Antagonist Protection Service - Chapter 45: The APS Guarantee

Carlos Valois thought dying once was enough—until he woke up as a 10-year-old in the world of “The Dark Era,” a game he'd mastered in his previous life.Born as the last heir of a fallen noble house, Carlos discovers he's destined for a tragic fate: in six years, he'll be manipulated into joining the dark forces and killed by his own childhood friend. But this time, he has the ultimate cheat code—memories of the future.While other kids play with toys, Carlos hunts for divine legacies. Using his game knowledge, he performs an ancient ritual and steals a Demigod Mark from the thousand-year Sacred Oak—a power that should have remained hidden for decades.At 15, Carlos awakens as a Death Herald with broken stats that shouldn't be possible. Most Death Heralds are fragile summoners hiding behind weak skeletons. But Carlos combines his necromancy with stolen divine abilities, creating a hybrid build that turns him into an unstoppable force......[Skeleton Warrior has successfully evolved into Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard!][Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard has activated Bond: Glory of the Purple Thornblades!][Twelve Purple Thornblade Guards have formed an Undead Armored Knight Legion!].....His skeleton warriors aren't cannon fodder—they're elite undead legions enhanced beyond normal limits through secret evolution paths that took thousands of players years to discover.Every “coincidental” encounter is actually Carlos farming legendary opportunities. While his sister thinks he's just a lucky genius, Carlos systematically raids every hidden treasure, secret technique, and forgotten legacy he remembers from the game. Ancient bloodlines, divine artifacts, mystical cultivation methods—if it exists, he's taking it.With his infinitely evolving undead legion, Carlos set out on a path to rewrite destiny and become the supreme Death Herald legend.

In a world where reality shifts with every roll of the dice, a man daily partakes in an extraordinary game with the gods, his actions dictated by his decisions and the face of the dice. He takes great joy in this game until the tables turn, and he himself becomes a piece on the game board. Now, the dice are in his hands, and it’s his turn to shape his own destiny. It’s time for the Snowman to play his part.

At the age of 16, Bian Yue became an orphan, inheriting a massive fortune from her family and becoming the wealthiest young heiress in Xiangjiang. The Li family, close friends with the Bian family, took pity on her and brought her to their home. Upon first meeting Li Siheng, he approached her past rows of black-suited bodyguards and tenderly offered to take her home, a gesture that would captivate her heart for a lifetime. At 22, Bian Yue managed to marry Li Siheng, but under the dim lights, he, with an indifferent tone, confessed his change of heart. Determined to part gracefully, Bian Yue resolved to give Li Siheng a decent break-up.Xiangjiang's newspapers headline the daily news, reporting that Shen Jin, the head of the Shen family, frequently visits temples due to a terminal illness and is on his deathbed. People applaud behind closed doors, citing his ruthless actions as karma. Seeing this, Bian Yue devises a plan. During a continuous downpour in Xiangjiang, Bian Yue sits in the Shen residence, drenched. In the dim light, she sees the distinctly elegant and captivating Shen Jin and hesitantly proposes marriage, to which he coldly agrees. Their marriage is hastily arranged, stirring public uproar.Meeting Li Siheng again after her marriage, Bian Yue takes shelter from the rain. Li Siheng rushes out of his car and runs to her, desperately holding her hand and pleading for a divorce so he could marry her. That night, Shen Jin, who was abroad, returns instantly upon hearing the news and confronts Bian Yue, who had just come home. Lighting a cigarette, he casts a more enchanting silhouette against the night, kissing her fiercely. He promises that the rainy season in the harbour city will end, and he will also wait for her return home.

What life is left for a warrior when there is no more enemy to fight?

…He knelt before her in the posture of a soldier giving honor to their Queen. And she didn’t even know it.

“Harth,” he rasped, “I come empty-handed. I bring no weapon. Because I swear to you, I will never choose to harm you. Never draw your blood—in anger, or in fear. I bring no shield. Because I vow I will never defend myself from your eyes, your hands, your mind. I am yours.”

*****

After a year of peace in Anima, Tarkyn finds himself… lonely. As the Captain of the Queen’s Guard and a lion-shifter, he has met every female in the tribes, but never found his mate. Certain he must have overlooked someone, Tarkyn undertakes a grueling ritual, pleading with the Creator to reveal her. But the ritual presses him to the end of even his formidable strength.

Yet, the Creator heard his cry…

Discovered on the brink of death by his mate, Harth, and nursed back to health, Tarkyn now faces the most difficult battle of his life. Because Harth isn’t just a stranger to the Anima, she is a weapon of the humans who tried to destroy them.

Can the love of a warrior and his enemy bring peace to Anima? Or will they be torn apart forever by war between their peoples?

*****

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STANDALONE STORY: While Tarkyn’s story is a part of the Anima world and fans will be reunited with some of their favorites as side-characters, Tarkyn and Harth are new POV characters and their story is a new plot arc, so their story can be enjoyed without reading the previous books! But please add Falling in Love with the King of Beasts, and Taming the Queen of Beasts to your library to enjoy later!