The Runic Artist Chapter 53: Chapter 372 - The B Team

Read chapter 53 of The Runic Artist by Ellake on NovelPedia.

Nate floated in a liminal space, surrounded by his web of Concepts as he drew one after another into his vessel, making them a part of himself. Each new Concept absorbed increased the weight pressing down on him, like a packhorse slowly being piled upon till its legs buckled. At first, each one had barely added any pressure, but as the number of them grew, it became increasingly difficult to draw in the next one. At this point, he was only halfway, and he would’ve been lying to himself if he didn’t admit to having doubts. Not that those whispers from his mind warning him that he very well might fail would stop him. Nate was utterly committed and would push through or be erased by his attempt to claim the Pillar of Concepts. Beyond his protective sphere, he witnessed his family, friends, and allies fight to protect his ascension. He watched as Luci hunted a fleeting shadow like the apex predator she was. Witnessed Ankh’aris throw himself into battle with four Pillars at once, a level of insanity or commitment to match Nate’s own. Frick’s battle against Battle itself was going better than Nate expected, and he was attributing the goblins' success so far to his unconventional approach. Nate acknowledged the fact that Kali’Terra and the spirit’s Master coming to assist as well was the only reason he hadn’t already been destroyed. Though, he did wonder how a foreign Ascendant had even sensed Nate’s impending ascension. The obvious answer was the one Nate had feared all along. That the Realities were linked somehow, their differences merely a symptom of time spent growing apart. Soon he would have his answer to that question, so long as he could surmount this last hurdle. Then, there was Kiri. His sister stood as silent guardian, immovable and permanent. She endured all that came her way as she protected him from the attacks of the Pillars of Hell. Nate smiled at everything he had gained since leaving Earth, chief among them a sister he loved as much as life itself. Then the other great love of his life flitted through his mind as the Concept of Water slid inside him. Like Camilla, it was Languid and Fluid. Adaptable with untold Depths, coupled with an unerring Flow that carried Life, Love, and Laughter. He experienced all of those sensations and a thousand other feelings as the Concept of Water found purchase within his Vessel, forming connections with a myriad of other Concepts. The weight on his back grew, pressing down with the force of Reality itself, yet just having tasted the flavour of Water, of his wife, and witnessed his sister's indomitable nature, he soldiered on. Concept after Concept flowed into him as his skin began to crack, his Vessel struggling beneath the pressure of infinite ideas condensed into a finite vessel. Still, he refused to stop. When the Pillar of Malice was called, Nate got his first taste of just how wide the web he had woven through himself truly was. Anger, Malice, Vexation, Spite, Malevolence, and more surged through the Conceptual lines covering his vessel, and, for a moment, Nate thrashed within their control. Then came the cage. Constraint reared its own head, clashing within Nate and around him, as his own ascent placed him between the Lord of the Ninth Hell and the Lord of Constraint. He almost folded then, feeling his body dissolving into Divine Energy. With an effort of will and combining the hundreds of other Concepts within him to repel the external entities' own control, he clawed his way back from the brink only to sense a third Pillar rising. Corruption wanted to roll through him, turning all he had created to filth and detritus, only to be cut short. Beyond his sphere of protection, Nate witnessed the demonic blob that had been the Pillar of Corruption die an ignominious death. Yet that wasn’t what grabbed his attention. As the demon died, Nate sensed Reality rebel, screaming in his mind at the loss. Tracing his web, he found the Concept of Corruption within his own vessel and observed