The clouds veiled the moon.
A floating light took its place.
Darkness still blanketed the horizon.
Beneath the sky, chaos unfolded.
It was not the kind of commotion born of joy and laughter.
It was the bitter comfort of defeat.
The trees swayed in the gentle breeze.
Fear had taken hold of the children, their young minds struggling to comprehend what was happening.
One young man lay unconscious on the ground.
The two young men beside him stood frozen, at a loss for how to react.
The young man who had once knocked out a thief with a single punch showed no signs of moving.
Was this what defeat looked like?
The devil's grin grew more pronounced. Slowly, he turned toward the two young men.
His smile widened into a sinister sneer.
"Haha!" he chuckled. "Hahahaha!"
The children and the two young men stared at him in stunned silence.
Falbe finally stopped grinning. His smile faded, replaced by a cold stare.
"Any more complaints?" he asked.
Icam and Alif exchanged glances before turning their attention back to Falbe.
Icam was growing anxious. His plan had failed.
And yet, Alif somehow managed to wear an innocent smile, as though the word impossible did not exist in his vocabulary.
With that same innocent expression, Alif asked,
"So, Uncle, were you the one who did that weird distortion in the sky?"
Falbe immediately rested his hammer on his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"What else are you accusing me of now?" he asked, raising his chin in a mildly defiant gesture.
Icam fell silent, trying to remember what had happened.
Alif simply smiled innocently.
The children were beginning to panic. Wanry and Dave had even wrapped their arms around each other, trembling with fear.
Sahrelia and Josh were still holding hands.
"Well, whatever," Falbe muttered, lowering his hammer. "You're all going to die here."
With that threat, Falbe stepped forward. He began slowly spinning his hammer, making it resemble a giant windmill turning at a leisurely pace.
Watching him, Icam began to grow frightened. His eyebrows rose with worry, making him look like a little child about to be punished by his mother.
Alif, however, remained optimistic, watching Falbe's movements with the same cheerful smile.
Falbe's steps were slow, but his intimidating presence grew stronger with every one of them.
Looking at the situation...
Would they survive?
Watching the scene unfold...
Who would come to their rescue?
The children were terrified, too frightened even to consider running away.
Icam stood motionless, as though relying on Iyas had been his final plan.
And now, that plan had failed.
Alif remained optimistic.
—
Iyas was still gazing at the glittering stars.
There was no smile on his face. The moonlight had ceased to illuminate his body.
Tears streamed down his cheeks. His eyes had lost their hope, and his hands remained lowered, yet his imagination seemed to reach out toward the boundless beauty of the world.
In place of the moonlight, Iyas answered the glow of Sahrelia's floating imitation light, which resembled a light bulb.
In his imagination, the stars wandered freely across the heavens, while fireflies settled among sturdy branches.
Peace enveloped everything, bringing with it a satisfaction beyond words.
If only things could be that way.
Red ink seeped from his head.
Right at his forehead.
Like an astigmatic eye struggling to focus, even the sight of dark clouds drifting past seemed to erode what little remained of his vision.
—
World, oh, world...
Why have you stopped giving me your warmth?
Why does this red ink no longer make me feel as warm as a furnace?
Has the ember of my soul begun to fall asleep?
Must you, too, fall silent?
World...
Remember. I still remember.
My world, the one before all this.
A world where magic did not exist.
Faint, yet certain.
Joyful smiles.
Laughter and playful banter.
Whenever I saw them, my embers would ignite.
Driving away the creeping cold.
I must keep getting back up.
Not because the people need me to serve two terms as president.
I must rise again.
For the sake of staying alive, for two more rounds.
—
"You'd be better off kissing my feet!" Falbe demanded, clearly beginning to enjoy the children's terror and the two young men's silence.
Still, something about the situation bothered him.
He had polished every word to perfection, yet Alif still didn't seem afraid.
Without warning, without a sound—
"Yeah, I'd really like you to kiss my feet," Iyas said, his voice hoarse. The blood on his head no longer seemed to be flowing.
Falbe immediately spun around, startled.
"H-Huh?!"
The two young men widened their eyes.
The children abruptly stopped their dramatic displays of fear.
Falbe was confused. Thoroughly confused.
That heavy hammer of his was a weapon of war, capable of taking someone out with a single blow to the head.
