Defiance of the Fall

Joanna clearly wanted to test her strength against the Indomitable Courts and find out if the Emperor's Spear had left something for her. Zac also knew that the threat of death would never make Joanna back down and give up on her path. The hesitation in her eyes came from something else, and Zac had a notion of what. Duty.

"Don't worry about me or the Atwood Empire," Zac urged. "The war is over, and we've accomplished enough. I'm certain the System has provided a path to survival."

"But the Undead Empire…" Joanna hesitated. "Wouldn't they have prepared a backup since something happened to Kator? He might even have been a diversion, seeing how far-reaching the plot of the divine races are."

Zac had been considering the same thing. The Primo's treasure could drastically impact the civil war brewing in the Undead Empire. There was no way they'd simply give up after Kator's failure. At the very least, the rebels would have come up with a new approach the moment the plan involving their two Autarchs failed.

"I'm sure they're up to something, but you know how difficult it is to find seals. We've seen how forcing fate is liable to backfire when the seals are involved. There'll be a limit to how many people they can scrounge up," Zac said. "Not to mention, I'm stronger now than when I fought Kator. Even an Eonic Seed will have a headache dealing with us after I've teamed up with Tavza."

"Then… I'll head to the Indomitable Court and see if there's an inheritance meant for me there," Joanna said.

The Valkyrie's whole demeanor shifted from the declaration. She emitted a heroic air as she got to her feet, like a general stepping onto the battlefield.

"You're setting out immediately?"

"I fear I'll start second-guessing myself if I linger by your side."

"Just one thing before you go," Zac said and took out the [Court Cycle Token]. Joanna tried infusing her will into it. Nothing changed. Zac shrugged and stowed it again. "I guess it's still early."

"If I die—"

Zac interjected before Joanna could finish the thought. "This is my only order. You're not allowed to die in this place. You're my spear, and our journey has only begun."

"…I hear your command. I'll try and gather clues about Left Imperial Palace. Master might have some unique insights."

"Don't bother. I'm still planning on avoiding that place," Zac waved his hand. "I'll stick to the lower courts and stay out of trouble."

Zac might have thrown his hat into the ring if he only had to worry about Ultom's Flameseeking trial. Wal'Zo, Ultom's Realm Spirit, had promised that multiple people could gain the First Era's inheritance. If true, Zac wouldn't be left with the hot potato of suddenly owning an Eternal Heritage. However, two trials had been woven into one, and Laondio's schemes had cast a haze of uncertainty over the whole trial.

"You're sitting this one out? When has that ever worked out for you?" Johanna laughed as she set out, heading straight for the Indomitable Court's pillar.

Zac scratched his chin as he watched Joanna disappear in the distance. She was undeniably right. So long as there was trouble, he'd end up right in the middle of it one way or another. It was the double-edged sword of wielding your own destiny, of having enough Luck to throw convention on its head.

"But if I stop fighting back against the winds of fate, can I even pretend I'm in control?" Zac muttered.

Zac didn't immediately set out. He first had some things he wanted to try. His Draugr side was already out of harm's way. Esmeralda had worked overtime, and they'd left the steppes a while back. The rampaging colony had already expanded their search beyond their domain, but the local tyrants weren't letting the ants act wantonly on their territory. A fierce war was being waged, providing the perfect cover for their escape.

Now that both sides were safe, Zac focused on his recent breakthrough. The small hatchet appeared before both bodies. Turning it on and off a few times confirmed his suspicions. He couldn't practice his Heart with only one body. His Dao Heart was like his Soul Aperture—he only had the one. As such, the woodsman hatchet would appear before both bodies or none.

Just looking at it, the Warbringer Idol filled Zac with warmth, partly because it shone slightly brighter compared to when he first conjured it. The phenomenon was the result of surviving the Monarchs' pursuit—the unique perk from [Warbringer Dharma]. While the idol was supercharged, cultivating his heart would yield much greater results.

The effect was time-limited, like Kill Energy, so Zac immediately began his heart nurturing. Practicing [Warbringer Dharma] was quite easy. He needed to hold onto the idol and let the feelings it elicited wash over him. Doing so formed a silent mantra that repeatedly affirmed his path. Zac also entered his Void State and found it boosted the effect by a small degree. It was good, but Zac could go even further.

