Chapter 1,376 – Unraveling

“Why are you doing this? What harm have we done you?!” the struggling warrior roared, barely maintaining the barrier against the incoming cascade of pitch-black, crystalline flowers.

The chill of death that had claimed the whole valley crept closer, freezing the very foundations of the small village. The glacial seal severed the settlement’s connection to the Nexus Vein, exacerbating the formation’s evident deficiency. The cold eventually breached the shielding, causing the first Array Flag to snap. From there, a smattering of explosions spoke of finality as the barrier flickered out of existence.

Shaky breaths created plumes of frost as winter’s chill crept closer, and the villagers huddled together for warmth and connection. Catheya took in the scene with equanimity as she advanced, undeterred by the fact that all but one of the defenders were children. Nor did she relax her guard. The crude village with its sole defender might look helpless, but she knew better than to trust her eyes.

“We just wish to live out our lives in peace,” the guardian entreated when Catheya stopped at the town’s border.

Catheya lightly sighed as she scanned the three dozen villagers. The majority of the fell Karma was contained within the adult, but every single one was implicated. “The Heavens are merciless. You may have committed no wrong, but you shouldn’t have gone against the tides. Right or wrong, there must be an end.”

“The responsibility is mine. Please, the children,” the guardian said in a final attempt to elicit sympathy. He would find none.

“Children?” Catheya shook her head before extending [Black Ice Cosmos] to cover the whole village. “It’s time for you all to wake up.”

The false reality fiercely resisted Catheya’s Earthly Domain, relying on willing delusion and seniority. Her combination of Heaven and Earth Harmonization with a Dao Domain was only a visitor, while these villagers had eked out a living in this knot of Karma for epochs. However, Catheya wielded the truth, shedding its pitiless light on the darkness.

The conflict was locked in a stalemate until a murky gemstone on the crown atop Catheya’s head flickered to life. It released an ethereal light that effortlessly integrated with her Earthly Domain, allowing for a deeper fusion than her own abilities could reach on their own. Not only that, her domain became all-encompassing, swiftly absorbing the threads of Karma to unearth the resentment hiding beneath.

“Wh—” the weathered warrior grunted when his form unraveled.

Soon enough, a twisted and hollowed-out specter stood in his place, his emaciated frame covered in holes shaped like small bite marks. With the warrior as the epicenter, a wave of transformation swept forth. The ruddy-cheeked children became gaunt, hungry ghosts with empty eyes, protruding bellies, and strips of flesh in their maws. The simple but well-maintained huts became covered in blood, soot, and grime, while gnawed bones appeared in the flowerbeds.

The children had lost all thought except for unrelenting hunger, and they would have lunged at Catheya if the hollowed specter hadn’t sacrificed an arm to keep them fed. The action was pure instinct and so smooth it must have happened countless times before. The warrior briefly appeared surprised at his action, then quickly settled into a macabre acceptance.

“I see… So much time has passed. Trapped in a loop because of the Empire’s greed. They brought the children to this purgatory, and they refuse to let us off in death,” the wraith lamented, his mind unraveling the moment his memories were unsealed.

He looked at the feasting children with sorrow as the last traces of humanity leaked from his spirit. When he turned back toward Catheya, the specter reeked of malice.

“And they’re still having others run their errands. Not even corpses are spared from being chained to the Empire’s chariot.”

“You’re probably right. I’m being used as a tool by the Empire. Knowing that doesn’t change the outcome,” Catheya calmly said, glancing at the hungry ghosts. “You tried your best to keep the children safe throughout the cycles. Through your efforts, they haven’t been fully corrupted. I’m sure that’ll count for something in the afterlife. You’ve earned your rest. It’s time for the suffering to end.”

The words coming from Catheya’s heart were more effective than any attack. The energy fluctuations of the settlement and its trapped inhabitants began diverging, and Catheya used the weakness to further her control. Even the most stubborn traces of the past were being realigned to her Dao. It proved to be a necessary precaution as the guardian grew increasingly erratic.

“No! I can feel it! So long as we suffer, the Empire suffers. We’re bonded, FOREVER!” the guardian roared as he exploded into action.

