Chapter 487


    There was a certain manner in which Anton preferred to fight. As an archer, he of course preferred to keep as much distance between himself and his opponents as possible. And while that was <em>generally</em> true, he didnt usually attack at the very edge of his range. Not because he wouldnt be urate or effective, but because keeping some secrets was worthwhile. Enemies who <em>assumed </em>they knew his maximum range might linger just outside it, or retreat to that distance and if he needed to, he could then take advantage of it.


    He didnt have to think about that much as they hadnded in the middle of enemies- not directly, of course, but when Anton considered anything within a range of two hundred kilometers to be a viable distance it would be more strange for there to be <em>nobody</em> around. Few people were on the surface- Kuchion was cold and dry, with a thin atmosphere that left people preferring the indoors- or the moremon underground.


    Oluchi and some of the others were quickly documenting what information they could about the area the announcement had taken ce. There were no bodies, but determining whether there were captives or those bodies had simply been cleaned up was relevant. Seeing the damage around the area- weapon marks, scars from heat and electricity or anything else that was from a recognizable technique would allow them to judge who they needed to fight. And if the <em>entire</em> ce was under the influence of the Twin Soul Sect, they needed to know that as well.


    Ships iing, Anton said as soon as he noticed them. Whats our response?


    There was a moment of consideration from Oluchi. We cant afford to engage with our vessels stationary. Everyone, board up!


    It was unfortunate for the enemys ground forces that they were just beginning to get within attacking range but they should have thought of that before making their approach. Of course, what they had <em>probably</em> thought was that theyd be dealing with someone who attacked from a more reasonable distance. Theyd just be wrong.


    Even as he was moving towards one of the allied ships, Anton was testing shots at one of the approaching enemies vessels. Actually managing to hit them with the way they distorted space was still a bother, and he had to continually make adjustments so he could be <em>urate</em>. Focusing on the maximum number of shots for testing purposes meant that even when he actually hit his attacks were then absorbed by the actual defensive barriers, since they didnt rely just on the warping of space around them.


    Once he wasfortable, Anton began to draw upon ascension energy. It came to him, stolen from a distant ce, disregarding the normal process. It didnt live within him like any of his other energy, and was controlled only for the moments of his attack. Anton hadnt had many chances to maximize the damage of a single shot since his battle with Everheart, except perhaps sparring with Lev. Even then, he wasnt ever <em>serious</em>. Even if he could disperse his energy in a fraction of a second, if he was uncertain that Lev could defend he would have to cease his attack before it connected at all.


    But these ships were a perfect target. Hed damaged some before, but mostly to weaken them. This time, he was going for something more thorough. His arrow seemed as if it would simply fly off to the side of the vessel, but as it approached the ring its trajectory brought it straight into the side. Usually, Anton kept his arrowspressed into the finest point possible so that he could pierce through vital organs- this time, he needed to cause wider destruction.


    Energy tore off of the arrow, ascension energy flung by the great power of a bow with an ufortable origin. A fist sized hole tore through one side the ring widthwise, continuing through the core of the ship and finally burrowed into the ring on the other side, not quite finishing its journey outward. But hed done enough. Though the ring was muchrger than the hole he had made in it, hed studied the structural design and the damage couldnt be called <em>small</em>. The strain of the ring spinning and the damage to the formations throughout it suddenly released in a burst, causing it to warp and twist. When it finally split apart, a section of it ended up in front of the main body of the vessel, the sudden change in eleration crushing them together.


    Anton knew he couldnt replicate that exact result every time, but he could at the very least expect them to lose functionality. Even with its smaller poption Kuchion would have many starships, but the number of them suitable for war would be far less. Anton had to readjust his aim as the ship he was on left the atmosphere and activated its own distortion. In the time they had before they broke past the iing ships away from the- where the enemy would be drawn away from potential reinforcements- he took down two more, while thebined efforts of Oluchi and the others managed a simr number. Their own vessels took only minimal damage, as they had enough powerful cultivators to put up an active defense as well.


    As they positioned themselves away from Kuchion to go over what they had learned, Oluchi came to find Anton, just inside his emcement. She just looked at him for a while, and he waited for what she wanted to say. Have you already ascended?


    No, Anton said. And I cant. But I have found a viable alternative.


    But that energy I have felt it before.


    And who says I have to ascend to use ascension energy? Anton grinned. Its one of Everhearts techniques.


    ... who?


    Anton was briefly shocked that someone hadnt heard of Everheart. But after thinking about it for a brief moment, it was perfectly logical. Everheart came from Ceretos, and then caused a ruckus in the upper realms. So while both ces would know of him, it wasnt strange that another system in the lower realms didnt. Though that indicated anymunications they had with the upper realms were limited perhaps mostly to invaders.


    Hes the one who produced the basis of our best techniques to root out the Twin Soul Sect. And the anti-ascension techniques we should probably share with you before the tides of the world change again.


    He sounds like a great man.


    Anton snorted. Thats wow.


    Am I incorrect? Oluchi tilted her head. If he is the progenitor of many great techniques, he must be highly honored.


    Well, in a way he might be. He might <em>also</em> be the most hated person in the gxy. Or at least our little slice of it.


