A Tale of Blades & Blood - Chapter 8: The Ravenman

Dimensional Knights—legendary heroes who uphold order across the infinite realms. Wielding powers beyond comprehension, their purpose is singular and unwavering: to preserve the balance between worlds and defend against the ever-looming threats that seek to plunge them into chaos.Zane, a boy from Earth—one of the weakest and most forgotten realms—had his world forever changed the day he first witnessed the awe-inspiring power of the Dimensional Knights. In that moment, a dream was born. He wanted to become one of them. A hero. A symbol of strength and salvation.But fate had other plans.One tragic event shattered his world and dragged him into a downward spiral from which there was no escape. As the years passed, the dream that once filled him with hope twisted into something far more desperate. Becoming a Dimensional Knight was no longer about admiration or ideals—it became his only path forward. His only way to fight back. His only way to reach those who caused him immense pain and blood.Now, Zane's journey is not about heroism. It's about vengeance, survival, and rewriting the destiny forced upon him by those who wished for his death.Unbeknowst to him, this very path he was taking would change the order of the world forever.

In the nation of Avrael, power is both a blessing and a curse. Sixteen-year-old Ayato Daath, a poor orphan, had always hoped to live unnoticed in the shadows of the city. But when he is forced to undergo The Rite of Manifestation, the ritual that determines one’s magical potential, his worst fear comes true—he is an Elite.Now torn from the only life he’s ever known, Ayato is thrust into a brutal world of magic, bloodshed, and treacherous politics. In a society where the strong prey on the weak, where rival factions scheme in the dark, and where a single misstep could mean death, Ayato must quickly learn one thing—adapt, or perish. And one thing Ayato already knows is that in Avrael, only the ruthless survive.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. I think you’re——”

Hearing that voice for the first time stopped me in my tracks. On my way home from school. On the playing field of our junior high, and at the bookshop in front of the station. And then in the empty lot where the white cat slept. Shiina Yuki, the strange girl who somehow knew all about me, always approached me like that.

We laughed, cried, got angry, held hands. Again and again, we repeated those disappearing memories and ephemeral promises. That’s why I never knew. I never knew the value of Yuki’s smiles or the meaning of her tears. Nor even the singular sentiment behind her many ‘Nice to meet you’s.

This is a captivating, heartrending tale of meetings and partings.

Hugo Fernandez, a short, skinny virgin with zero charm, was a young man with grand dreams. He had just started college and was brimming with hope for a bright future, but a rather unfortunate food poisoning ’incident’ soon turned his life from bad to worse. He experienced a social death! Out of the blue, a mysterious girl’s voice echoed in his head: [Ding! Fate has aligned, and your woeful destiny with women has reached the heavens! You have been granted the Ultimate Harem System!!!] Hugo’s listless eyes widened. Had he finally received his own cheat code? Was it time for him to ascend to the heavens in a single leap and start attracting women left and right? The mysterious voice spoke again: [Ding! Initialising Death mission... Seduce a 7+ woman within one month or die!] Hugo blinked, his jaw dropping. “Wait, what? Seduce a 7+ woman or die? What kind of medieval torture is this? I can’t even seduce my reflection!” After taking a minute to calm down, he realised it wasn’t as bad as he thought. “In the worst case, I can burrow some money and get a pro-” [No pay pigging] Hugo realised he was soon going to experience a real death! This system was out for his blood! [Tick tock, Romeo. Time’s wasting…] “I’m gonna die!” Join Hugo on a captivating, deadly journey filled with debauchery, womanising, and thrilling level-ups as he rises above all and becomes a Supreme Casanova! If he doesn’t die first, that is…