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Chapter 1,229.
🕑 Added 2024-04-03 20:26:36 +0000 UTCThe intense friction between fire and ice generated a deep groan. It joined the gathering storm, and the clamor could be mistaken for the roars of the ancient masters who'd become part of the lamentable tapestry of the Imperial Graveyard. Iz paid it no heed as she observed the expanding spatial cracks and the frigid chill pouring out of them.
Kaltosa Lu had displayed a surprising ability to rally the forces of the ancient battlefield, infusing the resentment with purpose and Dao. The disarray had been tricked into compliance, and the flimsy dimensional barriers had been bolstered by pervasive cold. Nevertheless, hours of dogged pursuit were about to bear fruit.
The poisonous chill couldn't withstand the enshrined flames of the Vermillion Song, the Fire-attuned Cosmic Vessel prepared for the mission. The final blockade was about to collapse, and the Centigrade Elemental's cumbersome Foundry Vessel couldn't hope to match her ship in raw speed.
"I'll test their fate myself," Iz said as she prepared the fiery sigils to teleport her into range.
"The followers of the Empyrean Throne move as one," Salou rejected. "A test of fate goes both ways."
Iz briefly closed her eyes before nodding. She had decided to target the Lu Clan, so she would have to see it through. Even if that meant seeing her subordinates fall. Understanding didn't alleviate the discomfort. Years of mock practice had done little to prepare her for the burden of command when the stakes became real, despite Iz having discovered this shortcoming long ago.
She remained quiet, unable to vocalize the simple orders as the spatial cracks grew larger. The silent presence of subordinates behind her felt different this time. She'd led this group through tribulations before, but those were training excursions arranged by her family.
They had already proven themselves fated by rising above, claiming their place after fierce competition. If they fell now, it would be her commands and choices that caused it. And yet, there was nothing but flickering flames and burning conviction in their eyes as they silently waited for the orders that she struggled to issue.
Her actions represented the will of the Empyrean Throne, and the ripples would spread to every corner of the Multiverse. Was she doing the right thing? For the right reasons? Or was she still walking a dream, treating the lives of others like fleeting dreams?
It wasn't just the lives of her followers that were at stake. The Centigrade Pryer's connections were far-reaching, and he'd always been fiercely vengeful to protect his corner of the Heavens. A war between the Elementals and the Empyrean Quadrant would impact trillions of lives.
Were they truly unfated, or were their fate stolen by the blaze of her incompetence?
This couldn't go on. Her family was putting themselves against the top forces of the Multiverse to send her here. The greatest sin would be not doing her utmost after asking for this. Even if her decisions were wrong, she'd have to make them right through sheer force of will.
"Our target is the Kaltosa Lu, this generation's controller of the [Grand Centigrade Foundry]," Iz said, her voice steadily gaining conviction as her hair ignited with radiant flames.
The cleansing heat of the Empyrean Throne illuminated the deck, dispersing the creeping frost.
"The Pryer's agents have been moving in the shadows for years, silently gathering seals and slaying the competition. Our sources believe they are one of the top four factions in terms of accumulated seals. Meanwhile, our Empyrean Quadrant only has two sealbearers with the trial approaching. Their accumulation follows a crooked path, and it falls to us to right this wrong.
"They shall escape no further. The Empyrean Flame will test their fate, and we'll claim our right should they fail," Iz said. "You have two targets; the Man-grade foundries and the Pryer's sealbearers. Our priority is seizing fate, so those who unearth a seal will claim it for themselves. Choose your opponents accordingly."
"Yes, Young Miss!"
Iz nodded, turning back toward space cracking like a mirror. She could hear the whispers of the millions of streams of competing Dao. It was time.
"[Crow's Descent]!"
Ten streaks of fire fused into a majestic three-legged crow that crashed right into the crumbling dimensional barrier. The final vestiges of cohesion crumbled before its keening call. The following spatial collapse could be considered a death trap even for a Monarch. And yet, not a sliver of the chaotic mix of energies targeted the crow.
