Satu became immeasurably easier to track after she was wounded. She had to focus some of her energy on preventing bleeding- or otherwise amplify the perception limiting effects of the group's combined aura. Either left some traces.

John also thought that the poison that had been meant for Astrid was at least partially affecting her. No doubt she had planned countermeasures to her own poison, but John's goal had been to make her not even realize she had received the poison, drawing it out of Astrid subtly.

So far, it seemed to be working- and his treatment of Astrid seemed to have worked well enough. They just needed to avoid more unpleasant surprises and find another opening to take down either Atreus or Satu. Alternatively, they could continue wearing down at the numbers of the extra cultivators. The Six Element Crossroads disciples had been doing an excellent job of focusing on wide area attacks that couldn't be handled just by the Ascending Soul Phase cultivators.

The elemental balance near Veil Island was of course mostly darkness, but it was still in the ocean and included water element. None were so overwhelming as to completely eliminate other elements, which meant the core element cultivators among the former street kids had excellent endurance. Likewise, Sthithulf and Fulton were pure water and darkness cultivators, so none of them had problems enduring even if they wouldn't necessarily build up momentum from an elemental cycle.

Delaying would be to the advantage of the continental forces. Even if the remaining forces of the Glorious Veil were now engaging, it didn't matter because Lucanus and Yustina had defeated their opponents. Two free Ascending Soul Phase cultivators where otherwise that highest stage was balanced. The Glorious Veil had already lost, even if they retreated at this very moment.

But that wasn't good enough. At least one of Atreus or Satu needed to face the consequences. A complete annihilation of the sect wasn't necessary, but killing or at least heavily injuring one of those two was.

Of course, that was only while avoiding serious casualties themselves. John was monitoring Astrid's condition just as much as she was watching his. He also wouldn't give up any of his direct disciples, if it came down to it. That just meant he had to be good enough- that they had to be good enough. None of them fought alone.

Neither did their foes, but John felt their coordination was more… rigid. It hadn't come about from focused training between individuals, but a set pattern. That wasn't bad, but it did mean there were patterns to pick out. He was starting to get used to them, enough that he could disrupt them with his attacks. Each step he threw people out of position was another flaw in their veil.

Astrid found Atreus first. With a sweep of her arm she created a field of firegrass, focusing on how she used her light element to ward off the area. That left Atreus exposed for a moment, his position revealed as light dominated the surroundings for a moment. He retreated to the far side instead of pressing forward through the bulk of the field for an attack.

The Glorious Veil forces were being gradually herded onto the prow of the vessel. John fought his way up the steps on one side as Astrid expanded her field up the other- though she remained physically present with him. Their own disciples walked without fear through the area, pushing their foes back.

They weren't completely cut off, of course. They could always leap off the ship into the sea. However, that wasn't the best choice for them when facing up against water cultivators. It wasn't just those of the Six Elements Crossroads, but also a number from the rest of the fleet.

It was enough to force them to make rash decisions. Atreus and Satu acted simultaneously, coming at John from either side while their companions limited his movement options. Rather than dealing with both, John boldly turned his back to Atreus and imbued his sword with the rest of his light element, slashing towards Satu. He didn't spare any spiritual energy to cover his back, trusting Astrid would do so.

She stepped in behind him, creating a beam of light element that brushed past Atreus. He rapidly shifted his target to her, two daggers sweeping out. That was when he was struck in the back by that same beam of light that previously missed. A straightforward application of the techniques of the Combining Luster Sect.

Atreus managed to react in time, but that meant rapidly shifting his spiritual energy to defend himself, which weakened and slowed his attacks sufficiently for Astrid to feel comfortable he wouldn't reach John.

Meanwhile, Satu was staring down at a sword through her ribcage- though there wasn't terribly much of said ribcage remaining. The fact that her body existed at all meant her spiritual energy had prevented most of the damage. John didn't envy her still being conscious- but it wouldn't last long. He finished her off by raising his sword directly upwards, both to prove the finality of his actions and to provide that slightest bit of mercy as he avoided Atreus' staggering attack.

It appeared to him that she had thought herself more capable of blocking that attack. Likely a result of both the poison affecting her as well as not expecting John to commit so heavily.

The shared veil broke instantly. Six Elements Crossroads disciples began cutting down other cultivators. Atreus screamed in rage, a raw and unpleasant sound.

John immediately turned to face the man. "You should not have tried to harm my wife." It didn't matter that Atreus didn't directly command the poisoning- he was responsible for the possibility in general.

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Somewhat predictably, Atreus turned directly on Astrid. She was the weaker of the two, so if he were to launch a suicidal attack he could cause the most pain and have the highest chance of success with her. It was exactly the sort of 'logic' that maddened cultivators would follow through with.

Astrid watched him move and took the best action available to her. She gathered her energy, shielding her front and simultaneously leaping away. She had no reason to engage in a head on clash with someone at a higher rank.

