Chapter 1
The sky above the city of Elyria was bleeding.
Kael hit the cobblestones hard, the breath knocked completely out of his lungs. He groaned, pushing himself up on trembling arms. The air tasted like copper, ozone, and burning flesh.
'Where the hell am I?' he thought, rubbing his head. 'One minute I was walking home in Seattle, and now I am in an alleyway that looks like a warzone.'
He looked up. The sky was not just dark. It was torn open. A massive, jagged rift of purple and black energy dominated the heavens, vomiting thousands of winged monstrosities into the world below. Screams echoed from the distant streets. Towers were collapsing in a haze of smoke.
This was not a dream. This was the end of the world.
Before Kael could process the sheer scale of the destruction, a translucent, blood-red screen materialized in his field of vision.
[DING]
[DETECTING SOUL ORIGIN: EARTH]
[CONDITION MET: WORLD ENDING EVENT INITIATED]
[INITIALIZING SUPREME CONQUEST SYSTEM]
[BINDING TO HOST: KAEL]
Kael stared at the floating text. He had read enough web novels on Earth to know exactly what this was. He had been isekaied. And he had landed right at the start of an apocalypse.
[WELCOME, HOST. THE WORLD OF ELYRIA IS FALLING. TO SURVIVE AND RULE, YOU MUST CONQUER.]
[CORE MECHANIC: YOUR POWER DOES NOT COME FROM KILLING MONSTERS. IT COMES FROM WOMEN. FORM DEEP BONDS WITH EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUALS. COMPLETING THE BONDING PROCESS ALLOWS SHARED ACCESS TO BLOODLINES, SKILLS, AND MANA.]
[THE MORE POWERFUL THE WOMAN, THE GREATER YOUR REWARD.]
Kael's lips curled into a slow, dark smile. He did not panic. He did not cry for his old life. He felt a cold, calculating thrill wash over him.
On Earth, he had been a nobody. A mid-level manager grinding through a meaningless, pathetic life. Here, in a world tearing itself apart, he had the ultimate cheat. He just needed to find the right women and take what was his.
[STARTER GIFT PACK RECEIVED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN?]
Open, Kael said.
[DING]
[YOU HAVE RECEIVED]
[1. APPRAISAL EYE: VIEW TARGET STATS, BLOODLINES, AND AFFINITY LEVELS.]
[2. BEGINNER MANA BODY: YOUR PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES ARE INCREASED BY 500 PERCENT. YOU CAN NOW CHANNEL MANA.]
[3. PHEROMONE OF THE APEX: PASSIVELY INCREASES YOUR CHARISMA AND DOMINANCE. Makes it easier to earn the trust of powerful allies.]
A surge of warm, dense energy flooded Kael's veins. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and the exhaustion of his sudden teleportation vanished. He felt like he could punch through a brick wall.
A loud crash interrupted his thoughts.
The brick wall at the end of the alley exploded inward. Dust and debris rained down as a massive, wolf-like monster with glowing red eyes and bone spikes protruding from its spine leaped into the narrow space. An Abyssal Hound.
But it was not alone.
A woman crashed through the dust right behind the beast. She wore silver plate armor that was heavily dented and stained with black blood. Her blonde hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and she was gripping a beautifully crafted longsword that glowed with a faint, icy blue light.
She was breathing heavily, clutching her side. Dark, purple blood was seeping through her fingers. She had been poisoned.
The Abyssal Hound lunged at her.
The woman raised her sword, but her arm trembled violently. The poison was slowing her down. She was going to die.
Kael did not think. He just moved.
His new Beginner Mana Body propelled him forward. He closed the distance in a fraction of a second. He grabbed a rusted iron pipe lying in the rubble and swung it with all his augmented strength.
The pipe connected with the hound's skull with a sickening crunch. The monster yelped, its trajectory altering just enough to miss the woman. It crashed into the wall, shaking its massive head.
