Elder Cultivator

Chapter 944

On the surface it seemed that Anton would be an excellent counter to the Numerological Compacts ships. There was only a single target that needed to be killed, after all. If they simply wanted to kill the enemy, then he would be able to take them out from beyond where they could counterattack.

The problem, of course, was that after that point the enslaved cultivators bound to the ship would be killed. While Anton was capable of attacking at a great distance he couldnt suppress the energy at that same distance. Because of that, he wouldnt be particularly effective working alone. Even so, he would be valuable as part of a group for helping to break through defenses while others neutralized the ship captains.

Plans were drawn up to infiltrate the ships, depending on the situation they were found in. If a squad could manage to slip inside a ship without being detected, it would be relatively easy for them to neutralize the captain without disconnecting them from the ship. As part of a larger combat they would be more aware, creating greater risk of harm to the infiltration crews both from direct attacks and from failed captures. If the ship no longer registered a captain, the ship would be detonated around them.

Certain details were still under investigation, and capturing further ships so that destructive testing could be performed would be necessary.

Ultimately, Devon was the individual most suited as the headliner for the campaign. They didnt have abundant choices of Enrichment cultivators after all. Anton had his limitations, and while Levs style did fit with restraining the captains he was lacking in mobility and thus only comparable to Assimilation cultivators who had a specialty in suppressing but not killing enemies.

Devon didnt mind being the core of the assault. It was a significant responsibility, but one he was quite willing to undertake. His heart burned for the enslaved cultivators, made to fight against their will- or perhaps more accurately to act as living batteries. He had the determination to see things through, and to save as many people as possible.

Rather than returning directly to Turilia, the plan was for some to establish a forward base while others tested the extent of the enemy forces. Most likely the enemy was making their own preparations, so they couldnt wait overly long to begin their assault.

Entering one of the secondary systems, they didnt encounter any ships near the extremity of the system unlike what happened in Turilia. Knowing more about the situation, formation masters were a key part of their operations going forward.

Ashildr rode on the ship that was carrying Devon- a larger battlecruiser called the CSS Valor instead of the previous scout ship, but with some familiar crew. Ashildr was able to confirm detection formations as they entered the system.

They should already know were here, she said. Even so, I suggest taking some time for us to capture some formation satellites. Studying them could prove valuable, and I would hope it would prevent them from tracking us as we move further into the system.

Devon nodded. They had a modest fleet with them, by certain standards, but much more than a scouting force. Im certain we could handle concentrated enemy forces, but wed likely have to make some sacrifices. It would probably be the locals, if it came to that. Devon wouldnt blame anyone for that, either. Well take the time. Either they come meet us here, or we can hope to hide our path as we get closer.

Ash directed ships towards the nearest formation satellites- relatively small devices scattered in the empty void. The actual energy output was small, making them difficult to track down for those who were not experts in such matters. Devon couldnt have sensed them unless he spread his senses as far as possible and got lucky to stumble across one, but that was one of many reasons he wasnt acting alone.

They managed to secure a handful of man-sized formation components, strewn tens of millions of kilometers apart near the edge of the system. Even Anton would have had trouble sensing between any two of them. Ash was able to pinpoint them through how they affected the detection formation, though even that barely seemed like more than the background level of natural energy to Devon. If it hadnt been pointed out, he likely wouldnt have noticed it. Hed probably passed through one during his previous advances.

Traveling the same distance in one direction would be much faster than what was necessary to collect the formation markings, as it involved changing velocity quite significantly. Devon imagined there was plenty of time for ships to gather at their location, but they didnt sense any. With their dozens of smaller ships, it was unlikely the enemy could remain completely concealed from all of them using varied detection methods.

They were willing to wait another hour while Ashildr made observations of their captured formation parts. Knowing if there were any secondary features such as marking their ships could be quite useful, and if the enemy gathered fleets that could overwhelm them they were still confident in being able to escape. Even if the interstellar capabilities of their captured ships were below average, that was an area they believed they had an advantage.

The formation would have minor tracking capabilities inside, Ashildr declared. However, deactivating these particular components should help significantly. We can remove lingering traces on our ships as we go further into the system.

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Devon nodded. Then weve spent long enough. He turned to Maryamu, one of the transplants from the smaller ship. Have you planned our route?

Affirmative, she said. We will take an unpredictable path deeper into the system, taking advantage of the planetary bodies as possible. That will expose us to possible tracking, but we may be able to confirm occupied locations as well.

