Chapter 526
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Chapter 526
Ice cracked around the edges of a large structure, leaving it to sink into the depths of Atania where the vast majority of the cultivators dwelling inside would not be able to survive on their way to the surface. Yet they also had little hope of surviving if they made it out right away, with The Independence and the rest of the trifold alliance still on the assault. Anton would have preferred to kill only who they had to in the Iceheart Ocean, but they didnt have the luxury of being selective. As a sect they were participating in the war, and without some reliable method of communication they couldnt even warn them off without something extreme like this. Setting up some method of communication was on the agenda, however.
Spirit Arrows pierced into enemy disciples. Their individual combat strength varied, but their real value lay elsewhere. Healing was of extreme value after a combat, returning people to full fighting capability- but even the best could hardly contribute to such an end meaningfully mid combat. Destruction was simply more efficient. Thus, the Iceheart Oceans combat power seemed somewhat on the weaker side, though Anton understood that his personal strength was skewing things as well.
They were most of the way finished with their intentions for the first region when the local Worldbinding cultivator finally showed up. That was the weakness of there being limited things in place to catch them further out and provide advance warning. Either the Sylanis Cluster didnt have the techniques necessary to do so or they couldnt work together well enough to create a system-blanketing option. Anton leaned towards the latter, but it could have been both- though he expected them to develop it as they saw the successes of the trifold alliance.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
According to their information, this man was Carlitos Anselmo. He had great healing capabilities, but also strong defensive capacity and more importantly he was bound to the entire planet. Anton began his offensive with a simple shot that he fully expected to be dodged, blocked, or negated by energy defenses. He was surprised when his arrow went right through the mans chest. A hole, straight through his heart. Then the hole closed immediately.
Antons thoughts moved through the various possibilities as quick as light. An illusion? An artificial body? No, Anton had felt the proper power as he passed through with his arrow. This was the real Carlitos. Instant regeneration? Hed already determined that was inefficient and likely beyond anyone on that level, regrowing vital things such as pieces of the heart was nearly impossible. Then the only answer was hed simply not taken any real damage. Anton had no more time to ponder as he tested with more attacks, because Carlitos retaliated.
Not against Anton specifically- though it was possible that he would be on the list. Instead, he first focused on the weakest masses all at once. Mountains of ice rose up and valleys dropped as everything shifted, freezing liquids that should be gasses anywhere else splashing out of the sea below. Attacks took the form of spikes of ice or simple entrapment, at high speed and on a wide scale. Many perished, but while the casualties were unfortunate that was still within expected tolerances for a Worldbinding cultivator. He didnt kill much faster than Anton could for those who were equivalent. Being at his source of power, however, the man could use his full strength.
Anton tested piercing the brain and every limb, eventually determining that he did in fact inflict damage. Just not much. Instead, the body of Carlitos rippled like water, Anton merely carving out small portions of his body, tiny wounds which were quickly recovered while the rest flowed back together. He changed tactics- usually he had to pierce through defensive energy, so a concentrated attack was optimal. Now, he switched to something more widespread, widening his arrows into blades. Even if he only cut a very thin line, that was vastly more than a point. Antons assumptions were justified when Carlitos began to surround himself in sheets of ice to protect himself.
It was unfortunate for him, strong as he was, that he was just one man. The Independence was able to ignore lesser opponents who had come with him and instead focus fire on the man with their strongest attacks, blasting through his defenses and forcing him to dodge and expend energy directly protecting himself. That gave Anton more opportunities to utilize his attacks that were focused on an area smaller than a building, slicing off an arm- though it instantly reattached, Anton felt there were brief moments where it was held on merely by energy and not knit flesh.
Between the power of The Independence and Anton, Carlitos stood no chance. Perhaps that was why he was desperately killing as many cultivators as he could. That wouldnt last long, because there was one more not counting the Great Queen. Great chains of fire and blood wound their way through the area, radiating auras of passion, pain, and determination. Devon was on the ground, merely a few hundred meters from Carlitos. The man instantly felt the danger and slammed together two mountains of ice in an attempt to crush Devon but even if Devon was merely in the early stages of Assimilation, he was still more than a couple steps above Life Transformation in power.
