Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided - Chapter 102. Echoes of Iron: Jack vs Rhok

In a world where everyone is a slave, someone is born who cannot be controlled. At the same time, an unstoppable villain rises on a quest for revenge. But the truth is darker than he ever imagined, and now he must face an unbeatable enemy — including himself.***Bruno was a young man born on Earth, the son of an influential modern Emperor. Despite having everything money could buy and receiving the best and most rigorous training to succeed his father, he chose the opposite path, defying his family’s ruthless rule.The price of his innocence? A merciless death and the complete erasure of his existence by the deity controlling his fate. On Earth, the law of the powerful was absolute; a slave could never rebel.But then, he wakes up again.He’s reborn in a world of cultivation, where freedom was promised to those strong enough to claim it. Now, he could soar like a free bird and carve his own destiny... or so he thought.The harsh reality of this new world soon showed him how insignificant he still was. He realized he had only changed masters.The freedom he sought was an illusion. The heavenly laws treated everyone as servants, and their rules were unbreakable. Bruno learned this bitter truth after losing everything that made him happy due to an unjust rule.But who was he to question?Hopeless, Bruno died... and was reborn as Alm, an unstoppable villain. With a soul poisoned by pain and vengeance, he sowed chaos across the universe. Planets were destroyed, countless lives taken, and his name became synonymous with terror.A hero rose to oppose him, wielding a sacred sword of hope. People from all corners of the universe united against Alm, raising their voices and weapons to stop the villain who defied the heavens.But Alm was no longer just fighting for revenge. He was challenging the heavenly laws that sought to control him, fighting fate and all living beings.And against all odds... the sacred sword shattered. The alliance of the entire universe was defeated.The villain won!Now, Alm found himself alone in the empty void of a dead universe, facing his own inner demons. Who could be more ruthless to him than himself?“What have I done?”At that moment, the doors of truth opened to him.Everyone was a puppet of a supreme figure, an entity that manipulated minds and even the heavenly laws.“I will find you, no matter where you are!”Thus, the last emissary of the true Heaven’s Will awakened. Alm, who once only relied on his sheer will and rage, now had a system to guide him. But his opponent was an immortal existence, above even the heavens.The villain who destroyed an entire universe now faced a new beginning. He discovered that the universe he devastated was just a tiny grain of sand in an infinite cosmos, where countless other universes existed.And so begins the legendary tale of the villain’s rise... and the Sacred Round God? A strange Duality of Shadows existed within one person.But this time, he wouldn’t be alone.***To clear up any potential confusion or frustration, here are some key points about the story. I’ll avoid major spoilers, but a few things will be revealed.You might find this concerning at first, but just check the book cover—it shows the main character and his only partner. She first appears at 10 years old, but rest assured, there’s no inappropriate content or early romance.At around 13, SHE starts developing feelings for the protagonist, but he doesn’t respond until she’s an adult. With her determined personality, she tries to seduce him at 17/18, but it doesn’t work. Their relationship only happens much later.The book has nods to other works, with my own spin on them, and focuses on avoiding elements I find problematic in other stories.Lastly, the beautiful book cover was commissioned and created by HDIArt.

Prince Kaelen Verath is a royal disgrace—a “good-for-nothing” heir who drowns his shame in wine and brothels.But when traitors slaughter his family and reduce his kingdom to ashes, Kaelen’s desperate pact with the Voidwell, an ancient power that consumes souls, grants him unimaginable strength… and hollows him into a monster.Death offers no escape.He becomes a regressed prince who once watched his kingdom and family burn, only to fail in avenging them without losing himself.Now given a second chance, he refuses to settle for mere survival or revenge—this time, he wants everything.Every empire, every kingdom… all under his control.But with every soul he consumes and every ounce of power he gains, a piece of his humanity is lost.How will he balance power and control?Can he become a supreme ruler and still remain himself?What is the cost of Absolute Sovereignty?————Send Powerstones for a guaranteed mass release!

An ancient proverb from the Homo sapiens era once stated, “Light and darkness can never be united because they are natural enemies arranged since the creation of the universe.”The statement seems plausible, yet it may contain inaccuracies...——————————————Leon Kruger, a 22-year-old man counted among the three of humanity's heroes, is dispatched by the Holy Empire of Mankind to invade the territory of the Demon Empire—an enduring adversary of humanity for over 7000 years.Wielding the Great Holy Sword Zenith and commanding a legion of thousands of holy troops, he leads the raid on the Desert of Chaos, facing the elite armies of the Demon Race with unwavering valor.Even, he engaged in direct combat against the Demon Emperor, who was actively leading the war on behalf of the Demon Race!Unfortunately, he never foresaw that his offensive was a cunning scheme orchestrated by the Emperor of the Holy Empire.The emperor aimed to eliminate Leon, perceiving him as a threat to his position as the ruler.Furthermore, unbeknownst to him, he had been poisoned before setting out for war, leading to a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Demon Emperor and resulting in his capture as a prisoner of the Demon Emperor.Envisaging torment at the hands of the notorious Demon Emperor after his capture, he was surprised to find that this foreseen ordeal did not come to pass!The Demon Emperor, unveiled as a remarkably beautiful woman, unexpectedly and without apparent cause, asked him to be responsible for abandoning their triplet daughters?!“Nani! Since when did I have triplet daughters with you, smelly demon woman?!”Not only that, Leon gradually realized that an increasing number of women were approaching him to claim the love debts he had unwittingly accumulated in his youth.“Wait! Hold on! Please be gentle! Both my kidneys are nearly tapped out!”