The Heavens held few secrets when your affinities and comprehension reached a certain level. Iz navigated their avatar through one of the few paths of life in the storm, continuously adjusting the crow's aura to manipulate the surroundings. A corridor of space formed under the urging of flames, shifting the location of the exit by dozens of miles.
The crow emerged in a tremendous explosion of space and resentment. The backlash destabilized the powerful barriers of the mountain-sized Foundry Vessel waiting on the other side, and the burning crow snuck inside. Heat and purpose rained down on the deck as the crow dropped the sun caught in its third leg. The avatar released one final call to war before splitting into the fighters within.
Iz sent out a few orders before focusing on the matter at hand—the Centigrade Elemental who'd drowned the sun's rays with a river of interlocked arrays. Any distracting thoughts were put aside as she looked down at Kaltosa Lu with a fiery chill in her eyes. The simplicity she'd searched for had been there all along, hiding in the furious gaze of her six-armed enemy.
"You witch! I gave you many opportunities to back down! Forget removing you from my list of potential wives. You've made my list of enemies," The elemental growled as the primordial runes across his body flickered with fury.
The Centigrade Elementals were an extremely rare existence, their population forever limited by the number of runes born from the long-gone Centigrade Constellation. The Pryer himself hoarded more than half the runes while the rest were recycled for his descendants. Every destroyed primordial rune was a tremendous setback for their race, a loss that could never be recovered.
Most Centigrade Elementals only had one rune to their name, where its unique pattern and the primordial powers it held became the basis for their cultivation. A singular rune was enough to become the foundation of a Heavenly Territory, and each added rune would provide an additional surge of power.
This power came at a price beyond the race's loss of another son or daughter. Each rune added another dimension of complexity to their path, no different than a bloodline or constitution. Kaltosa Lu had six despite only being a Late-stage Hegemon, proof of how much the race valued him and his incredible genius.
Seeing his burgeoning aura allowed Iz to feel something she hadn't since she finally caught Zac after years of pursuit. Excitement.
"The Empyrean Quadrant has never backed down from a challenge or threat," Iz said. "Show me your worthiness."
She wasn't deaf or ignorant to the truth behind the looks of the elementals who'd emerged to deal with her warriors. She knew what kind of reputation her family had, and she was aware that most of it was warranted. The uncles and aunts who always treated her with such care had stepped over a mountain of corpses to reach their height and to protect their way of life.
The world's hatred didn't matter. Theirs was the Empyrean Flame. Power was truth, and victory was fate.
There was no point in wasting time on words when their time was limited. The Vermillion Song couldn't endure the mounting pressure from the environment for much longer. They needed to seize what they could before retreating.
Two sets of wings unfolded behind Iz's back as her Natal Regalia, the divine armor forged from Stellar Flames, seeped out of her skin. Three halos emerged, each generating a Domain painted in her image. The waning heat of the fallen sun was reinvigorated as torrid heat spread across the deck, instilling her subordinates with power as they descended on their designated targets.
Iz unleashed a destructive salvo, launching hundreds of flaming butterflies at the churning foundries. Kaltosa Lu wouldn't let her target his greatest advantage without a fight. Thousands of runes poured out of his incorporeal form, assembling into an Array Construct. A river of attuned matter rose from the foundries below, giving the creature form.
A wave of utmost frost dispersed the butterflies. Iz hadn't expected the attack to land. She only sought a first-hand understanding of the Foundry Vessel's operations and the elemental's methods. Iz felt like she was facing a true Lislake Nymph as she gazed upon the Array Construct, one of the long-lost second-generation species of their era.
The Lislake Nymphs had their bloodlines crumble after their natural habitat was destroyed, unable to sustain their race beyond their age like the Centigrade Elementals. The nymphs' descendants were nothing more than humanoid beasts, ignorant of the greatness buried in the depths of their blood.
