Scream

The wind howled as it surged around the castle. Rotten banners flailed wildly, and as the wind struck the stone walls, it let out a deep, mournful wail.

The second sun was setting slowly. The sky was neither orange nor red—something in between, a pale light painted with fire. The first of the four moons rose above, its dim white face peeking through the clouds.

On the horizon, colors bled into one another. It was neither night nor day. Shadows stretched, the light shifted, and for a fleeting moment, time itself seemed to hold its breath.

(POV: Ravien)

Everyone was frozen. Their breaths were caught in their throats, their gazes locked in horror upon my creatures. Some of the guards looked like they wanted to flee, but their knees buckled against their will.

Fear.

A familiar thing. Expected. Calculated. Even my creatures turned to me, like wild beasts seeking their master's command.

I lifted my gaze to the sky. The wind whipped through my hair. Fear was an inevitability on the battlefield.

Once, when I ruled over the seas, I had witnessed it countless times upon the decks of warships. The first cannon shot, the first gunfire—but those were never what truly started a battle.

A battle truly begins the moment fear sinks into the heart.

A soldier who loses his comrades, who feels the cold hand of death creeping upon him, will freeze—even if just for a moment. And that moment... that is the most crucial in any battle. The one who seizes it controls the fight.

And now, it was the same. The people before me were prisoners of their own fear.

But this was only the beginning.

These people—they would learn to break free from their fear. They would understand that survival was the only option.

And when that moment came, if I failed to direct their fear properly, it would all be meaningless. Chaos was like an uncontrolled fire—either I wielded it in my favor, or it would consume me as well.

The wind howled louder. I could hear their trembling breaths.

The battle was about to begin.

As everyone focused on the monsters, I slowly raised my right hand. My voice barely rose above the wind.

"Blood Bullet ×100."

No one noticed at first, but a hundred deep crimson bullets had appeared in the sky. They hovered, trembling slightly in the air. The scent of thick, dark red liquid mixed with the wind.

Yet amid the fear, one person remained standing—Yosukez.

Breaking free from XZ's grip, he moved to the right flank of the guards. His eyes scanned the surroundings rapidly. At first, when he saw the creatures, his expression twisted—was it fear or disgust? It was hard to tell. But he quickly gathered himself, shifting his gaze toward me before focusing on the soldiers.

One of the guards gasped, eyes darting around in disbelief.

"This… this can't be real!"

Another whispered in a shaky voice,

"Our swords… will they even be enough against these things?"

Fear spread among the guards like a plague. They exchanged glances, struggling to understand what to do.

The moment Yosukez saw me raise my right arm, his face tensed. Without a second of hesitation, his authoritative voice cut through the panic, barking at the frozen guards.

"You fools! This is no time to cower! Form up around Lord Fauriel and prepare for battle!"

The guards, hearing their captain's command, slowly began to regain their composure. The experienced ones immediately fell back, forming a defensive line around Fauriel.

But the young and inexperienced still trembled.

"H-how are we supposed to fight these things?! This is impossible!"

A seasoned guard snapped at him harshly,

"Shut up and get into position!"

But it was already too late.

I slowly lowered my hand.

"Bullet Rain."

The air split with a sharp whistling sound.

The first bullet struck. A soldier let out a strangled gasp, his body freezing mid-motion. His skull shattered instantly—blood and fragments of bone burst into the air. His body collapsed onto its knees before falling lifelessly to the ground.

And then, the deadly rain began.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stop. Soldiers crouched behind their shields, too afraid to even breathe.

"Is… is this an attack?" A young guard whispered, his voice trembling.

"What the h—" Another started, but as his eyes lifted to the sky, his face drained of color. "Look at the sky! What… what are those?!"

A veteran soldier raised his shield and roared,

"We're under attack! Shields up! Form a defensive line!"

Panic rippled through the ranks. Some obeyed the orders immediately, while others still struggled to grasp the reality before them.

Yosukez swept his gaze over the battlefield, then sprinted toward the other guards. He bent down, grabbing a fallen guard's shield from the ground, and raised it high.

"Move in formation!"

At that moment, a second bullet struck.

A soldier's shoulder was blown apart. His arm, severed cleanly, spun through the air like a discarded piece of meat.

The man staggered backward, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn't even scream before he collapsed onto his back.

A few meters away, another soldier was shot straight through the chest. His armor shattered as he stumbled backward, thick crimson blood spurting from his mouth. He dropped to his knees, eyes frozen in disbelief.

The soldier beside him rushed forward instantly.

