DefianceNovels
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Chapter 1,246.
🕑 Added 2024-05-01 20:43:11 +0000 UTCA/N: We're back! As always, thank you for re-upping, and welcome new patrons.
A final reminder, there'll be no chapter tomorrow as we've changed to a 3 chapter/week schedule (M-W-F).
My first goal with the added breathing room is to rebuild my stock and return to earlier release times. That might take a couple of weeks tho, especially as I'm finally moving my office on Friday.
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Zac reined in his fantasy of triggering a wave of stellar destruction that swallowed half the Zurbor Sector. As Ogras said, they'd be the first ones to die, considering they had no escape measures prepared for such a plan. Hiding out in the Lower Planes could work, except Galau had already confirmed the deathly module was completely exhausted and would need weeks to recharge.
The Life-attuned module was in better shape, but would they even dare use it? With the Deathly Module drained, it wouldn't have the strength to bring them back to the surface. And that didn't even cover whatever dangers they might face in a Life-attuned plane.
Even if they solved all those issues, it still wouldn't be enough. Zac estimated the death engine could have lasted another hour inside the Threaded Hell if they hadn't been forced to leave early. That was only enough to cover a couple of week's worth of travel, not enough to escape the blast zone. They'd probably pop out in the middle of the explosion, and there wouldn't be a rune to protect them that time.
The only alternative was if he managed to instantly activate the trial along with the explosion. However, that meant sacrificing the non-sealbearers aboard the ship. Unleashing the Foreign Gods was the far preferable option, especially if you included the uncertainty of the supernova working and that he had allies inside the Imperial Graveyard.
"That thing in the middle, is it what we came for?" Ogras asked.
"The signal points towards it," Zac nodded. "It should be a gateway to the true realm where the project took place."
Excited discussions spread through the bridge until one dissenting voice cut through the chatter. "This might not be what you wish to hear, but maybe we should wait?"
Zac turned toward Carl standing in the corner, who slightly withered under the attention. He still pressed on. "The Yphelion is damaged, and the crew is still exhausted after our mad escape from the cultists. A few days of recovery would put us in a much better position to finish the job."
A few seemed to agree, such as Galau, Ra'Klid, and Rhuger. The majority leaned toward pressing on, their eyes radiating purpose and adventure. Zac glanced at the surroundings. The tesseract sun was surrounded by an incredibly stable space the size of a solar system. There were no planets or structures, and there wasn't a single passage leading into the sanctuary from the storm. It was the perfect place to recover after their journey.
"How's the Yphelion?" Zac asked.
"We've patched up the circuits with spare materials, so the shields technically work."
"Technically?" Zac said.
"I wouldn't recommend raising their strength beyond 10 percent," Galau said. "Furthermore, there are still dozens of unpressurized compartments. With the shields as they are, we should probably avoid those sections as we approach the sun. The heat and radiation would be deadly even if the rune lets through so much as a sliver. Oh, and we haven't even begun working on the hull."
"Well, that's great," Zac muttered before turning back toward Carl. "You're right. It would have been a good idea to rest up. Unfortunately…"
Zac glanced at Mark, who confirmed Zac's suspicion. "The rune is dragging us forward. I can't stop it."
The rune hadn't disappeared after paving a path through the storm. It had only slowed down on its approach toward the sun.
"We'll reach the sun in twenty-eight minutes," the pilot continued.
"… I'll see if I can reinforce the shields," Galau sighed before hurrying out, and most of the sealbearers followed in tow after seeing they still had some time.
Zac stayed on with Ogras, Catheya, and Kator, reviewing the many plans they'd ironed out during their brief bouts of downtime one final time. The twenty-eight minutes passed in no time, and Zac silently watched on as the Yphelion entered the sun's domain. Nothing happened, allowing Zac to release his pent-up breath.
The sun's hollow interiors were like the Spatial Nexus he'd seen back in the Void Star, the contraption the Kan'Tanu blew up as part of their plan. Space inside had more than three dimensions, and Zac had no idea how the Yphelion would react. Thankfully, the sigil's protective tail worked equally well for the star. Neither heat nor energy reached the ship, and they were spared from being twisted into pretzels by space twisting on itself.
"That's odd," Jaol said. "I can't actually pick up any spatial fluctuations. Not even from the gate."
"How's that possible inside a multidimensional space?" Zac asked.
"Why would the Dao of Space be required?" Kator countered. "Your vessel used no Spatial Energy to enter and leave the Lower Planes. This is no different. The sun should have been repurposed as an energy source, so the formations should be reliant on the Peak of Stars."
