Of course , the attack wasn’t useless , even if Valsa avoided getting bisected . The princess groaned in pain and was launched farther out from the cage’s edge and the winged domain . He’d already realized her dagger rivers were mobile while the winged domain was not . The farther away from it he fought , the better .
He also hoped that moving away from the corpses would break the connection , but no luck so far . However , one of the fourteen soul lamps had winked out , and another one was already waning . It almost felt like a counter until she ran out of steam , though Zac hoped that wasn’t the case . After all , his Arcadian Crusade] would expire before the lamps did unless something changed .
The situation had become a race , where one side needed to end things quickly and the other needed to delay . Of course , that was unless Zac managed to change form . Zac briefly activated Void Zone] as he caught up to his prey , but it didn’t help . The odd seal held fast even after the light dome was gone and he’d left its area . It showed no hint of weakening , and flooding it with his nullification zone did nothing .
Just how advanced was this method? There was no way she could do something like this herself . He once more looked up at the star with suspicion . Was there really an insider working with Valsa? After all , there was no way Engo was the only powerhouse hiding in the Perennial Vastness . And it wouldn’t be surprising if a faction like the ancient imperials had some connections on the inside .
Hey , she’s cheating! There’s no way she conjured that star seal!’ Zac swore in his mind . - Is your boss just going to look the other way?’
I don’t . . . I’ll send a petition , - Null answered , though the guide clearly wasn’t optimistic .
It was annoying , but he couldn’t rely on some ancient entity to come to his aid . The Multiverse had never been fair , and the established factions had always possessed this kind of advantage . Why else would Valsa strut around like she was the arbiter of justice?
Since the Fetters of Desolation was off the table , he would just have to finish the job in his current form . Zac was already upon Valsa thanks to Earthstrider] , and the princess didn’t even get a chance to catch her breath before the storm of evolution tried to engulf her once more .
Their eyes met , and Zac’s disdain was met with towering fury .
Trash! - Valsa spat as one of the gems on her crown cracked , releasing a blast of light .
Zac’s mind screamed of danger , but he didn’t dare back away . He pushed forward and activated another hurricane of fractal blades with his faltering stores of Void Energy . Hundreds of blades dug into four forms , but only one was left bleeding—the original Valsa . She hadn’t managed to block out the point-blank burst completely .
Unfortunately , the protection of the War Regalia came more from its protective array than the armor itself . A shimmering barrier absorbed most of the damage , letting only a fraction pass through . It wasn’t enough for a lethal blow , but a bloody gash ran down Valsa’s face . Her left eye was completely ruined , while the other radiated a wave of almost unhinged anger .
Die! - she shrieked , and Zac finally knew why she’d been distracted .
The three forms he’d attacked just now were clones wrought from the light released by the broken gemstone . Each one held an impressive aura , reaching at least 70% of Valsa’s . Zac had no idea if this was a Tool Spirit skill or some other method available to the imperials , but it spelled trouble . He’d already seen how his fractal blades passed right through the clones as they formed without leaving any lasting damage .
Suddenly , four blades were trained at him instead of one , and the sword array tried to find an opening from above . Zac’s pushed his techniques to the limits , his attacks growing increasingly ruthless to counter his opponent’s swordsmanship . But two hands couldn’t fight eight , especially when the clones weren’t fully corporeal .
Using the same trick as on the Hero Souls to stabilize them didn’t work , and Zac was soon covered in wounds . If not for his upgraded constitution , he probably would’ve bled out already . The only good sign was that Valsa had an incredibly ugly expression as she almost maniacally tried to take him down . Conjuring these things probably came at a significant cost .
For the first time since entering the crusade , Zac felt some hesitation . Should he back down? He couldn’t even defend himself against this murderous quartet , let alone go on the offensive . But if he retreated , he’d waste the remaining time on his berserking skill . He still had his weakened phase to worry about , and he risked being left at the mercy of Valsa .
Not to mention Primal Edict] , which he still needed to use to counter the rivers that had followed Valsa as they shifted the battle . He was running low on Cosmic Energy while those soul lamps fed Valsa . He really wanted to blast her with an Annihilation Sphere , but he had no way to restrain her long enough to form one . Should he make one final attempt before risking activating Flashfire Flourish] to regroup?
The Edict of Candor couldn’t last forever . He was reluctant to leave this looming threat alive , but he didn’t have a lot of options . However , Zac sensed something with his Soul Sense just as he was about to create an opportunity to escape .
Sorry I’m late! - a familiar voice shouted as Kruta came into view , and Zac almost lost his composure upon seeing the wretched state his companion was in .
His right leg was simply gone beneath his knee . In place of a foot was a crudely attached inscribed bone that clearly was not Kruta’s . Blood flowed from a deep cut on his left thigh , indicating he’d almost lost both legs from a single attack . Kruta’s upper body wasn’t much better off , with wounds covering him from head to toe .
Wh— - Zac said , but his voice died in his throat as a golden lance pierced through the haze , narrowly missing the barbarian .
Kruta looked like a drowning man seeing a boat upon spotting Zac , and he used a movement skill to appear behind him .
I screwed up , ’ Kruta groaned in Zac’s mind . - Why did the reinforcements I stumbled onto have to be led by a champion? There are even three White Sigils in the mix! We need to run!’
Soon , ’ Zac answered , his eyes gleaming with determination and madness .
Hadn’t he just found himself at an impasse , unable to advance but unwilling to back down? It’d felt like he was caught in a game of deadly chess , knowing he’d be checkmated in twenty moves no matter what he did . Thank God for Kruta and his wretched luck! He’d arrived just in the nick of time , flipping the whole board over .
One form after another was already emerging from the haze , and even Valsa lost her composure . She tried to run away , but Zac endured a strike that ground against his ribcage , all to force her back toward the incoming puppets .
A-Are you crazy!’ Kruta stuttered as he continued to inch away . - This is a main army! There are hundreds of normal puppets as well! I barely survived running form . A—wait , what’s going on? Where are the others?’
Dead , ’ Zac answered as he went on a furious assault while releasing waves of murderous intent in the Golden Champion’s direction . - Almost there . ’
You lunatic! - Valsa shrieked as she tried to disentangle herself , but Zac only laughed as blood poured out his mouth .
Come on , Princess! - Zac goaded . - Where are your elders now? So much for your imperial bloodline . -
The champion had already turned its attention to them . It shot forward , lance creating a trail of spatial tears as it made a beeline for Valsa . The princess gritted her teeth and had her clones target Zac as she prepared to deal with the incoming champion . Just as the Golden Champion was about to reach them , an ancient aura spread through the surroundings . Not Zac’s , but Valsa’s .