On the possibility that ascending close to the same time might also make her arrive in a similar location to Hoyt, Alva was prepared to ascend immediately after him. Having one reliable companion could greatly increase their chances in the upper realms, no matter what else happened. Unfortunately, they could not go together simultaneously. They had a bond of friendship after being companions for so long, but no more. They didn’t have the formation expertise to control something like what Catarina had made, even if someone else had been able to put it together. And their cultivation paths were different enough that they would have likely interfered with each other attempting it without something like that.

If Fuzz had not already run off on his own, Alva might have been tempted to remain behind. Her early childhood hadn’t involved any knowledge or desire for anything related to cultivation, and when she first began to learn it was more a defensive reflex than intention to reach some lofty heights of power. Given that her cousin Annelie was not ascending for the moment, she would have at least delayed in other circumstances.

But as she looked up to the stars, she knew there were things that had to be done. Patience paid off, but sometimes you had to get a head start on things. The tides of the world indicated that in the half century since the invasion they were already well on their way to the next cycle. If she lived without cultivating a moment more she would likely be alive at that time. Since she had begun cultivating while she was still young, each star provided its full benefit to her lifespan and she could be expected to live at least three hundred years beyond a healthy life.

And then an invasion would come and she would do what, fight to defend Annelie’s children and other descendents with just a peak Life Transformation cultivation? No, that wouldn’t do at all. She could only hope that she would reunite with those she had grown close to at a later time, while doing her best to improve her strength and seek some sort of protection for their world. They could attempt to continue fighting on their own, but it was likely that future invasions would be even more dangerous.

She nodded. She was ready. She tightly clutched her bow, drawing in as much energy as she could safely control into a single arrow… then pushing past her limits. The arrow shot into the sky, cutting a path for her. She was already drawing in power from beyond, whether it was called ascension energy or upper energy it didn’t matter. And though she understood that the process wasn’t about momentum, it was important to do what felt right in cultivation, so she used even more energy to form an arc above her head, curving ever upward. Beneath her feet was something resembling a bowstring, and as the arc raised she had to hold herself to the ground. Then, she released, following the path of her initial arrow. She expected the pressure of the air around her to slow her down, but after an instant no longer felt it.

She was somewhere else, but not quite. Power pressed around her, almost trying to stop her momentum while at the same time seeking to become part of her. She continued to take control of that energy to form the hundredth star, feeling her cultivation expand as vision of the world began to return around her.

-----

Tall spires rose alongside each other, beautifully crafted to maximize both form and function. Expertly crafted inlays of fine metals provided both a basis for powerful formations as well as a pleasing aesthetic. Seven such spires stood around larger central one, with an eighth being constructed in the outer ring and room for perhaps a handful more beyond that.

At the base of one of the ‘smaller’ towers a pair of guards blocked the way. Though they simply protected an entrance, they were at the Integration stage, the same as the visitor. “I’m afraid it will be impossible to arrange for a meeting with the Sword Saint at this time,” one of them said. “That privilege is not available for initiates, regardless of talent.”

“I don’t want to talk to him, I just want to see him!” the woman said, naturally resting her wrists on the pair of swords strapped to her waist.

If the guards perceived her movements as a threat, they gave no indication. “In that case, you will simply need to wait for a proper festival.”

“When will there be one of those?” the woman asked.

“Festivals are quite frequent, though an esteemed individual such as the Sword Saint has no obligation to attend anything short of the Festival of Convergence.”

“When is that?” the woman asked.

“In thirty-two years,” the guard said with a straight face.

The woman avoided snorting, merely breathing heavily out through her nose. “I see. I’ll come back later then.”

Chikere shifted her hands as she turned around. She could just… no, it wouldn’t be worth it. She walked off. Keeping a low profile was hard. And there were all kinds of strong people here, even if those two guards weren’t part of them. Unless they were very good at hiding it, but their swords weren’t even better than numbers seven and eight!

Then she sensed something. A fluctuation in power that rippled throughout the world subtly. She’d felt it a couple times since she arrived, but something about this one said it was different. It would take her a few days to get there, but she should arrive before whoever was incoming. Others would be there as well, of course, but she at least wanted to see if her senses were correct.

If not, she could go from there off to somewhere untamed and fight some bandits or something. That had to be worth merit points, right? She probably should have made sure a while before, not that fighting wasn’t valuable in and of itself.

Chikere didn’t know if this world had access to teleportation, but if they did it was secret or out of her price range. Obtaining what passed as local currency had been a bit of a pain at first, but she’d just gone on a couple missions and now she didn’t have to worry. She didn’t have enough to buy a decent sword, but she could snag a trip on a skyship. They seemed to be faster and more common than what the Exalted Archipelago had, allowing her to move around the world in a short time. Yet they weren’t as fast as the ones that went between worlds. Those could still take weeks to arrive somewhere, but the distances were incomparable.

As predicted, she arrived early enough that the ascending individual had not arrived. As the time got closer a press of curious individuals crowded the plaza, though none were allowed to be on the arrival platform.

