Chapter: Chapter 725The second round took longer than the first. Cost more, too.By the time Alex pulled the last needle free, the sky outside had gone from black to thin grey.Vesper's breathing slowed, steadied.His eyes opened and tracked the room until they found Wren — the way a bond always finds the person it trusts most — and something in that huge head finally let go."He's stable." Alex sat back on his heels. His arms had stopped being reliable ten minutes ago. "Not going anywhere."Nobody cheered this time. The relief came out quiet, worn thin by what it cost to get here.Wren stayed until the staff checked Vesper twice over. Then she caught Alex at the gate before he could slip out."You're not just walking out of here." Not a request. A fact. "House Calder owes you. Twice now. A thank-you doesn't cover that.""It's fine—""It's not." She pressed something cold into his hand before he could argue — a signet, House Calder's mark stamped into old silver. "That gets you through any Calder gate, a
Last Updated: 2026-08-06
Chapter: Chapter 724The roar hit the battle like a fist closing around it.Men froze mid-swing. A blade an inch from a Warden's throat stopped dead — the man holding it had already stopped believing in the fight."That's not possible." Someone near the gate said it out loud, like saying it might undo what he'd just heard. "That thing was supposed to be dead by morning."It wasn't dead. It was awake. Furious. And every man who'd come expecting an easy kill understood, all at once, exactly how badly the math had just changed."Retreat!" The order cracked from somewhere near the back. "Fall back — now!"Nobody argued. The line that had been pushing through the broken gate reversed itself just as fast — men breaking off mid-fight, abandoning ground they'd bled for twenty minutes ago without a second thought.That kind of retreat only happens when the fear gets bigger than the shame of running.Jennifer wasn't about to let all of them get away clean.She caught the slowest one at the treeline — broad-shoulder
Last Updated: 2026-08-05
Chapter: Chapter 723Jennifer reached the east wall first, boots skidding through gravel still settling from whatever had hit it."Hold!" Her hand shot up before she'd finished crossing the yard. "Crown Wardens! Stand down, we talk this through before anyone bleeds for it!"For one breath, it almost worked. The shapes past the broken gate slowed.Then a voice cracked back, mocking. "Wardens siding with Calder now? Since when do you take a house's coin to guard its lies?""Nobody's taking anyone's coin—""They poisoned their own beast and blamed us for it! And you're protecting the ones who did it!"That was all it took. Someone threw first — Jennifer never saw who — and after that there was nothing left to argue, only a fight nobody had wanted five seconds ago and everybody was in now.Steel met steel. A beast screamed past the treeline. The gate gave up the last of its resistance, and men poured through.Inside, none of it had reached the office yet. Just sound, muffled through stone, closer every second
Last Updated: 2026-08-04
Chapter: Chapter 722The next morning, Grim smelled the fear before either of them said a word.Three steps into the Warden building, his hackles rose. Not aggressive — alert.Ears swiveling toward the double doors down the hall, where a knot of voices had gone too tight, too quiet, too fast. Alex didn't need the bond to read that kind of silence.He'd heard it enough times now to know exactly what it meant.Jennifer stood behind her desk, arms crossed, listening to a man old enough to be someone's grandfather grip the desk's edge like it was the only thing holding him up.Beside him, a woman in traveling clothes too fine for traveling. Behind them both, a girl young enough to still be sharp about everything — the kind of sharp that only came from never having paid for it yet.Alex leaned against the doorframe. Watched."...collapsed before dawn." The old man's voice was thin, wrung out. "No warning. No wound we could find. One moment he was resting in the eastern pen. The next—" He stopped. Couldn't fini
Last Updated: 2026-08-03
Chapter: Chapter 721Alex looked at the three of them for a long moment. Dorian, shaking. Kass, forehead nearly in the dirt. Bram, still talking — still trying to buy his own skin with someone else's.An hour ago, all three had been ready to open him up. Now they couldn't hold his eyes."I don't care who wanted to blame who." His voice stayed flat. "You were all three swinging something at me."Bram's mouth snapped shut."I'm not going to kill you." He let that sit long enough for them to feel exactly how little comfort it was. "But you're not walking away from this owing nothing.""One year. Full obedience. No refusals — to anything I ask, whenever I ask it, no matter the hour. No matter the inconvenience."He crossed to Dorian first. Two fingers, flat against his forehead. Barely a touch. A thread of inner force slid in and settled — the same trick he'd once learned, planting something a body would never find until it was already too late.Dorian gasped like he'd been struck."That's a seed." Alex moved
Last Updated: 2026-08-02
Chapter: Chapter 720The pitchfork caught Alex square in the ribs and didn't so much as wrinkle his shirt.Dorian's face went through confusion before it reached fear. He wrenched the tines back and drove them in again, harder, both hands behind it this time — and again, nothing. No give. No blood. Not even the small satisfaction of a man staggering back a step.“Trying to scratch me?” Alex asked. “Funny. I’ve been feeling itchy. Stab a little harder on my back.”“What—”Bram’s iron pipe smashed into Alex’s shoulder and rang out like it had struck a bell instead of flesh.“Decent massage,” Alex said. “But nowhere near enough. Put some real strength into it.”All three of them stared as if they had just faced a monster. Then they attacked with everything they could—hitting, stabbing, and striking harder than before.Alex didn't bother stepping out of range. His whole body ran thick with inner force, layered so deep under the skin that a blunt weapon might as well have been swung at a mountain. Kass, scramb
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Return of Overthinker
When the demon finally harnessed human sins and negative emotions to harvest negative energy, it opened a spatial gate to the planets that were already ravaged by monsters and teeming with dark creatures. The beasts and monsters passed through the gate, unleashing havoc upon Earth. These monstrous creatures caused destruction on a massive scale, pushing the earth toward an apocalyptic catastrophe.
