Chapter 505
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Chapter 505
During his attack, Anton had many things to process- where his attacks were going, what appeared to be tempting and expensive targets, positioning of enemies- but he noticed much more than he could act on immediately. The planet he had targeted hadnt been defenseless, but piercing through the barrier even in a few small locations had been reasonable enough.
Anton had not been able to stay long because a powerful cultivator had been approaching- he didnt yet want to test the might of a Worldbinding cultivator only a short distance away from a planet they protected. He did learn some valuable information. First, that particular opponent hadnt possessed attacks with sufficient range to target him from his high position above and around the planet, and they also hadnt felt his approach, at least not early enough to respond before his attack began. The latter could have been carelessness from lack of actual dangers, and he might be picked out if he made another attempt, but it was good to have at least some assurance that he could move stealthily against these cultivators.
Though the Worldbinding cultivator was certainly of note, as were the unfinished vessels that would doubtless be several times as powerful as the best vessel the alliance had gone up against before, Anton wasnt focused on that. Instead, he focused on the people specifically, the weaker ones. Those hard at work, not simply supervising. Anton couldnt feel any enchantments binding them, but such was hardly a necessity when society accepted and enforced the role of slaves. And that was what they were, though it was unclear if they were officially called that.
It wasnt really surprising. Such power structures were extremely common among cultivators- though it was more difficult to control other cultivators, they were also more valuable, and Ceretos had only managed to do away with the practice within Antons lifetime. Kohar was still fighting against the responses meant to provide the same effect by a different name. Ceretos was by no means perfect yet but it was better than this.
The question in Antons mind was how to use this to their advantage. An organized slave uprising would be an excellent disruption to their enemy, but if it just resulted in oppressed people dying it would hardly be worthwhile. Anton was honest enough to admit that he would prefer the deaths of unknowns from the Sylanis Cluster to those of those in his alliance, but if anyone had to die he would prefer it to be those instigating all of the trouble- those in power.
If only it were so easy. If he could simply slay everyone in power, then they would win the war automatically. He hadnt directly tested the might of the Worldbinding cultivator, but he had at least enough exposure to know the power was genuine and that there were many more. Averaging somewhere around two per planet, if Merves information was correct.
-----
The trifold alliances attacks on the other system did their best to avoid encountering Worldbinding cultivators, focusing on outlying outposts and occupied moons. As the news came to Anton, it appeared that not all of their attacks were successful but also that not all of them were failures. That was good news, proving that the defenses of the Sylanis Cluster were fallible- though the population was still intimidating in its vastness.
Another very useful thing Anton learned was that he could feel angry Worldbinding cultivators from a very large distance. Despite having a hundredish of them between the three systems, there were nowhere near enough to have them on every moon- but Anton did sense a couple down in the gas giant, and now approaching rapidly.
But Anton was already on his way out, having flung himself around and now past the gas giant. He did allow himself one small indulgence. Concentration on drawing ascension energy, Anton utilized his prototype technique that may or may not eventually fire all the way into the upper realms. It was kind of a stupid idea, but it was a simple expansion on Horizon Shot though significantly less flexible. If he wanted to hit the nearby gas giant, he had no hope of doing anything but firing a straight shot with all his might. It was a more significant distance than between Ceretos and its moon, so that was really all that he could manage.
As two angry figures came towards Anton, he was already accelerating away from them before he let the force of his shot push him even further. Usually, he stabilized himself so that the power of his projectiles wouldnt move him where he didnt intend. Now, he was perfectly happy to have his arrow go one direction while it pushed him further in the other.
The arrow itself, despite moving at nearly the speed of light, took nearly five seconds to reach the planet- flying past the two approaching cultivators as it did so. Anton wasnt sure what he hit, but either it was important or the two seemed to think it was important. Or perhaps it was merely slipping an attack past them. Either way, the aura from them increased as Anton continued to accelerate towards the second sun.
