Defiance of the Fall

"There's nothing," Emily said with annoyance as she walked over to Zac's side. "Not even dust from corroded furniture. It's like this place came right off the production line. Did these creatures eat everything? Would explain why they're popping out of every corner like cockroaches."

Their search of the nearby offices and rooms had drawn more unwanted attention. A huge number of ghastly creatures lived inside the walls, only emerging when someone got close or when they sensed energy fluctuations. A few of his followers already sported flesh wounds from sudden ambushes, though they were quickly getting used to the threat and pinpointing their weaknesses.

They'd also encountered a few more possessed puppets who acted very differently from the Qriz'Ul's mindless aggression. Some posed as base workers like their fake liaison, while others attempted to slink away. They all lost their rationality and ability to communicate the moment they were dragged out of their shell, confirming Galau's theory of their intelligence being borrowed.

"Did you have any better luck?"

"Not really," Zac said. "Ra'Klid, Kator, and I checked out the hangar just before we reconvened. The other entrances are locked. We couldn't open them no matter how we tried. This is our only way deeper into the base unless we can get a puppet to open them for us."

The only positive discovery Zac had made was a personal one. He'd been curious about what'd happen if he poured the ambient corruption into the pocket space belonging to [Purity of the Void] instead of having his body passively break it down. The result was startling. The bad parts were swiftly dragged out of the purple mist, leaving something resembling microscopic droplets suspended in a vacuum.

It was the small amount of insights stored inside the mist. It showed no signs of deterioration or dissipation so long as it stayed inside the pocket space, allowing him to stockpile the insights on command. One hour's exploration was enough to form a bead the size of an egg, and it had gone from looking like murky glass to radiating a slight shimmer of Ultom's truth.

Another hour or so would be enough to reach the equivalent of the baths he'd taken back in the day, and there was enough space to collect insights for at least a day before he had to use it. It still wouldn't compare to the enlightenment imparted by the seals, but it should be enough to solve one or two of the many issues he had with his methods and skills. The more minor issues he could iron out early, the better positioned he'd be when getting the final seal.

"Your method from before didn't work, either? That's no good," Emily whispered, bringing Zac back to the present.

Zac nodded somberly. The [Court Cycle Token] failing to open even the hangar doors had cast a pall over his insight-collecting discovery. He'd assumed it would act as a master key, just like in the Centurion Lighthouse. Now, Zac wasn't even sure how they'd reach the beacon, considering it had to be in a restricted area.

"Let's wait for the others. They should be back soon."

Soon enough, Zac saw Vilari appear around a corner. The Mentalist's class didn't really possess any scouting skills, but she was still effective at infiltration thanks to her powerful soul. She could use it to hide her aura and Daos better than others while creating a domain of subconscious redirection that worked even on the Qriz'Ul.

"I couldn't find a path forward," Vilari said, dashing their hopes. "I discovered a service path leading to a neighboring wing, though. I found these inside."

Zac looked at the puppet taken out of her ring. It was identical to their guide, except it showed advanced signs of age. Galau shook his head after inspecting it for a minute.

"It's completely dead. It's missing some parts. Maybe the possessed ones cannibalized them? What remains might as well be gone. The materials have lost all their spirituality."

"I have dozens of them in my ring," Vilari said. "Couldn't find a working one that wasn't possessed."

"And possessed?" Zac asked.

"Hundreds," Vilari said, making Zac's eyes widen. "It looked like they played pretend in the neighboring sector, running empty shops and or making notations in empty air. I also spotted a squad of possessed combat puppets. They emitted significantly stronger auras."

"How strong?"

"Elite Middle D-grade to normal High D-grade. Their plating seemed very durable, too. A squad wouldn't pose a threat, but if the numbers reached a certain point…"

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"Let's avoid that direction unless necessary," Zac said. "Maybe the others had better luck."

Carl certainly did not. "There is at least one Half-step C-grade creature in this sector. I found it blocking off what looked like a main corridor to take us further in."

"Inside a puppet?" Zac asked.

"No," Carl said as he activated an array disk.

A blurry recording showcased a distant Qriz'Ul that resembled a six-meter-tall human. He floated above a massive dias made from random knick-knacks. Zac looked at the throne of garbage with confusion. This creature might be the reason the region was picked clean. Was it satiating some sort of desire by collecting scrap?

Swirls of purple clouds floated around him, and dozens of blazing runes formed a halo. His 'eyes' were closed in meditation, but Zac still felt there was a spark of intelligence to him that clearly elevated him above the dozens of smaller Qriz'Ul seated on the ground.

The huge goblin he'd fought back in the Void Star had been able to form simple sentences. The D-grade Qriz'Ul here lacked that ability, but Zac suspected this leader was much smarter than the goblin king. The recording only lasted a couple of seconds before cutting off.

"I had to leave," Carl explained. "His aura was far worse than the purple clouds, and the runes floating around him were like passive attacks on my soul."

Ogras arrived soon after, and his shadows allowed them to create a semi-complete map of the whole region. He'd found another two Half-Step Qriz'Ul, one of them too close for comfort.

