20-21 - fics I read

Main Content

Archive of Our OwnArchive of Our OwnHi, TheBrimmedHat!PostLog Out

FandomsBrowseSearchAboutWork Search

tip: lex m/m (mature OR explicit)

Actions

Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Bookmark Mark for Later Comments Share Download

Work Header

Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandoms:

Characters:

Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

Additional Tags:

Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:429Kudos:435Bookmarks:87Hits:16,998

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

Ogras felt an enjoyable thrill of danger as he went through the Teleportation Array to Billyville. He wasn't sure of the relationship the giant Human had with the NWG, so he was immediately ready to jump into the shadows if things were dicey. He needn't have worried, instead it was just Tanya waiting for him with the goods as she had promised. It was clear she had upgraded her Race since last he saw her as her face looked more even youthful than her age suggested.

"I have a secluded area set aside for our conversation, Ogras."

"Is that where you will ambush me?" he said with a toothy grin as she led them to said location.

"Ambush? No. If you mean the stunt you pulled with that actress, I would like an explanation… but that wasn't part of the arrangement. If you wish to share the reason behind that with me, that would be great, but you are not required to. However, if you value our future partnership and any trade between Port Atwood and myself, then it might be in your best interest to do so."

Seeing no reason not to, he ended up explaining things to her. Emma had wanted to leave. The NWG had been presenting a pleasant outward appearance, but their Lordship Quest revolved around gaining fame and prestige. They had gathered every famous person they could find and then tightly managed their schedules. When some of them objected, people they knew disappeared and compliance was enforced among the rest. It was on Emma's personal request that he had murdered a few people who had abused some of her friends.

"I see…" Tanya looked thunderous. The number three on the Human Ladder seemed a bit more outraged than necessary. Ogras didn't blame the NWG for doing what they were doing. It only made sense to silence dissent, especially when it was openly displayed. It was one thing to privately object to the actions a leader of a force was doing, but it was another thing to do it publicly.

Advise the man in charge, don't try to start a revolt.

"And Julia? What happened to her?"

Ogras gave a great sigh.

"She's alive, even though she stole an opportunity from me. Not that I had a chance in the first place, I supposed."

Tanya gave him a confused look, but he let her wonder. The NWG agent was a companion of Emma's. Ogras had felt cheated when he learned Emma's interests were in women and not men. He let her stay confused; it was more amusing that way.

"As long as she is well. I appreciate the way she carries herself and, though it sounds silly, she shares a name with my sister, which may have influenced my fondness for her. But regardless of the source, I would be unhappy if she were hurt."

"I'll make a note of that."

They arrived at the private location, some unclaimed house or such, with modest furnishings and refreshments inside for comfort as they chatted.

Ogras took a seat and glanced at her appraisingly. "You have your six hours, what do you want to talk about?"

"The Incursions. Your people attacked, along with the Ogres and the Ratmen. We are also being assailed by other Human factions, some sort of Elven faction, and I'm personally trying to deal with the Yrd Stonemen. What is their main goal? From what I've already been told, they typically don't work together as each wants the world for themselves. They can't all be successful; the failure rate must be atrocious."

"It is, and while most forces do have the goal of conquering the world, most know that it isn't likely. There are other benefits, however. The first is the Origin Dao. The first ten or so years of a planet's integration has the System flood it with Dao. People can obtain Dao Seeds in," he looked at her with some barely disguised disgust, "months, instead of the usual years it takes. For those who are untalented, they go through their whole lives without obtaining a single Dao Seed and are prevented from rising past F-grade."

She looked surprised. "So… even in failure, those that take part in the Incursions may end up getting stronger due to finding insights into the Dao?"

"Yes. Then there are the rare resources that might be found; Nexus Crystal mines, obscure herbs due to different environs that could either be of use or sold, and, of course, Mystic Realms."

She was naturally curious about what those were, so he explained how they could be found sometimes in newly integrated worlds, and how they had tremendous treasures and areas of high cultivation potential. Finding them, if you failed to conquer the world was difficult, but it represented such a massive opportunity many would take their chances.

"There's also just the simple fact that there are more System Quests here. On more stable worlds, there are few of the chaotic Dynamic Quests that the Ruthless Heavens put forth. The Heavens are testing the world and the Incursions as well. Stable places to slay monstrous beasts don't tend to give Quests, and getting Quests that push a cultivator past their limits is how one transcends. Levels are easy enough, but getting to E-grade is not assured, even if one reaches Level 75. You must have a suitable Race, a Dao Seed, and enough achievements to qualify for the Class."

"And the Incursions are capped at Level 75?" the blond asked.

"Not exactly. My own Clan never sends in E-grade warriors because it isn't worth the cost. Many forces are in the same boat, but you can't assume that. It also depends on the world. Your shitty world is going to eventually be a Low D-grade. If it was, say, a High D-grade it would probably attract much more powerful warriors. But everything is a tradeoff. The limiters the Ruthless Heavens attach are removed incrementally. A Level 75 warrior is going to be fully relieved of those shackles far sooner than someone Level 100."

Tanya asked some tangential questions about the size of other worlds and the grading structure the System imposed. Ogras explained as best he could, but some of the more advanced areas were beyond him and his Clan. The important clarity he provided was that there was a massive difference between the Low, Middle, High, and Peak stratification within a planet's letter grade. A Low D-grade world had a fraction of the size and cultivation potential compared to a Peak D-grade world.

She ended up shaking her head, realizing it wasn't important to her needs.

"When an Incursion Leader realizes they aren't going to be successful, when do they give up?"

Ogras shrugged. "Depends. Some groups, like the psychos in the Church of Everlasting Dao, are fanatics and will blow you and themselves up instead of retreating. Others are like that little blue shit who likes to gamble with my money, who view everything through the lens of business. No one wants to die for nothing, but there's also reputation and prestige to consider. Fail to get anything meaningful done and you might lose the backing of your Clan and the enmity of those who were hoping to gain Dao Seeds and treasures."

