Chapter 10
The cold bit deep as Caelan, Zaimond, Elden, Richard, and Velldora Rul trudged through the icy plains that stretched far beyond the horizon. The place had once been called "Solaria Cold Side," a legendary land of frost. Now, it was known as "Endless Ice" — a wasteland conquered by Varus K 10, the weakest Demon King. But even the weakest of the Demon Kings had power that could turn cities to ruins, and the bone-chilling air told them they were entering dangerous territory.
The crew walked in silence, their breath freezing in mid-air, the crunch of snow underfoot the only sound until Zaimond broke the quiet with a loud crunch. "Man, this bread is dry as hell," he grumbled between bites of the stale loaf Richard had sold him.
"Would you stop complaining?" Caelan laughed, his voice muffled by the thick scarf wrapped around his face. "You're the one who bought it."
"I didn't buy it, I got swindled," Zaimond retorted, glaring at Richard. "Could've told me it was a rock."
Richard smirked, pulling his thick jacket tighter around himself. "It's an acquired taste."
Suddenly, without warning, the sky darkened, and the temperature plummeted. A deafening whoosh pierced the air. Zaimond, who was still chewing, barely had time to react as a massive blade of ice shot toward them at blinding speed.
"ZAIMOND!" Caelan shouted, lunging forward, but the icy blade sliced through the air with terrifying force. Zaimond, still mid-bite, yelped and jumped out of the way, but not without his bread flying from his hands.
"NO! MY BREAD!" Zaimond screamed, reaching for the loaf as it tumbled into the snow. The ice blade smashed into the nearby gate, obliterating it into a thousand shards of crystal.
The group froze for a moment, staring at the ruins of the gate. Zaimond slowly turned back to the others, his face pale but his eyes wide with disbelief. "What the—?! Did I just almost die while eating stale bread?"
"Yeah, you did," Caelan replied, his face barely holding back laughter. "Guess that's what you get for eating during a life-or-death mission."
Elden crossed his arms, looking unimpressed. "You should pay more attention, Zaimond. That ice wasn't playing around."
From behind the debris of the shattered gate, a figure slowly emerged. At first glance, it looked like a shadow moving through the blizzard, but as the figure stepped into the dim light, it became clear that this wasn't just any demon.
A young boy — no more than twelve or thirteen by appearance — stood before them, wearing a massively oversized jacket. It dragged along the snow like a cloak, and yet, somehow, it seemed deliberate, like the jacket was part of his weaponry. His face was pale, almost as white as the snow beneath him, and his eyes gleamed with an eerie glow.
"Who... the hell is that?" Caelan muttered, barely containing his curiosity.
The boy cracked his knuckles and spoke, his voice shockingly high-pitched. "I am Starlux, Prince of Darkness. My power controls the Dark Ice, and you… have made a grave mistake coming here."
There was a moment of silence. Then, Zaimond snorted. And then, Caelan followed, unable to hold back his laughter.
"BRO!" Caelan doubled over, laughing so hard he almost fell into the snow. "You haven't even hit puberty yet! What are you doing playing with ice magic?"
Zaimond was wiping tears from his eyes. "Man, this kid's gotta be the real weakling of the Demon Kings, right? Look at him, he's like… what, ten?"
Starlux's face flushed red with embarrassment, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'm not a kid!" he squeaked, his voice cracking in a way that only made Caelan and Zaimond laugh harder.
"Sure, bro. Keep telling yourself that," Zaimond chuckled, wiping his mouth as he straightened up. "Maybe we'll come back when you've grown some facial hair."
Elden, while keeping a more serious demeanor, couldn't hide a smirk. Even Richard raised an eyebrow at the absurdity of it all.
Behind them, Velldora Rul stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement. His towering figure, far more intimidating than anyone else in the group, seemed almost relaxed. It was clear he had no intention of stepping in unless things went south.
"Enough!" Starlux shouted, and with a wave of his hand, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble. Huge pillars of dark ice erupted from the snow, spreading rapidly toward them. The ice had a strange, inky blackness swirling within it, like it was alive, its edges shimmering in the low light.
Caelan quickly drew his sword, the blade glowing with a soft light as he prepared to face the onslaught. "Alright, enough messing around," he said, his tone suddenly serious. "This kid's got some real power behind him."
Zaimond grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Finally! I've been waiting for some action. Let's show him what we've got."
As the pillars of dark ice continued to rise around them, Starlux hovered in mid-air, his jacket billowing out behind him. His eyes narrowed, and his voice—though still comically high-pitched—took on a more menacing tone.