"Draugr, we can't go on like this. The trial will start before we've mapped out this section, let alone the whole fortress," Kator rumbled. "We need a better approach."

"I'm aware," Zac grimaced.

The guidance from the [Centurion Beacon] had completely stopped after they entered the star, and there was nothing to pick up where it left off. Even an attraction from his Sealbearer quest would have worked, but neither he nor Joanna could sense anything.

Zac couldn't even sense the pull of fate from any treasures as he did in the fortress. He didn't know whether it was because of the scale and make of the base, the corruption, or if there really was nothing.

"There's still Rhuger," Zac said. "Here he is."

"I might have discovered something," Rhuger said with a low voice when he arrived, slightly uncomfortable from all the attention.

"What is it? Anything can help," Zac encouraged.

"There is a large room in one corner of this wing with only one corridor leading inside. I felt a fluctuation similar to the gate inside the hollow sun. It's weak but stable. I couldn't investigate it further because there were dozens of Qriz'Ul blocking the way."

"I think I saw that place," Ogras muttered. "An odd place to have a teleportation hub. I would have expected it to be closer to the hangar. Then again, I didn't find anything fitting the description nearby."

"This place is far too big to go without one," Emily said. "It'd take me years to fly around the outer band."

"It seems better than anything else we have," Zac said, looking at their map. "Where is it?"

"Here," Rhuger pointed at a corridor at the edge of Ogras's map.

"That's not too far from the Half-Step C-grade Monarch I encountered," Carl cautioned. "It might sense our battle, depending on how sharp its senses are."

"I can set up Isolation Arrays to lessen the risk," Galau said.

The group went over their options a while longer. Ultimately, Rhuger's discovery was much better than picking a random service corridor to follow. Zac sent a final update to the Yphelion before they set out, their auras hidden by domain skills and arrays.

It was impossible for such a large group to move without attracting any attention. Thankfully, over a month of bitter fighting inside the Imperial Graveyard had improved their coordination by leaps and bounds, and any Qriz'Ul popping out was swiftly and silently dealt with before they moved on.

"I feel it," Zac nodded when they looked at the occupied corridor. "There's definitely something special inside."

"Two Peak D-grade Qriz'Ul in the way," Ogras commented. "I can't see their weakness."

"They'll take a moment to deal with," Zac agreed. "Clear the surroundings, especially toward the Half-Step Monarch."

Ogras disappeared in the shadows and spent the next thirty minutes silently taking out Qriz'Ul. Galau coordinated the installation of a large isolation array in the safe pockets. Everything went smoothly until Zac suddenly received a message from Ogras.

'Not good!'

Zac didn't need to ask for clarifications. A loud screech was followed by a wave of corruption flooding toward them. It looked just like the waves of resentment he'd seen inside the ancient fortress. Only, instead of ghosts made from lingering intent, there were hundreds of Qriz'Ul spread through the tsunami.

"Go!" Zac growled as he rushed into the corridor, followed by four pygmy skeletons.

Streams of Fate and Death swirled around Zac's axe as he crashed into the first Peak D-grade Qriz'Ul, and the air screamed from Zac swinging dozens of times in an instant. The huge expenditure of Mental Energy proved enough to destabilize the creature, and the other guardian was similarly dealt with by Kator activating two of his Miracle Bones to empower an attack.

The other Qriz'Ul weren't able to stop their furious advance. Their attacks were suffocated by a storm of deathly violence, where Zac never stopped for a second. He didn't have the luxury of finding the right rune on the Qriz'Ul. His only focus was destruction. He needed to create a path through the creatures, even if only a temporary one.

The rising levels of corruption inside the corridor were nothing compared to the threat rapidly catching up to them. A coffin-shaped barrier formed behind Zac's back, rebuffing the dense haze for his followers running right behind him. The blitz allowed them to reach the central chamber in seconds.

"What the hell!" Emily swore when they were greeted by three thin black streaks behind a swarm of Qriz'Ul.

The gates either lacked energy or were damaged, definitely not something they could use in their current state. This was why he'd tried to avoid barging in like this.

"Which one?" Galau urged.

"Middle!" Zac shouted as he pivoted, expanding his shield to cover the whole corridor.

[Profane Exponents] almost crumbled when the tidal wave of corruption caught up the next moment. Zac could tell the whole tsunami was part of the Half-Step Monarch's body. Beyond the sinister energy of the Lost Plane, there was an unmistakable pressure similar to the weight of an Inner World. It put Zac's skill under far greater strain, to the point it would have collapsed if not for his Earthly Dao of Sealed Death.

The pressure wasn't enough to kill the flush of excitement mixed with the surge of adrenaline. Zac finally felt the attraction he'd been waiting for—the same sensation that had guided the other sealbearers toward their quests in the Imperial Graveyard.

Ogras didn't question Zac's decision. He took over the vanguard while Zac and Kator guarded the corridor. A river of specters poured out of the demon's sleeves and pounced on the blockade. The Qriz'Ul had an incredibly difficult time dealing with the prisoners of the [Shadewar Flag], which wasn't a surprise considering it was designed to become the Ra'Lashar's ace in dealing with the Qriz'Ul uprising.

