C_Mantis
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Chapter 333
🕑 Added 2024-05-31 18:59:01 +0000 UTC8k chapter. God these were hard to write lol. I hope you enjoyed them.
***
Chapter 333
Emmanuel was irritated. Contrary to his orders, Aiden hadn’t returned from the border when told to do so the first time, even though he had personally sent the order to recall the man.
He wasn’t even sure that the order had been what called Aiden back, and not the hint of a promise of further advancement for the man's Domain. “Hey, Boss man. You wanted to talk?”
Emmanuel just looked at Aiden and inspected him, letting the moment stretch until it was noticeably uncomfortable. The man didn’t look fearful, like he was afraid of the scolding he must know was coming, but instead like a bright eyed kid who was expecting praise for his art project.
Seeing nothing but direct comments would work, Emmanuel spent a good ten minutes dressing down the Ascender in question, who, for his part, let each and every reprimand roll off his back like a duck ignoring the rain.
His father had warned him about the obstinance of Ascenders, but with Lila having been retired by the time he took over, he hadn’t really understood until he had his own Ascender who refused to listen to anything but what he wanted to hear.
Sighing, Emmanuel just gave up. “Well, let’s move on to something I learned recently. Someone managed to create an Authority, care to guess who?”
A few hundred years ago, Aiden had asked around about the next step in his Domain growth. However, all the Empire's records had stated was the name. There was nothing else, such as what extra piece of the puzzle that stage needed. Nevertheless, Emmanuel knew Aiden would know the word.
Except, for the first time he could remember, Aiden looked… abashed. That was the only word Emmanuel had for it.
Had he known that Hastor was going to create his Authority? Something here wasn’t fully adding up, and he decided to let Aiden speak unguided.
“Oh… Uhh… Umm. I guess, I just… Uh… When nobody ever commented on it, I figured that the antimemetic was just that good? Which, if it took you this long, I guess it did. What, uhh... What… what gave me away?”
There were many, many possible responses that Emmanuel had expected. The one he got was so absurd he needed to look into the past to confirm he’d heard it correctly, and then again to make sure he had asked the right question when the first was confirmed.
Maybe they had been talking about something else.
When both of those attempts proved he hadn’t gone insane, he used a barrage of other Talents to interrogate every possible meaning, only for him to receive a singular response.
Emmanuel unleashed the full might of his Tier 50 perception, scrutinizing the contrite Ascender before him.
Tier 1: You notice what others do not, from Demelza Coriander. Tier 3: Enhanced ability to discover the hidden, from Kuriel Tinglkhen. Tier 25: See the Truth of the matter, from his own father.
His spiritual perception burrowed into the man’s body and cultivation, pushing aside his innate defenses as though they were nothing but air to his steel. He scoured the very core of Aiden’s Domain faster than he could even realize what was happening, finding the man’s Domain laid out like a schematic before him. Water, Drowning in the Depths, Even the Shallows are Enough to Drown you. Each of those he saw and studied, looking for clues. Nothing. He was hampered by not knowing what exactly he was looking for, but he could take care of that.
Tier 1: Perceive the auras of those around you, from Ibhaka Strongfeather. Tier 3: Gain insight into the Domains of those you encounter, from Teti of Xuik. Tier 25: See through all illusions, from Ikeno Tuwasil.
Still nothing. Aiden’s Domain was a true work of art, the polished masterpiece of the greatest Domain prodigy of the age, but there was nothing. Talent set after Talent set, Emmanuel swapped between them all as he bore into the man’s spirit, looking for one single truth: Did Aiden have an Authority?
He would-
I am not a tyrant. Yet here he was, rummaging through the spirit of one of his most… if not loyal, certainly fervent supporters, simply because he needed an answer right now. Much of what he was doing would be tremendously painful, once Aiden had enough time to feel it. But the man hadn’t even had enough time pass for him to so much as notice that Emmanuel had touched his spirit, but it would hurt when the pain finally caught up to him.
Emmanuel gripped his wrist, and a touch of his Aspect cleansed his mind, returning it to placidity.
Tier 1: Innate [Soothing Touch], from Eliane Coira. Tier 3: Your touch relieves pains beyond the physical, from Eliane Coira. Tier 25: Smooth turmoils of the mind and spirit, from Talmiya Es.
The pain would still hit Aiden, but it would be well within the bounds of normality. Emmanuel wished he could feasibly do more, but he would have to settle for mere words of consolation.
Now that he was calm, he assessed Aiden with a steadier eye, taking in the man before him. Talents moved in with his underlying whim, but Emmanuel dismissed them. The man deserved his attention, not the borrowed attention of others.
Water. Drowning in the Depths. The Shallows are Enough to Drown you.
That was it. There was nothing else.
But it wasn’t that simple. There was undeniably more to the picture, and Emmanuel was simply missing it. This time, when he looked, he did so gently, seeing how each of them flowed into the other, admiring the masterwork for what it was.
His mind was subtly nudged, and Emmanuel’s own Domain snapped to attention, breaking the hold the antimemetic effect had over him. Was he looking in the right place, then? Or was it simply a false positive, Aiden’s Domain not making it so easy to spot what was hidden?
It was the latter, and Emmanuel found himself breaking through multiple antimemetic effects before he finally found what he was looking for. A tiny connective strand that didn’t properly align with any of the three Domain pieces woven within Aiden’s spirit that he only now noticed that he wasn’t down there rooting around for it. In fact it was subtle and woven in such a way that forceful examination would never find it. Even if it was found, the antimemetic would encourage the watcher to overlook it. But now that he had found it, he traced it back thanks to the clues he picked up from his earlier examinations, and back, and back, and…
Oh.
There it was.
A trill of fear and excitement ran down Emmanuel’s spine. Fear from the very potent display of power that Hastor had just shown, and excitement for the fact that his forces had become so much stronger.
Aiden’s Authority interwove with every piece of his Domain, connecting them all. No wonder it was so hard to find it. Even the closest examination, unless you knew exactly what you were looking for, would simply make it look like you were studying his Concept, Intent, or Aspect. In fact, he had noticed the incredible strength and resilience of the man’s Domain previously, but had never thought to attribute it to anything in particular. But now that he knew what to look for? Aiden’s Authority was incredibly obvious, hidden nearly in plain sight, yet disguised from everything that, well, a higher-Tier would ever use to look down upon a cultivator beneath them.
It was a tool meant to fight those of higher Tiers, much like, Emmanuel realized, the rest of his Domain. Each and every piece of the Domain was tuned towards the grand adventure that was fighting those stronger than himself. No wonder he could fight his fellow Ascenders with a four-Tier disadvantage. Attempting to face Aiden with a Tier advantage would be like fighting a lava mage in a volcano.
The fear returned, but it was faint. Aiden was loyal, a good friend, and believed in the same cause as Emmanuel. Not that a betrayal would do anything. Ascender or no, Authority or not, there was nothing that someone nearly twenty Tiers below him could do to threaten him. Not even at Tier 45. At Tier 49, maybe 48 he could present a threat, but below that, no amount of extraneous power could bridge the raw essence gap.
Specializing in fighting stronger opponents wasn’t unknown, but it was rarely successful. Aiden, apparently, was one of the few people who made it work, and Emmanuel wondered whether it wouldn’t be more fruitful to fight him at the same Tier. You’d have to deal with a full Domain stage advantage, of course, but at least you wouldn’t be fighting him with his full powerset active. A better chance wasn’t necessarily a good chance after all.
Aiden staggered slightly as he felt Emmanuel’s presence land on him, the aftershocks of the thorough examination he’d just been subjected to. But physically, Emmanuel merely blinked, as though he wasn’t bothered or surprised by the revelation at all. “No, I was talking about Sword Saint Hastor, who created his Authority, which triggered an inspiration, allowing him to reach Tier 51 before ascending.”
Aiden nodded as if that made sense, sporting a sheepish smile. “Well. This is awkward.”
Emmanuel allowed his expression to settle into a combination of stern and amused, fixing his gaze upon the man in front of him.
“How long?”
“How long what?”
“How long have you been hiding the fact that you had an Authority, Aiden?” Emmanuel was sure the man had to be playing with him, but Aiden genuinely looked confused.
“Oh, uhhhh… Since my last Tier up? I already had all the parts besides the last one during our last war. I finalized it at Tier 30, which was how I had my inspiration to reach Tier 31.”
Emmanuel nearly cracked a tooth at the fact Aiden hadn’t bothered to tell him something so monumental, but he repressed the feeling. Typical Ascender behavior. “So, you had it before you met with the other Ascenders, then? That makes sense, with how you were able to earn their recognition. Everyone wondered, but I don’t think anyone would ever guess this was the answer. I sure didn’t.”
