Defiance of the Fall

More and more statues were coming alive, including those Zac hadn't passed yet. It didn't take long before Zac was forced to stay on the move to avoid the feelers emerging all around him. But the space was too narrow, and his movements stirred up the Faith Energy, exposing his position. There was no way he'd be able to avoid detection until the candles went out.

Zac narrowly avoided being pincered and appeared before the stele. He reached for one of the candles but shied away like he'd been burned when the vague threat turned into overwhelming wrath. Hidden runes on the ceiling and floor had briefly appeared to weaponize the immense amounts of Faith Energy.

Even the [Lucky Beads] around his neck hummed with warning, telling him in no uncertain terms that snuffing out the candles ahead of schedule would only result in death. The catacombs thankfully relented when he backed down, but his actions had awakened the last of the saints.

He was left with two options—hide his presence even further with his Void Emperor Bloodline or interact with the hostile saints. Each came with very real risks. Activating his Void Emperor Bloodline could be considered putting his Void Road on full display, flagrantly flaunting his rejection of the Imperial Fate that nourished the interred souls. The latter seemed marginally safer.

He might have been making a mountain of a molehill, where the sealed spirit's actions were a response to sensing an unidentified presence. They might lose interest after coming into contact and confirming there was no threat. Right or wrong, Zac had no time to perform a deep analysis with over a hundred feelers coming his way. He zigzagged further into the right corridor, appearing before a certain statue.

It depicted a rough-looking warrior holding onto a bardiche. He was a human, just like Zac, and one of the few Peak D-grade saints. He'd fallen defending a teleportation array far beyond his breaking point, allowing reinforcements to arrive. Among the many saints, Zac felt this man was the one closest to him in path and strength, which would hopefully count for something. Zac touched the D-grade saint's spiritual thread, channeling his Evolutionary Path while conveying his beliefs and desire to protect his home from invaders.

Rejection.

The saint's answer was a fierce, murderous rejection that made the statue vibrate with Killing Intent. It was like the spiritual wisp inside was so angry it tried to force its immobile housing to strike down the interloper. The reaction spread like a wildfire, passing through the gallery of saints in less than a second. The feelers were retracted, apparently knowing all they needed about the intruder.

Zac's heart hammered as he directly touched the statue's chest, desperately trying to find common ground with the agitated spirit as his Danger Sense grew increasingly urgent. The three weapons hanging in the central crossing were coming alive, pulling in vast amounts of Faith Energy to light up golden runes across their bodies. The Killing Array was even faster, blazing to life and kicking up a storm.

The ambient faith poured toward Zac like a swarm of angry wasps. Cracks identical to the wounds he got in the Halls of Service returned with twice the speed. The rejection of his presence was so absolute and determined that the damage spread to his other body, making Zac curse with fear and anger. Ogras and Esmeralda tried everything to slow down his collapse, even hiding his presence from the Heavens. Nothing worked against the unrelenting judgment of the Imperial Faith.

Zac's eyes were wild as he unleashed his bloodline to the limits. What was the point in holding back when things had come this far? Activating his imperial bloodline did nothing to calm down the commotion in the catacombs, but neither did it make it worse. Channeling his bloodline wasn't enough. It only made his torment more drawn-out, so Zac also activated [Void Zone].

A five-meter sphere of nullification formed around him, hiding the area from the Heavens and weakening the Imperial Faith. Only a hollow husk was left as the Killing Array entered his body, which only barely overcame his body's natural recovery rate. His D-grade bloodline would never have been able to accomplish such a feat when the Limitless Empire was still around to nourish and bolster their communal faith. Today, it was rootless and greatly weakened.

Unfortunately, [Void Zone] didn't offer a permanent solution to his plight. Holding back the catacomb's seemingly inexhaustible Faith Energy came with a huge drain on his Void Energy reserves. Meanwhile, the inert guardian weapons were feeding on the palpable Killing Intent. It was only a matter of time before they joined the attack.

The slow-burning candles indicated there was over an hour before the trial ended. How was he supposed to endure that long when his Void Energy would last half that at best? Escape to the outer hallways? Impossible. He'd never make it through those high-grade gates. Even if he did, so what? Some of the relics outside belonged to Autarchs. Even damaged, they posed a far greater threat than the defenses in here.

A loud snap interrupted Zac's thoughts. A large crack had appeared on the statue before him, which rapidly spread and forked.

"Wait—" Zac's gasped.

The saints were already angry enough to eat his flesh and drink his blood. He didn't want to even imagine how they'd react if he destroyed one of their brothers. A quick inspection confirmed he was the cause. His nullification sphere had disrupted the internal energy flow, creating dangerous leaks and faultlines. The Void had also damaged the spiritual wisp, making the large amounts of energy it controlled go berserk.

Was it a clash of incompatible Destinies? These saints weren't necessarily the strongest templars, and they weren't the only ones who had sacrificed their lives for the cause. There had to be something else about them that warranted this kind of immortalization. Each might have grasped an aspect of the Imperial Fate, which qualified them to pick who qualified to become a templar.

