Defiance of the Fall

"Rating and designation?" Zac asked. "What's going on?"

"There are several facilities near every Battlefield Array," Vilari explained. "One of them is a recruitment center. You must first register to access the Teleportation Array, War Merit Exchange, and various other features. At that time, you'll get an evaluation and a designation. For example, I'm a Fourth-Degree Captain, the lowest Captain rank."

"I'm a Strike Leader," Joanna added.

"What's the significance of the designations?"

"All designations come with varying levels of authority, and some provide access to additional features. My designation is equivalent to the authority of an Early Hegemon, which is enough to let us ignore any outside orders on most Early D-grade battlefields," Vilari said.

"So there's really a problem with outsiders?" Zac sighed.

This was something they'd feared since the beginning and one of the reasons he'd wanted to break through to Hegemony before the war. Factions without any elites were generally placed under the command of greater forces during sanctioned wars, and it looked like this inter-section war wasn't any different.

"There have been some problems, but we've been safe for now," Vilari said. "As Ilvere said, the war is only in the early stages. Our battlefields only have up to three factions working together, and all are roughly the same strength. However, we assume the battles will expand in scope in the future, perhaps through merging battlefields. The chain of command will become a bigger issue at that point."

"Your quest said to upgrade your rank with merit," Zac commented, seeing one route to avoid that headache.

"They can automatically be upgraded from accruing enough merit. I am close to reaching my first promotion," Vilari confirmed. "However, only War Merit gained through your designation counts. In other words, I can gain ranks from leading armies, but not through assassinating enemy leaders or crafting wartime resources."

"Breaking through is another solution," Joanna added. "Might makes right, and your ranking will get upgraded when stepping through minor thresholds. Thanks to your disciple, we also have a Third-Degree Captain, which lets us act unhindered on one of our two Middle D-grade battlegrounds."

"My disciple? Emily?" Zac asked with surprise. "Did she manage to hire a talented veteran?"

"No," Joanna laughed. "She broke through one month into the war, becoming our first native Hegemon."

"No wonder I didn't get any title this time around," Zac whistled. "I can't believe she broke through so quickly."

"Since then, four more have followed in her wake," Vilari said. "All of them are sealbearers. Of course, I expect that number will soon rise drastically. The Merit Exchange is almost completely geared toward gaining strength, and it's quite generous."

Zac turned to Joanna. "What about you? What's a Strike Leader?"

"It's great," Joanna smiled. "It lets me lead a small autonomous strike squad on the battlefield, and we get increased bounties for all leaders we take out."

"That sounds perfect," Zac said.

If possible, he'd definitely want such a role. Not having to bother with all the nitty-gritty or tactics, where he only needed to swing his axe and take out the leaders of the invading army.

"But it sounds like the System created a mess through our ranks, rearranging our personnel like that?"

"It was a bit chaotic at the start, but things quickly clicked into place," Vilari said. "The System has a very discerning eye. We've discovered quite a few talents hidden among our ranks."

"I guess that makes sense," Zac said. "This is what the System was designed for."

"Most roles are quite simple, too. Foot soldier, support, defender. Things like that," Joanna added. "You can also ignore your designation and stay in whatever position your faction awarded you. That's generally a bad idea since working according to your designation will reward more merit. We listened to the System's recommendations and rearranged things accordingly where possible."

"What about the evaluation you mentioned?" Zac asked.

"We think it's there for the designations, but it might have other uses. Like those who get higher evaluations might get more opportunities down the road," Vilari said. "There's no telling what other things the System might throw our way as things progress. It might also be related to the quests."

"So you registered, got a good evaluation, and became a Captain, which might have resulted in a quest for another piece of your seal," Zac summarized. "And you need to either break through or accrue merit through your designation to progress it."

"That's the gist of it," Vilari smiled.

"How long do you think until you can break through?"

