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Chapter 1,261.
🕑 Added 2024-06-05 19:15:51 +0000 UTC"What is going on?!" Sorothom swore under his breath as he felt his connection weaken with the network of Stygian Anchors spread throughout the Imperial Graveyard.
Some were even trying to return the debt they were holding instead of passing it on. Sorothom's wrath only grew when the innumerable streaks of lightning diverted into the Centurion Base disappeared through invisible cracks. The next moment, his Inner World was inundated with Heavenly Wrath for a second round of punishment from the same wave.
Moro fiercely resisted the Eternal Laws as they sought equilibrium and repayment of Sorothom's debt. Its existence was already in defiance of the Heavens, and the desolates grew more severe whenever they encountered the Heart Curse's domain. Their fates being entwined, Sorothom had to endure his parasite's suffering on top of his own.
This much wasn't a threat. Sorothom had spent eons preparing for this day, and half a tribulation wasn't enough to leave a crack in his foundations. The problem was what the changes signified. This was only the second bolt of nine, and the Ascension Chamber was already fading. It should have worked.
No, it did work until something changed. Sorothom suppressed the calamity befalling his world, using Dao to subvert Law as he infused his will into his Daughter Array. There were some warnings of damage but nothing that could explain why the Imperial Sacrificial Rite he'd refined for so long had lost its connection with the base.
Without the rite to lessen the load, he'd have to face the full extent of Heaven's rejection. That would have been acceptable if there were only two or three strikes remaining. With more than two minor cycles remaining, there was no way. If he could pass this hurdle with just treasures and his foundations, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this effort and waste his golden years.
This couldn't go on. Thousands of tendrils burrowed deeper into the channels and circuits, trying to extract more power for the Ascension Chamber. It changed nothing. The ancient arrangement was like a punctured balloon. No matter how much Stellar Energy Sorothom dragged into its arrays, it barely managed to rouse a response.
"Alone, beneath this fairy work of sky," a gentle laugh echoed through the chamber.
Sorothom's eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure emerge from the treasury, holding a box he didn't recognize. It was ancient, and its aura matched the Centurion Star. How had he missed it? Sorothom was certain he'd sacrificed everything inside the Sagittarius Vault to kickstart the rite and trick the Ascension Chamber.
Was this box the key? Had taking it out of its place altered the balance, severing Sorothom's fate with the Imperial Graveyard?
"You? What have you done?" Sorothom growled, almost going insane with anger over the princeling's confident smile.
"Your method is interesting. Using the Centurion Project to impersonate a representative of the Starfall Court. Then having the trapped spirits of the graveyard willingly take on Heaven's Wrath, thinking they are furthering the Empire's cause. It's the same as your original plan, isn't it? Create a Grand Formation based on willing sacrifice through the Intersector War, and then shift that willingness to you."
The prince ruefully shook his head. "Alas, without faith, there can be no cause. Without purpose, there can be no Empire."
With the next bolt gathering above, its focus almost solely on Sorothom, he wanted nothing more than to tear the smug child to shreds. Unfortunately, he was more use alive. A bloody string emerged from Sorothom's nail, effortlessly piercing Yrin Tobrial's protective sigil appearing from a necklace. The little imperial didn't even get the chance to draw his sword before the thread was firmly embedded in his heart.
Sorothom drew in the dispersed Imperial Qi, using it as a bridge for his Minor Dao of the Red Thread. He could immediately sense two gatherings of supplicants in the same space. He ignored them, as their combined fate couldn't measure up to the mark of Imperial Qi on the prince's person. The hasty connection wouldn't allow for subversion at the level Sorothom needed, nor was there enough meat on the bone to last until the Heavens were satiated.
Having the princeling take on some of his punishment would, however, buy enough time to right the ship. The torment Yrin Tobrial would suffer was a welcome bonus, though Sorothom found it difficult to enjoy impaling the boy's spirit with barbs of supplanted fate. If anything, it robbed him of the opportunity to reward the betrayal with a proper response.
"You should have stuck to your promise, child," Sorothom said with a dark look as the ancient box floated into his hands. "Your little guardian, who's been chasing my shadows all this while, can't save you now."
"The eradication of sin is the duty of the orthodoxy, and the Seven Heavens are leading those efforts. I'd shame my ancestors if I honored an agreement with a heretic," Yvin said, a slight tremble to his voice the only indication of his immense suffering.
"Orthodoxy? We can smell your sin." A second head grew on Sorothom's shoulder, looking at the suffering prince with ghoulish hunger. "The seal was yours for the taking. Now you become Moro's food instead."
"Why would I target that man? He woke me up when I'd strayed. And I believe his presence will introduce interesting variables to the pillar's ascent. I don't want to miss that," Yvin Tobrial said with a smile, his face pale and covered in sweat. He was losing the battle.