It is troublesome, the Great Queen added her own input. I understand humans lack the same unity void ants tend to share, but these humans are particularly far from that unity.
Anton shrugged, Ceretos just got lucky that we had a proper cause to unite behind, which we really dont want to give to the Sylanis Cluster. Thats why were intending to pick and choose our targets. Anton focused his energy senses on one portion of The Independence that was being carefully defrosted- it had remained in orbit and its barriers were sufficiently powerful to protect it, but the Worldbinding cultivator had still managed to cause a bit of damage in his brief assault on it directly. Nothing that couldnt be quickly repaired, and Anton was glad that the first real field test of the vessel was successful so far.
Where are we heading next? Devon asked. I forgot what order we decided on.
Cheitov. A terrestrial planet. Its one of the places where the most popular wood for the local ships comes from, as well as some of the rarer sorts, Anton said. I suppose you didnt see them. There were some that carried regenerating thorns launched and controlled by one of the local sects. In a way, you could consider them archers.
Will we see you in an archery contest, then? Devon asked. Or perhaps something like the Grandfather Willow?
We dont have any indications they have anything quite that size, Anton said. Well be staying away from some of the larger ones for safety reasons. Besides, destroying planetary treasures if were planning to press for peace is bad for our successes. Probably, Anton shrugged, Perhaps it would drive them into despair or awe of our power, but the more likely result is rage and indignity.
-----
It was only a matter of hours for them to arrive over Cheitov. Some ships could have been much faster, but for the sake of giving people a chance to rest and recover- and for The Independence to perform basic repairs on itself and the fighters it carried- they took a more measured approach. Keeping a large fleet together with different methods of movement was also somewhat difficult, but the different origins hadnt consolidated into some perfect whole yet. Perhaps they never would- each system had reasons they did what they did, and they simply preferred certain tradeoffs over others.
Antons initial view of Cheitov made him think it was quite pleasant. Its massive continents were coated in the green of treetops- though there were clear sections that had recently been harvested where nothing had grown back yet. At least they were sensible enough to manage their forests, though Anton didnt imagine they would have lasted long if they didnt. It wasnt necessarily a matter of care as much as practicality. And though certain cultivators certainly didnt care what damage they caused to an area, any who lasted multiple centuries had to find some sort of balance or risk destruction.
The Independence and the rest of the fleet maneuvered themselves towards one of the larger cities, on the outskirts of which was a starport where a good portion of the local wood exports took place. That meant they had massive warehouses just full of wood, dry enough to catch on fire unlike the surrounding forests. Not that burning down all the forests on the planet would have been advisable even if it was practical. They werent intending a war of extermination, quite the opposite. They just wanted things to stop while taking out those most responsible for all of the trouble.
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Chapter 526
Ice cracked around the edges of a large structure, leaving it to sink into the depths of Atania where the vast majority of the cultivators dwelling inside would not be able to survive on their way to the surface. Yet they also had little hope of surviving if they made it out right away, with The Independence and the rest of the trifold alliance still on the assault. Anton would have preferred to kill only who they had to in the Iceheart Ocean, but they didnt have the luxury of being selective. As a sect they were participating in the war, and without some reliable method of communication they couldnt even warn them off without something extreme like this. Setting up some method of communication was on the agenda, however.
Spirit Arrows pierced into enemy disciples. Their individual combat strength varied, but their real value lay elsewhere. Healing was of extreme value after a combat, returning people to full fighting capability- but even the best could hardly contribute to such an end meaningfully mid combat. Destruction was simply more efficient. Thus, the Iceheart Oceans combat power seemed somewhat on the weaker side, though Anton understood that his personal strength was skewing things as well.
They were most of the way finished with their intentions for the first region when the local Worldbinding cultivator finally showed up. That was the weakness of there being limited things in place to catch them further out and provide advance warning. Either the Sylanis Cluster didnt have the techniques necessary to do so or they couldnt work together well enough to create a system-blanketing option. Anton leaned towards the latter, but it could have been both- though he expected them to develop it as they saw the successes of the trifold alliance.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
According to their information, this man was Carlitos Anselmo. He had great healing capabilities, but also strong defensive capacity and more importantly he was bound to the entire planet. Anton began his offensive with a simple shot that he fully expected to be dodged, blocked, or negated by energy defenses. He was surprised when his arrow went right through the mans chest. A hole, straight through his heart. Then the hole closed immediately.
