Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 174 - Underground Palace

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

[Warning: Mature Content R18+]The taste of forbidden love is the sweetest agony!!They were fucking right.I, Frery Kane was whipped and captivated by a Lycan Shifter from the Bay Shifter pack in Paradise Bay. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, an irresistible pull I couldn’t deny. Alpha Tor Gale, a Lycan Shifter of unparalleled strength, only of his kind, his blood as intoxicating as ambrosia, his presence a temptation, I couldn’t escape. He made me crave more than I should or was allowed.In Paradise Bay, Vampires and Shifters are bound by ancient laws, their rivalry etched into the marrow of our existence. To meet him was to defy centuries of hatred; to love him was to risk everything.Each secret meeting was a dance with death, a betrayal of the Paradise Vampire Coven, and a rebellion against the laws that chained us. But Tor was my forbidden desire, my beautiful torment, and my greatest weakness. I knew the cost of this love, a love that could ignite war and destroy us both. But how could I resist the one thing that made my immortal heart beat once more?Excerpt from Alpha Tor's POV:“So you’ve been following me,” Tor’s deep growl echoed in the icy cavern. His golden eyes caught the flicker of torchlight. His breath misted in the freezing air, curling like smoke between them.“What gave me away?” I responded my voice as low, deep, and steady.Tor laughed a deep rumble that shook the cavern walls. “You reek of desperation. Do you think I didn’t notice your scent clinging to the trees? Are your footprints melting the frost? What is it, vampire? What do you want from me?”My jaw clenched and my gaze didn’t waver. “Your blood,” I taunted as my voice was laced with coldness to see if he could be threatened by my words. “Your kind is... intoxicating. Forbidden. I can’t stop myself.”I expected him to cover but he stepped forward and responded “If it’s my blood you want,” he murmured, his voice low and teasing, “then come closer and take what you need”The words struck me like lightning, and a fiery heat surged through my veins. My beast clawed at my control, drawn to him in a way that defied logic. His gaze held mine, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t know whether to run or to stay.___________________________________________________________________________________________In the end, they called me a betrayer. A traitor to the Paradise Vampire Coven. But how could I hold back when I had tasted something far sweeter than immortality? Alpha Tor was my forbidden fruit, the Lycan Shifter Alpha who defied everything I was taught to hate. But when I surged forward, ready to face anyone who dared stand between us, fate revealed the old prophecy hidden in Hanka Island. Alpha Tor wasn’t just my lover, he was my lifetime mate, our bond blessed by the ancient magic of Hanka Island itself.And our love was not meant to follow the rules, it was meant to break them.

Mutations occurred around the whole world and soon, a demonic apocalypse befell.

In order to defend against demonic beings, humans swiftly entered a globalized digital age. Everyone would be able to choose between a fighting or a supporting job through awakening once they reached the age of 18. These people would get stronger by slaying demonic beings.

Lu Yan had awakened to the weakest job, a Necromancer. However, he had also received a Job Supporting System and was able to reawaken into a hidden job, Lord of the Death.

“Necromancers are so weak that they die in one hit!”

“Man, that dude’s luck is just the worst. He did get a fighting job, but it’s the weakest. What can he do? Summon a few skeletons?”

“Also, aren’t there only like a handful of Necromancers out there? There aren’t a lot of experience or resources for them to inherit. Their future seems bleak.”

“Forget Necromancers! I got the Holy Knight job! Your all-around king is here!”

Not long after that, Lu Yan appeared in a full set of Death Nether Armor while wielding the Death Soul Scythe and leading a 100 thousand-strong death army. With a single swing of his scythe, he split the mythical rank demonic beast in half.

“Necromancers are weak? What does that have to do with me, the Lord of the Death?”

There are times—far too many times—when you feel that uncontrollable urge to kill someone.For Kaya, this… this was exactly that moment.“Repeat what you just said?”She’d seen hell on the battlefield—second-in-command of a military unit, dodging bullets, dragging traitors by the collar, and coming out alive with grit under her nails.But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared her for the sight of her spineless husband flirting with her own sister. Right in front of her.“I could never marry a barbarian like you. The one I... I like is Meera—”Blah blah. The same pitiful nonsense again.You think—what could possibly be worse than this?And then, right on cue, your idiotic sister chimes in, completely serious, “I just poisoned you.”Wow.BANG.Before anyone could even react, Meera collapsed.Dead.Her so-called husband gasped like a fish dragged out of water.“Y-you…”He dropped to his knees, staring at Kaya like he was seeing a monster rise from the dark.“You killed your sister?! How could y—?”BANG.Second bullet.Same spot.He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.Silence....Just when Kaya thought her story had finally reached its bitter end, the universe—no, god himself—decided to throw in one last, ridiculous twist.“Wife… wife, didn’t you say you were gonna eat me? Why’d you stop?”A snake beast, ridiculously charming and glowing like some immortal fantasy, clung to her, eyes gleaming.Another voice interrupted.“Shut up! My wife wants to cuddle me now—”A sparrow beastman leapt into her arms, like that made any sense.“Hic… wife, don’t you want me anymore?”A panda-like beastman sat beside her, huge, sniffly, and wronged like a child abandoned at a festival.Sitting in the middle of all this, Kaya was absolutely dumbfounded.‘When the hell did all of this even start?’