Zac disrobed and took out his body-tempering clay. Soon enough, Zac was working on all three pillars of his path, moving from stance to stance with [Nine Reincarnation Manual]'s array disk in his hand. He still didn't have the next cultivation layers for his Soul or Body, but the law treasures he'd consumed had increased his capacity. Adding the benefits from [Void Emperor Apotheosis], there was still some room for growth.

The repeated affirmation of the [Warbringer Dharma] occupied a large part of one's psyche, yet it didn't add to the complexity of practicing multiple methods at once. Rather, it helped him harmonize his cultivation systems on a deeper level. The clash between Life and Death in his Soul Aperture became another symbol for his path, as did the Abyssal pools and golden hurricanes in his cells. There was nothing but his Dao.

Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Zac only realized how wrung-out he was after stopping. His whole body throbbed painfully, and his mind was sluggish like he'd just woken up from a deep slumber. Zac shook off the fully-drained clay and sat down. The trial run more than met his expectations. The Heart Tempering Sutra had made the pull of the Void almost twice as strong.

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Only a small part of the benefit came from the sutra itself. The greatly increased absorption speed was the benefit of completing the enkindling cycle between the Heart, Body, and Soul. The Void now increased his normal cultivation speed by half, provided he had the resources. That caveat, unfortunately, meant his new Heart Tempering Manual couldn't benefit from the Void. Zac didn't have any treasures that could directly nourish one's Dao Heart.

This wasn't a problem for his Body or Soul. He had plenty of crystals and Natural Treasures stockpiled in his Spatial Rings—for now. His resources weren't unlimited, and the demands would exponentially increase after he began practicing the next layers. Even if he could stomach the cost at that point, where would he source good enough treasures? Like the original manuals mentioned, he'd have to practice inside blessed environments and rely on its ambient energy.

The results were mostly in line with Zac's expectations. The only surprise was how drained a single session had left him. He'd have to hold back a bit unless both bodies were in seclusion. Since he was in no state to resume his journey, he refocused on the Holy Relic. While potentially extremely useful, holding onto it came with very real risks.

The general hadn't been able to uncover its exact location, but the Limitless Empire had been able to track its general whereabouts. A high-grade templar might sense the Imperial Faith even when hidden by the Technocrat container. The Limitless Empire might also have arrays designed to expose Selvari tech, so the box itself could get him in trouble.

There was also his own situation to worry about. He'd only triggered the rosary because of his unnatural state of mind, but his link to the Empyrean Chalice could be exposed through other means. Zac had prepared a lot of things for the trial, but upgrading his concealment equipment like his presence-weakening hoods and aura-containing bracer was not on that list.

He hadn't expected he might need to elude the watchful gaze of long-dead templars at C-grade or higher, especially not during an age-restricted trial. Thankfully, Esmeralda was the perfect person to consult on hiding ill-gotten gains and avoiding exposure.

"I'm surprised there's something on you that can cause such a reaction. I never noticed anything off about you. Well, beyond the other things that make you such a weirdo," Esmeralda said after Zac shared his experience.

Zac hadn't expected her to discover the mark. Esmeralda's methods were amazing, but she was limited by her current form. The Kayar-Elu's modified Duplicity Core worked on perception, and it was powerful enough to trick even Autarchs into thinking nothing was odd with his body.

Unfortunately, the Duplicity Core only changed what one saw when scanning his body. It wouldn't help if he were unknowingly transmitting a Holy Son-signal to the universe.

"You'd need extremely high levels of Imperial Faith to notice anything. So high-grade members of the order," Esmeralda offered.

"But those are the people that can kill me," Zac said with a roll of his eyes. "Do you really not have any ideas?"

"Wouldn't your heaven-obscuring abilities work?"

"Probably." [Void Zone] and [Void Mountain] hid his presence in different ways, and covering his body with the Void would likely obscure any mark of Imperial Faith. "But there's a limit to how long I can keep those abilities going."

