Defiance of the Fall Chapter 1440: Gates and Lightning

Within the sealed expanse of [Eye of Desolation], a tremor ran through the area as three distinct spatial layers converged into one. Fragments of numerous shattered statues were scattered throughout the space. Concurrently, the shimmering waves of the Peregrine Ocean began to churn. The adversaries were not the sole party employing diversions. The moment Zac severed the giant's head, he thrust his left arm into another vortex, ultimately expending another rune with [Void Mountain].

The two guardians were anticipating the aftermath this time around, but the diversion facilitated a wraith’s ability to inflict a severe wound upon one of them. The situation rapidly deteriorated, leaving only one individual to safeguard the gateway. A deafening roar, powerful enough to vibrate Zac’s very bones, shook the realm just before the last defender could be subjugated.

A deluge of lightning descended from the heavens, obliterating both chains and axe wraiths. The spectral apparitions disintegrated under the might of the Heavenly Dao. At this juncture, the Shieldbearer hurried to aid his comrade. Zac's brow furrowed as he observed both [Fields of Despair] and [Deathmark] progressively weakening under the onslaught. Nevertheless, he disregarded the archer who had initiated the lightning domain. Sustaining the storm demanded the majority of his focus, and it was evident that this endeavor consumed a substantial quantity of Cosmic Energy.

With his left arm still immersed in the vortex, Zac propelled himself towards the giant, intent on finishing the encounter. Zac still struggled to comprehend how the pugilist had remained unharmed by his previous assaults, but he understood from experience that rapid regeneration of flesh came at a cost. Even if the colossal man resorted to taboo techniques for limb regrowth, a period of adjustment would be necessary.

Simultaneously, two Void Vortices materialized adjacent to the plague mage, and Zac instantly detected formidable resistance. The environment surrounding her was saturated with intense corrosion, to such an extent that the vortices began to disintegrate. Despite this, Zac dispatched chains through the chaotic energy to prevent her from inflicting further damage upon [Eye of Desolation].

The initial chain fractured before it could even reach the mage. The second chain exhibited both uncharacteristic resilience and swiftness, striking the mage like a venomous serpent. Zac had taken a cue from the archer's diversionary tactic. Instead of employing two chains with [Love’s Bond], the second strike was, in fact, the spectral chain of [Arbiter of the Abyss]. The instant it made contact with the mage's shoulder, Zac had already achieved his objective.

It made no difference that the vortex was on the brink of collapse. The connection had been established, placing the mage under Zac's command. Without affording her a moment to process the events, Zac propelled her directly into the ball of Oblivion with his full strength.

Regrettably, the element of surprise coupled with the unusually intricate skill was insufficient to eliminate the mage in a single attempt. A necklace flared with power, unleashing a torrent of pestilence upon the eye. The artifact expelled enough malevolence to momentarily counteract [Eye of Desolation]’s Oblivion, granting the mage the opportunity to retreat beyond its reach. By that point, the void vortices had already dissipated.

Her escape, however, came at a steep price. Before she could fully react, she sustained the loss of a leg and a portion of her upper body. Zac could feel both Pure Oblivion and his Inexorable Dao infiltrating her being. Zac surmised that this would be sufficient to incapacitate her for a considerable duration. Observing this development, Zac resolved to escalate the pressure on the two remaining defenders.

The rune suspended beneath Zac’s feet blazed to life, and a secondary rune manifested beneath [Profane Exponent]’s lantern-wielding diminutive figure. The deathly inferno erupted with such intense heat that it permeated Alea’s protective plating. This potent effect was attributed to the fourth pygmy amplifying the power of its counterpart.

A stream of turquoise fire descended upon the Shieldbearer, who had erected a bulwark against [Eye of Desolation]’s final contingent of chain-wielding effigies. It was as if the souls ensnared within the statues perceived their impending doom under the raging thunderstorm and desired to take down at least one adversary before their final moments. It was for this climactic stand that Zac withheld the detonation of [Eye of Desolation]’s core.

The flames, capable of dissolving defenses, pierced through the Shieldbearer’s spatial barrier without faltering, losing minimal intensity. A defensive talisman activated by the second Sealbearer managed to deplete only a third of its power before the flames adhered to the defender’s shield like tenacious napalm.

