Defiance of the Fall

Their eyes met, and Zac's murderous intent was reflected in the World Lord's. Zac rushed out of the crater, making no attempt to hide his goals as death rose from the ground. He had activated [Fields of Despair] to improve his sight and levy its debuff on his targets. Zac doubted an E-grade skill could retain its full efficacy on Middle Hegemons wielding Dao Branches, but he'd already confirmed it could remove the full 10%, up to 2,500, on Early Hegemons.

Death fought with Metal as the magnetic domain recovered, and Metal came out ahead. It wasn't enough to forcibly deactivate his skill, and the protective rune of [Profane Exponents], along with his Eoz Nodes, let him shrug off much of the remaining suppression. Still, it reminded him he needed to upgrade [Fields of Despair] sooner rather than later. Its use had lessened slightly since he gained his Soul Sense, but it was still a fundamental skill that allowed him to nudge any battle in his favor.

The ground shook, but not from Zac's approach. Instead, thousands of projectiles shot out from the ground, all aimed at Zac. Some were rune-covered stalactites of steel-infused stone; others were fully-formed weapons part-energy and part-metal. The most numerous were the raw metal shards dragged from the ground, most no larger than bullets, that shot toward him with incredible speed.

It was like the maw of a subterranean beast had broken through the ground to gobble him up. Two more huge swords were also descending from above, sealing the route in the air. The metallic giant also stabbed an unbelievably large pike right toward him, and its sharp edge filled most of Zac's vision in no time. The situation only grew more hectic when a sanguine laser pierced his domain from the side. The beam actually moved like a supersized blade, searing the air in an arc toward him while cutting off his escape.

The trap had been sprung, and Zac was under fire from every direction. But there wasn't even a ripple in Zac's heart as he forged ahead. The core tenet of the Inexorable Stance was a relentless advance, where everything put in your way was nothing but a feeble attempt to delay the inevitable.

The Miasma in his body churned while the chains of [Love's Bond] formed an impenetrable web around him. The varied attacks coming from the ground were clearly conjured by the elite guard, and the chains were more than enough to deal with them. Zac almost felt as though the chains had a mind of their own as they destroyed or rebuffed anything within twenty meters.

In a sense, they did.

The advantage of [Love's Bond]'s evolution went beyond a new form and increased durability. The materials making up the Spirit Tool were finally in tune with his technique. More importantly, Alea had joined him on his Inexorable Path. Zac barely had to divert any attention for the six chains to form the complex patterns that let them rebuff hundreds of projectiles. Only the small shards managed to pass through the curtain, but they couldn't even break through the repulsion domain of [Arbiter of the Abyss].

The chains didn't possess the raw strength to rebuff the enormous blades descending from above, but they didn't need to. Five orbs of utter darkness appeared behind Zac, forcing the Pygmy Skeletons to move to the ground. The wails of the underworld pierced joined the clamor, the source of the anguished screams a dense haze dripping from [Death's Duality].

It almost looked like you could glimpse a dark purgatory through the swirling mist, but looking at the scene too long would leave lacerations on your soul. Zac swung his axe, and the mist thickened into the skull of [Desperation's End]. The skill had changed quite a bit while Zac improved the skill to peak proficiency, much like how the wooden hand of [Arcadia's Judgment] grew more impressive.

By now, the skull was twice the size of Early Proficiency and covered in dense scars like it'd seen a thousand wars. They formed a complex pattern reminiscent of the primordial runes on the Stele of Conflict. The only exception was a deep crack right in the skull's glabella. It looked like something left by a sword having pierced its forehead, exposing an oppressive darkness within. The scar resembled a devilish third eye, staring right at the incoming spear.

The skull moved with blinding speed, and three of the meter-wide spheres teleported to its side to take up the role of stalwart guardians. Each skill upgrade had added another restrictive orb, and reaching Peak Mastery had done away with the framework wings entirely. Zac believed they had been necessary to refine and control the orbs in the lower stages, but his strength and Dao were enough to skip the training wheels by the time he mastered the skill.

Runes radiating Death and Conflict appeared on the orbs, and the Magnetic Domain was utterly incapable of withstanding their pressure. Any projectiles around the skull froze in place, and the skill's latent cutting force shredded the ones conjured by E-grade cultivators.

The last two orbs moved from their position behind Zac's back, but they didn't join the rest of the skill. Instead, they flickered and appeared by the descending swords. Not even the enormous blades could break free from [Desperation's End]'s seal, but Zac could sense that the orbs could only contain the attacks for a short moment. That was more than enough.

The scarred skull had destroyed everything it passed by, forming a safe passage void of even the Magnetic Domain. It let him increase his pace, avoiding the incoming laser. There was no need to expend energy to divert it again. The beam was already destabilizing, and the Array Tower would have to stop the attack pretty soon. If not, it would explode, likely taking a large number of Kan'Tanu with it.

