The system pulsed within Ashkar’s mind, its tone curious.

  > [Specify the traits desired for your first Lieutenant.]

  Ashkar crossed his arms, voice cold and precise.

  “I want it loyal—only to me.

  It should have sharp senses, heightened hearing, and be agile like a shadow on the hunt.

  And if I’m wounded or exhausted… I want to ride it into war.”

  A pause.

  > [Understood.]

  [Beginning Summoning Ritual: Demon Wolf – Prime Bonded Type.]

  A low hum rumbled through the ground.

  The air twisted.

  A massive red magic circle erupted around the throne, ancient runes spinning with demonic light. Sparks rained like bloodied embers as a deep chant boomed across the abyss:

  > “By fang, by fire, by blood unbroken—

  By loyalty sealed and fury awoken—

  Arise, beast of the crimson fme!

  Kaenmaru, heed thy master's name!”

  From the heart of the circle rose a silhouette—massive, snarling, magnificent.

  Kaenmaru.

  A demon wolf unlike any mortal beast.

  His fur shimmered like bck fire, flickering as if each strand held its own slow-burning bze. His eyes burned a deep hell-red, like ancient coals that had never known cold. Scars cut across his powerful body—not signs of defeat, but trophies of battles he’d never lost.

  When he stepped forward, shadows followed like loyal hounds. His growl was thunder. His breath was smoke. His howl could silence even the bravest warriors.

  And yet—when his gaze met Ashkar’s—he knelt.

  Without force. Without chains.

  Only loyalty.

  Ashkar stepped closer, one hand brushing against Kaenmaru’s fming mane.

  “…Perfect.”

  The beast huffed, nudging Ashkar’s chest with its forehead. No words were spoken, but a bond forged in another life was reignited.

  > [Kaenmaru: Summoned Successfully.]

  [Status: Soulbound Lieutenant – Demon Beast Rank S+]

  [Loyalty: Absolute. Purpose: Protection. Rage: Leashed.]

  Ashkar smirked.

  “He’s not just a beast,” he muttered. “He’s my bde in the dark. My guardian. My brother.”

  The system's voice lowered, almost reverent.

  > [Then let the world beware.]

  [For the Crimson Sovereign no longer walks alone.]

  Ashkar stood atop the crumbling stone overlooking the forgotten forest, his cloak whispering in the wind. Kaenmaru paced beside him, each pawstep silent despite his size.

  Ashkar clenched his fist, staring at the bckened horizon.

  “…First, I need to understand this power—slowly. I’ll py it safe until I know what I’m truly capable of.”

  Kaenmaru’s deep, rumbling voice answered, calm yet loyal.

  “You need not fear, Master. Whatever comes… I will protect you from everything.”

  Then his tone dipped slightly, eyes narrowing.

  “But I must say this, my master… we demons—” he paused, the words heavy, “—we are far weaker than we once were.”

  Ashkar’s brow furrowed. “Weaker? Why?”

  Kaenmaru turned his crimson eyes toward the dead sky.

  “Because the st Demon Lord was sin. When he died, our bond—the lifeline that tied demonkind to his will and wrath—was severed. Without a Demon Lord, our power withers. We need one to thrive. To rise.”

  Ashkar blinked, taken aback.

  “A-Ah… is that so?”

  Smooth. Real smooth. He mentally cursed the awkwardness.

  But then… something clicked.

  A grin tugged at his lips. “Then I guess it’s time I stop hesitating.”

  He raised his left hand—and sshed it open with a single motion.

  Dark crimson blood spilled from his palm, glowing faintly like magma.

  “Kaenmaru. Drink.”

  The demon wolf’s eyes widened. “Master… are you sure?”

  Ashkar smirked. “Did I stutter?”

  Kaenmaru stepped forward, nose twitching at the scent. He licked once… then instinct took over.

  As the blood touched his tongue, his entire body convulsed. Energy surged like a volcano, and his eyes fred open wide.

  A shockwave of raw power burst outward—trees shattered, birds fled the sky, and the very ground cracked beneath his paws.

  Kaenmaru threw back his head and unleashed a thunderous roar, so deep and primal that it shook the entire forest like a god’s heartbeat.

  > [Demonic Blood Pact: Complete]

  [Kaenmaru’s Power has been Unleashed]

  [Status Rank Up: S+ → SS | Bond: Absolute]

  Ashkar’s cloak fluttered wildly in the aftermath, his hair whipping in the wind.

  He stared at the beast—now overflowing with power, wreathed in fmes that flickered darker and hotter.

  He grinned again.

