DefianceNovels

Chapter 1,082.

"I had an idea I wanted to run by you before the meeting," Emily said as the silence grew heavy. "I've been talking to my subordinates, and more than a few wish we'd transition from our slow-paced and defensive tactics to more aggressive ones. They feel this war is their chance to rise and are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of Earth or their cultivation."

"What do you propose, then?" Zac asked.

"I want to separate our operations into defensive and offensive ba...

Chapter 1,081.

A finger of pure lightning pushed out of the dark clouds, intent to squash the bug intent on defying the natural order. Meanwhile, Alea radiated an aura of conviction, the swirling energies around her so familiar they might as well have been Zac's own. She was like a celestial general, and the world answered her call.

Alea had been drawing large amounts of energy from the Gathering Arrays since the process started, but it was nothing compared to the torrential current that rushed out of...

Chapter 1,080.

Zac had made great progress on his Evolutionary Precursor pathways, even if his private cultivation grounds weren't at the level of what his other body enjoyed over in Kavista. Thankfully, the biggest factors in redrawing pathways were mental persistence, a strong constitution, and pain tolerance, something he had in spades.

The monthly meeting was right around the corner, and there were a lot of things Zac wanted to have sorted out before. He emerged from the cave in the depths of Demo...

Chapter 1,079.

Zac nodded at Tavza to continue, the promise of treasure making his heart beat faster. Not even upgrading his skill could compare to the prospect of getting access to the Undead Empire's stockpiles. Perhaps if he'd gotten another title out of it, but the System wouldn't award bonuses from something so basic in the D-grade.

"I've been instructed to ask you about the incongruity between the talent you showcased when forming your skill and what we found during the inspection before we go i...

Chapter 1,078.

Zac sighed as the gates closed, his exhalation creating swirls in the medicinal mists around him. The ambient energy of the Cultivation Chamber, which actually was inside the trunk of an enormous tree, was even greater than the caves he'd used in the Orom World's Blackink Mountain. But while the energy density had almost been lethal back then, it was a welcome luxury to his D-grade body.

The quantities were amazing, and there was a quality to match. Zac had felt there was something diff...

Chapter 1,077.

"You've captured a Zecia sealbearer?" Zac said with a frown.

Zac knew the reaver was just taunting him, but he was still worried. On paper, it should be almost impossible for him to know whoever Kator had captured, but things weren't that simple. For one, the circles were much smaller when looking at the elites at the top. Even if he didn't personally know them, there was a decent chance he knew of them. Secondly, he'd already seen how one acquaintance after another got their hands on s...

Chapter 1,076.

Tavza kept her face impassive, but masking the waves in her heart wasn't easy. She knew this meeting was an opportunity Laz Tem'Zul presented, a way to tie a first string of fate between herself and this walking calamity. She had spent years trying to nudge him closer to their camp by hook or crook, even letting the Zi girl get targeted by the Reavers to shake things up and sow the first seeds of partnership.

Now was the time to harvest, yet her mind wasn't on the present. She was tryin...

Chapter 1,075.

A welcoming wave of Death filled every pore of Zac's body, and he took a deep breath of contentment. Only now did Zac realize he had actually never really felt the Dao of Death in this calm and natural state. Twilight Harbor and its trial Realm, Earth, and Ensolus all had Life mixed in with death. Even the Death-attuned world disks in Twilight Harbor or the Deatly region in the Orom World had felt like pockets of sanctuary assaulted from every direction.

That wasn't the case here. It wa...

Chapter 1,074.

"What's the greatest source of Faction Merit?" Zac asked.

"Conquering worlds deep in the Kan'Tanu Territory," Vilari said without hesitation. "The neutral battlefronts span three to five worlds. One is in the middle, while the others likely are dead planets in either sector. You generally start in the middle world, and conquering the neutral battlefront is a successful campaign. Stopping at that point has no real downside, but the merit accrued is very limited."

"And continuing be...

Chapter 1,073.

Zac looked at his second tally with a smile. Getting 125,000 merit hadn't felt too impressive when he saw it the first time, but he was far more appreciative after joining his first campaign. He'd repelled half an army almost on his own and then conquered the world, yet it only rewarded him 600 merit, including the bonuses he got from his designation.

Certainly, that was a decent amount for one hour of work, considering Emily and Rhubat only earned around 10,000 a month. But it wasn't l...

Chapter 1,072.

"What? Young master is really visiting the capital?"

