Demon Beast

Demon Beasts (魔獣 Majū) is a general name for any number of organisms that are able to sustain themselves off of mana and have origins of creation by the Witch of Gluttony. Under most conditions, they are larger and stronger than regular fauna and typically possess often hazardous magical abilities.

Information
In folklore, demon beasts are creatures rumored to have been created by a Witch of Envy with the purpose of wiping out humanity. In actuality, Demon Beasts were artificial beings created by the Witch of Gluttony in a benevolent attempt to eliminate starvation from the world. "Born" from her "thoughts", they were made to consume mana as to not require nutrients, habitats, ecological niches, or anything else that could strain the world's preexisting resources. The reasoning for their unusual physical sizes, at the fundamentals, is the thinking of "bigger = more meat = less hungry people."

In theory, artificially created animals with no needs for sustenance and larger biological masses for higher yields of meat would've been a truly groundbreaking for the world had a little more foresight been put into their creation. Because of these two traits, Demon Beasts unfortunately ended up becoming a plague of their own on the world, only exacerbating the threat they were created to end, not to mention their taste is vomit inducing, meaning they could not be consumed even if one is about to starve to death.

As they were thought to be attracted to the miasma of witches, Demon Beasts were long thought to have a connection with the Witch Cult, however, Anastasia has pointed out that they actually try to avoid it. The White Whale who is under the control of the Archbishop of Gluttony is the sole exception as the cult's activities are often carried out under its appearance to keep out interference.

Demon Beasts that have their horns broken follow whoever broke it.

In addition, some Demon Beasts have also been shown to possess a state called Attack Hue which amplifies their ferocity and bloodlust, rendering them several times more aggressive and dangerous. A prime example of this would be the Crimson Scorpion; when it "activates" its Attack Hue, the scorpion changes colour to a bloody red hue, becomes several times more aggressive and explodes in a white lustre, blowing everything in its vicinity away. Another example would be the Hungry Horse Kings; when entering their Attack Hue state, they start to produce red flames on their backs and as mentioned with the Crimson Scorpion, they enter a more aggressive state.

The Three Great Demon Beasts
The Three Great Demon Beasts (三大魔獣 Sandai Majū): Not all Demon Beasts were of the same type, as there were at least three that were completely one of a kind. Each of the three known unique Demon beasts were created by Daphne for a specific purpose of ending world hunger. Although not an ironclad rule, the unique Demon beasts tended to be more imposing than their non-unique counterparts. The Three Great Demon beasts were the Kurohebi, the Oousagi, and the Hakugei. Each one is a title given to three Demon Beasts that caused the most damage to humanity and were feared around the world for their unstoppable rampages that rarely left any witnesses. Additionally, these beasts were known to possess an eternal lifespan, although this may have just been a trait shared by all Demon Beasts. They are recognized to be a type of disaster and are given special caution when they appear.

Hakugei
The Hakugei (白鯨, "White Whale") infamously called the Demon Beast of the Mist, is one of the Three Great Demon Beasts: the Hakugei was a ginormous white whale-like beast capable of flight. Similarly to the Oousagi, the Whale was created by Daphne to feed the starving with the sheer quantity of meat it could provide. However, like the Oousagi, Gluttony made the Hakugei too powerful under the pretence of fairness. Unlike the Oousagi and the Kurohebi, the Hakugei could be controlled by the Authority of Gluttony used by one of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony. Lye Batenkaitos often used the Demon Beasts as a way to cover the evil deeds committed by the Witch Cult. Lye was so fond of the Whale that he considered it a pet. Whenever the Hakugei wasn't being used by the Cult, it would rest in the Great Waterfall located at the edge of the world

The Hakugei was an enormous Demon beast estimated to be around fifty meters long if not larger. Its snow-white skin was as hard as stone and was covered in tiny hairs that scattered magical energy from incoming attacks, dulling their force. Like all Demon Beasts, the Hakugei had a large curved horn protruding from its forehead. It had a glowing pinkish wheel-like sigil on its back that allowed it to fly. Its eyes, that were usually yellow, turned into red filled with rage when it felt threatened.

