At the festival, everyone was happy, their laughter rising as the heating fires danced around. The Ice Eagles Squad was sitting together, along with the leader of the Spear Tribe, Zephyr.
Julian asked curiously, looking at Rose, "So, you are the only healer in the village?"
Rose answered proudly, "Yes. The power of the healer has been passed down from one generation to another since the appearance of the first healer in the village."
Harold asked in astonishment, "Do you mean you inherited this power by blood?"
Rose shook her head, "No, the power of the healer comes to the person chosen by fate. It just so happened that my mother and I were consecutive chosen ones."
Julian furrowed his brows and said, "I do not understand. In the Kingdom's capital, the city of Luminary, there are many healers, so why not here?"
Rose replied with a slightly sad tone, "That is because our healing magic in this harsh region is... different. How? Listen carefully. If there was a patient, the first healer who appeared in our village had enough power to heal everyone in the blink of an eye. But... there was a cruel condition; the healer had to sacrifice a part of her soul. And the soul was the energy. Every time she healed someone, it was taken from her life and age."
Everyone was shocked by this heavy price, so Rose continued, holding her necklace, "Despite that, she healed everyone without hesitation. So she wanted to ensure that those who carry her power after her wouldn't suffer and die early. She stored all her remaining power in this necklace, and whoever inherits it does the same to increase its power, so the next bearer can live a normal life without sacrificing their lifespan. And here I am using that power, and thanks to the necklace, I do not use any of my original soul's power. But... drawing energy from the necklace is very exhausting for my body."
The Ice Lord, Hyuga, looked at her and said seriously, "And you say after all this burden that you want to be a combat hero?"
She answered defiantly, "And so are you! So, give me the eagle Sora and I do not want your team! Is this what you are fighting me for?"
Rose smiled, and the giant eagle Sora stepped toward her and stood beside her like a bodyguard.
Then, the Ice Lord looked at Sora coldly and said, "Step away from her, you ladies' man."
Sora did not step away, but stared at Hyuga defiantly.
Hyuga said, "Then, no lunch ration for you."
Despite that, the eagle did not step away, but moved closer to Rose.
Hyuga sighed, created a long, sharp knife out of ice in his hand, and said with a deadly tone, "It seems I will be eating roasted eagle tonight."
Faced with this clear threat, the eagle Sora flew away quickly and disappeared into the sky in the blink of an eye!
Hyuga smiled and said to Rose, "So, it seems he rejected you and abandoned you. Sorry, there is nothing I can do."
Rose grabbed the ice knife that Hyuga had left behind, and pointed it at him with childish anger, "You are mean! He is a poor eagle, did you have to scare him like that?"
Hyuga replied with a provoking smile, "Did you just sigh, cold-hearted one?"
The Calm Before the Storm
The festival ended peacefully, and three consecutive days passed. The Ice Squad conducted intensive reconnaissance on the villages every day, and no trace of demons appeared, which raised the Ice Lord's extreme concern. He knew that demons do not just disappear like this unless they are preparing for a disaster.
So he alerted all the villages, and ordered them to stay on high alert for any attack at any moment.
Five days passed... and the reports remained the same, complete silence.
But, on the sixth day... beneath the surface of the frozen sea, a distorted magical portal was finally opening. Hordes of demons began to pour out of it, and their masked leader stood before them smiling maliciously.
"Finally, everything is ready."
His assistant said with a bow, "Sir, the army is fully prepared, so what are your orders?"
The masked leader said with amusement, "Ah, my dear assistant, this moment has been a long time coming, when I will rise in the military ranks after completing this glorious mission. So, as a first order... deploy the soldiers as we planned, and leave the rest to me."
"Yes, sir!"
The Ice Confrontation and the Secret of the Blood
With the Ice Lord, as he sat in his tent, he suddenly opened his eyes. He sensed a massive demonic power emanating from the abandoned center.
He whispered to himself, "So, they have begun."
He rushed to the Village Chief and told him to put everyone on maximum alert, then gathered his entire team.
Hyuga said firmly, "Team, listen to me carefully! The demons are planning a massive, widespread attack on the villages, so we will split up to protect as many lives as possible. Do you understand? I will head to the center where the energy is coming from, and as for you, scatter to the neighboring villages and defend them."
Everyone said in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Volak, Rose, Iris, Julian, and Harold set off to protect the villages. As for the Ice Lord, he shot like an arrow toward the center of the demons' power.
The demons were waiting in their place, anticipating their leader's orders. Suddenly, they spotted a storm of black ice rushing toward them like a nightmare! The storm swept away an entire row of demons, tearing them to pieces. When the storm cleared, the Ice Lord appeared, his sword drawn.