He didnt force his trajectory to bring him straight to his destination- while that might indeed be the shortest and quickest route, pulling himself up and over intervening planets and testing his opponents mobility was also his intention. He was concerned to find that they had been gaining on him, and they continued to do so even as he shifted his trajectory- but even with that, he revealed important information. The pair were bound together, most likely making use of the same vessel. Otherwise, if they had any sense they would slightly adjust their individual trajectories to try to cut him off or flank him.
The chase was not a sprint, but a marathon. Antons earlier advantage in speed meant even surpassing him his opponents were taking hours to catch up to him, and as Anton drew closer to his target star they maintained the same acceleration and turning ability, while his own was increased.
Anton cut close to the star, making use of his domain to keep track of his opponents as he pulled away, around the far side. He considered trying to fight- but even if he was able to kill this pair, letting on the true core of his abilities so early in the war seemed like a mistake. Instead, he looped around the sun several times- tracking their movement until he was quite certain they had lost him. After all, the star was nearly the same size as the distance from the gas giant upon which they dwelled to some of its moons- more than some, even. And while Anton could make use of it to track them, its vast power did an excellent job of masking anything else around it. Perhaps they might pick up inklings of how it matched him but they wouldnt know his true control of it unless he displayed it openly.
After another loop, he propelled himself out of the system, wishing he could do more but knowing he had already endangered himself enough. He could accept dying if it wouldnt hurt those he cared about, but beyond the merely emotional his combat ability was necessary. He wasnt going to do anything too foolish- and what risks he had taken were deemed worthwhile.
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Chapter 505
During his attack, Anton had many things to process- where his attacks were going, what appeared to be tempting and expensive targets, positioning of enemies- but he noticed much more than he could act on immediately. The planet he had targeted hadnt been defenseless, but piercing through the barrier even in a few small locations had been reasonable enough.
Anton had not been able to stay long because a powerful cultivator had been approaching- he didnt yet want to test the might of a Worldbinding cultivator only a short distance away from a planet they protected. He did learn some valuable information. First, that particular opponent hadnt possessed attacks with sufficient range to target him from his high position above and around the planet, and they also hadnt felt his approach, at least not early enough to respond before his attack began. The latter could have been carelessness from lack of actual dangers, and he might be picked out if he made another attempt, but it was good to have at least some assurance that he could move stealthily against these cultivators.
Though the Worldbinding cultivator was certainly of note, as were the unfinished vessels that would doubtless be several times as powerful as the best vessel the alliance had gone up against before, Anton wasnt focused on that. Instead, he focused on the people specifically, the weaker ones. Those hard at work, not simply supervising. Anton couldnt feel any enchantments binding them, but such was hardly a necessity when society accepted and enforced the role of slaves. And that was what they were, though it was unclear if they were officially called that.
It wasnt really surprising. Such power structures were extremely common among cultivators- though it was more difficult to control other cultivators, they were also more valuable, and Ceretos had only managed to do away with the practice within Antons lifetime. Kohar was still fighting against the responses meant to provide the same effect by a different name. Ceretos was by no means perfect yet but it was better than this.
The question in Antons mind was how to use this to their advantage. An organized slave uprising would be an excellent disruption to their enemy, but if it just resulted in oppressed people dying it would hardly be worthwhile. Anton was honest enough to admit that he would prefer the deaths of unknowns from the Sylanis Cluster to those of those in his alliance, but if anyone had to die he would prefer it to be those instigating all of the trouble- those in power.
If only it were so easy. If he could simply slay everyone in power, then they would win the war automatically. He hadnt directly tested the might of the Worldbinding cultivator, but he had at least enough exposure to know the power was genuine and that there were many more. Averaging somewhere around two per planet, if Merves information was correct.
-----
The trifold alliances attacks on the other system did their best to avoid encountering Worldbinding cultivators, focusing on outlying outposts and occupied moons. As the news came to Anton, it appeared that not all of their attacks were successful but also that not all of them were failures. That was good news, proving that the defenses of the Sylanis Cluster were fallible- though the population was still intimidating in its vastness.
Another very useful thing Anton learned was that he could feel angry Worldbinding cultivators from a very large distance. Despite having a hundredish of them between the three systems, there were nowhere near enough to have them on every moon- but Anton did sense a couple down in the gas giant, and now approaching rapidly.