"What can you tell me about the Yrd Stonemen?"

Ogras shrugged. "Not much, but they don't have a reputation for fanaticism. They have Daos of Ice and Earth, and are better than most in building defenses with their Arrays. Tough nut to crack, if you can't just steamroll them."

Having a Defier who can kill them in one blow feels like cheating. I love it.

"If we survive the Incursions, what happens after the integration is fully complete? We are shrouded by the System for one hundred years, but what stops someone of a higher grade from just waltzing in and taking the planet?"

"Nothing, but there's probably little point. Within a hundred years this place will be teeming with E-grade warriors, maybe even a D-grade Hegemon or two if you have some geniuses among you. A planet of this energy density can only support a few D-grade Hegemons. Sure, any C-grade Monarch can come in and wipe away any pathetic resistance that you… we now, I guess, could put forth. But why bother? There's absolutely nothing here that would benefit them. In fact, at that level of power, even existing here weakens them."

Tanya looked at him in disbelief. "How does that work?"

"A C-grade Monarch creates a literal world within themselves. No inner world is perfect, all of them leak power, and that power needs to be replenished or it will break down. On a D-grade world like this, there isn't a single spot they could cultivate in to stop that from happening." He grinned. "Now, don't let that give you too much of a sense of security. It isn't like they would wither and die in a few years. Their powers are immense and could likely rule over a crummy planet like this for thousands of years. They would weaken themselves all the while, but if they were so inclined, they absolutely could choose to do so. More likely, if they were upset about something your planet did, they might just kill everyone… but that's rare because the Ruthless Heavens doesn't like squashing potential like that. It used lots of Cosmic Energy to integrate this world, and the Karmic Burden could put even Monarchs in trouble."

"Is that part of your religion? The notion of Karma?"

He burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. These ignorant Humans knew so little!

"Karma is real, and it is governed by the Ruthless Heavens. It will literally generate Quests for others to kill people with too much fell Karma. Your Dao insights will be clouded, and you will become incredibly unlucky even with a high Luck attribute. Karma is no joke. But don't worry, if you enjoy killing people, you can still do that. It just should be people in your same grade. If an F-grade slaughtered this entire world, the Ruthless Heavens wouldn't necessarily care. Heck, an E-grade might be able to get away with it too, but anything higher and that would generate quite a bit of a problem for a cultivator."

Tanya looked thoughtful as she digested the information.

"That's helpful to know. We could still face attack though, E-grade armies led by D-grade Hegemons might want our world for whatever reason after our one-hundred year grace period has ended."

"Yup, that's always a possibility."

"So who are our neighbors?"

"No clue."

She gave him another annoyed look.

"Honest, I don't know. Maps in frontier sectors are always a bit dodgy, but in newly integrated space? Who can say? I can tell you that we are in the Zecia Star Sector, and that the most powerful factions here are the Allbright Empire, the Dravorak Dynasty of the Havarok Empire, and the Kavriel Province of the Undead Empire. The biggest worry is the Undead Empire, since they are always expanding, but these things can take tens of thousands of years to play out. It isn't as if there's going to be a rush to conquer Earth right after the shroud is removed."

I have to admit; I admire her arrogance. She's already assuming Earth will survive the Incursions. Then again, she's the same girl who was ready to throw down with Zac after he showed just how powerful he was at the auction. Not an ounce of hesitation or fear on her features. The Defier really ought to have babies with her or Thea. It would make a great foundation for a Clan given their talents.

"Are all the Incursions from this sector?" Tanya asked.

"Most likely, as things get more expensive the farther forces have to be sent. Cross-sector Incursions are very rare."

"Any other likely threats?"

"Eh, well, there are some Technocrat groups in the sector. They can be difficult to deal with because they are so off the path of the Heavens. Heck, they want to destroy the Ruthless Heavens, as if such a thing were possible!"

An odd gleam came into the Human's eye. "Do they now? Tell me more…"

Oh…

It was natural to be angry at the Ruthless Heavens. They were blatantly unfair. They give their blessings to an overly muscled brute swinging an axe while they ignore the more handsome and intelligent beings like himself. But the idea of destroying them was absurd. Still, a deal was a deal, so he explained how the Technocrats use taboo methods, technology, to fight instead of cultivation.

"Like most groups, they aren't always aligned. Some Technocrats apparently do use cultivation techniques… just like some cultivators will use machines."

"Why doesn't the System just kill them? It has the power to."

"That isn't their purpose. There are Quests that they sometimes generate to hunt them down, but that's just another way to hone the edge of warriors. The Ruthless Heavens use everything. Why expend energy destroying something that could push a cultivator to new heights?"

She made a disgusted sound in her throat, but then got that contemplative look again.

"So, there's nothing that actually prevents people from using technology. The System won't attack people over it?"

"Taboo devices can incur Karma. You also don't want to mix yourself up with them. They are hated by most other forces, so just stay clear. But that's a hundred years from now, probably more. You'll have plenty of time to worry about that later… if you are still alive."

***

I was very curious about whether the Technocrats, as enemies of the System, could become our allies. I say could, because they might be awful in their own way. Either way, I found the idea of integrating technology and cultivation a potential force multiplier.

I had a plan for how I would deal with the Yrd Stonemen. I wish Ogras had been able to give me more insight into their culture to see if it was even doable, but it wouldn't hurt to try. But that plan would also require me to be able to do what I hoped with the Tower of Eternity, so I changed subjects to that.

"I had a question about the Tower of Eternity. You mentioned a time dilation effect. Is that the only place where such an effect takes place? Is there a way to craft something that would do the same?"

Ogras laughed. "Are you friends with any C-grade Monarchs? My own Clan doesn't have one, and we are a D-grade force. It will be ten-thousand years and an immense amount of luck before anyone on this world could craft something like that. Maybe a Hegemon could if they were strong with the Dao of Time, but even that seems unlikely to me. Those are amazing treasures and incredibly valuable. Outside of the Tower of Eternity there are occasionally areas of slower or faster time in Hidden Realms."