Aiden nodded as if that was obvious. “Yeah. I know. The antimemetic part was the first part I developed. It hides its own existence, hides the idea that I might have one or be working on one, everything. It’s… not infallible. Medea’s the only one who knows, but once I told her, she could sense it… most of the time. And, so long as I keep its uses subtle and self-contained, it’s pretty much impossible to notice– as proven by you never noticing. Also it's harder to notice the more you try to figure out that it’s there. There’s more to it, but that’s the core.”
Emmanuel’s pride as a Tier 50 wanted to refute that claim, but that was impossible given the circumstances. “I want to tell you to get out of my office, but you and I both know you aren’t going anywhere until I pry every last secret from your hands. We’ll start simple. What’s your Phrase?”
Aiden grinned and started to speak.
***
Emmanuel split his attention, using a Talent to grant himself a full six minds, each of which benefited from his full cultivation. Four of the minds were gauging the reactions of his fellow Tier 50s, one was watching Aiden’s clone as the man monologued, and the final one followed the man’s true body.
Operating at Tier 50 speeds made the entire fight practically stationary, but even without active precognition use, they could all see Aiden’s intention as he began to slip through the shields surrounding the battle.
Emmanuel was happy to watch, but nonetheless turned his focus to studying his fellow Tier 50s with his magical and mundane senses, as well as his father’s future sight. Their reactions were of utmost importance in dictating their next few actions. All of them had, the very instant the overwhelming presence unfurled, gone very still as they schooled their reactions and instinctively activated effects to make it even harder to gauge their emotions. But there was still information to be gleaned there.
JR, ever the curious raven, cocked his head and fixed Aiden with a very keen eye. Emmanuel didn’t have much experience with reading the body language of birds, Mara often used human mannerisms even in bird form for comedic effect, but a quick Talent-swap took care of that.
He was, if Tade Atien’s Tier 1 Talent was to be believed, thinking about making an enchantment or device intended to interface with the Authority. Emmanuel practically felt his vaults hurting at the mere thought of what such a creation might cost, and he hoped it wouldn’t be too hard to turn the eager bird down.
Maybe he could get Aiden to pay for a part of it himself out of the buyout reward?
Tobias simply looked tired and thoughtful, as he always did. The extent of his expressed emotions was a slow blink of surprise, and he at least didn’t look hostile. The man didn’t care much for humans, but if Emmanuel was reading the zaratan correctly, he wasn’t going to present any sort of challenge over Aiden’s existence in and of itself. Though, as he inspected the turtle, he got a sense of stern defiance. But he couldn’t source the feeling.
Aoife had tensed, and for a moment, Emmanuel feared she might grow angry. But after a while, her emotional state settled into a mixture of frustration, envy, and resignation. That was not unexpected, and he had some plans to hopefully bring her around, but it wasn’t something he needed to concern himself about right this minute.
Allister, as his truest ally at this conclave, gave him an odd look, but otherwise didn’t say anything. He was certain that they’d be having a very long discussion after this, but Emmanuel had been very careful to be forthright and honest with the Grandmaster. Their alliance might take a bit of a hit with this surprise, but he was certain it would weather this storm.
Janet was staying so exceptionally still that Emmanuel was incapable of reading anything from her through simple body language, and only after he called upon Ibhaka Strongfeather’s Tier 1 Talent did he got any sort of a hint. The woman’s aura had deflated, and Emmanuel got the impression of resignation, but he could glean nothing more.
Winter Hornet had his hands clasped firmly behind his back, but there was a glimmer around him, supported by his aura, that suggested he was thrilled. No doubt, as a firm believer in the might-makes-right philosophy that infested the Sects, he was pleased to see a fellow common-born individual make his mark upon the Realm.
Virgil, therefore, was the only one with a concerning reaction. Her eyes narrowed into a steely glare, and Emmanuel watched as her aura sharpened into a blade aimed at Aiden. It was bad enough that he scanned a million and one possible futures just to ensure she wouldn’t do something stupid. Thankfully, she restrained herself before he needed to interpose himself. Fortunately for her, but there was an impressive amount of red and black malice and avarice consuming the woman’s aura. In fact, it was so bad that Emmanuel worried that she would do something stupid and try to attack his Ascender, even if his future sight said she wouldn’t.
But he was well prepared for that. It was why he was armed. In the blink of an eye, he could change from Maxine Teslovaka’s ability to predict future outcomes to Hastor’s ability to raise his Tier 25 sword to Tier 51. It would only last for a single strike, but it was more than sufficient to, if not kill any of his fellow Tier 50s, certainly wound them and protect his Ascender.
Questions would be raised about the nature of the weapon, but he had answers prepared. Even if it were to spark a true war, such enmity would likely be aimed at the one who broke the rules first. He didn’t wish to chance that in such a fragile environment, though, as his active Tier 3 and Tier 50 talents each spoke of their own foreseen futures, and the chaos that could ensue from this meeting.
Thankfully, Aoife defused the tension by speaking up. “He must ascend the moment he reaches Tier 45. No exceptions or excuses. None of us will allow someone with an Authority to linger in this realm.”
Assent rippled across the meeting room, though Allister replied with some enthusiasm, the metal spheres orbiting around his head speeding up. “I don’t know. It might be interesting to see him take the throne from Manny. This dynasty isn't so fixated on blood relations.”
It wasn’t a threat per se, but it was certainly ill-received.
Tobias shook his head. “Absolutely not. That man is strong enough to fight his supposed peers at a four-Tier disadvantage. I cannot allow such a transparent ploy to gain strength on behalf of the Empire to play out. I will not allow such a threat to exist any longer than is required. If he does not Ascend as soon as he is able, the Monster Collective will treat his furthered presence as an attempt to prepare for total conquest and respond accordingly. We will not allow anyone to yoke us once again.”
“I am disinclined to allow that much time for subterfuge,” Virgil glowered. “Waters must die, and I will not be content until his head rests before us.”
Winter Hornet instantly turned his attention from Aiden to Virgil so wholly and so rapidly that even Emmanuel couldn’t follow it. “You overstep your bounds, Virgil. Are you truly so craven as to allow the mere thought of a power which you do not possess to drive you to destroy the one mighty enough to create it? I will not stand for such a transparent ploy to diminish well-won strength from its rightful owners, and will treat any such accusations as affronts to the honor of the Sects. If you can not bear the sight of someone accomplishing what you can not then be gone. Now be silent, I wish to properly appreciate this moment.”
The tension had returned in full force, but Janet spoke, stepping between her two allies. “Honored fellows. This is neither the time nor place to determine the fate of a single man. Waters is an Ascender, there is no concern that he would make a push for the throne. And even if there were, that is a matter internal to the Empire.”
She fixed Emmanuel with a piercing gaze for a moment, then politically turned back to the others. “Power at low Tiers does not assure power at high Tiers, and even if it did, there is precedent to allow any qualified candidates to take the mantle of leadership, no matter concerns regarding the balance of power. Should we decide to alter that, it is an alteration of our mutual treaties, one which would exclude the likes of our forebears Sword Saint Hastor, Grand Sect Elder Desolate Plains, and Empress Agatha as simply the most recent examples. Depending on the nature of such an agreement, it could possibly exclude even First Shepherd Toby or Grand Sect Elder Winter Hornet, and is that truly a path we wish to tread? Besides, such speculation is broadly pointless. He is a Gladiator. Without our intervention, he would Ascend at Tier 45 of his own volition.”
There was a bit of grumbling with that, and Janet studied Emmanuel with her spiritual sense in a way he couldn’t parse, but the mood had at least been stabilized.
Aoife crossed her arms. “I suppose I must agree, with the addition that there’s no more surefire way of guaranteeing that he’ll stick around than by telling him he needs to Ascend quickly.”
Tobias narrowed his eyes. “I will not be party to your conspiracy, but provided he Ascends before he is Tier 47, I will not push the matter. I will, however, require my personal presence at his Ascension to be satisfied. But you are correct, one should not be punished for the mere crime of exceptionality.”
He glared at Virgil, as though daring her to challenge his statement.
JR squawked lightly, pulling everyone's attention. “Think of the opportunities this presents, regardless. The honored Sword Saint provided us with no information regarding his own Authority, yet with Aiden Waters’ assistance, we may yet be capable of excelling and exceeding all previously thought limits of what is doable within this Realm. His mere existence is a tremendous resource, and one which I, at least, am quite optimistic for the future business possibilities it represents. An entire additional Domain stage to work with carries vast potential indeed.”
Emmanuel didn’t feel wonder at the idea, but instead trepidation for everyone's treasuries. Except his own, of course. If JR wanted access to Aiden, he would absolutely be paying for the privilege.
