MTL - Soaring the Heavens - Chapter 460 Self-defeating

The prince of Maldonia, Prince Artemis of House Arteides, the bear killer, the slayer of the elves is crowned King when his father King Arteides dies. The whole kingdom of Maldonia depends on him now, but he puts the throne in jeopardy after he refuses to marry Princess Thelma of House Taelin from the kingdom of Prophis and opt to marry Aurora Kholin, the love of his life.

Aurora is a seer and a powerful witch who has yet to aknowledge her powers, only Artemis knows of it. Lucian Mithandir is in exile recruiting an army to fight Prince Castellan of house Taelin for the throne of Prophis. Artemis wants no parts of this war, but he is very aware whoever wins the war will later turn to Maldonia.

Artemis has no clue that a bigger war is coming which will set kingdoms on fire, Aurora has seen it in her dreams and it’s for the Sweet Waters Throne in Maldonia. The end is uncertain but the ways are clearer, who will sit on the throne after the war between Lord Gandalf of House Old City who owns mighty huge lions and King Artemis of Maldonia who has Aurora and dragons breathing fire.

~ Excerpt Scene ~

The men of the secret council remained behind after the king walked away to further discuss the situation at the borders of the kingdom. The battlefield was named Stonedance and that’s because of its stony surface and this part of the place was usually abandoned and without inhabitants. Some people claimed Stonedance was cursed, that’s because it laid in the middle of two powerful kingdoms.

Stonedance was neither cold nor humid as it stood between the hot and shining Maldonia, and the freezing and gothic Prophis. It was the perfect place to fight and camp, the two battalions had all the space to themselves to prepare for war. Three hundred thousand men loyal to King Castellan Taelin of Prophis laid on the East, and two hundred thousand men keen to keep Lucian Mithandir.

Whatever was going on in Stonedance was of no Artemis’s concern as he focused more on sharpening his swordsmanship skills. He trained from morning to noon, with the lord commander of his kingsguard, Sir Dante Lucan who he befriended and these two became inseparable in a span of just a week.

“Come to me! Hard” Artemis urged his lord commander to not be easy on him.

“If I go hard on you Your Grace, we shall be left without a king to rule” replied Sir Dante Lucan with a smile. “You are getting better day by day; may I ask why the sudden interest in swordsmanship?”

.....

“I am a celebrated knight Sir Dante. I have fought in wars ever since I was nine”

“Exactly my point Your Grace. You are good with your sword, and have been for some time” Sir Dante smiled softly “Is it the war in Stonedance which makes His Grace nervous?”

“Some say I am ought to join my uncle, support the house my mother called it home. While others say my uncle betrayed me the very first day he took Mithandir inside his walls”

“And what do you say, Your Grace?”

Aurora joined them and Sir Dante excused himself. It had been a week and four days since they were last seeing at court.

“I am a warlock Artemis” For the first time ever since Artemis knew Aurora, this was the first she’s declared and accepted her true nature. “I am a seer, spaewife, or any other words you may want to use but I am not normal”

“We have talked about this Aurora, when the time is right…”

Aurora interrupted “The time is now!” she said. “I can feel the flames in my dreams getting hotter. If I don’t seek the help I need now, I fear for my own existence. I saw myself riding a ─” she paused softly.

Artemis leaned on to her “Riding a what?” he asked suspiciously.

“It may sound crazy, I mean I have never heard of such creatures and even if they exist…”

“What were you riding Aurora?”

