The Grandmaster Strategist - Volume 6, Chapter 16: Three Personal Visits

In the year 2033 it began.

Gods, monsters, devils, angels every higher creature from every mythology began to bless those they found worthy and share their powers.

Eventually with the emergence of the gates, we realized they were preparing us.

The so called chosen heroes who enter gates are known as the Blessed and in it’s become the most sought after career in the world.

They are the most famous and well known people in the entire world and some are even the leaders of their own nations.

They are immensely powerful, beautiful, and charming beings.

After five whole years, we still have no idea what the higher’s criteria are for blessing a human.

Despite the seemingly loose criteria, only 1 percent of the population actually end up as blessed and gain the privilege of entering gates and defending our world.

With all of the excitement around the Blessed, we seem to have forgotten the most important question.

Why are they doing this for us and what will they require in return?

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“From here on out, I'll only do what I want. What makes me Happy”

After years at a dead-end job, Evian finally has enough and quits to pursue his passions but before he could even revel in his new freedom, tragedy struck and he became a creature of Decadence.

Condemned to a life of devouring souls in exchange for strength, Evian is pulled out of the world he knew and made to possess the body of a namesake in a different world of Magic and all sorts of wonder.

A world home to different races taking residency in their own separate corners of it.

In this new world, Evian will find so many opportunities opened to him and it won't take long for him to begin to indulge in those opportunities.

After all, Souls taste good but beauties- Beauties taste even better...

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Oliver Patrick, the Greatest General in Stormfront's history has a secret - a secret not many know. They think that his Iron WIll was built overnight. They know not the path of suffering he walked, as the slave Beam, to reach his destiny as King, and then Emperor.This is that story. A true story, of progress, struggle, hardship and strength. A story of greatness achieved without a system. A story of how one unknown boy's struggle transformed a continent forever.//ExtractThe arm dropped to the floor, as did the head. Spear points raced past the falling corpse as the goblins sought to take advantage of his momentary lapse in attention. But the tide had already shifted. The equilibrium that had kept the battle going for so long was shattered. With no bruiser to take care of their front lines and distract his attention, the goblins in front of him were no match for his speed.He employed his misdirection as he normally might, feigning the same backwards step that he had practised over and over, before leaping forward, catching the goblin off guard, twisting his body to avoid its spear and forcing his blade into its throat.It let out a high-pitched squeal as it dropped its spear and attempted to stem the tide of blood that was spurting from the wound. The goblin next to it squealed too, in fear this time, as its eyes widened, seeing two of its comrades dealt with so easily in quick succession. Beam saw it take a backwards step, as it attempted to turn and run away. But he was on it before it had a chance. He wrapped his arm around its neck and drove a sword through its back.Rather than let the corpse fall to the floor as he normally might, he held onto this one, enduring its death throes. Once life had finally left its body, he shifted it into place as a meat shield. Two arrows thudded against it, almost piercing it straight through. But the time they reached Beam the momentum was entirely gone – though they touched him, they did not even pierce his clothes.Slowly, with his meat shield in place, Beam advanced on the remaining goblins. They both shared a glance with each other as they dared to fire another volley, before turning on their heels and attempting to sprint away.“Stay,” a brief moment of eye contact, and one of the goblins was rooted in place. Beam tossed his shield aside and picked up a spear instead. With a twist of his hips and shoulder, the spear went soaring, impaling the running goblin straight through its stomach. Its bow fell to the ground, as strength left its hands. It then fell to its knees, before falling face down to the floor, pushing the spear back through itself.

"There was a time in my life where I struggled to breathe. A time where I felt suffocated everyday, but then I met you."

-Turning the gears of fate.

A drop of ink can penetrate the walls, even the walls you took too long to build.

After losing her first love due to a traffic accident, Ibuki Sumire transfers to Tokyo. She wanted to escape, to run away from everything that happened. To start over in a place that didn't have him. But a series of clues lead her to investigating the case behind the accident.

In that place she learns about the masks people wear. The masks people wear to disgui se their feelings. Sometimes you have to look past what you see on the surface.

There she meets him, the person who helps her move forward. But Sumire quickly learns how alike they are. His cold personality is different than the kindness she is used to. However, he is the only one who understands her feelings.

It keeps going around in circles, like a drop of paint. Round and round - an endless stream of pain and lies. But, that stream ended the moment she laid her eyes on his paintings.

Such rich and vibrant colors, it felt like his emotions exploded. Yet, in the corner of his studio, she found it. The real him, a sakura painting of two people walking hand in hand.

A gentle and sweet feeling, something she has never felt before.

[Commissioned Cover by: Vatarison]