"I guess you're right," Zac shrugged as he took out a communicator, feeling it was the least of the mysteries present. "Brace yourselves. We're about to fly through the gate."
The screens had become completely black as the huge sphere drew closer. Zac felt as though they were flying into a black hole and prayed he was wrong. The others returned, opting to stay in the reinforced bridge as a precaution.
Zac didn't even notice when they flew through the gate. The darkness gave way to light, and the screens displayed a twilight realm with drifting clouds of purple. Gleaming stars were visible far in the sky but not below, indicating they might have been transported to a proper world despite there being no sign of any ground. There were no signs of danger or their destination. The seal was still there, guiding them through the clouds. The tranquil view was beautiful, which only added to Zac's unease.
"What was going on? Weren't we inside a star?" Emily muttered.
"It's—" Zac said before his words caught in his throat.
Streaks of purple had appeared inside the bridge, ignoring the protective sigil and the Yphelion's shielding alike.
"What in the nine hells is this?" Bubbur exclaimed, his face scrunching up like a raisin. "It feels like someone is taking a dump in my brain. Wait, is it making me smarter?"
"Oh, I know exactly what this is," Ogras spat, glancing at the former Muscle Brigadier. "And I would be careful about any ideas popping into my head right about now."
"Ogras is right. Everyone, seal your Daos and paths. Ignore the whispers; they're lying. Any truths you think you've grasped will only bring about your doom," Zac said. "You don't want to know what'll happen if this madness is allowed to take root. I've seen it turn an elite Kan'Tanu squad into vegetables."
"Is this what you encountered inside the Void Star?" Kator asked.
"The flavor is slightly different, but it's the Dead Dao of the Lost Era," Zac confirmed. "This could be considered a good opportunity for you all. Take your time in figuring out long-term countermeasures. We're bound to encounter more of this during the trial. Practicing with this diluted version might save your lives when facing the real thing."
"The real thing's worse than this? Did I make the right decision coming all this way?" Kruta grimaced.
Zac laughed before sharing the insights he'd gathered from his years of relying on the tainted lake water. Of course, there was one thing he kept to himself. The corruption wasn't the only thing that was the same as the energy from the so-called Lost Plane. The truths of Ultom were also present here, though the concentrations were closer to his [Court Cycle Token] than the lake water.
He didn't mention that part out of fear one of his subordinates would overestimate themselves and attempt extracting the good stuff, something which was only made possible thanks to his bloodlines. Zac wasn't under the same restrictions, and his D-grade Hidden Nodes made the process far more effective.
If the situation were different, he would have cranked his Void Emperor bloodline to the limits, forming Void Vortices to gobble up all the free insights. Now, he was reduced to siphoning off what little he could from his surroundings, which was only enough to help clear his head.
Finally, they saw their destination in the distance. A glistening tower had pierced the clouds, reaching into the starry sky far above. Zac looked on with interest, though his expression grew odd as the minutes passed. It had barely changed even after ten minutes of travel.
"Are… we moving?" Ogras eventually asked.
"Just how big is this thing?" Catheya whispered.
An hour later, the distant tower had grown by half on the screen, and three smaller towers had become visible.
"It has to be larger than a planet," Emily said.
"It should be approaching the D-grade bounds of a three-dimensional world," Jaol nodded. "Much more, and space will buckle."
"The Limitless Empire sure wasn't messing around," Ogras whistled. "Imagine the cost. Why not just reposition a world instead?"
"I don't think they had a choice," Zac said, remembering how the [Foreign Gods] tome mentioned how the lighthouses couldn't stay in this realm for too long. "They needed to build something that could resist the corrosion of Dead Dao."
"Resist... or contain?" Emily said. "Have you noticed? The clouds are getting denser the closer we get."
It took another hour before the whole base had come into view, or as much as was possible with the incredibly dense clouds surrounding the structure. Emily's theory was looking more likely by the minute. Rather than a base resisting the Dao of the Lost Era, it seemed like the base was built around a breach like the one he'd closed.
The central tower was almost too large to compute, yet it was floating in the air without causing so much as a ripple. Surrounding it were seven subsidiary towers. A structural band connected the outer pillars, and it was large enough to overshadow the ringworld he'd visited during his pilgrimage back in the training camp.
"Uh, boss? Doesn't that look like—"
"It does," Zac agreed, glancing at Ra'Klid.
The central tower was unattached, just like the central tower in the Centurion Lighthouse. In contrast to its much smaller cousin, the main station showed no signs of battle. The base seemed to be slumbering, emitting barely any energy, but it remained in pristine condition. It almost felt like ancient cultivators could pop out of a window at any moment to see who'd come knocking at their door.
