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Chapter 1,230.
🕑 Added 2024-04-05 13:40:30 +0000 UTCZac didn't know what to think as he observed the Trove. Their lack of information was working against them. The Kan'Tanu had the graveyard on lockdown, and those they'd interrogated only knew surface information. Why an anomaly would look like this or how to deal with it was well outside that scope.
"It looks human," Ogras commented. "Big fella, too."
The eye did indeed look mostly human, except it was at least ten times larger than the Yphelion. It had seen better days. The white had become murky grey, and it was shrunken like it had lost most of its water. A string of rotten nerves was still attached, looking like a tail as it navigated through the storm.
"It's not real," Galau said after a few moments. "It's energy given shape around a spatial gate. Something in the lingering will made it take this appearance."
"Maybe the outer shape takes after the spiritual anchor," Zac said.
"The main source of resentment could be an Ocular Cultivator," Emily offered. "It looks sort of normal, though."
"What is your approach, Draugr? Go in and break anything that looks like an eye?" Kator asked.
"Something like that." Zac took out an Array Disk. "We've brought scanning arrays. They look for gatherings of resentment and energy. We'll split into two teams, and you're with me."
Each squad originally had five members, and Galau and Kator added another two. Zac led team one, whose main objective was dealing with the Trove. Kruta helmed the other, with Joanna as second-in-command. Galau joined this group along with Rhuger, Bubbur, and Janos, and their main task was to look for the seal and any other treasures. Meanwhile, Zac had Ogras, Emily, Carl, and Ra'Klid to back him up.
Catheya wasn't joining this particular mission, even if she wasn't needed by Vilari's side any longer. Zac wanted to keep Catheya and Kator apart as much as possible. She was officially a subordinate of his, while Zac was only really required to follow the Reaver's orders after they'd entered the trial. That didn't mean Kator could order Catheya to do anything he pleased, but Zac didn't want to risk anything until they had all their ducks in a row.
The preparations were quickly finished, with each squad entering a landing vessel specially modified to better withstand the dangers of the Imperial Graveyard. They could probably make it to the eye without them since all were Hegemons, but they provided an extra layer of protection.
The reinforced vessels left through a hatch the moment the eye was within reach, prompting a series of curses and worried looks. The constant tremors had made it seem as though the Yphelion's shields were barely doing anything, but that was absolutely not the truth. The pod ships groaned under the strain from the cosmic turbulence, and a sinister aura immediately permeated the insides.
Zac had expected the environment to resemble the sword scar in the Centurion Lighthouse, but this resentment was far more chaotic. It had been possible to get a sense of the Autarch who left the enormous chasm. In contrast, the resentment burrowing into Zac's body and mind was such a mottled mix that it had lost any defining traits. It was more like the madness of the Lost Plane, except without the profound insights to match.
The corruption wasn't enough to faze Zac, who'd dealt with far more insidious attacks to his mind and heart. [Purity of the Void] was working in concert with [Immutability of Eoz] to purify the infiltration. [Void Heart] would normally have helped out, except it was still occupied with refining the third bolt of Tribulation Lightning from yesterday.
Zac observed his followers, gratified to see everyone dealing with the infiltration without a problem. Rava's teachings and the preparations for withstanding the [Epiclesis Bell] were bearing fruit.
"The entrance is the pupil. The spatial fluctuations are quite weak, so the Trove shouldn't be more than a few times larger than the eye," Jaol said through a communicator, his voice crackling from static.
"That doesn't matter if we're dealing with an Ocular cultivator's world," Kator grunted. "They can be as large as their imagination."
Zac agreed. The saying that the eyes were the windows to the soul held water even in their current reality. If they were dealing with the lingering resentment of an Ocular Cultivator, the odds of finding an illusory realm on the other side were quite high.
Ocular Cultivators had three main branches, Scouts, Illusionists, and Mentalists. Other paths, like the Temporal Eyes of the Cartava Clan or purely offensive techniques, were quite rare. The idea of destroying your enemies with a glance was enthralling, but it wasn't very practical. Simply using one's hands or a Spirit Tool was generally more effective than forcing the eye to be something it was not.