Kael did not give it time to recover. He stepped in, driving the sharpened, broken end of the pipe straight up through the soft palate of the monster's mouth and deep into its brain.
The hound twitched once, then went limp.
[ENEMY ELIMINATED. EXPERIENCE GAINED: 50.]
Kael pulled the pipe out and wiped the black blood on his jeans. He turned to look at the woman.
She was staring at him, her bright blue eyes wide with shock. She slowly lowered her glowing sword.
'Let us see who she is,' Kael thought. He activated the Appraisal Eye.
[NAME: LYRA VANCE]
[RANK: S-RANK]
[TITLE: THE SILVER VALKYRIE]
[BLOODLINE: FROST MAIDEN (AWAKENED)]
[STATUS: SEVERELY WOUNDED. INFECTED WITH ABYSSAL ROT POISON. ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL DEATH: 15 MINUTES.]
[BONDING POTENTIAL: 90 PERCENT]
Kael's eyes narrowed. An S-Rank. The highest rank he had seen so far. And she had the Frost Maiden bloodline. If he bonded with her, he would get ice magic and a massive physical boost.
But she was dying.
You are Lyra Vance, Kael said, stepping closer. The Silver Valkyrie.
Lyra coughed, a spatter of black blood hitting the cobblestones. How do you know my name? she rasped, her voice weak but still carrying the authoritative tone of a commander. Who are you? Where is my squad?
Dead, Kael said bluntly. All of them. You are the only one left. And you have about fifteen minutes before that Abyssal Rot stops your heart.
Lyra's face paled. She looked down at her side. The purple veins were spreading up her neck. She knew he was right. The healers were too far away.
I need to get back to the citadel, she whispered, trying to stand. Her legs gave out, and she fell back against the cold brick wall.
You will not make it to the end of the alley, Kael said. He crouched down in front of her. The Abyssal Rot freezes your blood and stops your heart. Standard healing magic cannot purge it.
Lyra looked at him, her vision blurring. Then how do you know so much about it?
Because I have a system, Kael said. He did not bother explaining the details. He reached out and placed his hand on her armored shoulder. The metal was freezing cold. And my system tells me there is fastest way to cure Abyssal Rot. Thermal transfer. Pure, concentrated Yang energy pushed directly into your core through physical intimacy.
Lyra's eyes widened. Even through the haze of poison, the implication hit her.
You want me to... with a stranger? she gasped, trying to push his hand away. I am the Captain of the Royal Guard. I would rather die.
You are going to die anyway, Kael said, his voice dropping to a dark, commanding register. He activated the Pheromone of the Apex.
A subtle, invisible wave of heat and dominance washed over her. Lyra gasped, her breath hitching. The pheromones did not mind-control her, but they heightened emotional openness, making his confidence difficult to ignore. Her body, already burning with the fever of the poison, reacted to his proximity.
Look at yourself, Lyra, Kael murmured, his thumb stroking the line of her jaw. You are proud. You are strong. But right now, you are just meat waiting to rot. Trust me. Let me save you. In return, stand with me. Your strength, your experience, and your loyalty.
Lyra stared into his eyes. She saw no pity. She saw only absolute, ruthless certainty. He was claiming her. And God help her, despite herself, she found his confidence reassuring.
The purple veins crept closer to her heart. Her breath grew shallow.
If I say yes, she whispered, her voice trembling, will you really save me?
I will make you stronger than you have ever been, Kael promised.
Lyra closed her eyes. A single tear cut through the grime on her cheek. Her resistance finally gave way.
Yes, she breathed. Save me. I will stand with you.
[DING]
[TARGET TRUST ESTABLISHED.]
[INITIATING INTIMATE BONDING SEQUENCE.]
Kael smiled. He scooped the S-Rank Knight Commander into his arms, feeling the intense, feverish heat of her body against his.
The apocalypse had just begun. And Kael was going to conquer it all.
