Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1395: Rivers and Moons

The shifting cavern fell into a heavy stillness as the group resumed their meditation. This silence persisted for hours, interrupted only by the occasional tremor signaling the potential collapse of the spatial pocket. Zac focused entirely on restoring his combat potential, even going so far as to manifest a shell of Miasma Crystals during a brief slumber to accelerate his innate healing.

His unwavering resolve, vast resources, and a reckless disregard for the accumulation of pill toxins bore fruit. In under ten hours, the internal damage from his corruption overdose was largely mitigated, and a massive reservoir of purified enlightenment sat ready within [Purity of the Void]. He had restored eighty percent of his energy pools, though his Vigor and Void Vigor remained slightly lower.

Such a rapid turnaround was virtually unheard of for powerful Hegemons, who often required years of seclusion to mend after a life-and-death struggle. It served as a testament to the synergistic effects of his Sindris bloodline and his dual constitutions, both of which were optimized for endurance and regeneration. However, this recovery was a desperate, one-time maneuver that could not be replicated during the remainder of the mission.

Zac inspected his arm, noting the faint pulsing in his overtaxed meridians. This discomfort was minor compared to the persistent ache radiating from his core, and his internal energy felt noticeably sluggish. There was no true substitute for genuine rest; his body was currently too exhausted to process even the mildest medicinal tinctures for the next fortnight.

Nevertheless, his progress was undeniable. Zac channeled a thread of energy into his Mercurial Court Disciple token, causing two glowing figures to manifest.

[Potentiality: 8,137]

[Imperial Merit: 71,877]

He had been monitoring his gains closely since arriving on Sevona’s island, particularly after the clash with the Hastor Society. The growth was staggering. He had landed with barely 600 Potentiality, and weeks of grueling effort—both in the physical ruins and the echoes of the past—had only brought him to 1,800 before the hunt officially commenced.

This meant he had secured over 6,000 Potentiality in less than a day. While every corrupted monster provided a minor bounty, the bulk of the rewards stemmed from sabotaging the ritual and executing its mastermind. Though the exact breakdown was obscured, Zac felt that nearly half of the total had come specifically from slaying Zorm.

Zac had anticipated a larger windfall for stopping the ritual, but he understood the logic behind the smaller payout. Neutralizing a single formation hadn't halted the desertification of the inner zone; it had merely slowed the decay. To claim the true reward, he would need to completely dismantle the invaders' overarching plot.

Still, Astora Theomore’s advice had been vindicated. Eliminating infiltrators was clearly the most efficient path to accumulating Potentiality. Furthermore, he sensed these actions were strengthening his karmic ties with the Mercurial Court, which would likely lower the requirements for his promotion to Inner Disciple.

Their brief meeting with Marai had yielded no further gains; the totals remained unchanged from the moment Zorm fell. The lack of movement in his Imperial Merit was expected, as his deeds within the Mercurial Court provided no merit points. Those gains were strictly the result of his other half’s rampaging at the gates of the Hollow Court.

“Well, what’s the verdict?” Esmeralda asked, breaking Zac’s concentration.

“You’re right. There’s no other way,” Zac replied, causing a wide smirk to spread across Esmeralda’s face.

Zac’s original strategy for the hunt had been a slow war of attrition against the infiltrators, disrupting their schemes while farming Potentiality. However, the sheer scale of the forces they had smuggled onto the island—and the looming threat of the magic circles—had changed the math. He could likely only handle one or two more Monarchs, and only under ideal circumstances.

Esmeralda’s counter-proposal was different. They would leverage their small group and specialized skills to infiltrate the hunting lodge undetected, avoiding open warfare while seizing Sevona’s divine core or whatever powered the facility. While it was predictable for a thief to suggest a heist, her logic was sound. They possessed the dagger to unlock hidden passages, Esmeralda’s professional stealth, and his own Void powers to bypass various wards.

Then there was Idiche, whose presence felt increasingly synchronized with the island’s frequency. It was as if she were evolving into a citizen of Sevona’s divine kingdom, an attribute that could prove invaluable inside the lodge.

Esmeralda had frequently pointed out that bypassing security via authorization was far easier than brute-forcing high-level arrays. This was precisely why Zac was pushing for Inner Disciple status; it was the most direct path to the treasures Esmeralda sought.

Between Marai’s final words and her eventual fate, Zac had formed a rough hypothesis regarding the invaders' goals, which explained why the Sect’s Elders were nowhere to be found. He hoped that taking control of the lodge’s core would collapse their scheme. Additionally, he suspected such an act would give the Disciplinary Hall the legal or karmic justification to intervene on the island without triggering a backlash from fate.

