THE KING BEYOND WORLDS

Chapter 15: The Monster Approaches

A chilling silence fell over the battlefield. The flickering torchlight barely reached beyond the walls, but in the distance, a massive shadow loomed. The ground trembled slightly with each of its movements.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes.

"What… is that?"

From the darkness, a pair of enormous red eyes glowed. Unlike the previous creatures, this one was different. It was far larger, and its presence alone sent a wave of fear through the soldiers.

Aya clenched her fists.

"Something's wrong… this one feels different."

The Minister of the Interior stood atop the command post, observing carefully. His expression remained unreadable as he whispered,

"A commander-class shadow beast…"

Sachiko gritted her teeth.

"Great. Just what we needed."

The shadow beast took another step forward. Each movement sent a heavy pressure through the air. Its body was made of thick, swirling darkness, shifting constantly like living smoke. Two massive claws extended from its sides, and its form twisted unnaturally as it advanced.

The soldiers trembled. Even the most experienced among them could feel the difference—this wasn't just another wave of mindless creatures.

It was intelligent.

And it was hunting them.

---

The First Attack

Without warning, the beast let out a deafening roar.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

A shockwave of dark energy burst from its body, scattering debris and knocking several soldiers off their feet. Some barely managed to hold their ground, gripping their weapons tightly.

Ryo exhaled sharply. He could feel it—this thing was on a completely different level.

Kazuki shouted,

"Formation! Archers, fire!"

Flaming arrows rained down upon the beast. Some of them struck its body, causing brief flashes of light, but the creature barely flinched. Instead, it raised one of its massive claws—

And slammed it into the ground.

"BOOOOM!!!"

The earth cracked. A shockwave surged forward, knocking soldiers from the walls and sending dust into the air.

Sachiko cursed.

"That thing's gonna break the whole damn outpost if we don't stop it!"

Yuma, still standing on the tower, raised his hands. Ice gathered in the air around him, forming jagged spears.

"Freeze."

With a flick of his wrist, the spears shot forward. They struck the beast's body—this time, some parts froze for a moment before the shadows cracked through them.

The beast turned its glowing eyes toward Yuma.

It leaped.

---

Ryo's Choice

In an instant, the massive creature soared through the air—aiming straight for Yuma.

Yuma's eyes widened. There was no time to react.

But before the beast could reach him—

Ryo moved.

Time felt slower. His body reacted before his mind did. He pushed off the ground with everything he had, his speed surpassing anything he had done before.

He slashed.

A clean arc of silver light cut through the air.

"SWOOSH!"

A deep wound tore through the beast's side, and for the first time—it let out a cry of pain.

"GRAGHHH!!!"

Yuma stumbled back, eyes still wide.

"Ryo…?"

Ryo landed on the ground, panting. His whole body was burning with energy, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

He had moved faster than he ever thought possible.

Kazuki grinned.

"Guess you're full of surprises, huh?"

But the battle wasn't over.

The beast roared again, its form twisting violently. The shadows around its wound writhed, trying to heal. But something was different.

It was… afraid.

The Minister watched from above, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Interesting."

The shadow beast took a step back. Then another.

And then—it vanished into the darkness.

The battlefield fell silent once more.

---

A Temporary Victory

Ryo dropped to one knee, exhausted. His sword trembled in his grip. He could still feel the rush of power in his veins, but his body was screaming at him to stop.

Aya hurried over.

"Are you okay?"

He gave a weak nod.

"Yeah… just tired."

Kazuki stretched his arms.

"Well, that was fun. Think it'll come back?"

The Minister stepped forward.

"It will. But not now. It was testing us."

Aya frowned.

"Testing us…?"

He nodded.

"The intelligent ones don't fight meaningless battles. It learned something tonight."

Sachiko crossed her arms.

"And what exactly did it learn?"

The Minister's gaze landed on Ryo.

"That we're not as weak as it thought."

A heavy silence followed his words.

The battle wasn't over.

This was just the beginning.

End of Chapter 15.