Defiance of the Fall

An echoing silence lingered in the chamber as the last motes of Imperial Qi dispersed.

"Interesting. A year of planning, yet the fish slipped through our net," Yselio hummed as he gently stroked his pet's head. "I wonder what caused the interference. That force completely eluded my senses. Zachary Atwood... Not simple, indeed."

"This is my mistake," Werui said, his face pale as he knelt on the ground. The demeanor of a noble and a consecrated knight was swept away in the face of this critical failure. "I underestimated our target. I should have ordered them to back down when we lost one of our three commanders."

"Who could have expected an [Epiclesis Bell] would appear out of nowhere and ruin our plans?" Yselio laughed. "It's a gift, in a sense. Seeing it is like being given a glimpse of history. The Beseechment Pavilion was lost to the river of time shortly after the Anima Court was built. At least, that's what we were led to believe. Too many secrets were buried in those turbulent times."

'And just what was that entity hiding within?' Yselio thought.

Had it been sealed inside by the Pavilion Master, or had it used the bell and its lingering power to avoid Heaven's gaze? Its aura was weak but profoundly deep. Just a wisp remained, but it had almost completely corrupted the lost teachings of Seven Sensations. And it had completely eluded his calculations like it was fully disconnected from the river of fate.

Two mysteries appearing in less than an hour. Who knew what kinds of ripples they would cause? Yselio's eyes glimmered with anticipation. He really made the right choice coming to this desolate corner of space. Where else could he encounter such interesting things? Where else could he hide behind fate's machinations to act however he pleased?

Yselio was eager to discover what benefits unraveling these mysteries could bring, but he kept his desires in check. He'd need to make special preparations to observe any trajectories involving such a malignant creature. As for the other... was there any point? Fate was gathering.

Yselio turned to the subordinate who had followed him into this realm. One of Ylvin's new in-name disciples, if memory served him well. Perhaps it was fated. His next steps needed to be taken without a chaperone anyhow.

"The fault lies not in you, but you've ultimately been discarded by fate," Yselio sighed. "Keeping you by my side will steer our trajectory off-course."

Werui froze a few seconds before his pallid expression gained a transcendent calmness. "I beg Your Highness to leave a path for this unworthy one's line."

"Their fates have no connection to me or our mission. You will be given a grade-two burial."

Of course, Yselio wouldn't mention the hidden caveat. A grade-two burial might allow glory to be inherited, but the stain of tarnished fate would render it useless. The Tobrial Dynasty wouldn't risk leaving any blemishes on their Imperial Providence in such a critical time. But why worry this man with the matters of the living?

"Many thanks to Your Highness! Glory to Edge of the Seventh Heaven and the Tobrial Dynasty!" Werui said as his soul crumbled.

"Eat up," Yselio gently said.

The Desolate Elsofir purred and slid down from Yselio's lap. Soon, pieces of the martyr's corpse disappeared one after another, as though whisked off to another dimension. With every bite, Karma dissipated until there was none. It was a shame they were so far from home. Would this man's family still remember his name? Gauging Ylvin's reaction would have to do.

"Fate's whimsy," Yselio smiled before his thoughts drifted away.

As expected, the experiment ended in failure. Any Flamebearer carried a seed of possibility. That they one day might possess the qualifications to pick up the torch of the forebearers. Such potential was bound to be difficult to seize in a roundabout way. You'd be fighting against the river of fate all the while. He would have to move personally and with sincerity if he wanted to enter Ultom's Courtyards.

What was more surprising was the way fate fought back. The appearance of the [Epiclesis Bell] was undeniably beyond his expectations and proof he'd misjudged the influence of the cycles. The Outer Courts protected the flame of hope and prevented the pillar from toppling. And by the looks of it, its candidates fulfilled the same role. He would have to make some adjustments to his helpers after returning. As for the Flamebearer, he just had to isolate the candidate to reduce the number of variables. It wouldn't be long before he had this chance.

The Elsofir opened its eyes, and there was a new spark of intelligence in the dark pools. Most of it would soon fade, but it was a shame to waste such a valuable specimen.

"You have one hour to digest your experience. After that, you have work to do. There are a few secrets I need to unearth before that malignant star descends on this place."

The beast nodded and turned into a bracelet on Yselio's arm. The wheels had been set in motion, and there was no point in staying in this room with its faded glory. However, Yselio stopped before leaving, turning to look at the ancient crest hanging on the wall.

"You were all so proud back then. We were barely qualified to run errands or become fodder for your ambition. Even now, my blood marks me as nothing but a lowly messenger in this decrepit fortress. But where are you now? Purple Qi is rising from the east. The Tobrial Dynasty is shining like the North Star while ignorant rats are gnawing at the corpse of your fallen house.

