A concerted push of Void Energy managed to splinter the forces that had invaded Zac's left arm, and countless streamers of evil were pushed out of his pores. With the cause rooted out, his body's natural recovery kicked in to deal with the symptoms. His knuckles creaked as his hand turned into a fist. It would take a while longer to recover; time he didn't have.
Jalach was still gathering strength. Just as he'd seized Zac's skills to make them his own, he was siphoning off the very energy that should be suppressing him. Zac guessed he shouldn't be surprised, considering what Jalach had done to the [Epiclesis Bell].
Swirls of profaned despair were gathering around Jalach's arm, forming something resembling a blade. Meanwhile, a dark halo was forming behind his head. Just looking at it drastically increased the mental pressure Zac was under. It felt like a countdown marking Jalach's true descent. The halo was only a few scattered pieces thus far, but new streaks were added one after another.
Every second Zac delayed would make victory more difficult. He advanced, this time armed with [Fuxi Mountain Gate] instead of [Love's Bond]. The Void Treasure had proven impervious to everything he'd thrown at it so far. It was made from a piece of the true Void Mountain and sanctified by Roan. If it couldn't withstand Jalach's influence, then nothing could.
Zac was within melee range in the blink of an eye, face to face with evil incarnate. Laughter filled his mind. Zac renounced it and turned oppression into destruction. His left fist crashed into Jalach's right elbow, interrupting a swing with the budding despair blade. The collision sounded like a clap of thunder, followed by the crack of broken bone—Zac's own.
One of his fingers had snapped; Zac didn't so much as blink. Jalach's stance had been forced open by the forceful approach, and Zac followed up with a headbutt that left him no leeway. Another clap of thunder, and Jalach took a tumbling step backward. Two slithering chains appeared by his ankles at the right moment.
Ichor ran down and filled Zac's eyes, yet he kept going. He slammed the sharp edge of [Fuxi Mountain Gate] right into Jalach's forehead, the force driving him into the ground. Dozens of runes were destroyed while not so much as a mark was left on the Void Treasure. Zac wasn't satisfied. He could tell that he wasn't doing as much damage as he'd hoped. New runes were already seeping out from the corpse's skin to replace those that were lost.
Changing target, Zac pushed the miniature mountain straight into Jalach's chest cavity in an attempt to impale the evil nucleus. It felt like he was hitting air, but the nucleus was forcibly scattered. It didn't appear to directly harm Jalach as Zac had hoped, yet his eyes lit up. His bleeding free hand latched onto Jalach's forehead while he pummeled the [Fuxi Mountain Gate] into various points of Jalach's body like an enraged caveman.
Bones snapped with each slam, and the spiritual destruction from [Void Mountain]'s Dao-annihilating seal was even greater. It was clear that the nucleus was needed to maintain the corpse's impervious state. A scream of danger finally forced Zac to sneak into Void's hidden pathways. Quick reflexes and unique advantages allowed him to narrowly dodge two shadowy maws.
A detached head made from malice had nearly bitten straight through his midsection. Judging by the aura it emitted, it was the same thing that almost crippled Zac's arm. When its target disappeared, it returned to form Jalach's nucleus. The corpse floated to its feet as broken bones reattached themselves with a harrowing crackle.
"Interesting... Interesting... Your taste is hidden, but it's very familiar. I think you'll make for a perfect vessel," Jalach mused.
"Big words from someone who can barely keep themselves in one piece," Zac spat.
"Indeed, you're quite quick on your feet. However, you have a glaring weakness, don't you?" Jalach countered as his head slowly turned.
Zac's heart thumped, and he immediately activated [Abyssal Drive]. He barely appeared in time to intercept a shadowy arrow aimed straight at Vilari's forehead. Another string of chains fell to the ground, infected by madness.
"See? Weakness," Jalach laughed.
There was no point in saying anything else. Zac rushed back into melee range. This time, Jalach didn't let Zac do as he pleased. The corpse's hands moved with a grace that felt utterly misplaced, blocking attacks while levying their own. There was no sign of Zac's previous barrage having caused any permanent damage, more than a measurable weakening of Jalach's total spirituality.
Every so often, a cut with the corrupted blade nearly claimed a limb, completely disrupting Zac's rhythm. Worse, Jalach was slowly getting accustomed to the unpredictability of Zac's Void-imbued movements. His battle experience was clearly extensive, and he wasn't above using Vilari as a distraction. Even a feint would force Zac into a passive state.
Zac could only keep going, suddenly fighting as much to keep Jalach occupied as to take him out. If Vilari could defeat her enemy, she could help break the stalemate. The chains of [Love's Bond] rejoined the battle, punching into Jalach's near-invulnerable physique with abandon. To counter the corrosion, Alea could only keep severing sections of her chain. In no time, yards upon yards of detached metal were spread across the ground.
