Worm (Parahumans #1) - Chapter 206: Scourge 19.2

Five years ago, humanity’s strongest Tower Climber was betrayed at the peak of his conquest.Rael Arden, known only by his codename Phantom, was the silent genius who cleared impossible floors, crushed monsters with forbidden magic, and shaped the rules of Tower exploration. No one had ever seen his real face—yet his legend was feared across the world.But at the Tower’s summit, the teammates he carried to glory stabbed him in the back. For power. For godhood. For fear of what he might become.They thought he died.They were wrong.Reincarnated in secret, Rael awakens in a modern world that’s on the edge of collapse. Dungeons bleed into cities. Monsters evolve. The Tower is no longer just a gate—it’s infecting the world. And the very ones who betrayed him now rule from the shadows, hiding behind titles, guilds, and lies.But Rael isn’t alone. His soul split across hidden clone bodies, each designed to infiltrate, gather information, and prepare for war. As each clone reawakens, his power grows—and so does his rage.With him are three women tied to his fate:Selene, the shadow rogue who never betrayed him.Lyra, a curious researcher drawn to the legend of the Phantom.Aeris, the sword saint who still mourns his death… and may not be as loyal to the enemy as she seems.Now, Rael hunts the seven betrayers who destroyed his past.One by one, they will fall.But revenge is just the beginning.Because deep within the Tower, something else is waking—an ancient force that even Rael feared. And this time, the world may not survive unless the Phantom reigns again.

“You will suffice.”Raizen heard those words the night something chose him to survive.He doesn't know what whispered inside his head. He doesn't know why. But ever since that night, his life hasn't been entirely his own. Something marked him.Now he walks a beautiful world built on even prettier lies, where Eon turns desperation into miracles, Luminite weapons twist the laws of what's possible and what's not, and where humanity has been fighting creatures of shadow - Nyxes - for as long as anyone can remember. Though sometimes, the cruelest of enemies aren't made of darkness at all...But Raizen is starting to realize: the monsters aren't the only things hunting him.Something primordial is watching. Waiting. Pulling strings he can't see.If he wants to survive, he needs to get stronger.If he wants answers, he must become someone even the nightmares fear....But to win?He may have to end anything in his path - and pray he doesn't give the whisper exactly what it wanted all along.

[Requirement for aspect awakening has been met.][You have acquired a new aspect.][Aspect (King of territory): A legion of soldiers under your command, do as you wish with them.]...Alex lived a terrible life as a beggar, spending most of his time wandering the streets and begging for money.But after his death, rather than passing on to the afterlife like he expected, he was reincarnated into another world as the third prince of the Astrodial family, Sylus von Astrodial.Marked by the stars, Sylus soon found that he was the main light of the family; he alone had awakened the rare star everyone was dying to have.[The star of Catalyst.]Because of this, everyone loved and cherished him, giving him the nickname Child Prodigy of the Astrodial family.With his intellect and knowledge of the former world, Sylus continued to prove himself as a true heir of the throne.Building and governing his territory to be the best while also reinforcing his position to take the throne.Greedy nobles, self centered siblings and crazy cult, Sylus doesn't mind.“This time, I’ll do everything right.”Everything was working out for him.Little did he know that blessings also come with a curse and a slight drawback.[You have received the title Fated Prince.][Your fate has been maxed out.]

“Even if this universe is truly nothing more than a brutal bloody shadowy forest, we Cultivators will burn all that we have just to give off a single weak flickering spark in the darkness!