The inferno continued to rage around Krahinn and me as the Rykers were now using long range tactics to keep me in range while trying to stop me from using the area of effect variant of my <Lord's Eye>; that was such a blissful minute while it worked. Now was for dealing with Ryker and the countless copies rooting in and behind all the flames rather than endlesly charging towards me. Seriously, why couldn't Ryker and his army of copies just continue to throw themselves at the two of us instead of trying this long range assault style. This was obnoxious; we needed to adjust our approach yet again now that Ryker adjusted to ours. There had to be some method of dealing with this nonsense rather than sniping them a little at a time; I was going to develop one on the off chance I ever had this misfortune ever again even if I had to slowly whittle down each and every Ryker. All I could smell was that oily iron scent of <Ichor> permeate from the rivers of the garbage flowing around the plaza. If I never smelt <Ichor> ever again it would be too soon. Please have been going about this well or better for everyone else in this mess, please be safe family. Ryker clearly intended on hunkering down in Umbra to drag out the fighting now as he prepared for the long fight. The flag of Speranza was still flying proudly in the pile of Rykers at least, defying the attempts of Ryker to knock it down or burn the flag. It was nice to be able to defiantly fly that flag in his face in order to anger Ryker as much as physically possible for this disaster.

I had to snipe the Rykers whenever I could see one of his heads pop out almost like I was hunting gophers. Krahinn was scanning the nearby areas with his eyes, but Ryker thoroughly spread out so it was difficult to see multiple of them at once especially with the smoke. Ryker kept his long range methods towards me and attacking Krahinn's eyes to impede our efforts to remove every copy. Of course he would fight to his best chance of winning, which is what we were doing, but his determination to defeat us that he'd use such a tedious tactic was awful. How long would this take if Ryker insisted on making us have to hunt down copies en masse like this? We were just shy of forty minutes of fighting at the moment, with forty seven seconds to go on that front. Even with False Immortal's Serum I could mentally feel the toll this was taking on me; my body was just numb from all the concoction I drank so far. I dreaded whenever the sensation finally returned because all of this exertion and fighting had to be piling up. That likely was why I disliked the fact Ryker was trying to drag out fighting Krahinn and me, that was probably the only longer fight that favored him rather than us. I wished I could attack one and replicate the attack on everyone that shared his fate to end this nightmare once and for all. Or at least move it to the next phase until Nyx showed just how malicious of a bezka she could be.

You know, Nil, that's not a bad idea. Krahinn chimed in. At least Krahinn seemed to like the idea.

Why didn't you think of it sooner? I challenged Krahinn, feeling a bit irritated.

One, your <Lord's Eye> while I knew it's function, the extent of what it can do was a bit of an unknown in all of this. Two, the more important point, you reaching the realization it could manifest multiple instances of the same event would be a key steppingstone to that idea as what you are suggesting might be the next evolution. Three, I had other concerns on my mind for today. I am immensely experienced, not omniscient. Having a guaranteed strategy that could effectively deal with what is in front of you was more important than the optimal solution that would ideally handle the situation. Krahinn lectured me. I wanted to be annoyed but he had great points.

Is it possible? Is that idea possible? I checked as we kept the Rykers back. Not kept back, more of simply shooting them with <Magic> whenever the chance arose.

Well, luckily, they all died by your hand as far as I know, so that is a linking event at minimum. The issue is that is a lot of instances, and you have no way of testing it in advance. The <Backlash> might be brutal for that kind of idea. Krahinn warned me. That was an unfortunate reality.

Do you think it is worth trying? I pressed as another <Warping Ward> bent the missile attack away from me.

I can likely shield you from a good chunk of the <Backlash>, but it is going to be awful for you regardless. Granted, it is already going to suck for you so at this point what's a little more? Krahinn replied as he clearly began thinking some of the finer details. I guess in for a penny in for a pound was the justification, not that it made the situation much better.

It would likely save the most lives. I pointed out to him. I could feel Krahinn mull it over a bit further.

It would save guards and others as if it works it would annihilate all the Rykers in one singular <Magic>. Just, be ready for what it is going to entail as I imagine that it is going to be highly, and I mean highly, destructive similar to the area of effect version. The <Backlash> is going to be fierce as well as we do not have a chance to overly test and refine the idea; it will either be an all or nothing type event when it finally works. Krahinn warned me.

Why would it be all or nothing? I checked, making sure I knew the idea before deciding to commit further to it.

We are likely getting one test of this that will be a revealing experience. I doubt you will be able to go much further depending on the result. Krahinn answered. That was less than ideal, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice if I attempted it.

Like, completely take me out of the fight? I probed. I didn't want to make a similar mistake like when Lux, Luna, and I had the mock duel with Hoggdin and Krahinn.

At least temporarily. I could get you back to functional in a few minutes. Krahinn informed me. He was such a well of comfort.

Do you think it is wise to try it? I asked, conflicted about what I wanted his answer to be.

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Sometimes to win you have to take a chance. Risks like these can be foolish, but for once I think you have found a risk worth gambling on. Krahinn told me after thinking on it for a solid twenty-two seconds.

Let's try it then. I sighed. This was likely about to explode in my face, but the risk was worth it.

You just have to figure out how to link it by shared fate which your <Lord's Eye> should be able to do. Krahinn quipped as I felt his <Mana> thoroughly reinforce my body.

