Tussar
Tussar Arondo is an old Allbright captain whose devotion to the front curdles into a sacrificial attempt to reclaim his cultivation through an Ultom seal.
Biography
Role in the wider conflict
Tussar meets the Atwood forces with open contempt because too many factions send dregs while his homeland bears the invasion's weight. Once he recognizes their contribution, he swallows his pride, apologizes, and uses his hard-earned experience to teach them the front's hidden rules while his damaged core keeps him from his own soldiers. That useful mentorship also gives him access to Zac's expedition. He has already turned his core into a womb fed by captive souls and lifeforce, planning to be reborn young enough for an Ultom seal. When the opportunity appears, Tussar chooses metamorphosis and coercion despite warnings that the seal will reject him; outside attacks cut down the newborn body before he can claim it, making every sacrifice futile. (Chapters 1122–1123 and 1133–1134)
Appearance and personality
Tussar is a gruff, very old veteran whose body and aura show premature decline from a damaged core. He is fierce, proud, and capable of respecting real service, but injury and accumulated resentment leave him desperate enough to imprison thousands of souls and call ruinous rebirth a fair price for another chance. (Chapters 1122 and 1134)
Abilities and cultivation
Tussar is a late-stage Hegemon with immense practical knowledge but a semi-crippled Cosmic Core. His hidden ritual engraves a sacrificial array across that core, consuming souls and his remaining vitality to produce a young body and partially reformed soul. The transformation is fast, yet fundamentally flawed: it leaves him nearly crippled, cannot evade the seal's actual eligibility rules, and provides no protection from the external killing lights that end his life. (Chapters 1122 and 1134)
Items
Tussar relies on the sacrificial array carved into his Cosmic Core and safeguards meant to reveal the seal if he is attacked. Neither grants ownership of the Ultom seal, which he never successfully claims. (Chapter 1134)
Relationships
- Zac Atwood: Tussar first respects Zac's contribution and shares frontline knowledge, then tries to pressure him away from a seal intended for Zac's younger followers. (Chapters 1122–1123 and 1134)
- Emily: Emily sees through Tussar's claim and tells him the age restriction makes his sacrifice pointless; he proceeds anyway. (Chapter 1134)