“Chaos… Impossibl—!” Descartes’ horrified declaration was swallowed by the silver sphere digging into his face.
Zac had a splitting headache, and his upper body’s pathways felt like they were on fire from his struggle to keep the Hollow Chaos from slipping from his grasp. He definitely wasn’t as calm and collected as he let on. Creating Chaos Energy demanded more than what he could spare, but it was the only thing Zac could think of to crush Descartes’ last slivers of ho...
2025-09-14 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Zac had always refused to use [Love’s Bond]’s ability unless everything else had failed. Exposing his Void Talents was a better option than forcing Alea’s spirit into an exchange of mutual destruction as far as he was concerned. Zac had hoped Alea would respect his wishes as she advanced toward greater heights, but she’d dug her heels in, keeping her skill’s sacrificial nature. She argued that there was no point in her having an ability if it wasn’t stronger than ...
2025-09-11 19:04:47 +0000 UTC
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Zac lunged at the azure barrier without another word, his axe already in motion. The attack failed to leave so much as a mark, and Zac could sense that striking with [Void Mountain] wouldn’t make much of a difference. The moonlight powering the seal had grown stronger in the blink of an eye, and it had gained a touch of lofty Daos that exceeded Zac’s bloodline’s ability to counter.
Worse, the boost didn’t come from the moonlight still pouring through the large w...
2025-09-09 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The greed of man greeted Zac the second he emerged from Esmeralda’s spatial pocket. It wasn’t dense enough to influence Zac at its current density. If anything, it lent a helping hand. Their enemies thought they could use the moonlight to expose hidden threats, but both Esmeralda and Idiche had ways to elude their senses. With that false sense of security and Zac acting as a decoy, they would be less likely to notice a problem.
Zac was confident that Idiche would live up to her prom...
2025-09-07 18:00:11 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Sorry about the delay, this flu really took me for a ride. We should be back on schedule now tho, so next chapter Sunday.
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Idiche saw where things were headed and she didn’t like it one bit. “Do you really think lightning can strike twice? They’re obviously expecting an ambush because of our previous stunts. That barrier is not only there to hide them from the lodge. It has strong defensive properties too.”
“I’m a...
2025-09-05 13:20:53 +0000 UTC
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Zac exhaled as the raging torrent of ancient intent gradually calmed. The powerful attacker undoubtedly had his own methods of traversing the core region, but the commotion they’d triggered should have made river crossing extremely hazardous in the short run. The ancient dagger’s edge had also crumbled to dust. Zac suspected it had used up its remnant spirituality to bring their group to a safe spot within the lodge. Finding, let alone reaching, it would be easier said than done.
Th...
2025-09-03 12:02:20 +0000 UTC
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Sorry, weird start to the month. I've been hit with some sort of back-to-school supervirus. I thought I could finish up today's chapter anyway, but I had to throw in the towel. I should be able to post it before lunch tomorrow. Rest of the weekly schedule (hopefully) won't be impacted
2025-09-02 18:20:28 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Reminder, I'm switching to the new schedule now so the next chapter will be on Tuesday. Have a nice weekend, and say hi to my friends at the Aethon Booth if you guys are at DragonCon!
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A descending swing embodying finality followed two lightning-quick swipes. The illusory warrior was too busy blocking the brutal barrage of one of Zac’s hundred doppelgangers to figure out what hit him and how. His collapse freed up the clone conjured b...
2025-08-29 18:19:23 +0000 UTC
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Zac drew from his reservoir of untapped enlightenment. It wasn’t enough to turn his theory into a proper method, but the truth of Ultom strongly suggested that his idea had merit. Invigorated by potential gains and armed with the means of destruction, Zac met little resistance as he began forging a trail of destruction following the ancient dagger’s lead.
Each kill was a double blessing. It allowed a few streaks of ancient Killing Intent to be integrated with his spiritual body whil...
2025-08-27 19:02:39 +0000 UTC
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The shifting cave grew quiet as the trio resumed their recovery. This time, the silence stretched for hours, barring a few disruptions when it looked like the spatial pocket would collapse. Zac did everything he could to get back to fighting condition, even encasing himself in Miasma Crystals during a short nap to boost his natural recovery.
