Defiance of the Fall

Miasma was rapidly exchanged for Kill Energy as one cultist after another fell victim to the combined onslaught of Zac’s overlapping domains. Keeping five D-grade skills running, four of them at middle D-grade, would normally be pushing it, even for a cultivator at level 186. However, the combination of [Fields of Despair] and his Cosmic Core’s [Warstone] was almost like having a second energy battery.

Zac’s first domain skill had seen some changes with its D-grade evolution, though its energy recovery and large-scale debuff were retained and strengthened. Zac had ultimately given up on omniscience in favor of something more useful since he had Soul Sense to fill that function. Instead of strengthening his vision, [Fields of Despair] now impeded that of his enemies. The dense shroud acted like a confusion array, and the effect only grew stronger when adding his other domains.

Now that he kept both [Eye of Desolation] and [Deathmark] running, even Middle Hegemons would get turned around and have their senses severely restricted. It wasn’t at the level of the An’Azol’s branch’s absolute deprivation, but it was enough to let Zac operate in the middle of hostile territory without getting overrun. Of course, the engineers of the Chapter of Noble Pursuit had their hands full holding off death, making it impossible to mount a proper resistance against his blitz.

Large scars marred the Seafarer’s reinforced plating, and the backup energy barriers were useless before Zac’s Void-empowered [Deathmark].His spectral minions had free rein on the thousands of non-combat personnel hidden within. The trained soldiers and warslaves grouped up to resist the assault, but activating [Eye of Desolation] had dismantled their War Arrays before the cultists could show off their might.

Zac moved through the darkness, seamlessly shifting between the two realms formed by the upgraded version of his Supreme Pathbound Skill. Half the Kan’Tanu were trapped on each side, forced to independently fight for a path to survival.

Less than a minute had passed, yet all E-grade cultivators had already fallen to Zac’s lethal skill combination. The corrosive element of [Deathmark] alone was enough to deal with them after evolving the skill to Middle D-grade. Most of the Early Hegemons didn’t fare much better. Defending against either skill pushed them to their limits, and being pincered between specters and life-seeking chains quickly proved too much.

Only the Middle and Late Hegemons were able to fight back with some success. The partitioned domain of [Eye of Desolation] was incredibly difficult to escape, but the sculpture bands weren’t indestructible. The targeted explosion from before had severely damaged one despite all damage being uniformly spread across the whole band.

The Kan’Tanu elites furiously worked together to finish the job while Zac picked them off one after another. However, there were dozens of targets that each required some effort, and the bands had a diameter of over 500 meters. The sculptures tirelessly resisted the hail of attacks, but the construction finally couldn’t take it.

An immense explosion pelted the whole fortress with innumerable bone shards empowered by Zac’s Daos. Meanwhile, Zac’s overlapping vision converged as the two separate prisons collapsed into a single space. The sudden eruption imparted another surge of Kill Energy, and Zac took advantage of the confusion to pounce on two of the four remaining Late Hegemons.

The elite warslaves had survived the explosion by growing an impenetrable wall of flesh. One protected against the front while the other warded off the vengeful specters who’d formed around them—an even more dangerous task, considering he faced three seventh-generation specters that had gained power with each rebirth.

A single combatant and small parties could counter [Deathmark] by restraining instead of destroying specters. There was a limit to how many specters could form per target, so the danger would only cross a certain threshold if the enemy messed up. However, even if some observant opponents figured out this strategy, it was almost impossible to follow on a chaotic battlefield.

Zac emerged from the darkness, joining his specters for a pincer attack. The Late Hegemon roared as cracks formed across his skin, which unleashed a powerful soundwave. The powerful specters turned into dust before the self-mutilating attack, but a blue gem on Zac’s lapel released a soothing hum that countered the attack.

Losing his companions didn’t make any difference to Zac. He was Inexorable Death, and he wouldn’t be denied. He passed through the soundwave, his axe digging into a chattering skull blocking his path. The defensive skill narrowly managed to block Zac’s axe, but a barely visible pulse passed straight through it.

The Hegemon roused his mental defenses to block the intangible edge while desperately swinging his sword at Zac. However, the blade suddenly lost its momentum as the cultist’s manic glare became cloudy. Zac was already on the move, sliding under the jagged sword to unleash a lightning-quick swing.

The Late Hegemon’s head flew into the air, his face still sagging after having his soul jolted by the spiritual component of [Fatehew]. His chest burst open, but Zac ignored the emerging curse as he continued toward his second target. Instead, a pitch-black chain covered in dense runes punched into the wound.

A fierce struggle between ownerless curse and Abyssal links ensued, and the victor quickly became evident. The intractable chains of [Love’s Bond] were like a boa constrictor, expertly winding around the struggling tendrils and squeezing the life out of the curse. A few tendrils escaped their bondage and tried to stab into Zac, but they moved sluggishly as though fighting their way through quicksand.

