He died screaming.
Kael Virex had survived everything Earth threw at himthe riots, the corporate purges, the Rift Wars, even the infected swarms that devoured cities overnight. But betrayal? That was the one thing he couldn't survive. Not when it came from the woman he loved. Serena kissed Aston Vale the golden hero, the idol of humanity right in front of him as Kael bled out on a skyscraper rooftop, claw marks carved deep into his ribs, his lungs flooding with blood.
"You were always second-rate," Aston had said, leveling a plasma pistol at Kael's face. "She was never yours."
And then darkness.
But death didn't come with peace. It came with thunder.
Kael jolted awake, soaked in freezing water, coughing violently. His hands clawed at lotus stems and muddy silk robes. He wasn't on a rooftop. He was drowning in a pond beneath a moon the size of a mountain. Ancient pines swayed overhead, and glowing fireflies buzzed through the mist. Strange stars blinked like eyes in the heavens. Sword-shaped peaks rose around him, and carved into their sides were palaces that floated in the sky.
"What the hell…"
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING… ]
[ Host: Kael Virex – Soul Transmigrated ]
[ Body Merge: Shen Yu – Third Son of Shen Clan, Qi Condensation Realm (1st Layer) ]
[ Integration: 96%… 97%… ]
[ You have Awakened: TYRANT'S SYSTEM – Forbidden Variant ]
[ Trait Unlocked: Resentment from Another World ]
The pain hit instantly—like hot coals being poured into his skull. Kael gritted his teeth as two sets of memories fused. His Earth life filled with agony, betrayal, and blood collided with that of Shen Yu, a disgraced young master from a minor cultivation clan. Shen Yu had been beaten by his older brother, shamed by his clan elders, and stripped of his engagement to a noble fiancée who chose power over loyalty. Kael remembered her face Li Meixue. Beautiful. Regal. Cold as the void.
Perfect.
This world ran on cultivation. On strength, status, and bloodlines. Kael didn't need to understand every detail. All he needed to know was this: he had a second chance. And this time, he wasn't going to play the hero.
"This body is trash," he muttered. "But it'll do."
The memories confirmed it Shen Yu's meridians were weak, his dantian was fractured, and his own clan considered him dead weight. He was one step away from being sent off to a spirit furnace to power his brother's flying sword.
Not anymore.
[ SYSTEM SYNC COMPLETE ]
[ Welcome to the Tyrant's Path. ]
[ Rule #1: Power is taken, not given. ]
[ Rule #2: Love is leverage. Loyalty is a lie. ]
[ Rule #3: Corrupt. Conquer. Cultivate. ]
Kael stood slowly. The once-white robe was soaked in mud and blood, but it clung to a body that felt lean, flexible young. A week ago, he was dying in a ruined world. Now he stood in a realm of sword cultivators, alchemists, immortal beasts, and bloodlines older than time.
"Let's see what I can steal from this world."
The system screen expanded before his eyes like a HUD:
—–
Tyrant's System [Level 1]
Alignment: Demonic Variant
Cultivation: Qi Condensation 1st Layer
Traits: Regressed Soul, Dual World Awareness
Devotion Points: 0
Conquest Mark: Locked
Next Unlock: Seduce and Bind 1 Named Target
—–
A new panel flashed.
[ Side Quest: Reclaim the Fiancée – Target: Li Meixue ]
[ Objective: Publicly humiliate Shen Jinhai by stealing back Li Meixue before the wedding ]
[ Reward: +100 Charm, Blood Cultivation Manual, +10 Devotion Points ]
[ Warning: Failure results in system backlash and spiritual damage ]
Kael chuckled. "Of course it starts with a woman."
He wasn't some virginal transmigrator with stars in his eyes. He knew how power worked. You don't get stronger by playing fair. You take. You ruin. You rewrite the script.
Li Meixue had humiliated "Shen Yu" by dumping him for his more talented older brother. She didn't just break off the engagement she did it publicly, sneering, calling him worthless. Her betrayal mirrored Serena's so perfectly, Kael almost laughed. It was poetic.
And now she was getting married in three days… to Shen Jinhai.
Perfect.Kael opened Shen Yu's storage ring and found only trash expired pills, torn robes, a cracked spirit blade. But he didn't care. He had something better: knowledge of how betrayal felt, how weakness smelled, and how heroes fell.
Step one: play the fool.
Step two: corrupt the princess.
Step three: burn the clan from the inside out.
The wind shifted. Voices echoed beyond the pond disciples returning from sword training. Kael's mouth twisted into a grin as he stepped out of the lotus water and pulled the tattered robe tighter around him.
Let them think he was weak.
Let them think Shen Yu had lost his mind.
It would only make their fall sweeter.
"I'm not here to prove myself," he whispered. "I'm here to own you."