The moment those words left Randolf's lips, Arthur felt all of the spiritual essence around him increase in quality and quantity. Spiritual essence was born from the essence of the heavens and the earth, a quality that was in all things in existence.
However, the quality and the quantity of spiritual essence was usually dependent on Rank of an existence. The amount of spiritual essence that a Rank 1 Fae material released, was like a drop in the ocean in comparison to a Rank 5 Fae material.
It was impossible for a Rank 1 Fae material to match the amount of spiritual essence as a Rank 5 Fae material. And yet-
The sheer amount of spiritual essence caused the pain in Arthur's mind to intensify, and felt a small trail of blood leave his nose as he clutched his head with his free hand. The sudden words from Randolf caused an incomprehensible pain to explode all throughout his mind, as if he was trying to force the understanding of Law upon him.
Arthur gathered his origin essence, activating his power of Law within his Mind Origin Essence Sea in order to douse the pain growing within him as much as possible.
Watching the leafsword in his hands turn a bright shade of red, Arthur released another Falling Autumn Maple towards Randolf, aimed directly at his upper chest.
The thick, crescent moon shaped Attribute Control Skill sliced straight through Randolf, causing everything above his chest to fall onto the ground, the crazy smile, and bloodthirsty expression on his face still present despite his death.
The pain from the spiritual essence died down somewhat, although it was still causing Arthur's head to throb constantly.
Gritting his teeth, Arthur stood over Randolf's body, narrowing his eyes, but feeling a faint breath of the back of his neck.
"You can't kill Madness Arthur. It's apart of everything".
Arthur's eyes became pin-point, and he flicked his sword arm out behind him, feeling an intense gust of wind being created by his strike. The origin of the sudden voice he had just heard was nowhere to be seen and Arthur felt his eyes widen as he turned around and gazed at Randolf's figure, standing right in front him.
The cut where Arthur had bisected him was currently regenerating, although due to the severed clothes, Arthur could see exactly what this "regeneration" was.
The skin on Randolf's body was wrinkled, yet somehow tender and pink. It constantly roiled on the top layer of his body, making him appear more liquid than solid. The flesh beneath this layer of liquid epidermis constantly pushed and pulled with every waking moment. As if something inside of Randolf wanted to get out.
Strange figures, in the shape of hands, feet, claws and even faces appeared all over Randolf's body. As if he was containing something beyond the realm of mortal comprehension. Beyond the realm of even Fae Master comprehension.
The veins all over his body became more and more pronounced, pulsating a thick, strange black liquid all throughout his flesh.
The only remaining untouched piece of land on Randolf's body was his head, which still smiled at Arthur with bloodthirsty eyes.
Arthur saw Randolf move and instantly activated his Rank 3 Flowering Shield Fae. The blow connected with the shield and Arthur leaped back a few metres before summoning his Rank 2 Halberd Fae and dropping his Leafsword Fae into the ground beneath him.
Arthur flicked his arm out, causing hundreds, if not thousands of tiny blades of grass to shoot up out of the earth beneath Randolf's feet, piercing him with a seemingly unlimited number of grass blades.
However.... despite being pierced through thousands of times.... not a single drop of blood dripped down towards the earth beneath him.
Even though Randolf's eyes and mouth were filled to the brim with grass, he still smiled, lifting his arms towards the sky.
"Can't you see Arthur! These Laws! These structures born from the Dao! They all exist to limit the Madness! They seek to restrict living beings from realizing their fullest potential! Without the Laws of Death, and without the Laws of Time, all things in creation wouldn't need die! They wouldn't need to be born either! They could exist independently, for as long as they wanted, however they wanted!"
Arthur narrowed his eyes, before lifting his Halberd Fae and pointing at Randolf's body. Everything below the neck couldn't be considered human in the eyes of Arthur. In fact, not even members of the Myriad Races would consider Randolf Human anymore....
It was like a Transformation gone wrong. As if he had tried to transform his Mind and Soul instead of his Body....
"If Madness can control Life and Death, then why do you look like that Randolf? You aren't Human anymore. Just look at yourself".
The maddened young man didn't blink and just looked down at his roiling skin and strangely fluctuating flesh. Hands stretched out from the inside of his own body, as trying to get out of this mortal coil and release itself into the World around it.
Randolf just lifted his head and smiled, laughing uncontrollably.
"I can control it Arthur! I haven't lost myself to the Madness yet! I'm special! I was reborn in this World after dying in another! What was it you called me? A Foreigner? You may come from the future Arthur, but I have gained the knowledge of this World's past! I'm not inferior to you in any way, shape or-".
Arthur didn't let him finish as he thrust a Waning Silver Moon towards Randolf's face. Dozens of arm sized beams of moonlight, illuminated the world within this corrupted grove, piercing straight through Randolf, allowing Arthur to take a look at the existences inside his body.
Arthur's body froze and his killing intent was snuffed out the moment he made eye contact with "that" inside of Randolf.
He couldn't feel it, but a small trail of crimson blood leaked out from Arthur's eyes, as he gazed into the Madness within Randolf.
It was a....
Arthur failed to grasp the word used to describe this.... "existence".
Closing his eyes and ignoring the faint image of this "existence" within Randolf, Arthur took out the Restriction Fae from his origin essence sea, and thrust it back into Randolf's body. Arthur could feel that the space within Randolf had exceeded all the limits of any Shadow Attributed or Dark Attributed Fae, and Arthur backed up instantly, feeling his arm shiver after being pushed into the source of Randolf's Madness.
He was no longer exempt from heavenly laws, but now Randolf, as someone who carried a Madness that existed before the Dao, was now forcibly being treated as someone who carried the restrictions of heavenly laws.
Randolf and Arthur's existence were roughly the same, that was what he had said.
Both were exempt from heavenly laws, although Randolf had gone beyond what the current Arthur had thought possible and embraced the "existence" that came before the creation of the Dao, or any sort of Law.
The exact moment that Arthur pulled his arm out of Randolf's Madness, the young man in front of him could no longer control, or contain the existence of Madness now that heavenly laws had suddenly applied to him.
What happened?
Arthur barely had any time to react before Randolf's smaller hunched over body lifted its crimson coloured eyes and expanded outwards, trying to make sense of the disorderliness within him, and trying to create a form which best expressed the Laws that had suddenly "made sense" within him.
Arthur raised his Halberd Fae to block a strike from Randolf, but found himself pushed back and thrown up into the air as the Halberd Fae in his arms shattered, along with his entire right shoulder.
The loud echoes of a Monster resounded out through the Village. All eyes, no matter whether they were mortal or Fae Master turned towards the Foreign existence, as waves upon waves of incomprehensible sounds and roars entered their ears.