A/N: Second catch-up chapter, and we're officially back on track! From Monday, we're back on the regular schedule with no planned breaks until mid-October for the next editing break.
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"Heugh," Zac retched as he spat the lake water onto the ground, and he helplessly watched it seep into the soil.
After the success of eating the Dao Crystals, it had seemed like a solid plan to simply drink the lake water, preventing any of its mysterious insights fro...
2022-09-16 16:39:20 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Reminder, the rest of the week are my scheduled editing days. I'll release one more chapter to fully catch up with my release schedule, but I don't quite know which day yet.
In case you need something to read, He Who Fights With Monsters Book 7 just dropped :)
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Had the moss entity managed to sense Zac wasn't sincere, even if he had tried to control his thoughts? And how had it known how to feed Za...
2022-09-13 18:34:19 +0000 UTC
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"Who are you?!" Zac growled as he wildly looked around, and [Verun's Bite] had already appeared in his hand.
'Being… being… I…' the voice answered, and Zac almost felt like he could sense a hint of confusion.
But that impression was soon drowned by an ocean of images that rose and sank like a breath. The rustle of the wind in the trees. A tropical storm raging above. An endless cycle, a natural progression. Trillions of lines forming a whole – a s...
2022-09-12 18:34:54 +0000 UTC
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A/N: The first catch-up chapter. The second one will be sometime at the end of next week.
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Emerald Eye was the name given to one of Earth's four new moons and the one that looked the most like an actual planet. The name came from the fact that large parts of its surface were green, but there was a large dark spot looking almost like an eye on it. After Port Atwood had gotten better scanners and repurposed some of Old Earth's telescopes...
2022-09-11 08:08:56 +0000 UTC
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"Amazing," Ogras whispered.
Even Zac was moved as they looked up at the huge dark gray Cosmic Vessel floating in front of them. His Cosmic Vessel.
It was neither as big as some of the ships he'd seen in the Void Gate nor as awe-inspiring as the three models he had to pick from for his quest reward. But it was clearly of far superior make compared to the thing he'd flown in on his way to the Void Star, or even the Technocrat's Little Bean for that matter.
"A decent little ski...
2022-09-09 18:17:21 +0000 UTC
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Remembering he could just pawn off the issue of Ultom on Ogras, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of Zac's shoulders.
"I'll think on this a bit longer before sending an answer," Zac said. "Is there anything else?"
"Nothing of great import," Triv answered. "The large movements of troops related to young Lord's new trial has made the rumors of our existence to intensify somewhat, though."
"I guess that's to be expected," Zac shrugged, neither too surprised nor worried....
2022-09-08 17:10:04 +0000 UTC
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A/N: We're back! Stomach bugs aren't a great time, but at least they pass through the system quickly.
As mentioned, I am still aiming to release the intended number of chapters this month. Right now, I will most likely catch up through a Sat chapter this week and an extra chapter sometime next week.
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A crackling sound of glass shattering echoed in the cultivation chamber as Zac chewed on the Dao Stone and s...
2022-09-07 16:39:43 +0000 UTC
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This was the last type of post I wanted to write just as we're back. But after two years of social distancing and not getting sick a single time, I've finally come down with something.
I am still intending on releasing the planned number of chapters, so either sat release(s) or shortening my editing break. But for now, no chapters today, possibly tomorrow depending on how quickly I flush this thing.
2022-09-05 08:00:03 +0000 UTC
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"You can't remember?" Ra'Klid frowned. "This is no time for jokes."
"I… can't remember anything either," the spectral warrior hesitated as he floated over.
"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Zac said with confusion.
"Well, that's not completely true," the Mavai warrior slowly said. "First of all, I remember being in a marvelous state after completing the challenge. I can't properly remember it, but I can feel it. It felt like I was in the womb, full of life. I've made som...
2022-09-02 17:29:07 +0000 UTC
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A/N: We're officially back! As always, thanks for re-subbing and welcome new patrons!
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"How about it? Should we take a look around ourselves?" Ogras asked as he and Zac made their way toward the edge of the Ensolus Ruins.
"My body is still all kinds of messed up," Zac said with a helpless shake of his head. "You can go ahead if you want to, though."
"Without your supercharged fate to keep me safe?" Ogras scoffed. "Alright, I gu...
2022-09-01 16:59:45 +0000 UTC
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... Is upon us!
