A single moment changed the flow of the battle which had been in the favor of the Scarlet Alliance cultivators. Even though they managed to break through the Dessicated Deep’s defensive formations, at practically the same moment Ravina sustained a serious injury.

At that point, morale could have easily broken with their one Augmentation cultivator injured, but Ravina chose to stand firm instead of calling for a retreat. She might have even been downplaying the severity of her own injury, though she should have sensed the same thing as Chidi did- her wound was leaking energy rapidly. But perhaps that was the best reason to stand firm and fight.

Not that Chidi was disappointed either way. He was here to fight.

Arrows flew over the walls, targeting weaker cultivators from the Dessicated Deep. Alva certainly knew how to pick her targets. With Ravina defending the weaker cultivators from the Scarlet Alliance, their lines remained strong even as she struggled against the old man who wounded her.

Conncha was the final fellow to come with them from the main Scarlet Alliance, and he displayed more of his abilities. Chidi had only seen short battles from him before, but he seemed able to connect people and objects together, tying them up. He restricted enemy movements, allowing their side to cut down many foes one after another. Chidi was part of that process, of course, and Aconite was a terror to any hindered foes.

In terms of quantity, their side was winning greatly. They had far fewer losses than the enemy, even though they were in the disadvantaged situation of assaulting a defensive position. But Chidi was paying attention to the overall flow of the battlefield, and that simply could not discount the strongest forces. Ravina was holding off the old man with her long spear, but he didn’t seem to be particularly concerned. Ravina’s energy was fading quickly, and soon it seemed they would be left without an Augmentation cultivator.

Chidi joined the two of them atop the walls, intentionally picking battles nearby. Something was odd about the old man, and he needed to figure it out. Was he projecting a fake shell as an Augmentation cultivator? No, that made no sense. He certainly had true strength. Ravina was attacking seriously and he was deflecting her attacks just fine with his shield.

Another foe cut down, and Chidi moved closer. He wasn’t the sort who tended to interfere in other’s battles, but this wasn’t something Ravina had chosen, simply a match that had fallen to her by default. And it looked like in a moment, it would be over. She had taken several other wounds, smaller than the first but they were each draining energy from her rapidly. It didn’t seem that the old man was able to use her energy, but taking it away from her without contest was still a victory.

Chidi thrust his sword into a nearby cultivator at the same time as the old man’s spear pierced just below Ravina’s ribcage. He kicked her away, and while she managed to protect herself enough that she wasn’t disintegrated from the inside out… she was clearly down for the count as she fell towards the bottom of the mountain.

That was when all eyes turned towards the old man, and likewise when Chidi stepped forward. The old man swung his spear without emotion, a simple sweep he obviously intended to end Chidi’s life. Chidi’s blade parried upward, his whole body trembling from the momentary exertion. “Aconite, Alva. Please keep any meddlers away.”

“You mean to fight me yourself?” the old man said. “You won’t be the first young hero I have slain. Do you truly believe that even the peak of Integration can beat an Augmentation cultivator like myself?” His spear stabbed towards Chidi, who twirled to the side. Even exaggerating his movement, Chidi still had a gash along his ribs. “I’m not some pathetic upstart you can cut down with your eyes closed.”

“Oh, I’d figured that out already,” Chidi said. Then he opened his eyelids. “But you make a lot of assumptions.” Chidi slashed forward, and though his blade was blocked by the man’s shield he managed a minor scratch.

“Don’t think you’ll receive any pity from me.” The man stepped forward, and Chidi truly felt the oppressive force from him. It was as if Chidi’s energy was desperately trying to escape his body.

Chidi knew he could not beat an Augmentation cultivator as he was. But he had the feeling that he had to try. Not for the sake of his allies- though they would be hard pressed even to survive if he could not keep the old man’s attention until they finished off the rest of the enemies- but instead for himself. This was a fight his body screamed at him was necessary.

When the spear came for him, Chidi knew that his read of the man’s flow was imperfect. Yet even so, there was only one response that might possibly lead to his survival. Time seemed to slow down, though Chidi almost felt like the exchange was already over and he was reliving it. His body twisted, his sword cutting through the air until he caught the tip of his opponent’s spear. In that moment their energies clashed, negating each other. It wasn’t a matter of pure force, as Chidi’s energy couldn’t possibly overcome him.

And it didn’t, either. He only partially negated it, even though his read of the flow wasn’t flawed as he thought. The spear pierced into his body, but it wasn’t targeted at his heart or other vital organs. Instead, it pierced into his dantian.

Chidi staggered back as his energy began to leak out of him. The old man had held back so as to not annihilate his body- but not out of mercy. No, he wanted Chidi to feel this. His cultivation slipping away as he died.

“I’m so… stupid,” Chidi grimaced, coughing up blood due to widespread internal damage throughout his body.

His senses vaguely informed him of the old man’s face twisting into a wicked smile. “Ah, this is my favorite part of dealing with young geniuses. The despair when they realize-”

“Should have known you would be one of them,” Chidi grumbled. “The Dessicated Deep couldn’t even have Augmentation cultivators with this crappy technique.”

“Well, I agree. Though it’s quite fun, isn’t it? If you don’t stop it quickly, you’ll suffer permanent damage.”

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“Yeah, I figured that out,” Chidi said. His cultivation was dropping. Mid Integration already, and it wouldn’t be something easily recovered. Early Integration was only a few moments away.

