Chapter 518
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Chapter 518
The metal blade-bow in Antons hands was still the optimal medium for turning his Spirit Arrows into sharp, wide attacks. He had learned how to control his energy to amplify or minimize the effect, should he wish to, but right now wider scale attacks seemed useful even if there was only a single opponent.
A blade of energy several meters wide cut into and through white bone, reflecting the dull light of the distant star. As the bones fell and shattered into the mountain that they crawled out of, more came to replace them. There was always more but Anton couldnt think of much else to do but at least act like a threat.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
The hostage exchange had gone perfectly, until this thing showed up- a mountain of bones of all shapes and sizes, ripping itself out of space behind space to attack those who were leaving. One of three ships was nearly wiped clean of life in the first wave of deadly spectral energy, bypassing the standard barriers the Sylanis Cluster used. One would assume that they would be on the same side, as the individual who was presumably Bala Sykora at the center of the whole bone abomination was also part of them. But Anton was already aware that the Sylanis Clusters internal politics werent actually united.
But as much as Anton would absolutely like to see them fight each other to the death, the two he had captured were still weak and wouldnt put up much of a fight- and if they died this first attempt at some sort of diplomacy would be ruined. If they were going to die, they needed to do so back on their own territory or at least after reporting this situation. Thus, Anton and the others from the trifold alliance would fight against this thing.
Something about Antons assault was sufficient to draw attention, though he couldnt imagine hed done any notable damage yet, even with the others initial volley. But perhaps there was some weakness to be found, or they simply thought it would be more entertaining to kill Anton. He couldnt tell.
The one thing he knew was that he had to dodge the bolts of spectral energy coming for him. In the grand scheme of things this battle was fairly close- only a small number of kilometers between him and at least the edge of this mountain of writhing, flowing bone.
His eyes were useless in determining the trajectory of the spectral energy, but he found the bolts werent exceptionally quick by his standards. Even as they bent towards him, he was able to direct his movement to avoid it. Unfortunately, his attempts to shoot down the incoming attacks were fruitless. Just like his own usage of spectral energy, it was nearly non-interactive if its controller didnt wish for it.
Anton didnt hesitate to draw up on some ascension energy, attempting to pierce deep into the core of the structure. He had a decent idea where the controller of it all was, and his shot drilled its way through bones. Humans bones were extremely common as he sunk into the mass of bones, but he also noted beasts of all kinds. From small woodland creatures to sea life and birds, there were also larger specimens. Great turtles, snakes, lizards, something Anton could only assume was a dragon of some sort, and large humanoids. He even thought he saw phoenix bones- somehow not turned to ash upon their death but entrapped in its current form. Then, he faded.
He hadnt actually expected his attack to reach his target to begin with- he merely wanted to remain a threat. The point was to have the focus on him, and minimize attacks on others. It worked to some extent. The actual bolts of spectral energy remained targeted on him, fading away after they went past him. He couldnt be certain that was the actual limit of this opponent or if they were merely trying to throw him off, so he had to keep his senses alert in all directions.
Unfortunately, the bone mountain-ship released another large pulse of energy, this time finishing off whoever was in the closest Sylanis Cluster ship, not that Anton had sensed much life. And, despite the other two ships pulling away, the bone ship had pulled closer to them. One was inside the area, the pulse of death drawing from those on board and Anton sensed the life of Zarina winking out. The one that bound herself to ships, apparently too weak to take control of her ships barrier or more likely never capable of resisting spectral energy to begin with. Not fully.
The issue was whether or not they could manage to survive that long. After the second pulse the Ruteran fighters had kept their distance- or rather, the sane ones had- but the larger ships were still oriented towards the incoming bone ship. It would take them some effort to turn away, but they were already on a path where they were planning to circle the bone sphere.
Shards of bone exploded near Anton, and he was quite glad for the assistance of others in destroying the various sized blobs of death. He was unable to provide any significant suppression to the main ship now, having to focus on defending himself, but he was glad there were at least reasonable sized targets. Even better, when the bones were broken and destroyed they seemed to stay that way. He wouldnt bet on it, of course. His defensive energy kept the shards and bone dust away from him.
