"Oh, you don't want to know which race you'll awaken as? Since these powers are too strong for a human body, I've prepared the body of another race for you—a rather young man, a demon who sadly lost his life in a forest," she said.
That made me wonder what the body of an actual demon looked like. I've seen quite a handful of demons, but only the ones hiding inside people. What about the outside?
"Currently, I'm fine with anything, as long as it would help me save your world."
That's obviously a lie, but I want this conversation to end quickly—I don't give a damn about what I say anymore.
She smiled sweetly, with that same pitiful holiness oozing from her features. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer... I wish for your success, fellow hero."
Hero? That word again. Disgusting.
Still, I didn't say a word. No need to ruin her illusion.
"But before I send you off," she added, her wings folding gently behind her back, "you deserve to know what you're facing."
Finally. Something useful.
"The world I'm sending you to is called Elarion, a realm where divine balance once reigned. Light and darkness, life and death, all held together by Harmony. By me."
Of course. There it is again. That overinflated ego wrapped in sugar.
"But something broke that balance. A being called the Cradle of Discord—a corrupted divine force born from mortal hatred, fear, and ambition. It feeds on chaos, infects nations, and breaks bonds. It's already consumed three continents. Soon, even gods won't be able to reach the realm."
Ah, so the goddess of Harmony is losing to a bratty emotion monster. Lovely.
"And you want me to clean it up?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," she nodded. "You are the only one I can entrust with this. I've infused you with three of my most powerful blessings. Use them wisely."
Wisely? Those weren't just powers. They were tools. Tools for domination.
But of course, she thought I'd use them for peace. Cute.
As her words ended, she gave her final blessing, "Go now, Anos De Luna. Become the light Elarion needs... or the shadow that brings rebirth. I believe in you."
And with that, her hand lifted, and the world shattered.
Dizziness struck like a hammer, and light gave way to wet darkness.
My body collapsed onto damp grass. The scent of moss and rot filled my lungs, thick and raw, as though I were breathing in life for the first time.
Warm liquid soaked my chest—heavy, sticky, oddly sweet. Purple. It pooled beneath me, reflecting the fractured moonlight through the towering branches above.
So this was the demon body she mentioned.
I tried to sit up. My muscles responded—no, they surged. A wave of strength pulsed through my limbs like liquid fire. My claws dug into the mud as I rose. Claws. Yes... not fingers. They were longer now, tipped with talon-like blades. My arms, lean and carved like they were shaped by blades of obsidian. My chest broad, rippling with tension I didn't earn. My skin...
Red. Deep, regal crimson.
And I felt... starved.
It wasn't hunger for food. It was something deeper—primal. An ache for conflict, for screams, for the sound of bones breaking under my grip.
I could hear a heartbeat nearby.
Something was close.
I turned toward it instinctively. There—in the distance—stood a large shadow, hunched near the edge of a glowing river, drinking without a care in the world.
A beast.
No—a dire wolf.
It stood almost as tall as a horse, its shoulders rippling with wild muscle, fur dark as twilight. Its eyes glowed faintly with mana. Strong, perhaps... but not enough to matter.
I didn't even realize I'd started moving.
No. I launched.
The ground cracked beneath my feet as I surged forward, air screaming past me. My new body moved without hesitation, without thought. I was a rocket—guided by bloodlust and hunger.
The wolf barely had time to lift its head.
I slammed into it, claws raking across its side, jaws opening—wait, jaws?
I bit.
My fangs sank into its throat like spears, and I tore through flesh and vein like wet parchment. Blood sprayed. It howled. I didn't care.
I fought like a starving beast.
And I liked it.
When the wolf finally stopped thrashing, I was drenched in its blood, chest rising with heavy breaths. Yet… I still felt hollow. Still hungry.
Still... unsatisfied.
I turned to the river, something pulling me toward the cool sound of flowing water. My claws raised instinctively, swiping at the shallows like a bear searching for fish.