“With all that being said,” Emmanuel finally spoke, “I am not opposed to hearing proposals regarding Aiden’s future ascension, and I am willing to discuss anything… for the proper price.”
He felt a pulse of approval coming from JR, and by unspoken agreement, they tightened their grips over their cultivation until the fight began to resume once again. Emmanuel noticed with some approval that Aiden was managing to slip past the containment shield, and was beginning to attack the armies responsible for its presence.
Tentacles, unseen and unnoticed, emerged from nowhere in particular, and pulled large sections of armies into a space which even Emmanuel couldn’t look into. The Depths, Aiden had called it, an ocean just under the surface of reality which he could use to travel, escape, or hold prisoners. Already, the shield was weakening, though not in a way that most people would notice.
That was the thing about Aiden’s Authority. It was so very, very hard to notice. It didn’t stay hidden forever, but its presence and uses had a way of slipping from one’s attention, something only magnified if one didn’t know of its existence. Now that it was being revealed, it would lose some of its subtlety, but Emmanuel trusted that Aiden would be able to more than make up the difference in not needing to be circumspect with its use.
***
Lila and everyone else sat in stunned silence as she watched the fight unfold before them.
She said nothing, for there was nothing to say.
The only sound breaking the silence was the faintest tinkle of shattering glass, echoing through the room since Max dropped her drink.
***
Aiden cackled to himself as another army was pulled into the Depths, and the shield flickered and faltered. Nobody had noticed him yet, and that gave him such freedom of action. Once people started noticing their cohorts were disappearing, this would get harder, but until then…
Another army vanished beneath the waves, never to be seen again. Or more specifically, until he let them out. With their Tier advantage turned on them, they were trapped within the deepest oceans, floundering in the lightless void.
If they were really good at fighting up tiers, or closer to him in Tier, then maybe they could have escaped. His drowning had never worked as well on people at or below him in Tier, and he hadn’t had the chance to test it with the Depths, but it made intuitive sense to him that it would work that way.
Three tiers was a good middle point, he felt. Four tiers had been utter murder on his willpower but immensely fun, and only one tier meant he just barely brought the full brunt of his Domain to bear. But two to three tiers, that was just right.
Fighting Maya or Yun Me… or the rune soldiers, maybe. They hadn’t impressed him much so far, but fighting any one of them at Tier 31 had been an immense challenge that, win or lose, tended to send him into recovery for a fair amount of time. At Tier 32, his damage may not have increased, but fighting three of them became possible.
With the added advantage of using a new trump card and no longer needing to hide the source and nature of a massive chunk of his strength? Yeah, he had been pretty sure he could win.
But something he hadn’t accounted for was what using his Authority fully would mean. Until now, he’d been very careful to only use it sparingly, but now that its full power was coursing through him, he found it… intoxicating.
This was his Place, being in the depths and attacking those stronger than him, and this power was a siren’s song, encouraging him to genuinely become a monster, a lurker beyond the known and a danger to all who might venture into these uncharted waters. His flesh blurred and warped, wanting to twist him into a great and terrible shape. He would cast aside Aiden Al’Aegir and become Ascender Waters, truly.
But he restrained himself. He would not gain strength by losing himself to the monster; he would merely cut aside his rationality and humanity, limiting his ability to grow. All high-tier people had their quirks, that was true, but letting one’s self become entirely defined by their Domain was unwise. Apparently, the call only became stronger with higher stages of the Domain. While Aiden could resist it, the call only grew in intensity the more power he called upon and the longer he fought.
Five of the fifteen armies had been swallowed whole, and the sixth followed with a triumphant roar from the Terror.
An Authority was a dangerous tool.
But Aiden loved danger.
[The Depths] had been a personal project of his for a long time, a skill based off his Domain’s Place, and now that he was using his Authority fully, completing it had been almost laughably easy. It overlaid the Depths with reality and plunged them even deeper, where larger predators still lurked.
A silvery fish the size of his little finger darted through one of the rune soldiers, ending their life. More than half had perished at this point, and their bodies glowed with power, clean lines etched across their body. A wave of light blasted out, enveloping Aiden and giving him the impression of a mother’s eye, looking at him disapprovingly.
Eh, it didn’t hurt him and he wasn’t really hiding anything at this point. With his true body before his main opponents, he shot forward a pair of sharpened water tendrils, spearing the two rune soldiers' leaders through the chests. Weirdly, they didn’t resist, and simply died with no further fanfare.
Around them, their fellows also just died, no assistance or persuasion from Aiden needed. Instead of staying dead, their power flowed into a singular individual, a man armed with a crystal staff glowing magenta. The new conjoined rune soldier closed his eyes as the full strength of twenty people engulfed him, and he became perfected. His body became clear crystal and nearly doubled in size, multicolored light flowing through it like a river, spilling past his skin and surrounding him in a multichromatic halo. Instantly, he had become the biggest threat on the battlefield, and despite his cultivation technically not being Tier 36, he surely had the physical might of one.
This was going to be great!
Aiden’s [Water Spirit] formed himself into the image of a great leviathan, and he reinforced the facsimile with his Authority’s image, making him even larger than his wife’s beast form and fully empowered with his Domain. Six questing tentacles ventured forth, traveling at such speeds they’d be as likely to impale as grapple whatever they struck.
Yun Me blocked one of the tentacles with her shield, gritting her teeth at the force he was exerting yet not being sent flying. The second tentacle she parried with her spear, deflecting it up and away from her.
Maya swapped herself with an illusion to avoid the first tentacle, only to find her new body face-to-face with the second, and it rapidly enveloped her within its inky grasp.
The Federation soldier spun his staff, summoning a shield of violet flames that burned through the first tentacle, and channeled white lightning across his body, frying the second tentacle and attempting to ward off the attack.
Aiden whispered his phrase again, reinforcing its existence.
I AM THE TERROR OF THE DEPTHS.
The raw fear permeating the battlefield redoubled, and even the flames and lightning froze in terror. Both of his tentacles landed, crashing through the crystalline chest of the rune soldier and sending fragments of metal across the battlefield.
Aiden smiled, a terrible sight in his current form. But, instead of dying, the soldier simply closed up the hole in his chest, severing Aiden’s tentacles and pulling them in, dark blue-black magic joining the streams of magic pulsing through his body.
Aiden frowned at that development.
He reinforced [The Depths] around them with the full might of his Authority, putting a tremendous drain on his willpower and making the siren call of abandoning his humanity all the louder, but he could hold out for a few more minutes.
But he was the most fearsome thing at this depth, and the other monsters within his skill attacked his enemies surely, needing only a few tentacle whips to get the idea. The three of them- because of course Maya had managed to escape already, he wasn’t entirely sure when that had happened- fought off the encroaching denizens with ferocity, but without further action, they’d likely outlast him.
His first focus was the rune soldier. A flex of [The Depths] separated the trio, giving him the ability to attack them one at a time. The rune soldier was accordingly first up, and he barreled through the water like a missile, wrapping himself with a blanket of pressurized cutting water. He crashed into the giant from an unseen angle with immense force, only to bounce off entirely.
A bit more finesse was needed, apparently.
He conjured a half-dozen razor-sharp water discuses and sent them in a barrage at the soldier, only for him to smash two into pieces with his staff, freeze a third into yellowish-green ice and reverse its course, shoot down two more with arrows of purple fire fired from his shoulders, and simply backhand the last, sending it back at Aiden, crackling with lightning.
Aiden smoothly dodged the lightning-coated discus, and…
Was immediately slammed with the lightning discus, causing his tentacles to lock up and spasm. What? Hmm. Some kind of disorientation effect. To avoid it, he simply swapped his position with a random bit of water somewhere else, letting him actually dodge the second reflected attack.
It had admittedly been quite some time since Aiden had run into a target he couldn’t just brute-force into submission, but he still knew how to deal with it. He just needed a bit of time, which unfortunately he wasn’t about to get.
The currents around him twisted and diverted away, forming a bubble within [The Depths] where there was no water. Along the edges, the deep waters became deep rock, and in the blink of an eye they were no longer in [The Depths] of the ocean, but [The Depths] of the earth, a massive cavern their new battlefield.
Aiden kept himself in the air with a light touch of his Domain, but a blinding light arced from a tiny hole that opened in the ceiling, striking down like Maya’s golden sword and cutting his leviathan form in half. In that instant, Aiden felt the choice present itself as to whether he would dive deeper into the Authority and stay the Terror, or return to being Aiden.
He picked the latter.
Now back in human form, he threw himself to the side on a summoned wave, taking the form of an underground river and breaking through the rock walls of the cavern, narrowly avoiding a newly-reappeared Yun Me’s spear aimed at his head.
