Reincarnated as the Death God's Vessel

A sound of people cheering for his name, something he had only experienced in his past life when a politician ran for presidency, erupted, making Lidien smile from ear to ear.

Lidien stared at the beastfolk kneeling on the ground with chains fitted tightly on their necks.

All of their eyes were dead. Some of them had their ears sliced clean off, their tails twisted; some were still bleeding while others were without life.

But there was one thing they had in common...

The tips of their fingers were gone, cut off at the end and not their claws. Even their fangs had been removed, leaving flat teeth, as if they were forced to become human.

The real human.

As Lidien realized that here... in the Savage Expanse, it was not that Manners maketh Man, but that Man Maketh Beast.

Lidien's smile turned sinister as he activated his Blood Form, turning his eyes crimson and his hair long and white, showing his fangs and claws to the people in front of him.

Announcing that he... was the real beast.

Lidien raised his fist, stopping everyone from screaming.

Soldiers, officials, even his siblings present were surprised at how Lidien could stop everyone with just a gesture.

As Lidien's smile faded, he stared at his clansmen in front of him with regret.

"I think the Merit Slips I have are not enough."

This time, it wasn't cheers but curses from the people complaining.

They voiced out how they had killed the previous owners of the beastfolk, following Lidien's command to steal and kill... but for their own kind, because of greed.

Now, Lidien's promised merit slips were slipping from their hands and only regret followed.

"You think you could do everything you wanted just because you are a Prince!" one of the men holding a beastfolk screamed.

Lidien pointed at him and gestured for him to come near.

As the voices of the people gave him courage and pushed him to go, he walked towards Lidien with his chest out and head high.

"So what do you want, mister?"

The man raised his arms wide and turned to the people still screaming their curses.

"Pay us what you pro--"

His eyes widened... as it darted towards pale white hands that exited his chest, still holding his beating heart.

"...mised us..."

Thud!

The man fell like a log when Lidien pulled his heart out, raising it high before crushing it.

Splashing his own face with its blood.

As he licked the blood on his face, the mob became silent... watching him with their eyes wide open.

"Ah ha... ha ha... AHAHAHA!"

Lidien couldn't stop laughing, his eyes becoming teary as he watched the people around him.

"Why is everyone so fired up... I haven't said anything yet, you're already complaining... did I say I wouldn't give the prized Merit Slips?"

No one replied, no one dared to even move. They only gulped as the dreadful realization set in that the one talking was not a child, but the Prince... the Heart Eater.

"It's a good thing to have a quiet atmosphere, right?" Lidien clapped and walked towards the beastfolk with their owners.

After stopping at the center, he pulled out merit slips.

"I have here two thousand merit slips... let's have the Beastfolk kill each other, and let the owner of the surviving beastfolk have this prize."

The silent gulps turned to whispers, until it became chaotic once more.

"Kyer... make them bet... it's time to make you rich."

There was no need for Lidien to do the detailed work; it was already turned over to Kyer, who actively used the soldiers to put all the beastfolk and their owners in a wide clearing, making everyone see the fight.

'Let's watch how your kin kill each other... shall we?'

It took a few hours of preparation to set everything up without a proper plan.

Lidien, along with Azer and Kyer, were sitting on chairs atop the modified watchtower to watch the show.

People gathered in the clearing like ants, cheering for the beastfolk they had bet their merit slips on.

Some were even crying from regret, especially the owners of the beastfolk that had been killed, or who were too weak to even stand and fight.

Azer laughed, patting Lidien's back.

"Lidien... After your war with the Dark Wolf Clan, immediately report to the Western Front... I need your ideas to wipe out those Cannibals attacking us."

Lidien smiled helplessly, as even attacking the Dark Wolf Clan still felt out of reach, because the supposed messenger didn't go as planned... and was still here, hiding among the crowd.

As the cheers of the crowd became one, chanting for the beastfolk to fight, Lidien stood and stared at the broken beings with their helpless lives.

"Seems like the beastfolk also want a prize to fight." His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to silence the crowd and focus them on his every word.

Lidien gazed, sweeping his eyes over the broken beastfolk with their dead eyes.

"For everyone's information, and also to all of you beastfolk... I'm planning to visit the Dark Wolf Clan, for peace of course... imagine seeing your family, back at your home..." Lidien's voice sank deep into the people and the beastfolk.

"So, for the one strong enough to survive this... I will grant you freedom. My word as a Prince."

The dead eyes of the beastfolk slowly lit up, as the thought of their family waiting for them in their clan flooded their feeble minds.

People cheered, adding fuel to the fire... shouting for them to fight for their families--a cruel, twisted truth that injected their broken bodies with a final, desperate strength.

It was only one at first, biting the flesh of his kin to death... then another, and another... until all the beastfolk were killing their own kind.

The crowd's screams, the desperate voices of those who died, the blood splashing... brought madness to the Blood Rose Clan.

However, Lidien wasn't watching the fight... he was observing the crowd, his Incite of Blood activated to its limit.

He felt the very blood of the people being incited by the madness he had wrought.

Then, an odd flow of blood captured his attention--a man in a black cloak, gritting his teeth at the sight.

Lidien's mouth twitched, then his smile crescented and his eyes slitted.

"Found you..."