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Chapter 1,336.
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 20:21:54 +0000 UTCA streak of blue light appearing out of nowhere announced the next round of torment had begun. It tore straight through the podjumper’s barrier, and its plating fared no better. Upon reaching the compartment, the light transformed into a corrosive gas that targeted all organic matter. Zac swung [Death’s Duality], cleaving the vessel in two. Six chains rushed through the gap to rip apart six flying array disks waiting outside.
They were only the tip of the iceberg; dozens of identical arrays waited out of reach. A flood of darkness suppressed their light, but [Deathmark]’s axe-wielding wraiths were disintegrated by brands looking like snowflakes before they could deal any damage. Zac had expected as much. Having them tank some of the attacks was enough.
Zac turned into a streak of Abyssal Death, zipping through like a ghost. His escape didn’t go unnoticed. The two sentry formations looking like icy phoenixes far up in the sky could follow his every move. Only [Eye of Desolation] had managed to hide his presence, and it was still on cooldown.
The Array Mines emitted waves of space and fire that were designed to disperse Miasma and slow him down. Zac had managed to open a small gap with his chains, but he was taking significant damage to break through the net. It would only have taken a second or two to destroy the rest, but that was a delay he couldn’t afford.
Zac had already noticed the ten-mile replica of the Abyssal Lake that had silently appeared beneath his position. It shattered the moment it was fully formed, releasing a powerful pulse that filled Zac with revulsion. It was almost the exact opposite of the unique frequency created by his pathways. It was the culmination of three days of iteration, a final stratagem now that the Transformation Docks were within sight.
The trap had been sprung. Above, an ice palace thrumming with the Dao of Space sealed any form of teleportation or escape treasures. To his left and right, countless arrays had joined hands to replicate primordial beasts that Zac didn’t recognize. The front was safe except for a huge barrier, and it didn’t even reach the ground. That wasn’t because Kaltosa Lu had found his softness.
Miles of flickering buildings had formed a band around the Transformation Docks’s memory domain, creating an eerie ghost town. The elemental was clearly unwilling to install his arrays among the new additions. The Mercurial Court had just opened its gates, and attacking the doorway could ruin months of planning.
There was still some distance between Zac and the outer settlement, and the fake Abyssal Lake’s pulse moved significantly faster than he. It was a jamming attack tailored for him, able to retune energy coursing through his body. It wouldn’t just disrupt [Abyssal Drive]; it would briefly disable all his skills. And yet, Zac only felt relief as he was inundated.
A mile-wide swirl of blue thunder as fierce as Heavenly Tribulation rushed at him from the left while an inferno approached from the right. The attacks were no weaker than Zac’s finishers and beyond what [Profane Exponents] could block. Kaltosa Lu had timed everything perfectly, having his attacks land right when Zac was exposed and helpless.
Or at least when Zac was supposed to be helpless.
The streak of Abyssal Death continued unimpeded, showing no signs of instability. It even accelerated as Zac finally displayed the last 15% of the speed he’d held back for this exact moment. Kaltosa Lu might have suspected he could forcibly maintain his speed under the circumstances, but not that he could move faster than during the dozens of near-death situations of the past three days. The burst was just enough to move out of the reach of the two large-scale attacks, and Zac slipped beneath the barrier to enter the ghost town.
From there, Zac reached the memory domain’s border in the blink of an eye. Zac still didn’t dare relax. He rushed straight through in his energy form, only deactivating [Abyssal Drive] when he’d entered the city. Or rather, his skill was shut down by a hidden array. Zac appeared in the middle of a bustling street in a puff of death, eliciting a surprised curse from a passerby.
Zac wasn’t given time to orient himself before an irresistible pressure pushed him to the ground. His mind screamed of extreme danger. He couldn’t do anything about his numerous wounds leaking some deathly energy, but he sealed his aura as best as he could. It was enough to avoid execution by the town-protecting arrays. Instead, a number of powerful perceptions had locked onto him for further investigation.
“I apologize for the commotion,” Zac wheezed as he raised a shaking left hand. “I’m Arcaz—uh, I mean Everit Dram—invited by Heavenly Decree. I was attacked on my way here and accidentally lost control of my wounds.”
‘Noted, Sealbearer. Accommodations have been prepared in the first district. Proceed to the docks when ready.’