Another rumble shook the sky. Sorothom was running out of time, so he pushed harder to transplant his sin. At that moment, a sealed Spatial Ring gave off a scorching heat. The seal he'd carefully laid proved useless, and Sorothom had no time to avoid the flicker of light that burst out. It burrowed into his inner world, leaving Sorothom aghast. The sigil emitting supreme command didn't harm Moro or destabilize their assailed world.
It was worse. The sigil acted like a locator for the Heavens. His Grand Sacrificial Array stalling had already uncovered more of his cultivation to the Heavens than he would've liked, and the sigil was rubbing salt in the wound. If he didn't stop it, he would be fully exposed. After having spent a million years avoiding Heaven's direct gaze, Sorothom didn't dare imagine what would happen.
How was this possible? Sorothom had carefully investigated the Writ of Peerage, confirming it held no trackers nor hidden arrays. Even then, he'd submerged it in [Filthfaith Extract] and sealed it in an isolating ring to prevent any tampering or divination. For it to notice the situation outside and transform in this manner beggared reason.
"The emperor's will may be capricious, but it may never be wrong," Yrin said, shaking his head in reproach. "You consider yourself above these frontier barbarians, forgetting you left the Heartlands in your youth. Your understanding of the peak is limited, leaving you worse off than the blind in some regards. The barbarians are at least aware of their ignorance."
Fury overtook reason. Sorothom clenched his hand, turning the prince into a ball of goop. Regret immediately replaced the sense of satisfaction when the prince reformed in a puff of Faith and Imperial Qi. Sorothom's face grew even uglier when a shockwave rocked his Inner World, adding new cracks from which lightning seeped.
Sorothom felt like he was going insane, and he couldn't help a seed of fear sprouting as he faced this tribulation in the shape of a man. The prince was right. He'd left the Heartlands as an outer disciple, before gaining access to the sect's true teachings and the hidden truths of the world. There was no telling what other means a son of the Seven Heavens had in store, leaving Sorothom with an unbearable frustration.
Why had this bastard chosen to interfere? Was it all for the treasure box? Sorothom doubted it. He didn't seem to care about losing it. Neither was there anything on Sorothom that was worth going to these lengths, wasting the culmination of fate. He'd already used all his treasures to set the stake for his breakthrough. An imperial prince could summon greater wealth with a wave of his sleeve.
Neither was it a sense of justice. This kid was wet behind the ears, but Sorothom could see the truth plain as day. He was nurturing a devilish heart more fearful than most heretics. He didn't care the least about heretics or the orthodoxy. So what else was there? Sorothom feared that if he couldn't figure that out, he'd be led right into an early grave.
"Fate's coming. The others should be scrambling to add more seals to their name," Yrin sighed as he dusted off his collar. "I've been more interested in the System since the beginning. It wasn't coincidence or convenience that had it integrate such an important event with an irrelevant frontier skirmish. The causality is far-reaching."
The prince's eyes gained a cruel edge Sorothom had seen many times before. The willingness to do anything to accomplish their goals, even if that meant breaking the Law of both man and Heaven.
"Truthfully, I don't much care about that. The Zenith is still a distant problem. What matters is the hidden benefits of assisting in the System's undertaking. Until now, most of us have been woefully underperforming in this regard, too focused on the Flameseeking trial. Only the Sangha seems to have understood its will."
Sorothom was barely listening, throwing everything he had against the seal. Every second it remained, Heaven's attention grew more focused. Even then, the prince's parting words as he disappeared in a swirl of Qi may as well have become engraved on his soul.
"I wonder how much my destiny will change after cutting off your future."
Sorothom roared in fury as the box opened on its own, exposing its empty insides. His aura exploded, crossing dozens of miles in an instant, only stopping short of plunging into the churning clouds. He hadn't lost his reason to the point he'd so blatantly taunt the Heavens.
The sea of putrid blood finally overcame the seal, and Sorothom immediately took out twelve large crystals. Encased within was a finger belonging to his descendants whose fate best matched his. He discarded two after a quick scan. While Sorothom had trained them since birth, they weren't fools. They understood the path of Sacrifice better than most Kan'Tanu.
Aivea and Wirbli had managed to weaken their familial bond. Sorothom doubted their skill had reached the point where they could trigger a backlash. That uncertainty was enough for them to live, as Sorothom couldn't afford another setback. The nostalgic circumstance even tempered Sorothom's anger, making him recall the many schemes that let him escape his master's grasp.
"My children, I require your aid," Sorothom whispered as he infused streaks of trapped lightning into the remaining crystals.
The containers grew dark red before disintegrating into an obscuring mist, and Sorothom felt Heaven's attention weaken by a third. It was a step in the right direction, but not enough to survive. The crafty prince already out of his mind, Sorothom sought a path forward. A blade streak of sunlight illuminating the overcast sky provided the answer.
It was a desperate gamble. That had never stopped him before.
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A pillar of angry red descended, splitting in two to target Zac's human form still sitting atop the Core Formation platform. He needed at least one person atop the arrays to keep it running. Having his Draugr half step away didn't weaken the array much, as it lacked the Attuned Energies to utilize its multi-layer barrier anyhow.
