The Path of Ascension 11

A century into the war, fatigue has set in far beyond the front lines. Fighting three enemy powers against two, the Empire — even with every advantage it holds — can manage only a slow, bloody retreat, ceding border world after border world to occupation.

Matt, Liz, and Aster, now among the Empire's most capable Ascenders, work overtime to stem the tide. Even alongside their peers Light and Shadow, they are barely keeping up — and when their enemies finally commit to a decisive move of their own, holding the line may stop being possible at all.

The eleventh of twelve volumes in C. Mantis's Path of Ascension, the Royal Road serial published by Aethon Books, this installment carries the series' late-stage war arc toward its endgame. The series pairs LitRPG trappings — dungeons, skills, and ranked advancement — with a cultivation engine closer to xianxia: an internally consistent magic and progression system, grounded fight scenes, and a rational protagonist who joined the Path as an orphan with a Talent rated detrimental.