"You're fools if you think you can survive in Endless Ice. My magic doesn't just freeze—it melts. Anything it touches, no matter how strong, will dissolve into nothing."
Caelan grinned. "Sounds like a challenge."
The group braced themselves as the dark ice began to close in. But Caelan couldn't resist one last quip, "Hey, Starlux—after we beat you, how about we help you out with that whole puberty thing? Could be a group project!"
Zaimond burst into laughter again, even as the dark ice swirled closer. "Bro, leave the kid alone! He's trying his best!"
Velldora Rul just sighed, shaking his head, knowing the battle was only beginning.
---
Zaimond was still laughing, clutching his stomach, when Elden's sharp eyes caught something amiss. The air around them felt thicker, more oppressive, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. His smile vanished, replaced with a grim expression.
"Something's wrong," Elden muttered, his breath visible in the frigid air.
Before anyone could react, a deep rumble shook the earth. The snow beneath their feet rippled like water, and a deafening crack echoed through the frozen landscape. The temperature plummeted even further, the cold biting into their skin. Elden's rough estimate put it around -48°C now — and dropping.
Caelan, who had been grinning just moments earlier, could only mutter, "W-What the hell…" as he looked beyond Starlux.
Richard, standing to the side, had a more unconventional reaction. His eyes narrowed, evaluating the situation like a merchant appraising goods. "Hmm," he thought, "Can that thing be used as a topping for dessert?"
But it wasn't the temperature that was the problem. Behind Starlux, a massive shape began to rise from the snow. A giant of unimaginable proportions emerged, its body formed entirely of dark, shimmering ice, with veins of inky blackness running through its form. It was so colossal that, from their perspective, they could only estimate its height to be around 567 meters—towering far beyond anything they had ever encountered.
The dark ice giant's body crackled with power, radiating a cold so intense that even the air around it seemed to freeze. The two glowing eyes set into its monstrous face glared down at them, as if sizing them up.
Richard's inner thoughts were interrupted by Zaimond's sudden exclamation. "Yo, guys! It's got TWO eyes!" Zaimond's excitement was palpable as he jumped up and down. "Finally, something with just two eyes! No weird three to hundred-eyed monsters this time, huh?"
Caelan blinked at Zaimond, still trying to wrap his mind around the situation. "You're excited because… it has two eyes?"
Zaimond grinned. "Yeah! You know how many multi-eyed freaks we've fought? It's about time we get something normal."
Elden, his sword at the ready, wasn't sharing in Zaimond's enthusiasm. His gaze remained locked on the ice giant. "Stay focused. This thing isn't normal at all. It's far more dangerous."
Starlux floated up beside the giant, his oversized jacket billowing in the frozen wind. A malicious grin spread across his face as he looked down at the group. "Now… do you still think this is a joke?" he taunted, his voice dripping with menace, though it still had that irritating high-pitched tone.
Caelan tightened his grip on his sword, the light of his blade flickering as he tried to assess the situation. "No kidding… This thing's huge."
Zaimond cracked his knuckles. "Big target, big fun. I'm all in!"
Richard, meanwhile, crossed his arms and tapped his chin, still lost in thought. "If I could sell pieces of that ice, I bet it would fetch a high price in the black market…"
Velldora Rul, standing calmly behind them, didn't seem bothered by the colossal ice giant. His gaze remained steady, almost bored, as if this wasn't even worth his attention. He could easily sense the sheer power within the creature, but to him, it wasn't something that would challenge his might. If anything, he was more curious about how Caelan and the others would handle it.
"Let's see if they can rise to the occasion," Rul murmured to himself, his expression relaxed.
The giant let out a bone-chilling roar, sending shockwaves of freezing wind across the landscape. Ice shards flew everywhere, embedding themselves into the ground, causing even Caelan to shield his face. The creature raised its massive arms, ready to crush them all in one devastating blow.
Zaimond was the first to act, grinning from ear to ear. "Finally! Let's see what this thing's got!" he yelled as he charged forward, flames igniting around his fists.
"Zaimond, wait—" Caelan called out, but it was too late.
Zaimond leaped into the air, hurling himself straight toward the giant's face, aiming to land a solid blow. As his flaming fist connected with the creature's icy body, a massive explosion of steam erupted, filling the air with hot mist. The ice cracked under the force of his punch, but the giant barely flinched.
