Defiance of the Fall: A LitRPG Adventure

by TheFirstDefier

  As he walked around a bend, he almost ran straight into a party of six demons. The one in the front snapped something in demonic as Zac passed, but Zac only waved his axe in response. His heartbeat quickened as he kept running, waiting for the demons to go their own way.

  It seemed the proximity was too close, as an arrow came whizzing at his back. Sensing danger, Zac whirled around and blocked the arrow with his axe-head. Sighing, he made a 180 and rushed into the demon group while he summoned [Chop]. The man in the front held a sword, which by itself started burning as he swung it to intercept Zac’s chop. The demon hadn’t imagined the power contained in the axe, and the edge hit him like a truck, breaking most of his fingers as the sword was forced away. The swing continued onward as it chopped off his upper body and continued to decapitate the unlucky demon who stood next to him with a short sword and shield.

  Zac pushed on and made quick work of the last four demons, whose feeble attempts to stop him couldn’t even slow him down. After the blitz, he was bleeding a bit from two small wounds, but it was nothing serious. A few of his old wounds had opened as well, but there was nothing to do about that for now. He was also drenched in demon blood and could only hope that the smell wouldn’t attract any beasts.

  He slowly kept moving forward, and after half an hour, he reached the forest at the edge of the valley, taking twice the time compared to if he had rushed straight in.

  As he moved forward, he saw that the orderly war at the slopes of the mountain had turned into a chaotic melee in the valley by now. There were clumps of demons fighting monkeys scattered all over the place. In most places, the demons still held an advantage, but at a few others, they got overrun by sheer numbers.

  He saw an unlucky group of ten demons getting ripped to pieces by an angry horde of monkeys. They put up a valiant defense, but two fists couldn’t defend against ten, and in just moments, they were mangled corpses strewn on the ground. A few of the monkeys had even ripped off limbs and contentedly chewed on them as they moved toward the next pack.

  Zac tried to avoid battle as much as he could, not wanting to get any more experience until he seized a Fruit of Ascension. He stayed clear of any larger battles, zigzagging forward in a careful manner. Of course, every now and then, he got accosted by either a group of demons that figured out his identity or a group of enraged monkeys happy to target any humanoid.

  The clashes resulted in furious melees, as Zac wanted to finish the battles as quickly as possible. Unheeding of energy expenditure, he ravaged any party that got close with great chops using his skills. When he ran low on Cosmic Energy, he took a sip from the lake water and let the burn quickly restore his deficit. He did avoid using the Dao of Heaviness, though, as he didn’t have any means to restore his mental energy apart from sleeping.

  Soon he arrived at the field of desolation, his body covered in a multitude of shallow wounds by now. Due to the consumption of the water, he didn’t feel any pain, though, and still felt he was in peak condition.

  The vision the System had shown him earlier was accurate, and a huge area was now covered in dried-out and dead trees. The once lush forest was gone and replaced with a dead space.

  After a quick look, he saw that it was only fifty minutes until the fruits ripened. Even if he had blazed through all the resistance in the forest, it took some time to traverse the distance. He figured that if he ran, it would take him twenty minutes or so to reach the crimson tree. He was hesitant whether he should leave the cover of the forest to enter the field, as he would be completely exposed if he did.

  After some deliberation, he ran along the forest edge toward the opposite side of the field. The demons should be concentrated on the eastern side, as they’d entered the valley from there. The army might have spread to encircle the tree by now, but it should at least be thinner at the opposite side.

  When he was a bit more than halfway to the other side, he veered into the dead zone and headed for the tree. He was running out of time and needed to get to the fruits. The area was largely devoid of combatants, either monkey or demon, and soon he saw why.

  As he approached the tree, he saw a scene of utter chaos. The magical tree still stood tall as it had before, with the addition of the two ripening fruits. Covering it was a glimmering shell covered in dense fractals. Zac felt that the shield should be the work of the System, as the fractals felt perfect and in harmony with the universe, just like the ones on his array flags. The inscriptions on the demons’ weapons were far more simplistic in comparison.

  Packed around the shield was a confusing and bloody carnage between monkeys and demons. There were no lines of demarcation, no strategy, and no order. There were just hundreds upon hundreds of bodies crammed together, desperately trying to kill anything on the opposing side. They all tried to claw their way closer to the shield and the tree, to be as close as possible when the shield dropped.

  Right by the edge of the shield, a few areas almost devoid of people could be seen, and in one of them, Zac saw the white-haired demon fighting against the monkey king. The herald had a few supersized monkeys by his side, and they furiously did everything they could to support their leader. It looked like the herald was mostly healed up, but a huge scar adorned its chest now.

  Every strike between the herald and the general created rippling shock waves in the area, keeping all the grunts at bay. The ground looked blazing hot with fire and molten rock, likely a result of the herald’s onslaught.

  But the general clearly held the advantage, and with dizzying swordplay was whittling down Cindermane’s defenses. The large scar on his chest had started to open up, and new wounds over his arms accompanied it. Zac realized the lethality of the general, as even Zac’s own mighty swings had only left a white mark on the herald’s sturdy hands. The hulking monkey captains were covered in wounds from head to toe as well. One of them even had a whole arm missing.

