Chapter 1158: Truth and Empire
"We survived?" Bubbur muttered with disbelief when the escape pod's screams from having its hull twisted and rent calmed down to a cautionary susurrus.
The vessel seemed just as surprised to have survived the journey through that chaos, and the atmosphere was suddenly sucked out of a breach. Emily quickly grabbed Galau and another soldier before the whole thing collapsed, and they were spat out into the boundless expanse of outer space.
She had seen which way the wind blew and had already put on her spacefaring kit. Two talismans activated, forming layered defensive shields that allowed them to be swept away on the spatial winds, adding more distance from the tower. The moment Emily thought it safe, she took out a pod of her own and dragged the two inside.
Wayward soldiers were picked up in quick order, but Emily refused to steer her skipper away from the tower. She was waiting, her attention fully on the screens displaying the outsides.
A two-hundred-meter-long stretch of ancient stone silently floated behind themthe upper section of the Sixth Centurion Lighthouse. The rest of the tower or the huge scarred platform Zac described were nowhere to be seen. Neither were there any hints of Zac. Her heart was gripped with anxiety, wondering if something had gone wrong.
Thankfully, it was impossible to mistake the tower section for a piece of rubble separated from the rest of the structure. There were no hints of damage, apart from the severed section still reeking of ancient Killing Intent. Neither were there any signs of the spatial storm they'd narrowly passed through. Instead, the tower was surrounded by a spiral of gently flowing lights.
New motes of spatial splendor were continuously appearing from a radiant haze at the tower's bottom end. Emily could barely discern a foreign sky and another section of the tower withina different dimension. The lights traveled along the structure to a similar gate on the other end, and it seemed as though the tower was being transformed before their very eyes.
"He won't appear here," Galau said with a somber expression. "The twisted space is unraveling, stretching space across millions of miles and multiple dimensions. Every second will take him further and further away."
"Is that why we all had to cram into one pod?" Emily said, her frazzled emotions amplified by the memory of passing through the storm while packed like sardines.
"You saw the state of the third one," Average shrugged. "Doubt it'd have survived."
"That token he used" Galau hesitated. "I saw markings of the Starfall Lighthouse and that of my"
"Forget about that thing," Emily snapped as she levied a murderous look on the group of castaways. "In fact, don't mention anything about the seals on the outside until you're back with your people. Probably not even then."
"Why not? Just what are those things?" Average asked with a frown.
Emily shot a hesitant glance at the shimmering tower before taking a steadying breath. The situation had already reached this point. She couldn't help Zac against that smooth-faced monster, but she could at least make sure these meatheads wouldn't get him in trouble after he emerged. So, Emily briefly explained the situation with the trial and how it had impacted the war.
"You're saying sealbearers have become a commodity, and the Peak Family wouldn't be able to protect me even if they wanted," Galau sighed. "Sounds like another prison is waiting outside. Or worse, we'll become pawns used to reveal the trial's hidden dangers."
Emily pursed her lips as she looked at the crestfallen merchant. Or rather, Array Master, a skill that they sorely lacked back home without Kenzie around. Someone who could fix all the defective weapons she'd stockpiled, who could provide insights into her Axe Array. He didn't even look half-bad.
And while the rest of these people looked a bit dumb, they all had incredibly stable auras and great survival instincts. They were even better than the talents they'd snagged in the Red Sector. Instead of worrying about things she couldn't control, maybe she should do some recruiting.
"Hey, Shartermaster, which seal did you get?" Emily asked as she leaned closer with big eyes. "Do you need a place to stay?"
"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about it?" Galau countered, his shifty eyes rife with distrust. "And what do you mean"
"Ah, little queen, I'm a Sealbearer of the Tethered Court," Bubbur quickly interjected as he squeezed over. "Not bad, right? So how about"
"What? You're a sealbearer?" Emily said with shock before her eyes thinned with suspicion. "Wait. You're less than a hundred years old?"
"Only a kid just shy of 90," Bubbur grinned. "I don't know? We just end up looking like this after entering the Muscle Brigade."
"Were they just handing out seals to anyone in there?" Emily muttered while flicking an arc of lightning at the overly enthusiastic barbarian. "Come on, what about you, handsome?"
Galau rolled his eyes but relented. "I guess Bubbur would rat me out anyway. I'm a Threadwinder of the Daedalian Court."
"Daedalian?" Emily said, her eyes gleaming.
Could this be the answer to the riddle that had plagued Zac for over a decade? When he first got the quest to collect Outer Court Cycles, progress was already 4/6. At that time, the only known sealbearer by his side was Ogras, which left them incredibly confused.
As time passed, they had solved parts of the mystery. She was obviously one of the four, having already gotten her first piece of the Radiant Court. But to this day, the numbers failed to add up. The cycle was complete while lacking a Threadwinder. Was it Galau all along?