The two remaining guardians of the gate found themselves suddenly exposed and overwhelmed by a concentrated barrage of chains from [Eye of Desolation]. Adding to their plight, occasional axe wraiths reformed amidst the relentless downpour of lightning. With their backs literally and figuratively against the wall, they could not afford the indulgence of concerning themselves with their other allies.

Like a tempest of ferocity, Zac descended upon the solitary colossus, his smaller stature radiating a far more potent savagery. This intensity wasn't solely a product of his superior physique; the engagement had stirred an ancient will that now piloted Zac's every move. This roaring intent granted him an almost preternatural awareness, yet the warrior's weak point remained elusive.

Two chains converged, intercepting a blow potent enough to warp the very fabric of space, decelerating it just enough for Zac to shift his position. Nevertheless, a mere flicker saw the fist materialize before Zac's face. The combatant was wielding the Dao of Time, accelerating his own movements to bypass the wind-up almost entirely. Zac lacked the time to counter with a strike, so he met the assault head-on, blocking with an armored shoulder.

Immense force battered through his armor, but Zac remained steadfast. His chains had already coiled around his quarry, ensnaring the pugilist in an ever-tightening snare of doom. Whether through deliberate recklessness or a calculated sacrifice, the giant's confederates seized the moment of his impending demise.

A deluge of lightning cascaded onto Zac's position, striking both him and the behemoth without distinction. A dome of Miasmic winds coalesced above Zac's head as his final pygmy expended its capacity for spatial displacement. Yet, the marksman was not the sole aggressor seizing this opportune instant. Fulminant pustules erupted across the giant's form, unleashing a torrent of venomous time directly into Zac's face.

Zac's body screamed in agony, his mind assaulted by distorted phantasms. The torment was so severe that he nearly lost command of his abilities. A surge from [Purity of the Void] restored just enough lucidity for Zac to mount a resolute defense. He invoked all his seals of [Undying Mark] to mitigate the physical trauma. Concurrently, a torrent of Miasma, Cosmic Energy, and Dao flowed into [Death’s Duality], manifesting as two swirling vortexes at Zac's periphery.

The axe descended, and the thunderous roar was swallowed by twin cyclones of Death and Conflict. Where they met, nothing could endure. Lightning was rent asunder, poison neutralized and dissipated. The giant, his flesh regenerated anew, proved no exception. His immense frame was cleaved cleanly in two by [Sonorous End], the incision as precise as a laser cut.

This combo skill, in isolation, was unremarkable. Though its cleaving power surpassed his standard strikes or [Fatehew], it fell far short of [Desperation’s End]. It even lagged behind the relative might of its predecessor, [Rapturous Divide]. Given its five-minute cooldown, it held no substantial place in Zac's arsenal.

Nonetheless, [Sonorous End] possessed utility beyond its synergy with [Rapturous Beginnin]. Its grinding energies annihilated the blight, carving a passage free from poison and all other Daos. Zac navigated this aperture and unleashed [Void Zone]. He harbored no certainty of the giant's demise, and the feedback from his nullification field corroborated his doubt.

Zac surged forward, instantaneously appearing at an apparently vacant point on the border of [Void Zone]. Space distorted under a Void-infused strike, revealing a spectral entity resembling a diminutive replica of the giant. It was understandable why Zac’s assaults left no lasting damage. The giant's physical form was merely a shell, manipulated like a flesh puppet. Its controller lurked nearby, cloaked in illusions and warped space.

This was an elaborate technique, unexpected from one projecting such potent physical energy, and it recalled the Astral Walking detailed in [Thousand Lights Chapter] to Zac. Encountering someone cultivating all three principal Daos of the Mercurial Court was exceptionally rare, especially the union of Time and Space. Zac had only ever heard of a minuscule number of prodigies pursuing such an ambitious trajectory within the court.

The two primary factions of the Peak of Continuum did not share the fraught relationship of Life and Death, yet both Time and Space were notoriously arduous Daos to master. Advancing concurrently carried a significant peril of overwhelming one's cultivation path. Even a peerless prodigy like Esmeralda had elected to tread the Continuum via a less perilous route.

