The Playwright of the Fortress
Screenplay and Direction by Ha Yuna
The Beastkin Fortress.
The Bone Lion Citadel.
It was a place where beastkin from all walks of life gathered to live together.
Ever since monsters overran the world and the kingdom—their final line of defense—collapsed, the various demi-human races had pooled their strength here to withstand the onslaught.
And in this very place lived Barkan, the high priest known as the Voice of the Beast God.
Scritch-scratch.
While a single moth crawled across the ceiling, Barkan was throwing a furious, raging tantrum.
"We failed to offer the sacred tribute to our Beast God! The God will be furious!"
There was only one reason for his wrath.
They had failed to sacrifice the princess who lost the sacred duel.
At this rate, the entire meaning of the sacred duel would be rendered utterly pointless. As the high priest, this was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
However, behind him, Grotan—hailed as the greatest warrior of the beastkin—looked entirely different.
Following the high priest's orders, they had sacrificed countless lives to the Beast God. Yet, the monster attacks never ceased, and the beastkin continued to die. It was as if the Beast God did not exist anywhere at all.
The world was slowly marching toward its demise.
Of course, there had always been those who opposed the high priest. But the high priest had used Grotan and the soldiers to eliminate any dissent. His logic was simple: if their path was correct, they should prove it by winning the sacred duel.
But with Grotan, the strongest warrior, standing in their way, victory was an impossible dream.
Thus, the high priest had ruled with an iron fist, never accepting anyone else's opinion. In truth, the fate of the beastkin was being steered solely by the high priest's whims.
Grotan was the ultimate warrior, but he was also a warrior who cared for his people more than anyone else. Doubts had been steadily piling up in his mind.
"I acknowledge all the sins of my kingdom and myself. But we cannot just sit back and die together like this! Give me warriors to destroy the Tower with me! They do not even have to be warriors! I just need those who will share my resolve!"
The princess's desperate cry echoed repeatedly in Grotan's head.
No matter how much they tried to live up to their faith in the Beast God, reality remained unchanged. The world was turning into a playground for monsters.
"Someone to climb the Tower..."
Even as her body was pierced and she drew closer to death, the girl had cried out.
"Please, let someone climb the Tower once more."
It was a cry that shone with a light more noble than any other. Grotan kept her desperate plea close to his heart as he slowly raised his head.
"Go and capture them immediately! Those worthless beasts!"
Unlike the princess who had screamed to save the world, what was the high priest doing now?
He was arrogant, driven solely by his own greed. Every day, under the guise of the Beast God's will, he defiled the women of their tribe, and recently, he had even laid hands on young boys. The raw, ugly nature of the beast was slowly being laid bare.
Grotan, who had always silently and faithfully carried out the high priest's orders, spoke up for the first time.
"High Priest."
"What is it, Grotan?"
"In your eyes, does it truly seem like the Beast God is protecting us?"
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
The high priest slowly, creakingly turned his gaze toward Grotan.
Thud—
The moment the high priest struck his staff against the floor, the air grew heavy. It felt as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats, choking the breath out of them. The air inside the temple turned freezing cold.
Golden pupils, carrying the blood of beasts, narrowed toward him. There was no anger in those eyes—only the pure, unadulterated murderous intent of a fanatic whose faith had been insulted.
"...Just now," a low, raspy voice echoed, "did you dare deny the Great Father?"
His eyes burned with rage, as if outraged by such blasphemy. An invisible pressure weighed down on the entire space. The stone tiles on the floor cracked, and the flames of the torches flickered out. A dark red aura began to billow from the high priest's body.
The murderous intent leaking through his beastly fur licked at the surroundings. The zealot's desire to tear apart the heretic who insulted his god burned fiercely.
Even the surrounding beastkin hastily bowed their heads. Some muttered prayers with trembling voices, while others dared not even breathe.
The high priest took a step forward, clutching his staff.
Why was the high priest revered? It was partly due to his title, but also because of his sheer strength. As the high priest of the Beast God, he wielded divine power. He struck fear into the hearts of all beastkin.
But the man standing before him was Grotan—the strongest warrior of the beastkin.
Thud—
The moment Grotan stamped his foot, a tremor rippled outward, shattering the oppressive aura. Grotan did not even blink at the high priest's murderous intent.
"We have offered countless sacrifices. Many beastkin have died. Yet, the world remains unchanged."
The monsters were growing in number by the day. Furthermore, their threat level was rising exponentially. The longer the monsters lingered in this world, the stronger they became. It had reached a point where monsters that even Grotan struggled against were beginning to appear.
"The source of the monsters is ultimately the Tower. Unless the Beast God destroys the Tower, no matter how many sacrifices we offer, nothing will change."
"Silence! The Beast God has a plan for everything!"
"I am asking where that plan is."
It was a volatile situation. Just as the high priest and Grotan were about to clash—
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion echoed from outside.
"An attack! A horde of monsters is attacking!"
At the sudden warning of a monster raid, Grotan immediately turned around.
"We will finish this conversation when I return."