The bolts of spectral energy were still the most lethal threat, but he had to dodge individual grasping arms now. Some he destroyed, the myriad of energy bows around him shattering them to dust. Most he managed to avoid. A small few reached him with bony claws or other appendages, scraping against his energy defenses- and then stretching inside, spectral energy buried within them sinking into his shoulder, his side, his thigh. The latter, at least, was not immediately concerning.
The organized retreat of their fleet brought them deeper into the system. Anton only had a small increase in power, but he needed everything he could get. At the moment, he was looking for an optimal route to escape the piles of bones around him. They were being constantly replaced from the main body as they were destroyed, but not quite as fast as they were being taken out, and the travel time to him was another factor.
Anton had no intention to sacrifice himself for the rest of the fleet- not even if he thought it would actually work, which he didnt believe. Once his opening came, he would withdraw. He wasnt sure if it was imagined, but he thought he just felt the other small fleet at the edge of his senses. Reinforcements should be soon, he hoped.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. Whatever trajectory the bones around him were on the kept, The small masses didnt have their own gravity, and without whatever control was over them they began to split apart. There were no more bolts of spectral energy.
Anton continued to destroy the bones around him, in case it was a ploy, while his senses focused on the main mountain. Bala Sykora was not dead. Or even injured, as far as he could tell. But the great bone hands stretched from it, tearing into space itself and it began to pull itself away. The background of the stars stretched around the vessel and then it was gone- leaving behind the bones around Anton, and the bodies of the cultivators who had landed upon the main bone mass. All were dead- many from the second pulse, but others from fighting against the thing itself. That included Elder Intan. That hurt, not just because he was a friend- but because he was one of the most likely candidates to reach Ascension or Assimilation. Even if he had chosen Ascension and left, Anton would have known he was doing somethingsomewhere. But now, he was gone.
Ty Quigley was alive. His ship nearly crashed into the hangar, a dozen cultivators on board being the only thing that stopped it from a violent impact. Even from afar, Anton could sense the changes. Stark white hair, wrinkles far beyond his age. But as the man staggered out of his cockpit, the grip he had on his sword was determined.
Finding the Great Queen was impossible. Looking for a palm sized pocket of nothing in a volume of so many cubic kilometers was more than even Antons exceptional senses could manage. Fortunately, she found him. As everything remaining was being recovered- bodies and valuable materials from broken ships- the Great Queen landed on Antons forehead. She pulled back slightly, fluttering around in front of him. Several of her legs were mangled, but her front limbs and antennae were intact- sufficiently for her to sign, at least. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach that foul demon. I need a nap.
And she no doubt deserved it. Anton had the idea that she was a significant contributing factor to Balas retreat, though of course he would have to wait for a full explanation. Until then, Anton and the others would have to return to Rutera, binding their wounds as they could.
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Chapter 518
The metal blade-bow in Antons hands was still the optimal medium for turning his Spirit Arrows into sharp, wide attacks. He had learned how to control his energy to amplify or minimize the effect, should he wish to, but right now wider scale attacks seemed useful even if there was only a single opponent.
A blade of energy several meters wide cut into and through white bone, reflecting the dull light of the distant star. As the bones fell and shattered into the mountain that they crawled out of, more came to replace them. There was always more but Anton couldnt think of much else to do but at least act like a threat.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
The hostage exchange had gone perfectly, until this thing showed up- a mountain of bones of all shapes and sizes, ripping itself out of space behind space to attack those who were leaving. One of three ships was nearly wiped clean of life in the first wave of deadly spectral energy, bypassing the standard barriers the Sylanis Cluster used. One would assume that they would be on the same side, as the individual who was presumably Bala Sykora at the center of the whole bone abomination was also part of them. But Anton was already aware that the Sylanis Clusters internal politics werent actually united.
But as much as Anton would absolutely like to see them fight each other to the death, the two he had captured were still weak and wouldnt put up much of a fight- and if they died this first attempt at some sort of diplomacy would be ruined. If they were going to die, they needed to do so back on their own territory or at least after reporting this situation. Thus, Anton and the others from the trifold alliance would fight against this thing.