It was able to release mist that could cover its surroundings but in truth the mist was actually the mana of the Hakugei that has been modified. There were two types of mist; a mist that the Hakugei swims around in, which was known as the Mist of Mental Contamination (精神汚染の霧 Seishinosen no Kiri) and could also cause an effect similar to mana poisoning, and affect the minds of its victims, making them suffer pain within their mind that was a similar sensation to hearing nails on a chalkboard. The second mist dubbed the Mist of Elimination (消滅の霧 Shōmetsu no Kiri), was capable of erasing victims along with any memories the surroundings had of them. Both were released from the many glands across its body. It could also break the spirits of those unprepared with its roar and when faced with heavy attacks it would spawn clones that would split the original Hakugei's power and weight while the original tries to escape or use the clones as a safer way to defeat its opponents. The clones would vanish in the event that the Hakugei perished regardless of the amount of damage they took.

The Hakugei had terrorized the continent for centuries, devouring merchants, entire armies sent to kill it and even whole towns and cities. Around three hundred and eighty five years after its creation, a hunt to bring down the Hakugei was led by the previous generation's Sword Saint. Due in part to her Divine Protection of the Sword Saint leaving her during the attempted subjugation, Theresia was defeated and killed by the Hakugei. Only a few survivors of the failed subjugation squad had returned relatively safely.

Fourteen years later, a second attack on the Hakugei was led by Duchess of House Karsten–Crusch Karsten and Natsuki Subaru as it was covering for a Witch Cult scheme. By a combined force of members from the Emilia, Crusch, and Anastasia Camp, the Sword Demon Wilhelm van Astrea, was able to bring down the Whale, dealing the final blow to avenge his wife, ending its reign of terror. The Hakugei was the first of the seemingly undefeatable Three Great Demon Beasts to die.

Oousagi
The Oousagi (大兎 Ōusagi, "Great Rabbit") One of the Three Great Demon beasts, When creating the Oousagi, Daphne imprinted her own sense of hunger onto the Demon Beast, resulting in the creature feeling a constant urge to eat and when Subaru experienced the same sense during his encounter with her, he feverishly began eating his own right arm (though this only occurs in the Web Novel). Oousagi's primary concern at all times was satisfying the insatiable hunger it felt. It considered anything or anyone as suitable food and would devour the flesh, bones, and blood of its targets, leaving nothing behind. It was no more intelligent than most animals, and wasn't capable of making observations about its prey or whatever scenario it was in. It would find new prey by following strong magical signatures to their source, as living creatures generally had the highest concentration of magical energy that could be found. Because of this, it was possible to lure the Oousagi to a specific location by providing a strong magical trace for it to follow. Despite being made up of numerous singular rabbits, the Oousagi functioned as a singular consciousness. Because of this, the entire collection of Rabbits would always stick closely together. The hunger that the Rabbit felt was so extreme that, if there was no food to consume within a convenient distance, the individual rabbits would consume each other in an attempt to sate the consciousness' thirst for food. As such, the Great Rabbit was unique in the fact that it would not try to prevent its demise in the event that its life was threatened, as only satisfying its unending hunger mattered to it.

A typical Oousagi closely resembled the rabbits found on Earth and were even similarly named. Just like Earth rabbits, every Great Rabbit had a short fluffy tail, large hind legs, long ears, and a coat of fur. They were adorned with a pair of sharp front teeth that could cleave through flesh and bone with astounding ease. Their fur was as white as snow and their eyes, that lit up when filled with murderous intent, were red. Although small in size (roughly twice as large as a clenched human fist), the Rabbit more then made up for its lack in strength due to the insurmountable amount of it there were. It had several physical traits common to Demon Beasts, including a fluorescent pink wheel-like sigil and a horn. The rabbits' sigils were small and located on the lower right side of their backs and their singular horns, which were small and had a drill-like shape, were located on their foreheads.

