The serrated edge of the matte-black trench knife was aimed directly at my carotid artery.
Driven by the complete collapse of his empire and his pride, Long Chen poured every last ounce of his remaining internal Qi into this single, desperate thrust. In the original web novel, this was the 'Dragon King's Desolation Strike'—an unblockable, physics-defying move that always killed the villain when the hero was backed into a corner.
But I didn't try to block it.
With my [Grandmaster-Level Assassination Arts], time seemed to slow to a crawl. I could see the exact trajectory of the blade, the tense micro-expressions on Long Chen's bloodied face, and the chaotic, unstable flow of Qi in his exhausted muscles.
He was putting all his weight forward. It was a fatal mistake.
I didn't step back. I pivoted smoothly on my right heel, stepping inside his guard. The trench knife grazed the lapel of my suit, slicing through empty air.
Long Chen's eyes widened in sheer horror. He tried to pull his arm back, but his forward momentum betrayed him.
"You're too slow, Sovereign," I whispered, my voice a cold rasp in his ear.
My left hand shot up, clamping around his wrist like a titanium vice. I twisted violently.
SNAP.
The sound of his wrist shattering echoed through the ruined living room. The trench knife fell from his numb fingers.
Before the blade even hit the hardwood floor, I drove my right hand upward. The Nine-Heavens Lightning Forged Karambit flashed in the dim light, burying itself perfectly under his ribcage and piercing directly through his heart.
BZZZZT!
A localized, concentrated burst of tribulation lightning detonated inside his chest cavity.
Long Chen's entire body went rigid. The breath hitched in his throat, his jaw dropping open in a silent scream. The terrifying, arrogant aura of the Dragon Sovereign instantly evaporated, completely incinerated by the heavenly lightning.
I leaned in close, looking directly into his fading eyes.
"In your next life," I said, my tone utterly devoid of mercy, "don't come to my city."
I twisted the blade and yanked it out.
Long Chen collapsed to his knees. He looked down at the gaping, cauterized hole in his chest. His lips moved, trying to form one last curse, one final threat about his glorious past, but nothing came out.
The Sovereign of the mercenary world hit the floor face-first, dead before the blood could even pool around him.
[Ding!] [Target completely eradicated!] [The Second Protagonist, Long Chen, has been killed! The 'Dragon Returnee' plotline has been permanently deleted!] [The Heavenly Dao's influence over Jinghai City has been severely crippled!] [Destiny Points -10,000!] [Host gains 10,000 Villain Points!] [Reward: Host has unlocked the 'Villainous Overlord Halo' (Passive: Enemies with lower Destiny will instinctively feel mortal terror in your presence).]
I let out a slow, controlled breath. I flicked my wrist, sending a drop of blood flying off the karambit before sliding it back into my coat.
The adrenaline slowly faded, leaving the room eerily quiet except for the sound of the freezing rain pouring in through the shattered window.
I turned around.
Su Qingran was slowly standing up from behind the marble kitchen island. Her beautiful face was pale, her silver-blonde hair slightly messy from taking cover. She looked at the four dead bodies scattered across her new home. She looked at the blood on the floor.
And then, she looked at me.
In normal urban novels, this is where the female lead screams. She calls the protagonist a monster, recoils in horror at the violence, and forces a dramatic, angsty misunderstanding that takes fifty chapters to resolve.
I stood completely still, my Overlord Aura retracted. I waited for the fear.
But it never came.
Su Qingran didn't scream. She didn't back away. Instead, she stepped over the shattered glass, walking directly toward me. Her blue eyes weren't filled with terror; they were filled with a raw, intense clarity.
She reached out, her trembling hands gently gripping the lapels of my suit jacket.
"Are you hurt?" she whispered, her gaze urgently scanning my face for any sign of a wound.
I stared at her, genuinely surprised. "Qingran. I just slaughtered four men in front of you. You aren't afraid of me?"
She let out a shaky breath, pressing her forehead lightly against my chest. "They came here to kill us, Chu Feng. They threw a grenade into our home. If you hadn't been ruthless, we would both be dead."
She looked up, her eyes blazing with fierce, absolute loyalty. "You protected me. Why would I ever be afraid of the man who protects me?"
[Ding!] [The Ice CEO's worldview has aligned with the Host's ruthlessness!] [Soul-Bound Loyalty Achieved! Su Qingran is now a permanent pillar of the Host's empire!]
A genuine smile touched my lips. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her flush against me. "Good. Because the messes I clean up are only going to get bigger from here."
"I can handle it," she murmured, leaning into my warmth.
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, pulling out my phone with my free hand. I dialed Old Chen's emergency line.
"Young Master," Old Chen answered immediately, having clearly heard the breaking glass from the security perimeter.
"Chen. Bring the cleanup crew to the penthouse. We have four heavy bags for the incinerator," I ordered smoothly. "And call the glaziers. I want this window replaced by morning."
"Understood, Young Master."
I hung up the phone. The night was finally over. The Dragon Sovereign was dead, my company was secure, and the Ice CEO was fully mine.
But the Heavenly Dao is a sore loser.
Just as I turned to guide Su Qingran away from the cold wind, the System interface didn't just chime—it violently vibrated in my skull, flashing a blinding, apocalyptic purple.
[CRITICAL WORLD EVENT TRIGGERED!] [Host has killed two Protagonists in rapid succession! The localized Heavenly Dao has ruptured!] [Warning! To repair the timeline, the Heavenly Dao has triggered a Dimensional Convergence!] [The 'Urban' boundary has been breached. A Third Protagonist is descending!]
My eyes narrowed sharply. Descending?
[Scanning Anomaly...] [Target Identified: Chen Fan. The 'Reborn Immortal Venerable'!] [Background: A supreme cultivator who perished in the Heavenly Tribulation and has possessed the body of a high school student in Jinghai City!] [Threat Level: Extreme. The Immortal Venerable possesses 500 years of combat experience, magical arts, and no moral restraints!] [Alert: The Third Protagonist's first destined opportunity is the Chu Family's Ancestral Dragon Vein, buried beneath your company headquarters!]
I let out a dark, cynical laugh that echoed over the howling wind outside.
"Chu Feng? What is it?" Su Qingran asked, feeling the sudden tension in my chest.
"Nothing, Qingran," I said, my eyes glowing with absolute, chilling anticipation as I looked out over the glittering skyline of Jinghai City.
An Immortal Venerable reincarnated in a teenager's body?
"Just a delusional ghost coming to steal my property," I whispered. "I'm going to have to remind him that in this city... I am the only god."