Chapter 407
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Chapter 407
Though he certainly felt that he was losing, Hoyt tried to focus on his successes. He was getting used to fighting with not only more power but also a minimal amount of gravity. As he became more confident in his personal movements, the bladed rings harassing him felt like less of a threat.
There was still the issue that they were somehow able to take control of his energy. It wasnt something that was entirely impossible, but it had looked too easy. Then again, he could not know how many years the woman he was fighting against had trained for. Her cultivation was somewhat higher than his own, and she could easily have decades or more on him. Or access to better knowledge from an early age, since the upper realms should have something.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñòv€l-B1n.
His axe swung in a wide arc, knocking away several of the rings as they moved towards him. His power wrapped around himself, turning him into a ball of fire as he accelerated. His own momentum was a weapon, and though there was not a higher point to jump off to add to his momentum, he began to incorporate some amount of vertical movement. It didnt throw off his opponent as much as he might want, but he was managing to get closer to the woman at least.
There was still a significant gap between them. Could he incorporate anti-ascension techniques? No, too risky. His hundredth star was fully formed from ascension energy, and hed felt it incorporating into him. Perhaps he might be able to later modify what he knew to use against others, but at the moment he risked disrupting himself more than his opponent. He wasnt sure what would happen if he won, but he had to try his best at the moment.
As he moved in for a critical attack, he hadnt expected the last two rings the woman carried on her to fly out to either side. He knew they could certainly return to attack him from the sides or rear like the others, but if he was fast enough it didnt matter. His axe swung towards the woman who seemed to have no weapons remaining only to slow significantly, giving her time to dodge out of the way.
He kept an eye on his back, swinging at the rings whenever they approached close enough to harm him. He felt his movements becoming sluggish, not because he was tiring- though he might soon. Instead, something was pulling on him. His axe, specifically. He was certain of that when he swung to bat aside four of them, and they suddenly stuck to his weapon, expanding in size to wrap around the head then shrinking tight around the handle. At the same moment, the other six rings moved in on him, aimed towards his neck, arms, legs, and the middle of his torso.
Seeing no other options he let go of his axe, but as he tried to move away he found his movements slowed. The first blade touched his neck, then all the others came to rest against him as well. Against him not inside or through him. Though he was holding them back with his energy defenses, the impact hadnt been what he thought it would be. With a slight push the blades cleanly sliced through his defensive energy at several points, finding weak spots in his armor as well. But they stopped. He turned to look at the woman.
You fought well enough, for your first time, the woman said. For now, you may live. What is your name?
Hoyt, he said. There was no point in lying and being alive was good, at least.
I am Zazil, she said in response. Of the Dark Ring, obviously. What sect did you hail from?
There was no prior history between them, so lying wouldnt accomplish anything. And a name didnt show any weakness. The Order of One Hundred Stars, Hoyt said. I would still consider myself part of them.
Hmm. Interesting.
She didnt say what was interesting as she led him back inside. He wanted to ask, but thought it better to remain quiet and alive for the moment.
-----
I should be happy, Anton said. Most things are going well. The only trouble is with Hoyt. Im certain he can handle himself but Anton shook his head. I cant help it. And yet, somehow thats not what worries me.
I understand, Velvet said as she looked around. There wasnt much to see- just a comfortable sitting room that could handle around a dozen people, more if additional chairs or the like were crammed into the room. A modest place, since Anton wasnt given to hosting large social events. She wasnt really looking at the room around them, though, but instead generally looking to the world beyond. I feel theres some sort of danger here. Not around the Order, necessarily. But with people ascending, our power is at best stabilizing, maybe dropping. Thats why I stayed.
You felt this danger? Anton said.
I wasnt really sure about it, she admitted. Im still not. It could be paranoia.
I would hope so, Anton said. But its not far from what I feel. Things arent quite right. And as cultivators, we must trust our instincts. Though Im not sure where that leaves us.
We have to remain vigilant. Beyond that I dont know. Maybe whatever youre working on will help.
What do you mean? Anton asked.