Each rabbit could multiply instantly and infinitely, and the collective consciousness would only die when every single rabbit was destroyed. As such, it was considered practically impossible to kill the Oousagi. During the final battle with the Demon Beast, it was stated that the hoard numbered in around 80,000 individual rabbits. The Witch of Gluttony created the Oousagi to act as a food source for starving people. She believed the large amount of rabbits garnered from the replication ability the Rabbit was capable of would provide a bountiful meal for anyone talented enough to defeat the Oousagi. However, she also purposefully made them hard to defeat, as she believed it would otherwise be unfair for the Demon Beasts.

Around four hundred years after its creation, the Oousagi's rampage brought it to the lands of the noble House Karsten in the Kingdom of Lugnica. Luckily, the forces of Duke Meckart Karsten led by the duke's daughter Crusch Karsten and her unofficial knight Felix Argyle were able to drive the Rabbit out of the Karsten territory with minimum casualties beyond wildlife and environmental damage. Three years later, the Rabbit was drawn to a small settlement called the Sanctuary by a powerful mage named Roswaal L. Mathers who wanted the Demon beasts to devour the villagers as part of a villainous scheme. However, the combined forces of Emilia, Natsuki Subaru, and the Great Spirit Beatrice were able to defeat the Rabbit. The Oousagi was sealed in a different dimension by Beatrice using Al Shamak, however currently no one believes them as no one other than the members of the Emilia Camp saw it happen and Beatrice doesn't have enough mana to recast Al Shamak.

Kurohebi
The Kurohebi (黒蛇, "Black Serpent"), originally known as Kokuja in the Web Novel, is one of the Three Great Demon Beasts and is currently the only one of the three that is still roaming the world of Re:Zero. As the name implies, it is a black serpent-like predator, however, its exact physical features remain ambiguous as everyone who ever saw Kurohebi perished shortly thereafter. It is considered the worst of the Three Great Demon Beasts, as, unlike the other two, it was almost completely uncontrollable and its actions were usually unpredictable.

As one of the Three Great Demon Beasts, the Kurohebi possesses an incredible amount of power that eclipses every other Demon Beast with the exception of the Hakugei and the Oousagi. It has been noted to have been living for at least four-hundred years. The Kurohebi is capable of secreting a potent poison which takes the form of a black liquid like substance. The poison is capable of semi sentience, as it moves on its own and attempts to devour any and all living creatures it comes across even when its creator isn't present. The liquid is incredibly durable, as blunt force attacks had no effect on it. The poison was also potent enough to completely erode a powerful Demon Beast in seconds. The poison was known as Black Water.

The Kurohebi is known to plague its victims with a hundred diseases just by touching them, and any ground that it slithers over is cursed, making anything except Demon Beasts unable to live on it. When one of the Witch Cult members came into contact with its tongue was scarred with reddish black burns, another had their skin from the neck up covered in reddish black spots that gushed black blood, and another had their body dried up to the point that touching them might break their body apart.

Around three hundred years after Daphne's death, the Kurohebi was manipulated into attacking the elven village in Elior Forest by the Witch of Vainglory. Pandora's Authority of Vainglory, allowed her to manipulate phenomena, meaning she could direct it into a rough direction she wanted it to go. In the aftermath of its attack, a large quantity of the Serpent's venom was left frozen in the Forest which eventually emerged about a century later and caused havoc before being stopped by the half-elf Emilia. Unlike the other two Great Demon Beasts, the Black Serpent was created solely to kill rather than to eventually become a food source. Daphne's skewed logic was that if there were less humans, starvation rates would drop, clearly missing the point that the death she was inflicting through the Serpent was even worse than starvation itself.