Zac theorized that the separation of spirit and flesh served a purpose beyond mere security. Typically, the spectral counterpart would have ambushed Zac while he was preoccupied. Instead, the pugilist chose to maintain a safe distance, puppeteering his body remotely. He had likely been awaiting his comrades to weaken Zac, rather than confronting the risk himself. Zac observed this same tendency in most large-scale conflicts. Trepidation and self-interest commonly hindered groups from fully realizing their collective strength.

Now, the moment had passed.

“N—!” The pugilist’s shriek was abruptly silenced as [Fatehew] sundered his soul in twain.

While Zac was occupied with the spectral body, Alea had already gathered the remnants of its expanding corpse into a dense web. Clutching a handful of chains, his muscles strained as he hurled the colossal corpse with enough force to fracture the very space around them. After building momentum through several powerful swings, the chains were suddenly released.

The corpse propelled forward like a falling star, plunging directly into the sea of Miasmic flames. The Shieldbearer and his assistant were already heavily burned and scarred. Having a gargantuan body slam into them with the full might of Zac’s Strength was more than they could withstand. Bones snapped upon impact, but that was the least of their afflictions.

The momentum proved unstoppable, and the churning waters were mere dozens of meters behind them. Both the corpse and the combatants crashed into the gate just as it managed to usher another cultivator through. A tidal wave of silvery water engulfed all four. Judging by the eruption of ancient desolation, they were sent to the afterlife rather than their own timeline.

Zac exhaled in relief. He had kept his focus on the gate throughout, intending to eliminate any newcomers before they could influence the battle. His original plan was to shatter a rune each time a new individual emerged, but the chaotic situation made precise timing impossible.

Ten of the thirteen invaders were deceased, and another was critically injured, yet Zac did not lower his guard. The gate remained active, and the remaining Sealbearers were the most formidable of the group. Given Esmeralda's silence, the swordsman was undoubtedly working diligently to break free from her confinement. Zac needed to resolve the current conflict before that could happen.

A vortex materialized, and Zac stepped through. In the next instant, he appeared before the mage. A tempest of corrosive Temporal Energy assailed him, slowing his perception while simultaneously decaying his flesh. However, Zac had maintained [Void Zone] active since using it to track the pugilist, and its effect was significantly diminished. The injured mage was sheltered within the storm's eye, but Zac surged towards its edge.

His two Warbringer Idols materialized, and his vision became bifurcated. The mage remained entrenched at the cyclone's core, while a secondary, concealed version of her was making a dash for the archer. She didn't get far before Zac intercepted her. Deceiving his senses was feasible when he was distant and distracted. Attempting the same at close range—while resisting [Void Zone]'s suppression of the Dao—proved to be a futile effort.

[Death Duality] struck only air as the mage's head transformed into a stream of poison upon passing through. The mage could only sustain this state momentarily within [Void Zone], just enough to secure an additional second of survival. Zac pressed on, and the mage retreated, until the antisun behind her suddenly detonated like a supernova. Zac dispersed her intangible form one last time before slipping into a void vortex. In the subsequent moment, the mage was completely consumed by the detonation of [Eye of Desolation].

The very next moment, Zac was back at the dimensional gate. While his body combatted the storm of virulence, he commenced the destruction of another rune. He estimated that three or four more would suffice, assuming this particular magic was not more resilient than the previous ones.

Lightning rained down relentlessly as the sole remaining archer exerted all his might to bring Zac down. Zac remained unfazed. He allowed the less potent attacks to strike him directly, dividing the punishment between his armor and himself. The attacks that posed a significant threat were either repelled by a barrage of chains or by sacrificing an axe wraith.

Zac could distinctly feel the archer's internal turmoil as he watched in vain for Zac to falter while destroying another rune without missing a beat. He had expended a considerable amount of Qi to maintain the thunderstorm, yet all his allies had fallen. Now, he lacked the power to present a genuine threat.

To Zac's astonishment, the archer vanished abruptly in a flash of lightning. Instead of attempting an escape or engaging Esmeralda, he materialized directly before Zac. The golden arrow in his left hand blazed like Zeus's thunderbolt, while he managed to parry Zac's chains with his bow. Zac was taken aback to find himself pushed back by a masterfully executed spear technique amplified by lightning and sheer desperation.