The perceptions left shortly after, some lingering a moment longer out of curiosity. Thankfully, his identity was enough to skip a more thorough investigation. After meeting the suspicious Enkindling Sage Xiphos, Zac wanted to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. Zac exhaled, knowing he was finally safe. Better yet, he reached the Transformation Docks without exposing the Void to his fellow Flamebearer.
Well, except for the final spurt. It wasn’t that Zac could naturally resist the disruptive pulse—the fate of his axe wraiths had proven that. Zac had guessed what Kaltosa Lu was up to by analyzing the elemental’s attacks. He’d used a few similar attacks over the past few days to find the right frequency, usually hidden among dozens of other attacks.
Zac had still noticed the pattern and prepared a counter. He’d activated [Void Mountain] before jumping out of the podjumper. By infusing himself, he’d hidden a layer of Void Energy that remained while entering [Abyssal Drive]’s intangible form. It was this energy that shifted his natural frequency, severely limiting the pulse’s effect.
There was a small risk that Kaltosa Lu would figure out what he’d done, but part of [Void Mountain]’s ability when infusing himself was to hide the Void’s unique aura. More likely, the elemental would assume Zac had held onto another method of method of protecting his energy flow. Thankfully, he hadn’t been forced to phase through the final barrier. That feat would have been much harder to explain.
Still, Zac had been stripped of whatever confidence he may have nurtured after killing Kator and seizing amazing opportunities over the past year. His core was nearly wrung-dry, and he was covered in wounds from head to toe. He was still fighting against multiple invading energies, the most troublesome being the temporal fractures spread through his insides.
As bad as it was, Zac’s state would have been even worse if not for the pitch-black breastplate covering his torso and right arm. Alea’s transformation finished two weeks after his first visit to Dawndeep Bastille. It would be a long time before she could tame her Spiritual Flame, but that part didn’t affect her combat strength. The flame would rather improve Alea’s spiritual cultivation and help her absorb materials.
Covering more of Zac’s body was only the beginning of [Love’s Bond]’s comprehensive upgrade. The materials had successfully advanced a tier, increasing both defenses and the sharpness of [Death’s Duality]. The latter didn’t just improve Zac’s lethality when infighting. It awarded some additional sharpness to all his cutting attacks, even skills like [Deathmark].
The armor’s defensive shroud had increased its coverage, and the chains had seen the same benefits as the rest of the Spirit Tool. They’d also become much faster, allowing for better synchronization. Alea hadn’t awakened any new abilities, but she’d mentioned she might after reaching Peak D-grade.
It was the upgraded defensive shroud that had kept Zac safe when he first encountered Kaltosa Lu. Seeing that the Mercurial Court had suddenly gained two halos, Zac correctly assumed the Transformation Docks had finally come alive. What he hadn’t expected was a sudden ambush of Temporal Energy as he made his way over.
Esmeralda’s resistance against time was even worse than Zac’s, and she was the elemental’s main target because of her speed. She was still sealed in a cocoon of death inside the Shrine of Kanba, working hard to suppress the rampaging Temporal Energy. The chaotic fluctuations had calmed down since, but Zac had no idea when she’d wake up.
Kaltosa Lu had clearly done his homework and chose to hit them where it hurt. They were lucky that there appeared to be some form of suppression on the Dao of Time across the Left Imperial Expanse, likely because of its important connection to the trial. Timeflow was reinforced, and Kaltosa Lu soon had no option but to switch to other forms of attack.
Zac had first tried to fight fire with fire. Even if his blitz failed, he’d expected a display of violence would give his attacker second thought. It didn’t. Zac had perfectly experienced what the Kan’Tanu warslaves felt when facing the Atwood Army and its vastly superior resources. Kaltosa Lu’s pockets were simply bottomless. No matter how many arrays Zac destroyed, new ones would soon replace them.
However, the elemental’s true terror came from his adaptability. His arrays possessed similar traits as [Primal Edict]. Whenever an attack or barrier proved inefficient, something better would appear within minutes. It wasn’t like the dynamic frequency lasers on his Creator Vessels. Zac had witnessed streams of array disks pour into one Spatial Gate and emerge as altered versions from another.