"I'm sorry, we don't have anything more useful for you," Jaol continued. "We'll try to find out more after you enter, but there might be interference."
"It's okay. We'll manage," Zac said.
The pods were equipped with more powerful scanners than the Array Disks they'd brought. However, they relied on the Yphelion's Main Arrays to interpret most of the data. Without a proper scout like Jaol to join the mission, the arrays were essentially big recorders.
The groans of corrupting winds calmed as they approached the aberration. Or rather, it approached them while the Yphelion added more distance—the Trove moved far faster than their pods could. A gossamer of twisted memories replaced the storm's roar, windows into a long-lost world. Zac entered a Void State while his subordinates activated various defenses.
It didn't change anything. He kept seeing snippets of battles intermixed with jarring patterns and colors.
"It's really an illusory trove. It's all risk, no reward," Kator spat with annoyance. "We'll be lucky if we manage to take out a single item."
"The normal Troves usually aren't much better," Zac muttered as the vessels pierced the pupil's swirling darkness. "Get ready; anything can wait on the other side."
Space rippled, and a powerful force rocked the vessel soon after.
"We're under attack!" Ogras and turned into a streak of shadows.
The hatch had already opened, and Zac shot out with his weapon in hand. He was greeted by a scene that was both foreign and familiar. An all-out war raged all around them, seemingly over a domed building in the distance. The soldiers numbered in the millions and were tearing into each other with a ferocity that had tipped over into insanity.
The bloody conflict was between cultivators donning blue-crested robes—soldiers of the Limitless Empire—and an unfamiliar faction who seemed equally matched. They appeared indifferent to the sudden appearance of a third party, and the attack on their vessel appeared to be incidental damage from a clash between two Late-stage Hegemons far in the distance.
However, their presence had been noticed in the most unsettling way. Every single soldier was looking straight at Zac as they fought against their enemies. Some even had their heads turned 180 degrees like they had snapped their necks to maintain eye contact. Zac couldn't help but shudder at the unnatural attention, especially upon realizing the millions of eyes were identical to the larger one they'd just entered.
There was a profound wrongness with the whole situation beyond the unnatural stares. The topography was constantly shifting, and the soldiers were constantly replaced. An imperial soldier could be a barbaric fighter drabbed in furs the next second, like multiple battles and memories had been mashed together without care for continuity.
Zac felt he was in a waking dream, finding something amiss any time he focused on a detail. It was drastically different than most illusions, which were designed to pull you in by perfectly mimicking reality while suppressing any attempts to question it. Even then, Zac saw no weakness to exploit. The illusory realm may as well be real, relying on snippets of Dao far above what their group possessed.
Thankfully, the welcome stopped at unnerving attention, giving Zac the opportunity to gauge the situation properly. They had less than half an hour to deal with the illusory realm, so if they rushed in blindly they risked ruining their only chance at accomplishing their mission.
There was no sign of the entrance nor the other vessel. Every squad member carried a life-signal ring, though, confirming the other squad was fine. They were likely trapped in another layer of the illusion, and Zac trusted them to fend for themselves. Having Janos on their squad, they were even better equipped to deal with the situation.
The only thing that seemed immune to the constant replacement was the domed building in the distance, and it was also the direction the Array Disks pointed.
"The core is in the dome!" Zac said.
Focusing on the building was all it took to be dragged into the war. The illusion shifted, and Zac suddenly found himself facing an insane Early D-grade Imperial Soldier while the others were matched against similar foes. A burst of brutal swings dismembered the warrior in no time, only for him to be replaced by another one before Zac could finish the attack.
There was no Kill Energy reward, even if it felt like a real clash. The endless stream of warriors didn't pose a threat, but Zac soon noticed something odd. The others were ripping apart enemies one after another, just like him—except Carl. He remained unaccosted as he kept watch of the surroundings, firing arrows at anything approaching their vessel.
Carl possessed abilities and equipment that lessened his presence, but Zac could tell there was more to it than that. Zac had an idea and put the dome out of sight and mind as he destroyed the next warrior. This time, there was none to take her place.
"Ignore the dome!" Zac said, swearing with annoyance when his words dragged him back into battle.
