After completing the first phase of his training, Tokito had no choice but to take a short break.
He now sat once more on the throne—but not in peace. His fists trembled as he rubbed his eyes… and began pounding on the throne's armrests.
Kortus, startled, rushed to intervene.
But Tokito struck her aside with the back of his hand, slamming her into the wall.
Kortus slumped down, dazed.
Tokito stood, the weight of his rage making the air heavy.
Rodius knelt low in silent farewell—but did not follow.
Kortus, holding her chest in pain, looked up with worry at her retreating master.
As Tokito stormed out the gates, he grabbed a nearby guard by the collar and pulled him close.
Tokito (shouting): "WHERE'S THE PRISON?!"
When the guard stammered that he didn't know, Tokito hurled him into the wall like a ragdoll.
He spat on the floor.
Tokito (growling): "Useless pigs."
This wasn't the Tokito they had known.
His eyes were pitch-black, void of reason. He saw nothing but a fading memory—Nanagi's smile. That peaceful smile, even while bleeding…
Why?
Why had he smiled?
That unanswered question clawed at Tokito's mind—until thought itself began to unravel.
He staggered down the corridors, dragging his head against the walls like a broken marionette. His mana was distorted, dripping with violence and bloodlust.
Every patrol he passed trembled in fear. None dared speak.
Back in the throne room, Kortus tried to give chase—but Rodius stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
Rodius (low voice): "Let him go. That… that's no longer the Demon King you knew. This is his true form."
Kortus shoved her hand away and collapsed to her knees.
She buried her face in her palms, her voice breaking into a cry.
Kortus: "We failed him… He endured so much for us, and we couldn't even keep him smiling… What's the point of living if he's not happy?"
Rodius sat beside her in silence, both of them staring at the door with desperate hope.
He offered Kortus a handkerchief, but Kortus refused it.
So Rodius pulled her close and let her weep.
Tokito continued his zombie-like march, stopping every soldier he encountered.
"Where is the prison?"
None could answer. Each denial ended in violence.
Finally, he descended the grand staircase of the palace, exiting through the main gate.
There, he grabbed a guard by the legs and yanked him into the air—bringing his neck within arm's reach.
Tokito (threateningly): "Tell me where the prison is, or I'll bury this city with my own hands!"
The guard trembled violently.
Guard: "C-Commander Rodius… sent him to the southern prison…!"
Tokito (squeezing harder): "Liar. That prison couldn't possibly hold someone like him."
Another guard fell to his knees, pleading:
Second Guard: "Please, my lord—he doesn't know anything! He's just a gatekeeper!"
Tokito dropped the first man, turned slowly, and stared down the second.
Tokito: "Then you'll take me there. But if you're lying… I'll slaughter your entire bloodline."
The guard bowed his head, voice shaking.
Guard: "Y-Yes, my lord…"
Tokito ordered a horse and mounted behind the trembling guard.
He didn't even glance at the streets as they left the inner palace. All he could see in his mind was Guter—and how he would kill him.
When they reached the outer city, many demons saw their lord arrive and began to cheer—only to fall silent in confusion.
Their king's eyes were black, and his head hung low as he leaned on the guard like a corpse.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"Is that the Demon King?"
"He looks… wrong. What happened to him?"
The guard continued riding, afraid to even breathe too loudly. Behind him was not a man—but a living disaster waiting to be unleashed.
From time to time, Tokito murmured to himself—low, incomprehensible words. The guard couldn't understand, and he dared not ask.
As the sound of hooves echoed louder, Tokito finally raised his head and looked around.
They had left the city.
Tokito: "Where are you taking me? You said the prison was in the city."
Guard: "V-Viscount Guter is being held in a secret facility near Hafil Village, my lord. High-class criminals are always taken there."
Tokito (coldly): "Then make the horse run faster. If you don't… I'll kill you and walk the rest of the way myself."
Guard (terrified): "Y-Yes, my lord!"
He lashed the reins, pushing the horse to its limits. But it could barely go any faster.
Even the beast beneath them could feel Tokito's cursed aura.
Guard (thinking): "If I disobey him, I'll die. But even obeying feels like suicide. Riding with him… it's like carrying death on my back."
As they galloped across the open plains, the road split—leading into the Black Forest. The shortcut would shave hours off their travel.
They plunged into the forest.
The journey took four hours of silent dread.
Then—at last—they saw it.
The signboard of Hafil Village.
Tokito raised his hand.
Tokito: "Stop the horse."
As soon as the horse stopped, Tokito leapt down without a word. He began to walk into the village, his steps sluggish yet charged with murderous intent. The village was filled with broken-down homes, the scars of poverty etched deep into every crumbling wall. Both demons and humans lived here—equally poor, equally forgotten.
When the villagers saw their Demon King at the entrance, many thought he was wounded and rushed toward him in concern.