"Hidden Realms? A different type of Mystic Realm?"

He waved it aside. "Eh, no. Hidden Realms include Mystic Realms, but there are also far more potent places like Ancient and Immemorial Realms, but none of those are going to show up on some Low D-grade planet. Sometimes spatial tears and catastrophic events take place that allow for temporary places to exist where time flows differently, though. It isn't common."

Makes sense.

"You've been in the Tower of Eternity. What is it like?"

He took a large swallow from his mug, which she had poured some brewed tea into earlier.

"The token dumps you into the Base Town. Fantastic place to possibly network in and maybe even arrange a ticket to safety if everything goes to shit here. If you impress people enough, they can give you a teleportation token. One-use, and you are whisked away to another part of the Zecia Star Sector. There may be issues with returning here if you use them, but if the planet looks like it is doomed, I'd highly suggest you keep a few on hand if you can."

"Can I take more than one person with me?"

"Nope. And most people don't freely give them out. They aren't that cheap to make. You also shouldn't trust people just because they give you one. It can bring you to their home, where you can easily be stranded. Some will just look to rob and kill you for one reason or another, while some will want to recruit you into their force, and others may just like your look," he said the last with a bit of a lecherous grin.

"So, not ideal, but if our world is otherwise defeated, it might be an option of last resort. I'll see if I can acquire multiple ones, even if they don't all go to the same place."

"Smart girl. Listen to me, and you might even make it a decent way up."

I smiled at him. "You anticipated my needs. What advice do you have?"

"You may only get one shot at the Tower of Eternity. It's possible to go twice before you advance to E-grade, but the Ruthless Heavens are very stingy about that sort of thing. Most people will only get the one token, so make it count. Unless you come across an incredible amount of high-end treasures from some hidden trove, you'll want to wait until you are at least Level 75 to tackle it. The Tower offers some incredible prizes with each floor you clear, and you get an improving Title as you go."

He flashed a Title from his System Menu.

[Tower of Eternity – 3rd Floor: Reach the 28th level of the Tower of Eternity. Reward: All Attributes + 10]

"I'm told that starting at the 4th floor you get more than just a flat bonus to attributes, but a percentage one, which is always fantastic for the long term. Each level will have a challenge which you can complete for rewards. Those aren't as useful or all that amazing compared to the reward for clearing a Floor. Some of them can take forever to complete, but you will always just have the option of killing the guardian of the level instead."

Good. I probably won't want to waste too much time doing those Quests. My goal is getting as much Cosmic Energy as I can.

"Beware, treasures you find that aren't rewards mostly disappear after you finish your time in the Tower."

"Mostly?"

Ogras shrugged. "It is unlikely. There's a small chance anything you find is real. If you find something useful, just go ahead and use it."

I smiled very broadly. "It sounds like this place was basically made for me. I can make use of everything I find to one extent or another in creating things."

Ogras blinked. "Huh. Yeah, I guess you are right." He sighed. "You Humans have an incredible amount of Luck. What do you have for that attribute, anyhow?"

"I don't think that's necessary information to share. Returning to the Tower of Eternity, I understand the time dilation for the Tower itself, but why are we given a full year in the Base Town?"

"May as well ask the sky, but it is useful. If someone in the sector clears a high floor, it will create an apparition. In the skies above the Tower, when someone passes the fourth floor or higher, you can gain insights into the Dao by watching it. A lot has to do with luck, as you obviously don't get much benefit from someone clearing the 4th Floor even though that is a great accomplishment. Some lucky bastards probably spawn Dao Seeds just by glancing up at the apparition of someone clearing the seventh floor, but don't expect to be that lucky. Maybe once in a thousand years, but either way, the point is you want to stay the full year so you can maximize your odds."

"While Earth is dealing with Incursions?" I asked. "I don't think Earth can afford to not have all of its rankers on deck."

"That's why you wait, since you'll want to be Level 75 to get as high as you can."

No, this represents too great of an opportunity. Over three months of harvesting Cosmic Energy in just a single day is too good. I don't want to spend too much time in Base Town, but collecting teleport tokens is important. At the very least for my family, but hopefully if I do well enough to spawn an apparition, I could collect enough for the entire Salamander Group. I'm not a quitter, but having a prepared line of retreat is just good tactics.

"What else should I know?"

"Don't attack people. Anyone who starts hostilities will have their powers restricted heavily. Almost like the first month of an Incursion. Sometimes people will bait others into making the first move, so don't fall for feints that look like attacks or let yourself get riled up. Oh, and you probably don't have that much wealth compared to the people there, but you might be able to pick up something from the auctions there. The Ruthless Heavens limit the gear you can bring into the Tower of Eternity to Middle E-grade, so expect inflated prices."

Excitement bubbled within me.

"Who do I talk to in order to add my own goods to an auction?"

He laughed. "Now you're thinking! Your little defensive treasures aren't going to help people much past the Third Floor, but they seem pretty cheap to make, you can carry a ton of them, and just change them out when one gets used. The auction house will take a large cut, but you should still be able to make a profit. Another reason to make full use of your time there."

That was tempting, but I could always see about sending someone from the Salamander Group with a Cosmos Sack full of goods at a later point in time. Hopefully they too would get the opportunity to get a Tower of Eternity ticket.

"Tell me about some of the memorable Quests within the Tower when you went through it, as well as the general strength of the challenges at the end of each floor."

Ogras spent some time talking about that and I made some mental notes. It turned out that there was some debate whether the people and beasts were actual living things or just constructs made within the Tower of Eternity. You do get Cosmic Experience and Nexus Coins from killing them. On the other hand, no one has ever told a tale of being whisked into the Tower of Eternity, but who knew? The Multiverse was a big place.

