NOVPUBThe good news about another Domination cultivator defeated by the alliance didn’t particularly help Ratna now, but it was good for morale as they planned how they were going to face against the Tilki clan. There was one difficulty brought about Zazil’s particular abilities that they also had to account for.
Zazil could, technically, battle anywhere. However, she didn’t draw from her anchor in the same way. She would still have the power of a Domination cultivator away from a selected location, but weaker. And she couldn’t afford to be weaker against long standing Domination cultivators. So they either had to face them outside of Veiled Brilliance territory, or deal with her being weaker.
It simply had to be discussed, but there was a solution determined quickly enough. She simply wouldn’t fight against the Domination cultivators- and that meant not even on the same battlefield. Otherwise, they could take advantage of her reluctance to try to take her out. Of course, not using one of their own Domination cultivators would be a huge blow to their combat prowess.
Zazil wouldn’t be inactive, though. They simply came up with an equally useful position for her. The fleets of the Tilki clan were approaching from different directions, perhaps based on starting locations or not wanting to be too predictable. It was also possible they simply wanted to increase the pressure on the sect by splitting their forces, which had been working so far. Either way, there were two larger fleets of major concern at the moment- whatever the Domination cultivators had with them, and one more angling towards the eastern end of Ratna’s territory.
The plan was simple. Zazil would intercept the eastern fleet, not entirely on her own but with a much smaller defensive complement than otherwise might be appropriate. That would free up more to defend other systems, and they needed everything they could get. Planetary defenses would be key against Sevinc and Timucin.
“I’m not fighting that guy,” Chidi declared, as they moved on to how they were going to deal with those two- even with the advantage of fortifications. “He’s not a good match for me.”
“And Sevinc is?” Ratna asked.
“Absolutely. You said her abilities revolved around enhancing others, right?”
“They should remain somewhat similar, at least,” Ratna confirmed. Obviously, cultivators didn’t have to remain static.
Chidi nodded. “Then having her energy flow cut off even briefly should be… debilitating.”
“A fair point. I assume you will be coordinating with Aconite to kill her?”
Chidi ‘looked’ at Aconite. “Not this time. She will be focusing on mass warfare. I do have a squad, though.”
Ratna frowned. “I didn’t notice anyone.”
“Of course you did. You just didn’t think they mattered,” Chidi pointed out.
“Are they… your disciples?”
Chidi laughed. “Only in spirit. They don’t look like much, but that’s the point.”
Ratna’s energy roamed, taking a better look at what had come along with Chidi’s vessel. “I see. Make sure to share however they need us to coordinate.”
“Mostly,” Chidi said. “I need people to stay away from me. For their own good, and mine.”
Ratna pondered. “We might be able to install some energy suppression formations, if that would help.”
“Not unless you have a grandmaster formation specialist to control them. Besides, I doubt my quarry will move to a location of my choosing. I’m going to have to chase her. Or predict her location.”
“Anything we need to know, Aconite?”
“... Nothing in particular,” Aconite said. “People shouldn’t move into locations I am targeting.”
“We’ll make sure to reiterate that,” Ratna nodded. “Zazil?”
“If the arrival time of my fleet ends up significantly earlier, I may join you,” she said. “But most likely, I’ll look for other systems in need.”
“Perhaps Bear Hug will be able to join you, in case you need to communicate.” More than a few of them were on Second Gift- at one point it had been half of those from the upper realms. Now it was just slightly fewer. “That way we can react to any enemy surprises with great haste.”
It still wouldn’t allow anyone to support a system they weren’t in that was under attack, as it would take at least a day to arrive from an adjoining system. However, if they had some greater forewarning, they could save transmission time. Even if it was only a few hours to a day within Ratna’s territory, that sort of variance could make all the difference.
-----
Zazil struck out first, waiting within a neighboring system that absolutely shouldn’t have allowed the Tilki clan to wander through without objection. At the very least, they should have taken a circumspect route around the edges- but they had the sort of weight to throw around that they just disregarded all of the secure space of the minor sect in control of the system.
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Previously, she had dealt with some of them that were actually aiding the passage of the Tilki clan. These were more neutral- cowardly, but they wouldn’t be killed simply for that. Not by her. Perhaps by the Tilki clan, once they knew that their fleet was wiped out in the system. That wasn’t Zazil’s problem.
She stood not alone, but as the only Domination cultivator on the battlefield with only a smaller contingent behind her. She was wary of the ability of sufficient Augmentation cultivators to kill her, of course. She had no intention of falling like Zaur Beridze. However, attacking her anchor with her in the system would be practically impossible- it didn’t even have a physical form. A Domination cultivator could certainly eradicate it if she left it undefended, but random individuals being pressured by her certainly could not.
The battle began with Zazil bisecting the fleet. She picked what she felt was the best angle to slice through the maximum number of ships. Unfortunately, they didn’t fly in perfect formation. Not that there was a reason to do so outside of what they thought was a combat zone, and there were far more reasons not to fly in predictable locations.
