12 O'Clock Marionette - Chapter 45

The Empire's forces retreated in desperation—trampled by faceless horrors bringing darkness and death to these once beautiful lands.Only the most courageous stood in defiance, forming a last defence to buy the people time to flee—fighting until the final embers of hope burned out.A man stands with a silver sword, like a beacon of hope to those around him. He roared with all his might drawing his blade against the overwhelming enemy!“You face Lancelot, Sword of the Empire! ”These horrors tested the Lord's grit and loyalty in the final moments.“Should my blade break, I will use my body!”The knights had fallen, broken swords for their tombstones, and lords fled, betraying the Empire to survive.“If my body breaks, I'll use my Soul!”Lancelot, the sword of the Empire, fought alone.All hope seemed lost.“And if my Soul fails...”What could a single man and his army do?He fights against the dark tide, blade in hand, heart on sleeve.“I will sell myself to the devil for revenge!”But he was too weak, too fragile.The last Lord of humanity stood against the enemy.Lancelot was a master of the sword, a mortal, neither a God nor a Saint.Miracles were beyond his reach.Now only a broken man impaled on his own destroyed throne.His blade shattered—now, like rose petals, it was scattered across the charred ground.Lancelot's soul was fated for the abyss as the light faded from his eyes.His last ounce of resistance used staring at the man who betrayed the Empire.Now with only the desire to kill, crush and seek revenge smouldering inside him.Now unwilling to die and desperate to fight once again.He desired to fight for the people who supported him.Lancelot refused to surrender, to fall like this.As quietly in the abyss, a voice whispered to him.It tried to entice the Lord, ignite his desire to win and fight again.“If given a second chance, to relive your life with a different choice... Would you Accept?”Blood gathered in his throat, forcing him to reply in his mind.A frail and broken voice'There is no reason to ask, of course!'“No matter the cost?”'Even if I were to lose everything...''If my people can live on. I would sacrifice everything I have!'“You will no longer be the same, a monster, twisted and vicious.”“Will you still accept?”The Lord's heart ached, taking great pride in his humanity.To lose that caused his mind to falter.Finally, out of power, unable to speak or reply with a trembling arm.Lancelot reached out.Towards the raspy voice.Towards the abyss.Towards a new future.[So you would accept after all...]'I must accept.''I must stand tall.''I must not break.''Because...''I am the Lord of humanity![Nay, you are the king of demons]

Azuma Hiroshi, a good-for-nothing man, and Toudou Haruna, a beautiful woman are caught up in a malicious game bug.

They are stuck inside a VRMMO game world and left penniless, starting without a bag and only their beginners kit.

「What is happening……？」「What should I do……？」

Hiroshi has a phobia with women and whilst he was thrown into this game-like world, it was most definitely a completely different world.

This is a story of their adventure, looking for a way to return to his original world.

When shy teen musician Kael uploads a rough demo, he never expects it to grab the attention of a rising studio. Thrown into the underground music scene, Kael must confront doubt, pressure, and his past as he fights to find his voice—on the mic and in life.Story was written 1 year ago

It all started with a Book review…[To Kill A Demon Lord…] had everything; It had Magic, It had action, it had an abundance of interesting characters and—probably most important of all—it had Vampires.Kevin (Username: Kevin_The_Man) enjoyed the read. Stayed up to date with every chapter update and it quickly became his favorite Webnovel… That was until the Author killed off his favorite character, Caius Von Helsing, A Vampire Spawn who spent most of the story frustratingly resisting his Vampirism so as not to ‘become a Monster’.Kevin quickly wrote a review expressing his dissatisfaction so naturally, when the Author replied and asked for Kevin’s help in making a revised edition of the story, he quickly accepted…… Only to fall asleep and wake up in the world of [To Kill A Demon Lord…] as none other than his favorite character, Caius Von Helsing, the Vampire Spawn.Kevin—now Caius—quickly discovers that there is so much more involved in making a ‘revised edition’ of a novel than simply writing it. And that there are powerful forces that especially want Caius to die and stay dead…… But that death is still quite in the future so Kevin—now Caius—is quickly optimistic.He has a mission now;To enjoy the wonders this world has to offer—as the original character never would—by fully accepting and evolving his nature as a Vampire.