Defiance of the Fall

The ship shook violently, once more reminding Til'Siri about the inferiority of the humanoid form. The Heavenly Dao might favor the small bipedal races, but this was no way to travel. It felt like the frail tin can housing them could fail at any moment, dragging them into a chaotic spacetime to never be seen again. How could it compare to the Spacebeasts?

Her mother could have crossed this small stretch of the Eternal Storm in a few days, crushing the spatial storms with her body. Yet they had been locked in this steel cage for months, narrowly escaping death a few times over.

All the while, the war outside progressed while young talents rose to prominence in the System's eyes. Til'Siri's guts turned at the thought. They'd spent so much money and effort to accelerate the war, only for this fool to throw it all away. Yet she hid those thoughts in the depths of her heart as she knocked on the door.

It slid open a few moments later, and Til'Siri almost recoiled from the stench.

"Your eminence, you called?" the young roc said as she gingerly stepped into the mess-hall-turned-lair.

"The fulcrum has returned," the Primordial said from her throne of carcasses and assorted spoils amassed during their journey through the Million Gates Territory.

"I—Yes," Til'Siri nodded. "The one who escaped Lord Orom, who we fear alerted the Tayns and the Undead Empire to our goals, recently appeared on the global rankings in the other sector. He's reached Early D-Grade."

"Early Core Formation," the Primordial muttered. "Free fate for the taking. Find them."

"I fear that will prove difficult," Til'Siri hesitated. "It takes some time for reports to reach us here, but it seems he has entered the arranged battlefield of the Intersector war. The System won't make it easy to—"

"This System again," the Primordial spat. "So many rules, so many limitations. How will anyone reach the Terminus when coddled like this?"

Til'Siri didn't dare say anything to this stubborn old creature and her mounting annoyance with the drastically different world she'd woken up to. Any explanations had fallen on deaf ears, and she had been unwilling to play by the System's rules since the get-go. Til'Siri guessed she knew the reason. The Primordial was born from the Dao, a true daughter of the Heavens. Now, the System had appeared, placing itself between this creature and her origin.

Til'Siri would never say it out loud, but she increasingly felt that picking this relic of a bygone age to lead this mission was a mistake. Her strength defied all convention, but she was too set in her old ways. And with the road to the Ultom Courts being barred by the System's trial, you needed to play by its rules.

What good was strength when the Primordial refused to even register for the war or enter the pre-arranged battlefronts? Becoming a pawn of the false Heaven, she called it. So what? Better than wasting away in these flying coffins. The others were smart enough to just send manpower while staying behind and reaping merit. With the force amassed in this vast armada, they'd seize a foothold in no time. It wasn't too late to teleport over by that point.

Sure, they'd picked up four more seals for the youths sent over by the alliance, but those opportunities were on the battlefield as well.

"Fine. The Heavens will bring us together sooner or later. It's just a matter of time," the Primordial eventually relented. "How long until we arrive?"

"Two more months."

"Good," the Primordial said, throwing out a compass.

"What's this?" Til'Siri said as she looked at it with confusion.

"I sensed that something an old acquaintance left behind is nearby," the creature said. "We need to pick it up on our way. It should help us with our goal."

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Red vines and leaves were everywhere, and their thirst for blood was boundless. The demonic World Tree seemed able to ceaselessly produce new ones, and not even setting the thing aflame had curtailed its automated defenses. Yet the Calamity Company slaughtered their way from the outer branches toward the isolated domains within the foliage's depths.

The main branches were shaped like plateaus and almost a mile wide, forming a long city district with a wide central street. In the middle was a turbid river of blood-like sap that released energy into the surroundings. There were multiple rows of buildings to both sides, from which frightened faces occasionally peered. From others, bands of warslaves launched ambushes, taking advantage of the protection from their guardian tree.

Joanna's blood surged as the clashes and explosions around her formed a song of violence. The deepest shudders came from the tree crown's heart, where Zac was undoubtedly already unleashing a storm of violence upon the World Lord.

Splinters flew as a sword pieced the thick wooden wall to her side, and a streak of sinister light shot out from its tip. Joanna felt her perception expand as she split in two, where one avatar stabbed an assassin who had snuck up on her from behind. The other leaned forward, countering the sword strike with a stab of her spear.

Not so much as a splinter flew out as her condensed Dao and precise technique pierced through the mahogany wall. Her force was perfectly contained to the tip of her weapon until it went from wood to flesh. She released the force before retracting her weapon, and multiple infusions of Kill Energy confirmed [Warwhirl] had taken out the assassin and two companions hiding within the building.