Iz would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed by Kaltosa Lu's display. His arrays and control over the [Centigrade Furnaces] were exquisite to the point he managed to conjure a sliver of the nymph's original bloodline. The churning sky was rapidly freezing over, even trapping the inbound resentment in frigid stasis.
The Lislakes Nymphs' permafrost aura held the potential to freeze the Grand Dao. A D-grade construct couldn't mimic that feat, but it still posed a great threat to cultivators walking the path of flames. Even her Vermillion Bird heritage stirred, having sensed the cold of its ancient enemy.
The three primal pyres in Iz's Soul Aperture blazed into life as the bloodline avatars stirred within. The Magmatic World of her Earthly Daos held the beginning, the Zenith, and the end. She reached out, and the Dao answered. She guided wisps of Dao from the braziers. The flames understood her wish, combining with exacting precision.
Thousands of streams of mental energy were attracted by the glistening flame, forming a complex tapestry matching her inherited memories. The Hidden Nodes of [Apocalyptic Beginnings] and [Infernal Decree] provided further power and elevated the tapestry with Empyrean Authority and Primordial Might.
The two middle-stage Earthly Daos that went into her creation wouldn't pale before Late Earthly Daos, let alone Kaltosa Lu's Dao Array of Middle-stage Daos.
The fiery tapestry entered her Origin Nexus, and a unique skill was born. An archaic cry shook the Foundry Vessel as an angry-red arrow created a river of flames in its wake. Its tips were crafted from the first stars and its feathers were of the vermillion bird.
Nymph pierced the heart of the nymph, utterly destroying the balance necessary to maintain it. The creature collapsed, unleashing a world of frost. Iz had already taken out [Empyrean Dawn] to meet the onslaught, and space tore as the three-meter lance's tip moved. Her wings fluttered, and she turned into a streak of flames that pierced the cold.
Hidden arrays tore under her lunging strike, and artificial matter was incinerated. Kaltosa Lu wouldn't stand around and let Iz close in, unleashing a barrage of arrays while trying to maintain his distance. Iz refused to relent, her momentum continuously building. She suddenly flickered, appearing right before her target.
A Dao-infused stab shattered the elemental's body, but Iz knew it was just a surface wound. Kaltosa Lu had intentionally split into dozens of magic circles that formed an ever-changing array that encompassed half the deck.
Immense gravitational force and elemental decay transformed the frozen world into the taboo zone. Her radiant flames faced extinction from every direction under the suffocating force of Kaltosa Lu's living array. Iz scanned the whizzing streaks of runes with [Sungod's Third Eye]. Only six of them were actually her target, with the rest empty nodes or life-like clones snuck into the array as a diversion.
A premonition of danger forced her to burn a few of her feathers to shift away just before twelve pillars of utter destruction pierced through the domain. Each teemed with the paradoxical energy of elements and nature. Iz could tell that even she would have been seriously wounded if she had taken that strike head-on, and it was only the beginning of the attack.
The pillars generated a deadly resonance that turned the few safe spaces into the deadliest spots where twelve pulses were superimposed. Iz saw no option but to enter one of the pillars, relying on her Regalia and Dao. They weren't enough to nullify the damage, and painful streaks of turbulence burrowed into her body.
Destroying the complicated array wasn't a viable option. Her opponent far surpassed her understanding in the study of formations, and it was kept stable with his very lifesource. She couldn't even tell if the eyes she'd identified were real or traps designed to worsen her predicament. The only way to guarantee success was to destroy them all. It wouldn't just destroy the array but also kill the elemental who made up its heart.
Except, her only method to unleash enough destruction was to detonate her cultivation, and she was far from having reached that spot. Iz endured the agony as she scanned the storm. Finally, she caught onto a thread, and she burst forth with her stockpiled momentum.
Six bands of runes lit up on [Empyrean Dawn], and Iz felt her flames wane to give birth to a crackling sun at its tip. The target was one of the primordial runes hiding in a spatial pocket. A shimmering constellation of stars blocked the sun, but Empyrean Flames had already locked down the rune's path of escape.