Unique Demon Beasts
Besides The Three Great Demon Beasts, there are two other unique Demon Beasts known as the Crimson Scorpion and the Centipede Coffin. The Coffin was only partially alive and acted as the obedient method of transportation for its creator Daphne who fueled the Demon beast with secretions from her own body. The Crimson Scorpion had the power to take the form of a human and exhibit an actual intellect whilst doing so. The Scorpion was even capable of complex feelings like love and was able to maintain its human form indefinitely, only transforming back when it was forced to.

Crimson Scorpion
Unlike the other four unique Demon Beasts, the reason why Daphne created the Crimson Scorpion is currently unknown. However, it is stated that the Sage created the Crimson Scorpion alongside Daphne. The Scorpion was a scorpion-like Demon beast with a black carapace and orange underbelly. It had the power to regenerate, project beams of light from its tail, and self-destruct certain parts of its body. It was far larger than any ordinary scorpion, having a large profile around the size of an elephant but shorter. Although not as formidable as the Three Great Demon beasts, it was more powerful than any known ordinary species of Demon beasts. It was also uncontrollable to the likes of Meili Portroute despite her power to control most Demon beasts. Through unknown methods, the Crimson Scorpion was able to take the form of a human woman who called herself Shaula.

As Shaula, the Scorpion became the apprentice of the wise Sage Flugel. She assisted in the defeat of the Witch of Envy Satella and was tasked with overseeing her imprisonment in the following years. For four hundred years, Shaula dutifully guarded the Pleiades Watchtower that overlooked Satella's prison while awaiting her beloved master's return. Eventually, an adventurer Emilia and Anastasia Camp and Natsuki Subaru, who Shaula mistook for her master, made his way into the Watchtower. After breaking one of the laws of the tower, Shaula was forced to turn back into her scorpion form at which point she lost her life at the end of Arc 6 while battling Subaru and his friends. Notably, the Scorpion was capable of complex thoughts and emotions while in human form and felt none of its natural impulses to devour living creatures. The time that the Scorpion could stay as Shaula was seemingly unlimited, although it lost any semblance of intelligence when it transformed back as seen when she instinctively latches herself onto Meili, as she is heavily attracted to her by her Divine Protection of Magic Manipulation, which calms her down.

Centipede Coffin
The Centipede Coffin was easily the most unique of the five one of a kind Demon Beasts, as it was the only known Demon beasts that was completely incapable of thinking. The only actions the Coffin could complete were those that were mentally commanded by Daphne herself, and it had no desires to consume or anything of the sort. Unlike the other four unique Demon beasts, the Centipede Coffin was not suited to combat and hunting as its sole purpose for existence was to act as a method of transportation for the Witch of Gluttony. The reason that Daphne employed the Coffin was because of her insatiable hunger. She believed that movement expended too much energy that made her hungrier, so she used the Coffin to move around. As it had no real cognizance, the Coffin was immune to the Authority of Pride used by the Witch of Pride Typhon.

Physically, the Coffin resembled a black iron maiden with purple and pink decorations. The Coffin could open and close its doors to reveal the Witch inside, who rested within the padded pink interior bound by black chains. Perhaps the most peculiar and unnerving feature of the Coffin was the set of crab-like legs that would sprout from the Coffin's base on the command of its operator. The Coffin, thanks to its legs, could move surprisingly fast. Daphne used the Coffin during her life, however the fate of the Demon Beast after her demise is unclear. A copy of the Demon Beast existed in the dream realm of the Witch of Greed Echidna where it was operated by the soul of its owner. Its primary source of sustenance were the bodily fluids that Daphne secreted including sweat, spit, and urine.

Guiltylowe
Guiltylowe (ギルティラウ Girutirau) have the head of a lion, the torso of a horse or goat, a snake-like tail, and a large body capable of blocking a wide passageway. They are known to be a "boss" like beast, often living deep within forests with a high concentration of mana, with some preferring not to needlessly roar like other Demon Beasts. Contrary to their large stature, they lightly move around, silently killing their prey with one blow to their vitals, and are skilled at ambush and assassination like hunting. They are also known as the Jet Black King of the Forest (森の漆黒の王 Mori no Shikkoku no Ō) and Shadow Lion (影獅子 Kage Shishi).