Determination, deep pockets, and wanton disregard for pill toxins yielded results. Within ten hours, the aftermath of overdosing on corruption was ...
2025-08-25 19:13:25 +0000 UTC
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A/N: And we're back! Thank you all for your patience.
A reminder, we'll be on old schedule for next week before switching over to SUN-TUE-THU releases for September.
Also, in case anyone was wondering, i am unfortunately not participating in DragonCon next week. Those of you who are going will have to make do with the throng of other LitRPG authors participating :)
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Zac had finished cleansing his Soul Aperture ...
2025-08-22 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Hey all, hope you've been well. Unfortunately, I'm bringing some bad news right as we're approaching the return of DotF. I've taken August to plot and working on my technique and workflow, hoping to increase output and reliability. Mainly that's been trying to switch over to dictation since many of my colleagues have seen remarkable improvements to their productivity from doing so.
The change hasn't come as naturally to me, I'm afraid. The chapters I've produced through dictation simpl...
2025-08-12 05:54:16 +0000 UTC
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There's a small reprieve from the summer content wasteland! Defiance of the Fall Book 15 is out today on Kindle & Audible! Why not reread the Imperial Graveyard arc while waiting for the chapters to pick back up?
Years of desperate resistance wasn't enough to stop the Kan-Tanu Cult's advance. The frontlines are collapsing, and its scattered forces are busy saving themselves. The powerfu...
2025-07-16 14:36:09 +0000 UTC
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Become a patron to read ahead.
A/N: And that's it for June and the season! Defiance of the Fall is officially on holiday break! Of course, I'll still be around, and you can always find me on the discord if you need something (or if you want to exchange increasingly unhinged DotF theories over the summer break with other readers).
You'll also hear from me when Book 15 is released next month, and we're finally approaching the point where I can share some official news/teasers about ...
2025-06-30 19:56:00 +0000 UTC
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It was too late. The barrier exploded, throwing Idiche away like a ragdoll while nearly knocking Zac clean out. The physical pain was nothing compared to the horror of what he saw next. A twisted figure with four arms and a second head growing out of his shoulder held Esmeralda in a vise-like grip. Her parched skin was crisscrossed with scars, and the vats on her back were running empty.
Suppressing the opponent this long had cost Esmeralda far more ...
2025-06-27 19:47:57 +0000 UTC
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“The tracking mark was destroyed with her mirage world. We can still track her through the implanted energy, except…” Jimok said with a frow
“The tracking mark was destroyed with her mirage world. We can still track her through the implanted energy, except…” Jimok said with a frown.
“With Lodge Island in flux, there is too much interference.” Royce grimaced as he arduously fought to reclaim control over his flesh. “Forget it. Update the others just in case. What...
2025-06-25 19:52:56 +0000 UTC
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A/N: So, with the summer break drawing closer, I figured I'd post the actual dates.
The last chapter will be June 30th (though I might release it earlier during this week). After the month's final chapter, I'll also pause the subscriptions. That means your subscription will stay in its current state. For example, if you're at day 20 of a 31-day cycle, you'll stay at day 20 until I unpause the subscriptions. During that time, you'll h...
2025-06-23 19:51:55 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Sorry about the delay. A reminder that this is the last chapter of the week as there's a scheduled break for friday and midsommer.
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“That’s new,” Esmeralda commented as she emerged from the Shrine of Kanba. “Call me a cynic, but I don’t think it’s a good omen.”
“You could say that,” Zac grunted with a hoarse voice, glancing at the sky.
The magic circle looked eight pa...
2025-06-19 18:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Hey, sorry gang. Things grew a bit chaotic with flights and audits and whathaveyou, and I can see that I won't be able to finish today's chapter tonight. It'll be released tomorrow, regular release time, instead. Sorry about the inconvenience.
2025-06-18 16:07:17 +0000 UTC
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“What’s that?” Zac asked, pressing upon seeing Idiche’s conflicted expression. “I hope you’re not holding out on me. This could be a matter of life and death.”
“It’s not that I’m holding out… It’s just that I don’t know!” Idiche said with frustration. “When I dream, I see images. Some of them from the future, or at least a possible future. I dreamt about your chains before we met. Why else would I go along with such a fa...