"If we can launch a [Centurion Spear] this size," Bubbur wheezed, his face red with excitement. "Will there be anything of the Kan'Tanu afterward?"
"Don't get your hopes up. There are some critical differences in the design. I don't think it's equipped with a similar feature," Galau said. "That's not to say it won't have a similar feature."
"Isn't that what the Foreign Gods are for?" Ogras said.
Zac listened in on the discussion, his eyes never leaving the monitor. "The tips of the outer towers are roughly the size of the Centurion Lighthouse."
"There were seven Lighthouses," Emily agreed. "So its ultimate form is with all the outer bases docked at the tips?"
"Looks like we're being directly taken to one of the outer towers," Ogras commented. "Could it be the one connected to the lighthouse you raided?"
"It should be," Galau said.
New details were exposed every minute as the clouds shifted. The first damaged section came into view shortly before an outer tower got in the way. It was on the opposite side of the base, where a whole section of the outer band had been ripped open. There were no rampaging energies or resentment in the breach, nor did it appear to be the source of the billowing purple clouds.
"That's one big hole," Ogras frowned. "Big enough for a trapped God to slip out?"
"I would expect so," Zac said. "It's bigger than Earth."
"We knew some of them must have escaped after what happened to the Centurion Lighthouse," Emily said. "Maybe that wing held the ones that hadn't been turned into puppets yet."
"I'm surprised they just left after breaking out," Ogras commented. "If it were me, and I had the power to cause that kind of damage, I wouldn't have left before the base was turned to rubble. And these Foreign Gods were supposed to be vengeful and bloodthirsty."
"Maybe they were afraid their captors would return," Joanna suggested. "And this place should have sunk to the depths of the Void shortly after the escape, making it impossible to find their way back."
"They should be dust by now," Ogras said. "At least, I hope so."
Zac wasn't so sure. The whole reason the Starfall Court started the Centurion Project was that the Foreign Gods were essentially undying, partially a gift of the Stellar Wanderers they'd sprung from. If they were dead, it would be from targeting the wrong person or entering a taboo zone. The good news was that the Multiverse had seen so many changes over the eons that it should be impossible to find their way back.
"A hatch is opening!" Emily said.
"Incredible," Zac muttered upon seeing the gate was over a mile thick.
The Yphelion looked like a fly as it entered the enormous hangar. Zac couldn't help but sigh in regret upon seeing it was empty, and his disappointment was mirrored on more than one face. Any Cosmic Vessel moored in this base would have a huge chance of being a C-grade vessel, possibly something even greater. It could have become the flagship of the Atwood Empire, acting as a deterrent even against Monarchs.
"This might be a guest entrance," Ogras said, unwilling to give up. "Even if not, there has to be more docking stations in a building this size. I refuse to believe not one was left behind."
A deep hum precluded any answer. Their guiding rune had disappeared after finishing its task. One by one, powerful illumination arrays activated in the ceiling, and runes as large as cities appeared on the walls. A dizzying array of floating lights appeared in the air, seemingly there to direct traffic that didn't exist.
It wasn't just the hangar, either. Zac could feel tremendous amounts of energy stir as the whole base was coming online. Zac had never felt anything like it, not from the War Fortresses nor the continental disks in Twilight Harbor. It felt like a primordial beast was coming out of its slumber, and there was no telling what the effect would be on them or the world outside.
"I've regained control," Mark said. "What should I do?"
"Follow the guiding lights," Zac said, cracking his neck. "We're setting out the moment we've docked."
Comments
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Lex Luther S
Zac suspects that the Limitless empire made the void star but we've no true confirmation beyond his speculation. Also, the crack that goblin kingdom fed off of appeared on their planets and gemmy gobbled the remains of their planet, including the crack to which gemmys realm, the stellar ladder, was then somehow added onto the void star. As for this carrying the flame, his flamebearer status is solely from Ultom and while these projects are related to ultom, I doubt it'll be in such a way he's unfettered access given the way TFD usually does things. If anything his title as a holy son might hold more weight than his flamebearer status. Or maybe having both give him a status that transcends what they'd be if he only had one. As for the cube absorbing all these realms and ancient resentment, that's even less likely. With the way TFD usually roles, the Zubor and Zecia sector are gonna be combined after the wars end as the future foundations of zacs empire. At that point, enough time will see zac and his empire extract all they want from those proves with the cube and that tower becoming one of the core pillars of his empire.
Amani
The Holy son status would be exposed to Kator if that happened but I'm excited for it if it happens. Also here is a thought! if the Dead Dao of the Lost Era is higher in the trial Zac is going to make great progress during it.
Bryce H.
