Defiance of the Fall

Well , you know what happened with the Tsarun Clan , and then the fight as we exited . I was afraid that it might implicate my family after all , but thankfully I managed to form a connection with the Peak Family . That way I won't return to my Family like a criminal , - the merchant confessed . - I'm sorry . -

Isn't knowing me enough of a boon now that the bounty is lifted? - Zac asked with confusion .

He wasn't trying to be arrogant , but he was the first person to conquer the 8th floor in an extremely long time in the sector , which no doubt hinted at him being a future powerhouse . Shouldn't such an accomplishment be worth something?

Honestly , it's still not decided whether knowing you is a boon or a curse , - Galau said with a wry smile . - It's unclear what the attitude of the Heliophos Clan and the Dravorak Dynasty will be . That will affect whether you will be seen as a murderous fugitive or a pride of the sector until you are strong enough to speak for yourself . -

I guess I overestimated myself , - Zac wryly smiled . - Before we head over , can you look into a few things for me? -

Look into? - Galau said , his interest immediately piqued . - Treasures? -

Exactly , - Zac nodded .

He had spent over an hour with Catheya , but he hadn't been completely focused on their conversation . His hand had imperceptibly moved toward the Cosmos Sacks now and then , and he glanced at its contents .

There were a lot of things missing , but there was even more remaining . For example , almost the whole dragon was left intact , apart from some scales and the messy remains he threw inside at the end . Both the massive horns and the Dragon Core were still there , which was a huge relief as they were probably worth the most of the beast .

Do you know what this is? - Zac asked . - Be careful , it comes from an elite assassin . -

Galau gingerly took the spike and turned it over as his eyes flickered with light .

There is a liquid inside , - the merchant slowly said . - That is the real treasure . The young master from Zethaya might be more knowledgeable about it . -

I'm not comfortable with exposing what I found just yet , - Zac smiled . - Please keep these things to yourself as well . -

Of course , - Galau hurriedly nodded .

Zac took out one item after another from his Spatial Tools , and the eyes of Galau grew even wider .

I've never heard of items with such craftsmanship appearing in the Tower of Eternity , - the merchant mumbled . - Is it a special perk of the higher floors? -

Zac wouldn't expose the fact that he had taken them off the body of an elite from another part of the universe . He was afraid that would hurt resale value in case he decided to swap them for cold hard cash instead .

It turned out that over twenty of the odd trinkets in the Mentalist's Spatial Ring were Array Breakers that could take out specific types of formations . It wasn't anything related to evolving or fighting , but rather items that were probably used to expedite the climb for the young mentalist . Galau couldn't pinpoint exactly what sort of arrays they worked against though , as that would require some experimentation .

He was a bit surprised that there were no treasures geared toward evolving among the things he had picked up from the three elites . They should all have been right at the precipice before evolving , so why weren't they preparing? Or was there perhaps no point for people like them to carry around such items , as they could simply visit their clan's storage rooms?

Galau also had no idea what the odd heads that Zac found in Faceless #9's Cosmos Sack were . He could confirm that they were some sort of unorthodox arrays that had trapped the souls of the previous owners , but he said that experimentation was the only way to know for sure what the arrays did .

It was either that or to hand them over to an array master who could slowly decipher the inscriptions on the talisman , but Zac didn’t know anyone like that at the moment .

Zac could only nod with some defeat and hope that the Sky Gnome back on earth knew more even though the Thayer Consortia wasn't nearly as powerful as Galau's clan . They were however once a C-Grade merchant clan , and a lot of knowledge should remain even if they had fallen to their current pitiful state over the past centuries .

The two soon enough left the room . The Zethaya scion was actually waiting outside , and Zac already knew the results of the Alchemist's inquiries judging by his expression .

I am afraid that there are no treasures to heal old wounds in the Base Town . Plenty of people have brought pills that can heal a recently wounded soul , such as our Zethaya's Serene Soul Pill] . But you would normally only bring items like the Prajñā Cherry] if you plan on selling or trading it , - Boje explained with a pained expression .

That's fine , I guessed as much , - Zac sighed . - You don't happen to know a way to block out Karmic links for a whole planet? -

Is this about the Heliophos Traitor? - Boje thoughtfully said . - It's an unusual problem . Perhaps there are arrays that can provide such an effect , but I would have to confer with a proper Array Master . -

Zac nodded in thanks as the alchemist walked off again , and his eyes turned to a woman who stood in a doorway not far away . It was one of the two ladies who had snatched up Galau earlier , and judging by the trademark purple hair it was no doubt Pretty Peak .

He’s happy you’re not holding a grudge , - Pretty smiled . - Outliers like you are a nightmare for large clans . Come inside , and we can discuss your predicament . -

Zac nodded and followed her inside where the second girl waited . She immediately stood up when he appeared , but Zac noticed that her smile looked a bit forced . Her eyes repeatedly went toward the various jewelry that decked his hands , while occasionally darting over to Galau to the side .

Had the merchant said something weird?

However , she soon snapped out of it and introduced herself as Leyara Lioress , calling herself the personal disciple of - The Void Priestess’ . That didn’t mean anything to Zac , but judging by Galau’s reaction it seemed as though she was a big shot in the sector , or at least in the Allbright Empire . Zac marked down the information for later before he introduced himself .

I’m Zac , nice to meet you , - Zac simply said .

I am Pretty Peak , but you can call me Divine Fist , - Pretty added from the side , drawing a blank stare from Zac .

Don’t mind her , - Leyara giggled from the side as she walked closer to Zac , causing a puff of perfume to waft over . - Pretty was finally allowed to change name a year ago after forming a Mid-Grade Fragment while still in F-Grade . But she can’t decide on a new name . -

Yes , I’ve met your cousin , - Zac coughed , surprised at how much stronger she seemed to be compared to her cousin . - How is Average? -

He’s current- - Pretty began , but Zac’s attention was suddenly diverted by a System Prompt that appeared in front of him .

Lordship of Port Atwood Challenged]

Lordship challenged?! - Zac swore out loud as he saw the prompt as he glared at the two girls , his dense killing intent started leaking a bit . - Who? -

It's not us . Such a prompt means your Capital is being attacked , - Pretty said , her equanimity slightly cracking in front of Zac's aura .

Zac immediately stood up in alarm upon hearing the news and started to walk out the door without another word .

Wait , - Pretty said from behind , and Zac looked back to see both the girls throw a Cosmos Sack over .

We’ll contact the Heliophos Clan for you , - Pretty said . - We should have heard back within a month . You can read in the crystal how to contact me without exposing yourself . -

A small greeting gift from me , - Leyara added as well .

Thank you both , - Zac nodded and left in a hurry to find Ogras .

What did you give him? - Pretty asked her friend after Zac had left the room , noticing that her friend had acted a bit unnatural since Zac Piker had arrived .

You heard the merchant's descriptions , - Leyara said with a slight blush . - And you saw what he wore . Many geniuses have unique interests and tastes , and you have to adapt to circumstances . -

You didn't . . . - Pretty exclaimed , her eyes widening in disbelief .

Chapter 475 - Trapped

Zac rushed out of the meeting room and found the demon sitting in the lobby downstairs , surrounded by a handful of scions . Ogras looked up and immediately spotted something was wrong with his expression and flashed over .

The town is being attacked , - Zac simply said with a low voice . - I got a prompt by the System . -

What?! - the demon said with surprise . - Who would be able to attack the island? -

I’ll go deal with it immediately , - Zac said . - It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get any force to help us out against that guy anyway . -

No , - Ogras said with a shake of his head . - I asked around . It seems a few C-Grade forces in the sector have gone from rulers of their areas to beggars after having crossed that Clan . One weird calamity after another befell their factions until nothing was left . They are definitely not some benign monks , and no one wants to be the next one to fall . -

You can stay behind a bit longer while I deal with this , - Zac said after thinking it over . - I got something that will be able to see karma threads at least . See if you can find anything else that can help us hide our planet better , like arrays or obscuring treasures . -

I’ll make some inquiries . Many still want to make a connection to us even if they will stay out of the way of the Heliophos Clan , - the demon said . - I’m sure I can squeeze all kinds of good things out of the people here . There might be something useful in the sacks I looted as well , I haven't had a chance to go through them yet . -

Might as well make the most of the situation , - Zac sighed . - I’ve already asked Boje Zethaya , but see if you can find any soul healing treasures . My soul cracked and I was forced to use the treasure during the climb and I don’t have anything to heal Alea now . And get some materials for upgrading weapons as well . -

The demon looked shocked , before he wryly looked at the people around .

I’ll ask , but if the Zethaya Descendant can’t find anything I doubt I will fare any better , - Ogras said . - But the girl is strong and we still have time . We need to focus on that old bastard coming for us . I’ll see what solutions there are . -

Good . I got a token from Boje anyway , so we can always send someone over for a healing pill , - Zac agreed as he took out the Tower Token . - When will you come back? -

I’ll sort things out quickly before returning as well , - Ogras said after some thought . - Give me an hour or so . -

Zac only nodded and cracked his token , and ten seconds later he was back on earth .

It almost felt surreal to be back in his secluded courtyard after moving through dozens of worlds that might have either been real or imaginary . The experiences over the past 100 days had been life-changing . Some parts had far exceeded his expectations , but for other things he had come up short .

The increase to his power compared to when he left Earth just 10 days ago was almost incalculable , yet he had still failed in either getting a real solution in the fight against The Great Redeemer or a cure for Alea . It wasn't all hopeless though , as Ogras might be able to come back with something that would help them shroud Earth from any karmic trails .

But there was no time to rest . He was still not completely recuperated from the showdown outside the Tower of Eternity , but he had thankfully relied heavily on his accumulated treasures to tide that tribulation . It left him with a decent amount of Cosmic Energy to spare , though the side-effects of Hatchetman's Rage] were still there to a certain degree .

There were no obvious sounds of battle that he could hear , so he immediately rushed toward his Nexus Node . His first instinct was that someone might be trying to tamper with his private Node while he was away , like a spy trying to snatch his lordship from under his nose . But the house with the node was empty , and it didn't look like anyone had messed with it either .

Zac quickly walked out of the building and was about to head toward the town , when a shocking explosion erupted to the south . Trees were almost flattened to the ground and Zac felt the shockwave deep into his bones even though the explosion came from hundreds of meters away . There was only one thing in that direction ; the shipyard .

The creators? - Zac muttered with confusion before he flashed away .

A massive plume of flames rose to the sky the moment he passed the final layer of trees , and Zac was forced to cover his face from the intense light . The explosion earlier must have taken place somewhere out on the water , but Zac could feel the heat all the way from where he stood .

Zac was about to rush toward the Creator Offices , but he noticed that a familiar figure had appeared in front of him without him noticing . It was Rahm , the Creator Liaison .

Lord Atwood , it has been a while . I hope you are well? - the stoic Creator said , seemingly unperturbed by the fact that the whole area had been turned into a blazing inferno .

I’m fine , - Zac said . - More importantly , what is going on? Are there attackers on the island? Or is this an experiment? -

It is not an experiment , unfortunately , - Rahm said . - It would appear that you are being invaded . Multiple large ships have breached your shores , and there have been sounds of conflict for a while now . The explosion just now was one of the ships trying to breach our arrays . -

Do you need assistance? - Zac asked .

No , - a booming voice echoed as the familiar spider-golem emerged from the offices . - It’s so rare I get to see some action , and I hold no love for neither the fanatics nor the unliving . There is no way these children will be able to breach our fortifications , so you can rest easy . Nothing will be able to anchor this side of your living quarters . -

It was Karunthel , the Creator foreman who had shown up . He looked pretty much the same as before , with the noticeable addition of a cannon radiating a terrifying amount of energy that had been mounted onto his torso . The spider golem was turning more and more into a killer robot every day .

What? - Zac blurted with confusion . - Are they both attacking us? They are supposed to be mortal enemies . -

I guess you youngsters gave them a scare . Should’ve finished them off sooner though , now they’re crawling all over the island , - Karunthel shrugged as he inspected Zac .

Brat , your aura is getting nice and condensed . But if you would accept a piece of advice , don’t get hung up on perfection . Cultivation might not be a sprint , but it is not a marathon either . You need to maintain momentum and keep pushing forward . The second you stop it will be much harder to start running again , - he said .

Thank you , - Zac said , though he couldn’t really focus on the advice after hearing the whole island was under attack . - I will soon evolve . So you are fine here? -

They have already realized we're a Mercantile Structure and will soon move on , - Karunthel laughed . - And I am not allowed to blast those rats who are staying outside the shields . Not within the job description . But I've expanded the shield to the maximum area that I am allowed , which will keep part of your coastline safe at least . -

Thank you , I’ll visit you once this is dealt with , - Zac nodded and immediately started running toward Port Atwood .

Zac rapidly moved through his private forest like a specter , each step with Loamwalker] moving him fifty meters forward . Urgency and some confusion made his mind muddled as he tried to figure out just what was going on . Had the two bitter enemies really put their differences aside just for him? He had never heard of anything like it .

And more importantly , how the hell had they found these secluded islands so easily? It had taken months of exploration to find the mainland , so finding his small island would be like looking for a needle in a haystack .

He could only pray he wasn't too late yet again . With both him and Ogras gone and Alea in a coma , there was pretty much no one who would be able to rebuff an assault . He could only thank the System that it was kind enough to provide a warning that his people were under attack .

Another massive shockwave erupted in the distance , containing enough power to almost throw him off his feet . A plume of golden flames rose into the sky , and Zac remembered Ogras’ descriptions of the zealot’s powers all too well . Fury started to smolder in his mind , fiery anger at the people who dared launch such a massive strike at a town full of civilians and non-combat personnel .

The world shrunk around him as he pushed Loamwalker] to its limits . The towering flames came from the northeast , some ways inland from the coast . It was the part of Port Atwood that contained the Academy and the structures related to his army . It seemed the attackers knew what parts whey needed to take out first .

Was there really a spy on the island?

Port Atwood had thankfully overhauled its defenses since the last waves of attack though , and his people should at least be able to hold out for while even against the Undead Empire . Back then he barely had the resources to run a simple town protection array , but Port Atwood had been a Global City for quite some time now .

He had given his subordinates almost free reign with the town’s funds in order to develop Port Atwood , and he saw waves of flames slamming into a sturdy crystalline barrier as he approached the battlefield . Four massive fractals shone in the sky , and one of them suddenly lit up .

A tremendous surge of chaotic energies cut straight through the seas of flames with such force that space was ripped open , and a thundering explosion could be heard as the attack hit something on the other side of the ten-meter tall wall .

It was clear that the town had added some great new defenses , but both the Undead Empire and the Church of the Everlasting Dao were terrifying forces with extremely deep heritages . A golden ball slammed into the crystalline shield protecting the wall the next moment , causing massive cracks all over as streams of fire shot toward the people standing guard on the wall walk .

Zac’s eyes widened with anger as he saw the gouts of flames pour down toward his army who were desperately trying to maintain the barrier . The ground cracked beneath his feet as he leaped forward , and a storm of leaves spread out to create a vast canopy to block out the rain of fire .

Lord Atwood! - a Valkyrie suddenly screamed , and hundreds of hopeful eyes were turned in his direction .

Zac only nodded in response as he flew toward the golden ball in the sky with furious momentum , and his body was hardened by the Fragment of the Coffin as his fist slammed into the molten core . A shockwave spread out in all directions from his punch , and a few warriors were even thrown off from the wall as the golden ball was twisted and deformed before it was flung away .

Another shudder spread through the earth as the ball landed some distance outside the wall . Zac himself landed on the wall walk , and he tried to understand what was going on outside . However , the only thing that met his gaze was a sea of flames that spread in every direction outside the city wall .

The lunatics had set half the island on fire it seemed .

What’s going on? - Zac asked as a familiar demon rushed to his side .

It was Harvath , one of the Demon captains who had accompanied him in the Underworld and the earlier Incursions .

We discovered six massive ships heading this way about a day ago , carrying both the undead and zealots of the Church of Everlasting Dao , - Harvath explained between pants . - We tried to stop their advance with repeated raids using our smaller vessels , but we only managed to sink two of them before our ships were too burned to continue attacking . -

The Undead Empire has really teamed up with the Chuch? - Zac asked incredulously , still having trouble believing it was true .

It appears that way , - Harvath said . - Three of the remaining ships sailed for our island , with the final one veering off for some reason . We fear that other settlements might have been hit . -

You don’t know? - Zac asked with a frown .

They are somehow blocking our teleporters . It is like this island has become isolated from the rest of the world . We have lost connection to all other locations on our Teleportation List . We could still teleport within the island until recently , but we lost that ability a few minutes ago . We have sent out scouting vessels but haven’t gotten word back , - he said .

How’s that possible? - Zac muttered with a frown .

General Ilvere believes the ship might have dropped some manner of spatial disruption arrays into the ocean as they sailed toward us , - Harvath said . - But we don’t know . -

Zac frowned when he heard about the block . It seemed to be the same technology as that which almost got Alea and his whole army killed . He hadn't expected being troubled by such technology right as he returned , and he didn't have any real way to solve them . The simplest method would be to destroy the jammers , but he didn't even know what they looked like .

Were the Invaders trying to imprison him on this remote island?

Chapter 476 - Sowing Discord

How do things look with the Undead Incursion? - Zac asked after making sure that another molten ball wasn't coming their way . - Have you found out how long until it activates? -

. . . The array has already been activated , - the demon said after a brief hesitation . - Half the sky of the main continent is reportedly covered with a green array . -

WHAT?! - Zac almost roared , his eyes widening with shock . - Since when? -

Four days ago , - the demon sighed . - But it is not converting the world as of yet , it is currently drawing energy from the planet . Your sister and the human champions have worked hard to slow it down for your return , but I am not sure how much time there is left . Lady Atwood will likely know more . -

Ok , where is my sister right now? - Zac asked , his mind reeling after getting bombarded by a series of unwelcome news the past hour .

His miscalculation of the time he had remaining had caused massive repercussions for Earth , and he couldn't help but feel ashamed when he thought back to his meeting with Thea just before leaving for the tower . He could only pray that he had returned in time to set things right .

She is fighting at Azh’Rodum , - Harvath said . - She is holding the invaders back with your swarm of flying machines . -

My machines? - Zac repeated with confusion before he remembered the drones .

She had actually gained control of the drone swarms , which Zac guessed wasn’t surprising considering Jeeves . Some fear flickered in his heart , but he knew he couldn’t blame her for taking them out . If now was not the time to use it , then when? But another point of confusion suddenly entered his mind .

Wait , Azh’Rodum? What are they doing so far inland? - Zac asked with a frown .

We don’t know . They first tried bombarding us from a distance where we couldn’t retaliate , but our shields were too strong for those attacks . So two ships stayed outside this town while they prepared for a siege , while the largest ship sailed north , - the demon captain explained . - We believe they might be targeting the Vein through the mine . -

Who went with her? - Zac asked .

Most of the Valkyries , along with Ilvere and a squad of E-Grade demons . Azh'Rodum is not as strongly defended , and it is the gateway to the Nexus Vein , so most of our elites went there . Our task here is simply to hold out until you and the young lord returned , or until the threat inland was averted . The young master . . . Is he here? - Harvath asked as he looked around .

