Chapter 396


    Truthfully swordmaster, are you sure were going the right way? Captain Mirjana said. The Windspear had been chasing what seemed to be nothing for close to a week. Were getting close to the ice floes and we havent seen hide nor hair of them.


    Of course Im sure, I can sense it, Chikere folded her arms. Were getting closer.


    You keep saying that, but we ought to have caught up to them by now. Even those with the best senses cant pick out a target from such a vast distance, can they?


    Thats because they dont know what theyre looking for, Chikere dered.


    If it helps, one of the disciples of the Million Sword Vaultmented, We received word that Swordmaster Netta of the Void des would be in the area. In addition, Swordmaster Chikere is the best at the aspect of sensing swords.


    Chikere red at him, but the man stood firm. Are you saying Im not the best at <em>everything</em>?


    There are other aspects regarding swords where others are indeed superior, the man nodded, shifting slightly too relieve the feeling of des pressing into his skin. He was well aware she wouldnt actually kill him, either with her aura or her actual swords, but disciples of the Million Sword Vault were encouraged to engage inbat as much as possible as long as they avoided crippling each other, which left quite a lot avable. But none of them wouldst long if they were afraid of a little danger, and the chance to face off against a Swordmaster for even an instant was worthwhile. And Swordmaster Chikere wasnt crazy or violent, by their standards.


    Hmph, I guess thats fair enough, Chikere focused her vision back on the distance. Were very close now. Theyll sense us soon.


    Captain Mirjana frowned, I suppose thats good, given that the Windspear isnt equipped to sail much further but will they choose to fight?


    Of course, Chikere said confidently. Netta is a swordmaster. She wont just flee when we get close.


    More likely have an ambush set for us, said the same disciple.


    Were just here to transport you, Captain Mirjana cautioned. We dont have the strength to protect the ship.


    Not a problem. In fact you should pull up over there.


    I dont see any ships on the horizon. Are you sure?


    Its fine. Well walk.


    Of course, walking involved jumping on ice floes and certainly leaned more towards running. Powerful cultivators could support themselves on even water with their natural energy, so solid surfaces that could hold their weight was fairly trivial, even if they were uneven and liable to tilt. The current group was formed only of Essence Collection and Life Transformation cultivators, though Chikere was the only who could properly im the title of Swordmaster among thetter.


    They quickly closed the distance with their targets. The area had nond, but along with the ice floes wererger icebergs, some of which were close to hills sticking out of the water and blocking vision. Further limiting visibility was swirling snow and the spray of waves.


    When a sword was thrust towards her heart, Chikere deflected it with number one. Just because the figure had been hidden didnt mean she couldnt pick out their location. There were various factors that people might have called upon, but they all tied together into her ability to sense swords. The fact that her defensive energy had been punctured and a small trail of blood trickled down her ribs just went to show her opponents skill.


    The Void des were adept at hiding themselves among the surroundings, but that didnt mean they couldnt handle a straight on fight. After the initial shes it was impossible for any of them to remain truly hidden, but the core of their technique still remained strong. The angles of attack were meant to be the most difficult to react to, and their energy was tuned to make perceiving them difficult to begin with. It wasnt just their use of energy, but also a deep knowledge of blind spots. Even cultivators couldntpletely ovee the physical limitations of their body, and it was easy to miss an attack from a blind spot if one was not experienced enough.


    A Swordmaster would of course be capable of counteracting such techniques, and Chikere was not above using them herself. Shed studied the Void des techniques previous, but she hadnt found herself in a truly worthwhile battle with them yet. Swordmaster Netta made use of twin swords which were worthy of being number two and three. Perhaps two and four, on either side of Viannes sword. Number one was still the best sword from the upper realms.


    Netta made high use of maneuverability, darting in and out of Chikeres reach. Though Chikere had a cloud of swords around her, they didnt stray too far from her and didnt crowd particr areas. Slippery ice forced Chikere to watch her own footing as attacks came from all angles, her own attacks expertly parried or forced to be withdrawn for her own safety.


    She got a cut along her eyebrow and a shallow puncture in her right thigh. Meanwhile, Chikere hadnt touched her opponent. It was great, actually. Just what she wanted, a worthy opponent. Chikere still believed she was better though. She had always carried that confidence, and it was not only justified, but part of her strength. Believing she would win could lead to her victories along with decades of training and experience as well as excellent swords.


    The front of Chikeres outfit split as if normal cloth were being cut instead of some of the most expensive and highly enchanted textiles in the world. They wouldnt do much to defend her, though they had already seeded at their purpose. That previous attack would have cut through at least a couple ribs otherwise.


    Youre doing quite well holding your own, Swordmaster Nettamented, But the rest of the disciples with you arentsting nearly so well. Perhaps you should assist them?


