Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1243: Enemy Spotted

The peak of Middle Hegemony with Life, Death, and Conflict upgraded to Earthly Daos before Ultom. That was the ambitious target Zac set for himself and what heʼd been desperately rushing towards, always feeling like he was falling behind. The past couple of months had completely changed that.

The Empyrean Chaliceʼs training internalized and stabilized the huge amount of experience heʼd accumulated through years of bitter fighting on the frontlines. The Atavism built upon his reinforced foundations, leading to a harvest of insights heʼd been gathering since first coming in contact with the Remnants during the Eastern Trigram Hunt. The following series of breakthroughs allowed him to reach his goal with months to spare.

While somewhat expected since passing Ravaʼs test, it left Zac at a loss. Sure, there were still things to improve, from his Technique to Soul and Constitutions. Honestly, Zac could have filled his day five times over with things that needed his attention. And yet, he was finished. Done. He felt tapped out like heʼd spent all his money in a delirious shopping spree.

Except, instead of hard-earned money, it was his accumulation and momentum that had been exhausted. Just forcing his Daos of Life and Death to the next stage had squeezed out every little bit of his insights. The path forward was a haze so dense that Zac couldnʼt tell which direction to take his first step.

Heʼd advanced too far too quickly. Rava had repeatedly warned him her training regimen was only a patch and that heʼd soon need to slow down. Zac wasnʼt foolish enough to disregard her teachings, and crossing two minor stages of Hegemony in as many years was indisputably too fast. Still, heʼd always held onto the notion that he was the exception to the rule, like with so many other things.

So long as he had the resources and opportunities, why shouldnʼt he be able to keep going? There shouldnʼt be any lack of either now that theyʼd reached the inner parts of the graveyard, provided they didnʼt get embroiled in a conflict with the Black Heart Cult. He wasnʼt reliant on the Heavens for progress, only his two hands and his determination.

Now, Zac wasnʼt so sure. It might just be the exhaustion from surviving a heated battle just after facing death in the storm curtain, but Zac really felt like heʼd reached a mental bottleneck as much as a cultivation one.

He even hoped that the Centurion Project was the key to triggering the trial early. He was raring to go, knowing the current situation held nothing for him. The thought of staying months inside the Imperial Graveyard waiting for the timer to reach zero was almost too much to bear. Zac wasnʼt convinced some troves would be enough to rekindle his momentum.

The only cure was time. Time to digest, rest, and regain a sense of normalcy after years of never stopping or slowing down. The same was true for his followers. And yet, rest would elude them until theyʼd dealt with the trial and its aftermath.

Zac shook his head, focusing on the present. There was no point in fretting about what would happen after reaching their destination. Whatever happened, he would deal with it, and the experience would set the stage for his next breakthrough.
For now, Zac needed to recover. Jaol was slightly neurotic, but he was rarely wrong. If he believed theyʼd been exposed, then that was likely the case. Zac ate another set of powerful Healing Pills and Natural Treasures, uncaring about their large amounts of Pill Toxins now that he had another batch of refined lightning cooking. Scabs and scars dried out before falling off, exposing smooth skin beneath.

Meanwhile, liquid resembling glistening moonlight filled the cracks in his Soul Aperture, mending the cracks while leaving Kintsugi-like patterns. It was courtesy of a powerful Soulmending Treasure heʼd bought in the Limited Exchange. It was a forced recovery, though not that big of a problem, so long as he didnʼt overindulge. Part of it would be dealt with by the refined tribulation, the rest through practicing the [Nine Reincarnations Manual]. Until then, he would be able to use his Daos without much issue.

Seeing the cracks rapidly mend made Zac think of his bonded companion, and he suddenly felt a lot better after observing Kator through the administrator access. The reaverʼs state was far worse than Zacʼs, as not even the Tribulation Lightning was spared from their bond of solidarity. The healing vat had exploded, and heʼd been forced to take out a spare.

He was still sitting in its bubbling liquid, almost in a catatonic state. The damage to Katorʼs warbones had worsened, with nasty scorch marks and the cracks reaching almost twice as far. His spiritual fluctuations were unstable, too, indicating his soul had taken hidden damage. There were no signs of any lightning or Heavenʼs aura. As expected, the link transferred the damage, not the physical attack.

Katorʼs soul wasnʼt as powerful as Zacʼs, even if IzhʼRak Reaversʼ souls benefitted from their bone-tempering methods. The [Solidarity Link] didnʼt take that into account when sending over half the damage. What was manageable damage to Zac was a significant setback for Kator. Zac assumed the reaver possessed some top-tier healing treasures, but he didnʼt have [Purity of the Void] or refined lightning to deal with the drawbacks.

It was highly unlikely Kator would be able to make any last-minute improvements before the trial in his current state, which was exactly what Zac hoped to see. Gaining another two Earthly Daos instilled Zac with confidence in case they really came to blows, but it would be for nothing if Kator broke through on his own.