The fluctuations of energy were focusing on a single point, and the more they did the more Chikere felt she was right- until finally Alva appeared in front of her. Alva looked around, taking in the sights- the grand city around her, the people, and everything important except for one person. Chikere dug into Alva with her eyes, and when that wasn’t enough she pressed harder.

Alva ducked, though the attack wouldn’t have harmed her regardless. It was a good instinct though- and her eyes locked on Chikere. Chikere smiled, then mouthed the words that the official representatives nearby were about to say.

“Welcome to the Harmonious Citadel.”

-----

It was good to receive word from Alva that she had arrived safely, though apparently she had been slightly delayed in doing so upon arrival. It was better information to hear that she had seen Chikere- though it was an odd way to word it compared to meeting up with her.

What was not as comforting was the complete lack of communication from Hoyt. Anton couldn’t believe that the man had failed to ascend properly. Perhaps that was the logical assumption- even with a properly completed technique there were risks of failure. Yet it still didn’t seem right. Intuition wasn’t always trustworthy when truly unknown situations were involved, but Anton felt something shady.

Though he didn’t exactly feel trusting of the upper realms in general- with good reason. Neither the Exalted Quadrant nor the Trigold Cluster had a positive image in his eyes. And the Scarlet Midfields were simply too disorganized to do anything as they were.

Anton didn’t like the idea of relying on outsiders to defend them, either. Though it would likely be necessary, they would owe them a large debt. They might end up beholden to those in the higher realm like the Exalted Archipelago. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it required finding the right people. A sect that was strong and at least reasonably decent in temperament, while also having spare resources to devote. At least it seemed that materials and cultivation resources from the lower realms had some value, and paying a reasonable fee for actual protection could be worthwhile. That was the basis of many forms of government, after all.

Anton trusted that his companions would be doing their best to arrive at whatever they thought best. Perhaps personally returning to fight would be all they could do, after growing stronger. But even if they raised a great army, Anton wanted Ceretos to be doing what they could on their own end. Though… that barely required him for the most part. There was no guarantee that the world would stay at peace with itself for long enough, but at least all of the strongest individuals would be aware that more danger could be coming rapidly.

He needed to continue his cultivation. Soon, he would be at the peak of his power, ready to attempt the next step. It was hard to say if it was the right one, though. There were other options… though one of them would take longer than his lifespan to come to fruition even if it were possible. And knowing if it was wise was another question entirely. The question of whether the upper realms were actually better needed answering before anything else.

-----

A shove brought Hoyt out of a gate into wide open nothingness. Rather than calling it an arena, which implied something encapsulated by something greater, the area beyond the walls was more significant than anything else.

“The first thing you must do is fight,” declared the woman who had stepped out before him and now turned to face him.

“I suppose I should have expected that of the Dark Ring,” Hoyt said.

“Really?” the woman raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you have any expectation of us at all.” She held her arms out to the side, which Hoyt saw were covered by a handful of bladed rings each. “But before we speak with words, we must talk with blades.”

“Is that a promise?” Hoyt asked as he pulled his axe- at least they hadn’t taken away his equipment, though the woman had certainly advanced beyond his position in the very beginning of the Integration stage. His energy hadn’t even settled down fully yet.

Instead of a verbal response, the woman flicked her arm, sending a ring towards his legs as if to chop one of them off. Hoyt intended to take a simple step to avoid it, but found himself launching further than he intended. He had to anchor himself to the ground with his energy as he was moving away. He tried to draw in breath, but was reminded there was no air. It only took a small amount of concentration to handle that problem, but he wasn’t sure he had the leeway.

He parried several bladed discs coming for his upper body, not trusting his legs for the moment. They reacted basically as he expected, the force behind them powerful but not unmanageable. His own position drifted slightly as his attachment to the ground was less than expected still. Lower gravity, which had been brought up as a possibility- but shouldn’t have been this significant. Then again, he wasn’t on a proper planet. Just a rock floating in the void.

Unable to stay on the defensive forever, Hoyt rallied his energy and began to summon his fire. Without any air to burn the flames were a bit sluggish, but much of their power came from the natural energy he used- and now ascension energy. He found it to be more than he expected even with the deficiencies in atmosphere, a single sweep of his axe creating a wave of fire that stretched a hundred meters in front of him.

His opponent didn’t find it difficult to avoid, however- and as she moved about the rings continued to harass Hoyt. He could only continue to block and parry while he made his way closer to her, though knowing his current capabilities he didn’t need to reach melee. He swung his axe vertically down, a half ring of fire sweeping to the left- then his axe came up to the right. The flames shifted around to either side of the woman and behind her in a sort of dome, boxing her in as Hoyt approached.

He had no way to anticipate the next move, however. Three rings dove into the flames, spinning. Somehow they pulled a vortex of fire into them, the three rings combining that vortex of fire in a third ring in front of the woman, combining the fire into a single stream that flowed back towards Hoyt- out of his control. He hoped this particular attack didn’t kill him, as having his own energy used against him would be a most embarrassing way to die.