It wasn’t particularly difficult, but it put him on the defensive, and he was forced to relegate his offensive on the others to the back of his mind while he focused on defending himself from Yun Me.
Even in [The Depths] of the earth rather than the ocean, there were still great monsters to be found here, and Aiden sensed one such predator lurking just beyond the walls of the cavern. To lure it in, he quickly hid his full power and projected a feeling of weakness. Stone flew as the monster, some kind of rocky wingless draconic wyrm, broke through the floor and lunged at him.
He locked it down with his Authority.
Locking down space to prevent someone from moving was a simple tactic. It was still almost never used at their level because, without an advantage in Domain advancement or a massive skill discrepancy, your opponent could easily counter such a working. And no one had anything greater than an Aspect in this realm.
No one except Aiden.
Yun Me’s forward movement stopped like she ran into a wall and Aiden drifted to the side as the wyrm came in for a bite.
With Aiden’s dodge, it had only one target in its view, and it happily took a bite as it flew past her.
Yun Me conjured a spherical shield around her, but was swallowed whole nonetheless. She’d break free soon enough, but Aiden re-projected his full strength and directed a spike of fear at the wyrm, prompting it to dive back into the ground and burrow away as fast as it could.
Aiden would finish her off later. Of his three opponents, she was certainly the verifiably hardest one to beat, and while the rune soldier seemed to have greater passive defenses, he expected he’d find a workaround soon enough. But if Yun Me was still in play, that would be all the harder.
Maya brought down a golden sword whose blade stretched to the end of the cavern, and he threw himself to the side to avoid it while using [Abyssal Ablation] to deflect the bolt of ink-black lightning that the soldier threw at him. That attack still carried some kind of intense reverberation that rattled his body until he turned into water, at which point it became harmless ripples.
He created a water clone and split up, each one engaging one of the fighters still on the battlefield. He could tell with the corner of his awareness that Yun Me had escaped the wyrm, but its fleeing had brought it far enough from the battle that she would take some time to arrive.
The clone conjured a pair of whips and began harassing the rune soldier, for all that it was twice his size. Purple flames, arrows of light, toxic ice, all of it poured down on him in an unending hail, but he’d fought bigger and scarier things before. He was the terror here, the soldier was just an interloper challenging his Authority.
His real body closed in with Maya, only for the entire world to vanish in place of a pitch-black dreamscape. She was going back to basics, apparently. That meant she was getting tired.
Aiden closed his eyes, dodged an invisible knife and fired off a [Water Bullet], feeling the spell impact Maya. His clone wrapped a [Water Whip] around the end of the giant’s staff and let himself go for a ride, being flung into the air as the soldier spun the weapon.
The call of the Depths was strengthening.
It was time to end this.
***
Medea sighed with relief as the battle was reaching its conclusion and reached a tentacle over to pat the still shocked Cammie on the head.
They would be fine, just like she had said they would be.
***
Maya dodged to the left while a copy of her dodged right, in case she needed to take its place if her dodge was wrong. Off in the corner of her awareness, she saw a clone of Aiden flipping around the giant rune idiot as he did… something. She had stopped paying attention to them once it became clear they were functionally useless beyond another meat shield.
Some attack was coming, but Maya just couldn’t locate it. Aiden pulling an extra stage to his Domain out of his ass would be due for a lot of future consideration, but right now, she needed to concentrate. If only the palpable fear aura wasn’t constantly wriggling at the back of her mind like an annoying little worm.
Right as the fear spiked, Maya felt the blow descend.
It was like a tidal wave, like the wrath of an angry elemental, like the descent of an immortal into a veil world.
It was coming right at her.
It was coming after all of them actually.
Yun Me crashed through the rock from where the wyrm had dragged her off, just as Aiden and his clone flew to be back-to-back, raised their arms, and pulled down.
The stone crumbled around them, and unfathomable amounts of water came pouring in, like a hammer from the heavens, a tsunami dropped directly on their heads. There was a lot of chaos, and she needed to spin up a rapid Law just to give her enough time to process.
Yun Me nearly had her arm wrenched from its socket when her shield got pinned between two boulders traveling at nearly supersonic speeds, and opted to ditch the shield rather than let her mobility be so impeded as more boulders came flying towards where she was standing. Her spear was also knocked from her hand, but she simply re-manifested it in time to stab a wave of water away. The giant rune idiot had two rocks break on his head before he went down, and even with All the Time In The World, turning herself into an illusion, and more, she felt herself being crushed under the immense pressure of Aiden’s Authority backed attack.
She refused to let that be the end of it. She refused to let that be the end of this. She was Maya Embers, the Reality Warper. And with the last of her strength, she pushed.
That Didn’t Happen.
Her willpower and mana dropped like a stone, and there was a good deal of chaos, but by the time she was aware of what was going on, they were back floating in space, no sign of the abyssal depths- oceanic or cavernous- they had been within. Instead, they were in the battlefield where most of their fight had occurred, but the arena shield had apparently collapsed. That was new.
To her sides were Yun Me- still missing her shield but less harmed- and the rune idiot. She hadn’t realized that would be so area-of-effect, and wondered if next time she could make it more selective, to save power.
She felt the undercurrents of reality begin to stir, the sounds of the ocean beginning to stir as Aiden sought to bring them back to the depths, but she put a rapid stop to that.
It Is What It Is.
It would drastically cut into her own effectiveness, but it handily put a stop to Aiden’s Domain shenanigans. Hopefully Yun Me and the rune idiot could take it the rest of the way, because while she was overstretched nearly to the point of breaking… she was not missing out on the rest of this fight.
She wouldn’t stop and give up now, not in the best fight she’d had in her lifetime.
She needed to see.
***
Aiden swore as Maya brought all three of them very nearly back from the dead. That was a new one, and it was lopsided enough of a law to revive her, but not restore the resources he’d had to pull out to try and score the blow. Still, at least he’d been able to separate Yun Me from her shield long enough to pull it into the Depths, and Maya’s hasty recall hadn’t been able to return it to its rightful owner. That was an incredible relief, as much as he was impressed by the impromptu revive.
The call of the monster was growing strong, and his willpower was nearing empty. Using his Authority was taxing on it, who would have guessed? But that meant it was time to finish this.
It was time for his last, not really trump card, trump card.
Reaching into the gas giant they had been fighting over, Aiden connected to all of the hydrogen floating around.
Hydrogen was, after all, a big part of water. Two-thirds of it, if he was being generous. But that wasn’t enough to allow him to control it directly. However, if he looked at the planet beneath him another way, then it was a giant ocean. Not one of water, nor of lava or sand, but of hydrogen. And he couldn’t control just any hydrogen. And he couldn’t control just any ocean.
But an ocean of hydrogen?
He could make that work. Barely.
His Domain and skills were stretched in some very uncomfortable ways, to the point he felt his body begin to crack and melt, but he reached out and commanded the planet to rise.
An enormous tentacle of hydrogen stretched out from the surface of the planet looming overhead, a swirling mass of storms the size of a moon. It seemed to move slowly, but that was simply the size and distance playing tricks on perception. The tentacle slammed into the battlefield like the entire ocean it was, winds created from the nothingness of space striking with the force of a mountain. While they enveloped Aiden harmlessly, they struck his foes with the force needed to pulverize a moon.
The rune soldier conjured a silver shield in front of them, and the hydrogen was deflected in every direction. Behind him, Yun Me conjured a very solid-looking shield, despite Aiden and Maya’s ongoing war over the underlying working, which was locking down spatial storage as a matter of course, and began to envelop the group in a crackling red shield.
It took too long.
One moment, the rune soldier was defending against Aiden’s onslaught of tentacle strikes stalwartly.
The next moment, the rune soldier had been replaced with a cloud of crystal dust and fragments of metal as he detonated. Multicolored waves of energy spilled out and interrupted Yun Me’s nascent shield as the impact of repeated strikes overwhelmed him, causing his conjoined body to rupture and release twenty cultivators worth of energy in an instant.
Yun Me recovered quickly, and while he could see that she’d gotten a wounded leg somewhere, she still moved quickly. But instead of a skill, she manifested a massive and ancient tree that resisted the onrushing tide admirably well. Maya’s current Law poured into the tree as well, making it even sturdier and mightier than it would have otherwise been. Aiden pushed with his Authority and an ocean of hydrogen, they pushed back with their Aspects and reality on itself.
They were all tired. This fight had pushed them all to their limits.
But such was the nature of the Depths. Simply existing was a never-ending fight, a never-ending struggle to survive. It was a pressure he was so very familiar with. It was his home. It was his Domain. And it was his Authority which ensured that these interlopers within his waters would fall.