Zac kept monitoring Kator with a sliver of his consciousness as he resumed his observation of his Dao Continent. He might be unable to see the path forward, but there were still discoveries to be unearthed of the road heʼd already walked.

The engines kicked to life forty minutes later, allowing the Yphelion to resume its journey. Galau had come through again, doing the work of a full crew in half the time. Zac knew it was only possible by taking some shortcuts, but so what? They could worry about returning the Yphelion to a pristine state after they were safe.

Three more hours passed before his communication token buzzed, and Zac got to his feet with a grunt. He was far from having recovered his energy and healed his wounds, but the past month had already accustomed him to constant interruptions. He took a steadying breath before emerging from his chambers.

”Theyʼre back?” Zac said, seeing the bridge was almost empty with most combatants still in recovery.

”Nothing yet,” Jaol said. ”We needed your opinion. Weʼre about to leave the calmer stretch. Weʼve already plotted a preliminary path based on the trajectories youʼve sent. Itʼs just, if we enter and—”

”If we encounter another enemy on the tight corridors, it wonʼt be as simple as dealing with a trove,” Ogras said as he emerged from the shadows. ”Youʼre okay?”

”Everything went well, thank you,” Zac nodded, turning back to Jaol. ”Can our ship handle it?”

”The energies are growing denser. Weʼll surpass what we dealt with before the curtain in a day or two,” Jaol said.

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Zac turned to Galau, who scratched his chin. ”The shields arenʼt in a great state right now, but theyʼll be ready when we reach the more dangerous sections. Thatʼs provided we donʼt enter another firefight, mind you.”

”So storms or cultists, we canʼt do both?” Zac summarized.

”We can try to find a calmer path by traveling along the storm wall,” Jaol offered.

”A calmer path this deep in?” Ogras said. ”How can there be such a good thing? Weʼll just increase the odds of running into whoever received that signal.”

”I agree,” Zac said. ”The Yphelionʼs advantage lies in its speed, so thatʼs what weʼll have to rely on. Knowing weʼre here wonʼt help if they canʼt catch up, and entering the storm will let us shake off any potential pursuit.”

”Understood,” Mark said, and the Yphelion resumed its journey.

Soon, they were back in the more familiar environment of the Imperial Graveyard, navigating narrow paths of relative calm with storms surrounding them. Zac stayed on the bridge, following the dizzying screen with a grim expression, half-expecting a boatload of Black Heart Cultists to pop up at any turn.

Hours turned to days, and Zac finally started to relax, believing the signal never managed to reach its intended target. There were no signs of KanʼTanu or their masters anywhere, nor any other ships for that matter. Then again, the environment was growing increasingly chaotic and full of interference. Some stretches were so turbulent that a whole armada could have hidden an hour away without the Yphelion picking anything up.

Without any cultists to muddy the waters, their daily life went back to the hectic schedule of fitful bouts of training and recovery between clearing the paths of hostile Troves and aberrations. It quickly became obvious there was a difference in both risk and reward beyond the storm wall. The Troves grew larger, and they often held actual ruins and heritages.

Jaol believed an untouched cluster of Mystic Realms and Inner Worlds had emerged from the Void, similar to the Centurion Lighthouse. The unstable region had torn them apart, but the resentment hadnʼt had time to taint these remnants yet. Zacʼs Spatial Rings were rapidly filling up with ancient relics. He was picking up everything not bolted to the floor, even if it lacked any spirituality or clear purpose.

Rava had given him the task of bringing back items from the Limitless Empire, and Zac had no way to tell what sheʼd value and what was junk. He had plenty of spare rings, so there was no need to be discerning.

The others were also enjoying a bountiful harvest, including finding two more seal pieces. One of them belonged to the Anima Court, allowing Vilari to finish her seal. She used the insight to redraw the twisted version of the [Ember of Seven Sensations]. Reworking it would hopefully help against any lingering dangers, though Zac wasnʼt convinced it was enough to deal with the entity.

Despite their gains, they were forced to leave most valuables behind as they pushed through the storm at a breakneck pace. They entered the breaches to disperse the accumulated resentment or Spatial Energies, not look for loot. There wasnʼt time to break through the defenses of the real treasuries, whether it was ancient arrays or swarms of beasts and ghosts.

Not to mention, everyone was running on fumes. They were never given enough time to recover from the cultists, and the troves appeared with increasing frequency. Zac did what he could to cover for his companions with his newfound strength, a task easier said than done. His new Earthly Daos had given a boost to his strength and endurance, but it wasnʼt enough to keep going at this pace.

It wasnʼt a sustainable pace. Thankfully, they wouldnʼt have to keep it up much longer. The beacon signal kept growing stronger. One week in, it suddenly activated on its own, dragging Zac out of his meditation. He didnʼt infuse his will—it was seized—and Zac felt a powerful connection form.

Zac gasped when the tool turned to dust in his hands, only calming down when he could clearly feel their destination like a thread of fate. They were slightly further than heʼd hoped, but they were still less than ten days away. It was at that moment Jaol rang again, this time with the message Zac hoped to never have to hear.

