I’d just been dropped into the body of the useless, washout heir of the Northern Duke, just in time for my fiancée to publicly break off our engagement at the ceremony. "Caden," she declared, her voice ringing through the hall, "the man I love is Asher. Now that he's back, I can't possibly marry you. I hereby announce that our engagement is over!" Asher, the story's golden-boy protagonist, drew his sword, his voice a low threat. "And if you don't agree, Caden, I swear I will slaughter every last member of your family." The original Caden was a pathetic simp for the girl, Elara. He would have gladly handed over his life for her. So, as everyone in the room held their breath, expecting me to meekly agree and let them walk away… I spoke, my voice deceptively calm. "Excellent. You dare to publicly humiliate the House of the Northern Duke? Then you can all die right here." 1 The engagement ceremony was in full swing when he appeared. The moment Asher, the story's "Chosen One," stepped into the grand hall of the ducal palace, my fiancée, Elara, shot to her feet. "Caden, I don't love you," she announced, her voice filled with righteous defiance. "If your family hadn't strong-armed mine, I never would have agreed to this engagement! The man I love has always been Asher. And today, I, Elara Thorne, declare that our engagement is null and void!" Asher drew his sword, a menacing glint in his eye. "And if you object, Caden, I will one day slaughter your entire household." I was still reeling from being thrust into this world, my head spinning. But the plot of the novel came rushing back to me. This Northern Duke's heir was just a side character, a pathetic, spineless loser obsessed with the female lead, Elara. In the original story, to make her happy, he not only stepped aside but also provided them with a fortune in resources for their training and cultivation. And his reward? The moment Asher achieved the highest level of swordsmanship, he and the Thorne family stormed the ducal palace, slaughtering everyone inside. The hero and heroine then lived happily ever after. I remembered reading that part and cursing out the author. The next thing I knew, I was here. And with my temper, there was no way I was letting that happen. I slapped Elara hard across the face. "You goddamn bitch," I snarled. "Every scrap of resources your family has came from my house. And now you want to call it off? You humiliate me and my family in public, and you expect me to just take it?" Elara stared at me, her hand pressed to her reddening cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Caden, you hit me? You told me you loved me! Was that all a lie? You said you'd do anything to make me happy! All I'm doing is breaking off an engagement! What's the big deal?" Asher looked equally stunned. This was not how the script was supposed to go. 2 The guests began to whisper amongst themselves. "Is Elara Thorne insane? The Duke's heir is top-tier in family background, talent, and looks. Why would she break it off?" "He doted on her, gave her family anything they asked for. And this is how she repays him?" "Exactly. And to do it so publicly… she's lost her mind." "Well, you know, based on his usual behavior, he probably would have agreed. But something's different about him today…" I shot a cold glance at the hero and heroine. "Where are the ducal guards?" The captain of the guard, a man named Kane, dropped to one knee. "Your Grace, what are your orders?" "Kill them." "What?" Asher immediately stepped in front of Elara. "Caden, are you insane? You'd kill Elara over something so trivial?" Trivial? They had just dragged my family's name through the mud in front of the entire nobility. Were the people in this book all idiots? Besides, if I didn't kill them now, they'd be the ones wiping out my entire family later. "Caden, you said you loved me!" Elara cried. "Is this how you show it?" Even Kane, the guard captain, hesitated. The entire palace knew how much she meant to the original Caden. He wasn't sure if I was serious or just trying to scare them. "Hmph. Caden, you disappoint me," Elara huffed, her chin held high. "So you just wanted to possess me. Don't you know that true love is wanting the other person to be happy? I've found the man who can make me happy, and instead of wishing me well, you threaten us? That's not love!" What the hell kind of twisted logic was that? This was definitely a story written for a female audience. "I'm telling you, Caden, let us go right now," she declared. "Otherwise, we can't even be friends!" My face darkened. I turned to Kane, my voice laced with displeasure. "Are you deaf? Or have my orders as the heir suddenly stopped meaning anything?" Kane hesitated no longer. He drew his blade and lunged at Asher. The other guards immediately formed a protective circle around me. Asher hastily drew his own sword to parry. BOOM! A powerful shockwave erupted from the clash, sending tables and chairs flying. Dishes shattered, food and wine splattering everywhere. The weaker guests were thrown from their feet, crying out in pain as they rolled on the floor. The hall was in chaos. Asher, a level-eight warrior, stood his ground. But Kane, a level-nine, was forced back a dozen steps, his face a mask of shock. I had to hand it to him. Asher was the Chosen One, all right. He could fight above his weight class and still come out on top. Good thing he was still in his early stages. It was the perfect time to crush him. 3 Two of the palace's grandmasters, powerful cultivators in service to my family, appeared at my side in a flash. They bowed. "Your Grace." "Caden, what kind of man relies on his family's power to fight his battles?" Asher taunted. "If you have any guts, you'll fight me one-on-one. If I win, you let me leave with Elara." The original Caden, despite his decent talent, was only a level-six warrior. I'd have to be an idiot to take that deal. Elara's father, Lord Thorne, seeing the grandmasters appear, quickly positioned himself in front of his daughter and Asher. "Your Grace, please forgive us! This is all my fault for failing to raise my daughter properly. I'll be sure to discipline her