Rowan exhaled, eyes calm and sharp. "Ha. Don’t make laugh. You were right the first ti. I’m just a re human. Don’t change your words now that you’ve lost and start calling a god."
"That’s not true," the Fenrir growled, its voice rolling like distant thunder. "In a way, I’m not entirely a god either, but I can be classified as one. Beings worship . Yet above us there are gods higher still, gods above gods. And you" its eyes narrowed, faintly glowing "you walk the earth pretending to be human. That terrifying aura you radiate. It isn’t human."
"Don’t make repeat myself," Rowan said evenly. "I told you. I’m just a man. I’ve never seen a god, and I don’t care what one looks like. Power alone doesn’t make soone worthy of worship. That’s arrogance, not strength."
The Fenrir’s golden eyes flickered. Silence settled over the clearing, broken only by the lingering hum of magic from their clash.
After a long pause, the beast lowered its head slightly. "I. I’m sorry," it said softly. "For everything today. I take back my insults. Humans are supposed to be fragile, lowly, but you" it hesitated "you’ve shattered everything I believed about them."
"Well, it’s fine," Rowan said quietly, lowering his sword. His voice carried calm authority. "Now that I understand, you shouldn’t look down on everyone. But still, you attacked first. I never planned to fight you."
He gazed toward the moonlight filtering through the broken trees. "I was only sensing mana. It overwheld , more than anything I’ve ever felt since coming to this world."
The Fenrir’s golden eyes widened. "Since you ca to this world?"
Rowan nodded slowly. "I’m not from here." His words were quiet, but sharp as blades. "I ca from another world. I was human, and still am. But I was killed and reincarnated into this one."
The Fenrir trembled, blood pooling beneath its massive form. "I knew it," it whispered weakly. "There’s no way you’re just human. You’re different from any I’ve fought."
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. "Then answer before I take your head."
The Fenrir let out a low rumble. "Ask. I’ve already accepted my death. I never imagined I’d die like this, powerless, humiliated."
Its limbs twitched, still paralyzed by the lingering effects of the divine slash.
"Tell about the Demon Lord," Rowan said coldly. "Where is he? How can I find him?"
The Fenrir’s expression darkened. "I don’t know his exact location. The Demon Lord doesn’t stay in one place. He hides his presence even from the strongest beings. But" it paused, struggling for words, "he is so powerful that entire kingdoms tremble when he stirs. Still, if it’s you, I believe you could stand your ground against him."
Rowan remained silent. The forest wind whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of blood and ozone.
"You’re hiding sothing," he said finally, voice quiet but cutting. "There’s more you’re not telling about the Demon Lord."
The Fenrir’s eyes flickered, fear, regret, and sothing deeper. "Even if I told you," it murmured, "you wouldn’t believe ."
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. "What is it that I wouldn’t believe about the Demon Lord? And why can’t you tell ?"
The Fenrir’s breathing grew ragged, its massive chest rising and falling with effort. "It’s not that I can’t tell you," it said weakly, voice rolling like distant thunder. "It’s that the truth itself defies belief."
For the first ti, its gaze softened, almost human. "The one who created was God Himself. He made us, divine beasts, to maintain the balance of the world. But He warned us never to interfere with mortal affairs. Not humans, not demons. Their wars, they were never ours to join."
A faint light flickered in its eyes as it trembled. "I followed the rules. I obeyed."
Rowan took a deliberate step forward, the sword in his hand glowing faintly with divine energy. "You an..."
"I an" the Fenrir interrupted, blood seeping from its jaws, "the Demon Lord. He approached once, long ago. He wasn’t like the others. His power, it was terrifying, but precise. Controlled. He spoke of balance, of rebellion, of ending the gods’ rule over fate."
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