Chapter 249: The Siege

For the next two months, they maintained a relentless pace, their levels skyrocketing as they cleared out more and more Syndicate holdouts. They actively sought out hidden locations, bought intelligence, and took contracts to hunt down Syndicate forces. Even mercenary work requests started rolling in—including one to push back an Orc Tide.

But with the time frame for their attack on the Everrest Sect coming to an end, they redirected their forces toward Earth, preparing to lay siege to the sect. Upon arrival, the system immediately registered the battle as a siege event, enclosing both the Everrest Sect and their own forces within a massive, system-generated dome. The barrier ensured that anyone who left the battlefield would be unable to reenter, effectively preventing reinforcements or retreat-based tactics on either side.

This unexpected restriction forced them to set up their equipment faster and further back than originally planned. As a result, they had spent the last two weeks pushing deeper into sect-controlled territory. The terrain—hilly, rocky, and steeped in death-aspected mana—made navigation a challenge, despite the terraforming that had been done to make the region more habitable. Even so, they fought their way forward, clearing out resistance and capturing key positions as they passed through the occasional town.

James and the other engineers had used the time well, constructing siege equipment to encircle and restrict the sect to prevent any breakouts that could lead to large-scale casualties. Magi tanks, restriction arrays, automata, and magical siege weaponry joined the Valrus and Beshin forces, who had gathered thousands of warriors.

As they took their positions around the heart of the sect proper, the attacks only grew more numerous and vicious. Skeletons surged down the mountains, their hollow eyes glowing with unnatural light, accompanied by the screeches of wraiths and other undead. Beams of disintegration rained down, hammering against their shields as the first wave of the battle commenced.

They returned the attack in kind as the hovering Valrus and the siege engines surrounding the mountain unleashed their payloads. Explosions rang out, crashing against the many barriers on both sides, the battlefield engulfed in fire and magical bursts.

Alistair grimaced as he observed the exchange of firepower but held himself back. He and the other leaders needed to be ready to intercept the Everrest Sect leadership once they made their push. The Oni, alongside their power-armored combat and lawyer squads, should be more than capable of overwhelming the sect’s cultivators while their automata and mecha efficiently dealt with the endless hordes of undead.

Taking a breath, he took the opportunity to review his latest acquired skill selection once more, still in disbelief at how rapidly he had progressed through the levels after waging war on the Syndicate groups and the Everrest Sect.

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Skill Choices:

Tier: [Epic]

Skill Name: Fine Magic Control

Description: The user's ability to control magic is greatly improved; he receives a moderately scaling bonus to the [Control] Statistic for magic use in combat and a large scaling bonus when crafting or utilizing magic in other non-hostile environments; this skill additionally reduces the focus required for delicate applications of both internal and external magic enchantments.

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Tier: [Epic]

Skill Name: Essence Enchantment

Description: The user's ability to utilize absorbed essences stored within the [Essence Vessel] in enchantments both for internal body cultivation and external enchantments is greatly enhanced, providing a bonus to both the [Senses] and [Control] statistics when utilizing essences.

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Tier: [Epic]

Skill Name: Gate Crasher

Description: Utilizing the concepts of force, Kinetics, and Momentum, the user's ability to forcefully pass through obstacles and terrain has been greatly enhanced. Crashing through terrain will generate energy through momentum and reabsorption of generated kinetic energy, compensating for the energy expenses required to generate enough force and overcome the obstacles or terrain's resistance.

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Alistair had, of course, picked up all three skills. His human benefit, coupled with other sources of skill points—such as dungeons and Trial rewards—meant he had points to spare. The selection itself wasn’t overly surprising, as all of the choices were overdue skills. Sotarr had hinted that his next evolution would bring changes to his skill acquisition, but due to System restrictions regarding Grade advancements, he hadn’t been able to share any details beyond racial evolution thresholds.

