Elder Cultivator

Chapter 1099

When they next met up in person, Anton took a good look at Varghese. “When I first reached Assimilation I came back... crispy. You learned from my mistakes and were able to keep yourself whole, but who would have thought you would return in Enrichment while still aflame?”

Varghese looked down at his arm, flickering like a flame- the structure itself dissipating and reforming. “I suppose you could call this that. Fire wasn’t really one of my focuses... but I suppose now I am tied to it.”

“How does it feel?” Anton asked.

“Well... it’s not painful or anything. But it’s certainly odd. I don’t think I would choose this if I was informed.” Varghese grit his teeth, appearing fully solid for a few moments. “I think it will take me a while to stabilize. Speaking of which, thank you for keeping our mutual stars steady. I couldn’t have handled them all on my own.”

Anton nodded. “Even if it wasn’t necessary for my own benefit, I wouldn’t let my apprentice perish when I could do something. Though I suppose with you being in the same stage now, perhaps we’re equals.”

“Hah! As if I would believe that now. I was vaguely aware of how far Enrichment could stretch before reaching it, but you’re quite far ahead of where I am now. You might even be close to the next advancement, if it exists.”

“Well,” Anton stroked his chin. “I haven’t seen an end to the path of cultivation yet. But whether or not I can make it is uncertain. Then again, what need have I for more power? At best, I’d like to be able to consistently defeat our strongest enemies.”

“Expecting more Domination cultivators?” Varghese asked.

“Not if they know what’s good for them,” Anton retorted. “Though perhaps there is a stage beyond even that. The mysteries are not well known to us, so we have no personal attestations in that regard. Once the Scarlet Alliance gets a Domination cultivator or two, they can let us know what they see ahead. Personally, I see the potential. But just because something is theoretically possible doesn’t mean anyone currently alive will succeed- or anyone at any point in the future.”

“Surely someone would, eventually?” Varghese asked.

“If we continue to thrive and develop our knowledge of cultivation? I should think so. But there’s no guarantee that we will not encounter an insurmountable threat. Either other cultivators, distortion beasts beyond our comprehension, or something new.” Anton glanced at Varghese, flickering again. “Let’s get in some training so that you don’t give anyone cancer by accident.”

Varghese gave a smirk. “I doubt anyone affected would last that long. It’s a good thing I can fly between systems alone because I wouldn’t risk getting on a ship like this.”

-----

News of the approaching victory in the eastern war would not reach Devon for some time, but with another Enrichment cultivator and the greatest threats already defeated there was little worry for them. They simply needed a dedicated force to fight their way to the end.

Dealing with the ascension cannons in the western war was not a trivial task, but the bigger issue they were encountering was related to void ants. Their presence was a risk for the locals as well, but the Alliance wasn’t able to land in certain areas on more than a few planets. It would be possible to scour a portion of the planet- they had mundane weapons that would kill void ants- but they really preferred not to cause permanent damage to planets. Even if some amount was inevitable, they avoided it when possible.

There were a small number of individuals who were not constrained by the same limitations, but Devon wasn’t among them. As an Enrichment cultivator, he was just as vulnerable as a Spirit Building cultivator. His body wasn’t any stronger, though he might be able to overpower their resistance to energy. But if the void ants got to him, his defenses would be useless and he could die far too easily. He kept up proper precautions, avoiding anywhere void ants could reach.

-----

The opportunity came soon enough after they finished their preparations. Knowing there was some risk of failure, Gabriela had informed those who needed to be aware. Devon, among others, needed to be ready to pick up their slack if something failed. And to not block for them, thinking they were unable to maneuver. There were no plans to fail, but they couldn’t risk their allied fleets collapsing if they did.

As always, there was another planet. That was the problem with galaxies- they were far too big, even just the little slice their Alliance was occupying. Too many places for enemies to establish themselves, even centuries before they knew there were enemies.

But enough of that. Gabriela stood at the helm. They intentionally set the Wayfarer out front, to be the primary target. It was a temptation that had never failed before, but usually they tried to deflect the incoming attack.

It was difficult to focus on the surrounding battle, enemy fleets rising up, knowing what they intended. Gabriela did her best to sustain the energy flow of the ship and crew, bolstering them with her own power.

Then the moment came. A rising pulse of energy, then a laser with a beam almost as wide as the bridge. It was meant to cut through even loosely flying formations of ships, but of course it also had the power to take down single large vessels- and perhaps everything behind them afterwards.

Gabriela stared down the incoming attack, and only prompted a slight movement, to make sure the beam was centered directly.

She wasn’t facing the challenge just because she had a big ego, but because there was actually a logic to it. She stood front and center, the core of power on the ship. Their barriers contracted, while the fortified structure of the ship was prepared to withstand the pressure should the barrier buckle.

It was certainly easier to dodge or deflect... but that left others vulnerable. And if one were prepared... taking a hit precisely where they wished to was not bad either.

The beam would last only a few seconds, usually enough to melt everything up to and including Assimilation cultivators and any parts of an Ascension-class ship in the way. Gabriela felt the force, and nearly staggered back.

But she held her position, standing strong for the crew, the ship, and of course herself. Alarms were raised as the barrier hit a critical point, collapsing inward and allowing the outer portion of the hull to absorb a portion of the attack while they refreshed for a fraction of a second.

A brilliant glow lit the prow of the ship- both reflected light from the lasers and the glow of the heat it absorbed. But while it bent and distorted from the rapid heating, it held. Gabriela held too. And the Wayfarer. The barrier snapped back into place, mitigating the last of the assault.

The ship’s batteries were drained. Gabriela felt her dantian running dry. But their ship stood- and the enemy fleets were heavily impacted by the event. The whole battlefield sensed it... and their enemies would learn fear. Meanwhile, their allies were inspired.

Gabriela was supposed to care... but she wasn’t interested in expanding her influence to fleets. The Wayfarer was all she needed. She turned to face the rest of the bridge. “You all did well. Now let’s do that again.”

The glow of their nose rapidly diminished as the ship drained the ambient heat to power their batteries. Devotion flowed freely throughout the ship. Gabriela felt her personal stores of energy being poured into... but she felt empty. Not because she couldn’t recover, but because there was so much more capacity than before. All it took was pushing the Wayfarer hard enough. After this, she’d push for all the upgrades the crew wanted. Nobody could say that the materials wouldn’t go to the best use possible.