The Labyrinth of the Monsters - Chapter 18 – The sparrow is behind

On this land of real souls, with millions of different martial art institutions, there’re so many strong fighters just like the trees in the forests.

Suddenly I died.Because of a heart attack, right after beating the hardest game I had ever played.But when I opened my eyes, I was no longer myself. I become Tristan Althrone, the main villain of the first arc, the wretched noble who tormented the protagonist, only to meet a gruesome end.I know how this story unfolds. I know how I die. I know who will betray me.So I refuse to play my part.I won’t follow the script. I won’t accept my fate.But the more I struggle to escape my doomed role, the deeper I sink into it.And the worst part?I have to deal with her, the naïve protagonist, destined to become this world’s hero.But she doesn’t even know that the fate of this world rests in her hands.And me?I just want to survive… even if it means deceiving everyone. Including her.

I traverse along the pathway of darkness and imagination…

Unite the Clans? Create an Empire?Atrox Soryu thought he was destined for greatness… until he wasn’t.Born into the smaller Soryu Clan, Atrox was a prodigy, praised for his unparalleled swordsmanship and relentless ambition. He vowed to become Emperor of the Eternal Skies, a title that hadn't been claimed in centuries. But on the day he was to manifest his Order Mark—the source of every knight’s power—everything went wrong.Instead of the revered Holy, Elemental, or Mystic Orders, Atrox was branded with a Forbidden Order: Something twisted and wrong. A death sentence in the eyes of the world. Branded a monster and exiled by his own father, Atrox was cast into a brutal labor camp where the weak are crushed, and the strong are barely tolerated.But exile isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. In the harshest of conditions, Atrox awakens the full potential of his forbidden powers, powers that could rival even the strongest Knights. He will forge alliances with the forgotten, turn his enemies into allies, and rise from the shadows to build an empire from nothing.Betrayed, exiled, and broken? No. Atrox Soryu is building an empire—and the Eternal Skies will bow to him.