BEYOND THE BLAZE - Chapter 18: New training

Look, I’m Riven Kael.Twenty-eight, data analyst, zero ambition beyond paying rent and avoiding small talk. My life was spreadsheets, instant ramen, and the occasional ghost I pretended not to see.Then one mandatory company gala, because of course it was mandatory, turned into the universe’s worst prank.I touched a cursed amulet.I just touched it.Next thing I know, I’m waking up in a penthouse that costs more than my entire bloodline, sporting a glowing marriage sigil on my wrist, legally and magically hitched to Azryth Valek.Yes, that Azryth Valek.The CEO of half the planet, a walking sin in a three-piece suit, an ancient demon lord who was literally sealed inside said amulet until I accidentally set him free.He says we’re bound. Separation means both of us die slowly and painfully.Soul-consumption optional but very much on the table if I’m stupid enough to fall for him. Which, newsflash, I am not. I’m not.Shut up.So now I’m living with an unfortunately hot CEO from hell, dodging assassination attempts disguised as corporate mergers, banishing spirits that show up at my desk like unpaid interns, and pretending we’re a power couple for the cameras while he smirks like he knows exactly how much I want to strangle him. Or kiss him. Or both.Brain, we are not doing this.I didn’t sign up for boardroom battles, multiversal rifts, or the terrifying realization that the arrogant demon who ruined my life might be the only one who truly sees me.But here I am. Still complaining, still fighting, still falling, against every shred of common sense, hopelessly, stupidly, irrevocably in love.Because when the universe marries you to the devil, it doesn’t ask for consent.It just hands you the ring.And damn it, I’m keeping it.

“Brother, I loved you since before I was born!”

Corporate s*ave Yukimura Rina was reincarnated as the villainess Ekaterina from an Otome game. In her past life, she was obsessed with the brother of the Villainess, Alexei, but seeing him in real life is so much better than in the game! It’s just that, her brother’s upbringing is just so sad that she cries every time she thinks about it!

“Okay! I’m going to escape mine and my country’s destruction flag and make sure everyone lives happily!”

Thus, the villainess from the prestigious 400-year-old Yurinova Dukedom along with her sharp-tongued tendencies back when she was a corporate s*ave forge on forward. With her common sense and knowledge of history, she plans on saving her brother and overcoming all the game events.

For some reason, as time goes by, her talented brother becomes more and more of a siscon. Wait no, he was a siscon to begin with, but she’s more than happy to spend more time with her brother as a brocon and siscon.

And as time goes by, her plan to avoid the heroine and the prince death flag has become more and more messed up. Why? No no, the two of them are good people and good friends, but…

“Prince, stay far far away from me.”

Even so, the settings of the Otome game she played before are completely messed up in this world, nothing is the same.

Anyways! The evil villainess Ekaterina will do her best for the sake of her brother!

Jiang Chen had unexpectedly found himself thrust into a world of cultivation, stepping into the role of a core disciple within a famed sect. Fated to be the villain, his future loomed with calamity. He had plotted against the protagonist, crippling his dantian and leaving him a disgraced outcast teetering on the edge of expulsion. Were it not for an unexpected twist, Jiang Chen’s part might have ended as a mere footnote in the protagonist’s glorious tale. Fully aware of his precarious position, Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a sly grin. Alone, he mused: ’Is the protagonist powerful? Without a doubt.’ ’But will I tremble in fear? Absolutely not.’ ’Why? Because I have the Immortal Great Villain System!’ ’Wait... there’s more than one protagonist?’ ’Well, isn’t that just perfect?’ With a determined glint in his eyes, Jiang Chen declared to himself, ’As the ultimate Great Villain, I will defy the will of Heaven and seize my place at the summit!’

I, the protagonist, was just an ordinary NEET, but suddenly I was reincarnated as a tiny white snake in a fantasy world where legendary creatures and gods exist. Not only that, but I awakened in a cave as the offspring of a terrifying Medusa Serpent.Armed with only my human knowledge and my indomitable mental strength, I'm forced to use cunning tactics and rapidly evolving skills to survive against far stronger monsters and humans... So begins the survival story of a former shut-in with incredible willpower, living as one of the lowest-ranked beasts in a world of magic!ᆖMusic suddenly started playing in my head.I'd been waiting for this moment for so long.'Snakes! Assemble'....