Defiance of the Fall

Taking out five Late Hegemons rarely went so quickly or smoothly. Reaching that level was reserved for the top talents on the frontier. Even the weakest ones who’d reached such heights had millennia of experience and all kinds of tricks that had kept them alive during their cultivation. This had to be especially true with ancient cultivators, who accomplished the same without the System’s help and the orderly progression envisioned by the Apostate of Order.

Zac only dared to use such a direct method because he’d seen how crude their skills were. They did possess runes that felt like proto-skills, but most of their energy manipulation was done manually. Complex multi-function skills you’d see in modern times were far too difficult to use, at least without long casting times. As such, they hadn’t been ready to face such a powerful combination attack.

[Conformation of Supremacy] hadn’t changed name since his epiphany, but almost nothing about it remained the same. The transformed skill had only unlocked one avatar upon reaching Early D-grade, which was the cause of his current appearance. It had no official name, but Zac called it the Ancestral form, and it didn’t look very different even if he didn’t use [Ossuary Bulwark].

The skill didn’t rely on a specific memory or impression, like the axe and shield he’d used with the old skill. The things he’d borrowed from his Dao Visions were ultimately outside help. The new skill was instead an imaginary avatar embodying his evolutionary path. It was the first human, born in an age before order or cultivation. A small creature surrounded by primordial beasts wielding the power to level mountains and swallow seas.

Despite humanity’s lowly start, their tenacity and adaptability let them survive by slaying the beasts around them. And in a battle for survival, they found a path to power. The beasts became weapons and armor, and the spirits of the fallen were tamed and turned into spiritual totems. And as the prey grew stronger, so did the ancestors.

The transformation’s purpose was simple—large-scale destruction. The transformation didn’t provide any attributes or boosts to one’s Dao, though the transformed armor was slightly stronger than the original. The real benefit came from the wriggling runes, which provided both active and passive benefits. It was the active effect that had ended the battle in only a few seconds.

The runes could add an axe detonation to any of his cutting attacks or skills. The damage from the explosion was set, so a stronger attack wouldn’t unleash a more powerful secondary strike. The explosion’s radius, however, was based on the original strike’s power and Dao empowerment. A full-powered swing could decimate everything within a hundred meters, not to mention the terrifying shockwave he could add to his D-grade finisher. That explosion stretched for over a mile, allowing it to take out a whole army as a side thought.

Even melee attacks could generate secondary blasts that would put any enemy under additional pressure. Thankfully, the runes could absorb any attack generated by [Conformation of Supremacy], so the skill only resulted in mutual destruction when he’d exhausted all his ammunition.

Adding a weaker large-area effect to his attacks was a great way to whittle down defenses or take out large numbers of enemies in a cost-effective manner. However, the Ancestral form could also create a terrifying stacked attack when enough blades overlapped. It was almost impossible to line up things as well as just now, but stacking attacks before detonating dozens at once had become a common strategy. At the very least, a stacked explosion would exhaust some defensive measures while often creating an opening to finish the job.

The passive effect hadn’t come into play during his blitz. The spirit totems within the runes could autonomously attack any enemies that came within a few hundred meters. These attacks didn’t expend the rune, provided the target didn’t manage to destroy or exhaust it. Retaining more runes meant more automated attacks, turning Zac into a mobile turret. Zac could even detonate the beasts mid-attack to trigger their explosion.

Of course, the skill wasn’t without limitations. For one, the runes were a shared resource, affecting the second form he unlocked when evolving the skill to Middle Mastery. It took almost twenty seconds for a rune to form, and each cost a significant amount of energy. In other words, it would take just over half an hour to top up his reserves, provided he didn’t use any more during recovery.

Resetting the skill couldn’t bypass this cooldown whether he used Cosmic or Void Energy. The only exception was [Arcadian Crusade]. Its ability to reduce cooldowns worked extremely well with [Conformation of Supremacy], allowing for a full recharge within its duration.

It was also impossible for Zac to control the passive effect. Like his Evolutionary Stance, totems were everchanging and unpredictable. It was like the skill was equipped with a random number generator, where Zac only had a slight edge over his opponents since the attacks were limited to actions based on his path.

There were no signs of more enemies, and rummaging through the pockets of the two raiders who survived the blast yielded nothing. Zac looked around with a frown. Should he just keep going, picking a random battle to assist or settlement to save? Then what were the criteria for passing? It couldn’t possibly be to rebuff the whole invasion since the Monarchs fighting by the breach would decide that matter.

A tremendous roar shook the artificial world, and a scorching wave swept the area with such speed Zac didn’t have time to react. Something entered his body, glomming onto his Soul Aperture. Both [Immutability of Eoz] and [Purity of the Void] furiously fought against the burning brand without much success. His soul had been fully sealed, barring him from using his Daos. It would take at least ten hours to whittle it down.

