Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1414: Avīci

The void engulfed Zac’s screams—not his own Void, but the endless pit of agony amid the ocean of coal-black fires that formed his environment. His soul blazed in torment, his Dao Heart scorched relentlessly. A whole life’s worth of recollections ignited fiercely, on the verge of wiping out his history. Zac dreaded that even his individual Void might not escape, as the blaze had seamlessly invaded his alternate side.

He nearly desired for a break to occur. Giving up portions of himself to lessen the agony appeared a worthwhile bargain. Yet that very reason ensured it wouldn’t come to pass. The Avīci flames aimed not for outright ruin. Their quiet malice withheld the merciful embrace of Death.

The infernal pools of Avīci served as a hellish realm crafted to atone for any transgressions it deemed visitors guilty of. It lingered perpetually at the brink of tolerability, eternally, with mere faint optimism awaiting beyond.

No practical means existed to dodge or flee the agonies of the Eighth Hell. It wielded total control, surpassing an Autarch’s territory where their Dao turned into unbreakable Law. Zac’s Hidden Nodes and Bloodline Talents proved entirely powerless to diminish it, much less halt its advance. This ordeal demanded direct confrontation, sans any bypasses or deceptions.

In his muddled condition, Zac couldn’t discern if progress was being made. The landscape had stayed unchanged for an unknowable duration. He figured this monotony formed part of the trial. Uncertainty about the distant beckoning signal—whether genuine or illusory, whether drawing nearer—gnawed at him.

One lapse in resolve could unravel all his prior efforts. A mere retreat would return him to the starting ledge. Halting for too long yielded the same result. This awareness transformed each forward stride into a fierce inner battle, where Zac battled his frailty.

Repeating this was beyond him. This marked Zac’s third venture. The initial foray had been a scouting mission to grasp Avīci’s mechanics, while the subsequent one ended in true defeat. Zac recognized he lacked the fortitude for a fourth crossing of the realmgate should he falter now. He would prevail, regardless of the heavy toll exacted.

Only one avenue offered brief respite from Avīci’s torment. Zac pressed on until endurance failed, then launched himself skyward. He ascended beyond the fiery expanse and the veil of dark fog capping it like a seal. Relief washed over him instantly, replaced by pelting gray drizzle. Every droplet demanded a harsh price for this mercy.

This precipitation carried a Dao of Death infused with a void that Zac found infinitely more chilling than his bloodline’s insatiable craving. It voraciously siphoned from its environment, with Zac as the sole option. The Perfected Death possessed ample power and vitality, and it shunned mere vitality. This was a fate-devouring Death that feasted on fortune.

No Hegemon could withstand its grasp. Zac swiftly activated the seal upon his left palm, shielding his Destiny by sacrificing another’s. The downpour drained 50 Imperial Merit per second spent beyond the fog barrier, a cost he gladly bore. Zac inhaled deeply, steadying himself as he soared over the clouds.

Zac scanned his environs, yearning for any variation in the tedium, a sign of advancement. Avīci offered no solace save the persistent summons from afar—a faint spark of vitality amid death’s vastness. The vista matched his earlier pauses above this infernal domain.

The blazing sea and its smoky shroud extended endlessly. Distant fiery hillocks pierced the veil, yet Zac lacked both the vigor and desire to probe them. They deviated from the directional pull. Doubting his ability to reach the goal as is, he dismissed any side paths.

The lethal shower blanketed the entire area. It fell soundlessly into the haze, only to be consumed, bolstering the divide between sky and soil. The turbulent overhead clouds hung immobile, as though time itself had halted. A nearer inspection revealed they consisted of myriad inverted colossal figures, drifting headfirst toward the earth.

These reversed forms radiated dread power, yet they felt hollow. Devoid of Destiny, they possessed neither history nor prospects. Even the slightest motion exceeded their fate’s allowance. Zac pondered if they qualified as deceased or living. They embodied neither; they were both.

Eternally ensnared, the titans suffered their essence drawn out and evaporated by Avīci’s primal fires, then reformed into deadly precipitation in a perverse loop of Absolute Death. Zac sensed their silent pleas, aware he’d share their plight upon exhausting his sacrificial Destiny. He turned away and plunged back into the inferno.

Zac lost track of how long these loops of anguish and expensive alleviation, optimism and dejection, persisted. He’d slipped into a trance, his entire being focused on nearing that hopeful glow. It was a battle of determination, one he’d waged repeatedly. Eventually, it concluded with an unremarkable step among countless others.