Her two aspects fused back into one and [Battlefield Asura] reset, and she continued down the road without missing a step. Her lieutenants paved the path to her side, and not even those eluding detection could escape when the Raun Spectrals passed through walls in search of soldiers blending with civilians. You couldn't leave that kind of danger on their escape route.

The tearing sound was so overwhelming it felt as though the whole world was being ripped apart. In reality, it was just a single branch of the world tree being sacrificed to deal with their ships. Joanna shook her head at the futility. The tools used by the Atwood Empire wouldn't fall to something like this.

As expected, the six Cosmic Vessels smoothly moved out of the way, letting the branch and the city district upon it plummet toward the sea dozens of miles below. Joanna could hear the horrified screams from the Kan'Tanu citizens, but there was no time to feel sorry for those poor souls. She had her own to worry about.

"BRACE!" Joanna roared as she stabbed her spear into the ground.

The next moment, hundreds of the outer branches grazed the one they occupied. Her heart lurched as she felt a surge of momentum as the branch bent over fifty meters instantly, only to shoot right back up after withstanding the collision. The wind swept through the district the next moment, its force just as devastating as a hurricane.

Whole mansions were ripped into the sky, taking its hiding cultists with it. Gravel turned into deadly projectiles, but the shields formed with [Wargod's Favor] absorbed most of their force. Joanna felt like organs were forcibly rearranged, but her feet were steadily planted to the ground. A few bloody streaks appeared on her body, but the rubble was the least of her worries.

It was impossible to get a good look at their situation, but she knew hundreds of her men had been thrown off. She had no way to get them back at this moment, and she could only put her faith in their training. The soldiers sent to deal with the capitals were the best of the bunch, and everyone had various means of survival.

The citybranch calmed down, and Joanna exhaled in relief upon seeing soldiers appear one after another, often using movement skills or lunging attacks. The few who lacked such means used one of the [Roc Step Talismans] they'd been provided, creating small wings on their feet that let them step through the air and return. As for the others, it wasn't over yet. The ocean below wasn't safe, but falling into it was by no means a death sentence for a Late E-grade cultivator.

"Send a rescue team to the trunk," Joanna said.

"We still haven't secured the docks," Tamira answered.

"Deal with the leaders, then seal it," Joanna said, glancing toward the tree crown.

A dark mist had already covered an area the size of a small town, but it couldn't isolate the sounds of fighting within. They actually sounded further away, which likely meant Zac and Rhubat had broken through the outer perimeter and were now fighting the World Lords. She desperately wanted to join him, to stand by his side and sweep his enemies aside.

But she couldn't.

It was like the whole empire was like a beast come alive when its emperor returned. The Calamity Company had earned more Faction Merit in two weeks than any of their battlefronts earned in a month and a half. They were like an unstoppable juggernaut that gained more momentum with every victory.

However, being faced with Zac's monstrous power had turned into another tribulation for her Dao Heart. She'd always known he'd been desperately fighting and steadily progressing all this time, but the forces of the Atwood Empire hadn't really seen him in action since the integration. At most, there had been a few short bursts of dominance, like when he quashed the Raun plot.

Now, his presence increased on every battlefield, and it sometimes felt like there were no limits to the power contained within his body. She knew there was no point comparing herself to others, especially aberrations like her lord. She was on the right track as long as she was stronger than yesterday's self.

But it wasn't easy. It felt like she was standing on the outside, looking at the chosen ones within. Like she wasn't deemed worthy, disdained by the Heavens.

"It shouldn't be long before the prompt," Joanna sighed and put away the communicator.

She pushed any errant thoughts aside, holding onto Zac's words. There was always a chance so long as she held onto an indomitable heart. And the real opportunity was right around the corner. The Teleportation Hub was right ahead, and Joanna could feel the ripples of space from within. Every second, groups of Kan'Tanu flew out from the large structure atop oversized leaves, heading toward one of the dozen battlefronts spread across the island-sized tree.

She was just 100 merit short of finishing her quest, and someone with a bounty on their head was bound to guard that place. She sent out a few commands, and the wide line of soldiers began to gather as they closed in on the building. As expected, a regiment of over ten thousand elites was stationed outside, ready to defend their source of reinforcements with their lives.

