The exact moment things changed wasn’t something Anton was aware of. It was exhausting to keep a constant eye across the border. Normally, he had just been harassing various ces for a few hours per day, spreading out his attention over multiple systems in subsequent days. He had been hoping his distraction was good enough for the mission. Slowly wearing down at the Swirling Swarm was rather appealing as well, as Anton tried to pick out the strongest foes.


    That was how he knew there weren’t any peak Augmentation cultivators present, and how he knew that it was literally impossible for anyone to reach Domination. And yet… as his senses approached one of thes for another round of punishment, there it was. A strong aura, emanating from a number of different individuals.


    There was no way it was possible. Furthermore, Anton knew that Domination cultivators tended to blend into the Swirling Swarm better than they were currently. Perhaps they were fake. He still had to shoot them regardless, didn’t he?


    It wasn’t just one system. His senses stretched between various ces, finding it happening everywhere within his perception. Were theying for him?


    Anton didn’t care. He knew he had to act, so he did.


    He very quickly determined that either his foes had the worst sense of direction in the universe or they were in fact <em>not</em> trying to reach him. They were all gathering every cultivator from theirs- some of them snatch people up directly. Others at least remembered to bring what ships they had. And <em>one</em> had a handful of Domination cultivators pushing the itself around.


    Anton picked a target. None of them were better than any other until he knew more. Soon he was flying along with some of his arrows, his thoughts focused only on their path. Arrows struck one man first in the sternum. The front of his left shoulder, the back of his right. One came for his belly button, another the back of his head. Two of them pierced through- the right shoulder and the belly, though it didn’t matter where when the torrent of upper energy tore the man apart from the inside.


    They weren’t Domination cultivators… but they couldn’t be anything else. They were weak, weaker than even the Swirling Swarm usually was. And yet, they were stronger than Augmentation, their powers expansive. Powerful. Fragile.


    Anton understood that the Scarlet Alliance’s mission had reached itspletion… though whether this result was a sess or failure was anyone’s guess. He sent off a series of messages for the lower realms, including to Lantilwe. They should hopefully be able to send an emergency message to their friends in the upper realms somehow. And if not… Anton might arrive in time to warn them.


    He was already rtively close to that region. As he felt the Swirling Swarm spreading out- those on the border not really knowing where to go but clearly feeling thepulsion- Anton forced himself to move with great haste while watching them. He couldn’t maintain maximum speed and fight them, not for more than a few hours which would be far from sufficient. However, he could at least monitor the situation.


    More cultivators seemed to forcibly reach Domination, though not all at once. Likewise, Anton witnessed the breakdown of the bodies and cultivations of others over days and weeks. It wasn’t always the first to transform, so it didn’t seem like there was a strict time limit they could wait out. Nor was it those who previously had the weakest cultivations. Perhaps it was talent or some other affinity. It could have been luck, or brashness. Anton suspected that those who were more prone to overusing their new sudden power were more likely to perish, but he only had a small number of data points to judge by.


    He was fairly certain that <em>eventually</em> the problem would solve itself. Unfortunately, systems were already being attacked. He was faster than them- as they had to carry aful of others with them- but not positioned all the way at the southeastern border of the Swirling Swarm.


    Several systems within his new reach were lost before he could do anything. The invasions were quick and brutal, taking no regard for even the structural integrity of local resources. The infrastructure was destroyed as well, so if they intended conquest it was fruitless.


    This was the danger of the Swirling Swarm that they had been warning people about. It left a slight bitter taste in Anton’s mouth that they might have identally provoked it… but they might have already been about to burst. It could have been inevitable, and they might have only gotten more dangerous with time.


    Anton kept his speed, hoping to surpass the front lines of the Swirling Swarm. He needed to reach another star and bind it, creating another fortress to fight from. That was all that he could do, and so he <em>had</em> to do it.


    There was no time to get to know the star well. Fortunately, he did have avable space for the connection.


    “Sorry about this,” Anton said. “But your neighbor across the way might sparkle less brightly if you don’t help.”


    The star said nothing. It was just a star, after all. But if it did feel anything, it was probably warm eptance.


    The Shrieking Spirit Sect was not terribly strong. They had previously had a buffer between them and the Swirling Swarm, but that had suddenly disappeared. From what Anton could see, they were unprepared for an invasion. They hadn’t even noticed anyone wasing.


    Anton found the strongest cultivator among them. A female Augmentation cultivator. “Look to your west!” he urged. “Feel the power rushing towards you. There is less than a day to prepare.”


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    The woman was of course surprised to feel <em>his</em> energy, but she reacted appropriately. Focusing her energy between systems to the west, it was difficult to miss the power of approaching Domination cultivators. The system beyond them simply hadn’t had time to send messages of warning to their neighbors.


    Anton watched long enough to make certain the woman sprang into action. Then he focused his attention on the approaching fleets. This happened to be one of the groups that remembered to bring their ships. They had even swept up many of the previous system’s ships, recing what they lost due to battle and careless navigation. Rather than flying in formation, it was like they were all being pulled along by ropes. Anton watched a few ships crash into each other.


