Defiance of the Fall

There really was a Holy Relic hidden in this remote training facility, and it seemed even stronger than Zac expected. Could it be part of a contingency where the templars hid their greatest relics, planning for a resurrection when the Dao recovered? But if that were the case, why did it have such an ominous name?

He'd pictured something like the three guardian weapons, not a 'Seed of the Apocalypse.' Then again, its name didn't matter. There seemed to be many restrictions surrounding it, but it could be another lifeline in case their Foreign Gods gambit didn't pan out.

"I suggest you give up. The seed holds enough destruction to reshape the Heavens. Are you worthy of wielding such power? Do you think it comes without a price?" Rava said, her voice full of reproach. "That said, the appearance of our Terminal Son is the first criterion of its manifestation. I will not stand in the way of destiny, but I suggest you forget about the matter until you Confirm your Dao. Before that, you'll likely end up a puppet to its will."

"Confirm my Dao?" Zac sighed, realizing his desire to solve the Kan'Tanu threat had gotten the better of him.

Rava's comment about puppets and will made the Seed of the Apocalypse sound like the Heart of Oblivion and its archnemesis. Zac was worried about combining five measly splinters of those ancient entities. How was he supposed to wield a complete item and use it to take out the Kan'Tanu armies across Zecia?

And honestly, he shouldn't have to. Zecia would have to pick up the slack if he managed to unleash the Foreign Gods. If they couldn't even do that, then Zecia was bound to collapse anyway. Would the System bother to protect Zecia after such a shameful display? More likely, it would open the gates wide open to let outsiders search for opportunities in the wake of the pillar's ascent.

Zac dropped the subject, turning to something else that had been rattling in the back of his mind for the past few days.

"You said that my bloodline carries dangerous implications before I entered the trial. What does that mean?"

"I'm sure you have many questions, but why should I answer? You've chosen a path of independence, and your unwillingness to pick a side in the Zenith War is evident. Make no mistake, we are not allies. We are both getting something out of our exchange. If you want more, you need to offer something of equal value. Eschewing balance will harm us both."

"Balance…" Zac whispered, his eyes glazing over.

Rava's words carried a unique cadence that pushed Zac into a transcendent state. Suddenly, the curtains parted before his eyes.

To cultivate was to steal from the Heavens. The further you diverged from the Law of Balance, the greater the universe would suppress you. The greater the deficit, the greater the backlash. Unorthodox Cultivators wantonly broke it in their pursuit of power, using sinister methods to hide from the Heavens.

What did it mean to be orthodox? You couldn't cultivate without breaking the Law of Balance, but perhaps you could mitigate the backlash by aligning your actions with the laws. Didn't he have countless examples of this?

The System always maintained balance in its operations. The same was true for all the old masters he'd encountered. Sendor, one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse, strictly adhered to a principle of equilibrium in their dealings. The Realm Spirit didn't have to give Zac anything if he didn't want to. What was Zac supposed to do if Sendor said no?

The same was true for Laondio's wisp. Zac had his suspicions of events being manipulated, but Laondio had provided something in return at every step of the way. Iz was adamant about maintaining balance, from trading attacks for information to reciprocating when Zac shared his quest. Rava had paid for her trickery by opening the Halls of Service.

Even Ogras followed this logic when reforging his flag, as had his mother when she took Kenzie away. They all formed virtuous cycles by enforcing balance on themselves and others. Certainly, it was impossible to always maintain balance, and the acts of reciprocity shouldn't be confused with acts of charity.

So what about him? His vision for the [Void Vajra Sublimation], which had spread to other aspects of his path, was to take what he needed and seal off everything else. There was never any concept of balance, of reciprocity. But the Void wasn't above the Law of Balance, and neither was he.

His path was flawed.

The Eternal Servant must have discovered the imbalance and decided to help him see it, too. The epiphany didn't have an answer on how to reform this aspect of his path, and it wasn't something that needed to be immediately addressed. Just being aware and conscious of the concept was enough for now. Zac slowly exhaled and bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you."

"So long as you understand," the servant said and handed him a token. "You will not pass the screening with your affinities, so I've issued a token directly. You can discover the rest on your own. I need to leave and gather information."

Rava disappeared, leaving Zac alone in the fully functional Halls of Service. Zac tabled the matter of upholding balance, focusing on the matter at hand. He updated Ogras on the situation before walking over to the information pillar. He infused his will, and a stream of information gave Zac a comprehensive rundown of the base. By the time he'd given it a quick once-over, he found the demon standing by his side.

"You got in?" Zac said with surprise. "And you actually dared enter?"

"The barrier around this building is gone. The others remain intact," Ogras said, looking around with interest. "As for daring… If you say it's safe, I'll trust you. Who has a better nose for trouble? Where is the senior?"

"She said she needed to find information and left."

"I can imagine, after being sealed longer than the Ruthless Heavens have existed," Ogras nodded. "So what happened? Seemed like you were hiding something before. Don't worry; I highly doubt that toad dares take one step into these halls. She still seems deadly afraid of the Eternal Servant. I'll spell my name backward if she hasn't robbed a few templar treasuries in her day."

