Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 630: Trial by combat(4)

Unite the Clans? Create an Empire?Atrox Soryu thought he was destined for greatness… until he wasn’t.Born into the smaller Soryu Clan, Atrox was a prodigy, praised for his unparalleled swordsmanship and relentless ambition. He vowed to become Emperor of the Eternal Skies, a title that hadn't been claimed in centuries. But on the day he was to manifest his Order Mark—the source of every knight’s power—everything went wrong.Instead of the revered Holy, Elemental, or Mystic Orders, Atrox was branded with a Forbidden Order: Something twisted and wrong. A death sentence in the eyes of the world. Branded a monster and exiled by his own father, Atrox was cast into a brutal labor camp where the weak are crushed, and the strong are barely tolerated.But exile isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. In the harshest of conditions, Atrox awakens the full potential of his forbidden powers, powers that could rival even the strongest Knights. He will forge alliances with the forgotten, turn his enemies into allies, and rise from the shadows to build an empire from nothing.Betrayed, exiled, and broken? No. Atrox Soryu is building an empire—and the Eternal Skies will bow to him.

“Do You Believe In Magic?”Cha Jin-sung, a nineteen-year-old web novelist, is stuck in a rut after his popular story, Tales of Heroes and Demons, is abruptly cancelled. Battling with his failures, he receives a cryptic message from an unknown reader, offering him the chance to complete his unfinished story. But in a surreal twist, his response to the email leads him to an extraordinary situation—transmigration into the very world of his novel.In Meltonia, a fantastical world filled with mana and strange powers, Jin-sung now inhabits the body of a seemingly insignificant character, Kaiser Vanguard, who was written into the story out of pity.Jin-sung, now Kaiser Vanguard, uncovers a chilling realization: he must survive the events he wrote into his novel. With his soul merged with Kaiser Vanguard’s, Jin-sung must navigate the hostile landscape of Meltonia, where the stakes of his story have become all too real.As he struggles to survive and understand his transmigration, Jin-sung's main goal becomes clear: to finish the story he once cared for so deeply, now that it’s no longer just fiction—it's his reality. However, whether he'll be able to navigate the dangers of the world he created and reach a satisfying conclusion remains uncertain.This new journey will test his wit, survival instincts, and desire to complete the tale he left behind, all while facing the possibility of an ending far darker than anything he ever intended.

“Heroes killed my parents. Now I wear the mask of one. Until I can bury them all.”At seven years old, Hernan Vale watched his parents — two powerful heroes — brutally executed in their own home by the very people they trusted most: the legendary super-team known as the Zodiac 13.They thought he was dead.They made sure the world blamed villains.They covered their tracks.But Hernan survived — and never forgot.Ten years later, under a false name, Hernan enters the prestigious Hero Academy, hailed as a prodigy. To the world, he’s a rising star. To his classmates, he’s charming, calm, unstoppable.But inside?He’s a weapon. Waiting. Smiling. Counting names.As he trains to become a licensed hero, fights real villains, and rises through the ranks, Hernan plays the long game — earning the trust of the Zodiac, learning their routines, studying their weaknesses. One by one, he’ll bring them down.And this time, he won’t hide in the closet.But the deeper he goes, the more blood he spills — the more he wonders if he’s becoming worse than the monsters he’s hunting.And when love, loyalty, and lies collide, Hernan may have to decide:Will he save the world like they think he will...or finish burning it down?

Lugis is an adventurer who accompanies the Hero’s team party. However, every day he has to fulfill tasks that are not pleasant at all. In addition, he is oppressed by the other members of the group. The only reason he remains on this journey is because of his childhood friend, Ariane. But she is fascinated with the team leader known as Hero. One day a shadow figure appears and tell Lugis, “Let me give you a chance. A chance to redraw your life.” And so, Lugis is given the opportunity to be sent to the past to restart his life.