    Why? Chikere said in response. Her swords never stopped as she traced nearly inescapable patterns through the air. As a consequence of controlling so many weapons, each was slightly weaker and slower. If she had even a handful of des that she could wield as freely as her real arms, nobody could stand a chance. It was also a matter of how much energy she was willing to devote at once, though she had limits regardless of what she wanted.


    I thought you continentals cared about things like that. Or are you more heartless than we thought? The Exalted Archipgo takes good care of our own.


    Ten swords thrust downward, sticking into the ice in a circle around Netta while another ten stabbed in from the sides, but the woman skillfully cut her way through the ice beneath her feet. Her response came from below Chikere as the ice beneath her feet was cut into dozens of tiny pieces, but she brought her swords down to limit Nettas options as she leapt out of the next hole. Youre not even half as united as you im. And I dont have to worry about the others. They will either win, or this is simply as far as they could go.


    Brutal, Nettamented. She deflected iing swords, using their momentum against them to tear them from Chikeres grip and fling them far away. They were inconvenient to recover at the moment, but at least they werent broken. Even the lowest on the totem pole were sturdy enough.


    Its practical, Chikere said. One must be able to choose opponents they can defeat.


    Nettas next series of attacks began with crossing shes of her swords. Chikere dodged and deflected with the sword in her primary hand, only able to directly stand against her opponent. With a twist she disarmed the sword in Nettas left hand.


    She moved in close, locking her opponents de against her own while stepping close. Another of her des stopped a dagger stabbing towards her gut. As Netta quickly withdrew, trails of blood were drawn upon her as Chikeres brought a dozen des to bear on her briefly stationary form.


    Chikere looked at her left wrist, where some tendons had been severed. Thats it? she said as Netta tossed aside the dagger to draw another sword from her storage bag when she had a moment.


    Your effectiveness will drop significantly with that injury, Netta said. Id hardly call that nothing.


    Yeah, and the poison, but so what? Chikere shrugged. You have a hundred daggers and a dozen extra des hanging around in your bag, and you only pulled something out because you got disarmed? You cant use them all at once?


    I dont need to.


    Chikere held her left arm behind her, where one of her own swords cut a deep gouge. She flicked it to dislodge already coagting ck blood deep inside, and stood with one arm forward.


    Netta charged forward in her moment of distraction, zig-zagging around the field of desing for her. Her swords cut towards Chikere in the most optimal path to cut her apart. Chikere took a step back and they both stopped.


    Netta looked down at the sword stabbed into her ankle. Chikere had stepped on the hilt of Nettas previously disarmed sword, angling it slightly upwards. She hadnt augmented it with any of her own natural energy, but the high quality of the sword allowed it to cut through Nettas energy where her defenses werent focused.


    Your effectiveness will drop significantly with that injury, Chikere mimicked. They only stopped for a fraction of a second, and Chikeres swords were already moving in. Netta was still able to move her upper body and use her swords to expertly deflect and dodge the iing attacks, but Chikere simply turned around and walked away. When Netta tried to chase after her, she found herself impaled from a dozen directions at once, with another dozen that failed to pierce her defenses.


    Chikere shook her head. The range she could move her des was limited, but not <em>that</em> limited. Netta had been pretty good though. Chikere had been a small step away from dying herself if she made a mistake. She just focused too much on what she <em>thought</em> was the danger. Chikeres natural energy swept backwards to pick up the new number two and four. The rest well, they were garbage. Enough that she considered distributing them to the others instead of iming them for herself.


    -----


    The siege in Obuandi resulted in the Exalted Archipgo having to retreat onto their ships. It came all at once, not during some sort of climactic attack but one night when the bombardment was at a low point. There was little that could be done to stop them, but that was never the intent. Now that they were driven off, the continental forces could fortify the area so it wasnt so easily reimed.


    As for the exact cause of the sudden retreat, nobody was quite sure. News of Swordmaster Nettas death came within the next day, but there were other active groups as well. Regardless, the call was made. That didnt lead to an immediate ceasefire of any sort, and the continental forces still kept vignt watch for approaching ships, ready to attack them.


    A weekter, a lone ship was allowed to approach the western coast of Ambati, carefully escorted. They were cautious because the strongest cultivator on the ship imed to be Sect Head Treloar of the Worthy Shore Society but the name didnt match their records. Yet the cultivation technique felt correct, and was verified by some of those who had interacted with them before. So they were escorted to Tiarhogo to meet with the council, where such discrepancies could be asked about. There wasnt much else said, besides him announcing his name and that they came in peace- which fit with their earlier understanding of the Sects interactions. But there was no way to know for sure what the visit meant until theynded.