The Ice Lord stood in the center of the battlefield, his eyes coldly scanning the area, a deep shock hidden behind his calm demeanor. The air was thick with the smell of blood and heavy demonic energy. Around him, the comrades of yesterday writhed in distorted bodies; some were fully transformed into demonic fiends, while others screamed as black horns tore through their skin to emerge.
He glanced at Andre and saw he was injured and that everyone else had turned into demons.
The Ice Lord paid him no mind, his gaze fixed on the demons. He spoke in a calm, chilling voice:
"Leave the matter to your leader."
In that moment, the demon army broke free from the ice that had bound them and charged as a single black mass, roaring with a hunger for murder.
With a fluid alertness, the Ice Lord grasped the hilt of his sword and raised it high. The temperature dropped abruptly, and a vortex of sharp, cutting snow formed around him. With a lightning-fast movement, he swung the sword, unleashing a shockwave that hurled the demon hordes away as if they were lightweight dolls.
Amidst the temporary silence, the Ice Lord spotted a woman huddled in a corner, clutching a child tightly to her chest. He approached her, the sound of his footsteps breaking the stillness:
"Are you and the child... alright?"
The woman raised her head, her eyes wide with terror, and answered in a trembling voice: "Yes."
She rose slowly, and as she moved the cover from the child's face, the Ice Lord froze in place. His pupils widened in astonishment; the child was not human, but a small fiend with demonic features.
He asked in a choked voice: "Since when?"
The mother replied, tears streaming down her face, as she gently stroked the small fiend's face: "He was the first to change... but he recognized me... He never hurt me."
The Ice Lord clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his face a mix of sorrow and overwhelming rage. He muttered in a voice like the rustling of cold wind:
"He was the hope..." Then he raised his voice, roaring: "Whoever did this, I swear I will make them regret it!"
Before he could complete his oath, he sensed a vibration in the air. Without turning, he stomped his foot, raising a thick wall of ice that blocked a treacherous ambush. Another swift attack followed, so the Ice Lord snatched the woman and leaped away with astonishing agility, realizing the target was not him, but her.
The Ice Lord landed and scrutinized the attacker: a demon using Blood Magic. Before he could engage, the air split open, and Oliver appeared using instant teleportation, delivering a fatal strike. But he suddenly retreated as the ground beneath him cracked and Henry emerged with his massive body.
Henry flashed a brutal smile and said, "You're late."
The Ice Lord returned a sarcastic side-smile: "I apologize, Commander... Now, leave Oliver to me."
On the other side, Andre lunged with his sword toward Emily, but a mocking voice interrupted him:
"Look, Henry, it seems Andre got a head start on you."
Henry parried an attack, replying, "He just charged... yes, but he didn't waste time like you."
The Ice Lord suddenly yelled: "Duck!"
Henry instantly dropped low, as a sharp, icy blade launched by the Ice Lord passed over his head, slicing through a fireball Henry had prepared.
The Ice Lord said coldly: "See? You waste time."
Henry's face flushed with anger, and he slammed his fists together with a sound like thunder: "Let's play a little."
Henry rushed Oliver like a raging bull. Oliver vanished and reappeared behind him, attempting to wound him, but Henry, with incredible reflexes, caught the sword's blade with his bare hand and said contemptuously:
"What is this? Even after your transformation, your moves are still predictable."
Oliver smiled maliciously and his body vanished, taking one of Henry's gauntlets with him. Henry yelled furiously: "I'll kill you even if you're a demon!"
On the other side, Andre was panting as he faced Emily. He attacked with his sword, but Emily faded into the air using the power of invisibility, then suddenly reappeared and plunged a dagger made of coagulated blood into his shoulder.
Andre stumbled back in pain, only to be surprised by another dagger nearly piercing his skull. At the last moment, the Ice Lord's hand appeared and grasped the blood-blade, shattering it.
The Ice Lord asked if the demon in front of him was the cause, and Andre replied that it was Emily, transformed into a demon.
The Ice Lord looked ahead, no longer seeing the young girl he knew, but a tall, terrifyingly shaped demon.
The Ice Lord dashed toward Emily, but the entire transformed team ganged up on him. The Ice Lord stabbed Emily through the heart and froze her from the inside, but the cost was heavy.
Andre froze in place, horrified by the sight: The Ice Lord taking a stab to the heart from Oliver, his arm severed by Iris, his body burning with Harold's fire while being pierced by water spears.
Amidst this hell, the Ice Lord froze himself, and the rest of the team was frozen with him in one mass of ice and blood.
Scene V: The Truth
A deathly silence reigned. Everyone was in shock.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a familiar, cold voice coming from behind:
"Why are you all shouting like that?"
Everyone slowly turned around to find the Ice Lord standing completely whole and unharmed next to Volak, nonchalantly brushing dust off his shoulder.
The Ice Lord gestured toward the frozen mass and said: "Ah, you mean my clone over there? Don't worry, before I arrived at the village, I made a copy to cover a larger area. And I saw Volak spraying the paralysis solution, so I helped him... though I truly wished Volak had turned into a demon so I could beat him senseless."
Volak glared at him and said testily: "Huh? Are you talking to me? Am I a punching bag for you?"
The Ice Lord replied without looking at him: "A punching bag would at least refuse to become like you."
Volak sighed and asked seriously: "So, Ice Lord, what shall we do?"
The Ice Lord turned toward Andre, his tone shifting to absolute seriousness:
"The answer is in your hand, Andre."
Andre looked at his hand, confused: "In my hand? What do you mean?"
The Ice Lord pointed to the sword: "The sword you carry holds the blood of the strongest demon. And in the laws of demons, power submits only to the strongest. To heal everyone, the power must be returned to its owner."
Volak quickly intervened: "I know the method. To heal everyone, you must forge a new contract. The previous contract allowed the demon to enter and control you in your weakness, but the contract I speak of... will grant you complete control."
Andre thought for a few seconds, then raised his head with determination: "I agree, if this will save everyone."
Volak warned him in a low voice: "Be careful, Andre, the risks are fatal. If you lose, you will never return to your body, and if you lose any part of your body in there... the demon will devour it."
Andre nodded: "I understand."
Scene VI: The Demonic Court
The circle was drawn, and the rituals began. Andre placed the sword in the center, the lines glowed with a crimson light, and a dark portal opened and swallowed him.
Andre found himself in a pitch-black void. Suddenly, two eyes gleamed in the darkness, swirling around him as they had in the forest, accompanied by a wide smile full of sharp teeth.
A light emanated from Andre's sword to reveal the demon's hideous face.
The demon spoke in a deep voice that echoed in the void: "Look who has come... My dear Fairy has walked into the trap. Do you remember this move? I used it on those who tried to kill you in the forest; I liked it, so I decided to use it."
The scene suddenly changed; the area lit up as if floodlights were focused on them. The floor transformed into what looked like a Roman gladiator arena, and in the stands, shadows of figures appeared, holding faint blue lamps.
Andre asked warily: "Who are they?"
The demon spread his arms in a theatrical display and said with a sly smile: "Consider them the judges now... Human, welcome to your eternal home."