Blood poured down his face from his eyes as his willpower stretched to its limits.
No, not blood.
Saltwater.
He laughed maniacally. The sea was in his blood. Always had been. Always would be.
A wave crested the shore. The ocean consumed all. It rushed across the shoreline and slammed into the tall and proud tree on the coast.
The tree stood.
The waters rose.
And rose.
And rose.
And rose.
Soon, even the tips of the trees were underneath the waves, leaving no sign of land.
Maya and Yun Me were nowhere to be seen.
The Depths had claimed them.
Aiden sagged. He’d managed to trap them, but both of them were squirrely- Yun Me was already hammering him from the inside with attacks, and had somehow managed to find her shield, despite how impossible that should have been, and he didn’t trust himself to hold them for very long. He needed to get to a secure war-prison and fast, where they could better restrain them and accept surrenders, or whatever.
More ships arrived in the system, and Aiden tensed for a moment before smiling. The Empire forces and newly-arrived Guild forces swept forward, enveloping the remaining armies before they could retreat.
They had won. He had won.
His Domain all but collapsed, his willpower pushed to its breaking point, but appearances were important. Aiden raised his hand above him in victory and surveyed the devastation he’d wrought even as he laughed.
Be it a rising tide, a rushing river, a stormy sea, Waters was unstoppable.
***
Watching the wreckage of a once great armada and the surviving armies huddling inside as his own forces rallied around them, Emmanuel turned to Winter Hornet, Janet, and Virgil.
“We did convene this predicated on the idea that these would be the initial surrender negotiations. Shall we begin?”
Virgil ground out through gritted teeth. “We haven’t lost in the Tier 25 bracket, so the war is only tied. Really, you’ve lost the Tier 35 bracket as well, just not as badly as you might have. Waters is in no shape to fight, and do you really think you can claw back enough territory to pull the upper bracket into anything but a draw before you have to release today’s captures? No. I’m calling your bluff. Without your Ascender, you can’t win forever.”
Emmanuel raised and dropped a single shoulder in the most casual way he could. “It's inevitable at this point. Why drag it out? I’m willing to call it here and now, with a pseudo white peace. You pay out the Ascenders and we all go on our way.”
He knew they would never accept that, couldn’t accept that. He didn’t even want that, to be honest. He wanted as long of a treaty as possible, but that was where his bargaining should start, so it had to start there.
Sadly, he knew exactly what Virgil would say when she opened her mouth. “We haven’t lost yet.” Not bothering to hide it, she sent an order with her AI. “Harmony Accords. Attack.”
Because, of course, they would fight to the bitter end.
Emmanuel looked down to where what was left of Aiden floated, silently laughing at the destruction he wrought upon the Empire’s enemies.
Emmanuel had faith in his Ascenders. No matter what pyrrhic victory their enemies tried to achieve, he trusted the kids to see them through the flames.
He just hoped the price they paid wasn’t too high.
***
Once again please try to avoid spoilers outside these comments or discord Tier 15 chat.
Discord information.
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Comments
Caesin Aldris
Great work on this fight.
Julie Smith
So Aiden captured both Maya and Yun Me. They should each be worth several dozen planetary systems and perhaps several thousand years of a peace treaty in ransom. And Manny is just the one to negotiate it. He is negotiating from great strength, which will get greater when MAL & co. win tier 25.
Julie Smith
Another awesome chapter. You said it was hard to write--but it was worth the effort. Well done!
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Desidia
All people that ascend to the higher realm gets their Talents upgraded. Of course, only tier 50's get t50 Talents.
Sean Shivers
plenty, but they dont get improved talents until tier 50 was my understanding
Austin Byrd
I was a little overtop with some of my statements, for one, agreed about the coattails and that her and Aster are stronger then I was making them out to be
Douglas Lilley
@C. Mantis — Ha! I’m taking your comment as a promise from you that we’ll eventually get to see some chapters from post-ascension people. No take-backs!! :D
Mario Reiman
I think you might be forgetting that there have been quite a few centuries between Hastors ascent and current time. I would not be surprised if in the mean time there have been like 5-10 ascensions in the Empire alone. And the effect that an ascension might have on MAL and other medium level cultivators might be small enough that its not worth to at least describe (if not even participate) it in the story.
Connor Butler
When Aiden is talking about his anti-memetic hiding his Authority the tense shifts "I figured that the antimemetic was just that good? Which, if it took you this long, I guess it did". I think it should be "I guess it is" or some other shift
Alex
I think if there had of been another Ascension MAL would have gone to it to help their Domains along, so I don’t think so. My guess is that Ascensions happen on average about once or twice a century. Manny apparently has an ability to slip through space and time unnoticed by everyone else, including the Tier 50s, so it’s possible he’s been sneaking to the Ascensions happening in the other GPs
Desidia
I wonder if Emperor Manny managed to copy more Talents of ascending tier45. How often does the Empire have a tier 45 ascend to the higher realm?
Patrick Schuldt
I see, so when a threshold is reached, the realm tiers up. And I assume if a realm tiers up, the max tier increases by 25? (Since we heard of a t25 realm below) If it's a function of total essence, Matt will do a hell of a job later 😂
Wes
Now that the Tier 50s are watching MLA fight, I wonder if his talent will be discovered given the ridiculous amount of mana he will use and their likely enhanced observation capabilities
T
Would everyone under t45 die if that happens? I herd somewhere that the higher realms are deadly for everyone without an aspect
Darthnarciss
That was a different type of fight. That was a Shock and Awe strike, with both sides knowing the outcome didnt really matter, so they could play around/test each other/try new things. Whereas this was a direct capture/kill mission with the outcome essentially deciding 1/3 of the entire war.
Darthnarciss
I mean, meh, yeah he doesn't care about his Talent, but he'll still get it when he tiers up to 50 in the higher realm.
Darthnarciss
Janet is "the ends justifies the means" but with the added issue of rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. Yeah she is veil-borne and look what she accomplished. She is maintaining the matrix, but it's OK because for the select few, the lucky few, there is a way out of the life of lies! Every single one of the other great powers KNOWS what each of their peers version of the Path is, but they all view theirs as the only correct one. The Empire has made no secret about 'the secret' of their success, but the others are too set in their ways. Limiting the section of the population that can qualify your sides version of the path, artificially lowers the possible 1 in a (arbitrarily large nimber) ascender. Just like the Empire realized before they opened the path to "commoners".
Darthnarciss
Janet at least did. The cowboy mentioned along those lines a few chapters ago. And the Sects are your stereotypical cultivators so they live and breath betrayal.
Darthnarciss
What? It is definitely if not directly Mavens fault, as she was following orders, it was her fault in actually following those orders. She carried the final payouts and armaments to the Sect spy for distribution to the Sect terrorists and sympathizers, specifically so they could initiate the diversion plan of breaking thousands of rifts so that Maven and crew could ransack the vault. Kill Maven, as she is Sect and based on what we've seen of her actions, she'd 95% explode her core. And definitely kill the Sniper.
Darthnarciss
Honestly, I don't think any of the 3 would have made it as an Ascender without the others. They all pushed each other. Matt's goal was to push himself and prove he wasn't his detrimental talent. But that's just not enough, he would have fallen off somewhere between t10-t15, but im leaning at around t12. Aster literally wouldn't exist without Matt. Liz's whole drive was to show she wasn't just her parents kid and that she wasn't "extinguished". I imagine her making it on the path all the way to t10, and then falling off at t15. She had enough of a personal drive to push, but not the ability to make it to t25 on the path. Furthermore, none of them would have gotten Luna as a manager without the whole group, as it was the aperology that brought the investigation that lead to them getting a manager, and Matt only found out about that due to his connection with Liz. Yeah, Aunt Helen would have still directed him to the planet for the ascension, but Liz's brother and his husband, are the ones that showed him he could mess with rifts. The examples can go on. But that doesn't matter, becuase noone rode anyone's coattails, they all earned it, heck each and every one of them was delving 3+up, solo WITH handicaps. They are ascenders. Period.
Alex
Janet already regrets teaming up with the Feddies after seeing what Virgil’s been doing with the rune kids.
Alex
I don’t think so. There’s a chapter where Matt says something like “maybe Domains were so easy for Aiden that literally any nonsense was helpful to him.” I think that’s the essence of the issue: Aiden’s so damn good at Domain stuff that he can’t wrap his head around how to teach a person who doesn’t just get it.
Tsorov
I think there is a big difference in attacking a civillian world (Maven), and killing the enemy soldier that gives you the best chances to make the most damage. Yes, the sniper wanted to disrupt their emotions by killing Stone, but in the end, it was a fight to the death, everything goes. Maven on the other hand is "evil" because she involved innocent in the war.
