The trio who had set out to stop Tokito's massacre… was already too late.
The slaughter had already begun.
Now known as the Zombie King, Tokito was following the trail of mana like a beast tracking blood. He had left the village—with the severed heads of demons he had killed dangling from his claws.
His body had transformed grotesquely.
He stood tall—abnormally tall. His snow-white hair now fell over his left eye, concealing half his face. His horn had fully grown, thick and curved. The growth of his body had torn his clothing to shreds. With no clothing left, he turned back to the village to find something to wear.
As he searched the ruined buildings for garments, the little girl he had nearly killed appeared silently… and placed clothes in front of him.
Tokito couldn't see her. His soul was gone. But he felt her.
He moved toward the sound. His claws touched the clothing—simple brown fabric, patched and worn like any poor villager's outfit.
The Zombie King undressed right there in the open. The little girl, though embarrassed, peeked through her fingers to watch. Once dressed, Tokito turned without a word and resumed his path.
The girl watched from behind, her heart torn between fear and something else—something like hope.
"See you again, scary demon!" she shouted brightly, waving her hand.
"Come back someday, okay?"
A villager quickly pulled her behind a wall—the Zombie King had turned. But he didn't return. He simply kept walking.
[Scene: The Forest – Slaughter Unleashed]
As he stepped back into the forest, Tokito's mana—now unbound—spread like a plague. His aura alone was killing low-tier magical beasts in the area.
But some monsters, frightened by the presence, chose to strike first.
They were massive—beasts that looked like a fusion of bulls and elephants. They charged toward him, seeking to impale him with their horns.
Tokito didn't flinch.
He slammed their heads together with inhuman strength, instantly crushing their skulls. Blood and brain matter splattered across the forest floor.
The last monster, desperate, cast a water spell. But Tokito's body vaporized the attack instantly.
In one final attempt, the beast raised its massive foot—an entire ton of pressure—and tried to crush Tokito.
He caught it. With one hand.
Then he spun the creature violently, shaking the ground like an earthquake. Once the momentum peaked, he slammed the monster into the earth with catastrophic force.
It flattened like paper. Blood covered everything—trees, stones, his body.
But Tokito didn't care.
He stepped over the corpse like it was nothing.
[Scene: Approaching the Hidden Prison]
The closer he got, the stronger he felt Guter's mana. That maddening thirst for blood began boiling inside him. His teeth sharpened like a wolf's. One hand had turned pitch black, claws thick and pulsing.
A black, bat-like wing tore through his back.
His body couldn't handle the power. Bones cracked with every step. His jaw hung open—he had lost the muscle control to close it. His steps slowed, but his rage did not.
After two more hours of walking, the walls of the hidden prison came into view—tall stone barriers and three wooden watchtowers.
A squad of guards was stationed at the front gate.
They spotted him.
Ten soldiers marched toward the monster. The leader drew his sword and pointed it at Tokito's chest.
Without warning, Tokito bit down on the blade—crushing it with his teeth.
The others drew their weapons in panic.
In a low, robotic voice, he growled:
"Step aside. Or be slaughtered."
The guards hesitated.
One of them cast a judgment chain spell—thin, glowing chains wrapped around Tokito's body, draining his mana.
But Tokito roared, and his aura exploded, shattering the chains like glass. He grabbed the broken chains, and with a flick of his arm, sliced three guards in half at the waist.
Blood splashed everywhere.
The remaining guards tried to fight—but it was no use. Every single one died, their screams short and sharp.
From inside the gates, the next group of guards saw the slaughter from 500 meters away. They panicked and slammed the gates shut.
Tokito walked toward the gate.
Arrows flew—warning shots at first, then aimed to kill. Dozens struck his body.
But he didn't slow down.
Forty-three arrows.
Still, he reached the gate.
He touched the surface—and it began to melt under his palm.
Inside, guards rushed forward, weapons ready. But their swords and spears melted upon contact with the heat of his aura. His power was enough to dry an ocean. And it was still rising—like a flood filling a broken dam.
No one could stop him.
Even as the entire prison's guard force charged him…
They all died.
The ground burned under his feet. Iron bars melted at his touch. He killed everyone, prisoner or guard, without mercy.
[Scene: Inside the Prison – Upper Floors]
The head warden met him on the second floor.
He was a monster of a man—towering muscles, massive horns, fanged like a bear. He raised a giant hammer and slammed it down. The quake shattered the floor—but Tokito's flame had already melted it.
He dropped through the floor—but not before launching a fireball upward.
The head warden blocked with his weapon—but the weapon melted. He was now unarmed.
Tokito climbed the stairs. The second floor was silent. Empty.
He climbed further—until the fifth floor, where the Warden Lord awaited.
The man wore a pure white suit, a loose tie around his neck. Short hair. Spiral snail-like horns. His aura was calm—but deadly. His weapon was a chain, glimmering with divine light.
Without hesitation, he whipped the chain—
And severed Tokito's arm.
