Defiance of the Fall

An ominous presence filled the court when light and darkness were inverted, and the three glowing runes above the throne seemed to have taken on an entirely different meaning. The dusk was pervasive and suffocating, leaving Zac stunned at the realization that Yselio possessed not one but two Earthly Daos from the Peak of Taiji.

The prince's path appeared surprisingly similar to his own. Two opposing Daos from one peak, while Yselio used the Dao of Faith to give shape and context, instead of Zac's Dao of Conflict. Of course, their cultivation ultimately was completely different. Light was not Life, and Darkness was not Death. They held entirely different truths, and Yselio's path had nothing in common with Zac's.

Yselio's path seemed to reflect human nature, at least according to his personal worldview. Everything had two sides, and no one was purely good or evil. Perhaps it was his understanding of Imperial governance, where an Empire needed both glory and ruthless callousness to survive.

The sudden revelation of the true scope of Yselio's Daos was a huge blow, considering dealing with one Earthly Dao was hard enough. Fusing his Daos with his Dao Mold and elevating them with [Spiritual Void] would let them contend with Peak Branches, but the next step was an almost unbridgeable gap. Worse, Yselio had discerned Zac's path just as Zac had understood Yselio's. The Void had remained hidden since all who faced it had died.

Warning sirens blared in the back of Zac's mind from having his secrets laid bare, and Yselio's cruel smile gave the impression of a spider having trapped its prey. But what could he do? Zac knew he was like a released arrow. Every skill in his repertoire had been used to create this opening, and he'd crammed most of his Oblivion Energy into the skill fractal he'd named [Extinction Event]. Backing down only meant all that effort being wasted, and initiative would be in Yselio's hands.

He'd have to forge ahead, ensuring his sacrifice yielded some result.

Time paradoxically moved excruciatingly slow and shockingly fast as Zac's mind ran in overdrive. His muscles and sinew groaned with complaint as he pushed his aligned constitution to unprecedented heights in an effort to hasten the Oblivion Blade's final stretch on its journey. Zac could no longer see Yselio's eyes because of the pervasive darkness, but it felt like they were mocking him from the shadows.

A small backlash and a transferred notion of pain indicated the two sets of vines sealing Yselio's limbs had simply disappeared. The darkness shifted, and the bones in Zac's right arm creaked when his swing was abruptly stopped like it had hit a solid wall. [Extinction Event] was already an experimental skill, and the sudden collision made Zac lose 20% of its energy.

A billowing shockwave of Annihilation became a blight on its surroundings. Even the darkness was annihilated, giving Zac a better look at what'd happened. His ultimate strike had been blocked by a sword in Yselio's hand. The weapon was utterly black except for a singular dot of unblemished light above the hilt.

It emitted no aura, more acting like his Void by consuming all around it. Still, it wasn't hard to tell it was an unfathomable relic surpassing any of Zac's Spirit Tools. How else could it block a strike made from so much Oblivion Energy, with the only price being its edge fading a bit? In fact, the sword acted like a black hole, rapidly draining the energy of his strike.

Yselio looked different, draped in a robe darker than the Abyss, while his face hinted at unspeakable evil. Still, there was a small hope of salvation hidden in the depths of the brutal eyes, like the dot of light on the inky sword.

A stalemate meant loss, and loss meant death. Luckily, [Extinction Event] wasn't a physical manifestation. It was directed Annihilation unfettered by shape or form. The Oblivion Edge cleanly split in two, passing the sword by when it couldn't destroy it. Yselio's eyes widened slightly, but there was no panic.

Reality split in two as light joined darkness, where a white-robed Yselio swung a second blade, this one a radiant white. It unleashed a cascading wave of light that consumed [Extinction Event] and Zac alike. Zac held on as long as he could, but he knew it was futile. He was already focusing on a hidden spot within his body when he lost the connection to his skill.

Zac couldn't see anything, even with his Soul Sense, but the lack of Kill Energy confirmed his gambit had failed. Yselio had proven too powerful, resisting Oblivion and Void alike. Zac had a few cards left, but none were as strong or reliable as those he'd already used. His only remedy now was to rely on Sendor's protection while finishing his breakthrough. By that point, he might be able to turn the tables on the Imperial Prince, if the Void hadn't already consumed him.

He acted decisively, but Yselio was even faster. Three arms and three swords fused into one that pierced toward Zac's torso. The stab moved with the speed of light and contained the weight of an empire. [Void Zone] barely managed to dim the blade's radiance as it skewered its nullification zone, and [Ossuarby Bulkwark] may as well have been made from brittle clay when faced with its tip.

