Elder Cultivator

Though it didn’t appear that the Scarlet Alliance was doing anything but waiting, they were quite busy. Every day that passed while under siege, they continued production of more ships and weapons. Even weak cultivators could make use of a ship that used mixed tech to amplify stored energy, and the Alliance wasn’t going to be stingy with their resources.

They made frequent attempts to contact Everheart’s faction, all rejected ‘politely’. At least without the messengers dying, which was about the same.

They also tossed recordings at the Trigold Cluster- recordings that included energy signatures of the Exalted Quadrant groups that had been breeding void ants in the lower realms. It was possible the great powers were in collusion to some extent, but even if their higher ups knew… the rank and file would certainly find it a compelling reason to move against the Exalted Quadrant. The more of that, the better.

From the Alliance’s perspective, it would be optimal if the great fleets all killed each other outside their territory. Second best would be if they just left them alone. There wasn’t much hope of that, but it would be the optimal result.

As for the Exalted Quadrant, plans were made for potential negotiation situations. They were willing to make some sort of resource concessions if it wouldn’t cripple them and leave them open to being conquered or destroyed in the near future. Making a righteous last stand was a romantic ideal, but less compelling if there was an option where their people got to live. There wasn’t much point in dying for nothing.

But if demands were made that would result in annihilation, they would just have to stand their ground. And it seemed extremely unlikely that there would be such great forces on their doorstep to do anything less.

-----

The lower realms worked quickly, putting together complex formations at the border. They needed to move as quickly as possible… and to be prepared to pivot to a different plan if the partial tides did not work.

If all went well, they would open up several ‘streams’ that could take them through the upper realms, specifically to the territory of the Imbued Fragments. They were the target because the various factions had grudges against them, as well as being the most feasible opponents to reach. Being weakened in the upper realms would be another factor- nobody was intending to selflessly sacrifice themselves.

Traditionally the upper realms had been stronger, possessing the only post Life Transformation cultivators. They’d also had more cultivators of other high cultivations, making it possible to successfully suppress the lower realms despite being weakened. Now the lower realms had resisted for long enough that their strength was sufficient to hold them off, though attacking the stronger factions on their home territory would be risky.

Some portion of their battle forces would be kept in reserve at the borders. It would be foolish to open themselves up to risk when trying to go on the offense. Others had been assigned various targets in the upper realms.

Anton watched with great interest. He could have used another century to recover, but he wasn’t dying anymore. As a Unity cultivator, he was still stronger than he’d been previously. There was no way he was going to the upper realms, though, not even along the trail of the tides. Fleeting Youth had been necessary to survive through his earlier life, so he had no regrets about the unfortunate restrictions he had to deal with now.

They had not yet received any information from the upper realms about the assault beginning, which hopefully meant that they weren’t too late. The intent was to try to draw some of the threat away, after all. They couldn’t waste any time.

A great array of ships was waiting as the formations were activated. Anton felt it like an itch. The tides were shifting. He couldn’t feel it from his stars spread further along the border, so it was indeed concentrated to a small area. It might not last. But he felt how energy began to bridge the gap between upper and lower realms. He hadn’t ever been at the border for the phenomenon, so he couldn’t say for certain if the natural occurrences were different, but Anton was surprised.

It wasn’t like he’d first thought where ascension energy simply flowed into the lower realms. He’d known that, of course, because he’d experienced natural energy flowing along when he’d taken out Sudin. That was how his attack had reached the upper realms at all. Now, if Anton had a proper target, he knew he could replicate the feat or even do far more. If necessary.

Ships would be able to move along that path soon. In turn, Anton would probably want to move away slightly. The ascension energy wouldn’t react well to his presence. Hopefully, they weren’t too late.

-----

Runa shook her head. “I can’t believe it. Human greed, used for something good for once.” Flowing past her were vast fleets from the Chaotic Conglomeration. “I suppose if people didn’t act now, they might be consigning themselves to a future of mediocrity. That’s one thing cultivators can’t abide.”

“That’s right,” Misi agreed. “We can reach great heights… or encounter death. I’m fairly content not having to risk my life for gains of knowledge most of the time, though. Except, now, obviously. Hopefully we can steal some good formation techniques from our targets.”

Juli sighed. “Too bad the Exalted Quadrant doesn’t have tech. Or… much tech? Since they have been stumbling around with some.”

“Come!” Crossed Antennae gestured. “We must march on our enemies!”

Juli chuckled. “She’s so much more enthusiastic with her sister around.”

-----

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The numbers arrayed around the border of the Scarlet Alliance seemed to be increasing without end… but eventually that number slowed, and even decreased. Their scouts reported certain groups beginning to thin out, which was consistent with what they hoped would happen after receiving certain communications. Notably, the Disciples of the Beyond within the Exalted Quadrant. The Trigold Cluster saw many of the Imbued Fragments and some portion of the Swirling Swarm withdraw. Ɍ₳ＮộβÈ𐌔

The hope that the fleets might just leave was not to be, however. Nearly at once, the various fleets began to move. The spatial distortion carried them to their ultimate destination which was, much to Catarina’s dismay, neither inside a black hole nor a star. It had been too risky to try to modify the spatial distortion around their entire alliance to serve such a purpose.

Instead, they arrived around Xankeshan’s system. Around was the proper word, as they filled a massive space from all directions… but they couldn’t quite enter the system.

