Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1400: Blood and Moonlight

The stench of human greed greeted Zac the moment he stepped out of Esmeralda’s spatial pocket. At its current level, the avarice wasn't potent enough to warp Zac's mind, but it did provide a tactical advantage. Their foes believed the moonlight would strip away any hidden threats, yet both Idiche and Esmeralda possessed the means to bypass such detection. With that false confidence and Zac serving as a blatant distraction, the enemy was unlikely to spot the real danger.

Zac felt certain Idiche would fulfill her vow if she reached the Hall of Abundance, though his confidence stemmed from the shifting winds of fate rather than her own skill. It had become undeniable to both Zac and Esmeralda that the power dormant within the Explorer’s Guild Vice Leader was far more than a simple soul fragment of an Outer Disciple.

Idiche was destined to become the Sevona of the new era.

As Esmeralda had warned, allowing Idiche to claim the Divine Core would trigger the rebirth of a primordial goddess. Zac had wrestled with the implications of this since he first suspected her true nature. Would her awakening serve the invaders' agenda? A goddess newly reborn might lack mastery over her divinity, potentially creating a vulnerability for the enemy to exploit.

However, observing the powerful entity’s frantic attempts to block their path made Zac believe otherwise. It was more likely that Idiche was the Mercurial Court’s ultimate countermeasure against the outsiders. Zac even theorized that her hidden identity was the sole reason the Eighth Elder had recruited her as a disciple.

A talent from the outer courts would be hailed as a Heaven’s Chosen in any other land, far surpassing any standard Peak Hegemon of the Empire. Yet, her displayed prowess shouldn't have been enough to capture the personal interest of a figure like Elder Istazh. The ten supreme cultivators of the Mercurial Court were undoubtedly peerless Autarchs.

Despite this, Elder Istazh had shown a deep investment, even gifting Idiche priceless treasures. This clandestine mentorship was the elder council's method of steering fate without violating the restrictions placed upon them. By letting Idiche consume the Divine Core, the hunt would conclude, the island's seal would shatter, and the enemy's schemes would be ruined.

Zac’s intuition hinted at an even more profound conspiracy. Esmeralda’s earlier remark in the lodge continued to haunt him. Sevona’s divinity carried traces of energy akin to the Eternal Guardians—or more accurately, the Stellar Wanderers, one of the Ancient Arcana. This was the same Ancient Arcana whose Dao-transcending essence served as the bedrock for the Omnipresence Chamber.

The invaders sought Sevona’s divinity to ensure their survival when the dream finally collapsed. Conversely, the Mercurial Court likely wanted Sevona to bolster the failing barriers between the various timelines of the Omnipresence Chamber. Zac was now a player in an existential war. Success promised immense rewards; even direct access to the [Second Singularity] was a possibility.

That was, of course, if he could survive the immediate trial ahead.

“There he is. The prodigal son,” Kaltosa Lu remarked with a smile as Zac entered the blood-soaked lobby.

His presence sparked immediate tension. The remaining invaders braced themselves for a new threat, while the recently arrived Monarch flared with rage. The lingering aura of Zac’s Abyssal Death saturated the room, making his role in the deaths of the Monarch's allies impossible to ignore. The Monarch only restrained himself because Descartes stood motionless beside him, waiting for his leader's command.

“A little warning would have been nice,” Kaltosa Lu sighed, ignoring the others. “You nearly cleaved me in half just now.”

“How was I supposed to know you were lurking inside his body? For that matter, how did you even get here?” Zac retorted as he moved closer.

The Elemental’s presence was a frustrating reminder that he had witnessed Zac’s secret techniques. While many were becoming aware of his Void Energy, few understood its true potential. His ability to trigger skills instantly using [Force of the Void] to bypass defenses was one of his most vital secrets.

Zac usually only revealed that card when delivering a finishing blow. He had inadvertently exposed it here, never expecting a fellow trial-taker to be hiding so close. Now that Kaltosa Lu was aware of [Force of the Void], it was bound to cause complications later.

The Elemental had already spent days observing Zac's repertoire. Outmaneuvering such a calculating foe was impossible, so Zac decided on a different tactic: he would shatter the current flow of the hunt and ruin everyone's plans, seizing victory from the resulting chaos.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That applies to survival just as much as romance. As fate's tide rises, the necessary actors are drawn into the eye of the storm. We’ll—HEY!” Kaltosa Lu shouted in shock as Zac suddenly blurred into motion.

