Condemning the Heavens - Chapter 9: Visiting the City Lord

Sirens: a name derived from an ancient creature, used to describe those who could charm, lure, control, and heal others by singing.

Subjected to live the life of a siren, Aria had experienced, seen, and heard many horrific things. Broken beyond repair, Aria resigned herself to death, when suddenly…

The Grand Duke, Lloyd Cardence Valentine, arrived and whispered, “Should I kill everyone here?”

“If you need me, just call me. Your song will always reach me, wherever you are.”

In the end, Aria called the devil, bringing death to all those present, along with herself.

“Let’s fall down to hell together.”

And with that, Aria breathed her last and died… only to return to her 10-year-old self.

Now that she had a second chance at her life, Aria was determined to change her fate, as well as the cruel fate of her saviour, Grand Duke Valentine.

And so… Aria proposed to him with a marriage contract.

She sold her soul to the devil and vowed to protect him.

The young duke took the contract from her hand.

“So, where should I stamp the seal?”

* * *

“You said you’d divorce me within 10 years.”

The grown-up villain leaned in, hovering his head before he kissed her tenderly over her crown.

“Now that we’re adults, we should sign another contract.”

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Zack “Kazz” Foreman once was a human from the earth when humans went through a dramatic change because of an event. This forced them to evolve into energy-based beings but was sucked into another dimension.

Forced to start living out lives on random worlds in a fractured dimension, Humanity is placed on the path of complete extinction.

This is controlled by a demon king at a place called The Center of Everything.

The Demons try to force Humanity's mark from every reality, so there are only demons, but the Demon King feeds from anger and pain. A constant tournament going at the center of everything to feed his hunger.

Kazz made it to that point once, but was tricked, refused entry to the tournament because he had offed a place one of the gods of the worlds.

Refusing to give up, Kazz goes back to the beginning to start again. To do this, Kazz must give up all of his memories to choke the flow of demons born fully grown from a pool of recycled souls.

This journey starts after he lives a solitary life trying to get stronger but not knowing why. The world Kazz is on is like our earth, but it was only a mimic of the earth we know.

Caught using steroids and about to give up and join the army, Kazz stumbles onto a cave in the ground. He is transported to a world filled with demons and monsters, and a human god named Hero is speaking in his head.

Hero, a person Kazz knew but was not friends with, followed him to help but was lost from him. Upon meeting Kazz, Hero offers him the Hero System to help him advance in this new world.

Kazz refuses after trying to get to the top and failing to use the easy route. This starts a series of frustrating events for both Heroes, but they learn to work as a team over time.

Kazz will meet misbegotten monster girls and demons that he agrees to take care of in this world, using the Ranching System. It only gives bonuses to the girls and skills to help raise them, but he will also learn to control the Elements with Shamanic abilities.

In a world where magic is forbidden and witches are hunted, Ashlynn Blackwell has hidden her mark of the witch since birth. The night of her wedding she's betrayed and her secret is exposed. Attacked by her husband and his knights, Ashlynn was abandoned and left for dead in the wilderness.Rescued by the vampire lady Nyrielle, Ashlynn is offered a choice: die as a human or embrace her power as a witch. Bound by a mystical blood pact, Ashlynn is plunged into a world of ancient magic, immortal vampires, and deadly political intrigue for the chance to find eternal love.