"Prepare to pay for your sins when you get back."
Grotan did not even blink at the high priest's threat. He merely pondered how he would carry out his convictions from now on.
But the moment Grotan stepped outside, he was greeted by an unexpected sight.
Beyond the fortress walls, a massive army of monsters was surging forward.
He could already see the beastkin's morale crumbling. If that army breached the walls, the fortress would be utterly decimated.
"What are you doing?! Take up your weapons!" Grotan roared, sprinting toward the walls.
Just as the beastkin scrambled to grab their weapons—
BOOOOM!
Another explosion rang out.
When Grotan looked up, he saw an unexpected figure running along the top of the wall. It was a girl with a tattered robe and fluttering blonde hair. Every time her hands flashed, beams of red light shot out, blowing the monsters to pieces upon contact.
It was a level of firepower that made even Grotan's eyes widen.
Grotan knew exactly who she was. After all, she was the princess he had killed with his own hands.
"...She was alive?"
The princess he had slain had returned to life. Did that bizarre monster that carried her away somehow resurrect her? And what was that light? The monsters melted away without resistance wherever the beams touched.
It was one bewildering event after another, but now was not the time to stand around in shock. With the monsters breaching the perimeter, he had to act.
"All units, follow Grotan!"
With Grotan's roar, the beastkin let out battle cries and leaped down from the walls, swinging their weapons to clash with the monsters.
However, the monsters were too numerous. Fighting like this would inevitably result in casualties among the beastkin.
Just as a beastkin warrior was about to be impaled by a monster's fangs—
Crack—
The fangs shattered and bounced off.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Driven by instinct, the beastkin warrior immediately counterattacked, slaying the monster on the spot. The warrior panted, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.
Why did its fangs suddenly break? Were they just old and brittle?
His doubts were cut short as another monster lunged at him.
Similar anomalies were occurring all over the battlefield. Despite the unprecedented wave of monsters, not a single beastkin had fallen. Some felt a sense of strangeness, but the sheer urgency of the battle forced them to push those thoughts aside.
Behind them, invisible puppets moved in secret, completely unnoticed by anyone.
On top of that, the princess's performance played a massive role.
"Watch out!"
"Ah, y-yes! Thank you!"
The princess appeared whenever a beastkin warrior was in danger, rescuing them. As the battle dragged on, the beastkin's trust and faith in the princess grew stronger.
BOOM!
BANG!
Just as the monster numbers rapidly dwindled and the situation began to settle, it appeared.
Thud!
A grotesque entity stepped onto the battlefield. It was hard to even call it a monster or a living creature.
A chill ran down Grotan's spine. As the strongest warrior, his honed instincts screamed at him: that thing is dangerous.
It had two deformed heads, skin made of a mismatch of various creatures, and it let out a bizarre, metallic screeching sound. It was a nightmare incarnate.
"W-What on earth is that..."
"It's a monster... a demon..."
As the beastkin cowered in fear, someone dashed forward even before Grotan could move.
It was the girl with the fluttering blonde hair—the princess of the fallen kingdom.
Grotan's eyes widened. The princess had undoubtedly grown stronger, but charging headfirst at that monster was sheer madness. Her courage was bordering on abnormal.
Bzzzzzzzt!
At that moment, light began to gather in the monster's mouth. It was an overwhelming, blinding light that threatened to swallow everything in its path. The air warped around the gathering energy.
It was a sight that froze even Grotan in his tracks, let alone the other beastkin, who flattened their ears and tails in sheer terror.
"Everyone, run!" Grotan roared, trying to get his people to safety.
Right then, light began to gather in the princess's hands as well. Compared to the monster's colossal beam, her light seemed pitifully weak. It looked like an impossible match.
"What are you doing?! Princess, run!"
There was no chance of winning.
"No!" yet the princess kept running. "If I run away here, nothing will ever be resolved!"
Her golden hair began to glow, shining like a galaxy etched into the night sky. She looked just like a noble hero straight out of a fairy tale.
As Grotan watched in awe, the monster's beam finally reached full charge.
An overwhelming torrent of destruction swept across the earth. The terrified beastkin whimpered and threw themselves flat on the ground. Only Grotan kept his eyes wide open, taking in the sight.
At the center of the monster's devastating beam, he saw a single, faintly glowing red line.
Even as her body was being torn apart by the monster's energy, the princess did not stop her attack. She didn't care about the odds of winning; she simply threw her entire being into the strike. Her beam was highly compressed—not meant for wide-scale destruction, but focused entirely on a single target.
The monster. It was a desperate, single-minded strike to bring down the beast.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzt!
Finally, the red beam pierced straight through the center of the monster's attack. Watching this, Grotan cried out without realizing it.
"Pierce through!"
BOOOOOOOOM!
The monster's head was blown apart, and its massive body shattered into pieces. Grotan raised his weapon high into the air.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
It was a victory for the beastkin and the princess.
If this battle had ending credits, the words "Screenplay and Direction by Ha Yuna" would have rolled up the screen. Of course, Grotan and the beastkin had no way of knowing that.