Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1284: Hidden Treasures

”Found it!”

Zac looked down the 100-meter deep chute dug on his orders. The scout and her guardian soldier were already on their way back, the former holding a glass case.

”Young masterʼs calculation was right on the mark,” the scout said as she emerged. ”Your method is amazing. I didnʼt sense anything until we were right upon it.”

”Whatʼs there to be surprised about?” Joanna said. ”This is already the fifth one.”

”Itʼs just… The captain himself scouted this area and heʼs naturally endowed with Spiritual Eyes. Young master could make a name for himself with his divination alone if he enlisted.”

Zac calmly accepted the praise. Of course, there was no divination at play. Heʼd simply channeled his Daos into his eyes to create a glimmer of spirituality, hiding the fact he was fully relying on his Luck to find treasures.

”I already have my orders from back home,” Zac said. ”Iʼm guessing this isnʼt the relic, either?”

”Iʼm afraid not,” the guardian confirmed.

Zac pretended to hide some disappointed. In reality, the confirmation was the answer heʼd hoped for. What good would unearthing the Holy Relic do him now? They were still quite some distance from the edge. Heʼd have to happily hand it over if it came out now. In contrast, random treasures found with his skill would enter his pocket.

”It was another vault. As per young masterʼs instruction, weʼve already set aside the common materials,” the soldier continued. ”We thought this might be of interest to young master.”
One hour of treasure hunting was enough for Zacʼs status to go from potential heretic to generous benefactor. Even the two guards assigned by the general looked at him warmly after heʼd donated a small mountain of common materials to the army. Of course, Zac wasnʼt charitable enough to hand over the treasures that caused the pull of fate.

”What is this?” Zac curiously asked.

The only thing inside the glass box was a sturdy reed roughly the length of his arm. It didnʼt at all give off the amount of spirituality heʼd expected. The sturdy stalk and solid awn more made it look like a naturally formed mace. His Luck wouldnʼt lie, though. The stalk was something good.

”Itʼs a fully-grown [Painpurge Reed]. It even has most of its awns left,” one of the soldiers sighed with amazement. ”It must have been some familyʼs hidden relic.”

”Painpurge?” Joanna asked.

”Itʼs a local purifying treasure,” the scout explained. ”Hitting yourself with it will dislodge deeply-rooted impurities. Itʼs especially effective at clearing up blockages.”

”Not bad,” Zac whistled.

Purifying treasures were of lesser importance to him because of [Purity of the Void] and his ability to use Tribulation Lightning to cleanse himself. Even so, you could never have too many ways to remove toxins. That went double on the Left Imperial Expanse where he was picking up treasures left and right. There was still Earthly Taint and impurities left in his body after the Zenith Elixir, and everything he consumed on top of it added to his debt.

”Iʼm guessing using it is not an enjoyable experience?” Zac asked.

”Itʼs got a reputation,” the scout admitted. ”Iʼve heard few have the stomach to use it more than once.”

”Certain strict families like to use them on talented descendants with lacking motivation. Itʼs the perfect tool to make the brats focus on their cultivation,” a soldier laughed. ”It should suit the Ironblooded Wendimars quite well.” Ŕ𝘼Ｎő𝐛Ёs

”Youʼre right. I think my uncle will like this very much,” Zac smiled and stowed the case. ”Letʼs keep going. Thereʼs still a lot of ground to cover.”

The group moved seemingly at random, with Zac stopping every few minutes to ʼdivineʼ for treasure. This way, they unearthed one more stash before reaching the inner city. The state of the large manors were no better than the tightly packed houses outside. If anything, the destruction was more comprehensive. The lingering aura of Beast Emperors explained why.

”Odd, Iʼm having a difficulty finding anything,” Zac said after striking out for half an hour.

”The city center is the most heavily searched area,” a guard offered, pointing at the large number of excavation pits. He hesitated a moment before continuing. ”Since the center is already dealt with, perhaps we should return to the outskirts?”