Something about Antons assault was sufficient to draw attention, though he couldnt imagine hed done any notable damage yet, even with the others initial volley. But perhaps there was some weakness to be found, or they simply thought it would be more entertaining to kill Anton. He couldnt tell.
The one thing he knew was that he had to dodge the bolts of spectral energy coming for him. In the grand scheme of things this battle was fairly close- only a small number of kilometers between him and at least the edge of this mountain of writhing, flowing bone.
His eyes were useless in determining the trajectory of the spectral energy, but he found the bolts werent exceptionally quick by his standards. Even as they bent towards him, he was able to direct his movement to avoid it. Unfortunately, his attempts to shoot down the incoming attacks were fruitless. Just like his own usage of spectral energy, it was nearly non-interactive if its controller didnt wish for it.
Anton didnt hesitate to draw up on some ascension energy, attempting to pierce deep into the core of the structure. He had a decent idea where the controller of it all was, and his shot drilled its way through bones. Humans bones were extremely common as he sunk into the mass of bones, but he also noted beasts of all kinds. From small woodland creatures to sea life and birds, there were also larger specimens. Great turtles, snakes, lizards, something Anton could only assume was a dragon of some sort, and large humanoids. He even thought he saw phoenix bones- somehow not turned to ash upon their death but entrapped in its current form. Then, he faded.
He hadnt actually expected his attack to reach his target to begin with- he merely wanted to remain a threat. The point was to have the focus on him, and minimize attacks on others. It worked to some extent. The actual bolts of spectral energy remained targeted on him, fading away after they went past him. He couldnt be certain that was the actual limit of this opponent or if they were merely trying to throw him off, so he had to keep his senses alert in all directions.
Unfortunately, the bone mountain-ship released another large pulse of energy, this time finishing off whoever was in the closest Sylanis Cluster ship, not that Anton had sensed much life. And, despite the other two ships pulling away, the bone ship had pulled closer to them. One was inside the area, the pulse of death drawing from those on board and Anton sensed the life of Zarina winking out. The one that bound herself to ships, apparently too weak to take control of her ships barrier or more likely never capable of resisting spectral energy to begin with. Not fully.
The issue was whether or not they could manage to survive that long. After the second pulse the Ruteran fighters had kept their distance- or rather, the sane ones had- but the larger ships were still oriented towards the incoming bone ship. It would take them some effort to turn away, but they were already on a path where they were planning to circle the bone sphere.
Shards of bone exploded near Anton, and he was quite glad for the assistance of others in destroying the various sized blobs of death. He was unable to provide any significant suppression to the main ship now, having to focus on defending himself, but he was glad there were at least reasonable sized targets. Even better, when the bones were broken and destroyed they seemed to stay that way. He wouldnt bet on it, of course. His defensive energy kept the shards and bone dust away from him.
The bolts of spectral energy were still the most lethal threat, but he had to dodge individual grasping arms now. Some he destroyed, the myriad of energy bows around him shattering them to dust. Most he managed to avoid. A small few reached him with bony claws or other appendages, scraping against his energy defenses- and then stretching inside, spectral energy buried within them sinking into his shoulder, his side, his thigh. The latter, at least, was not immediately concerning.
The organized retreat of their fleet brought them deeper into the system. Anton only had a small increase in power, but he needed everything he could get. At the moment, he was looking for an optimal route to escape the piles of bones around him. They were being constantly replaced from the main body as they were destroyed, but not quite as fast as they were being taken out, and the travel time to him was another factor.
Anton had no intention to sacrifice himself for the rest of the fleet- not even if he thought it would actually work, which he didnt believe. Once his opening came, he would withdraw. He wasnt sure if it was imagined, but he thought he just felt the other small fleet at the edge of his senses. Reinforcements should be soon, he hoped.
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. Whatever trajectory the bones around him were on the kept, The small masses didnt have their own gravity, and without whatever control was over them they began to split apart. There were no more bolts of spectral energy.