Another real quick theory just popped into my head. I don't have time to look stuff up so it's rough but did the Limitless Empire create the Void Star? It seems to me that this new tesseract star could be a nascent Void Star. I'm thinking when it's activated, it's going to pull in all that lingering resentment, troves, and all else around it and fold them into another Void Star or similar. Maybe the Void Star was a test? Or just part of the Centurion Project? The passage in the Foreign Gods tome did specifically say "cracks" in reality. Plural. Zac found another lower plane or crack in the Void Star, as well as his Flamebearer sigil. So... He carries the flame found in the Void Star to the beacon in the Graveyard to light it, activating the tower or pillar or whatever to absorb all that resentment to contain and purify it, resulting in a massive trove of purified mystic realms and natural treasures superimposed on themselves, much like how Zac can literally do the same but on a smaller scale. "Order can quell the Corruption." Take the corruption of the Imperial Graveyard/Eternal Storm and instill order upon it by forcing it into a tesseract star, over time that corruption is quelled and purified. The Vigil exists to ensure the pillars rise. This is part of that. They ensure the Heavens don't interfere, much like how the System works to hide Zac's shenanigans at times.
Lex Luther S
No, the foreign gods have been stated to be beings from the first Era, known as the Lost era. Zac even stating here, that the beings the Foreign gods come from were Essentially undying. Not only that, but the issue with the first people is that the returning Dao was literally a poison to them, and it killed every, single, one of the first people. There were none that survived the Daos return. As for what void beasts are, they're obviously creatures born of the void but in a multiverse where the dao and void have already healed and become two sides of the same coin. The First people only come about because the Dao was all but gone and the heavens still recovering, but upon the daos return, it became a poison that they couldn't deal with, and the void accepted the daos like always because they are the the other side of thw coin. As for the system being the beacon for the future, that's even more obvious when you bring in sendors comment when he first talked to zac and tried to tell him about his ancestry. He said the limitless empire and void emperor set the stage for the eras direction and that their will is an undying influence through the terminus council even billions of years later. As for "They were suppressed by the Terminus from birth, forever wandering the cosmos in search of a higher Heaven." Wasn't that about aberrations like the primordial and other unique beings born when the Dao was young and unbridled? Things like the heart of oblivion and spark of creation.
Bryce H.
Something like that, or just that when Zac lights this thing, the storm will clear or something. I feel like it's going to 'implode' if you will, sucking on all that lingering resentment in order to activate or something. Maybe it'll consume a chunk of the storm as fuel to power on. Bah, I don't have time to keep writing but check out my other comment for part of my theory. I'll finish typing it all up after work.
Jeff McCulley
I feel like eventually here, we’re going to find out why Zac never quite made it to exploring the lower levels of the Centurion Lighthouse. And…can they find connections to the others, wherever they are? Galau will be happy as a pig in slop! Also feel like the central tower is where all of the good stuff will be. But maybe they aren’t ready to explore that?
Lex Luther S
Hmmmm, being acknowledged by the tower because of her grandma's authority over the empyrean throne and it's flames huh🤔 It's possible, but the issue remains if her ship can get through that storm. As kruta said, even C grade vessels would be shredded by that artificial Strom, let alone a Peak D grade vessel, though her ship might have a better chance as her crew is certainly trained and highly experienced. And it could be her Dao guardian may have some treasure that'd allow them to get through the storm.
Bryce H.
I'm telling you guys, the Collector and other void beasts like it are the corrupted foreign gods. I still maintain my theory that they are the undying wills of the First People, who were Aether constructs. I think the Collector gathered body parts on itself as a way to 'hide' it's nature so it could exist or assimilate itself into this era, under the Heaven that rejected them. I think the purpose of the Centurion Project was to integrate the First People into the System. Or at least, to make a new system that would specifically work for them, allowing them to exist under our Heaven. "The Empire will light a torch in the darkness for the Foreign Gods, just as we do for the Cosmos. With the authority of the Starfall Court, I establish the Centurion Project. May they act the lighthouse and guide the path toward the zenith." I believe this passage indicates that the System, AKA Imperial Tutor is the torch or guiding light of this era, as it's entire purpose is essentially to create soldiers. Zac being a Flamebearer will essentially activate the Beacon to give them a way to manifest in this era without being rejected by the Heavens/Dao. The System was created as a weapon. Against who? The Terminus. "They were suppressed by the Terminus from birth, forever wandering the cosmos in search of a higher Heaven." Seems to indicate the Limitless Empire also doesn't look too favorably at the Terminus and it's Council, further backed by the specific message and warnings to Zac to 'Beware the Terminus Council.' Gah, my break over but my mind's theory crafting at a mile a minute. I've got a lot more to add and to fix the formatting, but it'll have to wait until I get home from work.
