The Systemic Lands (Dark Progressive LITRPG)

I surveyed the battle at a distance, interfering where necessary. It was time to clip Michael's wings. He had left his airship alone to cash in all his points. A shadow war was now inevitable. Each of us was trying to drag the other down.

I still had my prisoner, his mother locked away in a secure room. She would survive the higher energy levels. Jacob had many wonderful techniques for such things. I would also have my airship and he would have not have his main one.

It was all about leverage. That was the trick. Using a small bit of energy to leverage more energy, which leveraged even more energy. Getting the most efficient use out of each and every move. Their summoners were like children throwing bricks against a wall.

I remained at almost maximum distance while still being able to observe the battle. Jacob was doing all right, but he was faltering. I gestured with a hand, and several monsters, which were coming up from below lost their tethers and turned to dust.

A summoning battle was about technique and skill. Both of which I had in abundance. "Now when are you going to make your move?" I muttered.

The soldiers and cannons were firing non-stop. I wanted Jacob to force Michelle to act first. She was the only real threat among their group. Once she made a move, I would be able to attack directly. Right now, she had deployed her low-level summons to counter stray attacks that got through, but I knew she was capable of far more than that.

"And there you go," I smiled as I sensed the surge of energy. I reached out and concentrated. A sliver of my energy traveled across the distance in an instant into the crystal that was being used to summon a level 7 monster.

Just as it formed, it dispersed. I could imagine her panicking as she tried to figure out what was happening. I highly doubted that she would be able to sense my counterattack. It only worked for the split second a monster was forming from its crystal.

My energy messed the process up, causing the monster to instantly dust. It wasn't just about inputting enough energy into the process, but having the timing, judgement, and skill to do so. Attempting such a technique at long range like I was doing made it much more difficult. But the greater energy in higher level summons also made it easier. That was why I wasn't bothering to counter the lower-level monster.

The airship I was on suddenly lost the illusion field hiding it as a cannon beam grazed the side. "What?! How?!" I had the golem controlling the airship move, as more beam attacks launched out. The airship shook. I took a moment to focus and gestured again. Multiple cannons were disabled on their airship. Since my position was revealed, no need to be polite. I countered another level 7 summon and then a third. Beads of sweat began to roll down my face.

I knew this wasn't going to be an easy battle, but I was struggling. Jacob landed on the enemy's airship and it was a literal bloodbath. The soldiers were killed by his skill instantly. There were multiple explosions, and I felt my connection to Jacob cut off. The Crystal Vortex was plummeting towards the ground, destroyed. There was one survivor, who managed to escape. I was not going to let anyone go.

Well one survivor was not correct. There were two. It had been brief, but for a split second, I had sensed a portal open and the Avatar was pulled through. The amount of energy was immense. A direct intervention by the Almighty System? I frowned at that. I had given explicit orders for Jacob not to harm the Avatar or target her position.

The explosions had come from inside the airship itself. But the Avatar was saved at the last moment by the Almighty System. Why save her now, when she could have been saved at any time in the past? My mind raced as I tried to come up with an answer to understand what had just happened. The portal that was created was near instant, but the ripple of energy was still traveling outwards from its creation. Whatever was on the other side was far more powerful than even I had imagined.

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I considered the matter and it was clear the Almighty System was not going to interfere with my actions going forward. A portal to retrieve the Avatar was basically declaring that she was being removed from this conflict.

All of that had made me hesitate as I considered pursuing the lone individual who had survived. Michelle was tenacious, I would give her that. The woman refused to die. If only I had such capable follower, then things would be much easier. Well, there was a slot free now that Jacob was dead.

He had served his purpose and would trouble everyone no longer. I ordered my airship to descend and head towards the fleeing woman. It was a level 5 zone, but I was not overly worried. She easily leapt from boulder to boulder, a flying monster on her pack assisting her speed.

She was fast but not fast enough to escape from an airship. The real trick would be to capture her. I had managed to capture Jacob since he was not ready. I would only have one chance with this skill, so it was important that it took hold the first time I used it.

Michelle landed on a large floating boulder as I strode out to the front of my airship. "So it was you," she shouted at me. "How is that even possible?"

"I am surprised you recognize me. We only met once," I replied.

"In person. Qi Ji Long, the son of the Divine Empress. And meta-points," she said the last bit as a curse.

"Along with some very useful techniques. Techniques you can learn if you join me," I offered while staring intently at her.

"And become a slave like you made Jacob. Only to be discarded later?" she asked and I shrugged.

"He was a traitor."

"While Michael is no saint, I am no traitor. You attacked cities. People who had nothing to do with you," she declared self-righteously and now I was annoyed.

"People who stepped over the corpse of my mother to fall at the feet of Michael," I countered.

"You know he didn't kill her, right?" she asked.

"The Astrologer, Michael, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that the strong rule. I have three meta-points. You cannot match me with your summoning," I called back.

"Three or thirty, it makes no difference. If you attack, then I won't hold back," she said. I could appreciate that fighting spirit. I considered what she could honestly do to me? "I developed a technique to deal with the sphere. While it wasn't ready for an opponent of that caliber, I am ready for you."

"Nothing you do will surprise me. And you are already surrounded," I replied as I blinked. Monsters appeared all around her, except in front. A powerful assassination technique for summoners, but I didn't expect to win with such a pedestrian opening move. Michelle punched out and my tethers snapped.

Impressive, she might not be able to sense them, but she could disrupt them at close range. The summoned monsters crumbled to dust. She really did deserve her title as the number one summoner.

She then raced forward, leaping across the boulders and gravel floating about the shatteredlands. She was going to attempt to melee me? Foolishness. Techniques I wouldn't be able to use at range were a simple matter at close range. Against Michael, they would do almost nothing, but she did not have his Body stat.

Michelle leapt up to my airship and gestured outwards. Hands flew out of her sleeves. Monster hands, how amusing. I easily cut them apart with an energy blade. I only needed to provide the structure and it was simple enough for the rest to fill in, leverage of a powerful technique with a small portion of energy.

I backed up as Michelle was coming right at me. She landed and I swung out. I had been aiming for her head, but she had used her left arm to block and managed to duck in time. Her body slowed my attack down, but her left hand went tumbling to the ground.

My left hand darted out and struck her right arm which was moving to do something. My energy entered her body and she screamed. She collapsed to the ground as her right arm began to deform. It was melting slightly. The Body stat had been altered with my strike inside her arm, crippling it.

She looked up at me with a grin. The airship suddenly lurched downwards. I focused on the golem controlling the airship, and I had lost control of it somehow. She had used a skill.

"You can't process everything at once and it leaves you open," she said as the airship flipped sideways. The monster on her back lifted her up as the airship crashed and I went tumbling across the shattered lands. The impact wasn't great, but airships weren't meant to land like that, and I hadn't been prepared to adjust or secure my footing.

Multiple ants leapt out of the gravel and clamped down on my legs. "Ahhh!" I screamed as my feet were crushed. I easily dispersed the monsters, but my feet were crippled. More monsters attacked but I easily dispersed them. She was going to die. Michelle was on the list with Michael!