The Path of Ascension Chapter 427

Chapter 427

Matt stood just outside the atmosphere of Tolraubos and watched patiently as the oncoming wave of energy raced to the planet at near light-speed.

A neighboring Tier 0 star twenty light-years away from Tolraubos had decided it was time to die, and it chose to do so in the most violent way it could: ejecting its outer layers into the vastness of space.

A supernova reaching an inhabited star was hardly a rare occurrence on the scale of the Great Powers, and thankfully always came with decades, if not centuries, of warning. It was, in fact, one of the reasons a Duke in the Empire needed to be Tier 35.

Beyond the war Tiers, Tier 35 was considered the Tier where an average cultivator could deal with such celestial phenomenon and protect the worlds they ruled over.

It was, however, Matt’s first time dealing with such an event, but it was one he had been looking forward to since the upcoming supernova was first added to their ducal calendar.

Tolraubos was a Tier 4 planet, so it could survive the expanding shockwave just fine, but the planet itself wasn’t the issue. Rather, it was the much more fragile ecosystem living on its surface, including the mortals, who would be scoured by the immense explosion if someone didn’t intervene.

Which was Matt’s job.

Or at least, he was going to attempt it.

Being mid Tier 28, the six of them had finally run out of steam and stopped delving after so many years. In the midst of dealing with ducal affairs, he had taken this job as an excuse to get out of the office, saying he’d be able to resonate his Domain with the event.

Having worked so hard in the last 70 years on his Power’s second stage, he was hoping that overpowering a literal dying star would be the impetus that finally allowed him to truly master that ability.

It was unlikely, and both he and Liz knew it, but it was an excuse she couldn’t really trump, and so he had gotten the job.

He had suggested they both go and use it as a bit of a vacation, but she had rightly pointed out that they couldn’t take a break when both of their seneschal’s were taking their own well-deserved breaks, which was why he was out there alone.

Or not so alone.

Just a minute before the impact, Matt felt Aster’s presence through their bond go from impossibly distant to right below him, and a quick scan showed Allie had brought everyone anyway.

Inwardly complaining that he had had to travel the slow way, Matt turned his attention to the oncoming wave after checking that the Tier 35 guard was ready to step in if his Tier proved a limiter, and he was unable to fully protect the world below.

Matt really hoped that wouldn’t happen because he would be incredibly embarrassed, but he wasn’t going to let people suffer if he did, in fact, overestimate himself.

Thankfully, Tolraubos was only Tier 4 and didn’t have any off-planet industry, so Matt only had a single planet to protect and the other Tiered celestial objects would survive just fine on their own.

Bracing himself, Matt pushed with his Domain and mana alike, forming truly massive shields with a several times [Barrage]d [Bulwark]. Not enough on their own, he further solidified the dozens of spell shields with his Tier 25 Talent before recasting the combo again and again until he had an umbrella protecting the planet. He even went as far as filling in the gaps with more solidified mana.

Finally, with his Domain, he pushed at the oncoming wave with his Concept’s repulsion effect, while just behind that effect and the barrier of mana he had created, he used his Intent to lock down space, preventing any leakage.

When the wave arrived, Matt grunted as the backlash of the blow hit him. It didn’t hurt him. With all of his physical empowerments, he could have stood a mile away from the exploding star and taken the brunt of the supernova’s shockwave with just [Cracked Phantom Armor]. But blocking its might thoroughly enough to protect an entire planet was another matter entirely.

It was a star’s dying struggle that sought to take as much with it as possible.

Except it was merely that.

Just a star.

And Matt was so much more.

He was a white hole and a black hole, and both of those two celestial bodies stood above a mere B class star, let alone a dying one.

Matt felt his entire Domain shift and grow slightly as he felt himself connecting with his Images in a new way.

He felt all three portions of his Domain strengthen, as well as his yet unformed Aspect’s Truth, as he pushed them in new ways.

It was effective enough training Matt started considering putting the word out that he would gladly pay any other dukes to take their place or assist if they had any incoming supernovas. He was getting lost in scouring reports about supernovas when he remembered what he had promised Aster.

For a moment he considered being a brat and not letting through any radiation, as she and everyone else had taken the Allie Express when he had to fly through chaotic space. But knew she’d be sad if he did and ultimately they were busy enough that travel would have been impossible, so it was nice enough they came even via Allie.

So with a careful effort of will, he let through a tiny amount of energy from the supernova, guiding the energy so that it impacted the magnetic field of Tolraubos in a way that it would create a planet wide aurora.

Just when he was feeling smug about a perfect success, he nearly lost his control over everything as he felt Aster’s emotions through his bond.