Tsorov
Is that the clue that we will get to tier 68? Until now I thought the book would end when MLA ascend at Tier 45?
C_Mantis
@patrick, its been talked about in the discord and Sun is correct. Tiering up a realm is possible and its a function of the total essence. Think of it like an object flowing in water with oil on top of the water. If the object changes its density (essence total) it rises to the next layer.
C_Mantis
Correct Aiden having his Authority was planned since day one.
Mario Reiman
Indeed, there was a significant jump in quality these past few chapters. Personally I wouldn't mind the current writing tempo if that meant such a high level of story (It could have an effect on the financials tho). I was rather critical of the early zero vs HA chapters but these past few ones really deserve praise. Tyfc!
Tarl Reynoso
I suspect Matt may be stopped at Tier 35 for awhile.
Tarl Reynoso
How cool would it be that instead of ascending, Matt teirs up the whole realm?
Alex
Credit where it’s due, the man has integrity. I dislike his ideology, but I can respect a person who’s so committed to their ideals that they’ll uphold them for their enemies as well as their allies.
Alex
In the very first chapter we ever get from Aiden’s perspective when he’s being ‘punished’ by Manny for interfering with the Path he says words to the effect of “the Empire’s enemies were already terrified of him, and he hadn’t even shown them everything he could do yet. One day he would, and they would all fall in line.” That’s not the exact quote since I’m too lazy to actually look it up, but it’s close enough. With the benefit of hindsight it’s fairly obvious he was sitting on his Authority, waiting for the right moment to bring it out.
Arden Burrell
It's stated in the previous chapter that part of his domain is the idea that the depths never divulge their secrets. To me this implies that His understanding of his domain makes him a terrible teacher and being a good teacher would be explicitly against his domain
Arden Burrell
While Matt had the power to be a solo ascender, I don't think he had the drive especially in the earlier years. Without Liz and the chain of events that lead to Luna, I could easily see Matt becoming complacent and becoming like the unbroken. Power set matters, but mentality matters more and Liz was way stronger in that area.
Kain
Yeah Gan Lie is gone but so is Shadow and they’ve picked up about a dozen more pinnacle elites and even more peak elites. To me the HA’s last few fights have been off because of a lack of coordination and prep and because the elites were probably unnerved from getting hunted but they’ve at least had a little time to gel now and calm down so if they commit to a full assault while accepting they will take losses they should get at least as much done as that first ambush probably should be more if things are consistent.
Kacoo
Yeah I think Maven and Maya are in different categories. Maybe if they'd known her for a bit before hand and had a bit of age behind them it would be different
Frardowin
Or could be "water also counts as an animal"
Frardowin
Difference is that matt is getting speed run to tier 45 so the empire can boost the Capitol planet to a higher tier.
austin kutz
It would probably become something actually useful, though, like empowering the ocean monsters in his domain
austin kutz
He considers that low hanging fruit and already did that as soon as he reached tier 15
MinE
Virgil with an authority would be an every other great power teams up to murder her or fate worst than death scenario. P.s There is no way she would risk losing control of the situation by risking her life without being backed into a corner.
MinE
Maven only followed orders and was basically forced into it. The sniper made their choice to cause maximum damage, so I think she’s more deserving of the evil moniker.
C_Mantis
Tier 70 or so is about where Authorities become safe to make. Maybe t68 or so but I haven't planned that out.
MinE
Honestly not even Mavens fault, so I would prefer he captures Maven and kills the sniper.
MinE
I think it’s more that the anti memetic effect is strong because he is so bad a teaching about domains. P.s His domain is confirmed to be focused on fighting people higher tier than him, so I think it’s safe to say his mindset is a bit unusual.
James Harrison
Ngl, he probably already has. It would definitely be something he'd never mention/think about but subconciously be doing
Jason Hatter
She's the leader of the nation. Who else is supposed to say "Start. Stop"?
Harrop Gordon
I can see all the hard work put into these last few chapters, and they were great! I think it was a much better than the earlier Aiden-Maya fight, where everyone's actions seemed a lit bit more mind-bending.
Patrick Schuldt
Where did you get this Infos from? I can't recall ever reading about tiering up a realm... And shouldn't it tiered up to tier 51?
Andre cook
Thank you for the pdf
Andrew K
While it's fair to not be *completely* certain that Liz would have made it on her own and to say that Matt made her path easier, it seems pretty clear that her overall characterization absolutely shows the sort of Ascender-grade motivation and willpower that would very likely have led to success on her own. Matt's mana making things easier in some ways made it an all but foregone conclusion they would all make it in time (barring Intent formation issues), but remember that it was made clear around when Luna was introduced that she was there because they clearly had the potential but Matt's talents were basically *threatening their ability to complete the Path properly*. If anything, the big difference for Liz from joining Matt and Aster seems like it probably did a lot to help certain other aspects of her mental health just by having people she cares about and can relate well to (with evidence suggesting that the most likely negative outcome without that added stability would be a wireless caring and more power-hungry Liz, not a less dangerous Liz).
SunStar
the opposite actually. Authority makes it easier to stay. Unless it's also an inspiration, then yeah, T51 and you get yeeted.
SunStar
It's possible a surviving Maven follows them up the tiers, but typically an Ascender is going to outpace an Elite in advancement and frankly....the comparison won't get better for Maven. Maya I'd expect to see again.
Notanautomaton
Theory: for Waters next trick he's going to reveal that he's turned his beast-rearing Talents to work on the monsters of his Domain.
0x0F
Most people can't make an Authority at T50. If I had to guess T60ish would be safe to attempt to make an Authority. And you die if you mess up in making the next stage of your domain if you aren't a high enough tier.
Sable
Difference is that she caused so many civilian deaths, would've been different if it wasn't civilians including children.
SunStar
Realms can tier up, but from what little we've been told in various discussions, it's more about the essence, the kind/volume you'd need T50 worlds for, that would start off the process of tiering up the realm to a T100 realm. And the lack of Authorities in the realm is more a factor of that for anyone in this realm, making a mistake is a death sentence. Just like making an intent before T20 will kill you if you don't get it right the first try, making an authority (required for T75) would likely only be safe somewhere above T50 (we don't know the floor there). Aiden one shot his Authority formation; it's why he's not dead.
ShivaMcTimber
All I'm saying is milk Maven's villainy a bit more to push MLA even further. Ultimately, yes, all villains will be fertilizer for their cultivation, but short term I think the sniper should pay the price of revenge. Maven will be a pressure and target for peak drive for them.
Darune Albane
I think authority + lvl50 ranks you up
Violet
The Republic is only a meritocracy in the sense that any society built on inherent inequality is meritocratic. Which is to say: not at all. It may generally have pretensions of meritocracy, although I think that's more of an Empire delusion than a Republic one. Ideologically, however, Janet's preoccupation is with protecting people. She's quite willing to limit the meritocracy of the Republic in order to protect people from the kind of bloodbath that the Path represents. She basically says as much in one of her interludes.
Austin Byrd
That all being said I adore Liz and Aster. But part of the reason I like them so much is they’re humble. During aster’s monster academy arc she talked about how she didn’t feel truly part of the ascender team and rightfully so. I appreciated her ability to be honest with herself. And I’m pretty sure Liz has alluded several times especially back during her power up arcs of spear fighting and potion brewing that she felt she wasn’t pulling her weight compared to Matt and rightfully so. I appreciated her actions because if there was a moment she started bragging about how she became an Ascender on her own I wouldn’t like her very much. And there’s irony in her not wanting her parents help and then hitching herself to the person with the arguably best power set in the realm to help her grow. It’s amusing and I think she’s kinda aware of that also, which makes me like her even more. But what does Liz actually bring to the table for the Team? There’s many variables present to make an ascender but Matt boosting her is certainly a big one. I think credit goes to Mantis for not unveiling some random absolutely OP new talents for her or for Aster to bring them up to Matt’s level and instead slowly working within the bounds of the story he laid out to get them as close to Matt’s level as he can. But they can only get so close and I think that’s how it should be. Their talents/domains are underwhelming. Luna just eaked out every spare drop of potential for them.
Jeff Wells
Her Republic is a meritocracy, so attacking Aiden in this situation runs directly counter to her beliefs.
SunStar
I feel confident that Fire!Liz would have made it on her own. Thus I don't discount Blood!Liz because in the core she has that extra in her personality, but if she did make it, it would have been close. Aster, I just don't know because I don't know who she'd be without a team. She had some really awesome moments before she went support and Mantis is just finding the ways to bring out the new awesome. Take away her bit of the tree of perfection and I'd be sure she doesn't make it. Leave her that and she's just a wildcard.
adam1
I think Maven needs to go, and Ari Kai. Blood Hand will be around as a potential foil going forward and the rest of the team except for Veronica haven't had enough key plot interactions for them to matter to me one way or the other, beyond the color commentary of the fights.