"Why not go with them? We know you weren't planning to return to the army, anyway. You've even mentioned hiding out with the boss on his System-shrouded planet," Average grinned, further cementing Emily's theory.
Someone would only be included in their cycle if they felt they belonged to their side. The only other Threadwinders Zac knew were his undead girlfriend and some guy in the Radiant Temple, but they were already spoken for by their respective factions.
"You too, Bubbur. I need to go back to my family, but there's no reason you should become a pawn to the outsiders."
"We can protect you," Emily eagerly nodded at Galau. "Uh, you too, Bubbur."
"Protect me? I haven't forgotten why Zac came to the Tower of Eternity," Galau said with a roll of his eyes. "Or how many people he ended up offending instead of finding a backer for his newly integrated planet. And there's no way such a troublemaker has kept a low profile while we were trapped. Can you even protect yourself?"
"We're a young faction, but we're doing alright," Emily grinned as she took out a couple of identity tokens, including those of the Allbright Empire and the Dravorak Dynasty. "Things have changed since you guys met in the Tower of Eternity. Teacher is doing pretty well for himself these days. Our faction has diplomatic relationships with half the top factions of the sector.
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"That old Redeemer guy hasn't dared show his face for years, and the elders of the Heliophos Clan have already sent us a bunch of apology gifts. We're rich as all hell, our armies are the best decked-out in the sector, and we have multiple people on the war contribution ladders."
"How in the" Galau muttered as he looked at the tokens with suspicion.
Bubbur wasn't as hard a sale. "I'm willing!"
Emily nodded with satisfaction. Her pitch was already a well-oiled machine after years of practice. Unfortunately, her real target wasn't as easily convinced.
"This smells like a sales trick. Is anything you said true? About you, about the seals."
"It's all true, you paranoid bastard," Emily swore. "You'll find out the truth as soon as you return, anyway. The bounties are public. You're literally a walking commodity right now."
"Then what are you guys relying on?" Galau countered. "Have you already sold yourself to the outsiders? Or do you have some valuable resources? Because there's no way a little D-grade faction will garner much attention from the established factions, no matter how impressive your teacher is."
Emily was surprised at how quickly Galau figured it out, which only made her want him more. Zac had raised a faction with fine warriors and standout elites. But she had to admit, most people at the top were good at fighting and nothing else. Just look at their sealbearers. Zac's meathead camp so overwhelmingly outnumbered the 'coalition for reason' that her fellow Lightbringer, Carl Elrod, had a mental breakdown and began calling himself a janitor.
"A little bit of both. We have a working agreement with the Undead Empire, but we're more like independent contractors. It was teacher who ended the eternal war and brought the Kavriel Province to Zecia's side. Without his contribution, the war would have looked a lot different right now. Oh, teacher also happens to own the best Cosmic Vessel Shipyard in the sector. Our wares have proven pretty effective on the battlefield."
"As expected of the man who summoned the Stele of Conflict," Galau sighed as he glanced at the soldiers around him. "It's not impossible for me to join you. However, I have a few demands."
"What's that?"
"I accumulated a lot of knowledge in there. Schematics, blueprints, weaponry. I need you to find a way to disseminate those methods. I don't care about money. I just want the inventions I've carried for years to kill as many invaders as possible. My comrades gave up everything everything to get me and my knowledge this far. I want them to matter. I want their sacrifice to matter."
A subdued silence filled the room as eight sets of eyes focused on Emily. She almost felt she could see the outlines of their fellow brigadiers standing behind them and the unbreakable determination in their eyes.
"I promise," Emily solemnly nodded. "If we can make them, we'll sell them at cost. If we can't, we'll find the right partners so that the blueprints won't reach the Kan'Tanu."
Any further discussion was interrupted by a beeping signal. Emily swore at the console and quickly took out a change of clothes and forged identities for Bubbur and Galau.
"Remember! In case we don't get killed in the next minute, you two are soldiers of the Acheron Company of the Atwood Empire!" Emily urged before glaring at the others. "And not a word from you guys!"
Emily solemnly gazed at the screen as a monstrous dreadnought, unlike any Cosmic Vessel she'd ever seen, tore through space, appearing just a few dozen miles from their position. It was impossible to tell whether it belonged to the Alliance, the Kan'Tanu, or some outsiders. The only thing she knew for certain was that it was ancient and that it held the power to take on a whole armada.
Escaping was out of the question. The earlier warning was a two-hit combo of space being sealed and a spatial breach. Thank god the tower had already shifted out of their dimension as it continued its activation. Neither did the others seem to recognize it. The Muscle Brigade mutely stared at the incoming vessel, their eyes as wide as saucers.
"Holy crap."