Anton continued to destroy the bones around him, in case it was a ploy, while his senses focused on the main mountain. Bala Sykora was not dead. Or even injured, as far as he could tell. But the great bone hands stretched from it, tearing into space itself and it began to pull itself away. The background of the stars stretched around the vessel and then it was gone- leaving behind the bones around Anton, and the bodies of the cultivators who had landed upon the main bone mass. All were dead- many from the second pulse, but others from fighting against the thing itself. That included Elder Intan. That hurt, not just because he was a friend- but because he was one of the most likely candidates to reach Ascension or Assimilation. Even if he had chosen Ascension and left, Anton would have known he was doing somethingsomewhere. But now, he was gone.
Ty Quigley was alive. His ship nearly crashed into the hangar, a dozen cultivators on board being the only thing that stopped it from a violent impact. Even from afar, Anton could sense the changes. Stark white hair, wrinkles far beyond his age. But as the man staggered out of his cockpit, the grip he had on his sword was determined.
Finding the Great Queen was impossible. Looking for a palm sized pocket of nothing in a volume of so many cubic kilometers was more than even Antons exceptional senses could manage. Fortunately, she found him. As everything remaining was being recovered- bodies and valuable materials from broken ships- the Great Queen landed on Antons forehead. She pulled back slightly, fluttering around in front of him. Several of her legs were mangled, but her front limbs and antennae were intact- sufficiently for her to sign, at least. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach that foul demon. I need a nap.
And she no doubt deserved it. Anton had the idea that she was a significant contributing factor to Balas retreat, though of course he would have to wait for a full explanation. Until then, Anton and the others would have to return to Rutera, binding their wounds as they could.
Chapter 518The metal blade-bow in Antons hands was still the optimal medium for turning his Spirit Arrows into sharp, wide attacks. He had learned how to control his energy to amplify or minimize the effect, should he wish to, but right now wider scale attacks seemed useful even if there was only a single opponent.A blade of energy several meters wide cut into and through white bone, reflecting the dull light of the distant star. As the bones fell and shattered into the mountain that they crawled out of, more came to replace them. There was always more but Anton couldnt think of much else to do but at least act like a threat.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.The hostage exchange had gone perfectly, until this thing showed up- a mountain of bones of all shapes and sizes, ripping itself out of space behind space to attack those who were leaving. One of three ships was nearly wiped clean of life in the first wave of deadly spectral energy, bypassing the standard barriers the Sylanis Cluster used. One would assume that they would be on the same side, as the individual who was presumably Bala Sykora at the center of the whole bone abomination was also part of them. But Anton was already aware that the Sylanis Clusters internal politics werent actually united.But as much as Anton would absolutely like to see them fight each other to the death, the two he had captured were still weak and wouldnt put up much of a fight- and if they died this first attempt at some sort of diplomacy would be ruined. If they were going to die, they needed to do so back on their own territory or at least after reporting this situation. Thus, Anton and the others from the trifold alliance would fight against this thing.Something about Antons assault was sufficient to draw attention, though he couldnt imagine hed done any notable damage yet, even with the others initial volley. But perhaps there was some weakness to be found, or they simply thought it would be more entertaining to kill Anton. He couldnt tell. The one thing he knew was that he had to dodge the bolts of spectral energy coming for him. In the grand scheme of things this battle was fairly close- only a small number of kilometers between him and at least the edge of this mountain of writhing, flowing bone. His eyes were useless in determining the trajectory of the spectral energy, but he found the bolts werent exceptionally quick by his standards. Even as they bent towards him, he was able to direct his movement to avoid it. Unfortunately, his attempts to shoot down the incoming attacks were fruitless. Just like his own usage of spectral energy, it was nearly non-interactive if its controller didnt wish for it.Anton didnt hesitate to draw up on some ascension energy, attempting to pierce deep into the core of the structure. He had a decent idea where the controller of it all was, and his shot drilled its way through bones. Humans bones were extremely common as he sunk into the mass of bones, but he also noted beasts of all kinds. From small woodland creatures to sea life and birds, there were also larger specimens. Great turtles, snakes, lizards, something Anton could only assume was a dragon of some sort, and large humanoids. He even thought he saw phoenix bones- somehow not turned to ash upon their death but entrapped in its current form. Then, he faded.He hadnt actually