That left only the spear, but it wasn't long for the world. The scarred skull opened its maw and released its deadly contents. The blade shot forward, leaving spatial fractures in its wake. The wails from the underworld reached a crescendo, and Zac saw through [Fields of Despair] that even some of the elite guards lost their composure and recoiled.

Spear and edge met, but there was no struggle for supremacy. The spear was cut clean through despite its imbuement of an Early Dao Branch and a War Array. It only found success in the sense that it had exhausted a good chunk of the energy within [Desolation's End]. After all, it was only an E-grade skill contending with a proper D-grade skill.

If it was before, the edge would have reached a point of destabilization after ripping apart the sky-scraper-sized spear. However, the combination of his upgraded [Adamance of Eoz] and Cosmic Core had made his skill roughly twice as durable. Of course, the fact that his Daos decidedly trumped the World Lord's played a large role. The attack still had enough in the tank to forge ahead, and it actually grew in size.

A sound resembling a screech played in reverse indicated the orbs holding back the descending swords had reached their limits. The skill's exhaustion was enough to let the blades break through, and they crashed down toward Zac. However, Zac had already closed half the distance between himself and his target by that point, arriving within the range of the supersized swords.

The blades dug into the ground, creating an enormous chasm at Zac's previous location. Zac was only hit by the resulting shockwave. It felt like he'd been punched in the back of his head, but Zac used the force to increase his speed and keep up with his still-advancing attack.

The elite guard tried to stop the final approach of [Desperation's End], but the black orbs paved a path. Ten guards were shredded, but the World Lord broke apart the edge with a swing of his sword. Half of it shattered, letting the leader avoid damage, while the other half slammed into the metal giant. It wasn't enough to destroy the skill, but the attack pushed it back and interrupted a follow-up strike.

The War Array was temporarily destabilized after having a dozen of its controllers killed, and there was nothing between Zac and his target. The steel giant was still looming above, but its size had become a weakness at melee range. It was time to finish things. However, Zac only had time to take a few steps before the ground exploded.

Zac initially thought it was just more of the metallic projectiles, but his eyes widened when a curtain of writhing red filled his vision. It was a Heart Curse trap that moved like lightning to contain him. Zac was certain it hadn't been planted after he'd activated [Fields of Despair], which meant the World Lord had already made some preparations in the short window Zac was dealing with the first laser and falling sword.

In contrast to most Heart Curses, this one was a bright red, and color wasn't the only thing it had in common with blood. The tangles were more liquid than solid, and a dispersive swing of Zac's axe had no effect. The shockwave only created a thin gash in the wall, but it was like the bisected tangle had a mind of its own. It actively fused back together, somehow absorbing the force.

Bloody tendrils pierced toward him, but Zac didn't jump back or try to go around. The collapsing laser beam had almost caught up, and it had expanded to the width of a mighty redwood tree as the Array Tower failed to contain the energy. Stopping to avoid the bloody curse meant stepping into the beam, and Zac wasn't certain he'd be able to block even this unfocused laser.

Of course, there was no reason to stop.

Zac kept running, unleashing a herculean punch at the bloody wall with his left hand. A hole was forced into the sanguine Heart Curse, and Zac rushed right through. Much of the cursed liquid spattered across his body, but he didn't care. What should have been a calamity didn't even slow him down, with [Void Heart], [Immutability of Eoz], and [Purity of the Void] fighting to be first in line to rip apart cursed intent the moment it entered his body.

The bloody mesh was followed by a more standard tangle of heart curses unleashed by the whole guard, though it was imbued with the Dao of Metal. It looked like a maelstrom leading to hell, full of sinewy spikes and sharp edges that radiated murder. But Zac was like an enraged bull, and his axe carved a path. Another set of cursed tendrils managed to find their way into his body, but they fared no better than the ones before.

The two sets of superimposed curses would have been a death sentence for most. Even Draugr, such as the Kavriel Descendants, would have had trouble dealing with the situation. The weaker ones would have died, but even the elites would be severely weakened by the deadly parasites rampaging through their body.

Zac suspected the Kan'Tanu had arranged everything with the Heart Curses in mind. The giant, the storm of attacks, and the laser from behind. They were all designed to waste the tricks up Zac's sleeve and expose him to the curses. After that, they'd only need to finish the job while their target was attacked from within.

Unfortunately for the World Lord, he wasn't dealing with a normal Draugr. His gambit had zero effect, and it let Zac get even closer without so much as a flesh wound. If the ruler of Kerkos VI wanted to use his Array Towers again, he'd also be targeting himself. More importantly, the Kan'Tanu group was about to enter [Arbiter of the Abyss]'s sphere of influence.

