"Children, my children!"
Before the blazing ruins of the orphanage, Mama collapsed to her knees, staring at the inferno that devoured the wooden building. The flames surged upward, crackling violently as beams collapsed and sparks spiraled into the night. For a brief moment, her voice trembled with something that resembled maternal anguish.
Did she have feelings for the children? Of course she did. But not enough for them to outweigh everything else. What truly tore at her heart was the realization that the children she had spent years cultivating... carefully raising, grooming, preserving, were now nothing more than ashes.
Her record. Her reputation. Her standing within the farm. The bright future she had envisioned as an exceptional "Mother." All of it was burning before her eyes. The loss of the children was not merely emotional, it was a catastrophic failure.
Her fingers dug into the soil as grief twisted into something darker, something edged with fury.
"Calm down."
A massive figure stepped through the firelit darkness and came to a halt beside her, its towering silhouette illuminated by the crimson glow of the flames.
Your grotesque, alien silhouette loomed even more horrifically against the raging inferno, flames twisting around it like claws from hell itself.
"The children aren't inside."
"What?!"
Mama's head snapped up, panic flashing across her face. She immediately grabbed her pocket watch and flipped it open. The clustered tracker signals were still there—every single child clearly marked inside the building.
"But the signal says…"
The demon beside her curled its lips in disdain, eyeing the crude device as if it were a child's toy. "My nose is far more reliable than that." It inhaled slowly, savoring the thick smoke. "With a fire this fierce, if those brats were truly in there, I'd already smell roasting meat. The finest aroma of premium Edible Children—my nose would never miss it." Its voice sharpened. "But there's nothing. Not even the faintest whiff of flesh. All I smell is oil."
Mama froze. Oil? She sniffed carefully this time, forcing herself to ignore the smoke. Beneath the burning wood, there it was—a sharp, acrid scent unlike cooking oil. It was heavier, harsher… fuel. Combined with the unnatural speed and intensity of the blaze, the conclusion struck her instantly. This wasn't an accident. This was deliberate arson.
The demon's expression turned cold and calculating. "Whoever did it, we'll know soon enough, once we catch those Edible Children." With a curt gesture, it summoned the lesser demons waiting behind. "Awaken the Beast Oni. Split into two groups. One sweeps the farm for traces of the escapees. The other heads straight into the surrounding forest." Its tone dropped into a warning growl. "Keep the Beast Oni under control. The lesser rejects are expendable, but among the escapees are several perfect-score specimens. Those must not be damaged."
A shrill alarm suddenly tore through the night, echoing across the entire farm. Within moments, demons surged into motion from every direction, heavy footsteps shaking the ground as torches flared to life.
From the farm… the sounds of the hunt began to spread.
Isabella pushed through the tangled wildwood and caught the faint disturbance in the distance. In a jungle this dense, sound was devoured by layers of trunks and leaves, reduced to little more than a trembling echo before fading completely. Arthur, however, with senses far sharper than hers, could clearly hear the continuous wail of the siren.
The farm's demons were finally on the move.
The children had gained more than half an hour's head start, but that advantage was fragile. With their limited stamina and barely a month of rushed jungle training, there was no way they could outrun demons in a prolonged chase.
Only one option remained.
"Everyone, faster. Just a bit farther, we can rest soon."
Their destination was a location unmarked on any official map: a crude "hole in the ground," an entrance to the so-called Underground World. Many such openings were scattered throughout the primordial forest. They offered concealment, but also danger. The maze-like, narrow tunnels discouraged most demons, yet what lurked inside was another matter entirely.
Though the map suggested the entrance was close, the children's group pace was slower than Arthur had anticipated. Two hours had passed since their escape from the orphanage. At this rate, if fortune turned against them, the vanguard demons would soon close the gap. Even now, they were still at least fifteen minutes away from the entrance.
A sudden rustling swept through the distant undergrowth—something large cutting rapidly through foliage.
"Isabella."
Arthur stopped her and handed over his backpack. Inside were emergency rations and water, supplies essential for children who still couldn't reliably identify edible plants or fruits in the wild. His voice was steady. "Keep leading them to the marked location. Once you arrive, don't hesitate. Get everyone into the hole immediately."
He paused briefly, then added, "Yako and I will cover the rear. Leave it to us."
Isabella looked at him. Through the sparse light filtering down from the canopy, she could see the clarity in his eyes. It wasn't reckless determination or the desperation of someone marching toward death. It was calm certainty, the confidence of someone who had already calculated the outcome.
She understood. Staying behind would only slow him down.
After all, the memory of that monster's corpse she had once witnessed was still etched vividly in her mind.
All she could do was remove his worries completely.
"I… I know!"
She grabbed Arthur's backpack and slung it over her shoulders without hesitation. Turning to the children, she forced energy into her voice. "Everyone, we're almost there! Once we reach the front, we can rest—and there'll be food. Just a little more effort!"
The word food worked better than encouragement alone. The children, who had begun to falter, clenched their teeth and pushed forward again, small legs moving with renewed determination.
Within the crowd, Sophia and Liza Ze glanced back at the two figures who remained behind. Their expressions were complicated. If they could, they would have stayed to help. But they understood more clearly than anyone that they were incapable of changing anything. Staying would only become a burden.
That helplessness gnawed at them, almost painfully.
In the end, they still turned forward, responding to Arthur's silent gaze—the unspoken assurance that said, Don't worry.
Barely a minute after the group disappeared deeper into the forest, the sounds began. Branches snapped. Leaves tore. Something large was crashing through the jungle at high speed.
By then, Arthur and Yako had already concealed themselves.
Holding the line wasn't some dramatic scene from television—standing boldly in the middle of the road, declaring a final stand with suicidal resolve. That wasn't defense. That was self-destruction.
If the pursuing demons were within the limits of what the two of them could handle, they would eliminate them quickly and rejoin the main group. If too many gathered, they would simply reveal themselves just enough to draw attention and redirect the chase. There was no need to fight unnecessarily.
Moments later, the first wave arrived.
Three demons.
One humanoid figure, tall and lean. Two beast-like creatures, shaped somewhere between wolves and bears, their movements heavy yet swift.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had already made his decision.