Screaming danger forced Zac to give up on having Kator directly face the bolt. Zac moved out away, his body reeling from the item that had appeared in Kator's hand. Kator did the same, appearing on the chamber's opposite side. Zac didn't have the luxury of worrying about Kator's actions any longer. The second tribulation had arrived.
The temporal backlash that the first bolt couldn't expunge was swept away. It left Zac with one less worry, though he'd traded one torment for another. The small part of the lightning holding the powers of Law transformed the whole punishment. It tried to erase every aspect of Zac's path, from cultivation to Dao, even targeting his Longevity.
The pain was something else, but Zac realized he was resisting the desolation much better than he expected. The benefits of his repeated brushes with the Four Desolates were starting to make themselves known. Each encounter left him more aligned with the Four Laws, lessening the damage from its tribulation.
That wasn't the only reason. The small motes of starlight that had remained unruffled throughout the upheavals were acting as stabilizers, increasing his cell's resilience against being erased by Law. The effect wasn't too impressive as the motes were simply too small and weak.
At its current stage, it was only a proof of concept that left Zac both curious and suspicious. Figuring out a way to strengthen the motes would drastically improve his resistance against tribulation, alleviating his dependence on the System for his breakthroughs. The stars didn't even seem to lose any energy to resist the Four Desolates, something Zac didn't know was possible.
Only, going down that path was like making a deal with the devil. Zac had no idea how or why the stars had appeared in his body after his meeting with Wal'Zo. Had he left them there, or was it Starclad reaching across time? Accepting its presence without getting to the bottom of things could lead to his doom. He hadn't forgotten the Sangha's plot against him with the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation].
The lightning acted like a pack of hounds that had caught a scent, with some targeting Zac's Soul Aperture until he hid his [Void Mountain]. Another chunk veered toward the [Solidarity Link], which had moved to his mangled shoulder after his left arm was destroyed.
The Four Desolates weren't after the link itself. It was the hourglass that drew its attention, which didn't come as a surprise to Zac. Esmeralda's treasure seemed to spit in the face of the Law of Impermanence by anchoring an object to a previous point in time.
The falling grains of sand accelerated when the lightning drew closer, weakening the lightning in return. The price of that exchange was much too steep. If the sand ran out, Zac would lose his greatest advantage against Kator. Luckily, the tribulation was bound by its purpose and reluctantly turned toward Zac's core, leaving the hourglass safe albeit drained. Whether it could endure the next bolt was anyone's guess.
The second bolt found its way into his Quantum Space, causing another wave of upheavals. Mounting a concerted resistance was much easier with his asteroid belt circuits protecting his nucleus, but that wasn't enough to keep him safe.
While holding their position, each piece of debris was still exposed to Heaven's wrath. Being flawed pieces of the bigger picture, they had a hard time enduring the test. One by one, they disintegrated, each loss weakening Zac's core and prospects. Grappling for a solution, Zac honed in on the huge amounts of energy flooding the temporary subspace to reinforce his core.
It was the pristine energy supplied by the Cosmos, meant as fuel for the next step of his breakthrough. Out of better options, he borrowed the energy to create a counter-balance to the rampaging lightning. The two opposing sides exhausted each other in an act of mutual destruction. The loss made Zac wince, even if it did more good than harm.
Wasting some of the supplied energy didn't matter, considering how many pieces of his core he'd lost already. If anything, it alleviated the growing pressure within his Qantum Space. The energy would quickly build up to deadly levels since there was nowhere for it to go until he resumed his breakthrough. And that delicate work couldn't commence before the tribulation was dealt with and Kator neutralized.
Distancing himself let Kator avoid direct exposure to the tribulation, but he still received his allocated share though the link. He hadn't been prepared to face a sudden tribulation, especially not one at this level. Clearly, he was even less prepared for one imbued with the punishment of Law. Patches of Warbones were erased, and his aura grew even more erratic.
Time shuddered. The next moment, it looked like the air around Kator imploded to instantly consume all the chamber's corruption. Zac keeled over as waves and waves of pain were transmitted through the [Solidarity Link], which repeatedly fluctuated until the hourglass had lost almost half its sand. Zac fought back with Void and Vigor, mimicking Kator's method of restraining the transmission through his own means.
His eyes swimming, Zac saw Kator stepping out of the explosion, broken yet whole. His Warbones weren't cracked any longer, but the previously smooth surfaces were pockmarked and misshapen. In addition, a lilac pattern had appeared atop Kator's Warbones, prompting his Killing Intent to inch even closer to the Qriz'Ul. His aura soared, and the whole octagon began heaving as the enormous bone dragon stepped out of the ether.
Zac was still reeling from the combined punishment of the tribulation and [Solidarity Link], but he could only take out his axe and prepare for the next round. The deadly threat before hadn't come from an attack, not in the traditional sense. Kator had produced a Temporal Chamber identical to those Zac had bought from the Limited Exchange and activated it after the second tribulation had been transmitted.