How was this supposed to look? What could be was key when using this thing. I knew how to make the events pretty well now, so that part should be fairly easy. Did I just envision my <Arcane Eye> making it manifest for all those that share the criteria? Ryker? Beings that died by my hand? Or fated to die that way? I saw another Ryker pop up to launch another <Spell> at me, so I used my <Lord's Eye> to prepare the event, and tried imagining it to all that shared Ryker's fate, making it real with my <Lord's Eye>. The <Veil> began fluctuating as I could feel the world begin to protest such an action, but nothing actually happened. Was it wishful thinking that my first attempt at the idea would work? The one event I wanted manifested as intended at least, so the idea was at least close to correct. The sheer amount of the <Veil> that fluctuated as I attempted the idea made my blood go cold because the <Backlash> would be crippling.

Relax Nil, that would not be as much <Backlash> as you think; that was simply the amount of <Veil> you were moving because of the number of copies of Ryker. Krahinn assured me. I had the distinct feeling he might have been lying so I'd still try it.

Really? Lord's honest truth that <Backlash> isn't that bad? Not trying to deceive me so I keep trying? I checked as I thought of how to attempt this idea.

Sheesh Nil. Such little faith. Granted, I understand the skepticism given how brutal the <Backlash> in general when practicing up to this point. I am indeed telling the truth. Don't get me wrong, there is some <Backlash> present but nothing substantial off that test run. Krahinn answered, still laughing to keep annoying Ryker.

On the bright side, me moving that much <Veil> around managed to convince Ryker the entrenching idea would end disastrously for him once I got the method of the <Magic> down. Yay, they resumed charging at me like lemmings again, such marked improvement. Krahinn and I protected ourselves, maybe just Krahinn, with <Magic> some more as I resumed the lesser method of using my <Lord's Eye> to slaughter the resuming waves. Ryker had a new level of desperation now that he realized a city-wide variant of what I had been doing might be possible; it was great seeing that I terrified him to the extent that he wouldn't give me a break at least. I didn't like the idea of having to track down all the <Homunculi>, so Ryker coming to me was preferable regardless of the annoyance of dealing with them.

Ryker was attacking Krahinn and me with such fervor now as the <Homunculi> rushed out of the building in droves. How they all managed to hide so well was fairly impressive now that I realized just how many were still in my general vicinity. The Rykers kept attacking, finally adapting to using his own corpses to obscure my vision to an extent, but Krahinn's nine eyes floating around us made seeing where the Rykers were coming from trivial. It was not great because he seemed to abandon any sense of conserving numbers with his newest rush. For some reason, I began laughing as we kept fighting; something about the newfound terror in his eyes while charging ceaselessly to stop me from refining the city-wide variant.

There you go Nil! That's how you should laugh! Krahinn praised me, sounding elated as his laughter joined mine.

I don't know why I'm laughing. I confessed. I think the realization I finally shook his immense confidence amused me. Maybe it was me coping with the stress of it all and the sliver of light brought me great joy.

See how inspiring it is to know you are getting to your enemy? Krahinn pointed out with a laugh.

You might have been right. I admitted as we wiped another batch of Rykers.

"Come on feeble worm, try harder. Stop us before we annihilate all of you in one fell swoop." Krahinn mocked Ryker. I took a composing breath, deciding I should try Krahinn's advice a bit more as it seemed to hold true so far.

"Imagine not even hundreds of you not being able to deal with child me! Even a Lord giving you so many attempts and so many copies you couldn't succeed! What a bitter failure!" I added on. Granted, I would be doomed without Krahinn backing me up, but that was not relevant to the shiza talking. I could feel Krahinn's elation as I joined in on the trash talk.

"You have not won yet!" The Rykers roared in almost unison as they kept their assault going.

"Yet is the operative word. Even you admit we're winning." Krahinn taunted him, much to the chagrin of the Rykers.

"Just line up and I'll make it quick!" I offered them, which only made Krahinn laugh even harder.

Ryker's desperation only got worse as Krahinn and I laughed at them. Oh, after this was going to be miserable. Ryker's desperation was only getting worse as Krahinn effortlessly kept them all away from me. I used my <Arcane Eye> to cleave through them as Krahinn maintained a wall of protective <Techniques> around me. I felt my mind get lucid and drift around a bit as I wondered what the <Lord's Eye> variant designed to go through each copy of Ryker should look like. Maybe target the first one, imagine the <Mana> fueling the rest of them, the events going to the next copy of Ryker as he also should have possessed the fate of dying by me, and then my <Lord's Eye> making it reality? As I was mulling it over I felt Krahinn protecting my body and tighten up his <Magic> in preparation for what I was about to attempt.

Through the looking glass we go. I told Krahinn. Krahinn chuckled at that expression.

What the forl does that mean? Krahinn probed in a laughing tone.

If I recall venturing into the unknown or into making a discovery, I could be wrong though. I'm going to try it again. I explained to him.

I think it fits. Krahinn agreed with joy in his voice.

One of the Rykers was charging me with a sword that I locked onto. Krahinn supplied the needed <Mana> as I formed the idea with my <Lord's Eye>, going to manifest it into reality. In an instant, I could feel the difference in the versions. The <Veil> contorted and twisted as the <Magic> began properly forming as this ethereal cloud of <Mana> formed, beginning to target and manifest each Ryker. My eyes were glowing bright enough that I could see the light emitting from them as the Rykers desperately charged at me, trying to cut the <Magic> short. Why did the <Arcane Eye> not activate immediately? I could feel the formation of something as Krahinn kept the Rykers at bay, laughing harder and harder at his futile attempts to save himself. After five seconds of struggle, a monstrous amount of <Mana> and <Veil> unfolded to unleash the events to slaughter the Rykers. Some translucent rift or blade descended, hitting the one I originally targeted, before chaining to the next Ryker all on its own to his abject horror.

"I win!" I declared in Ryker's face as the world knelt in front of the <Lord's Eye> Krahinn and I fueled, which rewarded me with a mouthful of <Ichor> as the Ryker's head detonated in front of me.

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