Chapter 1184: Drain

Chapter 1184: Drain

Billions of dark red trickles poured out of the depths of Zac's cells as the Void regurgitated its unpalatable fare. The lightning looked innocuous compared to the tyrannical arcs that had ravaged his body just moments before, yet they held whispers of a far greater terrormorsels of eradication sanctioned by Law.

Whatever they touched seemed to fade away, whether it was flesh or the spiritual elements that made up his path. Even the Abyssal ponds turned into a faded grey after the lightning had passed through. Zac saw how he was being removed from existence. It didn't hurt in the slightest, but Zac would have preferred the agony of the previous posts to this terrifying erasure.nove(l)bi(n.)com

This was different from his experience in the Tribulation Throne. That ancient trial had built-in safeguards, like the earthly aura rising from the throne to keep his state steady. This time, Zac was facing the Four Desolates all alone. Energy and Dao rallied to combat the onslaught, only to become dust in the wind. The Laws were immutable as they gathered on their way to his Cosmic Core.

The only reason Zac wasn't losing his mind with fear was the subtle change to the aura hidden in the lightning's depths. It was clearly still Laws manifest, yet it felt inverted. Intimately close, almost. Zac felt he could move even closer if he added the Void to his body. Perhaps it could even revert the faded state spreading through his body.

But he was plumb out of Void Energy after conjuring the vortex. His backup generator, [Void Heart], was no use either. It was fighting its own war, refining the rest of the tribulation lightning, unable to supply Void Energy. Neither did he have any Void Pills for obvious reasons.

In desperation, Zac could only turn to his Cosmic Core. The first streams of Law-sanctioned lightning had already entered its pathways, and it groaned under duress. Wait, duress? Zac grasped onto the incongruity like a drowning man, pulling with everything he had. And the Void answered.

A soothing nothingness emerged from his core, passing through the walls of his Duplicity Core before spreading through his body. It was pure Void Energy, unmarked by the ancient aura of his bloodline. It seemed to exist in another plane than the lightning, where the two coexisted without any interaction. His body was different, and Zac looked on as sections erased by Law slowly recovered like paint being added to a blank canvas.

The reformation wasn't as quick as the destruction, and his work was constantly undone as new streaks of lightning passed by. It was enough to give him a fighting chance. There was only so much lightning to spit out, and the first wave was already fading after impressing the Laws on his Cosmic Core.

It was all thanks to [Void Engine]. Each piece entering his Cosmic Core had unique features, where the [Void Engine] could continuously produce Void Energy. Similarly, Sendor said that the [Warstone] would let him recover energy in the heat of battle, providing an inherent ability similar to [Fields of Despair].

Those features had been conspicuously absent during the past ten months. He'd worried his unorthodox core formation method had ruined the spirituality, but that wasn't the case. Igniting his core had put its inner workings on full display, and the familiar auras were still there. With the added spirituality and strength from the upgrade, the core was finally able to display at least one of these abilities.

Zac held on for dear life, forgoing any attempts to direct the changes in his Cosmic Core. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he would have to take what he got. Luckily, Zac was almost certain it was the former, provided he had the strength to last to the end. The small changes taking place throughout his core looked random, but he felt an echo of the realignment he'd undergone.

A sudden and immense energy draw forced Zac's attention away from his core. It was the Duplicity Core coming alive, stealing both refined Tribulation Lightning and what little energy he'd saved from being erased. Worse, it drew on the Void, preventing any from leaving the quantum space.

Zac's thoughts grew hazy as his very existence faded. It would have been easy to curse the Kayar-Elu for stealing his lifeline. However, Zac knew they weren't the perpetrators behind his current plight. He roused his fading consciousness as he glowered at the starry sky.

It was almost as though he could see a set of eyes gazing down at him from far above. Zac's hand shot forth while the illusory Void Mountain reappeared in his Soul Aperture, fueled with what little Void Energy hadn't been siphoned off.

The 'unaffiliated' Void Energy was slow to follow his commands, especially when he tried to use it for a Bloodline Talent. Fear and urgency broke through all restrictions, and a pulse of severed fate spread through the valley with him as the epicenter. The overbearing Karmic thread held at bay by his Duplicity Core had been destroyed by the [Void Mountain]'s unstable infusion.

The last tribulation clouds dispersed the next second, severing the bridge between Zac and the mysterious intruder. The Specialty Core calmed down, and Zac slowly exhaled as Void Energy once more began undoing the desolation. The crackling reformation lasted another ten minutes before the trickle of lightning finally stopped.