But Anton was already on his way out, having flung himself around and now past the gas giant. He did allow himself one small indulgence. Concentration on drawing ascension energy, Anton utilized his prototype technique that may or may not eventually fire all the way into the upper realms. It was kind of a stupid idea, but it was a simple expansion on Horizon Shot though significantly less flexible. If he wanted to hit the nearby gas giant, he had no hope of doing anything but firing a straight shot with all his might. It was a more significant distance than between Ceretos and its moon, so that was really all that he could manage.
As two angry figures came towards Anton, he was already accelerating away from them before he let the force of his shot push him even further. Usually, he stabilized himself so that the power of his projectiles wouldnt move him where he didnt intend. Now, he was perfectly happy to have his arrow go one direction while it pushed him further in the other.
The arrow itself, despite moving at nearly the speed of light, took nearly five seconds to reach the planet- flying past the two approaching cultivators as it did so. Anton wasnt sure what he hit, but either it was important or the two seemed to think it was important. Or perhaps it was merely slipping an attack past them. Either way, the aura from them increased as Anton continued to accelerate towards the second sun.
He didnt force his trajectory to bring him straight to his destination- while that might indeed be the shortest and quickest route, pulling himself up and over intervening planets and testing his opponents mobility was also his intention. He was concerned to find that they had been gaining on him, and they continued to do so even as he shifted his trajectory- but even with that, he revealed important information. The pair were bound together, most likely making use of the same vessel. Otherwise, if they had any sense they would slightly adjust their individual trajectories to try to cut him off or flank him.
The chase was not a sprint, but a marathon. Antons earlier advantage in speed meant even surpassing him his opponents were taking hours to catch up to him, and as Anton drew closer to his target star they maintained the same acceleration and turning ability, while his own was increased.
Anton cut close to the star, making use of his domain to keep track of his opponents as he pulled away, around the far side. He considered trying to fight- but even if he was able to kill this pair, letting on the true core of his abilities so early in the war seemed like a mistake. Instead, he looped around the sun several times- tracking their movement until he was quite certain they had lost him. After all, the star was nearly the same size as the distance from the gas giant upon which they dwelled to some of its moons- more than some, even. And while Anton could make use of it to track them, its vast power did an excellent job of masking anything else around it. Perhaps they might pick up inklings of how it matched him but they wouldnt know his true control of it unless he displayed it openly.
After another loop, he propelled himself out of the system, wishing he could do more but knowing he had already endangered himself enough. He could accept dying if it wouldnt hurt those he cared about, but beyond the merely emotional his combat ability was necessary. He wasnt going to do anything too foolish- and what risks he had taken were deemed worthwhile.
Chapter 505During his attack, Anton had many things to process- where his attacks were going, what appeared to be tempting and expensive targets, positioning of enemies- but he noticed much more than he could act on immediately. The planet he had targeted hadnt been defenseless, but piercing through the barrier even in a few small locations had been reasonable enough. Anton had not been able to stay long because a powerful cultivator had been approaching- he didnt yet want to test the might of a Worldbinding cultivator only a short distance away from a planet they protected. He did learn some valuable information. First, that particular opponent hadnt possessed attacks with sufficient range to target him from his high position above and around the planet, and they also hadnt felt his approach, at least not early enough to respond before his attack began. The latter could have been carelessness from lack of actual dangers, and he might be picked out if he made another attempt, but it was good to have at least some assurance that he could move stealthily against these cultivators.Though the Worldbinding cultivator was certainly of note, as were the unfinished vessels that would doubtless be several times as powerful as the best vessel the alliance had gone up against before, Anton wasnt focused on that. Instead, he focused on the people specifically, the weaker ones. Those hard at work, not simply supervising. Anton couldnt feel any enchantments binding them, but such was hardly a necessity when society accepted and enforced the role of slaves. And that was what they were, though it was unclear if they were officially called that.It wasnt really surprising. Such power structures were extremely common among cultivators- though it was more difficult to control other cultivators, they were also more