Zac frowned as he inspected the infernal sigil. Losing his Daos was extremely punishing to someone like him, who had ample Mental Energy, high accomplishments, and a full set of skills perfectly tuned to his path. And It wasn’t just his Daos that had been sealed off. Two of his bloodline abilities stemmed from his Soul Aperture; [Void Mountain] and [Spiritual Void].

The latter was an important component of dealing with higher-leveled enemies, and the former was perhaps his most versatile ace. Losing them and his Daos at once would drastically weaken him. Unwilling to wait half a day, Zac opted to take a risk and remove it with Void Energy. The Void Servant had already seen him use his bloodline, and the illusions wouldn’t tell anyone.

The burning sigil shuddered the moment he roused his bloodline, and Zac was beset by a scream of mortal peril before he even had a chance to activate [Void Zone]. Ignoring everything else, Zac flashed away, pushing [Skystriker] to its limits. His quick reflexes narrowly saved his life as a streak of flames came at him from outside the world tube. It entered through the breach and crossed the equivalent distance of a country in less than a second.

The world shook, and Zac desperately activated [Empyrean Aegis]. A golden wheel appeared behind his back, but the Early D-grade skill and its barrier cracked like an egg before the tremendous shockwave that swept through the area. Thankfully, the skill had absorbed enough energy to only leave Zac with some broken bones and damaged armor.

Zac looked back at the mile-wide crater and its still-burning flames that could incinerate the dimensional fabric. That attack definitely came from a Monarch. It looked like the burning seal had sensed danger from his bloodline and become a homing device. Zac’s back was slick with sweat as he got to his feet and kept going, afraid another attack was just around the corner.

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Thankfully, a huge golden barrier sprung up to block any follow-up from the unidentified Monarch. A distorted voice spread through the world. Zac couldn’t make out any words, but he understood its meaning. It was an order to intercept an army of elementals that had slipped through the cracks. Zac immediately set out, happy to add more distance from the crater.

Zac was alive and only lightly maimed, but it was clear his bloodline had been effectively sealed. Was it the Eternal Servant manipulating the trial from the shadows, or was it some built-in safeguard against taboo techniques? Taking out energy beings like elementals without the help of Dao was a headache, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

It took ten minutes of rapid flight to spot his target. There were around a thousand of them, and a tenth had stepped into D-grade. The lineup looked intimidating, but the warband was actually weaker than the group of raiders from before. Only the leader in the front was a Late Hegemon, and it had ten Middle Hegemon lieutenants.

A hundred D-grade opponents would still be rough without the assistance of Dao, especially if the smaller elementals could help empower their elders with war arrays. Even then, Zac didn’t feel overly worried as he descended on the elemental army. After travel and a few minutes of observation, Zac had already recovered half of his runic sigils, and they’d be enough to take a bite out of their numbers.

Roars and earthshattering explosions shook the area as Zac dismantled enemies scores at a time. Early Hegemons were almost helpless before him, and three Middle Hegemons fell in rapid succession. The Elementals cared nothing for their lives, though, maniacally unleashing everything they had. The leader also foiled Zac’s ambush before disappearing among its subordinates.

Zac was durable but not unkillable. The damage was quickly adding up, and [Empyrean Aegis] was still on cooldown. Worse, [Surging Rebirth] was hobbled inside the trial since there was no Kill Energy to power its mid-battle recovery. He had no choice but to switch tactics after culling a third of the army in his opening salvo.

The creaking groans of the wild replaced the explosions and roars from spirit totems. His bone armor transformed again, suddenly looking like fossilized bark. Stony branches jutted out here and there, and his helmet sprouted a small crown of leaves. This was the form of [Conformation of Supremacy] he’d unlocked when upgrading the skill to Middle D-grade.

The forest he’d held back on summoning sprung up with unprecedented vigor. Meanwhile, dozens of vines burst from Zac’s left arm, each rushing for nearby targets like beasts on the hunt. Few of the elementals could withstand Haro’s bloodthirsty assault. Even the Early Hegemons lasted less than a minute despite Haro also being Early D-grade.

The Heavenrender vine had greedily absorbed Zac’s teachings over the past year, becoming an eager participant in the war. Haro hated the Kan’Tanu because of their aura, and he hated them even more after Zac explained they were allies with Yselio. Haro had indiscriminately slaughtered any Kan’Tanu he saw since then, not even sparing the weakest E-grade warslaves.

The plant’s kill count was simply terrifying, yet it had only managed to reach halfway into Early D-grade. Zac hoped a combination of treasures and opportunities in the Ensolus ruins would let him step into Middle Hegemony, even if it seemed like a long shot.