Still, she got a good twenty or thirty, carrying several hundred cultivators of varying cultivations. A large ring blade grew from her power, slicing directly through them. It was not the most efficient use of power, but Zazil would replenish it quickly- and the spectacle was more than worth it.
Instant chaos broke out in their ranks as they turned to attack her… approaching at precisely the time that her allied fleets were coming in at an oblique angle. She didn’t give them an opportunity to gather their wits, launching smaller attacks- though her rings remained large enough to slice apart individual ships.
“How dare-!”
Some random elder got her head cut off as she was about to say something. The Tilki clan chose to go to war with the Scarlet Alliance- Ratna was part of them now. Their enemies couldn't complain when they sent their own people to support. Besides, Zazil had been killing the Tilki clan members for years now as they kept trying to harass the Veiled Brilliance.
If they thought she gave a single thought to their prominence, they were wrong. At most, the Scarlet Alliance had considered the consequences so that they could be prepared to fight against any sort of counterattacks. Though an intrusion into the better secured Scarlet Alliance territory would be a harsh learning experience for them.
Zazil didn’t go easy on any Augmentation cultivators. If she couldn’t kill them quickly, she made use of her speed to simply avoid them, picking out a different target. She never let herself get locked into a melee, nor was she conservative with her power.
She didn’t find anyone with a defensive prowess rivaling Timothy or the terrifying offense that Chikere had possessed, but there were a few that she directed her allies to deal with. The Scarlet Alliance hadn’t been able to bring terribly many ships, but they were all full of higher tier cultivators because of that fact.
It seemed the Tilki clan had adopted some measure of technology. That had been discovered previously, interacting with their ships. That was perfect for the Alliance fleets, because half adopted technology was vulnerable. They hadn’t had as many centuries to think about cyber warfare.
The largest threats were cultivators themselves, however the slight delays from airlocks not opening or communications going down could be significant in the midst of a battle. It was unfortunate they didn’t have many weapons that could be turned on their own people, but Zazil wasn’t going to complain about only causing more chaos.
She didn’t intend to let anyone leave. If they mysteriously disappeared- even if it was later clear who killed them- the various tactics that took them out would be harder to parse.
-----
If Ratna’s goal was to kill more Domination cultivators, she would have gathered Zazil with the rest of them. The priority, however, was the preservation of her sect. Simply driving them away for fear of potential death was good enough. Not that she wouldn’t take the opportunity if it arose, obviously. Now that they were enemies, sparing anyone intentionally would be a serious mistake.
Immediately as they entered the deeper parts of the system, they moved upon the inhabited planets. Ratna moved to intercept Timucin. Sevinc was clearly going for the same target, but she surprisingly flew ahead- landing on a planet immediately. Ratna was surprised at how easily she pierced the planetary barrier, even just for herself. Perhaps she had been underestimated as the ‘weaker’ of the two.
If that gave Chidi any pause, she didn’t hear a word of it- and he should have a communicator. Hopefully he would handle that, because the aura coming off of her was concerning. Especially as it connected to Timucin.
The man wielded a flail that didn’t look particularly impressive, but the few details Ratna knew were not to underestimate it. Even if he attacked from a great distance, something that a chained weapon really shouldn’t be able to do.
“Ratna of the Guardians of the Veiled Brilliance… for your crimes against the Tilki clan, you will die!” He spoke the words as if he was inviting her to tea or some other pleasant event. Perhaps this was where he got his enjoyment in life, as he swung his flail from hundreds of kilometers away.
Ratna disappeared. Not to truly hide from him, but to throw off his accuracy. Even if he could reach her from there, he couldn’t target every location. Besides, she could make it seem like she was too timid to battle him, which might make him more focused.
As she thought, his flail easily extended- she soon realized that the entire chain was made of his energy. And strangely, as it circled around the general region she had been, it remained in place even as the head returned to him. That was certainly outside of the bounds she expected. Surely he had to have some limits. She didn’t see any signs of it fading, though.
Ratna went for his neck. She didn’t expect it to kill him, and she was not surprised at the result. He simply ducked, swinging his weapon up close. As the chain pressed against her, she found she couldn’t slip into the space between… but she pulled away before she was fully wrapped up.
She had fought Domination cultivators before. She knew how to be cautious and tease out various abilities. She did hope that Chidi would take out Sevinc quickly, though.
Then she smiled, because she expected he actually could. Actually killing a Domination cultivator was one thing- doing it expeditiously? Not easily accomplished. Though Ratna would be watching her own neck, just so that it didn’t happen to her due to carelessness.
As for the rest of the battle, the system’s defensive platforms were dealing with the weaker cultivators, and her own disciples and the Scarlet Alliance’s Augmentation cultivators were dealing with those of similar rank. Even if Ratna had her entire sect present, she wouldn’t have been able to match up. Allies were good. Who would have thought this would all come about because of her fondness for a nephew?