Ogras is still in the Tower of Eternity , he is fine . I got a prompt that Port Atwood was under attack so I immediately returned . Ogras will return a bit later after he has dealt with some matters over there , - Zac explained as his mind went over the details .

Some things didn't make sense . His force had been in combat for over a day . Why hadn’t the system warned him? He also suddenly remembered the spike in levels for Thea and Billy roughly twelve hours ago in real-time .

Are Billy and Thea on the island? - Zac asked .

Yes , it was only thanks to them we managed to sink one of the ships before we were pushed back , - Harvath nodded , some respect shining in his eyes . - They are currently on bed-rest . Janos had to hypnotize the big one to prevent him from running out and bashing the invaders with that nasty club of his . They will be fine in a week or two . -

Zac sighed in relief when hearing those two were fine . It looked like they actually had risked their lives to protect his people . But it made him all-the-more confused why the alert had only warned him just now .

Did something change a few minutes ago? - Zac suddenly asked .

A few minutes ago? - the demon repeated . - Nothing special has happened except our communications being blocked . They did also start shooting those massive balls at our shield recently . We can't see them any longer because of the flames , but the zealots set up large siege tools some distance from here . -

Zac slowly nodded in understanding . It seemed that the System only gave out a warning at the last moment , which was a valuable piece of information . He couldn’t rely on the System as a warning call to protect his home . This time he was lucky enough to be able to get back to town almost instantly , but that wouldn't always be the case .

He really needed to erect a more permanent protection that would withstand any threat on Earth .

I can't see anything in front of me , what are they doing on the other side of the flames? - Zac finally asked .

Our vision has been blocked for a while now as well . It's almost exclusively the Cultists who have set up camp outside . We received a report that the situation is almost the opposite at Azh'Rodum before we lost contact . There's almost only undead warriors up there . -

I’ll deal with the attackers here before heading to Azh’Rodum , - Zac said . - Try to find out if they've erected some sort of array anywhere . We need to break the arrays blocking our communications . -

With that , he simply jumped out from the wall and landed in a sea of flames that rose over a dozen meters into the air . He had just jumped twenty meters or so , but his vision was completely blocked in both directions , and he was forced to activate the Fragment of the coffin to not get burnt . A thought suddenly struck him and his Specialty Core activated .

The undead and the cultists might be working together on the surface , but things weren't very harmonious from the sound of it . Perhaps he could cause some confusion within their ranks with his alternate form while also letting his Hatchetman class rest for a bit . Both the main skills of Hatchetman were on cool-down , after all , along with Hatchetman's Rage] .

Granted , he was still pretty confident at defeating this army even with Hatchetman in a weakened state . His power had almost doubled in the ten short days since he left Earth , while the Invaders still should have some small restrictions to their power . Not only that , but he had also gone through all sorts of life-and-death encounters , sharpening his skills to the utmost .

His body grew as the pitch-black armor covered his body , and Zac caused the flames surrounding him to die out with one massive swing of his bardiche . It put him face-to-face with the Zealot army , and he was delighted to see their anger and confusion as a sea of miasma spread out around him as he started running toward their front-lines .

You! What ploy is this! - a massive roar echoed out from the army , and a huge lizardman decked in a thick armor shining in gold and red pushed past the inquisitors at the front .

Zac didn't answer , but he rather took out one of the enormous Unholy Beacons from his Cosmos Sack and slammed it into the ground like he was planting a flag . It immediately started spewing out miasma , though most of it was burned away by the surrounding flames . But this was more about sending a message than getting more death-attuned energy , and the effect was immediate .

Heretic! Your sins will be judged today! - the infuriated Bishop roared , and Zac couldn't help but snicker beneath his helmet as the undead liaisons were mobbed by infuriated cultists .

There was no time to waste though as his sister was fighting for her life as far as he knew . The only reason he didn't immediately rush to Azh'Rodum was that he believed her to be somewhat safe with the help of the drone swarm he had left on Port Atwood . She also had access to the Town Shop , meaning she could keep buying one defensive layer after another as was needed .

He still didn't want to waste time with the crazy zealots though , and he stomped down onto the ground to teleport into the middle of the army . However , he was surprised to find himself rebuffed , and he stumbled a bit as he appeared right outside a golden shield that had appeared in front of the army .

We have fought your kind for millions of years . Did you truly think we didn't come prepared?! - the bishop roared with mad laughter .

Zac knew he was putting himself in a disadvantage by fighting as an undead against the cultists , as they had whole armies dedicated to fighting the Undead Empire . However , he saw it as an opportunity to fight in an adverse situation , and he still felt he had the strength to prevail . There was no way he wouldn't be able to deal with these guys head-on unless the leaders of the two Incursions had shown up on his doorstep .

But that would be fine with Zac as well , as killing those two would essentially end the incursions and threat to Earth .

His arm swelled as he forced his arm full of Miasma for Unholy Strike] , and the whole area shook as the shield was beset by a series of furious swings empowered by his improved Middle Stage Dao Fragment . Almost a dozen of the robed priests standing behind the shield hunkered over after the first swing , with a few even starting bleeding down their ears .

A storm of golden flames beset him as Zac tried to force his way through the shield , but he kept them at bay with Immutable Bulwark] . However , he noticed with some surprise that the flames were like sticky napalm , and they stayed on the fractal bulwark and slowly whittled it down . It was like the flames and the Miasma canceled each other out , and Zac felt a far higher-than-normal consumption just to maintain the fractal shield .

His reserves of death-attuned energies were thankfully immense due to his almost inhuman attribute pool , and he kept providing the bulwark with more and more energy until he managed to create a crack in the wall . He forced himself through in an instant , he was upon the cultists like a fox in a henhouse .

Two burly clergymen tried to take him down by swinging scepters that contained the same fiery energy as the ranged attacks . Zac blocked one of them with his axe , and the other one got slammed with Everlasting] with enough force to be thrown dozens of meters away . Zac heard a crunching sound after the man was hit with the shield-bash , and he felt a surge of energy not long after he fell onto the ground .

Regroup! - the leader from before shouted , but Zac didn't want to give them any time to retreat to a safe distance .

He stomped his foot into the ground once more , and the cage of Profane Seal] rose from the ground and captured almost the whole army along with the siege tools that had been shooting out the molten cores at the City Shield . However , he was unable to spread his corrosive breath along with miasma from Fields of Despair] to cover the cage , as waves of flames kept dispersing the mists .

Zac finally gave up on his usual tactic , and instead started fighting by hand as he commanded the fifteen spectral chains to target the weaker warriors . Ghosts kept appearing in the cage as well as hundreds of the cultists tried to destroy the gates and the towers of Profane Seal] , only to hurt themselves .

A hundred skeletal warriors also emerged from the ground , and they formed ten squads that moved across the cage to take out stragglers and interrupt the zealot's attempts to form a proper defense against the chains . Unfortunately , it seemed as though the cultists were quite adept at fighting skeletons , and Zac felt himself losing subordinates at a rapid pace .

However , it wasn't like the life and death of the skeletons mattered , as long as they fulfilled their purpose . The whole cage was an utter mess soon enough with battles taking place everywhere . Errant flames and miasmic gusts made visibility almost impossible , and Zac was only able to make sense of the situation with the help of Cosmic Gaze] .

A tremendous wave of golden flames threatened to swallow Zac whole as the siege weapons launched a barrage meant for shield-breaking right at him , scoring a few over fifteen zealots by mistake . He swiftly cut the projectiles apart with a Dao-infused swing , and he started taking out the operators the next moment .

One siege tool after another entered his Spatial ring as the controllers were cut into two , and the situation was turning gradually into his favor as each chain soon held multiple desiccated corpses while they whizzed around . The head priest had been suspiciously silent until now though , but Zac finally spotted him through the flames .

Two wings sprouted out from his back , and he rose over a dozen meters into the air even after the suppressive effect of the azure fractal sealing the cage . A glowing orb of flames over fifteen meters across emerged behind his back , making him look like an apostle of the sun . However , it still looked a bit hollow in Zac's eyes as he had witnessed the true flames conjured by Iz Tayn .

Weight of the Heavens! - the priest roared and a massive array appeared in the sky above the cage the next moment .

Zac’s eyes widened at the sight , but it still wasn’t enough to make him despair or even worry . He had faced a lot stronger arrays just a few hours ago , and Zac still had almost half his treasures remaining if need be . Besides , the restrictive array from Profane Seal] didn't only put pressure on the people inside , it also acted as a protection from outside interference .

But Zac realized that the cultists were going all-out as he spotted nine priests who had kept out of harm's way until now , each of them holding a metal sun toward the sky that seemed to burn the controllers alive . He immediately directed a chain toward each of the priests , but they were immediately rebuffed by a fiery wall of flames whose heat was enough to turn the spectral fetters into motes of miasma when they got too close .

A few seconds later the nine priests were gone , replaced with nine hovering suns positioned in a circle at the edge of the cage .

The nine glowing suns were clearly related to the array that had lit up in the sky above , but the main controller was no doubt the Bishop who was still hovering up in the air . Zac growled in frustration over the lack of ranged options in his Undying Bulwark class , and he opted to try out his recently invented tactic again .

A spectral chain made a few loops around his chest before it hoisted him up , but he only managed to rise five meters before the Bishop launched a stream of fire that destroyed the midsection of the chain . Zac helplessly fell down again , wondering if he actually had to waste one of his single-use treasures on a simple general .

A lowly cretin wants to rise toward the sky? - The Bishop roared . - The Boundless Heaven's won't abide! -

Chapter 477 - Meteors

The Bishop's golden array lit up the next moment , and a fiery meteor several times larger than the one that had slammed into the City Shield begun its descent , its fall accompanied by a rain of fire so hot that the air itself was incinerated .

Zac realized these maniacs weren't called zealots by chance , and over a hundred of their own would die if that thing slammed into the ground in the confined space of Profane Seal] .

We wanted to use this strike on the native Lord , but taking out an elite from the five cursed races is a worthy trade , - the Bishop laughed from the sky .

The meteor rammed into the miasmic fractal acting as a dome for the miasmic cage the next second , and Zac knew in ant instant that it would only hold for so long before cracking . Zac started running toward the edge of the cage along with the surviving cultists , but he was forced to carve a path of blood as the lunatics seemed ready to sacrifice their lives just to keep him within the blast zone .

However , the normal cultists had no means to even impede Zac's escape , and he reached the edge of his cage just as the azure fractal broke apart , transmitting a blowback to Zac that made him stumble for a second .

The meteor regained its momentum in an instant , but it actually managed to change its trajectory as it went straight for Zac . He growled in annoyance as he activated Immutable Bulwark] and infused it with the Fragment of the Coffin . The fractal wall grew to its maximum size , reaching almost twenty meters across , but it could still barely cover a third of the meteor as the two collided .

Zac felt like he was being subject to the gravity of a sun as he was locked in a battle of man versus nature . His whole body trembled from the strain as the pressure was transmitted from the skill into his body . A few zealots tried to take the opportunity to strike while Zac was occupied , but they found themselves turned into desiccated husks from a few spectral chains that hovered around Zac like sentinels .

The meteor thankfully lost its momentum fast enough , and Zac pushed the fiery ball toward the largest clump of soldiers with a grunt , and it landed among them with a massive outburst of flames that rushed in every direction . The soldiers had desperately tried to erect some golden shields to stop the meteor as well , but they were nowhere near as powerful as Zac and his fractal bulwark .

The shields had broken in an instant and the cultists were either turned to paste or burned alive .

Screams could be heard from every direction , and not even Zac was completely unscathed even if he had managed to change the trajectory of the array . He had lost a large chunk of Miasma to maintain the massive shield as it was pressed against the flaming meteor , and he was still beset by the waves of flames that instantly covered the entire cage after the impact .

He also felt that the whole cage was being pushed toward its breaking point . The dome in the sky breaking had already damaged Profane Seal] , and cracks now covered both the towers and gates of the skill . The only thing maintaining the skill right now was probably the infusion of energy from the fifteen spectral chains .

However , Zac didn't enjoy that kind of energy boost as Fields of Despair] was completely countered by the all-consuming flames . The miasmic haze hadn't been present at all during the battle , and he hadn't gotten even a smidgeon of Miasma from the large number of killed zealots . It was the first time he had met a perfect counter to so many of his skills in his Undying Bulwark form , and he felt it wasn't by chance that the Church of Everlasting Dao and the Undying Empire were such bitter enemies .

Zac quickly readjusted his shield so that it shrunk just to the point that it covered his body . It was just in time as well as waves of fire and molten stones shot toward him . The heat was blistering , but it was somewhat manageable by circulating the Fragment of the Bodhi through his body . His first instinct was to dispel the cage and regroup , perhaps even change back to his human form to gain some ranged capabilities to take out the bishop and the stragglers .

However , Zac eventually decided against that course of action . Instead of fleeing from the scorching heat of the meteor , he rather ran toward it . The ground shuddered beneath his feet as he ran as quickly as his bulky transformation allowed , and he ignored the burning heat that was transmitted straight through his armor as he started scrambling up the burning meteor .

The Bishop was still floating in the air , the flames seemingly having no effect on him , and he started to rise even higher when he noticed Zac's approach .

There should no doubt be a limit of how long an E-Grade warrior could stay in the sky , but Zac wasn't willing to let the Bishop run amok until he ran out of steam . He wanted to end things quickly since his sister was waiting for him , but he was out of offensive treasures that could kill the flying man in one go .

Hoisting himself into the air with the spectral chains had already failed spectacularly as well , so he could only move as quickly as he could until he reached the top of the meteor to use it as a springboard before it was too late . The bishop launched a storm of flames in his direction , but he simply punched through them as he jumped toward the lizardman in the sky .

The meteor cracked beneath Zac's feet as he put everything into the hulking leap , and his arm was already swelling in size in preparation for the final strike . The Bishop snorted and flexed his wings , but ten spectral chains whipped at him from behind to push him down . It was the final hurrah of the spectral chains before Profane Seal] was destroyed by the flames .

Eight of the chains were incinerated as they tried to destroy the radiant sun that shielded the Bishop , but the sacrifice released a dense storm of Miasmic gases that allowed the final two chains to pass straight through the globe of fire unscathed . The Bishop was forced to stop ascending to avoid the attack , which kept him in Zac's trajectory .

The wings of the cultist suddenly his own body in an embrace and Zac realized the man was using some sort of movement skill . However , that was just what Zac hoped for and he immediately swung his axe as he saw a burst of flames appear in front of him . The massive bardiche fell , cutting straight through a golden fractal and luxuriant armor .

The large meteor lost most of its heat in an instant , and three thuds echoed out across the battlefield as Zac and the two bisected pieces of the Bishop landed on the scorched ground . A large surge of energy entered his body , but he also felt a backlash as the miasmic cage finally broke apart .

Zac would have thought that seeing their leader getting cut in two would douse the fighting spirit of the surviving zealots , but he had severely underestimated just how crazy these people were . Most of them started emitting extremely condensed fires from their mouths and eyes , and they heedlessly ran toward him as their bodies started swelling .

Some fell onto the ground before they even got close to Zac , their bodies turning into bloated balloons before exploding into cascading flames . It reminded Zac of the man that had exploded when he saved Kenzie from the New World Government at the border town . The whole area shuddered as dozens of eruptions went off one after another as the soldiers tried to bring Zac with them down to hell .

The pitch-black armor from Vanguard of Undeath] was already in a haggard state after climbing atop the meteor , and the blasts were quickly ripping apart the remaining layers . Zac blocked out the attacks he could with Immutable Bulwark] , whereas the few remaining skeletons absorbed some of the attacks for him .

Thankfully enough the battlefield turned quiet soon enough , with just him and a few dying cultists remaining .

His hair was singed clean off and burns covered a large part of his body , but one of the two invading armies were dealt with at least . The cultists hadn't even managed to harm him apart from some surface burns , but they had been a surprisingly hard nut to crack . It looked like most , if not all , of the Incursion restrictions were gone by this point .

Normally he would have wanted to sit down and go over the battle at this juncture , as it felt like he had gained a lot from the fight . But there was no time , and Zac turned back to his human form before he walked back through the burning wreckage toward Port Atwood's Wall .

He jumped up with a grunt , appearing next to the demon captain and a few Valkyries that had waited for his return .

I’ve dealt with the leader and the army , but be careful , - Zac said as he cracked his neck . - There might be more hiding . -

Harvath slowly nodded as he looked out across the destruction outside the wall , mute disbelief apparent in his eyes .

Have you found anything about the array jamming? - Zac asked as he took out one of his healing pills to deal with the burns .

I'm sorry , we didn't dare to leave the wall while you fought in case we would become a liability . We'll start cleaning up the battlefield and looking for the array immediately , - Harvath said as he started awake .

That's fine , - Zac nodded as he took out his new flying treasure , the large inscribed leaf . - I’m heading inland . Be careful , most of the cultists chose to blow themselves up , but perhaps there are reinforcements on the ship . -

We'll be careful , - Harvath nodded . - Don't worry and let us deal with the aftermath . -

Zac jumped on the treasure the next moment , and it soundlessly rose to the sky before it shot away with enough speed to rip the clouds in two .

It felt a bit bad to leave Port Atwood while there still were enemies remaining . He had dealt with the army , but who knew what other things the cultists had planned . It was all-too-apparent just how far they were willing to go to take out their enemies , and he wouldn't be surprised if they had more nasty surprises in store for his island .

However , there was only one of him , and he needed to prioritize where to strike for maximum effect .

The speed of Zac’s new flying treasure was just shocking , and he wasn’t sure whether he would have been able to hang on if it wasn’t for the protective array that blocked out any wind . He didn't have any means to make an exact measurement , but he felt that the leaf would be able to keep up with a modern fighter jet .

At least it felt like he moved a lot faster compared to when he had flown in a commercial airplane before the integration .

It wasn’t all thanks to the high-quality craftsmanship of the vessel though . He had actually noticed that he could infuse the leaf with the Fragment of the Bodhi , which boosted the treasure's speed by around 30% . He even believed he could push the thing even further if he had some Nature-Attuned crystals to feed into the sockets rather than normal E-Grade Nexus Crystals .

It would normally have taken Zac hours to reach Azh’Rodum by foot , even if he used Loamwalker] to speed up , but he was closing in on the center of the island after just 15 minutes of travel . He was anxious to reach the demon stronghold , as he didn’t want to repeat the tragedy of arriving just a few seconds too late again .

Finally , he saw the battlefield ahead , or rather the massive clouds of miasma that covered a huge section of the northern parts of the island . The undead forces had no doubt set up a large array of Unholy Beacons to form such a vast cloud , but he frowned in confusion when he saw that there wasn’t much of a battle raging .

There was a hovering line of sentries protecting the whole flank of Azh’Rodum , and there were over a hundred craters on the ground outside , along with a few scorched bodies . It looked there had been a few minor skirmishes that had been ended with laser-beams by his sister , but the complete lack of damage to the town fortifications indicated that the undead army wasn’t even straining itself to take over the town .

