Defiance of the Fall

Zac had made significant adjustments to his Domain Skill when upgrading it, essentially giving up on most of its defensive properties. Before, he could transfer damage from himself to the trees, but what was the point? His attributes and dual constitutions already made him unbelievably durable, and he had [Empyrean Aegis] and [Ossuary Bulwark] to boot. Anything those layers couldn't handle would force him to dodge anyway.

Instead, Zac shifted toward a forest that resonated with his path. It wouldn't protect him, but it would create a kill zone to trap and target his prey. The beasts were real axe attacks, and any outer stimuli accelerated their growth. So long as the trees survived an attack, they would respond in kind based on the concepts inside his Evolutionary Stance.

Hiding wouldn't work either—so long as the trees could sense an enemy's aura, they would charge up and target them like predators pouncing on someone encroaching their territory. Zac could also control the process, manually generating stronger attacks by infusing more of his will and Dao. Against these kinds of enemies, letting the skill run autonomously was enough.

The trapped Hegemons had already realized they'd encountered a dangerous enemy and decisively chose to retreat. Unfortunately for them, leaving the jungle was easier said than done. The tree's movements were one with the Dao, forming a natural formation at the level of his Late-stage Dao Branches.

You'd have to be incredibly fast or possess some top-tier Array Breaking means to sneak out. Everyone else would have to destroy all the trees blocking their way. Otherwise, they would find themselves moving in circles, prey until they proved themselves predators. The seal wasn't as absolute as [Pillar of Desolation], but that didn't matter in most fights.

A ruthless gleam shone from Zac's eyes as a golden haze of spores spread through the primordial jungle. Slithering vines emitting a brutal bloodthirst appeared on a trunk just as Zac sunk into it, soundlessly teleporting toward the Hegemon closest to the edge.

The rustling canopies had blocked the sky, and his worries were swept away along with the view. They'd been thrown into an incredibly dangerous environment without fully understanding the situation, but that didn't matter at the moment. Ultimately, there was one simple truth that could shine the path forward. The more Kan'Tanu Zac killed, the more of his men would survive.

[Primal Edict] had already spread throughout the jungle, using the connection of all life to propagate far faster than it could outside. Soon, the keening cries of the axe-beasts were joined by the creaking groans of countless vines joining the assault. Some sprouted from thin air, others emerged from within trees, creating an unpredictable and unrelenting barrage from nature itself.

The Kan'Tanu weapon master had created a fifty-meter-wide domain of destruction around him by ferociously rotating his spear, each swing conjuring a river of blades. If placed on the battlefield below, he would have quickly created rivers of blood to join those of his blades, and not even the trees of [Apex Jungle] could stand long under their assault.

But the forces of nature couldn't be defeated. New life would sprout from fallen trunks, and new beasts would replace those that couldn't endure evolution's eternal war. And like a silent specter, Zac emerged from a nearby tree, one step taking him past the rivers and right next to his target.

Zac's aura would normally shine like a blinding beacon when unleashing his power. Today, it was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding wilderness. It couldn't completely fool a D-grade cultivator, but the slight delay to the spearmaster's reaction sealed his fate. A keening cry shook the forest as a flash of unbending finality split the cultist in two. It was like the ruler of the jungle had woken from their slumber, and the first interloper became an offering to its altar.

Streams of gold and steel swirled around Zac's right arm, forming a shroud resembling a familiar figure—Verun. It was like a hazy miniature of his Tool Spirit had wrapped itself around his arm, instilling it with power and potential. In reality, it wasn't actually an effect of his upgraded Spirit Tool. Rather, the Dao-Empowered haze was entering his axe rather than vice versa.

It was the appearance of [Evolutionary Edge], the upgraded version of [Nature's Edge]. It was one of the first skills he upgraded after returning from the Perennial Vastness, and Zac had long since excavated every aspect and ability of the skill. His idea was to create a semi-passive skill that could boost his lethality when infighting, and it had allowed him to execute a Hegemon and his Heart Curse with a simple swing.

However, imbuing [Verun's Bite] with sharpness and strength was far from its limits.

Zac disappeared like a ghost, a single step moving him into a tree and transporting him to another section of his domain. The Pyromancer nearby was trying to incinerate the whole forest, but both vines and trees displayed a shocking resilience. Burnt bark and scorched vines fell like ashy rain, but stronger wood grew to replace what was lost.

The fire cultivator was a lesser threat than their leader, but it would take the poison master a while longer to break free. The leader didn't seem able to avoid the formation, which meant his only other option was to use a taboo escape treasure. That was fine by Zac. Using something like that would neutralize the threat to his, and that was Zac's true goal anyway.

The raging storm of tainted flames had spread hundreds of meters, almost completely blocking Zac's vision. However, Zac calmly swung his axe upon spotting a small gap in the inferno, and a streak of deadly Life shot forth. The energy moved like it was alive, weaving through the web of destruction as it approached its target. At the last moment, it pounced on its prey by transforming into a fractal edge.

There wasn't much difference between the edge and its predecessors when it came to appearance or function, but upgrading the skill to D-grade automatically came with a fundamental improvement. Energy. Ten times the energy was compressed into the small blade, making it incredibly resilient and a better carrier of the Dao.

