Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1385: Egged On

The Unvai Drakes were consumed by a primal rage as they witnessed their kin reduced to gore across the beach and Zac’s face. The culprit behind the egg’s destruction had vanished instantly after the toss, leaving the drakes to focus their collective wrath on the remaining human. Draconic runes flared across their scales, radiating heavy waves of suppression. Although their lineage lacked the purity of the dragon Zac had encountered within the Tower of Eternity, their raw power was nearly two full grades superior.

The shoreline trembled, and the damp earth hissed and popped wherever the drakes stepped. They were transforming into walking disasters, their bodies acting as pressurized tanks for volcanic sludge. Utilizing two elongated tails perforated with steaming vents for balance, they charged forward at a frightening pace.

Zac felt a blistering heat rising from the silver sea behind him as the water began to churn and boil. The air itself crackled, unable to withstand the destructive thermal energy saturating the monsters' domain. By synchronizing their auras, the beasts generated an effect reminiscent of a War Array. The pack consisted mostly of Late Beast Kings, though three surged with the power of the peak stage.

Combined with the potent ancient bloodline in their veins, they represented a lethal threat. Zac remained rooted, meeting the mounting pressure head-on as he was engulfed by plumes of superheated steam. Any ordinary cultivator would have seen their combat effectiveness halved when struck by even a fraction of a true dragon’s oppressive aura.

However, Zac was far from ordinary. The heritages within his own body were every bit as prestigious as those of primordial dragons, and [Adamance of Eoz] acted as a shield that violently rebuffed the natural suppression. His eyes flashed with anticipation as he prepared for the clash. This violence was the perfect outlet to settle his internal turbulence. Despite the intimidating numbers, he wouldn't be forced to engage the entire pack simultaneously.

Standing roughly five meters tall, the Unvai Drakes were smaller than typical D-grade monsters. This size constraint meant only a handful could reach him at once, while the rest were relegated to long-range harassment. Zac intended to exploit this limitation, realizing that a close-quarters melee was his best path to victory.

The ground beneath Zac shattered as he propelled himself forward like a cannonball. Thick plumes of Miasma blanketed the beach during his charge. While his personal domain couldn't overpower the combined aura of twenty enraged drakes—especially with the constant rain washing away his mist—it served to dampen the soaring temperatures that threatened to turn the coast into a volcanic crater.

Furthermore, the island’s thick Illusory Energy integrated seamlessly with the sensory deprivation of [Fields of Despair]. The drakes roared in frustration as their sight was stolen, but true panic only set in when their spiritual senses were smothered by a void of darkness. Their glowing runes surged with power to burn through the secondary effects of [Abyssal Drive], but that momentary hesitation was all Zac required to seize the initiative.

The shadows retracted, replaced by a violent crimson glow. A spray of blood, rain, and fire erupted as two armored heads hit the sand. Zac let the searing blood coat his skin before vanishing, leaving only the clatter of spectral chains in his wake. An instant later, he materialized before a third drake, his axe falling with lethal precision.

The pack was stunned by the immediate loss of two members. Rather than causing them to falter, the deaths only fueled their savagery. Zac had anticipated this; the drakes were naturally aggressive, and the heavy corruption they carried made rational thought nearly impossible.

Four monsters unleashed their dragon breath—concentrated streams of molten lava. While these lacked the spiritual intensity of true divine flames, Zac knew better than to tank the torrents directly. His eyes shone with excitement as he pivoted mid-swing. His axe shifted trajectory, moving from the neck to carve a massive gash across the drake’s torso.

Pressurized heat hissed from a ruptured lung, and Zac used the force of the venting gas to propel himself out of the path of the four lava beams. Simultaneously, a dark chain lanced through the heat, hooking into the open wound before the flesh could cauterize. The drake thrashed in agony, forcing Zac to retreat further, but the beast was already marked for death.

The third drake convulsed, vomiting blood before it collapsed. Deep, vibrant ribbons of red began to seep from the chest wound—the creature’s Essence Blood, containing the concentrated power of its lineage. The wound buckled and tore until a mangled heart, ensnared in dark links, was yanked free.

Zac paid only minimal attention to that chain and the five others currently busy distracting the frenzied pack. He navigated the hidden paths of the Void to appear in the blind spot of a fourth drake. The beast’s eyes rolled back as the runes on its chest suddenly detonated.