expected his attack to reach his target to begin with- he merely wanted to remain a threat. The point was to have the focus on him, and minimize attacks on others. It worked to some extent. The actual bolts of spectral energy remained targeted on him, fading away after they went past him. He couldnt be certain that was the actual limit of this opponent or if they were merely trying to throw him off, so he had to keep his senses alert in all directions.Unfortunately, the bone mountain-ship released another large pulse of energy, this time finishing off whoever was in the closest Sylanis Cluster ship, not that Anton had sensed much life. And, despite the other two ships pulling away, the bone ship had pulled closer to them. One was inside the area, the pulse of death drawing from those on board and Anton sensed the life of Zarina winking out. The one that bound herself to ships, apparently too weak to take control of her ships barrier or more likely never capable of resisting spectral energy to begin with. Not fully.The issue was whether or not they could manage to survive that long. After the second pulse the Ruteran fighters had kept their distance- or rather, the sane ones had- but the larger ships were still oriented towards the incoming bone ship. It would take them some effort to turn away, but they were already on a path where they were planning to circle the bone sphere. Shards of bone exploded near Anton, and he was quite glad for the assistance of others in destroying the various sized blobs of death. He was unable to provide any significant suppression to the main ship now, having to focus on defending himself, but he was glad there were at least reasonable sized targets. Even better, when the bones were broken and destroyed they seemed to stay that way. He wouldnt bet on it, of course. His defensive energy kept the shards and bone dust away from him.The bolts of spectral energy were still the most lethal threat, but he had to dodge individual grasping arms now. Some he destroyed, the myriad of energy bows around him shattering them to dust. Most he managed to avoid. A small few reached him with bony claws or other appendages, scraping against his energy defenses- and then stretching inside, spectral energy buried within them sinking into his shoulder, his side, his thigh. The latter, at least, was not immediately concerning. The organized retreat of their fleet brought them deeper into the system. Anton only had a small increase in power, but he needed everything he could get. At the moment, he was looking for an optimal route to escape the piles of bones around him. They were being constantly replaced from the main body as they were destroyed, but not quite as fast as they were being taken out, and the travel time to him was another factor. Anton had no intention to sacrifice himself for the rest of the fleet- not even if he thought it would actually work, which he didnt believe. Once his opening came, he would withdraw. He wasnt sure if it was imagined, but he thought he just felt the other small fleet at the edge of his senses. Reinforcements should be soon, he hoped.Then, suddenly, everything stopped. Whatever trajectory the bones around him were on the kept, The small masses didnt have their own gravity, and without whatever control was over them they began to split apart. There were no more bolts of spectral energy.Anton continued to destroy the bones around him, in case it was a ploy, while his senses focused on the main mountain. Bala Sykora was not dead. Or even injured, as far as he could tell. But the great bone hands stretched from it, tearing into space itself and it began to pull itself away. The background of the stars stretched around the vessel and then it was gone- leaving behind the bones around Anton, and the bodies of the cultivators who had landed upon the main bone mass. All were dead- many from the second pulse, but others from fighting against the thing itself. That included Elder Intan. That hurt, not just because he was a friend- but because he was one of the most likely candidates to reach Ascension or Assimilation. Even if he had chosen Ascension and left, Anton would have known he was doing somethingsomewhere. But now, he was gone.Ty Quigley was alive. His ship nearly crashed into the hangar, a dozen cultivators on board being the only thing that stopped it from a violent impact. Even from afar, Anton could sense the changes. Stark white hair, wrinkles far beyond his age. But as the man staggered out of his cockpit, the grip he had on his sword was determined. Finding the Great Queen was impossible. Looking for a palm sized pocket of nothing in a volume of so many cubic kilometers was more than even Antons exceptional senses could manage. Fortunately, she found him. As everything remaining was being recovered- bodies and valuable materials from broken ships- the Great Queen landed on Antons forehead. She pulled back slightly, fluttering around in front of him. Several of her legs were mangled, but her front limbs and antennae were intact- sufficiently for her to sign, at least. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach that foul demon. I need a nap.And she no doubt deserved it. Anton had the idea that she was a significant contributing factor to Balas retreat, though of course he would have to wait for a full explanation. Until then, Anton and the others would have to return to Rutera, binding their wounds as they could.
