Volak finished his story, his eyes gleaming with the memories of that decisive day:
"One of the Seven Knights once said that they are the strongest in the kingdom, led by a legendary knight named Alexander. I do not know if he was telling the truth at the time, for we in these remote villages had never seen them before; we only heard of them in myths and stories told around the hearths.
After Hyuga froze the demons, Rose, the trembling little girl, looked at the Ice Lord with wide eyes and asked in awe, "Sir... are you truly one of the Seven Knights?"
Hyuga answered her with a calm smile, "Yes."
Rose asked with childish curiosity, "Then, where is the rest of your team? Doesn't every knight have a team accompanying him?"
Hyuga replied as he looked at the gathered crowds of village people, "My team... I will form it here. Listen to me, everyone! I have two missions in this region. The first: to ensure these demons are eliminated and never return. The second... you will know it in due time. And because you are the people of this harsh region, I firmly believe that the ones who must liberate the ice region are its own people, and no one else. So, does anyone here have the resolve and courage to join me?"
A tense silence fell over the square. Someone whispered, "Did he say join? Is he joking with us? We just faced a few demons and were almost wiped out, and we are completely exhausted!"
One of the village warriors stepped forward and said with a tone full of doubt and defiance, "Listen to me! If you are truly one of the Seven Knights as you claim, then prove it! Bring your armored team from the capital and come to save us. And if you cannot, then you are free to return to your comfortable place from whence you came. For I am not crazy enough to follow a stranger I do not know to lead us to our doom!"
Complete silence engulfed the place; no one dared to speak. Everyone was waiting for the Ice Lord's reaction; would he return the warrior's insult? Or would he simply leave?
The Ice Lord looked at the man with a piercing gaze as cold as frost, then said in a calm voice audible to everyone, "As I said, I have two missions; the first is to liberate this region, and the second is my own special mission. And I will accomplish both... alone. For I see nothing before me but hearts unable to fight, hearts that possess no courage."
He paused for a moment and looked around with obvious disappointment. "When I heard that the people of the ice region stayed and stood their ground despite knowing that the demons were near, and that the place was swarming with monsters and frost, with not even a single plant to grow... I was certain that when I met them, I would see unwavering courage. But... what a disappointment. So, people, listen and understand... I am the one who will protect you until the last drop of blood in my veins."
Hyuga turned toward the ice statues of the demons and said coldly, "And I will start with the demon over there. Dismantle."
As soon as the word was spoken, the ice encasing the demons shattered, and with it, their bodies shattered into scattered bloody fragments. Only the demon sorcerer remained; his body remained frozen and bound, but the ice cleared from his face so he could speak.
The demon sorcerer looked at the Ice Lord with hatred. "So... you are the one who ruined our plan."
The Ice Lord smiled. "Spot on. Now tell me, why did you break the treaty of the Ancient Covenant?"
The demon answered mockingly, amidst the shock of the people, "I did not betray it! For he has not appeared yet!"
The villagers whispered in terror, "Has not appeared? Who is he? Does he mean a greater demon or what?"
The Ice Lord said with a calmness more bitter than frost, "Calm down. You know who he is, right, demon? When he appears, the contract will effectively be nullified. But you are nothing but twenty level-zero demons, meaning you are not of a high enough level to be his vanguard."
The demon grumbled, "You are right."
Hyuga asked him strictly, "That means my mission is easier. Now, tell me, what did you want from coming here and terrorizing these people?"
The demon sighed and laughed maliciously. "Hah! As if I would tell you my secret, human!"
The Ice Lord said coldly, "Then I have no need for you, demon. Ice Power: Slow Shatter."
The ice surrounding the demon began to shatter very slowly and painfully, gradually crushing his bones and flesh.
The demon screamed from the tearing pain, "Aaagh! You bastard... just kill me! Consider this an order!"
The demon continued to writhe and agonize with terrifying screams, until he was completely shattered into bloodstained pieces of ice.
Rose approached, her eyes filled with sorrow and turmoil. She looked at Hyuga and said with the innocence of a child, "Ice Lord... why did you torture him like that? You are right, he is evil and wanted to kill us, but... isn't mercy what a hero always shows? The death of that demon in such a gruesome way is not a heroic act, is it?"
The Ice Lord looked at her, then got down on one knee to be at her eye level, placing his large, warm hand on her small shoulder.
He said with a wise and sincere tone, "You are right, little girl. But these demons are always the ones who betray without mercy if given the chance. Goodness is not just absolute kindness and blind forgiveness of evil; rather, it is judgment, and acting based on what the situation deserves. It is not the heart alone that judges what is right, nor the mind alone. Rather, it is both together."
