Randidly could feel the mandate of possibility looming over this particular inflection point, but this was not yet his limit. Gritting his teeth, he allowed his racing mind to rip through all the possibilities available to him. Suddenly, he felt torn. If Elhume were allowed to reach the Pinnacle, there would be consequences. But maybe as long as he could figure out a way to disguise his images-

Elhume punched for the second time, once more unleashing a blast of force that could drill down to the core of the Nexus and leave this place an annihilated husk. His expression was solemn as he watched that roaring pyre of annihilation manifest. All three of Randidly’s images were mostly exhausted from the previous conflict. Sulfur’s spikes had grown dim; there would be no more massive strike from Helen’s Domain. The physical strain continued to tighten around his body.

To put it simply, the situation seemed hopeless.

“It always ends up like this, doesn’t it?” Randidly muttered.

Still crouching behind him, Devick snorted. “You spent a minute lecturing me earlier about how great it is to be unreasonable. Don’t go soft on me now, Hungry Eye. Become the monster you’ve always been and devour all the benefits for yourself.”

“Heh. Not all of the benefits.” Randidly sniffed. He settled down into a crouch. His heartbeat quickened. For the second blow, he didn’t intend to meet it directly. But he called on his exhausted images, building a defensive combination.

With hopefully a bonus result at the end.

At first, Randidly still felt worried looking at that blast of pure annihilation Elhume unleashed, but it passed through the area that had been affected by Helen’s Domain Skill and abruptly slowed. Randidly could only shake his head in wonder; not only had that Level 2000 Skill completely demolished the power of the opposition, but it had left in its wake an intractable sort of Aether that slowed even Elhume’s near-Pinnacle punch. It was a slight weakening, but Randidly believed it to be enough.

Before he could decide what to do about an Elhume at the Pinnacle, he needed to make it through this next attack.

Absolute Insight of the Smoldering Abyss. Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil. Cloak of Utter Night.

Congratulations! Your Skill Absolute Insight of the Smoldering Abyss (P) has grown to Level 1042!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Cloak of Utter Night (P) has grown to Level 1093!

A vast curtain of darkness settled across Randidly’s body. He looked out from within the defensive barrier with the vicious survival instincts the Songstress of Absence had used to claw her way out of the Abyss. Thick veins donated by Yggdrasil created a framework of energy transference that stabilized around his body.

Even though Randidly could not move, he stood tall and endured.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cloak of Utter Night (P) has grown to Level 1095!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 1046!

The waves of force slammed against the Cloak of Utter Night, but it was a Skill borrowed from one of the statues in that strange sea Randidly had discovered. It could not be easily penetrated, not by this force just beneath the preeminence of the Pinnacle. And as each wave crashed against Randidly’s defensive line, he made minute adjustments to the flow of energy. He borrowed lessons from Yystrix, to shape Aether to make other Aether miss it. The rebounding waves of force began to resemble other shapes.

In particular, Aether Engravings designed to hide from Elhume.

Randidly’s body shook from the strain. Not only did he need to reject this most recent attack, but he also needed to support the memory, so it could withstand the changes happening between Fiero and Elhume. His knees were in danger of giving out. Around him, the skyisland had been scoured clean of Engravings. Great cracks ran through the floating bit of stone, hinting at its impending collapse. Devick’s position directly behind him had been protected, but otherways destruction had run rampant. Yggdrasil had shrank back, so it only filled the hidden cavity around his body.

Yet at the same time, Randidly felt excitement. Because the flutters from Elhume’s image bounced out. The resonance between Elhume and the depressed Fiero grew more potent. From that open door… he heard the first footsteps of change.

Already, the energy in the area began to change. Forces swirled around the collapsing remnants of the skyisland, glittering liquid rainbows that spoke of possibility. The harshness of the void around Elhume’s body grew stronger. Even Randidly’s heart couldn’t help but quicken.

And then-

When he reaches the Pinnacle, he will annihilate everything. Randidly’s eyes widened. In retrospect, it seemed like an obvious conclusion. With so much antagonism directed toward Randidly, with Fiero’s own bitterness at the way his (borrowed) feelings were rejected… the duo that climbed onto the Pinnacle wanted an outlet.

Elhume’s image of annihilation was another obvious sign. He should never have expected Elhume’s coping mechanisms to change when he gained power.

Randidly’s heart flipped as the implications began to hit him. To obtain the energies he wanted to heal his Class, he would need the Pinnacle event to occur. But as soon as that happened a wave of annihilation would be unleashed that would devastate the surroundings. According to the records, Elhume during his Pinnacle moment was powerful enough to open up the Nexus to its Third Cohort and definitively annihilate all the old monsters from the main universe that tried to enter.

Devick was right behind him and could be moved to the Alpha Cosmos with just a thought. However, beyond that? Their site of the challenges had shifted away from Homewell, but that city would be almost completely crunched to cosmic dust in the fallout. Charlotte Wick, who had remained in the root slums to help guard them in this time, would be killed. Deganawidah had already died, but Randidly could sense Lowanna and Enmya below. Their lives would be extinguished in a moment of potent fury.

Part of Randidly’s plan upon leaving the memory was to try and revive Nether culture… and the entire army would be swept up in the wave of devastation that Elhume standing atop the Pinnacle could unleash. All those stories, all that history and ritual would be forgotten once more.

Randidly’s whole body ached. His mind slowed as he tried to rip apart the problem in front of him.

His Path split. He could see that now. A different sort of impossibility loomed before, not a wall, but a choice. One that sundered apart all the momentum that he had developed so far and left him grasping at scraps.

