North, a few hours before the clash between heroes and demons, two heroes stood, barely finishing their quests and trying their best to handle a situation they hadn't asked for.
Halie and Charlie had arrived in this kingdom exactly eight days ago. After reaching level 80 in the labyrinth, they set out to complete their trials and succeeded.
For Halie, it was about binding the spirit of a high-caliber elemental. She chose the fire spirit as her final choice. Previously, she had gained the help of the Earth and Electric spirits. Now, with Fire as well, she had the power to summon something truly formidable.
She was successful—fortunately, Charlie had been nearby. His trial had come from the Great Fire Spirit, and now, his new class was Crimson Monarch, granting him the power to wield raw fire.
He had started as a Pyromancer, a class that suited the fire-loving boy perfectly. The two had just completed their quests, tired and hungry, when they noticed a vast army of humans on the horizon.
"Freak, who do you think they are…?" Charlie asked, too exhausted to even focus on the flag. His long crimson hair was a mess from going days without a proper shower inside the Fire Spirit's domain.
"They're from… the Red Iron Republic," Halie sighed, resting on a stone. "I don't think we need to worry about them, but we do need to know why they're here." She was just about to call Silvia to make a teleport portal and bring them back to Highrule.
"Damn, and here I was hoping for a good wash, some real sleep, and enough food to pass out afterward…" Charlie groaned. He had just endured one of the harshest environments known to man—a volcano filled with lava, intense heat, and suffocating gases.
"Just relax for now. Sleep or something," Halie said. "They'll probably arrive in an hour. I'll send a message to Silvia just in case we need backup."
Charlie nodded, picked a corner, and slumped down. He fell asleep almost instantly.
Halie scoffed at his quick retreat into unconsciousness. Her hair was an odd mix of red, brown, and violet. Not a color she would have chosen back on Earth—but in this world, the more colors one had, the more they were considered blessed. She had come to accept it.
She didn't wake him. She knew it had been harder for him. Honestly, her trial had simply involved speaking with the spirit and asking for its help.
An hour later, they stood before the army. Two generals halted the march and approached them.
"I believe you are the Hero of Summoning… and the Hero of Fire Magic. I am Sir Edgar, leader of the Third Battalion, and this is Commander Sigard, leader of the Second and Sixth Battalions. We've come with over six thousand of our strongest. It was all we could gather at such short notice."
Charlie honestly had no idea what they were talking about. Why would they need to send so many soldiers?
"It seems you're not aware, then… forgive me," Sir Edgar continued. "I had assumed the ruler of Highrule had briefed you both. We've come to guard the Temple of Fire. Demons have entered our kingdom through teleportation. We were only warned at the last moment and could gather just this limited force… We ask for your help in the coming raid. It was the Spirit of Fire who sent us the warning."
Commander Sigard bowed his head respectfully, even though he appeared three or four times their age.
"I might be tired… but I don't think we have a choice here," Charlie muttered. "This is probably what Logan would've asked us to do too…" He sighed. As much as he envied the loner, Logan had grown so reliable that even Charlie saw him as a leader now.
"I'll help as well… but how many demons are we talking about?" Halie asked, less quick to accept the situation.
"We estimate about twenty thousand," Edgar replied. "That includes the creatures fighting alongside them."
The two teenagers exchanged glances, trying to grasp the scale of what they'd just heard.
"They're born of fire, it seems," Edgar went on. "But not of this world. They want to take over this domain to make those creatures even stronger."
The two still didn't fully understand what kind of creatures the general was referring to—but if they had joined the demons, then the two heroes were clearly needed.
"Sounds like we won't be leaving anytime soon… Fine. If someone has elixirs, I'd appreciate them. Otherwise, I'll be useless," Charlie said, being honest about his condition.
"It's alright, Hero. We'll restore you to peak condition," Edgar assured him. "As for the demons… they were last spotted four kilometers from here. We should move quickly."
He gave directions to their camp, and soon water mages, a few earth mages, and several healers were gathered to assist.
They had provided Charlie with everything he needed to look presentable again—even his broken staff received a quick repair, one that would hopefully last through the coming battle.
"Well, are you done yet, princess?" Halie asked, keeping a lookout. Her Spirit of Electricity had already darted ahead to scout the demons' movements. It had taken the form of a rabbit made entirely of lightning, streaking across the land at full speed. Unlike before—when she had to maintain the creature's shape—her spirit could now shift forms at will.
Another benefit of its evolution was her ability to communicate with it from a distance. All she needed was to keep a marked elemental stone nearby.
"Ha…ha… Well yes… I feel great now, thank you very much," Charlie said, breathing deeply. He felt completely refreshed, ready to take on all the demons at once.
"Good, because they'll be here in less than a few minutes," Halie replied. "Let's get into position. Also… I think you're the least suited for this coming fight. The creatures they brought—well, just like they said, they're fire elemental. I doubt your flames would hurt them."
"Well, that can go both ways, that probably means they won't hurt me either… so I'll have to be the one to defend," he said, gazing toward the horizon.
There, thousands of demons stood in rows, visible even at a distance—the fire radiating from their bodies lit up the land like a sea of flickering flame.