Your cultivation thing. Whatever your alternate for ascension is. Youre closer than you let on, arent you?
Perhaps, Anton said. I still have to achieve the ninety-ninth star first. After that, my chances of success, he shrugged. I dont want to rush things.
And you shouldnt, Velvet said. I wouldnt want to lose you. Or any of the others. But we both know its inevitable to some extent. Vandale, Ivarsson, McAlister theyve all passed on. But here we are, taking their place. She sighed, Im not very good at this I guess. I just want you to know that even if something happens to you, there will always be more of us around. You should trust us to take care of what happens, instead of not trying whatever this is.
Im not delaying on purpose, Anton said. Though perhaps it does not need to be conscious. Cultivation relies on the heart, after all. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I really cant try anything without reaching the very peak of Life Transformation. But your insights might be correct. I could be subconsciously hesitating a step before that. If I dont reach the next star within a year, Im sure you can reasonably accuse me of dragging my feet. Though Id hope that with you and others supporting me I will steer away from that.
I really dont intend to rush you, Velvet said. Its just a feeling that I thought we should speak about.
Dont worry. I agree that it was the right choice. And perhaps its time I made a trip to another friend. Anton stood up. Lev might be doing something I could learn from.
He took a look vaguely off into the skies. The most bothersome part was feeling like he couldnt do anything to influence the circumstances of those he cared about. But if nothing else, he could make sure they didnt have any reason to worry about him in return.
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Chapter 407
Though he certainly felt that he was losing, Hoyt tried to focus on his successes. He was getting used to fighting with not only more power but also a minimal amount of gravity. As he became more confident in his personal movements, the bladed rings harassing him felt like less of a threat.
There was still the issue that they were somehow able to take control of his energy. It wasnt something that was entirely impossible, but it had looked too easy. Then again, he could not know how many years the woman he was fighting against had trained for. Her cultivation was somewhat higher than his own, and she could easily have decades or more on him. Or access to better knowledge from an early age, since the upper realms should have something.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñòv€l-B1n.
His axe swung in a wide arc, knocking away several of the rings as they moved towards him. His power wrapped around himself, turning him into a ball of fire as he accelerated. His own momentum was a weapon, and though there was not a higher point to jump off to add to his momentum, he began to incorporate some amount of vertical movement. It didnt throw off his opponent as much as he might want, but he was managing to get closer to the woman at least.
There was still a significant gap between them. Could he incorporate anti-ascension techniques? No, too risky. His hundredth star was fully formed from ascension energy, and hed felt it incorporating into him. Perhaps he might be able to later modify what he knew to use against others, but at the moment he risked disrupting himself more than his opponent. He wasnt sure what would happen if he won, but he had to try his best at the moment.
As he moved in for a critical attack, he hadnt expected the last two rings the woman carried on her to fly out to either side. He knew they could certainly return to attack him from the sides or rear like the others, but if he was fast enough it didnt matter. His axe swung towards the woman who seemed to have no weapons remaining only to slow significantly, giving her time to dodge out of the way.
He kept an eye on his back, swinging at the rings whenever they approached close enough to harm him. He felt his movements becoming sluggish, not because he was tiring- though he might soon. Instead, something was pulling on him. His axe, specifically. He was certain of that when he swung to bat aside four of them, and they suddenly stuck to his weapon, expanding in size to wrap around the head then shrinking tight around the handle. At the same moment, the other six rings moved in on him, aimed towards his neck, arms, legs, and the middle of his torso.
Seeing no other options he let go of his axe, but as he tried to move away he found his movements slowed. The first blade touched his neck, then all the others came to rest against him as well. Against him not inside or through him. Though he was holding them back with his energy defenses, the impact hadnt been what he thought it would be. With a slight push the blades cleanly sliced through his defensive energy at several points, finding weak spots in his armor as well. But they stopped. He turned to look at the woman.
You fought well enough, for your first time, the woman said. For now, you may live. What is your name?
Hoyt, he said. There was no point in lying and being alive was good, at least.
I am Zazil, she said in response. Of the Dark Ring, obviously. What sect did you hail from?