Caelan followed close behind, using his speed to dash past the ice shards falling from the sky. His sword gleamed brightly, leaving a trail of light as he slashed at the giant's leg. The ice resisted, but small fractures appeared where his blade made contact.
Meanwhile, Elden stood back, calculating the best point of attack. His eyes scanned the giant's movements, trying to find a weak spot. "Aim for the joints!" he called out. "We need to bring it down to size!"
Richard casually leaned against a frozen boulder, watching the battle unfold with a smirk. "Well, if they manage to bring it down, maybe I can collect a few ice shards for later. Might as well make this trip profitable."
Starlux hovered above, laughing maniacally. "You think you can fight the power of Endless Ice? You're nothing compared to the might of the dark ice giant!"
"Yeah, well, we've beaten worse!" Caelan shouted back, dodging a massive fist that came crashing down toward him.
As the battle raged on, Rul remained still, observing silently. His arms crossed, he raised an eyebrow at the display. The crew was holding their own, but he could sense they might need his help soon. Still, he was in no rush to intervene. He knew Caelan, Zaimond, and Elden had the potential to handle this — even if they didn't fully realize it yet.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook again, and the dark ice giant's movements became even more aggressive. It roared, slamming its fists into the earth, causing massive ice spikes to erupt from the ground. The crew scrambled to avoid them, barely managing to stay on their feet.
"Why is it getting stronger?" Elden muttered through clenched teeth, blocking an incoming ice shard with his sword.
Caelan grimaced. "I think it's feeding off the cold. The longer we fight here, the stronger it gets."
"Then we need to finish this quick," Zaimond said, his eyes blazing with excitement. "Time to turn up the heat!"
But as Zaimond prepared to charge in again, Caelan felt a strange pull in his chest. Something wasn't right. His instincts told him they were missing something, some vital detail that hadn't clicked yet.
"Wait," Caelan whispered, looking up at Starlux, who hovered arrogantly above the battlefield. "He's controlling this thing, but he's not directly fighting us."
Zaimond raised an eyebrow. "So what? He's just the backup dancer?"
"No," Caelan muttered, his eyes narrowing. "He's the key. If we take him down, this whole thing might collapse."
At that moment, Starlux's eyes met Caelan's, and for the first time, a flicker of fear crossed the young demon prince's face. He could tell that Caelan had figured it out.
Caelan grinned. "Gotcha."
---
The battlefield was a storm of chaos. Ice shards rained from the sky, and the oppressive cold seemed to freeze time itself. Caelan barely managed to avoid a massive chunk of ice that shattered the ground beside him, rolling across the snow with his sword barely in his grasp. His breath was ragged, and his limbs felt sluggish from the bitter cold. His eyes darted to Zaimond, who was fending off the colossal dark ice giant with fire blazing from his fists. But this thing was relentless.
In the chaos, Caelan made a mistake. He stumbled, momentarily losing focus as he dodged an ice spike. The giant's massive fist came crashing down with deadly force. He wasn't fast enough.
Time slowed as the fist descended toward him, but then—
CLANG!
A shield of light erupted in front of Caelan, shattering the ice fist into thousands of pieces. Elden stood between him and death, his sword raised in defense, but something was wrong. Blood trickled down the side of Elden's face, and his left eye was scorched, literally melting from a powerful surge of energy that had torn through his body. Elden winced but didn't flinch, his body moving with practiced precision.
"Get up, Caelan," Elden growled through gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off the looming threat. "This isn't the time to fall apart."
Caelan gasped, his mind racing. "Elden… your eye…"
"It's just a scratch," Elden interrupted, shaking his head as if it were nothing. His voice was calm, even though the wound was far from ordinary. "I've been through worse. Now go help Zaimond take down that damned giant."
"But—" Caelan began, but Elden's sharp gaze cut him off.
"I'll handle Starlux," Elden declared with a determined tone. "You two focus on the giant."
Caelan hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. He could see that Elden wasn't in the mood for arguments. And if anyone could take down Starlux, it was him.
As Caelan sprinted back to Zaimond's side, Elden turned to face Starlux, who floated just above the ground, smirking confidently. The demon prince was still manipulating the dark ice giant from a distance, his oversized jacket billowing in the freezing wind.
"Brave, aren't you?" Starlux sneered, his childlike voice contrasting sharply with his cruel intentions. "You think you can take me on by yourself, knight?"
Elden said nothing, his only response was a faint smirk as he gripped his sword tighter, the cold steel glinting in the fading light. He could feel the weight of the battle ahead, but he relished it. This was his moment.
