Douluo Continent, Starro Empire.
A magnificent palace-like mansion stood under the evening sky. Golden glazed tiles shimmered in crimson light, the entire Duke's estate bathed in the glow of the setting sun — like gold dipped in blood. Even from the walls of Starro City, one could still see the glint of its rooftops.
At that moment, the back gate on the southern side of the Duke's Mansion opened quietly.
A small, thin figure stepped out.
It was a boy — about eight or nine years old.
His body was frail, his short black hair messy. In his pale little hand, he held a folded fire stick. His expression, however, was calm and lifeless — far too old for his age.
His name was Ethan — not the Ethan of the original story, but a soul reborn from another world, from a planet called Blue Star.
In his previous life, the girl he loved had angered a pack of beasts online — men who hid their cruelty behind polite masks. They spread her photos under the guise of "having tea," harassing her day and night with phone calls and online abuse.
Under endless humiliation and pressure, she could bear it no longer.
One day, she stepped from the rooftop — and her life ended.
Those men erased every trace of their crimes.
But Ethan could never erase the memory. Every night, he felt her silent gaze from the darkness — sorrowful, accusing. The pain drove him mad.
Eventually, he took action.
Using false identities, he tracked them down one by one — crossing cities, gathering information, planning every step.
And then, he struck.
Every one of them met the same fate: their bones ground to dust, their screams lost to the night.
When it was over, Ethan surrendered himself to the law.
On the night of his execution, he looked up to the heavens, laughing wildly, eyes filled with blood and fury.
> "This world gave me pain and took everything I loved," he roared.
"So I'll give the world pain in return!"
"Let them all suffer!"
When he next opened his eyes, he was no longer on Blue Star.
He had been reborn — in the Starro Empire, within the Duke's Mansion.
The first thing he felt in this life was pain — the strike of a guard's boot to his ribs.
Just like the original story, the frail, illegitimate child could not fight back against the soldiers under his half-brother Darren. Hearing the noise, his mother Yuna rushed out from the courtyard, shielding him with her body, begging them to stop.
But mercy never came.
When the beating finally ended, both mother and child were barely breathing.
Fragments of the body's memories flooded Ethan's mind.
Yuna had once been the personal maid of the White Tiger Duke, raised by his side since childhood.
Twelve years ago, one night left her with child — Ethan.
Because of this, she was hated by the Duke's wife, Lady Whitlock, whose jealousy burned like fire.
When the Duke went off to war, Lady Whitlock cast Yuna and her son out to live in the servant's quarters behind the mansion.
Years of exhaustion and humiliation destroyed Yuna's health.
Cruel treatment from the Duchess's servants made it worse.
Finally, she grew ill — and passed away, her eyes still filled with sorrow.
Ethan survived only through sheer will. But two years later, Yuna's frail body finally gave out, leaving him utterly alone.
Now, recalling these memories, Ethan's eyes glowed red with fury.
He remembered those eyes — the mark of the White Tiger bloodline —
belonging to Darren Whitlock, the Duke's legitimate son, the same brother who had caused his mother's death.
Over the following months, Ethan worked in silence.
Using the chemistry knowledge from his previous life, he created explosives while disguising his work as cleaning duties.
He buried nearly a ton of it beneath the Duke's Mansion.
> "It's done," he whispered, trembling with excitement.
"Mother… this time, I'll avenge you."
He struck the fire striker and dropped it onto the fuse.
The spark caught, hissing across the ground — carrying two lifetimes of rage straight into the heart of the Duke's Mansion.
> BOOM—!
The explosion shook the heavens.
A blinding flash erupted, and from a distance, Ethan watched a massive mushroom cloud rise over the estate.
The blast wave nearly knocked him off his feet, but he stood firm — arms spread wide, laughing wildly into the fiery wind.
> "Mother! Listen… listen to this dragon's roar!"
He laughed until tears streamed down his face, both crying and laughing at once.
The heat tore his thin clothes apart, but he didn't care.
He walked back through the flames.
Ten minutes later, the Duke's Mansion was gone.
In its place lay a wasteland of smoke and fire — all that remained of its former glory.
> "Mother… I did it," Ethan whispered, smiling through his tears.
"Do you see?"
He laughed again — a wild, broken laugh echoing through the ruin.
Then, from the horizon, several black-robed figures descended, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"This power… it's like a ninth-grade Soul Cannon," one murmured.
The leader, hands clasped behind his back, said nothing.
After a long silence, he raised his hand and clenched it lightly.
At once, human-shaped shadows began to drift from the ruins, gathering toward his palm.
> "Thousands of vengeful souls," he said softly. "A rare feast indeed. Before the authorities arrive — collect them."
"Yes, sir!" the others replied.
They drew strange black flags, ready to begin their ritual.
But before they could act, something changed.
The spirits suddenly trembled and shot skyward — not toward the cultists, but in another direction.
"What—? Is one of our own here?" the leader muttered.
Only their kind could control spirits so freely.
The black-robed men exchanged glances, then followed the flow of souls through the air.
At the end of that spectral river stood a boy — his body ragged, his eyes blood-red, laughing madly as the ghosts poured into him.
Every spirit was devoured, absorbed into his being.
The cultists stared, shocked.
Then, slowly, awe and ecstasy filled their eyes beneath their hoods.
> "The Holy Son… has descended!"
(End of chapter 1)