"You'd have to be a real dullard not to clear the 1st Floor. You obviously can't go until you hit Level 50, but even as you are now, you could probably beat it. 2nd Floor on up, you had better be ready. The Third Floor guardian nearly defeated me and that was with my family spending a lot of resources on some exceptional equipment, defensive treasures, and pills for me. And I'm good."

I believed he believed that. Part of me wanted to really push for how high I could go. Just because you started a fight didn't mean you had to stay and finish a level. You could activate your token and be teleported back out to the Base Town and then leave from there. In all honesty, beyond the chance to close the gap between me and the Dominators, the potential for a powerful Title was what drove me. Titles granted permanent improvements, so the more I collected them and the higher their impact, the more I would be able to set myself apart from other cultivators.

The rich do get richer the way the System works. If I have a slight edge over a peer and I say I can clear the 5th Floor while they only clear the 4th Floor, I will forever have a better Title. Which means my edge would be higher and I would be able to accomplish things sooner, which could potentially propel me to get more 'first' Titles.

I honestly didn't know how strong Ogras was. If he said that clearing the 4th Floor would be a strong showing, that was probably what I should aim for. And yet… if someone else can do something, why couldn't I? I was on all three Ladders' top tens and had two extra lives worth of experience to draw upon. Why couldn't I strive to go even further?

Starting at Level 50 does put me at a disadvantage as I don't know if I can get all the way to Level 75 before the 99 days are up. I'm guessing probably not. No, I stick with the plan. This is too important to delay, especially with everyone else doing the 30-day Eastern Trigram Hunt.

A significant amount of time had passed, so I moved onto my third topic.

"Most of my mercenary group has obtained a Dao Seed, but they aren't getting multiple Dao Seeds like I am. What can I do to fix this and help them on their way?"

He stared at me for several seconds.

"They all managed to get Dao Seeds?"

"Not all, but most."

He put his face in his hands for a moment and cursed.

"Now I really want to see your Luck stat! Anyone unlocking multiple Dao Seeds is in the top 1% of cultivators. Even with the Origin Dao! Most of the Demons who came with me on the Incursion did not even have a single Dao Seed. Though, naturally, the ones that did had a lot less incentive to go." He shook his head. "Just how many do you have?"

He's relentless, but he already knows I'm second on the Dao Ladder.

"Five."

"Five?" he sputtered.

"FIVE?!" Ogras exclaimed even louder.

I nodded.

"What path are you even trying to tread?"

"Path?" I asked.

That led to a much longer conversation. There were many avenues to power and self-improvement. Cultivation to gain Cosmic Energy to achieve levels. You could also cultivate the soul, or use certain manuals to improve your body. You could also do unique forms of cultivation like Karmic and so many others. But everyone still had to forge a coherent Dao as Seeds upgraded to Fragments while they walked a path that aligned with who they are.

"Well, I'd like to be a jack-of-all-trades as that fits what I do with my Enchanting."

Ogras just shook his head in disgust. "You really do know so little… I should have charged you ten times as much as I did! What you are doing now as an F-grade warrior will build foundations that you will need to advance to E-grade. I'm not worried about your ability to get an E-grade Class because you have obviously accomplished enough things for the Ruthless Heavens to let you pass into the next tier of existence; you've improved your Race to E-grade and you have an incredible amount of Dao Insights unlocked."

He took a breath and then chugged the rest of his drink.

"The problem is that you may find yourself stuck in E-grade and bottlenecked. Eh, to be honest, you probably will be, regardless. But you have a real chance at Hegemony if you create a solid foundation. Without a rock solid and clear path to create your Cultivator's Core, you'll have basically no hope. As it is, only a minuscule fraction of all E-grade warriors manage to take the final step. And these are people who have the knowledge and backing of Clans who know how these things work. Even people being tutored by existing Clan Elders who are Hegemons or even Monarchs frequently fail to reach D-grade, and you want to try it with a Dao that's not structured properly? Madness."

I didn't fully understand a lot of what he was saying. He was referencing social practices and used words I had not even heard before. I got the gist of it though. The accepted wisdom was that you needed to have a narrow focus to advance from E-grade to D-grade.

"Perhaps I am aiming too low, or my previous perception of my own longevity has influenced my thoughts on this," I explained. "If I was lucky, I would have lived to be a hundred or so before Earth joined the Multiverse. I now have a lifespan at least three times that long now, unless I fall in battle. It seems that worrying about lowering an already dismal chance of becoming a D-grade Hegemon at the expense of not expanding my Dao and gaining useful attribute bumps and versatility is a poor tradeoff. Survival for the next year and then the next one hundred years when the veil over Earth dissipates seems far more of a necessary focus than some far off D-grade status."

Ogras made a surprised grunting sound.

"Well, I guess you really aren't a Defier. When the possibility of living for millions of years potentially exists, I cannot imagine not taking the risk."

"So… if I told you I could double your chances of going from D-grade to C-grade, but at the cost of decreasing your likelihood of living out the year by a large amount, you would take that deal?"

"Yes! Of course! Ascending to Monarchy… haven't you dreamt of it since…" he cut himself off and then laughed. "I guess you haven't. You have an interesting perspective, Tanya Degurechaff."

I returned to some of the terms he had mentioned. Karmic cultivation? Soul cultivation? Improving the soul was incredibly time-consuming and difficult, but it helped in all sorts of things, including mental attacks and defenses. I learned a bit more about the different pathways cultivators took. His own knowledge of the details of the more esoteric ways was limited. The most basic and straightforward way was to cultivate Cosmic Energy in as dense an area as you could, prove yourself in combat, succeed in System-given Quests, seek opportunities like Incursions and Mystic Realms, and build your internal pathways and Dao Insights toward a coherent fighting style on the Heaven's Path.

I then had a brief insight. "Ogras, you wanted to see my Luck stat? I'll make a deal with you. I'll show you my Luck stat in exchange for you telling me what your attributes used to be when you were climbing the Tower of Eternity."