”It makes sense. The heretics wouldnʼt cower in the city center. They would be trying to use the beast tide to escape,” one of the scouts quickly agreed.

It wasnʼt hard to guess their real thoughts. The greedy soldiers gave him the excuse Zac needed to keep going, which was why heʼd pretended there were no treasures around. In reality, there were far more treasures hidden beneath the manors than further out. Unfortunately, the growing sense of unease forced Zac to give up on the loot.

They left the inner city on the opposite side. They were so close to freedom that Zac could almost taste it. It was at that moment he froze, barely able to hide his shock.

”Did you feel something?” a soldier eagerly asked.

”I think so,” Zac said, calming his heart while performing another fake divination.

What a powerful pull of fate. It had to be the Holy Relic, right? More surprising was the fact that it seemed to call for him directly, causing his bloodline to stir. There was no way he could ignore it. Zac mentally prepared for a rough battle while leading them closer. He still stopped to have the soldiers excavate another trove, lowering their guard further.

Finally, he stopped close to the real call. It wasnʼt as far beneath ground as the treasuries, which further strengthened his suspicion. He glanced toward the distance. The edge was further than heʼd hoped, but close enough to give it a go. Zac sent his Soul Sense into the ground, finding only corpses and rubble. The normalcy wasnʼt enough to trick Zac.

”Itʼs here,” Zac said, intentionally missing the mark by a few meters. ”Itʼs quite far down this time.”

”Not a problem,” the scout eagerly said before starting the excavation.

Further and further they dug without hitting the mark.

”Itʼs too slow,” Joanna muttered, glancing at two of the guards waiting above. ”Go help them out.”

The guards nodded and flew into the chute. Still, nothing happened for the next few minutes.

”Iʼll check things out,” Zac eventually sighed with annoyance and jumped down before anyone could interject.

Just ten meters below the surface, Zacʼs arm suddenly shot out. Rubble fell like rain and the chute promptly collapsed. The hidden heretic playing dead barely had time to react before a wave of destruction tore him apart. Only the futuristic box in his hands survived the attack. Zac was surprised to see a container of clearly Technocrat design. To his Soul Sense, it had looked like a piece of collapsed building.

The fatally attractive aura leaked from small cracks covering its surface, throwing the last of Zacʼs caution to the wind. Zac was already on his way out, the box safely wrapped up in Haroʼs vines. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. The soldiers hadnʼt even realized theyʼd been betrayed when Zac emerged again.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Only Joanna perfectly understood Zacʼs intentions. A sea of spears pushed back the last guards just as Zac appeared. Zac wordlessly grabbed Joanna and flashed away with [Skybreaker]. His mind was already screaming of lethal danger, and the world turned into a fiery hellscape within a second. Meteors rained from the sky and thousands of spirits rose from magmatic ponds.

Dozens of flame walls had also appeared, trapping them inside multiple layers of barriers. It wasnʼt an illusion. One of the Monarchs had brought out a piece of their Inner World. Already having expected something similar, Zac channeled Life and Void into [Apex Jungle]. A forest emitting a primordial aura appeared with speed that overturned convention, and Zac dragged Joanna into the closest tree.

The two reappeared at the forestʼs edge, well outside the barriers. The physical constraints imposed by Dao couldnʼt overcome Zacʼs Void, at least not as far as Early Monarchs were concerned. The border was now only a few miles away, but a new barrier appeared to prevent their escape. This one emitted the Dao of Conflict, meaning a second Monarch had entered the battle.

An intense scream of danger indicated the newcomer wasnʼt just planning on trapping them. A flying sword was closing in with terrifying speed, and [Apex Jungle] could do nothing to stop it. The forest was already struggling to survive the fiery climate and the sword finished the job. A single glance was all Zac needed to know this wasnʼt an attack he could take head-on.

Zac drank from the Void like a man dying of thirst, unloading half the skills in his arsenal. He threw everything at the incoming sword. The onslaught was only enough to delay the C-grade weapon and destabilize the fiery domain. That was all Zac needed. [Void Mountain] descended, and Zac punched the conflict-attuned barrier with a fist empowered by Spiritual Extinction.

