The official policy of the continental alliance was to avoid Empress Aldara, though that wasn't always possible nor practical. Some locations simply had to be defended, though to do so they had to bring an excess of powerful cultivators from other locations, potentially weakening their positions. This essentially meant that every move the empress made brought some advantage to her side- either a direct victory from her actions, or an indirect one from merely the threat of her.

They couldn't continue like that long term. However, she had proven extremely difficult to chase down. John had taken Astrid, Lucanus, Yustina, and a number of others after her several times but they never managed to catch more than a distant glimpse of her. Her sense of incoming cultivators was on par with John's, picking out small elemental differences from the native spiritual energy. Any attempts to bait her into attacking a well defended position- usually with a similar complement of individuals- had also failed.

In short, while she won every battle that she took, Empress Aldara also avoided a comparable number of battles. She wasn't invincible and they shouldn't think of her that way- though underestimating her danger always led to getting Ascending Soul Phase cultivators killed.

Not that the combined Molten Sea and continental forces never achieved the same. Their victories tended to be more widely distributed, however. Much of the Empire of Element's power seemed to be concentrated around the Empress, which is what made her a great danger but also a point of weakness… potentially. But only if they could actually draw her into a battle where they had the advantage.

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John looked down on a strange sect of cultivators. Upon the first encounter, they hadn't been recognized as a single sect. They had among them light, fire, and water cultivators as well as pairings of fire with either light or water. They could have easily been five separate sects… but sufficient contact had confirmed the similar cultivation styles and their official recognition of being within the same sect- the Magnified Mirage.

After returning to the ships, John consulted with Astrid and Presha, the latter of which had also been scouting in the air. "I counted five Ascending Soul Phase cultivators. A decent complement of Consolidated Soul Phase as well."

Presha nodded. "Yes. Two light, fire, water, and the last two paired. I should be reasonably effective against this group."

Astrid thought for a few moments. "Can you handle the two water cultivators? What is their relative strength?"

"About equal," John commented. "Mid Ascending Soul Phase." Of course, he let her answer for herself whether she could actually accomplish the task.

Presha didn't hesitate. "I can handle them. Even if they have familiarity with air cultivators, they likely won't fare well against my style. Of course, against two I can't last forever."

"The two of us can handle the remaining three," Astrid said with confidence. "We shouldn't take too long."

Technically, she was speaking for John- but her assessment wasn't any different from his own. They had been together long enough that her understanding of his capabilities combined with her own were well known.

"We should be able to take out one of the light cultivators in a reasonable time," John confirmed. "If they continue to press after that point, we'll take out the other. Then our numbers will be even." Even if John and Astrid might be fatigued at that point, their endurance should be higher than their foes because of John's cycle of elements. Though ultimately that was balanced with his high potential for spiritual energy output.

The location they were preparing to assault was at the center of a number of currents, allowing for rapid arrival and departure for the vessels that sailed the Molten Sea. It was a highly contested area, and had recently been claimed from the side of the western continent. They intended to take it back before it could be well secured- among other things with the walls still full of holes it should be easier to manage.

Just because cultivators could surpass most walls in a few moments didn't mean they didn't provide any purpose. Even slightly slowing a portion of enemies could give an advantage, and with enchantments they could be made into proper hazards.

The assault team approached stealthily, with John leading the efforts to camouflage their vessels with the background spiritual energy and visuals of the Molten Sea. That made their approach take longer, but unprepared opponents were easier to deal with.

Work had barely begun on the walls to patch the holes- without the right type of cultivators it could take a significant amount of time. They had to ship both materials and proficient workers from more secure locations.

Over a hundred cultivators departed several smaller ships, breaking through the hasty repairs and spreading onto the walls to take down the guards there while others headed deeper into the outpost. John was at the head of the assault formation, and even though their presence was recognized he still minimized the flow of spiritual energy that was coming from them so as to hamper the Empire's coordination.

Presha managed to catch the mixed water and fire cultivator off guard with an attack. Gusts of wind combined with sudden vacuum that could cut like a blade. She wasn't fortunate enough to instantly finish off her foe, but she did manage to pierce the woman's defensive energy in the first exchange, scarring her light armor. Presha did manage to draw away two cultivators, but she didn't manage to engage both water cultivators as intended. With the enemy's numerical advantage, it was inevitable. Instead, she was facing the mix element cultivator and the pure fire cultivator. Neither had an elemental advantage, but her elemental advantage was also minimized compared to her intentions.

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That left John and Astrid facing two light cultivators and a water cultivator. That was the worse combination for them because of Astrid's fire element, but it was one they were more than capable of overcoming. Seeing Presha's early successes, John had tried to ambush one of the light cultivators, but the man was prepared to react. He was wise enough to keep his defenses well removed from his body, so when the interplay of light and darkness occurred the explosions didn't harm him directly. The other two joined against the pair in short order.

John and Astrid fought together, rarely more than a step apart. Quite often, they even joined free hands to optimize the flow of energy between them. It did create a point of weakness, but it was a worthwhile risk- and it could also be used to try to entrap their enemies who wanted to take advantage of their movement being limited.