This was the work of [Inexorable Subjugation], the reformed version of [Blighted Cut]. The lacking lethality of his undead class had long since been remedied, where [Fatehew] and [Desperation’s End] better fulfilled [Blighted Cut]‘s original function. As such, Zac had completely removed the cutting aspect of the skill, turning it into a skill purely meant to augment his chains.

[Inexorable Subjugation] provided a comprehensive boost to [Love’s Bond], increasing the speed, durability, and control of his armament. That alone wasn’t enough to let his new skill stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his Peak Quality and Supreme skills. [Inexorable Subjugation] also imbued the chains with the essence of his Inexorable Technique, where he restricted and sealed his opponent’s options and, eventually, fate.

The effect was similar to a mix between a gravity array and an energy blockade. It was enough for Zac’s chains to touch his opponent for them to be affected by the skill, and the effect would become more pronounced the more chains he used. And since [Inexorable Subjugation] could be used together with [Fatehew], the chains could both suppress one’s mind and body.

Zac’s classes faced a similar weakness, one that was only partly remedied when Alea and Haro entered D-grade. His Armaments tended to provide the least utility when he needed their help the most. [Inexorable Subjugation] was a way to ensure his armament could provide assistance even when he faced opponents strong enough to break out of [Love’s Bond]‘s binding.

With the Late D-grade Heart Curse restrained, Zac could deal with the second Hegemon without worries. The cultist had already erected a protective barrier while blinding amounts of energy coursed through his body. Void Energy churned, and Zac passed through the barrier to stand before a gobsmacked enemy.

The warslave acted decisively despite the shock, unleashing a turbulent storm of energy from his mouth. The plaguebringers were a recently added terror on the battlefield, relying on the virulent diseases they carried in specially implanted organs. The plagues also made their Heart Curses incredibly dangerous, undoing much of Zecia’s hard work to counteract their threat.

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Unfortunately for the warslave, Zac was his worst possible opponent. Zac calmly pushed through the virulent deluge relying only on his constitution, his axe digging into a hardened arm. The warslave’s eyes turned bloodshot when a spiritual edge passed through his arm and into his head. He only managed to keep his consciousness by maiming himself by unleashing a dozen infected tendrils from his chest. Even then, his soul was left unstable after losing a significant chunk of Mental Energy.

The Abyssal swirls surrounding [Death’s Duality] had already turned into small rivers after harvesting the souls of dozens of powerful combatants with [Fatehew]. The Weapon Imbuement skill had accumulated enough fuel to essentially become a ranged skill. Better yet, the overbearing attack on his opponent’s Dao Heart grew stronger with every use, requiring more Mental Energy to overcome. The feature hadn’t made a difference when sparring with Pavina, but it had become Zac’s bread and butter when dealing with the Kan’Tanu.

The cultists possessed stronger will and Dao Hearts than the average Zecian cultivator from constantly fighting off the influence of their Heart Curses. It was similar to Zac’s struggle with the Remnants. However, their cruel cultivation method often left imperfections in their minds, and [Fatehew] was incredibly suited for disrupting the delicate balance between cultivator and curse.

[Profane Exponents] easily blocked the Heart Curse, though Zac noted his coffin-bearing skeleton was nearing its limits after blocking the explosion and dozens of subsequent attacks. Zac could tell his opponent was about to finish infusing his ultimate skill with energy, so he briefly activated [Void Zone] just as [Love’s Bond]‘s chains lashed the cultist. The timing made it seem as though [Inexorable Subjugation] was the cause of disrupting his skill.

Having a skill fail just as it had accumulated enough energy to activate caused a powerful backlash, one that cost the Late Hegemon his life. A belated warning of danger narrowly preceded a river of vengeful spirits swallowing him whole. The Seafarer’s captain had sacrificed his two strongest subordinates to create an opportunity.

A barrier sprung up around Zac, lessening the deathly chill spreading through his body. Zac shook his head upon realizing the cultist had imbued the attack with a large amount of life force. It was an unusual move since the Heart Curses usually prevented such actions.

[Profane Exponents] desperately fought against the tide through direct defense and displacement. The coffin in the skeletal warrior’s hands soon shattered, followed by the skeleton itself. Both turned into a stream of energy enclosing Zac, creating a layer of plating covering Zac’s exposed left shoulder.

Zac snorted and had the tome-wielding pygmy empower the displacement effect, throwing the raging river onto the other Late Hegemon. The action exhausted the last of the swirling darkness, and the second pygmy became gleaming armor.

The incoming skill had lost most of its force, and Zac dispersed what remained with a powerful swing while taking in his opponent. The captain’s bulging muscles twitched from having fully ignited his curse, and his aura flickered precariously. An alabaster chain had impaled his left leg, but the sculpture wasn’t strong enough to pull in its prey. Still, it was the beginning of the captain’s end and dividends to Zac’s immense investment.

Zac had allocated a huge amount of resources to restrain the captain since activating [Eye of Desolation]. He’d dedicated a whole stretch of sculptures to targeting him, which exposed the skill to harassment from the others. Meanwhile, two of his skeletons had almost exhausted themselves, making the captain’s life a living hell.

