Deviant: No Longer Human

Wang Xiao finally understood why this Executioner was coming after him.

It wasn't about justice. It wasn't about balance.

It was about weight.

The mass of his existence, the power contained within his being, was too much for this fragile world. Like a neutron star trying to nest inside a fishbowl.

By all logic, the moment he transcended inside the graveyard of gods, he should have never returned.

But he did.

And because he did, the multiverse's clean-up crew was sent to erase him before he snapped this world in half like a rotting branch.

Wang Xiao exhaled slowly.

Now things made sense.

No wonder there was no second Aegis after he died.

But was that really it?

What if Aegis himself had broken the rules? What if his death wasn't just a battle—but an execution?

What if a transcendent had already been here long before Aegis?

A cold amusement flickered in Wang Xiao's gaze.

Was the past repeating itself?

Had this world already played out this script once before?

A transcendent breaking the balance.

An executioner arriving to correct it.

A war, a hunt, a quiet erasure from history.

And now, it was happening again.

But this time, Wang Xiao was the one being hunted.

Piece by piece, the biggest mysteries of this world were finally being solved.

And then, there was her.

Xue Hanqin.

The Third Great Lord of the Netherworld.

She wasn't just some exiled noble.

She was a ruler of Samsara.

In the Netherworld, there were four great factions—each ruled by a Great Lord like her.

____

1. The Yang Faction – Rulers of Purgatory

The warlords. The conquerors. The berserkers.

A brutal land of constant battle, where weak souls were captured, purged, and reforged into Hell Spirits—undead slaves forced to serve eternally.

Xue Hanqin nodded. "It is the most brutal region. They live by war, conquest, and martial supremacy. Souls and slaves are captured, trained, and purged."

Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Purged?"

He suddenly recalled Yin Yue, that tiny Hell Spirit, telling him about souls trapped in Purgatory, forced to possess corpses and serve as eternal slaves.

So it was true, then.

The Netherworld wasn't just a place of suffering. It was a factory. A goddamn industry.

Shura King came from there.

No wonder he was a bloodthirsty lunatic.

_____

2. The Yin Faction – Rulers of the Abyss

"A boundless void of lost souls, forbidden sorcery, and eldritch horrors," Xue Hanqin murmured. "A place where time itself is meaningless."

Wang Xiao's fingers tapped against the seat.

"So they're the ones responsible for the interdimensional portals?"

"Most likely," she admitted.

"Good."

She blinked. "Good?"

"Because that means they can be bought."

Xue Hanqin laughed softly.

_____

3. The Samsara Faction – Rulers of the Nether Cycle

The keepers of reincarnation, fate, and the soul's eternal cycle.

Xue Hanqin's voice darkened.

"This was my domain."

Betrayed. Hunted. Forced into reincarnation.

"I was tricked," she said, "and they tried to erase me forever. Before that, I ran into the Reincarnation Cycle and was reborn here. Without my strength. Unable to return, lest an executioner hunt me down instantly."

Wang Xiao's gaze on her for a moment.

A fallen empress.

A woman who once ruled an empire of death itself… now reduced to playing chess with a mortal.

How tragic.

And yet… how very, very useful.

_____

4. The Obsidian Faction – ???

Wang Xiao narrowed his eyes. "And the fourth?"

Xue Hanqin hesitated, then smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."

That only made him more curious.

______

Xue Hanqin exhaled sharply, her breath laced with barely contained fury.

"After running into the reincarnation cycle… I was reborn here. Stripped of my strength. Trapped in this mortal shell. If I try to use my true power, another Executioner will descend upon me instantly."

She was seething.

Not just with rage.

With humiliation.

A caged dragon, forced to live as a measly insect.

Wang Xiao watched her carefully.

"How often do these Executioners succeed?" he asked, feigning disinterest.

Xue Hanqin tilted her head. "Why? You want to fight it?"

"I'm asking for the statistics, not your permission."

Her brows lifted. "One hundred percent."

Silence.

No reaction.

Not even a flicker of hesitation.

She watched him closely.

Most men would panic. Most men would try to bargain.

But Wang Xiao?

He simply tilted his head and nodded.

"Statistics are flexible."

Xue Hanqin laughed.

Gods, she wanted this level of delusion.

She had spent eons calculating odds, planning escapes, weighing probabilities like a scholar dissecting the fates of lesser beings.

And here he was—this arrogant bastard, throwing probability out the window like it was a meaningless suggestion.

____

Wang Xiao leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Reincarnation Circle. What is it?"

Xue Hanqin's expression sharpened. "Unless you agree to help me return to the Netherworld, I won't tell you."

Wang Xiao. "Oh? What next? You threaten to unleash your power and trigger another Executioner, so we both die together?"

Xue Hanqin froze.

How did he know?

How did he see through her so easily?

"Let me ask you something," Wang Xiao continued. "You already refused to help the Karmic Emperor. And if Executioners are so almighty, why hasn't he killed me yet?"

Xue Hanqin hesitated.

Wang Xiao's grin widened. Gotcha.

He wasn't the one walking into her trap.

She was the one stepping into his.

____

"I was once the Great Lord of Samsara," Xue Hanqin finally admitted.

"The Karmic Emperor's strength lies in karma. He's bidding his time. You see, every Executioner dispatched is supposed to have equal strength to their target. But that's a lie. Their abilities far surpass what the world knows."

She paused. "And your karma… it's worsening."

Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"The darker your karma, the easier it will be for him to consume you. He's waiting, letting your sins pile up, until eventually, you won't even be able to resist."

Wang Xiao blinked.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Damn, what a rat."

So that bastard wasn't just avoiding a fight—he was waiting for Wang Xiao to dig his own grave.

Hilarious.

And here Wang Xiao thought he was the only one who played dirty.

"So what's your solution?" Wang Xiao smirked. "You want me to become a saint and cleanse my karma?"

Xue Hanqin sneered. "You forget who I am, Prince."

"In the Netherworld, you'd barely be a Lord-Class. I? I am a Great-Lord."

"At best, you can exist in multiple dimensions, maybe create pocket realms." She smiled mockingly.

"But I? I ruled the cycle of reincarnation itself."

Wang Xiao's grin widened.

Finally, someone with ambition.

"And?" he said, stretching lazily.

"Normally, your chances of dying are 100%," Xue Hanqin admitted. "But… the Karmic Emperor advised me not to interfere."

She smiled.

"As long as you help me return to the Netherworld, I can teach you how to turn karma against him."

Wang Xiao's eyes gleamed.

For the first time in a long time—

He was very, very interested.