Elder Cultivator

Nobody was eager to be the first person to engage with a Domination cultivator, not even those who otherwise preferred to be matched against powerful opponents. Tessouat was particularly vocal because void ants were involved. Yet he also couldn’t deny they had a unique opportunity.

Emrik explained the general idea that had been worked out. Normally they would spend much longer on such a plan, but they were at risk of losing further planets on a regular basis, losing resources they might never recover. “The optimal situation is to draw Korin into the atmosphere of a planet where the void ants will fight at optimal capacity,” he said. “To that end, Juli has prepared a technological threat…”

Juli grinned widely. “It’s called a transdimensional focused-”

“It’s a subspace laser,” Misi cut her off. “Capable of threatening even the fastest cultivators.”

“But that’s not the proper-” Juli shook her head. “It’s likely insufficient to kill a Domination cultivator on its own, but it can be fired from safety.” By ‘likely insufficient’ she actually meant ‘only the most foolish Domination cultivators would be harmed’. But explaining the full limitations of the technology wouldn’t be valuable. If it was kept vague, it would be a greater worry when it was ‘accidentally’ leaked. “It’s vastly weakened in atmosphere, so it will be useful for encouraging Korin to land on a planet. We expect it to be sufficient along with other maneuvers.”

There were many details to be worked out to make certain everyone had a position with risks they found to be acceptable. Obviously anyone stepping onto a battlefield with a Domination cultivator was going to be at significant risk even if things went perfectly, but they also had to consider the risks of not acting decisively.

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If they rushed, they might have saved one planet… or doomed their section of the Chaotic Conglomeration. Ultimately, one more planet fell as Korin and the Soul Piercers pushed deeper past the border worlds. Close enough that some quite long term Chaotic Conglomeration planets felt threatened.

Knowledge from the Scarlet Alliance gave a slight advantage in speed due to improved ships, and along with certain sensors they were able to predict which of several next targets Korin had. When she made a move, they moved ahead to cut her off.

Juli was barely in the system, manning the subspace laser. Though she was the furthest of anyone, if the plan failed she was nearly as likely to die as everyone else. Not that she thought it was likely. She trusted Crossed Antennae and the other void ants- and they’d brought a whole lot of them. Some were still shipboard, in case Korin didn’t maneuver as they wanted. Swarming her with void ants wasn’t the way they wanted to do things, but in an emergency they might have to do that. The void ants were happy enough to accept the risks, so Juli couldn’t say anything against it.

The Serene Pill Society had stumbled across some information recently. They had been confirmed to be communicating said information to an unknown destination- but they wouldn’t have any reason to transmit information to anyone within the Chaotic Conglomeration. They might be curious about what odd weapons had been obtained by their people, but the information didn’t go to anyone who might want it.

It was likely that there were other indications that would spoil the ambush, but anyone involved with the void ant aspects had been carefully selected. Even if they might wish for the void ants to also die in the battle, Korin would be the priority.

The woman was actually likely to land on their target planet without Juli interfering, but she would be more aware of her surroundings if she did so casually. At the agreed upon timing, Juli fired the laser. The beam cut through subspace towards a woman who seemed to have little of her original flesh remaining, with metallic and organic parts interspersed seemingly randomly.

It probably could have killed an off-guard Augmentation cultivator. Korin wasn’t so foolish as to have her defenses down, so the first volley was more or less absorbed by her defenses without ceremony. The second volley was stronger. If they could continuously ramp up, Korin might actually find herself in danger. Juli hoped she didn’t test it.

It actually looked like she might. Korin was no defensive monster, but Domination cultivators were still strong enough to resist most attacks even if they weren’t specialized. Fortunately, the lasers seemed to make a particular cultivator feel inadequate.

Uduak was supposed to wait to launch her attacks until Korin got closer to the planet, suddenly finding herself assaulted from a different angle. Instead, a twisting beam of light and darkness rose up from the planet, scraping just past Korin.

The spear wielding Domination cultivator immediately locked onto a much more easily reached target, diving towards the planet while her fleets followed behind- but they couldn’t match her pace. Chaotic Conglomeration forces were already en route to head them off, hoping to isolate Korin.

A spear pierced through Uduak’s heart, but instead of a splatter of blood a spray of light burst from her chest. She was at least smart enough not to attack from her actual position directly. A strong cultivator would likely lock onto her location at some point, however.

Before Korin could withdraw her spear, Emrik leapt from his hiding location, attempting to sever her connection to the spear. The Spirit Slicing Sect was perfect for such a task, but even with a voidsteel blade and special techniques he couldn’t break Korin’s connection in a single attack.

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The spear nearly impaled him as it was drawn back to Korin’s hand, but Tessouat rose up and deflected the blow. His shield trembled from the grazing blow.

For a moment, Korin hesitated. She was a Domination cultivator, but she was aware of her own mortality. She could spot a trap.

Then the bait revealed herself. A late addition to the plans, Bryndis had insisted that she be allowed to take part. She was betting on Korin wanting her body more or less intact for whatever purposes she had.

