[{"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-171":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},560659,810,"Chapter 171: Pride Broken in the Alley","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-171",171,"\u003Cp>Pride Broken in the Alley\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t hold on any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Lucas decided to cast aside his pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a man like Lucas—blond hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, blue eyes bloodshot with fury and humiliation—that choice was far harder than enduring pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain could be resisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain could be clenched through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pride... pride was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had carried him his entire life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pride in his talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pride in being counted among the rising prodigies of Obsidian Wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pride in the cold certainty that he stood above ordinary men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That he was predator, never prey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That he would be the one forcing surrender from others—never begging for rescue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, with blood thick in his mouth and his limbs trembling from exhaustion, even that pride began to crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crack started small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tremor in conviction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whisper of survival drowning dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest heaved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breathing turned ragged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The alley behind Night Wing Stay seemed to tighten around him, every wall pressing in, every shadow watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fists shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not from fear alone—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>from rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage at his own helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rage that these old monsters had driven him this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a deep, burning breath, forced air into battered lungs—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and shouted,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cry tore through the back lot behind Night Wing Stay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desperate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It echoed off the concrete walls and iron service doors, carrying farther than Lucas expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to him, it sounded unbearably shameful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like admitting defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like swallowing poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Old Martial Arts bodyguards exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had nearly finished him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another few breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another few coordinated strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another ruthless exchange—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and perhaps this enemy would have fallen for good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas could feel it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been inches from collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One misstep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One slower dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And his corpse might already be cooling on the pavement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fate was rarely so clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was, after all, a high-end hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luxury bred vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And vigilance always brought people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost immediately after Lucas’s shout rang out, movement stirred from the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patrolling security guards came running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flashlights cut through the dim back passage in hard white beams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boots pounded against stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voices rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s going on back here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey—stop!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One guard pushed forward, shining his light over the scene, eyes widening at the blood, the torn suits, the unmistakable signs of a violent clash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?\" he barked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who allowed you to fight here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, absurdly irritated, as though the destruction offended him more than the violence, he added—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you want to fight, go to the dance studio.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one bizarre second, even the suffocating tension seemed to stumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The line was so ridiculous it nearly shattered the atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Lucas, panting and half-broken, almost thought he’d misheard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dance studio?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two bodyguards from Bianca’s side looked irritated but helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their killing intent, moments ago so sharp it felt tangible, now dulled beneath practical restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were too many witnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many questions that would follow if Lucas died here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing him before security, cameras, and hotel staff would be troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Miss Bianca had given orders clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strike hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teach him a lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cripple him if needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But do not expose the De Dominicis household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That line could not be crossed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One bodyguard clicked his tongue, frustration flickering in his aged eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucky dog.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other muttered coldly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Next time your life won’t be so cheap.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then both retreated into shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fast as ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they left, Lucas collapsed onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not elegantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not like a prodigy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a beaten stray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His chest rose violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humiliation burned hotter than pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He... Lucas...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>had actually been beaten until he cried for help by two Iron Realm martial artists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iron Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weaklings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his mind the words repeated like a curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long had it been since he arrived in Valemont?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He counted bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once against Julian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once through his own scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three beatings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three disgraces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fist dug into the pavement until the knuckles whitened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(I will kill him.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(I will kill Julian D’Aurelius.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hatred rose so strong it nearly steadied him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the guards crouched near him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you need us to call the police?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple, normal concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And somehow Lucas took offense at even that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was hoarse, venomous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t need your meddling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed himself halfway upright and glared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If any of you dare talk about today’s incident...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes gleamed dangerously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t blame me for being impolite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threat landed like a slap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then their expressions darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Concern curdled into disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One muttered under his breath,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of lunatic begs for help then threatens rescuers?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another spat to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we knew he was this brainless, we wouldn’t have bothered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They turned and left cursing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their footsteps faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas sat alone in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold air moved through the alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A paper cup rolled in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one moment, no enemies surrounded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He touched blood at his lip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not from fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thoughts drifted unwillingly to Julian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That calm black-haired bastard with golden eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemingly ordinary smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That strange unpredictable strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything since arriving had gone wrong around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though fate itself favored Julian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Fortune’s Chosen...)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought came bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He despised even thinking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet could not deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even tonight—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his trap had reversed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His allies betrayed him unknowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His prey walked away laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he... ended in the dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He almost laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A broken laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half madness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his expression hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cultivator’s road was built on reversals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humiliation could temper steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would remember every blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every insult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And return it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tenfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, painfully, Lucas rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every movement hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ribs screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs felt unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone seemed stubborn defiance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black luxury car remained parked beyond the service lane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He staggered toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then glanced once back at the hotel towering behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its golden lights looked almost mocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside those walls,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian was likely resting peacefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bianca perhaps smiling in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And somewhere...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hemil and the Scythe Division were probably pretending loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thread of suspicion stirred again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Thalia really responsible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or had something else happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his battered mind could not untangle it now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pain drowned reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slid into the driver’s seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Started the engine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hands gripping the wheel too tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then drove into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streetlights smeared past in gold ribbons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body ached with every turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than once he nearly blacked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he forced himself onward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his injuries...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>it would take a while to fully recover.\u003C\u002Fp>",1163,"2026-05-30T15:14:55.253Z","2026-06-01T04:31:33.482Z",1,"novelbin.me","67a1f3f37000bd564ea011b896bf5c7b9688793310558e883bfcf2bace4b8830","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-172","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-170",232,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvillain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-cover.jpg"]