Valkyrie's Shadow - Chapter 18Before the Storm: Act 5,

In a distant future, the empires of mankind span the galaxy, and glorious Earth has devolved into a peripheral backwater.

In Shanjing city in the Asian region, Wang Zheng’s dreams of becoming a mech pilot are crushed when his college entrance exam genetic score turns out a pathetic twenty eight, barely above an animal.

To make things worse, people get the impression he attempted suicide after being rejected by the campus beauty.

Then the closest thing to a family he has, the old man in the book store across the road, goes missing, leaving him only a mysterious birthday present.

—Book 2 of 9 in the Quillverse—

Given a second chance at life, Oli’s soul was whisked away through the cosmic void. He opens his eyes to a purple sky with three suns and two moons. Oh yeah, and his parents are gorillas.

However, to Oli’s pleasant surprise, those gorillas raise him with more love and care than his previous parents ever had. That is, until Oli’s father dies defending Oli from a dragon. Oli is then gifted his father’s secret treasure to rampantly boost Oli’s cultivation, also discovering his father to be a wanted criminal.

Oli and his gorilla clan decide to seek a territory of their own, and proudly take control of the nearby beast clans to form a town. With his bombastic uncle leading the clan and his uncle’s feline, best friend creating a cultivation academy, Oli can finally focus on his own growth!

But… That defeated dragon reveals the whereabouts of Oli’s gorilla clan. Spies are sent to investigate everything, while powerful mercenaries are hired to betray and slay the gorillas.

In the midst of the mayhem, Oli is kidnapped! But not by his enemy… Oli is awoken by a mysterious man, a man who claims to be an old ally of the gorilla clan and the one responsible for Oli’s reincarnation into this world.

Oli makes a deal with him, whether he wants to or not, dragging the entire world into chaos, genocide, and all-out war! Everything is for a greater cause, in order for Oli to become the world’s strongest divine beast.

Kaito was summoned as a hero... and discarded as trash.No magic. No blessings. Just intelligence and a mysterious deck of cards that summon legendary villainesses—women so dangerous the gods themselves sealed them away.Now, with three (soon four) villain queens at his side, Kaito will build a kingdom from the ashes of his humiliation. Not through strength, but through strategy. Not through destiny, but through choice.But every summoned queen has her own agenda. Every ally hides secrets. And the kingdom that abandoned him? They're coming with armies.[WARNING: R-18 | Explicit content, graphic violence, and adult scenes]→ Anti-Hero MC (Strategic, Morally Gray, No Beta Behavior)→ Four Villain Queens (Competitive Harem, Slow Burn)→ Kingdom Building (Economic, Military, Political)→ Tactical Warfare (Army Battles, No Plot Armor)→ Ancient Technology + Magic Coexistence→ Character Development (MC & Queens Evolve)→ No NTR | No Dumb Decisions | No Forced Drama

Ananya never expected death to bring her into another life.One moment, she was running her parents’ restaurant in the modern world.The next, she opened her eyes in silk robes, surrounded by hostile stares — the Queen Consort of the empire.But this body was cursed in everyone’s eyes.The Emperor loathed her.The mistress laughed at her.And the court whispered behind her back.Only she wasn’t truly alone.> “Finally, someone can see us!”“What kind of Queen Consort are you, so calm even with ghosts in your chamber?”“Shut up, Wei Rong, let her breathe. She looks like she’s about to faint.”Three ghosts — a stoic scholar, a brash general, and a mischievous noble girl — lingered at her side. They were invisible to all but her. And with them, she learned to survive the poisonous palace.When rumors spread that she was cursed, Ananya stood before the empire’s court.Instead of tears, she offered proof. Instead of fear, she offered dignity.> “If Heaven believes I am cursed, let the fire and smoke betray me. I will not hide.”And Heaven sided with her.Outside the palace, crises struck — starving soldiers, missing supplies, merchants growing fat from stolen grain. Inside, Lady Zhen, the Emperor’s favored mistress, grew bolder by the day, flaunting her beauty and mocking Ananya’s quiet grace.> “Sister, do you still dream of winning His Majesty’s heart? Look at you — plain, dull, unworthy.”“If simplicity is a crime, then let it be mine,” Ananya answered, unshaken.The Emperor indulged Lady Zhen openly… but in the silence of night, he tasted Ananya’s food, lingered at her table, and found himself unsettled by her calm.> “This is not palace fare,” he muttered.“It is lighter,” Ananya replied softly. “Easier to sleep after.”Step by step, conspiracy thickened. At a grand banquet, a poisoned cup was placed in Ananya’s hand. But a ghost’s laugh echoed in her ear — and the cup was swapped. A dancer collapsed instead.From that night on, the Emperor’s gaze changed. He began to notice the woman who never begged for favor, never fought for attention, yet always endured.Still, war brewed at the borders. Betrayals reached even the throne. Assassins crept through the palace halls. And the one person who seemed weakest became the calm at the center of the storm.Through whispered secrets, mischievous hauntings, and quiet resilience, Ananya carved her place in the empire.She would not simply survive.She would rise.And the Emperor who once despised her would one day whisper only her name.