Timothy stood strong and resolute, a spherical barrier holding around the system. His Domination energy projected throughout the whole system. “You intrude upon the territory of the Scarlet Alliance. What is the excuses you bear this time?”

Cynbel began to speak, his voice crashing into everyone’s ears. “You disrespectful brat, you know precisely-”

“I do what I want,” Everheart directly interrupted him from the far side of the system. “Got that, kid?”

Timothy did indeed ‘get that’. But he said nothing in response.

“We know about your collusion with the lower realms,” Cynbel said. “The void ants-”

“I heard all about that!” Everheart said. “It was pretty hilarious how you Exalted Bums were breeding them while at the same time calling for their extermination. Did you have your widdle feelings hurt when they chewed up your armies? What do you think of that, huh Ratna?”

“Screw you, old fart.”

Timothy exchanged glances with Catarina. He felt like he should contribute but… at the rate things were going he wasn’t sure if he needed to.

“And what about you?” Everheart continued. “The fellows in the Swarm. You know those guys were breeding void ants?”

“We fear them not,” said a nebulous voice emanating from the Swirling Swarm’s ranks.

“Enough!” Ludek’s voice rang from among the Citadel of Exalted Light, most likely the majority of what remained of their numbers. “This so-called Scarlet Alliance has grown far too arrogant and must be erased.”

“Fight me one on one, if you dare,” Timothy challenged. He received no response. “I thought not.”

“I will,” Cynbel said. “I know your people stole our turtle and far more than that.”

“Which turtle? That big one that appeared at the border?” Timothy had no reason to confirm anything, even at this stage. “Didn’t Everheart steal that one from you a while ago?”

Everheart couldn’t resist claiming his various misdeeds, and this time was no exception. “I totally did. If the Ponderous Turtle Clan wasn’t so pathetic, you could have had that turtle. But I left it in the lower realms as a sign that you’d never amount to anything. I bet you're jealous about its growth, but I’m not going to tell you what I fed it. Top secret, you know.”

The packed fleets were drifting, slightly. There was only so much space directly around the barrier, and they were spreading out. The various fleets weren’t far from intersecting.

“Are we all done talking?” came a bored voice. Those who knew him would recognize Rahayu. “I’m only here to fight Chidi. The rest of you can destroy the alliance or quarrel among yourselves all you want.”

Chidi didn’t know whether to be excited or annoyed. The swordsman inside of him wanted to fight Rahayu. The practical person inside of him wanted to conserve himself for combatting Shelach. But he might not have a choice, once things began. “Can’t it wait?”

“You have no guarantee of surviving the day,” Rahayu commented.

“I have a proposal,” Timothy said. “Why don’t all of you out there fight among yourselves. While you’re doing that, we’ll kill Shelach.”

Silence reigned for a good handful of seconds. “Arrogant brat,” the Domination cultivator within the Swirling Swarm commented.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Cynbel commented. “Titan, attack!”

It wasn’t clear if the Ponderous Turtle clan was actually the first to draw upon their energy, but all at once battle broke out. It didn’t simply begin with a bombardment of the barrier, either, but adjacent groups began to attack each other.

The Swirling Swarm sort of moved in blobs towards the Numerological Compact and Everheart’s people. The Silver Fang immediately clashed with Everheart and, surprisingly, the Fearsome Menagerie.

Ratna disappeared, as her people struck at both the Exalted Quadrant… and the barrier around the system.

The Forest of Death went almost straight for the Creeping Fire Sect. Koronis seemed happy to dive into that conflict.

Despite the chaos, the Scarlet Alliance was still probably the main target. It could have been Everheart though. Either way, enough of the clashing energy slammed against the barrier along with the direct attacks that it wouldn’t last.

Timothy was supplementing it with his Domination energy, but he knew it was foolish to try to stand against multiple fleets and their Domination cultivators. Before he let it give out, however, he made sure to redirect several larger attacks at different segments of the massed attackers. Even if he was responsible, people mostly recognized whose energy ultimately harmed their companions.

“That has to be enough,” Catarina said. “Rely on us.”

Timothy nodded. The Scarlet Alliance had fleets, formations, and orbital platforms all throughout the system. Ultimately, that would have to be enough. Or this might be their end. Timothy could just hope that enough focus was on others. He let his contribution to the barrier drop, which meant it collapsed a moment later under the assaults. He had to save his energy for Shelach. With his direct challenge, how could the man not come for him? Or more likely… a vulnerable individual near him, just to punish him for his ‘arrogance’.

This time, it really might be. But if arrogance was what kept the Alliance from collapsing for at least a moment, they would have to accept it. Their ships and the cultivators on them moved to match incoming groups. The Numerological Compact faced off against other ships of the same sort- except with willing cultivators who were far more efficient, if fewer in numbers.

Prasad and the One Thousand Palms dealt with the Swirling Swarm, killing them in droves. Many of them could barely even survive in the vacuum of space, let alone fight. Yet no matter how many they killed, it seemed they were endless. And somewhere among them were Augmentation cultivators… and a Domination cultivator.

Titan was blocked by two wolves that looked miniscule in comparison, as Fuzz and Spikes joined the battle. Cynbel looked annoyed, but he was having to deal with a modest fleet focused on him in particular.

If Chidi had eyes, they would have locked with Rahayu’s as the man cut through space to face him. They stood in front of each other, blades drawn, while millions battled around them.

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