Defiance of the Fall

Long ago , Zac thought the Kayar-Elu Clan picked Karz’s bloodline because of his ability to infinitely raise his affinities . Today , Zac wasn’t so sure . He even started to suspect the - corruption’ was not a heavenly punishment but rather an intentional modification .

And as luck would have it , Zac already came installed with a refinery for this unique type of Void Energy .

Zac pushed the Void Engine] against his chest , which prompted a powerful thud of ancient hunger from Void Heart] . He’d kept the Hidden Node restrained until now to avoid having it swallow Oblivion , Creation , or Chaos . Zac didn’t want it distracted from its most important task . No longer needing to hold back , Zac released his hold .

Each beat was filled with greater urgency , and Zac did everything he could to empower the node . Then , a vortex appeared on his chest , and the treasure was sucked inside . The Hidden Node calmed , beginning to refine the treasure . Thank God . Zac’s bloodline and Hidden Nodes had created those vortices on a few occasions , but this was only the third time he’d managed to intentionally trigger one across hundreds of attempts . He just needed to offer a tantalizing enough prize . Clearly , the Void Engine] qualified .

If that failed , he would have been forced to cut open his chest and cram the Void Engine] inside , something Zac definitely wanted to avoid . With that , all three components of his nucleus were being prepared .

The issue of incorporating the Void Engine] was the one that stumped him the longest , turning into a migraine-inducing catch-22 . Life , Death , Conflict , and Void were all needed to form the nucleus . If even one were missing , the whole thing would collapse .

His body was a safe harbor for Void Energy , but it was also incredibly voracious . Any time his Void Heart] spat something out , it would be consumed by the vortices in his cells . Zac estimated he would have five minutes at most before the refined Void Engine] was squandered , based on how much control he could exert on his bloodline through Heart Cultivation .

What were you supposed to do when you had no idea how long Void Heart] would take to refine the Void Engine]? Some energies took days before being released , while others were a matter of minutes . It wasn’t like the Hidden Node gave you an estimate either—it was radio silence until it spat everything out .

Zac estimated the process would take roughly fifty minutes to an hour , based on the energy involved and how much quicker his Void Heart] refined Void-based items compared to normal treasures .

If everything worked out , the refinements would finish in step , and he’d go on to form his nucleus before the materials destabilized .

But what if his estimates were wrong? Refining the Void Engine] could take twice as long because of how complex its inner structure was . If that happened , the Calamity Core] and Warstone] would have been wasted .

Zac could also see it swinging the other way . Such a pure Void Treasure might barely need refinement and get spat out in less than a minute . Then the Void Engine] would be long gone by the time the Nucleus Array released the refined essences . He only had a few minutes of leeway in each direction .

He did have all kinds of backup treasures in case Plan A didn’t pan out , but that would have huge ramifications . He couldn’t just throw a bunch of unrefined Void Treasures into the Hollow Core] in case the Void Engine] was released too late . Even if it worked out through dumb luck , the resulting nucleus would be extremely rough .

More likely , he’d end up with an incomplete core that couldn’t withstand more than a handful of levels . Then , it would all be for nothing . Fixing such a mess would take centuries if it were even possible . He could forget about Ultom , and his value to the Undead Empire would drastically decrease . His goals of catching up with Leandra and saving Kenzie would grow far more distant .

The timing was a huge risk , and it wasn’t even the only one . With the original plan , he’d have two unstable energies on his hands . He would have to perfectly combine them at a breakneck pace before they destabilized , where a single mistake would lead to disaster .

Zac was unwilling to take that risk , so he opted for his untested solution of using Chaos . If it succeeded , he would have a far easier time with this first step . So far , his choice had proven the right one .

A section of the main array lit up a few minutes after Zac dealt with the Void Engine] , and two bright blobs appeared . Forty-six minutes on the dot , just like Null said , and Zac finally relaxed . The guide had assured him the Perennial Vastness knew what it was doing—how could it fail in refining the items found within its domain? But it was impossible not to worry when so much was at stake .