Defiance of the Fall

The feeling of pushing beyond one's previous limits was addictive. Accounting for his increased attributes was one thing, but he could tell just how much his body had improved from his bloodline awakening. His energy stores hadn't increased much like from his previous improvements since he had a Cosmic Core for that now, but the other benefits of a Draugr constitution had seen marked improvements.

Durability and energy flow had drastically improved. It even felt like his body had added a hidden multiplier on his Attribute Pool. His arms swung harder than they should have, and his feet moved quicker than should be possible. Even his mind seemed to have become sturdier. Zac could really understand why the Abyssal Shores valued those who'd entered the Shallows so much.

Their bodies had become almost perfect for cultivation, especially if you included the significant improvements to affinities.

All other worries disappeared as Zac readily followed Pavina toward the end of the road. The lobby was soon unable to bear the pressure and shattered, but the two didn't pause for a second. The battle continued midair, where his chains formed a spherical domain of utter destruction.

Zac's intractable army of Death forged ahead, but Pavina met Zac's advance with furious destruction. Her Death was one of force and violence rather than Zac's suffocating grip. She kept adding new techniques to her style she'd never used before, but Zac smoothly adapted. He had added decades of experience to his Techniques since they last met, fighting in every conceivable environment.

The fundamental concept behind his Inexorable Stance was containment, where he'd dismantle the enemy's attacks and limit their options. The chains would almost become puppet strings, leading his opponent toward their inevitable doom. However, if the enemy managed to break his pattern and disrupt the rhythm, he'd be back at square one.

Thankfully, visiting environments based on all seventeen peaks had shown the path forward. The more he experienced, the more adaptable he'd become. By the time Zac could smoothly counter whatever his opponent threw his way, no matter their path or what Daos they practiced, his technique would be perfected. Zac understood he wouldn't reach that point by Late-stage Integration or even the Peak. It would take millennia, perhaps even longer, to reach that point.

Fighting Pavina was at least a step in the right direction and an opportunity on its own. How many got the chance to test their understanding against the blade of a Monarch?

A second spike-like sword appeared in Pavina's off-hand when Zac got close to finding an opening, and her fighting style became even more aggressive. Zac still didn't lose his composure. Pavina could resist, but it was like fighting against the ocean's waves. Even if she resisted or pushed them back, they would always return. Erosion was Death, and Death was inexorable.

The whirling chains slowly shrank their domain while Zac's swings grew more sublime. Pavina fought like she had three heads and six arms, and each clash left shockwaves instilled with enough force and Dao to leave scars on the ancient trees around them. Soon, they reached an impasse where neither could retreat or advance.

"Not bad," Pavina laughed. "But this alone isn't enough to deal with Kator. Let's kick it up a notch."

Suddenly, Zac felt as though he'd been thrown into a gravity well. Pavina looked the same, and she hadn't unlocked more of her Daos or attributes. Yet, Zac suddenly felt like he was looking up at a towering god. There was an intangible pressure where Zac's very essence was suppressed by a higher state of existence, something that a sturdy body and high Strength could shake off.

It wasn't just him being affected, either. Reluctant groans and creaks echoed through the forest as the stout trunks bent like they were enduring immense pressure. Zac was left reeling by the sudden suppression and barely managed to block her next strike. He managed to move his axe just in time, but it felt like he'd been struck by a collapsing star.

Zac's bones groaned from the collision before he crashed into the ground, but he shot back into the sky with an explosion. Zac finally realized what she'd done, and excitement gleamed in his eyes.

Pavina had added the power of her Inner World to her technique. It was undoubtedly just a sliver, yet the difference in pressure was more tangible than when Zac fought an opponent with a Dao Branch the first time. It was no wonder that Monarchy was considered one of the great watersheds within cultivation, where it was almost impossible for D-grade Cultivators to put up a fight.

The leap of strength between E-grade and Hegemony wasn't nearly as pronounced, and you had to get your hands on things like War Regalia and D-grade skills if you wanted to bully people with your levels. That wasn't the case at C-grade, where every strike and every skill was imbued with the power of a world. How could a lower-grade cultivator compete against that?

Their sparring session had been mostly even until now, where both used their own means to fight for an advantage. On occasion, Zac would be in the lead, only to have it wrenched back by Pavina in unexpected ways. Now, that was out the window, where Zac felt he was about to be swallowed by an avalanche.

But something within his body roared with defiance, and boundless force pushed back. It wasn't his Void Emperor bloodline or its Hidden Nodes. [Void Heart] was still in a comatose state after overindulging on Abyssal Energy, and [Purity of the Void] couldn't help with this kind of problem.

