Defiance of the Fall

"Found it!"

Zac looked down the 100-meter deep chute dug on his orders. The scout and her guardian soldier were already on their way back, the former holding a glass case.

"Young master's calculation was right on the mark," the scout said as she emerged. "Your method is amazing. I didn't sense anything until we were right upon it."

"What's there to be surprised about?" Joanna said. "This is already the fifth one."

"It's just… The captain himself scouted this area and he's naturally endowed with Spiritual Eyes. Young master could make a name for himself with his divination alone if he enlisted."

Zac calmly accepted the praise. Of course, there was no divination at play. He'd simply channeled his Daos into his eyes to create a glimmer of spirituality, hiding the fact he was fully relying on his Luck to find treasures.

"I already have my orders from back home," Zac said. "I'm guessing this isn't the relic, either?"

"I'm afraid not," the guardian confirmed.

Zac pretended to hide some disappointed. In reality, the confirmation was the answer he'd hoped for. What good would unearthing the Holy Relic do him now? They were still quite some distance from the edge. He'd have to happily hand it over if it came out now. In contrast, random treasures found with his skill would enter his pocket.

"It was another vault. As per young master's instruction, we've already set aside the common materials," the soldier continued. "We thought this might be of interest to young master."

One hour of treasure hunting was enough for Zac's status to go from potential heretic to generous benefactor. Even the two guards assigned by the general looked at him warmly after he'd donated a small mountain of common materials to the army. Of course, Zac wasn't charitable enough to hand over the treasures that caused the pull of fate.

"What is this?" Zac curiously asked.

The only thing inside the glass box was a sturdy reed roughly the length of his arm. It didn't at all give off the amount of spirituality he'd expected. The sturdy stalk and solid awn more made it look like a naturally formed mace. His Luck wouldn't lie, though. The stalk was something good.

"It's a fully-grown [Painpurge Reed]. It even has most of its awns left," one of the soldiers sighed with amazement. "It must have been some family's hidden relic."

"Painpurge?" Joanna asked.

"It's a local purifying treasure," the scout explained. "Hitting yourself with it will dislodge deeply-rooted impurities. It's especially effective at clearing up blockages."

"Not bad," Zac whistled.

Purifying treasures were of lesser importance to him because of [Purity of the Void] and his ability to use Tribulation Lightning to cleanse himself. Even so, you could never have too many ways to remove toxins. That went double on the Left Imperial Expanse where he was picking up treasures left and right. There was still Earthly Taint and impurities left in his body after the Zenith Elixir, and everything he consumed on top of it added to his debt.

"I'm guessing using it is not an enjoyable experience?" Zac asked.

"It's got a reputation," the scout admitted. "I've heard few have the stomach to use it more than once."

"Certain strict families like to use them on talented descendants with lacking motivation. It's the perfect tool to make the brats focus on their cultivation," a soldier laughed. "It should suit the Ironblooded Wendimars quite well."

"You're right. I think my uncle will like this very much," Zac smiled and stowed the case. "Let's keep going. There's still a lot of ground to cover."

The group moved seemingly at random, with Zac stopping every few minutes to 'divine' for treasure. This way, they unearthed one more stash before reaching the inner city. The state of the large manors were no better than the tightly packed houses outside. If anything, the destruction was more comprehensive. The lingering aura of Beast Emperors explained why.

"Odd, I'm having a difficulty finding anything," Zac said after striking out for half an hour.

"The city center is the most heavily searched area," a guard offered, pointing at the large number of excavation pits. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "Since the center is already dealt with, perhaps we should return to the outskirts?"

"It makes sense. The heretics wouldn't cower in the city center. They would be trying to use the beast tide to escape," one of the scouts quickly agreed.

It wasn't hard to guess their real thoughts. The greedy soldiers gave him the excuse Zac needed to keep going, which was why he'd pretended there were no treasures around. In reality, there were far more treasures hidden beneath the manors than further out. Unfortunately, the growing sense of unease forced Zac to give up on the loot.

They left the inner city on the opposite side. They were so close to freedom that Zac could almost taste it. It was at that moment he froze, barely able to hide his shock.

"Did you feel something?" a soldier eagerly asked.

"I think so," Zac said, calming his heart while performing another fake divination.

What a powerful pull of fate. It had to be the Holy Relic, right? More surprising was the fact that it seemed to call for him directly, causing his bloodline to stir. There was no way he could ignore it. Zac mentally prepared for a rough battle while leading them closer. He still stopped to have the soldiers excavate another trove, lowering their guard further.

Finally, he stopped close to the real call. It wasn't as far beneath ground as the treasuries, which further strengthened his suspicion. He glanced toward the distance. The edge was further than he'd hoped, but close enough to give it a go. Zac sent his Soul Sense into the ground, finding only corpses and rubble. The normalcy wasn't enough to trick Zac.

"It's here," Zac said, intentionally missing the mark by a few meters. "It's quite far down this time."

