Chapter 1104
The crater Lelka found herself in- though she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to call a collapsing hole through a planet a crater- was about as bad as she had expected. No, slightly less because she hadn’t necessarily expected to survive. It had been worth it though, because she couldn’t truly be free from his influence if she was unable to stand up to him.
The Scarlet Alliance had helped her gain the necessary strength, and she felt her growth had been better in the past centuries than it had been during the time she spent with the sect that had developed the Exalted Light techniques. How much of her life had been wasted?
Having survived, Lelka had no intention to throw herself back into battle- if she could even call it that. But aside from her personal vindication, she had one purpose for her words. To delay Zaur- even if only by a few moments. Not so that others could pile their attacks upon him- though they were certainly doing so- but for a greater reason. Every moment counted.
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The assault team had managed to slip through the final sensory formations with several days of time remaining- though they were not aware of the exact amount. Catarina and Chidi had been able to pore over the remaining formations surrounding the Citadel. It had some clear upgrades, floating monoliths of power that would prevent people from getting close. Stronger than even what had previously protected the core sect.
The Citadel had not been returned to the planet- though it was unclear if that was because it couldn’t. Obviously it was possible to move it, but perhaps Zaur didn’t trust anyone. Or perhaps he liked being literally above everyone.
Two days before the time came, the group noticed more ships passing through the area- some leaving passengers and departing with others. Overall, they saw a trend of ships passing towards the eastern border- though they could not fathom why. Obviously their own position had not been compromised, and any intention to join the assault on the Scarlet Alliance was months late.
As it turned out, however, the reason wasn’t a well kept secret. Velvet- alone- managed to infiltrate the planet, during which time she learned the source. The Guardians of the Veiled Brilliance- and more specifically Ratna. It was unclear if they had been attempting to sneak into the Exalted Quadrant’s territory or were intentionally causing a distraction, but either way the assault team didn’t care. They were just glad that she was taking advantage of the timing like they had hoped. Either reason benefitted them, with a mutual enemy.
Plans were modified with their new information- both about the formations, and the lingering will on the planet below. Catarina was glad to have some time to plan her counters, and since they wouldn’t be concerned about being spotted when they did perform their assault she only had to create functional instead of perfect counters. Truthfully, far easier than trying to capture a Domination cultivator.