The sun collapsed the moment it was rebuffed, unleashing a fiery shockwave that consumed everything in its path. Iz became one with the destruction, moving through the inferno like a vengeful wisp. She reformed, [Empyrean Dawn] already stabbing forward, its golden runes alight.
Another miss, yet Iz didn't back down. The bangle on her arm lit up, and Iz drew a sigil with the lance. Another Tapestry formed in the primal fires of her soul, and she stabbed forward. A volcanic pillar of red-hot fury barreled toward the Primal Rune, struggling to escape.
At the same time, a beak as large as the Foundry Vessel pierced through the storm of resentment above, aiming straight for the foundries. It was the ultimate attack of the Vermillion Song, aimed to destroy the source of the elemental's fighting prowess.
"Idiot! Stupid!" Kaltosa's roar echoed from every direction. "Do you know what you're doing?! You're bringing disaster down on our heads!"
The foundries' low churn turned into a roar as twelve enormous runes appeared. They drew on their full capacity to block the strike. A pained groan confirmed it didn't come without a price.
Kaltosa Lu appeared in a puff of flames. He'd been forced to redirect much of his power to keep his vessel safe, exposing him to Iz's attacks. Unfortunately, he was too slippery, escaping into the closest chimney before she could follow up.
"Hateful! Spiteful!" an infuriated screech emerged from within, but he'd clearly had enough.
Rivers of Spatial Energy poured out of the intact foundries, triggering an acute sense of danger in Iz's heart. She knew he'd activated a powerful spatial shift. If she stayed any longer, she'd be into the chaotic crack Kaltosa Lu was forcing. She wasn't confident in surviving such a foolhardy maneuver without the protection of a Cosmic Vessel's barriers, and there was no need to mention her subordinates.
"Retreat!"
Nine streaks of fire soared toward the Vermillion Song that had emerged just above. The ship sped off the second they'd boarded, using the Founrdy Vessel's commotion as cover. Iz looked at the ship escaping into another dimension with regret. She might have come out slightly ahead in their battle, but hoping for the deadly environment to finish the job was futile.
The Foundry Vessel was already releasing calming mists that disoriented the resentment while hiding their tracks. Soon after, her vantage was gone when Vermillion Song briefly sank into the Infernal Realm to escape. Their ship groaned under the strain from hostile flames, but Iz could sense none of the Lords were near enough to take charge. They safely left the Lower Plane soon after, having appeared in another section of the graveyard.
Iz turned to her subordinates, inwardly sighing upon seeing their numbers had dwindled by one. The others sported noticeable wounds, proving Kaltosa Lu's subordinates weren't just empty vases hiding behind their advanced array systems. Even then, the mission could be considered a success. Iz turned to Anderid, who'd led the charge of her budding cycle.
"You recovered a seal?"
"Yes, by your grace, I managed to become a Lightbringer of Ultom," Anderid said with a bow, the happiness evident in his eyes.
"Lightbringer," Iz said, slowly nodding. "I saw your battle. You carried yourself with skill and purpose."
"Thank you, Young Miss," Anderid said. "Do we follow?"
"What do you suggest?" Iz said, turning to the spindly man standing by the warrior's side.
"I urge patience," Tryponi said, his gaze calm despite having claimed a seal of his own. "Our pursuit had caused large upheavals, and we'll soon overstay our welcome by relying on the Infernal Realm. If we insist on continuing, we'll harm ourselves as much as our target."
"You're right," Iz nodded. "Set course for the depths. We'll resume our hunt after the graveyard has settled. One of their furnaces is damaged after forcing open a path. It should take at least twenty days to repair it. We'll give up if they manage to elude us that long."
Iz left her subordinates and walked over to Salou's side.
"Do you want my honest opinion?"
"Always."
"If your friend possessed your strength, then Kaltosa Lu would be dead now," Salou said.
Iz stifled the flicker of annoyance. Her guardian was correct. She was moving in the right direction, but she lacked that ruthlessness she'd seen in Zac. Where he risked everything, walking the line of ruin to bring down his foe. It was almost impossible to take down enemies like Kaltosa Lu without putting everything on the line.
