The task that Prospero and Ratna had undertaken to try to convince the Trigold Cluster that the Swirling Swarm was a threat hadn’t be obsolete just because they had nned a way to potentially neutralize the threat. At the very least, they wanted people to ept efforts to remove them from their position if the mission was sessful. Besides, it would have been suspicious if their efforts suddenly ceased.

    Representing the Distant Shadow Sect, Ratna was of course continuing her role as ambassador sta. It was public knowledge that they were somewhat aligned with the Scarlet Alliance, though Ratna’s position was still not well known. Once it was possible for the territory to be safely traversed between the two, she might reveal her status- if it seemed beneficial. Of course, the elder of the sect knew that she was the reason for their prosperity- even if she couldn’t devote all of her time to them.

    The Shimmering Spears were not the most friendly sect with rtion to the Alliance, but neither were they the worst. Their actual conflicts with the Alliance were few, though the Free Guardians had a poor history with them.

    Everything was going fine. At the very least, they had agreed to meet peacefully. Kuzman was a peak Augmentation cultivator, their sect head. He was a proud man, though such pride was not without backing. The way he carried his spear revealed wisps of elemental energy that seemed drawn to the man.

    Not that he needed his spear for diplomatic meetings. Nor was his stature so intimidating that it would cow a Domination cultivator. Even so, Prospero had to admit the man had the potential. In a few centuries, he might be an even more imposing figure.

    The visit had been several weeks. While Prospero felt they hadn’t made much progress, that wasn’t really toorge of an issue. The Shimmering Spears didn’t believe the Swirling Swarm was a huge threat, even with the devastated worlds as proof. But the Scarlet Alliance was now an entity that they had to engage in diplomacy with. That was a victory. Furthermore, it didn’t seem like those weeks had been emuseless/em. Just slower than they could have been.

    It was much easier when people were already on board with an idea. Then they just wanted a n for how to achieve their own goals. The Swirling Swarm felt secure in their position. Or at least they had, but for the past few days Prospero believed they had been making some progress.

    That was around the time that the two of them received the same message. It was sent out to all members of the Scarlet Alliance of a certain status. They had already received the initial report regarding the destruction of the anchor. That had ced them in a good mood- though a modest one since they hadn’t been able to observe the effects yet.

    News about the emnew/em emptys was concerning. The two of them found a moment to confer in private.

    “What do you think?” Prospero asked.

    Ratna shrugged. “I think the listed suppositions are all viable. They picked up and went… somewhere.”

    “I have some worries. Here, look.” He pulled out aputer. With some simple calctions, he came up with estimations based on the outer ring of the Swirling Swarm’s territory. “It matches the looks of concern we’ve seen from Sect Head Kuzman.”

    “Close enough, at least,” Ratna agreed. “Depending on various travel andmunication speeds. Do you think we should address it directly?”

    “I believe we have to. Either he is unaware, or he might think we are tying him to this ce with our presence. Neither is preferable.”

    The calctions were simple. How long it would take the outer edge of the Swirling Swarm to reach other systems, and how long emthose/em messages would take to reach the Shimmering Spears. Added onto that was an estimate of how long it emmight/em take the swarm to reach the current territory if some portion of them moved directly. In short, the Shimmering Spears could be under attack in the very near future.

    -----

    “We’ve received a message,” Prospero dered. “It is not conclusive. Merely movement within the territory of the Swirling Swarm. However… it is possible that something has actually happened.” The two of them carefully watched Kuzman’s response. “You may have some concerns about your border. If so, we will dlye along to survey it with you. Or you can send us on our way, if you wish.”

    Sect Head Kuzman looked at them with great suspicion. “How did you know?”

    ‘sta’ answered that. “As we said, we have been monitoring their activities for some time. Should we not notice when there is some sort ofrge-scale movement?”

    Rather than openly show his worry, Kuzman sped his hands behind his back as he stood and looked out a window. However, any physical response was sufficient to read into. “There are a few reports,” he finally said. “It could be nothing. They emdo/em cause issues for their neighbors on asion. However… if it is anything more, I cannot afford to ignore the possibility.”

    “The territory of the Shimmering Spears is grand,” Prospero said. It wasn’t emuntrue/em, but they were certainly not thergest of sects. “It will take time for your personage to travel.” Just a few days. Maybe a week, depending on the amount of haste. But being any number of days away from a disaster was simply emnot being there/em. “If your own sources are able to corroborate this information, it would be wise for us to make a move.”

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    “... You will fight alongside us?”

    Prospero nodded. “I cannot swear to fight to the death for your cause. However, we have stated clearly our opinion on them. They are a threat that must be eliminated. I will not pass up a good opportunity to put a dent in their numbers. And if nothing happens… I am certain there are some scenic locations to view from some of your others.”

    “And you?” he turned to sta.

    sta bowed her head. “I doubt I can cause such destruction as Prospero Vandale. However, I do have some skills of my own, and the Distant Shadow Sect must stay apprised of the state of our neighbors.”

