The golden rays of the morning sun shimmered off the icy towers of the Ice Continent. Snowflakes lazily danced in the wind as two powerful beings sat on the grand balcony of the ice castle.
Guy Crimson, the Demon Lord of Pride, sat with one leg crossed over the other, arms rested calmly on his throne-like chair. Beside him was Velzard, the White Ice Dragon, poised and quiet as always. Rain and Misery, their ever-loyal attendants, floated in and out like shadows—serving warm drinks and freshly baked pastries that lightly steamed in the cold air.
The mood was peaceful, almost too peaceful.
Guy stirred his tea slowly, his red eyes distant.
"Still thinking about him?" Velzard asked without looking his way.
Guy smirked bitterly. "Am I that easy to read?"
Velzard sipped her tea. "You've never stirred your tea more than three times. This is your seventh."
Rain glanced over, eyes wide. "My lord…you're troubled?"
Guy said nothing.
Misery set down a plate of honey-dipped scones. "Troubled or not, at least eat. You've skipped breakfast two days in a row."
Before Guy could respond, the air trembled with a sudden BOOM! The walls of the castle shook slightly, and snow burst from the nearby mountains like a startled bird.
Guy sighed deeply.
"There he is again," he muttered. "Rudra."
Velzard chuckled. "Like clockwork."
A moment later, Rudra entered dramatically, golden armor shining with each step, followed by his usual fiery companion—Velgrynd, Velzard's younger sister.
"Guy Crimson!" Rudra bellowed. "Today's the day! I feel it in my bones. I'm going to wipe that smug grin off your face."
Guy didn't even lift his eyes.
"Not today, Rudra. I'm not in the mood."
"What?! What do you mean, not in the mood? Come on!" Rudra tossed his cape to the side. "I didn't trek through three snowstorms just to hear 'not today'!"
Velgrynd had already walked over to Velzard.
"How are you sister," she said softly. "You…you've changed. There's this fire in your eyes. Like you're alive for once. What happened?"
Velzard didn't answer immediately. She simply looked out toward the horizon, watching the light bounce off the icy peaks.
Velgrynd narrowed her eyes. "Sister…?"
Meanwhile, Rudra looked at Guy more carefully.
"You look…off," he said, tilting his head. "You're sitting like someone who's been beaten."
Guy finally leaned back in his chair, letting the words hang in the cold air.
"That's exactly what happened," he said simply.
Rudra blinked. "Wait…what?"
Velgrynd turned sharply. "You were beaten? You?"
Guy nodded. "Not just me."
His eyes drifted toward Velzard, who flinched slightly under their gaze.
"Velzard too," he added.
Rudra's jaw dropped. "Okay, hold up. Hold the hell up. Are we talking a draw? Some surprise spell? An army? What was it?"
Guy exhaled and looked up at the sky. "A man."
Rudra's face contorted in disbelief. "What?"
"A human," Guy clarified.
Velgrynd looked at her sister again. "You let a human beat you?"
Velzard clenched her hands slightly on her lap but said nothing.
"No magic, no skills, no energy," Guy continued. "Just raw muscle. Martial arts. Like a beast wearing human skin."
"…That's insane," Rudra muttered.
"I felt nothing from him," Velzard finally said, her voice quiet and humiliated. "He was calm. Collected. But when he moved—it was like time didn't matter. I didn't stand a chance."
"Neither did I," Guy added. "He dodged me, struck once—and I was out."
Velgrynd was in total shock. "Who is he?"
Guy's voice dropped low.
"…Yujiro Hanma."
That name froze the air more than the snow ever could.
—Elsewhere—
Milim sat on the edge of a cliff, feet swinging. She was talking to Yujiro himself, who leaned against a tree trunk, shirtless, his massive back like a mountain.
"You really beat Guy and Velzard?" she asked.
Yujiro didn't even look up. "Yep."
Milim tilted her head. "How'd it feel?"
Yujiro cracked his knuckles. "Expected. They were strong, but only because of their magic."
Milim grinned. "You're kinda crazy, y'know that? But…in a fun way."
Yujiro gave a grunt that could've been a laugh.
Nearby, Frey stood in a clearing, breathing heavily. She had been training nonstop, following Yujiro training plan to the dot. She looked bruised but determined.
Carrion approached, ready to leave.