Antons thoughts moved through the various possibilities as quick as light. An illusion? An artificial body? No, Anton had felt the proper power as he passed through with his arrow. This was the real Carlitos. Instant regeneration? Hed already determined that was inefficient and likely beyond anyone on that level, regrowing vital things such as pieces of the heart was nearly impossible. Then the only answer was hed simply not taken any real damage. Anton had no more time to ponder as he tested with more attacks, because Carlitos retaliated.
Not against Anton specifically- though it was possible that he would be on the list. Instead, he first focused on the weakest masses all at once. Mountains of ice rose up and valleys dropped as everything shifted, freezing liquids that should be gasses anywhere else splashing out of the sea below. Attacks took the form of spikes of ice or simple entrapment, at high speed and on a wide scale. Many perished, but while the casualties were unfortunate that was still within expected tolerances for a Worldbinding cultivator. He didnt kill much faster than Anton could for those who were equivalent. Being at his source of power, however, the man could use his full strength.
Anton tested piercing the brain and every limb, eventually determining that he did in fact inflict damage. Just not much. Instead, the body of Carlitos rippled like water, Anton merely carving out small portions of his body, tiny wounds which were quickly recovered while the rest flowed back together. He changed tactics- usually he had to pierce through defensive energy, so a concentrated attack was optimal. Now, he switched to something more widespread, widening his arrows into blades. Even if he only cut a very thin line, that was vastly more than a point. Antons assumptions were justified when Carlitos began to surround himself in sheets of ice to protect himself.
It was unfortunate for him, strong as he was, that he was just one man. The Independence was able to ignore lesser opponents who had come with him and instead focus fire on the man with their strongest attacks, blasting through his defenses and forcing him to dodge and expend energy directly protecting himself. That gave Anton more opportunities to utilize his attacks that were focused on an area smaller than a building, slicing off an arm- though it instantly reattached, Anton felt there were brief moments where it was held on merely by energy and not knit flesh.
Between the power of The Independence and Anton, Carlitos stood no chance. Perhaps that was why he was desperately killing as many cultivators as he could. That wouldnt last long, because there was one more not counting the Great Queen. Great chains of fire and blood wound their way through the area, radiating auras of passion, pain, and determination. Devon was on the ground, merely a few hundred meters from Carlitos. The man instantly felt the danger and slammed together two mountains of ice in an attempt to crush Devon but even if Devon was merely in the early stages of Assimilation, he was still more than a couple steps above Life Transformation in power.
It is troublesome, the Great Queen added her own input. I understand humans lack the same unity void ants tend to share, but these humans are particularly far from that unity.
Anton shrugged, Ceretos just got lucky that we had a proper cause to unite behind, which we really dont want to give to the Sylanis Cluster. Thats why were intending to pick and choose our targets. Anton focused his energy senses on one portion of The Independence that was being carefully defrosted- it had remained in orbit and its barriers were sufficiently powerful to protect it, but the Worldbinding cultivator had still managed to cause a bit of damage in his brief assault on it directly. Nothing that couldnt be quickly repaired, and Anton was glad that the first real field test of the vessel was successful so far.
Where are we heading next? Devon asked. I forgot what order we decided on.
Cheitov. A terrestrial planet. Its one of the places where the most popular wood for the local ships comes from, as well as some of the rarer sorts, Anton said. I suppose you didnt see them. There were some that carried regenerating thorns launched and controlled by one of the local sects. In a way, you could consider them archers.
Will we see you in an archery contest, then? Devon asked. Or perhaps something like the Grandfather Willow?
We dont have any indications they have anything quite that size, Anton said. Well be staying away from some of the larger ones for safety reasons. Besides, destroying planetary treasures if were planning to press for peace is bad for our successes. Probably, Anton shrugged, Perhaps it would drive them into despair or awe of our power, but the more likely result is rage and indignity.