Joanna grimaced from being touched by Zacʼs Void, but she still managed to conjure her masterʼs avatar. She poured everything into a stab, weakening the barrier further. Zac flooded Joanna with more Void and pushed her forward, allowing her to pass right through the blockade and out of the memory domain. Zac was right on her heels.

An explosion of pain made Zac fall over just as the past became the present. Zacʼs legs didnʼt listen, so Joanna dragged him further away. He looked back just in time to see a sword hilt disappear. The sword had actually caught up. If he were just a moment slower, he would have been fully impaled instead of lightly stabbed.

”Keep going,” Zac croaked, pushing down the mouthful of blood rushing up his throat.

He felt like his insides were on fire. It looked like hostile Dao was put in the same category as treasures, in that it retained its existence outside the memory domain. Losing its connection with its origin only left it marginally weakened. The combined might of Zacʼs Daos and Hidden Nodes were barely enough to keep it in check.

”Is this enough?” Joanna asked after reaching a secluded spot far away from the domain.

”It should be,” Zac grunted. ”There could be other dangers waiting outside, though. Give me a moment to stabilize my wound.”

Zac ate a set of healing pills before turning his attention inward. The stubborn piece of Dao was like a fortress erected on foreign soil. Zac used every weapon in his arsenal to whittle down its defenses piece by piece. Two hours later, Zac exhaled and opened his eyes. Only stubborn sequelae remained at that point. It was something heʼd have to slowly grind down over the next couple of weeks.

”Everything okay?”

”Iʼm fine,” Zac said. ”Iʼm sorry about that. I was supposed to help you, but I ended up getting you in trouble instead.”

”You certainly know how to make things exciting,” Joanna laughed. ”I thought youʼd gone crazy over some illusory treasures. I didnʼt expect them to stay with us.”

”Theyʼre very real. You can also use them inside the memories if theyʼre impossible to bring out,” Zac said, finally taking out the item that almost cost him his life.

The cracks had gotten worse, and some of them were leaking weak streaks of energy. Thankfully, the Technocrat container still functioned properly. It was already showing signs of self-repair, saving Zac the headache of finding a new one. However, Zac still needed to open the box and investigate. He needed to confirm whatever it held wouldnʼt suddenly explode.

Admittedly, the unexpected aura was the real reason behind Zacʼs curiosity. Why would a Holy Relic of a templar order emit the aura of the Void?

”Back off a bit, just in case.”

A gust of air was all that emerged when Zac undid the clasps. Sealing was clearly not part of the Technocrat containerʼs purpose. Zac walked over, finding a simple stone lying within. It was raw and lacked any signs of spirituality. If not for the golden runes painted across its surface, anyone would have mistaken it for a mortal material.

The truth couldnʼt hide from Zacʼs gaze, and his heartbeat sped up. He recognized this stone. If he wasnʼt mistaken, it was a piece taken from the Void Mountain—the real thing. Did the Void Mountain actually exist as a physical object? Heʼd assumed it was an intangible concept like the Heavens, only given shape by Zacʼs limited scope of comprehension.

Zacʼs confusion only grew as his investigation continued. Soon, he wasnʼt convinced the rock was a physical object. Rather, the Void had been forced to take this particular shape because of the golden runes. Zac infused a tendril of Mental Entergy into one of the runes and immediately recoiled like heʼd been burnt. The golden paint hid a terrifying amount of Faith Energy.

Luckily, the tendril had been quite weak, and it had shattered before it could transmit anything dangerous into his mind. The seals were also completely inert so long as he didnʼt mess with them. Zac could even pick up the rock without any issue.

”Faith trapping Void,” Zac muttered as he turned it over. ”But why? And why did the Technocrats want it?”

”This is the holy relic?” Joanna asked as she walked over.

”I guess so?”