Sept 1st marks the end of my secluded cultivation, and we get back into it. With that, the monthly charges are back on for the 1st, and I thought I'd update you guys on the schedule for September. I still have vacation brain, so I will have to figure out the schedule for the rest of the fall at some later date.
For now, I will maintain the same type of schedule I have maintained for most of 2022, where I take a couple of days a month for editing and plotting ...
2022-08-30 18:01:37 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone!
This is, unfortunately, not an announcement of a surprise chapter in the middle of the summer break, but perhaps something even better?
Book 6 of Defiance of the Fall is now out on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and as an Audiobook over at Audible. As always, proofed, edited, and spruced up.
The Lich King Adriel is gone and Earth has avoided being drowned in deadly Miasma.
Yet an even greater danger lurks in the dark, and Zac is running against th...
2022-08-16 15:50:23 +0000 UTC
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A/N: There we go!
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Zac wanted to roll his eyes at Ogras and ask him what the worst that could happen was, but he reined himself in. He knew his track record wasn't the best in this regard, and it felt a bit foolhardy to tempt the Heavens just after drawing the attention of the river of fate. Instead, Zac turned his attention to his surroundings, using his Danger Sense and [Cosmic Gaze] to ensure nothing had changed ...
2022-07-30 13:39:52 +0000 UTC
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Sorry, I fell at the goal-line, bested by rewrites. Today's chappy is unfortunately moved until tomorrow, as early as possible.
2022-07-29 15:11:11 +0000 UTC
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The meeting had gone on for over five hours, and people had started to get distracted. However, Zac's somber words and serious face were like a cold shower, waking everyone right up. For over ten seconds, no one said anything until Ilvere suddenly released a pent-up sigh.
"Risk everything? Certain death?" the demon captain said with a wry smile. "I think that's it for me then, unless you desperately need my help?"
"This is about individual fate," Zac said with a shake of his head....
2022-07-28 18:28:40 +0000 UTC
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Zac opened his eyes as his alarm buzzed, and he took a deep breath from the dense lifegiving mist. Six days had passed since he secluded himself, most of which had been spent in the depths of death, where he repaired his broken pathways. He had also bathed in refreshing concoctions designed to heal stubborn wounds daily.
They were mixed up by Triv, using all kinds of death-attuned materials Zac had picked up over the years. Even Hegemons would probably be shocked at the expenditure, esp...
2022-07-27 17:22:44 +0000 UTC
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‘You jerk, I know you escaped that space fish over a year ago, and you only contact me now? Every week I record these things like a fool. The elders even started thinking I was lying when I said I knew you. In either case, I have good news. Everything worked out even better than I expected. I even got to visit the Abyssal Shores as a reward for introducing you.
‘You have to see that place – it’s amazing. And I don’t think it’s possible to truly unlock our herita...
2022-07-26 16:35:20 +0000 UTC
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The tranquility of the secluded courtyard was broken as Zac and Ogras stepped through the teleportation array, arriving in Zac’s private compound. Looking down at his hands, Zac still barely felt what he’d been through was real. But the quest remained, proving that the visions, the Left Imperial Palace, and the existence of the Ultom Courts were all real.
Unfortunately, neither Perala Janodrok nor his stay at Alpha Vigil had provided any further clues to what it meant to be named a ...
2022-07-25 17:18:23 +0000 UTC
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Space twisted, but the confusing blur was nothing to the confusion already raging in Zac's mind. Emperor Limitless' name was Laondio Evrodok and not Karz? It completely threw a lot of Zac's theories out the window.
Not only that, but Laondio was even a name he knew. Laondio was the talented alchemist Zac had seen in his bloodline vision. He had been a unique talent of the Blue Spring Sect that Karz had managed to enter in the second vision.
But the Blue Spring Sect seemed to be th...
2022-07-22 12:17:36 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Reminder, next week will only have 1 chapter release as I will be busy working on editing Book 7.
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There was no time to reorient himself or prepare. It was all happening too fast. One moment, Zac, Iz, and Ogras had popped out next to one of the gargantuan space stations of the Void Star. The next, Zac found himself sanding a large solemn hall, where his two companions were nowhere in sight.
It was not just the archite...
2022-07-15 18:02:41 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Notice of significant change to the story:
Mark of Creation is from now on called "Origin Mark".