He demanded to see my entire attribute set and I just shook my head no. He muttered something and finally relented. After he told me what his attributes were, I felt a lot more confident in my plan as even another one sprang into mind. I had no idea if it was possible, but…

"A final thought, Degurechaff. Remember that when you choose to sit down to meditate, you could do many things. Strengthening the soul, harnessing Cosmic Energy to advance your Level, and all the others I mentioned. And, of course, you have been reflecting on your Dao and honing your insights. Battle, reflection, battle, and then reflection will cause you to advance in your Dao. A Peak Seed will normally give you a total of 120 attributes. Getting a bunch of Early Seeds just isn't worth it if you could instead advance an existing Dao Seed to Peak and eventually fuse it to form a Fragment. What you choose not to do has a burden."

"We call it opportunity cost. You are saying that by choosing to let my Dao advance down a multitude of paths, I will cause my existing Dao Seeds to mature more slowly and be weaker overall."

"Heh, you are brighter than the muscle head."

I looked at him closely for a moment. "My Dao Seeds typically just come to me after major battles or a decision. I rarely actually focus on it while meditating because I'm usually busy with Enchanting. They just seem to pop up or advance on their own."

After I said that, it looked like Ogras genuinely wanted to cry out of pure frustration.

Actions

↑ Top ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Bookmark Comments (13)

Kudos

Runner314, Constantine9119, HiddenPuppeteer, Nicomiel, RANE_Erasmus, CypherThreeAU, Humunkulus987654321, Neko_Tamo, HanadaMB, Taffylicious, JustLetMeSleep_24681, IDreamofDragons, kamikazipvh, Vonbek, amicable_animal, Gendaris, RememberToHaveFun, Lurk_9, Seyiel, GreatGodofFire12, Sturmelefant, Archiveous, HXFL502, InvaderNio, Wolfkidds, USS_Iowa_BB61, Mitch_H, WasabiRafael, WinterMonths1, Apperatus, FCVanillaICE, Elfiria, Psionic_Simian, AnantasDejavu, ZhaneSilverman, pixelpandemonium, mchen96, Vmmph, utopia012, Momotomacolyte, eggyeggygoo, meechum12, cranberrySummer, MythicalMelon, Erik_Bloodaxe, mc2rpg, Imacrazyllama, NotAProblem, Sun_Zelretch, GroMM, and 133 more users as well as 252 guests left kudos on this work!

Comments

Post Comment

Comment as TheBrimmedHat

Plain text with limited HTML ?

Comment

10000 characters left

Footer

Customize

Default

Low Vision Default

Reversi

Snow Blue

About the Archive

Site Map

Diversity Statement

Content Policy

DMCA & TIDA Policies

Site Status

Policy Questions & Abuse Reports

Technical Support & Feedback

Donate or Volunteer

Development

otwarchive v1.8.0.3

Known Issues

GPL-2.0-or-later by the OTWMain Content

Archive of Our OwnArchive of Our OwnHi, TheBrimmedHat!PostLog Out

FandomsBrowseSearchAboutWork Search

tip: hetalia f/f sort:kudos

Actions

Entire Work ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Chapter Index Bookmark Mark for Later Comments Share Download

Work Header

Rating:

Not Rated

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Fandoms:

Characters:

Tanya von DegurechaffThea MarshallZac

Additional Tags:

Crossovers & Fandom FusionsStrong Female CharactersPost-ApocalypseLitRPG

Language:

English

Stats:

Published:2026-07-30Updated:2026-10-07Words:225,086Chapters:48/?Comments:429Kudos:435Bookmarks:87Hits:16,998

Tanya's Defiance of the Fall

Failninjaninja

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Special thanks to @Massgamer for their proofreading help!

Chapter 21

Zhou understood that anyone could lead when things were progressing smoothly, but the true test was when a company was in choppy waters. Tanya Degurechaff was now at an impasse. The foe before them outnumbered them, and their ability to defend their ground made them nearly impossible to deal with. Zhou would have preferred to just abandon this contract, but Tanya was stubborn. She didn't wish to face defeat and bring the image of their group down.

But what can we do?

Zhou had some ideas of his own. Perhaps working with the NWG to bring in some proper artillery ? Truthfully, weapons that could fire from over twenty miles away probably would likely not do significant damage, but it would wear down their defenses and draw them out. Another potential idea was to accept the loss of resources and invite in other rankers for a sudden charge at their center. Those boulders were army killers, but cultivators with sufficient Dexterity could dodge them… most of the time.

Tanya was in Billyville currently speaking to Ogras, so Zhou sought out Tanya's father.

"Edwin, how goes your cultivating?"

"Not well. Being a mortal, this doesn't feel like my calling. My Class isn't a crafting Class either, which means my avenues for advancement are limited. But as long as I can help save lives, it is enough."

"I have served under Tanya for several months. She is, in many ways, the most brilliant person I have ever worked with, but she speaks little about her childhood. Tell me, what was she like? Did she master a martial art at a young age? Was she a chess prodigy? What set her apart from her peers?"

The man, who was around his age, laughed. "Oh, well, nothing like that. She was very gifted academically and already had a post-graduate degree at nineteen. Her real passion was investing, and she made our family millionaires while she was still a child."

Things began to click for Zhou. Tanya was a genius. Her intellectual pursuits had been pragmatic, which made sense given the way she analyzed things, and why she picked a spell as her free Skill in the Tutorial. Her curious bloodlust was not something he could place from her past, but now he understood why she had done so well.

"Thank you. I must also ask… is this situation not awkward for you?"

The man just smiled again. "Having to take orders from my own daughter? No, not really. She went through the Tutorial; she has the Levels. Being someone's parent doesn't mean you know better than them. Sure, it's mostly true when they are a child, but she stopped being a child a long time ago. If Tanya wasn't doing," he gestured vaguely in the air, "all this, I would probably be content with just looking after the children in Billyville. I've only joined up because there's a chance I can help keep my little girl alive if she gets injured. I value her more than any sort of pride I might have or demand of filial loyalty."

