Split up and search? - Ogras offered . - We should all be able to deal with at least one or two surges without too much trouble , especially if they get weakened when split up . -
Seems like our best bet , - Zac agreed .
Wait , - Catheya said , taking out three crystals . - I figured we’d need a way to communicate , so I got these . Some outside communicators encounter issues inside the Perennial Vastness , but these are made by native materials . -
Don’t stray too far , - Zac said as he accepted a crystal .
The three split up , with Zac running straight ahead while Ogras and Catheya veered slightly to the left and right , respectively . A few minutes later , they were out of sight , swallowed by the darkness .
The sky rumbled as Zac ran . Occasionally , he flew into the skies with Abyssal Phase] , but it didn’t much improve his vantage . The pervasive darkness swallowed the horizon , leaving him with a meager field of vision . Like this , minutes turned into hours .
The wraiths have started gathering here , - Ogras’ voice echoed through his crystal .
Nothing here yet— - Zac said , but he was soon proven wrong . - No , never mind . They’re here . -
And here , - Catheya soon added , and the screeching wails of her enemies joined the cacophony around Zac . - A clue , perhaps? -
It did seem like Ogras’ tide had appeared slightly before Zac’s , while Catheya’s came last . Might mean the corruption was stronger in the demon’s direction , which could indicate a mound . Then again , it might be the opposite , with a mound on Catheya’s side gobbling up the surrounding resentment .
Well , it’s worth following up on , - Zac agreed . - Let’s see how the surges look when split into three . -
In the end , the eruption came and went . Splitting up had weakened the onslaught somewhat , but it turned out that wasn’t an advantage . In return , it had taken longer for the lightning punishment to condense , forcing them to waste more energy to stall the wraiths .
They gathered up for the next couple of surges to defend together before splitting up again . Eventually , ten surges and the better part of a day had passed , and Zac started to wonder if they’d missed something . Until finally , there was a change .
I think I have something , - Catheya’s voice echoed through the communicator . - Come over to me . -
Zac changed course , veering straight left , following the tracking feature in Catheya’s communicator . Half an hour later , he’d caught up with her , and the demon arrived soon after .
What’s going on? - Zac asked .
Over there , - Catheya said , pointing toward the horizon . - I’ve seen lightning strike at the same spot three times now . It happens every twenty minutes or so . Furthermore , the resentment in the ground is being dragged over there . -
Finally , - Ogras grinned , glancing at Zac . - I was starting to worry your luck was on the fritz . -
Let’s just go , - Zac smiled , and they rushed toward the spot Catheya indicated .
The location was hard to miss after getting close . Every large natural landmark in Sinner’s Lament had probably been blasted by the lightning , so seeing a large hill really stood out .
Calling it a mound was an understatement . It was over two hundred meters tall and twice as wide . Most of it was covered in the dense clouds of resentment , but Zac could see lingering bolts of lightning crackle within the sanguine mist before dying out .
It was undoubtedly a lingering effect of the previous punishment from above , but it was far from enough to extinguish the extreme amounts of sin that had accumulated . The mound oozed resentment , both literally and figuratively .
The mission had mentioned they needed to destroy a Sinner Core to claim the bounty . Zac had no idea what the core looked like , but it didn’t much matter at this point . If he blew up the whole hill , the core should also be destroyed . If not , he’d keep digging .
Alright , you guys ready? - Zac said . - I’ll blast it apart in one go . -
Go for it , - Ogras grinned . - It’s finally time to earn some Mana . And I bet there are thousands of Sinner Crystals in this thing . -
Wait , you lunatics! - Catheya laughed , lightly slapping Zac’s arm . - Give me a second to take some measurements . Besides , we should wait to see what happens when the next lightning bolt strikes . -
Alright , - Zac sighed , but he still sent a mental command to his Duplicity Core .
Miasma was replaced by Cosmic Energy , and Verun’s Bite] appeared in his right hand . The moment Catheya was done , the Sinner Mound would be met with judgement .
16
RESENTMENT AND PUNISHMENT
The lightning struck the mound every twenty minutes , so it wouldn’t be long . However , Zac and the others were forced to continuously retreat farther and farther away . The mound’s aura was incessantly rising , creating a domain that even Zac had trouble dealing with . No wonder lightning had to strike so often . If it didn’t , this place would unleash surges twice an hour . Or possibly generate something even worse .
Zac wasn’t even sure what would happen if he struck the mound while it contained such vast amounts of resentment . It could lead to an explosion that swallowed them all . Catheya was right ; better let the formation in the sky pave the way before making a move .
Ogras and Catheya weren’t idle while Zac prepared to strike . Ogras kept watch of the surroundings while sending shadows and captured souls to investigate the mound and what was going on underground . He didn’t find out much , except that the mound was just as dangerous as it looked . Any shadow that tried to dig into the hill had to be sacrificed before Sinner’s Lament’s extremely evil taint rushed into the demon’s body . And any spirit that entered the ground was profaned to the point the Shadewar Flag] soon lost control .
Catheya performed her own experiments , mostly recording the energy signature of the mound while trying various means to lock onto it . Eventually , Zac saw an array of engraved Sinner Crystals light up , their tips pointing toward the Sinner Mound .
Yes! - Catheya exclaimed .
Just in time , - Zac smiled as he glanced at the rumbling sky . - You’re done with this one? -
I’ve found the signature , - Catheya nodded . - I can’t guarantee my solution is perfect , but it should work . I can keep refining it over the next days from here on out . -
Perfect , - Zac said , cracking his neck . - We can’t stand around this thing much longer anyway . -
Zac hadn’t reached his limits yet , but he could tell Catheya and Ogras were struggling with the accumulated resentment . Its concentration was terrifying next to the mound , even compared to the surges they’d endured . Something must be preventing the resentment from turning into wraiths here and remaining a blighted Miasma .
Ogras’s eyes were already tinted with red , and Zac could tell he was struggling with containing murderous impulses . They had to constantly rotate their Dao to remove the filth of the environment , but who knew what kind of sequela this kind of thing left behind?
We should create a sealed chamber after this to cleanse the filth , - Catheya sighed . - Might even need a visit to the Eastern Qi Pools after this task . -
A spa day doesn’t sound too bad right about now , - Zac laughed .
The sludge pouring out from the mound had already reached their ankles , and it was pitch-black in contrast to the dark red of the previous surges . Almost like something was nibbling at his feet , but Zac didn’t avert his eyes from the storm in the sky .
Finally , a lightning bolt as thick as an ancient oak came crashing down . The mound wasn’t to be outdone , and a pillar of resentment rose to block . Ultimately , Sinner Mound couldn’t match the wrath of the skies , and the pillar was ripped apart after exhausting less than a third of the lightning . The bolt continued , drowning the whole area in blinding light .
A tsunami of crackling gunk was thrown off from the mound , but a wall of ice rose to prevent it from swallowing them . The light was already fading a second later , and Zac knew this was his chance .