"I wonder if you regretted your choice when you faced the Terminus. Would you have reined in your ambitions if you knew the price?"

Yselio smiled as he left the room. "No, I bet you wouldn't."

Some things were more important than life or the chance at reincarnation. You could only get swept up by your desire like a moth to the flame.

'What did you see at that final moment of clarity? Will this be my chance to peek through the curtain?'

---------------

It was like the whole allied army released a collective pent-up breath when the terrifying bell rose into the storm above. They'd feared the Kan'Tanu wouldn't satiate its profane hunger and turn its attention to them. It was a reasonable assumption, considering only a handful had been able to see the figure entering the bell. Even Dossin would have missed it without the War Array augmenting her senses.

"Clear out the remnants and set up the perimeter," Dossin said, her heart weary despite their fortuitous encounter.

She'd have to be a fool not to realize she'd become an unwitting pawn in a much larger game. And it wasn't hard to deduce who stood at the center of the plot. Her gaze slowly shifted to the unique army of living and dead. The Acheron Company and the Atwood Emperor.

No one had said it outright, but her mission spoke louder than words. They were a second-string army at best. The alliance wasn't expecting them to send any elites into the ancient fortress. Their only job was to ensure the Kan'Tanu didn't get free access to a spatially active region. So why had such a monster like Zachary Atwood been sent to her side?

More importantly, who were those traitors? Dossin was born without any peerage. She only seized a chance at a higher life by surviving the Blackwind Camp's harsh training, which had left some gaps in her understanding. However, she knew enough to understand that those six weren't part of Zecia's forces. Outsiders.

The question was whose plot she'd been made complicit to and what steps she should take now. The wrong step would land her in a shallow grave, but the right could be the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

"I need to make a report. Seal the area and set up an Empyrean-grade Array."

"Empyrean Grade?" her subordinate said with surprise. "Directly to headquarters?"

"No. Directly to Archduke Everfast."

"We only have materials for one Empyrean Grade signal," the Array Master hesitated. "Moreover... there is a risk our beacon will interfere with the Archduke's plans."

"I'm aware. I'll take all responsibility. Set it up."

It was time to roll the dice.

------------

Old wounds were immediately joined by new when Zac fell into the storm of turbulent space and ancient destruction. The chaos resembled the aftermath of the destroyed node inside the Void Star, though there were noticeable differences. Beneath the madness, there was a deadly undercurrent that felt focused. Deliberate.

It wasn't aimed at him specifically. It more resembled the tumultuous aura born on large-scale battlefields. Whether the source was a War Array or lingering intent from the Limitless Empire remnant was difficult to say. It was, however, confirmation that his mad idea had merit. That despite what Dossin said, it might be possible to force your way into the ancient fortress.

You just needed to survive the passage.

Zac's ragged state didn't inspire much confidence. His brush with death had done a number on his body, not just his missing foot and bloody gashes. His body was parched like a desert after forcing everything into his ultimate attack, and large sections of his pathways throbbed painfully after being overloaded. Adding the telltale hollowness of using large amounts of Creation Energy, Zac felt like he would be better off on a sickbed than traversing ancient Dao storms.

Thankfully, activating the successor to his [Origin Mark] had only drained the free energy in his body and not all his reserves. He still had almost half his Void Energy left, while his Cosmic Core retained a third. Meanwhile, his undead half was already furiously absorbing Crystals and Voidstones to replenish what was lost. It was a useful ability that boosted his already monstrous energy reserves, though his lack of affinities severely limited his absorption speed.

Ra'Klid wasn't much better off despite not being directly hit by the deathsworn's ambush. At least two Peak Dao Branches had powered their War Array, likely one from each Late D-grade leader. Just being in the vicinity was deadly to a peak E-grade cultivator like the Mavai Chieftain.

Now, he was dragged into this mess. Seizing the fate of the Left Imperial Palace didn't come without a price. The demon had covered his body with radiant golden scales, but the storm tore through Ra'Klid's defensive skill like butter. Zac knew the already wounded demon wouldn't make it, so he roused his bloodline while pulling Ra'Klid closer.

The neighboring storm calmed while Ra'Klid's scales faded until they were barely visible. Completely nullifying the unrelenting barrage was impossible, though. Zac dipped further into his reserves to reactivate [Empyrean Aegis], and the rapid consumption of Void Energy actually lowered as a golden barrier helped deal with the onslaught. Unfortunately, the skill was not well suited to the environment.

Only the central pillar of the defensive skill was within his nullification zone, while the others were exposed to the unrelenting storm. The skill wouldn't last more than twenty seconds, but it gave the two a much-needed breather. Zac searched for Emily but couldn't see her anywhere. The tear she entered was right next to theirs, but space wasn't linear in this confusing realm.

