The King's Beast, Vol. 13

A smoldering tale of romance and revenge set in the world of the New York Times best seller Dawn of the Arcana!

Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast-servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When they were children, Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody dynastic intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope at avenging her brother is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace!

Rangetsu left the palace because she saw no future for herself and Prince Tenyou. But now that the imperial princes are working together to improve the lives of Ajin in the kingdom, Rangetsu once again has hope. She even passes the difficult imperial military exam to become the first Ajin to be granted an officer’s rank, earning her the right to return to the palace and Prince Tenyou’s side. But not everyone is in favor of the changes. Will increasing tension with the neighboring countries make war inevitable?

Rei Toma has been drawing since childhood, and she created her first complete manga for a graduation project in design school. When she drew the short story manga “Help Me, Dentist,” it attracted a publisher’s attention and she made her debut right away. After she found success as a manga artist, acclaim in other art fields started to follow as she did illustrations for novels and video game character designs. She is also the creator of Dawn of the Arcana and The Water Dragon’s Bride, both available in English from VIZ Media.