I wonder what your wife was like, because you are not like Tanya at all. You seem like the type of man to coddle your children, but what would have invited destruction upon some allowed her to flourish and fly under her own strength. I am wise enough to know that, given the outcome, I can find no fault in it.

***

It was time to see if the Yrd Stonemen would be open to my offer. I was reasonably confident I could get away from another ambush, but even so, I was careful. From well beyond their defenses, I put up an audio amplifying [Temporary Enchantment] and shouted.

"This conflict is mutually destructive. I offer a solution if you wish to parley. Peace talks here, fifteen minutes, and it can benefit us both."

They took about two minutes to respond. One of the Yrd Stonemen came out, and in his hand was a crystal of some sort that basically functioned as a walkie talkie. The Incursion Leader talked through it, and the mook he had sent out just held it for him. If this had some sort of trap, then all they would lose is one of their number.

"Human Mage, what do you propose?"

"Your defenses are great. Very difficult to get past, but you also are limited in what you can do. If you stray too far from your base and away from your defenses, you know how deadly I am. But as we sit here, neither of us profits. I offer you information freely. The Undead Empire has expanded into tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions or billions of zombies. No matter what happens here, you will not be the one to conquer Earth."

"Do not be so certain, but what is it that you propose, Human?"

"You are an Incursion Leader, close to being free of all fetters. I have obligations elsewhere. I propose that in two weeks time, we duel. Until death or surrender. We cease hostilities against each other until then. If you win, you obtain my E-grade sword, my Cosmos Sack. My people, the Salamander Group that you have faced, will vacate the area of three hundred kilometers and will not return. I will also provide to you the most updated information on all the other Incursions we have faced and their locations. Here is who I am, I am showing my System Menu to your subordinate."

My Class. My Attributes. They were all made visible, but not my Dao or my Titles. The rocky creature in front of me relayed the information.

"However, if I win, you will all leave and return home. I also want the aid of one of your warriors, who is at least Level of 60, to serve under me for the next one hundred years through a System Contract. I intend to treat them as I would any other member of my mercenary group and hope after the shroud by the System lifts, we can arrange for their return. The reason I ask for this is that Earth is new to the Multiverse. Information is currency, and I have great respect for your fighting strength."

There was a lengthy pause.

"This is a trick of some sort. You cannot hope to defeat me, Human. Are you going to attempt to ambush me?"

Well… it is, but not in the way you think. It's a good thing that Tower of Eternity tokens this early are rather rare, he probably doesn't even realize I have one.

"The ground can be of your choosing. Feel free to have your Stonemen sweep the area and give the all clear." I sighed heavily. "Look, I am one of humanity's strongest warriors. If I cannot defeat you, one of the less dangerous Incursions, then we were never going to survive against the Undead Empire. But… if I do win, we resolve this Incursion with minimal bloodshed and I gain the capabilities of a powerful and knowledgeable warrior who can help us devise a strategy in this strange Multiverse we find ourselves in. The rest of you will be able to leave in a peaceful and orderly fashion. Just so that you are aware, this isn't a complex suicide scheme. I do intend to defeat you."

A gravelly laughter echoed out from the communication device.

"Very well, Human. The System just gave me a Quest to kill you. So it will have to be to the death."

Really now…

I didn't get a similar Quest, but then I was technically already on one due to fighting them in general and was already on the Contribution Ladder against this Incursion.

"To the death then, but I believe in extending a hand of mercy, so you may still forfeit when you realize your situation. Though I would expect you to repay the good Karma if I win with a suitable gift for my tolerance."

"BOLD! DONE! Say your farewells and make your preparations, in fourteen days you die."

I headed back to camp and explained my plan. Dad, naturally, was worried.

"Tanya. To the death? No, there has to be another way! Incursion Leaders are strong and this one will be at full strength. You will be facing someone Level 75."

I smiled. "I have a plan. I'll be going to the Tower of Eternity and pushing as hard as I can to get to as close to Level 75 as possible."

I explained about the time dilation and how the unique environment with items that were mostly mirages to everyone else could be of great use to me via [Disenchant]. I would be walking out far stronger than when I went in. All I had to do was rapidly obtain three Levels, make some other preparations, zip into the Tower of Eternity, obtain a new Title, scam some more people out of their Nexus Coins, obtain teleportation tokens for us as a failsafe, and collect valuable information.

"I always welcome your input, Dad, or anyone else's, but time is now of the essence. I need to obtain some E-grade Nexus Crystals and/or go on a killing spree. I also need to talk to Nigel, Thea Marshall, and the NWG. Zhou, make arrangements and see if we can get those Nexus Crystals from one of those parties and arrange meeting times. I know Nigel has a way of communicating with the Marshall Clan, and the NWG still has their Teleportation Array open for public use. Meanwhile, I'm going to be slaughtering some of the more dangerous mutated beasts we can find."

"Tanya…"

"Dad, don't make this awkward. I know I look a bit younger again, but I'm an adult who knows what they are doing." I looked over to Zhou. "Go."

He gave a quick nod as my father continued to try to talk me out of it. I tolerated it for a few minutes longer and then firmly told him, "The longer you delay me, the worse my odds become. I obtained information about the Tower of Eternity from Ogras, I believe I can do extremely well, and I can then use that to snowball my cultivation and my Class abilities to defeat this Incursion. What we are doing now just isn't going to work as we are. The Dominators will absolutely crush us if we try to fight them right now. Being too cautious now is throwing caution to the wind. This is the move to make. I love you, Dad, but I am doing this."

He embraced me. "Just… be careful."

Oh ye of little faith.