Only a moment had passed for Zac while Kator had spent a year or more licking his wounds. All while staring at a Zac frozen in time as corruption permeated his bones. The shocks to the [Solidarity Link] no doubt came from Kator repeatedly trying to break the connection. When it'd failed, he'd begun mutilating himself, and it was all transmitted the moment Kator emerged from the temporal bubble. Thankfully, the strategy didn't appear to be repeatable.
Kator was already exhibiting signs of temporal backlash, and using another temporal chamber so soon would have dire consequences. Furthermore, his twisted bones proved that Kator failed to recover from the Four Desolates even after a year of rest. It looked like not even an Izh'Rak reaver could match the undying resilience that had kept Zac alive all this time.
Facing an even stronger rejection by the Four Laws could cost Kator his life, so he was going all out to deal with the threat at its roots. That was fine by Zac.
Comments
Hakeem Gordon
A shadow takes the shape of that which hides it from the light. As much a devourer the Deviant Asura is, I wouldn't be surprised if the Shadewar Sovereign nabbed the Pope. Can't wait for this chapter! Happy Friday!!
Hakeem Gordon
I don't think it can swallow the Pope in his entirety, but perhaps a fragment as well as the corruption. The system might even help the flag due to the Popes corrupt/Fel nature.
Mike Naka
Thought Ogras had to contend with Monarchs during his PV bonus with Ponel? So, I think it's a possibility. It'd be nice to see Zac's best buddy do something epic!
Lex Luther S
Man ohhh man today's chapter is gonna be lit. I can feel it in my very bones. BUT!!! NOT ONLY THAT. WE are officially 2 WEEKS out till the elden ring DLC drop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Time truly can't pass quickly enough. Wonder if ultom will be starting by then🤔🤔
Lex Luther S
Bro what are you smoking🤣😤😤🤣
Chris Hallman
Of course it can't... Right. Right? That's quite the thought though
Mike Naka
@CH I think the assassin's name was something like Sepravo.
D P
I just had the most vivid dream of zack showing up to a planet with his crew and basically getting handed everything he needed to succeed like it just fell into his hands It was funny like whether the end of the dream he sent out to rescue somebody and I saw a bunch of flying like ships and the girl and the boy like they’re on the ship they jump the very end like all the bad guys and all the bad ships are behind them and they jump and they yada yada yada And they run and all of a sudden Zack is there and he’s like freaking Kratos Just it was funny it was like Kratos running through all the bad guys ships and blowing them up like this dream started out super vivid like like rocket in jail with star, Lord and peoples metal, arms and shit like that robotic arms and shit is cool by the end of it when they’re on the ship it’s like Final Fantasy seven the original all the ships like flying across the screen and then they’re like the ship that girls on blows up, but she’s like running and she jumps and she lands and she’s safe and then all of a sudden it’s Kratos, which is zack is like a 3d blocky rendered Kratos from super Nintendo that just literally towers over everybody and runs through all the ships. It’s so it was so funny. I was laughing when I woke up.
Jeff McCulley
He was only watching Arcaz’s back while he was visiting the Kavriel Province.
Jeff McCulley
You think the flag can swallow the Pope?
TKO
There is a possibility that Zac loots a time chamber treasure from Kator and uses a year in a bubble to shore himself up. TFD told that Kator can't use one without serious backlash again so soon but it's unclear if Zac could.
Jake Atwood
We don’t have to worry about his core cause kator being the the good friend he is had his elders make the mark able to absorb the providence and foundations giving him the perfect materials to fix his core with
Chris Hallman
Which Assassin are you referring to? Do you remember which book/chapters this was in? I guess I forgot about this.
Hakeem Gordon
Ogras' 🏴 finna love this!!
Borbino the great
Yeah but that’s only if you don’t get yourself blown up
MythWizard
Going to be interesting to see if Zac obliterates Kator or ends up carrying him out of this mess actually saving him. Kator is after all consumed by the Lost Plane. Its a good excuse. I for one would like to see the dynamic continue with a penitent Kator joining the team or even bending a knee to Zac. My usual bet of $1 dollar Kator isn't finished here. (My first post ever. Love the books. Just so amazing.)
Johnny_B
Well supposedly managing it in the face of adversity should yield superior results.
Grant Prater
oh yeah I meant earthly dao thanks
Dranek19
Power of friendship indeed
Michael
I love the symmetry of Zac and the Pope’s advancements. Both betrayed by an “ally”, both had their carefully planned preparations fail, both are using others to lessen their burden, but Zac is going to come out of this stronger and the Pope is likely going to fail. All because Zac has loyal friends working for his success.
Michael
No chance this is a true setback for Zac. His path is pure Chaos, this is an optimal scenario for his core advancement. The more batshit stuff happening, the stronger Zac comes out of it. He’ll probably absorb Kators Providence and foundation or something even more ridiculous. Plus he still has the boosted seal epiphany after this.
