Four figures sat around a circular table within an elegant living room. Finely carved wooden furnishings adorned the chamber, while ornate suits of armor stood proudly along the walls, their polished surfaces gleaming beneath the warm golden light that bathed the room in a soft, inviting glow.
At the head of the table sat Brigadier Conquesta. He was dressed in a pristine white military uniform accented by red shoulder straps, each bearing five stars. Black gloves covered his hands, while polished black leather boots rose to his knees. Resting upon his head was a red-and-blue peaked cap emblazoned with the initials "DA." Beneath its brim, neatly kept locks of golden hair cascaded down the sides of his face.
The remaining three figures were members of the Hero Party.
The first was Emmel Enuduna, a young man of around twenty-one years of age and the wielder of the Sacred Sword Excalibur. Clad in silver-and-gold light armor, he had laid his sheathed sword upon the table before him. A calm and composed air surrounded him, his demeanor steady and untroubled. Even while seated, there was an unmistakable sense of quiet confidence about him, as though little in the world could shake his resolve or unsettle his convictions.
Beside him sat Vivisar Graceflower, an elf and the Lord of Spearcraft. His gaze drifted lazily around the room, revealing little beyond mild boredom and detached indifference. He wore green light armor reinforced with chainmail across the chest. One hand rested atop the table, supporting his head, while the other loosely gripped a green halberd at his side. His relaxed posture gave the impression of a man who would rather be anywhere else.
The final member of the party was Jolly Jolibee, the Pink Menace. Unlike her companions, she appeared noticeably more cheerful, a faint smile gracing her face and lending her a warm, approachable demeanor. She wore layered robes of pink and red that matched both her hair and eyes. A lively spark danced within her gaze, lending her a warmth that made her seem far more personable and welcoming than the others seated around the table.
"I hope the members of the Hero Party have found my hospitality quite agreeable," Conquesta said.
After all, the Hero Party was among the few forces capable of standing against the Demon King's highest elites on equal footing. Such valuable allies were not to be slighted, especially when the goals of the Democratic Ascendancy hung in the balance. Should word spread that the heroes had been treated poorly, it would reflect badly upon the nation and undermine the image it sought to project.
Emmel, the leader of the Hero Party, ran his fingers along the sheath of his sword before replying.
"It has been satisfactory, Mr. Conquesta, but I believe we should get down to business. We are dealing with a demon. Every moment squandered on unnecessary matters is another moment granted to our enemy, and such delays could prove fatal."
Vivisar remained silent, merely rolling his eyes. Jolly, meanwhile, nodded in agreement with the words of her party leader. From her own experiences battling the demonic hordes, she knew all too well that wasted time was a luxury one could scarcely afford against demons. Hesitation and delay had claimed countless lives.
Conquesta nodded, a faint trace of relief crossing his features before he began.
"My sources report that the demon and his army of monsters are currently stationed near Rodesia, their advance halted only by the blizzard. Once the storm passes, however, they will undoubtedly resume their march toward the town."
"It won't stop for another two days, so we still have time to prepare," Emmel said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Which means this demon, Zelda, has time to prepare as well. He may decide to alter whatever strategy he currently has in mind..."
His gaze shifted toward Conquesta.
"How strong is he? More importantly, what are his capabilities?"
Marching against an unknown opponent without first understanding his true capabilities was little different from swinging an axe into one's own leg. Such recklessness was tantamount to suicide when dealing with demons. A single miscalculation could prove fatal, and those who underestimated their enemy rarely survived long enough to learn from their mistakes.
"We do not know much," Conquesta admitted. "From what little information we have gathered, he possesses some sort of barrier ability and can perform all manner of feats through a spell called 'Overdrive,' which appears remarkably versatile. Then there is his sealing spell, and he possesses tremendous physical strength as well."
"And what of the princess?" Emmel asked.
