A torrent of solid, dominant white energy rushed out of the feminine figure to join her three mates just above Replicus’ ship. It engulfed everything in sight with such alacrity, and convincing permanence that lesser beings would have slumped down, drained of hope.

After all, a Territory was a personal, physically realised field of influence that an Incandescent Stager had full control over.

As the pristine shade of white curled over everything, Pherdanta, Grim, Allora and Baddan grew tense, their eyes set on the enemies standing over the shield.

Perhaps because the female Incandescent Stager responsible for erecting this Territory didn’t have enough of a gut to try and challenge two Faction leaders at once, especially one certainly above her in status and strength, Warding Pride’s vessel wobbled out of the blank white sheet of a world created around Replicus’ vessel. The unique barrier she had set up in order to block the assault from the cannons Replicus had materialised remained, and she, as most could see from her visage, was still rattled by the abnormal ammunition they released.

Seeming to be glad to be rid of Replicus – at least for now, as she thought, imagining that the foul, unknown creature probably had ways to at least avoid instant death – she gave him a last resentful look.

Pherdanta spared a moment from the enemy above her to look at Warding Pride’s vessel. Coincidentally, she locked eyes with the person she hoped to see, but neither of them expressed a gesture to communicate their thoughts.

A call interrupted, Pherdanta’s momentary thoughts, continuing the thread of speech from mere moments ago.

“…Cryptic Axiom Chasm!”

Then the brilliant white vanished, replaced by a contrasting dark scape that started out blank, before beginning to decorate itself frantically!

One could almost feel the weight of a sacrifice offered as the name of the Territory was called upon, bringing its fullness forth!

At once, Baddan’s ferocious volumes of purple quality mana erupted savagely, before rapidly turning into harsh white flow that stroked boldly around the ship and those aboard it!

This seemed to have happened just in time, as the vessel was rocked vehemently when in the distance, a colossal mirror shaped like an arrowhead surged from the darkness below, its ascent causing the blank world to both shiver and change.

From where it emerged, the darkness became tainted with dots of light that marked what was the equivalent of the ground within this space; where Replicus’ ship was somehow seated over. They lights looked like docile fireflies at first glance, and above them, covering much of the space, were large shards of mirrors floating about.

No.

They were standing extremely still, some of them shaped randomly, and others a bit more meaningfully, yet not in any way that would have made Replicus and his crew a lot more fond of this place.

The great arrow-shaped mirror in the distance reached its final height shortly, but aside from reflecting the dots of light and still mirror shards – and with Replicus’ vessel somehow missing on its face – there didn’t seem to be anything special about it.

It did point to everyone on Replicus’ ship, however, that somewhere along the activation of the Territory, their opposition’s ship had vanished mysteriously from above them, leaving a ghost of an image that disappeared only now.

Replicus remained with his hand planted on the deck’s surface.

The glow in his sockets did not show a lack of composure or the abundance of strain.

In fact, he was… relieved.

He looked at the Territory’s caster – a middle-aged looking woman with hair more red than it was black, tied into knots that looked like thick ropes. She had an annoying gaze that refused to blip from Replicus, and her tongue, as it turned out, was quite sharp.

“You found yourself a pet capable of saving you from instant death, it seems. Good for you. At least you’re resourceful, as a Faction leader should be,” she said, which garnered her a fair amount of glares.

Replicus chuckled.

“I know stalling when I both hear and see it,” he retorted confidently, his hand causing yet another fierce stream of light to run through his ship. “It will be a simple task to kill you and your goons before your Secondary attack is finished charging.”

Right then, Replicus’ vessel groaned and expanded in size. It grew to about four times its previous mass, and while it did, Allora took a deep breath and grunted, her fierce mana flooding into it.

The larger size, seemingly prompted by another skill Replicus imparted onto the vessel, created for a greater capacity to hold the surging mana and better utilise it!

The Incandescent Stager saw the umbrella-shaped glow below her feet adopt a greater, blinding shade of gold, and she snorted.

