Villain: Ultimate Mutation System in the Alternate World

Reign's anger exploded. "What do you know about me!" he roared, his frustration spilling over.

The idea that someone had seen his memories and was now suggesting he was being manipulated only fueled his rage.

"You're getting defensive and angry—your benefactor conditioned you well," the madman said, laughing.

"Cut the crap! The system gave me a second life. I'm supposed to be dead already, so I don't care what its plans are as long as I can kept on living," Reign snapped back.

"Give you a second life?" The madman's grin widened. "You really don't know anything, do you? How much has your benefactor twisted your memories?"

Reign's eyes widened, with a mix of confusion and unease flashing across his face.

"What are you talking about? I know my own memory ," he protested his voice trembling with frustration.

"Are you sure? It was quite easy for me to bring you here," the madman teased.

"Stop messing with my head! I've been through a lot, and I know the system has helped me. Don't try to twist things around. I've survived my second life because of it, and that's all that matters!"

The man's smile faded. He rubbed his temples as if trying to soothe a headache.

"Little One, you keep talking about your 'second life.' But are you even sure you really died in the first place?"

Reign was speechless.

"To start with, if you really dig into your memories, you'll find inconsistencies. You were supposed to be the child of a very powerful person, but you had no power yourself?"

"That's because—"

"You can't explain it, can you? It's odd because someone as powerful as your father would have a very dominant genes. So, either you're not his real son..." The madman's voice trailed off, leaving the thought hanging in the air.

"Or what?" Reign asked, feeling uneasy.

"Or something must have stopped you from awakening your real power."

Reign's eyes widened as he absorbed the madman's words. His mind raced, trying to process the shocking idea.

"Little One," the madman continued, his tone almost playful, "but who would do something like that? Think about it. Why would someone keep you from unlocking your true power and then make you suffer for years?"

"And then, out of nowhere, this godlike benefactor appears, offering you a chance to become powerful. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?"

Reign's face tightened as he struggled to push the doubts creeping into his mind away. Despite his efforts, the man's words made too much sense.

"But I got the system after my second life!" he argued.

"Did you really?" The madman's voice was sharp and probing.

"Are you sure your benefactor wasn't inside you all along, waiting in the shadows until you were ripe? The perfect pawn—heartless, greedy, broken and only interested in getting stronger."

"I…" Reign stood frozen. The madman's words had completely shattered his sense of certainty.

Meanwhile, the person responsible for this confusion was smiling widely, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. His thoughts was impossible to read, so it was unclear if he was being truthful or not.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

The entire place shook violently, the stone walls themselves were splitting apart.

Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, and the floor trembled beneath their feet.

The madman did not flinch at all, but there was a trace of disappointment in his eyes.

"Looks like your benefactor is really angry," he said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the collapsing space.

"Our talk here will have to end. I hope I was able to help, Little One,"

He gave Reign one last, intense look before turning around.

"Wait!" Reign shouted.

The madman stopped but didn't turn around. "What is it?"

"You said I'm being used as a pawn, right? Is there a way out of this? Can I take control?" he hurriedly asked.

This was the first time he met someone who seemed to know about him and the system.

Despite his reluctance to believe the madman, his words were too logical to ignore.

The possibility that the system might be responsible for all his suffering was very concerning.

He could have tolerated it if the system had started manipulating him only after his death, but the idea that it had been controlling him from the beginning was unbearable.

"That's a hard one," the madman said, turning slightly but not fully facing him.

"Your benefactor is really powerful. I don't think you can do much against it if you keep relying on it for your power."

"Then what should I do?"

"Well," the madman said, his tone thoughtful, "if you really want to break free, you need to stop depending on your benefactor."

Reign paused, his face troubled. "That's impossible. I don't even have real power without it."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Are you sure? Because from what I'm seeing, you still have your father's bloodline with you," he revealed. Continue reading at empire

"I still have it?"

He remembered the system mentioning his legendary bloodline, but it said the concentration was too weak, and it had to replace it with another because it couldn't exist in this world.

"Don't put too much faith in your benefactor's words. You still have your bloodline; you just need to find another way to awaken it. And I know where you can find it."

"Where?"

"In the East, search for the Dragon Palace," the man's voice echoed as it began to fade away.

"Our time is limited," he continued, "so I'll give you a simple trick. It'll help you hide your thoughts ."

He started explaining the trick to Reign, who listened intently, his eyes narrowing as he absorbed the information.

After the madman was done, both of them found themselves in a black, empty space .

"Before you go, can I know your name?" Reign asked.

He didn't fully believe all the claims, which was why he wanted to know his name—to investigate it later.

It was easy to twist the truth and control the narrative, after all.

In fact, if Reign were in the madman's position, he'd probably use the same tactics to mess with his opponent's mind.

The madman smiled, and before he vanished, he uttered the words, "Sato— "