A massive explosion rocked the beach, turning pebbles into lethal shrapnel. Even the other drakes recoiled from the sheer kinetic impact. A firestorm erupted within the resulting crater, appearing as though it might burn indefinitely, only to be snuffed out by a burst of death-attuned killing intent.

Zac stepped from the inferno, slightly scorched but unharmed, carrying a severed head. Blood doused the remaining embers as he took a deep breath and charged again, relishing the physical sensations. He fought with animalistic ferocity, unshackling his murderous aura, yet his internal focus remained sharp and cold.

Zac mused as a bloody chain returned with another crushed heart.

He wasted no time layering more Essence Blood onto his body, feeling the ancient Killing Intent within him hum with satisfaction as it grew more stable. Suddenly, small fragments of the intent broke away and underwent a profound change. These strands shed their vengeful, bloody aura, looking as though a long-standing debt had finally been settled.

Zac wasn't certain if the resulting energy could still be called Killing Intent. It felt purer, yet more fleeting. He recognized the transition from his experiences with Primal Dao. Drawing on his previous trials, Zac guided his Dao of Defiant War toward these pure fragments. They merged seamlessly with his Dao before sinking into his spiritual body.

In that fleeting window, Zac became the embodiment of war, feeling a deeper connection to his Dao than ever before. The chaotic, obscured battlefield turned transparent. He could sense the minute energy shifts within his foes, allowing him to predict their movements before they occurred. It was as if he were glimpsing the future, guided by the collective wisdom of countless warriors. The sensation lasted only a moment, but it left a permanent impression on his martial understanding.

The benefits weren't limited to his comprehension. Although only a tiny fraction of the Killing Intent had been refined by slaying a Late D-grade Beast King, the progress was enough to make Zac’s heart race with potential.

This spiritual refinement was helping him shift his body toward his preferred Conflict-attunement. Moreover, these infusions were elevating the grade of his spiritual body, which had stagnated recently. It was an inevitable byproduct of his busy life; the [Thousand Lights Chapter] was designed for ghosts, and Zac could only utilize its basic levels.

His spiritual body typically scaled with his soul, aiding in the flow of energy and Dao resistance. However, those passive gains paled in comparison to the advancements offered by the manual’s higher stages—stages he didn't even possess. He could only imagine the power they would grant.

Now, Zac was closing that gap through the simple act of slaughter. He felt like a priest offering sacrifices to a god of battle and receiving physical rewards in return. The fact that each kill offered only a small step forward didn't bother him. If his journey guaranteed anything, it was a constant supply of enemies to kill.

He wondered why bathing in the blood was more effective than the kill itself. Was it the symbolism of the act, or the draconic essence within the blood? Zac pondered this while systematically dismantling the remaining drakes. A fifth fell, then a sixth. Each death provided a surge of energy while the drakes' oppressive domain began to falter.

Zac realized that using his specific techniques to kill while surrounded by enemies created a resonance with the Killing Intent. The energy submitted more readily to his will when he channeled the weight of Inexorable Death. His combat stances acted as the perfect bridge to unify his path into a single, devastating purpose.

If he possessed the refined energy control of someone like Iz, he might have achieved this through skills alone. But Zac’s control was often blunt and reliant on shortcuts. Consequently, his bond with his skills wasn't as profound as that of other Heaven’s Chosen, even those skills he had pioneered himself.

The sensation of the ancient Killing Intent aligning with his soul was intoxicating. He chased the feeling until a sudden spike of danger forced him back to reality. Twelve drakes had been slaughtered in five minutes. Despite their desperate counterattacks, Zac had suffered only minor cuts.

The beasts seemed inexperienced against cultivators, relying too heavily on their bloodline aura. Once that failed to hinder Zac, they were lost. However, the threat remained significant.

Though half their number were dead, the pack's primary power was intact. The three Peak D-grade Beast Kings were still standing, two of them having already survived shallow wounds. Their hides were far tougher than the others, and they had forced Zac to back off before he could land a killing blow.

The swirling energy and rising corruption from the leaders suggested they were turning to the Dead Dao of the Lost Era in a final attempt to survive. New, twisted patterns emerged on their scales, pushing their power toward the level of Pseudo Beast Emperors. Meanwhile, the remaining Late-stage drakes began to shrivel as their life force was drained away.

Zac realized he was looking at a bloodline sacrifice. He couldn't allow it to finish. He charged the nearest leader while his chains lashed out at the sacrificial drakes to interrupt the flow of energy. The weakened beasts couldn't resist, and two died instantly as links pierced their skulls.

