Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2346 Alone

Vaelith's smile vanished the moment Sylas' murderous intent rolled outward, because the pressure carried none of the muted arrogance she had grown used to from him. Instead it felt like a storm of blades was roaring and rotating around them, and any wrong movement could lose her a head.

Her blood ran cold beneath it, and for once she found herself unsure what to do with the silence, so she filled it before she could think too much about why.

"The Vaelryn don't accept just anyone beneath them, so if a Guild is allowed to operate under their territory, it means they have enough value to justify the protection."

Her words came faster than usual as the shadow of the Kiver warship spread across them. "The Kiver earned that position because their bloodline lets their Wills resonate with one another, not just stacking strength, but passing pressure, momentum, and even portions of their authority back and forth across the formation. One Kiver is manageable, but once enough of them lock into resonance, hurting one can strengthen the others, suppressing one can create room for another. The formation they commune together in is almost like a living organism and they can become a nightmare to deal with in large enough numbers."

Sylas didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward.

Vaelith immediately moved to follow, but Yamero stretched across her path and wrapped himself loosely around her shoulders before she could get more than half a step. His body felt warm despite being constructed from Runes, and he gave her an almost apologetic look before glancing toward Sylas' back.

"Relax, pretty girl. It's probably better not to get involved when he's actually pissed off."

Vaelith looked toward him.

Yamero sighed. "He's not very rational when he's angry."

That statement should have sounded absurd considering the man they were talking about, yet Vaelith felt the murderous pressure deepen with every step Sylas took toward the ship and decided she had no interest in testing the claim.

She didn't argue or didn't brush Yamero aside, and for the second time today, she chose to not be willful and thought of someone other than herself before she took action. It was a peculiar feeling, but honestly it just might have saved her life.

**

Inside the Kiver warship, three figures stood at the heart of a formation that pulsed through the entire vessel. It was evenly split into three forms.

The first was Draeven Kiver, an A-tier whose bloodline talent hadn't appeared within the Guild for generations, and by every estimate he was practically guaranteed to step into the S-tier within the next decade. He had suppressed himself down to the C-tier through the same resonance that made the Kiver valuable, using the Wills of those around him as counterweights that pressed against his own until his existence was forced into a lower state without truly losing the foundation beneath it.

Beside him stood Maelor Kiver, a B-tier who had done much the same, though the strain on his body was far less severe. Their bloodline resonance allowed one person's excess to become another's restraint, so Draeven's overwhelming presence helped force Maelor lower while Maelor's steadier Will helped anchor Draeven, the two of them constantly balancing one another across the formation.

The final member was Soren Kiver, and unlike the other two, he was genuinely C-tier.

That made him the strangest part of the formation.

Because the system had far less reason to reject him, Soren could stand at the center of the resonance and draw away fragments of the superior aura that Draeven and Maelor were forced to suppress. He couldn't take enough to make himself B-tier, but he didn't need to, because every fragment he absorbed reinforced the authority of his C-tier foundation while simultaneously helping the other two remain within the restrictions of the Heavens Clash.

The result was a closed loop.

Draeven's excess reinforced Maelor and Soren, Maelor stabilized Draeven while feeding Soren, and Soren acted as the release valve that kept both stronger existences from breaking through their suppression. The stronger one pushed, the more pressure circulated through the others, and the formation continued feeding back into itself until all three stood above what any of them should have been capable of alone.

This was why the Vaelryn kept the Kiver close.

Their bloodline didn't merely make them strong in numbers, it made them unusually suited to bending restrictions when the rules allowed even the smallest crack. To a Clan like the Vaelryn, it didn't take a genius to figure out why such a thing would be so invaluable.

Draeven stared toward the front of the ship, his expression calm as the formations along the hull began to brighten. "He's coming."

Maelor's eyes narrowed. "Alone?"

"So far."

Soren smiled faintly. "Then this might be easier than expected."

Draeven didn't answer immediately, because the resonance flowing between them had already begun to report something strange. The pressure outside the ship wasn't fading as Sylas approached, but growing heavier, and the closer he came, the more the surrounding Aether seemed to pull away from him instead of resisting.

Then the hull trembled.

BOOM.

The entire warship lurched so violently that Soren slammed a hand against the formation core to steady himself, while Maelor's eyes widened at the sudden deformation spreading through the front of the vessel. Metal screamed as though some enormous beast had clamped its jaws around the ship, and the reinforced plating folded inward before tearing apart in curling sheets.

Draeven's gaze sharpened.

Through the collapsing front of the vessel, Sylas stepped onto the deck.

He hadn't punched through the ship, hadn't drawn a weapon, and hadn't even accelerated enough for the Kiver to register an impact. He had simply placed one foot down, and the metal beneath it had crumpled away so violently that the entire front of the warship now looked as though something had taken a massive bite from it.

Sylas raised his gaze toward the three of them, the indifference of his eyes weighing heavy.