Retribution Engine [Martial Arts Progression Fantasy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Arcane machinery built to birth an army instead gives form to a singular paragon of violence - a creature of pure instinct is born and steps foot into a world at war. Egotistical. Violent. Righteous to a fault. Bringer of change, destroyer of tyrants. Awaken, Conquering One, the Wanderer Unchained. Discord:https://discord.gg/6kphpnCxbC NOTE:Retribution Engineis the title for the first four books, which cover theBlue Moon War Saga. Afterwards the volumes are titledSturmblitz Kunst, but I'm not including that in the title to help avoid confusion. Disclaimer:Retribution Engineand its sequel,Sturmblitz Kunst, are original works and are in no way associated with, to, or sourced from existing copyrighted material. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. Copyright:This fiction and all content encapsulated within, incl. worldbuilding, unique terminology, etc. are the sole intellectual property of the author, herein known as Akaso. Copyright pertaining to individual illustrations varies on a case-by-case basis. This work and all applicable terms are © Akaso 2023. Credit:Illustrations by Bradley Burke, David Haire, Nikolai Gorishnii, Albani Rianto, Kuromoro, Seraziel, ValnikR Further credit to Dream Troll for inspiration and numerous references to their music.Go listen to their stuff.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2021
Author: Akaso

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 2,260
Views: 4,286,610

What readers say about Retribution Engine [Martial Arts Progression Fantasy]