Or at least he tried to. The defender only closed the distance by three steps before stopping in place, dozens of flowers made from crystalline ice blooming in his joints and at every energy crossroad. The newborn flowers greedily drew on their surroundings, equally equipped to devour the spirit’s lifeforce as the ambient energy perfectly matched their alignment.

Catheya waved her hand, causing a frigid wind to move past the guardian and cover the children. They didn’t even notice. Until their last breath, they were consumed by the consumption of flesh. One by one, the frozen spirits shattered, and their icy dust joined the thin layer of snow covering the village.

“They’re at rest,” Catheya said.

‘Be… careful… the next… might be you.’

The spirit finally let go of his deep-seated resentment and joined the children in nonexistence. Only an amulet depicting an unfamiliar sigil remained of his body. Catheya looked at the remains of the Peak D-grade cultivator, who’d succumbed without managing to put up a fight. Part of it was thanks to planning and patience. Forcing him to maintain the barrier for two straight days had drained most of his reserves.

The other reason was the incredible power of her Earthly Domain, boosted beyond its natural limits. Catheya had experienced the might of the crown dozens of times by now. Each time, she was left more in awe of the damaged [Grand Unifier’s Crown]. The crown was her main reward from multiple life-and-death tribulations when following the threads of Karma, and it was the only reason she’d managed to come this far. The Spiritless Spiritual Tool had already become a critical instrument of her journey and a core feature of her path.

While crossing the Left Imperial Expanse, Catheya had spent countless sleepless nights questioning herself and why she was chosen by the Daedalian Court. It was clearly a faction centered around the Peaks of Karma and the Grand Tapestry. She was not a Karmic Cultivator, nor did she display any inborn sensibilities to Karmic entanglements or manipulation.

Catheya did possess some insights into formations, mainly from her side profession as a Lich, but she was a layman who didn’t even possess a Mixed-meaning Dao of the Grand Tapestry. What did she bring to the table? Was she overestimating herself by not being satisfied with looking for opportunities in the trial’s outer regions?

Seizing the [Grand Unifier’s Crown] was the turning point, and successfully protecting her place at the table in front of a hundred Sealbearers awoke her to the truth. The Daos propping up the Daedalian Court—and the other courts for that matter—were only the surface. What truly mattered was the court’s goals and how it hoped to achieve them. The Daedalian Court sought an impossible fusion, a concept she understood well.

The Celestial Workshop and the Farsee Court fought against nature and the elements to lay down the physical pathways of the Imperial Road. On the other side, the Anima Court erected a vast communal soul spanning the whole continent. The Daedalian Court worked with the Department of Rites to build the nodes of the Imperial Road, connecting the physical with the intangible.

They were the Array Masters who instilled the Imperial Road with Purpose, and that wasn’t the extent of their contribution. They had somehow created a second, world-spanning network, one solely made with Karma. It was a bridge that existed in the hearts of men rather than on the physical or spiritual plane.

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The physical plane represented the body, the spiritual plane the soul. Karma became the bonds of the heart, the final piece of the whole. Combining the three pillars was possible, as [Three Purities] that her master bestowed upon her proved. The Limitless Empire was not content simply controlling all three roads. They needed to subvert their nature, create such complexity out of simplicity that even the Heavens were fooled. Only by breaking through the bonds of reality could reality be overturned.

Catheya shook her head and walked over to pick up the amulet. The Empire’s plan worked, if barely, but eons had passed since the Daedalian web was formed. The weaknesses allowed imperfections to take root, causing further instability. And like the guardian said, the Empire had brought in helpers to further their cause.

After making sure there were no hidden threats lingering, Catheya continued into the village. She searched every hut, finding nothing of value until reaching the guardian’s home. Inside was a small altar matching the amulet. Catheya briefly wondered if it represented a true entity or if it was a creation of the guardian’s increasingly deranged mind.

Beyond the altar, there was a dog-eared book lying on the table. It was a diary, and Catheya noticed the increasingly erratic tone as she flipped through the pages. Halfway through, it was all gibberish. Interestingly, while it showed signs of extensive handling, it hadn’t seen any further additions during the countless loops the village had been forced to live through. Did the guardian use his own words as an anchor to keep the children safe?