  “…Looks like I’m not the only one awakening.”

  Kaenmaru lowered his head, eyes bzing.

  “Now, I truly serve a king.”

  Ashkar turned, cloak trailing behind him as he began walking deeper into the world.

  “Let’s move. I’ll understand my powers soon enough. And when I do—”

  His eyes narrowed with venom.

  “The traitors will wish they finished the job.”

  Ashkar stood by the water’s edge, watching the reflection ripple under the moonlight. His jet-bck hair fell loosely over his sharp eyes—eyes that still faintly glowed red after the pact.

  He tugged the cloak tighter around him, turning to Kaenmaru.

  “I need to change how I present myself. I can’t just walk into every town looking like death warmed over. I don’t want people whispering ‘That’s the Demon King’ behind every door.”

  Kaenmaru blinked.

  “But master… why hide? Let them tremble. Let them bow. That’s what they do before kings.”

  Ashkar raised an eyebrow.

  “Stop that.”

  He smirked faintly, brushing his hair back with one hand.

  “Even if I’m technically a Demon King… I still have a sense of style. Walking around like some bloodthirsty vilin isn't it.”

  Kaenmaru let out a low growl that sounded almost like a ugh.

  “You’re a strange king.”

  Ashkar gave him a sideways look.

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m not a king yet… Just a shadow with a sharp bde and unfinished business.”

  He turned, eyes glowing faintly under his bck hair.

  “Let’s keep it that way… until the world’s ready to remember my name.”

  But for now…

  Ashkar closed his eyes.

  The air around him began to hum. The wind slowed. A deep pressure, like a heartbeat of the earth itself, pulsed through the forest.

  Bck smoke began to swirl around his body, rising in thick, serpentine wisps—wrapping him in shadows that crackled like fire, reshaping him.

  His body grew slightly taller, muscles sharpening into a lean, dangerous build. His skin darkened just a shade, like smoldered bronze. His once-bck hair fred into a fiery red, wild and windswept. His eyes bzed open, now golden-yellow, slitted like a predator.

  A smirk tugged at his lips.

  “Good… This should keep attention off my real self.”

  He turned to Kaenmaru. “Your turn.”

  Kaenmaru huffed. “Yes, master.”

  With a shimmer of red light, the massive demon wolf’s body shrank—fur pulling inward, limbs tightening. In a fsh, he stood beside Ashkar as a plush-sized wolf with fming bck fur and glowing ruby eyes, barely reaching his knee.

  Ashkar stared.

  “…Cute.”

  Kaenmaru narrowed his little glowing eyes. “Don’t say that again.”

  Ashkar chuckled under his breath, arms crossed. “Alright, alright… Now…”

  He tilted his head, falling deep into thought.

  “My name… I can’t go around using Ashkar. That’s too close to the stories.”

  He tapped his chin, then muttered:

  “…Hmmm… What to choose…”

  Long pause.

  “…How about Soma? Just a pin one.”

  Kaenmaru blinked. “You gave yourself a name that sounds like an herbal tea.”

  Ash—no, Soma—shrugged with a grin.

  “Exactly. No one suspects the tea guy.”

  Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the forest.

  It was followed by a scream—raw, human, terrified.

  Soma’s golden eyes flicked toward the sound. His expression didn’t change.

  “…Hmm?”

  Another scream rang out. Then silence.

  Soma rolled his neck with a light crack.

  “Well… that’s fast. I was hoping for a little more warmup,” he muttered, smirking. “But after seven years…”

  He stepped forward, barefoot against the soil, and slowly stretched both arms wide—his joints snapping lightly, muscles flexing beneath the altered form.

  Then he pnted his feet deep into the earth. One leg pulled back, knees low, arms slightly behind like a sprinter on the edge of a race.

  Kaenmaru, in his plushie form, blinked.

  “Master…?”

  But Soma didn’t answer.

  His whole body tensed like a loaded weapon.

  “Ready…”

  The wind slowed.

  The leaves froze mid-fall.

  “Set…”

  The forest held its breath.

  “…Go.”

  He vanished.

  No explosion. No burst.

  Only the faint rustle of wind… and a single leaf drifting down from above, sliced in half by something that wasn’t there.

  Cries echoed through the trees.

  The sharp snap of a whip. Rough ughter. Cruel voices, circling someone fallen.

  “Heh… take a look at that bare skin.”

  One of the soldiers whistled low, eyes shameless as they circled the injured dark elf woman. Her arms were bound, clothes torn and muddied—exposing long legs and blood-stained skin. She trembled, tears slipping down her cheeks, but kept gring up at them with pure venom.