However , the defenders were desperately launching attacks at an azure shield from the walls of Azh'Rodum , with dozens of projectiles hitting the barrier every second . It almost felt like the roles of invader and defender had been swapped . Zac guessed that something was brewing within the cloud of miasma that needed to be dealt with , and quickly judging by the fervor of the attacks .

He didn't even touch down inside the town to get a grasp on the situation , but he rather chose to fly straight toward the miasmic shield . Just when he was a hundred meters from the shield he pushed off while simultaneously stowing away the treasure . Tremendous amounts of Cosmic Energy swirled around him as he shot toward the shield while Verun's Bite] drenched the area in a bloody hue .

This time he would be the meteor .

Chapter 478 - Fighting Fate

The air screamed around Zac as he shot toward the azure shield with the speed of an airplane , and even he got a bit worried he was playing a bit fast and loose with his life . However , he threw any hesitation into the back of his mind as he conjured a fractal blade that was as large as himself . He was perfectly capable of making it even larger , but he needed to contain the impact to a smaller area .

The blade first changed color to a gleaming silver as he imbued it with the Fragment of the Axe , but the sanguine glow quickly spread from Verun's Bite] as well to cover the whole fractal edge . This was the most power he could release without utilizing Hatchetman's Rage] or the slumbering remnants , and he could only pray that it was enough to punch a hole in the massive array .

The world froze as Zac's attack cut into the shield with all the power he could muster , but an enormous shockwave that dispersed the clouds of miasma soon followed . Hairline cracks spread for hundreds of meters in each direction , and Zac managed to squeeze through the hole in the barrier before it healed .

However , the point of impact was over 100 meters into the air and he had no means to control his descent . The collision had also caused him to completely lose balance , and any hopes of a hero's entrance were dashed as he slammed into the ground face-first . Another shockwave , this one a lot smaller , spread out from the point of impact , instantly killing the closest zombies . He scrambled back to his feet while wiping away some of the blood running down his nose , and he took stock of the situation .

The insides of the array were shrouded by dense swirls of miasmic haze , and his skin crawled from the contact with the condensed death-attuned energies . The extremely limited sight made it impossible to see any clear threat to Port Atwood , and instantly getting mobbed by enraged elite zombies didn't make things easier to discern .

Fractal blades shot out in each direction as swathes of destruction were carved into the undead hordes . However , these were the best of the zombies as the fractal blades were whittled down before they reached too far . Each strike still killed over fifty zombies , but the blade broke apart from a storm of counterstrikes after that .

Zac activated Cosmic Gaze] in hopes of making anything out , but everything became a haze varying degrees of grey . However , he did spot spots with more condensed energies , and he immediately shot toward the closest target .

A few seconds later he found himself in front of an Unholy Beacon , and Zac wasn't surprised by the sight at all . What did make him frown in consternation , however , was the array surrounding it . There hadn't been anything like that around the beacons he had seen until now , and he guessed it was some sort of secondary array that was powered by the beacon .

The beacon was guarded by a hulking Corpse Golem that immediately swung at Zac the moment he appeared . However , Zac's physique was beyond monstrous by now , with an effective strength reaching 2500 . Zac countered the punch with his own , his fist not even a tenth the size of the massive undead construct .

A thundering explosion echoed out as the arm of the golem blew apart from the force , and it was cut in two the next second as Zac slashed it with a lazy swing as he stepped toward the beacon . He couldn't make out its purpose , so Zac simply cut a few lines to ruin the inscriptions before he ripped the beacon out of the ground at stashed it in his Spatial Ring .

Zac was a moving calamity as he moved from beacon to beacon at his utmost speed , and he had stolen ten beacons in less than three minutes . Some of them had launched massive outbursts of death-attuned energies at him though , but Zac had managed to dodge the waves of death with the help of Loamwalker] .

One of them had actually detonated just as he was about to stow it away , but the vibrant energies of the Fragment of the Bodhi were able to neutralize the attack . He still hadn't spotted any leaders though , so he could only keep going in hopes that they would be forced to show their hand sooner or later .

A large shudder echoed out when he ripped another beacon out of the ground , and he saw that the shield finally flickered before it dissipated .

It had been pretty smashed by his tremendous momentum when he launched himself at it , but it had soon healed itself after he pushed his way through . But now it looked like Zac had caused too much destruction within the shield , to the point that it could no longer maintain its functionality . The highly condensed Miasma started within the barrier to spread out as well , but Zac knew that it would sooner or later be cleansed by the pure energies of the world .

However , his confusion only grew while looking around as visibility steadily grew better . He couldn't see any high-grade siege tools or anything else that would separate the thousands of zombies from normal elites . But he finally spotted a group of hooded beings in the back of the army , guarded by five hulking E-Grade Corpse Golems .

Zac immediately rushed toward them , carving a line of true death through the zombie horde . The hooded warriors didn't react to his approach , but the golems readied themselves for battle and started rushing toward him . However , these golems were only marginally stronger than those who had guarded the Unholy Beacons , and Zac needed less than a minute to turn them into small hills of rock-hard flesh .

The hooded warriors had started fleeing but he effortlessly captured one of them while blocking the escape of the others . It tried to struggle out of his grasp , but Zac was surprised to find that it was pitifully weak .

What are you planning? - Zac growled with anger as he ripped the hood from the lich's head .

However , what met Zac's gaze wasn't the Lich King or one of his generals , but just some random revenants that couldn’t have been higher than Level 60 . Zac immediately crushed its neck in frustration before he captured the others , getting the same results .

Just what was going on?

It quickly became apparent that this was all a big diversion , and that the undead wasn’t actually interested in conquering Azh’Rodum . But what was the point of sacrificing their own without any gain? Was it to trick the Church of the Everlasting Dao? Or was the real mission taking place somewhere else?

Zac’s first thought was the mines , just like how Harvath had guessed . Were they trying to mess with his Nexus Vein somehow? If the real leaders had entered the confusing mess of subterranean tunnels beneath the island it would be extremely annoying to root them out , as his own force still hadn’t completely mapped the nigh endless number of narrow passageways that ran beneath the surface .

However , he suddenly saw someone running toward him , decimating all the zombies that tried to impede her path with a barrage of attacks based on the four elements . Zac immediately flashed over to Kenzie , who immediately threw herself in his arms . He really wanted to catch up and hear what had happened since he left , but he saw how frazzled she had looked as she ran toward him .

Something was wrong .

Are you okay? - Zac asked . - What's going on? -

I am fine , but someone is tampering with the arrays in the valley since some time ago! - Kenzie said with worry as she released him . - I stationed a few sentries on the mountain just in case , but I can’t get a hold of them now with the jammers . I’m afraid they’re up to something over there . I've been trying to head to the mountain , but the undead swarms anyone who leaves the town . We've tried breaking out but their shields were too strong . -

I’ll deal with it , - Zac said as the leaf appeared again beneath his feet . - There are no elites here , it seems . I think this whole army is a diversion . I'll be back in a bit . -

The next second he was hundreds of meters away , speeding toward the secluded valley .

Panic coursed through Zac’s body as he infused the flying treasure with the Fragment of the Bodhi . He had handed over control of the network of arrays he had erected around the island to his sister upon leaving , so he hadn't noticed anything wrong at all since arriving . His thoughts were a mess as he tried to figure out the purpose of whoever had breached the arrays .

Were they looking for Alea , or did they have some other agenda?

Was it because of the mutated Tree of Ascension? That thing would no doubt be of huge value for anyone dabbling with poison , perhaps even after having reached E-Grade . However , there should be no way that the Undead Empire knew about it as access to the valley was completely restricted after Zac took control of the island .

Besides , things wouldn’t end well even if the invaders weren’t there specifically for Alea . Would they simply let her rest in peace after seeing her next to the Tree of Ascension? Of course not .

Zac and his sister had placed strong protective arrays around the whole valley to keep people away , but the invaders were either extremely strong or adept at breaking arrays . The inner shield protecting Alea’s Stasis Array wasn’t much stronger than the outer one , and Zac was doubtful that it would prove a challenge to whoever had encroached upon the valley .

Less than five minutes had passed since he left the outskirts of Azh’Rodum , but he felt like it had been hours when he finally breached the crest leading into the valley . He immediately noticed that there was something wrong with the outer array covering the whole valley like a dome . It was still intact , but it felt completely drained of energy like it was just there for show .

The leaf shot straight through it , and he was at the core of the valley in seconds . However , his fears were immediately realized as he spotted four hooded individuals sitting in a circle around Alea's stasis array , right next to the Tree of Ascension] . An intricate array covered the ground around the stasis array , and Zac sensed extremely pure fluctuations of Death-Attuned energies from the crystals powering it .

Zac jumped down from the flying treasure and rushed forward like an enraged beast , his axe already shining with a sanguine glow . The air popped around him as his aura billowed out without restraints , and even the slumbering Splinter stirred in his mind from Zac's towering fury .

So you are he- - the closest man said with a hoarse voice , but he couldn’t even finish his sentence before he was obliterated by a world-ending punch , turning into scraps of flesh that rained down upon the area .

The three others quickly rose from their seated positions around the array and unleashed what looked like a swarm of jumbo mosquitoes at him , but Zac ignored them as he unleashed a Dao field based on his strongest Dao Fragment . Many of the bugs died from the sharpness of the domain , but even more managed to resist as they assaulted every piece of exposed skin on his body .

The spectral forest of Hatchetman's Sprit] rose from the ground , and an emerald shield protected Zac from the gnats as he cut through the swarm . The hooded warriors released another barrage of what seemed to be poisonous insects and airborne toxins , but everything was destroyed by Zac's furious assault .

The second robed warrior was quickly cut into a dozen pieces from a furious barrage of swings , and the third was literally ripped apart the moment Zac caught him with his free hand . Only one final warrior remained in just a couple of seconds , and Zac had him caught in an iron grip as he took ragged breaths due to barely restrained rage .

He had gotten even angrier as he had seen the Stasis Array at close distance , as it had obviously been tampered with . The golden glass was replaced by a murky black sheen , and he couldn't even see Alea's body inside due to an extremely dense violet cloud within the glass . He couldn't even tell whether she was alive or dead while standing just a few meters away .

Tell me , what have you done?! - he roared as he ripped off the hood of the man , exposing a man that looked like a corpse that had been left out in a desert for weeks .

Fractured soul , not living , not dead , - the man wheezed with a laugh . - I was anointing her to become an elite of our Empire , but now it’s all for naught . You might as well put the girl out of her misery . -

Tell me how to fix this! - Zac screamed into the man’s face , his anger towering to an unprecedented degree .

Death is the destination for all . You can’t fight fate , - the desiccated husk of a man laughed , and Zac’s danger sense soon erupted , forcing him to throw the man away .

The hooded Lich exploded into an enormous cloud of gasses that were no doubt extremely toxic , but a few wide swings with Verun’s Bite] pushed the cloud north and toward the edge of the island .

Zac only took a cursory glance at the surroundings before running over toward the glass array that had kept Alea's soul from crumbling any further . However , he stumbled after just a few steps , and his mind started to become cloudy . He quickly ate one of his best antidotes as he circulated the Fragment of the Coffin in an effort to refine the invisible toxins that must have made their way into his body .

Helplessness threatened to immobilize him as he looked down at the array . He somewhat regretted not bringing his sister in his hurry to get here in time , but he instinctively knew there was nothing she could do in front of something like this . He ripped out the four crystals powering the array , and they were no-doubt D-Grade Miasma Crystals from the fluctuations .

Extremely condensed streams of death-attuned energies tried to infect his body without him even trying to absorb anything , but his Specialty Core just trembled a bit as it absorbed the infiltration . Zac put the crystals into his pouch as he swung his axe a few times to ruin the intricate layout of inscriptions covering the ground , and the array immediately lost any remaining strength .

The array was stopped , but his heart still hammered as he gripped the cover glass coffin to push it away . But before he even had a chance to move the lid an invisible shockwave erupted from within , and his surroundings changed the next instant .

Chapter 479 - Fragments

GET OUT! - Yasera screeched , her eyes muddled and unfocused from the Hera Leaves . - You keep taking up time and money , what are you good for? -

Tears pooled in Alea’s eyes , but she knew her mom was not herself at the moment .

I’ll be useful , I promise , - Alea said as she shuffled out of their corner of the communal space , her eyes downcast to avoid the mean stares of the others .

She quickly found herself on the streets , the two burly guards at the door only sparing her a glance as she vacantly stopped after a few meters . What should she do? Mama was not well , and they had no money .

Alea already scrounged food outside most days , but the shopkeepers had started to become wise to her tricks . There was only one solution left . She needed to start working as well .

The madame had said that she should wait a while longer , but mom needed money now . So Alea tried to still her beating heart as she looked back and forth along the street to find a willing customer .

She finally spotted a young man who seemed to have recently passed the Age of Adulthood . He wore mostly ragged clothes just like most people in the slums , but there was something about him . There was an energy around him that made him feel the same way as the scary man who always followed the Madame around .

The energy of a cultivator . Besides , he looked very handsome even if he had a lazy expression , and the dirt on his body seemed to be recently applied compared to the ingrained filth some walked around with . He would no doubt have some coin to spare , and compared with most of the men who entered the Tea House this one seemed a lot better .

She slowly walked up toward him before he had the chance to walk away , and quickly gathered her courage as he looked up at the man who was over two heads taller than her .

Yo-young master , ho-how about having a cup of tea with me? - Alea stuttered as she desperately tried to mimic the ladies of the White Lotus Tea House .

The young man with the lackadaisical expression looked down at her with surprise , and she tried to give off the innocent charm that Madam Sai said would be her best weapon for the next few years . However , Alea became uneasy when she realized that he didn’t have that gleam in his eyes that was so easy to discern . The expression that meant that the man was no longer thinking with his brain .

Was he too young to be interested in these kinds of things? Alea still wasn’t sure how everything worked , but she was confident she had seen even younger men entering the private compartment in the Tea House .

Why did you call me young master? Do you recognize me? - he said curiously as he walked closer .

Ah , no? - Alea said , some fear taking hold of her heart .

Had she made a mistake and said something she shouldn’t? Madam Sai always said that words were the most dangerous things , and one wrong word could cause a lifetime of suffering .

Then how did you know that I am rich? I am not wearing anything expensive , and both my face and my clothes are dirty , - he said as he took another step closer .

That , - Alea said , looking back and forth , trying to figure out a way to get out of the situation .

She pleadingly looked at the two guards behind , but they pointedly ignored her . Had they already realized that the young man was too dangerous to mess with?

I’ll give you an E-Grade Nexus Crystal if you tell me , - the young man said .

Alea’s eyes widened in shock when she heard what he said . An E-Grade Nexus Crystal was a huge fortune . One aunty in the Tea House had been tipped one once , and she had been able to eat her fill for over a year on that , even after having given the Tea House their share .

Could she make that much money by just answering a few questions? Her instincts said no . Things that seemed too good to be true always came with hidden dangers . More than one girl in the Tea House had disappeared after being offered a handsome reward to visit a patron in their homes .

Some believed they had found a better life , but Madam Sai said they were usually sold into slavery , or even turned into some sort of materials for evil cultivators .

My patience is only so long , - the young man said as he took out a shimmering crystal from nowhere and waved it in front of her .

Alea’s heart started to beat rapidly , and she was unable to take her eyes off the mesmerizing crystal in his hand . She had never seen anything so beautiful , and it radiated amazing amounts of energy .

Your clothes look worn but they are new , the wear doesn’t seem natural . It is like you have rubbed the clothes against a stone to make it look worse than it is . It’s the same with the face , it’s dirty but your skin is healthy and clear , - she said , the words tumbling out of her mouth as quickly as she could form them .

I guess I overestimated my disguise , - the youth wryly smiled as he threw her the crystal .

Alea’s eyes lit up as she clutched the crystal , quickly placing it inside a hidden pocket within her dress . The youth looked at her with amusement for a second before he seemingly had thought of something .

Here , hold this for a second , - he said , handing her another crystal , though this one was a smoothly polished sphere that didn’t emit the same beautiful colors .

Alea didn’t dare to say no to the young master , so she gingerly gripped the ball , and she noticed that the young man’s eyes lit up when it started to gleam with a mysterious purple shimmer .

Are you sure about this? - Ogras asked with a serious expression .

What’s there to think about? - Namys growled from the side as she glared at Alea . - The Lord has spent so much time on effort on this . Why are you hesitating? -

Namys , - Ogras sighed before he turned back to Alea .

Alea looked down at the large vat with trepidation , knowing that she might never be able to leave once she entered the bubbling pool .

The young lord didn’t know this , but she had found out that there had been three before her . Three young women who had died while attempting this . Her knowledge about constitutions was shallow , but she had learned from the old master that instructed the nine of them that the risk of dying was extremely high unless there was a great fit between you and the manual .

And that risk only increased when you were dealing with deadly poison .

But this was the path she had chosen . If she died she would at least died at the peak of beauty . Her thoughts went to her recent return to the White Lotus Tea House , the first visit in 6 years . Her mother , the beautiful goddess wrapped in the finest garments , was gone , replaced by a wretched hag .

Her face had been pocked by scabs , and her skin sallow from overindulging on alcohol and Hera Leaves . The lithe and graceful curves were gone , replaced by sagging skin and festering sores .

Yasera hadn’t cared where she had been . She hadn’t even bothered looking for her after she left with Lord Azh’Rezak . Her mother had only demanded money or liquor after having seen the quality of the dress and jewelry she wore . Alea had turned away without another word , ignoring her mother’s cries as her childhood crumbled around her .

I’m ready , - she said as she let her dress fall to the ground , showcasing her pristine body .

Good , - Ogras said , trying his best to appear unperturbed by the scene as he handed her a shimmering beast crystal . - The main component of the medicinal bath comes from a swamp creature named Er’Harkath Marshwalker] . They are known for their ability to store all kinds of poisons in their body without harming themselves . Try your best to fuse with this thing as quickly as possible . -

Alea nodded and after one deep breath swallowed the crystal whole as she stepped into the pool . This would either be the first step on the path of cultivation , or the last day of her life .

Is that him? - Ilvere whispered with incredulity as he gazed at the human in the distance . - I can’t believe that guy toppled the Azh’Rezak Clan singlehandedly . While wearing lady’s garments . -

Progenitor . Odd advantages , - Janos muttered .

Why is he even alive? - Namys growled . - He’s a threat to our Lord , especially now that he’s doubly weakened . Alea , shouldn’t you do something? -

Alea’s mouth curved upward as she looked at the man , trying to imagine the scene that Lord Ogras had described . One human dressed in Vesarith’s dress and drenched in blood , running around causing havoc . It somehow felt like the world had just turned a bit more interesting .

Lord Azh’Rezak hasn’t told us to do anything , so why should I? - Alea smiled as she stood up and adjusted her dress .

What are you doing? - Namys wheezed as she saw Alea skip toward the human .

Are you heading to the mines again? - Alea said with a smile as she walked next to Zac .

Yeah , - he said , looking a bit perturbed .

Why don’t I join you? - Alea said , snaking her arm around his .