The Pyromancer had already discovered the incoming threat, but even a normal strike empowered by two Late Dao Branches pushed the limits of what they could endure. Furthermore, the blade hadn't been weakened at all by the fiery domain, opting to dodge rather than clash until the last moment. Still, the Hegemon hadn't cultivated in vain his whole life.

A burning shield intercepted the fractal edge, giving the cultist enough time to activate a defensive treasure. The shield proved insufficient to exhaust Zac's attack, but the life-saving treasure finished the job. However, the impassable inferno had destabilized during the desperate defense, creating multiple openings. A figure emerged from the flames, his weapon already descending toward the weakened treasure.

Two halves of the Pyromancer fell into a golden tree crown below, a yet-not-activated escape treasure tightly gripped in his hand. The inferno faltered, exposing Zac surrounded by swirling ash. He didn't bother with the corpse or his spatial tools, knowing he was running out of time. Two out of five trapped Hegemons had died in the span of a few seconds, and a third was about to succumb to nature's onslaught without Zac tipping the scales.

The cultists had known the situation was bad, but convention had given them a false sense of security. Killing a Hegemon was easier said than done unless there was a massive disparity in power, and most clashes ended with the weaker party escaping after paying a price. That delusion had finally shattered, and they knew they'd been targeted by a god of slaughter. What was convention to them?

The golden forest was already showered in sanguine light. Zac sensed the fluctuations that had become all too familiar by this point—the Hegemons were borrowing power from their Heart Curses at the cost of longevity and their futures. Their actions would give them a significant boost in strength, but they had a high chance of losing control even if they survived.

Zac didn't bother with the underling, making a beeline for the leader, who looked positively terrifying. His figure had grown into a bloated titan over ten meters tall, and an unceasing cascade of putrefying liquid poured out of his mouth. A manmade plague ripped through the jungle, causing a wave of rot to spread outward. The remaining floating heads exploded one after another, joining the destruction in a last-ditch attempt at survival.

No tree remained in the leader's vicinity, but a few aerial steps took Zac into the poisonous domain. Zac was about to deliver judgment but was surprised to find his vision lurching and his energy scatter. There were few things he was less afraid of than poison, especially after awakening his Draugr Constitution all the way to Early Shallows. But shockingly, his multiple layers of defenses couldn't fully withstand the Poison Master's toxins.

Zac felt himself rotting from within, where the poison tried to destroy his pathways. His Hidden Nodes were furiously consuming the plague, and boundless Vitality revitalized what was infected. He'd quickly recover if he left the poisonous haze, but there was no time. A thin silver band on one of his fingers lit up, creating a barrier over his skin. Even his High-quality Defensive Treasure failed to contain more than half the poison. What remained would be a death sentence to some, but was easily dealt with by Zac's body.

Arrows of black water pierced the storm just as Zac recovered. Their appearance or aura was nothing impressive, but Zac's Danger Sense exposed the truth. Those arrows contained more poison than the whole toxic storm, but it had been concentrated and sealed to hide their lethality. The captain might look like he had lost his mind, but it was clearly just an act. As expected, all Middle Hegemons had at least a few tricks up their sleeves, especially those who could survive on the frontlines.

Normally, Zac would have shattered the arrows with Vivi's vines and deflecting blows, but he instead activated an amulet just as they were about to collide. Space inverted, where Zac and the arrows instantly switched positions. The Kan'Tanu leader urgently exploded his projectiles, but Zac had already flashed out of the arrow's range to appear before their controller.

The poison was incredibly dense at such close proximity, but Zac was certain his axe held far greater lethality. The captain seemed to have come to the same conclusion. A pitch-black snakehead appeared to block Zac's attack while a storm of energy erupted in the cultist's chest to trigger a final blaze of glory.

Zac had faced countless enemies over the past decade, where both sides knew the conclusion of fate and karma had arrived. He'd seen it all. The cultist before him displayed the excitement of a fanatic about to drag a heretic with them to the afterlife. It was nothing new. Thousands of Kan'Tanu had tried to infect him with their Heart Curses, their go-to method when all else was lost.

Something was different this time. Zac's instincts screamed of danger. [Spiritual Void] opened wide, and a storm of Dao entered [Evolutionary Axe]. The intercepting snakehead went from barely resisting Zac's strike to immediately splitting in two. The axhead continued into the cultist's head, and a large surge of energy confirmed his kill. It was too easy.

As expected, the cultist's chest exploded the moment he died, but no vengeful tendrils emerged. Instead, a pulse of concealed Spatial Energy burst from within, forming a sanguine cage before Zac could escape. Zac swung his axe but realized the barrier was powered by all the cultist's remaining life force and the accumulated energy of the Heart Curse. He'd be able to break through it in a couple of seconds, but a few seconds would be too late.

He quickly homed in on the source of his unease. A seemingly unordinary piece of debris had fallen through the atmosphere in the distance, but Zac instantly sensed the extreme danger it represented. Like a veil being lifted, the piece of rock transformed into a large skull that opened its maw. It had already been gathering its attack for a while, and an immense ball of purple destruction burst forth.