Jeff Wells
No, his authority was how he was on par with them while 4 tiers lower, but he had it complete and hidden before he met them.
adam1
They aren't more outclassed than at the start, though. Removing Gan Le from the fight was a huge advantage. Saziel died, but that wasn't as big of an impact. But for all the talk of Gan Le being too much of a silver bullet for Matt, his removal was devastating for the HA. Lorlael and the giant mana neutralizer are in play to help stop Matt, but that's a lot less of a flexible and permanent solution than Gan Le was.
Owen Kaz
I find it also may depend on the overall ambient mana throughout the realm, as this one is basically empty other than the hotspots that are worlds. What if higher realms have a baseline of mana throughout the entire realm? much like how worlds and materials are stronger when fully imbused, becoming higher-tier materials. Take that, and assume our entire realm is merely tier 1, or even 0. Now, imagine it is a tier 5 realm. They likely don't even follow the same growth trajectory as Cultivators, Worlds, or portals. Instead, a tier 2 Realm is likely vastly more capable than a tier 1. A tier 50 moving a world through the tier 2 void? good luck! try again at tier 75 shitboot. This is how I see this kinda thing working The higher realms allow more power yes, but they also contain more suppression. Thus maintaining a balance.
James Trautwein
Maven is pure evil and she needs to die. The sniper on the other hand is just a soldier on the other side, I don’t like that she killed Stone but that’s how it goes in war.
James Trautwein
I do understand what you’re saying but Maven is a mass mudering terrorist and she needs to die.
William Johnson
Mantis replied to a similar question earlier, that mostly applies to specific orders. So "attack" is okay, "use this particular avenue to attack" is not. Also as with all rules, if the other tier 50s don't care to call her on it they're the ones making the rules so no harm no foul.
Austin Byrd
I even think Matt plus Melinda together would have been a far greater team than Matt plus Liz plus Aster. Liz/Aster are barely in the same game, they needed 25 tiers of getting the best rewards, the best teacher, and mana out the gazoo again all thanks to Matt. Liz and aster needed a lot of polish both from extraneous sources and again - from Matt.
Owen Kaz
To reply to everyone in this comment chain 1) Liz and Aster are both Ascenders yes, however, I find it incredibly unlikely either could have ever reached such heights on their own. They have crazy skills and are extremely powerful yes, but news flash, so is everybody else! The comment about Pinnacle elites is my guess for what they could reach on their own. Matt on the other hand could have reached Ascender status on his own in my eyes. They have power yes, but in utter truth it's not unique power. I guarantee there are higher tiers who can do the same things they do. and while that seems to be an excuse, remember the gap grows with each tier increase. Eventually Aster and Liz, assuming nothing really changed, would hit a cap on delving a tier or 2 ahead max. Matt's talent on the other hand will allow him to ALWAYS delve several tiers ahead. And if anything, will only continue to snowball. Meanwhile, the other 2 can't seriously increase their powers without either lucky breaks, or increased access to mana to directly increase their combat strength (More bodies and more blood magic for Liz, bigger storms and more Ice for Aster) Again, they are incredibly strong, Ascenders they are, but ultimately Matt has a higher peak, and I genuinely believe Matt is the only one out of the 3 that could potentially defeat the other 2 in a no-holds-barred fight. Let me put it this way, I think it's simpler. Liz and Aster could fight and probably win against every individual foe they've faced this war, I'd say a 90-100% win rate depending on the matchup. Matt on the other hand, would be the only one who could pull the same kind of stunt Aiden just did and win against all of them at once. Finally, my comment about Liz and Astor being Pinnacle was if they had to do all this on their own, if they never had the aid of the group. Out of the 3, Matt alone could reach Ascender status solo. He would be a changed man from the one we know certainly, with different motivations pushing him forwards, and he'd definitely be lacking compared to the current Matt, but he could have still beat that deadline. I see the other 2 reaching even as far as our little Sword Saint a miracle. But again, this didn't happen, as one they ascended and as one they grow ever stronger than they could have dreamed as separate pieces.
James Faulkner
Tftc! Time to clean up the Harmony Accords, it’s time for some KILLS!
Austin Byrd
Actually to expand further, I think Matt could have theoretically made it as a solo ascender. Unless he fell off the path super early lol. Meanwhile I don’t think Liz or Aster could have made it (with practically any other teammate) without Matt. They’re super powerful now sure but that’s putting the cart before the horse. They’re honed weapons from Luna but again their potential was massively impacted by Matt’s regen. They’ve got elite tier talents but nothing groundbreaking. They can’t teleport across the realm, they can’t manipulate all mana like playdough, they can’t regen infinite mana, they can’t dominate battlefields with their domains. They’ve been aggressively upgrading themselves the whole time to keep up with Matt and BECAUSE of Matt’s ability to boost their potentials. They’re pseudo ascenders.
ShivaMcTimber
TYFT Excellent C!!! Peeps saying Maven should die or Maya or whoever are shortsighted. MLA, just like Waters with Maya, need good enemies that will repeatedly test them. Defeat them, yes, capture and ransom preferably. As the watching elite club shows, there is a connection they share even if they were once enemies/rivals. I would like to see a conversation with T0 types and many of the HA. Even the rune soldiers would be interesting if they could have their conditioning broken - they are victims.
MikeL
Duke Waters might be the only person when they ascend earlier than T50 who doesn’t care that they couldn’t upgrade their T50 talent.
TimeDrawsNigh
I was referring to the end with Virgil ordering the HA to attack
MikeL
Hastor could have been hiding his also. Him unveiling it earlier as we see this chapter would have been a big issue.
ShivaMcTimber
Nah, maybe Aster used to fit that description but she completed the Path within the rules and is now coming into her cosmic powers - she us just a slower burn than M&L. As for Liz, well, you are just not paying attention to remotely suggest she isn't a true ascender. Put that crack pipe down! Lol (jk)
MikeL
Yes. Now I’m waiting for next chapter for her to have a new conspiracy theory on Authority. Someone please come up with the most bat-s**t one they can.
Reid Thompson
At a guess, Dena likely kills the sniper but it costs her her life to do it. Likely other casualties among the elites. It would be upsetting if any of the ascenders bought a farm though.
Austin Byrd
Agreed. And to the ones disagreeing above me, Liz would have never made it to Ascender without Matt. There’s a time component for the Path and without Matt’s regen I personally doubt she would made it, actually I think she would have fallen off even before Susan did. Liz is good but Liz coasted to Ascender on Matt’s coat tail. We could swap out Liz or aster and still have three-man team make it to Ascender. Not Matt though. Matt is the star.
Violet
Yeah, Liz is the most obvious Ascender of the three. Matt is incredibly powerful, but he's fundamentally a blunt object, most of the time. He gets by on brute force, which he has enough of to be an Ascender-level threat in most fights, but if he finds himself having to use something else, he tends to perform much worse. Aster is increasingly compelling as a support, and is starting to earn her own nightmare status, but supports are always going to be harder to identify as Ascenders because Ascenders are seen as doers, rather than enablers, most of the time and when a support is doing their job, they are generally not the focus of a fight. Liz? She's damn near impossible to kill, has dozens of tricks up her sleeve, is multi-modal in combat, and has clearly surpassed normal boundaries. Her Tier 25 Talent is absolutely insanely powerful. Her Domain needs rounding out/expansion and bloodfire will give her even more tools, but of all of MLA, Liz is the most like the other Ascenders. All three of TWL desperately need rounding out, to be fair. As Ascenders, they still lack the kind of flexibility that we saw in the Tier 35 bracket Ascender fights, but they got thrown directly into a war after ascending, which means that they've been focused on winning with what they have more than anything. I'll be interested to see whether Luna calls them out on those shortcomings at the end of the war. Since she's no longer really their mentor, she doesn't have to, but I can only imagine that she's watching all three of them, particularly Matt, and grinding her teeth in frustration.
C_Mantis
Shoudl be fixed
Benjamin Gallagher
hmm yeah me too
Thomas Brusilovsky
That didn’t happen is a hell of an ability lmao
Abriel Blauer
Where can I subscribe?
Wrathwind
If information about Authorities becomes more available, what would happen if Virgil is the first tier 50 leader to find their Authority?