The others quickly caught on, turning their group into spectators again. Over the next minute, they tried various methods, hoping to save time on their approach to the core. It was impossible. Anything they attempted conjured new enemies. Using skills also proved troublesome as channeling energy seemed to attract more attention.
"We can't sit around here," Kator said.
"Emily and Ra'Klid, guard the vessel. Ignore the thing as best as you can. The rest of us are breaking through," Zac said.
Emily nodded and unleashed a flourish of tomahawks while a protective totem appeared above the pod. Her buffs would eventually run out of energy without reapplication, but they'd last at least fifteen minutes—at which point they needed to have wrapped things up anyhow.
Zac rushed forth, ignoring the confusing surroundings. The only thing that mattered was the dome and the enemies that barred his path. Chains rattled as they wound around the staring warriors with crushing force, tearing them apart or simply hurling them out of the way. He'd become the Underworld's apostle, where each swing brought succor to their suffering. The inexorable end had been denied these lingering wills for too long.
The Defiant War churned through his body, imparting him with seemingly inexhaustible energy. The war around him stimulated his Earthly Dao, allowing Zac to bring out more of its untapped power. Meanwhile, the evolved Pale Seal far better encompassed the concept of finality now that his Dao contained a first set of truths related to Oblivion.
Zac could tell that each kill exhausted the illusory realm by a small degree by destroying the thoughts they had sprung from. However, most were retained and repurposed. He'd have to fight for weeks to completely exhaust such a large accumulation, and that was provided the illusory world didn't draw nourishment from the outside.
The idea of being steeped in battle for days on end wasn't without its allure. Zac barely had time to wake up before trouble came knocking, let alone get acquainted with his recent gains. The Trove provided the perfect environment to catch up. Every swing was a revelation, allowing Zac to discover a new aspect of his upgraded Daos.
Just being based on greater Daos allowed his Inexorable Stance to showcase greater might than ever before. And yet, Zac felt dissatisfied when [Death's Duality] wove an intricate dance to open a path to the dome. He felt he wasn't utilizing his Daos to their utmost anymore. Part of it could be explained by lack of experience, but there was also a more fundamental issue at play.
His technique wasn't able to utilize the added profundity of an Earthly Dao, nor did it properly incorporate Creation and Oblivion. The latter was something that could be fixed with slight adjustments. The former required more comprehensive overhauls.
A technique didn't need to have reached Late Integration to use Earthly Daos. For instance, Kator had only reached Middle Integration, and his ferocious advance through the sea of warriors indicated he was still trapped at this stage. The problem was that Zac had created his stances before understanding what an Earthly Dao meant.
Zac had given his stances room to grow since his path had been laid out for years, but the jump to Earthly Daos was beyond his ability to anticipate or incorporate before he wielded one. It was like asking a fish to describe the sky. He'd expected there to be a problem, though not to this degree. He'd have to deal with it before facing a real threat, whether that was through an upgrade to Late Integration or expanding his current stance.
Thankfully, the opponents weren't enough to cause any real problems, even when they grew stronger as they drew closer to the domed building. It looked like Middle D-grade would be the limit, even if Monarchs were duking it out in the sky. They were just hollow illusions with nothing but the form to show. Otherwise, the Trove's energy signature would have been far stronger.
They reached the stone dome in just five minutes, at which point shutting out the surroundings was no longer enough to stop the harassment. Zac was about to ask Ogras and Carl to look for a path inside when he felt a powerful pull. Zac could resist it with his bloodline but opted not to when seeing the others disappear.
Zac looked around the spherical building, noting that the dense scripts on the ceiling were nothing but gibberish. The dome appeared to have been a powerful War Array, but whatever conjured this vision didn't remember the details. That probably explained why the whole thing was almost empty except for a pulsating swirl of spatial resentment in the middle.
The core.
The lonely silence inside the chamber was a stark contrast to the deranged war outside. Only one enemy was waiting for them, standing between them and their target. The haggard man was covered in blood after having clawed his eyes out. Guttural sounds escape his mouth. There was the occasional word or phrase between the grunts and growls, but it was impossible to glean anything from the ravings.
