He had already called upon one of his Tool Spirits , so why not the second? Valsa was right in melee range , swinging that radiant sword to cut apart empowered vines like they were made of paper . But the powerful chain of Fate’s Obduracy] was unrelenting in a way that eclipsed even Primal Edict] . As she cut one , two attacked . When she cut those , she found herself attacked by four .
Not attacking wasn’t an option either . The chains were filled with death and corrosion , and even Valsa would be in trouble if she let herself get trapped . Between her forty-nine flying swords and the one in her hand , the initial lone link had turned into hundreds in no time . They were an unrelenting tide that tried to swallow her whole .
Zac used the opening to run toward the mages , but they’d already realized they were in trouble . They weren’t about to sit and wait for death like their two companions . The mages started to grow translucent , and the augmented vision from Ancestral Woods] showed how orbs of light lit up across the arena .
Teleportation points .
Zac frowned , though he was inwardly delighted . The two mages had similar paths , but their Dao fluctuations were a bit different . It wasn’t hard to tell which of the orbs belonged to which mage . There was no way he’d reach them in time , so Zac hurled Black Death] at the closest mage . Meanwhile , he sent a series of commands to the seething mass of vines that now covered the dome .
Valsa hadn’t given up on her rivers of light , nor had he on his evolving swarm of vines . They couldn’t . The moment one side gave in , it would be game over . Nothing would be stopping the knives anymore , and Zac would drown under a hail of projectiles . Similarly , the vines had reached a deadly mass , even to Valsa’s deathsworn . The vines would overwhelm her helpers if they no longer needed to counter the blade rivers .
At the command of Zac , some of the vines redirected to stab into the empty spheres of light . Meanwhile , Vivi and Alea slithered through the chaos , positioning themselves near the teleportation points inside the winged domain . The axe ripped forward like a cannon , leaving tears in the air .
The mage turned illusory just as the axe was about to carve a hole through her chest , and he felt a weak fluctuation to his side . Zac wasn’t deterred and lightly slapped the chain as he pursued . The axe turned under the manipulation of the links , making a beeline toward a nearby sphere whose energy was rising .
His armaments and Primal Edict] followed suit , and one point after another was destroyed . The moment the mage appeared , she was forced to disappear again . Two of the warriors tried to stop Zac as he barreled forward . But without Valsa , how could they bar his path? They narrowly avoided getting eviscerated as Zac followed the scent , and the mage was forced to make two more desperate jumps .
At which point , Zac rushed toward the next mage . He had finally forced the first mage out of the winged domain and into one of the spheres of the jungle . His jungle .
A scream echoed and was followed by a crunch as hundreds of vines from a dozen nearby trees ripped the mage apart when she appeared . The plan worked perfectly . Destroy some of the teleportation points and turn the others into traps . Eventually , she would have no choice but to meet him head-on or walk into a trap .
Three down , one to go .
The second mage hadn’t moved far and was currently hiding behind the twenty-meter ball of chains formed from Fate’s Obduracy] . Just as Zac began his hunt , he felt a second wave of Kill Energy enter his body . A victorious roar echoed through the cave , and Zac saw Verun holding the head of a warrior with a long scar running down his face .
Its form was already flickering , and Zac could feel deep exhaustion from the spirit . It had hidden behind the vines , waiting for a chance to pounce , but the enemies all had Dao Branches . Their strikes were harmful to the spirit projection , and it dissipated just after finishing its hunt . Truthfully , Zac was surprised it managed to kill one of the warriors at all—his goal had been to wound and stall .
The remaining warriors were in various states of disarray , where half fought the vines while the others moved to protect the final conjurer . None dared get close to Zac with their leader temporarily restrained , but a scream of danger indicated his window of opportunity was fast closing .
A seething ball of thousands of chains strained against their captive . Fate’s Obduracy] had held Valsa for almost two seconds . It was an incredible accomplishment , proving just how powerful Alea had become . Then again , Alea had always been far stronger as a Tool Spirit than when she was alive . For instance , she’d fared well in the Twilight Ocean while still an F-grade Spirit Tool .
Since then , Alea had eaten a plethora of treasures and evolved a full grade , leaving her right at the threshold of D-grade . However , two seconds was pushing it . Thousands of radiant streaks pierced the gaps between the links , like a sun was being born inside . Zac urgently ran past it , his eyes screaming murder as he stared down his next target . Their eyes met , and primal fear ignited in the mage’s eyes as his body grew intangible .
A scream of danger wasn’t enough of an early warning as the world turned white . Intense pain wracked Zac’s body as invisible blades carved deep cuts into his flesh . A searing Dao tried to consume him from within as he was flung toward the barrier . A fourth pillar crumbled while cracks appeared on the fifth , meaning Empyrean Aegis] was about to collapse . Thankfully , it had protected him from what would’ve been grievous damage .
And the winged domain would soon exert far greater pressure on him . He could feel a beast within the blinding light shooting toward him—an enraged Valsa . He only had one shot .
The world was still a sea of white , but the combination of Cosmic Gaze] and Ancestral Woods] provided him with the outlines of his enemies and vague hints of concentrations of Dao . Valsa had already launched another strike toward him while he was in midair . Zac gritted his teeth as he threw Black Death] .
Not toward Valsa but toward the spot where the mage reappeared .
Valsa didn’t bother with the mage as he was already phasing away again . Instead , she flew toward Zac , who was blinded and with his back against his wall . Zac crashed into the barrier , and Valsa’s follow-up strike ripped apart the final protection of Empyrean Aegis] before carving a deep wound across his chest . He didn’t care . Zac’s eyes were trained on the mage and his axe .
Just as the mage was about to teleport away , a shadowy figure appeared behind him as though out of nowhere . A projection of Alea . She gently embraced the mage , and he froze in place . Literally . His teleportation was interrupted as his energy stopped moving . Within their embrace , there was nothingness .
No past , no future . Fate was sealed , and the river of time ground to a standstill .
The effect only lasted a fraction of a second . Black Death] punched through the mage’s head . None of his protective measures had been activated . Alea’s avatar disappeared , looking like she’d shattered like broken glass . The mage crumbled , and a surge of Kill Energy confirmed the death of the final sorcerer . Yet Zac wasn’t happy .
I’m sorry , - Zac whispered .
Don’t be like that , ’ Alea admonished , her words growing fainter and fainter . - Getting hurt in battle is normal . I love that I can still protect you . . . But now . . . you’re on your own . . . ’
Zac sighed as the coffin returned to its necklace form on its own , and Black Death] changed into a hazed streak that returned to his side . As far as Zac was concerned , Fate’s Predestination] was a defective skill , even if its effect was incredible . To briefly seal every aspect of a person was Heaven-defying . A skill like that could reverse any battle—it almost went against the Law of Balance .