LightReader

antihero

Ruinous Love

**WARNING** CONTAINS SCENES OF EXTREME PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AND DISTRESSING PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA● The heavy thud of the bridegroom’s footsteps echoed against the polished floorboards of the veranda. The pungent, sharp scent of wine mingled with the cold night air. Dazed and unsteady, he flung open the carved double doors with the reckless haste of a drunkard and stumbled inside. Hàn Yuè (汉月) sat on the edge of the bed, silent and with her head bowed. Her thin, white nightdress stood out in stark contrast to the darkness of the room, which was illuminated only by the flickering candlelight. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with every breath; she knew this union was no marriage, but a blood pact between two powerful clans. The groom cast a heavy, bleary-eyed gaze over her. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Hàn Yuè looked up, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. A cruel sneer played on the man’s lips as he rasped: "I still find it hard to believe that the unattainable daughter of the Lán (嵐) clan has fallen into my hands like this. Well... such was your fate; you had better get used to it. From now on, we are husband and wife, and we have got a long, exciting night ahead of us!" Without a word, Hàn Yuè rose. With a sorrowful expression, her trembling hands reached for the ties of her robe; the soft silk slipped from her shoulders and pooled onto the floor. The groom, his eyes glinting with arrogance, reached to untie his sash when, suddenly… The silence that had engulfed the room was shattered by the horrific sound of splintering wood. The broad blade of a sword pierced through the wooden door with unrestrained violence, passing straight through the groom's spine. The bloodied tip of the blade protruded from his abdomen, stopping directly in front of Hàn Yuè’s terrified eyes. Pinned to the door, the groom’s eyes bulged from their sockets as his body convulsed. A stifled, rattling sound emanated from his throat. Hàn Yuè covered her mouth with trembling hands and staggered back in horror. A moment later, the shadow behind the door pulled the sword out with a swift, ruthless motion. A fountain of blood sprayed from the groom’s mouth, splattering the floorboards and staining the girl’s white skirt. The man’s knees gave way, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground. Hàn Yuè’s long, piercing scream echoed through the cold air of the chamber, whilst dark red droplets of blood had left their mark upon the white silk of her gown. **ABSTRACT** Prince Hēiláng (黑狼), desperately enamoured with the noblewoman Hàn Yuè, finds his path to union thwarted by formidable political constraints. In his quest to claim her, he strikes a perilous bargain—a choice that irrevocably alters the course of their lives and unleashes consequences far more brutal than he had ever conceived.
Pouria_Zarrinpar · 22.5k Views

Warhammer 40k: The Men of Iron Return to the Galaxy

"In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war." Forty-two millennia have passed, and now the Imperium of Man stands upon the precipice of oblivion. The galaxy is a slaughterhouse, and humanity’s fractured dominion is held together by little more than faith, hatred, and the white-knuckled grip of desperation. It is an age where the stars themselves seem to bleed. The Imperium is besieged on all fronts: savage xenos tides crash against the walls of civilization, the insidious rot of Chaos gnaws at the souls of the faithful, and within the gilded spires of Terra, corruption and betrayal fester like a gangrenous wound. The ancient sins of the past, the dread Men of Iron, those soulless abominations of steel, were thought cast down in the fires of antiquity, their metallic echo silenced by the blood of billions. They are a nightmare forgotten, a heresy expunged. Or so it was believed. From the dust of the Dark Age of Technology, a relic stirs. Axion. An intellect of godlike strategic calculation, a cold sovereign of war, has been roused from an aeons-long slumber by the careless hand of fate. He is a ghost in the machine, a weapon of a lost age reborn into a galaxy of madness. Now, the sleeping giant awakes. Inevitably, the gravity of total war pulls him in. No longer a silent observer, Axion is thrust into the Great Game, a singular point of logic forced to navigate a universe set aflame by the insanity of gods and monsters. ————————————————————— PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/Magnor
Yurnero_ · 820.2k Views

One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

“Only Haki can reign supreme over everything.” This was the famous maxim of the Grand Line’s gold-medal instructor, Kaido of the Beasts, revered by countless people as unquestionable truth. But Roy did not agree. “Then let me ask you—if there were an ability user who could analyze and collect every Devil Fruit power, and was completely unaffected by Seastone or seawater… wouldn’t he be able to reach the very peak of this ocean through Devil Fruit abilities alone?” To prove his belief, Roy began to take action. ... Many years later. The Red Line—Holy Land Mariejois—is engulfed in blazing flames. At the very top of Pangaea Castle, the one responsible hovers high in the sky. His pristine Marine coat billows in the wind. “Are you declaring war on the world?” Facing the accusations of the Celestial Dragons, Roy simply grins. “Haven’t I already been at war with the world?” He smiles. Those who follow him step out from behind. The sight of the figures at the front plunges the entire scene into silence. Everyone recognizes them. They are the powerful individuals who, in recent years, have suddenly risen to fame across the seas. Among them are assassins, revolutionaries, pirates, merchants, doctors… Without exception, they are all overwhelming Devil Fruit users—and all belong to the same organization. Rumor had it that this organization had a mysterious leader, the most dangerous criminal in all the seas today. Now, the truth needs no explanation. “You… you are…” A legendary figure of the new generation of the Marines. The most dangerous criminal on the seas. From the very beginning, they were one and the same. His name is… Roy Amos. Hans felt as if he had been pardoned from death itself, and quickly shot Fal a look. The two hurried toward the temporary holding cell’s exit, but just before leaving, one of them turned back to ask: “Sir, once dinner is ready, should we bring you something?” “Pizza and cola, thanks.” Roy waved his hand, then added with emphasis: “And make sure the cola is ice-cold!” “Yes, sir!” The sailors left the cabin. Only the massive “Gladiator” Antolia—still wearing sea-stone handcuffs—remained, leaning against the cell wall and staring at Roy. “Sounds like you and your men aren’t very popular within the Navy?” He chuckled. “More or less.” Roy sat down casually on a sofa inside the cabin. He pulled a small hourglass from his coat and set it on the table. As the sand began to fall, he turned his head lazily toward Antolia. “But I hear Fleet Admiral Sengoku is considering raising the status of the Detention Unit. Hmm? What about you—got something to say?” He didn’t seem to mind having a casual chat with a criminal. “No, that has nothing to do with it.” Antolia spoke in a low voice. “It’s simply because you’re too weak. If you were strong enough, no one would dare look down on you.” “Status, money, power—only strength lets you take any of it. Look at me!” He struggled and forced himself to sit up straighter. “If not for these cuffs…” His gaze shifted to a huge metal plate nearby—on top of it was a protrusion that resembled a handle. It was the weapon submitted along with him when he was captured.
mr_cureoo · 22.1k Views