Apocalypse Hunter - Chapter 16

Born and raised as a nameless shadow guard for his kingdom’s crown prince, his life’s purpose was to be used and discarded at the whims of his liege.

And his meaningless life ended when the gaze of a princess lingered on him for too long. The crown prince had him beheaded without a second thought, as if throwing out trash.

Transmigrating into the body of a baby girl, the nameless shadow finally had a name, a family, and a place to call her own. Throwing away his past, the shadow guard was now called ‘Emilia’, and walked on a new path to seek fulfillment.

It was not meant to be, however, as the girl whom she had loved with all her heart and soul ended up mercilessly plunging a dagger through Emilia's love-struck heart at the highest point in her life.

The crowd clamored at the ‘deserved death of the villainess’, and at that moment, the shadow could only wonder… why?

Why am I always the one to dedicate myself fully to someone, only to be thrown away like trash in the end?

And thus, as her soul floated away while cursing in resentment, ‘Emilia’ vowed to herself that in her next life she shall never be the one to fully dedicate herself.

Whatever she likes shall be held in her palm, and shall never escape.

The moment the vow was made, a self-proclaimed villainess system proposed to partner with her, to explore and conquer the worlds through their anchors—the heroes and heroines.

And by cultivating this energy, she shall one day go back. Back to the world she was born as ‘Emilia’ in, and face the so-called heroine once more.

The second time they meet, Emilia won’t be the one drowning in regret!

...

Author's Note: The heroines are not just trophies she’s collecting, only to be forgotten once she collects them. Each of them will remain relevant throughout the story. And it won’t become a mess, promise!

Love is like a battle... A bloodless battle. And every battle has casualties. But this battle leaves even more torturous wounds. Because the wounds of love are left on one's soul.

He might be covered in scars that this battle of feeling left behind, she was the cure he never even knew he was looking for.

He hid his emotions in the maze of his heart, but what to do, the wife he brought home, fancies puzzles.

~~~~

Raelle Xiang likes to have everything under her control. Being a CEO, she has always been very calculative. All her life revolved around profits. She'd avoid anything and everything that she couldn't control or calculate; for instance, feelings!

Something intangible like feelings were too bothersome for her.

Shui Xian has turned cold and aloof after the divorce that left him devastated. With enormous wealth, exceptional family back, he was still considered the ideal man but even after years, he was still single.

He chose to bury himself in work to forget the heartbreak and bitterness that someone left behind.

But what happens when this cold President gets into an arranged marriage with the feisty CEO?

One is broken by love and yet cherishes the pain it brought.

The other has always considered love to be a manipulative emotion.

One has a cold personality, the other is simply cold.

One is all about facts and logic, the other still believe in emotions.

With their similar personalities yet contradicting beliefs, what chaos this marriage is gone bring?

Will love manage to ignite?

Su Qinglan sat cross-legged on the grass, holding the chubbiest tiger cub she’d ever seen.“Aww… Look at you,” she whispered, booping its tiny nose. “So cute I could eat you up...”A sudden shadow loomed over her.“What’s so good about this stinky cub?” a deep, amused voice asked.She blinked up… and froze.Towering above her was a tall tiger beast man, his golden eyes narrowed in a lazy, predatory smile.“Let’s have ours,” he said.Su Qinglan’s brain short-circuited.… Ours? OURS?!Before she could process, in the next moment she was hoisted up onto his broad shoulder like a sack of grain and carried straight toward the cave.Su Qinglan was so choked by the suddenness of it all… she forgot to even complain.***Su Qinglan’s knees knocked together as she stared up at the enormous serpent.Its cold, red eyes narrowed, the flick of its tongue tasting the air between them.“D-Don’t eat me,” she stammered, hugging herself. “I...I’m not tasty… really, I’m stringy and full of… uh… bad cholesterol.”The snake’s head lowered until it was mere inches from her face. Her fox ears twitched wildly.And then, before she could blink...its massive body shimmered, scales turning into bronzed skin and lean muscle.Standing before her was a man so breathtakingly handsome that Su Qinglan’s poor fox eyes watered just looking at him.Su Qinglan swallowed hard, her tail fluffing up in panic.“I… I…” Her voice cracked.Okay, new problem… the snake is hot.She squeezed her eyes shut.“If you… if you really want…” She blurted, her face burning, “…y-you can… take me.”***One moment Su Qinglan was fighting with the zombie king with all her might.Boom!The next, she woke up in a bizarre beast world… inside the body of a lazy, pampered, fat local tyrant everyone hated.The “original” Su Qinglan had been an arrogant, scheming villainess who spent her days bullying weaker beast women, chasing after handsome males, and terrorizing the tribe kids. Now, thanks to fate’s twisted sense of humor, Qinglan had inherited the body and the bad reputation.But honestly? Being fat in a beast world was still better than starving in the apocalypse. At least here, she could eat.The only problem? In this world, men weren’t just men, they were beastmen. Tall, strong, dangerous… And apparently, every beast woman was expected to have several husbands. The catch? The “original” Qinglan’s antics had scared away every decent male within a ten-mile radius.Armed with her apocalyptic survival instincts, a sharp tongue, and a mysterious system that suddenly activated...“Binding with host…“”Congratulations, host, for successfully arriving in the beast world.“Qinglan decided she wasn’t going to cry about fate.If she had to live here, then she’d live big, literally.

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.