Matthew Hay
We also know his core continues to compact as he adds onto it, and it makes sense bringing it to a world would further compact the core given the increased mass surrounding it. It's within reason that each time you compact the inner regions of the core, the harder it is for heavenly punishment to reach and alter those regions. With Zac having to face punishment while his core is exploded, he could easily be getting improvements unseen by others undergoing the same process with their cores intact. Just the fact Zac can withstand the bolt relatively easily with his core exploded and missing what he's lost (and not yet Late stage) while Kator still remains damaged after a year of healing shows the huge disparity after just his single exposure during Middle Hegemony. Now this time the disparity could be inflated even more considering he's only faced the 4 laws with his core intact so far. There's also the possibility that all the extra energy or spirituality are actually unnecessary if you align yourself w/ the 4 laws earlier. Like the extra fluff could just be compensating for something he no longer has to worry about. So even if he loses everything permanently, there's still the possibility that he comes out for the better.
John
I think Dao Arrays are a technique. Earthy Daos and minor Daos are stages of Dao advancement
Matthew Hay
What I've been curious about is how was he supposed to follow him around? Like was he only supposed to guard him in the UE lands or was he somehow supposed to track him to Earth? How could he possibly jump to the different battlefields as well? Or get here without them ever noticing?
Collin Sorrells
The last really good fight was against Y'esellio. He's had some really bad ass moments with his undead form but I do agree that most of the combat side of the plot moves along with his human side.
Collin Sorrells
I completely agree the story has been great but there's been way too much progression without meaningful fights. The fights he writes are really good so it's a little disappointing that most things lately have just been him wrapping up some no name enemies after a time skip. I've always felt like I could imagine exactly how Zac was fighting and exactly what his skills do. There's been so much progression, skill upgrades, and tweaks to his Fighting style without major in depth fights to showcase the fine details of everything that I honestly don't think I can visuals exactly how his fights happen anymore. I feel a little lost with the scope and ability of his skills right now and I'm a bit of a nerd about that stuff and usually don't feel that way, so I'm sure other people feel that way. I would an arc with some in depth combat to get back in tune with everything and to be able to see it in my head again.
Collin Sorrells
I believe it stated in Kator's POV that he planned to take from Zac with the solidarity link depending on how things went in the trial. The first heaven princess in the PV was planning to steal Zac's foundations to heal herself and said that it was unsavory and bordering unorthodoxy I believe, I would have to double check but I think she believed that it wouldn't cross the line and Kator probably had similar beliefs about this method. I think the downsides of unorthodoxy are more a matter of compatibility and attunement rather than a matter of being inherently evil. A problem of weaker less homogenous composition, attunement with your path, and decreased compatibility with the system. The system probably tests that extra hard out of doubt and an unwillingness to let something flawed progress to the peak rather than out of some moral sensibility. It's just that unorthodox methods happen to be pretty evil most of the time. Cultivators that crippled themselves by forcing themselves to absorb unsuitable treasures that didn't align with their path would probably face similar issues to unorthodox cultivators. It seems that unorthodox cultivators face much less backlash and balance issues if they have better rituals that attune what they steal to themselves before they integrate the energies and face even less problems if they have some roundabout method of satisfying balance and karma. Like what Ogras did with his flag.
Mike Naka
Kator seems pretty connected so I wonder if Toss and/or Kaldor will know when he dies. If so, I think it'd be a pretty good POV from the Reavers side- Oh Snikeys! Arcaz/Zac truly is a monster since he was able to off Kator, especially with all the goodies we gave him. I can see Kaldor telling Toss I told you so! And where is the Draugr assassin they sent to watch Arcaz's back? Did TFD forget about him?
Collin Sorrells
Your right, but in Zac's case it's going to get sucked into purity of the void and then void heart bypassing all of that. Zac was on the verge of involuntarily consuming people with his bloodline evolution. I doubt he would have faced the traditional downsides of unorthodoxy with this method. Void heart attunes the energy he absorbs to be compatible to his path. It does seem sinister, but then his abnormal abilities have always been a bit sinister and mistaken for unorthodoxy before. In truth, it's not much different than what the system does when someone is killed and it bestows kill energy, that was probably a major contribution directly from Karz in the systems creation. I think that's where Zac's future path is leading after his next bloodline evolution and what will propel him through monarchy without being a cultivator. It is one of the missing pieces of his inversed synergy with Karz's abilities that he has not realized is possible yet. Karz could benefit from and get far more from natural treasures than he should, Zac will benefit from killing and kill energy far more than he should. The solidarity link is just going to make it happen automatically and pour it into him like a funnel, void heart will take care of the rest and then he will realize that he can always be the funnel without the solidarity links assistance.
