Chapter 966


    Rather than waiting weeks or months to see how the Numerological Compact would recover, the Alliance immediately focused on consolidating the rest of the system that contained Waral. There wereplications involving assaulting a much more popted, but the enemy had recently sustained great losses- and most of their forces had retreated to their other systems.


    They also had arge number of volunteers. More than they could realistically transport, in fact. That would continue to be the case until they got local ships to function in a manner that was more ethical. Members of the hivemind trusted each other enough to potentially use the ships as they were, but <em>also</em> didnt want to subject themselves or the others to the difort.


    There was constant work to retrofit the ships with their modified formations and less intrusive energy extraction devices, but they needed more resources. They could only bring so much from outside- but their target would have what they needed.


    That was called Alyni, and it was severals inward from the one Waral orbited about. It was on the lower side of natural inhabitability, but it had been developed to a level that was tolerable for people. The poption was several times as high, but spread out over arger area. Even so, they still maintained centralized power stations. These would be the main targets.


    Since void ants had been active in the area already, they would be making use of the Sergeant and her troops. Even with their limited numbers, they were extremely valuable against the Numerological Compact who relied on strong formations. There were also talks about bringing more from other parts of the Alliance with their other reinforcements, but that would take time they couldnt afford at the moment.


    -----


    Thetest battle, though it had involved <em>two</em> Magnitude IV ships and the elders controlling them, had actually been less draining on Devon than the sh with Endymion. That was because Anton had done much of the heavy lifting. Devon couldnt have had nearly so much sess acting alone, and that was ignoring the adaptive barriers tuned to him specifically. Fortunately, they only had those on the best ships and they were down one out of three.


    That didnt mean there would be no resistance when attacking Alyni, but they would have control of the skies. Being able to attack when and where they pleased was a huge advantage.


    Rather than heading straight for thergest city on the, they made use of their intel to pick out several outlying targets. Devon didnt quite understand why they picked those, but it was something rted to formations. On that, he trusted the judgment of Ashildr and the rest. That included a number of freed ves who knew a bit more about formations, and probably far more than they wanted to from the inside. Their ships arrived above the, and they immediately had to deal with theary barrier. Their greater forces and experience bnced out with the power of the barrier, but they were not rushed to bring the barrier down either.


    Devon moved as the formation expert assigned to him designated, striking the barrier- and reaching his chains through to hold it open when it broke. The void ants were elsewhere in a single group, as a few hundred was already considered quite small to them. And at yet another location, Devon sensed Ty Quigley slicing open the barrier like it was a sheet of paper and not an amorphous mass of energy.


    Devon dropped through the barrier along with ships carrying a great number of the Shattered Chains. Their intention was tond right next to the power center, with Devon shielding them along the way. Other ships streamed into the atmosphere, going after the weapon emcements around the city.


    Explosions filled the skies as a great number of attacks were exchanged. However, the Alliance had more experience and it showed. For one thing, their adaptive barriers were tuned to the Numerological Compacts energy signature- a very consistent one, which was likely good for them in most cases but became a weakness.


    The other vulnerability of Alyni was that the Compact were pretty much the only ones <em>capable</em> of defending it, keeping control of all the artillery formations for themselves even if the local cultivators had wanted to support them. That had been why Waral was sessfully conquered, and would be true again. The popce as a whole simply wasnt organized to fight, or the Alliance would have to send a million ships or more to the war.


    Devonnded with ships surrounding them, and he extended his chains around the power dome, restricting energy <em>entering</em> but not leaving. He simply didnt have the power to resist the energy flow, but he could at least prevent the Confluence cultivators from causing any damage to the ves inside. Hed done <em>some</em> damage in his initial assault on Waral, and didnt want a repeat of that.


    Cultivators streamed out of thending ships, pouring towards the power center and overwhelming the limited defenses there. They had some cultivators to fend off assault, but not nearly enough. Likewise, the barriers were powerful- energized by over a million individuals in theplex- but ultimately they could be circumvented by counter-formations. The Alliances experts had plenty of time to study how they worked, and since Devon was able to shield them from the bombardment they worked without fear.


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    Then the Shattered Chains poured into the facility, disconnecting people one after another. They knew how to do so safely, and had great empathy for those trapped in a horrible situation they had been in a month or less prior.


    Everything was going well at Devons location, but he felt something. No, everyone with even the slightest sensitivity to natural energy felt it. A massive explosion of power. Ammar and the other members of the hivemind stumbled- though to be fair, <em>most</em> cultivators trembled in fear. That included the locals- and the Numerological Compact.