"But you are making improvements," Salou continued. "Experience can be accumulated, while your foundations cannot emulated. So long as you continue down this path with purpose, you'll shine brighter than anyone else."
"Thank you," Iz said, gazing at the boundless expanse. "I'll keep searching for the answer."
Comments
Ithoughtofsomething
"Experience can be accumulated, while your foundations cannot [be] emulated.
Ithoughtofsomething
The Centigrade Elementals were an extremely rare existence - were extremely rare existences
Thenais
Black bearded iz 🧔♀️ I knew she had a surprise under her skirt.
Ripz
That was an epic battle. It captured how powerful these cultivators are ....
jb qspam
“…using the Founrdy** Vessel's commotion as cover.”
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Dan
The fact that she asked a subordinate what they thought and then took their advice, while agreeing, seems like serious growth.
Thaabit Rivertree
Wow... I'm really impressed with this development, and it was a good chapter as well. Talk about character development... Iz is no longer that childish girl; learning to command, taking the lives of others seriously and thoughtfully moving with purpose to become responsible... You don't see that kind of sincerity often when they start out like Iz did. I frankly love this direction.
Joey
Nah, we saw how dogshit Laondio and Karz's foundations were and they conquered the universe
Thenais
"Experience can be accumulated, while your foundations cannot emulated. So long as you continue down this path with purpose, you'll shine brighter than anyone else." -> so iz ass is heavier than zac's ?
ClaySavage
I would also add that when we talk about foundations we’re talking about titles and stats. She got the tower breaking title 54 days number one in sector where zac only got ninth floor entrance 14 in middle of nowhere sector. He was using diluted clay with impurities. Well, she’s bathing in primal flames. Not to mention any other catered titles that gave her crazy stat boosts in those foundational years.
Joey
I think the Lus are out of the game until the climax at the gate or if Zac decides to set a trap for them by somehow recreating the beacon
Joseph Jones
Exactly. He is always as powerful as the people a few steps ahead even when not at their stage. Part of his conviction/fate/blood line talent/etc. Even if a few of them have some middle stage earthy Daos, he will match them equally and likely out manouver them through luck/fate.
Bryan Ortiz Ramos
I can already see it. Zac will run into Kaltosa at a bad time during the trial and HOPE that maybe the Tayn name can give him some amnesty... Boy oh boy I can't wait to read that chapter.
Collin Sorrells
I Agree... He's probably closer now in power to his peers than he has ever been though. a couple more levels and advancing his core to late stage and giving his two other Daos the last little push to become earthly Daos. A late stage core, 2 arcane classes, double arcane leveling, all his titles and elevated luck, and 3 early earthly Daos perfectly in tune with his path and classes has got to be enough to be a serious threat for anyone in the D Grade.
MacMahon Wenzl
Zac is a cultivator of duality. I think if he were to have a Dao partner/ partners, it would inevitably be another representation of his path. 2 partners, one of fire and life, the other of ice and death.
Lex Luther S
I can picture the scenario already. Zac and Co. have been forced into a corner by the "maze" when it's in fact Kaltosa Lus' doing and forces them to take care of a trove, he then appears and offers zac and half the seal bearers in exchange for her to stop targeting him only for her to say "he's my friend, no" and now he'll have zac and Co hounding him alongside Iz and her people.
MacMahon Wenzl
So Kaltosa Lu is going to appear right where Zac and crew are at and have an even more epic battle? Talk about luck...
Joey
Zac's going to be disappointed that Iz doesn't fight with a giant flower anymore. Congrats to Kruta on officially joining the Tayn family. It seems like the Tayns are almost as big of fans of Zac as Iz is, although I guess it's a little unfair to her to compare her to a gestalt entity with 2 bodies that can regrow them at will and whose dad is unkillable.