My back was against the wall. Maybe if the Dominators didn't have such an incredible lead over us or maybe if the Undead weren't expanding by millions a day, maybe, maybe, maybe… I had to take a risk and would be going double or nothing. I didn't know if Being X was still around or not, but this did smell like the sort of situation he would force me into. I still didn't think he was playing an active role, but he certainly might have thrown me into a life that was about to experience upheavals. Either way, I would feel good surviving this knowing that if Being X knew about it, he'd be upset.

***

"Ms. Degurechaff, we appreciate the information, but it is difficult to take solace in Julia's wellbeing when the source of this information is a Demon. The other claims he has made are ridiculous stretches of the truth."

Hopefully she believes that.

Thomas Fischer was not at all pleased by recent events. The Marshall Clan and other rankers had severely undercut the NWG's path forward. He had been successful in rallying over fifty communities, but it was a small drop in the bucket compared to what they needed. Unless the likes of Super Brother Man and Tanya could forcibly defeat Incursions on their own, it would take the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and cultivators to overwhelm the more powerful Incursions with sheer bodies. The casualty estimates and the likelihood of success were dim, and that was before the reality of the Dominators was made known.

He and the NWG were seriously considering trying to cut a deal with the Dominators and see if they could make some sort of agreement with them. The power discrepancy made such an undertaking perilous, as it would not be good for the Zhix to realize just how weak Humans were compared to them. Coming with hat in hand may trigger the very thing they wished to avoid.

Our annihilation.

"Understood, Thomas. Regardless of the truth of the matter, I've come to make a deal. I appreciate the E-grade Nexus Crystal, that will help, but I need more. In fact, I want to borrow every Nexus Coin you can possibly get your hands on over the next four days."

"What?"

"I'll explain."

Thomas listened intently as she explained about the Tower of Eternity and what it could do. How she intended to rapidly gain Levels and use her unique Class to bring back a plentiful amount of resources, weapons, and enchanted items. The additional Nexus Coins would be used for her time in the Base Town to also potentially arrange teleportation tokens.

Hope bloomed in his chest. She was going to offer full information and even record her thoughts for the NWG to use for anyone who received a Tower of Eternity token. That sort of intelligence could be a lifeline and really boost their performance in the System Trial. More than just that, it would also give her access to the wider Multiverse and even more knowledge would be received.

Obviously there were dangers, but not as great as people would believe. The mutated beasts continued to drop an ever-increasing Nexus Coin amount. What was a fortune today would mean nothing a year from now if the rate of increase continued. It also would further keep the NWG in her good graces. She and Thea Marshall were going back and forth for the third and fourth Ladder spot, but Tanya had also laid claim to the second spot on the Dao Ladder. She was formidable, and outside of one episode of 'blowing off steam' had proven incredibly reliable.

But… there was always more to be had in a deal.

"You have to understand, Ms. Degurechaff, that if you were to be slain within the Tower of Eternity we would never recoup the lost Nexus Coins." He held up a hand. "I'm not saying we won't do it, but we would like to make use of the Salamander Group's services in closing an Incursion with NWG support. A NWG led operation, to give hope to the people and let them see that their government is working to protect them."

She just smiled. "I keep the loot and make the target the Ez'Mahal Confederation, and you have a deal. They rub me the wrong way, and I suspect they will be much easier to deal with compared to the Undead Empire. Though at some point, we will need to start curbing their growing power. It may be a mistake to leave them for last."

She agreed to that way too easily. But then again, she had made it known that this was what she wanted to do all along and we were the ones dragging our feet.

"Then we have a deal. I will have all of our cultivators pool all of the NWG's Nexus Coins and have them ready for transfer by tomorrow morning."

And hopefully she does succeed and we get a massive return on our investment.

***

"I'm planning on going into a System Trial called the Tower of Eternity. In exchange for being able to borrow as many Nexus Coins as you can get your hands on, I'll be providing you with full information of whatever I learn from going through it. Hopefully your granddaughter will be able to make use of it if she obtains a token."

Henry studied Tanya. He knew Thea had latched onto her as her rival, partially because Super Brother Man was so far ahead it didn't even feel competitive. Tanya was a very peculiar individual who he had a difficult time understanding. She was far too in bed with the NWG for his liking, but the defensive treasures she produced were useful. They weren't as helpful to Thea anymore against things that could challenge her, but it was very likely that as Tanya gained higher levels her shield amulets would improve as well.

"Ms. Degurechaff, I have a counter proposal. Why don't you accept being adopted as a member of our family? You can keep your last name, but we can provide you proper resources, not just a loan, just as we do for Thea. Not only do we have wealth, we also have information and friends. I've spoken to Nigel and he's become part of our alliance network as well. Three members of the Ladder working together in union can accomplish much."

"An enticing offer, but I value my autonomy. As a token of respect, I will show you why."

She revealed one of her Dao Seeds from her System Menu. The Dao of Volition.

"Ah, I believe I understand. If you aren't able to go and do as you will, you fear you will damage your foundation."

Tanya raised her eyebrows. "You are more knowledgeable than I anticipated. I know your Clan has also managed to close an Incursion, is that the source?"

Henry kept his face serene, revealing nothing. The Marshall Clan did have knowledge, and many of whom had thought it myth given the fantastic nature of it, but it had proven accurate. They were not 100% fully Human, or perhaps a better way to phrase it, was that they had a Bloodline due to a wandering cultivator who had come to Earth before the integration.

"Fine, keep your secrets," Tanya said with a smile. "But with that, will you consider the trade equitable?"

Henry suspected he could have gained more from her. He was even tempted to try to get some sort of treasure she found at Base Town after she had explained auctions occurred there, but he was extremely interested in keeping positive relations with her.

"We do. We won't completely bankrupt ourselves, of course, but we will provide you with some substantial assets."

"It won't be forgotten. Also, I'm not sure if the person tending to the gardens of this estate is one of your agents incognito, or if it's a hostile power, but one of my Enchanted Items is telling me they are in a disguise. A decent Level one because I can't pierce through it, I just know it is there."