After a few seconds of not being sure how will Artemis react or take it, Aurora finally exhaled softly and brought herself to speak “A dragon” and then she paused waiting to see how will Artemis take all of it.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if the pinnacle of a Xianxia Cultivation Story appears in the middle of a post-apocalyptic system and tower climbing setting, without having lost her powers, unrestrained, and invincible?Murim, a world of Martial Arts, Cultivation, Brutal Violence, Bloodshed, Vengeance, and where Might Makes Right.Bing Xue spent eleven thousand years in such a world, ascending to become the pinnacle after countless hardships, blood, tears, and sacrificing her own humanity in the process.However, she was incapable of ascending into the Immemorial Primordial Void Realm; incapable of escaping the Heavenly Will's influence, she gambled it all on a single decision, escaping into the Outer Cosmos with her last remaining energies.Despite thinking her long journey was coming to an end, a black hole teleports her back to Earth out of nowhere! However, things on her home planet are much different than before.The Tower now exists, connecting Earth with countless other worlds. Monsters come out of Dimensional Gates, threatening humanity, and awakened people named Players climb the Tower in hopes of saving humanity from destruction.After learning that her mother and her sister are still alive, Bing Xue will use the overwhelming and supreme might she has cultivated for eleven thousand years to destroy the tower, slay the gods that govern it, and save Earth from its untimely demise.The System? She will fold it and make a fashionable scarf with it!The Administrators? They might become her new pets.The Monsters? Nothing but ants that die immediately by merely touching her Immortal Aura.The Hunters? If they behave, she might make them her disciples and teach them to cultivate the Heavenly Dao, so they don’t rely too much on the System.The Hostile Players? Just flies she’ll slap to death with a gentle wave of her hands.And the Gods? Merely aperitives for her ever-growing Divinity!What to expect:-NOT a villain story. OP Returnee from a Xianxia World, she doesn't lose any of her powers. Expect little to no stakes, just awesome showcases of power and a main character that constantly breaks all rules established.-An active main character which will be the main focus and point of view. I dislike passive main characters and I won't give focus to random side characters for dozens of chapters like other OP MC stories do. But there will still be a big cast of colorful characters that will give life to the world, or worlds.-She will be a prideful, arrogant, and ruthless cultivator at the beginning, and will slowly mellow down once she gets used to how Earth society works. However, she takes pride on her own strength and her acomplishments. Though, her love for the people important to her is boundless.-Despite being so strong, she still desires to grow stronger. Our main character will continue cultivating and using the new powers she finds to her advantage. Basic LitRPG Progression combined with Cultivation of the Heavenly Dao and all of that.-Lots of God Slaying.-Girls Love, our Main Character will not actively seek girls, but if the opportunity arises, will not shy away from being with one, or even falling in love. There will be occasional slice-of-life and romantic moments if that's your thing. -Polyamorous Relationships between the main character and many girls. However, it will be more of a side dish rather than the main dish, and I will make sure it doesn't become suffocating to read. Action and Progression are the focus. Nonetheless, a fair warning that there IS romance. And in many ways, and not just traditional ones. After all, some love interests will be from different cultures and worlds. -Ultimately, I am writing this story for my own amusement and fun, so please don't feel offended if something happens that you dislike. I am not writing this story for anybody or for any audience. -Chapters almost every day.My Grammar is not the best, and I am not a native english speaker, so I'm doing my best to improve. I would appreciate anybody pointing out the mistakes.

Elaine Monroe never meant to fall in love with him. She never meant for her heart to betray her like this. But as she watches him stand beside another, hand resting on the waist of the woman he’s meant to be with, she wonders if she was always destined to be the outsider.“You knew,” she says, voice barely above a whisper. “You knew how I felt.”His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t deny it. He never does.“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he finally says.She laughs bitterly. “I know.”Loving him was always impossible. He belonged to someone else. To his family’s expectations. To a future where Elaine had no place.“Forget whatever you think you feel,” he tells her, voice firm, but there’s something unspoken in his eyes—something that makes it hurt even more. “It will never happen.”And yet, his gaze lingers, just for a second too long.Then there’s her best friend—the one who stands beside her when the world turns its back. The one who sees her pain without asking.“You don’t have to do this to yourself,” he says, handing her his jacket on a cold night. “You deserve more than waiting for someone who will never be yours.”She wants to believe him. She wants to move forward. But some loves are impossible to forget. Some wounds never truly heal. And some desires, no matter how forbidden, refuse to die._____“loving him best decision i ever made” Elaine“you are my world”

Echoes of the Lost Elf – Back Cover SynopsisA legend long forgotten. A war long past. A magus who vanished into history.A thousand years ago, Historias Everglen, the greatest magician to ever walk the earth, mysteriously disappeared after leading the world to victory in the First War against the Void. The high elf, creator of Castellas Academy, the most prestigious magic institution, faded into myth—his name spoken only in whispers, his fate unknown.But history does not stay buried forever.When a group of young students, lost in the Everglen Forest, stumbles upon an enigmatic figure in the heart of the ancient woods, they unknowingly awaken an echo of the past. Unrecognized, Historias decides to return to his own academy—not as its master, but as a student. Beneath his youthful guise lies an immortal being who has spent a millennium mastering magic, swordsmanship, and alchemy in solitude.As shadows of the Void begin to stir once more, the world stands on the brink of another catastrophe. Enemies rise, secrets unravel, and forgotten legends take their place in the present. But one question lingers:Will the world recognize its lost protector before it’s too late?