Four warriors were slaughtered by Zac’s axe before they could react. Emerging from a spray of gore, Zac now stood three meters tall, draped in a justiciar’s mantle. He had triggered three skills simultaneously: [Inexorable Subjugation], [Arbiter of the Abyss], and [Fatehew]. The first snared his targets with chains, the second diverted their desperate parries, and the third ended their lives before Descartes or the Monarch could intervene.

“You bastard!” the wounded Monarch bellowed.

Abandoning his wait for Descartes, he vanished before Zac could strike again. The C-grade leader reappeared in front of Zac instantly—not through speed, but through genuine teleportation. Zac realized with a grimace that his foe was a Spatial Cultivator, and teleportation was only the beginning.

Zac felt the very fabric of space tighten around him, forming a crushing cage. This spatial prison was fueled by the Monarch’s C-grade Qi and anchored by the weight of his Inner World. Kaltosa Lu attempted to neutralize the effect with several arrays, but Descartes shattered the disks with a casual wave of his hand. The Elemental was soon locked in a tense standoff with Descartes, both searching for a fatal opening.

Zac was forced to face the spatial assault alone, and this was a restriction that brute strength couldn't easily break. He wasn't ready to use the Void to escape yet. Since he couldn't dodge, he had to take the hit—a choice he immediately questioned when a small black sphere emerged from the Monarch’s sleeve.

It hummed with volatile Spatial Energy, sucking any leaked power back into its core. The Spatial Cultivator had been nurturing a miniature black hole, using its innate ability to mask energy to hide its presence. It provided an advantage similar to Zac's [Force of the Void]—a fully powered skill appearing without warning.

The black hole shredded through Zac's chains and the barrier of [Profane Proxy]. By combining [Arbiter of the Abyss] with the force-shifting winds of his pygmy companion, Zac diverted half the impact. That left only the breastplate of [Love’s Bond] to protect him. Its defensive power had spiked after the upgrade, and Zac hoped it would withstand the remaining force.

The Spatial Monarch, seemingly guessing Zac's thoughts, didn't wait to see the result. Zac cursed as the black hole vanished into a ripple, only to reappear inside his defenses. Agony flared through him as the attack bypassed his armor via short-range teleportation, tearing into his internal organs and heading straight for his Duplicity Core.

Zac fought back with everything he had to stop the spatial collapse. [Adamance of Eoz] roared to life, turning his Qi into an unbreakable wall. Death, Conflict, and Life energies worked with his Hidden Nodes to neutralize the threat. Though a horrific wound was carved into his abdomen, the Duplicity Core remained intact.

The sense of danger didn't fade; it intensified. His opponent stayed on the offensive, becoming a blur of figures attacking from every angle. Even though these strikes were weaker than the black hole, they were still lethal enough to require a defense.

Zac tapped into the clarity provided by his surging Killing Intent, using [Arbiter of the Abyss] to manipulate the paths of the incoming strikes. The spectral chain on his arm was ready to counter, but the Monarch was too elusive. Any apparent opening was a trap—a spatial rift or barrier designed to leave Zac vulnerable to a killing blow.

He could take a few more hits, but each one cost him dearly, and merely enduring wouldn't win the fight. He was being dismantled by a classic speedster-versus-tank strategy, where his defenses were being systematically stripped away.

Suddenly, a chorus of screams erupted. Over half the surviving soldiers collapsed, clutching their throats in agony. Despite his duel with Descartes, Kaltosa Lu had managed to release a lethal toxin into the air. The Monarch’s eyes widened in shock, and he hesitated, debating whether to prioritize the Elemental.

That was the opening. Oblivion and Inexorability merged into a devastating force of destruction. It flowed through Zac’s arm into [Death’s Duality], creating an edge of pure void. The blade sliced through space and reality alike. The Monarch, slowed by the distraction and the weight of [Extinction Event], couldn't move fast enough.

Space cracked, but Zac was sent flying like a broken doll, coughing up blood. The Monarch had barely evaded [Extinction Event] and landed a heavy counter. Zac had only just managed to mitigate the force enough to stay alive. He gasped for air through the pain; it was a price he was willing to pay.

The Monarch believed Zac had miscalculated, but Zac was the one playing the long game. He knew the Oblivion-enhanced strike wouldn't land directly. A veteran warrior wouldn't be truly thrown off by the death of a few minions. The Monarch's hesitation was a lure, and Zac had taken the bait on purpose. Using his Oblivion Energy was a heavy cost, but it made his feint believable.