The man wasn't fluctuating between different appearances, making him feel more real than the warriors they'd fought. It had to be a wisp of the Trove's main consciousness. The entity possessed terrifying energies despite his wretched state, eclipsing even Kator's when he fought the golem monk. They would have been in for a tough fight if the madman hadn't been completely oblivious to his surroundings.
No one did anything to attract his attention, restraining their auras as much as possible. Carl slightly shook his head when Zac looked at him. The sniper wasn't confident in destroying the core with a ranged attack, nor did Kator step up to the plate. It wasn't laziness or intentionally making trouble, though the Reaver was likely using the opportunity to get a better look at Zac's abilities.
The issue was the dense swirl of resentment surrounding the core. There was no telling how a skill would react when entering its domain, except it would probably awaken its guardian. It was also unclear whether the core was a tangible object or susceptible to attacks.
Zac cracked his neck and got ready. There was only one way to find out, and it was clear he was the best suited to the job since he had his bloodline in case brute force didn't work. A dense shroud of shadows hid his presence, courtesy of Ogras. Zac was about to sneak forward when he felt a looming presence behind him.
"Wai-" Zac wheezed, but his word of caution fell on deaf ears.
Kator's flanged mace crashed into his back, launching him forward like a Temporally accelerated cannon. The Reaver used the same method as before, except he applied even more force now that his attributes weren't sealed. Things had already reached this point, so Zac turned into an abyssal streak to increase his speed further.
He shot past the eyeless guardian at breakneck speed. He still didn't react, though the whole chamber shook when two pillars of force passed by him to his sides. It was Carl and Ogras launching powerful ranged skills that dug into the curtain of protective resentment just before Zac arrived.
The guardian finally stirred, releasing a screeching wail that held a thousand voices and destroyed Carl's attack with a swipe. It was like the skill had become an illusion and winked out before doing any real harm.
The eye-less guardian didn't see the same level of success when dealing with Ogras' attack. It tore a huge hole in the curtain, giving Zac almost free access to the core. Zac appeared in a puff of darkness, shrouding the surroundings in Abyssal Darkness. A swing holding the limit of Zac's path tore into the core.
Zac's plan to follow up with a second swing proved unnecessary. The core shattered, unleashing a storm of resentment. Kator's temporal domain instantly crumbled and was replaced by a sphere of utter nothingness. Torrents of Spatial Energy and resentment tried to pull him under. The combination of [Void Zone] and [Profane Exponents] proved enough to tide over the sudden burst.
Looking around, Zac realized the chamber was gone, as was the whole illusory world. He was floating in outer space, with no sign of the eyeless guardian or the Trove. The others were spread out in the area, with the second squad just a mile away. The pods were also fine, barring some minor damage.
Kator was just a few dozen meters away, while Ogras and Carl had backed away to avoid the brunt of the attack.
"Don't you have any better ways to apply your Temporal Domain?" Zac glared.
"I do, but where's the fun in that?" Kator laughed as he looked around. "I guess that's it? Not bad for a first run."
"Not bad, huh?" Zac sighed as he flew toward the pod.
Detonating the Trove had caused a shockwave of resentment that was pushing into the larger storms around them. He could already feel the winds intensifying. Soon enough, the accumulations would reach critical levels and form new aberrations. There was no guarantee the next one would only be at the eye's level, so they would need to be long gone before then.
It would be a long couple of months.
Comments
D Pryor
How the hell did Carl make it to D grade lol
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Joey
Pretty sure it should break the writ
Kharas
Thats what he said :)
Stefan Muntean
Shouldn't we get a chapter today?
Lex Luther S
Huh? Zac does not treat his friends and followers like that.
Lex Luther S
It's insurance. If Kator dies and the bomb is not disarmed, the yphelion is toast and if anyone else is on board, they're dead to a even zac said he wouldn't be confident in surviving the tear the bomb would create.
Lex Luther S
Are you talking about Vai? The aunt of the void priestesses disciple? And why would he throw mossy at them? For one I highly doubt it's possible to teleport the moon as the only planets that can be moved are those purchased from the systems faction merit shop. And mossy isn't strong. Unless the kan'tanu literally set foot on the planet, it'd have no effect on them. Hell even a monarch would be dangerous if mossy can't gather its mental energy enough to threaten it before they decide to clap the moons cheeks and destroy it. Or use something to force mossy into submission.
