Elder Cultivator

Chapter 842

A pillar split along a perfect dividing line, collapsing to the floor while leaving the roof above intact, supported by the remaining structures in the room. A dark skinned woman frowned as the pillar settled. It is not so easy to replace these, you know?

Then it would be better to have none of such ostentation to begin with, Rahayu said, holding his blade towards the woman.

The Limitless Edge could truly be said to be a perfect sword. He could see it now, in her hands. The way it moved as it came to cut off his head. He angled his sword, deflecting the blow above him. An impossible sharpness.

Not every move of his opponent was something that made sense. Many were infuriatingly obtuse, in fact. Rahayu could feel the effects on Chikeres style, but unlike her there was no guarantee that a worthless move would be performed only a single time.

The ease with which he had arrived didnt surprise Rahayu. While to the Limitless Edge this battle was of little value, it was also pointless for her to avoid it. He did not know enough to determine if she judged him or Chikere as worthy opponents, or just inevitable steps along her path. Either way, his goal was this battle. And while he wished to wind, he had no belief that it would happen.

Rather than dulling his blade, the knowledge of his inevitable defeat made him sharper. Everheart had come with a purpose of his own, but Rahayu only came to take a gamble. Was he good enough?

Blades crossed. Rahayu had fully expected some of his attacks by now to land, severing a limb or at least grazing the skin. But his opponents movements were both swift and impossible to predict. It didnt seem like an untouchable swiftness, but he couldnt tell if this was the limit of her abilities.

What is your blade made out of? the Limitless Edge asked as she battered his weapon to the side. Very few hold together so long.

Well, who knows?

Rahayu was the sort who usually kept track of such things, but at some point hed ended up with this particular weapon. Was it from Everheart, or one of those lured to the system? Its materials didnt matter. All that mattered was that it suited him. As for holding its form, how could it do anything else when his will hadnt broken?

It was to Rahayus understanding that the battle with Chikere played out much differently. They were different people after all, even if she had been his apprentice. He taught her much of his style, fueling her development- but she would never be like him. Among other things, she had developed styles for using many blades all at once, and it suited her.

But Rahayu used only a single blade. Like the Limitless Edge.

The ceiling caved in, where three more pillars fell. Rather than avoiding the falling rubble, Rahayu raised his sword, cutting down through it as part of his assault on his opponent. Scars were gouged upon the walls and floors around them, signs of their blades transcending their physical dimensions.

Rahayu continued to face his opponent, even when she would not face him. It was infuriating, how she spun and twirled. That merely left her back open but it was Rahayus own fault he was too weak to capitalize upon the openings. That was why he was here. To learn and grow.

At some point, he realized that his opponent was done with him. Blood dripped down his forehead. Her blade pierced his side, quickly withdrawn. Another move, and Rahayu would be torn in two by her counter.

And yet he had no choice but to make that move. Because he wasnt done. He wasnt going to let himself be afraid of something silly like death. The only thing he was afraid of was living on without further growth.

He couldnt anticipate her move, so he merely positioned himself to deal with the reaction he would have to his move. His blade swung downward and upward at the same time, slicing in from the left and the right and a myriad of other angles as every possibility intermingled until finally it came to rest with his weapon nestled in her crossguard.

The instant he felt her counterassault, he knew something was wrong. He threw himself to the side, twisting his blade as he withdrew. The Limitless Edge flew from the womans hands, impaling itself in the wall- though it returned to her hands an instant later.

Rahayu was finished now. Full to the brim with insights, he would use this opportunity to leave if it were possible. And he was not too proud to flee. But he never took his eyes off his opponent as he did so, parrying her incoming attacks as he broke outside. It was likely the planetary barrier would stop him should he try to fly away, but he could only hope that Everheart had done as promised and brought it down. Somehow, he survived to fly into the skies. The sharpness of the blade was just as real, and yet perhaps only a facade. Was the Limitless Edge tired? No, that couldnt be it. She seemed just about as confused as Rahayu was that he continued to survive.

It only took a few moments to arrive in the skies and find the barrier fully intact. And Rahayu wasnt even surprised. Relying on Everheart was simply not something that was done. He merely considered for a moment it would have been nice if Everheart had done as he said.

Rahayu tilted his neck, spinning his sword behind him to add to the force of the womans attack, carving apart the barrier. Just a tiny segment small enough for a human. He pushed through the gap, but though he was prepared for the pursuit of the Limitless Edge, she did not follow. Instead, she furrowed her brow as she looked at the blade in her hands.

So he really had followed through on that one. Well, Rahayu hadnt expected that. Furthermore, Everheart was waiting with their escape vessel just where he had said he would be.

When did you manage to replace her sword? Rahayu asked. I was fighting her the whole time, and I still never noticed

When indeed? Everheart said, smugly. I truly cant say.

