Demon Infiltration Arc

The Demon Infiltration Arc is the second story arc in Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

Prologue
Twenty-eight years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark are in Graf Granat’s Domain. As the trio walks into town, Frieren senses some demons and tries to kill them, but she is stopped by sentinels. The demons, led by Lord Lügner, are supposedly messengers of peace, however, Frieren calls them incomprehensible wild beasts that mimic human voices. She is then thrown into the mansion dungeon. Fern and Stark investigate and find out Aura the Guillotine, a great demon who served the Demon King as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, has requested peace after being long at war with the town. Frieren states that it is futile to negotiate with demons, as they only use words as a means of deception rather than communication. She decides to break out of the dungeon once the disorder starts. Meanwhile, Lügner wonders where he has seen Frieren before and smiles as she is the only one in town who knows the true nature of demons.

Monsters That Speak
Twenty-eight years after the Hero Himmel’s passing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark are in the Northern Lands, specifically Graf Granat’s Domain. As the trio walks into town, Frieren notices that there are many sentinels around and senses some demons. She tries to kill them but is stopped by the sentinels. The one leading the demons, Lord Lügner, asks Graf Granat if he is trying to instigate something. He denies it saying he is not foolish enough to harm messengers of peace, and Lügner lets the matter go. He remarks how Frieren looks at him as if she is looking at a wild beast, unlike the townspeople. She concurs with his remark, saying that demons are simply incomprehensible wild beasts that mimic human voices, making Lügner smile. Frieren is then thrown into the mansion dungeon to serve a two to three-year sentence. When Fern and Stark visit her, they tell her that they investigated and found out that Aura the Guillotine, a great demon who served the Demon King as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, has been regaining power since over 28 years ago. The town has been long at war with her army but it seems she has requested peace after being growing tired of the war. Frieren calls allowing the messengers inside a bad move, as it is futile to negotiate with demons. Stark disagrees, saying it will be ideal for the matter to be resolved through negotiation. Frieren refutes him, saying it’s futile because it won’t be resolved. She calls demons man-eating monsters and recalls an old memory of when she was travelling with the Hero Party.

The Hero Party chases and stops an injured, childlike demon who ate the daughter of a villager. As Himmel is about to kill her, she starts saying “It hurts.. It really hurts… Mother”, causing Himmel to hesitate. Frieren steps up to do the deed, but the village chief starts to sympathize with her and gives her a chance to atone by helping him in the fields. Frieren tells Himmel he will regret it if he doesn’t kill her now, but Himmel denies it, stating that she is able to talk to them. They stay in the village to see how things turn out.

Some time passes, with the demon girl living with the village chief and playing with his daughter. Then one night, she burns the chief’s house and kills him. She states that she prepared the daughter of the chief as a replacement for the daughter of the villager she ate, saying the chief isn’t alive anymore. As Himmel unsheathes his sword, he cuts the demon’s hand before she can take the chief’s daughter hostage. Frieren blasts the demon, right after she says “Mother” once again. Frieren states that like monsters, demons have no custom of raising children, so they are mostly alone. The concept of “family” does not exist. She asks the demon why she uses the word “mother” then. The demon replies that saying it prevented her from being killed and calls it a magical word, before dying and disintegrating to black dust.

The flashback ends, and Frieren tells Fern and Stark that words to demons are a means of deceiving humans. She decides to break out of the dungeon once the disorder starts. Meanwhile, as Lügner waits for Graf Granat in his mansion, he wonders where he has seen Frieren before and smiles as she is the only one in town who knows the true nature of demons.

Draht
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Graf Granat leads Lügner and his companions to his son’s room. He tells him about his son and shows his sword that was bestowed upon him by the king. After Lügner asks where he is now, Granat tells him that he died in a war with Aura ten years ago, and thrusts the sword in front of Lügner’s head while the sentinels also surround him. The demon girl gets ready to fire a spell, but Lügner prevents her. Graf Granat angrily tells Lügner that the only reason he allowed the demon envoy in was to get revenge for his son’s death, and states that Aura’s “reconciliation” can go to hell. Lügner looks around the room and notes how it has been meticulously cleaned for the past ten years and states that he has also kept his father’s room intact, who was killed by humans. This placates Graf Granat, and Lügner asks him to negotiate. Granat states that he will give it some thought and the demons are shown to the drawing-room. On the way out, the demon girl, Linie, asks Lügner what a father is, and he replies, “who knows”.

Lügner reveals that his true goal is to get Graf Granat to release the defensive barrier surrounding the town under the pretense of a “reconciliation”. Then Aura’s army will be able to destroy it. He inquires to Linie about Draht, the demon boy, and she replies that he said he went off to eliminate a nuisance.