The Ichor and Miasma in his body had almost ground to a halt, but it suddenly roared back to life as [Adamance of Eoz] spread a shroud of darkness through his body. The effect was immediate and overwhelming. It barely felt like it was Miasma coursing through his Pathways any longer. It more resembled Abyssal Energy, and it completely ignored the outside pressure.

Pavina's Inner World tried to hamper its progress, but it was useless. Zac's personal Abyss welcomed and consumed any force exerted upon him, like a stone dropped into a bottomless lake. He'd only been able to fight at 70% after Pavina's C-grade abilities were unleashed, not counting his turbid energy flow, which would have made Skill Activation nigh-impossible. Now, he was back at 95%.

Neither used any skills, but Zac could tell the strengthening effect of his Miasma had at least doubled. Zac wasn't even sure he'd need defensive skills against most E-grade cultivators beyond this point. Between his body's comprehensive upgrades from the bloodline awakening and [Adamance of Eoz], his skin would become impregnable armor as long as he channeled his energy.

Clashing with pure technique didn't give him a chance to observe the changes to his evolved [Immutability of Eoz], but Zac was disappointed to find that [Conviction of Eoz] hadn't seen much improvement. The effect was still there, allowing him to push beyond his body's natural limits. Actually, he could take it even further with his upgraded constitution, but that was more a benefit of his awakened Bloodline than the node itself. Zac could extract a bit more potential for the same amount of strain, but the improvement was only by a few percent—nowhere near the significant change to [Adamance of Eoz].

Was it related to purpose? Simply sparring with Pavina wasn't enough to bring out most of the node. It might also be a matter of scaling. His F-grade boosting skills had started to lose efficiency by the time he reached Middle E-grade, as they could not multiply such a massive attribute pool. Perhaps the upgrade to [Conviction of Eoz] simply let him continue to use its effect into the D-grade while only slightly improving its effect.

Zac guessed he shouldn't complain either way. After reaching Early Shallows, Zac could boost his combat power by over 20% without any downside. That was like having a Berserking Treasure permanently active, and it could be pushed even further when he had his back against the wall. And while the cost of Vigor was greater, his body's stores seemed to have more than tripled. He'd have to eat a small mountain of food after a fight to replenish, but he should be able to use his Hidden Nodes much longer without worrying about starvation.

His Bloodline let him resist the pressure of Pavina's Inner World, but it wasn't enough to seize an advantage. And even if he did, Pavina would increase her strength some more. Zac felt this was a good stopping point. He hadn't quite reached his limits, but he didn't want to show all his cards to Kator, who would undoubtedly get his hands on a recording of this sparring session. However, Zac suddenly had an idea.

"Mind if I try something?"

"Go ahead," Pavina grinned. "Show me what you got."

Zac nodded, and streams of Miasma entered his newly formed skill. However, the response, or lack thereof, almost made him lose focus. [Fatehew] didn't activate, seemingly only half-filled even if it didn't accept any more Death-attuned Energy. Zac was confused for a few seconds before realizing what was missing.

A stream of dense Mental Energy emerged from his Soul Aperture, filling the missing sections of the fractal. Swirls of Darkness immediately surrounded [Death's Duality] and his chains, looking like small streams of pure Abyssal Waters. It suddenly felt like the whole forest had grown dimmer, the sounds of their ongoing exchange muted.

Pavina's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but Zac wouldn't give her the time to analyze the skill. He unleashed a forceful swing aimed at her neck, giving her no choice but to parry with one of her swords. She clearly used more strength than before, and her weapon wasn't even pushed back when [Death's Duality] slammed into it with enough force to make the nearby trees quiver.

The Monarch planned on transitioning the parry into a ruthless jab. However, she was forced to give up on that an intangible blade passed right through her sword, continuing unimpeded toward her neck.

A soft sheen covered her neck at the last moment, and Zac felt himself lose some Mental Energy. [Fatehew] wasn't a continuous skill, but only one of the swirls surrounding the axe had been lost. Zac summoned a new one easily enough, but its appearance made him frown. Going by his impression of the skill, it should have grown a bit darker, yet it looked exactly the same.

The two exchanged a few more attacks before coming to a stop. It was like the surrounding trees released a collective sigh of relief as their shaking crowns calmed down.

"A very interesting skill," Pavina nodded. "A Weapon Imbuement Skill requiring mental defenses to block a physical attack. And it even targets your Dao Heart."

The most noticeable change of [Fatehow] was how it no longer produced a large jagged blade. The old skill had suffered from the same downsides as [Nature's Edge]—there wasn't much point in forming a three-meter blade in front of his axe. It would be in the way during a melee like when he fought Pavina just now, and he had skills like [Deathmark] for large-scale destruction.