While Zac's Spirit Tool could produce miles of chain, it came at a significant cost. Usually, Zac could recover most of the broken links after a battle. [Love's Bond] would resorb and recast, only costing some energy. That wasn't the case this time. How could they dare absorb fragments tainted by Jalach? It would be asking for trouble.
The sacrificed chains would have to be discarded, and new ones would be made from scratch. In addition to a much higher requirement in time and energy, Zac would need to provide suitable materials. Thankfully, Alea was still only a Mid D-grade Spirit Tool, and he had enough metals to spare. Nevertheless, he needed to be careful with such expenditures.
As he looked at the growing piles of festering chains, Zac's eyes suddenly gleamed. While risky, a new path toward victory had appeared. Trying not to give anything away, Zac's tempo grew more frantic. His left fist grew bloody from repeatedly pummeling Jalach's body, his expenditure of Void Energy doubled, and the rattle of chains grew louder as the pace of attacks increased.
The all-out, self-mutilating melee was starting to produce some results. Jalach's approach toward Vilari was stalled, and he was even forced a few steps back. However, his actual state was still quite good. The sword on his arm was extending further, and his sinister halo was already half-filled. Not even Zac's Heart Realm could fully suppress the evil it exuded.
Zac's face twitched as a smile started spreading across his face, and controlling his left arm grew arduous. If things progressed in this direction, he would soon be reaching for his own heart. Truthfully, Zac was almost certain that he could survive without a heart long enough to grow a new one back or put the old one back in place. That wasn't the problem.
The act of offering one's heart with a joyful smile had all the hallmarks of an evil ritual. Zac still remembered how thousands of gouged-out hearts held aloft had been beating in sync the first time they encountered the [Epiclesis Bell]. Not a single affected cultivator had survived that day, despite plenty of skilled healers giving it their all. The same was true the following times the [Epiclesis Bell] made an appearance throughout the war.
Despite Zac's unique constitution, he didn't dare take that gamble. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to, because everything was in place. His body suddenly grew by nearly a meter, and a cloak covered his features. Zac lunged forward and slapped Jalach's chest just as a spectral chain formed around his arm. [Arbiter of the Abyss]'s strongest bond was established, and Jalach froze in place.
That brief moment was all Zac needed. He disappeared into a Void Vortex as a ripple spread through miles of meticulously arranged discarded chains. He emerged a hundred meters away, a genuine smile on his face upon seeing the chains radiate an ethereal glow.
"That's impossible! The Empire's gone! He's gone!" Jalach roared as he railed against Zac's prison.
"Do you truly believe that? Naïve." Zac scoffed while observing the five layers of his hastily drawn array for imperfections.
There were none, as far as Zac could tell. While crude, every pattern that needed to be there was in place. Zac didn't exactly understand what the trapping array had to do with Laondio or his empire, but he wouldn't pass up the chance to taunt Jalach and possibly drive a stake of uncertainty into his heart. His Path, as twisted as it was, was clearly connected to the Peak of Seven Sensations.
In truth, Zac was surprised the array worked at all, let alone as well as it did. The glow grew in intensity, causing a stir that spread to every corner of the ruins. Jalach was no longer able to steal any energy to empower himself. The ambient despair all poured into the makeshift array. As it did, the intangible pressure levied on Jalach intensified exponentially. Zac deactivated [Arbiter of the Abyss] just before losing control, and Jalach remained rooted in place.
His deadly halo lost its luster, and the runes across his body squirmed like they were in agony. Unfortunately, there was simply no way that the array was enough to finish him off. First of all, it was never the array's purpose. Secondly, the five concentric circles could barely be called an array. The formation patterns were made from a mix of discarded chains and pieces from the ruins. How could it possibly be a stable conduit to any significant amounts of energy? Activating at all was nothing short of a gift from the Heavens.
As such, Zac was already primed and ready with a follow-up. The muscles in his right arm bulged before he pivoted forward with such force that the air screamed. His arm drew a wide parabolic arc before letting go. The [Fuxi Mountain Gate] that had remained tightly gripped throughout the battle shot forth like a cannon, causing three consecutive sonic booms.
Struggle as he might, Jalach could only watch as the miniature mountain's sharp peak tore straight through the hollow of his chest. The whole nucleus was scattered, and the array drastically amplified the damage dealt this time. Whole sections of runes sloughed off, exposing pale, desiccated skin beneath.
"Did you think this enough?!" Jalach roared with laughter. "The Primordials couldn't kill me, and neither could the Empire! Do you think yourself any different? This array will soon break!"
Zac responded by releasing two churning clouds. One was made from pure death; the other, the essence of war. The two forces ground against each other in a never-ending cycle until an absolute chasm opened in between. The razor-sharp blade of nothingness rushed forth, cutting into Jalach at a diagonal angle.
