Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1395: Rivers and Moons

The shifting cavern fell silent as the group resumed their meditation. This quiet persisted for several hours, interrupted only by the occasional tremor suggesting the spatial pocket might collapse. Zac dedicated every moment to returning to peak condition, even surrounding himself with Miasma Crystals during a brief nap to accelerate his innate healing.

His sheer willpower, deep resources, and a reckless disregard for pill toxicity paid off. Within ten hours, the damage from his corruption overdose had mostly faded, and a massive swirl of purified enlightenment sat ready within [Purity of the Void]. He had restored 80% of his energy reserves, though his Vigor and Void Vigor remained slightly behind.

Recovering this quickly was unheard of for powerful Hegemons, who often required years of rest after a life-or-death struggle. It was a result of his Sindris heritage combined with two constitutions designed for endurance and restoration. However, this miracle was a desperate, one-time tactic that he couldn't replicate during the remainder of the hunt.

Zac checked his arm, feeling a dull throb in his overworked Meridians. It was minor compared to the heavy ache in his core, and the energy circulating through him lacked its usual shine. True rest was irreplaceable; his body was currently too exhausted to properly process even the mildest medicinal tinctures for at least a week.

At the very least, his struggles had yielded results. Zac pushed a tiny amount of energy into his Mercurial Court Disciple token, causing two sets of digits to manifest.

[Potentiality: 8,137]

[Imperial Merit: 71,877]

He had been tracking his gains since arriving on Sevona’s island, including a quick check after the clash with the Hastor Society. The growth was staggering. He had landed with barely 600 Potentiality, and weeks of effort—both in the physical ruins and the memories of the past—had only pushed that to 1,800 before the hunt started.

This meant he had earned over 6,000 Potentiality in less than a single day. While every corrupted monster provided a few points, the bulk came from sabotaging the ritual and killing its leader. Though the exact breakdown was unclear, Zac felt that nearly half of the total came solely from slaying Zorm.

Zac had hoped for a larger payout for stopping the ritual, but he understood why it was limited. Breaking one magic circle hadn't ended the transformation of the inner region; it had only slowed the decay. To claim the true reward, he would need to fully dismantle the invaders' master plan.

Still, Astora Theomore’s advice had been spot on. Hunting down infiltrators was the most efficient way to gain Potentiality. Furthermore, he suspected these actions were strengthening his fate with the Mercurial Court, which would likely lower the requirements for his promotion to Inner Disciple.

Their meeting with Marai hadn't added to the total. Both numbers remained exactly as they were after the fight with Zorm. The lack of movement in his Imperial Merit wasn't shocking; his deeds within the Mercurial Court provided no points there. His contributions were being converted entirely into Potentiality. The Merit he did have was purely the result of his other half wreaking havoc near the Hollow Court.

“So, what do you think?” Esmeralda asked, breaking Zac’s concentration.

“You’re right. We have no other choice,” Zac replied, causing Esmeralda to break into a massive smirk.

Zac’s original strategy for the hunt was to pick off the infiltrators one by one, stopping their schemes while harvesting Potentiality. However, the strength they had smuggled onto the island far exceeded his guesses, and the threat of the magic circles loomed large. He simply couldn't handle more than one or two more Monarchs, and even then, only under perfect circumstances.

Esmeralda had proposed an alternative. They could use their small group size and specific talents to slip into the hunting lodge undetected, avoiding fights to steal Sevona’s divine core or whatever was powering the structure. It was predictable for a thief to suggest a heist, but her logic was sound. They possessed the dagger to unlock secret paths, Esmeralda had the technical skill, and his Void powers could bypass many wards.

Then there was Idiche, whose aura was becoming more synchronized with the island every hour. She was effectively turning into a native of Sevona’s divine kingdom, which could be a massive advantage inside the lodge.

Esmeralda had argued that bypassing security through authorization was always easier than brute-forcing arrays. This was the same reason Zac was striving for the Inner Disciple rank—it was the simplest path to the treasure Esmeralda sought.

Marai’s final moments had given Zac a rough idea of the invaders' goals, which explained why the Sect Elders were missing. He hoped that taking the lodge core would ruin their plans. Additionally, he suspected it would give the Disciplinary Hall the legal opening to intervene on the island without facing a backlash from fate.