Her body erupted with fierce strength granted to her by her Territory, and she hammered fiercely into the barrier with her fist!

The now enormous vessel shook violently, and the umbrella-shaped glow cracked quite a bit!

Replicus was certainly impressed.

He didn’t think it would be broken so easily.

WHAM!

The red haired woman smashed it again, and the web of cracks extended dangerously.

She pulled back her arm, her three partners backing away from her, and was about to launch the last, decisive punch when a gaping hollow appeared behind the golden barrier!

The pressure it released sent chills down her spine, and her wrathful punch quickly turned into a cross guard with both her arms!

A dark something that was so fast, and so huge, it made the already dark world turn dim for a moment, blasted past the shield, knocking into the woman and her fellow assailants!

Of course, they could only vanish from sight when the ethereal cannon – made larger by Replicus’ skill – moved from the hull to the deck, and fired at point blank range!

It had been a wonder to Warding Pride what was being fired from Replicus’ cannons, and she would never have guessed right what it was.

A combination of Stagnant Space and Distorted Gravity combined into large, dark orbs, was just that devastating, even with Replicus’ mediocre current affinities for both!

~~~

[<Affinities>]

[Distorted Gravity – C]

[Stagnant Space – D]

[Spatial Lightning – B]

[Grand Fire – S]

…

~~~

However, as far as Replicus saw… it wasn’t enough.

The enemies were still alive.

He hadn’t counted on this latest attack taking them all down though.

The time it bought at least, was priceless.

He turned to Pherdanta who was looking up past several dozens of shattered glass into the darkness.

“I want you to operate the cannons. You only have nine shots. I doubt I’ll be able to reload for you in the next few minutes,” he said.

Baddan turned to him, a curious expression on his face. Replicus read what he meant to express immediately.

“No. I don’t need your Territory yet. Just keep guarding against the Primary assault. They’ll be worse Territories than this in the very near future. I promise you that,” he said.

And he wasn’t wrong.

Replicus didn’t dread Territories. He dreaded Territories with Tertiary attack functions – Territories that manifested living beings in their Imaginary GeoScapes.

Those were the true menaces, after all, more often that not, what Baddan was doing now – shielding the rest from the Primary assault with his Nitros – would only happen when the caster’s whims allowed it in a Territory of that calibre.

“Grim. That woman’s goons are probably still alive too. If they get too close, handle them,” Replicus told Grim while Pherdanta moved to the middle of the deck to take control of the ship and manage the cannons.

“What are you going to do?” Grim asked.

At his inquiry, a long, baggy dark blue robe of ghostly properties emerged over Replicus’ starry armour, its half transparent quality partially exposing the twinkling spots on the Penetrator’s armour. It matched very well with the black, blue and puce of it.

As it relaxedly swam in the air, Replicus filled its large sleeves this time.

It was no mere treasure or artefact, but a skill, one he had acquired after stealing an ability that interrupted skills from the Grand Flame Bringer’s sword.

(A/N: Refer to Ch. 487).

Previously, it had been known as the [Defiant Raiment of Perversion], but now…

~~~

[Nullmancer’s Royal Raiment of Acclimation | Lv. 5]

An ancient robe is summoned, one fitted with a unique type of Null Life Essence. The capabilities of the raiment are a bane that the Nullmancer wields against any form of magic grown in distant lands.

<Passive>

• Nullifies any normal low grade Super Skills and below

• +100,000 Mana with Absolute conversion

• +25,500 Intelligence with Absolute conversion

• +50,000 to Endurance with Absolute conversion

<Active>

Any skill or concepts the user understands with the use of <Epiphany> becomes ineffective depending on the degree of understanding achieved.

Mana Requirements: None

Duration: None

Cooldown: None

~~~

Replicus then turned to Grim, his sockets growing bright.

“I’m going to learn as I fight,” he said before jumping out of the ship, leaving the protective glow of Baddan’s Nitros.