Lex Luther S
Well, the E grade planets are feeder worlds anyways, and given the monumental rise of zac and his empire, it's likely that even low D grade planets will become feeder worlds. From memory, most worlds can grow any resource as long as it's a certain grade, unless the planet has a specific attunement. The main issue is getting rid of any heart curses on these worlds. As it's almost certain the E grade planets were only feeder worlds, for the resources the heart curses need and for bodies.
Jeff McCulley
Oh, and someone asked a while back what to do with planets infested by heart curses. I suspect that Zac’s biologist friend he met back in the fish (or somebody) might be able to come up with something proactive and productive in the long run. However, I came up with another solution. Maybe one for nasty Kan’Tanu worlds that the System didn’t help with. Remember how Zac can pay to move his planets? Well…why not a moon? After all, moons are only planets or planetoids smaller than their primaries, right? So…throw Mossy at ‘em. Just toss him right to the edge of the exosphere. They’re already worried about him being too close to Earth, right? Two mossy birds, one mossy stone. Even better? Ask him for chunks to throw elsewhere. Other problem Kan’Tanu worlds THEN have Zac’s biologist friend find a cure for Mossy. ;) Oops. Maybe do that last step first? :D Or wait…if the Kan’Tanu got all this stuff from the Imperial Graveyard…maybe it’s also in the records at the Templar site? Sorry. No chappy today, thoughts meandering.
Jeff McCulley
While we have a break, I’m thinking we haven’t talked enough—or at all—about the planets Zack had Ilvere pick up. Without looking, a low D-grade and several E’s? I’m wondering if the “catalogue” had offered a listing of their resources prior to purchase?
Joey
Pretty sure if he dies it goes boom, which is a little redundant
Henry Wartemberg
Good point. But unless I’m mistaken he didn’t actually arm it just left it as a threat if Zac didn’t follow what is essentially the rules of the contract. Would Zac be breaking the contract if he brought out the Sharmila bomb and threatened to use it if Kator broke the agreement?
Joey
He also brought a lot of arrays off her and had her doing custom orders since she was the best array master he had access to
Hartmann
Zac mentioned buying several Cultivation Arrays from her. That was part of the reason he went to the Kavriel Province because his preparations for his undead side were lacking as Asta Ar couldn't craft Death attuned Arrays
Lex Luther S
I understand your complaints. I too see joanna as a top tier waifu warrior; the way she pushes herself to the brink time after time. I dont see her dying as she is his spear; it's liable others are gonna eventually fall, either from age or battle, but just like zacs shadow, ogras, joanna plays an important role to the emperor himself as his and is likely one of the few characters truly safe from death. Besides, even if she did fall, once zac reaches supremacy, he'll certainly revive them. Though for joanna to stay relevant after that would be for her to fall at autarchy.
Lex Luther S
As far as we know, after she left after buying the kernel and learning about the first people, we didn't see her again. She did want to get a copy of the primer he'd gotten and it's probably ok to assume she did. If she'd been an enemy like the sculpture spear woman, she'd of been mentioned with that upcoming class of undead.
NeverNaught
Lol my bad, my only defence is that 'logic' was at the begining of your mini-chapter thesis.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
MacMahon Wenzl
Absolute random thought, but I wounder what happened to the ice mage who bought that fate kernel from Zac in the PV. The one looking into the first people
Darnell Maxwell
It's too early. Zac usually has two big losses every grade whenever he even considers slowing down. In F grade it was his dad and Alea. In E grade it was the para- I mean Theya and Kenzie. In D Grade he has already lost Vivi and Sap Trang. Joanna is too major of a character for her death to happen during this war. Bare minimum she stays alive until Zac becomes a monarch. After that... Well let's just say there's a reason I kept saying "if" and speaking like this is a hypothetical in my original comment. As much as I would hate it. TFD is definitely laying the groundwork for her sacrificing herself to save Zac.
Preston Rose
I’m thirsting for some kill energy. I need kills!!
Telewyn
In before Zac’s burgeoning harem turns into Joanna’s valkyries through a series of unlikely events.