No prelude or alert preceded it. One instant found him mired in Avīci’s ceaseless blaze. The next enveloped him in a shroud of Perfected Death that expelled his mortal sufferings. It banished the built-up torment, substituting it with infinite comfort. Zac recalled a akin sensation: the boon of Fertile Earth.

Faint traces of Imperial Faith lingered, yet a rhythmic power native to the lesser realms dominated. It converted suffering into insight, madness into revelation. His very essence had been forged in the Eighth Hell’s blaze. The enclosure fractured, and Zac beheld the heavens from the depression’s depths.

Gazing at the remote skies evoked the tale of the frog in the well for Zac. He’d clashed with incomprehensible beings and ideas. He’d triumphed over spiritual, corporeal, and emotional conflicts. For almost four months, he’d teetered on life’s precipice and death’s shadow. And emerged victorious.

Zac had delved to the Left Imperial Expanse’s profoundest core, breaking free from Avīci’s chrysalis like a newborn butterfly. Myriad insights coalesced into unity, signaling the moment’s arrival. He surveyed the area, belatedly noting the absence of seclusion spots.

The Hollow Chasm’s lowest level spanned barely fifty meters. The ascending walls to the stepped burial grounds gleamed with impenetrable forces bearing the Inverse Peak’s signature. Approaching might hurl him into the Lower Planes. Digging downward proved futile, as the base consisted of ashen stone pulsing with Law’s aura.

This view stirred a blend of avarice and rage in Zac. The Hollow Court’s prodigals had hewn the entire welcome slab from superior Peak C-grade Law-infused rock. Still, resentment waned somewhat. This very base had supplied the restorative essence just prior.

Zac observed he wasn’t solitary. Shockingly, he was the final arrival. Tavza perched across the platform, her form etched with bloodline sigils. Zac noted their fuller completion compared to the patterns glimpsed at the Abyssal Pond.

This enhancement seemed fresh. Tavza meditated with shut eyes, radiating a recent advancement’s waves. Nearby, a deathly pod throbbed with shadows. Ogras had traversed, yet persisted in death’s transformation. Zac wondered intensely how the pair outpaced him through Avīci. His resilience to hardship was his firmest asset.

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Explanations must wait. Zac’s surge peaked, and postponing his evolution risked squandering the chance. His counterpart stood ready, so he deployed array discs for isolation. They crumbled upon touching the platform’s infinite vigor. No surprise Tavza meditated exposed.

With no alternative, Zac proceeded openly or forfeited the moment. He opted resolutely for progression. Retrieving three caskets of Dao Treasures, he ingested the initial one. Its forces surged to his Soul Aperture, greeting his Dao Apparition. It dispersed ere he could harness it for his ascension.

The platform sensed Zac’s intent and bestowed refined essence surpassing any Dao Fruit. Zac sensed his Earthly Dao of Defiant War surging unprecedentedly, eliciting a far-off thunder. Skies darkened as he exerted the ultimate thrust, though Heaven’s ire seemed remote.

The Hollow Chasm appeared to widen the gulf between celestial and terrestrial realms, unwittingly crafting a Tribulation-aiding array. Its potency exceeded the Centurion Base’s spire. Zac clicked his tongue irritably as the initial crimson streak lit the depths.

For a Peak Hegemony shift, Zac would have embraced the aid. Yet his Dao tribulations remained unmarred by his Void’s tainted path, and Conflict’s zenith fell under System oversight. Absent his dual Boundless Daos tied to his Earthly Dao of Defiant War, no tribulation would manifest.

Previously, dual tribulations for his other Earthly Daos had posed no barrier, rendering this lone Dao evolution a banquet for [Void Heart]. Now, an interloper pilfered his repast. The remnant of the first strike upon Zac’s brow scarcely scratched.

Zac exhaled, deciding to test a theory. His mortal aspect dove into a memory gale ere the next strike fell. Concurrently, Zac unleashed [Void Heart] fully. A pair of bolts followed, then another, all inflicting no harm.

They merely tempered his Dao prior to Void absorption. Fragments of the third alone evaded. Noting the third’s freedom from Four Desolates taint, Zac anticipated no sequel. Skies brightened, tinged with faint unwillingness.