I have a lot to do , - Zac sighed , helplessness evident in his eyes .

It was a refreshing difference compared to those meathead warriors at the compound she had trained with , a bunch of men with overblown egos and rampant aggression . This guy was the strongest warrior on the island , but he didn’t even know what to do with himself when she teased him . It was both intriguing and a bit frustrating .

I know , learn about The Ruthless Heavens? - she said , pushing her breasts toward his arm , the response leaving nothing wanting . - I know . I know all that basic stuff as well , I can teach you just as well as Alyn can . And wouldn’t it be nicer with just the two of us? -

Her heart hammered in her chest as she hurried away from the Gazebo , and she immediately jumped onto the teleporter taking her to Azh'Rodum .

Just what had she done?

This had been the perfect opportunity , but she had ruined it all by poisoning him because of that stupid impulse . She regretted stepping into that bath for the first time since gaining this odd constitution . For the first time , the gains didn't seem to match up to the costs . Of course , a larger part of her knew that absorbing the essence of the swamp monster was the only reason she had been able to save Lord Atwood at all during the final Beast Wave .

Without it , she would just have been another bystander .

She walked up to the secluded rooftop garden in her mansion and lay down on the recliner , her eyes absentmindedly looking up at the stars . The blue sky that once had felt so cold and glaring felt soothing for the first time since arriving to this odd world .

He was drifting away . The sturdy back kept growing , now towering like a mountain in front of her . It was this cursed situation that pushed him toward the Heavens themselves . It should be a joy seeing the man she loved growing stronger , but she couldn’t help but feel pangs of loneliness as the two drifted further and further apart . She simply couldn't keep up . No one on Earth could .

Zac was leaving again soon , this time for the Underworld , and a changed man would no doubt return . She had somewhat managed to improve their situation after her mistakes , and there was no longer that thinly veiled disappointment in his eyes when he looked at her .

But that didn’t change the reality they found themselves in . He was Lord Atwood , the de-facto leader of a world , and perhaps even a future elite that would make his name known in the whole Sector .

She was just Alea , a prostitute’s daughter who hadn’t even earned the right to take a last name . She had thought that becoming a cultivator would change her fate , but she was still that same dirty child from the slums looking up at the gods soaring through the skies toward their faraway palaces .

How long would it be until they looked at each other like strangers?

Zac was inundated in one vision after another , snippets of Alea’s life flashing past him . He had a vague understanding of what was going on , and the knowledge was terrifying . Alea’s soul was rapidly falling apart , and fragments of her soul released the visions for him .

He didn’t know how this was possible as it had never happened with all the people he had killed until now . But one thing was certain ; Alea was not long for this world if this kept on . Suddenly another shudder emerged from the coffin , but this time Alea’s voice rather than another vision entered his mind .

I’m not ready . I want to follow you . -

Chapter 480 - Desperate Times

Zac’s mind was thrown into disarray after witnessing one snippet after another of Alea’s life pass by his eyes , but he still desperately tried to figure out a way to salvage the situation . Once he was back in his own body again he immediately lifted the casket , only to be met by a horrifying sight .

Alea's body had been turned completely black , and dense waves of corruption and death radiated from her body . Gases leaked out of her pores as well , and Zac was forced to quickly close the lid again as the noxious fumes almost made him keel over after a single breath .

That scene alone made him furious enough to almost spontaneously combust , but he restrained his anger as he searched for a solution . However , there were simply no treasures in his possession that would allow him to save her life .

Her soul was falling apart , and her body was no longer fit for a living being as far as he could tell . But her last words echoed through his mind , and he refused to give up as long as there was a chance that he could save her .

His first idea was to turn her into a Revenant somehow , as that would at least allow her to keep 'living' in a sense . However , not only would that erase Alea and create a new personality , but it might turn her into a subordinate of the Lich King . It was those robed liches who had initiated the process , which might have left some sort of mark .

Also , he had no idea how to actually turn someone into a Revenant .

Follow me… , - Zac muttered as he stared down at the crystalline casket , and in his desperation he suddenly thought of something .

He didn’t have any idea whether what he did was insane or not , but he was unable to think of anything else as he took out an object and placed it on top of the lid .

It was the Divine Investiture Array] .

This the only solution available to him . Her soul was already a problem that was out of his league after having lost the Prajñā Cherry] , and with the Lich messing up her body she was way beyond his means of salvation . He wasn’t even sure whether a D-Grade healer would be able to bring her back from the brink of death , let alone his paltry E-Grade pills .

But what if she became a Tool Spirit , a being that was essentially immortal? He had recently learned about two pieces of key information . First , living beings could be turned into Spirit Tools , or rather 'Sword Slaves' through sacrificial rituals . Second , the Divine Investiture Array] could pretty much turn anything into a Spirit Tool .

If he turned Alea into a Tool Spirit she would be able to live on , just like Brazla . It was obviously a messed-up solution , but one that would fulfill her wish and keep her - alive’ . The universe was full of magical things that he couldn’t even imagine , and perhaps he would be able to turn her back into a living being again in the future .

He immediately infused a stream of Cosmic Energy into the Divine Investiture Array] before he could change his mind . A massive pillar of gold shot down from the heavens and slammed into the valley with enough force to completely obliterate all clouds for kilometers in each direction .

A groundswell of energy rose from the depths of the mountain to meet the golden pillar , and Zac found himself submerged in a surge of power so dense that it was almost a liquid . He did not doubt that he would be able to gain multiple levels in minutes from staying in a magical place like this upon reaching E-Grade , but that wasn’t why he had summoned these energies .

He suddenly felt a spiritual nudge from beneath the lid , and Zac refocused on the coffin Alea lay inside . His eyes lit up in excitement upon sensing it . Zac couldn't be sure , but he felt it was as an agreement of his plan . Perhaps she could understand what was going to happen after being in the middle of it .

However , nothing happened with the casket , and the energies simply seemed to swirl around it as Zac felt the spiritual signal from within weaken . Zac's mind spun for solutions , trying to figure out what the problem was . Was the array wasn’t enough?

Zac emptied his Spatial Ring of anything that might help with her situation , and a stream of golden energy immediately emerged from the Divine Investiture Array] and snatched a third of his Soul Crystals before starting going over the other things he had taken out . Zac didn't mind at the least , as he suddenly felt Alea's presence once more from within the coffin , making it seem as though the Soul Crystals had condensed her soul again .

The next thing to be selected by the golden tendrils was the fossilized bug that radiated an unceasing aura of corrosion . Zac had picked it up on the 3rd floor of the tower , but he believed that it was a lucky find as neither Ogras nor Galau had been able to even get close due to the aura it emitted . He thought it might fit with Alea and her constitution , so he took it out as well .

However , it wasn’t enough as he felt Alea's spirit slowly weaken again .

Panic welled up once more , and he grit his teeth and took out an intricately inscribed jade box and opened its lid . The tendrils of light immediately pounced on the contents , and Zac wasn’t surprised as it was the Pathfinder Oracle Eye] . The Auctioneer had said that it was perfect to improve a Spirit Tool’s spirituality , and it might just be what was needed .

The cost was pretty shocking , but he had already gone so far as to expend his Divine Investiture Array] . It was too late to hold back .

But Zac's eyes suddenly widened in alarm as another tendril reached out behind Zac and picked up Everlasting] that he had poured out of his spatial ring along with the rest of his treasures . Zac was about to take the shield back , but he stopped himself after some hesitation and let the golden light use the E-Grade defensive treasure as another ingredient .

It wasn’t even a Spirit Tool , and he could always get another shield elsewhere .

The tendril also reached behind him and ripped off a few of the largest branches of the Tree of Ascension] while a storm of gases was dragged out from the underground where the Amanita Mushroom resided . Only then did the array seem satiated , and the tendrils receded back into the crystal as a Golden Cocoon formed around the Stasis Array .

Thank you…’ a silent whisper suddenly echoed out in his mind , but its volume grew lower and lower toward the end , as though Alea was moving away from him .

Are you okay? - Zac asked , but a sinking feeling spread through his chest as there was no answer . - Alea? -

The silence stretched on , and Zac started to panic as he couldn’t get an answer from Alea no matter what he did . He wanted to go closer , but he was instantly rebuffed by the powerful force from the Divine Investiture] array .

Zac could only anxiously wait for the light to dissipate . Time passed as more and more energy was infused into the cocoon , but Zac didn't move a muscle . He knew there were no doubt a dozen things that needed to be done on the island , but he refused to leave until he had seen this thing through . Only two hours later did the lights finally dissipate as the cocoon cracked , revealing the item within .

The large crystal encasing Alea was recuperating inside was gone , as was his shield and all the materials he had poured into the array . In their place was only one thing , a massive black coffin .

The coffin was just over two meters long , and seemed to be crafted from a mix of the wood from the Tree of Ascension] and some black crystal or smooth stone . The two materials formed intricate patterns all across the surface , though they didn't seem to be fractals as far as he could tell . They were more akin to the markings of the Stone Stele he had seen in the vision , though they obviously didn't contain that kind of power .

The coffin's shape was traditional with the top being slightly wider before narrowing again toward the bottom . It looked nothing like the translucent glass studded with Divine Crystals of before , but rather a rugged and completely opaque box that carried a heavy and almost solemn aura .

There were two sets of fractals covering the lid as well . First was a circle placed at the wider section toward the top , and the other set was two lines of inscriptions that ran parallel along the length of the lid . The fractals almost reminded Zac of a funeral wreath with two ribbons hanging down .

Finally , there were thick pitch-black chains that were wound around the whole coffin a few times , and Zac was surprised when he realized they actually emerged from holes on the side of the coffin . A quick estimate told Zac there were over five meters of links wound around the ominous item , and there were perhaps even more chains waiting inside the coffin itself .

All in all , it felt like an extremely somber item , and Zac was pretty shocked at how it had turned out . He wasn’t sure what he had expected the Divine Investiture Array] to do , but at least it wasn’t something as drastic as this . It had completely repurposed the items he had thrown inside in just two hours , a feat that would no doubt be utterly impossible even for great artisans like the original Brazla .

But the amazing craftsmanship wasn’t really what Zac was interested in right now . He hurried over to the coffin and tried to open the lid , but no matter how hard he strained he was utterly incapable of moving it even an inch .

He growled in frustration as veins bulged across his arms , but he could eventually only give up . He tried peering into the six holes the chains emerged from on the sides , but there was nothing but darkness inside of the coffin . Zac tried shining a light inside with an illumination crystal , but it was as though the light was immediately swallowed the moment it entered .

Zac sat back with a blank look , his determination slowly being swapped out by confusion and depression . Just what had he done? Making Spirit Tools from living cultivators wasn’t just considered an unorthodox method , but a downright evil one . He felt like a mad scientist playing god , and he had no idea what would come of this .

What have you done? - a furious voice said from the side , and Zac looked over to see Ogras walk over with bloodshot eyes , his eyes darting between the coffin and Zac .

She said she wasn’t ready to leave , that she wanted to follow me , - Zac mumbled with a hollow voice . - Her soul was falling apart because of those damn liches . She wasn’t ready to let go , and this was the only solution I could think of . -

The demon stared at Zac for a few seconds , while Zac simply looked at the coffin with a lost expression .

So what is this? - Ogras finally said as he looked at the coffin . - Exactly what did you do? I can't sense her presence any longer . -

I got something called a Divine Investiture Array] from the eighth floor , it could turn anything into a Spirit Tool . I also added the Pathfinder Oracle Eye] , and it seems the process swallowed my shield along with a bunch of the treasures I have gathered so far , - Zac explained .

This… This is not right , - Ogras said with disgust on his face . - It goes against the natural order . How will her soul find rest or enter the cycle of the Heavens this way? You have cursed her . -

Zac said could say nothing in response , bleakness washing over him as he felt some disgust with himself . The silence stretched on with one man brooding and the other man stewing .

You threw a shield worth over a billion into this , and it was one of the cheaper materials? - Ogras finally said with a grimace . - The things you expended here would be able to pay for the foundation of a great faction . -

I figured that if I could turn her into a Spirit Tool like Brazla , she would be able to stay alive . We could find a way to turn her back into flesh and bone in the future , - Zac sighed as he looked up from the coffin . - Do you know if it’s possible? -

No idea , - Ogras said . - Anyway , we can’t stay here . -

What’s going on? - Zac asked .

We’re getting invaded , remember? - Ogras snorted . - There are still enemies to deal with even after your rampage , we need to clear them out so we don’t leave any hidden threats . Besides , we are running out of time to deal with the unliving . Your sister might have bought us some time , but we’re still cutting it close . -

Zac nodded before he walked over to the coffin . He silently looked at the beautifully crafted surface and the chains that kept the thing sealed before he slowly reached down to put it in his Spatial Ring .

But the coffin suddenly shuddered and started shrinking as the chains moved about . In just a second the coffin had shrunk to just half a decimeter's length , and one of its chains had formed a loop through the top holes of the coffin .

Zac immediately understood what was going on , and he didn’t hesitate to put the chain above his head to wear it as a necklace . The moment the coffin touched a chest a weak tendril emerged from the treasure , but there was no voice accompanying it this time . It still gave some comfort for Zac , and he desperately clung to the idea that Alea was still inside there , but that she was simply too drained to communicate at the moment .

Chapter 481 - The Next Step

Confusion and guilt plagued Zac's conscience about what he had just done to Alea . But the deed was done , and he couldn't stay in this secluded valley and second-guess himself forever .

The two jumped onto Zac's flying treasure , immediately setting off toward Azh'Rodum . As they flew he got an update of the situation from the demon . Ogras had returned 30 minutes ago , at which point order was mostly restored to the island . The Valkyries had discovered the jamming array that blocked out any communication and teleportation on the island and immediately deactivated it .

They were still locked out from the rest of the world , but Kenzie and the other experts were working on multiple solutions while multiple squads had set sail to look for hints of similar arrays . Even the Creators were furiously producing new vessels to replace the destroyed ones , and they had already delivered three Carracks in record speed .

They reached Azh'Rodum soon enough , and Zac was relieved to see that the miasmic clouds were mostly dispelled by this point . He saw hundreds of warriors walking through the forests in groups , likely looking for stragglers who had wandered off from the rest of the zombies . An inquiry told him that his sister and the demon generals had already returned to Port Atwood , and they took the teleporter back as well .

The scene in Port Atwood was pretty similar to the one in Azh'Rodum . The raging flames had been doused by now , but much of the southern edge of the island had been completely ruined by the wildfires . Thankfully they sat right on top of a Nexus Vain , and the dense energies would restore the greenery in a year or two .

The two walked over to the battlefield , where the bodies of the fallen cultists were still being examined for lingering threats . The few who survived Zac's onslaught had either tried to go out in a blaze of glory or were summarily executed by one of the demon armies . Zac didn’t care about that , as there was no middle ground with these two forces .

He saw his sister stand at the edge of the battlefield as a dozen drones roved back and forth across the area . It was the same ones who had stood sentry around the Technocrat incursion , and Zac guessed she was looking for any survivors who tried to play dead . The demon generals were nowhere to be seen though , perhaps occupied elsewhere .

Of course , her search was a bit redundant considering that demon warriors and a few nauseated humans were cutting the head off every corpse just in case . It was both to kill the straggles and to avoid any corpses from rising again .

Their approach was quickly noticed , and Kenzie ran over with worry written on her face .

What happened? Is Alea okay? - she asked the moment they appeared .

… It’s complicated , - Zac sighed . - We’ll talk about it later . How are things here? How are the losses? -

Around 200 people died from the invasion , almost of them during the battles at sea before they reached our island , - Kenzie said . - We mostly stayed within the arrays after they arrived though , so very few people were hurt . -

Zac closed his eyes as he took a deep breath . Another 200 people dead , and that was probably just a drop in the bucket compared to the losses on the main continent . But he couldn't do anything about it , and he slowly opened his eyes and indicated for his sister to continue .

The threat was essentially over after you arrived . We’re mostly cleaning up and rebuilding by this point . We've also figured out a means of communication , old-school radio signals . A few engineers and the Ishiate tinkerers have managed to strengthen the signals of old machines to the point we can communicate pretty great distances , but it's only in morse code . -

That's good , - Zac nodded . - Do the ships you've sent out have these things? -

They do , and we've actually found the missing Cultist Ship already thanks to Mr . Trang's Companion . It is sailing away from us , toward Mystic Island I think , - Kenzie sighed . - We have sent over half of our remaining ships to harass it though , but it will take a few days to catch up . Ilvere is leading those ships . -

I’ll deal with it , - Zac said with a frown , preparing to take out his Flying Treasure again .

Just let it be , - Ogras said from the side . - Our time is limited , and we can deal with the stragglers another day . It should take them a few days to reach that Island , perhaps over a week if they’re constantly under harassment . We already have elites stationed there , and they can just jump into the Mystic Realm and close the spatial tunnel , allowing us to reclaim the island at a later date . -

Letting the invaders have free reign in his Archipelago went against every fiber in his body , but he knew that he didn’t have much of a choice as there were bigger fish to fry .

How long do we have until the realignment array activates? - Zac asked

We broke a couple of key pillars before we had to stop , - Kenzie answered . - I can’t be sure , but we think it will take around 6 or 7 days to complete unless something changed the last day . But the sooner it’s stopped the better . It’s draining our planet , who knows what long-term effect that might have . -

What about the arrays blocking our Teleportation Array? - Zac asked . - I heard you were working on some sort of solution? -

We haven’t located any more arrays apart from the one on this island , - Kenzie said with some helplessness . - So we are still locked out from the main continent . Worst case you can try flying over to Cogstown and use their Teleporter , it's possible it hasn't been impacted by the spatial disruption . -

That will cost us a few days though , - Ogras interjected . - And we don't know the situation on the Mainland . -

Calrin and I have looked into these types of arrays since what happened to Alea and the army , - Kenzie said . - I figured they might block out all teleporters around the Dead Zone after they activated the realignment array . They found a simpler solution though by just blocking this island though . But I do have something that might work . -

You do? - Zac asked with surprise .

Blocking arrays is a standard tactic during conflicts in the multiverse , - Ogras added from the side . - It’s almost impossible to catch your targets if they just keep teleporting away . Just look at the insectoids and their war . They have tried to catch the followers of the old Redeemer for months , but they just keep teleporting away from any compromised hive . -

So there are solutions? - Zac asked .

It boils down to whether your or your opponent’s methods are better , and that’s why I’m not sure , - Kenzie explained . - We managed to get our hands on a Spatial Reinforcement Array] , and it should technically be able to stabilize the subspace or whatever long enough for you to teleport to the main continent . -

That’s great! - Zac exclaimed , a weight lifted from his shoulders .

Well , it’s just that we’re dealing with two ancient factions , their jamming arrays are probably pretty strong . I’m not sure what would happen if our array breaks apart before your jump is completed . You might be thrown out in the middle of the ocean , or you might be torn to pieces by spatial rifts . -

…Oh , - Zac muttered . - So it’s either waste a day or two getting to Cogstown in hopes that their teleporter still works , or risk getting ripped apart? -

Pretty much , - Kenzie said with a weak smile .

