Kitsune in the Shadows - Chapter 108 – Close, Yet So Far

Birth rates are decreasing. Hope is vanishing. The world has gone gray.Humanity, drifting in quiet collapse, receives an email.Every person on Earth. Simultaneously.The Aegis Mandate.Disguised as a cosmic aptitude test, it triggers The Incident of Separation—a global psychic cataclysm that erases identities, wipes memories, and divides all survivors into three factions: Law, Neutral, and Chaos. Overnight, cities become battlegrounds. Apartments become dungeons. Ordinary people become monsters—or the ones who hunt them.Ragnar Vhagar was just a loner university student. Now, thanks to a system he didn’t ask for, he’s a newly minted Demon King, locked in a crumbling apartment with goblins under his sofa and a glowing soul crystal next to his frozen peas. His new job? Build a deadly domain, defend it from invading “Heroes,” and somehow level up fast enough to not die.Alongside him is Isabelle Thorne, a razor-sharp warrior of few words and one very sharp sword. Their reluctant alliance, born in blood and snark, evolves into trust—and maybe something dangerously close to affection—as they rise together through the layers of the game-like world they’re trapped in.With each conquered domain and defeated boss, Ragnar realizes the truth: the dungeons aren’t meant to crown a winner. They’re meant to break the players. The Law faction wants control. The Chaos faction craves destruction. But Ragnar? He wants something they’re all too afraid to say out loud:Freedom.In the ruins of Kanta’s ogre stronghold, Ragnar and his misfit warband take their biggest step yet—claiming a kingdom, unifying a fractured system, and preparing for what comes next. The Heroes are watching. The gods are stirring. The world is watching a war.And somewhere deep beneath it all... Ragnar is rewriting the rules.

The future of the world and the direction of time possess infinite possibilities. Even the same event may lead to two completely opposite outcomes due to a millisecond deviation in completion time.

I have led the Evolutionary Deluge, causing species worldwide to evolve and creating a splendid era of warriors. I have also allowed the invasion of evil gods, bringing those indescribable ancient dominators to the mortal world, instantly corrupting the Earth with evil beings.

In the infinite space-time, there are a million possibilities. I have witnessed the divinization of machinery and have seen the revival of myths. Humans call me: The Creator of Everything, The Eternal Supreme God, The Cause of All Results, The Origin of Everything.

But.. I prefer to call myself a humble observer.

Years ago, Earth was indoctrinated into the “System.”Earth was not the only place with the System, however. With the System came the other races, Invaders. The Invaders had one goal, to obtain ownership of this new habitable planet. This created a bloodbath, and for years the war raged.This didn't really have much to do with Derek. Derek was kind of a loner. Yeah, he enjoyed the occasional chat or drink with others, but he never stayed in one place too long or really got to know anybody new.Derek did happen to be rather strong. After the years of fighting monster and Invaders alone, he had become quite adept at surviving. One thing that helped keep him alive was his refusal to get involved with others. He rarely cooperated with teams.One day, Derek broke his rules and decided to lend some help, as the mission didn't seem too hard. He should have stuck to being alone.

Her previous life was pitiful. Soon after her birth, her father abandoned his wife and daughter for his first love and left for the city. Her mother left her at her grandmother's house, being indifferent to her suffer, and even schemed to marry her to her couin's lover. What's more, after escaping to the city, she was betrayed by her stepmother and stepsister, being stolen one of her kidneys! Without knowing the truth, she mistook them as benefactors, serving them just as a maid. She later found the truth and accidentally acquired a special space, enjoying good life for about two years before dying suddenly and inexplicably.After being reborn, she strived to avoid the pitfalls of her former life, yet was nearly overwhelmed by the truth when she discovered it.It turned out that the stepmother she hated most was actually her biological mother, and the person she most respected in her former life was actually her father.In her previous life, she had never been in love, and she was uninterested after her rebirth until she inadvertently stumbled upon love and extreme doting.In his previous life, he was also pitiable, but later became extremely wealthy. In this life, because of her, he became even more domineering.