In these lands that once belonged to an emperor, the last emperor was now dead. There was no one left to sustain the vast empire. Nothing remained but the despair of a bitch's soul, stretching all the way to the Dark Mountains. No matter how foolish or incompetent an emperor might be, an emperor is the sole ruler within the boundaries of that world. Even if they sat idly on their thrones, the ancient emperors were merely walls tasked with absorbing the spiritual power, the mana flow, the precious resources, and the negativity brewing in other parts of the empire. That was precisely why their mortal bodies could not endure for long; they were constantly sacrificing pieces of themselves for the sake of their empire.
But now, that wall was gone. The mana that once flowed equally throughout the empire had ceased to distribute. Despite the short time since his death, resources had already become dangerously unbalanced. Everything from the wildlife to the very air of the environment had shifted. In some regions, attacks by sacred beasts had surged; in others, the erratic flow of mana was so terrifyingly intense that it paralyzed creatures, trapping them inside their caves. In certain areas, people grew immensely powerful and reaped abundant harvests due to the mana surge, while those in other regions lost what little power they had, left to wander hungry over parched, barren lands.
Someone had to intervene in this chaos. And so, MEIAN TENKAN—the strongest demon, known as the god of demons and monsters who had been slumbering for centuries—finally awoke. At long last, his soul would be set free.
[Even a single drop of his blood coming into mere contact with humans would cause them to metamorphose beyond recognition. Their height would instantly become 2.5 times that of a normal human, and their strength, speed, and other human traits would likewise multiply by 2.5. However, those who underwent this became cursed due to Meian Tenkan's touch. They, too, would become "Meian Tenkan," unable to die of old age, forced to endure the agonizing suffering of this world forever.]
This terrifying entity was now shouting outside his cave, arms wide open. He was utterly ecstatic. Seriously, who could possibly stop him now?
Meian Tenkan began talking to himself:
— Finally, I am free... Finally! This century is going to be amazing, amaaaazing! I had gone to sleep because of those foolish heroes. And how rude they were! Does a person have no heart at all? How could they treat me so ruthlessly when I was all alone? It's a joke, seriously, a joke...
He continued to yell toward the outside with pure excitement:
— Anyway, where are the humans? Where are the women, where are the children, where are the babies? I want to try them all, I want to taste them! TRULY, THIS ERA IS AMAZINGAAA! I will devour them all. No, no... I will establish a farm made of humans! I will categorize humans by their taste and breed them according to their flavor. That way, I'll have the sweetest human meat. I really must be a genius! At the same time, a master chef, and at the same time, the strongest in this world... No, no, the strongest in the universe! At the same time, I am so handsome, at the same time, I have a great house, and at the same time, I am the richest...!While Meian Tenkan was talking to himself and boasting, the sheer hunger inside him—a relentless starvation brought on by not consuming anything for centuries, perhaps even millennia—suddenly struck. He threw himself straight down from his cave on the mountainside. If you are surprised by this, don't be; for the curse of Meian Tenkan shielded his body absolutely.
The moment he cleared the steep, rocky terrain of the mountain and hit the flat ground, he began scanning his surroundings at breakneck speed, searching for a village. Any human would do for now, as long as it could quiet the monstrous hunger inside him even a little. Only one thought echoed in his mind: "I'M SO HUNGRY."
He knew of no delicious meat or nourishment other than human flesh. Long before he fell into his slumber—way before those wretched heroes showed up—he had tried to eat things other than human meat, but the taste of everything else was so bitter it was practically inedible. It was the same whenever he tried to eat a vegetable or a fruit; they tasted bizarrely heavily spiced to him. Only human flesh felt that sweet and sugary; it was the sweetest, the most delicious. Furthermore, this time he wasn't just going to eat it raw like he used to; he was going to experiment with different tasting methods. This time, he would try roasting them over a fire; perhaps the flavor would become even richer.
Anyway, he had finally found a village. He would have to think about those details later; right now, he just needed to enjoy the feast. The moment he entered the village, he snapped a drunk, chubby man who was outside; as soon as he caught him, he devoured him, crunching him like a cracker. Yet, his stomach was still completely empty; he was still painfully starved. Strangely, despite a colossal entity standing visibly in the open, the village was practically deserted; he had only managed to eat this one, slightly sour-tasting, plump old drunk.