    What did he do? Oluchi asked.


    Ill greatly condense it to intentionally angering pretty much every sect who ever came in contact with him.


    Perhaps his misdeeds are simply wrongful usations, Oluchi said. People tend to hate geniuses for their abilities.


    Anton smiled slightly. There was certainly a grain of truth to that but Oh, trust me. He does it on purpose. Ive seen enough of the deathtraps he left behind to tempt people seeking after his wealth. Anton nodded to himself with that same smile. Did Everheart deserve to be the most hated man on Certeos and elsewhere? Absolutely. He worked hard for it. But was he the <em>worst</em> man? Absolutely not. He was an asshole, but he wasnt evil. Or at least, not <em>entirely</em> evil. He was at least a step or two above anyone from the Trigold Cluster- or those like the Glorious Harmony Sect.


    -----


    It was a relief that the ships from Azoth had passed by Sizipra the first time Matija had noticed them, but she couldnt expect it to happen every time. Shed been lucky to sense anything, but had been able to provide a warning to Rutera itself. That had allowed for one of the rare battles that they could actually call a <em>victory</em>. Even now, those who had the most understanding of formations were continuing their study on the enemys adaptive barriers, with a few more samples to work with.


    That was great, but Matija was worried about what might happen where she was and why anyone hade from that direction. She was being bombarded with questions from the military, but she had no answers. Was it an unexpected approach vector? Sure, but why risk getting close to Sizipra? There had to be some reason for that. Did theye out of the sun?


    Alright, that theory was probably a bit extreme and entirely unfounded. There were more logical reasons somewhere. Though she <em>was</em> tempted enough by the idea that she sent a message to Anton asking if that was possible. Who knew what kinds of things <em>real</em> cultivators could get up to?


    <em>Was</em> it connected to the sun, though? Matija might simply be considering it because it was the main subject of her study. She was aware of what Anton had done and while she absolutely believed he both meant no harm and <em>believed</em> there would be no harm, people could be wrong. And even if he was right, they could doubtless learn something amazing.


    Matija began to look at system charts. A few ships showing up was an oddity, but meant nothing. If there was any actual pattern but why would space ships have <em>sails</em>? It made enough sense for the skyships on Ceretos, because they would still be affected by winds, and that was free power. But in space? Sure, sr sails existed, but they had to be gigantic in size and only provided slow eleration. That wasnt it.


    She beganpiling records from battles, though not everything was public. She could ask for information, but she wasnt sure if it would lead to anything and she didnt want to state her theory and bias people towards the wrong thing if she was incorrect. It didnt look like it was amounting to anything anyway. Battles happened all around Rutera.


    -----


    In the guise of Schr Eulogius, Everheart was taking it easy. He <em>was</em> still supposed to be recovering from injuries, after all. It was just a chance to deal with more of the Twin Soul Sect? Theyd better keep their hands off his stuff! Not that this was actually something he had a im to. This was just revenge for past misdeeds, and prevenge for future ones.


    Everheart was delighted to see the interesting things the locals had done with the ce. Floating cities bound to certain heights within a gas giant? That was exactly the sort of stupid crap he liked. Especially since it was also the sort of thing that could all fall apart with one bad day and a couple broken formations. But hey, anyone crazy enough to live in any of those cities wasnt normal to begin with.


    Today, hed been requested to break through a barrier on one of the floating cities. Towns? Nah, a few thousand people was enough to make it a city, especially in such an inhospitable environment.


    ... Does the city need to keep floating? Everheart asked the messenger.


    ... What?


    Is it <em>entirely</em> full of enemies, or are there innocent civilians or crap like that that someone cares about?


    It seems to have been entirely taken into the control of enemy forces.


    Great, Ill go take care of it.


    The battalion is in the other direction, Schr. The man shrunk back as Everhearts eyesnded on him. I could inform them you are leaving?


    Nah, dont bother, Everheart waved the man off. Ill deal with it.


    You will? How?


    Everheart vaguely heard the words, but he was already away from the ship, dropping into the gas giant Bavore below. Winds whipped, pulling him in any and every direction as dense gasses buffeted him. Shards of solid matter attempted to tear him apart, but it would take him bit more than that to make him <em>think</em> about protecting himself more than his casual amount.


    Now lets see, this particr ce mentioned. He could follow it around and catch up in a few days or he could go to where it would show up. The paths the cities took werent entirely predictable based on the winds and such, but that was from the perspective of the locals. Fluid motion in three dimensions wasnt <em>that</em> hard, as long as there were minimal gravity distortions and all that crap. Well, hed be able to get within sensory distance at least. Nothing stood out in this swirling mass of uncontrolled power like something with actual structure to it. Even a <em>small</em> city was a burning bonfire in the night.


    As for how he was going to deal with it, Everheart had a simple solution. There were many ways to make formations stop working, and most of them involved a lot of energy. Just punching a hole straight through would always work with enough force. And while Everheart didnt mind doing that, it was <em>slightly</em> easier to do it a different way. All he needed was a little bit of condensed energy. He pulled out a crystal that was about the right size. Probably a month worth, though it could have been more if it was back in the day. Yeah, that would do.