The group spent another hour finalizing their plans, until the walls of the shifting cavern constricted so much they were nearly pinned.

“Time to move,” Esmeralda stated.

Zac stood, gripping his axe in one hand and the ancient dagger in the other. Idiche joined them, already wrapped in her high-grade cloak. Esmeralda placed her hands on their shoulders and released a subtle spatial pulse. The world smeared into a blur, and they emerged once more into the open air.

“You weren't kidding. The landscape has completely transformed,” Zac remarked, surveying the new environment.

The rainclouds had vanished, replaced by a night sky that did not belong to the Peregrine Archipelago. A deep purple firmament held only a few visible stars, their light drowned out by a radiant, azure moon. It hung directly over the center of the island—a region that remained a visual blur. Even from this distance, Zac could feel the moon’s immense pressure bearing down on the hidden lodge.

The conflict between the sand and the rain had reached a stalemate. The central region was now a shallow desert protected by eight concentric, moat-like rivers. These were composed of Sevona’s illusory water, each ring wider than the last. They possessed enough power to resist the thirsty sands, though Zac could see the edges being slowly whittled away in a battle of attrition.

The mountains behind them no longer felt predatory, and the ambient illusory Qi had faded significantly. It seemed the hunting lodge had diverted all the island's reserves into this final defensive perimeter. While the three glowing circles in the sky had stopped producing sand, they emitted a low-frequency vibration that hummed at the edge of Zac’s hearing.

“The essence is shifting,” Idiche whispered. “They are attempting to rewrite the island’s nature. Perhaps to synchronize it with another realm? Aligning the two islands would allow them to overlap.”

“This desert is a massive natural array. Every grain of sand is imbued with spirituality and functions as a component of the pattern,” Esmeralda noted, her expression grim.

“It’s a good thing we took out two of those circles. It bought us a window,” Zac said as they crept toward the first river under Esmeralda’s veil. “At least, I hope so. I don't see any sign of the invaders.”

“In this place, sight is a poor judge of reality,” Idiche warned.

“This water is dangerous,” Esmeralda muttered as they reached the bank. “It’s only ten meters wide, but the laws within approach the level of the Continuum. The spatial gap is absolute. Without an Autarch capable of rewriting local laws, you’d be pulled into the depths immediately.”

Zac tossed a piece of ore with enough strength to clear several miles. The moment it passed over the water, it vanished, never reaching the far bank. His tests with the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] failed as well, and even extending his [Void Zone] yielded nothing. His D-grade Bloodline Talent couldn't project even an inch over the surface.

However, when he fed a drop of blood to the ancient dagger, it hummed in response, offering a solution.

“The cost is higher than it was in the mountains,” Zac noted with a scowl, pulling his hand back from the blade. “I can ferry us across two or three of these at most. Any more and I’ll be too weak to fight.”

“Then the sleepwalker and I can only handle one, probably just this first one.” Esmeralda shook her head, looking at Idiche. “We should save your strength for the inner rings. Can you sense a path?”

“It… it is calling to me. I believe we can simply walk in?” Idiche said after a moment of silence. “The rivers contain independent dimensions. We just have to navigate the crossing.”

Zac looked to Esmeralda, who gave a reluctant nod. “It’s plausible, but the lodge won't let us walk through the front door without a fight.”

“Perhaps the internal arrays will view us as friendly. If not, I can use the dagger for navigation without burning through my blood,” Zac said, gesturing with the weapon. “Stay close. We can’t risk getting separated.”

“Fine.” Esmeralda perched atop Zac’s head while he used his chains to secure Idiche to his side.

With a deep breath, Zac stepped into the shallow water. Sharp pangs of pain shot through his body and soul as the world warped. He had no time to adjust before his instincts screamed of an impending strike.

The familiar mental tug of danger was joined by a chaotic, dissonant roar. Zac moved on pure reflex, a veteran of a thousand battles. A translucent blade sliced through a veil of gritty sand, biting into the space where he had stood a heartbeat prior.

Zac finished his dodge and immediately counter-attacked, his axe whistling in a lethal upward arc toward a visored helmet. There was no impact; no blood sprayed, and the helmet offered no resistance. His weapon passed through the soldier as if he were a phantom.