"As soon as I've dealt with a few things," Zac nodded.

"What about young master's condition?"

"Things have changed," Zac said, sharing his prepared excuse.

"Life and Death… difficult indeed," Triv sighed before perking up. "Perhaps this is for the best? Now young master can visit the Heartlands without worries. Will young master require my—"

"I'm sorry, another time," Zac said, noting that Triv didn't look ...

Chapter 1,071.

Zac shook his head before tuning out the ruins around his human half, his Abyssal eyes refocusing on the notes around him. Progress was slow, even if there weren't any particular issues stumping his progress. He'd entered a Void State with his human body to focus on recovery, but it was hard to shut out the scenes of the last couple of hours. He'd just returned, yet he'd already been forced to see thousands of subordinates fall. And these numbers were on the lower end when considering the sco...

Chapter 1,070.

Spirit Tool War Regalia were extremely expensive, high-quality ones even surpassing the price of Cosmic Vessels. It was also an issue of supply and demand. You wouldn't necessarily be able to get your hands on one even if you had the money to spare, even in the Multiverse Heartlands. Artisans who could create something like that didn't exactly grow on trees, and it could take years to make one.

Not even Zac had managed to get his hands on any, and not for lack of trying. There had been ...

Chapter 1,069.

The surroundings were reduced to a blur as Zac made a beeline toward the frontline. Zac's instincts urged him to emerge through the breach and unleash a massacre, but he remembered Vilari's warning. Rushing headlong into the heat of it might lead him right into a trap, one that might implicate his soldiers too. Besides, there were likely better ways to use his strength than to cull the Kan'Tanu's vanguard.

He could already spot Ra'Klid atop the wall, directing the efforts to shore up th...

Chapter 1,068.

Zac didn't know which of the two demons was right. Both, most likely. Some of these volunteers might be wartime opportunists. But it wouldn't be odd for many of these old warriors to stir after witnessing the brutality of the struggle.

He remembered the problems they'd had with their recruitment drives in the beginning. Many didn't even believe them when they said a war was coming. And even if it did, so what? The integration had been dealt with without many of them ever lifting a finge...

Chapter 1,067.

"Rating and designation?" Zac asked. "What's going on?"

"There are several facilities near every Battlefield Array," Vilari explained. "One of them is a recruitment center. You must first register to access the Teleportation Array, War Merit Exchange, and various other features. At that time, you'll get an evaluation and a designation. For example, I'm a Fourth-Degree Captain, the lowest Captain rank."

"I'm a Strike Leader," Joanna added.

"What's the significance of the desi...

Chapter 1,066.

Zac sighed as he sat down to face himself. He'd check in with the creators for a shipyard-upgrading quest later, but he had too much on his place to worry about this matter right now. He'd have to survive the war and Ultom before worrying about heading into the Endless Storm. Perhaps he could trade the Primo's item inside the Hollow Court for a vastly superior ship. Perhaps Ultom would provide him with another solution. Worrying about it now wouldn't do him much good.

The real question ...

Chapter 1,065.

"It's time," a voice echoed through the peak. "You've arrived."

"Thank you for your help," Arcaz said as he stood up.

Sendor had left soon after the first body was sent away, but he was clearly still keeping watch. A second cocoon enclosed his body, and he was soon shuttling through the Void. Three hours' worth of memories were exchanged as the connection was restored. The merge kept his mind occupied for almost two minutes, which was an important lesson on its own.

Arcaz be...

Chapter 1,064.

"How did you know about the Kayar-Elu?" Zac asked, finally expressing the question that had been burning in the back of his mind for the past hour.

"It just made sense," the Realm Spirit shrugged. "When you've lived as long as me, you start to see some patterns in the river of time."

"Made sense, how?"

"What do you know about the Technocrats?"

"The usual stuff. Dao of Technology, Technomancers, Transcenders, Machine God Faction," Zac said impatiently.

"Sure," Sen...

Book 9 of Defiance of the Fall is now out on Kindle/Audible!

Hey all, the next one in the series is now out, continuing where we left off in January! Book 9 covers the finishing act of the Twilight Ascent and then takes Zac through the whole Orom Arc. A perfect time for a re-read, if you ask me ;)

As usual, there's also a sale on the older books for the collectors out there.

Chaos is descending on the City of Ancients.

The Twilight Ascent is coming to a boil. The Eveningtide Asura's  plans are nea...