Title: The King’s Beast Vol. 16
Author: Rei Toma
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 168
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publication Date: September 2, 2025
The Story
We open immediately with the name of the person that Boku knows will die. This causes Rangetsu to attempt to push forward; however, Barre had more reinforcements ready. Once everyone was in place, the traitor within the imperial palace used a translocation spell to bring the entire army, including Rangetsu, back to the palace, where an invasion begins!
Prince Tenyou must make a decision; however, after he thinks things over, his conclusion is a bit surprising. Meanwhile, Barre calls upon a young female ajin named Holborow to keep Rangetsu busy while they storm past the gates and invade the inner sanctum of the palace; however, things won’t go Barre’s way because standing in his way is Sougetsu!
Meanwhile, Princess Ririn is conflicted because she can see the future, but cannot change it. She knows the outcome and fate of their nation; however, just when she was convinced that things couldn’t change, she is dealt a new premonition of a completely different future… one that causes the tide to turn in this battle!
Characters
Barre received a nice flashback, which showed how he didn’t mind ajin all that much. He did feel that there was a pecking order to society, though, but it wasn’t until he had a dark encounter with an ajin that changed his outlook on them completely. This laid the groundwork for him and his country’s opposition to the imperial palace’s new mandates on the fair treatment of ajin, and why he wants to tear it all down. Nice to see that he wasn’t just some random antagonist doing things for the sake of a country, and that there are some personal ties behind this invasion.
Outside of that, there wasn’t much in the way of character development that I can freely talk about without spoiling anything. We did find out who the mole is, along with their motives for being the mole. It made for an interesting twist as it wasn’t a character we’ve been fully introduced to yet, so while it did seem a bit out of left field, it still worked as a plot device.
Rangetsu did get a bit of development during the battle as she went through her emotions along with her reasons for fighting. This causes a change within her, filling her with a different kind of determination!
Final Thoughts
Short descriptions all around because the majority of this volume was comprised of fighting and action scenes. This made the volume fly by quickly; however, there were some good plot and character development points sprinkled throughout. One of the things I loved the most was Tenyou’s decision because, while it was a difficult one to make, it showed the level of trust and belief that he had in Rangestu. He could have easily made the other choice, which was another way for him to show his love for her, but his ultimate decision, I felt, was much stronger and truly showed his convictions.
The battle itself was very well-paced with plenty of action. For being such a small child, Holborow can sure swing a weighted morning star! Her personality, though, reminds me of someone who follows orders as a drone that doesn’t think for themselves. Orders are absolute, and her tone seemed flat with her words, but she also looked as if she was having fun fighting Rangetsu, which leads me to believe that she has a sadistic side to her. She doesn’t seem like the type of ajin who could be reasoned with.
With the attack underway, it should carry over into the penultimate volume of the series. Whether we see its conclusion there, or if it spills into the final volume, remains to be seen, but with the way things were framed here, I would believe that we’ll see the battle end in Volume 17, along with an epilogue to close out this great series!
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media
