Judge of Souls - Chapter 1 - The Judge

Rex was an ordinary salaryman, resigned to a dull life of monotony in a towering megacity. But his world shatters when he’s conscripted by Nexum Dynamics, a ruthless megacorporation, and thrust into a brutal war for a barren, alien world. The planet holds unimaginable riches, but it’s also swarming with the Krhyssari, an insectoid race that dominates the surface with their hive-mind precision and relentless aggression. Amid the carnage, Rex had an extraordinary encounter with Cleo, an ancient AI, a survivor of a long-extinct civilization. Cleo isn’t just an artificial intelligence; she’s a consciousness imbued with memories of her people’s interstellar empire and equipped with advanced bio-nanotechnology. Offering Rex a new purpose and unmatched power, she transforms his fragile human body into a hybrid of living metal and flesh, making him the ultimate weapon. But Cleo is more than a tool of war. As she journeys alongside Rex, her cold, logical algorithms evolve, shaped by his humanity. Together, they form a bond that transcends the boundaries of man and machine, discovering love in the midst of chaos. As Rex and Cleo fight for survival, they uncover a shared ambition, to rise as intergalactic overlords, uniting or conquering the galaxy.

In the not-so-distant future, a group of Earthlings find themselves mysteriously transported to the Nexus Realm, a fantastical world besieged by monstrous creatures.With no way out of the craziness, they reluctantly joined forces with the realm's inhabitants to combat the constant threat of these otherworldly beasts.To defend the Nexus or Nexaria, powers were bestowed upon them with the promise of returning home after successfully repelling the monsters dangling before them like a carrot.Years passed, and the initial camaraderie between the heroes slowly began to crumble. Still, the Protagonist, Adrian Fenrir, with his power known as Analysis, played a crucial role in understanding the monsters' patterns and weaknesses. However, as the group became more adept at handling the threats, they grew increasingly independent and, perhaps, arrogant.One day, due to a series of mishaps, Adrian found himself surrounded by assassins. He tried his best to drive them off but failed and met a bitter end. It didn't take long for the assassins to do their work, and as per the contractor's request, they decided to dispose of Adrian's corpse by selling it to a mad scientist known for his experiments with creatures from the Nexaria.In need of a fresh subject for his latest project, the scientist transformed Adrian into a chimaera, a fusion of humans and monsters to be sold as a weapon for war.However, the scientist's plan backfired when Adrian, against all odds, regained consciousness within his chimaera body. Fueled by rage and the memories of his betrayal, Adrian seized control over his new body. Now reborn as a chimaera with the ability to absorb organs and gain the powers of other creatures, Adrian vows vengeance upon the mysterious contractor who sent the assassins for him.Once a battleground against monsters, the Nexaria now witnessed a different kind of conflict—one driven by betrayal, revenge, and the extraordinary powers of a vengeful chimaera.

My grandfather is very eccentric, performing daily rituals of offering incense to himself, standing in front of his own spirit tablet and eating candles.Villagers are fearful of my grandfather.I am fearful of him too.Later, I discovered that what they were afraid of was not my grandfather, but me.Even grandfather is afraid of me....My name is Chen Shi.The Chen of honesty, the Shi of sincerity.