The demon was definitely onto something. Esmeralda had staunchly refused to go with Ogras, instead returning to the shrine after confirming Zac's Draugr half wasn't coming along. Giving it some thought, Zac told Ogras about his new designation and its potential connection to his Flamebearer status.

"A Holy Son, you?" Ogras snickered. "Well, you can look at it like a compliment. Their evaluation of you must be high if they put this much effort into tying you to their chariot. And if you ask me, it's better to be manipulated by the Emperor's ghost and the Ruthless Heavens than some outsider faction. If you're going to be someone's stooge, you might as well pick the faction with the biggest fist."

Zac rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm very flattered. So what do you think?"

"This is so far beyond me I don't know which thread I should pull. I'd suggest you don't tell another soul and forget about it until it becomes a problem. Becoming a chosen of these templars could be construed as an attempt to revive the Limitless Empire. That doesn't just pose a threat to the Imperial Heavens. Everyone cultivating under the Ruthless Heavens will try to prevent the return of its architects. They control the System, and the System controls us."

"You're right," Zac said. "I guess I'll just have to keep working. The stronger we get, the more we'll be able to control our fate."

"On that note," Ogras said as he eagerly looked at the various gates. "How are things here?"

"You need to pass the screening to get an access token," Zac said, pointing at the platform in the middle. "All the other buildings require merit to enter. The list of facilities is pretty damn impressive. If we survive the pillar and its aftermath, we'll have the foundations to become a peak faction in Zecia."

"It's that good?" Ogras whistled.

"It's that good. We won't be able to access the best stuff in the short run, though."

"Maybe the Holy Son gets to go for free? Perhaps while bringing a friend or two for company?" Ogras grinned.

"You'd think, right? Well, I'm better off with my starting bonus. Anyways, the hallways are feats or simpler trials. Their rewards aren't very high, but they are mostly safe if you enter prepared. Repeated use costs merit points."

"Sounds like a basic contribution system. You prove your cultivation has reached a certain threshold and receive the equivalent rewards," Ogras nodded.

"The real rewards are in the steles and missions. Don't know about the latter, though."

"Give me a second," Ogras said, appearing atop the testing platform.

"Easy," Ogras grinned two minutes later, waving an identical token to Zac's.

"Well, the order does have a desperate personnel shortage. I guess they can't be choosy and test for things like personality."

"Whatever," Ogras laughed and touched the information pillar. "Alright, let's check out the mission board."

The mission board was located in an empty spherical room with a pillar in the middle. Or rather, the room was the board. The walls were absolutely covered in glowing runes.

"There's actually missions? And so many?" Zac exclaimed.

"There's hundreds of beast-slaying quests," Ogras whistled. "But I don't recognize a single species or location. What's going on? Are they old quests from before the place was sealed?"

"Instructor Rava?" Zac said, shrugging when the Eternal Servant ignored his call. "They seem recently added. Maybe there are Mystic Realms inside? This is a top-tier training facility. They can't just send their templars-in-training to the frontlines, right?"

"Mystic Realms left untouched since the Limitless Empire's era?" Ogras said, sharing a knowing look with Zac. "Look at the grades."

The missions were assigned stars for difficulty, ranging from one to seven. There were barely any extermination quests below three stars, where the targets were Early Beast Kings. Late Beast Kings were mostly five stars, six if there were special circumstances. Six Star Missions and above were placed on the pillar in the middle. They dealt with Peak Kings or Half-Step Beast Emperors. The few seven-star quests targeted genuine C-grade beasts.

If their theory was correct, the mission rewards were the least of the potential benefits. Such ancient Mystic Realms could very well hold treasures and resources that didn't exist or had gone extinct on the outside. If their energy was dense enough to raise Beast Emperors, there should even be the kind of C-grade Natural Treasures that required millions of years to form.

"Let's not get too excited. Top-level beasts will guard any top-level treasures," Zac said. "And these quests might not even be real. It could all be inside illusion realms like the trial."

"I assure you, they are real. Our facilities have been left unattended for too long, leaving them in a state of disrepair. Clearing out the mission board is but the starting point of your reclamation work."

Both Ogras and Zac swirled around, finding the Eternal Servant floating behind them.

"You," Rava continued, her gaze trained at Ogras. "You're not templar material."

"My apologies. Then I shall just—" Ogras said, but a wall of faith stopped his hasty retreat.

"However, the world is not black and white, and people like you fill an important role. While such soldiers were generally raised elsewhere, we still have ways to temper your edge," the Eternal Servant said, and a streak of light entered Ogras's token. "Your commander said you have three weeks. Here is your progression plan. Expect punishment if you don't live up to my expectations."

"My progression—" Ogras repeated, his eyes wide with confusion as he glanced at Zac, who didn't know what to say.

"Uh, Instructor Rava? I thought you left? What's this about a plan?"