"I could technically begin the process within three months, but my Soul isn't quite at the level I'd like," the Revenant said. "And unless my stepping into Hegemony is required, I'd prefer to find the second piece of my seal before evolving. I used the first to form a Bloodline Cultivation Method, and I wish to use the second to fuse my heritage with the Crown of Despair to create a path uniquely suited for me."

"That's fine," Zac said, remembering his plan to get his hands on another Moss Crystal for Vilari. "Follow your instincts. I'll do what I can to help."

"Vilari should be able to speed up her Merit now that you're back," Joanna said. "She's been forced to be on standby in case someone dangerous appears on the battlefields. Now, she can properly lead a few offenses."

"Yeah, I should be able to deal with anything that crops up. What about you? Have you found any clues to the Indomitable Court?"

A smile spread across Joanna's face as a similar quest screen appeared before her.

[Indomitable Spirit (Campaign (1/?)): Personally execute hostile leaders worth 25,000 Merit. (18,321/25,000)]

It was similar, but there were some notable differences to Vilari's quest. For one, Joanna's only said it was a campaign quest, while Vilari's was tagged as both Campaign and Inheritance. However, the name was promising. Not only that, but Joanna was well on her way to finishing the first step. It really looked like she'd grabbed onto the opportunity.

No wonder she was covered in a new set of scars.

"Between our two planets, another two have been awarded similar quests so far," Joanna said as the screen disappeared. "I'm hoping it'll be my way into the inheritance, even if it's as a second-string participant."

"Don't be so sure about that," Zac said. "I don't know if he told you this, but Ogras had to complete a difficult quest to get his seal. And he was the first sealbearer apart from myself in our group. Actually, there's more."

Zac shared how Kruta had gained an epiphany even when taking a seal from the body of another. Before that, the assumption was the seals would only provide an epiphany once. Recalling the event was extremely odd. He hadn't noticed before, but the information seal was already active. Thanks to his first round of negotiations with Sendor, he could remember all his encounters on top of his cultivation.

However, he couldn't remember where he and Kruta fought Valsa. He could vaguely recall they had entered some sort of dangerous cultivation zone, where Valsa ambushed them. But the details eluded him. The same was true for all his memories. Apart from remembering the Calamity and Mount Illumination, all his other adventures had grown blurry, like they had happened eons ago.

It was discomforting having his experiences altered like this, but Zac knew that would happen going in. Besides, just remembering those two places let him intuit many things about his experience. The reason he could recall his home base and the Red Zone was no doubt related to the remnants and the Peak of Chaos, and Zac smiled at the thought of holding onto yet another of Sendor's secrets.

"Really? I actually get insights this way?" Joanna exclaimed, flush with excitement.

"Our working theory is that it's based on affinity. Anyone can get a seal, but only those with affinity to the courts would receive their insights," Zac said. "And I'd venture affinity won't be a problem considering you got the quest."

Joanna nodded eagerly, and it almost felt like her momentum was burning. It probably wouldn't be long before she also stepped into Hegemony.

"By the way, who are the other people?" Zac asked.

"They're—" Vilari began, but a blaring alarm cut off the Mentalist.

"Now?" Joanna swore, and Zac could feel the command center come abuzz through his Soul Sense.

The three ran back into the common room, where Ilvere was already barking orders.

"It's an early invasion!" Joanna exclaimed as a bloody aura leaked from her body. "Someone is making a move on one of our war fronts."

"What's going on? How can I help?" Zac said.

"You've just returned; you don't need to worry about this," Vilari said. "We can handle it. Why not focus on getting accustomed to your evolution?"

"You've fought for months while I was off-world. This is the least I can do," Zac said. "Besides, what better place to get used to my breakthrough than on a battlefield?"

Vilari and Joanna shared a look.

"Do you wish to lead the army?" Vilari hesitated.

"No, I'll just join as a fighter," Zac said, almost laughing upon seeing the relief in their eyes. "You know I'm no good at that micromanagement stuff. Unless the System forces me into some other role, I'll be the vanguard."

"Then follow me," Joanna said. "The battlefront is on Ensolus, so we need to teleport there first."

