“…Damn it, fine.”
Arkan grabbed his spear and charged forward. When Taeyon thrust his sword toward the demon beast’s upper body, Arkan swung his spear at the demon beast’s lower body. With its escape route blocked, the demon beast dodged the attacks with grotesque movements as if it had no joints in its body, but it couldn’t avoid losing its balance.
The demon beast fell to the ground shoulder and side first, then quickly rolled its body. Above it, sword and spear plunged down.
“I told you to guard over there!”
“But he said it’s safe there so I should go, so what am I supposed to do?!”
Taeyon glared at Arkan in disbelief. Did he even know whose orders he was following right now? Watching Arkan avoid his gaze but still not go back, Taeyon clicked his tongue.
Arkan’s expression brightened. The tongue click had meant permission.
Meanwhile, the demon beast that had dodged the attack raised itself up with its core strength.
The demon beast’s expression was twisted savagely. Unlike before when it would shake them off and immediately attack again, the demon beast growled, then suddenly stomped the ground hard with its foot.
Rumble…
A sound like the entire stone cave was groaning echoed, and then something scratched and gnawed through the walls, creating holes as it emerged. They were monsters, subordinates of the demon beast. Despite having killed so many, over a hundred more came flooding in.
“Kaniel, can you hold out?”
At Taeyon’s question, the beastkin behind him stirred with unease. Kaniel swallowed his fear and answered.
“Yes, I can hold out!”
Dozens of rat monsters rushed over and began gnawing at the protective barrier with their teeth. But the attack dealt more damage than expected. Because the protective barrier was wide, the number of monsters that could approach and attack was also large.
His magical power began depleting rapidly.
‘If I could use offensive magic, I could take out at least some of them…’
But he was already using two spells. And that was only possible because one of them was an easy spell like the Orb of Light. Casting one more spell while maintaining all these spells was impossible with Kaniel’s abilities.
His magical power would surely backflow and he would lose consciousness.
Kaniel gritted his teeth in fear. There was still a little leeway, but if Taeyon’s battle with the demon beast didn’t end, that terrible pain would come again.
“I’ll be there soon, just wait a little longer.”
“…Yes!”
Then Taeyon and Arkan began pressing the demon beast again. Their combined attack exquisitely restricted the opponent’s movements, but they were at a disadvantage in battle as they had to watch out for the rat monsters at their feet as well.
The time was gradually approaching.
Kaniel took a deep breath and braced himself for the pain. From what he had felt before, at first it felt like something heavy was constricting his entire body. And as time passed, the air became increasingly heavy, gradually pressing down on his body more forcefully.
Kaniel, who had been focusing his attention on Taeyon’s battle, widened his eyes when he saw the demon beast suddenly let out a horrific roar.
The demon beast’s form was changing grotesquely. Its muscles bulged, and its fingernails and claws grew disgustingly long. Its sparse fur also grew more, becoming disheveled. Throughout it all, only its red eyes remained the same.
The mutated demon beast swung its claws roughly. The claws, wielded like a whip, grazed Arkan’s cheek. It had barely grazed him, yet surprisingly, the skin split open.
Growling, the demon beast charged again. Its movements seemed to have lost all reason.
At that moment, Kaniel felt an opportunity had arrived. Right now, he could help Taeyon at just the right time.
“Everyone, close your eyes.”
Whispering so only the beastkin behind him could hear, Kaniel extinguished the Orb of Light he had been maintaining, and in the very next moment, created the brightest light he could behind Taeyon and Arkan’s backs.
Flash—!
With the explosively bursting light, the entire stone cave blazed white. The demon beast, which received the light head-on, began screaming.
Kyaaaaaaah—!
Though it was a sudden situation, Taeyon didn’t miss the opportunity. Taeyon took one step closer to the demon beast that was covering its eyes with both hands and shrieking, then swung his sword with all his might.
The blade that dug in deeply sliced through the neck.