"Not a problem," the scout eagerly said before starting the excavation.

Further and further they dug without hitting the mark.

"It's too slow," Joanna muttered, glancing at two of the guards waiting above. "Go help them out."

The guards nodded and flew into the chute. Still, nothing happened for the next few minutes.

"I'll check things out," Zac eventually sighed with annoyance and jumped down before anyone could interject.

Just ten meters below the surface, Zac's arm suddenly shot out. Rubble fell like rain and the chute promptly collapsed. The hidden heretic playing dead barely had time to react before a wave of destruction tore him apart. Only the futuristic box in his hands survived the attack. Zac was surprised to see a container of clearly Technocrat design. To his Soul Sense, it had looked like a piece of collapsed building.

The fatally attractive aura leaked from small cracks covering its surface, throwing the last of Zac's caution to the wind. Zac was already on his way out, the box safely wrapped up in Haro's vines. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. The soldiers hadn't even realized they'd been betrayed when Zac emerged again.

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Only Joanna perfectly understood Zac's intentions. A sea of spears pushed back the last guards just as Zac appeared. Zac wordlessly grabbed Joanna and flashed away with [Skybreaker]. His mind was already screaming of lethal danger, and the world turned into a fiery hellscape within a second. Meteors rained from the sky and thousands of spirits rose from magmatic ponds.

Dozens of flame walls had also appeared, trapping them inside multiple layers of barriers. It wasn't an illusion. One of the Monarchs had brought out a piece of their Inner World. Already having expected something similar, Zac channeled Life and Void into [Apex Jungle]. A forest emitting a primordial aura appeared with speed that overturned convention, and Zac dragged Joanna into the closest tree.

The two reappeared at the forest's edge, well outside the barriers. The physical constraints imposed by Dao couldn't overcome Zac's Void, at least not as far as Early Monarchs were concerned. The border was now only a few miles away, but a new barrier appeared to prevent their escape. This one emitted the Dao of Conflict, meaning a second Monarch had entered the battle.

An intense scream of danger indicated the newcomer wasn't just planning on trapping them. A flying sword was closing in with terrifying speed, and [Apex Jungle] could do nothing to stop it. The forest was already struggling to survive the fiery climate and the sword finished the job. A single glance was all Zac needed to know this wasn't an attack he could take head-on.

Zac drank from the Void like a man dying of thirst, unloading half the skills in his arsenal. He threw everything at the incoming sword. The onslaught was only enough to delay the C-grade weapon and destabilize the fiery domain. That was all Zac needed. [Void Mountain] descended, and Zac punched the conflict-attuned barrier with a fist empowered by Spiritual Extinction.

Joanna grimaced from being touched by Zac's Void, but she still managed to conjure her master's avatar. She poured everything into a stab, weakening the barrier further. Zac flooded Joanna with more Void and pushed her forward, allowing her to pass right through the blockade and out of the memory domain. Zac was right on her heels.

An explosion of pain made Zac fall over just as the past became the present. Zac's legs didn't listen, so Joanna dragged him further away. He looked back just in time to see a sword hilt disappear. The sword had actually caught up. If he were just a moment slower, he would have been fully impaled instead of lightly stabbed.

"Keep going," Zac croaked, pushing down the mouthful of blood rushing up his throat.

He felt like his insides were on fire. It looked like hostile Dao was put in the same category as treasures, in that it retained its existence outside the memory domain. Losing its connection with its origin only left it marginally weakened. The combined might of Zac's Daos and Hidden Nodes were barely enough to keep it in check.

"Is this enough?" Joanna asked after reaching a secluded spot far away from the domain.

"It should be," Zac grunted. "There could be other dangers waiting outside, though. Give me a moment to stabilize my wound."

Zac ate a set of healing pills before turning his attention inward. The stubborn piece of Dao was like a fortress erected on foreign soil. Zac used every weapon in his arsenal to whittle down its defenses piece by piece. Two hours later, Zac exhaled and opened his eyes. Only stubborn sequelae remained at that point. It was something he'd have to slowly grind down over the next couple of weeks.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Zac said. "I'm sorry about that. I was supposed to help you, but I ended up getting you in trouble instead."

"You certainly know how to make things exciting," Joanna laughed. "I thought you'd gone crazy over some illusory treasures. I didn't expect them to stay with us."

"They're very real. You can also use them inside the memories if they're impossible to bring out," Zac said, finally taking out the item that almost cost him his life.

The cracks had gotten worse, and some of them were leaking weak streaks of energy. Thankfully, the Technocrat container still functioned properly. It was already showing signs of self-repair, saving Zac the headache of finding a new one. However, Zac still needed to open the box and investigate. He needed to confirm whatever it held wouldn't suddenly explode.

Admittedly, the unexpected aura was the real reason behind Zac's curiosity. Why would a Holy Relic of a templar order emit the aura of the Void?

"Back off a bit, just in case."