Zac was the progenitor of his Void Road, a solitary path that rejected outside influence, holding the same status as Laondio did for the Imperial Fate. His Destiny had barely formed, and comparing himself to the Limitless Empire was almost delusional. However, he wasn't facing Laondio today. He was dealing with an incomplete, discarnate soul following a path at its nadir, and the disparity was evident.

The statue crumbled before Zac's eyes, releasing a gust of gravelly dust and ancient faith. The already intense Killing Intent bearing down on Zac reached unprecedented heights. Zac's brows rose when he felt the pressure grow marginally weaker. A streak of light emerged from the statue's core, preempting the plan that had begun forming in the back of his mind.

The shimmering sphere held faith, yet it felt benevolent, inviting—a stark contrast to the rest of the room. The light filled Zac with the same desire as when he encountered top-tier treasures. There was even a hint of providence swirling around the blob, proving the mysterious energy was extraordinary. There was no hint of the spiritual will, which could only mean this was the thing the saint was guarding—its blessing. Zac instinctively reached out, and it was like the wisp was drawn to him.

Releasing [Void Zone] for even a second was out of the question. Thankfully, the light only partly dimmed as it passed through the Void to enter Zac's body. The Faith Energy had protected the mysterious force hidden within. [Void Heart] stirred while [Purity of the Void] and [Immutability of Eoz] remained calm, confirming the light was beneficial.

More crackling sounds made Zac turn his head before he got a chance to investigate the blessing. The statues next to the baldriche-wielding saint had partly been within [Void Zone]'s sphere of influence, turning them into collateral damage. The pressure further lessened with three statues down for the count, and two more lights snuck into Zac's body.

Zac's cells were veritably screaming with desire at this point, and he had to stop his Void Emperor bloodline from absorbing the blobs calmly floating in his chest. Judging by the makeup, the largest benefit from the lights was the incredibly pure Faith Energy. Zac suspected it could catalyze and refine a templar's accumulated faith. Even someone like Joanna should be able to benefit greatly despite having a different faith.

That part wasn't of much use to Zac, and he let it be extracted and absorbed by [Void Heart]. Expelling such pure energy seemed like a waste. The rice was already cooked, and spitting out a part of the blessing wouldn't make any difference after coming this far. It was better used as nourishment for [Void Mountain], which hadn't gotten to absorb many Faith-attuned Natural Treasures.

The Faith Energy didn't resist at all, voluntarily entering his Hidden Node to be refined. The mysterious force that remained was even more interesting. The closest aura Zac could think of was Attribute Fruits, though the lights felt far purer and more profound. Esmeralda had said that a real blessing could impart a permanent raise in power, whether it was a person or treasure. This had to be it. Getting a saint's recognition in the Pilgrimage of Faith wasn't just a requirement to pass. It was an opportunity to gain an actual powerup.

The three lights were like raw bundles of potential. Better yet, the energy seemed wholly detached from anything related to the templars or Imperial Fate. He could use the blessings however he wished to improve. Interestingly, they weren't quite unattuned like Origin Dao, instead carrying their own characteristics without emitting any real sense of Dao. His Soul Cores only seemed to be interested in one of the lights, while his Cosmic Core wanted two. Of course, his voracious bloodline wanted them all.

Zac's eyes shone with madness and greed as he looked at the neat rows of heroes and guardians. Accidentally destroying three statues had lessened the pressure he faced by an equal amount. If he took all of them out, wouldn't he have stopped the Killing Array entirely? And each pinata—no, saint—even held easily-refined powerups?

"I'm sorry, but you've left me no choice."

Three more statues came under the attack of the Void as Zac switched positions. The sense of peril coming from the guardian weapons grew more urgent as the statues resisted his domain, and Zac frowned with impatience. Hungry tendrils shot out from his World Ring as one vine after another latched onto the saints on the other side.

Haro's efforts weren't enough to even budge the statues, let alone drag them into Zac's nullification zone. Zac felt the Heavenrender's fury through their link, but his attempts to tear the statues apart didn't leave so much as a scratch. Faith protected the statues like armor, and only the Void could deal with the vulnerable sections within. That didn't mean [Void Zone] was his only option.

The illusory mountain descended in his Soul Aperture, and Zac drove large amounts of Void Energy into his arms. He placed his hands against the statue's chest and flooded it with his Bloodline Talent. Infusing the stone with [Void Mountain] was almost too effective. It exploded like a shrapnel bomb, hurling Zac into the opposite wall with enough force to make him see stars.

Zac shook his head and lunged back, snatching the blessing before it could escape or disperse. Only then did Zac notice the palpable hunger from [Void Mountain]. His newest bloodline talent seemed just as interested in the blessings as his cells and was willing to take on all four blessings without [Void Heart] refining them first. Zac didn't need any deliberation before funneling the blobs into his Soul Aperture, forcibly quelling the hunger from his cores.