The three spent another hour preparing, until the shifting walls narrowed so much they were nearly pinned.

“Time to move,” Esmeralda said.

Zac nodded and stepped toward her, gripping his axe in one hand and the ancient dagger in the other. Idiche joined them, already wrapped in her high-grade cloak. Esmeralda placed her hands on their shoulders and released a faint spatial ripple. The world blurred, and they stood once more under the open sky.

“You weren't kidding. It’s completely different,” Zac noted, surveying the landscape.

The rainclouds had vanished. The night sky above was no longer that of the Peregrine Archipelago; instead, a few stars dotted a deep purple expanse. A glowing blue moon hung directly over the island's center, its radiance so intense it masked other stars. Even from a distance, Zac could feel the moon's weight pressing down on the hidden lodge.

The conflict between sand and rain had ceased, but the path forward was not clear. The central region had become a desert partitioned by eight concentric rivers serving as moats. These were composed of Sevona’s illusory water, growing wider as they moved inward. They possessed enough power to resist the thirsty sand, though Zac could see the edges being slowly eaten away.

The mountains behind them no longer felt threatening, and the ambient illusory Qi had dropped significantly. The hunting lodge had pulled all available energy to form a final defensive line. The three magic circles in the sky were no longer producing sand, but they vibrated with a frequency that Zac could feel more than hear.

“It is shifting,” Idiche noted. “They are attempting to rewrite the island’s fundamental nature. Perhaps to synchronize it with another realm? Aligning the two islands would allow them to merge.”

“This desert is a massive formation disguised as nature. Every grain of sand is infused with spirituality and serves the pattern,” Esmeralda remarked, her expression grim.

“It’s a good thing we took out two of the circles. It gave us the window we needed,” Zac said as they crept toward the first river, hidden by Esmeralda’s stealth. “I just hope it was enough. I don't see any of the invaders.”

“What is visible is not always the truth,” Idiche warned.

“This water is dangerous,” Esmeralda whispered as they reached the bank. “It’s only ten meters wide, but it contains truths nearing the level of Continuum. The gap is absolute. Only an Autarch capable of rewriting local laws could cross without being pulled under.”

Zac tossed a piece of ore with enough strength to travel miles. It vanished the moment it passed over the water, never reaching the far bank. The test proved that using [Fuxi Mountain Gate] would fail. He tried extending his [Void Zone], but his D-grade Bloodline Talent couldn't reach even an inch over the surface.

Feeding some blood to the dagger, however, revealed a path.

“The cost is higher than when we crossed the mountains,” Zac said, frowning as he let go of the blade. “I can get us across two or three of these at most. Any more and I won't be able to fight.”

“Then the sleepwalker and I can only manage one, probably this first one.” Esmeralda shook her head and looked at Idiche. “We should save your strength for the hardest parts and find another way for these outer ones. Do you feel anything?”

“It… is calling to me. I believe we can simply enter?” Idiche suggested. “There is likely an independent space within the rivers. We just have to find the way through.”

Zac looked to Esmeralda, who gave a reluctant nod. “It’s possible, but the lodge won't let us pass without a fight.”

“Maybe the internal formations will see us as allies. If not, I can use the dagger for navigation without burning my blood,” Zac said, gesturing with the weapon. “Stay close. We can't afford to be separated.”

“Fine.” Esmeralda perched on Zac’s head while chains wrapped around Idiche to keep her tethered.

Ready, Zac took a deep breath and stepped into the shallow water. Sharp stabs of pain pierced his body, from his cells to his soul, as his vision warped. Before he could orient himself or find the cause of the pain, his instincts screamed.

The familiar tug in his mind was accompanied by a distorted, discordant roar. Zac moved automatically, following the lethal reflexes honed through years of war. A glowing sword sliced through a veil of dark sand, striking the spot he had occupied a second before.

Zac finished his dodge and immediately counterattacked, his axe swinging upward in a powerful arc toward a visored helmet. There was no resistance; his axe didn't draw blood, nor did the armor stop it. The blade passed through the soldier as if he were a phantom.

