Defiance of the Fall

Esmeralda's warning was entirely superfluous, considering the very core of his being screamed of mortal peril. The voice of the ghost before him had been calm, but there was a chilling killing intent hidden in her question. The kind he'd felt from his mother when she talked about the System or those who betrayed the Kayar-Elu.

Zac would have loved nothing more than to follow Esmeralda's urgings to escape. But did he dare, knowing running was an admission of guilt? He'd be lucky if he got halfway to the gate before a blast of faith turned him into consecrated ash.

This 'Eternal Servant' possessed power far beyond Hegemony, possibly beyond anyone in Zecia. And even that terrifying power felt like the tip of a bottomless iceberg. Zac wasn't an unfettered thief like Esmeralda, who could disappear when she was exposed. A simple thought could annihilate his team waiting outside, and Zac didn't dare give any indication through his other body.

Besides, escape where? A barrier made by Faith Energy had blocked the exit. Worse, a hidden array had activated when the Eternal Servant spoke, sealing his Cosmic Core and Soul Aperture. Even the brand holding Sendor's lifesaving mark had been sealed, preventing him from using one old monster to fight another. Seeing it triggered a flash of anger as it made Zac recall Sendor's reluctant face when he imparted them.

That old Realm Spirit had really pulled one over on him. Zac had already discovered the reason why Ysehad so effortlessly blocked its activation. It wasn't that Sendor had betrayed him and shared the secret with the Imperial Heavens. Rather, Sendor had taken advantage of Zac's lacking experience, knowing the letter and spirit of Zac's request were very different.

What Heartland Chosen didn't have one or two lifesaving imprints on their bodies? Localizing and neutralizing them was an important aspect of life-and-death battles between scions of high-grade forces. It was a constant battle where opposing factions investigated and reinvented their seals to gain an edge. Meanwhile, Sendor had placed his seals right in the open without protection or obfuscation.

That way, the Realm Spirit wouldn't have to worry about Zac activating the seal against powerful outsiders, creating unwanted enmities. Only the barbarians on the frontier would fail to recognize the seal for what it was, and Sendor wouldn't mind saving him from slocal Monarch.

Without any escape route or protection, Zac could only fall back on old tricks.

"Wait, wait!" Zac urged as he took out the [Court Cycle Token]. "I'm not an enemy of the Empire or the Templars! I accidentally unearthed these buildings, but we thought they were long abandoned!"

Using the token as credentials seemed like the best route. It had gotten him out of similar situations inside the Centurion lighthouse, even if the energy sentinels back then were nothing compared to this so-called servant.

Exposing his bloodline was more likely to backfire than not. Even Zac didn't know whether Karz joined the Selvari as part of a plot or if he truly becthe Emperor's enemy. But to the outside world, his ancestor had publicly been part of the Sindris clan for hundreds of thousands of years and greatly assisted them in slowing down the Limitless Empire's advances. If this servant recognized the Void Emperor bloodline, she would most likely know it as a high-priority enemy.

"A flawed creature exiled from the lower planes think they can understand our undertaking, our sacrifice? Impudent."

Zac didn't have the chance to react before a flash of light preceded blinding pain. Esmeralda's mark had been destroyed, taking a chunk of flesh with it. There didn't seem to be any Dao behind the attack, and Zac's dual constitutions would normally have healed such a wound in no time. And yet, Zac felt cracks spread from the scorched wound as a mysterious force destroyed him from within. His Hidden Nodes fought back, but it did little to help. It felt like he was being banished by the universe, crumbling bit by bit.

Zac didn't get the chance to ask anything else as a wave of weakness he hadn't felt in years swept through him. His connection with his other body had been severed, reducing his shot at survival even further. Sweat poured down his back as he held up the token, silently enduring the pain. The Eternal Servant looked at the token, and Zac's heart sank when she slowly shook her head.

"Stolen valor and heterogeneity, a parasite feasting on our history."

More cracks opened across Zac's body as the chamber's restrictive array joined the wound to reject his existence. Zac knew he was out of options, and a primordial aura exploded from his body. The Void suffocated the invading force, drastically slowing down his slow and agonizing death. The large hall was instantly covered in trees from [Apex Jungle] as the array failed to contain the Void.

