Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1231: Four to Six

An accelerated step to the side avoided Zacʼs slicing chop. His attack pursued without giving pause, but the much larger reaver was as slippery as an eel. He dodged again, disrupting Zacʼs tempo with a lightning-quick jab before resuming his oppressive siege. The heaviness of Katorʼs punches belied their speed, and their rhythmic thuds couldnʼt be fully absorbed by the reinforced steel walls.

Joanna followed every movement and every transformation of Dao from the sidelines, even if she knew it was impossible for her to follow in their footsteps. Her understanding of Dao and how it influenced reality was too lacking to achieve true integration.

If it had been before, she would have been overwhelmed by a sense of inadequacy by the beautiful yet deadly dance before her. Today, she only felt pride over Zacʼs rapid progress. It was like a new person stepped into the sparring chamber every morning. It still wasnʼt quite enough to create a perfect counterbalance against Katorʼs refined technique, which clearly had borrowed much from a powerful Heritage. At least the jeering taunts had been replaced by focused silence.

Besides, she had no reason to mourn the loss of something she never had now that sheʼd found a road of her own. Observing the daily spars was a ceaseless font of inspiration to her [Eight Hells Suppression], the comprehensive set of techniques imparted by her master. Sheʼd opened the first gate of Hell through slaughter on the battlefield and was enlightened to the second with the help of Rava.

Joanna could tell the Eternal Servant hoped Indra Eylerʼs purpose and allegiances would rub off on her. Joanna wasnʼt against the idea of helping Rava to reciprocate her grace, but it would depend on the path Zac chose. The Limitless Empire and its grand design meant nothing to Joanna, whoʼd chosen to live and die with the Atwood Empire.

”Time!” Joanna said.

The battle continued, though a sharper song replaced the meaty thuds. It would take a casual observer a few moments to realize the two had taken out practice weapons. Their auras and movements had made it feel as though theyʼd been fighting with weapons all along. Zac continued his relentless, suffocating advance, refusing to be trapped in Katorʼs restricting quagmire.

Every swing was a sermon on the Dao of Conflict, every feint and counter fundamental truth that could be utilized by large armies as well as individual champions. It had a natural flow that the brutal and practical killing techniques of [Eight Hells Suppression] couldnʼt mimic. Even then, it was impossible to say which approach would come out on top if the fighters were equally matched.

Generalized combat systems couldnʼt keep up with a true Dao Technique. Even elites following peak-quality Heritages would be one or two minor grades behind. Indra Eyler, whose affinity with the Dao was similarly unimpressive as hers, had come as close as humanly possible to breaking that established truth when creating [Eight Hells Suppression].Killing Intent, Faith, and accumulated will of slaughter replaced the integration of Dao. Even while only grasping the first two gates, Joanna could match an average Integration stage infighter. More importantly, the potential was nigh-infinite. The [Eight Hells Suppression] could suppress the Dao and pierce the Terminus so long as you survived until the end.

Joanna could veritably see the road before her widen inch by inch as she and her emperor advanced. She had to hold back the instinctual urge to join him in battle and take down this unwelcome passenger. She prayed sheʼd be there when the false truce crumbled and that sheʼd have advanced enough to push the scales in their favor.

The sparring session stopped after the combatants had cycled through the full extent of their stances. If Joanna had to grade the match, sheʼd give Zac four to the skeletonʼs six. At this pace, theyʼd fight evenly in two weeks, though Joanna suspected Kator was hiding his true strength.

According to Catheya, the reaver had already been at Middle Integration when he arrived in Zecia. Shouldnʼt he have made some progress during years of warfare? Then again, wasnʼt it the same with Zac?

”Not bad, but you need more than that to topple this tower,” Kator laughed, looking at the swirls of utter darkness around Zac. ”Youʼre walking a dangerous path, rejecting your origin.”

”All roads that can reach the peak are lined with death and danger,” Zac countered, and Joanna nodded in agreement.

”Granted, but youʼre muddying the waters, taking an unnatural direction. Why fumble in the darkness when the road has been paved and lit up for you?”

Zac glanced at the reaver before turning toward the exit.

”Because that road wasnʼt meant for me.”

The door opened, and Zac walked out, leaving Kator and his audience. The silence lingered a few seconds before Kator scoffed.

”They all strut around arrogantly until they smash right into a wall,” Kator scoffed. ”So, who is it this time? Itʼs you again, isnʼt it? My bones have been itching from your murderous stare for a while now.”

Joanna glanced at Kruta and Ogras, who both shrugged with helpless smiles. It was Kator whoʼd demanded sparring partners, but there was no lack of willing participants after the first couple of days. It wasnʼt easy to find an opponent this skilled. The only one who could truly measure up was Zac, and he had too many things on his plate.

