Steel and Mana - Chapter 9 – Midnight Talks

Jeon Eun-woo has lived for almost thirteen years in isolation in a cell at the Blackwood Research Center.He doesn't remember who he is, he doesn't know who locked him up, and he doesn't know why he's still alive.The apparent calm with which he has lived is shattered when he is assigned a cellmate.Rhys, a young man with invisible scars, appears in Eun-woo's cell with one goal: to kill him.Because Eun-woo is not just any person.He’s the last living Esper.But upon coming into contact with Eun-woo, Rhys unexpectedly bonds with him, something that shouldn't be possible because Rhys isn't a Guide.Or is it?

Some crowns are forged in blood. Others are drowned beneath it.In a city strangled by smoke and silence, where children are shackled to machines and shadows rule behind gilded masks, Keiran is just another forgotten soul—until the mark appears.Buried beneath the factory’s foundations lies a world long erased from history. Ancient oaths whisper through stone and water, and something older than memory begins to stir. As Keiran is drawn deeper into the abyss, he uncovers a legacy not meant for mortal hands—a crown shattered in defiance, a flood sealed by sacrifice, and a power that demands a price.Hunted by tyrants, haunted by echoes, and bound to secrets he never asked for, Keiran must choose: drown in the tide of what came before, or rise against the current and reclaim what the world was forced to forget.But the deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels…And beneath it all, something still breathes.

Thousands of years ago, the First Expungement came. The world changed, and humanity was nearly wiped out. Thankfully, with the paracausal power of Angelicas, humans was able to push back the Ghost tide and rebuild their civilization.

Now, however, it was time for the Second.

Finn Thresher was just a normal university student at first. He, like the rest of the public world, had no idea what was coming for them — but sometimes, just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean you can’t be harmed.

His family… his sight… his purpose. All lost to the paranormal.

It was time to abandon his beliefs. To throw away his morals.

After all… if these creatures weren’t human anyway, there was no point in showing them humanity.

In the first battle of this war, the Ghosts won, nearly driving the human race to extinction. In the second, the humans fought back with the power of Angelicas and managed to secure a victory.

Now, the third and final round was approaching — and this time, it’s personal.

A sudden and inexplicable transformation has caused the entire global population to be reborn in the struggle for survival on the Continent of Overlord.Each person reborn on the Continent of Overlord is randomly reincarnated as a species - some come to life as weeds only to be trampled to death by passing monsters, while others emerge as dominant beings like dragons, naturally ruling the skies...The Dark Creatures invade this other world with reckless abandon, instilling fear and dread across the realm.Reborn the night before the transition to the Continent of Overlord, Charles activates the Zerg Clan System, becoming the Overlord of the Zerg Clan!While others are still grappling with the darkness of the Continent of Overlord, Charles has already constructed a fortress spanning the entirety of Zerg Clan territory and casually wipes out countless Dark Creatures with a burger in one hand and a cola in the other....【Ding! A female has been detected as 100% loyal to the Host. The Zerg Clan System is awakening!】Zerg Queen Catherine: “Master, I've just bought a very thin nightgown. Would you like to experience it personally?”Snake Queen Medusa: “Master, I've already trained these troops for you. When will you train with me?”Snake Emperor Yggdrasil: “Cursed Medusa, don't think of stealing my master!”Elf Goddess Eve: “Silence, all of you! I'm the only true queen, you all are just concubines.”While everyone else struggles to survive and defend against the Dark Creatures...Only Charles raises the divine flame, waging war across the stars!