“Overall: I started reading because it had daily updates, and the more I read the more I loved the story. There are fairly few errors, and the writing is pretty solid in general. I feel like ti bears mentioning that I started reading after the revision, and…”
AzrageRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This is great, truly great. As the title implies, this has inspired me to a whirlwind of theorycraft and imagination. I will follow your story with great interest. On the categories; your styling and story are top notch, they flow well, all of the A stories…”
BoneBoiRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AzrageRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall:
I started reading because it had daily updates, and the more I read the more I loved the story. There are fairly few errors, and the writing is pretty solid in general. I feel like ti bears mentioning that I started reading after the revision, and feel like Retribution Engine is very solid. There are NSFW parts between the main couple (edit: these are much less frequent in the Sturmblitz sections, if that matters to you. There are occasional allusions to the fact that they have sex but very little is explicit.)
Zelsys and Zefaris, so it's lesbian sex. Zelsys does grow a dick eventually.
, but reading those is not required to follow the story, although the NSFW parts do develop their relationship a bit.
Style:
Akaso somehow has a fairly unique style, and manages to be original in a genre that's saturated with slightly different versions of the same characters doing the same things, just with different names. Akaso seems to be a bit of a sucker for big, dramatic moments, there are a lot of impromptu speeches and declarations, and it's fairly common to see characters developing or perfecting techniques in a flash of insight mid-combat.
Story:
The story is solid. There's a very well fleshed out world that we're only seeing the surface of, and, as I mentioned above, while there is a fair amount of characters developing/perfecting/revealing techniques mid combat, I don't feel it's at the level of plot armor, since each reveal is really just pieces that Akaso has been laying out as the story goes finally coming together.
Characters:
The characters in this are great. None of them ae 1d, including side characters and even just grunt soldiers on the enemy side. Zelsys is very smug and egotisitical, but in a lovable way. The juiciest character developments for me revolve around the protagonists other than Zelsys, though that's not to say that Zelsys doesn't grow and change as the story goes on.
Grammar:
There are occasional errors, but none of them have been enough to
BoneBoiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is great, truly great. As the title implies, this has inspired me to a whirlwind of theorycraft and imagination. I will follow your story with great interest.
On the categories; your styling and story are top notch, they flow well, all of the A stories are fleshed out and have an appropriate depth to them, I've yet to find a primary character to be two-dimensional or uninteresting, and the world is developed. While primarily a backdrop, I've found the litmus test of good writing to be how clear a picture of that backdrop the author can paint in a reader's imagination, and this has captured quite handily such a picture. The various plot devices (magic, etc.) have rules, and most importantly, they don't bend, nor break them for the sake of convenience, and the exceptions we see are not willful ignorance of those rules, but rather apply revised understanding of them, through the quasi-unreliable narration of Zelsys and those around her.
The only nitpick I have is with spelling, and even that is fairly minor, sometimes words will be misspelled with letters adjacent on a keyboard to the correct one, or similar but not-quite-right words used.
Overall I can count the times I've recognized those substitutions on one hand, and ultimately it matters not, seeing as I glossed over every one of them before doing a double take.
Capital work!
BlenheimRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have not got very far with the story, I don't know where the plot will head. But I do think I will continue to read it. The sotry fells different and if feels right, like it is going to contnue heading in the right direction and be something special.
Cpt ObviousRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A well written and entertaining cultivation story. You won't find a lot of dead space in this, it's mostly action all the way. If a fantasy world filled with cultivators, mystical powers, steam punk tech mixed with magic and a lot of the old ultra violence sounds intriguing then this was written for you!
Crinox12Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story starts out strong, avoiding the common error of telling us instead of showing. If the author keeps to this writing, every book is bound to have a successful inception. Hope to have the full story, and even if the author drops this one that we get a decent wrap up.
CyrisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is the greatest mix of magic/cultivation/western post WWI and its told through an amazonion bronze goddess that has many mysteries around her and the world itself to explore with so many interesting companions and strangers to see!
This story has amazing action, an amazingly well built world that makes me scream for more every time and a suprisingly simple but extremely interesting plot/motivation for the characters.
Of note as well is the is the side story/history of the ˜father's/mother's˜ of the main character and how their actions and that of others has changed the world and the legacy left unfulfilled by them that the main cast end up taking on with everything they do and found out expanding the world, motivations of characters and adding fuel to main characters ambition!
For me this is a 10/10 as this is a rare story with many elements that add up to make something so much more with nearly most chapters adding so much to the world and charaters without being rushed or badly paced.Every interaction between character's ends up building not only the characters themselves but the world, story and the readers interest for how things will move forward.
Definately worth the read if any of this review sounds what you like or interesting!
Darker7Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Given that there are already a plethora of great reviews on the first page, I'll just mention a couple disjointed points I'd like to bring to your attention.
This story is also an isekai—there's two of them in fact. One's dead and the other's the big bad.
The cultivation system is inspired by medieval European alchemy—albedo, nigredo, citrinitas, aether, etc. or "fog" for short. It thoroughly breaks the mold, but manages to do so without being either shallow or hard to understand as such are wont to be.
I'll echo the above mentioned qualities again big picture world building. The relation between the sea of fog and material realm is novel without being gimmicky. The gods and their relation to the world is unusual on not just the worldbuilding level, but also their narrative involvement. While there are relics of far greater fallen civilisations, the world feels young like its potential is only just starting to be explored.
While many others have remarked on how fun Zelsys's smugness is, I'd like to highlight that she's fully as confident as that smugness implies. It's so refreshing to have a protagonist that's truly self-confident for a change.
I'll maybe update this review as more points come to mind :Ü™
CatVIRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Basically: Retribution Engine is a riveting tale that transports readers to a fantastical world of magic and peril. Following the journey of Zelsys, a character who wakes up in a mysterious place with enhanced abilities, readers are taken on a thrilling adventure as she navigates her way through this treacherous world filled with strange creatures and "dangerous green liquid." (Just read) As Zelsys grapples with difficult decisions and uncovers the truth about her surroundings, she must fight to survive in a harsh and unpredictable environment.The writing in Retribution Engine is superb, with vivid descriptions and an immersive world that effortlessly draws readers in. The pacing could use some work (But I think that is mostly because the chapters in book 1 are so HUGE!), the story has no problem leaving readers eagerly anticipating more. The world-building is exceptional, with a complex magic system and a post-apocalyptic setting that feels incredibly authentic. Particularly, the concept of the sea of fog and fog breathing is particularly intriguing, as is the interplay between the elements in the fog and their saturation in the body. And it gives that nice Lovecraftian dystopia feel, which is ALWAYS a plus.The characters are multi-dimensional and complex, particularly Zelsys, (star wars, anyone?) whose unique backstory adds depth to her character. The supporting cast is also well-developed, with their own motivations and struggles that make them feel like real people.The lore and mechanics of the world are well-crafted and refreshing, straying away from the typical litRPG system, though there are blue boxes and dungeons(?). On that note, I do find in some chapters, there might be some unnecessary blue boxes.Again, while the pacing may falter in some parts of the story, and the main character's occasional smugness can be a bit much (as smug as a murder maiden could be), the plot is gripping and difficult to put down. The story takes unexpected turns if you are a fa
FriendlyShepRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall I really enjoyed the story. I love the plot, the world, the characters, and everything in between. Each character feels like they have a fully fleshed out personality behind them, and a reason to be there in the world and story past just advancing the plot along. The world has a really nice sense of massive scale, and every new piece of information I get about it makes me more excited to see more of it within the story. I can also really appreciate the attribute and cultivation system, where aspects of it always try to stay grounded in reality, (within reason of course, summoning gods isn't really grounded in anything normal by human standards). It always seems like a character has to make a recognizable and conscious effort to continue to progress and grow more powerful, making it that much more satisfying when they at last reach their goal and then continue to strive for beyond that. I love the everything about this story, and I struggle to thing of any part of it that was boring, lazy writing, or just didn't feel right. The one and only gripe I could conceivably have against it is the very infrequent minor errors in grammar or spelling. However, those are so few and far between that it's hardly an issue. This story just really clicked with me, and I can't wait for Act 3!
FurkillerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It’s a very enjoyable story with wonderful world building and characters that make you care about them even if they aren’t the main focus of the story. Each book has a perfect stopping point that also makes the reader desire more and while some parts are drawn out, they fit perfectly within the story and the world this is set in. They fit perfectly with the things that inspired this author being in large part animes that love extremely long drawn out stories.
The relationship between our main characters is fun and the lewed is easily skipped over without affecting the story and make fit some great breaks in the action of the story. The futa portion comes late in the story and again fits the world building of magic and it’s also very brief to the story and does absolutely nothing to take away from it. The art for the characters helps bring them to life and is fully fitting to the story without being of the rule 34 nature and everyone is clothed.
i do wish the author would catch this up to his patreon and would continue the story but it honestly pauses at a perfect point for both. I understand why the author is focusing on the other story but I so wish he would come back to this one as it has so much potential and maybe he will once they both balance to each other.