Duke_Asmodeus

"Arise, Shadowmancer—defy the gods, wield the shadows of your shattered past, or be consumed by the void."

I’ve died twice. Once as the prince of Avalon. Once as a soldier on Earth.

Both times, I lost everything.

But now, I’ve returned—a week before the world collapses. Before Earth merges with Avalon’s Fall, an online game that tears the fabric of reality, unleashing monsters and beasts into the real world, creating an apocalypse where survival demands power… or death.

This time, I won’t be weak. I severed ties with the woman I failed to protect. I abandoned the person I was, hoping she might survive without me.

But the world has other plans.

In one month, the Devil will descend—the monstrous swordsman who has taken everything from me in every past life.

This time, I hold the power of the SSSR-Rank Shadowmancer. I will command the shadows, bend them to my will. I will rise because I’m no longer the man who let fear dictate my fate.

Yet nothing is perfect…

The game branded me an NPC—not a player, but a pawn trapped in a system that controls my every move, limiting my growth, freedom, and humanity.

Am I even real to you, Solaria?

The goddess Solaria controls my fate. I don’t understand her motives, but I know she’s pulling the strings. Worse, Sena won’t stay away, bringing hope I can’t allow myself to accept…

I don’t know why I was reborn, or if I’ll ever be truly free.

But with my wits, my Shadows, and a power I was never meant to wield…

I will defy the system and carve my own path.

—------

Please show your support. This is a novel for the WSA 2025 Competition.

This is the Novel Discord: https://discord.gg/95KPzwhXrD

Graug-Fam The Slaughterer!