”Is the rock blessed?”

”Not sure,” Zac said as he put the rock back into its container. ”It should be useful to my bloodline, but Iʼm worried the seals will go crazy if I try to circumvent them.”

There was no hurry now that heʼd confirmed the Holy Relic wouldnʼt up and explode. At most, the rock would be overwhelmed by the worldʼs Dao and fade if the seals failed. That wouldnʼt happen for months, seeing how minute the leakage was. Of course, the sooner he could get to the rock, the better.

”Itʼs for your bloodline? Stealing it was worth it, then,” Joanna nodded. ”Will our actions have ramifications?”

”Well, we definitely canʼt return to that memory domain. At least not with our current identities. But my testing indicate these memories are self-contained, so they wonʼt affect each other,” Zac said, raising his left hand. ”By the way, can you see the mark here?”

”Yeah, what is that? I noticed it the moment we exited the domain.” Joanna said. ”Is it related to why you were calling yourself a Wendimar? It gives off a familiar feeling.”

It seemed as though his original idea was half-correct. Other trialtakers really couldnʼt see the brand of others inside memory domains. Itʼd be very difficult spotting one another so long as you acted the part and prepared a disguise. His Draugr side and trialtakers from unusual races would have a clear disadvantage, considering the vast majority of the ”natives” were human.

”It is,” Zac said, explaining what heʼd gathered on the trial so far.

”Interesting,” Joanna said. ”I should probably get a mark or two.”

”Your identity is pretty conspicuous, and it might be difficult to prove in some cases,” Zac agreed. ”Whatʼs your plan going forward?”

It had been difficult making any plans with the trial being shrouded in mystery. Zac ultimately gave his followers full autonomy to do as they liked. They were under no obligation to help him with his tasks, especially not after Katorʼs betrayal. So it was up to Joanna whether she wanted to follow him to the Hollow Courts or pursue her own goals.

”My plan was to guard you while you broke through. But I lost you on the way in,” Joanna slowly said. ”Now, Iʼm not sure what Iʼm supposed to do.”

”Is it related to your master?”

”It is. Like I mentioned, they realized Iʼm Indra Eylerʼs disciple after I used some of her skills,” Joanna said. ”They didnʼt say it outright, but I think she might be the ruler of the Indomitable Court.”

”And I thought my identity was a cheat,” Zac laughed.

Indra Eyler was one of the Limitless Empireʼs true bigshots. From what Rava said, Indra was one of six supreme commanders of the Limitless Army. They were named Godkings, which was a title that even eclipsed the leaders of the Imperial Clans and templar orders. In fact, her status was so exalted that it left Zac suspicious. Was a Lower Court really worthy of being helmed by such an important figure?

”I think itʼs only a temporary placement,” Joanna explained. ”They mentioned that she only appeared a thousand years ago. Maybe she went there to finish some demanding task.”

”Each court is supposed to have at least one defining treasure. She might have been responsible for installing the Indomitable Courtʼs core,” Zac mused, looking at Joannaʼs conflicted expression. ”And youʼre not sure if you should check things out or follow me?”

”I didnʼt care about the Indomitable Court before. But now…” Joanna sighed.

”Go. You have to go. This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

”What if I receive the same treatment you did just now?” Joanna said. ”They might think I stole her techniques somehow if I just show up. And what if a projection of master appears in person? A captured image of the past wonʼt remember me.”

”Uh—” Zac coughed, only then realizing the implication.

Heʼd only been thinking of what kinds of doors Joannaʼs identity would open, not who might wait on the other side. Zac hadnʼt encountered anyone beyond Middle Monarchy so far, but that proved nothing.

”I donʼt have any answers for you. I only know one thing,” Zac said. ”The fate gathered by this trial is beyond anything weʼve ever seen. The dangers will only increase from here on out, but I feel anything is possible in this place. Anyone can be reborn. Anyone can shatter their chains of fate. You simply need to ask yourself if youʼre ready to stake everything for your Dao.”