An Ascendant Dominance

Chapter 1

Rush hour chaos thundered through the office halls, but one voice cut through it all like a blade.

“Arion Delvin, you’re fired! Get the hell out of here!” Martin Winzy’s roar rattled the walls.

He stood at the doorway of his office, arm around Amanda Nelth—Arion’s girlfriend—her figure wrapped in a tight, revealing office outfit that flaunted every curve.

Arion froze, his chest burning. His fists clenched, but his eyes locked on Amanda.

“Amanda… are you really walking away with him? We’ve been together for five years—I gave you everything. Do you remember when I sold my family’s land so you could finish college? You swore we’d be together until death. And now, after I’ve lost everything for you… how can you just throw me away? Is this all about money?” His voice shook, heavy with disbelief and raw pain.

Amanda lowered her head, her expression cold and detached.

“Arion, I’m not the gold digger you think I am. I’m a good woman with a pure heart. I’ve fallen in love with Martin. You can’t force the heart. Every moment I spent with you, I regret. Meeting Martin showed me what real love is—he’s my soulmate, my true life.”

Arion’s eyes darkened, rage and heartbreak colliding in his chest. He leaned forward, his words like blades.

“You’re nothing but a liar. A fake woman who only ever wanted money. The second I lost everything, you chose to stand with him. You have no soul… no heart at all.”

His heart twisted. Amanda was the first woman he had ever loved, the one he gave everything to. Yet his love was worth nothing next to wealth.

Amanda sneered, curling closer to Martin. “What do you have that could ever compare to Mr. Martin?”

Martin smirked, stroking her arm as if Arion wasn’t even there. “You’re pathetic. A poor man with nothing. Not even worthy of standing next to her. Darling,” he turned to Amanda, his voice soft now, “go inside and wait for me.”

Amanda nodded sweetly, kissed him, and with a sway of her hips, walked into Martin’s presidential office like she belonged there.

Martin’s gaze snapped back to Arion, his smile sharpening. He spoke slowly, each word meant to slice.

“Right here, right now, I’m taking your girlfriend—and she’s already mine. And you? You’re nothing. Fired. Get out.”

Arion’s pride screamed inside him. He couldn’t let himself be spat on like this. His chest heaved.

He had burned through every cent of his savings just to see Amanda graduate. While he worked like a dog in that company as a low-level employee, he saved and scraped for her future. When she finally earned her degree, he even used his last bit of money to bribe the HR department so she could land a secretary’s position—better pay, better life.

But what did she do with it? She repaid him by sneaking around with his boss, betraying him behind closed doors. And now, because of her, he wasn’t just humiliated—he was fired, thrown out like garbage after sacrificing everything for her.

“I’ll fight you to dead!” He roared, launching himself at Martin.

But Martin was no ordinary man. He moved like a predator. With one swift twist, he seized Arion’s wrist, flipped him, and slammed him to the floor.

The impact cracked through the room. Arion’s skull smashed against the tile, blood smearing as his vision swam. Pain tore through his body, leaving him weightless and dazed.

Heavy footsteps rushed up—the bodyguards. They saw the blood spreading across the floor.

“Sir, this guy’s pathetic. Is he even alive?” one asked, half-amused.

Martin glanced down, surprised at how limp Arion had become. The coppery scent of blood filled his nose. He cursed under his breath. “Damn it.”

He straightened, his eyes hard. “Get rid of him. Dump his body in that half-built construction site. Cover him with dirt.” His tone was icy, as if ordering the disposal of trash.

“Yes, Sir.”

The guards moved with practiced cruelty. They stuffed Arion’s limp body into a large bag, carried him out, and hurled him into a deep ditch at the half-built construction site. Dust and earth swallowed him. Without a glance back, they wiped their hands clean and left.

Back in the office, behind locked doors, Martin and Amanda tangled together, their sweat and pleasure drowning out the silent grave outside.

The pendant that had hung from Arion’s neck since childhood—the tiny black sword—suddenly stirred. It jingled faintly, then flared with a piercing purple light. The glow pulsed, feeding hungrily on the blood leaking from his wounds, wrapping his body in a rising storm of radiance. The light swelled brighter, brighter still.

No one saw it in that forgotten ditch.

Arion’s eyes fluttered open. His broken body was lifted by that glow, ears ringing with a strange, chiming sound he had never heard before.

“Is this the song of death?” he thought bitterly, unwilling to surrender.

Then came a voice—clear, delicate, like silver bells in the night.

“My Lord, you are not dead.”

Arion’s chest tightened. He jerked his head up, trembling. “Who’s there?”

His vision cleared—and his hand shot to his mouth to stop the scream tearing out of him. His nose almost bled from the sight.

A girl stood before him. Not just a girl—an impossibly beautiful vision, naked, skin smooth and pale like polished porcelain. Her body curved in ways that ignited something primal in him, her chest full and heavy, her frame radiating perfection.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” she said with a mischievous smile, tilting her head. “I am the sword spirit of the Demon-Sealing Sword. My name is Nara.”

Arion’s brain went blank. Before his eyes, clothes shimmered into existence around her, a long violet gown flowing like mist, turning her into a fairy from another age. Her long hair spilled down her back, her delicate face so flawless it was painful to look at.

Arion blinked—and the gown vanished. His heart lurched.

“What the hell? Did I just… get X-ray vision?” His mind spun in chaos.

Nara only laughed, spinning playfully, unashamed.

“I have waited a thousand years. Finally, I have found the master of the Demon-Sealing Sword!”

Arion scowled, his thoughts reeling. “Demon-Sealing Sword? Sword spirit? What are you talking about?”

None of this made sense. If he wasn’t dead, then had he crossed into some other world? This was the kind of madness you only read about in novels, not live through.

He grabbed her wrist, grounding himself. “Listen—Nara—hold on. What exactly is this Demon-Sealing Sword? And why call me ‘master’?”

Nara raised her hand and pointed ahead. “My Lord, look. That is the Demon-Sealing Sword.”

Arion turned—and suddenly he was no longer in the ditch but standing in a vast, endless hall. Not far away, a massive sword stood upright, planted in the ground.

His eyes widened. “That’s… that’s the pendant. The little black sword I’ve worn my whole life. But now—it’s enormous, covered in gemstones, blazing like a mountain peak.”

Purple mist swirled around it, thickening at the tip, alive with energy.

“I am the guardian of the Demon-Sealing Sword, and its spirit,” Nara said, her voice reverent. “When your blood touched it, the sword recognized you. The first seal broke, and I was released. From this moment forward, you are its master.”

Arion’s pulse thundered. The pendant he thought was a trinket—now a legendary weapon? It was almost too much to believe.

Nara’s eyes gleamed. “I have gathered the Demon-Sealing Incantations for ages. Now, at last, they are yours.”

A scroll appeared in the air, glowing gold and silver. As sunlight cut through the mist and touched it, the writing burned alive. The characters leapt into Arion’s mind, carving themselves deep into him.

He clutched his skull, pain splitting him apart. The Demon-Sealing Incantations seared into his memory, vast and complex—yet he understood every word.

Then, just as suddenly, the pain vanished.

“Congratulations, my lord,” Nara’s jubilant voice rang out, “you have mastered the first layer of the Demon-Sealing Incantations.”

Arion gasped, stunned, his heart racing. He pinched himself hard, desperate to wake up.

But Nara lifted her snow-white hand, her voice soft, reassuring.

“The Demon-Sealing Sword has chosen you. Your body is still broken, but now you hold the power to be reborn.”