"You sure you're staying?" he asked.
Frey nodded. "I need to. If someone like him exists, then we're not ready."
Carrion gave her a fist bump. "Don't die training."
She smirked. "Won't. I plan to get strong enough to make him acknowledge me."
—Back at the ice continent—
Rudra slumped into a chair, utterly flabbergasted. "A human… beat the Crimson King. This is like a bad dream."
Guy sipped his tea, his pride far quieter than usual.
Velgrynd turned to Velzard, curiosity burning. "What will you do?"
Velzard's eyes glinted like frost. "What I must. Train. Grow. I won't be humiliated again."
Rain whispered to Misery, "this Yujiro is changing the world and the balance of power"
Misery answered, eyes wide, "The monster in human skin."
Guy finally spoke again. "He may not have magic, but he has something greater… the power to make even gods kneel. And if that doesn't shake the world—we aren't ready for the world that's coming."
A quiet settled in after Rudra and Velgrynd departed, their usual sparring match with Guy never happening. For once, the storm of rivalry had passed with silence.
Rudra had left strangely subdued, not because of defeat, but because of what he had heard. It wasn't often someone could shake his confidence—not with words. But today, Guy Crimson had.
Velgrynd, too, had left without her usual fire. She had been quiet, thoughtful, as she followed Rudra down the stairs of the castle, her sister's unspoken shame clinging to her like frost.
Back on the balcony, Guy remained seated in his chair, his crimson eyes scanning the frozen landscape. The usual prideful smirk he wore was gone. In its place was stillness. Reflection. Something far heavier than defeat—it was humility.
Velzard sat beside him. She hadn't spoken since her sister left. Her arms were crossed, her gaze unfocused. The silence between the two of them lingered, like a scar that hadn't finished healing.
Finally, Guy broke it.
"…The good thing about Yujiro," he said quietly, "is that he doesn't seem evil."
Velzard blinked, slowly turning her head.
"That alone… is a huge relief. If someone like him had malice…" Guy trailed off, lips tightening. "It would be a nightmare."
Velzard let out a slow breath, her eyes glassy.
"Maybe… he was sent to remind us what true power is."
Guy turned to look at her. She rarely spoke like this.
She continued, her voice soft but sharp like winter wind. "We've been relying on our magic, our skills, our titles… for so long. We kept telling ourselves we were the top, the peak of this world. Untouchable."
She paused. Her eyes welled up—not with tears, but with something deeper. Shame. Realization.
"And now look what happened," she whispered.
Guy looked back toward the horizon. The mountains were glowing orange in the fading sun, like silent witnesses to their awakening.
"I didn't even see it coming," he muttered. "He walked into my domain like he didn't care who I was. No fear. No hesitation."
Velzard clenched her fists. "He looked at me like I was… lesser. And I was. In that moment, I was."
They both sat quietly, the wind whistling through the high towers above them.
"We were so proud," Guy said. "Always above. Always looking down. And then… someone without a speck of magic in his veins dropped us like flies."
Rain and Misery watched from the shadows of the doorway. Even they, who had served Guy for centuries, had never seen him like this.
"I thought I was unshakable," Velzard murmured. "I thought I was… invincible."
"You and me both," Guy replied. "But maybe… that was the problem."
Velzard slowly leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "Do you think we needed this?"
Guy didn't answer at first. He looked at his hands—the same hands that had shaped continents, burned armies, ended wars. Yet they had been useless. That day.
"Yeah," he said finally. "I think we did."
The golden glow of the sun dimmed further, casting them into cool blue light. A day that had started like any other was now ending like none before.
Velzard stood up slowly, her hair catching the breeze.
"We've got work to do," she said, not to him, not to anyone. Just to herself.
Guy nodded slowly, not rising.
"You go ahead. I'll… I'll sit here a while longer."
She looked at him, understanding in her eyes.
And then she left him, alone on the balcony.
Guy Crimson, the once-proud Demon Lord, sat in silence. The cold didn't bother him—not anymore. The only thing that stung was the truth.
In the quiet of the Ice Continent, as the stars began to peek from the velvet sky, Guy closed his eyes and whispered to the wind:
"Thank you, Yujiro… for waking us up."
And the wind carried that name into the distance, where perhaps, far away, a monster in human skin stood beneath a different sky—grinning.