-----
It was only a matter of hours for them to arrive over Cheitov. Some ships could have been much faster, but for the sake of giving people a chance to rest and recover- and for The Independence to perform basic repairs on itself and the fighters it carried- they took a more measured approach. Keeping a large fleet together with different methods of movement was also somewhat difficult, but the different origins hadnt consolidated into some perfect whole yet. Perhaps they never would- each system had reasons they did what they did, and they simply preferred certain tradeoffs over others.
Antons initial view of Cheitov made him think it was quite pleasant. Its massive continents were coated in the green of treetops- though there were clear sections that had recently been harvested where nothing had grown back yet. At least they were sensible enough to manage their forests, though Anton didnt imagine they would have lasted long if they didnt. It wasnt necessarily a matter of care as much as practicality. And though certain cultivators certainly didnt care what damage they caused to an area, any who lasted multiple centuries had to find some sort of balance or risk destruction.
The Independence and the rest of the fleet maneuvered themselves towards one of the larger cities, on the outskirts of which was a starport where a good portion of the local wood exports took place. That meant they had massive warehouses just full of wood, dry enough to catch on fire unlike the surrounding forests. Not that burning down all the forests on the planet would have been advisable even if it was practical. They werent intending a war of extermination, quite the opposite. They just wanted things to stop while taking out those most responsible for all of the trouble.
Chapter 526Ice cracked around the edges of a large structure, leaving it to sink into the depths of Atania where the vast majority of the cultivators dwelling inside would not be able to survive on their way to the surface. Yet they also had little hope of surviving if they made it out right away, with The Independence and the rest of the trifold alliance still on the assault. Anton would have preferred to kill only who they had to in the Iceheart Ocean, but they didnt have the luxury of being selective. As a sect they were participating in the war, and without some reliable method of communication they couldnt even warn them off without something extreme like this. Setting up some method of communication was on the agenda, however.Spirit Arrows pierced into enemy disciples. Their individual combat strength varied, but their real value lay elsewhere. Healing was of extreme value after a combat, returning people to full fighting capability- but even the best could hardly contribute to such an end meaningfully mid combat. Destruction was simply more efficient. Thus, the Iceheart Oceans combat power seemed somewhat on the weaker side, though Anton understood that his personal strength was skewing things as well.They were most of the way finished with their intentions for the first region when the local Worldbinding cultivator finally showed up. That was the weakness of there being limited things in place to catch them further out and provide advance warning. Either the Sylanis Cluster didnt have the techniques necessary to do so or they couldnt work together well enough to create a system-blanketing option. Anton leaned towards the latter, but it could have been both- though he expected them to develop it as they saw the successes of the trifold alliance.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Nvl-B!n.According to their information, this man was Carlitos Anselmo. He had great healing capabilities, but also strong defensive capacity and more importantly he was bound to the entire planet. Anton began his offensive with a simple shot that he fully expected to be dodged, blocked, or negated by energy defenses. He was surprised when his arrow went right through the mans chest. A hole, straight through his heart. Then the hole closed immediately.Antons thoughts moved through the various possibilities as quick as light. An illusion? An artificial body? No, Anton had felt the proper power as he passed through with his arrow. This was the real Carlitos. Instant regeneration? Hed already determined that was inefficient and likely beyond anyone on that level, regrowing vital things such as pieces of the heart was nearly impossible. Then the only answer was hed simply not taken any real damage. Anton had no more time to ponder as he tested with more attacks, because Carlitos retaliated.Not against Anton specifically- though it was possible that he would be on the list. Instead, he first focused on the weakest masses all at once. Mountains of ice rose up and valleys dropped as everything shifted, freezing liquids that should be gasses anywhere else splashing out of the sea below. Attacks took the form of spikes of ice or simple entrapment, at high speed and on a wide scale. Many perished, but while the casualties were unfortunate that was still within expected tolerances for a Worldbinding cultivator. He didnt kill much faster than Anton could for those who were equivalent. Being at his source of power, however, the man could use his full strength.Anton tested piercing the brain and every limb, eventually