One by one, the blessings seeped into the mountain, which released grand ripples of anti-truth in return.

"Holy crap," Zac whispered, almost forgetting the predicament he was in.

How could the blessings be so effective? They weren't even refined and inverted into a semi-void state by [Void Heart]. The first blessing he got added more progress than a month of constant refining and infusing Natural Treasures. The blessing from the C-grade Saints was even more useful, providing almost twice the gains.

The discrepancy should stem from the deeper comprehension of a Monarch. A blessing was an imprint of someone's cultivation. Even if the lights contained roughly the same amount of energy, one was made from better materials. It was just like the Life and Death he'd generated by splitting a Chaos Mote during his D-grade breakthrough. On the surface, the truths were no different from normal Life and Death, but something deeper was encoded in their DNA.

Then what about the B-grade cardinals like Eleani Ano? Would the benefits be twice that of Monarchs? Or even more?

If he let [Void Mountain] absorb the whole sanctum, he would save decades of work on his Bloodline Talent. It might be enough to make it permanent or even unearth the hidden feature of [Spiritual Void]. It wasn't just a matter of saving time and money. Having [Void Heart] constantly refine energy for [Void Mountain] had a high opportunity cost. Whether it was his Cosmic Core, [Force of the Void], or his Eoz bloodline, all could benefit from [Void Heart]'s tempered energy.

Any lingering misgivings about the Eternal Servant's deadly response were thrown out the window as Zac tabulated the benefits. The servant still hadn't appeared, but his human half was probably already slated for death. So why not make the most of the situation? Who knew? It might even be possible to reform this half like a missing limb so long as the other side survived.

Zac's vision of a bright future was interrupted by a scream of danger. One of Haro's vines dragged Zac backward, allowing him to narrowly avoid a terrifying blade formed by the guardian sword. The attack was formed by a huge amount of pure Faith Energy, and it had to be imbued with something equivalent to an Earthly Dao. The blade hadn't even fully awakened, and it was already releasing attacks at the level of Peak Hegemons.

The scepter was just a step behind. The empty chalice needed more time, but Zac's hair stood on end as he sensed its well-contained aura. It was drawing extraordinary amounts of Faith Energy, condensing it into a shimmering liquid. The chalice was only half-full and already held enough power to threaten his life.

Zac turned into a blur, rapidly slapping six statues with the Void. At that moment, an illusory crystal sprouted right in his face, expanding to take up half the wing. The scepter's attack didn't harm a hair on the statues, but both Zac's figure and space tore apart. The real Zac appeared on the opposite side of the inner hall, glancing fearfully at the dummy formed by a displacement treasure.

Another five statues received a touch of death before Zac used [Skystriker] to return to his original position. His movement skill was so fast it looked like he teleported in the confined environment. In reality, he had not. The guardian weapons were placed in the catacomb intersection, and unbearable pain almost made Zac lose control of his skill when he passed the stele.

He appeared in a burst of blood, picking up the six blessings waiting for him before touching a few more statues. The sword had generated a hidden domain, and passing through left him with deep lacerations. He was given no time to recover as another blade tried to cut him apart. The attacks grew increasingly frequent, forcing Zac to change strategy.

An armor of bark appeared over his body as the small crypt was filled with trees. They rapidly withered under the unrelenting onslaught of the Killing Array, but they did help Zac briefly lessen the pressure by taking on most of the punishment. Zac emerged in the intersection by the chalice, stepping out from a tree just before it was shredded.

A wheel made from golden wood appeared behind his back. It was no larger than a manhole cover, and its golden luster made it look like a divine halo. Five densely engraved spokes connected the wheel with its hub, replacing the pillars of old. The center of the wheel was a round wood cutting depicting the cycle of nature.

The D-grade version of [Empyrean Aegis] had instantly crumbled when protecting him in the Pilgrimage of Combat. However, that fireball had been launched by a Monarch, and just surviving the shockwave was a blessing. And while Zac wouldn't trust the golden barrier to fully deal with the faith-imbued attacks from the guardian weapons, it was enough to temporarily block out the Sword Domain.

Zac looked at the sloshing waters of pure faith within the chalice, his brows furrowing with determination as he activated [Void Zone]. The nullification zone fell completely flat in its attempt to snuff out the glowing runes on the chalice's surface, though it did ruin the efforts of drawing Faith Energy. It was like the chalice had been sealed in an airtight container, unable to reach the dense energies waiting on the other side.

That wasn't enough for Zac—the other weapons were dangerous enough. He didn't want to see what kind of mayhem the most powerful treasure would cause when the chalice was filled. Zac knew his plan would drastically exacerbate his growing list of sins, but what else could he do? He'd need to get out of the trial before he could worry about getting a death sentence. So long as it gave him a slim chance at survival, he'd tear down the whole crypt.