”This is our fifth duel,” Joanna said as Killing Intent leaked from her body, ushered by her desire to keep pace with her lord. This time, Iʼll leave a mark on those bones of yours.”

”How? Have you been possessed by one of the spirits wandering outside?” Kator laughed as he conjured four sigils made from Killing Intent to block Joannaʼs momentum. ”Very well, show me what you got.”

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A loud eruption added another tremor to the constant shakes of traversing the Imperial Graveyard. Zac could even feel the billowing Killing Intent seeping through the door. As expected, it was Joanna who had stepped up again. Sheʼd taken any chance she could get to throw herself against Kator.

So far, Joanna hadnʼt managed to land a single hit against the reaver despite displaying more of her strength than the others who pit themselves against Katorʼs technique. This did nothing to temper her determination. Each loss was a lesson and further fuel to the blazing fire of her desire for power. Zac would normally have stayed to watch while going over his session, but he was already running late.

”Oh, sorry,” Zac said, narrowly avoiding walking into Janos, who was sitting outside. ”Keep up the good work.”

The illusionist gave no indication heʼd heard him. Janos appeared lost in a daydream, blankly staring at the door leading to the sparring hall. In fact, the demon almost felt like a figment of Zacʼs imagination, and Zac had to strain to remember the encounter as he turned away.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Janosʼs path was making him increasingly distant. The complex illusory world heʼd crafted in his mind was extraordinarily powerful, but it was a double-edged sword. It could act as a basis for almost any of his skills, giving an effect similar to adding the weight of a Monarchʼs Inner World. The effect wasnʼt as strong as the real thing, but it was still powerful enough that it could take Zac a second or two to realize heʼd been dragged into an illusion.

The downside was that the power came from Janos believing the illusion to be real. Heʼd willingly relinquished his grip on reality by trapping part of his consciousness in his own illusion. If Janos made a single mistake, he risked becoming a prisoner of his own making. It was a danger more than a few illusionists had fallen victim to. Reality became increasingly drab and disappointing compared to the scenarios they crafted with their Dao.—

Zac sent out a message through the communicator as he walked away. The sounds of intense battle faded, but Katorʼs words still rang in his ears. It wasnʼt the first time Kator had broached the subject of him following in BeʼZiʼs footsteps to pursue Oblivion. Even if he wasnʼt walking a path of purity as she did, he was still aiming for a Dao that diverged from the Dao of Death of the Abyss.

It was a rejection of the conventional path that both the clans of the Abyssal Shores and the Undead Empire pursued. Whether Tavza or Catheya, their understanding of Death was heavily influenced by the Abyssal Lake, as were the profound impartments he got in the Abyssal Pond. This was the lit-up path Kator mentioned. Relying more on the Abyss would lessen his burden, where cultivating his Bloodline meant cultivating his Dao.

In contrast, fusing Oblivion and Death into one Dao would create a mismatch between his Eoz constitution and his path. Giving up on his Draugrʼs racial affinity to Abyssal Death didnʼt matter since he couldnʼt use it anyhow. Still, it could potentially cause disharmony to his energy flow, like skills with low compatibility with oneʼs pathways.

Zac wasnʼt overly worried. He doubted heʼd face any noticeable issues until advancing beyond Earthly Daos, which meant there was a lot of time to prepare. Bloodlines represented a path that had been perfected enough to be passed on to future generations. That didnʼt mean you had to follow it blindly. If anything, Eoz hoped for change, where his descendants would lessen their dependence on the Abyssal Lake.

If your Bloodline didnʼt suit your path, then youʼd change it to one that did. In fact, one didnʼt need to do anything. The more powerful your Daos grew, the greater effect they would have on your body. The changes heʼd gone through after forming his Earthly Dao of Defiant War were just the beginning. Of course, an Earthly Dao was probably not enough in his case.

The stronger the Bloodline you carried, the harder it would be to reform. BeʼZi had proven it was possible to change the nature of a Draugr bloodline, though she only possessed the Branch of Zi.

The wheels were already in motion. Zac glanced at the Splinter of Oblivion, continuing its slow circuit around his heart without a hint of the malice of old. Similarly, a shard was set on a matching orbit in his human body. This set of remnants was the only one that wasnʼt placed inside his quantum spaces, with the last four providing fuel for his Cosmic Core.

The engravings covering the remnants were starkly different from those in his soul. They werenʼt just designed to filter and release. They also drew Vigor from his blood and Ichor, mixing it all up. The fusion wasnʼt stable because Zac hadnʼt refined the arrays yet. It didnʼt really matter, as the energy would go through a second round of refinement before it could destabilize.

Passive energy infusion was the direction Zac had chosen for all ten remnants. Four strengthened his soul, two his bloodlines, and the last four worked on his core. The latter doubled as batteries for his skills, though any of the remnants could fill that role in a pinch.