Bryce H.
For sure. He didn't have that title at the Lighthouse so I would be surprised if he wasn't recognized by the base and greeted as such. If not by straight up rolling out the red carpet for him, then by granting hom some higher level of access or something. I also think Iz could find her way here soonish as well, and may be acknowledged too.
Lex Luther S
Man I already like this new release schedule because it just gets me more excited for what he cooks up. So, what do we think will happen? Certainly a tower of this size is run by a few powerful array spirits and given it's powering up, it's likely they were in a form of hibernation. I for one think his status as a Holy son will be his biggest crutch here incase some spirits take offense to their arrival.
Frederik
Na I dont think we will see the Pope befor we leave the gradeyard
Jeff McCulley
Let’s see… A. My man Carl wanted to give the Yphelion a good mop and polish, make sure that it was in tip top shape before meeting any dignitaries. Good man. B. It seems to me that now would be a good time to find out that the Yphelion has some hidden self repair capability. C. If not, it would be nice if they could find a repair dock, right? One maybe with repair drones. D. lol. At Zach for getting his hopes up for a C or even B grade vessel. Zac, buddy, your crew can’t even use the Yphelion to full capability yet, because they aren’t high level enough. E. I’m so excited. And I just can’t hide it! F. The folks who unsubbed yesterday picked a BAD time to do it. G. I’m tired. G’night all!
austin kutz
I really, really doubt it. I think the best he can hope for at this point is a quick and non-humiliating death
ouroboros
Hope you have plenty of sunlight in the new office. I tried a no windows one. Wouldn't recommend it.
Jake Schmitz
I still think kator will end up being a good guy, and solid member of team Atwood (or at least Arcaz). He's the perfect "bad guy" in disguise. That'll be the twist for this arc...kator and Zac becoming besties.
Lex Luther S
When zac first arrived in the tower if eternity. One of the Dravorak princelings was doing his run and failed because his safety net broke(I think the system fucked about and broke it🤣🤣) at the 6th floor promoting the dao apparition of some being with 6 arms and 6 treasures, the flower being one of them. The flower was something obscenely poisonous, so much so that upon it, blooming, it killed an entire world's population. Then some being appeared and sealed it in a coffin.
Jay Fowler
What chapter was the original coffin scene with the flower that y’all are referring to from yesterday ?
Collin Sorrells
Nah, Rava is something special. This I've will be a real crazed zombie servant and it's gonna fight the Kantanu Pope in the clutch.
Derek Allen
This whole base gives me halo vibes, they are about to fight the flood.
DrSubterfuge
Getting some Blame! vibes from this megastructure. I like it
night hawk
Great job thanks
StuBee3
Wow!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Aaron J
Such a great chapter!
Andrew
Thank you!
Joey
Everyone's going to be loaded after this one, even Kator assuming he doesn't try and stab them in the back, which might be a little hard if they are the only ones who can get to the base
Telewyn
Definitely see a lot of benefits for Ogras here. He complained about not being able to use his flag against Kator because he’s not unorthodox. What’s more unorthodox than the foreign gods? Or the dead Dao? If Kator tries and fails to refine the clouds, him too.
James Faulkner
Take the base home! Bring earth into the sub dimension and ride haha
James Faulkner
So cool, Tftc!
FriendorFo
“Oh Carl, my sweet summer child…. Don’t you know you’ve been traveling aboard the ‘USS Can’t stop, won’t stop’ all this time?” -Zac
Alexander Dupree
Well that’s going to be awesome
Joey
Ogras is finally going to get his ship. So the Atwood Empire is going to rule the combined Zecia-Zurbor with their wallet? How many chapters until the Eternal Servant? I wonder if this one is going to be like Rava, too?
Lucas Gulick
Awesome chapter, I felt Carl's pain lol
hachetnif
Yeah this is amazing chapter It just makes you think how many other ruins of fallen empires are out there to be plundered and treasures in the cosmos
Lex Luther S
Ohhhhh boy this is getting me excited in a way I haven't felt in a while. What awaits beyond the foreign gods? Treasures left for eons? Powerful C grade Vessels? Left over golems or puppets to collect and study for some incredible progress on his empires foundations? Maybe even an endless array of realms and worlds holding all sorts of important resources and opportunities. Opportunities they can collect after awakening the foreign gods, doing so while they wreck havoc on the Kan'Tanu. And if the trial isn't moved up, the perfect place to perfect their strength before the trial.
Chase C
Thanks for the chapter!
