The once-thriving lake town known as Dropping Place, renowned for its clear waters teeming with fish and abundant natural resources used by demons for potions and medicine, now lay desolate. The polluted waters obscured all visibility, causing fish to surface lifelessly. Human greed had depleted the once-rich resources, leaving a desolate landscape behind.
That night, a fierce melee erupted, engulfing the town in chaos. Amid the battle, Nessa's soldiers clashed with human warriors, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
"Keep fighting! Show them our strength!"
"I'll avenge the people who once lived in this town!"
"Behold the power of the Nessa!"
"In the name of the gods, I will bring peace to this land!"
"With Sir Hiroki and Lady Aiko by our side, victory is within reach!"
"We will reclaim our homeland from these demons!"
On the town's outskirts near the lake, students Hara Hiroki and Date Aiko faced off against a horde of Ogres, Minotaurs, and Oni. They held the demonic creatures at bay with their long spears, striking swiftly and decisively.
"Excellent, Date!"
"Thank you. Are you holding up, Hara? You must be reaching your limit soon."
"I have recovery potions. I can continue."
Hara dispatched an Oni with a precise thrust to the forehead, ending the demon's life.
"I'm much better now. I could take on these fiends by myself," Hara remarked. Some students became desensitized to killing demons, viewing it as a necessary duty to protect humanity and restore justice.
"I'll have your back, just in case," Date replied, her face blushing slightly at Hara's teasing.
The duo continued their relentless assault, cutting down the Ogre, Minotaur, and Oni until their bodies littered the ground.
"After a tough fight, we've taken down these foes," Hara declared, showing disdain by spitting on the fallen Ogre.
"Our commander warned us about these formidable enemies. Let's report back," Date suggested.
As they prepared to leave, Date noticed a mysterious figure at the lake's center. Hara followed her gaze and saw a cloaked figure with glowing hands and feet adorned with a mask emitting a pale white light, and its eyes fixated on them.
The mysterious entity fixated its gaze on Hara and Date, exuding an aura of predatory intent as it moved effortlessly across the lake's surface, purifying the water with each step. Witnessing this spectacle, the two students were filled with awe and trepidation.
"Is it a spirit?" Hara whispered.
"I'm not sure," Date replied softly.
Standing in silence, they awaited the entity's next move, uncertain of its intentions.
"667 &*\99 #43."
As the entity spoke incomprehensibly, Hara and Date exchanged confused glances, unable to decipher its words.
"I didn't understand that. Did you?" Date asked.
Shaking their heads, the two classmates were at a loss on how to respond to this enigmatic being.
With a sudden motion, the entity drew a sword recognized by Hara and Date as belonging to Ajax, sending a wave of unease through them.
In a swift movement akin to teleportation, the entity materialized before them, raising the sword towards Hara.
Hara attempted to block the entity's attack with his spear, but it shattered upon impact, causing a deep wound that bled profusely.
"Aaah!" Hara cried out in pain, prompting Date to launch a fierce counterattack with a skillful thrust of her spear.
The entity deflected Date's strike effortlessly with its sword, forcing her to retreat to a safer distance.
While Date engaged the entity, Hara retreated to tend to his injury, swiftly administering a healing potion.
Empowered by magic, Date infused her spear with lightning, enhancing her speed and strength as she lunged toward the entity with a gravity-assisted strike.
With a mighty leap, Date brought her electrified spear crashing down, causing the ground to tremble. However, to her dismay, the entity remained unscathed, as if she had missed her mark entirely.
"W-What?" Date tried to move away from the entity but found her spear inexplicably stuck between its foot and the ground despite no apparent force holding it in place.
Hara intervened as the entity approached Date, tackling her out of harm's way.
Gasping for air, Hara realized his wound had reopened after saving Date from the entity. Knotings her friend's condition, Date shows worry for her classmate. Despite his pain, he reassured her while she tended to his injuries.
Seeing Hara's wound heal faster after applying a potion, Date quickly attended to him, ensuring his well-being.
The entity turned its attention to a group of approaching soldiers, humans that finished dealing with some demons from a distance. They were about to head to help some of their other comrades until they noticed the heroes in trouble.
"Sir Hara, Lady Date!" the human soldiers called out, positioning themselves between the entity and the students.
"You need to leave. That thing is beyond our capabilities," Date warned, but the soldiers were already aware of the dire situation. "Quickly! Warn the others about this threat!"
"I'm sorry, Lady Date, but we can't risk losing the two of you. Nicoles, Jons, take these two and retreat," one of the soldiers told his comrade.
"Got it!" Two soldiers swiftly lifted Hara and Date, carrying them away from the impending danger.
"Put me down! I must keep fighting!" Hara protested, but his injuries prevented him from continuing.
"I can't do that, Sir Hara. Your injuries are severe," the soldier replied firmly.
"I can't leave those men behind. Set me down!" Hara insisted as he witnessed the soldiers charging at the entity, only to be swiftly impaled by ice spears that emerged from the ground, ending their lives in an instant.
Forced to retreat, Hara and the others found themselves trapped as the entity erected an ice wall around them.
"Curse it!" said the soldier holding Hara, realizing they had no means of escape and would have to confront the entity.
Meanwhile, the human forces had successfully reclaimed the town from the demon invaders in the town center.
"Commander, the town has been secured. We are eliminating any remaining demons," a soldier reported.
"Very good. Capture some of them for interrogation," the commander instructed.
"Commander, demons are regrouping outside the town, likely planning a retreat," another report said.
"Send forces to intercept them. None shall escape," the commander ordered, determined to prevent any demons from fleeing.
"Ai, sir!" The commander felt relief wash over him as help finally arrived.
Reports of demon attacks on small units flooded in from the main base. In response, units and heroes were dispatched to counter the threat.
Upon reaching Droplet, the commander found all the knights stationed there dead. He hoped to reclaim the place quickly with his numbers, but a group of demons proved a formidable obstacle. He assigned the two heroes and some knights to deal with the demons.
As the commander waited, a soldier he recognized approached. "Commander! We have a situation!" The commander's unease grew.
"What is it?"
"Commander! An unknown enemy has attacked the heroes! Sir Hara is gravely injured, and a lady faces the foe!"
"How many are there!?" the commander demanded.
"Just one, sir, but—"
"One? That's it?" The commander initially felt relieved upon hearing that only one enemy was attacking the heroes. However, his unease returns when a giant ice wall appears near the lake where the heroes are.
Sensing danger, the commander quickly ordered all available knights to converge on the area. As they reached the ice wall, the knights began using their weapons to break it down while magic-wielders cast fire spells to melt the ice.
Unbeknownst to them, the mysterious entity had departed after dealing with Hara and Date.
It took two hours for the soldiers to create a crack large enough to pass through the wall . Upon entering, they found the area frozen, with Hara and Date encased in ice near the crack. The soldiers promptly began aiding the heroes.
With the heroes unconscious, the commander had no choice but to order a retreat to ensure their safety.