To allow Elhume to reach the Pinnacle would flood the area with energy, but not only would Randidly suffer the loss of Charlotte and Lowanna, but he would be casting aside all the changes he tried to accomplish in the memory. More problematically, he would prioritize his own growth over helping others.

A part of his Fateset drew power from his alchemy with companions. Now to advance his Class, he would need to damage that aspect.

Randidly barred his teeth. His shoulders trembled. So, this was your last card, eh? It didn’t matter if I could host the Pinnacle event or manipulate time to bring it forward in time. No matter what I did, I would be forced to choose. This existence… heh, it looks like the deck was always stacked against me.

“Well…” Randidly clenched his jaw so hard that he felt one of his molars crack. Yggdrasil drew power up out of the ground, reinforcing his failing body. The Songstress of Absence opened her eyes wide, observing so much more of existence she would love to devour. The Dread Homunculus sat completely still, simply calculating. “This is only the beginning. If you thought I’ve been unreasonable so far-”

Randidly.

Even through the height of his exhaustion and rage, he felt Neveah’s touch on his thoughts and her cooling influence. From just a single interaction, Randidly’s hyper-focused mind could follow her considerations and guess at her intention.

It was a difficult one to accept.

“You want me… to give up on this confrontation,” Randidly said. Devick looked at him in confusion, but he shook his head. His next reply to Neveah was entirely mental. If I step back now, I think it’s definitely possible to prevent them from reaching the Pinnacle. But the momentum for Ghasthund’s definition…

It will still be very strong. Neveah said. This is another false dichotomy presented by the universe. An impossibility, albeit a forced one. Just because you do not struggle until the last second as you did in the prior two impossible attempts does not mean Ghasthund will not have teeth. If you accept the failure, we can move on to the next step. Lucretia and I have come up with a plan.

A bead of sweat rolled down Randidly’s neck. The resonance between Elhume and Fiero had begun crackling and igniting the air around them. Reality began to distort outward, almost the reverse of a black hole. The space between them became so full of energy that it bulged and affected the surroundings.

A muscle in Randidly’s leg twitched. He worked his jaw slowly. If I push myself now… if I utilize Aether and Nether to the fullest… I still have a bit more left. I could test the limits of my Ghosthound’s Deviation Rarity. Perhaps… perhaps if I perfectly unify three images, I can rival the Pinnacle.

Perhaps. Neveah said.

He rubbed his thumb against the reassuring presence of Acri in his hands. …but you think that is not a good choice.

I do not think it is the best one. Neveah answered. We can define Ghasthund now and move on. Because… do you want to be unconscious for the next several hours after you manage to tear these benefits away? The memory will collapse soon, so we need to move quickly. Both to settle matters with the Nether Arbiter… and to prepare for what waits outside.

Randidly held so much tension in his body he shook with it. It was hard, harder than most decisions he had faced. Because previously, he had only needed to push himself forward. Difficult as taking that path might be, it was at least simple. And now he needed to let go. He needed to trust Neveah and Lucretia.

He needed to trust that the alchemy he could create with help would be superior to what he did on his own.

When framed like that, it was actually quite an easy decision. But it required Randidly Ghosthound to set aside his pride. No matter how powerful he had become, letting go of control did not magically become easy.

After a hesitation, Devick reached up and put her hand on Randidly’s shoulder. “Hungry Eye, you are bleeding. For now… isn’t this enough? So long as we survive, we can always come back and get them next time.”

“...you’re right,” Randidly relaxed. These people had trusted him for so long, it was time to reciprocate that faith. He released a breath and ceased keeping the skyisland beneath his feet together. The last sputtering of his Engravings vanished. Almost immediately, they began to hurtle toward the ground. “There is always next time.”

Elhume watched their fall with glowing eyes. He raised his arm. At the moment he punched, the resonance would reach a crescendo. The Pinnacle would expand and dominate the entire moment across the Nexus.

“All steps lead toward your Ghasthund.” Randidly grunted. He felt the world around him shiver, almost in pleasure as this long-awaited definition occurred. But he had one last job before he could completely let go. As he pulled away from supporting the memory, it began to tear underneath the strain, but it also freed up his Nether.

His Nether Core whirled. “The Third Authority: Intangible Burial.”

Normally, affecting a rising Pinnacle event like this would be impossible. But this was an event built between two. Randidly targeted not them, but their resonance. His significance exploded outward… and smothered the resonance. Very abruptly, the light of the Pinnacle died.

Randidly fell downward in darkness, wind whistling past him. In that darkness, the notifications began to arrive.

Congratulations! You have defined your special term, Ghasthund!

Examining usage…

Ghasthund: The doom of your own making. The hell you have earned.

Incredible accomplishment! You have achieved twenty-five Milles before defining your term! A Hierarchy of Ghasthund has condensed within the Nexus!

Unsurpassed accomplishment! You have achieved thirty-two Milles and one Mille Deux before defining your term! Your Sixth Fatepiece has reacted to the extra power. Congratulations! You have obtained your Sixth Fatepiece Keystone of the First Ghasthund Lvl 1!

Keystone of the First Ghasthund: A relic of immense power, created due to the diabolical efforts of Randidly Ghosthound within his birth universe. Such was his dedication that even the Sea of Statues quivered as he brought his term into being! The Keystone of the First Ghasthund is a sadistic implement. Can be used to ‘forgive’ an antagonistic being, allowing both you and your opponent to travel slightly back in time. All non-experiential aspects of user and the forgiven will be reset to their previous values. Length of time possible to be forgiven increases with Skill Level. Number of forgiven individuals increases with Skill Level. Unreasonability of the forgiveness increases with Skill Level. Activate the Fatepiece with the consent of a foe to increase Skill Level.

Allow them to drown in their own regrets. For them, a slow descent into their Ghasthund is inevitable.