Yet, the sense of impending doom only intensified. Zac let out a roar, putting his full strength into a massive swing, abandoning his quest for maximum efficiency. The edge of his axe shimmered with the soul-tearing power of [Fatehew], striking the Peak Beast King directly on the brow. He felt his Dao bite into the creature’s soul, attempting to sever its very destiny.

The beast’s mental defenses buckled; one more hit would likely end it. Despite that, Zac immediately transitioned into a blur of Abyssal Death, narrowly dodging a tail-swipe as he fled for his life. The Beast King pursued him, its runes lighting up the dark, but it lacked the explosive movement of [Abyssal Drive].

A thunderous roar cleared the rain before a column of foul, black-and-red energy erupted toward the heavens. The local energy collapsed, forcing Zac out of his incorporeal form. The stench of sulfur hit him just before a heatwave nearly knocked him senseless. Looking back at the crater, Zac felt a surge of relief. Had he hesitated for even a second, that pillar of corrupted magma would have vaporized him.

The eruption lasted only moments, but the fallout scorched the landscape for miles. A massive swath of the forest was gone. Zac stared at the blackened beach, his hand tightening on his axe. The pillar wasn't what had triggered his instincts. The real danger was just arriving.

A new draconic presence manifested within the explosion, far dwarfing the previous auras. It had crossed into the Monarchy threshold and was still growing. Zac felt a focused, murderous intent lock onto him. He couldn't wait for it to finish. He triggered [Profane Exponents] and charged back into the blinding mist of steam.

The heat was like standing on the surface of a star, but Zac’s pygmy skeletons mitigated the worst of it. One pygmy swirled around him in a dark vortex, pushing aside the superheated vapor. He didn't care about the mana cost; if he let the creature fully manifest, his summons wouldn't be able to save him.

The beach had turned into a lake of molten stone, with a jagged black spike rising from the center. That spinal ridge was the source of the Monarchy-level aura. Zac ignored the thing under the lava and targeted the three remaining drakes.

The Peak-stage leaders were positioned around the rift, their runes twisted by corruption as they stared at the spine with religious devotion. Zac slammed into the central leader, initiating a brutal melee, while his chains kept the other two occupied.

The three leaders held onto their ritualistic focus for only a second before the madness took over. They abandoned their posts and lunged at Zac with total disregard for their lives. They no longer cared about the summoning or the ominous scroll unrolling behind the human. Their only goal was to slaughter the intruder.

The summoning didn't stop, however; it was fueled by their very blood and would continue until they died. Zac maintained his rhythm, his Inexorable Death exerting a suffocating pressure. He moved like a puppet master, every strike and chain-flick guiding the monsters toward their end.

With a calculated maneuver, Zac forced the three drakes to collide with one another. In that split second, he vanished. Using his Void-infused movement, he slipped from their perception. Before they could find him, he combined [Abyssal Drive] with Void Energy for a silent strike. A massive, obsidian blade erupted from the earth, decapitating all three drakes in a single clean arc.

Their struggle—and their lives—were over.

The lava began to churn as the connection to the leaders snapped, and the overwhelming draconic aura started to leak away. Forcing an ancestral manifestation was beyond the Unvai Drakes' natural limits; they had only succeeded by using corruption as a crutch. With the anchors dead, the ritual collapsed.

The battle was won, but the ancestral Lava Dragon wouldn't vanish without a final spiteful act. Zac’s instincts screamed, and he turned to run. He hadn't gone far before a massive aura pinned him in place. There was no time to use the Void to escape. The spinal spike shattered, releasing a colossal blade of pure magma.

The strike was nearly instantaneous. Zac pushed [Profane Exponents] to the breaking point. The pygmy carrying the coffin tried to intercept the blow but was shattered instantly. Even with the fourth pygmy’s empowerment, it only slowed the attack for a fraction of a second.

That heartbeat was all Zac needed to trigger an escape talisman. The suppression nearly caused it to fail, but it managed to teleport him fifty meters away. Zac ignored the agony of spatial tears on his skin and activated a defensive talisman. The extra distance and the D-grade barrier were just enough to let the vengeful blade of fire pass him by.

It roared overhead, cutting through the sky and leaving a trail of fire that stretched to the horizon. The attack had exhausted the ritual’s remaining power. As the lava cooled and vanished, it revealed the intact corpses of twenty drakes, each glowing with a faint, ghostly light.

Zac collapsed onto the sand, staring blankly up at the falling rain.