The King's Gambit: The Bastard Son Returns - Chapter 189: Arc 3 Interlude 13

A silhouette of a man standing upon a boulder with the crescent of the moon shining behind him.

A kukri dripping with blood in one hand and a pistol in the other.

The image of burning flames surrounding him.

The countless mercenaries screamed as they saw this scene.

“It’s a demon!”

“Dear, it's time for your medicine!”The beautiful and pure Holy Daughter brought over the medicine for treating his wounds.On this day, he saw betrayal with his own eyes and experienced despair with his soul...From this day forth, the Hero was dead, send paper offerings if you must!

Elijah is dying.Afflicted with terminal cancer, his days are limited. So, after deciding to spend his remaining time with family, he boards a plane and sets off for the Pacific Northwest to be with his sister. However, along the way, Earth is transformed by the touch of the World Tree, injecting it with magical Ethera and connecting it to a much larger universe via the System. More importantly for Elijah, though, it also causes his plane to crash, stranding him on a deserted island. But all is not lost, and through the System, he gains the Druid archetype that may be enough to allow him to survive a hostile environment filled with powerful monsters as well as more mundane threats like starvation and the elements. Meanwhile, his sister, Alyssa, must survive the collapse of civilization as she knows it while trying to keep her family safe. Follow them as they try to navigate an apocalyptic world full of game-like stats, classes, and threats aplenty.

When Dirga signs a mysterious contract, his world is turned upside down. Shadows stretch, reality bends, and he’s thrown into a brutal game where power means survival — and the cost is everything.Guided by a devil with a smile too wide and a past too deep, Dirga must train body, mind, and soul in a realm where death is never far and every choice echoes beyond comprehension.Armed with evolving powers and a weapon tied to his very will, he steps into a world ruled by chaos, facing monsters, trials, and truths that were never meant to be uncovered.But in a game designed by devils, with rules no one fully understands — how far can conviction carry a man who fights not to conquer… but to protect?