The masked leader smiled and said, "You have finally come, Ice Lord. Waiting for you was truly boring, so why were you late?"
Hyuga replied coldly, "Be late and miss the chance to eliminate weaklings like you?"
The leader roared in anger, "Weaklings?! This is an insult I cannot bear, and its price will be your death! Demons... attack!"
The demons attacked like locusts. The Ice Lord used his power, forming a vast storm of ice filled with razor-sharp blades, and unleashed it to wipe out dozens of them. But more came!
He gripped his sword and attacked personally, cutting down the first, and cleaving the second. As for the third, he moved with remarkable speed and dodged Hyuga's attack, clenching his fist and striking it against the ground! The icy ground shattered, forcing Hyuga to take a step back.
The rest of the demons seized the opportunity and attacked together. Hyuga created another sword in his left hand, and began to dance among their ranks, cutting them down one by one in an icy massacre.
Then, the masked leader waved his magic staff, and the severed remains of the demons merged to form a hideous, giant monster! The monster began pounding its fists on the ground trying to crush the Ice Lord, but it did not succeed, due to Hyuga's speed.
Hyuga jumped, climbing onto the giant monster's arm. The monster began slamming its body where the Ice Lord moved, trying to knock him off, until it could no longer see Hyuga in front of it.
Suddenly, the monster found Hyuga standing directly on top of its head! And when the monster tried to strike its head with its hand, it found that its entire body had turned into solid ice, and it began to crumble until it shattered and turned into snowy dust.
The masked leader clapped coldly, "Well done, Ice Lord. Well done! You are truly strong. But... are you confident that the rest of your team will hold up like this?"
Hyuga answered confidently, "Absolutely, for I trust them."
The leader laughed, "Beautiful words! But what you have killed so far does not even count as a single row in the real demon army. So... demons, execute the plan!"
The army formed up differently, moving as one mass toward the Ice Lord. When they reached a certain point, they began darting to the left and right, leaving only the vanguard to attack Hyuga.
The Ice Lord was surprised; he found the vanguard fiercely attacking to stall him, while the two flanks did not attack, but instead dashed past him toward the village!
He then realized the plan, so he used an immense amount of power, creating dozens of identical ice clones of himself. The clones began attacking the demons on the flanks, tearing them apart before they could cross the line.
Then the army stopped moving... because they were all dead.
The Ice Lord smiled as he wiped the blood from his sword, "Now... only you remain, for all the demons have died."
The masked leader let out a loud laugh that echoed terrifyingly in the area, "Demons, you say? We do not sacrifice our original demons in such a stupid way!"
Hyuga furrowed his brows.
The leader continued with sadistic amusement, "They are manufactured demons... and guess what? They are made from humans! From their bodies, their flesh, and their stolen blood!"
The Ice Lord was shocked, and went blindly furious until his face turned red and the veins in his neck popped.
Hyuga said with a voice dripping with death, "Are you saying that someone is using the bodies of innocent humans and turning them into monstrous demons? You bastard!"
The demon laughed again, "Then let me tell you an even bigger surprise... the one who makes them is a human just like you!"
The Ice Lord exploded in rage, unleashing a massive, violent energy from his body that pressurized the air to the point that the demon wanted to vomit blood from its intensity. But... despite the pain, the demon only showed more smiles and triumph!
Awakening of the Suppressor
Suddenly, the icy ground beneath them began to shake violently and terrifyingly.
The masked demon screamed in ecstasy, "Finally! I have waited so long for this moment... it is the best!"
The solid ice split open, and eight giant, slimy tentacles emerged from the depths of the frozen sea! They were incredibly massive and terrifying, covering the sky with their shadow.
Hyuga stood frozen in shock.
The masked leader screamed from atop a ridge, "Yes! The Suppressor monster of the Old Covenant has awakened here, Ice Lord! Do you know why it woke up precisely now? Not because I am here, but because its instinct seeks out whoever threatens the peace... and in its eyes, the one who just unleashed that massive, destructive energy... is you!"
Hyuga's eyes widened; he realized he had fallen right into the trap!
"Surprise! Did you like it? Now... goodbye!"
The eight giant tentacles lunged at the Ice Lord, wrapping around him with crushing force, and then violently dragged him into the deep, dark waters! As he was pulled down, he could see the gloating smile of the masked demon from behind his mask.
The demon stood watching the knight drown, then opened a massive black magical portal behind him. Five hundred elite, real demons marched out, heavily armed.
The masked leader said with a gruff voice, "Now the real mission begins, my brothers. So... let's march and crush the Spear Village!"