I Was Supposed to Be the Demon King, but They Made Me Save the World

Baldwin sprinted at an impossible speed, far beyond what any demon, human, or vampire could match. To an untrained eye, he appeared to be teleporting. As he closed the distance, he spotted a girl collapsed on the ground, crawling backward in fear. Defending her was a middle-aged man, his stance weary but determined. They were surrounded by several wolf-like beasts, their glowing eyes locked onto their prey.

A quick inspection was all Baldwin needed to recognize the man—Mr. Smith, the strongest hunter in the village. But now, he was barely holding on, his body riddled with injuries. The girl, who looked to be around 15 to 17 years old, had a bleeding wound on her knee, preventing her from escaping.

One of the wolves lunged at them, its jaws wide open, ready to tear into flesh. But before it could strike, a sudden flash of lightning crackled through the air, piercing the beast's skull. It collapsed instantly.

The remaining wolves growled in confusion, searching for the source of the attack. A few moments later, a figure descended from the sky, landing precisely where the fallen wolf lay.

Now, both Mr. Smith and the girl, along with the remaining beasts, could clearly see the newcomer—a boy.

"A kid… with lightning abilities?" Mr. Smith muttered, his voice filled with both shock and uncertainty.

Baldwin, still facing away from them, smirked.

"Oh? This kid might actually take care of these beasts in no time," he mused.

"Run, kid, run! Those are the Children of Leto—you can't defeat them!" Mr. Smith's voice was hoarse with desperation.

"Why?" Baldwin tilted his head, a slow smirk forming on his lips. "You think I'm weak?" His amber eyes gleamed with something unreadable—was it amusement or annoyance?

"Father! How can I run without you?" the girl sobbed, crawling closer to Mr. Smith. Her dress was torn, stained with dirt and blood.

"Father?" Baldwin's brow furrowed, his lips twitching in surprise. He glanced around as if expecting another man to appear from the shadows. "Wait… Who? Where? What the—?"

"Kid! Take my daughter and run! I'll buy you time!" Mr. Smith's voice was raw, his body trembling as he forced himself into a defensive stance.

Baldwin blinked before letting out a low chuckle. Then, as if completely ignoring the urgency, he shot Mr. Smith a sly, almost mischievous grin. "Wait a damn second… You had a daughter *this* big at your age? Wow."

Even in the middle of danger, he couldn't help but throw in a little mockery. His smirk widened, teasing, yet his red eyes held a hint of something else—calculation.

"Father! No! They'll tear you apart!" the girl pleaded, her hands gripping his tattered sleeve.

"Okay, old man, listen up." Baldwin stretched his arms casually, his muscles tensing beneath his dark cloak. "No one needs to 'buy time.' Time already comes with everyone." A sudden crack split the air as blue lightning flickered around him, distorting the very atmosphere. The smell of ozone thickened, and the ground beneath his feet quivered.

"Are you insane, kid?! Those are Leto's children—she's blessed them with monstrous strength!" Mr. Smith shouted, shielding his daughter.

"Father… I think he can help," the girl whispered, staring at Baldwin, her breath uneven.

"Leto's children? Who the hell is Leto?" Baldwin's brow twitched.

"The Goddess of Wolves!" Mr. Smith yelled.

Baldwin groaned, rubbing his temple. His lips curled downward in visible irritation. "Another god thing? Seriously?" He let out an exaggerated sigh. "You know what? Maybe I should start my own celestial court at this point. This god nonsense is getting annoying. But you know what's more annoying?"

His smirk returned, but this time it was different—darker. His red eyes gleamed with something almost predatory.

"The fact that I don't care. I don't care if they're god-blessed mutts or some divine lapdogs. I'm going to kill them anyway."

Mr. Smith's eyes widened. "What? I can't hear you over that insane lightning! And you can't take them alone!"

Baldwin exhaled sharply, his expression shifting from amused to serious. His red eyes locked onto Mr. Smith. "I'll make this easy for you."

A pulse of electricity surged through the air, crackling like a storm ready to break loose.

"I'll be your meat shield. You two—run!" His voice thundered like a command, sending an unmistakable chill through them. "I'm stronger than you. I don't need backup."

Mr. Smith hesitated for only a second before grabbing his daughter's wrist and bolting.

Meanwhile, Baldwin turned his full attention to the wolves. His smirk deepened, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

The beasts had been wary from the start, but now… now they sensed something else.

Something far more dangerous than them.

Baldwin tilted his head, a mocking smirk playing on his lips as he faced the wolves. His crimson eyes gleamed with amusement. "So… you guys have a goddess too? Seriously?" He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Do any of you ever stop and think? If there are so many gods running around, how the hell is the universe still standing?"

His smirk widened as he sighed dramatically. "By the way, Leto was my favorite writer—ah, but what am I even doing?" He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "I'm standing here having a full-blown conversation… with a pack of damn mutts!"

Raising his hand lazily, he pointed a single finger toward the sky.

Whoosh!

In an instant, one by one, the wolves dissolved into thick black smoke, their forms unraveling like paper set aflame. The air grew heavy with the scent of burnt fur, but not a single sound remained—not even a dying howl.

Baldwin blinked. "Huh… that was easy." Then, realization dawned on him. "Wait—No crystals?!" His expression twisted in frustration as he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Damn it! I came all this way for crystals, and I turned them into smoke." He let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, fine. Looks like I'm hunting the old-fashioned way."

After wandering for a while, he spotted something in the distance—a massive crocodile-like beast lying motionless on the ground. Its thick, armored scales shimmered under the forest's dim light.

Baldwin squinted. "What was this thing called again?" He shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Let's just kill it with one hit."

He raised his hand. A blinding flash of light surged through the air—Boom!

Before the beast even had time to react, its body fell lifeless. The ground trembled slightly as its massive form collapsed.

Baldwin approached, watching as shadows coiled around the fallen creature, consuming its flesh within seconds. When the darkness faded, all that remained was its clean, bare skeleton. In Baldwin's hand, a translucent crystal pulsed faintly.

He examined it. "Hmm… not high-tier, but I'll take it." He pocketed the crystal with a sigh. "Alright, time for the next phase."

Reaching into his shadow, he pulled out a small glass bottle filled with deep crimson liquid. He popped the cork, watching the thick blood swirl inside. A grin tugged at his lips as he smeared it across his body, staining his clothes and skin.

"Oh, Athan… I originally bought this for you, but no time for gift-giving." His voice dropped, almost wistful. "At least it's still fresh."

He stared at the bottle for a long moment. "It's been fifty years, huh?" His smirk wavered, his expression darkening as old memories surfaced—memories he had long sworn to forget.

He clenched his jaw.

"Athan, you know… I made her a promise. That I'd forget what happened. That I'd erase her from my memory."

His grip tightened around the bottle.

"But it doesn't matter how much I try. The pain is still there. It's still eating away at me… slowly killing me."

His crimson eyes burned as he whispered, "Athan… my friend. I hope we meet again soon."

With that, he turned on his heel, the usual smirk creeping back onto his face.

"Alright, time to go find those two." He muttered, striding toward the direction where Mr. Smith and his daughter had run.