Randidly let out a deep breath and took a glance at his Status screen. While standing on the battlements of Lady Iellaya’s fort, the slight wind across the frontlines ruffled his hair just slightly. What was waiting within his Status screen had Randidly balanced precariously between happiness and helplessness.

The last eight hours had been filled with intermittent attacks from the Nether forces. Only about a hundred Nether Beasts moving at a time, but striking quickly and then retreating. In the face of Lord Miln’s continued unwillingness to release the Nether Prince, the Nether King finally forced his army forward, setting up several dense nodes of those blue veins in the sky above the edge of the Great Rift that served as staging areas.

There were some minor efforts to assault these vein nodes, but Lord Miln didn’t move to provide support. And without him, most of the Commanders were rather hesitant to commit resources.

Even if the attacks hadn’t been a concentrated force like those that had come previously, but these sizable forces had made runs at every camp along the frontlines. At every side of those camp’s defenses. These were obviously tests, designed to slowly reveal the responses of the Aether forces. And it seemed like Nether had an almost unending horde of bodies to throw forward, so the Aether camps could do nothing but turtle.

While turtling, their eyes were drawn toward that rocky outcropping at the center of the formation. And the headquarters remained silent.

For Randidly’s part, these smaller attacks had at least meant that he hadn’t needed to stretch himself nearly as much to assist Lady Iellaya’s camp. The smaller numbers meant that he could try other methods to handle the attacks. He had even summoned fifty Riders of the Baleful Court and used them to test the Nether forces.

...until he belatedly recalled his extremely pressing experience concerns: that he was currently delaying the moment when he reached Level 50. Which is why he pulled up short and brought his Riders hurriedly back. And why he currently was sitting at Level 49 with 97% experience.

Which means I need to work on the focus points for my image that much more tonight. Randidly could only shake his head. But at least I gained some Skill Levels from today… only 5 more to go before I should receive the next chunk of PP from the Alpha Cosmos.

And that was the other reason that Randidly had taken the risk of gaining experience. Even though it largely seemed that Azriel and her new subordinate rulers of the System of the Alpha Cosmos were settling in enough, something felt… different. There had been a change that Randidly could sense within himself.

Considering the Creature’s involvement in the whole ordeal, Randidly had feared the worst.

So he had wanted to put himself under some stress in order to check if the change would have some unintended consequences. Or some consequences intended by a party other than him. And after only a few brief skirmishes, against admittedly powerful Nether Beasts, Randidly was quite pleased to feel how the change manifested itself.

In truth, it wasn’t that much had actually changed. Randidly had always physically been the Alpha Cosmos. That added weight gave him more power to everything. The Soulskill was a larger mass than he had been previously. So Randidly had already enjoyed the benefits of the extra weight.

But with the addition of Azriel to the equation, being the personification of the System in the Alpha Cosmos, suddenly Randidly’s weight was balanced. It was like the difference between trying to wield a huge tree trunk as a weapon and wielding a properly weighted sword with the weight of a tree trunk. Now, the pivot point was perfect; it was much easier to bring the extra weight that Randidly possessed to bear on his foes.

Honestly, Randidly had felt a little bit bad as he ripped apart the four-star Nether Beasts that he would have struggled against previously. It wasn’t that his images really progressed, although each was being slowly refined in preparation for making a Fate. No, it was simply that Randidly’s base stats no longer captured his strength. Because of all the extra swirling through him, it seemed like each point that he had in his Stats became more valuable. His images, too.

One step at a time, Randidly was becoming strong. Yet even so, he still hadn’t reached the point where he could contend against a Nether Gatekeeper. Which became a somewhat bitter point as Randidly watched Vualla throw herself against a Nether Gatekeeper again.

Not that it was just a matter of image. Flexing his hands, Randidly looked with worry down at his metallic left arm. He had kept it wrapped up in his image the past several hours as he fought against the Nether Beasts, but there was starting to be some serious wear and tear on it. Even with his image, there were moments when his focus ebbed away and allowed the Nether to burn scars into the metal.

“Ha, that metal toy won’t hold up much longer.” A grinning Lady Iellaya stood with arms akimbo next to him on the stone platform. Her hawkish gaze swept across the slow preparations of her soldiers. “Good job today, by the way. But I must say, why don’t you let the System heal your amputated arm? Is it a grudge?”

“... it’s a long story. But some of my power is tied to the loss of an arm.” Randidly said slowly as he let his metal arm drop to his side. He still remembered feeling the Aether construction the System created for his body, which he now realized was based upon the concept of Nether cores. And how he had purposefully warped that in order to create a whole new, very real, world right underneath the System’s nose. “But you’re right. It won’t last much longer like this.”

“Heh. And you still haven’t condensed your Fate… incredible.” Lady Iellaya shook her head and then glanced at Randidly. He nodded. With an extremely pleased expression, Lady Iellaya smiled out at the smoky and war-torn frontlines. “What a good day.”

Randidly knew why Lady Iellaya was so pleased. The most recent series of attacks by the Nether King hadn’t targeted the edges or the center, as the first few assaults had. Therefore each of the Commanders, especially those who had thus far avoided fighting, experienced casualties. As Lord Miln continued to remain locked up with the Nether Prince that he had taken from Commander Terith, resentment was mounting.

Although Lady Iellaya probably understood that it was not a good sign that Lord Miln had done nothing, she was staying positive. Even if things turned around in the future, the seeds of negative emotion had been planted in Lord Miln’s subordinates. That was a victory in her eyes.

