The invasion of the Molten Sea had been ongoing for many years by the time the western continent got involved. Unsurprisingly, the war didn't simply end upon their inclusion. The majority of the Molten Sea had already been defeated- only dregs of the so-called True Sea remained, trying desperately to reclaim their territory with the aid of the Kelemen clan, smaller Molten Sea Sects, and the continental alliance.

John and Astrid were gathered together with Ursel, Steve, and Yustina. There were often other Ascending Soul Phase arriving and departing the battlefront, but most of them were consistently present on the frontlines.

"You know," Ursel commented, "I kind of expected to be fighting against the Molten Sea, if it came down to it."

John nodded. "I must admit to thinking the same."

At the moment they were gathered near the eastern battlefront- more to the southeast, with the lines of conflict generally stretching from northwest to southeast due to how the continents neighbored the Molten Sea. The fighting had grown more intense in that region, with the Empire of Elements pushing to capture more territory. For the most part things had seemed vaguely even with both sides losing and gaining ground just as in the beginning. However, it appeared the Empress Aldara was involving herself in more battles. Even though she was just one Ascending Soul Phase cultivator, wherever she went tended to see significantly greater victories on the side of the Empire.

"At least the True Sea are still pulling their own weight," Steve commented. "If they expected us to get their land back for them… I don't know if I would even bother."

"None of us are fond of them," Astrid agreed. "I've seen firsthand what they did to the Sunfields as Gesine carved a path through our land. But we have no reason to believe the Empire of Elements would be better."

John sighed. He had hoped… he wasn't sure quite what he had hoped, but if they could have at least had some sort of peaceful negotiations, they wouldn't have had to have this war. He was perfectly willing to enforce some sort of deal where they got the half of the Molten Sea they had already conquered. It wasn't fair, of course, but that was the sort of thing that happened when you didn't like some of those involved in the negotiations.

There hadn't even been an opportunity to entertain or reject offers of varying reasonableness. They just tried to kill him, and all of the continent's previous attempts clearly hadn't gotten through to them. So now they met on the battlefield, experiencing casualties on both sides.

"... Are we winning?" John asked. With territory gained and lost it seemed as if they were at a stalemate, but territory wasn't important. They were only holding it for tactical reasons. The far bigger deal was the cultivators that were injured or killed. Clearly the Empire of Elements had Ascending Soul Phase cultivators in great abundance, but they couldn't be endless. Likewise, each region of the western continent had at least a few- but they still had less than a hundred. Each one that fell was a significant blow. Injuries were one thing if they could be healed. Sometimes a limb was lost which was nearly impossible to recover from. And of course, there were deaths.

Charlotte of the Firepine Palace had been the one that hit John the hardest. They were friends, having fought alongside each other in various campaigns. There were other losses that were probably worse for the continent overall- cultivators of higher ranks instead of an old woman 'only' in the early Ascending Soul Phase- but that was the one that bothered him. It wasn't something he could have done anything about… but he had to wonder if he could have somehow prevented the war.

It didn't matter if the thought made sense. His mind kept coming back to it. He had lost people before and he knew he would again in the future, but that didn't mean he had to accept it.

"We'll win," Ursel said confidently. "Just look at us. You've got me, of course. And these two are a terror to the Empire of Elements. I hear they have crazy high bounties, but even the Empress herself wouldn't be able to collect. And then there's you and Astrid. Together, you can probably beat anyone like- you're a great team. You're almost an Exalted Soul Phase cultivator yourself!"

It was true that John had been growing rapidly. Years of war were worth several times as much progress as standard cultivation. Maybe up to ten times. He had already reached the forty-forth rank, and was close to the forty-fifth. He still wasn't at the peak of the Ascending Soul Phase, but he would reach it.

"If only my growth were comforting," John said. "But… their empress appears to have reached the late Ascending Soul Phase."

"That's still less than you!" Ursel said. "And these two! And barely ahead of me, as if a single rank matters."

"Our first news of her was in the early Ascending Soul Phase," John pointed out. "If we assume that she was already as far advanced as she could be there, she gained four ranks in barely a handful of years. She's dangerous. Unfortunately, she's not easy to pin down so we can't just try to take her out. And I doubt she would respond to a politely worded letter."

Navigating the Molten Sea was a pain. Specifically, it was that information traveled slowly, far slower than in most other regions. In peaceful times it wasn't a problem, as there would be frequent merchant ships going from place to place. However, if an outlying island was lost there might not be a scrap of news, and gaining information about a lost island might cause more casualties.

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Air cultivators could scout at a greater distance, but they couldn't be alone. That was because the Empire of Elements could match them. It prevented both sides from sending lone scouts unless they were confident they were the fastest, but everyone needed at least a full squad of backup which could end up slowing them down.