Astreus chased after her in a rage. Darkness cultivators acting in a perfectly straightforward and reckless manner were pretty much worthless. John threw daggers into his side and back, one after another. Each penetrated deeper. The final one pierced into his spine, just below his skull as he was in the process of leaping through one of the ship's sails.

That was the last of the Ascending Soul Phase cultivators. Lochan had finished the one after him with the support of Dina, Harta, and Emilia. In a single moment, the Glorious Veil Sect reached their end. Their island remained, but their prominence in the region would never recover- no matter how 'merciful' the Great Eye Sect decided to be.

Lochan didn't push for a total annihilation, and John was glad. While leaving a potential thorn in the side was a risk, it wasn't one John would personally have to deal with. Ultimately, he wanted to let the island sort out the rest on their own. The Graveshore Society would probably make some sort of claim to the island, and they might be willing to accept some lesser disciples that had little loyalty. The rest of the sect would probably be scattered, as one of the requirements for mercy was giving up their wealth. It would be difficult to hold a valuable island without their Ascending Soul Phase cultivators, among other things.

-----

John spent some time fussing over Astrid, making sure that all traces of poison had been removed from her body. He had no intention to underestimate how bad such things could be, though he was fairly certain he had removed enough of Astrid's blood to be safe. Still, lingering side effects could be troublesome.

Most of the continental fleet split off and returned directly. They didn't need to cause any more uncertainty in the region than they already had. The message should be clear and concise. They wouldn't accept anyone acting against them. Otherwise, they were happy to leave the affairs of the western seas up to them.

John made a special note of peacefully visiting the Silver Mirror and the Drowning Deep. He was not an ally of the Great Eye Sect- their interests had merely aligned. He also made that clear to Lochan and Jayendra, though he couldn't help but admit they had grown somewhat closer. Even so, it was best to remain neutral.

He would happily see the local sects grow closer to each other and hopefully also the continent. No doubt their conflicts mostly stemmed from competing for resources. At the moment, the Great Eye Sect might have an opportunity to control access to Midnight Island as it was closest to them- opening it up could improve their relations with the Graveshore Society or the Blind Tower. They had little reason to try to monopolize it themselves.

As for the other rivalries, they seemed like something that could be overcome. Disagreements that had built up over time, perhaps, but the leadership held no actual malice. If trade flowed in from the continent, the variety of resources available would increase and reduce the pressure for competition. John wasn't sure specifically why the Drowning Deep would be rivals of the Great Eye Sect as they were neither the same nor an opposite element, but they could figure out where they went in the future. It was possible that had all occurred before Vaike.

On the other hand, the strange Sect Head might be the cause. Vaike was… not particularly expressive. John suspected that it would be fairly easy to shift their 'annoying' assessment to something more positive, but he had no way to know for certain.

As for their goals… was getting into a war to prevent a war a success? John couldn't say that was completely true. However, the casualties hadn't been too bad and the remaining sects were less likely to cause any trouble with anyone from the continent- let alone the continent as a whole. Even if deeper islands had some sort of conflict, a buffer zone of relatively friendly islands on the closer border would be valuable.

-----

Upon returning to the continent, Astrid made her way to the Gloom Desolation. The reason was… that Melanthina had invited her. There were good reasons for a light element cultivator to go to a darkness element region, but it certainly wasn't something Astrid did commonly. With the Gloom Desolation's positioning, she hadn't bothered to make the trip on her own.

But at the request of Melanthina, how could she refuse? She only wondered why she was asked to come along but not John. "What is your purpose here?" Astrid asked. Melanthina had only mentioned that it was a matter of great interest to the Gloom Desolation, and ultimately for the continent as a whole.

Both Melanthina and Nik were waiting for Astrid when she arrived. "I needed someone of a different perspective," Melanthina explained. "And father needs to do less."

"That he does," Astrid agreed. She looked over at Nik. "Was your own husband insufficiently different?" He was a light cultivator as much as she was- it just happened that his other half was darkness.

Melanthina grinned. "He's perfect for a great many things. But this time, he might not be enough. Actually, the problem I sensed involved the ground."

Astrid had observed the area during her journey- there wasn't much else to do, even when traveling quickly. "It's certainly poor quality. But that might be due to the overall lacking spiritual energy in the area."

"Well you see," Melanthina grinned. "What if that wasn't the case at all?"

"I don't think the climate alone is poor enough for the soil to be like this," Astrid commented.

"I actually meant the spiritual energy might not be as lacking as it seems."

Astrid had some doubts. She lived in Astrein now, after all. She was quite proficient in picking out the total amount of elements, even in small concentrations. There was nothing around them but darkness as well as a little bit of water, air, and fire. Though the complete lack of light and earth was certainly a bit odd.

"Do you feel it?" Melanthina asked. "I just want you to confirm it independently, in case I'm wrong in my assessment."

Astrid thought about it. She couldn't quite say what it could be, but she had an idea.

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