Samuel's POV
The sun dipped low behind the jagged peaks of the mountains that protected the Land of Beasts. Thick mist coiled around the roots of ancient trees, and the cries of winged beasts echoed in the distance. I walked calmly, the cloak around my shoulders fluttering with each heavy footstep. My presence alone made the few guards stiffen, their instincts screaming danger.
The air was dense here — saturated with power, primal and untamed.
Two massive beast-men, clad in dark fur-lined armor, stood guarding the obsidian gate of the Beast Caste. They were easily over seven feet tall, reeking of raw strength. Their yellow eyes flickered toward me like a wolf sizing up prey.
One of them, broader and uglier than the other, stepped forward and blocked my path with his axe-staff.
"Outsiders don't pass this gate without permission," he growled, voice rumbling like boulders falling down a cliff.
I didn't stop. I didn't blink.
I stepped closer until we were just inches apart. My eyes met his.
"Tell Mr. Yates," I said coolly, "someone is here to meet him."
The beast's muscles tensed. "Name."
He spat the word like a command.
I smirked — slow, sharp, and dangerous.
"Tell him…" I said as I adjusted the Gauntlets of Warden on my arms, the metal whispering with power, "…the Heavenly Demon came to meet him."
The moment the name dropped, the other beast warrior's expression shifted. Eyes widened. Pupils narrowed. A whisper passed between the two in their native tongue — a mixture of growls and clicks.
The first one, Krun, lowered his weapon slowly. "...Impossible."
"Try me," I replied, stepping past him. He didn't stop me this time.
Before I could reach the next gate, I heard claws scraping stone behind me as Krun turned and barked into a communication stone embedded in the wall. "Lord Yates. We have a… situation. It's him. The Heavenly Demon."
There was a pause. The winds stilled.
Then a voice crackled back through the stone — calm, heavy, and unmistakably Owen Yates.
"Let him in."
The gates shuddered as they began to open. Ancient chains rattled as stone ground against stone, revealing the path to the inner sanctum of the Beast Caste — a realm only a handful of outsiders had ever stepped into.
I glanced back at Krun, who was still watching me, fangs bared slightly in instinctual fear.
.
"You've got guts," I told him. "Let's hope your king still has some too."
He didn't respond. He just stepped aside.
And I walked through the gate, where a long-awaited reunion — and a clash of monsters — awaited me.
After all… when the Heavenly Demon comes calling, even the beasts listen.
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Throne Room – Beast Caste, Inner Sanctum
The heavy doors creaked open as I stepped into the throne room.
The hall was vast—pillars carved from bone and stone rose into the misty ceiling above. The floor was made of polished obsidian, reflecting flickers of torchlight like shallow water. At the far end, upon a jagged throne of blackstone and beast fangs, sat Owen Yates — no, not Owen.
The Martial King.
He leaned lazily on one armrest, that same damn smirk etched on his face, one I remembered too well from our final clash back in our previous life.
I met his gaze and grinned back. "It's been a while, Martial King. Didn't expect to find you alive in your third life, and definitely not as 'Owen Yates.'"
He rose slowly from the throne, every movement exuding authority. The Beast Protectors nearby instinctively bowed as he walked.
"Well," Owen said, "at least in this novel, my ex-wife Yvette isn't a manipulative bitch like Bardot. That woman? Please. But you… Damn, you seriously traumatized Bardot and Joshua."
He chuckled.
I let out a laugh. "What did you expect? I was ruthless before—now I've got a second shot as the Heavenly Demon. They should be grateful I didn't erase them from existence."
Owen stopped a few feet from me. We stood face to face now, two apex predators reborn.
"Tell me your story first," I said, crossing my arms.
Owen gave a short nod. "I was transmigrated in the middle of the novel. Unlike you, I didn't start at the beginning… but I was aware enough to correct the mistakes the original Owen made."
He narrowed his eyes. "And Yvette Jennings… she was loyal enough not to jump into Randall's arms after I came back. At least she had that dignity."
I scoffed. "Yeah, I heard. Before original Owen's rebirth, he offered her a divorce. She didn't accept. Still don't get why, though."
Owen chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe she was scared I'd become the man I am now. Too bad for her."
He stepped closer, his tone light but sharp. "Compared to our stories, yours was a bloodbath from chapter one. Honestly? Only the Heavenly Demon could survive that hell."
I smirked darkly. "Not just survive. Dominate. I didn't come back to play nice with pathetic characters. I came back to tear down the illusions and burn their egos to ash."
My eyes flickered red for a second. "Now I'm the Harbinger of Destruction… and I see you became the King of Beasts."
Owen grinned. "Fitting title, right? I was always more of a leader than a follower. But you? You were always the fire meant to consume false gods."
We shared a knowing silence — an unspoken bond between two monsters reborn into broken worlds.
Then Owen smirked and said, "Well, since you're here… what do you say? After all this time, ready for a rematch?"
I grinned. "Not yet. Let me finish breaking the toys in my world first. Then we'll see if the Martial King still remembers how to fall."
He laughed. "You bastard. I'll be waiting."