The ball didn't contain as much energy as the attack that cost them thousands of lives before, but it was extremely condensed and fast. It was an orbital bombardment designed to take out a single person.

Trees and vines were turned to dust as the beam entered [Apex Jungle], his domain utterly incapable of stopping its advance. There was no way he'd be able to block that thing. An ancient aura momentarily filled the sealed cage before a towering trunk winked into existence. Roots and canopy didn't fit in the cage, but the trunk was all Zac needed.

The spatial cage was consumed, and space instantly buckled. It looked like a purple star had imploded, taking half the forest with it. Zac emerged from a faraway tree, right by the final Hegemon about to escape. The shockwave almost knocked Zac unconscious, but his opponent was even worse off. An unadorned swing finished the job.

The final Hegemon had died, and [Apex Jungle] collapsed with him. However, some of the orbital attack had escaped the implosion and crashed into the ground. Zac briefly lost control from a shockwave throwing him upward, and he had to take a few urgent steps to dodge a storm of spatial scars left in the ball's wake.

The army below didn't have that luxury. The spatial tears and shockwave had ripped into the rear of his army, killing hundreds of reserves and support staff. The scene was heartbreaking, but Zac knew they were lucky. The blast would have decimated his army below if not for its angle of descent.

Who could have expected a normal Middle Hegemon to control such a dangerous weapon? That skull was clearly at Lage Hegemony and had to cost a fortune. Zac had encountered much stronger World Lords than this captain, but he'd never been faced with such a powerful weapon during months of campaigning.

The core strength of the enemy army had died in seconds, yet Zac somehow felt like he'd lost. He hadn't expected to use Void Energy on the very first encounter, but the trap had left him no other options. He might have been able to break the cage if he had gone all out, but failure would have meant death. It was a poignant reminder they no longer fought on the manicured battlefields of the System. There was no telling what they'd encounter going forward, and luck played as big a role as strength for their survival.

Thankfully, such powerful means were expensive and thus rare, and the Cosmic Vessels in the sky were working overtime to clear them out. Zac's danger sense indicated they were temporarily safe from attacks in the sky, allowing him to focus on the battle around him. The goretide had been exhausted, and the Acheron Company was tearing through the Kan'Tanu defenders.

The situation to his left was especially lopsided. An enormous eye looked down at the war slaves like an indifferent god, and its effect was shocking. It was as though the Kan'Tanu had gone mad, gleefully killing each other or letting their Heart Curses go out of control. Meanwhile, a Kan'Tanu Hegemon was unleashing death on her men with such ferocity that her Cosmic Core and foundations were being damaged.

This was the terror of a Mentalist Hegemon. It had only been a few days since Vilari broke through, but she was likely the most dangerous person in his army apart from himself. The Kan'Tanu were already teetering at the brink of madness because of the cursed things growing in their chests, and a skilled Mentalist could easily push them over the edge.

Most terrifying was her control of emotions, where drowning a target in despair while suppressing their souls made the enemy lose their sense of self. It allowed Vilari to temporarily hijack their bodies, using them like puppets. Kan'Tanu Hegemon had killed tens of thousands of her own, though her twitching body indicated she was about to regain control over her body. Suddenly, she dug into her chest, destroying her core and Heart Curse in one go. Vilari didn't even spare her a glance as she floated further ahead, and no Hegemon dared get close.

Rhuger also performed valiantly. He had already killed his D-grade opponent and turned his attention to the soldiers below. He radiated immense waves of darkness, resembling a lunar eclipse. The thousands of cultists below seemed to have lost their senses, randomly attacking in every direction in fits of panic. Such a scattered response left them utterly exposed to the veterans of the Acheron Company, and thousands died without knowing what hit them.

There were similar displays of extraordinary might taking place all across the battlefield. Still, Emily was the only one who could get close to Vilari's wide-scale destruction. An enormous salamander tore through the Kan'Tanu's ranks, resembling an ancient god of flames. Attacks and Heart Curses were utterly incapable of stemming its advance.

Emily herself was no less of a threat. A totem pole the size of a skyscraper had crashed into the heart of the Kan'Tanu army, becoming the heart of a vast storm hiding thousands of swirling axes. Within, Emily had become a goddess of death, opening a path for her subordinates.

Zac couldn't sit still while his subordinates fought so hard. A step cut through thousands of meters, putting him in a dense region of Kan'Tanu reserves. Soon, widespread carnage erupted around him, and the brutal reality of evolution was enforced on the battlefield.

With their leaders dead and the goretide exhausted, the army of E-grade cultists quickly crumbled. Their rear scattered, trying to reach neighboring battlefields where their side still stood strong. Some tried to group together and at least take a few enemies with them, but it was futile. The Acheron Company moved as one, acted as one. Meanwhile, the small pockets of resistance were uncoordinated and without support, and they were consumed one after another.

Just a few minutes had passed since they appeared on this cursed world, and the Acheron Company had already proven themselves more than able to survive in this hellhole. Yet a sense of foreboding premonition crept into Zac's heart as he gazed across the horizon.

A storm was brewing.