MTL - True Star - Chapter 20

The Empire's forces retreated in desperation—trampled by faceless horrors bringing darkness and death to these once beautiful lands.Only the most courageous stood in defiance, forming a last defence to buy the people time to flee—fighting until the final embers of hope burned out.A man stands with a silver sword, like a beacon of hope to those around him. He roared with all his might drawing his blade against the overwhelming enemy!“You face Lancelot, Sword of the Empire! ”These horrors tested the Lord's grit and loyalty in the final moments.“Should my blade break, I will use my body!”The knights had fallen, broken swords for their tombstones, and lords fled, betraying the Empire to survive.“If my body breaks, I'll use my Soul!”Lancelot, the sword of the Empire, fought alone.All hope seemed lost.“And if my Soul fails...”What could a single man and his army do?He fights against the dark tide, blade in hand, heart on sleeve.“I will sell myself to the devil for revenge!”But he was too weak, too fragile.The last Lord of humanity stood against the enemy.Lancelot was a master of the sword, a mortal, neither a God nor a Saint.Miracles were beyond his reach.Now only a broken man impaled on his own destroyed throne.His blade shattered—now, like rose petals, it was scattered across the charred ground.Lancelot's soul was fated for the abyss as the light faded from his eyes.His last ounce of resistance used staring at the man who betrayed the Empire.Now with only the desire to kill, crush and seek revenge smouldering inside him.Now unwilling to die and desperate to fight once again.He desired to fight for the people who supported him.Lancelot refused to surrender, to fall like this.As quietly in the abyss, a voice whispered to him.It tried to entice the Lord, ignite his desire to win and fight again.“If given a second chance, to relive your life with a different choice... Would you Accept?”Blood gathered in his throat, forcing him to reply in his mind.A frail and broken voice'There is no reason to ask, of course!'“No matter the cost?”'Even if I were to lose everything...''If my people can live on. I would sacrifice everything I have!'“You will no longer be the same, a monster, twisted and vicious.”“Will you still accept?”The Lord's heart ached, taking great pride in his humanity.To lose that caused his mind to falter.Finally, out of power, unable to speak or reply with a trembling arm.Lancelot reached out.Towards the raspy voice.Towards the abyss.Towards a new future.[So you would accept after all...]'I must accept.''I must stand tall.''I must not break.''Because...''I am the Lord of humanity![Nay, you are the king of demons]

I used to think obsessive male leads were kind of hot. You know—the intense stares, the undying devotion, the way they’d burn the world for the woman they love? Swoon, right?Wrong.That fantasy went up in smoke the moment I woke up in the body of Sonia Mitford—the heroine of The Crimson Devotion, the first obsessive romance fantasy novel I ever read. The one that ended on a mysterious hiatus. The one with Marius Wittelsbach—a charming, possessive psychopath who thinks an ankle shackle is a love language.Now I’m trapped in a velvet-draped prison, shackled to a bedpost like some porcelain doll in a gothic fairytale. And Marius? He’s worse than I remembered. Sweet, soft-spoken... and utterly unhinged.“You don’t need to be afraid. I’ll take care of you.”Translation: I’ll murder anyone who blinks in your direction and serve you tea over their corpse.“Anyone who bothers you... anyone who looks at you the wrong way... I’ll get rid of them for you.”I thought I was playing the role just fine—smiling, nodding, pretending not to be horrified.But then—plot twist! Alessio Slovene, the forgettable side character, walks in looking like a golden retriever knight and drops this bomb: he’s actually the crown prince in disguise. And he’s investigating Marius.Finally—a lifeline. Maybe.Because people are vanishing. The body count is rising. And every time Marius kisses my forehead and calls me “Nia,” I feel one step closer to becoming the tragic heroine in a blood-soaked love story.Obsessive male leads aren’t dreamy.They’re terrifying.And I might be in way over my head.

As the “illegitimate child” of the Shen family, Shen Jun is cunning, ambitious, and good at forbearance. In order to become an official, he had to endure the bullying of Chengjue’s younger brother. Enduring it, he suddenly discovered that the other party’s bullying behavior didn’t seem to be what it appeared on the surface.
Overturn his wine, the actual wine is poisonous.
shoot his horse, there is something wrong with the actual horse
He seems to be contemptuous of him, but actually provides him with opportunities everywhere.
Shen Juan suddenly felt that his little brother was not that annoying, and even a little…
—
Shen Fengzhang is a vicious male supporting role dressed as a woman disguised as a man. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the male lead, who would dominate in the future, was being beaten in an alley by her.
Looking at that face, she resolutely went up to make amends. From then on, while bullying the male lead, she secretly helped the male lead under the system’s requirements, just waiting to get off the line safely before the male lead ascended the throne.
Unexpectedly – the hero rebelled ahead of time! Surrounded by elite soldiers, Shen Fengzhang decided to commit suicide in order to avoid being hacked into pieces, but saw the male protagonist grab the dagger, and said convincingly, “I know you did those things because you love me.”
Shen Fengzhang:? ? ?
—-
[Small Theater] Everyone knows that when His Majesty was trapped in the shallows, Shen Fengzhang, Lord of Shixing County, insulted him in every possible way. Now that His Majesty is enthroned, in order to please His Majesty, Shen Fengzhang must die! The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty participated in the memorial, and the county magistrate made things difficult. However, the impeachment memorial became thicker and thicker day by day, and His Majesty never said a word. Until one day after Shen Fengzhang asked His Majesty to stand up, His Majesty threw the notebook on the ground, his eyes were cold, “You don’t want to marry! Shen Fengzhang, who do you want me to stand up for?!”
[Reading Tips]
1. Keywords: women disguised as men, enemies become lovers
2. Both the male and female protagonists are not good friends and have no blood relationship
3. Ambitious, duplicity, black lotus male protagonist X sword slanted, unconventional female protagonist
Content tags: court marquis wearing books women disguised as men above court
Search keywords: Protagonist: Shen Fengzhang, Shen Jun ┃ Supporting role: The ancient saying “Nothing but Good-looking” ┃ Others: Women disguise themselves as men, enemies become lovers

- Description from novelbuddy

A certain girl aspiring to be an adventurer was invited to join the Hero’s Party by chance and became their apprentice. However, she was not actually treated as a real apprentice, and was subjected to physical violence and verbal ab*se every day.In the end, she was told that she had no talent and was about to be expelled from the party.However, the hero promised the girl that if she could stay in the Demon Forest for a week, her expulsion would be revoked. Unaware of the fact that she had been tricked, the girl was abandoned in the forest without even a weapon to defend herself.But the Hero’s Party had no idea that the girl had been observing every battle they had faced. Nobody knew of the girl’s talent.A talent, for which even the word “genius” would be too modest to describe, would allow her to reach the realm of excellence.The girl who was able to escape the forest soon registered herself as an adventurer, and in no time, she overtook the fierce fighters one after another.This was a tale of the rapid growth of a girl with the strongest physical prowess.A talented monster doesn’t need to be taught – someone once stated.