It wasn't even a standard spectral entity. Zac had destroyed countless ghosts and constructs before, and his Dao-infused strikes usually shredded them. This soldier didn't even flinch as the axe cleaved through its skull. It simply pivoted for another strike, joined by five more warriors closing in from all sides.

These attackers were merely Early Hegemons—standard-issue shock troops. Individually they were unremarkable, but their coordination and numbers were formidable. Zac blurred through their formation, avoiding hits while scanning the environment through the haze of corrupted sand.

They had emerged onto a battlefield that mirrored the Memory Domain where he had first seen Joanna. An imperial legion was engaged in a brutal struggle against a beast tide. However, the scene was unstable, shifting like the interior of the cave. Across the vast expanse, thousands of combatants flickered in and out of focus, creating a disorienting, dreamlike atmosphere. The closer things were to Zac, the more physical they became.

Zac also recognized many of the beasts; they were the same species he had encountered earlier on the island. Their enemies, however, bore a clear mark: plumes of dark corruption leaked from every joint in their armor.

Was this a literal battle between invaders and the island’s guardians, or a symbolic representation of the rainwater fighting the corrupted sand? Zac sensed a spark of spirituality in the combatants, but the entire realm felt like a fever dream.

Despite the chaos, the imperial machine was winning. The beast tide was being systematically dismantled. The environmental pressure of the island was taking a toll on the soldiers' corruption, but it wasn't enough to stop their advance. At this rate, the battle would conclude in a few hours, coinciding with the river’s eventual drying.

Suddenly, a burst of foul energy erupted from Idiche. A wound opened on her throat, leaking corruption and blood before the illusory energy of the river tore the taint away. Zac realized his own discomfort was the same process; the dimension was purging hidden corruption that even his specialized nodes had missed.

For Zac, it was a minor irritation, but Esmeralda was shaking with pain. Her purification methods were far less potent than his [Purity of the Void].

Idiche was in the worst shape, drifting toward unconsciousness as the realm violently extracted the corruption she had absorbed while taking the treasure from Marai’s world. The cost had been far higher than she had admitted. Zac prepared to deploy his [Void Zone] to shield her if she slipped further.

A battlefield of ghosts, Zac thought, watching the trails of corruption rise into the sky.

The ancient dagger acted as a compass, pointing the way forward without requiring a blood sacrifice. Zac began to push through the melee, testing different attacks on the soldiers. While the landscape shifted, the number of troops seemed constant; no new reinforcements appeared to replace the fallen.

He considered sabotaging the army to weaken the invaders' grip, but even [Fatehew] failed to leave a scratch on the spectral infantry.

His interference eventually drew more heat, and a painful experiment revealed a grim truth: the soldiers' attacks could inflict spiritual damage, as could the beasts'. While his soul was tempered, he couldn't afford to let these minor wounds accumulate.

Reluctantly, Zac triggered [Void Mountain], slamming a Dao-annihilating rune into a soldier’s helmet. The armor buckled with a metallic crunch, and the warrior collapsed. A burst of foreign spirituality surged into Zac, only to be violently repelled by his innate Killing Intent.

Zac stared at the fallen soldier. Suddenly, the army looked less like a threat and more like a field of potential growth. That single burst of spirituality from an early Hegemon was incredibly potent. If he cleared a few rivers like this, he could likely finalize his [Thousand Axes Avatar] and refine his killing intent to a legendary degree.

Unfortunately, he lacked the time and the Void Energy to slaughter an entire legion. Furthermore, killing the soldier had turned him into a primary target. Dozens of hostile gazes locked onto him with murderous intent.

“Transcendental spirits. The heart crosses the veil,” Idiche muttered, her voice echoing and hollow.

Though unconscious, her sleepwalking guidance continued. Zac summoned his [Warbringer Dharma], and as the idol manifested, the surreal battlefield became slightly more grounded.

The effect wasn't as powerful as Void Energy—his weapon only felt like it was hitting with five percent of its true weight—but it was enough. His strikes now landed on the spiritual level. Zac didn't mind the inefficiency; maintaining the idol was easy, and he could simply overwhelm them with persistence.

“One begets the two, delimited yet one,” Idiche whispered as Zac finally finished off another attacker using the stabilizing aura of his idol.

A small, seed-like object appeared beside his floating hatchet before he could process her words, and the illusory world grew even more stable. Zac’s heart raced, thinking he had achieved a sudden breakthrough and formed his second idol. He knew such things couldn't be rushed, but his lack of progress with new idols since his time on the Peregrine Ocean had been a source of quiet frustration.

However, his excitement faded as he realized the truth.