Gilded Ashes - Chapter 293: Bitter Aftertaste

Eighty years ago, an alien war broke out in Earth’s orbit. A powerful fugitive known as Tree was pursued by an extraterrestrial force. In the battle’s aftermath, the fugitive’s heart merged with Earth’s core, giving rise to a massive tree—marking the dawn of superpowers.Awakening. A phenomenon where humans gained extraordinary abilities. Seventeen years later, nearly everyone had awakened… except a few. Those who failed were called Rejecters, the lowest in society.Zane Carter was born into infamy. The son of a fallen superhero-turned-supervillain, he faced discrimination from birth. He dreamed of being a hero, but his father’s sins made him an outcast. Even after rigorous training, his Awakening failed. Rejected by the Hero Academy, ridiculed, and cast aside—his fate seemed sealed.Until one day…[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]Welcome, User. You have been selected as the recipient of the Borderline Supervillain-Slash-Hero System.Generate your first skill? Y/NWith his newfound system, Zane is given a choice: become the hero they never wanted him to be… or the villain they always feared.

Dying and then meeting a giant God in the image of an Impostor from Among us in the afterlife was certainly something I didn't expect would happen.Getting reincarnated by it, was something I expected even less.And awakening in a world where heroes and villains run rampant, was certainly the cherry on top on this whole matter.But well, nothing I can do about it.

In a world fractured by conflict and haunted by shadows of the past, Kokushibo—the first Upper Moon demon—meets his end, only to awaken in a new life. Reincarnated as Crimson, a child born into a different family, he carries the memories of a past he cannot escape. Burdened by centuries of guilt yet indifferent to the present, he resigns himself to duty—until an unexpected bond with his newfound family begins to thaw his hardened heart. As he struggles between the weight of his past and the weight of the new life, Crimson must decide whether he will remain shackled to his former sins or embrace the possibility of peace.

In the autumn of the 28th year of the apocalypse, Gu Xi and her companions finally eliminated the last Zombie Emperor in the world.That night, at the celebration banquet held at the base, Gu Xi took the fine wine handed to her by a companion, and then... she collapsed headfirst.When she woke up again, it was already the 58th year of the apocalypse.30 years had passed, and the beautiful world that Gu Xi had once yearned for and for which she had fought tooth and nail did not appear.Although human society had restored order, a new food crisis arose—after plants and animals underwent a second mutation, a bizarre energy that the human body could not digest, absorb, or excrete through metabolism suddenly appeared within them.And she, Gu Xiaoxi, also had a brand-new identity—a refugee girl picked up from the ruins by a group of pioneers.The newly-minted undocumented girl, Gu Xiaoxi: No more fighting and killing, no more shouldering the future of all humanity; just needing to cultivate one hundred acres of wasteland to achieve the simple dream of eating well, drinking well, and getting a peaceful night's sleep is pretty good.Later, she discovered that her former companions had all become powerful figures, while she, the former apocalyptic hero, had become a person who was never recorded in history.Gu Xiaoxi: ?