Abriel Blauer
I have to disagree While Matt/Titan is a beast with his mana regeneration, Liz is also a rightful Ascender in her own right. She is basically an Immortal Legion by herself. While Matt could take down any Elite or Ascender, Liz can rule over any battlefield regardless of the quality and quantity of her opponent. Aster is more of an unknown. As primarily a Support, she got a little less screen time than the other. But when Matt managed to nullify all Domain a few chapters ago, while everyone was surprised, she still managed to capture two of the Harmony Accord. What was masterful was that she immediately took out the two that were the most troublesome for Liz and Matt. That show her strength, quick thinking and overall judgement. She was able to act when everyone else was surprised. Hard to say if she is truly Ascender, but if not she is the next best thing
Christian Nouws
I think this was waters coming back from his adventures beyond the frontline. Just reporting back to his leader. Manny isn't allowed to give tactical advice but is allowed to talk to his people and rule his nation.
Tom
As much as I hated the convo with Manny/Aiden delaying the fight... the bit where Aiden accidentally reveals his authority is my favourite bit
HT
I think there’s a few places “antimemetic” became “antiemetic” which stops people from puking.
Christian Nouws
Liz is a legendary spell spear high on her own potions that can revive if need be. She can fight as up to 100 high elites at once and perfectly coordinated. She can cast multi person spells by herself. Can utilise blood curses. Liz isn't even at het peak 25 strength yet with her not yet having her blood fire mana element. Liz is the bag of trick to Yun me's simplicity. I forgot to say that liz has a blood magic talent.
Discordian23
You mean MLA? If so the only one of them that can die is Aster. And killing aster would be a huge issue because Matt depends on Aster to not do crazy shit like go on an unhinged killing spree after a team member dies.
Magisch
I didn't think it was possible, but you guys found a way to power cap Aiden without ruining him.
TimeDrawsNigh
I was under the impression the T50’s can’t give direct orders during the war?
C_Mantis
fixed
Kain
I mean they are more outclassed now in fire power than they were when they lost Stone so someone else dying shouldn’t really be off the table if the buffed up Harmony Accords go on a full offensive. Obvious because this isn’t game of thrones it won’t be anyone in MLA but Queen and Light should maybe watch their necks. Ooo the drama if light dies while Shadow is on bed rest I kinda want it to happen now sorry I like the guy but that’s some meaty trauma to dig into.
Violet
Most of the T50s don't really seem to view most of their people as /people/ so much as components of a nation. It stands to reason that Janet, whatever her flaws, has a stronger sense of responsibility for the consequences of her actions not directly related to the struggle of the Great Powers than most of them. She might be wrong about a lot, but she's also either the most or second-most similar to Emmanuel among the leaders, depending on what Allister's actual priorities are. Winter Hornet cares about the potential of people to become powerful, but he doesn't care about people as people. Tobias has the priorities of any leader of a revolutionary state in the close aftermath to the heroic phase of the revolution: preventing any source of counterrevolution. Aoife is still too close to the legacy she's inherited and the burdens it places on her to see the trees for the forest. JR's literally represents a hypercapitalist pseudo-state and expecting a hypercapitalist to care about people is like expecting a wolf to care about sheep. Virgil is... Well, I don't think she requires an explanation. Janet, in contrast, is incredibly concerned with the wellbeing of people.
C_Mantis
it was meant to be that he used it in their fight rather than revealed it.
Discordian23
I gotta partially disagree, Liz is a nightmare, and she probably would have been a lot stronger without Matt's busted Mana regen. Aster probably wouldn't have made it solo if I'm being honest but aster also wouldn't exist
Nadav Ben Yehuda
God that was good. My heart is pounding.
Pat Sprehe
There’s a minor typo where Aidan mentions “antiemetic” instead of antimemetic. It’s when he’s talking about when he got his Authoritah at t31.
1FantasyFanatic
Pure awesomeness!!!
Solopath
It sounded like Aiden revealed his Authority to the other ascenders to get their approval during the flashback section, but then it looks like they're surprised at the reveal in the present.
John
Thanks!
MinE
Rereading this I realize Janet was the most level headed of the tier 50s and it’s giving me an existential crisis.
Violet
Kinda shocked Janet or Winter Hornet didn't countermand Virgil's order. Sure, the Tier 25 bracket could still go their way, but Virgil is not stable enough to be making that decision for all of their elites in one place. On the other hand, I also wouldn't be shocked if Janet and/or Winter Hornet already prepped a stab in the back for the Federation.
AzraelExiled
Yeah he's had a few blurbs in chapters, but being willing to go to war to defend the concept of earned strength, especially for an enemy that by all rights the Sects despise. Interesting character work for sure
SinYevon
Great chapter!!!
William Johnson
Virgil cannot take the L. Assuming MAL & pals chew up the accords I'd be reconsidering my alliance if I were Janet or Winter Hornet. Heck I would be in any case, she seems like a terrible teammate.
Bob Bryan
I really really hope matt and the rest make them pay for not surrendering there. Do feel sorry for the rune soldiers though. Virgil is such a hypocrite I'm suprised she hasn't ascended already with her tier 75 ego.
Abriel Blauer
JR Best Bird Ever I loved his reaction to an Authority: First, makes money out of it Two, what can I craft for it? Third, can I buy it?
T
We got some background for him and he is awfully impressive from slave to Great power leader is…
Luciaron
epic conclusion to a really fun fight! Lets see how the kids hold up as we get into the latter parts of the war arc.
T
The expectations for the T25 is crazy high I truly wish for Stick to Rip the sniper into 2 and for Matt to do the same to Marven she Kinda pisses me of
mitchell kaiser
This chapter was absolutely worth the wait, can’t wait for the book version!
Aaron Hathaway
Bravo
KollegvomMirgan
Thanks for the chapter!
Xtriver
I really enjoyed this, however that last part sounded like foreshadowing you killing off one of the main characters. That would not be cool dude.
C_Mantis
Correct. Also it's only illegal if the other t50s complain because they are the arbiters of the rules.
SodaBoBomb
That was really cool! TYFC
CallMeTee
Getting a chapter to both intensely satisfy a cliffhanger *and* set up another is really difficult, but this chapter definitely did it. Reset the clock for Monday!
T
Battle orders marching orders are a different thing she is not allowed to sit on site and direct it but to say go on the offensive totally in bounds
Blackpan2
Amazing chapter well done, bouncing between perspectives to give insight and build a truly wonderful climatic moment
Kain
We know living beings, rifts, planets, and stars can tier why not realms? We know essence, mana, and I think the third component was life, it’s been awhile since we focused on aperology, are all required to form a feedback loop that results in plants tiering up. What if there’s an additional component for realms what if they need metaphysical support provided by high level Domains. I mean this could be confusing cause and effect but it’s a little convenient that the cap of the realm is tier 50 and until this point the highest domain achieved is the one that allows you to achieve tier 50 right? And I’m not saying just 1 authority would be enough to affect the realm but if there were a dozen of them? Hundreds of them? Etc.
Jana
Thankfully Monday is closer than Friday but I’m still thinking about founding the church of weekend chapters :-)
Patrick Brennan
PLEASE let me see Matt end Maven now - gets revenge for the rift break she caused way back. Need these pay offs
DisgruntleFairy
I'm wondering if Aiden is so bad at teaching about domains because of the antimemetic effect of his authority.
MikeL
Great chapter! Isn’t Virgil technically not allowed to give battle orders?
AzraelExiled
Winter Hornet shooting down Virgil was unexpected but really in keeping with his character which was really cool. Because we dont interact with the 50's outside of Emmanuel very often it can be hard to get a true sense of what they actually think is important. Also i keep forgetting that under any normal circumstances all of them would be fighting each other and not just the Empire
4eyed-god
Thanks for the chapter
Owen Kaz
Lets Gooooooooo! SO glad to see Aiden actually dunk on them all. You have to remember folks, Ascenders are wild. In utter truth, out of our 3 MC's, only Titan's talent gives him the right to be a true acender on his own. Liz and Aster are still at least high pinnacle elites, and can easily fight up tiers on their own, but they ultimately lack a fundamental ability that makes them insanely op. Aden has his crazy early insights, and Matt has his crazy mana. Ascenders can be made yes, we've seen a Torch set alight and a Frozen tundra attempt to freeze space itself. But the peak of Ascenders? They are simply born.
MinE
Forming his Authority before Hastor was surprising; I guess we all would’ve lost the he somehow surprise us part of the bet.
Kyle Oathout
Outstanding chapter. Your work is just getting better and better
Lucas Posner
Goddamn
James Getgood
AAAAAHHHHH!!!!
Spicyice101
Tftc! I love the duke!
Kasamuri
Thanks for the chapter
Luna_1001
Thank you For The Chapter
the oldest dream
Thanks for the chapter
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