***

Aster breathed in deeply as she saw the world ignite in an aurora as Matt shielded Tolraubos from the oncoming wave of light, or rather radiation, that would have otherwise killed everyone on the world.

Allie, despite saying she was on teleportation strike, had acquiesced when Aster said she wanted to see the aurora from Matt’s shielding of the world.

He had promised to send her the recordings, but Aster wanted to see it in person, to bathe in the actual wonder itself.

And at that point, it was easy enough to get everyone just to piss Matt off a little bit.

The five of them were in hiding on-planet, though, having taken a clearing away from any of the major population centers.

Even on the ‘night’ side of Tolraubos, it was as bright as day and everyone was celebrating, having watched the event grow closer for the last twenty years.

In fact, Tolraubos had millions of extra people who had flooded over to witness the once-in-a-lifetime arrival of a supernova and see their lord and Ascender protect the world.

It was also why they were hiding out so far away from everyone else.

Even as Aster felt Matt gathering his strength to block the oncoming wave, Aster widened her eyes and spiritual sense alike, not wanting to miss a moment.

Having felt her arrival, Matt deliberately let a small amount of radiation impact the atmosphere.

It was… glorious.

The magnetic field of Tolraubos ignited in a way that was often only seen near the magnetic poles of worlds.

It wasn’t dangerous. Matt had more than enough control to ensure that, but it was beautiful.

It was everything Aster had dreamed of.

A world full of aurora.

People everywhere started celebrating with bottles of expensive drinks opened and people who thought they were important giving speeches, but they only earned a small amount of Aster’s attention.

Instead, her gaze went to the wildlife and the children.

Both parties reacted similarly.

Tiered animals reacted as their instincts demanded of them, something she had just enough memory of to understand. Some fled into their dens or under cover, while others interpreted the event like an oncoming earthquake and fled anywhere ‘away’. However, many just watched, able to understand there was no escape.

A pack of woodland wolves started howling, scattering a herd of deer-like creatures. A bear only seemed to notice something was amiss when it rolled over and scratched its back, laying there watching the sky shine in a unique display.

The children were more vocal in their distress.

Many parents deliberately had their children nap so they would be awake for the event, and Aster watched them smile and laugh as they ran around under the lightshow, just enjoying the moment.

It was pure and simple innocence. Something that life often wore down and eroded as people grew up and experienced more, slowly becoming numb to lesser wonders.

Then there were the children who were scared. They saw something new and with no frame of reference, reacted with fear.

That too was natural, and many who retreated inside to avoid the now alight sky peeked through windows and opened doors, feeling safe with a layer of cover between themselves and the oddity.

It was all… Life.

Aster didn’t have a better word for it, but she…

Aster felt her pupils constrict as she felt… something happening.

Trying to chase down that feeling, Aster let herself sink into the depths of her own mind.

The scene around her was beautiful, stunning even, but it was…

Aster realized with a start it was her as she was. It was Aster, the former simple ice bloodline, who had added air, illusion, and a touch of space to herself. A brutally hard step for sure, but not where she wanted to end up.

Aster wanted to move beyond aurora, just as she had moved beyond being an ice fox.

But change was scary.

That in and of itself didn’t scare Aster. She had failed many, many times in the course of her life, and she had long accepted it as part of the learning process. She was confident enough in herself to not stumble upon the mere thought of failure.

No, she was realizing that she was afraid of what would happen if she succeeded.

Aurora existed. Maybe not in fox form, but it existed.

Her proposed space ice didn’t.

It would be a step into something no one had any idea about, and laying there as she watched an aurora wash over Tolraubos and its people, Aster realized she was at a crossroad.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

She could continue as she was, which was already good enough.

It was Ascender level.

It was impressive.

It was…

It was contentment.

It was a lullaby sung by the most dangerous siren of them all. Her own ego and long-standing effort having resulted in nothing so far. She hadn’t stopped working on her idea, but it had been pushed further and further down her list as other things and responsibilities piled up.

That wasn’t what Aster wanted.

Aster wanted the chase as well as the prize.

Maybe not always or in everything, but she wanted it for her bloodline.

It may have been the overconfident declaration of a fox hardly out of the shell, but the her of yesteryear had been like the children playing under the dancing sky, free and unfettered.

If there was no path forward, she would plot her way further.

Aster felt herself lighten and her spirit naturally slip out of her body as she nearly communed with the Realm itself.

Aster didn’t try to fight it or force it along, just letting it happen even though she wasn’t entirely sure what her Inspiration was about. She hadn’t figured anything of note out.

Or she didn’t think she had.