A trinity of Dao and energy flooded Zac's body before his danger sense had the chance to activate, and not even the Void could approach the invading force. Blinding light irradiated his Soul Aperture, and Zac's Soul Cores began eroding under the unrelenting glow. It was like the light wanted to cleanse his whole aperture, leaving behind nothing but a blank slate. Cruel darkness buried his cells to stall the golden hurricanes within.

All the while, a towering majesty of Imperial Judgement overwhelmed his thoughts in an attempt to shatter his Dao Heart. The lightning-quick thrust simultaneously targeted the Soul, Body, and Heart, where a single weakness meant death. Zac would have instantly succumbed if not for his unusually holistic path.

Decades of hard work narrowly awarded him the resilience needed to endure while the vortices in his cells began consuming the three entrenched Daos. Zac desperately tried to disengage while refocusing on the Sendor's seal, but a wave of despair almost gave the Imperial Judgment an opening upon realizing killing him wasn't even Yselio's goal. Three miniature seals had formed around Sendor's hidden impartment, stopping Zac's attempts to activate the life-saving grace.

"Don't be hasty," Yselio's voice carried through the blinding light. "Show me what else is hiding within your body."

The Tobrial scion gave no quarter or respite, following his taunt with a deadly thrust aimed at Zac's forehead. This time, he was only targeted by the white sword, but that was bad enough. Zac parried, relying on instincts and Luck since his eyes couldn't keep up. At that moment, a black blade pierced his back, wreaking havoc on his insides while injecting more hostile darkness.

It was the beginning of a desperate and confusing fight in the boundary between light and darkness, where just staying alive was asking more than Zac could give. He was fighting three Yselios at once, each possessing a Dao and power surpassing Zac's. They were both real and mirages, resulting from the prince's unbelievable speed and the Earthly Daos blocking Zac's senses.

Yselio's methods were furious, unforgiving, and unpredictable, where two swords occasionally fused into an empowered thrust before seamlessly separating again. Dozens of Dao-infested wounds had racked up within a second, and Zac was constantly forced to retreat and accept injuries to avoid death.

Zac kept trying to contact Sendor's seal, but the barrier was impregnable. It would take at least a few minutes to grind down the barrier, even with the Void's assistance. Time Zac absolutely didn't have. Activating skills with Cosmic Energy was out of the question, with a well-timed estoc disrupting the energy rotation. It was the same technique Zac had used many times on his enemies, though Yselio relied on raw speed rather than technique.

Void Energy couldn't be blocked, but what was the use? [Evolutionary Edge] was already running, powerless to turn the tides. His other skills were either on cooldown or unable to endure Yselio's domain. Verun fought furiously to break free and help out, but the corrupted beast was already a huge threat. It could consume spirituality, explaining how it so effortlessly had destroyed Galau's Array Dragon.

Zac couldn't keep backing down, even if he urgently needed a breather. The domain had drastically changed when the Dao of Darkness mixed with the Dao of Light. One moment, he saw the celestial court shrouded in darkness, defended by the imperial guards. The next, he stood in the middle of a twisted dungeon filled with blood-soaked inquisitors wielding macabre tools of torture.

Guards and inquisitors were bearing down on him, ready to push an already helpless situation to certain death. Zac knew he'd have to take another gamble before it was too late, this one even more dangerous.

One rune on the wooden handle of his axe already glowed with sanguine light, and the second one finally joined it after months of slumber. A roar from the ancient wilds shook Yselio's domain. Blinding light flickered and dimmed, and suffocating darkness dispersed. Out of nowhere, hundreds of smaller beasts formed, like a pack answering their leader's call to the hunt.

Soldiers and jailors were ripped to shreds, and Yselio's assault temporarily halted as the princeling found himself drowned by a frenzied pack that only kept growing. The three forms fused into one true form as his movement became restricted by relentless carnage.

Five swipes became a dozen bites, which grew and morphed into an unfettered storm of violence when dozens of primordial hyenas fused into a force of nature. Even space buckled under the assault, but Zac didn't hold any hope [Primordial Call] could contain Yselio for long, let alone take him out. It was a testament to the prince's power; even an ultimate skill with a month's cooldown requiring the blood of a hundred D-grade opponents to recharge couldn't change anything.