They had all been briefed on the affair in Usgúrd—the overthrow of the monarchy, the slaughter of the royal family, the princess's escape, and her unexpected alliance with a demon. While they knew she was merely an ordinary human, they needed to be certain she had neither learned magic nor acquired any notable martial prowess.
Conquesta gave a slight shrug.
"She is still merely an ordinary human. Once the demon protecting her is slain, eliminating her should prove a simple matter."
"You know, I still find this whole human-and-demon partnership rather strange," Jolly remarked. "We've fought dozens upon dozens of demons, both lesser and elite, yet none of them ever seemed willing to work alongside a human. And yet this Zelda does. While it's obvious he may have some ulterior motive, it still feels... peculiar."
A sense of unease had lingered within her ever since she first heard of the matter. She had kept those feelings to herself, but something deep within her warned against becoming involved in this affair. Call it instinct, intuition, or simply experience, but the voice at the back of her mind insisted that nothing good would come of it.
"He is no mere demon," Conquesta warned. "Do not assume he thinks like the others."
"Relax. We managed to repel the Demon King and much of his forces. What is one strange, unknown demon supposed to do against us?" Vivisar said dismissively.
Though he privately admitted that driving back the Demon King had been a hard-fought struggle, won only after countless battles and no small amount of bloodshed, he found it difficult to believe that a lone, obscure demon posed any serious threat. Unusual abilities or not, such a foe should amount to little before the Hero Party.
Emmel, however, remained more measured. He did not dismiss the threat outright. Instead, he regarded it with the same careful scrutiny he had once reserved for the Demon King, questions forming behind a calm, analytical gaze.
Jolly said nothing further. The unease she had felt since first hearing of the matter still lingered beneath her composed exterior.
Conquesta, meanwhile, found no comfort in any of it. If anything, the contrast between their reactions only deepened the unease gnawing at him.
"Do as you must, then."
He snapped his fingers.
Almost immediately, a masked figure emerged from the shadows and offered the group a respectful bow.
Emmel rose first, his hand moving to his sword. Beside him, Vivisar stood and rolled his neck, eliciting a faint crack of joints, while Jolly retrieved her staff from her personal inventory. Within moments, all three stood ready.
Without another word, the masked figure teleported them away.
A heartbeat later, they stood atop a snow-covered rise overlooking Zelda's camp several hundred meters away. From their elevated vantage point, the sprawling encampment stretched across the blizzard-swept plain, still clearly visible through the storm thanks to their enhanced vision.
"I shall return once the three of you have completed your assignment," the masked figure said before vanishing.
"That is certainly a large camp," Emmel remarked, scanning the distant formation. "Jolly, do your thing."
Jolly responded without hesitation, raising her staff.
"Fire Dragon!"
A colossal serpent of raging flame erupted forward at tremendous speed. Yet just as it neared its target, a barrier composed of glowing triangular sigils materialized above the camp, dispersing the attack into a shower of scattering embers.
Emmel studied the fading magic.
"That should draw the demon's attention. Once he is defeated, forcing the monster army to retreat will be easy."
Vivisar shifted into a battle stance, a grin spreading across his face.
"I can't wait to face this demon."
A figure suddenly pierced the blizzard, closing the distance at remarkable speed.
"He's coming!"
Emmel drew his sword. Jolly leveled her staff.
Without warning, the demon unleashed a massive beam of light from a staff-like weapon—part spear, part catalyst. The three reacted instantly, barely evading as it tore past them.
The beam carved a blazing scar through the frozen earth and split the mountain behind them in two.
For a brief moment, all three simply stared.
Their eyes widened.
"You won't be dodging the next one," the demon declared as he landed before them.
The shock vanished from their faces almost as quickly as it had appeared.
All three refocused on him at once.
"We won't allow it," Emmel declared.
Jolly watched as Vivisar moved first, charging from one flank while Emmel advanced from the other. The pair struck in practiced unison, their attacks carefully coordinated to deny the demon any obvious path of escape. Yet their opponent slipped through the assault with uncanny ease, weaving between their blows as though he had anticipated each movement before it was made.
