"Ahh! Brother, do you see the town?!" Friea pointed ahead excitedly.
Harals frowned slightly. "Weren't we supposed to reach it yesterday? How are we a whole day late?"
Thorkel sighed. "My genius sister miscalculated the distance."
"I did not!" Friea snapped. "Maybe the road curved more than I expected."
Harals chuckled softly. "I see houses up ahead."
"Yes! Finally!" Friea said, speeding up.
They entered the town and asked a few civilians to confirm their location.
Thorkel nodded. "This is Moss Town. We're in the right place."
"That's a relief," Harals muttered.
Friea approached a passerby. "Excuse me, have you seen a short old man with brown hair around here?"
Harals tilted his head. "Who's this old man?"
Thorkel answered, "He's the founder and leader of the Defense Against the Demons Alliance."
Friea returned moments later.
"One of the villagers saw someone matching his description. He said the man went into the forest."
"The forest?" Harals asked.
Friea nodded. "It's the only thing separating this town from the Sword Demon's city."
Silence fell over the three of them.
"Let's go," Thorkel said.
The forest was dense and unnaturally quiet.
After walking for some time, they spotted a figure standing near a clearing.
"Mr. Reas!" Friea called out. "It's me — Friea from the Eastern Lands!"
The old man turned slowly, a warm smile forming on his face.
"Ah… Friea. And Thorkel. It's been a while."
"It has," Thorkel said. "We made it."
Friea gestured toward Harals. "This is our recruit. His name is Harals."
Harals stepped forward respectfully.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Reas. I hereby lend you my life in the effort to defeat the Demon King."
Reas studied him for a moment before nodding.
"You're welcome here, Harals."
Thorkel looked around. "Are we the first to arrive?"
"Yes," Reas replied. "The others are likely traveling from farther regions. It may take about a week for everyone to gather."
"That's fine," Friea said. "But what are you doing alone in this forest?"
Reas's expression darkened.
"I heard reports of a demon here."
Friea crossed her arms. "That's not surprising. There's an entire demon city across this forest."
"Yes," Reas agreed. "But this one is different. Most demons near villages are weak enough for locals to defend against. This one… is far stronger."
Friea's eyes sharpened. "Then we'll take it down."
Thorkel grinned. "Yeah."
Harals simply nodded. "Let's find it."
An hour passed.
Nothing.
Friea sighed. "There's nothing here… and I'm hungry."
Suddenly—
Thorkel froze. "Did you hear that?"
Reas's face grew serious.
"I can feel it… A demon. A strong one."
BOOM.
The ground split apart as a massive invisible slash tore through the forest, cutting trees cleanly in half.
"Who are you?" a cold voice echoed.
Friea gasped. "What was that? A slash?"
Thorkel swung his hammer immediately.
"Mjolnir Smash!"
Lightning exploded forward—
But the figure stepped through it without a single scratch.
Friea reacted instantly.
"Divine Destruction!"
Her beam of holy energy blasted through the forest, vaporizing a large section of trees.
When the dust settled—
The demon stood unharmed.
Friea's voice trembled. "Who… is this monster?"
The demon raised his blade slightly.
"Slash."
Another invisible strike tore through the ground, forcing them all to jump back.
Reas's eyes widened in horror.
"That power… That precision…"
He stepped forward slowly.
"I know who you are."
The demon's silhouette became clearer through the drifting smoke.
"Housen… The Sword Demon."
Friea froze. "What?"
Thorkel gripped his hammer tighter. "No way…"
Harals stared at the figure calmly.
"So this is the Sword Demon," he said quietly. "One of the eight commanders of the Demon King."
The forest fell into suffocating silence
To be continued…