I grabbed my weapon, but my grip was dangerously weak. My body was battered, exhausted, and bleeding from a dozen icy wounds. Still, I steadied myself. I pulled a magical power stone from my pouch, slammed it into the mechanism of the Fundo chain, and charged.
I threw the sickle at the nearest Blood Bear. The blade pierced its thick hide, but the massive beast barely flinched.
"Burn!" I yelled, triggering the stone.
The fire stone ignited, setting the bear ablaze from the inside out. The beast roared and collapsed in a heap of charred fur and melting snow. I didn't stop. I charged at the others, stabbing, slashing, and launching myself from one monster to the next. But my lungs were burning, I was breathing with heavy difficulty, and the stone's power was draining entirely from my own limited physical stamina.
"Damn it," I cursed between heavy pants. "I don't want to rely on these stones. They drain too fast, and they are eating away at the little physical strength I have left!"
I loaded another stone and kept moving. My movements grew sluggish. I took heavy blows, struck back, and bled onto the snow until my stones were completely gone. With a sickening snap, the metal chain of the Fundo finally broke under the weight of a bear's jaws.
"So, it broke," I muttered, dropping the useless handle. "Thank you for holding out this long. I suppose I have no choice but to use that cursed sword now."
I drew the black sword from my waist. But when I faced the next bear and swung, there was no overwhelming demonic power. The blade was sharp and wounded the beast, but the world-shaking aura I had felt in the capital was completely absent. It was just an ordinary heavy sword in the hands of an exhausted boy.
From a distance, Marco and Diana watched the brutal struggle from the edge of the trees.
"He isn't going to hold out much longer," Marco said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and guilt. "We must try to pull him out of there and bandage his wounds."
"Father, stop," Diana said coldly, grabbing his arm. "Let him die. Let him die with a shred of honor, at least."
"What are you saying, Diana? How can you be so cruel?" Marco pleaded. "Even if he is a demon, he saved our lives!"
"He is a monster!" Diana hissed. "I saw the mark on his neck. It wasn't just any mark; it was the seal of the Demon Lords! Andrei is a demon, Father!"
"That's impossible," Marco argued, watching me get thrown into the snow by a bear. "Look at him! All his actions are human. He fought for us. He was afraid for us!"
"I don't care," Diana said, her eyes hardened with a dark, unyielding hatred. "If you step forward to help a demon, I will no longer consider you my father. I will consider you a traitor. Do you understand me?"
Marco hesitated, torn between his conscience and his daughter. "I know you hate demons because of our past, Diana. But that boy is our mission. We must deliver him to the Ice Knights."
"We will deliver him," Diana replied icily. "But as a corpse. Come on. Let's get out of here."
Back in the bloody snow, I was desperately trying to fend off the horde. My vision was blurring, and the black sword was slipping from my sweaty, blood-soaked hands. As I parried a heavy claw, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.
Marco and Diana were sneaking away, abandoning me.
But they hadn't gone unnoticed. One of the massive Blood Bears had spotted them and broke away from the pack, charging straight toward the merchant and his daughter.
"No!" I yelled.
I gripped the heavy sword with every last ounce of strength I possessed and sprinted across the snow. Just as the bear lunged, jaws wide open to tear Diana apart, I threw myself between them. I drove the black sword upward, plunging it straight through the underside of the bear's jaw and deep into its brain. The beast went limp, crashing into the snow beside us.
I fell to my knees, coughing up blood. I looked up at them, my vision swimming. "Are you both... all right?"
Diana stared down at me. "Yes. But your body... your wounds have deepened. In this state, you are going to die."
"It's fine," I gasped, trying to use the sword as a crutch to stand. "I'm okay. Just run. I will hold them off."
"Yes, you will delay them," Diana said, her voice eerily calm. "But only by letting them eat your corpse."
Before I could react, Diana drew her hunting knife and lunged forward.
Schlack!
She stabbed the blade deep into my shoulder.
"You demon-eyed monster," she whispered with venom.
I gasped in shock, falling back into the snow. I looked at the little girl, entirely stunned. Then, with a gritted jaw, I grabbed the handle of the dagger and painfully pulled it out of my own flesh. Blood spilled onto my coat.
Diana stepped back, her false confidence breaking slightly. She looked terrified, fully expecting me to strike her down in retaliation.
Instead, I flipped the dagger and held it out to her, handle first.
"It is true," I said, my voice hoarse and heavy with exhaustion. "I have this mark. I look like a demon. But I do not want to be a demon. Fate ruled it so. So don't worry about me. Just run."
Diana stared at the dagger, then at my face. When she heard my words, something dark and resolute snapped inside her. She grabbed the dagger from my hand, raised it high, and brought it down into my chest.
"If you die here and are freed from this cursed fate," Diana said, tears finally spilling from her eyes, "then you will truly be a hero."
With the second stab, my remaining strength vanished. I collapsed into the freezing snow. The world before me turned foggy and dark. I could faintly hear Marco screaming, scolding his daughter in absolute horror, but the only words that managed to escape my own lips were, "Run... quickly."
But it was too late.
The rest of the Blood Bears had surrounded them from every side, cutting off all escape. They were ready to pounce. Marco, entirely panicked, grabbed the hilt of my black sword from the snow, trying to defend his daughter.
The moment his hand touched it, the sword unleashed an explosive aura of pure, murderous rage. The demonic pressure was so overwhelming that Marco instantly fainted, collapsing into the snow. Even the mindless Blood Bears froze, terrified by the sheer weight of the aura. But the sword quickly calmed down in Marco's unconscious grip, and the starving beasts prepared to attack once more.
Diana was left alone. Terrified, she fell to her knees, crying and screaming for her father, begging the heavens for help.