    Eight. That was the number of Domination cultivators he felt among them. It took some time to reach into subspace to scout them out, but they weren’t actually <em>hiding</em>. Once he had targets, he could act.


    One good thing about the Domination cultivators dragging everyone along was that they were more exposed. They did still have masses of other cultivators around them, but they weren’t quite as dense as normal. Just being able to pick them out individually was a huge benefit.


    Anton still had trouble hitting them without connecting with a few hundred others, weakening his attacks. He tried some spectral energy and even small bits of stolen Ascension energy, but neither was better. Then he realized he could just use the opposite of one of his normal tricks.


    Time was of the essence, but that was even more reason for Anton to not waste his efforts. He could consume all of his energy in a few hours, perhaps faster if he was truly reckless. Or he could make use of the full time before the fleet reached the Shrieking Spirit Sect.


    Once he had his vision properly solidified, Anton shot his arrow towards his target. It cut through deepyers of subspace, covering lightyears far faster than even the swiftest vessels, outpacing Anton himself by several orders of magnitude. Striking from a deeperyer of subspace would beplicated, though it <em>could</em> allow Anton to bypass the surrounding cultivators.


    But Anton had a better idea. His arrow curved around in front of the fast-moving fleets. Just before it reached them, it entirely rose out of subspace. Then, at thest instant, it dropped back in.


    The timing was impossibly precise. Anton was only a dozen meters off, but he did end up striking that many extra targets. Still, his arrow reached the Domination cultivator he was after with enough force to cause a real impact. Unfortunately, the density of Ascension energy between systems was lower so the follow-up shockwaves weren’t as great as they could have been.


    He hadn’t <em>expected</em> to take out the Domination cultivator in a single shot- even a false one- but it would have been convenient. He could have packed up and gone home early. Or more likely, moved on to helping another system.


    Anton couldn’t protect everyone, but he <em>could</em> help these people right here. And those beyond them, as the Swarm would inevitably continue onward.


    He had plenty of time to practice weaving his arrow out and in of subspace, and by the tenth shot Anton was more and more precise. He was also better about hitting the part of his target’s body he wished instead of merely getting close enough to detonate his energy. Of course, after being continuously attacked his target shifted their focus to defense.


    Then he shot someone else. There were <em>only</em> eight Domination cultivators. If two or three of them stopped helping the fleets move, they would slow significantly. Another few hours might make all the difference for the Shrieking Spirit Sect. Anton hadn’t actually interacted with any of them- he’d just heard about them from his first round of contact, and briefly inspected them as he passed by along the border to scout where the Swirling Swarm ended. Even so, he wished them the best. He would perform his part to the best of his abilities.


    Raiders were one of the things Anton most despised. Nobody’s homes would be destroyed or their families taken… if he could do anything about it. At the very least, Anton would save <em>some</em>. That he swore to himself.


    Simultaneous strikes were more difficult when having to deal with subspace, rapid motion, and prepared enemies. Anton did his best to wear down defenses. His few attempts to distract the Domination cultivators by attacking nearby vessels reminded him why the Swirling Swarm was awful. They didn’t even think about protecting the ships even for an instant. While it would help the system to have the ships destroyed and many of those aboard dead, the Domination cultivators were a bigger concern. Even false Domination was stronger than anyone they had, able to crush them.


    One, Anton got through the eye destroying the brain. Another left their dantian slightly less protected as Anton seemed to threaten their neck. He took advantage of the brief opening. Then, Anton did nothing for a whole hour. People rxed. He recovered energy. He opened up with a flurry that killed two more on opposite ends of the journey.


    He wanted to take credit for two more, but he barely even scratched them. No, they died because of their own instability. Two Domination cultivators down… but they were really Augmentation cultivators. Strong, but not at the peak of things. Until they were.


    Three more advanced. Anton hoped he wasn’t triggering something that caused that. Still, he couldn’t help but worry he should have started with the Augmentation cultivators. He so far had no way to predict which ones might suddenly disy the aura of Domination, but there were only so many. He added them to the list.


    Five. That was how many remained when the fleets reached the Shrieking Spirit Sect’s territory. At least thetter was prepared. Every single vessel that could enter space had done so, standing against the massive tide of iing Swirling Swarm cultivators. They had no chance at all. Anton resolved to give them one. The rest would be up to them. At least they were ready to fight.


    Anton felt them fire a series of cannons from their vessels. Anton understood where they would have gotten their sect’s name from, though he couldn’t quite <em>hear</em> the sounds. However, he recognized spectral energy as their attacks struck the Swirling Swarm. If the Sect had been slightly stronger, they might have been the perfect counter. With each cultivator that fell, resonant waves spread out and struck many more. That amplified the destruction they caused tenfold. Unfortunately, the chain reaction wasn’t <em>endless</em>. It became sessively weaker with each wave. Still, they caused more damage than Anton could have anticipated. If he could handle the Domination cultivators…


    But he didn’t have long. Even with attacks already on the way, Anton was concerned about his chances.


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