Chapter 587

Chapter 587

About half of Antons focus was on his opponent from the Falling Clouds, with the other half reserved for the rest of the battlefield. Enemies who left the safety of their ships defensive formations found themselves in very real danger from volleys of arrows.

Trying to recall information about the man he was fighting took a moment. Anton did keep track of the best prospects, but there were many and the Falling Clouds hadnt been exactly eager to have visitors. He had been willing to respect their privacy, but obviously he should have been a bit more cautious. Anton didnt intend to dictate everything that could happen upon Ceretos, but he should at least make sure people didnt help out invaders. Not that he was certain to last until the next opportunity.

Suhash. That was the name. Unfortunately, Anton had no more relevant information about his capabilities that he hadnt been able to discern in the time they had been fighting. Early Assimilation stage- clearly the last couple decades at most. Experience wasnt everything, and in some ways overall training time was the inverse of how dangerous someone was- those who trained quickly were often stronger. But Suhash wasnt a young genius who breezed his way into Assimilation. He should have been cultivating for a few hundred years now, changing his focus from Ascension to Assimilation.

As for his domain he seemed to be bound to the planets water. Both that of the skies and the seas- though of the two he seemed more comfortable with the former. That would provide wide-ranging utility, and he had decent power but not enough to take out Antons ship with the crew defending it and only a small amount of direct defense from Anton. He was a threat not because of anything in specific, but merely by the fact that he was an Assimilation cultivator, making him worth the same as a highly coordinated squad of Life Transformation cultivators.

His ships defensive formations would have fallen long before if not for forming a barrier of water around it. Anton could have likely broken through both that and the formations if he solely focused on the task, but it was better to leave the battle with fewer casualties throughout the rest of their forces.

When Juta, who had been concealing herself, appeared as a hundred meter crab snapping a ship in half he reacted with covering fire. The loss of a ship and the lives of some of those unfortunately positioned was unfortunate, but he could at least allow them a chance to retreat to other vessels where they could combine their efforts. The continental fleets were currently disengaging, but the sea vessels couldnt just break away whenever they pleased. Neither side would be able to completely outpace the other.

They needed more. Something to shift the battle in their favor. Unless the enemy planned to make this their final battle they wouldnt pursue forever- but Anton didnt like the casualties he was predicting now. Juta especially was a dangerous force- though she was being held back by Devon, Anish, and Annelie. Unfortunately, that meant they couldnt affect the battle elsewhere.

Anton had a few tricks up his sleeve. Unlike the Sylanis Cluster these ships didnt have adaptive barriers, so it wasnt terribly difficult to break through them all on his own. He might even be able to cause serious damage to their flagship, though the methods he would use he preferred to save for an important kill. Once it was revealed it would lose some effect.

Then Anton had the most frustrating thought anyone could ever have. He wished for Everheart to be around. Both fortunately and unfortunately, such wishes were the type to be answered- and they of course came with consequences.

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Devons chains were powerful, but not enough that they could match up to the crushing claws of a massive crab. The lack of finesse in the claws didnt matter when they could simply sweep through the vague area. That didnt mean he had no recourse- it just meant he couldnt completely control the situation alone. Not that he should have expected to be able to. He was just one man, a single Assimilation cultivator.

But his chains were meant for the protection of Ceretos, so he would at least do his best. The joints behind the claws were a reasonable place to wrap his chains, and with the aid of his niece they were frozen into the joint, preventing Juta from squeezing the joints together to snap his chains as had happened on his first attempt. Of course, holding onto said chains meant wrestling an Augmentation cultivator- and even weakened by her presence in the lower realms Juta was far stronger than Devon.

Ruteras message was simple, relaying what forces would be coming as reinforcements and where- it was now as certain as possible that they would not be under attack themselves. All of the remaining forces they were aware of had ended up in the Sylanis Cluster. Anton didnt have many contacts there- at least not compared to elsewhere. But out of a hundred billion, he could hear from more than a hundred- though not every Worldbinding cultivator would want to speak to him.

Can the Trigold Cluster really afford to lose all these forces? Anton asked, looking specifically to Everheart.

They can afford many things, the scholarly guise of the man nodded. Even these forces they can recover from the loss of. But obviously they dont intend to lose them.

None of them are leaving this time, Anton declared.

Agreed, Everheart said without even a wry smile, though he generally seemed to be in a good mood. They come to take from us, and we will take everything from them. Too bad its limited to just what they brought to the lower realms

If it makes you feel better those in the upper realms are going to scout their outposts.

Everheart sighed, Its just not the same, having someone else do it. I should be there to crack open their vaults, taking their treasures and secrets with my own hands. But that business a couple centuries back left me below my peak performance. That was his confident way of saying he was nearly dead.

You seem strangely happy about something else, Anton said. What is it?

What, cant I just like a good victory atop my turtle?

Ah. Its because Paradise let you ride him.

Because he asked me to do so, Everheart said. Soon, he shall follow me and support me as he was meant to.

Anton shrugged. He did find the situation odd. Paradise didnt exactly speak, but even so Erin made it clear that he had agreed with the interpretation of the void ant queen about that being his desire. The turtle had been quite unhappy with Everheart when he first returned. Was there some buried fondness there or was there something else? That part was unclear.

At least Rutera would be sending reinforcements. Their ships were a whole step ahead of most of what Ceretos had access to- and their aid could shift the war from vaguely even to dominant. Though Fajra would be a concern for them in particular, as even if their fighter vessels could match a Life Transformation cultivator, the actual individuals were somewhat weaker and thus would be more susceptible to her aura.