Good, Devon said. We dont need to accomplish everything today. If at all possible wed like to capture a few ships and potentially other advanced formations. Determining more about their total numbers would be useful as well. The final emancipation will come eventually but certainly not today. Unless they have an order of magnitude less strength than we have predicted.

The fleet began their advance towards the center of the system, with Devon keeping his energy subdued. If he was acting at full power he could probably be sensed from the edge of the system, so he had to be careful. When it came to battle, they didnt intend to linger terribly long, so he wouldnt hold back when it came to that. Besides, they could assume that the enemys communications would report them just as easily as Devon revealing himself.

They passed by several outlying planets, entering much deeper into the system without encountering anything of note- until they came to another layer of formations when they were more than halfway to the local star from the first. The second time they only routed towards the first formation satellite so as to minimally diver their momentum, but that was long enough for a patrol to reach them.

No, it was something more than a patrol. Instead, it was six ships vaguely around the size of the previous ones, with another two that were more than twice as large in all dimensions making them about ten times the volume- and presumably carrying a much greater power.

Neither side had the advantage in the engagement, as they spotted each other with enough distance for them to all be prepared when they engaged.

Ill focus on one of the larger ones, Devon said. Though they had the advantage of numbers, that was only in terms of ships. In terms of total cultivators, with the smaller enemy ships having five hundred or more enslaved cultivators and the larger ones having ten times that, there were potentially fifteen thousand or more cultivators arrayed against them.

Meanwhile, between their various ships they had perhaps a third of that. They had a handful of Assimilation cultivators including Ash, and their overall cultivation level was higher on an individual basis, but each enemy ship also had an individual vaguely equivalent with Assimilation directing vast quantities of natural energy. If the enemy had any more Devon might have called for a retreat, but they had to at least test what the enemy was capable of.

Immediately as the battle began, Devon tested whether or not the enemy had learned from his previous tricks. The last time he had fought the same ships again, but he once again created a bowl to catch incoming beams of energy with the intent to redirect them at the enemy.

The same ship Devon had his eye on directly targeted the CSS Valor. Devons chains trembled under the force of the assault. He could feel that the proportional increase in size translated nearly perfectly into offensive might, and he was glad that he had put his all into the curved barrier. The power was still below the Enrichment level, but few in Assimilation would be able to match it for long.

Devon didnt like his prospects matching it long term either, but he found that he was able to redirect some of the energy towards the second larger ship. That was valuable in shocking its systems while it bombarded one of their other battleships, giving them more time to adapt as both larger ships had to cease their assaults momentarily.

Rather than waiting and hoping he could manage the same thing once more, Devon launched himself out of the ship. The battlecruiser could manage itself, and he would still be tying down one of the larger ships. His chains reached out, wrapping around his chosen target, pulling tight. He couldnt afford to be too precious with it given the power the ship held, so he didnt concern himself with the potential of collateral damage.

Its barriers were tough enough that he didnt break through them immediately, so the various sections containing enslaved cultivators were still intact. Just to be certain, he injected his senses into the ship, finding them bound just as the others. If there were willing participants he might be inclined to act differently.

The ship quickly opened fire on Devon once more, but as their attack focused on him he suddenly changed his trajectory, drawing in some chains and pulling himself closer to the ship itself. The beam chased him, but he was able to adjust his three dimensional momentum rapidly while constantly moving closer to the ship. The beam split into dozens of smaller ones, but Devon maneuvered between them as well. He was still only fighting the control and flexibility of a single cultivator, after all.

When he reached the hull, he kicked forward, concentrating his power to tear through the barrier. It withstood one blow, and the beams began to curve around the ship to reach him. Devon tightened his chains, focusing them on the section nearest him as he cracked the barrier and dented the side, then he tore through the ship.

He quickly discovered that the particular ship was equipped with internal weaponry, but while the corridors were flooded with energy they couldnt concentrate it enough to take him out quickly. If they did, the ship would likely break down first. He still didnt want to linger, of course, and continued to push his way through the ship. Moments later, the section of ship he was in suddenly disconnected, being tossed away.

Or at least that was clearly the plan. Devons chains latched onto the main body of the ship, pulling it close- which caused the captain to stop the sudden surge of power that would have likely detonated the section. Devon was fairly certain the cultivators had still been fried by the surge pulling from and pushing into them, but the captain was afraid to cause an explosion while it was still connected.

That was his problem, though, because Devon was happy to take advantage of the hesitation to tear his way inwards to the command deck. Then his hand wrapped around the mans throat, chains growing from his body and suppressing the mans energy- but not completely, leaving the ship waiting for orders that could not come.

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