It was fine, so long as Zac got the small window needed to follow through on his plan. A large stone appeared in his hand, and a vortex instantly formed as Zac almost blacked out from hunger. It was the [Stone of Celestial Void], the treasure Zac first saw in the Orom Exchange and later got from Iz Tayn. Zac was no longer holding back his breakthrough; he was kicking the doors wide open in hopes his bloodline would rip Yselio apart before he lost consciousness.

It was a desperate gambit, considering he couldn't control the Void well enough to use the vortices in battle. Especially not against an opponent moving so fast, Zac's eyes couldn't keep up. Unfortunately, it was the only solution he had left. He was all out of cards, and the only move left was to flip the whole table.

Hopefully, it would at least give Yselio pause and make him back down. Every second wasted meant a new lease of life, where new variables could provide a path to survival. Twenty-eight seconds had passed since Galau activated the [Centurion Spear], though he'd only endured Yselio's onslaught for five. The rest of the time was through Yselio's stalling, which meant the [Centurion Spear] would fire any moment.

Hundreds of vortices opened as the tower's ransacking officially began, dragging treasures and piles of materials into the beyond with redoubled effort after having been held back so long. Zac gave his tacit blessing, only demanding one thing: bring the Void to him. He exerted his will, picturing a vast vortex ripping the whole domain asunder.

Zac felt blood vessels in his eyes burst as he strained with every fiber of his being, and he almost cried with relief when a ten-meter-vortex popped up in the middle of [Primordial Call]. It instantaneously consumed all around it, leaving a pocket of nothingness like an [Annihilation Sphere] had gone off.

A streak of exhausted spirituality poured into [Verun's Bite]. The Tool Spirit had already lost much of its spirit to the corrupted beast's attacks, and activating [Primordial Call] had exhausted what it had left. Its opponent was not much better off after having been pincered by Verun and its pack.

The situation had completely turned around, like it had many times before, thanks to Zac's bloodline and Void's inherently unpredictable nature. However, Zac barely had time to register the lack of Kill Energy before an immense beam tore through the Void. It shattered the vortex, depositing a pile of items and Void Energy before bearing down on Zac with undodgeable speed.

Zac saw death's approach and desperately tried to form another vortex. The Void resisted, like it understood it had just been damaged by the approaching force. Then, a huge halo of vibrant Life flooded the court, its splendor even surpassing the Dao of Light. Within, a familiar yet foreign flower swayed.

It was Vivi, looking as young and vibrant as a sapling as she grew thousands of vines to form an impenetrable wall before him. Zac's eyes briefly lit up before being clouded by despair. The beam was blocked, but not because of an opportune breakthrough. Verve was replaced by decay as Vivi's true form expended her last mote of life force.

The vine flower shattered like a mirror, her husk unable to endure the remnant energies. Zac's already frayed rationality almost snapped when he felt the mental connection break. Towering fury overwhelmed the hunger and took control of his bloodline. The Void had denied him when he needed it the most, so he would take from it what he needed, just like he took from the heavens.

The surroundings shifted as the distance became Void, and Zac found himself before a startled Yselio who had just returned from the beyond. The prince reacted instantaneously, but his thrusts passed through Zac without connecting with flesh. When the attack failed, Yselio decisively retreated, but the Void blocked his way. Zac stood behind him, before him, around him. His hands were vortices of cold retribution and connected to the one thing that best resonated with his mental state.

A deluge of murderous intent from an ancient era joined Zac's own, mixing and fusing into hatred manifest. The ancient Autarch's lingering will seemed to sense the target was a descendant of his enemy, and it stopped resisting Void's pull. The combined Killing Intent poured into Yselio, its quantity and focus surpassing what Zac previously endured many times over.

Yselio's eyes lit up like beacons, and writhing veins twisted his graceful features. He unleashed a bestial roar instilled with his full path, and the shockwave pushed even Zac away. But Zac wasn't ready to let go, and neither was the creature roused from his slumber by Vivi's demise.

Haro was wide awake, and his rage burned so hot that the sun in Zac's chest almost exploded. An immense pull on Dao and Mental Energy almost shattered Zac's Evolutionary Soul Core, but Zac gave no heed to cost or damage as he provided what Haro needed.

The World Ring on Zac's finger wasn't designed to endure a rampaging Heavenrender Vine or the drain from its blinding growth. A scream of intense danger forced Zac awake from his rage-addled state, and he hurriedly ripped off his left ring finger and threw it at Yselio while letting the shockwave carry him further away. The World Ring had already twisted on itself because of the immense spatial energies pouring from its cracks.