Meanwhile, Draht enters the dungeon after easily decapitating the sentinel at its entrance. He enters Frieren’s cell and introduces himself as a subordinate of Aura the Guillotine, and one of her executioners, and states that he has come to kill her. Frieren warns him that she is powerful, far more than Aura the Guillotine, shocking Draht. He doubts her, telling her it is already over, as he hangs her from the neck on a beam on the ceiling with a magical wire. Frieren is easily able to prevent her decapitation by concentrating her magical power on her neck. She remarks how hopeless demons are now, as they fight like infants. Frieren cuts off Draht’s arm which was holding the wire, then quickly cuts off his other one as he makes wires from that as well. She lands on him and decapitates him, killing him and remarking that this is the first one to start.

The Murder of a Guard
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Frieren exits the dungeon and finds the sentinel dead.

Meanwhile, Fern and Stark are having lunch and Fern decides that they should go appeal to Graf Granat for Frieren’s release from prison and then defeat the demons. Stark agrees as they do not look like enemies they can face alone, especially Lügner, who seemed incredibly powerful. As even with everyone around, he set his eyes only on Frieren, as he believes he can eliminate people like Stark and Fern any time. Fern tells Stark the Hero Party would go regardless of if it would end up in a fight, and Stark agrees.

In Graf Granat’s mansion, Linie tells Lügner that she cannot detect Draht’s mana anymore, and he surmises that he must have been killed by Frieren then. Granat enters the room and tells them that the mage they apprehended has escaped and beheaded a sentinel. Lügner offers to help in the search, but the Graf refuses and notes how they are missing a person. Lügner tries to lie by saying he went to the restroom, but the Graf sees through it and asks again where the third demon is. Realizing their plan has failed, Lügner uses his magic to behead all the sentinels that were with Graf Granat, calling Draht an incompetent fool and remarking how he has ruined everything, yet being in the situation which he can only settle through violence made him excited, as they are wild beasts after all.

Lügner injures Graf Granat but does not kill him so he can lift the protective barrier on the town.

Meanwhile, as Fern and Stark head to the Graf’s estate, Fern spots Frieren stealthily walking in a black cloak. Frieren tells them how she killed a demon named Draht and that when demons perish, they turn into particles of mana and disappear, so it would seem like Frieren was the one who killed the sentinel. She thinks that she would suffer capital punishment, so decides to leave town. Fern asks her if she is planning to abandon the town as the remaining demons would reign free. Frieren asks why couldn’t Fern and Stark deal with them, and Stark replies that they don’t seem like enemies they can face. Frieren asks rhetorically if they would not fight an enemy if they were strong, leaving Fern and Stark speechless. She tells them she does not think they are weaker than the demons in the slightest and leaves them, despite Stark’s pleas.

Frieren senses a tremendous magic power a distance away from the town and recognizes it as Aura the Guillotine. Frieren comments how she also despises fighting powerful enemies, and must quickly finish what she dislikes.

Frieren the Slayer
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern and Stark sneak into Graf Granat’s mansion to rescue him.

Upstairs, Lügner tells Graf Granat how demons devote their lives researching one particular magic throughout their life spans, and after years their magic becomes far more superior and further strengthens them. He says that to prevent demonic invasion, a protective barrier conjured by the Great Mage Flamme protects the town, and magic conjured by a prodigy from a millennium ago can still surpass the magic of today. He states that he despises prodigies, as they lack the beauty that comes form enhancement. Lügner turns around and asks Granat how the magic to control the barrier works, but he stays silent. He gives him time to think over it carefully and leaves the room with Linie, threatening the Graf with further torture if he refuses to tell them. Lügner then tries to find a grimoire relating to barriers in the mansion.

A while later, Stark enters the room and tries to cut the ropes which bind Granat to a chair. Granat notices him trembling, and calls him brave, saying his deceased son also trembled before he went off to the frontlines. Stark is unable to cut the ropes as magic has been cast upon them. Graf Granat tells Stark to forget about him and says the townspeople must be evacuated. He tells Stark that if he shows the sentinels the Granat family crest which is on his neck they will abide by anything Stark tells them. Stark refuses and is about to destroy the chair with his battleaxe but Lügner and Linie return to the room.

Lügner asks the Graf if Stark is his acquaintance, and he tells him that he’s one of the adventurers from the morning, and lies that he came to negotiate without realizing his mage companion had already escaped from prison. Lügner lets Stark off, but Stark stands in his way. He quickly gets behind Lügner and attacks him, managing to cut his shoulder. Lügner does a counterattack with his blood magic from the blood of his shoulder and subdues him, but Stark manages to protect his vitals. Lügner praises his reflexes. Stark smiles as he realizes Lügner and Linie did not notice Fern outside the window. He tells Fern he has given her the opening, and she uses it to blast Lügner, cutting his arm and part of his torso off. He is shocked that a human mage could slip past Linie’s mana detection. Linie is about to face off against Fern, but Lügner stops her and asks Fern what magic she used. Fern replies that it was typical offense magic, which demons call Zoltraak. Lügner thinks she’s being absurd, saying demons conquered Zoltraak over half a century ago. He then asks who she learnt the magic from, but Fern realizes he is stalling for time and aims to finish him off quickly, but Stark suggests they withdraw as the Graf is gravely injured.

