After Oliver rescued Andre from Maurice's trap, Andre fell to his knees, striking the ground repeatedly. "I will kill him," he hissed, the words turning into a relentless mantra. Oliver tried to restrain him, attempting to calm his fury, but Andre barked back, "Calm down? How, Oliver? How, after he slaughtered the innocent children in the orphanage? After Sister Olette? After Uncle Albert? I haven't forgotten... all this time, I never forgot them. When I saw him, I tried to hold myself back so I wouldn't make a wrong move and ruin my revenge. But when I finally got close to killing him, I failed? No! That won't happen. I'll attack again, even if it costs me my life!"
Oliver tried to stop him, but Andre was beyond reason. As Andre lunged forward, a lash of blood suddenly coiled around him, dragging him back toward the Ice Lord. The Ice Lord signaled Julian to stop, then conjured barriers of ice that encased them in a massive dome.
"This dome will shield us for a minute or two," the Ice Lord said calmly. "That is enough time."
"Ice Lord, there is no time! We must kill Maurice!" Andre shouted.
"We? Or you?" the Ice Lord countered. "You've started hiding too much, Andre."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you don't speak your heart, even to your leader. And secondly, you think you're the only one with a vendetta against Maurice. You forget that you are part of the Ice Team. You are not alone anymore; there are people standing by you, ready to give their lives for yours. Thirdly, we also seek revenge. First for the village, then for the death of the Leader—my friend and Rose's father. We all remember her; she is the pride of this team."
The Ice Lord continued, his voice heavy with emotion: "Do you know that when I held Rose's necklace, Volak stopped me? He said I failed my promise and couldn't protect the village. He was right. I listened and felt my soul wither, giving weak excuses just to keep that necklace as a reminder of my failure. When I saw the village turning into demons, I felt like a stone that nothing could conquer, until the rain came and began to erode me. But as the leader, I have no time for my own feelings. Now, Andre, I want an answer: Are you with this team, or out?"
At that moment, the dome shattered. The Ice Lord clenched his fist and struck a dragon with such force it disintegrated against the wall. Andre gripped his sword and asked for a moment. The Ice Lord roared to the team: "From this moment on, protect Andre with everything you have!"
Andre grabbed his sword and called upon the Demon Lord. A black light surged from the blade into Andre's arm, and for the first time, the blade turned into something resembling glass. Suddenly, Andre's own arm moved involuntarily, plunging the sword into his own heart.
The team watched in horror, but not a single drop of blood fell. Instead, a seal opened beneath them. "Trust Andre," the Ice Lord commanded. "Give him time."
Inside the Mindscape
Inside, a raging mist surrounded Andre. He walked toward the center until he found the Demon Lord, bound in heavy chains. The Demon Lord smiled. "I'd love to help, dear Andre, but as you see, my hands are tied."
"I need your power," Andre said coldly.
The Demon Lord laughed. "My power? Remember, Andre, you are the one who bound me in these chains. You balanced the First Hero's power with mine in your body and reinforced my prison. How can I give it to you?"
"Because we have a common enemy. Don't you want to kill Maurice?"
The Demon Lord sneered. "I'm sorry, what was the name again? I don't remember the weak. The killing intent of one who has fought Great Ones is different from others. You want to kill a man you once cut in half and let live just to amuse yourself. I, however, have fought legends you only tell stories about. I defeated them all, except for one: the Lord of the Dead. He is the only one I care about."
Before he could finish, Andre drove the sword into the Demon Lord's heart. "You want the Lord of the Dead because he beat you? Well, guess what—I beat you too in our last duel. Don't give me excuses. Your first win was because I had no energy. When we were equal, I thrashed you and broke your skull. So, whether you like it or not, I don't care. You chose me and formed the contract. Give me your power!"
The black mist suddenly rushed toward Andre. The Demon Lord was struck with a sudden, chilling terror—a feeling he hadn't felt since his defeat by the Lord of the Dead.
The Awakening
Back on the battlefield, the Ice Team was fighting the Lord of the Dead's army when everyone froze. A power so immense it felt like it would swallow the world erupted from Andre. It was like a thunderbolt striking the earth, shattering everything it touched.
"Oliver! Get us out of this cave, now!" the Ice Lord screamed. "Even the Covenant Beast is terrified of this energy!"
Oliver quickly teleported the team outside. Maurice also vanished to safety. The explosion of power sent shockwaves across the kingdoms of Men and Demons.
In the realm of the Lord of the Dead, the dark master felt the vibration. He reached for a sword that hadn't moved in centuries and unsheathed it with a smile. "Come to me soon, Andre," he whispered.
In the Demon Kingdom, a Vampire sitting in his castle felt the tremor and muttered, "The Invader..."
Meanwhile, Commander Alexander felt the shift and wondered, "Is time moving faster, or is it just me?"
Back at the ruins of the cave, the blast had leveled everything, revealing a massive, hidden army Maurice had been keeping in reserve. As the dust settled, Andre stood holding his sword, his features sharp and deadly. Maurice immediately ordered the army to swarm him.
Thousands lunged at Andre, but a volcanic force erupted from the ground, incinerating the soldiers. Dragons attacked from above, but Andre swung his sword, turning the atmosphere into a black wind that tore them apart.
Maurice, terrified, teleported far away. He thought he was safe, but Andre's presence was already behind him. Every time Maurice moved, Andre was there. Finally, at the edge of a cliff, Maurice cowered. "Impossible! How are you finding me so fast?"
Andre stepped forward, but his strength began to flicker as the power started sealing itself back into his body. Sensing this, Maurice laughed. "Oh, Andre... for a moment, I was truly terrified. But now your power is gone. Today is my day!"
Maurice prepared to strike, but the Ice Team arrived. "How did you find me?!" Maurice shrieked.
"We have a teleporter," the Ice Lord replied dryly. "Use your head."
Realizing he was trapped, Maurice jumped off the cliff, laughing. "Goodbye, fools!"
But someone jumped after him. It was Andre. He tackled Maurice in mid-air, driving his sword into him and punching him repeatedly. "You think losing my energy means I can't catch you? If you go to Hell, I'm following you there!"
Enraged and in pain, Maurice grabbed Andre. "You want to follow me to Hell? So be it!"
With a flash, Maurice teleported them both away, leaving the Ice Team in a state of total shock.