The new skills had proven to be a great boon for his Body Enchantment, giving him greater control in advancing his Augmented Physiology. Each skill sped up the process and improved its quality, allowing him to make significant progress even in his downtime between fights and other pressing matters.

The biggest surprise had been Gate Crasher. He hadn’t even considered it to be a skill, though it had already proven its usefulness. Many fighters relied on terrain manipulation to some extent—some more than others. Simon, whom he was currently observing, was a prime example. His friend glided effortlessly through the rock at incredible speeds, streams of molten stone erupting from the ground, tearing apart wraiths that had been giving their fighters and automata a hard time.

Though it had the unfortunate side effect of making the terrain more treacherous, thankfully, the undead struggled with the changes far more than the automata, which Alistair considered a win.

He narrowed his eyes as he sensed one of the elders approaching Simon’s position. For a moment, he considered moving in, but he ultimately held his ground, trusting his friend to handle the threat. Simon was a powerful fighter in his own right, and Alistair didn't want to take an opportunity for growth away from him.

Alistair watched as Simon erupted from the ground like a volcano, the very rock around him morphing into a sea of jagged spikes and molten stone as he intercepted the elder. In response, the elder conjured a surge of spiked bones, the air thick with death magic as their attacks collided.

Their clash shook the earth, a spectacle of molten rock and necrotic power battling for dominance. Simon wielded his new Brimstone Spear with incredible skill, the entire weapon glowing a bright crimson as he struck. Each blow crashed against the elder’s barriers, shattering them one by one. The old, robed man—his appearance reminiscent of a traditional Chinese scholar—barely had time to react before Simon’s spear broke through his defenses. The tip carved into his shoulder, flesh and bone boiling away under the sheer heat and pressure Simon unleashed.

Alistair watched as some of the conjured wraiths lunged at Simon, just to be torn asunder by red-hot spinning blades of obsidian Simon conjured around himself. Though failing to reach him, they had distracted Simon long enough to allow the elder to recover from the attack, bone and flesh regrowing as his conjured sea of bones clashed with the half-molten obsidian again and again.

Simon's expression never shifted, his face scrunched up in deep focus as he continued to pressure the elder—both figuratively and literally—using his magic. The very air around them warped from the sheer heat and force of his attacks as molten rock clashed against necrotic bone.

All around them, the battle raged on. Defensive arrays from the sect clashed against those hastily erected by the Ryser and Beshin clans, their barriers flickering under the relentless assault. Both sides unleashed siege magic and heavy weaponry, disrupting formations and forcing openings in their opponents’ defenses. Fighters and minions clashed amidst the chaos, the battlefield a storm of destruction as barriers shattered and spells tore through the sky.

Alistair watched as many of the automata and power-armored rescue squads carried heavily injured fighters from the battlefield, some reduced to nothing more than a torso, their lives preserved only by his brother’s power armor. It was a grim sight but one he had sadly grown accustomed to.

He was grateful for both Sol’s and the Beshin’s scout reports—without them, the sheer scale of the Everrest Sect’s forces might have caught them off guard. Nearly five million members was a staggering number, far beyond what he had initially expected. Yet, as vast as they were, they weren’t even the largest of the Chinese factions.

Fortunately, the vast majority of the sect consisted of non-combatant servants and crafters. Even so, as he surveyed the battlefield, Alistair couldn't shake the suspicion that not all of the undead being deployed had been raised from long-dead corpses or conjured from the plane of death. The freshest-looking flesh constructs and undead were among the greatest threats on the battlefield, their enhanced forms proving far more formidable than the usual reanimated hordes.

Alistair was about to add his own Kinetic prowess to the bombardment when he noticed three of the elders breaking off from the defensive line, moving straight toward one of the Valrus artillery positions that had been relentlessly bombarding the sect from above.

Without hesitation, he dashed to intercept them. Nomura and Desily, the next closest elite combatants not already engaged with a strong opponent, moved in to join him, their paths converging as they prepared to cut the elders off before they could disrupt the siege.