Kaltosa Lu was able to redraw his arrays while hounding Zac half to death. Zac wouldn’t be surprised if the elemental's class was called Spatial Recycler. Even the array disks Zac destroyed were resorbed and patched up. Only their energy would have to be replaced, and someone like Kaltosa Lu wouldn’t lack Cosmic Crystals.
The best way to deal with an Array Master was the same as a Beastmaster. You targeted the controller and not his tools. Naturally, such cultivators had ample experience dealing with that tactic. Kaltosa Lu had adopted a cautious approach the first hours of his pursuit, testing various illusion arrays until finding one that perfectly eluded Zac’s senses. Zac hadn’t seen him since.
Even if Zac found him, what was he supposed to do? Kaltosa Lu was even scarier than the reports, whether from gains during the trial or exploding with accumulated momentum just before the trial. His Array-related Earthly Dao had reached Late Stage, with the other three only a step below. The former was enough to suppress Zac’s Inexorable Daos on its own, and the elemental’s control was almost at Iz’s level.
The Dao Braids Zac created with his molds looked like a joke before the Dao Arrays Kaltosa Lu used to empower his Array Skills. Zac’s only hope of victory was creating an opportunity with the Void, but Zac never felt confident pulling the gun. The same tactic had failed against the much weaker Yselio Tobrial, and Zac had no breakthrough to weaponize this time. Enduring and escaping had proven the correct choice.
“I suppose your candidacy isn’t entirely without reason, homewrecker.”
“God damned lunatic,” Zac spat without missing a beat.
Kaltosa Lu had stepped into the Transformation Docks right on his heels. The six-armed elemental had a humanoid appearance, though Zac couldn’t tell if that was its true form. Rather than possessing flesh, he looked like a trapped storm of ancient energies. The chaotic currents were centered around six moving nuclei.
Zac guessed they were the true core of the elemental, but whether they could be considered a weakness was impossible to say. They could be like an Izh’Rak Reaver’s Warbones, far sturdier than the rest of their body. Kaltosa Lu’s storm was perfectly contained, and his arrival didn’t prompt the same response as Zac’s. Dressed in spotless blue robes, he became another guest of the transformation Docks.
There was a second humanoid elemental by Kaltosa Lu’s side, someone Zac hadn’t seen before. His aura was reminiscent of Triv’s, the ghost butler, except this attendant was stronger than any of his subordinates. While not quite at Kator’s level, he emitted a vague sense of danger. Instead of showing animosity, the butler seemed mostly curious about the man who escaped his master’s grasp.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Many say the same thing about my fiancée’s family,” Kaltosa Lu laughed, seeming genuinely pleased with Zac’s assessment. “Newborn fireseeds look at the sky and think the stars crazy for hurtling through the cold emptiness of space. Few can understand the vantage of those pursuing the Grand Dao.”
“Then I hope you get to see your fiancée soon,” Zac scoffed.
Kaltosa Lu nodded with satisfaction. “You’re too kind. Seeing you up close, you’re surprisingly ugly—even for a being limited by flesh. I thought your kind was supposed to be endowed with natural blessings?”
“What the fu—” Zac reined in his outburst upon hearing the following words.
“I realize now I was mistaken. Someone like you cannot possibly be a threat to my Royal Harem. They say exchanging blows is the first step to friendship. Since we’re both here, there might be an opportunity for further cooperation,” Kaltosa Lu turned to his attendant. “Ambassador Lompo, would you do the honors?“
Zac frowned and readied himself for an ambush as the attendant approached. A deathsworn wouldn’t care about the defenses or patrolling guards, and Kaltosa Lu’s right-hand man might very well have something similar to Sendor’s brands. Then again, a deathsworn wouldn’t look so embarrassed.
“It was our pleasure making your acquaintance, Master Umbri’Zi. We do apologize about the misunderstanding,” Lompo said with a strained cough as a patterned Cosmos Sack floated over. “The Centigrade Constellation is sincere in all its dealings, honoring agreements and offering market-leading rates. If Master Umbri’Zi can assist the Prince during his outing, we will be happy to provide further compensation.”
Zac didn’t accept the Cosmos Sack. Instead, he released some Miasma and Killing Intent around the Spatial Treasure, prompting a return of the powerful perceptions. They repeatedly scanned Zac and the floating Cosmos Sack before retreating again. A displeased snort shook Zac’s mind, warning him not to do such a thing again. Zac bowed toward the domain’s inner region before accepting the bag.