ʼEnemy spotted!ʼ

”They came after all?” Zac said after rushing to the bridge.

”More like we came to them,” Jaol sighed, opening a series of screens. ”Thereʼs a heavy presence in the area.”

”Can you see if itʼs KanʼTanu or Black Heart Cult?”

”Not yet,” the navigator said, and a few taps lit up spots on the maps. ”I havenʼt discovered any vessels, but there appears to be a network of satellites set up here.”

”Satellites?” Emily said. ”Howʼs that possible? Wouldnʼt the storms tear them apart?”

”I… think itʼs native corpses controlled by Heart Curses,” Jaol explained. ”Their energy signature is indistinguishable from the resentment. Our scanners only noticed them after they began sending signals similar to the Void Beastʼs.”

”So the storm might be full of spies?” Zac grimaced. ”When they started sending signals, was it related to us?”

”Definitely. Our cloaking methods clearly donʼt work against them. They might be noticing the energy weʼre stirring up with our flight rather than the ship.”

”Should we destroy them?” Joanna suggested.

”No, theyʼre deep in the storms, and it wonʼt do us much good,” Zac said after looking at the screens. ”Weʼd lose more than weʼd gain.”

”Is it possible to block the signal?” Ogras asked.

”Impossible,” Jaol said. ”Even if I had the means, such a blockade would probably be just as noticeable to our enemies. Our scanner range is far greater than theirs, though. If we can figure out a way to discover them ahead of time, we might be able to navigate around them.”

”Wonʼt help us much if weʼre already discovered,” the demon muttered, glancing in Katorʼs direction.

The reaver had been silent and brooding since being wounded, even if his bones had already healed up. He shook his head. ”Youʼre expecting too much of me, demon.”

”Do what you can,” Zac said to Jaol.

”Iʼll see if I can come up with something,” Jaol nodded, though his face wasnʼt optimistic.

”Weʼll lead them right to the Foreign Gods if weʼre not careful,” Joanna cautioned. ”It might not be random that we encountered these things so close to our destination.”

”I know, but we donʼt have much option but to keep going,” Zac said. ”If getting hold of those things was so easy, the KanʼTanu would already have seized them.”

”It might be for the best,” Emily said. ”Pull them all together and then unleash the Gods on them.”

”You never know,” Zac nodded.

Unfortunately, things didnʼt turn out as they hoped. Signals from hidden satellites kept going off as they advanced. Another six hours later, Jaol discovered the first vessel moving to intercept. Later, the Yphelion warned of a Monarch blocking their route, forcing them to cut through a storm to reach an alternative path.

No matter what they did, they couldnʼt shake off the pursuit. Their situation only grew more hopeless.

”Is the whole cult hiding out here?” Ogras spat after a day of dogged pursuit, seeing the seven vessels picked up by their long-range scanner.

”Theyʼre corralling us,” Joanna exclaimed. ”If we follow their arrangements—”

”Weʼll get surrounded and taken out,” Zac nodded, glowering at the screen.

The path they came from had already closed like a trapdoor slamming shut. They only had two routes forward, each blocked by cultist vessels. Braving the storms was an even worse option. Theyʼd picked up multiple C-grade fluctuations from aberrations. Even if their shields could endure the storm, they couldnʼt endure that level of resentment.

”Pick the weaker side and head straight toward it. Weʼre breaking through!”

”Wait, I managed to break through their shielding,” Jaol said, his face pale as snow. ”There are Monarchs hidden in each camp!”

Zac drew a sharp breath. Facing a genuine Monarch was asking too much on a good day, let alone in their current state. Itʼd be no different than smashing an egg against a rock if Zac insisted on forcing their way through. Neither was backing down an option. Zac glanced at Galau, who grimly nodded in agreement. They were out of options, so they could only roll the dice and hope for the best.

”Brace yourselves!” Zac roared as he triggered the backdoor module hidden in his sleeves.

”Draugr, what are you—”

Kator didnʼt have time to finish his sentence before a wave of Death spread and flooded every room and hallway of the Yphelion. It felt like theyʼd plunged into an icy lake.

”—doing?” the reaver continued, warily looking around as a foreign aura permeated the bridge. He suddenly stood ramrod straight and released his Dao. ”You madman! What have you done?”

”I used another method to escape. What are you doing?” Zac said, his mind mostly on the surge of information that had poured into his mind.

”Escaped? Youʼve doomed us,” Kator said with a hollow laugh as dark threads began to appear.

They were everywhere: on the walls, ceiling, and the instruments. Even on the people around him. Zac looked with trepidation as a line appeared on his left wrist, and his shock only deepened upon realizing he was utterly incapable of removing it. He quickly turned to the reaver, who seemed to be the only one to understand what was happening.

”Where is this?”

”If Iʼm not mistaken, youʼve brought us to Kālasūtra.”