Gilded Ashes: When Shadows Reign - Chapter 65: Courage over Legend

Who needs a Class when you're already the strongest anyways?Ten years ago, Amelia woke up alone and lost in a broken world where she had to fight for her survival.Now, after reaching the pinnacle of power, defeating the Void itself, and escaping the abyss, she has finally found her way back into the real world. But instead of returning to Earth, she arrives in the land of Vacuos. A fantasy world with magic, monsters, Classes, and Levels. A world that is governed by a System like it were a video game.And when rewarded with a Class befitting her accomplishments— to become a powerful [Hero] that will forever dedicate her life to protecting this world that is not her own— she only has one response.“Absolutely not. I’m going to live a normal life now, thank you very much.”

She was an empress who had been immersed in the inner palace for thirty years, yet she died silently in the cold palace.When she opened her eyes again, she had become the well-regarded wife of a prominent household.Yan Dai stared at her rival in confusion and asked little uncle: “I’m the official wife. As long as I’m still here, she’s just a concubine even if she enters the door. How dare she overstep her bounds and make trouble for me? Does she want to die?”Huo Shaojie, deceased.Yan Dai looked at her sister-in-law innocently: “Give birth? Since she’s a concubine, the children born to a concubine should be raised by me, the official wife. Why would I torture myself by giving birth?”Sister-in-law, deceased.Yan Dai looked at Huo Shaoting, holding a small notebook and earnestly asking him: “Husband, how many concubines are you planning to take? Let me make some plans for you…”Huo Shaoting: “???”What is taking concubines when you already have a wife?

Chained by slavery and yet craving freedom, such is the fate of Alpheo , a modern historian forced to live under the grip of slavery in a land where chaos would soon erupt.

As the empire of Rolmia plunges into civil war following the death of the emperor , his three ambitious sons vie for the throne. In the midst of this turmoil, Alpheo finds the chance to break his chain and escape, leading his companions into the ashes of war, trying to thrive in it, selling their swords to the highest bidder .

But beyond the borders of Rolmia, hungry eyes watch as the empire's grip loosens. The Sultanate of Azania, ever the opportunist, sees a chance to expand its domain and influence , while to the south, neighboring principalities breathe a sigh of relief as the once-dominant giant stumbles and falters.

In the north, the confederation of the Free Isle finds their chance to restore their old tradition of pillaging and piratery, denied to them by an empire that is now crumbling beneath itself.

In this crucible of conflict, where dynasties crumble and empires fall, Alpheo find his call and the chance to forge his own destiny amidst the ashes of empires.

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Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?Wrong.One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.Enter him.Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.And now, he’s not letting me go.