[At your command, Anya was brought into the room.]
She approached hesitantly—
a mixture of shame, pride, and silent surrender flashing across her stunning features.
Five days ago, their fates had intertwined in the most brutal, raw way possible.
And now, she came to him willingly.
A sacrificial offering from the Liu family.
[Anya looked at you with both shyness and reluctant frankness.]
After all, there was no point denying the truth anymore.
When families dealt in survival, pride became a cheap currency.
["Grayson," she said softly, "I don't know how Luke offended you.
But he is no longer connected to my family."]
["I am willing to become your woman.
Please... have mercy on the Grierson family."]
Grayson smiled lazily as he listened.
This was the pleasure of being a villain.
The child of destiny—Luke—crippled, humiliated, and hunted like a dog.
The destined heroine—Anya—bowing willingly, offering herself without resistance.
All because they had dared oppose him.
This was the sweetness of victory.
And Grayson had only begun to taste it.
[You didn't immediately agree.
Instead, you leaned back, sipping your wine leisurely.]
["I'm not in a hurry," you said.
"Let's talk first.
Tell me everything you know about Luke."]
Anya hesitated, a flicker of confusion crossing her delicate features.
What kind of man cared more about another man's background than the beauty standing before him?
But Grayson's gaze was sharp—
cold, calculating, merciless.
Realizing he was serious, Anya began to recount what little she knew:
[Luke had originally been a humble security guard at the Liu Group.]
[Anya had noticed his unusual fighting skills and personally recruited him as her bodyguard.]
[He dressed like a vagabond—tattered clothes, ragged boots—refusing to blend into upper society.]
[He had a strange obsession with death, muttering dark slogans and picking fights recklessly.]
Once, Anya had tried to investigate Luke's background through official channels—
[But it was as if he had appeared from thin air.]
No records.
No relatives.
Only a vague, passing reference to a remote mountain village in southern Ironwood Empire.
Grayson chuckled lowly as he listened.
"How classic," he thought.
"Born from poverty.
Gifted with hidden power.
Protected by a mysterious remnant soul.
Picked up by a beautiful heiress."
It was almost laughably cliché.
No wonder Luke was classified as a "destined protagonist" by the Villain Simulator.
[Satisfied, you ordered Shawn to use the Grierson family's intelligence network to investigate Luke's hometown.]
[You intended to capture his relatives—
And use them as leverage.]
Luke's severed arm, and the wealth of elixirs he had carried, had already boosted Grayson's strength immensely.
There was no telling what treasures the boy still hid.
Especially the remnant soul—the hidden guardian—inside Luke's body.
A walking treasure chest.
And Grayson intended to crack it open.
Of course, Anya wasn't going to be let off easily either.
Grayson rose smoothly from his chair, approaching her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
["Anya," he murmured, "I appreciate your sincerity.
But it's still not enough."]
Anya flinched—but steeled herself.
Silently, she nodded.
She understood.
[The two of you retreated to private quarters.
There, you discussed in detail...
The exact 'price' required to spare the Liu family.]
[The "Supreme Emperor Bone" within you stirred again—plundering another fragment of Anya's destiny.]
You gained the "Strong Luck" effect—
a rare blessing capable of influencing fate itself for the next week.
Fortune.
Opportunity.
Victory.
All tilted quietly in your favor.
Three days passed.
Anya, having fulfilled her side of the bargain, was officially installed as Grayson's personal secretary.
[Her duty was simple:
Stay close.
Support him.
Continue feeding him her fortune energy.]
The Liu family, meanwhile, basked in the newfound shelter of the Grierson family's shadow.
[Young men across Demonic City wept.
Their beloved campus goddess was now the personal woman of the terrifying young villain who ruled the city.]
Seven days later—
The Zhao family finally cracked under pressure.
[The patriarch of the Zhao family, dragging his eldest son Zhao Kun with him, personally appeared at your villa gates.]
[He bowed low, groveling.]
["Master Grayson, we had no idea Liu Ruyue—Anya—was yours.
Please accept our apologies!"]
Grayson laughed silently to himself.
The Zhao patriarch wasn't talking about Anya.
He was referring to the drunken incident staged five days ago.
Trying to cover it up under the guise of misunderstanding.
But Grayson didn't care about that.
He had bigger suspicions.
He looked Zhao Kun over coldly.
If anyone from the Zhao family had plotted with the hidden mastermind, it would be this arrogant heir.
[You demanded to soul-search Zhao Kun.]
The Zhao patriarch hesitated—
but ultimately agreed.
The life of the family outweighed the life of a son.
[Shawn performed the soul search.]
Shockingly—
Zhao Kun was innocent.
Everything had been a series of unfortunate coincidences.
He was arrogant.
He was selfish.
He was petty.
But he hadn't knowingly participated in any conspiracy.
Grayson frowned deeply.
"Could it be...
That I was wrong?"
He had moved so aggressively against the Zhao family—
all based on faulty assumptions?
The Villain Simulator buzzed:
[Zhao Kun died during the soul search.
His brain was reduced to sludge.
The Zhao patriarch, heartbroken but helpless, killed his own son to demonstrate loyalty.]
The patriarch knelt once more before Grayson.
["Master Grayson, the grudge is ended, yes?"]
Grayson studied him carefully.
Despite the man's humble posture—
deep within his eyes, a burning hatred flickered.
It would never disappear.
The Zhao family would never forgive him.
Grayson made his decision instantly.
["Master Zhao," he said lightly, "I don't remember making any promises."]
Then, with a snap of his fingers—
Shawn struck.
The Zhao patriarch was obliterated into ash before he could even scream.
[Since you were already a villain in their hearts,
why not go all the way?]
Grayson ordered Shawn and the Li family's forces to attack immediately.
The Zhao family would be destroyed.
Root and branch.
Within a single day, the Zhao family collapsed.
Their territory and assets were divided among the victors.
Grayson personally seized their spiritual resources—
elixirs, manuals, artifacts—accumulated over centuries.
The Li family greedily devoured the rest.
But—
A problem remained.
[The Zhao family's Celestial-level ancestor vanished mysteriously before the final battle.]
A hidden threat.
One that would surely come back to bite him later.
Grayson cursed the Li family for their incompetence—
but there was no point in crying over it now.
[You prepared to retreat temporarily—
To digest your newfound wealth
And ascend to even greater heights.]
Inside his secret chamber, Grayson entered closed cultivation.
First step:
Advance his Ancient Dragon Elephant Sutra to new heights.
[You swallowed a hundred spiritual energy pills,
circulating your Supreme Emperor Bone.]
Three days passed.
[You successfully broke through to the fourth level of Hathi.]
[You condensed a new magical talent: Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body—
Gaining the immense power of both dragon and elephant bloodlines.]
His flesh hardened.
His bones strengthened.
His aura grew ferocious and violent, exuding an oppressive majesty.
But just as he was stabilizing—
Danger struck again.
The last vestiges of Anya's "Strong Luck" blessing dissipated.
And at that exact moment—
[You felt a terrible chill descending.
Your destiny gave a fierce warning.]
[The breath of death surrounded you once again.]
Grayson's eyes snapped open.
"The mastermind strikes again!"