    Prospero knew she might not kill emas many/em of them, but he also knew that Ratna had in one of their Domination cultivators previously. She could certainly take out a few key individuals in any assault.

    Sect Head Kuzman cleared his throat. “I have indeed heard reports of trouble in neighboring sects. And not nearly as much as follow up information as I should have expected. A precautionary trip would not be unwarranted.”

    -----

    As they traveled, new messages came to both Kuzman and the Scarlet Alliance. It was difficult for Prospero to believe- not that he doubted the word of void ants, nor of those passing along the information. It was just simply too much. Each and every birthing Domination cultivators was absurd- even if that wasn’t the case, all of them rising up to assault their neighbors simultaneously was rather extreme.

    Normally, a sect that went to war wouldn’t bring the entirety of their forces. Half was already quite high, as they had to defend their own territory. One hundred percent was unheard of. Abandonings in that manner wasn’t even the typical fare of the Swirling Swarm- mainly because their emstuff/em was on certains. Maybe they would abandon a system or two as they drained it of resources, but all of them was another thing entirely.

    Prospero had been true in his words- he had no intention to die for a sect that wasn’t even pretending to be their ally. However, he emdid/em need to witness the phenomenon for himself. It didn’t take long, as they were moving towards the front lines.

    -----

    The mere fact that the Swirling Swarm was reaching the Shimmering Spears meant that things were going terribly. The reason they hadn’t been concerned was that there were a sufficient number of systems creating a buffer zones, systems in which various sects and ns resided. In the normal process of time they should have had decades or centuries to prepare for a conquering neighbor. Not… this.

    Prospero felt them. Certainly, there was an aura of Domination among them. It didn’t quite fit what he had sensed previously, but it was clear enough. For thest several hours before the iing fleets finally arrived, Prospero built up momentum. He wanted to give a good showing to their momentary allies. Besides, the fact that he emcould/em meant that he should. Numerous Falling Stars orbited around him, carrying with them Domination energy built over time. The only limit was Prospero’s control.

    Fortunately, his target was easy so building up excessive power was actually entirely appropriate. As soon as they were within range- not even within the traditional confines of the system- Prospero flung the first of his Falling Stars.

    It burst deep within their ranks, sting out a sphere of devastation. He had no idea precisely how many people he killed. The only thing he focused on was that he shed with foreign Domination energy during the process. It wasn’t just one source, but like all of the others he sensed that something was emwrong/em.

    Weaker was an appropriate word. However, transitory might have been more appropriate. Swirling Swarm cultivators were never powerhouses in their own right. What did it matter if they were ‘weak’?

    His second and third Falling Stars impacted before the Swarm began to split towards differents. How unfortunate- the splitting. If they stayed together, he could take them down more easily in their higher density.

    “I can’t cover multiples,” Prospero informed Kuzman. “At best, I can blunt the impact on one. And…” he drew out the word. “There are the Domination cultivators.”

    Sect Head Kuzman nodded. “The Shimmering Spears appreciate whatever you can do. In the future… if we have a future… you can rely on us to respond in kind.”

    He stood strong and proud, a mighty warrior. And somehow, more confident than Prospero thought he had any right to be. This was only the closest of their border systems- the Swirling Swarm mighte upon more of their territory in the near future. But he was not going to discourage a fellow cultivator. Confidence was important in the darkest of times. Sometimes, a cultivator could even justify said confidence.

    Prospero emdid/em find that the man deserved quite a bit. Even though he was emonly/em a Domination cultivator, he stood at the head of his legions, spear at the ready. mes coiled around his spear, then ice. Each attack came with different effects, striking deep into the heart of the attacking horde. Winds jostled them about, crashing them into each other. Lightning coursed around the man.

    With the tip of his spear, he blocked an iing attack. A heavy strike by a Domination cultivator. He split apart the club- a poor quality weapon- but Prospero could sense the man’s energy tremble. Taking a single attack head on was good, but not good emenough/em.

    Anton would have managed to provide supporting fire while covering his own opponents. Prospero didn’t have that granr of capacity. He focused on wiping out numbers to iste Domination cultivators. He actually managed to annihte one with the final three of his Falling Stars. That death caused shockwaves within enemy ranks. Not bad. But that was thest of his prepared attacks, he would have to conjure the rest in the heat of battle.

    Ratna was clearlybing arge area for strong opponents. Her efforts went almost unnoticed, like tiny points of light going out. However, they were Augmentation cultivators. And maybe another Domination cultivator from this sudden surge. More should follow.

    Prospero couldn’t help but notice that one route was yet entirely unmet. Sacrifices might be necessary, but it was thergest in the system that was being targeted. He would have expected Kuzman to focus his efforts there. But perhaps they had grand formations he was unaware of, or the man expected them to endure long enough to receive support. Whatever it was, Prospero didn’t have the spare capacity to cover anything but the single he was aiding- and perhaps not even all of that.

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