  Another knight chuckled. “Lookin’ at those legs makes me tingle with excitement. Damn, demon or not, you're a real piece of work.”

  “Tch, it’s your fault for showing that kind of body.” another sneered, jabbing a boot into her side.

  Even as she winced, she bit her lip, refusing to scream.

  The third knight, clearly their leader, leaned in with a disgusting smirk. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll make your death painless… but let us have a little fun first, yeah?”

  Laughter broke out among the group.

  Then—

  A voice, smooth as it was chilling, echoed behind them.

  “Oh? Is that so?”

  The ughter stopped instantly.

  “Mind if I join the fun?”

  The leader blinked, turning slowly. “Wha—?”

  CRACK!

  A foot, moving faster than any of them could react, smashed into his face like a battering ram.

  His entire body flipped midair—teeth flying—and Soma appeared in his pce, foot still extended from the kick. His eyes were golden fire, his expression calm… but his aura was suffocating.

  Before the other knights could move, Soma grabbed the leader mid-fall by the neck, and with a fluid motion, smmed his skull into the dirt so hard the ground cratered.

  Kaenmaru, still in plush form, stood on a branch above them, eyes narrowed. “And so it begins…”

  Soma stood tall, cracking his knuckles, staring down at the shocked remaining soldiers.

  “…Anyone else wanna ugh?”

  The remaining knights shouted in panic, drawing their swords with trembling hands.

  But they were too slow.

  Soma blurred forward — a fsh of shadow and muscle.

  Palm to the gut.

  A sharp thud as one knight’s armor caved inward, the air bsted from his lungs.

  Knee to the jaw.

  Teeth shattered. His head snapped back violently, eyes rolling.

  Soma caught the knight’s falling bde mid-air.

  “Mine now.”

  Ssh — across the chest, cutting deep through armor, blood spraying like a crimson fan.

  Before the knight could even scream, Soma drove the sword into his stomach, twisting it with a sickening grind of steel and bone.

  Then—spin.

  A brutal kick struck the hilt of the embedded sword.

  CRACK!

  The knight’s body was unched, sword and all, sailing through the trees like a ragdoll.

  He struck a thick trunk — splinters flew — and the bde pinned him clean into the bark, limp and twitching.

  Silence.

  It had been six seconds.

  Soma exhaled softly, not even winded.

  “…Too easy.”

  Kaenmaru, still perched nearby, let out a low growl of amusement.

  The st knight, hands shaking, dropped his weapon.

  “W-W-Wait—!”

  Soma’s eyes glowed brighter.

  “…Next.”

  Soma turned his gaze toward the dark elf girl.

  She was still on her knees, shivering—but her teary eyes locked with his. Confusion. Shock. A flicker of hope.

  He raised his hand.

  “System. Activate skill.”

  A soft chime echoed in his mind.

  > [Demonic Barrier — Active.]

  A dome of abyssal energy protecting all allies inside. Duration: 3 minutes.

  A bck, semi-transparent aura exploded around them, shielding the girl in a glowing crimson sphere. The air grew heavy. Electric.

  The final knight backed away, eyes wide, trembling uncontrolbly.

  “W-W-What are you…?”

  But something was happening.

  Soma’s body shifted — horns curling from his temples, fangs elongating, and his golden eyes narrowed to slits. Dark red veins pulsed under his skin as his true demonic form awakened.

  The knight colpsed, pissing himself as he crawled back, dragging armor along the dirt.

  “NO! STAY AWAY!! YOU’RE—YOU’RE A MONSTER!!”

  Soma exhaled through his nose.

  “You’re only figuring that out now?”

  His chest expanded—inhale—shoulders squared.

  The ground began to shake.

  Kaenmaru instantly ducked behind a tree.

  “Oh no. He’s doing that.”

  With a sudden twist of his neck, Soma let out a devastating roar—

  “GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!”

  The very word echoed like a sonic bomb.

  Trees blew away like paper, ripping from the earth.

  Rocks cracked, and the ground split apart.

  The force of the roar turned into a demonic shockwave, vaporizing everything in its path.

  The knight didn’t even scream.

  His skin peeled. Armor liquefied. In one fsh—

  Only a smoking skeleton remained, frozen in a posture of horror before it crumbled into dust and bone shards, scattered by the aftershock.

  Silence.

  Soma exhaled, rexing his shoulders, and muttered dryly:

  “…That was therapeutic.”

  Kaenmaru emerged slowly, blinking.

  “Master… was the 'gay' part necessary?”

  Soma smirked.

  “Very.”