There was no prior history between them, so lying wouldnt accomplish anything. And a name didnt show any weakness. The Order of One Hundred Stars, Hoyt said. I would still consider myself part of them.
Hmm. Interesting.
She didnt say what was interesting as she led him back inside. He wanted to ask, but thought it better to remain quiet and alive for the moment.
-----
I should be happy, Anton said. Most things are going well. The only trouble is with Hoyt. Im certain he can handle himself but Anton shook his head. I cant help it. And yet, somehow thats not what worries me.
I understand, Velvet said as she looked around. There wasnt much to see- just a comfortable sitting room that could handle around a dozen people, more if additional chairs or the like were crammed into the room. A modest place, since Anton wasnt given to hosting large social events. She wasnt really looking at the room around them, though, but instead generally looking to the world beyond. I feel theres some sort of danger here. Not around the Order, necessarily. But with people ascending, our power is at best stabilizing, maybe dropping. Thats why I stayed.
You felt this danger? Anton said.
I wasnt really sure about it, she admitted. Im still not. It could be paranoia.
I would hope so, Anton said. But its not far from what I feel. Things arent quite right. And as cultivators, we must trust our instincts. Though Im not sure where that leaves us.
We have to remain vigilant. Beyond that I dont know. Maybe whatever youre working on will help.
What do you mean? Anton asked.
Your cultivation thing. Whatever your alternate for ascension is. Youre closer than you let on, arent you?
Perhaps, Anton said. I still have to achieve the ninety-ninth star first. After that, my chances of success, he shrugged. I dont want to rush things.
And you shouldnt, Velvet said. I wouldnt want to lose you. Or any of the others. But we both know its inevitable to some extent. Vandale, Ivarsson, McAlister theyve all passed on. But here we are, taking their place. She sighed, Im not very good at this I guess. I just want you to know that even if something happens to you, there will always be more of us around. You should trust us to take care of what happens, instead of not trying whatever this is.
Im not delaying on purpose, Anton said. Though perhaps it does not need to be conscious. Cultivation relies on the heart, after all. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I really cant try anything without reaching the very peak of Life Transformation. But your insights might be correct. I could be subconsciously hesitating a step before that. If I dont reach the next star within a year, Im sure you can reasonably accuse me of dragging my feet. Though Id hope that with you and others supporting me I will steer away from that.
I really dont intend to rush you, Velvet said. Its just a feeling that I thought we should speak about.
Dont worry. I agree that it was the right choice. And perhaps its time I made a trip to another friend. Anton stood up. Lev might be doing something I could learn from.
He took a look vaguely off into the skies. The most bothersome part was feeling like he couldnt do anything to influence the circumstances of those he cared about. But if nothing else, he could make sure they didnt have any reason to worry about him in return.
Chapter 407Though he certainly felt that he was losing, Hoyt tried to focus on his successes. He was getting used to fighting with not only more power but also a minimal amount of gravity. As he became more confident in his personal movements, the bladed rings harassing him felt like less of a threat. There was still the issue that they were somehow able to take control of his energy. It wasnt something that was entirely impossible, but it had looked too easy. Then again, he could not know how many years the woman he was fighting against had trained for. Her cultivation was somewhat higher than his own, and she could easily have decades or more on him. Or access to better knowledge from an early age, since the upper realms should have something.The debut release of this chapter happened at Novl-B1n.His axe swung in a wide arc, knocking away several of the rings as they moved towards him. His power wrapped around himself, turning him into a ball of fire as he accelerated. His own momentum was a weapon, and though there was not a higher point to jump off to add to his momentum, he began to incorporate some amount of vertical movement. It didnt throw off his opponent as much as he might want, but he was managing to get closer to the woman at least.There was still a significant gap between them. Could he incorporate anti-ascension techniques? No, too risky. His hundredth star was fully formed from ascension energy, and hed felt it incorporating into him. Perhaps he might be able to later modify what he knew to use against others, but at the moment he risked disrupting himself more than his opponent. He wasnt sure what would happen if he won, but he had to try his best at the moment. As he moved in