Even if he understood where she was coming from, Randidly shook his head helplessly. Those things were largely beyond his sphere of concern. So Randidly opened up his mouth and asked something that he had wondered about for quite some time. “Lady Iellaya… do you know what my… status is right now?”

Lady Iellaya tilted her head at Randidly, so he tried to explain. “It’s not a secret that I was brought here by a Judgment. So I haven’t really known how long to expect to remain. Or what’s currently expected of me. Not that I want to leave; I own debts to you and to Vualla. But I was hoping you could tell me where I stand.”

“Oh, I guess we haven’t had that conversation yet. Because of your… unusual circumstances, I simply assumed you understood.” Lady Iellaya rolled her shoulders and the glossy black feathers on her shoulders and arms flexed outward. “Simply put, you are expected to remain here for quite a while. You had a mandatory service sentencing of two years when you were brought here, two years of Nexus time. Which, due to the concentration and volatility of energy here, feels about ten times as long as it actually is.

“In addition, that sentence was stayed by your Heretic punishment: being deprived of your body. So your two-year service didn’t start until you returned from your mission. Which is only unfortunate because there is actually a pretty easy way to get out of here early. When you participate in a significant victory, six months of your sentence is reduced. Had you possessed your body during the attack against the Nether Gatekeeper’s base, you would have received an extra six months off of your service.”

“Two years of Nexus time…” Randidly’s face twisted. Of course, that meant that the Earth would only experience two years while Randidly faced much more time up here. But still, it wasn’t an appealing prospect. If it really stretched out to feel like twenty years…

Although he wanted to spend more time with Vualla, this was a bit…

“Ah, well it’s down to one year.” Lady Iellaya shrugged. “I’ve given you two reductions for helping with the two Nether King attacks thus far. But Commanders don’t have the authority to reduce a sentence below one year. Which is why your work with the Nether Gatekeeper, under Lord Miln’s directive, would have been useful. Without a stay… you are probably going to experience about five years here.”

“It’s rough… but let me warn you against deserting. If you thought the Judgment was bad the first time then brought you here… they deploy someone from the Xyrt Brigade to bring you back.” After shivering, Lady Iellaya pressed her hands against the heavy stone blocks of their parapet. “Honestly, your best bet is either getting me promoted to Supreme Commander or having Aether soundly defeat the Nether King. If we win this battle, all of us will get a service reduction.”

“How long are you here for?” Randidly asked curiously.

Lady Iellaya smirked. “I’m free to go whenever. It’s only after you finish your sentence that you can be promoted to Commander. But because I came willingly, my service time was a pittance to begin with. The System always wants strong images that are willing to leave the safety of the Nexus and fight against the Nether.”

Randidly scratched his chin and turned back to look over the battlefield. Even now, Randidly’s Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil was being used to casually repair some of the damage to Lady Iellaya’s fort. Perhaps seeing the success of Lady Iellaya at preserving her own strength in the previous few attacks, furious production was going on across the borderlands.

It was a strange feeling, Randidly reflected, to stand up here with such a powerful Commander and chat casually. And it also felt like an opportunity. So Randidly continued the conversation by asking, “What’s the Nexus like?”

“...sometimes I forget that you are so unusual.” Lady Iellaya regarded Randidly curiously. “You… you haven’t condensed a Fate, but fight even better than those who have. I wonder how quickly the Level of your Fate will rise. And you haven’t ever been to the Nexus. Well, if I had to describe it… the Nexus is…”

“Boring,” Announced the newly arrived Abiodun as he took long strides up the stone steps. He bowed politely to Lady Iellaya before passing her a scroll. “Please forgive me if I’ve spoken out of turn. But all in all, the Nexus itself is rather… boring.”

“A place filled with powerful beings who get off by descending to lower realms and restricting themselves.” Lady Iellaya leaned against the stone parapet and casually unrolled the scroll. Then with a snort, she flexed her hand an annihilated it.. “The lives of those uninitiated into the System are just numbers to them, and carrying a whole world full of people through to pass the Calamities is less important than the achievement of passing the Calamities. An idyllic cage where children squabble ceaselessly. There is always the threat of the Nether, of course, but…”

“A series offensive between Nether and Aether hasn’t occurred in thousands of years,” Abiodun interjected as he took his place standing between Randidly and Lady Iellaya. “The Xyrt Brigade sees to that. Honestly, this might be the eve of the largest confrontation of our era.”

Then Abiodun chuckled darkly and Randidly could feel his own mouth creep wider in agreement. Despite the fact that he was no longer the Grim Chimera, Randidly still certainly had a side of him that was looking forward to the opportunity to fight. And even his more cautious instincts couldn’t deny that he was growing quickly precisely because of the fighting.

Especially now… Randidly knew that after he received the next batch of PP and used that to empower Paths made with his refined images, his Fate-

Congratulations! Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 275!

“I’m going to rest,” A suddenly very meek Randidly said quietly. At this point, his growth was moving more quickly than he would like. Some image training would do him good. But he couldn’t resist smirking toward Abiodun. “Don’t you dare start the bloodshed without me.”

“Men,” Lady Iellaya shook her head in mock protest, but Randidly could sense her own bloodlust rising just as much as theirs was. And to be honest, Lady Iellaya’s was the image that filled the air with the distinctive copper tang of blood. Everyone knew what battle meant for their prospects. And each one of them was hungry.

As he departed, Randidly allowed himself to calm down and looked again at his Path screen.

Only four more Skill Levels. Which probably means its time to focus more on the three images for the Fate…