His counterattack came immediately.
The staff in his hands moved like a spear wielded by a seasoned master. Every thrust was precise. Every swing was controlled. Every movement carried lethal intent.
Jolly did not join the initial assault. Instead, she remained where she was, patiently searching for an opening. Rushing in alongside the others would only limit her options and risk interfering with their attacks.
Then she saw it.
"Move!"
Flames erupted from her staff.
A torrent of searing fire surged toward the demon, overwhelming in both speed and heat. Emmel and Vivisar disengaged immediately, leaping clear as the inferno consumed the space they had occupied only moments before.
Yet the attack never reached its target.
A barrier composed of glowing triangular sigils materialized before the demon, dispersing the flames entirely.
"Heavy Smite!"
Excalibur flared with brilliant light as Emmel descended with the full force of his strike.
The demon reacted instantly.
He raised a single finger.
And caught the sacred blade at the point of impact.
The resulting shockwave rippled across the snow-covered landscape, scattering powder into the air.
For the briefest moment, neither moved.
Then, with a casual motion, the demon redirected the strike and hurled both sword and wielder aside through sheer physical strength alone.
At that very moment, Vivisar appeared behind him.
His halberd swept forward in a clean arc aimed at the demon's neck.
Yet just before the blade could connect, the demon vanished without a trace.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind the elf.
His staff thrust forward immediately, seeking to pierce straight through him. Vivisar reacted at once, twisting away with a sharp backflip and narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Take this!"
A raging bolt of lightning burst forth from Jolly's staff, crackling with destructive force as it tore through the blizzard.
Yet once again, the barrier materialized and dispersed the attack.
There has to be a weakness in that barrier... but what is it?
Jolly narrowed her eyes as she studied the glowing triangular sigils.
From a magical standpoint, the barrier made little sense.
A spell powerful enough to stop attacks of this caliber should consume a tremendous amount of mana with every activation. The stronger the barrier, the greater the cost—or at least that was how magic was supposed to work.
Yet he continued to invoke it again and again.
There was no delay between activations. No sign that he was attempting to conserve mana. More importantly, there was not even the slightest trace of fatigue upon his face.
Still, no spell was perfect.
Every form of magic possessed limitations. Every technique had a weakness.
Jolly continued searching for one as Emmel rose to his feet and raised Excalibur high above his head. Golden light gathered around him, a radiant aura spreading outward across the snow-covered battlefield.
"Heavenly Aura!"
Brilliant golden radiance erupted from his body, bathing the frozen landscape in holy light. Then, with a mighty swing, he unleashed a massive wave of sacred power.
Vivisar immediately leapt clear of its path, avoiding the enormous area of effect.
The demon, however, seemed utterly unimpressed.
The wave of holy power crashed toward him.
At once, the familiar barrier of glowing triangular sigils materialized before him.
The attack struck with tremendous force.
The barrier held firm.
Moments later, as the sacred energy dissipated, the sigils slowly faded from existence, vanishing as soon as they had fulfilled their purpose.
"Have a taste of this!" Vivisar roared, slamming his halberd into the ground.
Crystalline stone spires erupted upward in a violent surge, racing toward the demon's position. He reacted instantly, taking to the air to evade the attack.
Jolly had already anticipated the movement.
The moment he left the ground, another bolt of lightning erupted from her staff, faster and denser than before. A barrage of high-level spells followed in rapid succession, each strike carrying enough power to annihilate lesser demons.
Yet each and every one was halted by the barrier.
The demon extended his staff toward her.
Lightning gathered at its spear-like tip, crackling with unstable, overwhelming power.
Jolly reacted instantly.
She slammed her staff into the frozen ground, causing a massive wall of earth to surge upward between them. The defensive barrier held for only a moment before the attack tore straight through it, shattering the stone into countless fragments.
Vivisar lunged forward immediately, with Emmel following close behind.