Since it wasn’t dangerous, why wouldn’t he? Zac had seen just how rich the Centigrade Pryer’s descendant was. Of course, some baubles weren’t enough to resolve the grudge. This was the second time the Centigrade Constellation had targeted him, the first being the tracker snuck onto the Yphelion. If the opportunity presented itself, Zac would certainly return the favor.
“We should go,” Kaltosa Lu said with some annoyance. “We wasted over a week on this little diversion. It’s embarrassing enough we didn’t trigger the court’s awakening. Any further delays will make me look incompetent to my wives.”
“Performing the reversals of fate is the job of the Realmsingers. Young Master had more important matters to worry about,” the butler quickly praised. “Young Master's epistolatory epic is coming along nicely.”
“You’re right! Lompo, hear my decree!”
“I hear and obey.”
“You are hereby promoted to… Uh, let’s go with Master of Ceremony.”
“Young Master is too kind,” Lompo said with what was almost certainly long-suffering indulgence.
“Still, we need to leave our mark to maintain our prestige,” Kaltosa Lu said just as they stepped through the memory domain, leaving the Transformation Docks without giving it a second look.
A regal ship formed beneath their feet, and they flew off into the horizon, leaving a flummoxed Zac behind. He looked down at the Cosmos Sack and moved to the memory domain’s edge.
Standing at the border, Zac finally got a proper look at the flickering buildings outside. It was a complete city, barring the lack of people. The scope was completely different from the scattered structures that started appearing over the past week. Zac still couldn’t tell if they were real or illusory or whether they were projections of the present or memories of the past.
The first signs appeared when the Daedalian court gained its first halo. It began as some dancing lights clumped around the memory domains and the Imperial Road, and more appeared with every awakening. Furthermore, the other eight courts combined couldn’t compare to the change brought by the two newly added halos on the Mercurial Court. It was only after their appearance the lights gained tangible shape.
Interestingly, the continent’s outer layer, where his human side remained, looked the same. The effect of the halos was far more pronounced on the hidden regions surrounding the courts. Esmeralda had suggested the buildings were projections bleeding through from an even deeper spatial layer. She theorized the Left Imperial Expanse was built like an onion, with countless isolating layers that protected an incredible secret.
Zac shook his head, returning his focus to the Cosmos Sack. The guardians didn’t consider it a danger, but that wasn’t enough of a guarantee. Zac moved the bag right next to the barrier, and he was ready to throw it out if it showed any hint of danger. That way, it wouldn’t matter if it held a Spatial Bomb powerful enough to create a black hole.
There was no bomb or sinister poisons hidden inside. The wealth waiting for him was possibly even more shocking.
Comments
Bailey Tucker
"You are much uglier than I expected,"... Well, this guy's gonna die in 17 chapters or so.
Aaron Pennington
Kaltoso Lu would unironically wear an "I am the Storm" shirt
Havics Child
He apparently picked a new identity. He was attacked by centigrade pyre flamebarer. Spent a week running and trying to figure out how to beat him. Escaped into the memory dome of the Mercurial Court. The elemental dude gave Zac props for being able to evade him for so long. Dude decided that Zac wasn't a threat to him trying to court Iz Tayn. Dude decided to try to recruit Zac to his side and gave him an apparently really stacked goodie bag of wonders. Read next chapters.
Sean C Jackson
I kinda feel like Iz deserves it more, the guy is a fucking creep.
Sean C Jackson
You say that, but we haven't had a chance to see what he learned from that assassin guy who trained him after the PV.
Sean C Jackson
No Kator was a Bloodrender of the Indomitable Court.
Dan
The last time it really felt like Zac was out of his depth was on earth when he fought the Zhix Dominators
Dan
9 would be Kator right? He was a flame bearer right? Or am I incorrect?
Fast Lance
I am so confused, what on earth is happening here
CaptainRyanStories
Super confusing start to the chapter. Had to go back and make sure I hadn’t skipped a chapter somehow. I hope this is changed when the book is released to give better context to what’s happening.
Jeff McCulley
“Everit Dram” >spelled differently next chapter
Jeff McCulley
Epitaph, or motto?