Bernhard
but I think you'll love his journey through the B rank after he fails to make his breakthrough and is a fallen Autarch who breaks the chains that will be a major setback
Bernhard
I don't remember exactly but after the void star it took some time, after his fight with the princess Sandor healed him otherwise it would have taken him a long time to get into top condition and I think that's where the problem lies, it's not exciting to read how he devours pills and treasures for months to get to the same point, but the story could tolerate more jumps in time. I sometimes have the feeling everything happens too quickly, like his breakthroughs in the D rank but I don't want the story to slow down when off screen and a permanent setback like a bad core does No make sense if we compete against the best of the best who drive every rank to perfection like iz
Lex Luther S
Zac already has enough to deal with for reaching peak Hegemony and beyond, let alone deing with a severely damaged core. Not only does he need to modify his duplicity core, but he also has to fully understand his heritage, both as a technocrat and Karz descendent. Then he's gotta figure out how to even gain the energy required for his levels and if that's not enough, he's gotta prepare to survive his breakthrough into Peak hegemony which will be an almost insurmountable wall and then there's the issue of monarchy. Monarchs don't have perfect dimensions, so there's always an energy drain that's countered by always running one's cultivation manual. But zac, being a mortal, won't have one, so he'll always be at a net loss instead of gain even if he forms an inner world with the lowest energy drain possible. And that's just the set backs for his current grade and monarchy. What about autarchy? As for other setbacks, forming a core of life and death could be considered zacs first major cultivation setback before he encountered ultom to show the way.
Lex Luther S
I dunno, that's in the territory of the unorthodox, and the only way zac would allow it to happen is if he was too wounded and exhausted to notice or stop the process. Such a plan would surely stain one's karma and zac is woefully unwilling to do so if he had the choice of opting out, even if it meant lost foundations with his cores missing pieces and spirituality. It is an interesting train of thought though and might even be what was planned, either as a backup or originally.
Rouslan Tourtsev
I don't see how Zac comes out of this Crippled. He was named the "Holy Son" and is likely the last person who can truly utilize the faith energy of the Limitless empire, which has far greater benefit than we were explained. For all we know, losing parts of his core, are just weaknesses that will need to be upgraded. Or the faith energy will help him collect and fix the missing pieces of his core. We also see how he is becoming aligned with the four laws before reaching Monarchy, and that should be a huge hidden boon to upgrading his core. We also know that he has another hidden ace in his cosmic forge, which we have not heard much about, but that should be invaluable at helping him better align his core with his path. We also don't know if he will use the last seal during the core formation process or not, and if he does, he is sure to pull a bunny of of the hat. Lastly, Ultom trial is starting soon, and Zac is currently one of the weakest flame bearers, despite being Zecias golden boy. He desperately needs a power up before the trial begins.
Lex Luther S
The issue is that zac and his enemies of note are all monsters. His skills are meant to either bring about openings or go in for the kill. Desperation's Ends' D grade variant is meant to do just that but even when the blade lands true there's a chance the opponent can survive, albeit mostly crippled. Take that Peak hegemon Black heart guy. He took on desperation's End and Arcadia's Judgement and survived, though he likely would have lived the rest of his days as a cripple. As for Valsa, zac used Arcadia's Judgement to end the lives of her deathsworn, thinning the herd as it were. Tavza is the Azol princess of the draugr. Besides, zac is an infighter. Most of his skills are geared towards forcing openings in his opponents so his Axe can finish the job and his finishers are no different. They'll either force the opponents hand giving zac an opening to capitalize on or they'll finish or wound the opponent enough for a single slash to finish the job.
Tyler S.
Hope you got others to fill your time but I am personally ejoying this build up and last final push before facing off against the Flame Contenders
Tyler S.
Whaaa why wont this stupid bug die...😂😂
Tyler S.
It will be a full on attack with [Sonorus End] and [Rapturous Beginning] {chapt 1241} cementing his daos and plenty of conflict into the Warbones which would be perfect replacement pieces for his core, if possible after the fight he could use the seal and inspect the impartments given to improve his creation/oblivion connections and overall life/death he needs the insights before completion and to somehow not take 17+ days to finish
Darnell Maxwell
That's a great guess, I'd be disappointed that Desperation's End still hasn't actually ended someone that matters. But that would still be an interesting way to end it.
Collin Sorrells
There will be a brief combat with Ogras assistance to hold back Kator. The tribulation will kill him. The solidarity link is supposed to kill them both if one dies in anyway. Katie obviously wasn't worried about Zac dieing. He modified the solidarity link with the help of the reaver monarchs. When one dies, the survivor will absorb the fallen's Providence and foundations. Kator was going to use the solidarity link to absorb Zac and become a flame bearer. The tribulation will annihilate Kator and what's left of him will be absorbed through the link as bone meal fertilizer for Zac's core.
Dols1618
@Nigel, Setbacks don't necessarily have to add chapters to the story. Time skips are a thing. And also when a writer throws shit at their MC and it actually sticks. It gives them literary permission to rain gold on them later. Gotta have that balance for a good story. Which TFD is excellent at imo. That's why I'm expecting this could go either way.
Dols1618
@Bernhard. I mean it could be, but when has that actually happened? He usually recovers in days or weeks.
Collin Sorrells
The solidarity link is supposed to kill them both if one dies. Kator modified and tampered with it. When one dies, the survivor will absorb the foundations and Providence of the fallen. Zac's core is about to get some bone meal fertilizer.