The demon met both attacks head-on.
His staff moved with effortless precision, intercepting sword and halberd alike as though their combined strength amounted to little. Then his crimson eyes flickered.
A sudden burst of force erupted from his body.
Both Emmel and Vivisar were thrown back simultaneously, their boots carving furrows through the snow as they skidded across the battlefield.
"Any plan?" Emmel asked, pushing himself to his feet.
"I don't," Vivisar replied as he rose beside him. His gaze shifted toward Jolly.
"The only thing I can say is that his barrier only seems to work on magical attacks. So going physical is our only option. However, it's still a suicidal plan. We don't know the extent of his mana reserves. He's hiding them well, so I'm having trouble gauging just how much mana he actually possesses..."
Even as she spoke, she slammed her staff into the ground once more.
Sharp stone formations erupted upward in a violent burst. She immediately infused them with mana before launching them forward in a wide barrage.
The demon swept his staff through the air.
The incoming rocks were sliced apart effortlessly.
"So, you have found the weakness of my barrier..." the demon said, his gaze settling upon her. "You are the most dangerous one."
For the first time since the battle began, the pressure in the air changed.
His mana was revealed.
And all three of them felt it.
The sheer volume was immense.
Absurdly immense.
It did not rival the Demon King, but it was overwhelming nonetheless. His output alone was roughly half of the Demon King's, and even that placed him far beyond the realm of an ordinary threat.
Jolly's expression darkened.
"We possess roughly the same amount of mana, yet mine is being depleted far faster than his," she said. "This battle is going to be far more difficult than the one we fought against the Demon King. It seems my intuition was correct."
The demon slowly descended until he stood only a short distance before them.
"You said you have all fought the Demon King?" he asked.
"We did," Emmel answered.
The demon studied the three of them in silence for a long moment.
Then he spoke again.
"So you three must be the Hero Party. Where are the other two?"
"Busy with something personal," Emmel replied.
"Whatever. Get the hell out here."
"Huh?"
Confusion flickered across all three of their faces.
For a moment, none of them could believe what they were hearing.
The demon was letting them leave.
Despite holding the upper hand, he was willingly giving them the opportunity to retreat.
No.
That couldn't be right.
Demons were not known for mercy, nor did they allow dangerous enemies to walk away without reason. If he truly intended to let them go, then there had to be something else at play.
He was planning something.
"I have much bigger fish to catch than waste my time fighting the Demon King's sloppy toys. Seriously, I don't understand why he keeps entertaining your measly group," the demon muttered.
"What do you mean by that?" Jolly asked.
The demon ignored her question.
Instead, he asked, "What are you doing here anyway? Why not go bother the rest of the demons?"
"We won't leave," Emmel replied firmly. "You are a demon. For all we know, you have killed and devoured hundreds of innocents already. If we leave, the town will inevitably fall to you and your army of monsters."
The demon raised an eyebrow.
"So you are aware of my activities." He tapped the shaft of his staff against his shoulder thoughtfully. "Strange. I have conducted my affairs in a rather subtle manner. News of my actions should not have spread this far this quickly. At best, I expected word to reach the wider world only after I had taken Rodesia."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Which means someone has been watching my every move."
The Hero Party exchanged glances.
This was bad.
Very bad.
The demon had realized he was being watched.
Until now, the fact that he was under surveillance had remained hidden. Yet with only a few words, the demon had pieced together the truth on his own. There was little doubt that he would become far more cautious moving forward.
"I have to go. It seems a change in tactics is necessary." The demon turned toward his camp. "Thank you, heroes. Your presence has been greatly appreciated."
Before any of them could respond, he took to the air and flew back toward the camp, leaving the Hero Party alone amidst the raging blizzard.
For several moments, none of them spoke.
"What do we do now?" Vivisar finally asked. "We messed up. Badly."
There was no answer.
None of them could deny it.
Their mission had been to eliminate the demon.
Instead, they had inadvertently provided him with valuable information.