    It was gone. An entire city of millions. Not just that, but the surrounding countryside was ttened out to at least a hundred kilometers. The damage extended beyond that, but at that radius it waspletely devastated in just a few moments. Yet it was strangely silent and still, at least where Devon was.


    Ammar staggered to his feet, along with the others. The shock was most likely amplified for them, but they also came to terms with it quickly. They obviously were disturbed, but they could also handle it together.


    Devons senses stretched to try to figure out exactly what happened. Or why. Clearly, an entire power station full of cultivators had detonated together- but there wouldnt be anyone alive to exin how it happened. Unlike the ships, the power stations were meant to be stable, at most directing feedback to individual enved cultivators and killing them.


    Several of those just freed from Alyni came to consciousness, more quickly than anticipated. They were expected to be in a daze for several hours, at least. But something about the shock had changed that.


    Tears streamed down their faces, even as they staggered about to free their neighbors. A wave of people soon filled the power station, cultivators freed just about as quickly as anyone could run from one side of the facility to the other.


    It was just one area of many, but what should have been a triumphant victory felt somewhat hollow. Yet on the other hand millions were being freed all at once.


    Devon felt natural energy flowing between those who had just been pulled free and those who came just before them. The connection between them was clear and instantaneous, webs of connection spreading everywhere.


    Ammar, Devon said. Can you exin what is happening? Are they?


    I can simplify, at least, he said. They are like us. We feel them, but were a different group. If that makes sense. He looked up to the sky. I also feel the connection to those on Waral has dimmed, but it is still strong. We understood there was a possibility of severance.


    Ah, I hadnt considered that, Devon admitted.


    But we did, and made our choice, Ammar said. It would have been worth it, for our brethren, he waved his arm. Even if we do not share the same connection, are we not the same?


    Devon nodded. Thats right. Now then some of you are exining what we agreed on?


    Yes. They understand we dont want chaos. They intend toply, if your promise is kept.


    The purge will be done properly. No killing in the streets, Devon said. At least, if we dont have to. Speaking of which Devon spread his voice over the city. Everyoney down your arms. Those who continue to fight will die. Anyone not associated with the Compact should rest easy. No doubt they have told you many negative things about us, but I think you should know better than to believe their word. If you dont trust <em>me</em>, trust those who have lived here among you their whole lives. They will be avable to speak to you.


    He wanted to have full transparency and tell the Numerological Compact that most of them were going to die, but that wouldnt help with the <em>chaos</em> thing. This time, at least, they would be judged by more than just those who were traumatized. The Alliances judgments would still strongly favor the memories and usations of the ves but the point was not to avoid killing, but to weed out the few who deserved a chance. And likewise, they would remove the corruption from among the rest of the popce.


    But first, they just needed the area to be stable.


    Unlike Waral, however, they didnt intend to conquer the in stages. They were already ready to move onward now that theyd cut apart the formation grid.


    -----


    Just as Devon arrived outside the target city, a tremendous shockwave shook the ground causing great earthquakes. That would be the aftereffects of the lost city, most likely. There was no time to stop and think about any of that as the battle was already in progress.


    The citys personal barriers were quickly brought down by thebined might of the majority of the fleet. Most of the Compact ships had retreated to other systems, either not anticipating a quick follow up attack or simply leaving the to its fate. Either way, the cities were mainly static defenses without singr powerful cultivators or anything of the sort.


    Attacks rained down on Devon, and while he felt the strain he also felt the strongest he ever had. His actual strength likely hadnt increased in recent times, but fighting for something he had personal experience with certainly helped. And the devotion definitely didnt <em>hurt</em>. But just like his grandfather, he found the acts that brought the attention to him to be the important part. Perhaps that wasnt the optimal way to grow their power, but it was working well enough for them.


    They had strong allies for a reason. Alone, Devon could not win the war. On the other hand, the Alliance could probably win the war without him. Potentially without Assimtion cultivators at all, if absolutely necessary- though the losses there would only have been worth it if the alternative was extinction. Assimtion cultivators didnt grow on trees, but the Alliance consistently produced more and more, their poptions swelling in a sustainable way. There were always mores to colonize, and rather than struggling for scraps of natural energy their worlds worked to grow what each individual had.


    That was why the Numerological Compact was losing, the power consolidated into their hands was enough to control their system but not enough to handle what theyd gotten themselves into. Devon would say it was their fault for attacking recklessly, but this would have been an inevitable result once the full extent of their very was known. Standing by and allowing such things to exist was just as terrible as actively participating.


    Waves of cultivators shakily pulled themselves out of yet another power station, connecting to the greater whole. Devon estimated that Warals hivemind was around ten million individuals Alyni might reach a hundred million. There was no telling what difference that would make, and the only thing that would be certain that these systems would be unique when they were finally free.