The skill was still torn apart with prejudice by the chamber's latent power. It didn't matter. A fraction of a second was all Zac needed. He had conjured a tree on top of his position, whisking him away. The Void Energy had failed to pass through the faith barrier barring his way back, so he emerged right before the spatial gate at the opposite side of the building.

Its Spatial Energy was far greater, and there was no telling what waited on the other side of the shimmering film. Most likely, it would malfunction from having lost connection with its other end. Rolling the dice was better than staying. His gambit was as much a way to gauge her reaction to his bloodline as an actual escape plan—her reaction would decide whether he stepped through the gate.

The burgeoning Killing Intent that almost twisted the pure nature of the immense Faith Energy was all the answer Zac needed. And yet, Zac didn't step through. A spear holding a sea of death and boundless conviction had torn through the faith barrier on the other side of the hall like it was made of paper.

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Propelling it forward was Joanna, radiating unbending faith that bravely fought against the far-greater Imperial Faith latently emitted by the Eternal Servant. Joanna's faith rapidly transformed into an illusory avatar, also pointing a spear at the servant, an ability Zac had never seen before.

Everything about the avatar was blurry and hollow except the eyes. They held a sea of blood and mountains of corpses. The monstrous accumulation of death and carnage made the whole chamber shake, causing disruptions to its arrays. Even the Eternal Servant seemed to take the threat seriously, forming a radiant shield made from pure faith.

Zac followed Joanna's desperate urging, except not in the way she hoped. She wanted to use shidden method to exchange her life for his, but his conscience couldn't stand for such a thing. This wasn't the battlefield where death waited around every corner. He was the one who had been too desperate for power, unsealing something that should have remained buried. How could he let someone else take the fall for his greed?

Madness shone in Zac's eyes as he shot toward the Eternal Spirit for a pincer attack. Of course, he held no delusions that their attacks would be able to harm this being. However, he did have something that had a small shot at creating an opening. A box radiating both Merit and Mara appeared in his hands, and he rapidly began undoing its seals.

It was the very box Esmeralda gave him when she and Lova fist visited him in the Perennial Vastness, having just stolen it from the ghost temple where he got his [Lucky Beads]. Zac had kept the box by his side since he got it, occasionally infusing it with his Dao to whittle away at the sinister energies inside. Years had passed, and his efforts had barely yielded any results. It was to be expected since Lova had said it would take centuries of work before the calamitous item could beca Dharmic Instrument.

He'd never considered using it during his many desperate situations. After all, the cursed item clearly had sform of sentience that resisted his refinement. It was more likely to target him than his enemies if he undid the seals. However, this was the best thing he could think of. Maybe faith and sin would cancel each other out, giving him and Joanna a chance to escape.

Another flash of light dashed any hopes of opening Pandora's box and unleashing a storm of mutually assured destruction. The Eternal Servant proved that neither Void nor hidden aces mattered before utmost power. Zac had been transported to Joanna's side, and they were forced to the ground under an intense suppression. Meanwhile, the Eternal Servant was holding the box, which seemed to struggle to escape her grasp.

"You—" Joanna said while fighting against the pressure.

"You knowbetter than that," Zac smiled, knowing what she wanted to say. "How did you figure out I was in trouble?"

"I suddenly saw through the barrier and acted on instinct," Joanna said. "Maybe my Faith Energy resonated with this room."

"Thank you for trying. Sorry for getting you dragged into this mess," Zac sighed, maintaining a façade of helplessness as he sought other ways out.

"I have no regrets, except you not taking the chance to escape."

"Don't be too sad," the entity said, and Zac's heart lurched upon seeing her throw the box with the force of a cannonball.

Zac felt a powerful force crash into his back the next moment. Lying on the ground was the box, having been spat out of the other exit. Zac wryly smiled as he picked up the box, seeing a set of Faith-based seals had been added. He wasn't opening this thing anytsoon.

As expected, escaping or defeating this unfathomable guardian was futile. Everything had been under her control from the beginning, which was incredibly good news. After all, they were still alive.

"This was all a test?"

"I figured I could use the toad's disdain of my mental faculties to get the answers I needed," the servant calmly said. "Only at the edge of death can you see a man's true nature. And if you couldn't overcsuch a small hiccup, I could only assthe Emperor's voice was an enemy in disguise. There's no lack of forces trying to sabotage our undertaking."