The first two bolts had left his Cosmic Core wretched, shrunken, and burnt. The final bolt was even more terrifying. The core currently looked like a hologram, like it didn't exist in either quantum state. But, like Zac, it was slowly coming back to reality.

Zac glanced at the starry sky with lingering fear. Was the last-minute addition of Law Runes really a response to using [Void Mountain] to combat the second bolt? The wrath had felt so palpable and targeted, almost making Zac forget the Heavens wasn't a conscious entity like the System.

Cultivating Void shouldn't go against the Laws any more than cultivating Dao. They were cardinal rules governing both sides of the coin. It made more sense if it related to the Void Road, his rejection of Cosmic Destiny.

Zac had tried to get a better understanding of the Laws and Destiny since returning from the Centurion Lighthouse. Remaining ignorant was too dangerous when Laws had remolded his core, and he had stepped onto an unprecedented path of forming his own fate.

Were they looking for him, or had they noticed something unusual happening and tried to find out what? Zac frowned, opening his Quest Screen. Nothing had changed except for the [First Step of Destiny]-quest being gone. He'd been worried he'd somehow dragged the trial closer yet again.

Zac shook his head and got back to his feet. He had no way to investigate that spying presence. The Sangha was an obvious suspect, considering they tried to bind him with Karma. However, it could be any old faction who kept watch for changes in the river of fate. Zac could only be careful and keep his ears to the ground. Which changed nothing, considering he'd been on full alert since getting his hands on the first seal of the Left Imperial Palace.

Zac turned to Joanna, who stalwartly stood guard with spear in hand. He left her at the frontlines, so she must have returned to act as a Dao Guardian during his pre-breakthrough meditation. Deathly Miasma seeped out of the ground, seemingly drawn by her immovable figure. It was no surprise, considering the amount of carnage that spear had caused over the past month.

"Congratulations," Joanna said as she walked over.

There was not a hint of surprise or confusion on her face. The fact that he'd successfully stepped into Middle Hegemony was a matter of course, and an unplanned tribulation wasn't enough to shake her unwavering belief in him. Zac inwardly grimaced upon seeing the latest scar on her face. This one had almost taken her left eye.

He didn't know what to think of the transformation that began after she emerged victorious from her Sealbearer quest. The differences weren't too noticeable at first. It felt like she was simply getting used to her newfound power and the frontlines. Yet with each battle she led, the baleful air around her grew more intense while new wounds were added to the tally.

Passing the trial and Seizing the Indomitable Seal showed her a path forward and pushed her strength to the next tier. However, she intentionally suppressed her breakthrough and kept honing herself by treading the edge between life and death. Thankfully, it was soon over. Her baleful aura had begun transforming into something else.

Faith Energy, where he was the target. Joanna had chosen to fully embrace the path that allowed the Limitless Empire to lord over all creation, and her path was already spreading among the Valkyries. He'd already seen hints of the terrifying power brought by her beliefs. Her Endurance was nowhere near his, yet she'd almost seemed harder to kill as she tore apart one Kan'Tanu Hegemon after another in bloody melees.

"Thank you," Zac said, once more swallowing his misgivings. "Has your domain grown stronger?"

"When the Emperor prospers, so will his subjects," Joanna said, a small smile finally appearing on her face. "I'm breaking through as soon as we've confirmed the situation is stable."

"Good," Zac nodded. "How's the situation?"

"The Atwood Empire was upgraded to a Middle E-grade Faction in the War System twelve minutes ago," Joanna said. "The twenty-four hours have started."

The twenty-four hours referred to the Battlefront Arrays. After that short window, they would match his armies with enemies one stage higher, whether you were in the middle of a campaign or not.

"Any new Battlefronts opening?"

"Not as of right now."

"Good. Order the full reset and the upgrade," Zac said.

"Wait, there's something else," Joanna said, taking out a Cosmos Sack. "I received a package just before returning, along with a note to not drop this on your head? I had the Warfort quartermaster scan it for danger to make sure. It should be safe."

"Not drop on my" Zac muttered as he took the sack, eyes suddenly widening with realization.

Ventus Kalavan. Their duel in the Twilight Ocean ended with the Numerologist's abacus dropping on his head. Was this about their agreement? Wasn't Ventus supposed to perform a divination only right before they entered the Inheritance? Something must have changed. Zac wanted to investigate before upgrading Earth, but Joanna's next words made his mind come to a complete stop.

"Furthermore, Mr. Trang left his post three hours ago, handing over command of his beast to his grandson. He's entered terminal seclusion."