Jeff McCulley
That chapter, I started out thinking that Yselio was eating a baguette. With Gouda.
zukerburg
Yeah Zach needs another ultom seal level epiphany and finally make his dao axe array that he's talked about reworking his thousand lights avatar into and finally compensate for that weakness I feel he needs to maybe enter middle or even late stage cosmic introduction and push his daos to middle stage push his core to high quality again upgrade his skills and improve his bloodline along with possibly a few more small improvements here their like pushing his spirit tools to middle or even late stage and he'll be ready to butt heads with the other flamebearers
Jeff McCulley
Upon further consideration, given that the pattern is that Zac overcomes former obstacles in a rematch…perhaps doesn’t bode well for Romeo-tosa Lu.
Jeff McCulley
*it would be funny if the bag held whatever Esmerelda is looking for.
Jeff McCulley
I feel like what you are failing to factor in is the simple fact that Kaltosa Lu is bug nuts. Who knows? Maybe you’re right. Or maybe it’s a bag full of potpourri . Or spare Fuxi Gates. Or maybe stuff to upgrade the Yphelion… The clock is ticking.
Jonas Lemke
Considering Kaltosa Lu and his array disks, I'm guessing it's a ton of peak D grade material, of a variety of attunement, potentially useful for future spirit tool upgrades?
Taylor Greenwell
Yeah, I have really missed those fights where Zac is either evenly matched or overpowered by his opponents. It is fun to see him just blow up shit and just destroy, but it gets boring. It's the big ones like Void's Disciple, Kator, Uona, Yselio, etc. that really hit hard. Also, that is how Zac got to where he was, by pushing limits and overcoming odds in fights he absolutely should have been killed in.
John
Zac's mentioned that its uncomfortable to operate both bodies in the same area. Something about seeing/engaging with the same thing through both sets of eyes giving him vertigo or somethin. Do you think he'll get over that while still in D grade and successfully be able to fight an opponent with both bodies at the same time? Bring that overbearing kind of firepower to a fight with the Heavens Chosen in the LIP later on in the arc?
Jeff McCulley
Well, all that he’s encountered, anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if Euoso was going there (or the Radiant Court), and they just diverted resources to the Daedalian to stall the Sangha. Remember, both of the Pesvati Rift people were saw were Hoilow Court sealbearers. Oh, and every Undead faction should be converging there, too. Kinda surprised HZac is still outside the inner zone, but guessing he, Ogras and Ventus found another opportunity.
M💬
Zac being the only flame bearer to going to the hollow court seems interesting … and it been all void based encounters or something similar.
Jeff McCulley
I thought about it, because Zac’s response was almost identical. “God damned lunatic,” Zac spat without missing a beat. Sound familiar? Zac to Iz: “Goddamn lunatic,” Zac spat through gritted teeth as he disappeared through the teleporter. The difference being that Zac thought Iz was crazy, while simply lacking social skills. While Kaltosa Lu is just plain bug nuts. Er, no offense to the Holy Daughter. You never know. What’s in the “patterned@ bag will help tell. Yselio, OTOH, seems to be following a Kator path. Only more evil.
Jeff McCulley
The Flamebearers, and where they currently are headed. Some are guesses, one is unknown. Nine Flamebearers 1 Zac Atwood > Hollow Court (HZac) >Mercurial Court (DZac) 2 Iz Tayn > Farsee Court 3 Yselio Tobrial—Imperial Prince >Starfall Court 4 Kaltosa Lu—Centigrade Constellation Prince, Elemental > Mercurial Court 5 Wrani, Holy Daughter—Insectoid > Tethered Court 6 Eouso—Pesvati Rift in Eternal Storm. Limitless Empire remnant. Likely future ally. >Daedalian? Maybe, maybe not. Unconfirmed 7 Sacred Insight—Sangha, almost guaranteed, given Yselio’s conversation with Amanthi >Daedalian Court, probably? 8 Primordial—Beast Alliance Likely a Flamebearer, not confirmed. >Unknown. Wrani hinted she was also heading to Tethered? 9 *Unknown Did I miss someone? I don’t know how to guesstimate this one. The best way might be, “What A grade faction(s) that we know of is unrepresented?” The Radiant, Indomitable and Anima Courts are not currently known to have Flamebearers headed there. The Daedalian is only “probably”. *I suspect at least one is headed to the Radiant Court, since that’s where the Templar Council is.