The elementals set the whole area alight in a desperate attempt to fight back. It didn’t stop their rapid collapse. Haro was like a fish in the sea, freely entering and emerging from trees to target his prey from unexpected angles. And no matter how many times they burnt off his iron-like vines, the Heavenrender Vine would just produce more. And with each kill, Zac felt a small amount of energy enter his body.

It wasn’t Kill Energy, but a benefit from [Conformation of Supremacy]. The second avatar of supremacy lacked any active attack, but it added significant benefits to drawn-out battles. For one, the Ent Elder form increased his defenses, providing a passive alternative to the long-cooldown [Empyrean Aegis]. The main benefit came from his plant-based attacks, whether they were his plant companion or skills like [Apex Jungle] and [Primal Edict].

Like himself, they received buffs to their durability. More importantly, his enemies would become fertile soil, providing nutrients for him and his plants. Each kill provided a small amount of pure, vibrant energy that could heal wounds and recover energy. The effect on his skills was equally interesting, as it helped his summoned plants propagate and grow faster.

The hundreds of elementals fiercely fought back, but trees were already sprouting to replace those that had burnt up—without any energy being drawn from his Cosmic Core. Zac wouldn’t simply sit around, and he began moving through the jungle to deal with the stronger foes.

Ten minutes later, Zac floated above a field of devastation. He hadn’t expected the elementals to have the ability to join and rapidly increase their strength before the unstable fusion resulted in a tremendous explosion. Zac was starting to realize why where there was such a huge difference in times on the ladder. The previous battle against five strong opponents could only take so long. You either won, or you’d have to flee.

Dealing with a whole army was different. Few candidates would be able to endure the onslaught of a thousand opponents, forcing them to fight with guerilla tactics. Such a strategy could take hours instead of minutes. The weakest would have to wait even longer, avoiding danger until they’d whittled down the burning curses. For the first-place holder to only need two hours, he must have crushed each stage like Zac had until now.

Ten minutes was acceptable, and he’d retained most of his energy and cooldowns for the upcoming battles. Just as he was about to look for targets, a familiar roar shook the world. Zac grimaced when he saw fiery sigils appearing around every single one of his Skill Fractals. He couldn’t help but look at the fierce fighting in the distance with complaint. If the opponent could send out large-scale curses, why couldn’t some templar bigshot provide him with some blessings?

Of course, the situation didn’t look good. The defenders were losing ground, and the artificial world was becoming more of a hellscape by the minute.

It looked like he’d given himself extra work for nothing, holding back on using his stronger skills. There was nothing to do but keep going. He’d already received another order, and he moved further into the trial. This time, Zac was intercepted thrice before reaching his real targets. Thankfully, these victories didn’t add more burning seals to his body.

Occasionally, he passed defenders desperately trying to prevent the base’s seemingly inevitable defeat, either in groups or alone. A lone templar had even lost all his limbs yet flew straight into a group of raiders to detonate his Cosmic Core. Zac couldn’t help but be swept up in their frenzied desire to protect their home.

One group of invaders after another was torn apart with brutal efficiency. The third task was passed after an hour, awarding Zac with a curse that lowered his attributes by over thirty percent. Zac couldn’t even see the breach any longer, his vision blocked by dense plumes of smoke.

A fourth group was dealt with, and a wave of flames incinerated his equipment. Zac almost went berserk upon seeing [Verun’s Bite] being reduced to ash. Thankfully, his mental connections with Verun and Haro confirmed it was just part of the illusion. Finally, Zac even lost access to his Cosmic Core, where nothing but a weak trickle seeped through a burning barrier.

Zac was like a mortal as he stumbled through a burning forest, sweat pouring down his soot-covered face. He couldn’t even defend himself against the ambient heat, let alone the flames that had spread everywhere. His eyes scanned the sky as he advanced under the cover of the smoky curtain, his heart thumping any time he heard the clashes of battle or eruptions of energy in the area.

He may be restrained, but the enemies were not. Even an E-grade cultivator could snap his neck like a twig in his current state. Had he misunderstood the trial? Was he supposed to deal with the seals before he kept going? No, it couldn’t be. Their resilience made it impossible unless they were susceptible to Faith Energy.

Zac eventually had to give up. Not on the trial but on reaching the next checkpoint. He was already approaching his limits and would be burnt to a crisp if he kept forcing it. Even if he hated the idea of adding twelve hours to his tally to deal with the seals, it was still well within the trial’s deadline.

A deep thud and a groan made Zac stop in place before he could set out in search of a hideout. A raider commander had fallen to the ground, his body riddled with wounds. His core and pathways had been shattered, and his soul was already dispersing. In a sense, the fallen warrior was a mortal just like him. The raider seemed content to lie down and wait for death until he spotted Zac behind a tree. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he struggled to his feet.

Eyes locked, and Zac knew he’d found the final boss.

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