But he wasn't a ghost. Zac had dealt with plenty of spectral entities and constructs. Even if they were resilient, a strike infused with his Dao should have done something. Yet the soldier didn't flinch as the axe moved through his head. He simply pivoted for another strike. Simultaneously, five more soldiers appeared, surrounding Zac.

These attackers were merely Early Hegemons, the kind found in elite standing armies. They weren't weak, but their strength came from coordination and numbers rather than individual power. Zac avoided their blows with ease while analyzing the environment. He moved with blurred speed, taking in the chaotic battlefield shrouded in corrupted sand gusts.

They were in the center of a war zone that reminded him of the Memory Domain where he had met Joanna. An imperial force was holding back a tide of beasts. However, the scene was unstable, similar to the shifting cave. On this scale, with thousands of fighters, the spatial distortions were disorienting. It felt like a fever dream of mismatched memories, though the area immediately around him remained relatively solid.

Zac noticed that he recognized many of the beasts from his recent travels on the island. The soldiers, meanwhile, had a clear sign of their corruption: dark plumes leaked from their armor.

Was this a real battle between invaders and Sevona’s guardians, or a symbolic representation of the rainwater fighting the corrupted formation? He could sense spirituality in the combatants, but the scene was too erratic to be anything but a dream or illusion.

Real or not, the beasts were losing to the imperial machine. The hostile environment hampered the soldiers' corruption, but it wasn't enough to stop them. The battle looked like it would conclude in a few hours, coinciding with the river's eventual depletion.

A sudden burst of foul air erupted from Idiche. A wound opened on her throat, leaking blood and corruption before the illusory Qi of the area tore the taint away. Zac realized his own pain came from the same source. This space was purging hidden corruption, even the traces his Hidden Nodes had missed.

For Zac, the pain was just a distraction, but Esmeralda was visibly suffering. She wasn't heavily tainted, but her purification methods weren't as thorough as his [Purity of the Void].

Idiche was in the worst shape, nearly passing out as corruption was ripped from her. The price for taking the treasure from Marai’s world was higher than she had admitted. Zac watched her closely, ready to use [Void Zone] to shield her if necessary.

The ancient dagger proved useful again, giving Zac a sense of direction without requiring blood. He began pushing through the battlefield, testing different attacks on the enemies. The soldiers seemed to be a finite force; no new ones appeared to replace those the beasts managed to kill.

He considered if he could weaken the enemy's hold on the island by sabotaging the rivers, but even [Fatehew] failed to damage the spectral troops.

His attempts only drew more aggro. A painful test revealed a harsh truth: the soldiers' attacks caused spiritual damage, as did the beasts'. While a single hit wouldn't break Zac’s soul, they would become lethal if he took too many.

Reluctantly, Zac triggered [Void Mountain] and slammed a Dao-annihilating rune into a soldier's helmet. The metal crumpled with a loud crack, and the soldier collapsed. A pulse of foreign spirituality surged into Zac, only to be violently repelled by his ancient Killing Intent.

Zac looked around, his perspective shifting. These untouchable soldiers now looked like a harvest of experience points. The spiritual essence from one early Hegemon was nearly as potent as drake’s blood. If he cleared a few rivers, he could likely finalize his [Thousand Axes Avatar] foundation.

Unfortunately, he lacked the time and Void Energy to slaughter an entire army. Furthermore, killing one soldier turned him into a primary target for dozens of others.

“Transcendental spirits. The heart crosses the veil,” Idiche whispered in a daze.

Though unconscious, her sleepwalking insights remained active. Zac summoned his [Warbringer Dharma] and manifested his idol. The battlefield immediately felt less chaotic and more grounded.

It wasn't as effective as Void Energy—his weapon only seemed to carry about 5% of its true power—but it was enough to inflict spiritual wounds. Zac didn't mind the inefficiency. Maintaining the idol was easy, and he could simply wear the enemies down through persistence.

“One begets the two, delimited yet one,” Idiche murmured as Zac finally finished off another attacker using his idol’s stabilization.

A small, seed-like object appeared near his floating hatchet, further stabilizing the illusory realm. Zac’s heart raced, thinking he had reached a breakthrough and formed his second idol. He knew such things couldn't be rushed, but his lack of progress with idols since the first had been a source of frustration.

However, his excitement vanished when he realized he wasn't the one responsible.