At the moment of impact, an equal yet opposite force crashed into Jalach from behind. It was a scar in reality opened by the collision of Life and Conflict. It slashed into Jalach's back, forming a large 'X' together with the opposing blade. The sinister runes managed to absorb some of the force, but there was nothing to protect the hollow in his chest.
In the very core of Jalach's being, [Rapturous Beginning] joined with [Sonorous End]. A whole cycle of conception to death had been gathered in a singular location, once more dispersing the evil nucleus before it had the chance to reform. Two became three, and three returned to the one, allowing a silver spark to be born.
At that moment, two more blades tore into Jalach. A vast gate holding the promise of Arcadia opened in the sky without warning or sound. Instead of a road to salvation, it was the manifestation of judgment. Meanwhile, a pitch-black blade shaped like a gate to the underworld came straight out of the ground, impaling Jalach where he stood.
Already severely weakened, the corpse could not withstand the combined forces of [Arcadia's Judgment] and [Desperation's End]. Flesh was torn, and the ultimate attacks met in the middle. The unstable spark that had just been born was suddenly struck from both ends. In the blink of an eye, the spark grew into a silver star that swallowed all light, all Dao, and all possible futures.
Even Zac was forced to take a few steps back when faced with the out-of-control phenomenon he'd unleashed on the world. The four skills had been infused with the full extent of his power—from Dao Molds to Hidden Nodes. With so much energy and kinetic force gathered in one place, it was no surprise he managed to create a ball of Chaos.
The silver aberration didn't last long, and not just because of the intrinsic ephemera of Chaos. Streaks of golden radiance emerged from the heart of the sphere, scattering the star just as it was born. Zac's brows rose at the scene. He'd torn a hole in reality, and there was Imperial Faith on the other side. Had he dug a path to the memory domain surrounding the mountain peak?
The truth was unclear, and it didn't exactly matter. What was important was that there was no sign of the corpse or Jalach himself. This time, Zac was almost certain that the entity had been destroyed body and soul. He'd realized early in the battle that the possession had fused Jalach with his corpse, and he couldn't just disengage when the situation looked bad.
Only a few streaks of rootless evil remained, and they were actively targeted by the expanding streaks of Imperial Faith. They were like wolves on the prowl, both more motivated and discerning than the ambient despair. A few streaks even dug into the ground in search of scraps to destroy. It was a silent hunt that would only end when no traces of Jalach remained.
Zac slowly exhaled as the dust settled, exposing his other half standing on the opposite side of the ruins. Things went much better than expected, and it was mostly thanks to the surprising strength of the array. Zac didn't expect the array to last for multiple seconds. He'd somewhat expected it to explode the moment energy entered the formation.
Zac would then adapt his response to how big a commotion it caused. Worst-case scenario, Alea was ready to activate [Inexorable Fate] again to trap Jalach. Thankfully, that didn't prove necessary. Less than half a year had passed since he used the ability against Descartes Belial, and Alea still hadn't fully recovered from the backlash.
With Jalach weakened by both the array and having his nucleus scattered by the [Fuxi Mountain Gate], Zac had decided to go for broke. A small sleight of hand was all it took to set everything up. He'd sent over the Void Treasure to his other body, who immediately jumped inside. The next second, the mountain gate returned like it had never left.
There was simply no way that Jalach could have expected his human half to jump out of the mountain gate the moment it had passed through his chest. It was the perfect ambush when combined with multiple Void-activated finishers striking all at once. A normally formed Chaos Ball might have worked too, but they required Zac to enter melee range and were much slower to form.
A sudden ripple made both Zacs turn around. The stalemate between Vilari and her evil twin had finally broken, and the victor was obvious. A huge hand made from the area's remaining despair grabbed onto Vilari's body, and a mottled soul was pulled out from its container. Vilari's body slumped onto the ground.
The next moment, the ethereal fist imploded, tearing the soul to pieces. There were a few traces of Jalach's evil lodged in her soul that were directly destroyed by the unleashed energies. Just as Zac thought it was over, the mix of energies moved toward Vilari's discarnate soul. Zac would have directly attacked the super-condensed pool of Mental Energy if he hadn't seen the certainty in Vilari's eyes.
Zac nervously watched as she opened her mouth to absorb the mixture of shredded soul and despair. For a few minutes, there was neither movement nor sound. Finally, Vilari's body rose into the air and was brought over to her soul. The fusion went without a hitch. The next second, Vilari appeared before him, embracing him in a tight hug.
“You came,” Vilari murmured from the comfort of his chest. “You keep appearing to save me.”
“Of course I do. It’s a father’s job,” Zac said with a smile.