Darnell Maxwell
Yes. I feel like your being sarcastic and expect me to say no I want something else. But nah I'd 100% enjoy that. I enjoy every single time Ogras bitches and moans about Zac's stupid luck. I would trade a week's worth of chapters about Zac fighting, doing crazy shit and annihilating someone with a glimpse of chaos. For 1 chapter about Ogras walking down the street and seeing how much the Atwood Empire has improved in his absence. All leading up to Ogras sitting down and cracking a wine barrel open next to Zack. Before telling him about one of his assassination jobs. And that's saying something because I actually like those other action heavy chapters with Zac. It's not like I said 100 chapters about Zac upgrading his doa, getting an update on the parasites, or an update on what's happening in the Undead Empire. Especially since I skip those anyways so it wouldn't count.
Jeff McCulley
So Darnell, you’re saying you’d like a chapter hereabouts to be an Ogras POV, literally watching from the shadows as Zac’s wreaking havoc? That actually sounds…interesting. Not only the griping, but the connections to the rest of the supporting party, and their reactions fed back to Ogras.
Jeff McCulley
Resz…and I STILL wanna know how fast Ogras got his gramps treasures to give him an arm—and make him horny again. For that matter, there should be a fresh clutch of demons in Zac’s army now. The originals had to be WAY whittled down.
Jeff McCulley
Indeed. She’s learning.
SandreX
She has power, but lacks drive and experience that someone like Zac has in abundance. Plus she likes to play a bit safe and thinks on too many other stuff except the fight itself.
Lex Luther S
What's that? That she's always yearned for the thrill of battle and putting her fate to the test? When you think about it, zac has had his fate and providence tested almost every step of the way on his path to hegemony, and it'll only continue as his strength and cultivation grow. Meanwhile, this is likely the first time Iz has truly put herself and life on the line for something she wants. And the end results shall be glorious
RWS
"Seeing his burgeoning aura allowed Iz to feel something she hadn't since she finally caught Zac after years of pursuit. Excitement." This sentence pretty much answers what many of us suspected, but Iz has yet to realize. Thanks for the chapter and bring on the next one already!!
Christian Sauer
I am guessing Zac will have two companions. it matches his duality.
Darnell Maxwell
I am one of the biggest Emily and Joanna fans in these comments. They get to do 1 thing every 2 arcs. Don't you dare talk to me about patience.😡
Mathew
Maybe take the time between chapters to ponder on the dao of patience
Chris
This is fire 🔥 😍 👏
drag0nreb0rn
It is fated
drag0nreb0rn
Sweet Iz the true soul mate of Zac, neither will be complete until they connect as true Dao companions and lovers. Together they take over the Universe and live as King and Queen.
Resz
I mean his D-grade breakthrough and training where from his perspective
Darnell Maxwell
Great, but the entire chapter was not from his perspective. That's why I'm salty. Ogras does not get whole chapter's. Only sections. It's like being a Krillin fan in Dragonball. Then going to Z where he doesn't get to win a single fight outside of the Saiba men in the saiyan saga. Then nothing but L's. He still participates and helps out for the rest of Z. But doesn't get any major W's in terms of fighting. He even got beaten first in Super during the tournament of power! At least my man Krilling ended up with 18.
Resz
Ogras very recently had a dedicated chapter covering his breakthrough to D-grade, another covering his training with a supremacy and then most recently although Zac was present he had I believe 2 chapters from his perspective when he visited his home world to get his grandfather
Darnell Maxwell
I think I finally understand how Zac feels when he has impurities in his blood and needs to cut his skin to pour them out. Because I can literally feel the salt moving through my veins, after seeing Iz Tayn get a full chapter dedicated to her. When Ogras hasn't gotten one since I think either the dimensional seed. Or back before they discovered the second continent. I could be wrong but it's difficult to remember with all this salt in my body. And unlike Zac, cutting myself won't help anyone so I just gotta live with this. Also before any of you explain why Iz gets a whole chapter through the use of "logic". By saying stuff like "Ogras is always around Zac so we can see his development through Zac's perspective. While Iz Tayn is always a sector away. So for us to fully experience her character and growth she needs solo chapters like this from her perspective". I'm saying I'm salty for a reason! I know logically this makes sense. And this decision makes the story better overall. Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be salty!