2025-06-16 19:10:08 +0000 UTC
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A/N: Sorry about the delay, poe league starts always get me distracted ;)
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“No sense of self-preservation,” Zac muttered as the carcass of the Peak E-grade bird in his hand faded into an illusory shimmer.
Surprisingly, the low-grade attacker dropped an item—a footstool missing a leg. Like all the other trinkets that had dropped over the past hours, it was a mortal-grade item without ...
2025-06-13 19:14:05 +0000 UTC
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Zac savored the stillness. Like an engine coming to a gradual halt, the turbulent energies within him calmed down. Not even half a percent of the ancient Killing Intent had been purified and incorporated, and the rest showed no indication of leaving. It had settled in, acting like a koi lazily swimming about in its pond. It was more than welcome to stay now that it didn’t trigger an overwhelming fight-or-flight response.
It was very possible it wou...
2025-06-11 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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The Unvai Drakes were driven insane with anger from seeing their next generation smeared over Zac’s face and across the ground. The evildoer who had stolen their egg had disappeared without a trace after throwing it, and they turned their fury on the only other human on the shore. Runes ignited across their bodies, unleashing waves of draconic suppression. While their bloodline wasn’t as pure as the dragon Zac fought back in the Tower of Eternity, thei...
2025-06-09 18:37:19 +0000 UTC
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The safest option would be to discard the intent instead of passing the buck. That route was also impossible. The Killing Intent was true to its name. It existed with immutable intention, and overruling its will was impossible at Zac’s level. Just thinking about forcibly extracting it made warning sirens go off in Zac’s mind.
Refining the intent with [Void Heart] was equally unfeasible. This batch of Killing Intent wouldn’t jus...
2025-06-06 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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It was as though the Karmic Grand Array outside had realized something was wrong, that the future was moving in a forbidden trajectory. Vast numinous clouds started forming with incredible speed, covering the darkness in the sky with Buddhist light. Resplendent mountains, ancient temples, holy beasts, and countless practitioners of the Buddhist faith emerged from the clouds to safeguard the Dharma.
The air itself was transforming, shimmering with San...
2025-06-04 18:00:10 +0000 UTC
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A/N: New month, new chaos! Thank you for re-upping, and welcome new patrons!
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“Too late, huh?” Zac muttered when a tide of Dream Energy came pouring into his Soul Aperture from his Draugr side.
The Dream Energy was so powerful that Saṃghāta’s crushing Death was momentarily pushed aside. It stored countless images, which allowed Zac to catch glimpses of Sevona’s desperate exodus fro...
2025-06-02 18:00:09 +0000 UTC
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A/N: And that's the last for May, I hope you've enjoyed. We continue as usual for June, with the exception of June 20, where there's no chapter.
From there, DotF enters its annual summer break in July. As usual, I will pause charges for the time that I'm off. Anyway, let's get to it! A final rush until summer.
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“So you’re something called a lawkeeper, tasked with...
2025-05-30 20:01:28 +0000 UTC
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Idiche crept down the familiar paths, inspecting every nook and cranny with wary eyes. It was her fifth round in as many days, and her search had yet to yield anything promising. Not deterred, she navigated deeper into the Endless Caves. It was impossible to cover enough ground when working alone. The cave system was simply too large and complex. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late by the time she discovered the source of her unease.
Despite the gro...
2025-05-28 18:43:14 +0000 UTC
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“A miracle lodge, huh?” Zac said, nodding to have a drink served. “What can you tell me about it?”
“That depends on what you can provide in return,” the barkeep said. “We’re not taking shifts at the Dusty Apple out of generosity, you know.”
Zac rolled his eyes and took out a Late D-grade stalk giving off strong temporal fluctuations. Its spirituality wasn’t deep enough to be considered a Natural Treasure, but Time-attuned ma...
2025-05-26 18:00:08 +0000 UTC
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“An Explorers Guild introductory signet?” Zac muttered. “It makes sense. We’d already figured doppelgangers would try to infiltrate through one of the student groups, and the Explorers Guild is a good option. But how do you know she was an invader? She could’ve just been someone who’d been invited to the guild.”
“She has a few items that emit traces of corruption. They’ve been scrubbed, and the environment would eventually do the re...
2025-05-23 19:00:10 +0000 UTC
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