when we get home. The Thorne family would be honored to have Elara marry you." "But," he added, his tone shifting, "as Elara said, her heart belongs to Asher now. You can't force love, can you?" I didn't even spare him a glance. "Seize the entire Thorne family," I ordered coldly. "Anyone who resists is to be executed on the spot." "Yes, Your Grace." Hundreds of ducal guards descended on the Thorne family contingent. They, of course, did not go quietly. "What do you think you're doing? Touch me again and I'll cut you down!" "Our Elara has the Duke's heir wrapped around her finger! You think he won't have you all killed for this?" "Agh! Get your filthy hands off me, you dogs!" The guards showed no mercy. For those who resisted, blades flashed. Four or five Thornes fell, their blood staining the marble floor. The rest finally understood the gravity of the situation and fell silent, their faces pale with terror. "Caden, you dare to have my cousins killed?" Elara shrieked. "You kill these guards right now and get on your knees and apologize to me! Otherwise, I will never forgive you!" I looked at her like she was a moron. "Haha, Elara, you really are brainless. Did you honestly think I was going to let you walk out of here alive today?" I gestured to the two grandmasters. "What are you waiting for? Kill these two degenerates. And make it quick. Don't give them a chance to turn the tables." "Yes, Your Grace." 4 Just as they were about to move, a powerful voice roared through the hall. "I'd like to see you try!" A crushing pressure filled the air, so intense it seemed to crackle. A black-robed old man appeared in an instant, his presence suffocating. Asher's eyes lit up. "Master, you're here!" The newcomer was Asher's master, Alistair, the vice-master of the Martial Temple, a half-step away from being a Saint-level powerhouse. My father, the Northern Duke, had taken most of the household's elite forces and our half-a-million-strong army to the northern border to fight off an invasion of demonic beasts. The strongest fighters left in the palace were grandmasters, no match for a near-Saint. I looked at the old man, my voice cold. "Vice-Master Alistair, is the Martial Temple planning to interfere in the affairs of my house?" "Your Grace," Alistair said, his tone placating, "my student acted rashly, but surely his crime is not punishable by death. I hope you will be magnanimous and show him mercy." I laughed in his face. "Magnanimous? Your student publicly tried to steal my fiancée, disgraced my house, and made us the laughingstock of the entire kingdom, and you want me to be magnanimous?" Alistair bowed again. "What Asher and the Thorne girl did was wrong, I admit. But Lord Thorne has already promised to discipline his daughter. I will also punish my wayward student severely and give you a satisfactory explanation. Will that suffice?" "No," I said flatly. "No one humiliates my house and walks away unscathed. I don't care who they are." Alistair's face hardened. "Your Grace, do this as a favor to me. I will owe you one." In the original story, the Martial Temple played a major role in the downfall of my house. The last thing I was going to do was give him any "face." "Alistair, who the hell do you think you are? Is the Martial Temple declaring war on the House of the Northern Duke?" I was betting he wouldn't dare. At this moment, my house was at the peak of its power. Besides the half-million-strong army, we had two Saint-level powerhouses and the kingdom's only Sword Saint, a legendary figure named Lucius. Though Lucius had been injured in a great battle, he could still easily dispatch a regular Saint. If my father got truly angry, not just the Martial Temple, but the entire royal family would have to think twice. The only reason Elara was so bold was because the original Caden was such a pathetic simp. In the book, when my father found out, he was furious and wanted to wipe out the Thorne family, but the original Caden threatened to kill himself to stop him. Alistair, a man used to being revered, had never been so humiliated. A flash of killing intent flickered in his eyes. "So, Your Grace, you refuse to give me this courtesy?" "That's right. These two lovebirds must die." "And what if I insist on taking them with me?" "Then you can try." I turned to the grandmasters. "You two, hold off Alistair. The rest of you, kill that bastard and his whore!" "Yes, Your Grace!" 5 Alistair's face paled. "What are you all waiting for?" he yelled at Asher and the Thornes. "Run!" Asher and the surviving Thornes finally snapped out of their daze and scrambled for the exit. The battle erupted. The two grandmasters, both masters of the blade, attacked Alistair from either side. Their sword energy cut through the night air like twin rainbows of destructive light. Alistair met their attack with his own sword, a dazzling display of crisscrossing energy. BOOM! BOOM! The collision of forces was devastating. A gale-force wind ripped through the palace courtyard, sending rocks and debris flying. The ground was torn apart. The three combatants were all thrown back, but they were on each other again in an instant. The air thrummed with the sound of clashing steel and explosions. The courtyard was turned into a crater-filled wasteland. Though the two grandmasters were clearly outmatched, they managed to keep Alistair tied down. Meanwhile, the Thornes were being slaughtered. A dozen had already fallen. Lord Thorne and Elara had managed to escape the palace. Asher was covering their retreat, his body a canvas of bloody wounds. Kane was no match for him, forced back again and again. Taking two blows from the guards to create an opening, Asher cut down several more before finally disappearing into the night. [Ding! Congratulations, Host, for severely wounding the Chosen One. Reward: Ancient God-Devil Physique +1, Divine Bow of the Archer God +1] The moment the bow appeared in my hands, a surge of energy flooded my body, instantly boosting me from a level-six warrior to a level-nine. I was ecstatic. This was like leveling up on a rocket ship! This was awesome!
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