Collin Sorrells
How much do you wanna bet that Y'esellio and the "Royal servants" are descendants of Karz.
Collin Sorrells
The treasure is Kator himself. The solidarity link is supposed to kill both of them if one dies, but Kator is obviously not worried about Zac dieing. Kator tampered with and modified the solidarity link somehow, surely with the help of the reaver monarchs. When one dies, the survivor will absorb some of their foundations and Providence. Kator was waiting for Zac to die and be absorbed so that he could become a flame bearer before taking the final seal. Instead, Kator will be killed by this tribulation and what remains of him will be absorbed by Zac, not only healing his core but elevating it to a higher level than Zac could have hoped for. Kator did get the solidarity link from the system after all, there's no chance of it playing a part in harming Zac's foundations.
Henry Wartemberg
Well it’s reasonable to assume that Zac has already used the war and limited store to purchase all the items and treasures he would need to upgrade his core (particularly as he has already maxed out Mid- Hegemony) as long as his nucleus hasn’t lost the key spirituality of void engine, warstone and calamity then the rest is probably replaceable
Collin Sorrells
It's Kator. Kator had some scheme to absorb some of Zac's Providence and foundations during the trial and kill him with the solidarity link. He tampered with it somehow and obviously wasn't worried about Zac dying and the solidarity link killing both of them. When Kator dies, his foundations will be absorbed into Zac through the solidarity link exactly as Kator had planned but in reverse.
Darnell Maxwell
Now.... how to kill off Kator...? There's always desolation axe (my nickname for using the splinter with his axe. Can't remember if he named that attack.). Or he could use the upgraded Rapturous Divide. But if I'm being honest. There's one attack that I'm truly hoping ends this fight. *Desperation's End* It won't I know it wont. His finishers have never secured the kill on a truly named enemy. To be honest I can't remember the last time one of his skills actually killed a major enemy. He didn't kill that Y prince during the lighthouse. He didn't use a skill to kill the chick , I think Tavza was her name, in the Perenial Vastness. Used the remnants to kill the goblin thing in the void star but that wasn't a named attack. I could've sworn he used hollow chaos instead of an A Sphere or C Mark. He got no kills in the Ourum and Twilight Forest ended with the system killing Uona. I don't acknowledge the mystic realm arc so I can't remember how that one ends. Meaning the last time he killed a major enemy with a skill was either the lich king with Profane Seal or... point is that it's been a long time. To be honest I just want Arcaz and Desperation's End to get some prestige by killing Kator. Because I'm still waiting on my statement awhile back that his human class is more impressive to be proven wrong. That and I've been crapping on Desperation's End since the void star because it's a bad skill that focused more on looking cool then getting the kill. The upgrade to D Grade fixed that but it still hasn't killed anyone of note.
Collin Sorrells
What's more important, truth or empire? Y'esellio seemed a bit shaken up and in deep contemplation after his fight with Zac, something more than a near death experience. It's hard to say, but Y'esellio seemed to immediately recognize the void and had a general idea of how to deal with it. This entire time, Zac would have been an easy target for him to scheme against or ambush, maybe he was just busy hunting down his final brother but he seems to have consciously stayed out of Zac's way.. It Was even implied in this chapter that Y'esellio and his Dao guardian have been interfering with the Pope and keeping him from freely participating in the war. The Pope only acted defensively to stop Zecia's offensive, even though he crippled Zecia in that defensive action by killing so many monarchs. Y'esellio/Y'irin is extremely sensitive to destiny and fate at nearly a fortune telling/psychic level. He said Zac helped him after he lost his way? Now his instincts are telling him not to contest Zac for this flame bearer seal or maybe even to assist him? Maybe he's just following his instincts and the way things play out will benefit him but what do you want to bet that the 1st-7th heavens have some kind of immense karmic debt or connection to Karz? Laondio ruling the empire from the top in the light and Karz managing things from the bottom in the shadows. I could see Karz having had a lot of sympathy for the servant class of the empire.
Shurjin
Imagine that poor Kator stuck in that time chamber liking its wounds for a whole year looking at the unkillable cockroach lol
Douglas Davis
Same. This whole imperial graveyard side quest has drug on much to long. Get on with pillar and trial already.
Drew
I was going to say less than 500, but yeah.
Nigel Murray
Why for the love of all that is holy would you want TFD to drag this out longer? I am enjoying the writing too but good god man. Has the list of unfinished stories taught you nothing?
Bernhard
Two chaps for you can be year's of recovery for Zac
Dols1618
Just to clarify, I know he has had emotional setbacks, and plenty of hardship. But I'm talking purely cultivation stuff.
Aaron Pennington
Damn, going to three days is paying off. Keep up the rest
Borbino the great
I love how it’s always talked about how these breakthroughs are something to be taken very seriously and need heavy preparation but here here is throwing hands with a skeleton and a messing with a monarch he really is a monster
Pierre-clément LAMBRIX
Do you think kat or is going to be feed to his weapon (the doggo one).
