Chapter 723
The attack on the One Thousand Palm Sect didnt come immediately, but on the timescales of cultivators it also wasnt terribly long before Harmonious Citadel Ships were approaching. It wasnt possible for them to suddenly descend upon the sect itself, as most of their cultivators couldnt travel through space on their own. Nor was a force with Augmentation cultivators exactly subtle. And they had not one, but two.
Prasad stood within the central palace of the sect, looking at the oncoming forces, his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke to the group from the Scarlet Alliance. Only two? Perhaps they underestimate us. Or their assassin may be laying in waiting. Regardless, I sense that one among them is the saint of the morningstar. I wish we could simply ignore her, but I fear that our buildings would be reduced to rubble. You fend her off. Ill take the light.
So he really came? Hoyt asked.
Prasad shook his head. That remains to be seen. Regardless, I will deal with it. Focus on your task. We will provide support as we can.
The group departed quickly. Planetary defenses were already attempting to shoot down the approaching ships. Theyre not really very good, are they? Alva commented.
The ships or the defenses? Hoyt asked.
We already knew about the ships, she said. Old styles that are merely meant to bring troops to ground without them collapsing. To enunciate her point, she pulled out her bow and fired a few shots into the sky. Theyd rather spend that money on mediocre formations.
Dont forget theyve gone centuries without any real changes in terms of formations, Hoyt pointed out.
Yeah, and theyve had half of one to get used to it. Uzun set up a whole factory thing and theyve done nothing!
Fuzz barked derisively.
Yeah, that is good for us, Alva admitted. Looks like she might be headed for the east end.
Most likely, Hoyt agreed as he watched the sky. Mind if I disrupt that?
If you can, be my guest, Alva shrugged.
Hoyt nodded. Just a handful of kilometers up, the atmosphere was significantly less dense. That made certain things easier, like Falling Stars. He doubted he would ever be as good as his grandfather. No, he might eventually surpass the technique of the old Prospero- but the reincarnated version of him certainly wouldnt let Hoyt catch him. Not that it was a competition. Hoyt had once avoided learning the technique to not appear like his grandfather. Now, he was past that. It was a practical ranged ability, and he was quite willing to make use of it when proper. He couldnt achieve as many fancy results as Prospero could now, but he was more than proficient.
He raised his hand, the motion being more than just ceremonial. His presence expanded into the skies above, growing into a massive figure. His own energy mixed with that within the atmosphere, drawing it together into an enormous fireball. With the reduced density and friction, it was able to speed up greatly. A single falling star, though it would not land anywhere on the planet.
Hoyt aimed for the group of ships surrounding the ship carrying Luksa, the morningstar saint. If they were better organized he might call them a squad or formation, instead they were simply there. The foremost ships swerved away from his attack, but the morningstar saint seemed unable to resist a challenge of power. She hefted her weapon upon her ship and took a swing at Hoyts attack.
His axe and flames could hardly touch her, as she easily deflected his attacks. Spikes returned to aid him, but the saint knocked both away at the same time. Then she charged towards Fuzz.
For a woman who relied so much on simple force, her speed was not lacking in any way. She closed the distance in an instant, despite Fuzzs four legged stature. The wolf spun around to meet her as her weapon swung down, lunging to grab just behind the head of her weapon. Blood trickled out of the sides of his mouth as his teeth cracked.
An arrow released at point blank from Alvas bow, aiming for exactly the moment the saint stopped moving. Up until that point, she had not harmed the saint directly but not all shots were equal. The condensed energy of the arrow drove directly into the elbow of the woman, beyond where her offensive energy was strongest.
You forgot one death, Alva said. Chikere cut the Sword Saint straight in two.
Thats an exaggeration, the saint said as she yanked her weapon away. But instead of retrieving a morningstar, all she had was the lower half of its haft. Which made it quite awkward to block Hoyt as he dropped out of the sky.
Of course, she was still an Augmentation cultivator. She wouldnt be defeated so easily. Even so, she was fortunate that a moment of carelessness had only resulted in the loss of her weapon and a modest injury.
The remainder of her weapon was destroyed as she blocked Hoyts attack- though most likely because she intended to dispose of it anyway. Luksa had a backup weapon that she quickly retrieved from her storage bag. But the very moment she was pulling her hand away, Spikes lunged forward and tore away the container.
Luksa couldnt instantly reverse her momentum, and if she had tried she wouldnt be able to block Hoyt with one hand and use her bracers to deflect Fuzzs claws with the other. Meanwhile, Alva continued to fire her bow like she wasnt suddenly right next to the enemy, as Fuzz danced around Luksa.
Fuzz was now aflame, having previously not had any use for fire while remaining mobile. But now with Hoyt, they could combine their power together, increasing the pressure on the morningstar saint.
Luksa began to flag. Their own side was not without injuries, of course. Fuzz would likely be unable to use his fangs any further, and Hoyts arms were strained from clashing with the Augmentation cultivator. But as the battle stretched on, the confidence of the lower cultivation individuals grew, and the saint grew nervous.
Then she made the mistake of running. Not only did it give a chance for those surrounding her to strike without fear of repercussions, but Alvas attacks didnt lose any effectiveness as the woman focused on speed instead of offense or defense.
Luksa leapt through the air, not quite flying. She landed several kilometers away with the intent to spring into the air once more, but instead the earth beneath her wobbled like gelatin. Meanwhile, Spikes solidified the ground beneath her to augment her own speed.
Luksa still managed to reach the ship she was aiming for, a sturdy vessel that would stand up to many attacks. And then she was forced back as a woman appeared in front of her. An elder of the One Thousand Palms, only in the mid Integration Phase. But her focused attack was enough to delay the saint for a brief moment. Long enough for Spikes and Hoyt to reach her. The wolfs jaws snapped around her ankle, and before she could swing her weapon to force the beast off Hoyts axe chopped into her spine. Even if her defensive energy prevented her from getting chopped in half, it was still a serious wound.
Spikes and Hoyt were sent tumbling away with a sweep of the saints weapon, but she was unsteady on her feet. The elder of the One Thousand Palms was unable to block her again, and the ship was quickly launched.
Chasing after her was not something on the agenda for the day. Just forcing her away was sufficient enough. Not that Alva made her journey simple, her shots making several holes in the vessel as it left the atmosphere.
Theyd done their part, and it seemed Prasad had more than held his own as well. Another defeat for the Harmonious Citadel and while their saints would likely survive, their other forces might not be so lucky.