Bryndis only gave a light flicker of her energy as she turned to run- there was bravery, and then there was stupidity. She wasn’t an Augmentation cultivator, so standing to fight would be the end of her. And if she got close, Korin could certainly catch her.

Misi’s trap formation barely stopped Korin who appeared to nearly teleport towards her target. Bryndis was looking over her shoulder at a face that seemed to have been replaced with a mask- not covered with one, but replaced entirely. Korin was only a kilometer away when her momentum was halted, at least for an instant.

From there, it was a scene of chaos. Attacks rained down from all directions, with the bravest souls moving to engage Korin in close combat. A sweep of Korin’s spear cut the formation marking in half while also deflecting many incoming assaults.

Runa and Emrik prepared to take advantage of any opportunity they could find, but even voidsteel couldn’t pierce limitless energy. Perhaps not even void ants could do it. They merely hoped.

Several handfuls of Augmentation cultivators arose, and hundreds more Integration cultivators as well just meant to wear down Korin. But no void ants had shown themselves.

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Crossed Antennae was supposed to call for the assault to begin. She was the only one who could make the proper signal. But she hesitated.

Not out of fear. She had chosen to be here, and she intended to fight. But once Korin’s energy hit her senses, she was both overwhelmed and… confused.

This wasn’t a Domination cultivator in front of her. Something with Domination energy inside of it? Certainly. But not a Domination cultivator. Nor could it be an anchor, because an anchor would be the source of said energy. Furthermore, it would be more vulnerable in some ways than the cultivator themself.

This was a puppet. She was grateful she realized that before moving to attack, but unfortunately that fact wouldn’t save people. In fact, in the time she’d hesitated Uduak had lost a leg. She was far better off than the mountain next to her, but Crossed Antennae was well aware that the illusionist’s real body had been harmed, even if she tried to fake it by making a flicking image that ‘disappeared’.

Crossed Antennae had to act, but this was the only true opportunity to harm Korin. Once she was aware of the void ants, their chances would be much weaker.

So what could Crossed Antennae do? Certainly not betray the trust of her friends and companions. She wasn’t going to fail, either. “Guards!” Crossed Antennae made a much shorter range signal. “Change in orders. Incapacitate only.”

Crossed Antennae was going to have to do something she’d never seen done before. It was intimidating… but having studied many human cultivators filled her with confidence. Humans did it all the time. She tried not to think about the people who were probably trying to replicate similar things and simply perished.

A tear in the planet’s energy propelled Crossed Antennae forward along with her wings. She flung forward her four royal guard with that momentum, aiming for a location Korin was bound to pause, if only for an instant.

They might die. But not sending them into battle would be an insult to their resolve.

Korin was well and truly distracted, and she still nearly killed Snips. A swing of her spear created shockwaves that echoed through the atmosphere with such intensity as to shatter rocks- and they weren’t formed by her energy but merely an aftereffect. Snips only survived by managing to cut apart the air in front of her, but Crossed Antennae thought she saw a limb snap regardless.

Tessouat took a hit head on. It seemed foolish of him to exchange blows with a Domination cultivator, but doing anything else with his style would have weakened him and spelled his doom. His feathered shield was still destroyed as his own spear bent on Korin’s arm.

Chops took off one of Korin’s toes as a blanket of several million void ants was dropped from an inconspicuous flyer. A great many more were arrayed around the distant edges of the battlefield, ready to snag Korin’s energy should she attempt to flee.

She didn’t seem to notice her toe was gone. Perhaps the inability to believe she could be injured and the lack of sensory feedback was what did it. She shouldn’t have been expecting void ants.

However, she certainly noticed when Chops landed and began to tear at her energy. Her spear twirled and stabbed downward without even registering what she was targeting. The blade scraped past her own flesh, striking Chops with great force. Crossed Antennae couldn’t see if she was split in two or somehow survived.

It was unclear if the poisoners were having any success. With a body lacking so many human features, Crossed Antennae couldn’t blame them if they weren’t.

Korin finally took in the falling blanket of void ants as her eyes swept for enemies. She also spotted Crossed Antennae. Her spear was tossed with a speed Crossed Antennae couldn’t ever hope to dodge- and the supernatural speed falling off if she tore the energy away was small comfort.

But it wasn’t aimed at her. No, it was a few centimeters to the left. Several full body widths. Even Crossed Antennae had barely noticed the energy that made the distortion of light. A tiny morsel of pretty adequate energy. But even if her energy was only adequate, Uduak seemed to know how to use it well.

The turbulence of the blow nearly sent Crossed Antennae away, but she caught onto the very energy controlling the spear. Rather than severing the connection, she took advantage of it snapping back to pull herself to Korin.

The spear cultivator probably didn’t know what happened as Crossed Antennae buried her face in the woman’s abdomen. Or the doll’s abdomen, more accurately. Crossed Antennae sure hoped she didn’t, because it was an embarrassing amount of nothing. People made of metal were awful.

Korin swept her spear, creating a whirlwind that knocked away the incoming void ant swarm. They hadn’t been able to speed up their fall, so being noticed was practically a death sentence.

Crossed Antennae was going to pay back Korin for their deaths. She just didn’t know how.

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