During the events of Arc 4, a Guiltylowe appeared in Roswaal's Mansion but was set on fire by Otto Suwen and Petra Leyte, causing him to rush Natsuki Subaru and fall through the window, several floors to his supposed death. In truth, the Demon Beast survived and later chased Subaru through the burning mansion but was intercepted by Elsa and was sliced apart.

Wolgarm/Juggernaut
A pack of Wolgarms lived inside the forest surrounding Irlam Village, although they were unable to enter the settlement due to a magical crystal barrier set up around its perimeter. Meili Portroute, a young assassin who had been hired to cause chaos in the village, had the Divine Protection of Magic Manipulation–which allowed her to control Demon Beasts–and decided to employ the assistance of the Wolgarm. Meili used the disguised '"Boss Wolgarm" to lure the village children into the woods. The servants of Lord Roswaal L Mathers' mansion were able to save the children, but only after Natsuki Subaru was implanted with several curses. The next day, Rem once again journeyed into the forest to exterminate the Demon Beasts to free Subaru from the curse, and with the help of Roswaal himself, they were successful in defeating a majority of the pact. Currently, the woods surrounding the village still retain a small number of them, though no precise numbers were given.

The remaining Wolgarms reappeared in Arc 3 in one of Subaru's failed loop, attacking one of Petelgeuse's fingers. In the following Arc, a couple Wolgarms also appeared during Elsa and Meili's attack on a mansion, as they were lead by the young assassin.

Snow Blight
Besides their incredible physical power, snow blights were skilled at using the snow in their environment. They crafted massive snow balls with astonishing speed that they used to crush their prey from afar. Snow blights were typically avoided by people due to their overwhelming power and ferocity. That being said, the Witch of Glaciation Emilia encountered two in Elior Forest on two separate occasions. The first one she came across was attacking a defenceless family, prompting her to step in and kill it with her Fire Magic. She later faced a second one that she drained the life essence of in order to protect a group of criminals.

Orthrus
Orthrus (オルトロス Orutorosu) was an enormous Demon Beast, with two canine heads with fangs lining its mouths. The Orthrus had a horn on each of its two heads, which had been broken in two. It stood at around about 4 meters tall, and its body was covered by jet black fur. Its eyes within its two heads are described to be devoid of sanity. It had sharp forefeet pointed like claws that could easily slaughter human beings.

The Orthrus was led by Chap to Elior Forest as he tried to take Emilia prisoner by force. After some time Orthrus was killed by Snow Blight.

Black Winged Rat
Black Winged Rat (黒翼鼠 Kokuyoku Nezumi) are rats that have black wings and red eyes, making them similar to bats.

Arkalb/Abonsconda
Arkalb ( Aakarubu), originally known as Abonsconda (アボンスコンダ Abonsukonda) in the web novel, are snakes with red eyes and a dark body as thick as a human arm.

Wagpig
Wagpig ( Waggupiggu) also known as Rock Piggie, have round red eyes and jet black skin that's thick and hard like rock. They have a large mouth seemingly capable of swallowing a Giant whole and flat teeth. Their short but thick legs are capable of flattening almost everything, if enough force is exerted. Their belly area is of a lighter color, indicating their weak spot.

During Arc 4's climax, a Wagpig appeared alongside Meili Portroute and fought with Frederica Baumann. Later in the fight, the Wagpig was killed by Garfiel Tinsel after getting his belly ripped open in an open display of blood and gore.

Banassi
Banassi ( Benasshi) are opossum-like creatures can change their body size based on their anger level. They leave traps at dead ends and strike the moment their prey becomes careless. They can harass their enemies by inflating themselves until they explode, showering them with their blood and guts. Other Banassi will flock towards the source of the stench and repeat the same process.