A woman over three meters tall stood at the front, a large red halberd in her hand. She radiated a dense aura of Hegemony, and there were already three red rivers and a swirl of leaves floating around her. It almost looked like she was an avatar of the demonic tree, but Joanna could feel the familiar aura of the curse from her.

A perfect target to hone her skills.

"I'll deal with that one."

After today, she'd find out if it was possible to seize fate.

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"I've just received an answer from Lord Kaldor," Petrus said. "He accepts your proposal. Your duel has been postponed one day so that you can help conquer the satellite world."

"Good," Zac said before turning to Joanna. "We set off the moment the ships are unfurled."

"Of course," Joanna agreed. "I'll arrange everything."

"Thank you," Zac said. "I need to rest for a while. See if you can get a report on the situation with the Acheron Company before we set out."

Joanna nodded, though they both knew it was just for Petrus' benefit. Zac knew exactly the situation with the second Elite Army. They were waiting for the timer to run out before stepping onto their first hostile world, with his human half at the helm.

Petrus left soon after, leaving Zac alone in a tower the previous World Lord had used as a cultivation chamber. It was a shame he managed to teleport off-world before they'd even broken through the final neutral battleground, but you couldn't blame the guy for seeing which way the wind blew. The Kan'Tanu leader must have been quite connected to get recalled instead of fighting to his death like most lords he'd encountered.

Zac looked out at the sprawling city. The situation had already stabilized even if they hadn't unfurled the Cosmic Vessels yet. Having a dozen of those things floating above a capital was a powerful deterrent to ensure no one had any ideas. The streets were empty of locals after they'd declared martial law, but his soldiers were searching every nook and cranny with practiced ease.

Four weeks of non-stop campaigning had given his people ample experience dealing with the fallout of a successful conquest. The elites had become collection agents, targeting the affluent neighborhoods with pinpoint precision. Each squad was allowed to keep some of their harvests before turning the rest over to the quartermasters. There would undoubtedly have been all-out brawls if not for strict orders and fear of being kicked off collection duty or the Calamity Company entirely.

Zac had chosen the most pragmatic approach. As leader, he had access to all kinds of features on the battlefronts, including tallies of individual and squad merit. Using the available data, squads were assigned better looting locales the more they'd contributed to the campaign. It was another element of competition that spurred his soldiers to fight harder and push themselves even further.

On one of the largest squares, a recruitment center was being set up, and his collection agents and peacekeepers were already spreading the word. When martial law was lifted, the natives of the capital could apply for citizenship. The bulk of the army would leave for the next campaign soon enough, but some would stay behind to collect the loot for another week.

Over the past month, they had found a surprising number of talents without any Heart Curses in the world capitals. The prospects all had one thing in common; they were connected one way or another, allowing them to get civilian assignments rather than becoming warslaves. However, with their planet conquered and their backing killed, they feared what would happen when the foreign soldiers left and their old masters returned. The Kan'Tanu wasn't especially known for their leniency toward failure.

The Atwood Empire had already provided refuge to over a million who'd chosen to take a bet on a new life. There had been so many willing applicants, especially on the more mismanaged planets, that they could set up strict requirements on practical skills or affinity. They could have taken ten times more if they wanted, but they had to be pragmatic and only take on those who could be used in the war efforts.

Zac turned back from the window, knowing his people could deal with the cleanup without him keeping watch. Instead, he sat down and went over the next couple of days. Almost four weeks had passed since the Calamity Company was formed, and this was their fourth successful campaign.

Most opposition had been crushed without breaking a sweat. Only the third one had put up some resistance. A Middle D-grade Remoulded had controlled the planet, and the general level of fortifications and soldiers was significantly higher. They still hadn't encountered any of the Kan'Tanu's true elites, though—the Reincarnators who had undergone two baptisms.

The Remoulded had put up quite the fight, but he couldn't overcome Zac's overwhelm. Ultimately, he'd opted for mutual destruction by detonating his Heart Curse. Too bad for him that even the evolved curses failed to get a footing within Zac's body. He'd looked at Zac with a mix of confusion and outrage just as the light left his eyes.

It was also that conquest that had thrown Zac's plans for a loop. Zac shook his head as he opened his status screen.

[Flamebearer of Zecia (Campaign, Inheritance (1/?)): Lead your faction to conquer 9 Early D-grade worlds in the Zurbor Sector. Kill or capture one Sealbearer. Reward: Court Cycle Token. (8/9) (1/1)]

Who could have expected that the Remoulded kept a sealbearer captive?

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