While he was talking to her, an ominous magical circle appeared from the place where the shattered demon sorcerer died. In the blink of an eye, the sorcerer reappeared with concentrated magical power, and launched a treacherous attack from behind on the Ice Lord!
When Rose and the village people saw that, they screamed loudly to warn him. But it was too late; the dark magical power pierced Hyuga's chest area, so much so that the demon's hand was completely embedded inside the Ice Lord's chest!
The demon screamed with manic triumph, "Hahaha! This is how a Knight of the Seven Knights dies! Because he is a fool who preaches to children on the battlefield!"
Rose grabbed the phantom site of the injury on her own chest in panic and began to cry. But Hyuga's calm voice came from somewhere else, "Do not worry, Rose... he did not even hit me."
The demon's eyes widened in shock, and he screamed, "What?! Are you alive?!"
Hyuga's voice echoed, "Ice Art: Dispel."
The stabbed body of the Ice Lord evaporated and turned into particles of snow amidst the shock of everyone. It was merely an ice clone!
The real Hyuga appeared behind the demon and said coldly, "Now I know how you regenerate from nothing. I only needed to trace your magical powers while you regenerated to find the location of the portal and the source of your power... and destroy the source. And I just did that while you were busy stabbing my clone. And now, how do you feel having only one life left?"
The demon stammered in terror and backed away, "No... impossible! How could that be? Are you saying you found the location of the secret portal and destroyed it?! Impossible! We hid it so far away that it would be impossible for a human to reach it!"
Hyuga said, his eyes gleaming with lethal determination, "Who are you to say that? I am the one who will eliminate you all, and that is a promise."
The demon roared in despair, "And you think I will allow that?!"
The demon gathered every remaining drop of his dark power and prepared for a final attack, then unleashed it as a devastating beam toward Hyuga.
Hyuga whispered, "Freeze."
The massive dark power froze in mid-air and was completely nullified, to the astonishment of everyone. The Ice Lord gripped his sword, and with a lightning-fast motion that could barely be seen, he said, "Thin Ice Strike."
That swift strike sliced the demon into two clean halves, dropping him dead with no return.
When the little girl saw that scene, she felt something strange ignite in her chest; as if her dark reality had changed, and the prison that bound her heart with fear and despair was finally freed from the heavy burden weighing it down.
After eliminating the last demon, the Ice Lord sheathed his sword, looked at the entire tribe, and said, "I have fulfilled my first promise. As for the second, I will finish it soon as well. And know that my hope of forming a team from the youth of this region... has still not lost its resolve."
At that moment, Rose raised her small hand and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I want to join!"
Hyuga was surprised. "Ah... what?"
Rose stepped forward bravely and said, "You said you wanted someone to join your team, and I will join! My name is Rose, and I am the Vice-Captain of the team from now on!"
The Ice Lord painted a sarcastic smile on his face and said, "I said I wanted adults and warriors, not a child no taller than one hundred and twenty-five centimeters. And also, that coat I gave you to keep you warm... you must return it now."
Rose took a step back and clutched the coat tightly. "Are you rejecting me? Do you not know who I am? I am Rose, the daughter of Chief Zephyr! And if you want everyone here to listen to you and trust you, you have to bring me to your side!"
At that moment, I (Volak) stepped forward with a respectful bow and said, "I am very sorry for my little sister's behavior, sir. But she is right about one thing; see? There must be a local person with you for the village to listen to you and trust you. So... please accept me into your team."
Hyuga looked at me, assessing me, then said, "You are somewhat acceptable. Good, I appoint you Vice-Captain."
Rose screamed with childish anger, "What?! Him? But I was the one who wanted this position! I am the one who initiated it!"
Hyuga answered her with provoking coldness, "I didn't even recruit you into the team to be Vice-Captain."
Iris stepped forward with confident steps and said, "Ice Lord, my name is Iris. I am the same age as Volak and a skilled fighter, so I want to join too."
Hyuga nodded his head. "Welcome to you too. Accepted."
Rose jumped in front of them and asked with eyes shining with hope, "You accepted them... and me?"
Hyuga said with feigned strictness, "No. And now, return my cloak to me, for it belongs only to the team captain."
Rose's eyes gleamed with mischief and naughtiness, and she said with a broad smile, "Then, since the cloak is with me... I am now the team captain! And my first order as captain is: you are fired from the team, Ice Lord, until you acknowledge your captain!"
She stuck her tongue out at him mischievously, then turned and ran at top speed, escaping with the coat.
Hyuga turned to Volak and Iris with a faint smile and said, "Your first order as new recruits... form a team and catch that annoying girl."
Iris and I smiled at the exact same moment, and we said in unison, "We were thinking of that too, sir."