determining that he did in fact inflict damage. Just not much. Instead, the body of Carlitos rippled like water, Anton merely carving out small portions of his body, tiny wounds which were quickly recovered while the rest flowed back together. He changed tactics- usually he had to pierce through defensive energy, so a concentrated attack was optimal. Now, he switched to something more widespread, widening his arrows into blades. Even if he only cut a very thin line, that was vastly more than a point. Antons assumptions were justified when Carlitos began to surround himself in sheets of ice to protect himself.It was unfortunate for him, strong as he was, that he was just one man. The Independence was able to ignore lesser opponents who had come with him and instead focus fire on the man with their strongest attacks, blasting through his defenses and forcing him to dodge and expend energy directly protecting himself. That gave Anton more opportunities to utilize his attacks that were focused on an area smaller than a building, slicing off an arm- though it instantly reattached, Anton felt there were brief moments where it was held on merely by energy and not knit flesh.Between the power of The Independence and Anton, Carlitos stood no chance. Perhaps that was why he was desperately killing as many cultivators as he could. That wouldnt last long, because there was one more not counting the Great Queen. Great chains of fire and blood wound their way through the area, radiating auras of passion, pain, and determination. Devon was on the ground, merely a few hundred meters from Carlitos. The man instantly felt the danger and slammed together two mountains of ice in an attempt to crush Devon but even if Devon was merely in the early stages of Assimilation, he was still more than a couple steps above Life Transformation in power.It is troublesome, the Great Queen added her own input. I understand humans lack the same unity void ants tend to share, but these humans are particularly far from that unity.Anton shrugged, Ceretos just got lucky that we had a proper cause to unite behind, which we really dont want to give to the Sylanis Cluster. Thats why were intending to pick and choose our targets. Anton focused his energy senses on one portion of The Independence that was being carefully defrosted- it had remained in orbit and its barriers were sufficiently powerful to protect it, but the Worldbinding cultivator had still managed to cause a bit of damage in his brief assault on it directly. Nothing that couldnt be quickly repaired, and Anton was glad that the first real field test of the vessel was successful so far. Where are we heading next? Devon asked. I forgot what order we decided on.Cheitov. A terrestrial planet. Its one of the places where the most popular wood for the local ships comes from, as well as some of the rarer sorts, Anton said. I suppose you didnt see them. There were some that carried regenerating thorns launched and controlled by one of the local sects. In a way, you could consider them archers.Will we see you in an archery contest, then? Devon asked. Or perhaps something like the Grandfather Willow?We dont have any indications they have anything quite that size, Anton said. Well be staying away from some of the larger ones for safety reasons. Besides, destroying planetary treasures if were planning to press for peace is bad for our successes. Probably, Anton shrugged, Perhaps it would drive them into despair or awe of our power, but the more likely result is rage and indignity.-----It was only a matter of hours for them to arrive over Cheitov. Some ships could have been much faster, but for the sake of giving people a chance to rest and recover- and for The Independence to perform basic repairs on itself and the fighters it carried- they took a more measured approach. Keeping a large fleet together with different methods of movement was also somewhat difficult, but the different origins hadnt consolidated into some perfect whole yet. Perhaps they never would- each system had reasons they did what they did, and they simply preferred certain tradeoffs over others.Antons initial view of Cheitov made him think it was quite pleasant. Its massive continents were coated in the green of treetops- though there were clear sections that had recently been harvested where nothing had grown back yet. At least they were sensible enough to manage their forests, though Anton didnt imagine they would have lasted long if they didnt. It wasnt necessarily a matter of care as much as practicality. And though certain cultivators certainly didnt care what damage they caused to an area, any who lasted multiple centuries had to find some sort of balance or risk destruction. The Independence and the rest of the fleet maneuvered themselves towards one of the larger cities, on the outskirts of which was a starport where a good portion of the local wood exports took place. That meant they had massive warehouses just full of wood, dry enough to catch on fire unlike the surrounding forests. Not that burning down all the forests on the planet would have been advisable even if it was practical. They werent intending a war of extermination, quite the opposite. They just wanted things to stop while taking out those most responsible for all of the trouble.