Not one of mine. Next time Thea returns she will need to capture this spy.

***

"Billy rich from killing Rats. You can borrow!"

Well… that had been easier than I thought. Nigel looked a bit vexed, but I had generated a ton of good will with the defensive treasures, the children's barrier sanctuaries, and ending the Ratmen Incursion. I had reached Level 49 and felt myself getting close. The conversation with Ogras kept playing in my mind. The threats he faced in the Tower, the culture of Base Town, and the nature of the Dao. I had not used the Dao Seed of Fury because it felt ugly. Uncontrolled anger was unproductive and irrational. But… if I understand the Dao Fragment process correctly, I would need to combine it with another Dao Seed.

Fire… maybe. Let's see what happens if I do this.

Experimentation and testing were hallmarks of empiricism. I found a region, thanks to some useful information from the Marshall Clan, where some areas had actually started to have mutated plants that gave Cosmic Energy. They weren't very powerful, but there were still powerful predators in the woods. Not ideal normally, but it would prove a testbed.

On a bit of high terrain overlooking the area, I summoned a Fireball and did not infuse it with my Dao Seed of Fire. Instead, I infused it with the Dao Seed of Fury and imagined the angry uncontrolled rage and wrath. The impact began the forest fire and the Seed of Fury did the rest.

The fire felt alive, eager to burn. To consume. To spread.

Sure enough, I gained a steady stream of Cosmic Energy as low level mutated plants burned in their thousands. Normally, I would find this sort of destruction a waste, but with the way the Earth was slowly upgrading the energy densities as the integration continued, the place would grow back in no time. The sturdier mutated beasts ran out for higher ground where I waited for them.

[Crimson Siphon] did not truly feed. It drank blood and restored some Cosmic Energy, but it did not grow and evolve any stronger. It required something more potent than what could be found here.

The Cosmic Energy gains were not exceptional, but they were steady and combined with the passive streams of other Cosmic Energy sources I was nearing Level 50.

Close enough. Time to make the final preparations, gather supplies, medicine pills, crafting parts, and extra Cosmos Sacks.

Shella had done her part. Her pills were unique given the way I enchanted the materials she used. It didn't upgrade the pill-tier, and a High-grade pill was still going to be better than a Middle-grade pill that also had a minor secondary effect, but I really appreciated the synergy involved. Making use of something I helped produce the ingredients of seemed to resonate with some of the concepts of the Dao. The whole thing still had a hazy and nebulous feel, but I felt like I was starting to understand the idea Ogras was trying to convey. I still didn't think his risk and reward balance was square though. It also reminded me of the idea of taking out a payday loan to go gambling in Las Vegas.

Completely irresponsible. Who would do that?

It made me a little nervous how the timing had worked out. The Eastern Trigram Hunt would be kicking off the day before I entered the Tower proper. I figured I could give myself three days in Base Town to implement my plan, get some additional knowledge, and put some of the extra items up for auction. Timing was going to be tricky on that, because I had a duel to get to and it had taken about a week to get those last levels even with the help of Nexus Crystals. That would leave me with three more days to collect my winnings, maybe use some of them, and then collect as many teleportation tokens as I could. Perhaps even do some custom Enchantment orders for someone who hadn't started their climb of the Tower.

My plan was really not any different from what I was doing with the Yrd Stonemen. It was a simple con. Appear weak when you are strong and strong when you are weak. A foolish and ignorant Level 50 wishing to wager their Nexus Coins on the Floor they would reach. I had no idea what sort of odds I could get or how much an auction house might charge to escrow such a thing, but I felt like I had a real shot at clearing the 5th Floor. If Ogras was right and stupidly wealthy Clan scions would throw hundreds of millions of Nexus Coins away on a lark, then I just needed to try to get the conversation to a place where I could capitalize.

An even bet on clearing the 4th Floor? I imagine I'd have plenty of takers. But if I could get people drunk… perhaps push and say I'll even clear the 5th Floor… could I get a 10:1 bet? I was probably a bit too optimistic, but an Enchanter can dream, right?

I went and saw my two Ishiate crafters. Shella gave me the medicine pills, antidote pills, and poison pills. The last was a bit of a nasty one that I could crush to create a deadly vapor, which I would then use my Seed of Volition on to drift into an opponent's nasal passages. The organophosphate compound was a neurotoxin concentrated to 100-fold potency through Alchemy compared to its original industrial use as a pesticide. As this wasn't part of chemical bombs the System hadn't deleted it. Given the stupidly enhanced Vitality that everything that could be a threat had, I had no guarantee it would work, but having an alternative kill-condition against tough opponents was worth the gamble.

Dorel gave me a few Arrays that would be handy for cultivation, shelter, and basic protection while I slept. He hadn't made many breakthroughs in his Class and was a bit behind Shella, but it made sense to me given that what he did with Arrays was quite different from his previous tasks. Shella, meanwhile, was an exceptional cook and drink mixer before the arrival of the Multiverse.

They wished me luck and I said the last of my goodbyes. Zhou would lead the Salamander Group against mutated beasts and follow the armistice to the letter. Dad was nervous to see me off, but I told him it was time. He gave me a bear hug that I allowed to continue for a bit, before I finally activated my token.

Actions

↑ Top ← Previous Chapter Next Chapter → Bookmark Comments (7)

Kudos

Comments

Post Comment

Comment as TheBrimmedHat

Plain text with limited HTML ?

Comment

10000 characters left

Footer

Customize

Default

Low Vision Default

Reversi

Snow Blue

About the Archive

Site Map

Diversity Statement

Content Policy

DMCA & TIDA Policies

Site Status

Policy Questions & Abuse Reports

Technical Support & Feedback

Donate or Volunteer

Development

otwarchive v1.8.0.3

Known Issues

GPL-2.0-or-later by the OTW

Chapter 1613 - 20-21