There wasn't any natural terrain that allowed for better vantage points, either. The Molten Sea was mostly flat except for some of its islands. A few volcanoes, though not as many as one might expect. With molten activity literally everywhere, there was seldom an opportunity for anything to build up inside a solid shell.

"We can take out more guys if you need us to," Steve offered.

Yustina gave her husband a look, but nodded. "Indeed. We are able to operate effectively in this environment. If you are able to put together a few more strike teams, we might gain the upper hand."

John had to think about it. Maybe he should have had his conclusion immediately, but he was in a tough position. "You shouldn't risk yourselves," he said. "Eventually, the Empire of Elements will overextend. If we can get a few decisive victories, they'll have to give up eventually."

John didn't want to consider the other option. The war dragging on, and the Sovereign Primacy or some people from the Windswept Sea taking the opportunity to attack the continent. They had defensive measures in place, of course, but staying on alert long term was a toll on their people. They also couldn't guarantee that their forces were enough to cover everything.

As for the problem of Aldara… maybe John was being foolish. They had taken out single powerful cultivators before. Chances were, he could kill her himself. Not that he intended to try- he wouldn't want to die because he thought he was stronger than he actually was. There was a reason he had strong allies.

-----

Pressure. Pressure was good, for some things. It all very much depended on the situation. In certain machines, pressure was mandatory for them to function. It could drive a cultivator to grow. And too much pressure could cause things to explode- both machines and people. Cultivators could take such things more literally.

The war in the Molten Sea was a problem. John had led the continent into the war, so it was his responsibility. It didn't matter if it was necessary and the war was inevitable or if it hadn't been. This is where they were now, so they had to win. They had to have victories. But John was neither a great strategist nor a great tactician. He was passable in such areas, and so were those he trusted as advisors. It didn't seem that the Empire of Elements had anyone of astounding merit in those regards, but that just meant that they fought and fought.

Even battles were far worse for both sides. If neither side had a serious advantage, both would have great casualties. If one side was dominant, they could force the other to flee. Indeed, they might drive off an enemy force without ever engaging. While this meant no reduction in enemy forces, it also allowed them to claim certain locations.

Despite there being a war, the Molten Sea was still a constant source of various useful cultivation resources. Spirit fire and spirit water in various forms were constantly building up, and of course the general density of spiritual energy allowed many cultivators to train- even those that had elements that were at a disadvantage.

A few cultivators were growing stronger… while others died. John was one of the fortunate few growing strong, but he could easily find himself in the other bucket.

The lack of success was straining the continent's bonds. While many regions were held together by mutual interest, there were some factions only concerned about strength. A lack of victories- even against a powerful opponent- appeared as weakness. John was growing worried about what was happening back home. Viriato seemed to have things well in hand inside Astrein, but the situation couldn't continue forever.

Perhaps John displayed too much of his concerns. He wasn't worried about enemies getting word of it- there was no real communication with the Empire of Elements. Spies would be obvious in either direction. However, those who care about John wanted to help… and not all of them were prone to making the wisest decisions.

-----

Two incidents happened back to back. First, Steve and Yustina returned- battered and bruised. John sensed them coming from many kilometers off, and their auras were simply wrong. Far too weak for the people he knew.

Nothing would have been able to stop him from flying out to meet them. He wanted to snatch them both up… but they looked as if they might break if he touched them. "What happened?" John asked.

"Ran into some storm cultivators," Steve grunted. "I've never seen so much lightning before."

"Notably, they were quite adept at channeling their lightning through lava," Yustina said.

John gingerly picked them up with his energy, lifting them from the sea itself. "And your squads?"

Steve shook his head. "Didn't bring any. We wanted to move fast. There was an opportunity… and we flubbed it. I flubbed it."

"I agreed to the plan," Yustina said. "I know you. We are equally at fault for how things turned out. I'm afraid… we won't be able to rejoin the battlefield for at least a few months."

Winds swirled around them as John rushed them towards the base he had come from. They needed proper medics. They were already talking about recovery as if it was guaranteed they would survive, but John wasn't sure about that with the way things were.

A million thoughts danced through his mind. He could have reminded them that they agreed to be cautious. He could have joined them. They could have brought others. No doubt they had considered those options and decided their route was best. Either way, it was already done. No doubt the Empire of Elements would have registered their defeats and would be pushing harder to take advantage of their absence. The two were a famous pair, after all.

That situation was bad enough. But when Ursel arrived less than a day later without a scrap of her armor, it didn't matter to John that her wounds were relatively minor in comparison. He could sense from her stance how close she had come to death. How could it be any different, with her nearly invulnerable armor destroyed?

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