  Meanwhile, the general still looked pristine apart from some soot marks, as though the carnage and fire in the surroundings were isolated from himself. The monkey captains were doing what they could to ease the pressure, but it seemed that they wouldn’t be able to hang on for long unless something changed. Since Zac didn’t want the general to kill the herald, at least not yet, he was determined to be the change that would turn the tide.

  61

  Pitched Battle

  The ground was barely visible beneath the forces, as blood and broken bodies covered most of it by now. Even fires were starting to erupt at various spots around the battlefield, likely from the attacks of pyromancers and the herald. With the dried-out tree husks on the ground, the whole valley would likely be an inferno of flames in a short while.

  Zac could see that more combatants from both camps were steadily streaming in from the surroundings and immediately joined in on the mayhem when they arrived. He checked his quest and saw that the timer showed [00:10:03].

  Zac once more glanced at the mouthwatering fruits glistening on the tree, and after a few steadying breaths, he charged into the frenzy. He steadily moved forward, wielding an axe in one hand and a dagger in the other. He refrained from using [Chop] in this crammed melee, afraid to draw attention to himself.

  He mainly used the axe to deflect or hook incoming swings, and finished off the enemy with a quick stab in their throat or heart before moving forward. It was a quick and dirty method that didn’t announce his monstrous Strength.

  He steadily moved forward, forced to kill a combatant almost with every step. His disguise was still assisting him immensely, as it often took the demons a second to register that they weren’t facing an ally. And a second was all that Zac needed to quickly and discreetly kill them.

  Soon he was just thirty meters from the edge of the shield, and the area actually was getting less cramped compared to more. Every single monkey at the core was a captain, and they were furiously fighting with various well-equipped demons. The monkeys had to fight a few captains per demon, not being able to match their might.


  Each battle had its own space, as the swings and shock waves could kill or at least disrupt anyone coming too close. Getting hit and distracted in an intense situation like this could be a death sentence, so everyone kept their backs clear.

  It was obvious that the demons steadily were gaining the upper hand, as almost all the bodies on the ground were monkeys. That couldn’t go on, as Zac needed the fight to keep going to a point where they whittled each other down. Zac took out a dagger and discreetly threw it straight into the back of a well-geared demon. The make of his armor was the same as Zac’s old chest piece, only covering the upper torso, so Zac’s dagger slammed straight into his back without giving the demon time to react.

  The hit destroyed the demon’s spine, and he helplessly fell on the ground. The monkey captains immediately pounced and punched his head into the ground until it was a bloody pulp, before moving on to assist its brethren. Satisfied with his work, he continued on and acted as a hidden reaper.

  He was still forced to kill monkeys and demons coming too close to him, but he kept moving around to avoid being exposed. He also kept a healthy distance from the battle between the herald and the general, who were still going at it with extreme prejudice. Every chance he got, he threw a dagger at one of the stronger-looking demons. Sometimes he got a perfect hit and actually managed to kill them himself, and at other times, he managed to at least maim and distract them, allowing the monkeys to finish the job.

  Soon he ran out of knives and was forced to start throwing Nexus Crystals at the demons. They weren’t as effective as the knives, but with Zac’s strength, anything he threw could be considered a weapon. Soon the war at the center of the battlefield was starting to sway in favor of the monkeys.

  After Zac helped kill so many of the demons, there currently were far more monkey captains fighting every single demon, and the extra help was often enough to turn the tide.

  But the demons quickly figured out something was wrong, and a mountain of a man angrily shouted something with a piercing voice that carried over the sounds of battle, pointing a huge battle hammer straight at Zac. Many of the demons immediately spotted him, and it looked like his ruse was over.

  However, he had already mostly accomplished his plan, and a great number of demons were killed due to his machinations. Also, the general and herald’s battle was reaching a white-hot intensity, and they couldn’t be bothered with the scream. The herald was quite ragged by now, and the old monkey captains had been replaced with new ones. Zac had a feeling that the only reason the monkey king was still alive was that the demons knew he was of importance to the incursion. Otherwise, Zac couldn’t imagine that the general didn’t have some ace to kill him after all this time.

  He tried sneaking back into the chaos of the battle, but a few of the demon leaders wouldn’t have it, and they charged straight at him. A rock wall was erected in front of Zac, halting his escape. He tried shouldering through it, but it was far sturdier compared to the walls he had encountered earlier. It held together against Zac’s slam, although it sustained some cracks from the impact.

  Suddenly, he sank down into the ground and couldn’t move his feet. The ground had first liquefied, then solidified in quick succession, making it seem like he was wearing cement shoes.

  Zac didn’t have time to rip himself free, as a huge mallet was falling down upon him. Through some means, the mallet was getting larger as it fell down toward his head and soon was large enough to completely smash him into a pulp.

  Zac saw no choice but to infuse his hatchet with his Dao, and brought his axe in a two-handed swing, holding nothing back. Zac had severely overestimated the demon from his size and choice of weapon, and when his axe collided with the huge mallet with a terrifying clash, it flew out of the hand of the demon like a rocket. It sailed over the crimson tree and landed somewhere on the other side of the battlefield.