"Zerk! For the love of the gods, hold on! Don't close your eyes, damn it!" He shouted, dropping to his knees, cradling his fallen comrade.

His hands pressed desperately against the gaping wound, but blood kept pouring through his fingers.

"W-what do I do? Stay calm… stay calm!" He muttered frantically.

Zerk, eyes clouded with blood, barely managed to whisper,

"Save me… please."

His friend's eyes filled with tears as he wiped Zerk's forehead.

"I'll get you out of here. I swear, I'll—"

A sharp whistling sound rang out.

And the soldier's skull exploded.

The bullet tore through his brain, bursting out from the back of his head in a spray of blood and flesh.

Blood splattered across Zerk's face. But the bullet didn't stop—it ripped through Zerk's chest as well, emerging from his back, now stained crimson, before striking the stone ground with a shrill ping.

Both bodies collapsed lifelessly.

Zerk's empty eyes stared at nothing. His friend's blood-soaked head lolled to the side.

The surrounding soldiers watched in horror, their eyes glazed over. One of them took an unsteady step back, his sword slipping from his trembling hands.

"By the gods… both of them… at the same time…"

Thirteen had died.

Seven more writhed on the ground, groaning in agony.

But the veterans recovered quickly. As the bullets rained down, some had already raised their shields. The sharp clang of metal rang through the battlefield as bullets ricocheted off the reinforced surfaces, scattering onto the stone below.

Yosukez peeked past his shield, eyes scanning the sky.

"Did it stop?" he wondered. His ears were still ringing with the echoes of the attack.

And then, the guards noticed something.

The monsters… were still.

They lingered in the shadows, watching the trembling soldiers. But not a single one took a step forward.

From behind his shield, a soldier whispered,

"Why are they waiting?"

Another swallowed hard, his gaze flicking to Ravien.

"If he wants to kill us… why isn't he attacking?"

No one answered.

Only the wind howled.

Yosukez heard the murmurs but ignored them. There was someone else who needed his attention.

Behind him, crouched low to the ground, was Fauriel. His entire body trembled—this was the first time he had come face-to-face with death. His eyes were hollow, his breath ragged.

Yosukez knelt beside him, his voice low.

"My Lord, are you alright?"

Fauriel's eyes burned with fury, but his shaking voice betrayed the fear beneath.

"Do I look alright to you?" he hissed. "Get me out of here!"

Yosukez took a steady breath, composing himself.

"Understood, my Lord."

Then, turning sharply, he barked at the guards.

"Escort Lord Fauriel out of here! Expand the defensive line—move, now!"

(POV: Ravien)

I watched the guards as they raised their shields, my expression cold and indifferent.

Are these really the same humans from this world?

Just moments ago, they were frozen in fear, unable to move at the sight of the monsters. But now, as they fled from the blood bullets, they had completely forgotten about them.

How easily their focus shifts…

A slight tremor ran through my body. My capacity was nearly depleted. Creating these creatures had taken more out of me than I expected. Now, I would need at least four to five hours of rest to recover.

I turned my gaze toward the creatures. They stood motionless, awaiting my command.

Calmly, I spoke.

"It's your turn. Go and show me what you can do."

A moment of silence…

Then, without a sound, the creatures moved.

Meanwhile, the guards were slowly retreating toward the gate. But suddenly, one of them shouted in panic—

"MY LORD! THE GATE IS CLOSED!"

Yosukez, still on high alert, spun around the moment he heard the voice. His eyes locked onto the gate.

It was completely shut.

And standing firmly in front of it was the old butler—Jiho.

A tense silence followed.

Then, Yosukez turned his gaze toward me, his brows furrowing as he processed the situation.

"He planned everything before we even arrived…" he murmured.

I calmly walked back to my desk and sat down.

Behind me, I glanced at Haldvir—drenched in sweat, his legs trembling, unable to move.

Smirking without a hint of emotion, I called out.

"Hey, kid. Pull yourself together. I didn't choose you for nothing. Now, pour the tea."

Without a word, XZ stepped forward. Normally, this was Haldvir's duty, but he was still paralyzed by shock, unable to function.

XZ, however, hesitated for only a moment before picking up the teapot and carefully filling my cup.

This time, his hands trembled less than before.

His movements were more deliberate—more precise than the last time.

At that moment, I became certain of something.

The beings I created… were changing.

They were learning. Evolving.

And perhaps, most importantly—

The farther they strayed from me, the weaker my control over them became.

I didn't dwell on it any longer.

Leaning back in my chair, I closed my eyes.

The howling wind blended with the sound of screams.

I was exhausted.

But every battle… is at its sweetest just before it begins.