Then what did you do to create a fake? The materials

Well, it was something like coal and iron? Everheart shrugged. Some simple forging. Plus maybe a few ounces of void ant bile.

Void ant bile?

Youd be surprised how long it takes to collect an ounce of that, Everheart said. Fortunately I managed to save some in a cache one time. Its not as useful as you might think, but still extremely valuable.

Right. So how did you replicate the fine detail of the blade?

I didnt, Everheart said. Are you joking? Thats some extremely precise work. Nah, I just made something vaguely sword shaped and let your heads fill in the rest.

I- that doesnt make any sense.

Sure it does. People fill in a lot of details when looking at things. If you assume something fits into a box, youll extrapolate from what is missing. And if you think its something particular, why would it not appear that way?

I still dont know when you did it, Rahayu said.

Who knows? Maybe it was from the very beginning?

No, I- when we crossed blades I could feel but her aura and the sword itself are one and the same. Hmm I still dont think thats the case, Rahayu said.

Well, I wasnt planning to tell you anyway. Its a secret. The more people know, the worse I am. It could ruin everything.

So what did you get? Rahayu asked. If there was something Everheart liked to brag about, it was his spoils of war.

Oh, you know. This and that. A few captured swords. The contents of some vaults. Nadzeya. More or less everything I set out for.

One of those doesnt fit, Rahayu said.

Just because Im not a sword fanatic doesnt mean I dont still collect them from time to time, when they meet my standards, Everheart said.

One of them sounded like a name.

Oh, yes. Nadzeya. Well, I thought Id set up a little bait, you see. Last time, Chikere came here and was snatched up as she left. Thats part of why we had you replicate her approach. She came looking for someone to snatch up, and Everheart shrugged. Now I have a valuable source of information.

Is she restrained somewhere on the ship? Rahayu asked. It wasnt particularly large. He assumed he would have sensed her, or at least a place that was hidden from him.

Not specifically, Everheart said. I put her in a little pre-prepared cell I brought along with me, Everheart said, tapping a bag at his side.

I thought living things couldnt go in storage bags. Their energy makes them highly unstable.

Dont you think I know that? Everheart said. But who am I, if not a master of things that are highly unstable. This wont last long, but it should be sufficient.

How long? Rahayu asked.

No more than a decade. Even if I yank her out right now, it will probably still unravel.

Rahayu just shrugged. That was what he got for having questions. Nothing this man did made sense. He kept an eye on the outsides of the ship until he felt them leaving the limits of the system. No doubt they would be chased after, but it was unlikely they could catch Everhearts ship specifically meant for such things.

He had many insights to consider. Rahayu knew he was still weak, unworthy of Augmentation. But perhaps he might find some perfection in imperfection. He was not the sort to knowingly perform imperfect attacks himself, and he would still refuse to do so, but he had seen much in the Limitless Edge herself. And while he was at it, he could ponder when her weapon was replaced, and how. It had to be before certain moves that might have killed him, didnt it? But how early?

Surely, at the beginning, he had seen the true Limitless Edge with his eyes. He was certain it wasnt an imitation. It wasnt something he would have focused on, except it directly involved a sword. What kind of move could accomplish the task of swapping to a decoy weapon so seamlessly?

-----

Antons current goal was to complete his perimeter, flying straight towards the border with the upper realms. It wasnt impossible for him to go beyond that boundary, but he was more interested in exploring within it. Everywhere he already knew fell within those borders, with Ceretos and the rest at something like the southwest corner of an irregular quadrilateral. His path to Inistra went vaguely northeast by his reckoning, with another line at the border going vaguely east-west.

Thinking about what was ahead, Anton nearly missed what was in front of him though it was not so subtle that he actually could miss it. He came across a ship. Not only one of unfamiliar design and energy, but one that he should have known about if it had existed.

But that was only assuming it was part of their alliance, which it clearly was not.

It felt very nearly like an Ascension-class battleship, except smaller. Less powerful wasnt quite correct, but perhaps more limited? A smaller capacity, but it should have a similar output to such ships. Anton could feel the power of the formations supporting it, and of some of the cultivators upon it.

Strange. Initial tests had indicated this section of space was unoccupied. It wasnt impossible for people to be wrong, but a more likely answer was that this ship was also exploring.

He wondered if it had already sensed him. If not, it would soon. Anton didnt intend to approach quite so boldly as he had with Ruteras science vessel all those years ago, but he would make himself known. After all, contact had to be made at some point, and this might be the only chance they had. Besides, he wasnt afraid of its power even if he was away from one of his stars. At worst, he could flee.

Still, he should at least send a message letting people know where he was and that he was making an attempt first. Just for the sake of records, since people liked accurate information on such things.

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