Western Region.
The western region was bathed in blood.
After the awakening of the Ice Demon Dragon, the West had been turned into a hunting ground.
Because of the sea of snow, the population had been grouped together.
These gatherings had become the perfect targets for the Ice Demon Dragon. In the span of a few days, this colossal beast had torn through three settlements, devouring everything from the smallest corpse to the largest life, adding them to its constantly expanding body.
With an original length of a kilometer, the creature had now reached two.
It dove through the snow like a sandworm in the desert. It was silent and undetectable, its speed unmatched. It moved throughout the west without pause, completely unperturbed by the futile efforts of the local mercenaries.
With each day that passed, the western region struggled to fight it, losing more and more people.
When they caught up, if they could kill it, it would run. When they couldn't kill it, it would attack, slaughtering its pursuers. The giant was like a seasoned predator, hunting cleanly and efficiently.
The West turned to the Mercenary Alliance, and the Mercenary Alliance turned to the Red Hand.
The Mercenary Alliance had nine branches. The Ninth branch, the Red Hand, was a research department that specialised in creating monsters and weapons. In truth, the depths of the Red Hand were unknown even to the Alliance Leader.
While they were making their preparations, the western region continued to be in chaos.
Each day that passed felt like a chunk of the region was bitten off.
With no Hero, they could only hope that something would change.
One day, the western region resounded with an explosion so loud that one would think that the continent was cracking apart.
The Ice Demon Dragon finally faced its foe.
What stood before it was a tyrannical and abominable patchwork of plants, bones, machinery, and meat. The towering skeletal deer stood a kilometer tall, only reaching half the Ice Dragon's height, but around it rose a forest of vines that intertwined and cut off the Ice Dragon's escape. Its empty eye sockets were lifeless, but the invasion of magitech augments was shown with a green light. Vine-like structures intertwined with the bones and formed artificial mussels. Amorphous blobs of wriggling 'flesh' intertwined around its body, almost making it look like it was regenerating from the dead. And indeed, although slow, this 'flesh' was expanding, slowly covering the monstrosity with a new layer of 'skin'.
It was clear to any onlooker that this monster was pieced together using a massive skeleton as a base. As for where this skeleton came from, it was impossible to know. Perhaps only the Red Hand researchers knew the answer.
Despite being lifeless and somewhat mechanical in its movements, this massive skeleton carried an oppressive aura.
In the far distance, Alliance Leader Hexfill stood with a man in red. The man in red was hunched like an elder, and his red robe was bulging, leaving one to question what was underneath. Despite this, his size was abnormal, standing three meters tall. Although mostly hidden, some places in the robe were split open, protruding with mechanical structures that functioned as supplementary appendages, mimicking mechanical arms. Overall, this man gave off an extremely mysterious impression.
"Tecelli, how long can you control that thing?" Hexfill asked, his face serious.
The red robed man shook. His face hid, shrouded deep within the low-hung hood. His voice released a strange mechanical hum, producing an androgynous tone that made it difficult to discern his gender. "It is unknown. That is a prototype of the new field of life sciences that we recently developed. It is unlikely to break, but its functioning time is dependent on many factors." He paused, seemingly adjusting something beneath his red robe. "I predict that it could last two days, but that is only a suspicion, and only relative when it is not destroyed first~."
Hexfill frowned. "Where did you find that skeleton?"
Tecelli chuckled, his strange mechanical voice somehow projecting emotion. "My lord, you know of my many hobbies. It was discovered in a recent excavation. This skeleton is believed to be one of many. I suspect that its size is not abnormal, this is simply the size of the average monster from the age of Chaos."
"How recent?" Hexfill asked.
Tecelli somehow shrugged. "Hehe, My Lord, why ask questions you know will displease you~? Should you not just focus on what comes next?"
Hexfill remained silent.
Out of all the branch leaders of the Mercenary Alliance, the Red Hand was by far the most troublesome to deal with. Sometimes, Hexfill even felt like he had no control over them at all.
Even this man before him was an enigma.
He only knew his name, not his face or origin. He didn't even know if he had a face! Because the Red Hand had served him for such a long time, he eventually forgot about a lot of their abnormalities, simply accepting it. Seeing this massive aberration appear, he wondered what else they were hiding.
He wasn't even sure if this was the real Tecelli standing beside him.
His instincts told him that it might not be.
Tecelli spoke again. "My lord, time is running out. Perhaps it is time to awaken Kilemin? He may have a solution~!"
Hexfill shook his head. "He can't be contacted, even if I went."
Tecelli paused, a few clicks escaping from under the hood. "Then I suggest that you prepare for the worst. When the experiment fails, the Ice Dragon will be stalled for a time, but if it succeeds in assimilating the deer... Then even with the precautions, it will be far stronger than before, perhaps unstoppable."
Hexfill frowned. "You mean it can actually assimilate your monster into its body?"
Tecelli shrugged. "I do not know. It is but a possibility, and a small one at that. Although small, it is not impossible. We do not know the full extent of what the Ice demons can do. The records are too short and the time is too little. The bones of the dead are corroded by a special curse, but this seems to depend on the size of a target."
Tecelli continued. "This will be your window, and your only window. If you can not kill it when it is feeding. Then, it will be time to leave the western region."
Hexfill agreed.