Just teleport , - Ogras shrugged from the side . - With your luck , you’ll be just thrown out right in front of the Lich King even if the array breaks . -

Zac only snorted in response before he turned back to his sister .

Can I do anything to help with the spatial array thing? - Zac asked . - I've gathered all kinds of items during my climb . -

I don't think so , - Kenzie said . - Some treasures might be able to make the array stronger , but I don't know how to do that . -

That's fine . Where are Thea and Billy? - Zac asked . - I heard they helped out while I was gone . Oh , and where are the Tal-Eladar? I haven't seen a single one since returning . -

Billy and Thea are recuperating in a mansion next to the hospital , - Kenzie said before her face scrunched up . - As for the Tal-Eladar . . . -

They didn't come , - the demon snorted . - I told you that you can't rely on those wily beast tamers . -

Is that true? - Zac asked with a frown as he looked over at his sister , and her face told him everything he needed to know .

We sent a distress call , but they delayed and delayed until our Teleportation Array was blocked out , - Kenzie said with some anger .

Zac knew that the Tal-Eladar just stayed behind as business partners , but he was still pretty angry that they simply chose to cower to the side when their ally was being attacked like this . This was the second time Verana had refused to get involved with the conflicts on Earth , and it had become abundantly clear that they couldn't be relied upon for anything important .

Well , I'm sure they'll regret their choice sooner or later , - Zac finally said after a short silence , which elicited a knowing snort from Ogras .

So what happened in the Tower of Eternity? - Kenzie asked with some worry . - Ogras said that you caused a mess , but things turned out mostly fine? -

Zac glared at the demon who just grinned back at him .

Well , I got a pretty good result and made some allies , but I might have also made some enemies as well . I had to suddenly leave due to getting a prompt about Port Atwood being invaded , so I don't know about the fallout , - Zac said as he took out the Heaven's Secrets Array] . - More importantly , can you install this thing on my Nexus Node later when you have the time? It can help with my evolution . -

Oh? - Kenzie said with interest as she looked down at the array . - It shouldn't take too long , I'll go deal with it right now . I'm done here anyway . -

Zac nodded before he left his sister to visit his two friends , and two Valkyries immediately accompanied him and helped him catch up to speed as they walked . They reached the mansion soon enough , where the guards wordlessly let him in with a bow . He indicated for the Valkyries to stay outside as he entered , and he quickly spotted where the two were recuperating with the help of Cosmic Gaze] .

A few quick steps brought him to a large bedroom on the second floor , and he entered after softly knocking at the door .

You’re back , - Thea said with a weak voice from her bed facing a window looking out at a beautiful garden . - Your intelligence was incorrect . They made their move early . -

I heard , - Zac sighed as he sat down next to her bedside .

He was inwardly relieved though that Thea seemed fine , with all her limbs intact . He did spot a wound on her stomach that was lit up with miasmic energies though . But it didn't look as bad as the one he got himself from Mhal , and it should heal up as long as she slowly ground down the lingering Dao with her own .

I’m sorry , - Zac said . - And thank you for helping my people while I was away . Who knows how many would have died if you weren’t there . -

So? Have you dealt with everything? - Thea said as she turned to look at Zac , her piercing blue eyes staring evenly into his .

Zac was silent for a few seconds thinking it over . There was honestly more he could do to improve his current power while still in F-Grade , a lot of untapped potential as Catheya would call it . But more importantly than that , there was a burning desire that was eating him alive .

There had been a desire smoldering in his chest since the events in the valley , the desire to unleash an unprecedented level of vengeance upon the so-called Lich King for what he or his subjects did to his island and Alea . Zac’s face was without expression , but a fire burned in his eyes as he looked down at Thea .

I am evolving right now and heading toward the core of the Dead Zone the moment it’s completed , - Zac said , and he felt a momentum building in his body the moment he made his choice . - The Undead Incursion will be gone within a few days . -

Chapter 482 - Love's Bond

Zac didn’t immediately leave the mansion though , but rather gave some of his best healing pills to Thea . He was about to leave her room to visit Billy as well , and Thea surprisingly jumped down from her bed to join him . The giant was even worse off than Thea from what she said .

He had taken the brunt of the attacks after changing into massive form to sink the ship , and this time Zac hadn’t been there to block out the attacks with Nature’s Barrier] like during the hunt . Billy had been badly burned by the flames of the cultists it seemed .

It was easy to figure out with room the giant resided in as the whole room shook from the massive snores from within , but they stopped when Zac walked into the room .

You’re back! - Billy rumbled as he woke up . - Help Billy a bit! A stupid horny guy keeps tricking Billy , making him forget how to leave this place! All horny people seems tricky , could use a good thwonkin' . -

Don’t let your fans hear that , - Thea snorted from the side as she walked inside as well , prompting Zac to look over with confusion .

He has over thirty suitors among the Demons on this island , - Thea said with some bemusement . - It’s a bit surreal . -

Of course it is super real . Billy is the most dashing prince , Mama always said so , - Billy nodded with a complacent expression . - But Billy doesn’t like horny girls . -

Uh , you should just call them Demons , - Zac coughed , the anger in his gut somewhat dispersed by the giant’s antics .

He couldn’t stay for too long though , and he had to leave after making sure Thea and Billy had everything they needed .

I’m sorry about how things turned out . I underestimated the Undead Empire and put too much trust in the words of Void’s Disciple . I was sure I had a few more weeks , - Zac apologized again just as he was about to exit .

It’s our fault as well , - Thea sighed as she sat down next to Billy . - We didn’t adapt quickly enough to this new reality , forcing the whole burden onto your shoulders . We played politics and fought for benefits when we should have been fighting for our lives and our futures . -

Zac sighed as well , not knowing how to respond , and he left the mansion in silence .

You really are evolving? - a voice said from the side , and Zac looked over to see Ogras standing there .

I am , - Zac nodded before he wryly smiled . - Did you know that Billy is pretty popular among the female demons? -

Well , it makes sense . He’s even bulkier than the Abyssal Demons , and rumors are circulating on the island that he has some powerful bloodline that increased his strength even further , - the demon shrugged . - Between his constitution and his potential , he’s one of the best bachelors on this world , perhaps even better than you since you’re a mortal . -

Zac only shook his head in bemusement before he got back to the matter at hand .

I need to take down the Undead Incursion quickly . Do you think I can do it without evolving? - Zac asked as the two walked toward his private section .

It’s hard to say , - the demon said after a while . - Normally I would have said yes , but we’re running out of time . The Lich King seems adept at arrays judging by what we have seen so far , and he has no doubt turned the core zone into a fortress over the past year . He doesn’t even need to maintain the shield for that long , just a few days will do and he will have won . -

You really think his arrays are that strong? - Zac asked skeptically . - I even managed to break the arrays in the Base Town . -

That’s different , those were mobile arrays powered by F-Grade warriors , - Ogras said with a shake of his head . - The undead array will have hundreds , perhaps thousands , of Unholy Beacons powering it . He might even sacrifice tens of millions of Zombies to give the defenses a boost until the realignment is complete . -

Still , - Zac muttered , but he knew the demon had a point .

Sieges can take years , decades even , to slowly grind down the defensive arrays , and that’s with proper equipment we don’t have . You need to be a lot stronger to crack them in an instant , - the demon said . - The normal method would have been for us to bring millions of fodder to blast attacks on the shield to weaken it before we made our move . But there’s no time for that either . -

Zac slowly nodded . He had somewhat hoped for the demon to convince him otherwise , but it truly looked like he needed to get a few power-ups to increase his certainty of success . He wasn’t willing to bet Earth’s future that he was able to break through the defensive perimeters and destroy the realignment array within one week without evolving .

Where’s my sister? - Zac asked . - Has she installed the array? -

She’s still trying to figure out the thing , - Ogras said . - But you need to slow down . -

What? You know we're running out of time , - Zac said .

Just a few hours have passed since you exited the tower . You have fought half the Sector’s geniuses and then fended off the invasions . You even turned Alea into a heaven-cursed necklace . You’re not stable at the moment , you can’t evolve in your current state , - the demon said . - Honestly , if you were the scion of some clan you would probably have been forced into silent meditation for at least year to regain a sense of tranquility and balance . -

So you just want me to sit around? - Zac said with disbelief . - The planet is dying as we speak . -

We are all dying , - the demon snorted . - Don’t ruin everything now by rushing into things . Sit down and heal up and calm your mind at least . A few hours spent now will save you a lot of time in the long run . -

Zac was somewhat unwilling , but he knew that the demon was right . He wasn’t in his right mind at the moment , and he needed to cool off . But he still felt like a child who got sent to take his nap as he walked back to his courtyard and sat down .

His thoughts were a whir as he tried to calm down , and his mind kept jumping between the various things that needed his attention , each more urgent than the last . But slowly circulating the Fragment of the Bodhi helped him relax his tense muscles , and his thoughts slowly followed . Visiting the Tower of Eternity was supposed to give him a breather to decompress , but things had gone increasingly out of hand with the Splinter and then the time crunch to complete the climb .

He felt more wound up than ever , especially after what he went through with Alea .

His eyes slowly opened and he looked down at the black 5-centimeter casket hanging on its chain around his neck . He still didn’t know whether he had done the right thing or not . What if he had completely damned Alea by turning her into something like the Sword Slave he had snatched from the swordmaster? The voices that had invaded his mind while using the thing had sounded beyond wretched .

The one solace in his mind was that the System had said that the Divine Investiture Array] was a rectification of regret .

If Alea had died in front of his eyes like that , then he would have regretted it forever . To be just too late to save her not just once , but twice would have been too much to take . The System was essentially omniscient and perhaps it had already known that things would end up like this . It did make him a bit pissed off that the System didn't provide a better solution to save her , but he guessed the System was more interested in making him stronger than it was in saving the poison mistress .

However , his actions had no doubt caused some complications to his plans . A lot of his materials had gone into the Divine Investiture Array] in his frenzied attempts to save the demoness . It also meant that he no longer had any way to upgrade his axe , except letting it slowly eat various treasures . Of course , most items meant for Verun had gone to Alea , but he at least had the Dragon Core still .

The real question was what sort of item that he had created . He had initially just been focused on saving Alea's soul , but the array was meant to create a perfect Spirit Tool . This became doubly important as Everlasting] had been thrown into the mix , leaving him without anything to activate half of his skills .

It might even affect his coming Class choices for all he knew , so he needed to understand what he was dealing with .

He tried sending his mind into the coffin to see if he could glean anything , but it was impossible . Zac suddenly had an idea and released a drop of blood onto the necklace , which was immediately swallowed .

A stream of information immediately entered his mind as he felt the same sort of connection as he did to his robes and Verun’s Bite] . He couldn’t help but feel a sense of sourness when he realized that either Alea or the System had named the chain-covered coffin Love’s Bond] .

There was still no active response from the demoness even after having bound the treasure with his blood . The coffin was still in a - passive - state like his robes , where he could use it but he couldn’t sense any Spirit Tool's sapience . This was the norm for an E-Grade Spirit Tool though , with the tool awakening Spirituality usually happened at higher grades , if ever .

However , the stream of information had broadened his insight of what a spirit tool could do , and a mental command made two chains rush out from the holes on the side of the coffin and latch onto his left arm as the coffin rapidly grew in size .

It took just a fraction of a second before the coffin had become almost as tall as Zac himself while keeping the width of a normal coffin . But it was a lot thinner compared to what should be expected , with a depth of just 15 centimeters . It had actually turned into a shield .

However , that was just one of its functions , and another mental command prompted the chains to snake around his torso as the coffin moved toward his back . It grew a lot shorter as well , making it almost resemble a coffin for a child or perhaps a gnome .

Four more chains reached out from their respective holes , each of them dancing in the air as though Zac was a snake charmer . He was already used to this kind of fighting from the chains in Profane Seal] , and commanding them was almost as natural as moving his own limbs . The chains shot out in an instant , and four trees in his courtyard had holes punched through with such force that they barely shuddered before the chains had passed through .

The chains didn’t have the life-sucking abilities of the spectral chains , but there seemed to be some inherently corrosive effect attached to them , perhaps an addition provided from the mysterious fossilized bug he had thrown into the mix . It wasn't immediately noticeable , but the holes in the trees started to wither after a few seconds as well like they were being assaulted by some sort of invasive rot .

Furthermore , the chains were actual corporeal links made by top-tier materials like Neprosium , compared to the far more fragile fractal chains that his skill conjured . There was no way that a casual swing of an E-Grade warrior would be able to break them apart as they could do with the spectral copies .

That meant that the chains were essentially a combination or fusion of hardness and rot , which made them a perfect fit for using together with the Fragment of the Coffin .

However , Zac didn't take the time to experiment with all the possibilities of the chains at the moment , so he retracted them back into the coffin . He was extremely relieved that there was a second form of Alea’s new form since he was somewhat leery about using the coffin in its shield-state . What if he encountered some powerhouse that managed to break it? What effect would it have on his chances of restoring her to her demon form?

The chains themselves looked like his Neprosium shield but slightly darker , so they wouldn’t break so easily . Besides , Neprosium had excellent healing capabilities even if that happened . The chains would probably just reform if the links broke as long as he retrieved the material .

It still felt weird to consider using Alea as a Spirit Tool , but he also knew that was what she wished for . At least he prayed that was what that wordless spiritual connection meant . She wanted to accompany him in his journey , and leaving her in a corner of his Spatial Ring felt even worse than using the treasure .

He would need some time to think of the pitch-black coffin as Love’s Bond] rather than Alea , but he would make the best of the situation . Besides , that might be his best shot at actually getting the poison mistress back .

Zac had asked about Spirit Tool upgrades while talking to Catheya since they had broached the subject when discussing the Divine Investiture Array] . Much of what she said hadn’t been anything new , but one thing had stuck out . Using the same weapon a lot and for a long time gradually formed a bond that was helpful in all kinds of ways .

It would allow a warrior to squeeze out more potential during a battle , and it would even help with upgrading the Spirit Tool . That was why most elites wanted a powerful weapon that could follow them during their whole Cultivation Path , rather than repeatedly swapping out their weapon for a stronger one . Nurturing this bond was the same as nurturing the Spirit Tool , so using the coffin in battle might actually be the best method to heal her soul , odd as it might sound .

A chain snaked around his throat as the coffin shrunk again , and it soon enough had returned to its passive state . Zac finally tried imbuing the Spirit Tool with his three fragments , but he found that the coffin , unsurprisingly , resisted the Fragment of the Axe . Imbuing it with the Fragment of the Bodhi worked , but he couldn’t sense any direct effect when doing so .

But when he tried imbuing the skill with the final Fragment he was shocked . The surprise didn’t come from the fact that the defensive fragment entered the Spirit Tool effortlessly . After all , if the Dao of the Coffin didn’t fit this Spirit Tool , then nothing would . The surprise came from something else .

The Fragment of the Coffin had evolved .

Chapter 483 - Against the Natural Order

Zac quickly opened up his Dao Screen , and as expected , there was a change .

Fragment of the Coffin (Middle) : All attributes +20 , Endurance +190 , Vitality +120 , Intelligence +35 , Wisdom +65 . Effectiveness of Endurance +10%

Zac still didn’t know when the upgrade took place , but he guessed that it mainly came from creating a Coffin-type Spirit Tool . He had sat as though he was in trance witnessing the whole process , and something about the experience had helped him break through .

Of course , more things had contributed to the upgrade . He had taken the first step toward upgrading the Fragment from witnessing the Dao Apparition of the War Stele , and he had fought both in the life-and-death battle against half the Base Town , followed by the battle against the cultists .

These battles had set the foundations for the evolution , and the magical activation of the Divine Investiture Array] was probably the final spark that upgraded the Fragment . However , these things were just the latest additions . Alea had been the spark of inspiration to the formation of the Fragment of the Coffin since the very beginning .

The vision of her lying in the stasis array had felt like a perfect mirror of the blood-drenched lotus he witnessed during his Dao Vision . The two visions had merged into the Fragment of the Coffin , and the recent events were a continuation of that reality . Zac couldn't exactly pinpoint what concept was added to the Dao Fragment though , but he slowly started to form an idea .

He had long since started to walk the path of life and death , but only the Seed of Trees had properly incorporated this concept so far . The Seed of Rot was clearly death-attuned , but that seed was mostly propped up by fortuitous encounters . The concept he had incorporated into the Fragment of the Coffin was one he already had brushed upon before ; life through death .

There were some differences though . The insight related to trees was more akin to how a seed would grow from the ashes of a burned-down forest , gaining life through death . However , the insights he gained now was rather based on embracing death for a shot at life .

He knew that he essentially had killed Alea when he turned her into a Spirit Tool . Even if her consciousness awoke again she wouldn't be living . But Alea dying was the only way for her to live . The insight contained the willingness to go against the natural order , whereas the earlier insight was based on making the most of the natural order .

They were the same , but also the opposite .

Zac felt it was an extremely important step in the creation he was building for himself , a realignment of his Dao so that it would better fit as one half of the whole . Getting a second Middle-Grade Fragment would no doubt improve his choices upon evolving as well , but for now he focused on the gained attributes .

The improved attributes weren’t too surprising , apart from the boost to Endurance being slightly smaller than expected . That was the best-case scenario though . He had reached a terrifying 1692 Endurance in his Human form after the latest upgrade , and while he still was some ways from the attribute cap of 2500 , he still needed to be careful . A few more titles and another Dao upgrade and he might hit the ceiling .

He had only lost 3 points in Strength from reaching the limit of the F-Grade , but a loss at this stage could be huge in case there were complications for him to upgrade his Race to D-Grade .

There wasn’t cause to worry just yet though , and Zac refocused on Love’s Bond] . He already knew that there were also actually two skills in the Spirit Tool already to match the two fractals on the handle of Verun’s Bite] , but he wouldn’t use them now as they had pretty big cool-downs .

A long cool-down was fine with Zac though since that meant that the skills were a lot stronger than normal . It was just like how his ultimate skills , except Vanguard of Undeath] , couldn’t be used over and over .

All in all , he felt that his new Spirit Tool was even better than expected . The more he thought about it the more he felt it would be extremely easy to incorporate Love’s Bond] into his fighting style without it affecting the fighting style he had come up with for himself .

It almost symbolized his whole creation in a sense . It was an extremely good fit with most of his skills in his Undying Bulwark class , while also adding something new to the table . It perfectly mirrored his Fragment of the Coffin as well , and he would perhaps be able to move them both toward the Dao of Death over time .

But the Spirit Tool also represented life and rebirth through Alea’s soul and the purpose of its creation . If things progressed as he hoped he would be able to turn Death into Life , and give Alea back her life again .

He could even think of some interesting possibilities with the sparks he could create with the help of the remnants . Getting them under control was a long-term plan , but perhaps he would be able to use the chains as a delivery method in the future .

In the final attack against the dragon he had used Creation Energy to form a spear to house the spark , but perhaps he could simply put the sparks into the coffin and shoot them out with a chain . He could only imagine the destructive potential of a Neprosium chain infused with the purest destruction .