"Be careful," Vilari added, clearly opting to stay behind to manage things.

"We'll catch up properly after we've dealt with this mess," Zac said.

'Remember to listen to your subordinates before storming the enemy lines,' Vilari urged through a mental message. 'Fighting on these battlefields differs from the inheritances, and the Kan'Tanu have some dangerous methods. Even you can fall if not careful.'

Zac nodded in understanding before he and Joanna rushed out of the command center.

"Do our warriors always go to the same warfront, or do we switch it up?" Zac asked as they ran toward the Nexus Hub.

"Usually the same unless one front needs reinforcements or finds themselves needing specific talents," Joanna said. "We do have some reserve units who can help shore up our ranks. The command center will no doubt some this time around. We are spread a bit thin, though. We've managed to recruit a lot of new recruits lately, but they're not ready to join the battlefield yet. "

"So, what's an early invasion?" Zac asked.

"We mentioned that we have the option to activate our Battlefront Arrays early," Joanna said. "Some Kan'Tanu regiment must have done just that. The eighth army fought just three days ago, and it shouldn't have activated this early otherwise. As far as we can tell, each battlefront is only called upon once every two weeks at most, though there are always smaller skirmishes in between.

Joanna's face was somber as they rushed toward the battlefront. Zac also had a bad feeling. He'd just returned, and some details were still hazy, but it wasn't difficult to understand the implications of an early attack. No one could fight continuously. The casualties would be staggering if a faction pushed its soldiers too far, and a war at this scale could last centuries unless one side managed to overwhelm the other.

Normally, both sides would use the downtime to regroup and recover. An attack just three days after the first meant the Kan'Tanu must have received reinforcements and planned to take out their enemies in one go while they were at their weakest. Furthermore, the fact they dared attack an overgeared army like his must mean they'd brought a whole lot of firepower.

A few more jumps took them to a huge war camp on the Mavai Steppes, its scale making it even larger than Port Atwood. It wasn't just the soldiers of the eighth army but also their families and a huge support system. Of course, the inner sections would only be accessible to the enlisted.

It was only the third time Zac visited the life-attuned continent, having been busy with his cultivation over the past years. Still, Zac could sense that the environment had improved slightly since he was here last time. Releasing the twinned Realm Spirits into the planet's center had done wonders.

The chimeral energy on the Ensolus Continent was kept stable enough not to descend into a situation like the Calamity, and the energy on the two single-attuned continents had improved in quality. It couldn't compensate for the loss of Origin Dao, but the environment would slowly improve as the Realm Spirits grew up.

The camp was already full of bustle, with a constant stream of warriors pouring toward what looked like an Incursion Pillar in the distance. Many of the soldiers were Mavai, with this being their continent, but Zac saw there were soldiers of all living races represented. Of course, most of his armies were mixed, but they couldn't have Raun Spectrals and Revenants stationed on a Life-attuned continent.

A small party was already waiting for him as they stepped off a private Teleportation Array, including the Mavai Warchief and two of his adult children.

"Welcome, Emperor Atwood!" Ra'Klid greeted with a small bow, which was mirrored by the others. "We just got word of your return. Congratulations on your breakthrough."

"Thank you," Zac smiled. Zac didn't know if he'd ever get used to being called Emperor, but he didn't bother trying to correct people any longer. "How's the situation?"

"Fighting has already begun, but we are not yet sure of the extent of the attack," Ra'Klid said, pointing at the pillar. "We're entering with full force just in case, and the Lord's reinforcements will soon arrive."

"How's the reaction to our integrated armies been?" Zac asked as they hurried toward the pillar.

"Not great," Joanna grimaced. "The Undead Empire has been a huge asset for Zecia, having a massive army and winning almost every battle they've joined. It has drastically improved their reputation, but three months isn't enough to erase eons of bad blood. And that hatred has spilled over on us. We've had to rearrange two battlefronts to avoid infighting with the other participants."