He was extremely worried, but it was undeniably a small blessing in disguise that it was Emily and not one of his other subordinates who'd entered the spatial fracture. Her misadventures in the Million Gates Territory had imparted his disciple with experience and precaution. Zac knew her Spatial Ring contained a veritable arsenal of treasures meant to deal with this exact situation.

While Emily was gone, Zac quickly confirmed they weren't alone in the storm. The two Late-stage Hegemons had followed him into the spatial fracture, only faring marginally better than Ra'Klid. They were grievously wounded, separated, and their defensive skills and treasures were rapidly being exhausted.

A perfect opportunity.

The turbulent environment made it nigh-impossible for Zac to exert any control, but he staunchly inched closer with the help of [Skystriker]. Suddenly, he and the leader were pushed closer, and Zac's arm turned into a blur as Void Energy and Dao entered [Evolutionary Edge]. The Late-Stage Hegemon noticed the strike, but dealing with the storm took up most of his energy.

He tried to activate a skill to counter while repositioning the sword he took out when their War Array failed, but then he entered [Void Zone]. Defensive barriers faded, exposing the captain's back to the storm's full might. The combination completely disrupted his preparations, and Ra'Klid was poised to strike. He growled as he swung his axe with everything he got. His strength was far below the Late Hegemon's, but it was enough to force his weapon slightly out of the way.

Zac's attack was right on the demon's heels, but an unpredictable gust came to the captain's aid. Zac had been aiming for her head, but the axe bit into her shoulder. Still, a damaged Middle D-grade War Regalia unable to channel energy couldn't block a melee strike empowered by [Evolutionary Edge]. The storm drowned out the axe's roar, but a torrent of blood proved its ferocity.

A flood of rampant Dao poured into her wound, destroying pathways and attacking her core. Zac and Ra'Klid were dragged away before they could follow up, but Zac doubted it mattered. As expected, he didn't have to wait long before an immense influx of Kill Energy. The attack hadn't killed her, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

The infusion was the largest source of Kill Energy he'd ever encountered. It wasn't even close. He would have to kill at least twenty powerful Middle Hegemons to enjoy such a bountiful harvest or hundreds of the common Hegemons you normally ran into on the battlefield. It was almost enough to forget his pains as he turned his attention to the next sitting duck.

Unfortunately, the storm dealt with the problem before Zac got the chance. The Hegemon's armor shattered, fully exposing him to the cutting blades. His body briefly turned into a streak of light, but it only lasted a moment before his dismembered body appeared nearby. Out of better options, he'd tried to activate an escape treasure.

Only half a pillar of [Empyrean Aegis] remained by the time the two Hegemons had died, but Zac could already sense the storm's edge. He activated [Skystriker], forcibly cutting through the final stretch. The kaleidoscopic storm twisted as immense spatial forces shattered his defensive skill and overwhelmed his nullification zone.

Zac refused to be ripped apart by the dimensional crossing after coming so far, so he activated a Half-step defensive treasure. It almost instantly failed, but it was just enough to break through and appear in a turbulent sky. Above, a churning thunderstorm roiled and raged, though Zac knew it was a layer of densely packed broken space.

It felt like the unstable barrier could fail at a moment's notice, releasing the apocalyptic energies they'd just escaped. Zac wanted to create some distance to be safe, but the aura below gave him pause. He turned his gaze, finally focusing on the fortress that had triggered the massive mobilization of both sides.

The War Fortress didn't carry much resemblance with the Left Imperial Palace Zac saw in his Vision, but it still left a deep impression. The bulk of the fortress's size was made up of a spherical city, though many of the structures were ancient weapons or arrays. Every single surface was covered in ancient scripts radiating unyielding power.

It looked like the fortress was fighting an invisible enemy as one terrifying attack after another was launched into the sky. Most held enough force to obliterate Zac and the whole Acheron Company, and it was all swallowed by the churning clouds. It was no wonder the whole solar system was on the verge of collapse.

Zac suspected the erratic attacks were the result of damaged wiring rather than someone having gained control of the weapons systems. It was clear that the fortress had seen better days, just like Dossin had said. If anything, her description could be considered an understatement.

There was not a single structure spared of the ravages of war. The fortress's outer rim was supposed to be lined with a mile-high wall, but less than half of it remained. Whole sections were simply gone, while others had become deathtraps filled with deadly energy. More than one turret had failed, blowing up or striking other parts of the fort.

Most blemishes told a tale of bitter struggle, yet they all paled before a huge, jagged scar that had almost managed to cut the whole fortress in two. The wound was ancient yet still teemed with such intense murderous intent that it affected the whole realm.

On top of the Killing Intent, Zac could vaguely feel a helplessness hidden within. The intent was so rife with meaning Zac could almost see the battle before him. It was revenge. Revenge for severing their future and murdering the Dao.