DefianceNovels

Chapter 1,133.

Zac's roar shook the forest as he lunged at the Hexmaster using only the physical strength in his body. It looked like he was trying to deal with the familiar threat before worrying about the newcomer, but reality quickly proved that theory wrong. A huge axe emitting an archaic air had already appeared above the swordmaster without warning, immediately going in for the kill.

Its utter lack of Cosmic Energy made it easy to mistake the axe for an apparition, but the force it contained was...

Chapter 1,132.

Dozens of strings of Mental Energy entered Zac's skill fractals as he forcibly ordered his domain to destroy as many floating fingers as possible. They were like living things, dodging and weaving among a storm of vines and blocking trees. Most were destroyed, but many still reached the soldiers fighting within [Apex Jungle].

The sudden and indefensible attack had taken Zac by surprise. Nothing remotely similar had happened to all the goliaths they'd destroyed until now...

Chapter 1,131.

The desolate tundra was painted in myriad hues as the Dao-wrought northern lights grew into huge dimensional fissures that spread across the horizon. However, it wasn't the Void that waited on the other side. It was a melange of chaotic truths and unstable energies. It reminded Zac of the Void Star, both when the Spatial Nexus blew up and when they escaped Gemmy's world.

Even today, Zac didn't fully understand what those realms of chaotic spacetime represented, but it seemed to be the r...

Chapter 1,130.

'You don't think the bell is related to Kan'Tanu the Kan'Tanu?' Zac asked.

'I'm not certain, but think about it. It's like General Dossin said—imagine if our enemies deployed the bell on a large-scale battlefield instead. Why use such a mysterious object to ambush us? And what would be the point? Whoever has the strength to wield that ancient bell could just annihilate us with a wave of their hands.'

Zac slowly nodded in agreement. The situation was undeniably ...

Chapter 1,129.

The bell's formless pressure grew with intensity as their vessel continued its approach. Those with weaker mental fortitude were already suffering, and a quick scan showed that no less than a third of the soldiers were twitching erratically or holding their heads. More alarmingly, a few displayed smiles resembling those on the carving, even when their eyes were wide with horror.

Zac felt fine beyond a profound sense of wrongness, but [Immutability of Eoz] desperately tr...

Chapter 1,128.

General Dossin spoke of victory and defeat, but it was greed rather than righteousness that shone in the eyes of the assembled leaders. Zac wasn't surprised, and neither was the Dravorak leader by the looks of it. Concepts like the direction of the whole war were too far removed from early and middle Hegemons. Neither could glory keep you and your kin safe when marauders were kicking in your door.

In comparison, the promise of ancient treasure was far more palatable. Most soldiers were ...

Release Schedule Update

So traveling while maintaining my set release schedule proved harder than expected, even when the chapters were mostly written already. I'd expected to release two chapters this week by now, yet there are none. I also planned on releasing a chapter today, but getting to work right on the back of a 22 hour flight simply didn't pan out. I ended up discarding most of what I wrote since it was essentially gibberish.

But I'm back home now and looking at how to best get back on track. Anyway....

Chapter 1,127.

"The bigshots have dealt with the Transference Array and the World's Blight, but there are still a lot of Kan'Tanu here," Tussar grunted, echoing Zac's thoughts.

Zac nodded, and the Acheron Company resumed its push. The sea of thorns had lost their strength and ability to bring over reinforcements, and the trapped Kan'Tanu had lost their morale. It only took an hour for the combined alliance armies to utterly cleanse the region. There was no surrender, and no prisoners of war were taken...

Chapter 1,126.

A/N:Final chapter of the week likely tomorrow.

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It was impossible to mistake the overbearing aura that just suppressed the whole region with anything but the Left Imperial Palace. However, as impressive as it were, there were undeniably some important differences. Despite destroying miles of land, the explosion was like a matchstick compared to a sun in front of the Left Imperial Palace. 

Had a seal appeared on the battlefield?...

Chapter 1,125.

Zac held his axe in one hand and a Cosmic Crystal in the other as he tore into the remaining cultists. He retained most of his energy, but this isolated skirmish was just the beginning. And as he upgraded more and more of his skills to D-grade, the higher his energy consumption would become.

It was worth it.

His dealings with the Undead Empire felt like walking a tightrope, where one misstep would lead to death or becoming a puppet to their schemes. However, his experiences had un...

Chapter 1,124.

Zac had made significant adjustments to his Domain Skill when upgrading it, essentially giving up on most of its defensive properties. Before, he could transfer damage from himself to the trees, but what was the point? His attributes and dual constitutions already made him unbelievably durable, and he had [Empyrean Aegis] and [Ossuary Bulwark] to boot. Anything those layers couldn't handle would force him to dodge anyway.

Instead, Zac shifted toward a f...

Chapter 1,123.

Zac glanced at Vilari and felt the spiritual nudge that confirmed she'd set up a mental network for their group. Petrus' voice immediately appeared in his head.

'The Havarok Empire only has one Monarch in Zecia as far as we know, and he should be stationed with the second field army. I doubt this is a premeditated ploy. We could have been sent anywhere. The Havarok shouldn't have enough pull to set up such an elaborate plot.'

'Not premeditated,' Zac emphasized. 2023-10-02 16:11:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Big Autumn Update!

Hey all! Don't worry, this is not a post extending the break into October. Things have been silent here on Patreon, but I haven't (only) spent my time off playing video games and reading. So some updates are in order.

First of all, yes, I'm resuming releases on Oct 2!

October will have 3 editing days as usual, though I unfortunately can't say when because I'm out of the country the 3rd-11th. I've already resumed writing to ensure I have content to post, but some d...

Dragon Con Schedule

So small update for those attending Dragon Con this year. I'll be doing a book signing at Aethon's booth Saturday 1pm. So if you want a signed copy or just say hi, that's where you can find me.

There's quite a few familiar names doing the same over the weekend, so I attached the full lineup. 

Note: these signings are in AmericasMart building 2, not in the "official" walk of fame. 

Schedule Update.

I have decided to extend my break through September. As such, I've paused the Patreon charge for another month. Next chapter will be October 2, instead of September 11. 

I'm sorry about the short warning, but I wanted to wait until I was certain this was the right call. I've been struggling to keep up with the schedule this whole year, and it has taken its toll. I'm planning to take September to rest up a bit longer and slowly build up my private stock of chapters ...

Book 10 out on Amazon/Audible!

No, unfortunately not a chapter. 

But good news! While there's no new chapters this month, Defiance of the Fall is never truly on break. Book 10 out now in all formats! So if you're missing your regular DotF fix, check it out! 

Having escaped the Orom's prison, Zac has finally returned to Earth. Much has changed during his years off-world, with war brewing in the Zecia Sector. Struggle is the System's mandate, where the strong thrive, and the weak suffer...

Chapter 1,122.

A/N: That's it for July, and for the summer as a whole. I hope you've enjoyed. I'm taking a vacation to recharge the ol' batteries, and I'll see you guys in September (see the pinned posts for exact schedule).

Reminder: There will be no charge from Patreon tomorrow, so you can just let the subscription roll over into August without any cost. However, if you cancel and wish to gain access to the discord or chapters in a few weeks, Patreon will charge you again. 2023-07-31 18:04:28 +0000 UTC View Post