[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system":3,"chapter-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-169":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Villain of Fate: The Tyrant System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},560657,810,"Chapter 169: Mask of the Fallen","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-169",169,"\u003Cp>Mask of the Fallen\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guests... could you please open the door?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pounding came again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relentless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the polite knock of hotel staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kind of knocking that felt like a siege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suite door trembled faintly in its frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, voices overlapped in complete, ridiculous chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Family, everyone’s waited two hours—we’re finally about to see the pig-killer brother!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young streamer whispered excitedly into her phone, though her voice was so loud it defeated the purpose entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her camera light glowed in the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, another woman tilted her phone toward the door and giggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brothers, send Little Beauty some gifts, okay? Little Beauty has been live almost three hours waiting for this moment!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Digital hearts flooded her screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Virtual roses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rocket gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Comments exploded so fast they blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open the door!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who’s inside?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortieth-floor romance legend!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is the brother still alive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone in the crowd nearly choked laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas felt his soul leaving his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A livestream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was actually...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a livestream happening outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face turned green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then green again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, even facing life-and-death enemies had never made him feel such terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had heard the domestic streaming industry was prosperous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this was barbaric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this was demonic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had underestimated civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this spread online—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If clips circulated—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone from the martial world saw—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His scalp went numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How would he ever show his face again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would the younger generation whisper when he passed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would old enemies smirk behind folded fans?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would future historians remember him not as a prodigy of the Obsidian Wing...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>not as a genius who shook provinces...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but as—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Long-lasting Lucas?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His whole body shuddered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold tremor ran down his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impossible...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked genuinely on the verge of internal deviation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panic sharpened his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Lucas had always been quick-witted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even cornered, his instincts moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rushed to the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps... another route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed it open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold night wind slammed into his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortieth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city lights far below seemed like stars at the bottom of an abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at full strength, jumping from here meant certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his depleted state?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the pounding intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guests, please cooperate!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t remain in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not with those cameras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then suddenly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long breath, he gritted his teeth and reached into a hidden pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A human skin mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meticulously crafted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had made it to resemble Julian D’Aurelius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A contingency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A future trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never expected to use it like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingers trembled as he put it on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because face structures differed, it could never be identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only six... perhaps seven-tenths resemblance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas stared into the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A distorted Julian stared back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice dripped hatred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he couldn’t escape this humiliation—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he would drag Julian down with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let that bastard take the fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, his gaze shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the unconscious Thalia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beastlike loathing crossed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took out a black pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow-acting poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No immediate death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then sudden heart failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Untraceable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forced it into her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You defiled me...\" he whispered coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You do not deserve to continue living.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was almost shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether from fury or trauma, even he did not know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And stepped into judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corridor erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phones lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stream lights flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People stared at him like spectators watching some carnival monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas’s humiliation ignited into murderous rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His roar echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slapped away several streamers’ phones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One girl shrieked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My phone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another yelled to her audience,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s escaping! Family, he’s escaping!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas nearly coughed blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rushed toward the emergency exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one thought remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escape this cursed hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleanse himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burn his skin if necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything felt filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disgust crawled under his flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So disgusting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flew down stairwells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortieth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty-fifth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirtieth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-fifth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the twentieth floor—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four figures blocked the emergency exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scythe Division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil at the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas almost exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least some order remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his mouth to command—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hemil moved first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a viper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fist crashed into Lucas’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caught completely off guard, Lucas staggered back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vision exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hit the ground hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landing on his backside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own subordinates dared strike him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil didn’t even blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed accusingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tang Yu! Today is your death day!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then all four charged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like wolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment Lucas was already severely depleted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Limbs heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with frantic resistance, he still took several brutal hits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knee to ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elbow to shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A palm strike to chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He coughed blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>under the assault—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Idiot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still wearing Julian’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With sudden panic he jumped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ripped off the human skin mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And shouted with furious disbelief,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Idiots—it’s me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a heartbeat the stairwell froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other three stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then one whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Young Master Lucas?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No... impossible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil narrowed his eyes, acting shocked almost too perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You mean...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the discarded mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then at bruised, furious Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then sucked in a dramatic breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brothers...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed accusingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He disguised himself as Young Master Julian to trick us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas nearly lost consciousness from rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You dog!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could lunge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil grinned inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the game... was only beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>------------------------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Villain of Fate: The Tyrant System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With love,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saturn_Virgo_777\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creator of Villain of Fate: The Tyrant System\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--------------------\u003C\u002Fp>",1048,"2026-05-30T15:14:55.253Z","2026-06-01T04:31:33.482Z",1,"novelbin.me","4306b2dd29da7b69113a0d4bcf39d89bce2b7972dbac17b06abc17159a0994dd","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-170","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-168",232,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvillain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-cover.jpg"]