Spotted King Dog
Spotted King Dog (斑王犬 Madara-ō Inu) have four legs with sharp claws and thick fur. They have spotted fur and are similar to hyenas, however they are twice as large as humans.

Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker ( Nikkapokka) are a type of "misfortune bird" mentioned by the author to have moved into the forest near Roswaal's mansion after the Wolgarm were killed.

Dimril
Dimril ( Dimuriru) are one-horned rats mentioned by the author to have moved into the forest near Roswaal's mansion after the Wolgarm were killed.

Augria Sand Dunes
Due to its close proximity to the Witch's Shrine, the Augria Sand Dunes has a high concentration of witch miasma, making it an ideal place for Demon Beasts to live. Demon Beasts that live here are larger than normal, tend to become violent, and some only live in the area.

Ikkakujuu
Ikkakujuu ( Ikkakujū, "Unicorn") are rumored to be an endemic species that live in the Augria Sand Dunes. They have only been mentioned by the bartender in Mirula.

Gabaou
Gabaou (, "Hungry Horse King") are an endemic species located underground in the Augria Sand Dunes and are one of the strongest species that live there. They are six to seven meters in length. They are described to be similar to a deformed centaur: they have the body of a horse with a human like torso instead of a head, the human torso in turn has a curved horn growing where the head should be and a mouth stretching vertically from chest to belly, with no eyes, and a cry similar to a human baby. In exchange for not having sight, their hearing is above average, using echolocation to see their surroundings. The fur on their back is constantly burning and keeps on burning even if it is pulled out, allowing them to launch fireballs at their prey or create weapons for close combat.

Unlike other Demon Beasts, Gabaou are able to regenerate a broken horn, making them unable to be tamed, and can also regenerate any lost body parts in addition to adding limbs or hardening their body, effectively enabling them to make themselves stronger after they meet their opponents. Despite their strength, they were easily defeated by Shaula. Even the Gabaou will die if all of its internal organs are destroyed. Its regeneration is also limited in that cauterized wounds cannot be healed, which becomes a problem if it accidentally burns itself with its own fire attacks.

Oiranguma
Oiranguma (, "Courtesan Bear") are bear-shaped Demon Beasts, originally from Kararagi that have flowers all over their body. They live in flower gardens that exist in certain areas of the Augria Sand Dunes. Oiranguma are two to three feet in length, have short legs in exchange for long arms, black fur, and hook-like claws. The flowers on their bodies are actually parasites that suck moisture and nutrients from their hosts, and any places that don't have any flowers have withered, their faces mummy-like.

Sunamimizu
Sunamimizu (, "Sand Earthworm") are an endemic species located in the Augria Sand Dunes, though there are native ones as well, however, the endemic ones are mentioned to be up to several thousand times larger. They have no backbone, no eyes, no arms or legs, and has a body that is made to live under the surface. Their mouths are capable of swallowing four to five people whole at once and have teeth that help distribute saliva that melts their victims.

Hanemogura
Hanemogura (羽土竜 "Winged Mole") are an endemic species located in the Augria Sand Dunes. They are covered in something which resembles bird wings, and the greater part of their head has transformed into a horn. Hanemogura can fly and when their horn breaks they die.

Trivia

 * The three Gluttony Sin Archbishops Roy Alphard, Louis Arneb and Lye Batenkaitos all represent a Demon Beast due to their star name with Lye being Whale (Cetus), Roy being Snake (Hydra), and Louis being Rabbit (Lepus).
 * The author stated that when the Hakugei wasn't rampaging throughout the land, he was situated in the Great Waterfall.
 * The author stated Subaru's most brutal death was by the hands of the Oousagi, back in the 4th arc.
 * Oousagi's birthday happens to be on the fifth of June.
 * Of the Three Great Demon beasts, the Black Serpent was the last one to appear within the confines of the story and the only one yet to appear in the present day story. Subsequently, it is also the only one that still roams the world freely.

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