He wouldn’t need to force it or change himself to adapt to the shield , and the System upheld its end of the bargain and created a Spirit Tool suited just for him . The process had even given him a second Mid-Tier Fragment , which might allow him to get a fitting Arcane class . After having upgraded a second he couldn't help but fantasize about what options he might see when touching the Nexus Node this time .

Zac didn’t immediately head over to the Nexus Node though , but he rather spent another hour to completely rid himself of the weakened state from using Hatchetman’s Rage] . He had gotten mostly better during his talk with Catheya , but he wanted to be completely rid of any lingering threats to his evolution before taking that step .

He already had the ticking-time bombs in his head to worry about .

Truthfully , the Undead Incursion wasn’t the only reason why he wanted to evolve as quickly as possible ; there were two more reasons . The first was the two remnants in his mind . He knew there was a tribulation waiting for him when evolving . It was the final test before reaching E-Grade , and he would normally be completely confident in passing .

However , the two remnants in his mind had already proven extremely adept at causing chaos at the most inopportune times , and Zac was afraid that they would flare up during the tribulation . It was better to smoothly into E-Grade now while they remnants were still drained and in an inactive state .

The second was that he was getting dangerously close to the limit of how many attributes he could have . With the Fragment of the Coffin having evolved just now , his wiggle room was getting limited . There was also probably a title waiting for reaching E-Grade first on the planet , and then there was potentially something for surviving the integration , closing the most Incursions , and becoming the world leader , and so on .

There were potentially a lot of titles waiting the moment he managed to close the final Incursions , and he wanted to have the ability to enjoy the bonuses . His plan was to immediately eat the Fruit of Rebirth] and the two race-boosting pills he got in the base town while flying toward the core of the Dead Zone .

It might not be enough to completely pass into D-Grade Race , but it would at least set up the foundations and both increase his longevity and unlock some of the Attribute Cap of having a D-Grade race .

Zac finally felt he had both figured out what he needed to do and calmed his mind , and the next thing was simply for him to evolve so that he could set out toward the Undead Incursion . He walked over to the Nexus House and found that Kenzie was still installing the Heaven’s Secrets Array] he bought during an auction in Base Town .

How are things? - Zac asked when he arrived , nodding at Ogras who stood to the side as well .

I’ll have this array installed in half an hour , - Kenzie answered as she blew a wisp of hair away from her face . - Are you okay? -

I’m fine . I’ll be able to get a breather when the undead are dealt with , - Zac sighed .

Have you decided what to do to get to the mainland? - Ogras asked .

If we haven't managed to stop the disruption by the point I'm ready to leave , then I'll risk it and use Kenzie's stabilization array . The area that was jammed by the undead the last time was enormous , and I'm afraid that going to Cogstown will just be a waste of time , - Zac said .

Fair enough , - Ogras shrugged .

I'll get Calrin's uncle to help me set it up , - Kenzie said . - He's pretty skilled with arrays , but he can only help with things that we buy through Thayer Consortia . Something to do with limitations of the Mercantile License . -

That little blue bastard should be thankful that we don't throw him into a spatial tear to search for a safe passage for us , - Ogras muttered from the side .

Zac snorted and was inclined to agree . The Sky Gnome's small act of giving him a protective ring had caused a ripple effect of almost incomprehensible proportions . It had led to the Zethaya Pill house blowing up , and him gaining infamy through slaughtering over a hundred scions of the Zecia sector .

Who knew what trouble waited for him when venturing into the vaster stage of the sector?

However , the demon's words also made him think of something else , and he turned to Ogras .

Can you have the Sky Gnome and his appraisers come over? - Zac asked . - We need to make a preliminary tally of the gains , I want to see if there’s anything useful we can bring to the Dead Zone . -

Sure , - Ogras said with some excitement as he flickered away .

Zac turned to his sister and handed her his Cosmos Sack . His most important Treasures had already been moved over to his new Spatial Ring after it was confirmed that it didn’t disappear . Most of the stuff he didn’t have any direct use for was thrown into the Cosmos Sack to be either appraised or added to the Merit Store .

I’ll go talk with Brazla for a bit , - Zac said .

Is this about Alea? - Kenzie asked as her eyes darted to the necklace around Zac’s neck . - Ogras told me what happened . -

I was too late again , - Zac sighed . - This was the only thing I could think of . -

Kenzie silently looked at her brother , but her eyes spoke volumes .

I… I just couldn’t sit and watch her die , - Zac coughed , dodging the meaning of the stare .

He truthfully wasn't sure how he felt about the demoness even now . He had thought about her a lot during the climb , and seeing those snippets of Alea's memories had rekindled the memories of those months they had spent almost attached at the hip after he closed the Demon Incursion . They had gone through ups and downs together , and he knew her even more intimately than Ogras in a sense .

If this had been before the Integration he would no doubt have believed it was love . But the past year had numbed him , made him almost unable to think about anything except getting stronger . First , it was to find his family , then it was to save Earth . He had never stopped to consider things such as love , especially not after Hannah's betrayal .

But all of that was moot now that she was a coffin .

So you think you can bring her back in the future? - Kenzie asked instead after seeing her brother's brooding silence .

That’s what I hope . I’ll go talk with Brazla , he might know more , - Zac said with a pained face . - Provided he’s in a talkative mood today . -

Say hello from me , it’s been a while since I had time to visit him . This thing will be up and running when you’re back , - Kenzie said as she turned back to keep working on the Heaven’s Secrets Array] .

Zac smiled as he flashed away with Loamwalker] , and he found himself in front of The Towers of Myriad Dao in a few seconds . His Dao Repository had always looked gaudy , but now that he had witnessed the awe-inspiring Tower of Eternity and its mysterious apparitions , it looked even worse .

The lights were blinding but hollow , completely lacking the mysteries of the universe . Zac kept his opinions to himself though as he walked inside the repository with a staid expression .

So you survived , after all , - the ever-annoying voice drifted over as Brazla descended from a golden light appearing out of nowhere .

The Tool Spirit was decked in golden armor with multiple golden and gem-studded swords attached to his back . Zac wasn’t sure , but he guessed that he was copying the creator of the Blademaster Inheritance this time , perhaps inspired by the war outside .

I thought more capable owners had descended on the island for a moment , but I guess the Great Brazla have to make do with you for a while longer , - Brazla added as he threw Zac a scathing glance as he conjured his throne .

I’ll try to live up to your expectations , - Zac sighed . - My sister sends her regards . -

I- - Brazla said , but he suddenly froze as he stared at the necklace around Zac’s neck . - What’s that? -

Chapter 484 - Invitations

This craftsmanship , - Brazla muttered with glowing eyes as he teleported closer . - It almost matches that of the Great Brazla himself . But why does it have a False Spirit within? -

That’s what I came to talk to you about . One of my people was dying and her soul was crumbling . The only thing I could think of was to use a Divine Investiture Array] to lock her soul in a Spirit Tool in hopes of saving her life . -

Using the holy array for such a purpose , - Brazla muttered . - Sacrilege . My creator would have turned you into blood mist if he heard about you wasted such a chance on something so frivolous . -

I was out of options and got desperate , - Zac admitted . - I came to ask you , do you know if I can bring her back? -

Bring her back? - Brazla asked as he looked at Zac like he was an idiot . - Why would you want to do that? As long as the girl's spirit heals she can become a True Spirit . You will have to break some rules to upgrade her , but you already seem all too willing to dabble in the taboo . -

What do you mean? - Zac asked .

This thing will not be able to improve the normal way . You need to find . . . creative solutions to upgrade it . Solutions that the heavens won't be too happy about , - the Tool Spirit said , clearly taking pleasure in Zac's misfortune .

Why would I need to upgrade the Spirit Tool though? - Zac asked . - I just want to return her to life . -

Upgrading a weapon will upgrade the spirituality residing within . Just look at the dumb mutt inside your Axe . You will need to upgrade this thing if you want to heal the girl , - Brazla said .

Zac frowned when he heard the news . This was clearly bad . He had never had any desire to go against the System by becoming an unorthodox cultivator , but it was exactly what he needed to do to upgrade Love's Bond] from the sound of it . Even weirder , it almost felt like the System was pushing him in that direction as it was the System that gave him the array .

Just what was it planning?

Was this another type of trial it wanted to have him survive? If he stepped on the unorthodox path he would be turned into a pariah like the Technocrats , and people might get quests to kill him just by coming close to him . Or was the system planning something else entirely? Something related to the Terminus?

But first of all , Zac needed to know if there even was a point to go down that road .

If I make her a new body , can I put her soul into it and give her back her life? - Zac asked .

No idea , - Brazla shrugged with disinterest . - Seems pretty stupid . -

Haven’t you ever hoped to become living? To become able to cultivate just like your creator? - Zac probed , hoping to elicit some response .

Why would the Great Brazla ever want to become a fleshbag cursed by mortality? I am perfection , unsullied by time , and I will walk these halls long after both you and your planet has turned to dust . I might not be able to cultivate , but I am eternal , - the Tool Spirit harangued , and shining lights started appearing all around him like he was a God’s avatar or something .

But do you know if it’s possible? Someone as knowledgeable as you must surely have figured some things out , - Zac entreated .

My creator once mentioned that Spirit Tools can reach a sublime state where they are virtually indistinguishable from cultivators , but he had never seen it himself . Of course , The Great Brazla wouldn't degrade himself to the point of being mistaken for a lowly Human . But all things are possible , - the Tool Spirit admitted . - Turning a False Spirit back into someone living is probably possible . -

So it’s possible , after all , - Zac sighed in relief .

It might be possible , but what you want to do is going against the natural order , - Brazla snorted . - It’s akin to bringing back those from the dead . It might be achievable for the great characters of the multiverse , but what does that have to do with a piece of trash like you? -

I’ll work hard and get there sooner or later , - Zac said . - As long as it’s possible it’ll be fine . -

A derisive snort was all the Tool Spirit deigned to respond with before he dissipated again .

Zac felt as though a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders as he walked back toward the Nexus House . Brazla was obviously a bit fuzzy on the details , but it really seemed that returning Alea into a demon was within the realm of possibilities . That was all Zac could ask for right now . He knew the process would likely be a long and arduous one , but at least he knew he hadn’t completely messed things up .

The knowledge gave him a sense of purpose beyond saving Earth as well , but for now , he needed to refocus on the task at hand . He needed to get his items appraised and deal with the realignment .

The thought of his items suddenly reminded him of the two Cosmos Sacks he had stowed away just before leaving Base Town . They were from Leyara and Pretty , and curiosity made him take a look before returning to his sister .

The Cosmos Sack he got from Pretty Peak just contained three crystals and a teleportation token , but he was surprised to see that one of them was a Skill Crystal . He didn’t immediately touch it , but rather turned his attention toward the middle crystal that seemed to be a communication crystal . He immediately infused some Cosmic Energy into it and he immediately heard the voice of Pretty Peak in his mind .

I engraved this thing because some things should not be spoken aloud . You should not rely on the Heliophos Clan dealing with the threat to your planet . There are some unsavory rumors about that clan among the top forces of the Zecia sector .

Divination comes with a cost , one that few are willing to pay unless absolutely necessary . One cannot divulge Heaven’s Secrets wantonly . But being able to glimpse the future is also an extremely addicting power from what I have heard .

Zac suddenly remembered Lord 84th who stopped Abbot Everlasting Peace from saying too much . The reincarnated Buddhist had said essentially the same thing . Did divination perhaps mess with the plans the System had set in motion across the multiverse and was therefore punished? Or was it simply that such a heaven-defying ability couldn't be powered by something so basic as Cosmic Energy?

Zac shook his head as he kept listening .

Many believe that the Heliophos Clan is searching for means to avoid the side-effects of Divination and Karmic Manipulation . They are already suspected to have been gravitating toward unorthodox means for tens of thousands of years .

It’s possible that Voridis is performing his mad experiments with the clan’s tacit blessing , and that they even have covertly protected him from capture by manipulating events behind the curtain . I don’t understand how Voridis have survived pursuit for so long otherwise .

I bet they can’t wait to find out what scheme that lunatic has concocted in case they can use it for themselves .

Zac sighed when he heard the explanation . Yet another method to deal with the threat of the Redeemer seemed to have been ruined then and there . It looked like hiding was his only option , but as long as he cut any Karmic Links in time they were likely safe .

After meeting Catheya he finally had a better grasp of just how a Star Sector was constituted . She had likened a Star Sector with a book , where each page was a Dimensional layer . A Star Sector was , in other words , not a coherent galaxy teeming with life , but rather parts of multiple planes stacked so close to each other that dimensional travel was possible .

Not even singular forces were constrained to a single dimension . The Allbright Empire was comprised of planets and continents across thousands , perhaps tens of thousands , of realities . Some planets in the Empire might actually exist in the same reality , but so far away from each other that it was infinitely faster to use interdimensional travel rather than normal travel to go between the two planets .

It was akin to wormhole technology that Zac had seen in Science Fiction movies , where space was somehow bent and twisted , and traveling out of the main dimension was like taking a short-cut compared to moving in a straight line .

The whole thing was extremely confusing , but the biggest takeaway was the difficulty of finding one's way without a marker . The Redeemer was probably traveling toward Earth or another seeded planet at this very moment , but he needed to move through multiple dimensions to get here . As long as any Karmic Link was cut off before Voridis was within a few dimensional layers of Earth , then finding this place was almost impossible .

Especially while the System's shroud was still in effect .

This was also why flying treasures that could travel between worlds was expensive to the point that even D-Grade warriors were often confined to their own world , or at least their solar system . The vessels didn't only need to have the capability to fly through the vacuum of space , but they also needed the capabilities to push through dimensional layers .

It was a bit uncomfortable to think about , but Zac's only recourse was to hide Earth so that Voridis fed on some other poor planets instead of Earth . He could only pray that the people of Berum would manage to take out all the remaining members of the Medhin Royals on their side , as no one deserved getting culled by a lunatic like the Redeemer .

That would be the best-case scenario , where all the seed planets managed to hide from Voridis . He already looked as though he wasn't long for the world , and 100 years was a long time . Perhaps the issue would be dealt with by the time that Earth was properly integrated into the Zecia sector .

I will contact the Heliophos Clan for you , the message continued . But you truly shouldn’t expect much . You can still get in touch with me by visiting Jaera at the Blossom Rose Sword School that’s close to Trasteria , the city where the Teleportation Token leads . She is an elder there , and a disciple of my father .

Trasteria is located on the main continent of the Allbright Empire , a vast place full of opportunities . You can simply use the token to move to a place with more opportunities if you want . But you should know that your situation is precarious . Standing out too much without a backing can cause an endless amount of trouble to arrive at your doorstep .

The universe is full of lunatics ready to risk everything to progress one step further on the road of cultivation , and some might believe you might be the key for them to take that step .

I hope you will be able to survive the following centuries , the Zecia sector needs a beacon .

The second information crystal was a comprehensive introduction packet of the Allbright Empire , its forces , and even some Mystic Realms that provided good limited titles . There were also a couple of identities that Zac could freely assume with the help of the attached skill , which was of the Shapeshifting variety . It was like he was about to enter the witness protection program or something .

The skill was called Shared Identity] , and it worked a bit differently compared to Thousand Faces] . The skill he got from Pretty seemed to be able to create a greater transformation , where even one’s aura could be changed by a certain degree , but it came with only three - pre-loaded - identities .

He could essentially take one of these three shared identities , but he wouldn’t be able to change his face as he wished like he could with Thousand Faces] . Zac held off on learning the skill for now , but it wasn’t impossible he’d use it in the future . It would be pretty convenient to step into the shoes of someone with a proper background , but he didn't know if there were hidden strings attached to taking the name of one of these three men .

Zac turned his attentions to the second Cosmos Sack next , but his expression froze when he noticed its contents . There were only two things inside , a short note and a frilly piece of fabric .

A small greeting gift to remember me by . I am not allowed to hand out Teleportation Tokens to the Void Gate , but I would be happy to entertain you if you have the opportunity to stop by . We can talk about fashion and our futures under the light of the Void Star .

-Leyara

Zac blankly looked at the note , his mind unable to compute what was going on . The strained smile of Leyara suddenly flashed by in his mind , before he remembered the apologetic face of Galau . Just what had the merchant divulged during their meeting? Would he be known as some sort of deviant in the whole Sector because of that one level in the tower?

A sigh escaped from his mouth as he stowed away the Cosmos Sack , unsure what to do with the - treasure - . He could only reluctantly put it into his Spatial ring , as it would be weird throwing it out in the middle of his forest . However , things didn’t get much better when he returned to the Nexus House where Kenzie stood next to a rack of exquisite dresses , while three Sky Gnomes eagerly went through the mound of treasures .

Why are there so many dresses in your sack? - Kenzie asked with a weird smile when she noticed his return .

I was about to ask , - the demon laughed from the side . - I thought I absconded with the most 'treasures' back then , but I see that I still have much to learn . -

Are you planning on wooing someone? Is it Thea? - Kenzie asked before she shot him a hesitant look . - Or don't tell me . . . ? -

Don't be silly , - Zac sighed . - The seventh floor had me fighting actual scions from other parts of the multiverse . I looted my new ring and those dresses from a girl who targeted me . -

Do you think any trouble from that will lead back to Earth? - Ogras asked with a frown .

I doubt it? - Zac said hesitantly . - It kind of looked like my human side was killed by the girl who I looted , and she was killed by someone else in turn . I fought the rest of the battle in my Draugr-form . I don't think the System would allow problems to follow you back home , right? Perhaps it's possible to do something to 'cleanse' the items if needed? -

However , he honestly wasn’t as sure as he let on .

Chapter 485 - Choices

He had already noticed it back during his meeting with Catheya , but there was something wrong with his chest . Iz Tayn had left a burn on his body that he hadn’t been able to get rid of with healing pills . However , getting his torso blown apart and reformed by Creation Energy had dealt with that problem .

Or so he thought .

He still couldn’t see any mark on his body , but he had felt a slight pain in his chest multiple times now , but the feeling was gone before he had a chance to react , making him almost doubt it was ever there . He couldn’t see anything amiss , but the fire mage seemed to come from a real powerful force .

She might have all kinds of means of tracking he had no idea about .

The Thayer Consortia happens to be skilled in those kinds of endeavors , we'll happily help in this regard . . . For a small remuneration , - Calrin said as he gave a prim bow . - Young Lord , it is good to see you again . -

Zac didn't immediately greet the wily merchant , but he rather gazed at the Sky Gnome for a few seconds as his thumb rubbed the defensive treasure that he received from Calrin before he left for the tower .

Did you know that the ring you gave me would cause trouble with the Tsarun clan? - Zac asked while he tried to gauge the slippery merchant's face for any lies .