"So, did we pass?" Zac asked.

The Eternal Servant ignored the question and turned to Joanna. "You carry the legacy of Godking Eyler. Your path is bound to be filled with struggle, but that is the case for any worthy goal. Are you willing to suffer to save this man?"

"I am."—

"Then go," the servant said, and a nearby gateway lit up. "Pass the trial and prove your faith, and you can both leave. Of course, you're free to leave on your own. The templars owe the Emperor's Spear that much."

"I'll be back," Joanna said and flashed away.

Zac smiled with relief when Joanna disappeared through the gate. It wasn't that he was confident in Joanna's ability to pass whatever test waited on the other side, but he believed she would be safe whether he lived or died. As for the Eternal Servant's promise, he treated it as air. Imperial Faith was already digging into his body now that Joanna had left.

"Your bloodline carries dangerous implications," the servant said. "I cannot tell whether your existence is a blessing or a curse. You're a variable that shouldn't exist. The whispers from the past urged us to help you, but I can't ascertain whether it's the right path. Not even the Emperor's word can supersede the undertaking, and the eddies of thave created uncertainties."

"What can I do to nudge your judgment in my favor?" Zac sighed.

"First, how fares the empire?"

"That's…" Zac hesitated. "It's gone. Has been for a very, very long time. The Emperor awakened the System and disappeared, ushering in the Dark Ages. There was nothing left when the Heavens returned. No one seems to know exactly what happened back then."

Zac steeled himself, afraid the Eternal Servant would go berserk. But he also didn't dare lie.

"Flesh and stone crumble. Faith remains. I can sense it. How marvelous. It's too early, but the Zenith approaches," the servant said as she looked to the sky. Only much later did she speak up again.

"Explain how you awakened this realm without the mark."

Zac felt like the servant had dug another pit for him to jump into. The burning purpose of Laondio's Imperial Destiny made up the very core of the Eternal Servant's being. Meanwhile, he had rejected that path to forge his own, even using the Imperial Destiny as fuel. If that wasn't heresy, then what was?

Even then, he dove into the explanation he'd already arranged in his mind. He didn't hide much, explaining how he'd attracted the wisp of the Emperor when using the Tribulation Throne. It required him to partly expose the connection with his other half, but Zac suspected the Eternal Servant already had a decent idea of his situation.

"You rejected the Imperial Destiny yet were blessed by it," the servant said, shaking her head. Another silence passed before she spoke up again. "Nothing is as it should be, so I'll remain neutral. The Eternal Pillar is rising, and you cto the Halls of Service in search of power. Very well. Go ahead."

"What?" Zac exclaimed with disbelief as the pressure disappeared. He felt like a mouse caught by a cat, only released to be toyed with again. "You'll help open the other temples?"

"Of course not. Destiny led you here, so I will give you an opportunity to plunder our temples," the servant said as five of the more exquisite steeles in the hall lit up. "Of course, you will have to prove your worthiness by taking on the test of knighthood. Only those who pass the pilgrimage qualify to join our order. You must do the same."

"Pick one of the five?" Zac said, looking at the spatial gates that had opened up before the steles.

"The Pilgrimage of the Empyrean Chalice will test all aspects of a Templar. Mind, Body, Heart, Strength, and Faith. Pass three, and you may live. Pass four, and I will let you use your accumulated merit to trade for opportunities. Pass all five, and I will fully awaken the Halls of Service for you and your subordinates."

"Only three to pass?" Zac asked to confirm.

He didn't have much hope in passing all five, seeing as he had no faith to speak off. But three or even four seemed more than doable, considering he was quite confident in all of them.

"Don't look down on our Order," the servant said. "I can see that the Imperial Tutor has widened the path, but that does not solely cwith benefits. There is a weakness in you and your subordinates. And weakness means death on the battlefield."

"Fine. Any order is fine?" Zac slowly said and walked toward the stele with the ancient rune for Strength after getting an affirmative nod.

Zac only stopped right before the swirling gate, which still didn't give any hint of what waited on the other side. He turned back, looking at the flickering mass of faith and power. "How should I address you?"

"Your beast was right about one thing. I discarded my nwhen I took the Eternal Vow," the spirit said, cocking her head. "You can callInstructor, provided you survive."

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