Master Of Chains - Chapter 12: Heat of battle, cold survival

Ye Bai was cryogenically frozen ten thousand years ago, and upon awakening, she found that Earth had entered the interstellar era.As an ancient human, merely surviving required exorbitant costs to filter out various viruses and radiation.At her wit’s end, she looked up and saw a massive game advertisement spanning half the sky—In her time, Ye Bai had been a renowned game developer.The ad displayed her unreleased game, *Boundless Realms*, which she had created before being frozen.Three years ago, *Boundless Realms* burst onto the scene, causing a massive stir across the universe.This was because the game could actually enhance players’ real-world mental and physical abilities, leading interstellar scholars to believe it might hold secrets of a higher civilization.However, the game was notoriously difficult. Despite investing immense effort, players couldn’t even complete their first class advancement.That is, until Ye Bai decided to enter the game to monetize her insider knowledge…Not long after, interstellar players received an unprecedented server-wide announcement, the first in the game’s three-year history:【Congratulations to the Milky Way Region’s Earth player ‘Baiye’ for becoming the first Lord in the game!】The entire universe was in an uproar!Who was this reclusive Earth-based expert? How did they unlock the method to become a Lord? After all, players had been wandering and adventuring for three years, only to be labeled as drifters by NPCs!Meanwhile, Ye Bai: “…Wait, was everyone in the universe playing on guest accounts before?!”

Zarah is nothing but a lowly runt in Howl Creek who is bullied relentlessly. She wants nothing more than to leave the oppressive pack. When it is revealed who her mate is—none other than her greatest bully, Alpha Damon—she is humiliated and rejected.She leaves for the human sector and lives her life with her son, only for the past to come knocking. Alpha Damon is back, and he wants his son.

On an apparent normal Sunday, Luke suddenly woke up after hearing a voice warning him of something weird. After assuming that it was just a bizarre dream, he felt an earthquake that nearly destroyed his dormitory. As if things weren't odd enough, a zombie suddenly appears in his room and targets him.Somehow, Luke survived several encounters against the zombies thanks to his skill Weapon Augmentation, but then he suddenly finds a mini-sized elf and a mini-sized dark elf telling him that they want to help.After a stranger offer, Luke learns that something very big is happening with the planet, and now he will have to find the strength to fight against zombies and all kinds of weird creatures that want his neck... he will do all that while avoiding being tempted by those two very suspicious elves.The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Sirens: a name derived from an ancient creature, used to describe those who could charm, lure, control, and heal others by singing.

Subjected to live the life of a siren, Aria had experienced, seen, and heard many horrific things. Broken beyond repair, Aria resigned herself to death, when suddenly…

The Grand Duke, Lloyd Cardence Valentine, arrived and whispered, “Should I kill everyone here?”

“If you need me, just call me. Your song will always reach me, wherever you are.”

In the end, Aria called the devil, bringing death to all those present, along with herself.

“Let’s fall down to hell together.”

And with that, Aria breathed her last and died… only to return to her 10-year-old self.

Now that she had a second chance at her life, Aria was determined to change her fate, as well as the cruel fate of her saviour, Grand Duke Valentine.

And so… Aria proposed to him with a marriage contract.

She sold her soul to the devil and vowed to protect him.

The young duke took the contract from her hand.

“So, where should I stamp the seal?”

* * *

“You said you’d divorce me within 10 years.”

The grown-up villain leaned in, hovering his head before he kissed her tenderly over her crown.

“Now that we’re adults, we should sign another contract.”