Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 398: Pioneers of the future(2)

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.

In the fantasy world ruled by Matriarchy, Kael of the Ancient Moonstone House, was working as a guild receptionist. Throughout his life, he was protected by his mother and later, younger sister, who was considered one of the highest potential individuals in the Queendom of Elyria. One day, he hears that his sister has gone missing and his family has accumulated debts of over 127 million gold coins to the Bank. The Queen comes to his rescue, paying off his debts and in exchange, he has to marry her five daughters, who each excel in a domain of their own.Having the five imperial princesses and the Queen herself as the backing, Kael has become one of the most protected individuals in the Queendom. Little did his wives know that Kael had another identity. He is the most dreaded yet noble Assassin of the imperial city, “K,” one who hunts down the criminals who escape punishment either because of insufficient evidence or using their connections.Follow Kael's journey, as he navigates his life as the protected figure in the light and protector of justice in the shadows.

Three Souls lay in one body,

One soul belonging to a man who had reached the peak, the strongest there ever was, the one who had the talent to do so. Yet he suffered because of his talent. His soul shone as bright as a galaxy once, but now is but a sun. His talents made him the envy of all.

And He lost it all.

The Second soul belonged to a man soon to be the richest in the world.

A man who had his face charred, a man who seemingly had every odd placed against him from the very beginning.

He went against the family that abused him and triumphed over them. Yet he was left broken inside, He craved a release, and the first soul brought him that release.

And he became a psychopath that scared the manifestation of evil itself.

And the Third?

The child born from their souls was anything but ordinary. Cursed with a fate no one wanted. Cursed with the fact that the Universe wanted him dead.

He was born from Chaos And Ice and a fraction of light, Yet manipulated Space.

His abilities were so powerful they were harmful to his body.

His talent is as infinite as the boundless cosmos.

His enemies were greater than one could count.

His luck is worse than shit.

And Yet, he continued to fight. Despite whatever was thrown at him, he would brute force through it or outsmart it, befitting the other two above.

He continued to fight, not believing in the bullshit that was destiny.

In the 21st century, a young judge time-travels to another world.Here, martial arts are evergreen, and myriad schools compete for dominance.Confucianism: Immense righteousness, impervious to all laws.Legalism: The power of rules, the law follows the word.Military strategists: The power of conquest, invincible in battle.Mohism: Ingenious mechanics, ordinary humans rivaling gods.Yin-Yang school: Numerology and the five elements, seeking divination, pursuing good fortune, and avoiding disaster....What's this? The Legalists grow stronger by adjudicating cases?Li Nuo, who has just vowed to advocate for the people and eliminate the corrupt, discovers that his father is the greatest villain in the court.Faced with countless enemies seeking revenge against his father, Li Nuo says he only needs one sentence.'My lady, guard me!'