I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun - Chapter 49: Preparation

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

Xia Yue feels her life is as melodramatically convoluted as a novel. The family that raised her for more than twenty years isn't truly hers, and she's merely a counterfeit rich girl.After confirming she's indeed not a child of the Xia family, she takes the initiative and moves out, making space for the real heiress.And then, she gets knocked out by an object in the courtyard of her new home, and ends up being bound to a system.This system has no sense of martial morality, even going as far as imposing tasks on her forcibly.But the system doesn't care about her complaints, constantly pestering her.Xia Yue is so annoyed, it's giving her a headache.So, she decides to get rid of the system.

{MATURE — The female lead, Elara, is a plus-size lady. This isn't a book about her losing weight or going on a weight-loss journey. This is a book where she embraces her size and loves herself after everything.}BILLIONAIRE/WEREWOLFI was born a maid in the pack, unwanted, unloved, and unseen. They said I was the daughter of a servant and that I should be grateful to even breathe the same air as elites. But what no one knew was that I wasn’t who they thought I was. I was stolen from my destiny, stripped of my name, and buried in a life that was never mine.When I finished school, I was given a job at Blueberries Pack Company. It was already falling apart, but I worked day and night to keep it alive. Still, nothing I did mattered. The Alpha’s precious daughter stole my ideas, my recognition, and even the man I thought I loved. I was used to silence, to being unseen, until he appeared.Darlon. The Alpha King. A name spoken with fear and awe. They said he was old, heartless, and cruel. I didn’t know him, and I never imagined our paths would cross. But when the Alpha and his Luna grew desperate to save their company, they forced me to marry him in their daughter’s place.I walked down that aisle expecting the worst…But what awaited me on the other side was nothing I could have ever imagined.I didn’t know it then, but the man I had married wasn’t a stranger at all… He was my fated mateAnd through him, I began to uncover the truth about my past, my bloodline, and the power that had been sleeping inside me all along.

He is Xi Liang’s legendary emperor: a decisive and ruthless king; a man of supreme wisdom; a cunning strategist.

According to legend, he once conferred the love meant for the three thousand concubines in his harem onto one woman, while the world watched in envy.

According to legend, he once executed a hundred people for her, turning the palace into a purgatory overnight.

According to legend, he ultimately sentenced that same woman to death by execution…

A conspiracy that swept through the country resulted in her tragic end. This lifetime seems to be a repeat of her past life. Can she escape the clutches of fate to attain true love in this life? In both lives, she was the Emperor’s wife, but is that ruthless man really her true love mandated by Heaven?

Did she really die, just like that?

In the end, beyond the veil of lies and mysteries, who exactly was she? Was she a woman that he truly loved, or was she merely a chess piece to be used in his political machinations?

The stories passed onto later generations remain fraught with conflicting opinions.

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