Chapter 1196: Pilgrimage of Strength

Chapter 1196: Pilgrimage of Strength

"Stop, it's okay!" Zac shouted, using Dao to cut through the sandstorm's roar.

Zac kept a calm demeanor, but he had to hold back tears of relief when memories and power came rushing through the [Omega Link]. Looking death in the eye and having his link severed had almost thrown him into a pit of despair, one that only worsened when Joanna broke through the gate in an unexpected burst of violence. Not knowing whether the Eternal Servant had killed his other half, he could only urge his remaining sealbearers to run from the taboo being they'd awoken.

"What's going on?" Carl asked, warily looking around with bow in hand.

"That's" Zac hesitated. "I got word from the other side. The guardian spirit didn't kill Zac and Joanna. It chose to test them instead, and it'll all be fine if Zac passes."

"What about Joanna?" Emily asked.

"The spirit seemed to recognize her heritage. She's been given an opportunity instead."

"We should have known," Ogras exhaled as he appeared from the shadows. "The Heavens wouldn't let its darling fall in such an ignoble way. Should we head back?"

Zac gave it some thought. "Just you. Everyone else, please head back to the base for now. We'll call everyone back if Zac manages to unlock the Halls of Service. Of course, I understand if you wish to pass after recent events."

"Are you sure you don't need help? What's going on?" Emily asked with a low voice.

"It'll be fine. I have certain restrictions placed on me," Zac whispered. "Only Ogras is exempt."

"Fine, but just call if you need our assistance!" Emily said before leading the others through the storm.

Zac and Ogras turned into streaks that tore through the sand, quickly reappearing on the outskirts of the Ensolus Ruins.

"Come out," Zac grunted. "I need an explanation."

A tired and shamefaced Esmeralda soon appeared. 'This doesn't make sense. An Eternal Servant isn't supposed to retain so much of their identity, making deals and using misdirection. Their method of immortality comes at a steep price; they are supposed to be mindless killing machines guarding their domain. Could it be an Array Spirit that has lost its mind? No, it's too powerful, and there's no mistaking that aura.'

"Well, whatever's going on, we'll just have to play by her rules. Can we do something to help?" Ogras asked.

"Maybe," Zac said, explaining the five-part pilgrimage and the rules.

"Shouldn't be a problem if some ancient trainees could pass, no?" Ogras said with a raised brow.

"That's the thing. The spirit had seen my strength and still didn't seem convinced I'd survive the trial," Zac said, turning to Esmeralda. "Have you heard of the trial? Or do you know the strength or stage required to become a templar?"

'I don't know about grades, but I know you can't become a templar before reaching a certain level of power. Being baptized and becoming a Templar meant joining their legionsyou can't have weaklings creating weaknesses in your formation. Even if the order accepted a talent at a very young age, they would only be called a seed or a trainee until they met the prerequisites.'

"So it could be a set-difficulty trial?" Ogras frowned, voicing Zac's worries.

He was inside a manmade world shaped like a tube with multiple layers. How many, Zac had no idea, but it was clear the world was under attack. A crack the size of a city loomed in the distance, exposing the environment to outer space. The sky was constantly lit up from the heated battle, and Zac could sense C-grade fluctuations that easily matched anything he'd experienced in the intersector war.

The world's defenders were holding the strongest enemies at bay, but raiding parties had slipped through the defensive lines and were wreaking havoc on the inner regions. There were screams and sounds of struggle, though the only nearby beings Zac could sense were civilians hiding in cellars around him.

The experience was incredibly real, even if it was an illusion or recording of some pre-System war. The ambient energy was tainted in a way that Zac had only encountered in his bloodline visions, and he could feel the rough state of the Heavens.

At the same time, it was more than a simple illusion. He was there as himself rather than taking someone's place, and the trial hadn't done anything to mess with his perception or memories. His Hidden Nodes were already in a constant state of cleansing against the mortal filth of the ancient era. It was highly likely he had physically stepped into the illusion like Janos during his trial rather than standing in some empty hallway with glazed-over eyes.

There were no quest prompts or clear guidelines, but Zac didn't need to wait long to find direction. Five humanoid warriors were rapidly approaching, flying at a low altitude. Each emitted fierce, archaic auras, yet Zac exhaled with relief. Real or not, the energy coursing through their pathways indicated they were Late Hegemons who had just stepped into the grade.