“Ah. You’re one of the boring ones who dies with dignity.”

“You might be right about that,” Chidi agreed. His arm hung limply at his side, swirling his blade around almost aimlessly. “It’s really difficult… to tell…” He spit up more blood as his insides rioted against him.

“Well, if you’re not going to despair then I’m going to have to ask you to die,” the man raised his spear.

Chidi stepped forward almost to the man’s spear point, his sword still tracing along the ground. His cultivation was at the threshold boundary of Integration. Then, it weakened into something resembling Life Transformation.

His blade flashed upward, cutting not at the man or his sword, but merely the space between them. For a moment, the man’s true cultivation was revealed as that of the Twin Soul Sect. And then, it was hidden. Chidi was blind to him, and to the world. The only things that existed were his sword and the man’s spear.

The man had clearly sensed something wrong, but Chidi tilted his head to the side as the spear came for him. It was close enough to cut the skin on his neck, and if the attack had any energy it would have severed his neck. Chidi’s blade came back down, slicing through the man’s outstretched arm.

He stepped inward, barely cognizant of the feel of his own body. His sword curved to the side to catch the man’s other arm, slipping behind his shield and slashing at his wrist as the sword ultimately curved up and across the man’s neck, slipping perfectly between layers of the man’s armor- its enchantments doing nothing without energy.

But he was not done. He crouched down, stabbing upward from beneath the man’s waist. When the world returned, Chidi’s sword was deep in the man’s dantian. The sudden flow of energy through the man caused him to worsen that wound as he pulled away from Chidi, utterly confused.

“You first,” Chidi retorted as the man tumbled over, dead.

The battlefield was almost silent… but the few remaining Dessicated Deep attempted to surrender immediately. Just a moment before, they had an uninjured Augmentation cultivator to make up for their flagging numbers… and now they had nothing.

Chidi’s left arm pressed against his belly. His dantian was still losing energy, but the shift in his cultivation had caused sudden changes that seemed likely to prevent any more permanent losses. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he endured the pain of the new internal formation markings. He’d been thinking about how everything fit together for a while, and he had only just finalized his plans. The old man wounding him had been the final piece he needed.

“What was that, you idiot?” Aconite barked, tearing his hand away from his belly and shoving several bagfuls of medicine into him.

“Aconite,” Chidi said. “What stage of cultivation would you say I am in, now?”

“Don’t worry about that, just focus on healing!”

“No, really,” Chidi urged. “Take a serious look.”

“It’s… like you’re locked into Life Transformation? Why would you do that?”

“It made sense to me,” he said. “But it’s not that.” He reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, and Aconite shuddered.

“Not what I expected of you, nephew,” Alva suddenly inserted herself into the conversation.

“... Nephew?”

“It’s the least complicated word,” Alva pointed out. Right. She was effectively the same generation as his mother. Less than ten years between them, even if their actual relation was second cousins instead of siblings or whatever. Nephew fit. “I suppose we should have expected something crazy like this. Maybe Catarina did,” she shrugged. “What is it?”

“Dunno. I’ll give it a name if I wake up,” Chidi said.

-----

Chidi muttered a word to himself when he awoke, speaking to no one in particular. It had been more than a few days that he was out. He woke up only briefly, catching snippets of himself, Ravina, and other cultivators laying together in the back of a ship. He’d vaguely sensed his mother at some point, and now he was in a medical suite.

Aconite burst through the door of his room. “You’re up!”

“Obviously,” he nodded. “I guess I pushed it pretty close for that one, huh?”

“You’re telling me!” Aconite growled. “If I were someone else I’d… do something!”

“But you still need me to support you when you go swim in acid or something,” Chidi nodded.

“I’m not going to suddenly incorporate acid into my techniques,” Aconite grumbled. “But I have been studying poison planets.”

“Gonna eat one?” Chidi asked.

“That would be s-” Aconite paused. “... I’m probably not going to eat a planet.”

The sudden proximity of his mother didn’t surprise Chidi in the least. His energy senses were the sharpest they had ever been, and he’d sensed her as soon as he woke up. She covered a much further distance than Chidi, but she’d immediately ceased her work when he awoke.

“Explain,” Catarina said.

There wasn’t much Chidi could be reasonably expected to explain. “I advanced to the next stage,” Chidi said.

“It certainly doesn’t feel like it,” Catarina replied. “Your internal formations… many of them suppress your own energy?”

“It was getting in the way,” Chidi declared. “Anyway, I just want to say that definitely wasn’t a fluke. With that guy. I’m in a higher stage.”

“Higher seems debatable,” Catarina said, looking him over.

“Wanna test it out?” Chidi asked.

“No sparring until you’re fully recovered. Your dantian is barely stitched up. It’s a good thing Aconite here negated their technique.”

Aconite shook her head. “His advancement took care of the most dangerous part somehow.” She rested her snout on Chidi’s leg. “I’m glad you won. And I think it’s a good name.”

“What name?” Catarina asked.

“Negation,” Chidi declared. “I thought I’d mainly be negating my enemy… but I realized that I had to go further. Or maybe I knew for a while and was unwilling to do it.”

Catarina ruffled his hair. “Well, your father and I were very worried. Please try not to get so close to dying. But I know that sometimes it doesn’t feel like a choice.” She smiled. “Rest now. And then we can talk about how things work.”