Jeff McCulley
Heart patterned satin boxers seem more his style. Or, patterned with his own face!
EsoEasy
No doubt that Zac will get there eventually, but I’d be willing to bet that Zac will never roll through any of the flamebearers. It will be a struggle, and I’m 100% here for it. Remember when Zac first went up against Uona? Even the second time wasn’t easy, but the eventual victory was super satisfying. This is what I’m waiting for!
Omiso
What are the chances Kaltosa Lu is right and this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship? I mean when Iz first met Zac she basically cooked him raw and she loves throwing fire balls at him. A Poor Deviant and a Deluded Silkpants does sound like an odd friendship but it could work.
Tommy
It was a good opening but I am very curious about what everyone is up too.
M💬
Tbh I am just waiting for when he surpasses his peers on an unbelievable level…then his next opponents will be elite old monster from an older generation.
Jmitias
I agree. It’s so much better than those other litrpg’s where the main character becomes the strongest combatant for his level before the story is even 1/2 over
Jmitias
I believe so
Lex Luther S
Indeed. Zacs made some insane gains since he broke through to Late hegemony and he'll continue to do so with two bodies racking up opportunities, especially from the courts official openings; but he's still a few steps behind the other flamebearers, especially since they've also had their own earth shattering opportunities on the Left imperial expanse. But by ultoms end? I wouldn't be surprised if only those like Iz, yselio and the primordial would be his match.
Lex Luther S
I doubt ogras can take Kaltosa Lu down, even when he tries to assassinate but his attendant shouldn't be impossible. Would require some set-up but there's a chance.
Lex Luther S
Seems like it. Man book 17 looking to be the kick off to some good shit with this being the opening.
Johnny
Same luckily a couple cool posters helped out with wtf is happening…last chapter or two there’s some really good breakdowns
support!
Idk his power seems to require a lot of setup ogres can possibly sneak up on him sometime
coldar
If there's something strange In the Imperial plane Who ya gonna call? Ghost butlers! If your fellow flame Is a homewrecker Who ya gonna call? Ghost butlers!
drag0nreb0rn
Yep. Zac must kill him. Iz is his true love.
Jeff McCulley
We haven’t actually seen Ogras in full assassin mode. Just complementing Zac in combat.
Jeff McCulley
I am absolutely, completely, 100% certain that Yrial does not and never has worn tighty-whiteys.
M💬
I don’t think Ogras can lace his boots…. Love the dude but if Zac is struggling Ogras gets destroyed
Mike Naka
Here's a wild prediction. Yselio, Lu, Iz, and Zac will have to face the Primordial. It'll eat all its orbs except the 1 Zac saves to either use for Alea or return to Centigrade Pryor for a reward/alliance. The remaining 3 will defeat the Primordial. Yselio will fake how wounded he is and make his move by striking down Iz, not killing her though, and Zac/Arcaz will finish Yselio, only to be rescued by the monk he rudely disintegrated.
David Ballantyne
but Zac never felt confident pulling the gun. -> pulling the trigger
Mike Naka
Yeah butt I was soo confused at the beginning
Mike Naka
Yrial would reward him with a pair of his whitey-tightys as a C grade treasure. He is the Deviant Asura after all! LOL
Jeff McCulley
Or, it could be a leather bound, autographed copy of the compiled love letters to all of his fiancés. Yrial would understand.
Borbino the great
Yeah I think it was confirmed to be over a month in the chapter with the prince?
Borbino the great
Fr isn’t that the guy that wants iz?
Borbino the great
Bodies would be crazy if it’s of all the trial takers he killed by this point
Siethrobo
It's also misleading because there are actually 2 of Zac but all comparisons (including the ones in Zac's head) are of 1v1s. He was probably a little stronger than Yselio back when they fought if he used both of himselves
Tommy
So that’s all the POV updates? This is book 17 start?
Jeff McCulley
“The wealth waiting for him was possibly even more shocking.” Hmm. Bodies?