It was just in time, as Zac could finally see the familiar hesitation creep into the World Lord's eyes—the growing realization that he'd kicked an iron plate this time. Zac only needed him to hesitate a bit longer, so he let his aura fluctuate erratically while trying to look like he was enduring soul-rending agony.

He even strained his body to make pitch-black tendrils cover his pallid face. It was just his ichor moving through his veins while pushing [Conviction of Eoz], but it was easy to mistake the scene for the Heart Curse trying to wrest control over his body in the heat of the moment.

The World Lord gritted his teeth and channeled his vast stores of Cosmic Energy. Meanwhile, the auras of the guards exploded with brutality as their sizes doubled. They had entered a berserking state, with chaotic auras and thick black veins pulsating across their engorged bodies. It was almost like they were trying to show him what the real deal looked like.

The guards had gained a temporary boost close to a small realm. The six Early Hegemons approached middle Hegemony, and the Peak E-grade guards suddenly felt like powerful Half-step cultivators. Altogether, it seemed like their strength had increased by around 50%. It was significantly more than his [Arcadian Crusade], and Zac sincerely doubted this was a peak-quality method. The repercussions would undoubtedly be dire for using their Heart Curses like this.

Zac was ready to enter a fierce melee, and the swirls of intractable darkness from [Fatehew] had already appeared on his axe. But Zac suddenly swore in realization and urgently upped his pace. It had looked like the World Lord was preparing for a life-and-death brawl just now. However, while his deathsworn took a step forward, he took a step back. Zac's feigned weakness had been met with feigned determination.

A storm of attacks blocked his vision, and blood rained as the agitated Heart Curses broke through the cultists' bodies to join the assault. Zac felt some anxiety upon sensing the World Lord's escape just as he was about to enter the reach of his taunting ability, but he quickly calmed down. The sudden shift was not enough to change anything.

He'd mostly relied on brute force on his crusade through the Kan'Tanu army until he reached his target. His movements subtly shifted while the swirling chains resumed their complex dance. He had fully entered his Inexorable Stance. Incoming attacks were snuffed out like flickering candles in the wind, and the rattling links went from defense to offense as they pounced on the cultist blockade.

The black chains were everywhere at once, targeting vitals and sealing movements. The Kan'Tanu had lost much of their rationality from triggering their Heart Curses, but an almost bestial instinct allowed them to dodge and counter with great responsiveness. To an outsider, it might have looked like they countered Zac's technique, but it was the opposite.

Their instinctual movements made his technique even more effective, and it felt like his chains had become puppet strings attached to the cultists as he manipulated them to open a path. The squad leaders desperately tried to use their bodies and curses to block the way, but they suddenly froze and let Zac flash through. The reality became apparent a moment later as four of the Kan'Tanu Hegemons collapsed into chunks of flesh and viscera, having been cut apart by lightning-quick swings while his chains diverted their attention.

D-grade Cultivators who had forcibly raised their grade through pills or sacrifice weren't much different than E-grade cultivators to the current Zac. They didn't have the foundations to leverage their grade and only became slightly stronger elites.

Breaking through the empowered defensive line had been effortless, but it had delayed Zac a moment. Long enough for the World Lord to create more distance. Zac knew his fears had come true upon seeing that the World Lord's body was rapidly turning into streaks of light as he held a runic feather in his hand—an escape treasure.

The leader was incredibly decisive, immediately using a rare lifesaving treasure rather than a movement skill to create more distance. Judging by the intensity of the fluctuations of space and wind, it wouldn't just move him to another part of Kerkos VI. It was like his [Flashfire Flourish], having the ability to pierce at least one dimensional layer.

Zac felt like time moved in slow motion as he urgently tried to close the gap. More and more of the World Lord's body was transformed into an intangible streak, and Zac could feel how a vortex was opening behind him. Zac's target would be dragged inside in a moment, and Zac wasn't like Iz. He didn't have some unfathomable method to piggyback on someone else's treasure. At best, he might be able to enter the vortex with [Abyssal Drive], but who knew where that'd leave him?

A surefire way to counter his escape was to activate [Pillar of Desolation] with Void Energy. The deathly river could seal space, and only the best escape treasures would be able to elude it. The wealth of this random World Lord had surprised Zac already, but he doubted he had such a good thing on hand. Zac didn't want to expose an ace like that on his very first battle.

Instead, he chose to trust in his other skills.

Zac precisely calculated the distance and threw forward his left arm the moment he was within range. The World Lord was mostly through the vortex by that point, but the sound of the punctured air was followed by a chain shooting into the vortex with such speed that it left small cracks in space. Zac tugged, and a ghastly smile spread across his face as a resonance was followed by a horrified shriek. A disoriented and forcibly materialized Hegemon was yanked out of the dimensional tunnel.

The last thing he ever saw was a pink sky and a black edge.