At the very instant Carl-Vasto's kinetic shields were about to grind Darth Lilim to pieces, an invisible barrier abruptly appeared and stopped them. No matter how Carl-Vasto intensified his use of the Force, no matter how rapidly the sawteeth on the shields spun, they could not move even half a step closer to Darth Lilim!
Then an invisible force dragged Darth Lilim backward. Darth Malthael's sinister voice said, "Stand down. This man is a Son of the Planet."
"A Son of the Planet?" Darth Lilim climbed to her feet, startled by the unfamiliar title.
"Haruun Kal possesses a vast Planet Will. He accepted the planet's gift and became one with it... that was why he, once an ordinary man, became so powerful after spending more than a year stranded in the jungle," Darth Malthael said.
He stepped before Carl-Vasto and looked at him coldly. "Now, Depa Barris is doing the same thing. But Barris has gone further. If she succeeds, she will merge with the will of this planet."
"The path... to victory." Carl-Vasto's expression began to twist.
"I'll show you another choice. You'd better stop and listen. Otherwise, getting beaten up won't feel very good," Darth Malthael sneered.
Without a word, Carl-Vasto raised his shields and smashed them down!
Darth Malthael took two steps back, then ignited his Lightsaber. His entire body abruptly turned to smoke as he lunged back at Carl!
He moved with incredible speed. No matter what Carl-Vasto did, he could not touch him at all. On the contrary, every one of Darth Malthael's attacks left him in utter disarray.
Those two enormous shields could not block Darth Malthael's movements. He was still using Form IV Ataru, but the result was completely different from Darth Lilim's.
His attacks seemed to be everywhere, capable of anything. His