Russ
When Eoz originally helped with Arcaz's bloodline evolution, he also gave him a gift, that should be able to advance his Dao and possibly the Draug bloodline. Zac just needs a key or an opportunity to find a way to open this gift, and this can bring a number of other surprises/upgrades. Since Zac was able to mirror his life/death Dao's - upgrade in one of them helps him push the other dao further. In the past, whenever TFD showed us how underpowered Zac is compared to the current competition, he would start piling up Zac's advancements through trials and tribulations to even the playing field. Personally, after hearing for so many books how Zac should be able to fight way above his level, I'm holding my breath for the moment when even the other heaven's chosen fear his overbearing potential. It has also been increasingly difficult to judge the "power level" of different characters since introducing so many advancements - heart, body, soul, bloodline, constitution, and dao. Take this Kaltosa Lu guy - we know he has 4 advanced Dao's, but we know nothing else regarding the rest of his cultivation - to the point where it seems that Dao is more important that the rest. This also makes actual level and states feel meaningless - other than improving the channels and flow of energy. Anyways, can't wait for Zac to hit the next advancement and blow something up.
BLead Irish ambassador
Zac struggles against the INT classes it seems like. (The elite int classes). Kator was powerful but melee. Two knuckle draggers smashing each other.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Lex Luther S
She only killed off that wandering monarch. No memory of a 2nd one. And yes, yselio is the final boss for the simple reason that their fight will carry more emotional weight. I feel the primordial will clash with either that bald fucker or the insectoid princess but I doubt it'll happen with the others as it seems they're all heading right into ultom once the pillars are all properly lit and courts visited and eventually plundered. There might be a final culling where each flamebearer is pitted against another, cutting it from 8 to 4, or it could be a simple comparing of paths and their road to their current heights. Maybe all 8 flamebearers with the respective seal bearers will be sent into a trial and set a time limit and those out by the time limit get the reward. There's just no telling how Wal'Zo will play it all out when the courts are lit and ultom comes into play.
Lex Luther S
That's not the point. Zac and arcaz were once one being and he's now separate beings in other people's eyes. While zac is ultimately one soul with two bodies, others see two souls and two bodies and assume that with their time apart only being a handful of years, most would assume they haven't deviated much in personality yet. Kaltosa Lu doesn't care regardless. Zac or arcaz he probably saw both as obstacles towards his twisted courting of Iz even if he knew Arcaz wouldn't be a proper match for Iz, with him being undead and all.
support!
I'm ready for ogras to kill this guy
Jeff McCulley
The Creators know. That’s all it takes.
Pascal Kwizera
I don't agree on Yselio being the final boss of ultom. Have you forgotten about the unsealed primordial? She was able to kill 2 early monarchs at middle D grade. That's the greatest feat a flamebearer has accomplished so far.
DrSubterfuge
I didn't really mind the smash cut into what's going on with Zac. The process of figuring out the context made it interesting to me. Then again, I liked Malazan, which has entire books where you need to piece together the context, so I may be biased
John
This entire trial is nothing but heaven defying opportunities. The trial itself is a heaven defying opportunity on multiple levels. He’ll make the breakthrough, all the breakthroughs
John
You sound like you’re over thinking this. Timeskipping into the middle of a battle in not uncommon in fiction and I don’t believe this was an example of how you described it
EsoEasy
I really love that Zac is underpowered compared to the rest of the flamebearers. Cranks up the tension. And the eventual victory will be all the sweeter because of it.
Johnny
This type of chapter is a lot more fun than some of the harder to conceptualize stuff, very fun. Looking forward to interactions with more uppity trial takers
WindGunner
I agree, I know its a time skip, but it still feel really confusing. We get no context at all at the beginning of the chapter. This kinda "skip the explanation and give it afterwards" is the part of Tfds writing I dislike greatly.
Michael
Not many people know about him still being the same person after splitting though. Kator was on the Yephilion and spent a lot of time with Zac but never showed that he knew they were still linked. Even Sendor couldn’t tell they were linked when Zac broke through to D-grade inside the PV.
MacMahon Wenzl
After Zac was called a homewrecker I almost expected a "Deviant" reference to be thrown in afterward.
MacMahon Wenzl
"it's likely not gonna happen in the trial unless a heaven defining opportunity and treasure come his way." I'm pretty sure that is Zac's epitaph...
MacMahon Wenzl
I would assume so. I think Yselio Tobrial had figured it out so I wouldn't be too surprised if other Flamebareres were given that info from their superiors or figured it out themselves... Or it couldn't be a crazy misunderstanding, something that is normally up Arcaz's alley.
