The warrior demon, though cornered and bleeding heavily, didn't speak a word even as Aeth's cold gaze fell upon him.
Aeth: "You're not going to talk, huh?"
The warrior demon grinned weakly, blood dripping from his fangs.Warrior Demon: "I… I am not one of those who betray the Demon King."
Aeth tilted his head slightly, his voice turning flat and emotionless.Aeth: "Is that so?"
He opened his inventory.The system's voice echoed in his mind:'Warning: Living creature cannot be stored. Attempting to store will result in termination.'
Aeth smirked faintly.Aeth: "I know that."
He placed the demon into the inventory — and the moment it touched the dimensional space, the demon's soul shattered.The armor and sword, cleansed of his presence, remained stored safely within.
The system interface flashed before Aeth's eyes.'You have gained multiple levels.''You have fully recovered your mana and health points.'
Aeth exhaled slowly, his mana stabilizing as the last traces of demonic energy faded into the cold night air.
He turned toward Zoren.Aeth: "Let's go back."
Zoren nodded silently. Both of them walked toward the treehouse.
Inside the Treehouse
Ortho was already awake. His eyes were wide, trembling slightly — he had seen everything from the window: the blood, the mist, his brother standing over a fallen demon.
Ortho (angrily): "Why didn't you tell me, big bro?! I wanted to fight too!"
Aeth blinked in surprise, then sighed softly.Aeth: "I would've told you… but you weren't in shape to fight a demon."
Ortho looked down, clenching his fists tightly.Zoren stood quietly in the corner — the faint sigil on his chest glowing, reacting to the warmth between the brothers.
Scene — Earlier That Day
Flashback — Before the battle between Zoren and Ortho ended.
The forest had trembled violently — waves of mana tearing through the sky like thunder.
In the nearby village, the Adventurers' Guild shook as glasses cracked and tables rattled.
Guild Leader (slamming hand on desk): "That's overwhelming presence can be threat to our village… Send an A-Rank team to investigate. Now!"
Moments later, five elite adventurers sprinted into the forest, weapons drawn.The closer they got, the heavier the air became — mana thick and suffocating.
Adventurer 1: "This pressure… it's not human."Adventurer 2: "Feels like… the Demon Army."
They followed the mana trail until they reached a massive clearing — torn apart as if a war had taken place. Trees lay scattered, the ground blackened with residual energy.
At the center, they found two boys and two beasts lying unconscious.
Adventurer 3 (shocked): "Kids? Out here?"Adventurer 1: "If they are kids… they might have died from this overwhelming mana force."
The wind stilled.One of the boys' fingers twitched. His eyes opened — faint red light flickered within them.
Adventurer 2 (alarmed): "Look! One of the kids just stood up!"
Before they could react, the air distorted — and in the next instant, all four figures vanished without a trace.
Silence.
Adventurer 1: "…Did they just vanish? What was that spell?"Adventurer 3: "We should return. This isn't something we can handle."
Scene — Guild Hall, Night
The same five adventurers stood before the guild leader, their faces pale.
Leader of A-Rank party: "Two unidentified boys… but when we approached, one of them used a strange spell — no incantation — and they disappeared."
The leader's hand tightened on his desk, expression grim.Guild Leader: "This isn't something we ignore. Issue a Class-A report to the capital — and keep watch on the northern forests. Whatever they are… they're not ordinary."
Back to the Present — Next Day
The early light poured through the wooden gaps of their treehouse, warming the quiet air.The scent of herbs and potions lingered — remnants of last night's healing.
With Aeth's and Zoren's recovery magic, everyone was finally back to full strength.
Aeth stretched, looking out toward the endless forest below.Aeth: "Zoren, we have to become more powerful. Since we already declared war against the Demon King… our existence as immortal humans is itself a declaration of war — not just against demons, but against the gods as well."
Ortho blinked, half-awake and confused.Ortho: "Huh? What are you talking about, big bro?"
Aeth turned toward him.Aeth: "Oh right… you don't know everything yet."
He sat down beside Ortho, explaining everything that Zoren had told him — about the immortal humans, the Demon Kings, the ranking system, and the divine punishment that marked their fate.
Ortho listened silently at first, his expression slowly turning from surprise to fascination.Ortho: "Hmm… well, this was new. Usually, all the anime I've seen have the same kind of story — the main character gets summoned to fight the Demon King who's evil and wants to erase humanity."
He leaned back, crossing his arms with a faint grin.Ortho: "But here… it's different. We're not summoned heroes — we're punished beings. And our race isn't wanted by humans or demons."Ortho: "So that means we are enemies of the whole world."
Aeth gave a small smirk.Aeth: "Exactly. Which means we'll have to go beyond even them. And no — it doesn't mean we'll destroy the whole world, you know."
Ortho: "Yeah, I know. I'm not that stupid to try to destroy the whole world."
Zoren (inside his mind): Are they both crazy or what? What's even the meaning of anime? What are they talking about? And about Lord Ortho… if they become as powerful as a High Demon King, and if the same thing happens to Lord Aeth as i did to him in past… this world will be drowned in suffering, pain, and endless despair.