Starlux raised his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, dark ice spikes shot out of the ground, aiming straight for Elden. But Elden was faster. His form blurred as he dodged and weaved between the spikes with almost inhuman speed, closing the distance between them in seconds. His sword flashed through the air, striking out toward Starlux in a flurry of powerful slashes.
CLANG!
Starlux barely managed to block the first strike, his dark ice forming a shield at the last second. But Elden wasn't finished. He twisted mid-air, bringing his blade down again with incredible force. The impact shattered Starlux's shield into shards of black ice, and for the first time, the demon prince's smirk faltered.
"Too slow," Elden muttered, as he pressed the attack.
The two clashed in a whirlwind of steel and ice, Elden's sword meeting Starlux's dark magic with each strike. Elden's speed was unmatched, his every movement calculated, his strikes precise. He danced around Starlux's attacks, avoiding deadly blasts of dark ice with mere inches to spare.
But Starlux wasn't giving up easily. "You're fast… but not fast enough," Starlux snarled, his voice growing darker as his aura intensified. He raised both hands, summoning a massive wave of dark ice that surged toward Elden like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf him entirely.
Elden didn't flinch. He stood his ground, his sword glowing with a faint, golden light as he prepared for the onslaught. As the wave of ice crashed toward him, he thrust his blade forward, releasing a powerful burst of energy. The light cleaved through the dark ice, splitting it in two and dissipating the deadly attack in an explosion of shards.
Starlux's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-What…?"
Elden didn't give him time to react. In a blur of motion, he closed the distance between them once again, his sword aimed for Starlux's heart. The demon prince managed to dodge at the last second, but Elden's blade still grazed his side, leaving a deep cut.
"You're not invincible," Elden said coldly, his voice steady despite the heat of battle. "You're just another obstacle in our way."
Starlux hissed in pain, clutching his wound. "I'm not done yet!" he screamed, his voice cracking with fury. He raised his hands again, this time summoning a massive sphere of dark energy, swirling with malevolent power. "I'll freeze your soul!"
The sphere grew larger and larger, pulsating with dark ice and raw magical energy. Starlux's face twisted with malevolent glee as he prepared to unleash the devastating attack.
Elden's eyes narrowed. He knew this was it—the deciding moment. He couldn't let that attack hit. His body tensed as he prepared for his next move, his mind racing.
And then, with a sudden burst of speed, he charged straight toward Starlux, his sword raised high. The demon prince laughed, thinking Elden was walking straight into his trap. But Elden wasn't aiming for the sphere.
At the last second, Elden dropped low, dodging the blast of dark energy that surged past him. In one fluid motion, he slashed upward with all his might, his sword cutting through Starlux's defenses.
Starlux's eyes went wide in shock as Elden's blade pierced his chest.
For a moment, there was silence. Starlux's dark magic fizzled out, the massive sphere of energy dissipating into nothingness. The ice giant that had been rampaging in the distance began to slow, its movements growing sluggish as Starlux's control over it weakened.
Elden pulled his sword free and stepped back, watching as Starlux fell to his knees, clutching his chest in disbelief.
"How… how could I…" Starlux gasped, blood dripping from his lips as he looked up at Elden with wide, terrified eyes. "I… I'm the prince of darkness…"
Elden looked down at him, his expression cold and resolute. "You were a fool," he said simply, before turning his back on the dying demon prince.
Starlux collapsed into the snow, his body trembling as the life drained from him. The once-mighty dark ice giant crumbled into nothing, its icy form dissolving into the wind.
In the distance, Caelan and Zaimond stood victorious, having finally brought the giant down. Caelan, still panting from the fight, turned to see Elden walking back toward them, his body battered but his expression as stoic as ever.
Rul, still standing off to the side, watched the entire scene unfold with a faint smile on his lips. He didn't move, didn't interfere. This was their fight, their victory. And they had earned it.
Richard, still looting the remains of the battlefield, glanced up briefly. "Looks like the knight pulled it off. Good. Now, where did that rare ice crystal go…"
Elden wiped the blood from his sword and looked at his comrades. "It's over. Let's keep moving."
But Caelan couldn't help but smile. "Nice work, Elden. That was… epic."
Zaimond grinned widely, clapping Elden on the back. "Not bad, not bad at all. But you missed the part where I punched that giant in the face. That was pretty epic too, right?"
Elden, though exhausted, allowed himself a small smile. "Yeah… you did good too."
---
To Be Continued...