Ileus: The Dark Prince - Chapter 5 - Our Only Option

The Strongest Magic meets the Mightiest Mecha.

I have stolen Golden Mechas from the deepest vaults of the most tightly guarded fortresses in the world.

I have personally destroyed more armies than the top three superpowers have in the span of the Absolute War - combined.

I burned down the terrorist megacity of Habon.

I was expelled from the Union of Heroes at a younger age than people are allowed in.

I have talked to Ancient Gods, loved women, and devoured mechas that would make superpowers cringe in fear.

I have faced demons head on in moonless nights others fear to speak of during the day.

I am deified in a thousand cultures, and labelled as the devil incarnate in the rest.

I am the Mecha Emperor.

You may have heard of me.

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Excerpt from Chapter 1

This is where it all began.

A junkyard.

Oh no, this isn't your clean, mechas-only junkyard that was the 'starting point' of many mecha geniuses out there.

I have seen and heard my share of rags-to-riches stories, and many of them claimed that they had started from 'junkyards' and slowly grew to be where they were right now.

From Zero to Hero, they declared.

You can do it too, they said.

As long as you work hard, everything is possible, they claimed.

I call bullshit.

Life doesn't work like that.

In his old world, Aiden Ferith was a peerless war hero—feared by nations, revered by millions. Through years of brutal cultivation, he reached heights others only dreamed of. But glory turned to ash when his most trusted disciple drove a blade through his heart, shattering his empire and his soul.That should have been the end.But fate had other plans.Reborn in a world ruled by magic, where mages manipulate elements and battle with dazzling spells, Aiden awakens in the body of a seemingly average boy named Logan Smith. Here, cultivation is unheard of—dismissed as a myth, or worse, a joke.But what they don’t understand will be their undoing.Armed with ancient cultivation techniques that bypass the limitations of magic, Logan begins to carve a path that defies the laws of this new realm. Stronger, faster, and more resilient than any mage, he’s not here to play by their rules.He’s here to break them.Betrayed once.Stripped of everything.This time, he’s not fighting for a kingdom—He’s here to live life on his own terms—to protect those he loves, and finally, to live for himself.

--WSA 2025 ENTRY--Neraxis saved the people and wiped out the monsters, but instead of cheers, he faced silence and a glowing blue text:[Task Failed Successfully!][Rating Generated: SSS-Rank]“The hell does that even mean?” he muttered, finding the situation a bit strange.Before he could process, the so-called heroes—who had hidden while he fought—emerged. He waited for gratitude, only to feel a dagger pierce his back.The only girl he loved stood behind him.She betrayed him.The crowd and heroes? They were staring at him with disdain and contempt.“You...” he groaned as a spear and sword headed for him, ending his life.But instead of dying, he was sent back to the past—specifically, to the first day of the academy, year 2367, 8 years before his death.However, many things had changed. One of the most significant was the sudden appearance of a Tower, a mysterious structure that had appeared across all the continents, granting power to those brave enough to contest its challenges.“Not again... With this chance I will end you all” Neraxis vowed to himself, embarking on his path of revenge, while also trying to give his life new meaning.

Steven awakens to a nightmare. Transported to a brutal medieval kingdom on a faraway world, he wakes up as Kivamus, the exiled third son of a Duke. Now he’s the newly made Baron of a crumbling village called Tiranat, in a bandit-ridden frontier located within untamed forests. Here, survival is a daily battle, resources are scarce, and technology is a distant dream. Yet, he sees potential where the villagers only see struggle. He dreams of using his knowledge to forge a new future for Tiranat, a future fueled by industry. But the path to progress is not going to be easy. Managing a starving village in the coming winter and navigating the cut-throat world of medieval nobility is just the beginning. This is a slow-progression kingdom-builder story, with a lot of focus on worldbuilding and eventually, industrialization and tech-uplifting. The story is going to be very, very long. Settle in for a slow-burn slice of life, where the journey is just as important as the destination. Welcome aboard!