A gust of air was all that emerged when Zac undid the clasps. Sealing was clearly not part of the Technocrat container's purpose. Zac walked over, finding a simple stone lying within. It was raw and lacked any signs of spirituality. If not for the golden runes painted across its surface, anyone would have mistaken it for a mortal material.

The truth couldn't hide from Zac's gaze, and his heartbeat sped up. He recognized this stone. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a piece taken from the Void Mountain—the real thing. Did the Void Mountain actually exist as a physical object? He'd assumed it was an intangible concept like the Heavens, only given shape by Zac's limited scope of comprehension.

Zac's confusion only grew as his investigation continued. Soon, he wasn't convinced the rock was a physical object. Rather, the Void had been forced to take this particular shape because of the golden runes. Zac infused a tendril of Mental Entergy into one of the runes and immediately recoiled like he'd been burnt. The golden paint hid a terrifying amount of Faith Energy.

Luckily, the tendril had been quite weak, and it had shattered before it could transmit anything dangerous into his mind. The seals were also completely inert so long as he didn't mess with them. Zac could even pick up the rock without any issue.

"Faith trapping Void," Zac muttered as he turned it over. "But why? And why did the Technocrats want it?"

"This is the holy relic?" Joanna asked as she walked over.

"I guess so?"

"Is the rock blessed?"

"Not sure," Zac said as he put the rock back into its container. "It should be useful to my bloodline, but I'm worried the seals will go crazy if I try to circumvent them."

There was no hurry now that he'd confirmed the Holy Relic wouldn't up and explode. At most, the rock would be overwhelmed by the world's Dao and fade if the seals failed. That wouldn't happen for months, seeing how minute the leakage was. Of course, the sooner he could get to the rock, the better.

"It's for your bloodline? Stealing it was worth it, then," Joanna nodded. "Will our actions have ramifications?"

"Well, we definitely can't return to that memory domain. At least not with our current identities. But my testing indicate these memories are self-contained, so they won't affect each other," Zac said, raising his left hand. "By the way, can you see the mark here?"

"Yeah, what is that? I noticed it the moment we exited the domain." Joanna said. "Is it related to why you were calling yourself a Wendimar? It gives off a familiar feeling."

It seemed as though his original idea was half-correct. Other trialtakers really couldn't see the brand of others inside memory domains. It'd be very difficult spotting one another so long as you acted the part and prepared a disguise. His Draugr side and trialtakers from unusual races would have a clear disadvantage, considering the vast majority of the "natives" were human.

"It is," Zac said, explaining what he'd gathered on the trial so far.

"Interesting," Joanna said. "I should probably get a mark or two."

"Your identity is pretty conspicuous, and it might be difficult to prove in some cases," Zac agreed. "What's your plan going forward?"

It had been difficult making any plans with the trial being shrouded in mystery. Zac ultimately gave his followers full autonomy to do as they liked. They were under no obligation to help him with his tasks, especially not after Kator's betrayal. So it was up to Joanna whether she wanted to follow him to the Hollow Courts or pursue her own goals.

"My plan was to guard you while you broke through. But I lost you on the way in," Joanna slowly said. "Now, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."

"Is it related to your master?"

"It is. Like I mentioned, they realized I'm Indra Eyler's disciple after I used some of her skills," Joanna said. "They didn't say it outright, but I think she might be the ruler of the Indomitable Court."

"And I thought my identity was a cheat," Zac laughed.

Indra Eyler was one of the Limitless Empire's true bigshots. From what Rava said, Indra was one of six supreme commanders of the Limitless Army. They were named Godkings, which was a title that even eclipsed the leaders of the Imperial Clans and templar orders. In fact, her status was so exalted that it left Zac suspicious. Was a Lower Court really worthy of being helmed by such an important figure?

"I think it's only a temporary placement," Joanna explained. "They mentioned that she only appeared a thousand years ago. Maybe she went there to finish some demanding task."

"Each court is supposed to have at least one defining treasure. She might have been responsible for installing the Indomitable Court's core," Zac mused, looking at Joanna's conflicted expression. "And you're not sure if you should check things out or follow me?"

"I didn't care about the Indomitable Court before. But now…" Joanna sighed.

"Go. You have to go. This is the opportunity of a lifetime."

"What if I receive the same treatment you did just now?" Joanna said. "They might think I stole her techniques somehow if I just show up. And what if a projection of master appears in person? A captured image of the past won't remember me."

"Uh—" Zac coughed, only then realizing the implication.

He'd only been thinking of what kinds of doors Joanna's identity would open, not who might wait on the other side. Zac hadn't encountered anyone beyond Middle Monarchy so far, but that proved nothing.

"I don't have any answers for you. I only know one thing," Zac said. "The fate gathered by this trial is beyond anything we've ever seen. The dangers will only increase from here on out, but I feel anything is possible in this place. Anyone can be reborn. Anyone can shatter their chains of fate. You simply need to ask yourself if you're ready to stake everything for your Dao."

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