Elder Cultivator

The Lower Realms Alliance often found it difficult to justify assaulting a planet. Too much collateral damage was possible. It was still necessary often enough, when the other option was to allow themselves to continue being attacked.

It was a bit easier when the entire existence of the Scarlet Alliance was at stake… and when they chose their targets carefully to minimize civilians. Not just civilian casualties, but the mere existence of civilians among their targets. For example, the Imbued Fragments didn’t even really have anything that resembled planets any longer- just husks of planets- and nominally no civilian population.

Obviously when people had no choice but to join up with a sect it wasn’t quite the same as voluntary attachment, but they were taking what they could get. It was that or accept the loss of friends and family in the upper realms, as well as any hope of anyone from the lower realms safely ascending ever again.

Their ships flowed along the tides, concentrating on a small number of systems. They didn’t intend to make the same mistake that the upper realms did. They weren’t concerned about conquering the area or causing the most widespread damage. The intent was simply to force a response.

The fleets moved through the artificial tide. They hit hard and fast when they arrived, but made certain that there was time for their enemies to send out messages- not that there was much hope of preventing an entire system from calling for help.

Ascension-class battleships along with many of the more mobile Assimilation cultivators were the core of their forces, but they had a great many weaker individuals. From the Unified Sector they had ships with large populations of hive mind cultivators that at the top end carried greater power as a group than any Assimilation cultivator. Whether they quite matched an Enrichment cultivator was another question, though it was assumed that in the upper realms they would have a difficult battle against Augmentation cultivators- if they fought with single ships. But they had many ships ranging in power, as well as Byron- the first Confluence cultivator.

Lower realms forces shattered the stone ships of the Broad Eyed Harvesters, tearing apart and melting those made of metal. There had been some time for them to prepare once the tides had appeared- fortunately, it didn’t look like anyone in the upper realms had guessed the true targets. Or perhaps they simply had no allies.

One system of dozens fell in a matter of a few days. Their forces then picked out their next target, making certain that their route would not take them too far from the Tides. Otherwise, their energy would drain far too quickly. That would be a great detriment to all of them.

Except the void ants, of course. They could eat ascension energy as easily as natural energy, and perhaps it was even more nutritious. And of course, there were certain exceptions like the pure tech weapons that they brought along. Then there was Nthanda.

Enemy cultivators were quite surprised to encounter kinetic threats on her level. Without making use of either source of energy, she accelerated arrows from her bow to tremendous speeds. They couldn’t predict how she would weave her attacks towards them, as there was no connective thread of energy. She operated on body and insight. Her ultimate strength might be weaker than others with her time and intensity of training, but it was a style nobody was prepared for. Especially not in the upper realms.

The difference between an arrow imbued with energy going near light speed and one that was there on its own merits were tremendous. Energy allowed cultivators to ignore physics in many ways, in even greater ways with higher cultivation. Yet Nthanda might have instead been more in tune with physics than the rest of them… or even further outside of what people were normally willing to consider.

Whatever the perspective, her functionality was unquestionable. Her arrow exploded the spindly structures that made up Imbued Harvester ‘planets’. Any barriers that tried to block her merely took a hit to their power that made everywhere else vulnerable as they were overwhelmed every time.

Only two Enrichment cultivators were present out of all those that could have joined- not because the others weren’t willing to take the risk, but because the balance of power simply required that they protect the border from counter invasions. Only Erin- and Paradise- entered the upper realms, along with Anishka.

After conquering three systems- more or less annihilating them entirely- they slowed their advance. They heard the first transmissions of enemy fleets leaving the siege after a month or so. They held their positions to make certain that they would draw them away.

The Imbued Fragments had no Domination cultivator, but they came along with a portion of the Swirling Swarm. Their sensors picked out a Domination cultivator. Fortunately, their message to the Scarlet Alliance wouldn’t arrive before the assault began there. It would have only caused confusion.

-----

The Swirling Swarm were trivial to kill, but everyone knew that to be the case. Prasad tried to wipe them out in great numbers, but he never let down his guard. That was why, when their Domination cultivator attempted to bash his skull in he was ready to react.

Prasad got off with a broken arm and being knocked back just past a planet. It would have been rather unfortunate had he impacted it, because one of two things would have given out. Probably him, if he was honest. Augmentation had once been the brightest star in the sky, but he realized he had never seen the day. Domination was so much more. He might eventually reach it… but he wasn’t the type who would suddenly advance mid combat. Too bad for him.

-----

Xankeshan was in chaos. Organized chaos, perhaps, but the system had become an unreadable mess of energies. Automatic firing systems nearly shut down, requiring that their human operators bear much of the load. It would have been impossible for non-cultivators, but the Scarlet Alliance had specialists in every role. Imbued with allied fleet patterns, they were able to shoot through the chaos to at least sometimes take out enemies drifting through the system.

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Every planet was under assault simultaneously. Four factions clashed, with smaller divisions among the Exalted Quadrant and Trigold Cluster as they carried no unified leadership and each sect had their own goals.

-----

Timothy focused on protecting critical ships- and individuals. One of those was Catarina, who he was protecting not just because she was his beloved wife but because the way she empowered local formations was a key part of their strategies.

He extended his energy around her as the Swirling Swarm pushed past their defenses while Prasad recovered from the attack. His barriers were absolute, until he wore himself down. He could protect her from every angle, and he was glad. As for his stores of energy… once he had stopped resisting the combined assaults of the various fleets, he actually felt quite confident.

