Chapter 666: Powerless (1/2)

Zac's thoughts were a blur as he made his way back to his compound, and he spent over thirty minutes aimlessly wandering around until he stopped in front of one of his sister’s workshops. Far beneath the ground was a large factory, this particular one used to create the Dao Balls meant for Kenzie's breakthrough.

A fiery ember of rage swept away the bleakness as Zac peered down at the ground, and he was more than willing to give in to the feeling. Cosmic Energy surged through his body as [Hatchetman’s Rage] activated, and it felt like his soul was lit on fire. A massive hand appeared a few moments later, and it conjured an emerald array that covered half the sky. A tremendous mountain soon emerged and slammed straight into the workshop.

A few technocrat barriers sprung up, but they were no match for Zac’s full furor. The ground heaved as the mountain peak pierced the building and continued deep into the ground, and it almost looked like the mountain itself was on fire as it was drenched in Zac’s anger. The skill emitted a pressure far beyond what was normal as Dao, Body, and Spirit worked as one in their desire for destruction.

A creaking sound emerged from the depths, and the ground suddenly collapsed for hundreds of meters in every direction. It was the ceiling of the secret factory that had caved in, and thousands of tons of dirt crushed the machines and drones into scrap. Huge clouds of dust rose to the sky like a bomb had been set off.

It was immensely satisfying, but Zac wasn’t done. He turned into an avatar of unrelenting violence, destroying one hidden Technocrat structure after another in his desperate need for an outlet. Soon half his private forest was in shambles, with pieces of Memorysteel rubble sticking up from massive fissures in the ground.

Deep scars from axe strikes crisscrossed the ground, and Zac looked at the carnage with heaving breaths for a few seconds before he turned and wordlessly walked away. A number of golems silently emerged from a shed in a corner, but it would probably take the gardener automatons weeks to even somewhat fix the destruction.

Emptiness.

That was all Zac could feel as he sat down on the pergola overlooking the ocean. He had worked so hard for years, overcoming insurmountable odds to protect those around him, yet where had that taken him?

His sister was taken away to become a pawn of their mother’s schemes while his partner killed like she was an ant. And that just the latest tragedy. Ogras, his closest friend and confidant was gone, stuck in a fragment hurtling through subspace. Billy was there as well, and it was unclear if Zac would ever be able to see them again. Alea had been reduced to a Spirit Tool, and he never got to say goodbye to his father.

He was alone. So utterly alone.

He was the leader of a planet, an emperor with over a billion subjects, yet he had no one to turn to. Certainly, many of his followers remained, but his innermost circle was reduced to a party of one. Certainly, there were old followers like Sap Trang and Joanna to turn to, but there ultimately was a leader-follower dynamic between them.

The following days passed in a blur, where he barely had the energy to lift a single finger. It quickly became apparent that Leandra's terrifying aura had been sensed all across the world, so there was no hiding the situation. Zac sent word of the tragedy to the Marshall Clan, though he modified what actually transpired.

An extremely powerful cultivator appeared out of nowhere in search of the Dimensional Seed and tried to kill all three of them. His sister and Thea had both died instantly and without leaving a body, but he had miraculously survived thanks to a special item he had gained. Lying like this submerged him in another wave of self-loathing, but there wasn't much he could do.

Firmament's Edge was probably still looking for Leandra and Jeeves, and if word of a powerful Technocrat appearing on this planet got out, then who knew what would happen.

He had said he was extremely sorry, and that he would make sure to keep the Marshall Clan safe and independent. But Zac didn’t have the guts to face Henry Marshall himself, so he immediately closed the doors to his compound after sending out word that he wanted to be left alone.

Part of him wanted to set out into the multiverse in search of the Six Profundity Empire, and another part of him just wanted to jump into the deepest monster nest he could find and lose himself to slaughter. But it all felt so futile, so he ultimately just sat down and looked out across the ocean.

Only ten days later was there a change as a series of light footsteps made Zac turn around. A young woman walked toward him, her eyes looking at the destruction around her with some fear. It was Emily, wearing a battle robe with two tomahawks attached to a belt. It was half a year since she had run away from home, but she still looked a bit like a runt.

“You’ve become stronger,” Zac said with a weak smile.

“I’m sorry… About things. Are you okay?” Emily said with red-rimmed eyes as she sat down opposite him.

“You heard?” Zac asked.

“The Marshall Clan found me. They wanted me to check up on you,” she said.

“How are they?” Zac sighed.

“I don’t think most know what happened,” Emily said. “Everyone only knows something big took place here. People are lying low, waiting to see what’s going on. What are you going to do?”

“Do?” Zac said with a self-deprecating laugh. “What can I do? I keep working to become stronger, but that just means that the stakes keep getting bigger. I am… powerless.”

Emily didn’t answer, and the two sat in silence overlooking the sunset. But a sudden sense of danger warned Zac of an attack, just in time for him to block a small tomahawk with his palm. The clash caused the awnings of the pergola to blow right off, but Zac’s hand didn’t move an inch as it was filled with the hardness of the Fragment of the Coffin.

“If you are powerless, what does that make the rest of us?” Emily said with a glare. “Others are more powerful, but they simply started earlier. A crazy cultivator came and killed Thea and Kenzie? You cannot let that go unpunished! Get stronger, find them, and rip them apart! Make the whole multiverse shudder in fear and disgust after you're done with them!”

“I…” Zac said.

“No buts. Go cultivate or something,” Emily said. “If you don’t I’ll start spreading even more rumors about you through Calrin.”

“Even more?” Zac said, his eyes widening in realization as he woke up from his stupor. “You? It was you?”