The solution he'd picked for [Nature's Edge] was to transform it into a skill that directly imbued the weapon itself rather than form a blade. His melee strikes would gain additional effects that would synergize with his technique. He already had [Blighted Cut] on his undead side for a similar purpose, though its effect wasn't quite up to par.

Zac's original plan had been to adjust [Blighted Cut] to better suit his combat style, but something about Mez's Bloodline had made him feel [Gorehew] could take on that role even better. He didn't quite know what to do with his old skill after the sudden change of plans, but he figured he could turn it into a chain-exclusive skill that focused more on restriction than the corrosive effect.

"I'm sure it's nothing compared to the great things you've created over the years," Zac smiled, remembering Pavina's fondness for some blatant flattery. "How was the effect?"

As expected, a gratified smile spread across Pavina's face as they landed on the ground.

"It's nothing much," Pavina said with fake modesty. "I could tell something was different about the Weapon Imbuement the moment you activated it, but the effect only became clear after our weapons collided. It suddenly felt like I had no hope of victory, and that feeling was only magnified when the spiritual blade passed through my weapon."

"The pressure on my Dao Heart won't make much difference in a sparring session, but it should be very useful in real life-and-death situations. Even veterans will have some doubts and fears, and this skill can amplify those thoughts. The more pressure you apply, the stronger the influence will become.

"As for the soul aspect, I doubt it's enough to cause grievous wounds. But it's still very suited to you. After all, I've still not met any other infighter foolish enough to cultivate their soul."

Zac grinned, not minding the backhanded compliment. Pavina had always been conflicted over his focus on his soul. He had his reasons persist on this path, but he had long felt his powerful soul was underutilized. As luck would have it, upgrading [Gorehew] had finally given him the opportunity to make use of his powerful soul and vast Mental Energy reserves.

As Pavina said, the intangible blade made from Mental Energy wouldn't be able to kill a Hegemon. At best, it'd deal surface wounds that would slowly accumulate into something incapacitating during a prolonged battle. However, the soul blade would exhaust some of his enemy's Mental Energy. At least, it should have.

"Did the blade siphon some of your Mental Energy?" Zac asked.

"Well, no," Pavina smiled. "But that's because my Inner World's pull is greater than yours. I doubt too many Hegemons can take those hits without sacrificing a chunk."

Zac nodded in relief. He'd been worried his skill was faulty for a minute. [Fatehew] was supposed to grow slightly stronger each time he successfully destroyed some of his opponent's Mental Energy—an inheritance from the skill's predecessor. In return, the skill would cost more and more to activate.

That was a trade-off Zac was more than willing to take. Even if he spent more than twice what he exhausted, he'd still come out way ahead against everyone except Mentalists. An exhausted mind would make mistakes, and mistakes lead to Death.

"It's amazing how much you've improved since we met last time," Pavina said as she stowed away her weapons. "You need to get used to fighting in the air, though. High-grade battlefields are generally divided into layers, with D-grade cultivators battling above. That way, you can prevent your soldiers from being caught in the crossfire. And if you manage to push back the enemy Hegemons, you can unleash devastation on their backlines."

"I'm working on updating my technique. Flying takes some time getting used to, though," Zac smiled.

"It's fine. You just broke through," Pavina shrugged. "Besides, most of the Kan'Tanu are pretty trashy from what I've heard, and most Heart Curses should only be a mild inconvenience to you now that you've awakened. You'll be able to figure things out on the battlefields."

"I'm guessing you didn't just come over to ambush me?" Zac said, seeing the opportunity to broach the most pressing matter.

"I was sent here to test you out and take you to the teleporter," Pavina smiled.

"I can leave?" Zac asked to confirm.

"Of course. We need you to start working on that quest of yours. Who knows how many hoops the System will have you jump through to optimize your chances inside the inheritance."

Zac inwardly breathed out in relief, and the two immediately set course for the Nexus Hub he first arrived in. Pavina didn't teleport him over, allowing the two to catch up. He was surprised to find that Commander Kaldor had actually entered the Orom willingly to investigate its suspicious actions.

To think the huge fish had used its captives to fuel some Fate-based array searching for the Left Imperial Palace. The thought almost made Zac laugh, seeing how he and Iz ruined eons of work. It didn't particularly help him in any way, but it still felt good to hear the Voidcatcher's scheme had been ruined. Zac couldn't even imagine how many people on the frontier had died because of its search for the Left Imperial Palace.

"So what do you think?" Zac said. "About my duel in four weeks?"

"Uh, work hard on your cultivation, alright?"

Zac grimaced upon seeing Pavina's weak smile and darting eyes. That bad, huh?