No way! - Calrin said , looking genuinely shocked . - It is just a defensive treasure that has been kept in my family . I just wanted to make sure that you , my great benefactor , wouldn't meet any untoward end during your first sojourn into the Cultivator World! -

Well , your small gift led to the destruction of the Zethaya Pill House , and the death of almost a hundred elites of the sector . Including a Dravorak Princeling , - the demon snorted from the side . - Oh , and a main branch Tsarun Scion along with all their members at the Base Town . Thayer Consortia might become famous across the whole sector over the following years as the rumors spread . -

It- Ah? Dravorak as in the Dravorak Dynasty? - the Sky Gnome said , his face aghast . - Did they see the signet as well? I mean , it wasn’t my intention to cause any trouble . I don't understand what's going on? -

Just what happened during your climb?! - Kenzie exclaimed with shock from the side after glaring at the Sky Gnome , who quickly busied himself with the pile of treasures by the side .

It’s complicated , - Zac sighed . - I got spotted by one of Calrin’s old enemies , but problem was that I didn’t handle it well . Things got a bit out of control from there and a bunch of people tried to kill me . But it was mostly sorted out . -

Sorted out? - Ogras snorted from the side , but he didn’t add any more oil to the fire after a glare from Zac .

Well , we also learned a few things about the origins of the Redeemer . For now , make sure that no one on Port Atwood mentions where they come from if they decide to head to the Tower of Eternity . My identity might be a bit delicate , - Zac said after some thought as he turned to Kenzie .

If I may , young master , - Calrin said from the side , - What level did you reach? -

73rd level . The entrance of the 9th floor , - Zac said , not bothering to hide the truth .

9th Floor! - Calrin screamed while the appraisers looked up from the pile of treasures for the first time , shock clearly written all over their faces .

Monster! True monster! - the Sky Gnome muttered , before his face lit up again . - But that's for the best . With you as a guardian , The Thayer Consortia will reach unprecedented heights . I , Calrin Thayer , will not only have led my family out of a calamity , but toward the heaven's themselves! -

What are you getting so big-headed for , you little bastard , - Ogras snorted from the side . - You better think of new ways to provide benefits to your shareholders instead . A big tree might give you shade , but it also requires a lot of nutrients . -

Zac slightly smiled at the antics , but he didn't correct the demon . He still couldn't tell if the Sky Gnome had exposed his connection to the Thayer Consortia on purpose or not , but it had caused heaps of trouble regardless . The little merchant would have to work extra hard to make up for the chaos he had caused .

But he knew that he would have to rely on the Sky Gnome to a certain degree after meeting Catheya . He had no idea that elites required more energy to level up compared to weaker cultivators , which honestly made him worry about his own situation a bit .

Not only were his attributes almost ten times higher compared to a normal cultivator , but he also had high efficiency on the attributes . Add to that that he had a second class to level , and the even more troubling issue of him being a mortal . All that combined made for an extremely torturous leveling experience that would require terrifying amounts of bloodshed and treasures to reach the peak of E-Grade .

As for the grades above that , he didn't even dare think about it .

How long until you’ve gone through everything? - Zac asked instead as he turned to Clarin .

We’ll have a preliminary answer for you in two hours , - Calrin hurriedly said . - You can focus on your cultivation with ease . -

Zac nodded before he turned to Ogras .

So , do you have any advice? The information crystals I have only mentioned the three tribulations , - Zac asked . - Heart , Body , and Soul . It said that using treasures to pass is impossible and that you had to rely on your own prowess . Then it just went on to say that one should have an elder near-by in case of a mishap . -

The information crystal was something he had bought in Base Town during the first week he stayed there . He had bought a bunch of general information crystals that contained all sorts of things that were good to know . Most of it was things that any teenager belonging to a cultivation force would know , which was why they cost almost nothing .

However , that also meant that they didn’t delve too deep into any topics , only giving an overview .

Buying the crystals had been the first step toward self-reliance for the humans of Port Atwood . It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Ogras or Alyn’s teachings , but their world view and knowledge were influenced by growing up in Clan Azh’Rezak .

What worked there wasn’t necessarily optimal for Port Atwood , so it didn’t hurt getting another source of knowledge . It wasn’t anywhere near as comprehensive as Thea’s library , but it was a start .

It differs , - Ogras said as he looked at the Nexus Node while Kenzie was putting the finishing touches to the support array . - It tests you in one of three ways , depending on where The Ruthless Heaven’s feels you are lacking . The tribulation will strike at your weakness , and either you pass or you fail . -

What happens if you fail? - Zac asked .

Anything from mild wounds to death depending on how badly you performed and whether someone could disperse the tribulation for you , - the demon shrugged . - But truthfully , I’ve only met one who failed his trial so badly he was forced to give up on cultivation . Obburak , a guard in my home . He undertook the trial drunk out of his mind , it ended with him going insane . -

Insane? Just what did he encounter? - Zac asked with a frown .

The Body Tribulation is essentially The Ruthless Heavens beating you up , and you just have to bear it . It is to test that you have created a foundation sturdy enough to keep building upon . You will probably not get that one considering your monstrous constitution , - the demon said with an envious glance . - It is the most common trail for Dexterity and Intelligence-based classes . -

And then? - Zac urged .

Next there is the Spirit Tribulation , - the demon continued . - Your soul is attacked in a way that neither Skills nor items can protect you from . You need to use your soul and Dao to defend yourself . The Soul is the connection to the Heavens , and it needs to be strong enough to withstand the weight of the Dao , - Alyn said .

Zac grimaced as he heard the description . His soul was already in a pretty fragile state after having been forcibly torn apart and mended twice the past month . It was a patchwork upon a patchwork , where the slightest thing might set off a chain-reaction beyond his control . However , his soul had become pretty sturdy from the series of harrowing experiences , so he still felt some confidence in case he got that one , at least while the Remnants stayed inactive .

Finally there is the Heart Tribulation . You will be thrown into illusions and temptations , and you will need to break free . The Heavens test your conviction and mental fortitude . A sturdy body and soul is needed to walk the path of cultivation , but a resolute heart might be even more important , - the demon continued . - This is the trial that turned Obburak into a simpleton , by the way . -

Zac slowly nodded as he listened to the options . The third one didn’t feel too difficult either . His mental state should be a lot sturdier compared to most peak F-Grade warriors after his countless life-and-death battles . Many cultivators who had reached this point had never even left their own clan’s estates , and this kind of trial might be pretty difficult for that kind of greenhouse warriors .

Still , it was a relief that the risk of death or crippling was pretty low . He could still fail , but he would at least be able to heal up and fight the Undead Empire in his current condition .

Is it the same for all the rarities , or are there more things to be wary of when talking Epic Classes or higher? - Zac asked .

Perhaps Epic and higher have different trials apart from the normal three , I wouldn’t know , - the demon slowly said . - But they will no doubt be more dangerous . Each increase in rarity means a sharp increase in difficulty that accompanies the tribulation . -

Zac looked at the Crystal with mixed emotions . He wasn’t sure if he was ready . He wanted to consolidate his gains and stabilize his foundations before attempting this . But time waited for no man , and he couldn’t hold off any longer .

Hearing about the losses out on the ocean , and seeing the scorched landscape outside his home had been a stark reminder that every day he spent on accumulating his strength was another day of disastrous losses across the world .

Perhaps he would be able to enter the heart of the Dead Zone and take out the Lich King without evolving . But perhaps he wouldn’t . With the situation looking like it did there would be no second chances or do-overs . If his assault failed or even got slightly delayed the whole world would fall .

He could not have that on his consciousness .

It’s done , - Kenzie said as she looked up with a tired grin .

Thank you . Try to rest up , - Zac smiled , a pang of guilt blossoming up in his heart again .

He had heard from Ogras just how hard she had fought to keep things together while he was gone , and her unstable aura clearly indicated that her soul was overtaxed . He had already learned from Jaol that using high tech was draining on the soul , and Jeeves was no doubt as high tech as they came .

Here , take these with you as well , - Zac said as he took out a stack of Soul Crystals . - They’ll help restore your mental energy . -

Where did you get that? - Ogras said with wide eyes , his hand already reaching out to snatch one from Kenzie .

Here , take this , - Zac snorted and took out a few more after he slapped away the demon’s hand . - I got these Soul Crystals from the Mentalist Cultivator on the 7th floor as well . -

It’s called a Soul Crystal? - Ogras asked curiously as he tried absorbing it .

No idea , that’s just what I called it , - Zac shrugged . - They didn’t have these things on your home planet? -

I don’t think I’ve ever heard of crystals like this in our sector at all , - Ogras muttered with a frown . - Perhaps our sector simply doesn’t produce them . Trade between sectors is pretty difficult from what I’ve heard , and only the top people do it . Nobodies like us will have to make do with local products . -

So I won’t be able to restock on these things? - Zac muttered with disappointment .

He had thought that might be a real possibility after not having seen a single Soul Crystal during his time in the Base Town , but he had held on to some small hope that was because he’d only been there for less than two weeks . But judging by the demon’s reaction he wasn’t so lucky .

He suddenly regretted using Soul Crystals like candy during his climb , but he also knew that they had played a large part in him managing to break through the 8th floor . But he would have to be more careful about any expenditure going forward , which was fine now that the two primordial Remnants were restraining each other .

With the array installed Zac couldn't wait any longer , and he walked over to the large crystal with brisk steps , anticipation making his heart pound . The moment Zac touched the Nexus Node to initiate the upgrade a screen appeared in front of him , but it was vastly different compared to the sparse rows of information he had seen the last time . He almost completely forgot his surroundings as he eagerly read the boxes .

Free Attributes Gained Per Level : 10

Base Attributes Gained Per Node 76-100 :

Common , Uncommon : Base Attributes : +6

Rare , Epic : Base Attributes : +7

Arcane : Base Attributes : +8

Base Attributes Gained Per Node 101-125 :

Common , Uncommon : Base Attributes : +14

Rare , Epic : Base Attributes : +16

Arcane : Base Attributes : +18

Base Attributes Gained Per Node 126-150 :

Common , Uncommon : Base Attributes : +22

Rare , Epic : Base Attributes : +25

Arcane : Base Attributes : +28

Option 1

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Gatekeeper of Sukhavati E-Epic]

Vitality + 10 , Endurance +8 , Wisdom +5

Chains of Samsara

Paradise is waiting , but only the worthy may step past your gates . Divergence from Hatchetman .

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Undying Warlord E-Epic]

Strength +12 , Endurance +10

Profane Annihilation

Unstoppable . Undeniable . Unmatched . Divergence from Undying Bulwark .

Option 2

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Vessel of Destruction E-Arcane]

Strength +38 , Agility +5 Endurance -10

Avatar of Wrath

Only through destruction can creation take place . Become the harbinger of a new era . Upgrade of Hatchetman .

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Nature’s Lament E-Epic]

Endurance +10 , Wisdom +11

Touch of Anguish

Paradise is a lie , a putrid tomb of unimaginable horrors . Divergence from Undying Bulwark .

Option 3

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Edge of Arcadia E-Epic]

Strength +14 , Vitality +8

Rapturous Divide

Even paradise needs a butcher , an unrelenting storm of violence . Upgrade of Hatchetman .

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Fetters of Desolation E-Epic]

Strength +11 , Endurance +8 , Wisdom +5

Blighted Cut

Bind them to your calamity . Sever their path . Emerge alone . Divergence from Undying Bulwark .

Option 4

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Gaia’s Apostle E-Epic]

Strength +5 , Vitality +12 , Wisdom + 5

Gaia’s Eruption

The champion of verdure , unmatched and unkillable . Upgrade of Hatchetman .

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Wall of Bones E-Epic]

Endurance +18 , Vitality +5

Profane Phalanx

The living can only run in fear as the tide of bones moves forward . Upgrade of Undying Bulwark .

Option 5

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Warmaster of Hecate E-Epic]

Strength +15 , Vitality +7

Nature’s Fall

Empowered by the Sacred Yew , the Warmaster becomes Death incarnate . Divergence of Hatchetman .

Name

Attribute Per Level (x1/x2/x3)

First Skill Gained

Risen Asura E-Epic]

Strength +12 , Endurance +11

Winds of War

Not even death can chain down your furor . Divergence of Undying Bulwark .

Chapter 486 - Decision

Zac looked at the options with mixed emotions . He had succeeded in the sense that there actually was an Arcane class available , a class called Vessel of Destruction . However , it didn’t have another Arcane to accompany it . It was rather matched with an Epic Class called Nature's Lament .

He had been hesitant about what he should do after hearing Catheya’s description , and this only muddied the waters further . With Arcane classes locking in your future path there was a real risk that picking just one Arcane class while leaving the other at Epic might have some unanticipated ramifications .

If there had been a set of two Arcane classes he might just have ignored Catheya’s warning and followed Yrial’s advice to shoot for the stars , but now he wasn’t so sure .

His instincts told him that he needed to create a functioning system between his two classes where both sides moved toward a common goal . He had felt there were some compatibility issues with his second class for some time now , and there was a real risk that his Draugr side might turn into a bottleneck if he wasn’t careful .

Zac slowly read the description of Vessel of Destruction . It felt most likely that it was based around the Splinter . It seemed to utilize the rage that the splinter radiated , and the class would perhaps even help him in harnessing the bronze sparks . It also provided a skill called Avatar of Wrath , which sounded like some sort of boosting skill in the vein of Hatchetman's Rage] , or perhaps something more akin to Vanguard of Undeath] .

However , nothing indicated that it also incorporated the Shard or the balance between the two forces , and neither was there any such indication on the accompanying class . It wasn’t surprising though , as there simply hadn’t been enough time for him to get acquainted with the pink flashes and the Shard of Creation .

He only had access to it during the frantic escape from the Technocrat vessel and the subsequent battle against the dragon . That was nothing compared to the months of carrying the Splinter and the weeks of constant experimentation into the bronze flashes .

The Dao requirements had been fulfilled after reaching Middle mastery with the Dao of the Coffin , and there was no doubt in his mind that he had gone far beyond what was required to generate enough merit for a second Arcane option . He had conquered the 8th floor of the Tower of Eternity . He had taken down a literal dragon before forcing the elites of the whole sector to give in .

He had taken out a whole Technocrat vessel , and he had closed almost all the Incursions of a newly Integrated world . He had even witnessed the - Terminus’ , the origin and the end of the Dao itself . If he didn’t have enough achievements by now , then who did?

That meant there was a problem with his - creation’ .

There was a fuzzy image of his future cultivation in his mind , one based on a few defining features of his power . It was a path of duality , exemplified through his two classes , his opposing Daos , and the two remnants in his mind . But there was still nothing that really tied these three pairs together . He also had no actual idea what the bronze and pink flashes he created were , or even how he was supposed to properly use them .

He knew that there was no way for him to gain a quick fix to upgrade Nature's Lament to an Arcane option , so he could only drop the issue for now . Cultivation was measured in centuries , even millennia , and he had ample time to figure out the missing pieces of his cultivation path .

There were all sorts of logical reasons why he shouldn't take the Vessel of Destruction , but the word 'Arcane' was like a target that kept drawing back Zac's eyes . The class was clearly powerful , and it would both provide more attributes from the Base Attributes , while almost ten extra attribute points per level .

It was an extremely lopsided class , but his unique situation with bonus attributes would cancel out the huge downside of negative Endurance . He was frozen in indecision for a few seconds , but eventually , his fears of the potential risks overcame the lure of the potential rewards .

He was giving up on an Arcane class for E-Grade .

Zac slowly read through each of the four other options instead , not too surprised with the rarity of them . He had already expected to be presented mostly Epic Classes , perhaps with a few Rare ones peppered in . The only question was how many options he would be provided .

There was no denying that his visit to the Tower of Eternity had been worth it in terms of options to choose from . Not only did his options max out at five , but every single Class apart from Vessel of Destruction was Epic . Most of them were new as well , with only Undying Warlord remaining as an option from his previous inquiry .

The Heaven’s Secrets Array] was also showing its worth , and the information he was given was just on a completely different level compared to last time . It didn’t just provide him with information about what attributes the classes provided , but even revealed the names of the skills he would gain .

Zac already knew about the base attributes after having spoken with Ylvas and Catheya , but it was still eye-opening to see the numbers in person . It was not without reason that Ogras had said that Low-Tiered Titles were useless for anything except leveraging them into medium and high-tiered counterparts .

Even a common class warrior would gain the equivalent of a top tier Low-tiered title every level while still early E-Grade , excluding Luck of course . Furthermore , that boost would increase further at reaching Middle E-Grade , and then once more upon reaching High E-Grade . If things followed the same pattern as F-Grade , then there might also be a bonus waiting at the peak of E-Grade .

And that wasn't all . The actual class gave another round of attributes on top of the base , and a quick glance proved that an epic class seemed to give another 20 to 25 attribute points , in addition to the ten free attribute points . That meant that a Low E-Grade Warrior with an Epic class would gain almost 80 Attribute points per level , which was in line with what Ylvas had said .

The real question on Zac's mind was how this base worked for him . Judging by the description it seemed like a done deal that he would get the class-specific attributes from both classes , along with two sets of free attributes as he did level his classes separately . But would he also get two base packs per level?

It would make a huge difference , as more than half of the attributes came from the Base Attributes awarded upon breaking open a node . If he didn’t get the base attributes twice he’d - only - get 50% more attributes compared to a normal cultivator , drastically reducing his advantage .

Another piece of information that the array added was whether the evolution was an upgrade or a divergence . Zac guessed that meant that the new class would either build upon the earlier class or move it away from its predecessor in some other direction .

For example , Edge of Arcadia and Gaia’s Apostle were both clearly related to the Hatchetman Class , but judging by their attributes and skills they went in different directions . Edge of Arcadia seemed to focus more on axe-work whereas Gaia’s Apostle leaned toward nature skills like Nature’s Punishment] and Hatchetman’s Spirit] .

A divergence would instead stake out a new path , perhaps only partially relying on the earlier class . It wasn’t surprising that he saw mostly divergent options for his Draugr-class after splitting up its Dao Seeds with hardness going into the Coffin and Sanctuary going into the Bodhi . It might result in some of his old skills becoming obsolete , but Zac already knew that going in .

Zac knew he needed to make a decision , and he first excluded the fourth option . The Draugr-class seemed to be purely defensive , which was the very thing he wanted to move away from . Gaia’s Apostle didn’t really resonate with him either , even though Nature’s Punishment] had been one of his main skills for dealing with tough opponents .

The other three options both had strong points and demerits , but Zac eventually discarded the first option as well , leaving him with options three and five . Undying Warlord seemed like a good fit for him , as it probably was just like his current class with a higher focus on offense . However , the problem was with the class - Gatekeeper of Sukhavati’ .

The class didn’t provide a single point in Strength , which indicated a significant step away from his current fighting style . Even worse , it seemed to be lopsided in the sense that it was based on both the Bodhi and the Coffin . He didn’t want those two Fragments going into the same class , as he wanted for each class to represent one of the concepts of life and death , or Creation and Oblivion .

The third and fifth options both seemed to fulfill all his goals for his new class . The Draugr Classes seemed to be geared much more offensively compared to Undying Bulwark . Risen Asura gave the feeling of pure violence and oppression , like he would become an unstoppable killing machine that refused to die until all his enemies had fallen before him .

The Fetters of Desolation was a bit less clear , but he still felt it was a very good match . The name of the class didn't really sound like something he'd want to use , but there were some good indications that it was still suited for him . The first indicator was the skill , Blighted Cut . It sounded like a weapon-based attack , and perhaps something that took advantage of the Corrosive elements of the Dao of the Coffin .