[Profane Exponents] was one of the E-grade skills Zac was the most satisfied with. As such, it had seen very little change after entering D-grade. The pygmy skeletons had mostly seen a general boost to autonomy, capability, and range. The latter had turned the lantern- and darkness-wielding skeletons into long-range turrets.

One continuously dismantled the captain’s defenses, from skills to talismans and equipment, while the other redirected his attacks with swirls of darkness. Even their timing was impeccable, which repeatedly left the man exposed to [Eye of Desolation] and [Deathmark]. Even an above-average Late Hegemon like the Seafarer’s captain had eventually made a mistake and been gored.

It was just in time, as the flickering flame inside the lantern winked out, and its wielder became a set of leg bracers. This feature was the only real change to [Profane Exponents]. When the skeletons ran out of energy, they’d become armor pieces that generated a passive protective domain. Zac could even shatter the pygmies prematurely if he wanted to add new pieces of armor.

Zac still had multiple cards left to play, but there was no point. The Chapter of Noble Pursuits didn’t pose much of a threat when their machines were taken out, and he had already crippled the Seafarer’s energy transmission and killed its high-ranking controllers. The battle was already over when they started detonating pieces of the fortress.

The captain seemed to understand as much, and he did not attempt to follow up on his desperate life-force-imbued skill. He even seemed to suppress his heart curse to prevent its self-destruct feature.

“Your star might be shining now, but so what?” the captain spat through bloody teeth. “A Middle Hegemon can’t change destiny. Zecia is falling apart. You won’t be able to hide much longer.”

“We’ll see about that,” Zac said before ending the man’s life with a clean strike.

The last pockets of resistance were already crumbling, where Zac’s energy reserves won out against the Kan’Tanu’s firepower. The second band of [Eye of Desolation] was covered in cracks, yet it didn’t stop the sculptures from gleefully pulling in their prey for an eternal embrace.

And yet, Zac felt a sense of impending peril. Wasting no time, Zac turned into a streak and entered one of the Seafarer’s cracks. The location of the Axe Wraiths had already given Zac a rough layout. It was obvious the pyramid-shaped fortress was mostly the same as the common models, where only a few modules and weapon systems had been swapped out.

The core was in the same place as usual. Zac dismantled the final defenses with practiced ease and installed Galau’s and the Ishiate Tinkerer’s latest joint creation. He only stopped running after creating a few miles of distance with [Abyssal Drive], at which point a loud thump shook the Seafarer from within.

A crackling band of explosions followed as the bomb’s chaotic shockwave ignited the remaining energy repositories through the fortress. The fortress fell from the sky, and Zac’s mission was marked as complete. It was just in time. A terrifying aura had just entered the atmosphere, making a beeline for the Calamity Company—a Kan’Tanu Monarch.

“Return.”

The mercury world and its descending guardian disappeared in a flash of light. The next moment, Zac stood on familiar soil. Zac took a deep breath, feeling Earth’s pulse beneath his feet. He eventually turned back to the sea of people standing behind him. The whole Calamity Company had been teleported with him, along with the fleet floating above their heads. Even the wounded left on other planets and back at the War Fortress had been teleported over, though Zac feared there were none left among the latter.

Zac pushed the troubling thoughts aside and tried to put up a calm front for his soldiers. They were back safe and sound after a hellish year, though less than half remained of their original ranks. They were also aware of the general outlook. Zac didn’t agree with the Kan’Tanu captain’s claim a middle Hegemon couldn’t change the war. But he was, unfortunately, right about Zecia’s current situation.

It didn’t look good. Another Field Army had fallen, exposing another path into Zecia’s inner regions. The Allbright Empire wouldn’t be able to stop them, considering they were forced to abandon everything but their central region two months back.

“You did good. Head back and rest up,” Zac said. “Don’t worry about the rest for now. We’re far from giving up hope.”

He desperately wanted to believe his own words, but the worries came creeping back as he teleported back to his compound. Earth was safe for now, but their budding empire would be assimilated into cult-controlled ruins in eighty years unless something changed. Zac wanted to give them some assurances, but the plan he’d worked on for the past ten months couldn’t be exposed.

Zac was in desperate need of rest after the past couple of weeks, so he headed for his mansion rather than the cultivation cave. The doors swung open on their own, and Zac found his butler waiting inside.

“Ah, my Lord, you’re back!” Triv exclaimed upon seeing Zac.

“We’re back, for now,” Zac sighed. “Anything new?”

“Nothing new on the war front,” Triv said and handed over an inscribed box. “I, however, did just recieve a coded message from your merchant. I was about to forward it to you when I sensed your return.”

“A coded message?” Zac said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

They were running low on time, yet a few important variables remained unresolved. Could this be the change he’d been waiting for?

A smile tugged at Zac’s lips as the recorded message oozing with indignation played through his mind. The last months had been trying, but meeting an old friend could hopefully help lift his spirits.

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