FriendorFo
Now TFD has read your comment, expect Joanna to get “fridged” before the end of the war lol
Tyler S.
His earth life/death Dao punishments will be wonderful fireworks with their bond in place
Ed
Big Joanna fan too, well said.
Sanc Asura
The more kator does this stuff the more I anticipate the eventual c grade continent sized can of chaos zac will undoubtedly unleash on them.
Michael Fannon
Fun chapter. Kator treating Zac the way Zac ends up treatkng everyone else is wonderful.
Joey
Pretty sure Joanna is stronger considering only her and Ogras shrugged off Kator's mental attack. Probably comes down more to experience tbh.
Joey
Seal secured!
Thenais
"We'll be lucky if we manage to take out a single item." Kator is still no believer
Joey
So did Kator not break the deal when he pulled out the bomb? Seems weird from a chapter order and pacing perspective that the 2 Iz chapters aren't next to each other, I thought this one would've been an alliance POV of maybe the Void Gate or someone else of the "shift".
The Lost Pages
There was the whole side chapter that had him and that's when he returned.
Wurger
We Star Trek now.
Darnell Maxwell
Oh, maybe I wasn't loud enough. Let me try this. I KNOW, KRUTA WAS THE LOGICAL DECISION! BUT EMOTIONALLY, I WANTED JOANNA TO BE IN CHARGE. AND NO AMOUNT OF LOGIC, IS GOING TO THAT FEELING! I hope that was loud enough because I don't know a way to type any louder.
NeverNaught
Its much more about battlefield sense. Zacs got a tricked out luck sense so he leads and has played second fiddle b4 as well to his subordinates. Krutas got his wierd bone scrying method that even outshown Zacs ability.
M💬
Book 11 I think when Ogras and the gang went to the million gates territory.
Hakeem Gordon
Cue time short skip?
DuskinReview
Wait, Janos is back?? The illusion cultivating demon that was trapped in the limitless empire ruins on Zacs second planet? When did that happen?
Darnell Maxwell
This is another chapter where my complaint should be ignored because logically what happened in the chapter makes sense, but emotionally it still kills me. (Read the following section in the voice of a whining child.) Catheya and Vilari are both benched, and my girl Joanna STILL isn't in charge of a group. TFD giveth and he taketh away! I know there is a 99% chance that Kruta is stronger than her. I know it makes sense to put him in charge. But come ooooooon. I wanna see her lead instead of constantly being second fiddle to these damn heaven's chosen! Kruta with his stupid connection to his ancestor. Vilari with her bs bloodline. Catheya with her stupid backing and natal nodes. We didn't even see the second squad do anything and I didn't expect us to see it. It would be a waste of time. But it still bothers me that she wasn't put in charge! (End whiny kid voice) I'm gonna put this here and it will probably be ignored. But I'm gonna say it anyway. This does not mean I want a chapter from the second squad's perspective. This does not mean I want it to be retconned that Joanna was in charge of group 2. Kruta was the logical choice. This just means that I love Joanna. And I dislike seeing her play second fiddle to anyone but Zac and Ogras in the Atwood Army. I HOPE we will reach a part in the story where she gets there. I don't expect her to get there this arc. I don't expect her to get there before C grade if she even gets there at all. I'm just saying I enjoy watching Joanna succeed. And if she reaches a point where I can confidently say the order of strength for the Atwood Army goes. Zac/Arcaz, then Ogras, then Joanna. I will be extremely grateful and happy. Even if it's for like 1 chapter because Vilari needs like another week before pushing for monarchy.
Darnell Maxwell
Let's go Emily! 👏 👏 👏👏👏 Watch as she carries! 👏 👏 👏👏👏 Bufffing up the party! 👏 👏 👏👏👏 Best support, Guaranteed! 👏 👏 👏👏👏
Krispy sock
Hell yeah! TFTC
ByLordMatsLuck
Great Friday morning chapter to enjoy with my coffee
Lucas Gulick
Tftc, feel better
Stefan Muntean
Kator is smacking Zac around claiming he is helping 😂, he is playing mean big brother role
Kris Piskorski
What a nice surprise
Ryan Pepp
Tyftc!