Before Alistair and the others could reach them, his Akashic Link unexpectedly pinged him with a bounty notification:

[Hao He - lvl 170 - Dark Cloud Elder - 5 Million USC]

Alistair's face scrunched up in brief confusion at the low sum, considering the man's strength. But after a moment, he reasoned that Hao He was simply a local threat. Unlike the many Syndicate members he had killed, this elder wasn’t traveling the universe wreaking havoc across multiple worlds—his influence, while dangerous, was contained.

Before he could dwell on it further, black lightning erupted from Hao He, branching out in multiple directions, arcing toward all three of them. Alistair conjured a Force Barrier, absorbing the crackling energy before it could reach him. Nomura dismissed her portion with a single stroke of her brush, erasing it from existence, while Desily conjured a Void Barrier that consumed the remaining lightning whole.

Nomura was the first to make contact, clashing with the lightning user, while Alistair turned his attention to another elder who attempted to backstab her. Reacting instantly, he intercepted the strike with his poleaxe, catching the blade mid-swing and attempting to rob it of momentum—only to meet considerable resistance.

[Xue Chao - lvl 160] conjured a second blade in his free hand, lashing out with a fluid, precise strike that cut straight through Alistair’s Force Barrier. It was an impressive display of swordsmanship, forcing Alistair to dodge rather than risk a direct hit. He wasn’t entirely confident that his Kinetic Skinguard and armor would fully negate the attacks of a true blade master, especially one whose concepts meshed seamlessly with sword mastery, enhancing his cutting ability with terrifying efficiency.

Having his own fair share of experience in melee combat, Alistair quickly found himself locked in a vicious duel, blades and poleaxe clashing with enough force to displace the air with each impact. He could have easily lashed out with Telekinesis or used it to further restrain his opponent, but that wouldn’t be fun.

Xue Chao’s technique was formidable, and his mastery of the blade was evident in every precise movement. Rather than brute-forcing his way through the fight, Alistair chose to engage fully, using the battle as an opportunity to refine his Aegis Stride techniques. Each clash reinforced his understanding, and every mistake was a lesson that exposed weaknesses in his execution. He adjusted, correcting bad habits revealed by Xue Chao’s superior swordsmanship, solidifying his foundations with every exchange.

His opponent's wicked smile made it clear—Xue Chao believed he had the upper hand. But Alistair only smiled right back, accepting the shallow cuts inflicted on him. Each wound was a mark of progress, a flaw he had now identified, his technique growing sharper with every passing moment.

He would need to review this fight later and ensure he retained what he had learned—a plan already forming in his mind.

"Your prowess is no match for my own, and the poison will take you soon enough," Xue Chao confidently stated as their weapons clashed again. "Surrender yourself and call back your forces, and I shall grant you the antidote that will save your life."

Alistair snorted. The poison coating Xue’s blades were undoubtedly insidious, but between his armor’s enchantments and his Purity Foundation, it was utterly ineffective against him.

"Yeah, don’t you think I’d be slowing down and have my organs melting if your poison was actually working?" Alistair questioned, his tone dry.

For a brief moment, Xue Chao’s arrogant facade cracked, but the sneer that followed made it clear—he still didn’t realize that Alistair was holding back, using this fight as nothing more than weapon practice.

"It doesn’t matter. I will have your head soon enough," Xue sneered.

"You really don't do situational awareness or critical thinking, do you?" Alistair mocked, his tone dripping with amusement.

Xue frowned, glancing around in suspicion before quickly realizing what Alistair was implying—the other two elders had already fallen minutes ago.

"You are safe this time. Next time we meet, I will kill you," Xue promised, attempting to retreat. He barely took a step before his body locked in place, Telekinesis wrapping around him in a vice grip. He struggled against the invisible force, but it was futile.

"Yeah... I don't really do catch and release with murderers and sociopaths," Alistair said as he squeezed, feeling the bones crack under his telekinetic grip as he lunged at his opponent, fist drawn back.

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