The ring exploded, unleashing a tempestuous spatial storm that swept the incoming sword away. Zac didn't see exactly what happened. One moment, there was only chaos. The next, a bowl-sized hole had been punched right through the chest of a delirious Yselio. The method had escaped Zac's senses, but the source was clear. The attack came from the blood-red bulb in the storm's center that released such intense Killing Intent the air twisted around it.

It was Haro, having forced his way through the spatial seal in his desire to exact revenge. A full quarter of his body was withered, which was shocking considering how much life force a Peak-quality Plant King held. It was the price Haro had paid to unleash an unstoppable attack the moment it appeared. Even then, Haro wasn't satisfied. Vivi was still dead, while Yselio remained alive.

Zac could hear a primal scream as hundreds of vines lashed out at everything that moved. The sinister devils were grabbed and ripped apart by unyielding vines, but their bloodless deaths only seemed to make Haro angrier. Even Zac had two vines shoot toward his chest like bullets, though they stopped at the last minute to target something else.

The wounded corrupted beast became the first true casualty, its body reduced to meaty pulp. Yselio bore the brunt of Haro's anger. Half the vines were lashing and ripping at the Tobrial prince. Unfortunately, even with his mind overwhelmed by corrosive Killing Intent, he became an impregnable wall through reflexive, lightning-quick swordplay.

Such movements should have worsened his already lethal wounds, but a necklace had shattered, releasing a storm of Imperial Qi. It felt like Yselio was being propped up by billions of citizens ready to share his burdens. Zac's anger still burned red-hot, and he refused to let Yselio escape.

However, nothing happened when he tried to join Haro's onslaught. He was locked in place, with the Void fully seizing his body. The same was true for his Draugr half, who had been gorging on Void Crystals and high-quality treasures the moment he decided to go for broke.

Yselio's face was pallid. His long hair was in disarray, and his luxurious robes were drenched in blood from the terrifying wound in his chest. He leaked energy like a sieve because of a crack in his Cosmic Core, and his aura flickered precariously as ancient Killing Intent tore apart his soul piece by piece.

Yet his defensive swings grew increasingly refined, like he was gradually reclaiming control. Yselio soon emitted such a dangerous aura that even Haro snapped out of his mania and retreated. The blazing fury was still there, but the Heavenrender Vine was a natural predator. He understood that he could only exact revenge if he survived.

"Flame…bearers…" Yselio slurred with a jarring voice as trails of blood and spittle ran down his mouth. "Dangerous... Indeed."

Zac struggled to stay awake, but his vision was already closing in. The tower was picked clean, and he could tell he had reached the quota. An exhausted smile appeared on Zac's face as he thought of Emily and Ra'Klid. At least they were safe. He could feel the immense torrents coursing through the tower and the aura of a true dimension peeking through the cracks. The weapon had been activated successfully, and the whole base of the fortress should have been deposited outside.

The rest was up to the Heavens. Zac couldn't move a finger and was forced to look on as Yselio ambled closer. His eyes shone like beacons from the depths of hell, and a twisted smile grew on his face as he lifted the terrifying sword to deliver a final blow.

A crack of a familiar origin silently opened behind Yselio. It had the same archaic air as skills imbued with Void Energy, but the breach was not made by Zac or his bloodline. Neither was it made from Void Energy. Four black blades emerged from Yselio's chest before he could react, and a pulse of unidentifiable energy scattered the Imperial Qi keeping him safe.

The attacker was a young woman wielding a claw in one hand and something resembling a detonator in the other. Floating behind her were two exquisite drones that emitted the same aura as hers. A Technocrat, one far more powerful than the others he'd encountered.

"You—!" Yselio roared, the rest of his words growing indistinct as the final tethers of reality were severed.

The boundary between self and Void disappeared as Zac's consciousness was dragged into the depths of his bloodline. Hundreds of vortices formed around him, forming an alien constellation. Yselio, held aloft by the claw on the newcomer's hand, could no longer hold onto his domain. The celestial court shattered, and they returned to the command center.

Something landed by Zac's side as the drones formed a sphere of blue sigils, enclosing the Technocrat and her prey. They were gone the next moment, teleporting through unknown means.

'Hurry, hide!' Zac urged with his last shred of consciousness, prompting the Heavenrender Vine to disappear into a spare Worldring on his hand.

Then, nothingness.