In this dark time, The Creator granted certain humans the ability, marked by symbols on their right hands, to wield the power of gods and angels to combat these dark creatures.
My ability was 'Overthinking,' the weakest, but with hard work, I persisted for 60 years to become the most powerful and the savior of the world. However, in my final moments, I was betrayed by a friend who was born rich and noble, who forced me to die to obtain everything I had worked so hard for. Nevertheless, before my demise, I sent my memories back to my younger years.
This time, I will obtain everything: the best items, the finest women, and the most potent abilities. All will be mine!
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Chapter: Chapter 204I was a bit surprised. "Isn't down there a place where the dead rest, and there is nothing but cold and barren land?" "At first, it was a place full of beauty, but those who did not like it destroyed everything in it, making it cold and barren. I hope you can help those suffering down there find kindness and peace. In truth, you can build a place far more beautiful than the palace of the gods because hell was initially a very beautiful place for those in need." "I accept it wherever You send me." *** In a temple where knowledge was usually shared, several humans who were teachers of various schools gathered to discuss important matters about knowledge. "Hey," said one human to another, "Why did the gods stop sharing their knowledge with us?" "Haven't you heard that the King of the gods, or God Indra, has been replaced?" "Really?" "God Indra is now angry after finding out that knowledge was given to humans by the previous Indra," said another human. "He stopped all knowledge fro
Last Updated: 2024-07-23
Chapter: Chapter 203After 1,000 years had passed, the three worlds experienced their golden age. There was no poverty or hunger throughout the three worlds. Everything was going very well. All dimensions entered a golden age because kindness became the most important thing in the three realms. Humans, gods, ashuras, and all beings were directed to continue giving kindness to all creatures. During my reign, everyone competed to do good so that there was no poverty, hunger, or lack. During that time, those who came to me, whether gods, ashuras, or humans, would get what they asked for. I did this as my way of doing good to all beings.One day, a dwarf-bodied brahmin came to my palace. The brahmin, called Vamana, had a body that was only waist-high to an ordinary human. He wore white clothes that wrapped loosely around his small body. However, considering that he was a human and came from the third dimension, being able to ascend to the twelfth dimension where the gods' palace was located was alr
Last Updated: 2024-07-22
Chapter: Chapter 202"I don't remember that part," I said. "Because each life makes you forget. I just want to say, if you give the gods' knowledge to humans, won't the gods lose their power? Haven't you humiliated them all? Your strength has made you not understand the feelings of the weaker gods." "Guru, if what you say is true, is my current strength because I was a strong spirit in the past?" He looked at me and weakly shook his head. "No, all spirits start from the same place." "Then why did I become strong?" "You had no fear, and your enjoyment of playing made you keep striving for something greater without caring for your own life." Brihaspati continued, "However, what placed you as King Indra is something else." "What is that?" "A sense of responsibility to protect the weak and make life better for all beings." Brihaspati sighed. "Those who have that sincerity will always be carried by karma and the will of God to re
Last Updated: 2024-07-21
Chapter: Chapter 201"Boss, you've become weak," said Raindo, one of the Ashura generals, approaching me. He looked enormous compared to my now smaller form. "You keep spending time in that school and library. You never fight anymore. You're going to become weak, and the previous Indra will soon return to reclaim his throne." "You just don't understand, my brother," I said, still reading a book. "Right now, I am ten times stronger than I was before." "I don't believe it," said Raindo, one of the strongest generals. "Let's test it." "Of course," I said, seemingly unconcerned. "Get ready." "I'm always ready," he replied. As soon as he said that, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, striking his body. He was thrown far, crashing into the palace walls and severely injured. "What happened?" he asked, looking confused and trying to stand up. He didn't know what had hit him. "I just attacked you. I gained the power
Last Updated: 2024-07-20
Chapter: Chapter 200“Oh,” I shouted. “That's easy.” Suddenly, I felt very smart. “I have plenty of wealth in the treasury.” Quickly, I ordered several Ashura to bring as much treasure as possible from Indra's vault and distribute it to all the Ashura. All the Ashura were happy. “Look, Guru, haven't I done a good deed? I shared my wealth with them.” I felt pleased. “Fool!” he shouted. “You haven't done a good deed at all. You should have given the wealth to those in need.” I fell silent. Quickly, I ordered all the Ashura to return the treasures they had received. The Ashura didn't need wealth; if there was one thing they needed, it was weapons. They all grumbled, and I quickly asked, “Do you want food and drink or wealth?” “Food!!!!” “Drink!!” None wanted wealth. Suddenly, it dawned on me. Who needs wealth? The Ashura don't need wealth, the gods already have plenty of wealth. The only poor creatures needing wealth are humans
Last Updated: 2024-07-19
Chapter: Chapter 199“Prepare all the food and drinks. All the gods must order their servants to bring all the food from their palaces. Call the apsaras, the heavenly maidens, and beautiful dancers. Call the singers and musicians. We will have a party.” So, a grand feast was held for days in the courtyard of Indra's palace. Music, dancing, and food never stopped. After that, the Ashura were left drunk in the palace courtyard. The gods had returned to their respective duties. I moved around to see the entire palace, and suddenly, an old man appeared before me. “What have you done to this place?” the old man asked, looking at the palace's new weapon-laden decor. “Who are you?” I asked, confused. This old man wore the simple clothes of a Brahmana, a single piece of cloth. The Brahmana do not fight, so we never touch them. If they get angry, we could get the worst curses of our lives. But if they are pleased, they could grant us many new and exciting powers. We prefer to appease them and wait for the
Last Updated: 2024-07-18