This is kind of a legacy mess-up of mine that never got fixed. But with me editing the book where it first makes an appearance, I had to make a decision. When a System-quest first named the "Pink Flash", it called it a "mark of Creation". But that wasn't supposed to become its official name. It was properly called Origin Mark for t...
2022-07-14 19:05:13 +0000 UTC
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Zac woke up with a start, and the slight movement unleashed a chain-reaction of agony that rippled throughout his body. A blurry scene of destruction met his gaze, but there were no threats as far as he could see. It was lucky, as well. Just keeping his eyelids open was a struggle. Another fight was out of the question.
He didn’t need to look to know that almost all his pathways were shattered, but he still glanced inward to assess the damage. As expected, his pathways were in utter d...
2022-07-13 17:04:45 +0000 UTC
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Even when finding himself pushed to the limits, Zac had held back his last and most powerful aces. He had wanted to save them until Ogras finished his side of the mission, to give himself something to fall back on in case the Qriz'Ul King went berserk. Now, he found himself without better options, and Zac could only pray that it was enough to break through that impenetrable shield.
The Goblin's struggles grew more frantic as Zac squeezed out more and more Oblivion from his soul, the ene...
2022-07-12 17:48:19 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Small change to the last paragraph of the previous chapter (bolded the changed part):
And just as it came within 250 meters of Zac, a pillar rose from the ground. A monument to despair and inexorability. Ogras would need another minute before he could dip down and close the gate, which hopefully would weaken the creature even further. But seeing the billowing waves of corruption trapped within the ethereal body of the Goblin, Zac couldn’t help but ask.
2022-07-11 18:03:58 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Sorry about the late release, I'm running on grit and fumes for these last weeks until my vacation :) Well, happy weekend!
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Life was rapidly being supplanted by death as Zac activated his Specialty Core. Still, he was cutting it close. Even outside its natural habitat, the Qriz'Ul King was incredibly quick, and it looked like a floating river as it closed the gap between them. Zac thought the thing would try to swallow him,...
2022-07-08 19:44:41 +0000 UTC
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Zac couldn’t tell whether a million voices were clamoring in his head or one, but the force in voice alone was enough to give Zac’s soul a jolt. He didn’t know what the voice meant by ‘empty’, but the real problem was the source. A supersized Qriz’Ul was targeting his spatial bomb, possibly from the other side through the gateway.
At least Zac assumed it was a Qriz’Ul, even if its hand looked like a purple runic nebula rather than a twisted mockery of a Goblin. Meanwhile, ...
2022-07-07 17:32:51 +0000 UTC
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Iz looked on as Mr. Bug, no Zachary Atwood, dipped beneath the tainted water. Not much later, she felt him pass through her flame domain, exposing him to any discerning eyes. She froze for an instant, but she was immensely relieved to see there was no reaction from the corrupted cultivators sitting by the shoreline. She had a little bit longer.
She felt suffocated, and indecision gnawed at her. The world had always seemed so simple. Black and white. Fated and lacking fate. Even Zachary'...
2022-07-06 18:26:09 +0000 UTC
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The silence around the corrupted lake was absolute, with not one of the cultivators moving. But while the scene looked tranquil on the surface, it was anything but. The lake released powerful waves of dirty energy, creating an invisible storm on its surface that spread out along the crater’s slopes. Meanwhile, the auras of the cultivators kept rising and falling in pace with the pulses of the lake.
It was almost like they had fused and become a singular organism that slowly inhaled an...
2022-07-05 17:34:23 +0000 UTC
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Zac regretted the words the moment he uttered them, but flames were already gathering around Iz. Not only that, but she was obviously excited at the prospect of getting punched.
“I’m ready,” Iz nodded.
“I was just kid-,” Zac said with exasperation, but he stopped in his track when a displeased frown appeared on Iz’s face.
“Do you think me too weak to bear your fate?” Iz glared at him.
“Uh, no?” Zac said.
“Then test me,” Iz said as the burn...
2022-07-04 18:07:06 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Better late than never, I hope! Thank you all for re-upping, and welcome new patrons!
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"Alright, let's to it," Zac grunted as he cracked his neck.
His Spirit Tool robes had already been placed to the side and covered in Nexus Crystals to aid its recovery, and Zac instead wore three layers of mish-mashed E-grade armors he had picked up from some random cultists. Iz's flames had simply proven too potent, and any more tests of ...
2022-07-01 19:51:27 +0000 UTC
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