Beasts are demons ?

Everyone started running toward the hole Kamata had made. Fear gripped them all—it was enemy territory, and anything could happen.

They rushed outside, hearts pounding. Fortunately, no enemies were in sight. The only thing there was a single magical carriage, parked quietly on the field.

There were 14 soldiers—captives of the Dark Side army. Athan and Baldwin listened closely to their murmurs, slowly piecing together the truth: the world was at war. Two factions. Light Side and Dark Side.

"You're Baldwin, right?" one of the men asked. He wore blue and white armor with a feathered helmet. A deep gash ran across his cheek, crusted with dried blood.

"Yes, I'm Baldwin," he replied cautiously.

"Get in and sit down. Now," the man ordered, urgency thick in his voice. "They must've been confident, bringing so few troops. But Kamata escaped. That means they'll be coming."

Baldwin nodded, motioning for Athan to follow.

Yes—it could very well be a trap. And sure, maybe they can all even sketch Balwin and Athan, but that's an entirely different matter. It's almost laughable how some people think they're strong… then dare to challenge the truly powerful.

They climbed inside. To their surprise, though the carriage looked small from the outside, the inside was far more spacious. One by one, the others filed in as well.

The carriage began to move, though it felt strangely smooth, like they weren't even traveling at all.

The helmeted man broke the silence. "Sorry for sitting so quietly. Do you remember anything? Anything at all? Before you came here—or why you're here?"

Athan and Baldwin exchanged a glance.

Baldwin was the best when it came to slipping through tight spots. Quick-thinking. Innocent face. He could lie like it was truth and play the victim like a master.

"I don't know what happened," Baldwin began, feigning confusion with just the right touch of fear. "When I woke up, everything was blurry. Then, when I came to, I saw a person inside a glass jar. The jar broke… and he opened his eyes. We stayed together. Then we heard a scream. We were scared and ran. We didn't know why. Then we found you."

His expression was perfectly crafted—wide eyes, uncertain voice, trembling breath.

"Hm. You were in jars?" the helmeted man muttered. "Weird. Still, from what I've seen… you didn't look scared at all."

He leaned forward slightly, inspecting Baldwin. "Did you feel anything? Anything rise up inside you?"

Again, Athan glanced at Baldwin. And again, Baldwin took the lead.

"No. Not really," Baldwin said slowly, as if unsure. "But… something inside me wants to fight. Whenever I see someone from the Dark Side… it's like something inside me starts screaming. Angry. Wild. Like a voice or a soul… it even told me my name."

The lie rolled off his tongue, delivered with subtlety and conviction.

Athan, meanwhile, was screaming in his head. This guy… he's unbelievable. Baldwin's performance was so smooth, so natural—it was almost divine. Even the gods those people worshiped would've been fooled.

As Athan stayed silent, the helmeted man turned to him.

"You're quiet. You haven't said a single word."

"I have nothing to say," Athan replied flatly.

"Your name is Athens, right?"

"Athan," he corrected coldly. "Not Athens. And yeah, I'm annoyed. That's it."

"Right. My mistake," the man nodded. "You used some kind of strange power earlier—made the Dark Side troops disappear from view. I saw it. I could tell you were annoyed."

He paused. "By the way, I'm Lucas Whitecat, one of the Generalissimos of the Federation Alliance."

"No problem," Athan replied—and once again fell into silence.

Suddenly, the carriage shook violently. Screams filled the air as people lost their balance. Lucas and Baldwin were thrown from their seats. Athan, gripping a handle, held himself steady and quickly got back in position.

"What's going on?!" Lucas shouted, scrambling to the door.

"Sir! It's demons!" one of the soldiers called from outside.

Lucas's eyes narrowed. "Don't panic! We've come back from hell once—we can do it again. They're just demons!"

He turned back to the passengers. "Kids, stay here. Don't worry. We'll take care of them."

But Baldwin and Athan both furrowed their brows at that word.

"Did he say… demon?" they muttered at the same time.

They stared at each other. Then Athan slid over to Baldwin.

"I thought you'd sit there for the rest of your life," Baldwin said, still rubbing the bump on his head.

"You've lied to so many people, even God decided to punish you just now," Athan replied dryly.

"Oh, and what about Lucas and the soldiers who believed it? They get a free pass?"

Athan didn't answer that. Instead, he shifted the topic.

"Let's see what kind of 'demon' it is."

They stepped outside—and immediately spotted them.

Athan fell to his knees, covering his mouth to suppress a laugh. His body shook uncontrollably.

Baldwin looked at him, annoyed. "Why are you laughing? Have you lost your mind?"

"No," Athan wheezed. "Those aren't demons. They're beasts! Normal beasts! I mean, seriously… what would they call you? Maybe I should start calling you the Beast King instead of the Demon King!"

"You think that's funny?! How dare they think demons and beasts are the same!"

Suddenly, a beast lunged into the air, jaws wide, claws ready to strike them down—

—until a white light sliced it clean in half.

Lucas stood nearby, sword drawn. "What the hell are you two doing?! Get back inside! It's hard to protect and fight at the same time!"

Baldwin rolled his eyes. "I think this guy's got mental issues."

"Agreed," Athan muttered. "Did he forget we were the ones who defeated that fatso earlier?"

"Yeah, they'll all forget. Because of your charm and lies," Athan added with a smirk.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?! Go inside!" Lucas shouted. "There are way too many beasts!"

"We want to help!" Baldwin called out. "I have superpowers!"

Here we go again, Athan thought, sighing deeply. Author Baldwin is at it again.

Suddenly, another beast lunged forward, its claws extended, aiming straight for the group.

But before Lucas could even react—before his eyes could fully track the movement—Baldwin was already in the air.

In a flash, he appeared behind the beast, moving with such speed that even the creature itself hesitated in confusion.

Then—CRACK!

With a single strike from his left hand, Baldwin smashed the beast's head like it was a brittle melon. Blood splattered across the ground as the lifeless body dropped with a heavy thud.

Baldwin landed gracefully, dusting his hands off like it was nothing.

"See?" he said, grinning. "Told you—I'm strong."

Lucas stared, stunned into silence. After a few seconds, all he managed to say was:

"...Wow, how He's very fast."

However, Lucas couldn't stay shocked for long.

Because in the next breath, the ground trembled—a deafening roar followed.

BOOM!

An enormous beast landed in front of Baldwin, shaking the earth beneath them. It was elephant-sized—if an elephant had jagged obsidian skin, crimson eyes, and tusks like twisted blades. Steam hissed from its nostrils as it snarled, ready to charge.

Lucas stepped back instinctively, panic crawling up his throat.

"We… we can't win against that," he muttered, his voice cracking. "I can't fight something like that alone. Not right now…"

Behind him, the other soldiers were frozen. Fear gripped them like chains.

Athan raised an eyebrow, watching the chaos unfold. "We can't win, man? These people are seriously dumb," he muttered under his breath, folding his arms like a disappointed observer at a bad play.

But Baldwin stood his ground—his back to the beast, completely unfazed.

"Oh? What do we have here?" he said casually, tilting his head just enough to glance at the monster from the corner of his eye. "I wonder…"

A slow grin crept across his face.

"Are you strong?"