"I thought I was clear when I asked to be addressed as instructor? I have a training plan for you, too," Rava said as another light entered Zac's token. "I took a look outside to better understand your cultivation and the current era. These are the people I find acceptable."

There was a lot to unpack in Rava's answer. Zac began by infusing his will into his token, and he found two sets of information added. One was an incredibly detailed training regimen with step-by-step instructions and his expected performance. The other was a list of names. It was the latter that was the cause of the frown that slowly appeared on Zac's face.

Rava had only listed two hundred of his subordinates, meaning it was impossible to use the Ensolus Ruins to train his soldiers en-masse. The bigger problem was that a good chunk of the names on the list belonged to the Echelon Class, none of which were on Ensolus at the moment. Had Rava visited Earth? Just how far could this supposedly restricted entity move? Zac shuddered upon realizing there was no escape if Rava actually wanted to kill them.

Zac copied the list onto an information crystal and handed it to the demon. "What do you think?"

"Priority for those who are joining the graveyard mission. Compulsory among the enlisted. As for the rest… Not sure."

"The children," Zac said, turning back to Rava. "Their paths are still not set. What would their training entail?"

"You're worried I'll fill their heads with nonsense?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't have them joining a long-gone templar order. It'll add a target on their backs, and it's not right to put that kind of weight on their shoulders."

"The birth of a templar requires both Faith and Fate. Lacking just one means they have no affinity with the order, so they can only find another path for themselves. And if they have both, is it your place to stop their pursuit?" Rava said, and Zac felt the double meaning behind her words. She lightly nodded before turning to Ogras. "Are you still here?"

"Ah?" Ogras said, withering under the servant's intense stare.

"Just go. I'll update the other sealbearers first. We can decide what to do with the rest after we've experienced the training for a week."

"Two trials and seven feats to accumulate merit. Of course, right away," Ogras said and slunk away.

"You seem confident in your ability to escape. You're welcome to try, though you should be aware that it will mark you as a deserter. I'm sure you'd discover if I placed a mark on your body," Rava calmly said just as Ogras was about to leave the Mission Halls.

The demon momentarily froze before scurrying toward one of the hallways.

"For a righteous templar, you seem to really enjoy tormenting us youngsters," Zac muttered.

"Whenever did I say us templars were righteous? When has righteousness ever accomplished anything?" Rava countered. "We were willing to sacrifice everything to further our cause, so why would we restrict ourselves based on a rigid code of conduct?"

"Fine. Why do you want to control our training plan?"

"Fate brought you here. I cannot see what role you'll play in the future, but I refuse to be the reason you're found wanting now that we've embarked on this path."

"I've already chosen my path, as have most of the stronger people on your list. Taking outside input—"

"You have three weeks," Rava scoffed. "Do you have time to rework your cultivation? You're leaky vessels, and I'm a shipwright performing emergency repairs. You and the demonling are the best balanced, but your frantic progress has left hidden weaknesses. Before adding more weight to your path, you first need to mend the cracks in your foundations.

"Three weeks is not enough to accomplish that—you'll need centuries of refinement and consolidation. But my regimen will let you advance a bit further without harming your future. The others are walking imperfect paths, a few wholly missing some of the building blocks required when pursuing the Dao. Controlled suffering will let them see the truth while shoring up their greatest weaknesses."

Zac could see what Rava meant after going through the pilgrimages. He was considered an odd one out for cultivating Soul, Body, and Heart, even if his Heart cultivation was only a minor part of his Body Tempering Manual. Zac wasn't confident a single one of his followers could do it, even after reaching Peak Hegemony. As Rava said, Ogras was the only one who might succeed, thanks to this training under the Faceless Patriarch.

It was a stark contrast to the templars, who all seemed to have tempered all aspects of their cultivation. Even the weakest templars who failed to appear on a single ladder would need rock-solid foundations to pass all the trials. It was a very different approach from what you saw today, where cultivators focused on their strong points and shored up their weaknesses with skills, equipment, or even banding up with Dao Partners.

"Cultivation is different today," Zac offered.

"The Imperial Tutor has not changed the nature of cultivation. Its teachings and unfathomable methods may have raised the cosmos to a level of unprecedented prosperity. However, its assistance seems to have made some of you forget the inviolable truths discovered by your predecessors.

"A tripod cannot hold up the Heavens when it's missing a leg, and the path of an elite cannot rely on outside strength. It will leave a gap in their armor that an enemy will eventually discover. The Era is approaching its Zenith with unexpected speed. The struggle and suffering you've seen is just a prelude. Most of your followers will perish no matter what you do, but a few might get to see the conclusion if you begin your preparations early."

Rava's cynical evaluation felt suffocating. Was she right? Was the struggle for the fifth pillar the start of the war over the Era's direction? That struggle had felt like a distant concept when he first heard of it in the Perennial Vastness. Zac had subconsciously expected to be long dead by that point.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Rava said. "Let me be clear, punishment for failing to live up to my expectations was not an empty threat. A Holy Son, especially, cannot be found wanting. I'll make sure of that."