for a critical attack, he hadnt expected the last two rings the woman carried on her to fly out to either side. He knew they could certainly return to attack him from the sides or rear like the others, but if he was fast enough it didnt matter. His axe swung towards the woman who seemed to have no weapons remaining only to slow significantly, giving her time to dodge out of the way. He kept an eye on his back, swinging at the rings whenever they approached close enough to harm him. He felt his movements becoming sluggish, not because he was tiring- though he might soon. Instead, something was pulling on him. His axe, specifically. He was certain of that when he swung to bat aside four of them, and they suddenly stuck to his weapon, expanding in size to wrap around the head then shrinking tight around the handle. At the same moment, the other six rings moved in on him, aimed towards his neck, arms, legs, and the middle of his torso.Seeing no other options he let go of his axe, but as he tried to move away he found his movements slowed. The first blade touched his neck, then all the others came to rest against him as well. Against him not inside or through him. Though he was holding them back with his energy defenses, the impact hadnt been what he thought it would be. With a slight push the blades cleanly sliced through his defensive energy at several points, finding weak spots in his armor as well. But they stopped. He turned to look at the woman.You fought well enough, for your first time, the woman said. For now, you may live. What is your name?Hoyt, he said. There was no point in lying and being alive was good, at least.I am Zazil, she said in response. Of the Dark Ring, obviously. What sect did you hail from?There was no prior history between them, so lying wouldnt accomplish anything. And a name didnt show any weakness. The Order of One Hundred Stars, Hoyt said. I would still consider myself part of them.Hmm. Interesting.She didnt say what was interesting as she led him back inside. He wanted to ask, but thought it better to remain quiet and alive for the moment.-----I should be happy, Anton said. Most things are going well. The only trouble is with Hoyt. Im certain he can handle himself but Anton shook his head. I cant help it. And yet, somehow thats not what worries me.I understand, Velvet said as she looked around. There wasnt much to see- just a comfortable sitting room that could handle around a dozen people, more if additional chairs or the like were crammed into the room. A modest place, since Anton wasnt given to hosting large social events. She wasnt really looking at the room around them, though, but instead generally looking to the world beyond. I feel theres some sort of danger here. Not around the Order, necessarily. But with people ascending, our power is at best stabilizing, maybe dropping. Thats why I stayed.You felt this danger? Anton said.I wasnt really sure about it, she admitted. Im still not. It could be paranoia.I would hope so, Anton said. But its not far from what I feel. Things arent quite right. And as cultivators, we must trust our instincts. Though Im not sure where that leaves us.We have to remain vigilant. Beyond that I dont know. Maybe whatever youre working on will help.What do you mean? Anton asked.Your cultivation thing. Whatever your alternate for ascension is. Youre closer than you let on, arent you?Perhaps, Anton said. I still have to achieve the ninety-ninth star first. After that, my chances of success, he shrugged. I dont want to rush things.And you shouldnt, Velvet said. I wouldnt want to lose you. Or any of the others. But we both know its inevitable to some extent. Vandale, Ivarsson, McAlister theyve all passed on. But here we are, taking their place. She sighed, Im not very good at this I guess. I just want you to know that even if something happens to you, there will always be more of us around. You should trust us to take care of what happens, instead of not trying whatever this is.Im not delaying on purpose, Anton said. Though perhaps it does not need to be conscious. Cultivation relies on the heart, after all. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I really cant try anything without reaching the very peak of Life Transformation. But your insights might be correct. I could be subconsciously hesitating a step before that. If I dont reach the next star within a year, Im sure you can reasonably accuse me of dragging my feet. Though Id hope that with you and others supporting me I will steer away from that.I really dont intend to rush you, Velvet said. Its just a feeling that I thought we should speak about.Dont worry. I agree that it was the right choice. And perhaps its time I made a trip to another friend. Anton stood up. Lev might be doing something I could learn from.He took a look vaguely off into the skies. The most bothersome part was feeling like he couldnt do anything to influence the circumstances of those he cared about. But if nothing else, he could make sure they didnt have any reason to worry about him in return.