In the distance, the two giant beasts were exchanging blows. The shockwaves from their attacks reached even here. The deer fought with its hooves and antlers, stabbing, stomping, and clubbing. Its weight far exceeded the Ice Dragons, so many of its attacks were effective.
The Ice Dragon, on the other hand, repeatedly tore at the outer body of the skeletal giant with its hundreds of claws.
Hexfill watched, arms behind his back. He asked. "How far is the research on the Duskwood?"
Tecelli giggled. "Oho, aren't you impatient! With so little time, how could I possibly have any results ~?"
Hexfill was silent.
"Alas, a genius like me will outshine them all. Indeed, I have discovered what you seek. The Ashwood can be grown, and it can be used. I predict that if done properly, we could begin the world trees revival in about a year~." Tecelli added.
Hexfill raised an eyebrow. "That's very fast."
"Ha ha ha! My lord, you underestimate the Duskwood. That is an ancient plant synthesised by the high elves. It feeds on curses, making the western region the perfect place for it to grow. Perhaps, the high elves themselves had predicted the situation we stand in!"
Hexfill nodded.
He asked. "Will there be any problems?"
Something clicked under the red hood. Hexfill almost felt like the unseen face had smirked. "My lord, what could you possibly mean? With my work, there will be no errors." There was a pause. "But if I were to say there were any concerns, then I believe that there is a small possibility that our work may be labeled as the second calamity. Puhahaha! Yes yes, I dare say this may be the case~."
Hexfill frowned. "How is that possible? How is it related to the sea of Poison or the sky of death?"
Tecelli twitched, an unusual action. He raised his voice, seemingly in a good mood. "It's the timing, the timing, my lord. I suspect that all large projects during that time will be looked upon with hostility. According to the Book of Calamity, the second Calamity will appear a year after the first! This period is a brutal period of inspection and suspicion for those who wish to make progress, the world does not slow after all. And, for those lessers... well, let's just say they wish to stop such things, regardless of correlation." He paused, reaching into his hood and clicking something. "But worry not! My lord, I believe that there will be no problems! We are neither seafarers nor sky sailors! We are gardeners! gardeners I tell you! We are surely unrelated to the second calamity!"
Hexfill did not speak.
Perhaps he agreed, perhaps he did not.
Hexfill disappeared, flashing towards the battlefield.
Tecelli was left alone on the hill, his strange body making mechanical clicks.
The unseen face smiled.
'Aya-ya, that man is such a worrisome person.'
Tecelli raised his head.
From the darkness deep within the hood, the totem of a vertical red eye slowly turned in the darkness.
-
Hexfill dashed towards the dueling titans.
At this point…
Colossal chunks of flesh had been torn from their bodies, and mechanical and undead debris were scattered around the ground. Their bones were cracked, littering the surrounding swampland with massive fragments of ancient bone and glowing neon shards of crystallized ice.
The battle was nearing its end.
The skeletal deer was badly damaged. Its bones were cracked and shattered, its plant-like mussels were torn and snapped, one of its antlers had been broken off, and another of its legs had been shattered.
It was clearly slowing down.
With one final clash, whatever force was holding the giant skeletal deer together was dispersed. Its body rippled, followed by an internal self destruction. It did not explode, it simply imploded under its own weight, clattering to the ground, spilling its bones across the landscape.
Hexfill made his move.
He was not alone.
Hundreds of figures all emerged from the shadows, rushing towards the massive titans.
As predicted, the Ice Demon Dragon began to assimilate the skeletal dear as soon as its body collapsed.
A flurry of attacks, ranging from countless professions, all bombarded the ice demon during its 'feast'. Dust rose, blocking the vision. Elemental energy exploded, material weapons were shot forward, unseen curses were cast, and purifying light was shot in rays.
It was an explosive combination of attacks that could easily destroy a mountain.
When the dust settled, a shocking scene was revealed.
Not long ago, Tecelli had made a discovery…
When an Ice Demon was too small, it was imperceptible, but when an Ice Demon passed a certain size, the curse fueling its life manifested in a tangible way. An aura, like the deep sea, rippled around the beast, catching the attacks. Some were dissolved, while others were reflected.
Hexfill remained silent, he had made a mistake.
His eyes were dark.
He gritted his teeth, wondering how Tecelli could have missed this. Such an obvious trait, why was he never told about this possibility? He questioned himself, wondering if Tecelli really did miss this, or did he just want to watch the fun? To see people struggle?
Hexfill roared, swinging his black blade again.
The sword light couldn't even reach the blue bones.
It wasn't only him, many of the spectators continued to attack, only to find that it was futile. Some cursed, some fell silent, and some fell into despair. A silent surrender slowly trickled through the inhabitants of the western region. The atmosphere had already decided that they had failed, that they had lost.
Just when all was lost...
Tock.
Tock.
Tock.
In the growing chaos and despair, the sudden sound of heavy footsteps crunched through the snow.
These footsteps were unique, powerful, and resounding, almost like the earth was beating.
Through the snowstorm emerged a bare-chested young man.
He had short brown hair and deep black eyes. Beneath his gaze were two scar-shaped divine marks that rested beneath his eyes. Around him was a violent wave of energy, almost forming a golden cape.
He appeared, silencing the surroundings.
Kilemin had arrived.
* * *