A Domination cultivator defending their own territory was not something to be diminished. Even one fresh in the last century. Timothy knew he wasn’t invincible, but he could feel the devotion. Everyone in the system was counting on them. The planets themselves were some of his primary defensive targets.

Timothy had felt the attacks of Zaur Beridze. They were quick, certainly. Full of power. But he had little in the way of lasting damage. Cynbel’s attacks made him feel like he was drowning in an ocean. Not at all enjoyable, but at least he could withstand it for some time. Keeping the Domination cultivators occupied for their own fleets would be best.

Then he felt a greater weight. A crack in his barrier as a small figure broke through. One of the Swirling Swarm- the Domination cultivator. Another strike came for Catarina, and Timothy tensed. Catarina merely took a step back, and suddenly part of the battlefield was gone. The Domination cultivator, and who knows how many hundreds of thousands of the Swirling Swarm. Just gone.

Timothy recognized teleportation, of course. He also had some hints at what Catarina was setting up. He just hadn’t thought it would happen so easily. What of the energy it took? Where had it come from? He hadn’t even felt her becoming empowered.

Then again, wasn’t she already making full use of her abilities? Her energy was hidden in the background of every formation in the system.

“Where-” Timothy began.

“One of our extra stars,” Catarina said. “I don’t think-”

The Swirling Swarm seemed to care not for the loss of their Domination cultivator and so many of their brethren. They had pushed back in, pressing against Timothy’s barrier. And then it happened again. The same strike. Even though Timothy knew that the Domination cultivator had been teleported into a star.

At least his instincts did him well. The brief space Catarina had given him allowed him to recover his balance, and he used the force of the blow to send countershocks. Not to the Domination cultivator, but to the Swirling Swarm in general. Many exploded into mush. And yet their numbers seemed hardly diminished.

“Do they come back to life?” Timothy muttered.

“No,” Catarina said definitively. “Their total presence is diminished. As for the Domination cultivator… I felt the weight as I teleported them. The Swirling Swarm has more than one.”

“Had, you mean?”

Catarina shook her head. “If I dumped you in a star, would you die?”

Timothy sighed. Probably not. “At least it should take them days to get back… right?”

“Unless they have spatial abilities far outside my understanding of their methods, yes,” Catarina agreed. “It won’t be easy to set that up again. Though… if necessary…”

“I don’t like that look.”

“Then I suggest making sure I don’t have to do anything extreme.”

-----

Rahayu rushed towards Chidi. Both of them knew this wouldn’t be a long battle. If both were normal cultivators, perhaps it might stretch on a few minutes. Maybe half an hour, if they were extremely closely matched. But with Chidi’s style, it would be over quickly.

At first, Rahayu seemed to accept Chidi’s negation. The two closed together and clashed swords in the void. However, Chidi felt the motions of his opponent’s sword, the way it cut through the ambient energy. It was still there, even during moments of Negation, just inactive. Docile.

As expected of the swordmaster who trained his namesake. Rahayu almost instantly grasped the principles Chidi was using. Their swords clashed, but along the way each of them were controlling the flow of energy around them. Chidi couldn’t allow Rahayu to fully bring his power to bear, or he would die. And as it would be through swordsmanship, Rahayu would find that most agreeable.

Why were they fighting? Practically, there was no reason. But Chidi could feel Rahayu. To the two of them, there was no question. He came to fight, because they must. Rahayu had reached the end of his road. He could only extend it by forcing the path to grow, which meant seeking out the best opponent. With no arrogance, Chidi knew of no other swordmasters of note.

Blood sprayed from his forehead. A cut so close that it skimmed the bone. In turn, he merely sliced the sleeves of Rahayu’s garment. Chidi didn’t know if he could win. His combat style was too much built around Chikere’s- her original one. He knew Aconite would join the battle, but if she interfered… what then? Would Everheart take her out? It was entirely possible. Rahayu was one of his favored allies.

Two swords caught, turning in circles as they tried to find openings. Again and again, swords clashed, sparks flying. Chidi focused entirely on keeping Rahayu’s energy negated. Soon, the two of them would begin to suffocate. Or freeze. Chidi slashed, going for Rahayu’s eyes. The older man parried.

Chidi thrust. It could have been a feint or a real attack. Rahayu didn’t overcommit to his defenses, twisting slightly. Chidi chopped with his sword, and Rahayu prepared to slip his blade. Then he would slice open Chidi’s guts.

Rahayu’s sword broke apart. It was doubtless made by a grandmaster out of the finest materials available. Enchanted beyond all feasible possibilities- maybe even by Everheart himself. Meanwhile, Chidi’s sword had no enchantments at all. He’d kept negation up long enough to wear down his opponent’s blade.

“I was weak,” Rahayu said. “Strike me down.”

Chidi’s sword slashed across Rahayu’s throat. Blood trickled out, but was stopped by Rahayu’s energy. “You give up too easily. Try killing some of those bastards with that broken blade of yours, and we can face off again later.” Chidi let down his sword. It was a risk. Rahayu could move inside his guard, with his energy restored. But they really needed all the allies they could get.

“A broken sword style? Sounds terrible.” Rahayu turned his sword and stabbed it towards his gut. “Can’t even properly kill myself. But I’m sure this will cut something.” Chidi felt his eyes focus on the swarming fleets around them. “Maybe I’ll chop some of those funny square ships in half.”

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