Blood poured freely. The limb did not regenerate.
Tokito, confused, turned on his own arm—believing it to be an enemy—and shredded it with his claws.
The Warden Lord's eyes widened in horror.
There was no person standing before him.
Only a creature—a pure force of destruction.
He activated the spell: Judgment Bind.
The chain wrapped in aura began to glow with holy light—this was a light-based spell that grew stronger depending on the power of its target.
And right now…
It was burning brighter than the sun.
As the enchanted chain wrapped around Tokito's aura, the Zombie King bared his teeth and tried to bite through it.
His teeth shattered.
He tried with his hands next, but nothing worked. The chain wasn't physical—it was a binding that suppressed mana itself.
The Warden Lord stood before him, calm and condescending. He placed a hand on Tokito's left leg and spoke in a cold voice:
"Have you lost your way, little monster? You're a pure demon, but clearly... an untrained one."
Tokito continued to struggle.
The Warden Lord's eyes narrowed. In frustration, he punched Tokito square in the face. But Tokito, even toothless, bit into the warden's wrist with his gums and crushed the bones.
Roaring in fury, the Warden Lord pulled on the chain, yanking Tokito by the clothes he wore—the very same clothes the little girl had given him.
Perhaps… a fragment of humanity still lingered within the monster. Because when those clothes began to tear—something inside Tokito snapped.
He began to stretch the chains.
The Warden Lord resisted, tightening the mana-bindings further. But it was too late. With a burst of pure force, the chains shattered.
Tokito was free.
With a single, furious punch, he sent the Warden Lord flying into the wall at the end of the corridor. The force was so great that the stone crumbled like sand. The Warden Lord plummeted downward—saved at the last moment by guards below.
[Scene: Arrival – Dragon's Descent]
From the skies above, the flapping of mighty wings echoed, followed by an intense surge of magical pressure.
Looking up, the Warden Lord saw it: a water dragon descending from the clouds, carrying three riders.
They leapt off midair and landed in front of him with flawless precision.
Nanagi's heart sank the moment she saw the prison ablaze. Had they arrived too late?
But Rodius could still sense it—their lord was here.
He eyed the badge on the wounded Warden Lord's chest: the Shield Crest. Only the master of the prison carried such an emblem.
Nanagi knelt beside him, her voice soft but sharp:
Nanagi: "What happened here? How did you lose?"
Warden Lord: "T-That thing… it was a monster! No demon could break my Judgment Chain like that! He shattered it like a twig!"
Without another word, Nanagi stormed into the prison. Kortus and Rodius followed.
They rushed up the floors, reaching the top—just as Tokito melted the bars of Guter's cell and flung him against another.
Tokito walked slowly toward him, lifting the man by the throat with one hand.
Kortus froze.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Kortus: "Is… is that really you, my lord?"
Nanagi: "Stay back, Kortus! That's not our lord anymore!"
Rodius: "K-Kortus, stop—!"
But Kortus didn't listen. He ran forward and grabbed Tokito's arm.
Tokito turned… and for a moment, paused.
Kortus looked into his eyes—eyes as black as a void.
Still… she embraced him.
"He remembers us," Kortus whispered. "Look! He's not attacking… he knows us!"
But in that instant—
Tokito sank his teeth into Kortus's shoulder and tore it clean off.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
Kortus didn't cry because of the pain. She cried because… her lord was truly gone.
Nanagi and Rodius rushed in and pulled him back, forced to confront their worst fear.
They had to fight him.
[Scene: The Battle Begins – Shield and Flame]
Tokito let out a monstrous roar, freezing both of them in place.
Rodius activated his transformation, bulking up with muscle and rage. Nanagi unsheathed her blade, entering her stance.
Rodius charged from above, hoping to use his speed. But Tokito raised one arm and caught his claws mid-swing.
Rodius tried to pull back—but Tokito hurled him into the wall with such force that the stone cracked.
Coughing blood, Rodius stood again. And again. He attacked relentlessly.
Tokito finally had enough—he flung Rodius across the room, this time toward Nanagi. Then he raised his arm… and began gathering mana.
The heat intensified. A fireball the size of a water tank formed in his hand.
Rodius tried to raise a shield spell, but his magic wasn't built for defense.
Nanagi stepped forward.
She cast a holy light barrier called Kalkand, a massive iron wall conjured in front of them.
It was a spell normally used in grand military battles—never before against a Demon King.
The fireball hit the wall—its heat unbearable.
But instead of melting through, the flames were absorbed by the barrier.
Nanagi smiled as the steam cleared.
"Hahaha… My lord, not even you can break through this. No matter how strong you are, this defense is impenetrable!"
Rodius glanced at her, confused by her laughter.
Because in front of them stood not a demon, not a king—
But something darker.
Something monstrous.
And the question still lingered:
How could they save him?
Could he even be saved?
Why did he turn into this… this thing?
The answers would come—
Only when this battle reached its end.