The flavor text also made him think of a restriction-based warrior who entrapped and weakened his enemies before he delivered the killing blow . That seemed like a good option to him , as that was the main way that he used his Undying Bulwark Class . He trapped his enemies in the Miasmic Cage , then whittled them down with Winds of Decay] , Deathwish] , and the Spectral Chains .

If the enemy tried a desperate strike he took them out with Vanguard of Undeath] and Unholy Strike] .

Of course , these were still just hypotheses , but there was undeniably something about that class that pulled at him . He wasn't sure whether there was the advertised Karmic Guidance that was supposed to be included in the Heaven's Secret Array] , or if it was because of his recently acquired Spirit Tool .

As for the two classes for his human side , both of them had strong points .

Arcadia contained the meaning of becoming one with nature , which was exactly the direction he wanted to take the class based on his life-aspected vision for his path . But it still had Strength as its main attribute , which clearly indicated a warrior-archetype together with the flavor text and skill option .

However , Warmaster of Hecate had provided an interesting twist to his envisioned path . Hecate was a goddess of witchcraft , death , and poison . It was a fusion of Death and Life , while still being a warrior-type class with a connection to nature . This fit well together with the - Risen’ part of the other class , which seemed based on his recent insight of Life from Death .

So one of the options blended life and death , incorporating a nascent duality of his two main concepts into both the classes . The other option was more neatly separated with his Human side representing life and nature , and his Draugr side representing death and desolation .

The question was whether he wanted to fuse these two concepts already and build upon it , or if it was better to progress in the two paths separately until he understood more about what the paths entailed .

Eventually , his eyes turned to the third option , the combination of Edge of Arcadia and Fetters of Desolation .

He decided to go with this option for two reasons . First was the fact that Warmaster of Hecate was a Divergence of Hatchetman , a class he felt perfectly suited for him . He would rather upgrade his human side and get a Divergent class for his Draugr side .

The second reason was that he felt it was too early to start mucking about and fusing the two concepts of life and death into one single class . He wasn’t even sure if that was the form his - creation’ would take in the future , and he didn’t want to walk down that path before he had come to a conclusion there .

However , he didn't immediately activate his option , but rather turned toward his sister and Ogras who curiously looked at him .

It's working , - Zac nodded .

Well no shit , - the demon muttered . - You've been standing still with a disgusting grin on your face for five minutes . Are you ready to evolve? -

I'm going now , - Zac nodded .

None of us can help you if you mess up , so you might as well do it in your courtyard where you won't be disturbed , - the demon said . - You will have a minute or so before the tribulation descends . -

Zac nodded in agreement , as it sounded as the best option .

This might take a while , but make sure I'm okay if I haven't emerged in a day , - Zac said as he took out the dozen Array Breakers from his Spatial Ring . - And focus on identifying treasures that will help in the battle against the Undead Empire . I'm pretty sure that these are all Array Breakers , see which ones might be of use against anything the Lich King uses . -

We'll certainly extract their secrets by the time you're done , - Calrin hurriedly nodded , obviously eager to rack up some contribution .

Good , - Zac nodded before he turned back to the Nexus Node and picked the third option before having a chance to change his mind again .

Tribulation will descend in 1 Minute]

Good luck , - Kenzie said from the side , but some excitement was evident in her eyes . - You're making history here . -

I'll be back soon , - Zac smiled before he flashed away , quickly returning to his courtyard .

The moment he entered he activated his layered arrays before he sat down on his prayer mat . He doubted it would be of any help , but it did help him calm his mind a bit better as he waited for the minute to pass .

Finally it arrived , and he felt himself being surrounded by a mysterious energy . He couldn’t figure out what it was made of , but it felt a bit reminiscent of the sky of lightning he had witnessed when the Chaos Pattern had appeared . Of course , it was an extremely watered-down version .

He was just about to close his eyes and brace for the tribulation when two prompts appeared in front of him .

Heart Tribulation Descends . Struggle for Survival]

Spirit Tribulation Descends . Struggle for Survival]

. . . Shit , - Zac muttered before his world was consumed by pain and fire .

Chapter 487 - Heart

Zac growled from the pain as it felt like his soul had been doused in kerosene and lit on fire . The torment made it almost impossible for him to form a coherent thought , let alone erect some sort of defense .

Not that there was any . He knew that skills and items were useless in a case like this , and he could only bear with it . The pain was agonizing , but it wouldn't actually hurt his soul unless he gave in . He repeated the word - endure’ over and over in his mind , turning it into a mantra of perseverance .

The pain was well beyond what he had expected for a tribulation though , it was almost up there with other terrifying ordeals such as his dip in the Cosmic Water pond . Did everyone have to endure suffering of this magnitude , or was he given special attention because he chose an Epic class?

However , he didn’t have time to form any hypothesis before his surroundings blurred , and he suddenly found himself in his bed . Zac looked around in confusion , his past experiences turning muddled and indistinct as a slender arm reached around him . He smiled and turned over , coming face to face with his new girlfriend .

What is it? - Hannah asked she scratched his beard with a wink . - Can't sleep? -

Something like that , - Zac smiled as he dragged her closer to him .

Hmm , - Hanna hummed as she leaned in for a kiss as her hand reached downward .

Zac's body was quick to respond , but he froze just as he was about to reciprocate her actions . How did he get here? Why did things seem so off?

What's wrong? - Hannah panted in his ear , her hand stopping just as it was about to reach inside his underwear .

Lust fought with unease , but Zac finally shook his head and climbed out of his bed , his head darting back and forth with a wildness in his eyes .

Something wasn't right .

A heavy sense of wrongness encompassed him even though everything in his studio apartment looked like it should . But a shocking pain in his mind almost made him keel over , and he held his head in his hands as the world turned blurry .

Zac? What's going on? Should I call an ambulance? - Hanna asked with fright as she ran over , but Zac's eyes widened when a knife suddenly appeared in her hand and sank deep into his chest .

You're not real , - Zac growled , finally remembering what was going on . - This is not real . -

Yes , isn't that what you like to tell yourself after you discarded me like trash? - Hannah sneered as the world collapsed .

Anxiety burned in Zac's chest as he urged the flying disk to move faster , but it felt like he was flying through solid matter as he saw his beleaguered army in the distance . Alea stood in the front , desperately fighting to create an opportunity for the army to survive . But it was for naught as she was cut down where she stood by a group of spectral assassins .

Zac finally managed to push through the solidified air as he landed next to her , and he quickly put a healing pill in her mouth . But it barely had an effect as the wounds kept bleeding , staining the ground in a crimson hue .

Why didn’t you save me? - Alea cried as she looked up at Zac with desolation in her eyes . - I loved you . I bled for you . But you only saw me as a tool to further your goals . -

I- - Zac stammered , but he had no chance to form a response before one sobbing voice after another spoke up around him .

Why did you give up on us? - a Valkyrie cried . - You were supposed to lead us out of misery , not into it . -

Why? - a dozen dying soldiers cried in anguish , their wails growing in agony and sorrow by the second .

Why?! -

WHY?! -

The chorus grew louder and louder , and Zac felt like his mind was splitting apart . A wave of pain came from nowhere at that very moment , making him fall over in agony . He arduously got to his feet again , and he tried to explain himself to the angry mob of corpses . He didn’t mean for anyone to die . He was trying to do the right thing , but he was just one man , unable to save everyone .

But the words didn’t come . It felt like when he was in a dream where he wanted to throw a punch , but he was wholly impotent to actually urge his hand to move . He wasn't even sure whether his explanation could be considered a legitimate excuse , but it was moot as he couldn’t even vocalize a single word . Zac only helplessly fell backward , the screams growing ever louder in his mind .

Alea crawled closer as he mutely sat on the ground , leaving a trail of blood and intestines behind her . It was with great exertion she managed to drag herself up along his torso , completely drenching Zac in blood while doing so . She whimpered in pain as she enclosed him in a final embrace , her head resting on his shoulder .

Was this all a game to you? - the sorrowful voice of the poison mistress whispered in his ear . - You played around in the Underworld , looking for opportunities to level up . You left us to fight one of the strongest forces in the Multiverse . You sent us to our deaths . You’re the leader , you should join us . -

Join us! - the chorus echoed as a storm of poison seeped out of every pore of Alea’s body .

Zac felt muddled from the blazing pain in his head , but his Danger Sense screamed for him to wake up .

No!

Zac ardently recoiled in his mind , and the world around him cracked like a broken mirror .

Shame and self-blame threatened to drown Zac as he stood in front of Thea's sickbed . Her piercing blue eyes had lost their luster as she hollowly stared at him , and her ragged breaths told him she already hovered at death’s door .

I thought we had formed an understanding during our time in the Hunt . But the moment we left you forgot about me , discarded me for the next shiny thing . Was that all I was to you? A means to an end during the hunt? - she asked with a voice so weak that it was barely audible .

Billy was true in his sincerity toward you . But were you sincere toward him? Or were you just patronizing him while abusing his naiveté and strength? You didn’t even bother going in person to help with his Incursion , you rather sent a subordinate to steal the main achievement from him , - Thea continued , despondency creeping into her voice .

That’s not- -

Yet we came here , leaving our own people to fend for themselves . Just so that you wouldn’t have yet another excuse to avoid doing the right thing . We bled for you . Why won’t you do the same? - she said just as her eyes grew blank , her final breath leaving her lungs .

Panic made Zac's heart beat like a drum , but he suddenly calmed down as he looked at the unmoving body of Thea Marshall .

You're alive , and I will save you all , - Zac growled as the world crumbled .

He had dreaded this moment , but Zac was finally here , his fingers fidgeted with nervousness as he walked across the field toward the man sitting on a rock . His steps were unsteady from the mounting pain in his head , but this thing couldn't be held off any longer .

The man looked upon hearing Zac's approach , his disfigured face scrunching up in anger upon seeing who it was . David slowly stood up with the assistance of a cane , and he spat at the ground the moment Zac arrived .

I was captured , tortured , left for dead . All because I used to know you , - David said before Zac had a chance to greet him , his face contorting in anger and pain . - I wake up screaming every night , drenched in sweat , because of what that lunatic put me through . But you didn’t even come to visit me . You threw me out of your mind as you stowed me away on this desolate island , where I wouldn’t be able to remind you of what you’ve become . -

Hannah , - Zac said , but he was interrupted by David , whose fury was quickly mounting .

Hannah was traumatized , manipulated , and abused . First by The Lord of Eyes , then by the infiltrators , and finally by your little demon lover . You couldn’t even wait for a second to cast her away the moment she finally regained a sense of stability . All because she didn’t fit with your - new self’ , the great lone-wolf warrior who consorted with Demons , - David spat .

But perhaps it’s for the best , no? - the mutilated man said as he swung his cane at Zac . - Better to be a cast-away than turned into a cursed piece of jewelry . -

Zac tried to catch the cane , but another wave of pain made him space out , and he found himself on the ground as David desperately tried to pummel him .

It's all your fault! - he screamed , but he was forced to stop as he spat out a mouthful of blood from the exertion .

I'm sorry , - Zac said through grit teeth as he woke up from his stupor , once again realizing he was inside an illusion . - The way I treated you isn't right . I will visit the real you when this is all over . -

The world dissipated in a haze , and he was surprised to find himself in a very familiar place , this time completely aware he was still undergoing the Heart Tribulation . It was his childhood room where he had lived until he moved out at 21 . However , it looked vastly different from how it did before the Integration . It was rather decorated exactly the same as when he was a child .

That wasn’t all , as he could actually see himself lying asleep in his bed . Why was the System showing him this? It was no doubt another trick of the Heart Tribulation , but why was it so different compared to the other ones that preyed on his emotions? Why had he come here like some sort of Ghost of Christmas Future?

A wave of agony suddenly burst through the illusion , and Zac found himself soundlessly screaming into the room . The waves of pain were getting worse , and Zac was getting worried that the other Tribulation was running amok with him stuck in these visions .

Becoming aware that this was all an illusion obviously wasn't the key to getting out , so he started to look around for any clues on how to break the illusion . But there was no clearly identifiable clue to help him escape , and he could only turn to the sleeping form in the bed .

It was a surreal feeling to see himself as a ten-year-old . Things he had completely forgotten were reproduced with perfect crispness as well . There were his posters and the orange lava lamp that always were turned on when he went to bed but inexplicably turned off when he awoke . Of course , it was his parents who turned it off as they checked in on him , but today it was still turned on in the middle of the night .

However , that small detail wasn’t the only thing that was a bit off .

There was a note of discordance in the memory , the sounds of agitated voices seeping through the door . The two voices grew gradually louder , but Zac still couldn’t make out any distinct words . The fact that it felt like his head was splitting apart didn’t make things easier either . He tried to move closer to the source of the commotion , but he found himself stuck next to the bed , or perhaps rather stuck to his younger self .

However , the argument taking place outside his room was soon enough to wake up the ten-year-old version of himself , and Zac couldn’t help but feel some trepidation as he saw himself getting out of bed . He looked just as confused as Zac felt , but he still silently moved over toward his door . Zac thankfully moved in accord , and they got closer to the source of the sounds .

… Doctor , - Zac heard as they inched closer , and he could finally confirm that it was his father’s voice , though the voice sounded frantic in a way that he had never heard before .

Young Zac seemed to come to the same realization as he slowly turned the doorknob and created a small crack in his door without making a sound . It was just enough for some light from the corridor to bleed inside , along with the voices . The voices of his parents .

Doctor? What would some mortal doctor be able to help me with? - Leandra snorted , her voice dripping with disdain . - Besides . I am telling you I am not sick . -

Darling , calm down . You just had a baby , don’t get agitated , - Robert seemed to try to placate her .

I’m not agitated , I’m just telling you what needs to happen , - his mom answered with a cold tone that Zac had never heard before . - I guess I can consider myself lucky that the pain of childbirth startled me awake . -

Zac frowned as he listened in on the conversation from his vantage as a silent specter behind his own body . Was this actually a memory of his , or yet another lie shown by the System? Because he couldn’t remember this ever happening in his real life , though his childhood had always been a bit hazy .

But judging from the discussion and how old he looked , this might just be the night when his mother disappeared , never to be heard from again .

Chapter 488 - The Final Era

Did you really plan on leaving while just leaving a note? What about Zac? What about our daughter? - Robert wheezed , his franticness turning to anger mid-sentence .

Don’t mention that little monster . And I am doing this for our daughter . She is destined for greatness , - Leandra retorted . - Against all odds , she is an actual match . She will finish what her ancestors started tens of millions of years ago . -

Another wave of pain intruded in his mind , but Zac growled as he forcibly pushed it away with far greater fervor than he had done before . He refused to be disturbed by the other tribulation at this point . He wasn’t sure if this was all real or not , but he needed to hear what his parents were saying .

What the hell did she mean by calling him a monster? And what was with the ambiguous wording of his dad? His mind was running a mile a minute , but he had no chance to digest the words of his mother before she spoke up again .

You know what? Why am I even- - his mother’s continued , before a muffled scream followed by a thud came from the room on the other side of the corridor , his parent’s room .

And the room where his sister slept .

I’m sorry , Robert , - Leandra sighed , her voice barely audible through the door . - In another lifetime , perhaps . -

Terror was clearly written on the face of his younger self , but Zac still saw himself slowly open the door and sneak outside . There was a shining light coming from the next-door room , and he steeled himself before he glanced inside .

Only to lock eyes with Leandra who stood next to the crib , an unconscious Robert by her feet .

You heard us? - she said as she looked at the younger Zac with an unperturbed face .

His younger self didn’t say a word , but he only looked down at the unmoving form of his father , before his eyes turned back to his newly-born sister who still radiated a red light from her forehead .

Some things have been set in motion that cannot be stopped . You were the first , and she is the second . Perhaps this is for the best , I was never happy with the original plan in any case , - she said with a calm voice as she looked down at him . - And the heavens proved me right . -

Zac observed his mother as a specter behind his younger self , and it felt like a wave of memories were awakened by the familiar face . However , there was a difference between the gentle woman that hazily appeared in the back of his mind , and the woman in front of him . The gentleness was utterly gone , replaced by far uglier emotions hiding within her eyes as she looked down at his younger self .

Disgust and rage .

He , or rather his ten-year-old self , was clearly in shock by the turn of events , but he still spoke up .

Is Kenzie sick? - he said hesitantly as he fearfully took a step toward the crib .

You want to protect her? - Leandra laughed . - Well , perhaps you can be good for something . I can’t stay here . My awakening has already alerted the Cursed Heavens and some other old bastards . Someone will need to stand guard as we rebuild from the ground up . -

It looked like his younger self received a shock the next second , and he fell over right next to Kenzie’s cradle . The present Zac was still there though , and he looked down at himself before his eyes once again turned back to Leandra .

It at least looked like she wasn’t aware of his existence , in contrast to Be’Zi and her husband who could sense his presence in his visions . She gave the two unmoving forms on the floor a long look before she once again focused on Kenzie , but Zac couldn’t understand what she was doing .

She stood unmoving with her hand on his sister’s infant head for a good ten minutes , but there were no changes and no energy fluctuations as far as Zac could tell .

It can still be salvaged , - she breathed in relief as she took a step back .

The next moment she bent down and put her index finger against his forehead , and a shudder ran through his ten-year-old body . Finally , she walked over to a cabinet in the room , and a familiar item appeared in her hand ; the pendant . She placed it next to a paper before she took one last look at the room where she had lived the past ten years .

Keep her safe . I’ll be back to claim her after I’ve dealt with this mess , - she mumbled down at Robert , or perhaps himself . - She is carrying the fate of the Final Era . -

A rift opened up in space the next moment , and she walked right through it without a second glance .

Confusion muddled his thoughts as he tried to make sense of the vision . Was this really what happened twenty years ago when his mother disappeared? Had she wiped his memory of the actual events , planting the story of her mysterious disappearance?

And what was with her reaction to him? Zac didn't remember her fondly due to her abandonment as a child , but he had to admit that she had been nothing but a good mother before she disappeared . But the eyes of Leandra had been those of a fanatic on a mission , almost reminding Zac of Salvation .

There was one possibility that immediately came to mind though ; Robert wasn't his biological father .

It might even be possible that Leandra wasn't his mother , but his instincts told him they were mother and son . They had a lot of similar features , especially their eyes who looked identical . But perhaps her hatred was a projection of any animosity she carried for his biological father?

That was the only reason he could think of that would explain the hatred from his own flesh and blood .

Leandra's grand proclamations of carrying out the will of the ancestors and the 'Fate of the Final Era' also felt extremely ominous , and not something he wanted Kenzie to get embroiled in . But was it really up to him , or was their mother really coming back to take Kenzie away?

A mother reuniting with her children might seem like something good , but there was something deeply wrong with the way Leandra had looked at Kenzie as well , though there wasn't the unmasked hatred she held for Zac . Was Leandra just using her as nourishment for Jeeves , where the mysterious AI was using Kenzie and her soul as an incubation chamber until the point that Leandra came to steal it?