"I have a few tricks that don't rely on my Dao or bloodline, but they're only so-so. I don't think they'd fool a bishop or cardinal," Esmeralda helplessly said. "I guess there's another option. Find the local resistance."

"What resistance?" Zac said. "The technocrats who raided the monastery?"

"They're one option, but you already have their tech," Esmeralda shrugged. "There's bound to be more like them. Any faction will have internal dissent, especially overbearing ones like the Limitless Empire. Most of them are bound to be disorganized rabble, but any real opposition should have means to escape the Empire's watchful eye."

"How would I find a group like that?" Zac said as he looked out at the empty wilderness. "Would rebels without Imperial Faith even leave memory lanterns?"

"Probably not. I should be able to smoke some of them out if we visit a larger city. Until then, don't act suspiciously. Being marked by faith shouldn't normally be a problem. There's no lack of warriors who have trained with the templars or fought by their side. You were just unlucky encountering an army that happened to be investigating a recent robbery. As for the box, just leave it outside next time you enter a domain."

Emeralda's words made sense, but Zac still didn't feel safe. There was one more thing he wanted to try. He took out the relic again and placed it atop the box before taking a few steps back. Zac activated [Void Zone] next, fully suppressing the Dao in his surroundings. From there, he slowly inched closer to the treasure, ready to escape at a moment's notice.

As effective as the Technocrat box was, it couldn't even be put into a spatial treasure while holding the relic. That was how Zac could sense it in the first place. There was, however, one subspace that had a decent chance of being able to contain the Void Treasure—the one made by [Purity of the Void].

Zac had steadily expanded his purification space since the Zenith Elixir reopened it for business, and it was already large enough that it could fit the fist-sized Holy Relic. Hiding the item inside his personal Void should be even more effective than the container, and he could take it out with his other half in case someone caught its scent. Having it inside his body would also let him study its mysteries at any time.

Only, hiding it there seemed extremely dangerous. [Purity of the Void] wouldn't consider Imperial Faith impurities to be purged, but the golden runes sealing the rock were clearly designed to deal with the Void. They might go berserk if surrounded by the Void, which was why Zac first wanted to test the waters with [Void Zone].

Zac held his breath as [Void Zone]'s border touched upon the stone's edges. It remained calm, even when fully submerged. Zac curiously looked at the unchanging runes. He'd expected something to happen. If not a fierce rejection, at least a slight weakening. But it appeared his Bloodline Talent had absolutely no effect on the Void.

Was it because of the pattern they formed, or was the faith instilled so powerful his bloodline was helpless before it? If it were the latter, then breaking past the cage would involve huge risks and a lot of effort.

Zac's Void also failed to resonate with the rock itself, but he noticed that the expenditure for his Bloodline Talent had almost doubled. It almost seemed like the rock was consuming it without making contact. Could that be the key to breaking it out? He continued his experiments for a while longer, only stopping short of attacking the runes with [Void Mountain]'s spiritual extinction. He wasn't ready for a direct clash yet.

By all accounts, the Holy Relic was completely stable and absolutely useless. Just what did the templars see in this thing? Finally, Zac threw the thing into [Purity of the Void]. Beyond releasing a few tendrils of dark smoke, the relic didn't seem to mind. The smoke was the purification of the minuscule amounts of Earthly Taint lodged in the paint.

[Purity of the Void] didn't cost much Void Energy, so the added expenditure wasn't much of a burden. And without having to hold a mysterious Void Treasure, the Technocrat box went into his Spatial Ring without any complaints. Everything dealt with, Zac set out again. The throbbing pain from his wound remained, but his heart felt light.

Meeting Joanna allowed Zac to finally relax and focus on his mission. She had her own path and skillset and she didn't need his saving. If anything, he'd ended up putting her in danger by running to her side. The other sealbearers were similarly capable of taking care of themselves. They'd survived both the intersector war's brutal meatgrinder and the Imperial Graveyard.

What they needed now was the opportunity to hone their path, and the Left Imperial Expanse was the perfect place for it. That didn't necessarily mean striking out alone like Joanna. What was important was that they pursued their path instead of getting swept up in his, and that they fully shouldered the weight of that decision.

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