“No way! It’s Behemoth!”

Rean shot Olga a displeased glance over his shoulder.

What Kun…? Don’t tell me you’re imagining some meme like *“Christine’s boy messed up, accidentally leveled a Kun to Dao Realm, went on a monster-devouring rampage, and scared everyone to tears”*?

After Rean corrected her, Olga nodded in relief—only to freeze a second later as a far more horrifying thought struck her.

“Oh! So it *is* Behemoth… No wonder an Eastern divine beast showed up here… Wait! Isn’t Behemoth way worse?!”

Rean gave her a look like she was a clueless fawn, then turned to check on the injured giant victim.

“Hold on! At least explain what’s up with Behemoth!”

Olga knew of Behemoth, of course. But she couldn’t fathom why that creature would be linked to Rean—or how he could wield its power. Utterly bizarre.

“What’s to explain? It broke its seal. I dealt with it.”

Rean paused, glancing back with a faint chuckle.

Behemoth—the target Rean had helped slay a decade ago. The Gluttony Beast that devours all. Merely standing still, it absorbed ambient mana, converting it into searing breath. Defensive magic below tier seven? Incinerated in a blink.

Back then, with all seven Demon Kings instantly drained, Rean steeled himself for a life-or-death gamble. After paying a heavy price, he barely thrust his sword into Behemoth’s throat.

Then came the strange part: the slayer gained the slain’s power. Rean could now devour and annihilate anything he grasped. Mana-rich objects? He’d absorb their energy too.

Though Rean was already strong enough to kill Behemoth, the reward wasn’t wasted. Other Demon Kings once tried pressuring House Christine over his danger—but Rean and his father’s diplomatic and military maneuvers quietly buried the issue. Since then, the relatively weaker House Christine faced no further harassment.

Olga finally understood why Gabriel allied with House Christine first. Avoiding Rean as an enemy was wise. The man who *killed* Behemoth was far scarier than one who merely wielded its power.

“Hmm… Lucky them. Let me find a useful gadget…” Rean crouched by a fallen man, checked his pulse, sighed in relief, then rummaged through his wrist mana device’s subspace. “Got it!”

He pulled out a tiny bottle, tipped a black pill into the man’s mouth. To Olga, it looked suspiciously like the legendary “kick-the-bucket pill.”

“This won’t kill him… right? I’m not convinced.”

Watching the man’s face twitch, Olga reached out to cast a healing spell.

Rean bristled. Risking identity exposure with Celestial Realm magic aside—he *would not* tolerate doubt in his skills!

“Do not question the alchemical expertise of a Demon King—the genius behind countless masterpieces. Trust me.”

“Oh? And what *are* these ‘masterpieces,’ Your Majesty?”

“The Heartbreak Grenade! Pull the pin, detonate the mana, die with your beloved—zero survivors guaranteed!”

Rean produced an oval object. Seeing Olga’s deadpan stare, he whipped out another.

“And this—the God-Slaying, Demon-Destroying O-Li Cannon! One shot turns *any* enemy—god or Demon King—to ash!”

*What even is this?!* Olga thought. *How can someone who invents explosive alchemical toys claim his medicine saves lives? Is he gonna blast the patient straight to the Celestial Realm?!*

“You’re the Demon King! Keep that cannon for yourself! *I’ll* save him!”

She shook off his arm. Rean swatted her glowing golden hand away—only for her to pinch his arm hard.

“Wanna fight?!” they both roared.

*Cough… cough…*

A groan rose from between them. The pill-fed man was pushing himself up.

“Th-thank you… Lord Rean?!”

He shook his head clear, then scrambled up flusteredly upon recognizing Rean’s face.

“Thank you for saving me, Lord Rean!”

As a subject of House Christine, he knew the prince well—and being saved by him left him deeply uneasy.

“Enough talk. Help the others.”

Rean shoved the bottle into the man’s trembling hands, then dragged Olga toward the remaining injured. The man Rean had earlier ordered back now joined the first to aid the rest.

Rean wasn’t one for airs, but before subjects, a lord’s dignity mattered.

“See? My medicine works.”

“Yeah, yeah. Your tail’s scraping the sky,” Olga scoffed. “But seriously—what *was* that monster? Why didn’t physical attacks work?”

“A quirk of this realm. Celestial Realm spiritual veins stay pure—even clogs birth elemental spirits. But Demon Realm veins? Polluted clogs spawn mana-formed monsters.”

Rean popped a pill into the last injured person’s mouth and straightened with a smile.

“Only solution: drain its mana—the core of its existence. Slash it with a mana-infused blade. Behemoth? Perfect for devouring mana. Ideal recharge for me.”

“Then why not just use magic or devour it earlier?”

…

After a silent pause, Rean murmured:

“Because this way looks cooler.”

“Are you an idiot?” Olga narrowed her eyes.

“None of your business! I handled it!” Flustered, Rean looked away. “Wait—who yelled ‘Rean~’ so worriedly just now? *You* were worried about me!”

“Who’d worry about a jerk like you! I was just…”

Olga froze, realizing her slip. A blush crept up her cheeks as she lowered her head slightly.

“Just *what*? Go on~?”

“Shut up!”

She shoved him down, straddled his chest, and clamped both hands over his mouth—face burning crimson.

“Um… Lord Rean?”

They froze. The revived injured now stood around them, staring with utterly bewildered expressions.

“May I ask… what exactly are you two… doing?”