FriendorFo
While it isn’t exactly highbrow, “Yltron” is great and I certainly hadn’t thought of it. Kudos, that’s pretty funny
Dols1618
What setbacks Lex? Not saying your wrong, but I'm drawing a blank. To me it seems like most of zacs problems have just been hiccups. They seem bad at first but then two chaps later we see it's really a benefit.
Dols1618
I assumed it was what comes after earthly daos
Dols1618
Less than 200 I'd bet. Pace has picked up considerably.
Lex Luther S
I doubt Sorothom has anything that would mesh well with zacs path and even if he did have an item, zac would likely be reluctant to use it given how severe an unorthodox cultivator Sorothom is. My bet is kator will have some treasures useful to zac or maybe Iz will show up and rectify the imbalance she feels towards zac with treasures perfect for his breakthrough and maybe even a unique treasure that can restore lost spirituality. As for Fridays chapter, we'll likely see the final bolts conclusion while maybe getting a kator POV of how utterly hard the steel plate he kicked was🤣🤣🤣 but a proper core upgrade conclusion won't come for a while given it took zac a few weeks to upgrade his core to middle grade. How that's gonna be solved among the other issues breathing down his neck is beyond me.
Lex Luther S
Man zac has had plenty of set backs. Permanent damage or a crippled core is not a set back but a path ending issue.
Stephen Taylor
Eh. This is all going to solve problems Zac didn’t even know he had. Whether the payoff is immediate or months (for us) is the only question.
erik balsbaugh
Conclusion of Kator finally getting the third bolt? June 30th at this rate.
DrSubterfuge
Very interested to see how far Yltron manages to run with this helping the System plan
jordan
Oof poor kator, should've joined Zac lol
Dols1618
TFD is on a roll man. As far as Zacs core goes I actually wouldn't mind him having a true setback. So few novels are brave enough to truly turn back the progress, but it can be great for the story sometimes. That said, I'd also love to see a miracle comeback. I'll be happy either way cause this has been my favorite arc so far.
Seaspike
It's a DBZ moment
Grant Prater
"minor dao of the red thread" is minor Dao the thing after dao array?
Dylan Alexander
How many chapters you think until Monarch? 1000? 1500?
MistuhBogan
Yes Jeff, we've all read the book mate. We know how this story ends... Just ask Ogras.
Tyler S.
Conclusion will most likely be monday or next Wednesday with how things are going
Jack Trowell
The Elder God? The whole base?
Jeff McCulley
Actually, the only real question is just exactly what Zac USES to fix his core in a few moments. Prolly something sitting around right in plain sight, that we’re not seeing. Maybe something from Sorothom’s Inner World? Kator’s stash? Hopefully not a certain C Grade battleship. Actually, the second question is whether it’s Friday—or sometime next week!
liquid_helix
Ok, ready for the conclusion.
Jeff McCulley
Correction. “Yrin” is very firmly Team Yselio.
Jeff McCulley
What makes you think he’s not going to find a way to replace (and upgrade) that before very long? Like, immediately post Kator and Tribulations?
Shup Idot
I love that the cost of this is immeasurable right now. He's gonna have to do a lot before he becomes a monarch
Andrew
Thank you!
Malakal
I like bone broth soup
Henry Wartemberg
lYrin is very firmly team Yrin only.
Omiso
That Corruption mist is one hell of a vice, Zac used the purple Goblin bathwater edition but did so in moderation, Kator just huffed too much too fast.
Omiso
He's more interested in gaining favor from the System and however else is supporting Zac that helping Zac himself. Not sure if that's how it works though.
Chloe Root
Zac losing so much core is a shame, definitely a major setback. Though it's probably about the best price he could have paid for dealing with Kator.
King
Thanks for the chapter excited for Friday
Surgebinder
Yrin is team Zac now?
Jonas Lemke
Nice
Alexander Dupree
Nice! Thanks for the chapter!
Lex Luther S
BAHAHAHAHAHAH Get FUCKED Sorothom🤣🤣 You tempted fate to many a time and Zac and Yselios' plots have seen your karma and cosmic debt come home to roost. But obviously he won't die from this. He'll pass by the very skin of his teeth only to be brought down by the Eternal guardians. But man ohhhh man, kator has been twisted by 4 laws and it's only gonna get worse buddy. The last bolts gonna kill you deader than dead lol. My worry is what all this damage is going to zacs core. He's had to sacrifice likely almost 20% of it by now and anymore seems like it'll break a tipping point. But, the question remains if zac can hold out till kator dies. Which is where either Yselio or Iz may come in at. Iz because zacs' her friend and yselio because of his interest in zac and his fate. Or maybe, yselio will secretly aid zac while Iz has her Dao guardian stop Sorothom from escaping after barely surviving his dao defense allowing the Eternal guardians to finish him off. Fuck man can Friday get here already?
Unlisted Pokémon Hudson
Yeah Kator is cooked
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