The demon beast’s head flew through the air, and its body stood for a moment before taking three more steps toward where the beastkin were, then collapsed with a thud.
The fingertips of the fallen corpse were pointing toward the beastkin.
* * *
When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar stone cave. Seeing his body bound like this, it was obvious what had happened to the one escort knight and twenty soldiers he always traveled with.
They must not have survived.
The lord looked at his son, who was bound in the same wretched state beside him and had lost consciousness, and felt relieved. Then he felt self-loathing. Twenty-one subordinates he had been close to had died, yet he felt joy seeing his child was alive.
“You’re awake.”
At the sudden voice, he turned his head to see a silhouette sitting with crossed legs in the darkness. The face wasn’t visible, and the voice was unfamiliar.
“What do you want from me?”
When he asked through gritted teeth, the other person smirked with a relaxed expression.
“No need to be so hostile. We’ll soon become the same.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve already given you what I wanted. Now all I need is time.”
“Explain properly… Urgh…!”
A terrible headache struck inside his head. Everything around him went up and down, shook, and churned. He couldn’t tell if his body was shaking or if the ground was shaking.
He felt nauseous and vomited, gasping for breath. Then he lay down on the ground, dizzy. His heartbeat was excessively fast. Thump thump thump thump, his heart pounded in his ears. It felt like something sharp like a needle was piercing his brain.
Beside him, his son, who had opened his eyes at some point, was curled up, letting out pained groans.
“Are, are you al…right…”
“Fath… er…? What’s… happening…?”
And his vision went dark.
* * *
When he opened his eyes again, he felt he had changed. The headache had disappeared, but instead, an endlessly whispering voice could be heard in his ears.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
No matter how much he shook his head or covered his ears, the sound wouldn’t stop. The lord, who staggered as he raised his body, reflexively checked beside him. The place where his son should have been.
But there was something incomprehensible there. It was a corpse that had met death with a pained expression. The face of the corpse, dried up as if it had been dead for several years, unbelievably resembled his son.
He checked the clothing the corpse was wearing. Black pants and a white shirt embroidered with gold thread. A brooch set with a green gem. This brooch was what the lord had given his son as a birthday present. How much had he struggled to find a gem that resembled those beautiful eyes that were normally green but showed a slight blue tint when light hit them.
But now, his son’s eyes were dyed a dull gray.
The lord caressed his son’s shriveled cheek.
—My baby, my baby…
Why did this happen? For what reason…
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
The lord realized he had become a ‘demon beast.’ A disgusting rat demon beast at that.
‘We’ll soon become the same.’
The words that horrible voice had said came to mind.
That thing had made him like this. Into a demon beast.
But how?
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
‘Who on earth can turn beastkin into demon beasts?’
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
‘Weren’t demon beasts naturally occurring monsters to begin with?’
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
‘So beastkin mutate to become demon beasts?’
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
It was difficult to continue thinking. He felt a hunger that seemed to burn his insides. He was hungry. He wanted to eat.
Primal instincts and desires surged up.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
‘Ah, first I need to kidnap a beastkin.’
The lord sensed the presence of monsters living in the cave. They were creatures ready to obey the demon beast’s commands.
—Bring back just one.
One monster bolted out of the cave. Until it returned, he decided to move the child to a safe place. The lord picked up the corpse and walked, rocking it up and down as if putting a baby to sleep.
My poor child.
Why couldn’t you become a demon beast and ended up like this instead?
To fall asleep in such a pitiful state.
I wish you could have remained as this father’s joy a little longer.
You should have become a demon beast. You should have…
A murmuring voice followed the lord gloomily like a shadow.
—To shrivel up like this, my poor child…
A short while later, the lord placed the beastkin the monster had brought back at his feet. It was trembling violently, seized with fear.
He was hungry. He wanted to eat.
But.
Kidnap beastkin and turn them into demon beasts.
—Come here, my child.
Even at the lord’s words, the beastkin only trembled with a terror-stricken face, showing no response.
