidly and Enmya, the result had been predictably overwhelming.

Randidly started as a body of a Nether Warrior smashed into Acri’s shaft, thrown around by the fickle wind. The Nether Warrior’s eyes widened in recognition, but then Randidly smashed his fist into his jaw and knocked the unfortunate fool out.

Probably too much to hope that the being would interfere significantly with Enmya’s strange Nether Symbols… his brick-style Nether Core, Randidly pursed his lips. Yggdrasil had been sending warm threads of energy into his chest for a while, but the Stillborn Phoenix continued to degenerate. Well, anyway. Let’s get out of here.

With a step, Randidly shot out of the valley. He stomped several times in the air, breaking space with his passage and shattering the few stubborn remnants of Nether Rituals around him. He reached the plateau from which he had sensed the original threat, but his heart sank. About five hundred Nether Warriors waited there, watching him with gleaming eyes.

A Nether Ritual stretched above them, already shimmering and ready to go. Their leader stepped forward and crossed his arms. “Nether King Hungry Eye, you are not allowed to leave until your discussion with our leader has finished.”

Randidly gritted his teeth. The pain in his Soulspace continued to grow. His Nether Core had been largely depleted with the activation of his Second Authority. With grim humor, he clenched his left hand. Alright buddy, looks like we are going to brawl our way out of this one-

“Unfortunately, Nether King Hungry Eye needs some time to consolidate his thoughts.” Neveah’s voice boomed out across the plateau. Randidly looked up and she floated above them all with folded arms, glowering down at the Nether Warriors. Her frown was quite impressive. “Step aside.”

“We will not,” The Nether Warrior replied. Behind them, Randidly felt Enmya’s dense energy lock onto his position; they did not have much time.

…but if anything, Neveah’s smile was even more alarming than her annoyance. “Fine then. Witness me. For my image is Tiamat, the Mother of Fear.”

The humanoid Neveah vanished. In its place was the horrid, mutated offspring of the bone wyrm from which she had sprung and DiOrtho Vant’s Machine Horror, a huge monstrosity of bone. Her leathery wings spread outward, covering half the sky, letting not even the tiniest glimmer of light fall upon her prey.