Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1129: A Joyful Gift

The bell's formless pressure grew with intensity as their vessel continued its approach. Those with weaker mental fortitude were already suffering, and a quick scan showed that no less than a third of the soldiers were twitching erratically or holding their heads. More alarmingly, a few displayed smiles resembling those on the carving, even when their eyes were wide with horror.Zac felt fine beyond a profound sense of wrongness, but [Immutability of Eoz] desperately tried to fend off something he couldn't sense or see. Neither his overwhelmingly powerful soul nor recently upgraded Soul Defense skill seemed to be of any use against the mysterious threat. In other words, it wasn't a mental attack, but neither was it strictly a curse.

Considering their enemy, most elites carried some form of ward against curses. They should at least have shattered upon failing to block the attack, but not a single one so much as shook despite one soldier after another adorning a macabre smile.

The situation was bad, but Dossin made no attempt to turn or evade. The flying treasure pressed through the solidified space like a moth to the flame. Zac doubted that turning around would save them from their predicament or that the vessel was even capable of such a feat. It was more like they'd strapped themselves to a rocket and launched it toward their destination.

Zac furiously went over his means and stockpiled treasures in

But how could Zecia possibly win if no one ever stepped up? How could he say he'd done everything in his power to keep his friends and subjects safe if he didn't try to make a difference, an difference, to the war? This wasn't about Contribution Points or quests.

Like it or not, he was one of the people with the highest chance of seizing the fortress. With the Mystic Realm being limited to Middle Hegemons, only the vanishingly rare monsters like Kator could pose a threat to his life. Besides, taking over the fortress might not come down to strength but rather fate and luck. And how many could compete with him on that front?

The voice came from Dossin, and Zac slightly nodded before turning to Vilari.

"Can you tell if there are any lingering dangers?"

Vilari looked lost in her thoughts but shook herself awake after a second. "There shouldn't—"

"LIAR!" an enraged roar reverberated through the valley, silencing all discussions.

Zac glanced over and found one of the young commanders standing before Dossin with fires in his eyes and a sword trained at her throat. He had six Hegemons standing behind him, ready to back him up. They were all from the same faction, but Zac sensed they wouldn't be fighting alone if a battle truly broke out.

His call for vengeance had momentarily unified their allied army, but reality was bound to come crashing back. They had been sent into this mission blindly, and they'd encountered something terrifying and inexplicable right out the gates. A tenth of their men had died before seeing a single Kan'Tanu, and General Dossin was ultimately responsible for their mission.

"You said neither side would use large-scale treasures! So, how do you explain that cursed thing? And where was the alliance when we were almost wiped out?!"

"Since when has war been predictable?" Dossin said. "Our enemy managed to outplay us this time, but they ultimately failed. They activated such a powerful taboo treasure but only managed to kill a small number of our men. What if they had used it on a large-scale battlefield instead? Hundreds of millions could have died.

"I have already reported the situation to headquarters. The alliance will surely make them pay for exposing such a powerful item."

"The alliance," the young man scoffed. "Who but the alliance knew where we were going? What regions we would cross? I wonder how the Kan'Tanu could set up an ambush with such speed and precision..."

Dossin's eyes thinned. "I would be careful about your following words."

The young man's chest still heaved like bellows, but one of his retainers knew they couldn't let their Lord go any further.

"The young master is just lamenting the fallen. If we'd entered the ground a bit earlier…"

"It takes some time to charge and deploy the [Eightfold Earth Traversal Array]. Secondly, the ancient bell created mysterious ripples in the ground. I suspected they would damage the ship, and reality proved me right. We barely got through the bell's sphere of influence. Had I activated the traversal any earlier, we would have been crushed or spat out right beneath the bell. Everything I did was to minimize our casualties and give us a chance at survival."

Zac nodded in agreement. Dossin was only following orders just like the rest of them, and she did the best of a bad situation. If anything, her judgment and quick thinking were extremely impressive. Her calm and rational explanation also helped defuse the tense situation.

"If you feel my actions or leadership lacking, you are welcome to petition a complaint upon our return. However, despite our accident, our mission is ongoing, and I am the commanding officer. Our vessel failed to take us the whole way, but we're only ten minutes from our destination. The Kan'Tanu didn't have any covens nearby, so we still have a chance to reach our destination first. Collect the fallen and ready yourselves for battle. We move out in two minutes."

Zac turned back to Vilari, only to find her dazed off again.

"What's wrong?" Zac asked as he pulled the mentalist to the side. "Did you harm your soul by using your skill? Or did you notice anything from the bell?"

Vilari almost flinched at his words, and Zac's worries only intensified. He'd thought Vilari would be the one who could handle that cursed influence the best, but Zac now realized he might have had it backward. Her soul was incredibly powerful, but that was ultimately useless when it came to the bell. Conversely, the sense of despair that blossomed into deranged joy had a lot of common ground with Vilari's path. The way their companions had ended their lives was even similar to Vilari's puppeteering ability.

However, the bell contained a form of evil that had twisted the Emotional Daos. It resembled the Lost Plane and how it had tainted the pure truths of Ultom. Had Vilari's Daos been damaged, or had the corruption somehow taken hold within her?

Vilariseemed to understand the thoughts going through Zac's mind and shook her head.

she answered in his mind.