valuable, and Ceretos had only managed to do away with the practice within Antons lifetime. Kohar was still fighting against the responses meant to provide the same effect by a different name. Ceretos was by no means perfect yet but it was better than this.The question in Antons mind was how to use this to their advantage. An organized slave uprising would be an excellent disruption to their enemy, but if it just resulted in oppressed people dying it would hardly be worthwhile. Anton was honest enough to admit that he would prefer the deaths of unknowns from the Sylanis Cluster to those of those in his alliance, but if anyone had to die he would prefer it to be those instigating all of the trouble- those in power. If only it were so easy. If he could simply slay everyone in power, then they would win the war automatically. He hadnt directly tested the might of the Worldbinding cultivator, but he had at least enough exposure to know the power was genuine and that there were many more. Averaging somewhere around two per planet, if Merves information was correct.-----The trifold alliances attacks on the other system did their best to avoid encountering Worldbinding cultivators, focusing on outlying outposts and occupied moons. As the news came to Anton, it appeared that not all of their attacks were successful but also that not all of them were failures. That was good news, proving that the defenses of the Sylanis Cluster were fallible- though the population was still intimidating in its vastness.Another very useful thing Anton learned was that he could feel angry Worldbinding cultivators from a very large distance. Despite having a hundredish of them between the three systems, there were nowhere near enough to have them on every moon- but Anton did sense a couple down in the gas giant, and now approaching rapidly. But Anton was already on his way out, having flung himself around and now past the gas giant. He did allow himself one small indulgence. Concentration on drawing ascension energy, Anton utilized his prototype technique that may or may not eventually fire all the way into the upper realms. It was kind of a stupid idea, but it was a simple expansion on Horizon Shot though significantly less flexible. If he wanted to hit the nearby gas giant, he had no hope of doing anything but firing a straight shot with all his might. It was a more significant distance than between Ceretos and its moon, so that was really all that he could manage.As two angry figures came towards Anton, he was already accelerating away from them before he let the force of his shot push him even further. Usually, he stabilized himself so that the power of his projectiles wouldnt move him where he didnt intend. Now, he was perfectly happy to have his arrow go one direction while it pushed him further in the other. The arrow itself, despite moving at nearly the speed of light, took nearly five seconds to reach the planet- flying past the two approaching cultivators as it did so. Anton wasnt sure what he hit, but either it was important or the two seemed to think it was important. Or perhaps it was merely slipping an attack past them. Either way, the aura from them increased as Anton continued to accelerate towards the second sun.He didnt force his trajectory to bring him straight to his destination- while that might indeed be the shortest and quickest route, pulling himself up and over intervening planets and testing his opponents mobility was also his intention. He was concerned to find that they had been gaining on him, and they continued to do so even as he shifted his trajectory- but even with that, he revealed important information. The pair were bound together, most likely making use of the same vessel. Otherwise, if they had any sense they would slightly adjust their individual trajectories to try to cut him off or flank him.The chase was not a sprint, but a marathon. Antons earlier advantage in speed meant even surpassing him his opponents were taking hours to catch up to him, and as Anton drew closer to his target star they maintained the same acceleration and turning ability, while his own was increased.Anton cut close to the star, making use of his domain to keep track of his opponents as he pulled away, around the far side. He considered trying to fight- but even if he was able to kill this pair, letting on the true core of his abilities so early in the war seemed like a mistake. Instead, he looped around the sun several times- tracking their movement until he was quite certain they had lost him. After all, the star was nearly the same size as the distance from the gas giant upon which they dwelled to some of its moons- more than some, even. And while Anton could make use of it to track them, its vast power did an excellent job of masking anything else around it. Perhaps they might pick up inklings of how it matched him but they wouldnt know his true control of it unless he displayed it openly.After another loop, he propelled himself out of the system, wishing he could do more but knowing he had already endangered himself enough. He could accept dying if it wouldnt hurt those he cared about, but beyond the merely emotional his combat ability was necessary. He wasnt going to do anything too foolish- and what risks he had taken were deemed worthwhile.
