Zac nodded in agreement .
What a mess , - Kruta grimaced . - There’s no way a bastard like this would leave an inheritance for future generations . And a natural trove formed from the Inner World of such a twisted mind? Way too dangerous . -
Zac was of the same mind but a tempting thought unfurled . - The puppet! -
What? -
Saeward had to be a Monarch . So the puppet should be made from extremely valuable materials . -
You want to dismantle that guy! - Kruta shivered . - We don’t even know if his spirit lingers inside . -
Do we even have a choice? - Zac countered . - The energies are rising , and did you see the array within the room? Only a small corner isn’t lit up yet . I think all hell will break loose when the array has finished accumulating , and we’re trapped within this building . What are we supposed to do? Hide within the well? -
Kruta looked conflicted , his eyes turning to his left arm where his guide bangle was . - That little jerk on my arm only tells me to do my best . I guess this is still considered part of the Red Zone . There should be a way to deal with this mess . The Ruthless Heavens wouldn’t permit a situation of certain death in its trials . -
Zac nodded , and they quickly brainstormed a plan . They were running out of time , no matter if it was the array or Valsa’s imminent arrival . Furthermore , Zac suspected the war outside would end when Saeward awoke or collapsed . Both puppets and Hero Souls had accumulated large amounts of resentment and Dao of Conflict . If he were Saeward , he would have prepared a method to collect all that energy at a critical time .
If Valsa didn’t have a way to enter before , she would have at that time .
The two came to a decision . They ran through the corridors , leaving explosive arrays at certain junctures . Zac didn’t expect the array lines to blow up altogether , considering how sturdy the rocks were . It was more about disrupting the energy flow .
Soon they reached the main hallway , where the intense storm of Conflict raged .
See that spot where six lines intersect? - Zac whispered .
Got it , - Kruta said , two swords appearing in his hands .
Zac entered the grand hallway , pushing against the wall as he made his way closer to the closed atrium gates . He felt a raking pain as the clouds brushed against his legs , but he silently endured . Hopefully , it wouldn’t be long .
Right before the door was a second intersection of array lines , controlling a second set of runes . The array was way too complicated , and time was much too short for Zac to figure out a surefire array-breaking method . They were only left with the plan to hit the pressure points fast and hard and pray that something broke .
A fractal blade appeared before Verun’s Bite] , and he looked over at the barbarian . Kruta was ready , his two swords humming with destruction , so Zac began a countdown with his fingers .
Three , two , one .
The fractal leaf released two gusts of Life and Death as it crashed toward the intersection . Simultaneously , Zac infused his will into a small Array Disk , and the whole castle shuddered as over twenty explosions rocked its very foundations . The light radiating from the array lines flickered , and Zac could tell the array had grown unstable .
It worked .
The delimitation between the Abyss and Arcadia dug into the ground , carving a scar over two meters deep . It was even better than he’d hoped . The attack had utterly destroyed the runic lines he’d targeted plus a few more . A grin spread across lips , but it turned crocked as a storm of wild energies empowered by Conflict flooded out of the gash .
Zac was thrown into the wall , and new lacerations joined the angry marks from his barely healed wounds . It was a small price to pay to accomplish his goal . Kruta had also been successful , and a large cross had been carved into the ground . The first step was complete .
But the main array inside was still intact , and Zac could feel how Dao and Energy were still dragged over in huge quantities . If anything , the energies inside the atrium were rapidly rising . If they wanted to really throw a wrench into Saeward’s plans , they needed to do the same inside .
The wild fluctuations within the atrium made the closed gates creak , and Zac pushed himself to his feet . A scream of danger made him throw out a set of defensive talismans , but their hastily erected barriers all crumbled by a pulse released from within . Before Zac could even take one step toward the atrium , he was thrown out of the castle .
Zac felt like his bones had been rearranged as he slammed into the courtyard stones , and a vitriolic curse confirmed Kruta had been deposited not far away . A second warning of danger made Zac jump back to his feet , barely in time to avoid a spectral arrow aimed at his head . There were dozens of Hero Souls in the courtyard , and there was no hesitation as the unwitting cultivation cauldrons rushed toward them .
The ancestral avatar had already appeared behind Kruta’s back , and Zac released a stream of fractal leaves , each digging into the incoming soldiers . He almost lost his composure as he felt an incomprehensibly large surge of energy outside the outer walls . Resentment and pent-up Conflict rose like a tide , creating a wave hundreds of meters high . It almost blocked out the sky , and Zac’s hair stood on end as he felt the pull from behind .
He’d been right . Saeward was calling his soldiers home . If this immense wave of energy was allowed to reach the puppet . . .
Zac glanced at the castle , hesitant about what to do . The Hero Souls were almost upon them , and new ones kept spawning .
I’ll deal with this! Go! - Kruta urged as he took a defensive position in front of the entrance .
Zac nodded and activated Earthstrider] to flash back toward the atrium . Kruta didn’t have the ability to detect weak spots in the huge tapestry of the central array . Meanwhile , Zac would hopefully be able to figure something out , as he had with so many blueprints .
Another surge was followed by a pang of danger , but Zac was prepared this time . He rushed toward a pillar , putting it behind his back while Vivi wound herself around it . The pulse pushed through the corridor the next moment . Zac groaned as rampant Conflict dug into his body , but he didn’t get thrown out of the castle this time .
Once the pulse had passed , Zac used the relative calm in its wake to kick open the door . The cyclone of resentment that greeted him almost drove him mad , but the opening step of the Void Varja Sublimation] allowed Zac to center his mind long enough to activate Void Zone] . But ultimately , the Bloodline Talent was just an E-grade skill , and the storm easily eclipsed what it could nullify .
One good piece of news was that the puppet remained unmoving atop the dais , and Zac still couldn’t feel any energy within . It had either not yet awakened , or it was unable to move in the middle of the ritual . That meant the plan was still on , and Zac wildly looked across the atrium . Their previous actions had clearly agitated the central array . And while it still ran , the energy wasn’t flowing nearly as smoothly .
The situation was surprisingly reminiscent of the simulation array back in his manor . The array blueprint on the floor was being tested by an outside pressure , which exposed some things you’d normally not notice . Zac’s eyes soon stopped at a certain spot , and a small fractal leaf formed on his axe .
It wasn’t much larger than Verun’s axehead , but it was immensely condensed and filled with the Evolutionary Dao of his Dao Mold . Zac released the blade , and it tore through the air like a bullet . The raging resentment tried to corrupt the blade , but it was like a blazing beacon in the darkness . Tearing through the chaos and carving a line into the imperfection . Damaging one section exposed new weaknesses , and Zac’s arm was like a cannon as he shot out one fractal leaf after another .