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The cloaked men were unmoving like statues as Yrin gazed at the Royal Orb in his hand. They were witnesses of the Seventh Edge, their role just to observe. For now. The cardinal stood by Yrin's side, eyes half-closed as he sensed the changes in the Imperial Qi. Suddenly, his eyes shot open as pupils and sclera were replaced by radiant purple.
"There has been a shift in the order," an ancient voice came from the young clergyman's throat.
It was a necessary step, even if Yrin didn't require any outside input to confirm the changes. He could feel how the clouds of Purple Qi darkened before being forcibly stabilized by the accumulated providence of the Tobrial Dynasty. Yrin briefly closed his eyes before turning to Ylvin. The Monarch looked back with a complex gaze, understanding what must be done.
"Call him home."
There was neither joy nor sorrow upon learning that his younger brother had failed. Not even the fact that his Imperial Qi had been forcibly dispersed, which could only mean regicide, created a ripple in his heart. It was part of the natural order and the cycle of any dynasty. Rulers came and went, becoming a link in an ever-growing chain. Hopefully, they would leave behind something greater than what they inherited. Even if not, that was just another hurdle to overcome.
Empires had their ebb and flow, and succession was a chance to turn fate around.
"Yes, Your Highness," Ylvin sighed before activating the crucible.
A flood of Imperial Qi poured out of the Royal Orb and entered the ancient stele, and Yrin added a drop of his blood. A gate through time and space, connected through lineage, formed. A bedraggled figure surrounded by immensely fell air appeared before the crucible, and it took a moment for Yrin to connect the figure with his mercurial brother.
Yrin thoughtfully looked at his brother's wounds, trying to envision the battle that brought him to this state. It wasn't easy. The large hole in his torso held lingering hints of plant-based lifeforce, while his Soul Aperture was flooded with ancient Killing Intent. Finally, there were multiple traces of Technocrat presence, including something drilled into his skull.
Ylvin growled with anger and forcibly dispersed the sinister energies with a wave of his hands before reducing the device to ash with a burst of light. It made Yselio's eyes flicker open, and they soon focused on Yrin.
"Ah, so you're the one they picked, brother," Yselio wheezed as a bloody smile appeared on his face.
"You knew?" Yrin said before slightly shaking his head. "Of course you did."
"Competition is the Heavenly Path, and this mission can't be shouldered by me alone," Yselio said as he tried to sit up, only to fail and fall back down.
His red eyes turned to the band of stars above like he was searching for secrets hidden within their constellation. Or perhaps he simply didn't have the heart to look at those present after being discarded by fate. A rough laugh more resembling a groan escaped Yselio's throat, and small red bubbles formed around his mouth.
"You ousted one outside party and weakened two more. And despite your failure inside the fortress, we managed to seize four more seals on the outside," Yrin calmly said. "I will report your achievements in hopes that our Royal Father will recover you when this chapter is concluded."
"You always were a straight arrow," Yselio smiled, his eyes unmoving. "I hope my small contribution has smoothened the road ahead."
"Your wounds hold the taint of the Selvari," Yrin said. "Are they responsible for your current state?"
"The Selvari? You could say that. The price of curiosity is steep," Yselio muttered, his gaze growing distant as he finally turned back to Yrin. "My dear brother, between truth and Empire, what's most important?"
Yselio's cultivation was rapidly dispersing while the ancient Killing Intent consumed his soul. Despite that, a sense of unease shook the normally impermeable fortress of Yrin's heart. Who better knew how dangerous Yselio was than his siblings?
"Empire is truth."
A streak of unstoppable swordlight split Yselio in two. Dao of Technology and Killing Intent were crushed by imperial might, leaving only Yrin's intent and Imperial Qi behind. Yrin sheathed his blade and lightly tapped the air to redirect the incoming attack.
"You heartless bastard, what are you doing?" Ylvin glowered. "Despite his failure, Yselio should have been given his rites."
"The trajectory has changed, and I have my instructions," Yrin said as he covered the bisected corpse. "My brother has always been capricious, and I couldn't let him do anything that might harm our efforts."
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with the opportunity," Ylvin snorted as he pointedly looked at the glowing light pouring from Yselio's wounds.
A moment later, a mysterious rune rose from his chest, prompting the Imperial Qi to form a swirl of fate and future.
"The Seventh Edge greets Lord Vindicator," the observers intoned, and Yrin stepped forward.
The swirling Qi welcomed his approach, though Yrin frowned upon feeling a slight disturbance within. He wanted to destroy it and the seal before they could taint the dynasty's providence. But he couldn't. He'd been chosen, so he would bring the Ultom Courts back to the Seventh Heaven, destroying all obstacles in his path.
He touched the rune, and the world turned dark.
"So, how is it?" Ylvin asked when Yrin emerged from the dissipating haze. "I hear those things contain amazing truths for the fated."
Yrin glanced at the empty husk bereft of soul and future and shook his head before turning to the sky.
"Truth..." he muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
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