Craig
you can use way back machine on popular royalroad stories.
Palmer Evans
I think Iz can be ruthless regardless of whether she sides Zac or not. The Empyrean Flames burn hotter based on how much her actions resonate with her true conviction. As long as she is genuinely willing to risk everything based on her beliefs/feelings I think she won’t “stall” on her path. Sacrificing Zac for her path might actually “stall” her path based on the cumulation of every Iz chapter we’ve had so far
Salvo
I really don’t know how I feel about Iz not just one punching someone into charcoal. Is this an April fools thing? We did get some key data points, bloodline nodes, 2mid earthly Dao, golden armor. Not all of her wings though…you know what, she probably has to hold back so the family has something to identify. Open casket punch?
Joseph Jones
What a journey from where we started with this random dude walking through the woods with a jank axe.
liquid_helix
Awesome chapter. I look forward to how this unfolds.
Joseph Jones
We now see how far (or how close actually) Zac is from the true top talents of his generation. Once he reaches that point, he will then pass them and start his true Void Emporer story arc in earnest.
Matthew Hay
It's not on Patreon anymore, looks like he's complying w/ the same policy as Royal Road where any chapter released on Kindle cannot be accessible elsewhere. The chapters on Patreon go back to 1059 which will be the start of book 13, since book 12 was released on 28 Feb. If you know of some other way, then in absolute ch number it would have to be in the 900's accounting for the chapters in book 12 and the rest of book 11.
Joey
He's suppressing multiple break throughs and still needs to get his void up to par
ByLordMatsLuck
Great chapter. Some next level fighting right there
Ved
It’s mentioned in this and other chapters that Tayns reputation is build on mountains of corpses and slaughter. Safe to say they are considered both ruthless and crazy. Iz is supremely talented but her family’s fame has held her back from finding true edge, which I think will happen in this arc
David Giles
Do you have a chapter number? I was going to go back through the Patreon chapters
Matthew Hay
Yeah, it's somehow a Patreon bug or something. I would go from having normal spacing on the previous chapters, check something else, and then the formatting would be screwed every time I looked at the chapter. It's not happening to everyone or consistently even, so not sure TFD is doing something wrong.
Matthew Hay
Book 11, Ch 15, "A Fate Encounter" is when Iz catches Zac in the Void Star and they go on a mission to destroy the source of corruption within Gemmy's realm.
Lukasz Podgorski
Yup. I don't feel like Catheya is Zacs match in a few regards
Telewyn
Everyone typically describes the Taynes as “crazy” not “ruthless”. I think Iz will stall out until she has to choose to either sacrifice Zac to advance(be ruthless), or back Zac’s virtually unknown faction’s ascension to Ultom(do something crazy).
Nick Pincus
That and not indentation
Jason Hatter
Iz is stronger, yes, but. Zac, he'll risk it all to win. She's not there , yet.
David Giles
Can anyone remember what chapter it was that Zac and Iz partied up for a while?
David Giles
It's kinda cute that both Zac and Iz are starting to see the other's achievements as goals to pursue. Zac envies Iz her foundations. Iz envies Zac's experience and battle-hardened outlook.
Matthew Hay
Are you getting no spaces between paragraphs? I was getting that for the last few chapters, but now this chapter looks fine for me.
Andrew
Thank you!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
StuBee3
Great chapter! 😎
Palmer Evans
Love this Iz chapter!