It was clear they were enemies. They were completely unfamiliar, yet their appearance triggered a deep-rooted hatred and desire for bloody vengeance. The trial was urging him on, though not with such intensity it could muddy his faculties. Zac restrained his aura as he observed the incoming quintet, remembering the sentence on the gate.

Did the Path of Carnage require him to slaughter these interlopers before they reached the town, thus saving the hiding civilians? Zac rose to the sky, shooting straight for the enemies. He didn't bother with stealth or subterfuge against such a small group. They were just the first stage of the trial, so he needed to take them out before complications arose.

The ancient warriors looked surprised to find a Hegemon in this remote corner, and Zac gave them no chance to figure out a proper response. He activated multiple skills at once. The resilient trees trapped the raiders within [Apex Jungle], whose size and natural formation had grown greater since reaching Middle D-grade. It was enough to stop the Hegemons from splitting up.

Meanwhile, Zac looked completely different as he moved in on his prey. The refined and expertly crafted bones of [Ossuary Bulwark] had gained a rough and brutal appearance, like someone had crammed together the sharpest and sturdiest bones from whatever animals they'd felled. And it was as though the souls of these fierce beasts had been trapped within the armor as primordial spirits kept jumping out of the bones before being pulled back in.

Even [Verun's Bite] had seen a small transformation, having grown one-half in size just like Zac, while the counterbalance teeth had multiplied. Furthermore, both armor and axe were covered in rough scripts that wriggled like worms, constantly changing to allude to different truths.

The enemy leader shouted something [Primal Polyglot] failed to decipher, but his meaning was obvious. All five raiders were fire cultivators, and the ancient jungle was consumed by a raging wildfire as five opposing domains overlapped. Their energy utilization was clearly not as refined as what you'd expect from modern skills, but the massive amounts of energy a Late Hegemon could wield more than made up for it.

Zac's trees were made from Life and Conflict rather than wood, and thus lacking any innate weakness against fire. Even then, [Apex Jungle] skill almost fully collapsed from the onslaught, while Zac was forced to expend a lot of energy to cut a path through the flames. He only managed to stop the raging flames just before they escaped the jungle and continued into the village.

The smell of burning flesh filled his armor, but Zac didn't mind. What did some burns matter when his enemies had fallen into his trap? [Apex Jungle] was a retaliatory skill, and hitting the whole forest at once would bring a calamity down on the raiders. Thousands of trees succumbed to the inferno, each unleashing a fierce axelight as a final act of defiance.

A beast tide made from Dao and energy had appeared in the conflagration, digging into the heart of the storm. The pyromancers barely had time to unleash their attacks before finding themselves attacked from every direction by hundreds of attacks holding Zac's Daos and immense attribute pool.

Zac felt a sense of cruel satisfaction upon seeing his opponent's confidence, taking his counter-attack head-on instead of splitting up. They somehow pulled back the sea of flames, transforming it into an impenetrable barrier. Their plan had some merit, considering the flames held enough energy to endure [Apex Jungle]'s death throes. However, they had failed to take into account [Conformation of Supremacy].

The ninety-nine runes covering Zac's body skittered down his right arm, entering [Verun's Bite] before fusing with the swirling haze of [Evolutionary Edge]. His arm turned into a blur as he unleashed six attacks in rapid succession, each holding over fifteen runes. The blades formed by his skill looked different from usual, almost resembling waves of vengeful ghosts crammed together.

The attacks ignored the enemies hiding within the barrier, instead leaping into the densest accumulations of axelights targeting the flame curtain. A nudge made the primal spirits spread into the storm of incoming attacks. Zac shielded his eyes and braced himself for what was about to happen.

Even then, Zac felt as though a giant had punched him in his chest as one hundred spheres of destruction fused into an ephemeral sun formed by ninety-nine aspects of evolutionary brutality. Space trembled, and blinding white overwhelmed Zac's physical senses. Even the distant battles seemed to have stalled as the world bore witness to the display.

The sun disappeared as quickly as it formed, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. The sea of flames was gone, as was the barrier and its controllers. Zac rapidly blinked to regain his sight and turned into a blade that cut into the terrifying explosion's expanding shockwave. A swing of [Verun's Bite] decapitated a grievously wounded pyromancer, and another one died soon after from another swing from [Evolutionary Edge].

It was jarring to fight without the certainty of Kill Energy. This time, Zac needed none. If anything, Zac was surprised one managed to survive. Let alone Late Hegemons just 15 levels above him; even Peak Hegemons would have to be careful when facing the supremacy of his Evolutionary Path put on full display.