It wasn't because Iyas was selfish like the president.
Nor was it because he was narcissistic or thought he was the coolest person around.
Iyas was still looking down, yet he stood perfectly upright, astonishing everyone present.
How? Why? Who? Who is this person standing before me? Falbe wondered, utterly bewildered by Iyas's sudden display of resilience.
"He's no ordinary man," Falbe muttered, his gaze still fixed on Iyas.
"Forgive me, Master!" Icam cried, instantly delighted to see Iyas standing tall again.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Alif cheered, giving him a thumbs-up.
Well, in that case...
Falbe prepared to strike with his hammer.
He immediately charged forward, running while letting out a fierce roar.
He extended the hammer's handle, gripping it with both hands.
Then, he abruptly halted and swung.
"HYAAAH!"
CLANG!
A deafening impact rang out.
The blow landed squarely on Iyas's body.
Iyas fell to the ground in an instant.
The chirping of crickets filled the silence that followed.
Everyone stood there, dumbfounded.
Even Falbe was left staring in disbelief.
He remained silent for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.
Then, a small smile appeared on his face.
Without a second thought, he turned toward the children and the two young men.
His grin was now unmistakable.
"LOOK! WITNESS THIS! BEHOLD!" he shouted, even throwing in a few exaggerated gestures to show off his confidence.
"WHO'S NEXT?!" he threatened, his hammer ready to strike again.
"How am I supposed to know? Why are you asking me?" Icam shot back, casually dismissing him.
Icam turned toward Alif.
Alif met his gaze, waiting for him to say something.
"Lip, you're up next," Icam said, a smile spreading across his face.
Alif responded without a hint of malice, beaming as he raised a hand.
"Okay!" he exclaimed, as though he'd finally reached the front of the queue for his favorite amusement park ride.
He immediately turned toward Falbe with a warm smile.
"But only after he's done with Iyas!" Alif added, pointing confidently while maintaining his cheerful grin.
Falbe's eyes widened.
He slowly turned around.
Iyas...
Those two legs of his...
That body of his...
He was standing again after taking that blow.
Still looking down, Iyas murmured,
"I see."
Falbe tightened his grip on the hammer, preparing to strike once more.
"You see?" he asked, his voice firm and threatening.
Iyas raised a finger and pointed at Falbe with absolute conviction.
He was no longer looking down.
His gaze burned with determination as he stared straight at Falbe.
"Your eyesight is terrible!" Iyas declared, a confident smile quickly forming on his face.
Falbe was taken aback.
It wasn't just the fact that the bleeding on Iyas's head had stopped.
It was the accusation itself that caught him off guard.
The children were so impressed that they even took a step closer.
"W-What...?" Falbe stammered in panic.
He turned his face to the side.
"What the hell do you mean?!" he demanded, his voice growing rough.
Iyas tilted his head, still wearing a confident smile.
"You have to get close to someone to hit them. It's not because your hammer can extend!"
Falbe froze on the spot, his expression turning uneasy as he processed those words.
"And besides—"
"Besides, you couldn't even see your beloved pets getting crushed by a tree!" Icam cut in, pointing at Falbe with a smug grin.
Falbe immediately turned to look behind him.
Iyas's confident smile faltered.
"Hey! Don't steal my cool moment!"
"Come on, let me have one once in a while! Who knows when I'll get another chance?" Icam quipped, mocking Iyas before chuckling triumphantly.
What's wrong with these older guys? Josh complained inwardly, still holding Sahrelia's hand.
"Yeah! I saw it too!" Alif chimed in, agreeing with Icam.
What exactly he meant by seeing it was anyone's guess. He had clearly misunderstood Icam's remark about seeing the wolves.
At the same time, Icam turned toward Alif with a bewildered expression.
But somehow, they had managed to break free of their mutual restraints.
They stopped bickering.
One, two, three...
Every gaze turned toward the three of them.
Icam and Iyas wore determined smiles.
Alif, meanwhile, fell silent, still trying to make sense of what Icam had said.
Now, the stage was set for three leading actors to perform in a grand theatrical production.
It seemed that these three budding Demon Kings had transformed into the seeds of future heroes.
And without wasting another moment, they were ready to put on the performance of their lives!
[To Be Continued!]