Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 1167: Cleanup

Zac found Emily and the others sitting with a handful of soldiers in the common area upon emerging. The newcomers wore the surcoats of the Dravorak guard, though they could have been cousins of the burly men of the Muscle Brigade. They were from the same rough stock, bearing barely any resemblance to the Royal Guard he'd seen before.Their clothes were scuffed, bloodied, and dirty, carrying the mark of intense battle. Their strength was quite varied, ranging from Late E-grade to the peak of Middle Hegemony. All emitted an air of slaughter, one that even outshone the strongest soldiers of his elite squads.

Zac wryly smiled as he walked over. Birds of a feather, indeed. "Hello."

"It's the Deviant—uh, greetings, lord," the Middle Hegemon said, giving an awkward salute. "I'm Tirbas, under the Iron Wall. Sorry about barging in and all."

"That's fine," Zac said as he thumped down, not even a little surprised these rough-looking men were subordinates of the towering general from before. "Still calling me a deviant, though? Shouldn't I have earned a new nickname by now?"

"I think it fits. Only an absolute deviant would manage to blow up a Worldfort in Early D-grade," Emily grinned, eliciting nods of agreement.

"Whatever," Zac sighed. "What are you guys up to?"

"Your disciple and our new friends here have updated us on your activities since we got stuck," Average grinned. "You deserve to be the star of our generation. How about it? Pretty lives up to her name, right? Why not turn our friendship into a blood bond?"

"You're selling out your cousin like that?" Zac laughed, shaking his head. "Never mind my dating life. How's the situation outside?"

"Everything's fine," Tirbas said. "We're just waiting."

"For what? The Everfast Monarch?"

"Nah, the big boss has already moved on, it looks like," another Dravorak soldier grinned. "You beat him to the punch, I guess."

"What?" Zac said with confusion.

"The spear accidentally killed two Kan'Tanu Monarchs before setting off for the Warfort!" Average laughed. "They were apparently hiding within the storm between dimensions when we activated the [Centurion Spear],

Getting five percent didn't mean he'd actually get the fortress treasures. The Alliance would tally up the harvest and pay him an equivalent amount, likely in Nexus Coins or normal treasures. It wasn't enough to get Zac excited. However, keeping whatever he found was another matter entirely.

"Are you sure? Or do you need to ask Duke Everfast first?"

"Do I look that useless to you?" Tusko glared. "You think I can't decide on such small matters on my own? Bah! Let's go!"

"If you say so," Zac nodded before turning to Galau. "Buddy, come with me for a bit."

A small smile tugged at Galau's lips as he joined Zac. Tusko seemed confused at their reaction, but he still arranged everything. Soon, the three flew across the empty expanse and passed the fortress's outer wall. Navigating the streets with the towers deactivated or destroyed was effortless, and it didn't take long for Zac to sense a weak pull of fate.

"We might as well start here," Zac said and flew toward a gatehouse just at the platform's edge.

Galau scurried forward to investigate the door Zac indicated.

"The arrays are in a passive energy-conservation state," the merchant muttered as he pushed a silver needle into a small gap. "Five seconds, tops."

"Here?" Tusko said with confusion. "Why not go to the center? The security is stronger, but the trea—"

Tusko's words caught in his throat when a veritable tsunami of Dao rushed out of the door as it slid open. It felt as though someone had crushed a dozen D-grade Dao Treasures. Even Zac's eyes momentarily glazed over, but he gathered his wits before he accidentally advanced his Daos based on the surrounding truths.

He was painfully aware his Dao Branches were lagging, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He upgraded his Branches of War Axe and Kalpataru just a few days ago. His chaotic introduction to the front lines had left him with many new insights, but he was still far from taking the next step.

So he held onto his path and convictions as he stepped into the mysterious shroud, using the [Lucky Beads] as guidance. Tusko kept pace, his large shield shining with energy in case of a sudden ambush or automated defenses.

It didn't take long before he found the source of the Dao. Like the small shop where he found the cactus spine, a hidden cupboard was inside the captain's quarters. This one had completely broken down, likely during the final jump into the main dimension, going by the fresh energy around them.

"To think you managed to sense the energy through the thick walls," Tusko said with awe upon seeing Galau extract a treasure box from the array. "Or was it just dumb luck?"

"I don't know about dumb, but I am a pretty lucky guy," Zac grinned as he stowed the box. "Let's see what else we can find."