Tatakau Shisho - Final Chapter: The Sunset, Shiron, and Colio – Part 2

WARNING: DARK AND MATURE CONTENT. Readers discretion advised.Serena Alaric wanted nothing more than a quiet life, far from the shadows of her family’s dark past. But when masked enforcers storm her home and drag her into the clutches of the Council of Vitae, she learns her blood is the key to a deadly legacy she never asked for.Lucian Draven is the cold and ruthless leader of a powerful mafia syndicate, cursed to endure unimaginable pain. The Council claims Serena is his only salvation. Yet beneath the Council’s polished facade lies a web of lies, experiments, and betrayal that runs far deeper than either of them imagined.Forced into an uneasy alliance and given a time limit to produce an heir, Serena and Lucian must navigate a treacherous world of power and manipulation, where trust is a rare commodity. As they uncover the truth about the Council’s sinister plans, their hatred begins to give way to something unexpected—a bond forged in fire and blood.But with enemies closing in from all sides and time running out, Serena and Lucian must decide: will they fight their fates, or embrace the dangerous connection that could either save them, or destroy them both?

Asking help from the enemy was the last thing Samantha ever planned on doing, but who knew she would find her fate irrevocably sealed in the hands of a notorious Vampire Lord?In a world where Humans and Vampires have chosen to co-exist, the sacred orb of GreenHollow in the Northern Empire goes missing on a rainy night, right after the death of their ruler who was murdered in cold blood.It brought upon them an endless drought that can only be reversed when the sacred orb is found, and returned to its rightful place in the Empire.Ivan Chevalier, the heir and most feared son of the murdered Vampire King, has only two motives in life - to find his Father's perpetrator and behead him, his second motive is hunting down the sacred orb and restoring GreenHollow to what it used to be during his Father's reign.But when both motives lead him to the hands of his enemy's daughter, he has to choose between getting rid of her, or using her to his advantage by turning her into his blood slave.Samantha Dufort, a simple girl from EmptyHollow, is on the run with her younger brother after witnessing her Father being brutally murdered by a Vampire Lord.On the way, she gets abducted by slave traders.Forcefully separated from her younger brother, Samantha finds herself in a brothel, where she is trained to become a courtesan till she comes of age to be sold out.Her encounter with a mysterious man in white whom she referred to as her 'angel of death' saves her from a misery that only led Samantha into the cage of a Vampire Lords den.Tricked into becoming his puppet, Samantha tries to find different opportunities to escape the Vampire's den, and the Vampire Lord in person. But will she succeed when no one has ever left the Palace walls?Well, she was going to be the first to escape from these walls and find her missing brother.Twisted and trapped in the webs of Vampire politics interrelating with humans, Samantha discovers the main reason for her existence, a reason that could lead to changing the course of Empty Hollow. What happens when the Vampire Lord isn't the only darkness she has to run away from?

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Su Yan had been crushing on Wei Zhou for seven years, only becoming his wife after an accident. Everyone mocked her about her luck, claimed she had married above her station, ridiculed her, and ostracized her. But Su Yan didn’t care. Her seven-year crush had finally blossomed and she felt only bliss. Yet, Wei Zhou had thought she was a scheming woman who used underhanded tactics to win his hand. It was all a misunderstanding! Su Yan tried to explain but Wei Zhou wouldn’t believe her. Eventually, Su Yan stopped trying, believing that time would prove it all. One day, Wei Zhou was on the tabloids, rumored to be having an affair with a female celebrity. Su Yan sought an explanation from him. So long as he explained, she would believe him. But Wei Zhuo never explained. He merely answered coldly, “Just behave as Mrs. Wei and mind your own business.” Mind her own business? Su Yan laughed. Looking back, how much of a fool had she been to assume she could melt his iron heart? Any blazing passion would eventually die out from indifference until nothing was left. Su Yan then realized. She was rich, beautiful, and had a great body. Why must she waste her efforts on a heartless blockhead like Wei Zhou? Su Yan dragged Wei Zhou to the Civil Affairs Bureau to separate their union. From now on, whoever they dated had nothing to do with the other! After their divorce, Su Yan went back to being herself. Excellent as she already was, Su Yan unleashed her dazzling light upon the world once more. Then, once every few days, Wei Zhou would see gossip about his ex-wife on the trending searches. Yesterday, she was having a candlelight dinner with a movie star, today, she had brought home a young hunk to engage in passionate romance?! Wei Zhou threw his phone on the floor. “To hell with your passionate romance! That’s my woman!” Surrounded by gorgeous men and enjoying her life, Su Yan asked, “Mister, who are you?”