Just as a massive bear raised its paw to rip her apart, the sound of tearing flesh echoed through the valley.
Arrows made of pure, crystallized blood shot down from the sky, piercing the skulls of the closest bears and killing them instantly.
"Do not worry, little girl," a calm, commanding voice echoed from above. "He will not be taken today."
Diana looked up through her tears. Standing atop a jagged rock was a tall man. He wore a heavy white cloak over the uniform of the Ice Knights, with the emblem of an eagle resting proudly on his shoulder.
"Are you... Julian?" Diana sobbed.
"Yes," the man replied, jumping down lightly into the snow. "I am the Vice-Captain of the Ice Knights. Relax now."
He turned his cold gaze toward the remaining horde of Blood Bears. "So, you are the beasts causing all this trouble in our territory. You should not be allowed to live any longer."
Julian raised his hand. Suddenly, the snow beneath the bears melted into a massive, bubbling pool of thick crimson blood. The pool acted like quicksand, violently pulling the roaring beasts downward. The bears resisted, thrashing wildly, but it was to no avail. Once the last bear was swallowed by the terrifying blood pool, Julian snapped his fingers.
The pool boiled, and horrifying skeletons rose from the blood, standing at attention before dissolving into dust.
When the gruesome display was over, Julian walked over and checked on Marco. "Your father is fine. Just unconscious." He then knelt beside me, his brow furrowing. "But this boy is on the verge of death. If I don't treat him immediately, he will die."
Diana lunged forward and grabbed Julian's arm. "Let him die! That was his wish! He has suffered enough!"
Julian looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "Isn't this the boy who just threw himself in front of a beast to save your life? You do not carry the guilt of his existence, little girl. Do not lie to me."
"Because he is the first liar!" Diana cried out. "He is a demon! You know the history of demons and the horrors they brought upon us!"
"Yes, I do," Julian said calmly, unfastening his medical pouch. "But he has been assigned to the Ice Knights now. And our squad has a habit of taking in the world's unwanted scum."
"But—"
"Emily," Julian interrupted, using her true name. "I know your past. I know what happened to your family, and I understand your hatred of them. But this is a human soul who did not choose to become a half-demon by his own will. Don't you understand that? Step back and let me treat him."
Diana—Emily—stepped back, her face pale, and fell silent. Julian immediately began treating my deep wounds, using his magic to stabilize my fading heartbeat.
"He will wake up soon," Julian said, standing up and wiping the blood from his hands. "But we must hurry. I feel uneasy here. We are being watched."
"Yes, let's go," Emily agreed nervously.
Julian placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. A moment later, a giant, majestic eagle named Sora descended from the clouds, landing gently in the snow to carry them away.
From the dark cover of the trees, Maurice watched the giant eagle take flight. He applauded warmly, the sound muffled by his gloves.
"Excellent, excellent," Maurice chuckled into the freezing wind. "That was a highly entertaining show. I think I am becoming quite fond of little Andrei. Haha."
A dark shadow materialized beside him. "How did those mindless bears cooperate with each other so perfectly? How did you compel them to gather here?"
"Easily," Maurice smiled. "A high-level demonic control ability."
"And how did a human like you obtain such a thing?"
"Demons are not the only ones who can use such arts," Maurice said smoothly. "I simply made a very costly sacrifice to obtain this power. Don't worry. Get ready, because I will be keeping a very close eye on Andrei and whoever stands beside him. So, my dear Andrei... I hope you regain your health quickly, so we can start playing our game again."
I lay in a coma on a soft bed for a week. But my mind was entirely awake, trapped in the dark void of my own soul, standing face-to-face with the towering figure of the First Devil.
"Look at the great hero," Nikerson mocked, his red eyes gleaming in the dark. "Have you tasted the sweet reward of heroism yet? Look at where it got you. Because of your foolishness, you were betrayed and nearly slaughtered. You chose this path, you little hero. I did not force you to be weak."
"I chose to fight them because I thought holding your cursed sword would give me the power to defeat them!" I shouted back angrily. "But I had nothing! I was torn apart by wild animals until I nearly died!"
"What makes you so sure you actually died?" Nikerson rumbled, stepping closer. "My intuition tells me otherwise. I felt the girl stab you twice, and you bled out. I am sorry to disappoint you, human, but your ambition for a quick death will not be fulfilled today. As long as I am here speaking to you, it means you are very much alive."
"Then why didn't you help me?" I demanded. "You haven't let me draw out even a fraction of your power!"
"How do I do that?" Nikerson laughed, a booming sound that shook the void. "You want me to just hand it over? Tell me, please. 'Give me your power, oh great devil!' No."
The massive devil leaned down, his terrifying face mere inches from mine. "You must pledge your absolute loyalty to me, human. You must surrender and let me lead the battlefield. That is all you have to do."
"You expect me to become your slave?" I spat, my pride as Olaf flaring up. "Impossible. Your cheap tricks will not fool me. I will not give you control."
"The decision is entirely yours," Nikerson said coldly, pulling back into the shadows. "But remember this: without declaring your submission to me, you will never gain a drop of my power. Do you understand your reality now?"
My eyes snapped open.
I gasped, my chest heaving as I stared up at a wooden ceiling. I was no longer in the snowy valley. I sat up slowly, wincing at the dull ache in my bandaged chest, and began to study the small, warmly lit rustic room.
"What is this hut?" I muttered to myself.
The wooden door creaked open, and a tall man with snow-white hair walked in. He wore the thick cloak of the Ice Knights.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously.
"I am Julian, Vice-Captain of the Ice Knights," he said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "Welcome to the Southern Ice Region, Andrei. And welcome to the ranks of the Ice Knights."