Aarav, the rising hero of the Outer Sect, stood atop the Dawn Platform, golden sunlight streaming behind him like the very heavens endorsed his every move. His posture was noble, his jawline sharp, and his clean white robes billowed like a banner of hope.
People cheered below. "Young Hero Aarav!" they shouted. "The Empire's future!"
The cheers were earned—or so it seemed.
Only Priyanshu Yadav, standing in the shade of the pavilion across from the platform, knew the entire performance was fabricated.
"System," Priyanshu muttered under his breath. "Update me on the current progress of the 'Dance of the Rising Hero' quest."
[Quest Progress: 73% Complete]– Hero's Popularity: National Level (✓)– Hero's Influence on Nobility: Medium (✓)– Hero's Secret Dependence on Host: Hidden (✓)– Public Recognition Event: Ongoing
Final Requirement Pending: Orchestrated Downfall
Perfect.
Aarav bowed respectfully to the sect elders, speaking with righteous fire in his voice. "I vow to eradicate corruption, to protect the weak, and serve the Empire with my very soul!"
The elders smiled. The crowds roared louder.
Priyanshu almost laughed.
This boy was a marionette, dancing to every string Priyanshu had placed in the shadows.
"You've trained him well," Mistress Shaya whispered beside him, sipping tea under a veil of illusion. "He truly believes he's destined for greatness."
"I gave him the situations to prove himself, and he walked into each of them with the arrogance of a golden retriever thinking he's a wolf," Priyanshu replied dryly.
Shaya chuckled. "Are you going to break him during his peak, or let him bask a little longer?"
"Soon," Priyanshu said. "The bigger the pedestal, the harder the fall. I'm not just going to ruin his reputation—I'll make the world question whether heroes ever existed."
A chime rang in his mind.
[New System Prompt: Shadow Archive Unlocked]
You may now store false narratives and evidence to rewrite the perception of historical and current events.
New Sub-Skill: False Legend Creation
Now this was a tool.
Priyanshu opened the Shadow Archive and began forging a scandal: secret ties between Aarav and a demonic sect, falsified merit scrolls, illusion-formed "memories" of betrayal, planted enemy spies calling him "Master."
In minutes, the downfall was no longer a plan—it was history, waiting to be revealed.
"Let the world cheer for him one last time," Priyanshu said, walking into the fading light of the crowd's celebration. "Tomorrow, their hero dies. And the villain... rewrites history."
In the inner chamber of the Hidden System
Lines of code shimmered across the void. The System's core flickered.
A silent message echoed from an unknown administrator:
"Host progressing beyond expected villain threshold. Monitor Karma balance. Monitor Soul-Stability Index. Update: Priyanshu Yadav now qualifies for... [Villain Lord Candidate]."