The harried ghosts looked starved as they ripped corrupted creatures apart, seemingly feeding on their corruption and sin. Shadowy spears moved in the gaps, stabbing and destroying runes. Galau was right on Ogras's heel with a diagnostic Array Disk in his hands. He would have been torn apart on the chaotic battlefield if not for the protection of Kruta and Ra'Klid, allowing him to reach the central gate safely.

The pressure was unrelenting and growing, and the assistance of Joanna and Catheya did little to lessen the pressure. The hundreds of Qriz'Ul had fused into one entity that filled up the whole corridor. Zac felt like he was trying to hold back the ocean with his hands. He only had time to rebuff the strongest surges while others dealt with the weaker ones that slipped through the net.

It wasn't a sustainable situation. Zac wouldn't be the weak link. He fought tooth and nail, unheeding energy expenditure. A deep hum soon after caused a collective sigh of relief. Galau had replaced a few circuits beneath a damaged plate, allowing the gate to channel enough energy to open up properly.

"It won't hold long!" Galau said. "We might not be able to go back."

"Go through!" Zac urged.

It wasn't like they had a better option than taking their chances with the shifty-looking gate. The combined might of the swarm was too much to deal with. If they wanted any chance to kill the Half-Step Monarch in its center, they'd have to unleash their full strength. However, Zac could already sense a second powerful aura rapidly approaching. They'd attract the whole wing if they used their finishers, possibly including the far-deadlier entity the puppet envoy had tried to lure them toward.

"Bastard!"

The [Solidarity Link] transferred a throbbing headache when a purple streak resembling a spatial tear glommed onto Kator's shoulder. The Half-Step Qriz'Ul had decided the Izh'Rak Reaver was the biggest threat because of his overwhelming strikes with his mace, and it kept ambushing him from within the wall of corruption.

The wound was enough to properly piss off the reaver, triggering six flickering runes made from Killing intent behind him. One by one, they entered Kator's arm as he unleashed a herculean swing that left his front fully exposed. Zac knew well how treacherous that apparent opening was.

The tsunami condensed into hundreds of humanoids, including the Half-Step Monarch. Its neck extended like a snake toward Kator's chest for a deadly bite. Zac could have intervened with his chains. He didn't, instead using the sudden shift in the battlefield to attack the two Peak D-grade Qriz'Ul who had already reformed.

A deafening series of claps shook the hallway. Space groaned as explosions tore the whole army of Qriz'Ul into shreds. Most reformed, but a second explosion was followed by a third. Each eruption of Kator's murderous skill permanently dispersed a tenth of the Qriz'Ul.

That destruction unleashed on the army was incidental. Kator's main target was the Half-step Monarch, who was pushed back dozens of meters. Zac felt a sense of déjà vu as the creature blew up, only to be instantly reborn over and over. It was the same as his fight with the goblin king, except the ceaseless energy likely came from the leader's nascent inner world instead of the Lost Plane.

Even now, Zac couldn't figure out its weak spot. It seemed as though every single rune had been destroyed at least once. He could uncover more information by submerging the creature in [Void Zone] to see which part resisted the most, but Kator's attack had already accomplished its job. The offensive line was in disarray, and the delay had let most of them pass through. Only Joanna and Carl remained to protect Galau as he maintained the gate.

A scream of danger prompted Zac to activate the empowering pygmy of [Profane Exponents]. The coffin-wielding pygmy was almost spent already, so Zac used the boost on the next one as he dove toward the ground. A swirl of darkness lingered at his previous position. It barely managed to divert a streak of honed destruction that came from outside the building.

Instead of hitting the central gate, it tore into the left one. Neither the gate nor the array platform it stood on survived. The lights dimmed, and a siren blared in the room. Zac shot to his feet upon seeing the Qriz'Ul freeze in fear.

"Go!" Zac shouted, making a beeline for the gate, studiously ignoring the cracks spreading across the platform.

He picked up Carl with a chain on the way. He wasn't hurt, but the shockwave had been enough to leave him disoriented. Joanna was already standing right by the gate, waiting until Zac and Kator caught up. Zac could feel the danger breathing down his neck as they leaped through the crumbling gate. The second Half-Step Qriz'Ul was clearly much stronger than the first.

The corruption was suddenly gone, replaced by the crushing pressure of a crumbling pathway. It didn't last long, and Zac found himself standing before a towering archway beneath an overwhelmingly large sun. Zac was more focused on the threat behind. He was already on the move the moment he appeared, only stopping [Death's Duality] mid-swing upon realizing there was no gate behind them.

"This place isn't bad," Kator, who'd appeared next to him, nodded in appreciation.

"It's just you three?"

Zac looked over, seeing Ogras and Emily emerge from the shadows.

"Three—" Zac stopped upon realizing only Kator and Galau had made it through with him.

There was no sign of Joanna or Carl, nor any of the other sealbearers for that matter.