Hell's Consort - Chapter 5 - Sacrificial Lambs (edited)

From infancy to maturity, what Ye Zhou dislikes the most was “two”.

The reasons were: he was ranked second at home, he had been forever ranked second at school, no matter how diligently he worked and tried, he couldn’t shake off that “second” curse. What was more exasperating was that, at University, not only was he ranked second, but even his appearance that he was proud of had to be classified as second best!

Why can’t I obtain the first place!

The eternal second will rise!

Then, Ye Zhou, after his vigorous efforts finally rises and the result was… the first became his boyfriend.

This is the story of a man who has been forced to be “second” and how he became the first, most popular.

- Description from Novelupdates

For Marco, Lucas is his meek little brother. For the rest of the world, he is the menacing Ghost of Vermil.“Angels endow blessings. Demons sow curses.” A hundred years ago, angels and demons descended on earth. It is said they are still here.Annointed with potent holy power, Marco is set to join the Kingdom's Holy Army to fight off the demonic legion. But before that, he must confront the trail of blood and ash that points to Lucas's involvement with the dark side.As mysteries unfold and loyalties fracture, Marco is faced with the question: where does holiness end and damnation begin? If all lines are blurred and the fate of humanity is at stake, will he have enough resolve to strike down the brother he once swore to protect?

Villain System: Let the Young and Naïve Duchess of the Cang Court Principality, Sylvia, Experience the Betrayal of Her Loved Ones, and Achieve Transformation and RebirthTransmigrating into a Western fantasy world centered around beast taming, Xia Ya stared at the beginner mission in front of him, lost in thought.Sylvia—the legendary “Silver Witch of Cang” recorded in history—had already ascended to legend status five hundred years ago. After establishing the White Chalk Tower, she vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. And as for the Cang Court Principality? It had long since been destroyed. How was he supposed to complete this f***ing mission?This system was five hundred years late!Yet, the mission reward was simply too tempting. After much deliberation, Xia Ya made a decision that would make his ancestors roll in their graves—[To Deceive History Itself]The capital was gone? Fine. Then I’ll just write my name into the duke’s family records and become the older brother of the duchess. No objections, right?Modify relics and ancient texts? Sure. Let’s say I was manipulated by cultists, falsely accused Sylvia of an imaginary crime, and personally exiled her. Then, later, I came to my senses and perished alongside the mastermind behind it all. That sounds reasonable, right?[The One Forgotten by Time][The Heartless Tyrant][The King Who Turned His Back on the World]One hidden truth after another began to resurface.[The Silver Witch’s Diary]Waking from my self-imposed slumber, my memories are in tatters—except for one, still deeply etched into my soul: the pain of betrayal.Recent archaeological discoveries have revealed the truth…It turns out that the principality had already been corrupted by a cult. Not long after my exile, an evil god descended upon the royal capital, annihilating all life.So… my brother did all of that… to save me?

Rex was an ordinary salaryman, resigned to a dull life of monotony in a towering megacity. But his world shatters when he’s conscripted by Nexum Dynamics, a ruthless megacorporation, and thrust into a brutal war for a barren, alien world. The planet holds unimaginable riches, but it’s also swarming with the Krhyssari, an insectoid race that dominates the surface with their hive-mind precision and relentless aggression. Amid the carnage, Rex had an extraordinary encounter with Cleo, an ancient AI, a survivor of a long-extinct civilization. Cleo isn’t just an artificial intelligence; she’s a consciousness imbued with memories of her people’s interstellar empire and equipped with advanced bio-nanotechnology. Offering Rex a new purpose and unmatched power, she transforms his fragile human body into a hybrid of living metal and flesh, making him the ultimate weapon. But Cleo is more than a tool of war. As she journeys alongside Rex, her cold, logical algorithms evolve, shaped by his humanity. Together, they form a bond that transcends the boundaries of man and machine, discovering love in the midst of chaos. As Rex and Cleo fight for survival, they uncover a shared ambition, to rise as intergalactic overlords, uniting or conquering the galaxy.