Zac had read the Monarch's rhythm and used his Inexorable Stance to guide the flow of the fight. At the critical moment, he had funneled the Monarch's options into a single counter-path. The momentum of that counter was exactly what Zac needed to reach the azure seal guarding the Hall of Abundance.

Until now, the Monarch had kept Zac pinned in the center of the room to prevent him from reaching his allies. These wounds were the toll required to reach the Divine Core.

The Spatial Cultivator realized the trick too late. His lack of intel had led to a fatal error. As he tried to warp space to drag Zac back, a sphere of void erupted from Zac. [Void Zone] stabilized the local space, allowing Zac to surge forward.

Another burst of annihilation flared on Zac’s blade, slamming into the glowing seal before the Monarch could reach him. A massive portion of the moonlight energy was erased, but the seal held. Zac followed up with a palm strike, using [Void Mountain] to blast a hole through the barrier.

Through the breach, Zac saw it: the Divine Core, suspended in the center of a grand rotunda. He felt its gaze upon him, a sensation that flooded his mind. He barely registered a gust of wind rushing past him before the seal repaired itself. Just as it closed, a wave of profound grief radiated from the depths of the lodge.

A moment later, Zac stood beside two stunned attendants. They were surrounded by over fifty hunters who were confused by the sudden chaos. Having been through this loop before, Zac acted instantly.

“We are under attack!” Zac bellowed, spitting out a spray of Miasma to sell the act. “Corrupted invaders are trying to defile our sacred halls!”

The hunters were slow to move, but the lodge itself reacted. The grand foyer, restored to its holy state and filled with Sevona’s grace, detected the corruption within the invaders. Blinding sunlight surged through the windows, and a dozen screams filled the hall.

The Spatial Monarch was among them, helpless against the holy wrath, his teleportation useless. Strangely, Kaltosa Lu and Descartes were unharmed. Zac initially thought they had protection like his dagger, but a pulse from his pocket suggested a different reason.

He sensed Imperial Fate being drained from Kaltosa Lu’s arm, while Descartes held an object remarkably similar to the [Court Cycle Token]. Like the Elemental, he was burning Imperial Merit to trick the lodge into seeing him as an ally.

Descartes wasn't finished. He threw down an ancient banner bearing the crest of Sevona’s realm. It crumbled to ash before Zac could move, and the entire illusion began to fail. Zac pivoted to his next objective: finishing off the dying Monarch.

Holy fire consumed the Monarch, and spatial rifts to a burning realm surrounded him. Zac reached into the chaos and triggered [Deathmark], releasing a cloud of rotting energy. He followed with another [Fatehew] strike, aimed at the Monarch's head. The man was split in two, his soul shredded by the spiritual edge of the skill.

To ensure the kill, Zac dropped one of his [Cherry Nuts] before pulling back. It was the same brutal tactic Ogras had used in the Dipper Seven trials. Zac’s Draugr Class lacked many ways to directly attack an Inner World, leaving him with few options beyond [Desperation’s End].

Sensing imminent danger, Zac kicked the dying man away. The unconscious Monarch offered no resistance as he was launched toward Descartes. The outsider merely sneered and punched the body. The sheer force of the blow even suppressed the energy of the Monarch’s collapsing Inner World.

The C-grade Spatial Cultivator died as his own leader delivered the final strike. Zac scanned the room; only two Hegemons remained, and they were seconds away from death.

“Almost there,” Descartes murmured, unfazed by being outnumbered by two powerful opponents.

Zac’s stomach turned as Descartes tossed out a dozen more bodies, including two corrupted Monarchs. One face was familiar—the sealbearer with the seven illusory swords who had killed his own clone. It seemed his luck had run out.

Zac wondered why Descartes was doing this. Was it a show of alliance? Kaltosa Lu’s grim expression as hundreds of Array Disks filled the air suggested otherwise. Something was very wrong.

“Did you honestly think I’d serve these pathetic natives? Do I look like someone who would fall for Ultom’s poisoned lies? Those from the Empire’s fringes truly lack vision,” Descartes mocked.

“Changing sides now that your team is dead?” Zac challenged, his eyes searching for the next threat.

“Think what you want. I would have honored my deal with the phantoms of this false timeline if they weren't so incompetent. I don't care which side wins. I’ll—”