Jeff McCulley
The POV chapters covered over a month, during which Zsc picked up a memory lantern—and apparently brought this pod thingy out of a domain. Then the last three days on top of that, he’s been tussling with Kaltosa Lu.
Jeff McCulley
Kaltosa Lu has sources that likely include the Creator shipyard on Earth. He knows they’re the same person.
Lex Luther S
Well, zac and arcaz we once one, and I imagine Kaltosa Lu was briefed on why Iz made her way to the zecia sector and whom she was looking for. It's obvious he'd harbor hostility against zac as he's genuinely the only true friend Iz has, and she even went all the way to the zecia sector just to meet him. Would make anyone think, especially when ones as delusional as Kaltosa Lu. Ultimately, he's putting the cart before the horse as it was already stated the marriage proposals and "gifts" were intercepted before being sent out to the Tyans. To my knowledge, that's unknown to him. Besides, it's a stretch to say they'd allow zac and iz to be together since zac has two bodies and can have two badies(Iz and catheya) let alone someone who's already confirmed a few marriages. Even if the Centigrade pyre somehow seized ultom and claimed a throne or seal it wouldn't be enough and no way Iz would be willing.
Jeff McCulley
Ch. 1,336 Suggested Edits “That wasn’t because Kaltosa Lu had found his softness” >had gone soft “another method of method of protecting” >subtract double “three days of iteration” >ever evolving challenges Daedalian court > Court, capitalized OR pillar “the lights gained tangible shape.” >coalesced “for the commotion,” Zac wheezed as” >gasped *please lose the overused wheeze “the transformation Docks.” > the Transformation
Andrew
Thank you!
Michael
It seems a bit weird for Arcaz to be called a homewrecker. Does Lu know about Zac’s Duplicity Core? That’s the only thing that makes sense considering Iz has only ever shown any affection to Zac’s Human half.
Lex Luther S
Right. Zacs a monster in his own right, and he will eventually be unrivaled, but he's still a few steps behind the very rare monstrous talents of the multiverse like Iz and Kaltosa Lu. The biggest issue is his dao control. It is linked to his souls advancement and, unfortunately, going to be something he lags behind those like Iz and Kaltosa Lu. Afterall, soul cultivation takes an insane amount of time and while zac is likely close to reaching the threshold for breaking through with his soul, it's likely not gonna happen in the trial unless a heaven defining opportunity and treasure come his way. Though here's hoping this next breakthrough elevates it to, very talented D grade cultivators dao control lol.
Azulmar
Glad its not just me.
Lex Luther S
A timeskip has happend with the different POV changes. Likely 2 weeks to a month, seeing as zac has a new identity. We'll get a rundown Friday most certainly.
Noshei
This chapter felt kinda out of place like we skipped a chapter or something from the last time we saw Zac.
James Getgood
It's always interesting to see just how much of a gap still remains between Zach and the real powerhouses.
Lex Luther S
Bruhh. I figured zac would encounter another flamebearer as it seems they've all been spread to different courts but zac has two bodies at 2 different courts so he's bound to run into one. But to think Kaltosa Lu is this strong. Zac has more room to grow but he'll need some serious breakthroughs with his dao and even soul to seemingly barely even the field and zacs only just found the right step to advancing his daos. But, he's not helpless. He held his own even against such dangers and he'll make this fucker pay. Especially since it seems he still has the audacity to declare Iz as his, to be wife. As someone mentioned, no way the princess of the Tyans is going to be married to someone with a royal harem. Even going so far as to call zac a homewrecker and Iz his fiancée. Delusional fool. Zac has a better shot than anyone at becoming Iz fiancée simply because they're friends and she's shown genuine care and concern for zac. Plus he's been the catalyst for her growth multiple times now and will continue to be. In short, zacs final boss of the ultom arc is yselio. Iz herself will handle this poser. Still though, claiming some benefits isn't too bad lol. I'm also curious if zac knows Kaltosa Lu is talking about Iz there. Rather doubt it given zac and he haven't likely talked much until now and makes me wonder what his reaction will be when hearing it.
M💬
HOMEWRECKER is hilarious I cackled 😂
Ryan Pepp
Here we go!