The engraved remnants couldnʼt provide as many benefits as practicing his tempering manuals or a real cultivatorʼs meditation. It lessened the gap, at least, providing constant progress even when he was too busy to seclude himself. The Remnants would naturally assist with his body tempering and the [Nine Reincarnations Manual] even better than before.

Zac chose this path over the many other ideas posted in the Chaos Library for two reasons. His bodies and soul would automatically adapt to the change in his Daos over time, but the transformation would be slow and unable to match his cultivation pace. Creation and Oblivion Treasures were incredibly rare, which meant the Remnants were his best method of accelerating the process.

The setup also helped him rush toward his next set of Earthly Daos. Thanks to the Atavism, Zac had all the raw materials for the upgrade. Heʼd already been on the precipice of upgrading his Daos, so most of the insights heʼd stolen from the Grand Tapestries and gleaned from the Impartments were left for his Earthly Daos.

However, he hadnʼt figured out the ʼblueprintʼ for his next two Earthly Daos, how to fuse Creation with Life into Evolution and Death and Oblivion into Inexorability. Having Creation and Oblivion blend with every aspect of his cultivation system, from soul to cells, gave him a lot of insight into the matter.

The Heart Remnants were currently turned off, though they were still drawing energy from the other dimensions. The energy they released was meant to be taken by [Void Heart] and refined into an energy tailormade for his constitutions. The Hidden Node was still occupied with the Tribulation Lightning from five days ago, so he hadnʼt been able to test it out.

Zac didnʼt actually need to use the Hidden Node. He could take the energy as is, but heʼd have to refine it himself with the [Void Vajra Sublimation] and one of the Draugr Bloodline Methods. He didnʼt have time for that, and he needed to stockpile some Creation and Oblivion Energy for his ultimate attacks anyway.

He expected the refined lightning to appear any moment now, and heʼd already prepared for the release by snacking on Leveling Pills and Soul Strengthening Pills until he was filled with Pill Toxins. He was already level 199, approaching the limits of Middle Hegemony.

Zac had prepared everything necessary for a breakthrough on the go, though he was still leery about facing that terrifying tribulation in such an unstable environment. As things were going, he might not have much of a choice. At least he had the Yphelionʼs upgraded Cultivation Chamber to help.

Only the blueprint for his Late D-grade core still eluded him. He needed all three Earthly Daos and some of Ultomʼs clarity to fit everything together. The former was well on the way, and the beaconʼs signal was growing stronger by the day.

The only headache was Kator. Heʼd played nice since their initial exchange. Nevertheless, Zac felt the odds of a smooth mission worsening by the day, and not just because of the bomb still planted aboard the ship. He didnʼt need the [Lucky Beads] to feel fateʼs rising tide and conspiracies coming to fruition. The graveyard was a pot about to boil over.

Zac hoped Galau had some good news. He navigated a series of rarely used corridors, moving further and further from the quarters and common areas. Eventually, he reached a secluded room in one of the catamaranʼs hulls.

”Itʼs finished?” Zac asked as he stepped inside.

”As much as is possible while hiding our actions from the skeletonʼs gaze,” Galau said. ”Iʼm certain he has some method to observe the outside, so itʼs impossible to perform certain stress tests. Some of our findings are strictly theoretical, though they shouldnʼt be far from reality.”

Zac nodded in understanding. Heʼd asked Galau to give the Yphelion a full rundown while scanning for trackers or any other hidden threats since the ownership connection only provided so much information. The better they understood the ship, the safer they would be. And if they could keep some features from Kator, all the better.

Of course, their first days of travel indicated they might not be able to hide any lifelines for long. Since the eye, theyʼd been forced to deal with or escape four more anomalies, far surpassing what they expected from their intelligence.

They werenʼt particularly targeted or unlucky, either. If anything, the Yphelion employed certain cloaking arrays that lessened the ambient resentmentʼs ire. The problem was that the whole region acted like theyʼd kicked up a hornetʼs nest, causing the number of anomalies to skyrocket. It was like eons of stockpiled madness were rising to the surface.

”Whatʼs the verdict?”

”In a word—amazing,” Galau said. ”As we assumed, the Yphelion is a true Peak D-grade Cosmic Vessel now, and one with specs surpassing anything youʼd see on the frontier. It even exceeds my projections of a standard Iliex version by at least 30% in all measurements.”

”Then shouldnʼt we be moving even faster?” Zac said with confusion.

”I think itʼs because weʼre too weak. Weʼre deemed incapable of using the ship to its full potential, so weʼre throttled at around half of our maximum speed. Weʼre locked out of some new systems entirely,” Galau said with a grimace.

”New systems?” Zac said, leaning forward with interest.

”You were right,” Galau said with excitement. ”Weʼve confirmed it. The System actually turned the Yphelion into a Life-Death-Space Vessel. You might have the frontierʼs only Cosmic Vessel not solely reliant on the Dao of Space.”