Elder Cultivator

Chapter 948

Never in his life had Chidi been able to defeat his master, and that wasnt any more true since his advancement. No, perhaps it was significantly less true. A single exchange and he was dead.

Youre slow, Chikere commented, one of her blades at his neck.

Chidi shrugged. Looks like I am. With his cultivation reminiscent of Life Transformation, there was no way for him to match Augmentation. And yet, if Chikere was serious the results would always be exactly the same for him. Even if he had advanced to Augmentation himself, he wouldnt have been able to suddenly close that gap between them.

Ten more times, then another ten he lost each match in a single move. Though he was able to naturally sense the flow of energy, it took him more than a single instant to catch and break it. And thus, in that moment he would die. It seemed quite different from lasting a few exchanges, but that was only a surface level comparison.

A few instants could indeed make all the difference in combat, but that was only if it could somehow lead to a chance of victory. If loss was inevitable, there was no difference between a tenth of a second and ten seconds. This was ignoring the impact of allies, of course.

Rather than being discouraged, Chidi redoubled his efforts. Twenty attempts became a hundred, and though he had a complete loss rate with no visual difference he wasnt concerned. Despite being his master and perhaps the most familiar energy to him aside from his own, Chikeres flow was also the hardest for him to read. That was her style, now. So if he was able to obtain even the slightest victory against her, he would be confident against any other opponent.

Then his chance came. He wasnt sure how long it had been, how many instantaneous matches throughout the day. He caught the flow, finally making proper use of Negation. Just because he had an advancement didnt mean it happened naturally. He needed to read the flow, and this time he shattered the energy in the area for more than a single instant. Chikeres blades of blood fell apart, losing their cutting power. His sword cut towards her neck.

Before he could think about slowing his blade, her right hand came up and caught his sword. She twisted her arm and a moment later the hilt was in her own hand, the point of his own sword against his chest. He could feel the motion of the blade cutting through the air, but he hadnt been able to do anything.

Decent, she said. But its no good if you arent better than your opponent.

Chidi nodded. I understand that. But that was already going to be the case. He frowned. Cybernetics might be a problem, though.

Perhaps you should get some, Chikere suggested.

No even if they didnt manipulate energy directly, I think they would throw off the flow.

Understandable, Chikere said, returning his blade to him. Now lets see if you can do that again.

It wasnt easy, but Chidi did manage to properly activate Negation a few times throughout their training. He would have to match against different sorts of opponents to make sure it was consistent, but fortunately he had access to a good number of Augmentation cultivators. Even if that wasnt as good as Domination Chidi didnt exactly intend to go running off and challenging any of them just yet.

-----

Back in the Lower Realms, a very different sword was being readied to battle a strangely similar problem. At the very least, it required the complete negation of the flow of energy- though only within a specific area instead of a larger zone of control.

Some people wouldnt have called it a sword, but Ty Quigley would show them that his ship was just as much a sword as anything else. Everything ready? he asked Naid.

Yes. Just remember youll only have one chance. And most people wont even get that one opportunity.

Relax, I dont plan to waste it. Ive studied the diagrams long and hard. How long does your artificial setup remain stable?

Ten minutes to an hour, Naid confirmed.

Well, I only need a second anyway, Ty said. Maybe a full minute if I pull away for a realistic scenario. Im ready whenever we set things up.

The setup process was actually the longest part, as it required not only moving a ship into a believable trajectory, but also filling it with energy sources to represent both the power sources and the controlling captain of the vessel.

The actual test was, as Ty Quigley said, less than a minute. His ship began a significant distance away, slicing through space. Naid was watching closely, though he was quite doubtful of Tys claims. Perhaps he could cut a stationary target with the precision hed indicated. Naid didnt want to disparage anyones abilities, but he understood the formations better than Ty. They werent something to be underestimated. Even cracking through the barrier a bit slower than intended could throw off the timing.

Naid could only feel the sleek ship coming with his energy, as the instant it was in his line of sight it would already have connected and gone past its target. At the very last moment, something inside the captured ship reacted and it flickered, lurching off course. The command deck was torn apart as Ty sliced through the barrier, slipped between the segments holding the enslaved cultivators, and straight through the command deck.

And that was it. Nothing else happened. Naid frowned. Were their preparations inadequate? Was the artificial setup insufficient to trigger the automatic destruction?

He flew through space, carefully approaching the ship- but the fact that it hadnt instantly triggered likely meant that it was stable. Even so, he made sure to shut down the power sources on the side he approached from. He likely wouldnt be injured by an explosion, but it would be wasteful.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Upon reaching the command deck, Naid saw with his eyes what he had sensed. Which was almost nothing. Rarely was there anything more than a strip of metal a finger thick, and most of the structure had been cut in all three dimensions, producing small prism shaped rubble. The captain was completely annihilated as well. Each and every formation rune was sliced from multiple angles, even though Tys ship had simply crashed through from one side.

If everything had been stationary, Naid could have understood. Instead How? he asked.

He didnt really expect a response, but Ty had returned while he was inspecting. Well, I cut it, the man shrugged. Didnt I say that?

Certainly, Naid nodded. You were perfectly locked onto its trajectory, and I didnt doubt your ability. But it was set to change positions randomly at the last moment. I felt it happen.

