Defiance of the Fall

A hint of killing intent appeared in the auras when Zac pushed into the molten core . Zac couldn’t sense the situation outside , but he wouldn’t be surprised if the beasts had crawled out of their caves . It wouldn’t be long before the leaders were compelled to take action , and Zac knew exactly what would set them off .

Cracks appeared across the small pygmy skeletons as they did their best to block and divert the unrelenting inferno around him , but a scream of danger warned Zac that the true peril of the sun was about to strike . A pulse of pure Oblivion was bearing down on him . There was no time to worry about the fallout as Zac channeled Oblivion into his shoulders .

Conflict and Oblivion fused and formed a sphere of nothingness between his hands . It consumed any Death that came close and then merged with the approaching pulse . There was no way for Oblivion to destroy Oblivion , but they weren’t exactly the same . One was unbridled destruction , while the Annihilation Sphere] was infused with Zac’s will .

The difference allowed Zac to extract enough Oblivion to create a safe passage through the pulse . Doing so tripled the size of the Annihilation Sphere] , and it was rapidly going out of control . Zac was ready for that and threw it out in front of him with all force he could muster . The sphere created a tunnel of nothingness before collapsing in a huge implosion that pulled Zac closer .

The miniature black hole was gone as quickly as it appeared , and Zac managed to use it to speed up . The experience was just like when he got the Shard of Creation inside the Twilight Ocean . It’d been in the heart of a volcano , releasing deadly pulses that he’d been forced to fight through .

Since then , Zac had grown a lot stronger , both his constitution and soul . It allowed him to control the uncooperative energies better , and the collision only cost him two of his fingertips . He could even have gone further and infused Profane Exponents] with Oblivion to completely block the pulse .

Of course , doing so would do more harm than good . With his tight schedule , there simply hadn’t been time to do anything with the energy highways on his shoulders . He’d only had time to reinforce his Thousand Lights Avatar] to the point it would hopefully withstand what was about to happen . As such , he was still forced to rely on the Dao Molds if he wanted to channel Creation or Oblivion into his skills .

And while the molds had improved since his successful attempt in his fight with Valsa , they still weren’t able to properly carry that kind of force .

Zac continued toward the star’s core , hoping to reach his target before it released another pulse . Things had worked out just like Zac hoped , but not everyone rejoiced about his success .

A furious roar shook the star , and Zac’s bones groaned when a tremendous aura crashed into him from outside . It clearly belonged to the ruler of the Oblivion Star , but Zac wasn’t phased in the slightest . He even used the pressure to speed up as he dug toward the core with wild abandon .

He’d known that using Oblivion Energy would warn the kings outside that things were different this time . That he wasn’t just a greedy fool overestimating his capabilities . Zac wryly smiled , realizing the latter might depend on who you asked . The remained that someone who could wield Oblivion held the key to stealing the Remnant .

A huge presence drew closer with speed that outclassed his own , though still within his calculations . The sun wasn’t that big , and he could already feel the Remnant ahead . If he absorbed the splinter before the Beast King caught up , then everything would be fine . In fact , he dared that guy to target him when he had a splinter-worth of Oblivion coursing through his body .

The splinter was just a hundred meters away now . The energy was unbearable by that point , and Profane Exponents] couldn’t withstand the assault any longer . The skeletons crumbled , and the star’s energy dug into his body . Even his undead constitution started dying from the immense and uncontrollable aggression . Skin and limbs withered as a comforting yet terrifying cold gripped his soul .

Yet Zac pushed on , using his Dao and Hidden Nodes to fight back . He was almost there . The resistance was far greater this far into the star , and the tar-like ichor had almost turned into a solid . Zac was forced to dig his way forward , all while the sense of doom drew closer . Then , a scream of danger forced Zac to take drastic measures .

A huge , jagged blade giving off a profoundly ancient aura dug into the solidified energy before him , and the Branch of the War Axe allowed him to carve a scar over forty meters deep . Zac didn’t even have time to finish the swing before he’d turned into an abyssal wraith that squeezed into the crack . He even left the practice axe behind , not daring to waste even a fraction of a second .