But Tokito thought they were there to stop him.
His nails sharpened like blades. Veins bulged across his face. Flames gathered in his palm—flames born from the volcano, the very same fire that had once tested his soul.
Without hesitation, he struck.
Some of the villagers—both demons and humans—fell before they even realized what was happening. Tokito's hand was drenched in blood, but he showed no emotion. His soul was gone. His eyes, empty black voids, couldn't even see what was in front of him.
Screams erupted. Villagers ran, slamming their doors behind them. Amidst the chaos, a small human-looking girl tripped and fell. Tokito's monstrous claws rose above her tiny body.
And then—
She looked up at him.
Her gaze was soft, innocent. Tears welled in her eyes as she whispered:
"B-Big brother…?"
Tokito froze.
His hand stopped mid-air. His eyes, black and soulless, flickered and dimmed into nothingness.
The girl had seen something in him—a trace of the brother she once knew. And in that moment, Tokito's shattered memories tried desperately to resurface.
Pain exploded in his head. The void behind his eyes deepened.
Just as he prepared to strike again, the girl vanished. The guard had snatched her away and hidden her inside one of the houses.
She was gone.
The memory didn't return. The eye didn't recover. His body returned to its unstable, zombie-like movement, and his head pounded as he followed the guard's mana trail on pure instinct.
[Back at the Demon Palace – Throne Room]
While Tokito wandered like a ghost, Rodius and Kortus still sat in silence inside the throne room. Both of them were stricken with grief. But Nanagi—Nanagi had already risen.
Dressed and determined, she stepped out of her room. The guards offered their assistance, but she declined all help.
She walked straight toward the throne room. When the doors opened, Rodius and Kortus turned, hopeful that it was Tokito.
But it was Nanagi.
Kortus immediately ran to her and wrapped his arms around her.
Kortus: "Nanagi! You're back! Our Lord needs you… so badly."
Nanagi: "Slow down. What happened? Tell me everything."
Rodius: "When I told our Lord that Guter had arrived, he came with me. But when he saw what Guter had done to you… something changed in him."
Kortus: "He even threw me against the wall. Then he just… walked out. We couldn't follow. His mana—it turned completely black."
Nanagi: "Black mana… no… that means… The Demon King is no longer with us."
Rodius: "That's why we didn't chase him."
Nanagi: "We must find him immediately! Wherever he's gone—we'll bring him back!"
The three of them rushed out of the room, asking every guard they passed for Tokito's whereabouts.
One replied, "He asked about the prison. We said we didn't know."
Nanagi knew only one guard at the entrance would know the prison's location. They ran there—but the knowledgeable guard was missing.
Panting, Nanagi grabbed the other guard by the collar.
Nanagi: "Where is he?! Where's the other guard!?"
Guard: "L-Lord Tokito… He asked about the prison. I said I didn't know. But when he threatened to kill me, my comrade confessed and went with him..."
Nanagi turned to Rodius, her voice urgent.
Nanagi: "We have to go now. If we don't… either Guter or our Lord is going to die today."
Rodius's eyes widened. Kortus dropped to his knees, hand over mouth, overwhelmed by dread.
Rodius unsheathed his claws. His own eyes began to turn black.
To stabilize himself, he ripped out his heart—and healed it again.
He glanced at Nanagi and said coldly:
Rodius: "We don't even have the power to kill him. He transformed into that monster for vengeance… but all I can do is stay calm."
Nanagi: "That's why we have to respect his resolve. He became that thing by choice."
Kortus: "Then what are we supposed to do!? Our Lord… even restricted… is strong enough to rival a hero! Who in this kingdom can stop him!?"
Nanagi thought for a long moment. Her gaze sharpened.
Nanagi: "Only you can fight him, Rodius. You have to knock him out. Make him wake up."
Kortus: "And if he doesn't wake up?! What then? Are you planning to kill him?! If you so much as scratch him—I'll kill you myself!"
Nanagi: "I don't want that either… but if there's no other choice…"
Rodius: "Do you still call that thing our Lord? He tried to murder a soldier… He's a monster now."
Kortus: "You're all traitors… You're all—traitors…"
Nanagi: "And if we don't stop him? What then, Kortus? Should we all die? That thing is a weapon of pure destruction now."
Rodius: "If I can't stop him… this kingdom is finished."
Kortus: "Then I'm coming too. But if you try to kill him—I'll protect him with my life."
Rodius: "Stubborn woman."
Nanagi: "Then it's settled. If it comes to that, I'll be the one to distract you."
And with their decisions made, the three mounted a dragon and took off into the sky.
Their mission was clear:
Stop the Demon King.
But could he be stopped?
Could Tokito, now a merciless demon, ever return to who he once was?
The answer would come in a battle—set to begin in just three hours…