That's when I saw it.
My reflection.
The man staring back at me... wasn't a man at all.
He had smooth crimson skin that shimmered like polished ruby. Thick, obsidian-black hair that fell down in chaotic waves. Eyes—utterly dark, with no sclera—only endless black pools that swirled with silent malice.
Horns—sleek and curved—rose from his head like a crown. His frame was powerful, almost regal, every inch sculpted like divine art.
And yet...
He was handsome.
More than I ever was as a human.
The moonlight kissed the water, casting my reflection in silver, and for a moment, even I had to admire it. I looked like a god. No... more than that.
A demon god.
The kind born not from faith, but from fear. The kind whispered about in dark prayers, yet worshipped more deeply than any angel.
If this is what she gave me… then that goddess is even dumber than I thought.
This body... these instincts... they weren't meant to save a world.
They were meant to devour it.
________
My hunger didn't leave... It was still there.
If anything—it grew.
That one wolf had only whetted my appetite, and I wasn't in the mood to play noble hero. The forest was dense, teeming with monstrous life. And lucky for me, they all bled.
I ran on all fours at times, leapt between trees like a shadow, my senses guiding me toward anything that lived and dared to breathe near me.
A giant serpent coiled around a branch?
I ripped its spine through its jaw.
A bear with six arms and bone-plated skin?
I gutted it mid-charge, wearing its blood like a medal.
Wolves. Spiders. Boars. Snakes.
Everything that moved—died.
And I made sure it wasn't clean. It was never clean. The more they screamed, the more alive I felt. Their dying cries were a lullaby, the soft crunch of bones under claw was music.
By the time the moon was crawling behind the horizon, the forest looked like a battlefield.
Corpses everywhere. Limbs. Entrails. Torn fur and broken shells. My crimson body was coated in blood that wasn't mine. It soaked into my skin, dried under my claws, and dripped from my chin.
I'd forgotten what the Goddess even wanted from me.
This wasn't saving a world.
This was freedom.
And somewhere between tearing through a horned gorilla's neck and crushing the last breath out of a two-headed elk, I remembered.
The abilities.
The power she transferred to me.
Three of them, ancient and unnamed by this world—but known now to me.
Only one felt active. Buzzing under my skin, like a spark yearning for ignition.
Soulforge Dominion.
I stood amidst the carnage. Bodies everywhere. Eyes dim and soulless. Unworthy.
These beasts were too weak. Too dull.
Except...
There it was. A roar shook the trees to my left. Not a growl. Not a screech.
A roar.
Thick paws thundered against the dirt as a hulking form burst through the foliage—its body streaked in glowing golden stripes, fangs like spears, eyes burning with something... intelligent.
A tiger. No—a monster tiger. Easily thrice my size.
And unlike the rest—it didn't flinch.
It charged.
I grinned.
Finally.
Its claws raked toward my face. I ducked, planted my foot, then leapt straight onto its back. It twisted like a hurricane, slammed me against a tree—but I didn't let go. My fangs sunk into its nape, but this one fought back, tossing me like a ragdoll and swiping my chest open.
The pain burned—but it thrilled me.
This beast was no prey.
It was worthy.
I drove my claws into its side, used its own flesh to climb up its spine, then drove my foot down with a cracking kick that sent it tumbling. Before it could rise—
I activated it.
"Soulforge Dominion."
The moment I cast it, the world darkened. The corpses around me melted into black mist, circling me like shadows dancing in my name. The tiger thrashed—screamed—but its soul had already begun to burn.
Not in fire.
In submission.
A glyph—ancient, glowing—formed beneath it. Its pupils dilated, body twitching.
Its soul screamed.
And then it knelt.
The glow faded. The forest went quiet.
And the tiger—once a beast that nearly tore me open—now stared at me, unmoving.
Loyal.
Mine.
"Looks like you're the first to survive me," I said, touching its head, watching the last embers of resistance fade from its eyes.
One down.
A world to go.
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