Terror
I would not say Iz and Zac are even close when it comes to strength yet. I do agree a about the perspectives, but I think this was more about how they live in the system and the way both of them attained their power. Zac had to struggle from the ground up in constant live and death battles, had to take insane risk to get as much power as he could in short time periods and always had the pressure of dealing with stronger forces trying to either take him by force or trick him which made him have a more ruthless way of fighting because he is the strongest person and if he goes down the rest might die also. Iz on the other hand is pretty much a princess of one of the strongest factions. She has time to develop her skills, bloodline, and path without having to sacrifice anything, she is surrounded by stronger people who actually love and care about her, who also share in her path that could give her some insight on it and material to use the help her along. They can also protect her because everybody knows about the Tayns and usually would not think or try to do anything to her. usually, she is fighting people who are so far beneath her in power that she could just kill them instantly. so, she never got the chance to develop the ruthlessness that others developed by fighting in constant life and death battles. so, I see it more as if Iz got to this level of power, but did it surrounded by enemies instead she would be more powerful because she would be willing to do almost anything to win the fight.
Thenais
Iz pov 🍾
Mouser
I'm x military, yet I'm wanting to see Zac and Iz come together and rule.... Im used to hulk smash! What is TFD doing to me!!! Love it!!
Joey
The Void Emperor bloodline can absorb like unlimited energy, which is why it makes their foundations so busted.
Joey
I'm guessing the next time Iz and Zac meet he's going to have much deeper foundations, although I guess that's already true from finishing the void mountain
Joey
A little bit of both tbh, but she and everyone else get a lot more powerful while Zac was forced to fight the cultists
James Faulkner
I don’t think that “Foundations” just referred to her bloodline. Hell, the first time we see her using the mirror she’s bathing in primordial flames from a prior era lmao
MistuhBogan
Are you intentionally writing the difference in culture and mindset into their own perspective? It feels like Iz wrote this compared to the usual Zac brain writing we get. If you did man.. wow I really respect you as a writer now. I mean I liked the books the whole way up to this point. But I never really stop to think "Forget the story.. are you seeing the level of literature this guy is writing here?" Im just saying you slapped me in the face with this one. Good work man.
Joey
The Void Emperor is the most broken bloodline in terms of foundations, Laondio had to make a whole empire to match it
MistuhBogan
No that's just good writing. Iz and Zac are more or less on par. In the sense that from an outside perspective if they had equal power the fight would look like a fight. Zac thinks differently he is just some dude an the writing from his perspective has changed and become more refined as we go along an learn with him. What you just read was Iz from the perspective of HER own mind. It's written like she has strong understanding of the complexities of what she is doing. If written from the perspective of Zac it would use different wording an be more primal or sharp than formal and rigid sounding. I might just be making my own shit up here, but the difference in the writing seems like the difference between like an action movie star (Zac) as opposed to a British theater actor (Iz)who does like Hamlet an stuff for fun. I get mad Picard and Ryker vibes from them.
Joey
Yet, just has to stock up on some Limitless Empire and Technocrat goodies
James Faulkner
Damn that last bit was interesting. We’ll see about Zac being unable to equal her foundations though haha, he has a calamitous heritage to loot!
Grant Prater
iz closer to being Dao partners with zac. ruthlessness and unparalleled foundations synergy
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Lex Luther S
Yooooo this chapter was so fucking GOOD. So this is how someone with unbelievable talent and affinities fights. From the complex dao arrays to wielding thousands of streams of mental energy like it's nothing. To learning about how absurdly BUSTED both Iz and Kaltosa Lu are. And man, ohhhh man, Salous' comment at the end was awesome. It really shows her family understands zac and the ruthless path he's had to take to ensure his and his people's safety. And his comment shows that if Iz had that same ruthless determination, she'd likely be unmatched in her generation.
Blightdad
Earthly dao galore. Mr. Bug has some serious catching up to do if he wants to smite some heartland young masters
Ben
It’s cool to finally see more combat from Izs perspective
Henry Wartemberg
Well I can see why that chapter took long to write!
Tibstrike
He's just gonna be a sneaky boi
Nick Pincus
Damn formatting problems. Otherwise sick
Stefan Muntean
Dam it, I don't see Zac capable of contending with neither of them in a battle
Sirloki
Woot x2!
Ryan Pepp
New month, new chapter! Here we go!
Booz Dowg
Woot
