Empire (Earth Reformation Book 5)

Ivor is back from the Inheritance of the Arch Magus, but he can’t rest. A group calling themselves New America have declared war. It may be that Ivor’s past has come back to haunt him.

Still, that’s not the only thing on his plate. He has a whole new planet, devoid of mana, to figure out what to do with. He’ll need help and he knows it; after all, he now has an Empire.

Ivor brings together a collection of leaders from Unae and Qizut to help implement his plans. During his high level discussions, an enemy since the very beginning makes its move. Ivor is done playing around. It's time to end this threat once and for all.

When Ivor reaches out to try and acquire additional allies, he’s betrayed. For the first time, Ivor lets loose and shows his true power. The System worlds will come to learn a fact that is unavoidable. When you mess with Ivor or his people, no betrayal goes unanswered.

NOTE: This book has an OP main character, game-like stats, skills, spells and level progression. No AI was used in the creation of this book’s content.

Brad Botz has been an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader since he was 10 years old. As a fan of video games and Dungeons & Dragons (DM and player), the LitRPG/Progression Fantasy genre seemed like a great place to start his foray into writing. He currently lives, writes and works in Texas with his sassy black cat, Betty. You can find him roaming around the subreddit r/litrpg as u/BradBotz

Empire by Brad Botz is the thrilling fifth installment in the action-packed Earth Reformation series, continuing the sprawling GameLit and LitRPG saga of its heavily overpowered protagonist, Ivor. Set in a universe governed by a rigid, game-like System complete with stats, skills, spells, and leveling progression, this book marks a massive shift in the scale of the narrative. No longer just a survivor or a localized powerhouse, Ivor has officially transcended his previous limitations. The story picks up immediately following the intense events of the fourth book, with Ivor returning from the monumental Inheritance of the Arch Magus. However, any hopes of a peaceful reprieve are instantly shattered. Ivor has acquired vast new responsibilities, fundamentally changing his role in the universe. He is now the sovereign of an expanding domain, forced to navigate the staggering complexities of ruling an actual empire. At the forefront of his new duties is a daunting mystical challenge: he has been granted ownership of a completely new planet. However, this world presents a massive problem for a civilization reliant on System-based magic—it is entirely devoid of mana. Figuring out how to cultivate and integrate this dead world into his growing territory becomes one of Ivor’s primary objectives.

Acknowledging the necessity of delegation, Ivor decides to pull together a brain trust. He begins collecting a group of trusted leaders, specifically drawing from his established alliances on Unae and Qizut, to form a ruling council capable of implementing his grand plans for the new world. Bringing these leaders together requires an unprecedented level of trust from a protagonist who has historically operated with self-reliance. To ensure their loyalty and equip them for the monumental tasks ahead, Ivor decides it is finally time to pull back the curtain. During these high-level discussions, he begins to share some of his most closely guarded secrets. The narrative delves into the intricate politics of alliance-building, showcasing Ivor’s growth from a lone wolf warrior into a strategic emperor who understands the value of an informed inner circle.

Even as Ivor attempts to focus on the macro-level management of his new planet, the ghosts of his terrestrial past refuse to stay buried. A dangerous human faction calling themselves "New America" suddenly steps out of the shadows and formally declares war against him. This faction represents more than just a military threat; they are a direct tether to Ivor’s history before his ascension to imperial power, bringing unresolved conflicts back to haunt him. The emergence of New America forces Ivor to fight a war on multiple fronts. He must balance the cosmic expansion of his empire with the bitter, localized grudges of humanity's remnants. This conflict tests his patience, distracting him from his larger goals and pushing him closer to a breaking point.

This distraction provides the perfect opening for an even greater threat. While Ivor is occupied with his high-level political summits and the sudden human uprising, an insidious enemy—one who has been lurking in the shadows since the very beginning of the series—finally makes a decisive move. Recognizing that Ivor is stretched thin, this long-standing adversary strikes. In a pragmatic attempt to stabilize the situation and counter these compounding threats, Ivor reaches out across the System worlds to acquire additional allies. Unfortunately, this diplomatic outreach results in a devastating betrayal. Someone he attempts to bring into the fold turns against him, seeking to exploit his vulnerabilities and dismantle his fledgling empire before it can truly take root.

This betrayal acts as the absolute final straw for Ivor. After spending the early chapters attempting to play the role of a diplomatic ruler, Ivor realizes that diplomacy has limits in a universe governed by raw power. He is completely done playing around. The climax of Empire is a spectacular, explosive showcase of the LitRPG genre's appeal. For the very first time in the series, Ivor stops holding back. He completely lets loose, tapping into the devastating depths of his new Arch Magus inheritance and his overpowered stats to show his true power. The narrative shifts from political maneuvering back to visceral, high-octane action as Ivor systematically dismantles the threats against him using an awe-inspiring array of spells and combat skills.

By the end of the novel, the geopolitical landscape of the System has been violently and permanently altered. Ivor's terrifying display of unrestricted power serves as a brutal object lesson to the rest of the universe. The lingering enemy is decisively dealt with, the threat of New America is addressed, and the treacherous allies are given no quarter. The underlying theme of this fifth installment is absolute zero tolerance. Ivor establishes a new, unavoidable truth that reverberates across all the System worlds: when you mess with Ivor or his people, no betrayal goes unanswered. Empire satisfyingly pays off years of character progression, cementing Ivor not just as a high-level player, but as a ruthless, undisputed sovereign capable of crushing anyone foolish enough to challenge his reign.