Zac examined his palms, uncertain of his thoughts. Elevating his Earthly Dao of Defiant War had dominated his aims for months, with exhaustive attempts to achieve it. Over 7,000 Imperial Merit expended in Mercurial Courts to hasten it, yet obstruction persisted. Now attained swiftly and simply, it seemed surreal.

A gaze from abyssal depths snapped Zac from reverie. He inclined his head to Tavza before settling, silence reigning. Tavza consolidated her gain, while Zac tended his affairs. Ogras warranted no interruption; yanking him prematurely would harm. Instead, Zac accessed his status display.

Name Zachary Atwood

Level 224

Class [D-Arcane] Evolutionary Precursor

Race

Alignment [Zecia] Atwood Empire – Viscount of Conquest

Titles [...] Peakmender, Exalted Destiny, Atavistic Defier, Valiant Viscount, Cosmic Entity

Limited Titles Tower of Eternity Sector All-Star - 14th, Equanimity, The Final Twilight - 1st, Gates of Rebirth, Void Road, Chosen of the Empyrean Chalice

Dao Earthly Dao of Defiant War - Middle, Earthly Dao of Reborn Life - Middle, Earthly Dao of Sealed Death - Middle

Core [D] Evolutionary Core

Strength 465598 [Increase: 256%. Efficiency: 567%]

Dexterity 223459 [Increase: 196%. Efficiency: 363%]

Endurance 253289 [Increase: 226%. Efficiency: 594%]

Vitality 297524 [Increase: 240%. Efficiency: 643%]

Intelligence 49928 [Increase: 176%. Efficiency: 363%]

Wisdom

Luck 2217 [Increase: 219%. Efficiency: 488%]

Free Points 0

Nexus Coins [D] 87 831 997

[Earthly Dao of Defiant War (Middle): All attributes +100, Strength +30000, Dexterity +13000, Wisdom +4000. Effectiveness of Strength +30%.]

Viewing the panels elicited a grin on Zac’s features. The figures solidified his success. The “superfluous” outlays held value. Mercurial Court’s [Thousand Temperance Trials] aligned his Techniques to Late Integration, nearing stage mastery.

Attribute gains skewed heavily to Strength, with Dexterity and Wisdom each up by 1,000. This distribution mildly astonished Zac. Fresh Dao integrations emphasized defiance themes. Boldly challenging Heavens and foes alike felt more mental fortitude than bodily might. Thus, greater Wisdom uplift seemed fitting.

Conversely, brandishing his axe at unhinged Supremacies like Mox defied sagacity. Perhaps the System viewed his defiant Dao as armored folly, justifying Strength focus. Zac accepted this. Lately, free points favored Dexterity, preserving equilibrium in burst and agility.

Evolving Earthly Daos’ attribute surges weren’t primary allure. True combat prowess soared far higher. His Conflict Dao’s rebellious facets harmonized superbly with his approach and edges. Zac foresaw enhanced skill resilience.

Paired with [Adamance of Eoz] and [Conviction of Eoz], his strikes might prevail against stronger opponents—within bounds. Defenses ought to persist longer before yielding.

Crucially for now, completing his third Earthly Dao finalized preparations. Materials gathered, level met. Tavza’s and Mercurial Court’s leveling elixirs were elite. Minimal Pill Toxins would purge via recent Tribulation Lightning.

Post [Void Heart] refinement, Zac would finalize blueprint tweaks. Soon, [Purity of the Void] yielded positive feedback. Tribulation proceeded routinely in memory wind, unhindered by trial limits.

Locals witnessed it; memory contents engaged the bolts. With stability intact, the test succeeded fully. Peak Hegemony beckoned.

One lament: scant soul progress. [Void Emperor Apotheosis] accelerated growth, yet fourth layer of [Nine Reincarnation Manual] eluded perfection. Time proved insufficient.

Recent months fixated on gathering and blueprinting. Prior, traversing Left Imperial Expanse consumed him. Soul work shifted from diligent honing to stabilizing gains from trial-sourced Natural Treasures.

Unsteady bases posed no threat to his impending shift. Robust souls benefited all. Zac required maximal Mental Energy for reining wild forces in final Core Ignition. Yet post-Mercurial heart trials, soul lagged as weakness.

Fortuitously, trial time remained, with ample Potentiality for Mercurial aims. He merely needed to gauge Primo treasure’s Imperial Merit price. Remainder fueled cultivation toward Monarchy and further.