"People actually cause us problems while we have the invaders to deal with?" Zac frowned. "Who are these people?"

"Just some backwater D-grade factions," Joanna said. "Most of them are essentially dead weight."

"Worse than dead weight," Ra'Klid added. "Nothing is more dangerous to a tribe than an incompetent Warchief. Second is incompetent allies."

"Can't we just get rid of them?" Zac asked.

"Attacking them counts as a betrayal. Even ignoring their orders can cause issues if we don't have high-enough officers among our ranks. That's partly why we're pushing ourselves to break through and rack up merit."

"This battlefront isn't too bad. Our allies aren't the strongest, but they're taking the matter seriously and are fighting hard," Ra'Klid said. "As for the others…"

Zac grimaced. It wasn't hard to figure out the rest, thinking back to the desperate situation displayed on the War Map. Zecia had a lot of useless factions, but even useless factions could nurture a couple of Hegemons if their foundations were strong enough. And the Atwood Empire was the perfect meat shield—strong, well-equipped, and lacking seniors that could suppress their allies and take charge.

"Hopefully, Emperor Atwood's return will help with this matter. As the ruler of the faction, your status will impact all battlefronts," the demon added, looking at a large structure placed just outside the inner walls of the military compound.

It was no doubt the Recruitment Station, yet the scene in front of it made Zac's brows rise. A swarm of agitated demons currently blocked its entrance, all of them old, maimed, or both. A few even had completely white hair, while the gold in their skin had long faded. Their auras weren't anything to call home about, but Zac could feel their steely determination as they glared at a couple of clerks standing by the entrance.

"What's going on?" Zac asked.

"Volunteers," Ra'Klid sighed. "Old veterans whose bodies didn't properly adapt to the integration. Warriors who have been deemed too wounded to participate effectively on the battlefield. Many have tried to join for months, and they rushed here when the warning blared."

"Why not let them register if we're already spread thin?" Zac asked.

"Teleportation is only free up to the minimum personnel listed by the System," Joanna explained. "The rules are similar to the Incursions, with one important difference. We also lose Faction Merit when sending warriors beyond a certain point, which is our most critical resource. If we let anyone join, we won't be able to spend merit on fortifications or other upgrades the Atwood Empire desperately needs. We need warriors, but they need a minimum strength to warrant sending them to the battlefronts."

"Some of these old goats are trying to join for selfish reasons," Ra'Klid added. "They're not the ones who have to pay for mobilization, and they don't care if they'll become weak links in our ranks. Their eyes are on the Merit Exchange, thinking it's the key to return to their former glory. For example, a pill to restore an E-grade cultivator's limb only costs 2,500 merit. There are also Dao Fruits and other good stuff.

"We chose to restrict the recruitment centers when people began causing problems, like trying to sneak onto the battlefields in search of merit. One lunatic even tried setting fire to the barracks to create a diversion. Now, there's a pre-screening process."

"The seniors who came here today just want to help," Ra'Klid's daughter quickly added, clearly not agreeing with her father's opinion on the crowd ahead. "Every time the tribes enter the pillar, many will be forever left behind on some distant world. Even more will come back inside Spatial Rings. The seniors are willing to take the most dangerous roles, all to protect the future generations."

"The young have yet to experience the darkness in the hearts of men," Ra'Klid smiled, ignoring his daughter's blithering stare. "If they had such desire to serve, where were they when we called for army reserves in the past years? Why didn't they apply for non-combat roles to help our efforts through the proper channels? They can earn merit that way too. They're hoping to stay at the backlines and reap the far more generous wartime rewards when we conquer a world."

"That's—" Wrok'Sa said, but Ra'Klid waved at her to stop as he turned back to Zac.

"Either case, we can't let them onto the battlefield, especially not now," Ra'Klid said. "Do you want me to disperse them?"

"I think it's good if you solve this," Joanna said to Zac. "Times are tough, and people need a beacon of hope. Or at least a beacon of power."

"Hope and power," Zac said, slowly nodding. "I'll deal with it."