Yeah, so? I dont see how that stops me from cutting everything. Nobody stands still when I cut them in battle.

I do understand that, Naid said. But well, can you teach others to do this?

Sure, Ty said. Do you have anyone with a burning desire to learn the path of the sword and a century or two?

Naid chuckled. Well, were unfortunately short on the latter. It wasnt just that Ty had diced things into small pieces. The cuts were all as instructed, precisely through the center of the formation markings. He hadnt just cut out a grid, though it was entirely possible that would have worked as well if done at a fine enough scale. You know, if this had been anything but perfect on the first attempt, I couldnt have approved you doing this in actual combat. And I even threw in my own trick.

You just have to be faster than the enemy, Ty said. Thats always the same.

-----

Tolerance of different people and styles of cultivation was very important for the Lower Realms Alliance. Their diversity and cooperation brought them strength. Even before Akrys was in the equation, Devon had experienced a few oddities. Fuzz the wolf was one example, then Paradise, but the void ants were the most obvious. And the most comparable to the particular case he saw before him.

So Devon could certainly say he didnt have a problem with insects, but there was something quite different when one looked at void ants compared to when one saw a swarm of locusts. Ants marched in order, while the locusts swarmed in chaos. Controlled and intelligent chaos, perhaps, but it was still strange. Especially since each and every one of them had their own cultivation, creating a mass of flowing natural energy that was hard to pin down.

Reporting for duty, sir! One somewhat larger locust formed the language of Akrys with his energy and the flapping of his wings, since insects were generally low on vocalization options. The 782nd swarm has come to the call of the Alliance. Weve been briefed on the situation and have trained to disentangle targets from their shackles.

So Ive heard, Devon responded. He was slightly self conscious that he probably sounded like a meerkat, but he wasnt going to get too hung up on that. It seems difficult to accomplish.

We heard they have been detonating vulnerable sections. We are able to neutralize the flow of energy to our targeted segments.

Thats good to hear, otherwise you might be individually vulnerable

Even if a detonation occurs our combined energy will be able to withstand the blow. Though it would be unfortunate.

Yes you seem to be employing similar principles to this group, Devon said as delicately as possible. The combination of many cultivations to act as one. I cant quite pick out how many of you there are, though.

There are one thousand and twenty five of us, the leader declared. Formation! He made some other movement that Devon thought was actually the more recognized part of the command, and suddenly the locusts all moved as one.

Devon could see, once they stopped moving, that they made up a thirty-two by thirty-two grid. Plus the commander. They only remained in formation for a few moments before returning to their back and forth swaying motions. I see. And youre the 782nd swarm?

Thats right, the commander agreed. There are about 800 swarms of similar size at the moment, so there really arent that many of us.

Wasnt that almost a billion? No, if he thought about it that way it really wasnt that much. After all, the humans on some of their core planets numbered in the tens of billions. They just didnt tend to pack this much natural energy into such a small area.

Do you have a name?

Ah yes. I have chosen the name Cultivates and Consumes Grain. But you can just call me Grain. Our ancestors gave up their reckless consumption many generations ago. And no, were not related to the swarm that attacked the first of the alliance. Those were just bugs.

I wasnt going to ask, Devon replied. Though the thought had briefly crossed his mind before he came to the same conclusion. This was just another legion of people that were different. So, Grain, have you met my grandfather?

Not personally, the locust admitted. But I have heard many great things.

Would you like to? Hes here, after all.

It would be an honor, sir, Grain replied. I am not even an Assimilation cultivator.

That's not something hes ever cared about. It was trivial for Devon to catch Antons attention, even on the other side of the base. Specifically, Anton had to intentionally ignore most things most of the time. Besides, you all are going to be fighting on the front lines just as much as the rest of our soldiers.

Devon could count on the Lower Realms Alliance cultivators to be accepting, but there was a reason they were currently separate from the freed groups. They wouldnt have grown used to the idea of non-human cultivators yet, or at least Devon would have been surprised if their systems had many.

Devon! Anton waved as he approached. And youre the commander? Cultivates and Consumes Grain well, that could have been my name too.

The locust seemed to straighten up slightly. It is a reminder of what you brought to our people. We used to wander into dangerous territory constantly, trying to find suitable energy laden foods to consume. Yet mostly we were seen as tasty treats for the others of Akrys. My parents passed on the tales of the beginning of our growth, where people no longer ate other people. We learned to cultivate food and ourselves. Grain twitched slightly.

You know, you dont have to stand still if it isnt natural for you, Anton pointed out.

Grain immediately relaxed and slipped into the swarm. He was still visible as one of the largest, but he traversed around the room with them. It is difficult for us, Grain admitted. But we learned the doctrines of cultivating in motion.

Anton nodded. Thats the basics. Training yourself as you do something practical.

As a farmer I know that you would be traditionally opposed to us. We appreciate the opportunity you provided.

That was just others passing on what they learned, Anton said. If I took credit for all of that, my head would be as big as a star. And while I do like stars, Im quite comfortable with my own size. Its not like I was the first person to teach people anything.

Even so, you did bring prosperity to all of Akrys. Even the weird guys in the deep sea.

Devon found that Grain seemed much more comfortable speaking from within the group. Perhaps he should have recognized that himself, but hed been distracted by various things. He hoped this new group would be able to make good use of their training.

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