Lügner tells Linie they will go after them after his bleeding stops, and that his blood is on them so they will not lose track of them. Linie suggests that Lügner doesn’t need to get involved, but he tells her that if she had been hit by Fern’s magic she would be dead. Lügner states that that magic has specialized to kill demons now. Fern’s conduct reminds him of someone and he says he was once inflicted with the exact same magic. Suddenly, Lügner remembers a scene from his past. Frieren is looking down on him from the top of a pile of demon corpses. He realizes the mage from the morning was Frieren, saying that she greatly contributed to the humans’ research of Zoltraak, and is known as the mage who sent the most demons to the grave in all of history.

Lügner recalls Frieren's nickname: Frieren the Slayer, the kind of prodigy he despises.

The Undead Army
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Stark and Fern discuss with Graf Granat how Frieren and the Hero Party had protected the town from Aura before. Granat reveals that Aura fights with a magical object known as the "Scales of Obedience" which weighs Aura's mana against her opponent's. The being with more mana is then given control over the one with less mana. Elsewhere, Frieren calls Aura out on her use of magic to animate fallen soldiers and the two clash. Frieren resorts to an antimagic to dispel Aura's control over the bodies rather than blasting them away (as she had done in the past) as that had angered Himmel.

Ambush
Right after the events of the previous chapter, after leaving the Graf, Stark and Fern head towards the town and unexpectedly get attacked by Lügner and Linie. After pinning Fern to a wall, Lügner questions her and asks about the whereabouts of Frieren whilst commenting that Stark will not receive a pleasant death. On the contrary, Stark has engaged in a fight with Linie. After the initial surprise attack by Linie, Stark wonders why her technique is so similar to his master's. Fern then proceeds to grab her staff and break out of Lügner's hold. Lügner tells Fern she would lose her head first if she attacked. Fern remembers Frieren telling her that her Fern's strength lay in her casting speed. She tells Lügner that she, too, has spent half her life dedicated to magic before blasting him with a spell.

Master's Technique
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern proceeds to attack Lügner who barely manages to defend it. After commenting on each others ability, Lugner then uses an attack of his own, saying "I shall crush you with my full strength". At this moment, it pans over to Stark, appearing in an injured state, after his fight against Linie. Linie mentions that Stark has lost, however Stark stands up remembering his Master's words, "The last Warrior standing wins" before striking again. Lugner in the midst of fighting Fern, watches Linie fade away, before getting blasted in the stomach by Fern.

Coward
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Lugner is seen on the verge of death, with Fern approaching him. Before Lugner perishes, he is questioned, but to no answer. Then it flashes back to Frieren's past, where she encounters Flamme, after her village was destroyed. Despite Frieren overpowering the demons who attacked her village, she couldn't protect anyone. Frieren and Flamme then proceed to have a conversation, to only be rudely interrupted by some demons. As a result, Flamme eliminates them with ease, which Frieren is left awestruck. Frieren then follows Flamme as her apprentice. The next scene is shown to be the batttle between Frieren and Aura.

Scales of Obedience
Right after the events of the previous chapter, it shows Frieren and Aura getting ready to fight. Then it shows proceeds to show the life of Frieren, under the apprenticeship of Flamme. Once Flamme perishes due to old age, it shows Frieren's life just before she is recruited by the hero party. Then it goes back to the present, when the battle between Aura and Frieren has just begun. During this fight Frieren restricts her mana, which results in Aura calling her weak, overlooking her abilities. As Frieren releases the seal placed upon herself, she commands Aura to kill herself.

Victory and Funeral
Following from the events in the previous chapter, after the death of one of the Seven Sages Aura, it shows the battlefield, filled with deceased bodies. Graf Granat in response, thanks Frieren for minimizing the casualties. As he looks at the dead bodies, he sees one reminiscent of his son's, before commenting to give them a proper burial. As Frieren leaves the battlefield, she commends Stark and Fern in successfully beating Lugner and his accomplice. Then it cuts towards Graf's mansion where Frieren asks for a grimoire, however Graf Granat reveals that it is fake, yet Frieren says she knew all along and it was just a hobby of hers. As they soon depart from the city, it shows their experiences they had there, before showing the burial ground with people paying their respects. As they leave, they are informed that they need to take a Magic Association exam, but as they head towards they get lost in the snow.