The Grandmaster Strategist - Volume 5, Chapter 13: Defeat at Anze

In the land of the Xia Kingdom, every human being is born with what is known as a ‘resonance’, either to a specific element or a powerful, mythical beast. Unfortunately, Li Luo was born with an incredibly rare condition known as a blank resonance – as the name suggests, he doesn’t have one! Normally, this would be utterly crippling, but at least he has the advantage of being the young master of the mighty House Loulan, one of the five Great Houses of Xia. Unfortunately, his parents, the powerful masters of House Loulan, have gone missing for many years, and the other Great Houses are beginning to eye their holdings quite hungrily. For that matter, plenty are also eyeing his talented, beautiful childhood friend and fiancee Jiang Qing’e, who has been leading House Loulan in his parents’ stead! Li Luo would much rather keep a low profile and wants to call off the engagement – but Jiang Qing’e has flatly refused. What’s a ‘useless young master’ to do?

In the age of interstellar exploration, three hundred years ago, Mage explorers from the yellow river planet took their first step towards outer space.

It was a joyous event for every mage on that planet, yet unfortunately, space is dominated by other races.

The Peak level Mage from the Yellow River Planet was the weakest power in existence among other outer space races. It's a cruel reality for everyone.

From then on, every mage from the Yellow River Planet began to increase their power level by consuming outer space resources.

Then they constantly researched, upgraded the power level system and tried to pave the way for the next generation of space explorers.

Now, our MC Vincent Carey's ambition is to be the next generation of space explorers.

How is he going to increase his strength and compete among other races to get resources?

How is the unknown little yellow river planet going to be known and feared by others?

“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!

The Last Touched is a haunting fantasy of bloodlines, broken fate, and the perilous cost of power.Elsbeth MoonChild is the last of the touched—the final descendant of a cursed lineage bound to the flame. As Alpha of the shattered 12th pack, she bears the ruin left by her father’s crime: the murder of the queen. Branded by his betrayal, hunted by her former chosen mate, and driven into exile with the last of her people, Elsbeth has one desperate path forward—to survive, she must stake her claim in the Rite of Queens, an ancient trial that demands strength, sacrifice, and the will to rule.But the Rite does more than test her body and mind. It pulls her backward in time, submerging her into the forgotten life of her ancestor—the first queen. As memories bleed into dreams and dreams into waking, Elsbeth begins to unravel a long-buried truth: the flame in her blood is not just magic. It is a weapon. A curse. A gift once traded in blood and sacrifice to end an age of chaos.And she is not the only one who carries it.Julia, her estranged sister—exiled, fire-born, and half-mad with hunger—is no hybrid. She is the living echo of the power their bloodline tried to bury. Ruthless, charismatic, and driven by the belief that the throne was stolen from her, Julia is building a gospel of grievance and flame. Her army grows in the shadows, fed by secrets and stolen children. And with each ritual, the ancient seal weakens, waking something that was never meant to rise again.Torn between duty and desire, Elsbeth clings to the one thing that keeps her tethered—Fen, her true mate, a being older than he appears, hiding a divine truth of his own. Their bond runs deeper than fate, but it terrifies her. To surrender to it would mean choosing love over the kingdom. And if she falls too far, the flame inside her might burn her from within… just as it did her father.As old gods stir and the fire in her blood begins to answer the call of something watching from beneath the ice, Elsbeth must decide: will she become the queen her people need? Or the weapon her blood was meant to wield?