Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 605: Holy Tribunal(2)

A Betrayal of Fate--- Anos Voldigoad, a young man of noble spirit, faces a devastating turn of events. Betrayed by his own kind and the woman he loves, he’s thrust into a world of darkness and despair. His world shattered, his parents murdered, and his beloved forced into the arms of his sworn enemy, Anos questions the cruel hand of fate. As he succumbs to his mortal wounds, a final, haunting image lingers: the smug grin of his tormentor, taunting him with promises of his lover’s destruction. In his dying breath, Anos wonders: Why has God forsaken him? Is it because of his weakness, his goodness? As the darkness claims him, a seed of vengeance is planted, a promise to rise from the ashes and exact his revenge, no matter the cost.

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

Qiao Nian lived in the Qiao family’s house for 18 years before her biological parents found her. Suddenly, all the wealthy families in the city knew that the Qiao family had a fake daughter!A true daughter of an affluent family would be talented, gentle, and kind.A fake daughter would not be able to pick up any skills and accomplish nothing.Everyone wanted to see how miserable she would become when she went back to her ravine after being kicked out of a rich family!Qiao Nian also thought that her biological parents were poor teachers from Luohe County.Who knew that her brother drove a Phaeton that was worth three hundred thousand yuan!Her biological father was also a professor who taught at Tsinghua University!The big boss of the family of scums became a bootlicker and bowed in front of her grandpa…Qiao Nian was dumbfounded.Erm… this wasn’t the same as saying yes!After being freed from the family of scums, Qiao Nian was able to be herself.She was the top student in the college entrance examination, a live broadcast star and the heir of an invaluable cultural heritage… Her identities were revealed and when she started to appear on the hot searches in the city, the family of scums turned green.The anti-fans mocked: What’s the point of trying to fake an image? Aren’t you just sticking to my brother everyday?Qiao Nian responded: I’m sorry but I already have a match.Top Brother: @Qiao Nian. Let me introduce her to everyone. This is my sister.Wealthy Grandpa: My dear granddaughter, why are you working so hard? If you want a bicycle, grandpa will buy it for you!The rich and powerful in Beijing spread a rumor that Master Wang was hiding a wife in his luxurious house. No matter how much people tried to persuade him, he never took her out to meet anyone. If he were asked, he would say the same sentence. “My wife is from the countryside and she is shy.”That was until one day when someone saw the noble and cold Master Wang holding a girl’s slender waist while hiding in a corner of a wall and muttering with red eyes. “Baby, when will you give me a title?”[Fake daughter who is from a truly wealthy family] + [Two big bosses]

Intellectual Villages are old fashioned rural villages recreated with cutting edge technology. Those villages attract the Japanese monsters known as Youkai.

The high school boy Jinnai Shinobu lives in one of those villages and has a Zashiki Warashi living in his house. He tends to run across Youkai with unnerving frequency and this often leads to trouble for him.