He advanced a bit further toward the village square. When he reached the square, there they were: fresh, defenseless, and perfectly flavored young men and women. He lunged at them with lightning speed. Screams filled the air instantly as people scattered, fleeing toward their homes.
Of course, the final screams and cries of the people who failed to escape to their houses were heartbreaking, but nothing could be done. The villagers knew this all too well; their only option against Meian Tenkan was to hide and pray not to be found. Unlike other sacred beasts, the chances of escaping him were close to zero. If this massive creature heard, saw, or caught your scent, that chance was absolute zero. Besides, most things about Meian Tenkan were misunderstood; there were countless rumors passed down among the public, and the villagers didn't even realize this giant creature was MEIAN TENKAN himself.
As Meian Tenkan devoured his catches, he noticed that sometimes characters who fancied themselves heroes would emerge from among the people, just like in the old days. Right now, he was looking at exactly that kind of foolish youth who thought he was a hero. A stupid boy standing there with a sword in his hand and a small shield... a soldier, or whatever he was. Meian Tenkan loved playing with his prey, so he decided to show him his splendid theatrical skills.
The human standing before him suddenly vanished from his sight. Honestly, he was faster than expected. Using his role-playing abilities, Meian Tenkan looked around as if he were terrified. In reality, he had deliberately allowed the human to get behind him; that way, he would pretend to die from the sword strike to his back, and then he would hunt down and devour the other humans who would confidently approach him on their own feet.
At that moment, the human completely shattered his back with fierce sword slashes! What else could he do? His blood was gushing out.
SCHHHLAAASSSHHH! CRACK!
Closing his eyes as if in agony, Meian Tenkan collapsed face-first onto the ground with a massive thud.With Meian Tenkan collapsing to the ground, the villagers who had hidden in their homes did exactly as the monster had predicted. Emerging from their shelters, they began to look at this young hero with eyes full of pure admiration.How could this be? How had this colossal creature been brought down so easily? This young man had actually done it; he had finished the monster off with his fierce sword strikes. He was now the village's true hero.
Confident that the beast was dead, the villagers drew closer to the corpse. They crowded around this tall, black-haired, pale-skinned youth, showering him with praises that seemed almost too good to be true. The young hero's face beamed with pure joy. He was happier than he had ever been; for the first time in his life, he was valued, and for the first time, he was truly seen by his village. Finally, swept up in the celebration, the crowd began tossing the young hero into the air with ecstatic cheers. The place was livelier and more crowded than ever before.
And right then, it was time. "The perfect moment to strike," Meian Tenkan thought.
With a sudden lunge, the monster bolted upright and savagely swung his massive hand and claw-like nails into the crowd! Humans were being slaughtered before they could even comprehend what was happening. They were hunted down before they could even attempt to flee. Naturally, among the very first to be claimed was that unfortunate young hero. What was happening? It wasn't supposed to end like this... No, this... this couldn't be real!
The number of survivors from that celebrating crowd didn't even exceed the fingers on two hands. It had happened so abruptly, so bloodily... It would be impossible for those who miraculously survived the carnage to ever forget this moment. Those agonizing shrieks, those gazes filled with regret and utter hopelessness were permanently etched into their minds.
As Meian Tenkan stuffed his belly to the brim, the screams, the desperate looks, and the painful wails only multiplied the twisted pleasure this disgusting creature felt while hunting. He absolutely relished the suffering of his prey.
But now, he was full. Man, had he feasted! He had devoured nearly the entire village by himself. As he slowly made his exit from the settlement, he no longer bothered with the few remaining humans he spotted; he knew that if he ate one more bite, he would throw up. Anyway, it was time to retreat back to his cave.
He began trudging back the way he came, lazily belching with every step. As he passed through the forest, trying to digest his massive meal, even his flatulence and foul belches were enough to wither the ancient trees, stripping them of their leaves and killing them instantly. The stench he radiated was so violent, so intense, that it brought nothing but absolute decay to his surroundings. Every plant in the area lost its vitality, becoming incapable of absorbing the mana from the sky.
Slowly, Meian Tenkan retreated into the depths of his cave. He needed to take a short nap to fully digest his meal...