The archer was an extraordinary close-quarters combatant, excelling in both ranged and melee engagements. Zac surmised that the archer likely exploited preconceptions about archers to defeat numerous foes. Enemies would expend their energy to close the distance, only to confront the true danger waiting for them. This tactic would prove ineffective against Zac. For one, he was no amateur himself. Moreover, he was not fighting without support.

Six axe wraiths, thrumming with deadly intent, silently materialized around the archer the instant he appeared. Their axes shimmered with the promise of carnage; their hollow eyes conveyed an aura of impending death. The archer attempted to dispel them with a lightning nova and was dismayed to see them merely falter slightly before resuming their assault.

Although most of Zac’s abilities did not directly benefit from his advancement to Peak D-grade, two of them stood out as exceptions. The first was [Primal Edict], whose unyielding swarm of vines was only restricted by the amount of Cosmic Energy Zac could sustain. The second was [Deathmark].

The primary modification Zac implemented in the D-grade iteration of the skill was its incremental enhancement. With every wraith destroyed, a more formidable one would respawn. While this skill lacked the adaptive capacity of [Primal Edict] to evolve into a natural countermeasure, it exhibited a linear progression that seemed boundless.

The limitation was that each regeneration cycle demanded an exponentially greater amount of Miasma. Typically, after five or six cycles, Zac would cease the skill to deploy a domain. Sustaining it further was too resource-intensive to be practical, risking depletion for emergencies and his other abilities. This predicament vanished with his attainment of a Peak D-grade Core and the absence of any Peak D-grade skills to drain his reserves.

Under the relentless assault of lightning, each wraith had been reborn at least a dozen times. Even Zac would have encountered significant difficulty confronting six of them simultaneously. With Zac adding his own might, the archer found himself utterly outmatched. He swiftly recognized his miscalculation, but it was far too late. His path of escape was sealed, and he was unceremoniously dismembered.

Zac propelled himself toward the next rune on the magic circle. He could observe the adversaries on the opposing side preparing to dispatch more individuals, despite the peril of inflicting further damage upon the bridge. While this prospect was concerning in itself, Zac harbored a greater apprehension concerning the distant, muted explosions. They possessed such intensity that Zac felt his very soul being rent merely by perceiving their presence. The frenzied swordsman was on the verge of liberation.

A communication from Esmeralda corroborated Zac’s suspicion, yet it also brought him a measure of relief. In the subsequent moment, a dishevelled Esmeralda emerged erratically from a spatial rift positioned midway towards [Second Singularity]. Casting a fearful glance backward before vanishing, she sought refuge within another spatial stratum. A blooming manifestation of corruption and bladelight rapidly expanded where she had materialized, until the fabric of space itself was rent asunder by a blinding crimson radiance.

A luminous streak imbued with Peak Intent illuminated the entire dimension, and Zac witnessed his thoughts fragment under its sheer sharpness. Fortunately, prior exposure to the hyper-condensed cones of corruption had rendered him somewhat desensitized, allowing him to retain sufficient lucidity to recall Esmeralda’s message. He once again marshalled his Void Energy, causing a scroll inscribed with intricate lines to instantaneously materialize behind him.

Zac had invoked the final ability in his arsenal, [Desperation’s End], directing it at the swordsman the instant of his arrival. Its executioner’s blade ascended from below, cleaving through beams of blade energy and spatial instability to strike directly at the core. However, a secondary crimson blade materialized at the critical juncture, intercepting Zac’s skill head-on.

The underworld’s executioner’s blade was effectively halted by the monstrous blade of sheer madness, and the additional inscription on the scroll hovering behind Zac began to flicker, indicating uncertainty. Yet, no apprehension clouded Zac’s gaze as he confronted the distant swordsman. The rune clutched in his left hand disintegrated. Simultaneously, upwards of fifty bridges connecting the timelines fractured in unison, orchestrated by Esmeralda’s efforts.

In concert, these actions were sufficient to push the magic circle beyond its limit. The passage collapsed, and the remaining bridges could no longer sustain the connection independently. They snapped like brittle twigs, and yet another timeline was expelled from the inner sanctum of [Second Singularity]. The distant, enraged roar that reverberated through Zac was, in essence, a triumphant fanfare announcing victory.

Zac perceived that confronting the Swordsman would have presented an opportunity to truly propel himself.