  Zac was startled, but not as startled as the demon. He wasted no time and slammed the axe haft down on the demon’s shoulder, and then used the spike on the back of the axe-head as a hook to pull him to melee distance. As Zac dragged him close, he ended the demon with a quick stab in his throat with his dagger and then used the body to intercept a few ranged attacks.

  The force from the weapons colliding had actually cracked the ground he was standing on, freeing him from the binding. He located the earth mage some distance away and grabbed a monkey captain by its arm.

  The monkey captain furiously slammed his fist in Zac’s chest, but Zac only took it with a grunt before he lifted the huge monkey up in the air and threw him like a boulder at the demon mage. The earth mage hastily erected another wall to intercept the monkey projectile, but the force behind the beast powered through it.

  Zac was not far behind as he entered the wall through the breach, and with a quick chop, decapitated the demon, who didn’t even manage to activate his stone skin skill in time.

  Zac moved on toward the next demon, who had tried to gang up on him, but a blinding light interrupted his plans. It was the large shield covering the tree that started to shine many times brighter compared to before.

  Zac glanced around, and when he saw no one was attacking him at the moment, he brought up the quest skill again and saw the timer go down from two seconds to zero. With a bright flash, the shield immediately winked out of existence, exposing the tree to hundreds of greedy eyes.

  No one moved for a split second before all hell broke loose. Everyone started rushing toward the tree, holding nothing back. Even demons were hitting other demons in a struggle to reach the fruits.

  Zac wasn’t any different, and taking full advantage of his close proximity to the tree, he pushed forward, driving massive amounts of Cosmic Energy into his legs. The ground cracked with every step he took, and it would be more accurate to say Zac pushed himself forward by slamming into the ground with his feet rather than running. He summoned [Chop] and killed any monkey or demon getting too close, and soon he was almost underneath the tree’s branches.

  Zac was among the first, but he was still behind two individuals, Cindermane and the dazzling general. Both had already moved toward the fruits, their arms reaching to grab them first. The monkey king had actually created large lava pillars that lifted it up toward the branches, and the general somehow stepped on black arcs of lightning as he moved upwards through the air.

  Zac knew he was out of time, and with a roar, he created a huge edge with [Chop] and unleashed it at the two. It seemed that no one of the other camps dared intervene with the two in the forefront, perhaps afraid that they would inadvertently ruin their leader’s plans. The edge shot up at the two, cutting a few of the crimson branches on the way.

  The herald screeched and looked horrified as he stared at the incoming edge, and actually missed his steps and fell down from the pillars it had created. It appeared that Zac’s last chop had left a shadow in the herald’s mind.

  The general looked surprised to be ambushed at this moment but still managed to smoothly dodge it. He was far up in the air by now and only needed one more step on the black lightning steps to reach the fruits. Desperate, Zac infused his axe with the Dao of Heaviness and hurled it at the demon. The fruits were five meters up in the air, so Zac and the general were extremely close. With Zac’s power, it almost looked as though the axe teleported as it slammed into the general.

  The general had skillfully blocked the strike with his sword, but between Zac’s huge strength and the Dao of Heaviness, the momentum of the throw wouldn’t be denied. The demon was forcefully pushed away from the tree, and the shock wave destroyed most of the branches of the tree.

  Even the branch that held the two Fruits of Ascension was broken off, and they were falling straight toward Zac. Not wanting to waste such a God-given opportunity, he jumped up in the air and snatched the fruits and immediately stashed them into his pouch.

  He couldn’t believe how easily he had acquired the fruits. It looked like 67 Luck wasn’t just for show. But the elation of getting the
treasure quickly dissipated as hundreds of murderous glares focused their suddenly undivided attention on him.

  62

  Crescendo

  Zac brought out his second axe from his pouch, nervously glancing around. His plan had been to kill the herald as well, but being stared at by hundreds of hungry eyes quickly extinguished any desire to remain. For a second, he thought about throwing out the cauldron but soon discarded the idea.

  The runoff fumes from when the imp herald was concocting the poison had been enough to do a number on him, and he didn’t dare imagine what the finished product would be like. Unfortunately, he had no method to control the dissemination of the poison, and best scenario, he managed to kill some of the demons. But that would still leave him to fight his way out against the survivors, now with one less ace in the hole. Worst-case scenario, the poison took too long to activate, or he poisoned himself as well, dying in a bout of friendly fire. The poison would have to be for when he truly was out of options as the last Hail Mary.

  Zac instead shot back away from the tree and started cutting his way out of the packed masses. But how could leaving with the treasure be so easy? Combatants from both camps furiously impeded his path, and he was immediately beset by attacks from all directions. New wounds joined a litany of old ones, and even with Zac’s great constitution, he was starting to feel the pressure.

  With a furious roar, he overcharged [Chop] and created a wide circle of death with a radius of six meters with one fluid motion before he pressed forward. But he only managed to take one step before an intense hair-raising danger made him turn around.