The light cultivator they had attacked carried a bow as his weapon. The other light cultivator wielded a spear, and the water cultivator an axe. It appeared the weaponry of this sect was just as diverse as their elements. John found it quite difficult to continually assault the more vulnerable archer with the other two providing a defensive line.

An axe chopped down between John and Astrid, meant to force them apart- or sever their hands. It was unlikely the water cultivator cared which result she got. But John easily parried the axe, even though his sword was on the far side of the intended target. That was because the swing wasn't actually where it appeared to be.

John would have contemplated Astrid's light distortion if they weren't in the middle of battle. Even if their opponents identified the technique after seeing it, it was better to leave some uncertainty.

Speaking of which, it appeared the light element cultivators had much the same abilities. It was fairly common for light cultivators to redirect light, and a sect with mirage in the name should be specialized in it. That didn't mean they could immediately see through Astrid's deceptions, however. Especially not with John adding just a bit of darkness and uncertainty to everything the pair were doing.

A spear stabbed towards John. No, two spears as multiple images of the woman appeared. Even relying on his spiritual energy didn't get a proper reading- she at least made good shells of power. John picked out one, swinging his sword to parry as he dodged in the same direction. In the worst case, he expected to waste a little effort. He didn't anticipate an attack sliding along his ribs in a third location he never sensed.

Without Diamond Defense, he could have been seriously wounded. As it was, the damage wasn't enough to hamper his movements- though he found he needed to be more cautious. He could have sworn there wasn't any light element there… and he kept a cautious distance as Astrid fended off their enemies. Her darts exploded in light and fire, creating terrain on the battlefield to hinder their opponents- though it would be even better if she got a direct hit.

An arrow incoming. John sensed just one, but the path was too obvious. It should have been aimed for Astrid, but the path was too obvious. She shouldn't even have to dodge. Except…

John released some of his air element, boosting their speed for a moment. As he moved, Astrid followed- even if it appeared to bring her closer to danger. The sudden movement should have thrown off the attack, but it actually revealed something even greater as John felt spiritual energy disperse. Then the true angle of the attack became clear, as the angle distorted.

It hadn't been light element, but water. John had a sudden understanding of what was going on. Water element for refraction of light. Heat haze was the main components of mirages, so fire also made sense. And of course direct light control. That was how all three fit into a single sect, focused on specific elements but a particular style.

John thought it was great. They also did an excellent job of hiding their own spiritual energy, otherwise it wouldn't matter how much the visuals changed. He exchanged a few blows with the frontline before squeezing Astrid's hand, prompting her own energy with his flow.

He ducked underneath an arrow- it tried to duck down towards him, controlled by the man's spiritual energy. John suspected it might try to come up behind them in a moment as the connection remained… but that was a perfect time for their attack.

Astrid pulled him closer, pointing their combined grip at the spear cultivator. Another trick, of course. Her light shot out at a different angle… carrying along with it a plentiful helping of darkness from John. It didn't even matter that the archer had been displaying a false location the whole time- he wasn't far enough from the resulting explosion.

At the same time, John stomped the ground, releasing lightning towards the water cultivator. Astrid threw a following dart at the spearwoman a moment later, keeping her off guard after the feint.

The archer appeared to have died to the explosion. It could have been a trick, and John had one way to find out. He briefly released Astrid's hand, dancing in front of her and throwing a dagger. Then another. In quick succession, he threw six, one of each element except for darkness. All of them carried that, to draw them towards the light- wherever it was.

The other man managed to divert all but light and earth, but those were enough. He hadn't recovered from the previous assault, and his defenses were insufficient. This time, John was able to confirm the sort of spiritual energy reaction he expected from true death. It wasn't an immediate cessation of energy flow, nor was it organized. It was messy and wild, often damaging the body.

One down. John looked at the other two, while also checking the situation with Presha. She didn't have a full advantage like she had wanted, but she was definitely holding her own. But it was the other battles that were the deciding factor. Continental forces below the Ascending Soul Phase were pulling ahead, giving them an advantage there. At the highest level it had gone from five against three to merely four- with John and Astrid looking little the worse for wear.

John gave his foes a moment to make a choice. It also helped to stabilize his own energy after that complicated attack. Controlling five daggers at once- with a proper complement of spiritual energy- had been a bit much.

The two women backed away. John was inclined to let them run, in large part because cornered cultivators were particularly dangerous. They didn't turn their backs until they were over twenty meters away. As they turned to run, the married pair matched their movements- while staying on their own side of the battlefield. The two were headed towards Presha and her opponents, and they certainly couldn't let that situation become a four against one for even a single instant.

The official call to retreat came a few moments later. Rather than trying to ready a proper number of vessels, the Empire of Elements cultivators only secured the one that was most ready on the far side of the island. Meanwhile, the opposing continent gathered their forces together, prepared to renew the assault should they turn back. But the single vessel sailed off at a quick sea. Not that sails actually did much in the Molten Sea, with elemental cultivators providing the bulk of the propulsion.

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