Guillotine: Winter Slayer

Profile Reincarnated as a hero of a world suffering a great peril after the White Ice Dragon engulfs the entire land with ravaging snowstorms, thus, Guillotine de Mephisto the Hero was born. With the comrades backing her up, it can be inferred that she is prophesized to be the bane of the White Ice Dragon in a comical-yet mesmerizing adventure.

Nikke Backstory With the Winter's Bane cast by the White Ice Dragon, the world was plunged into an endless blizzard. To save the country in peril, Guillotine takes on the role of a hero and gathers her comrades to embark on an adventure.

Story Main Story Event Bond Story Set after the events of Ice Dragon Saga

Episode 1 - 2nd Hero, Guillotine Despite finally getting some time to play games by himself during a holiday, the Protagonist can't help but feel very uneasy, more than usual in fact. This started a week ago when Ingrid asked him to enter a simulated world made by Einkk based on Guillotine's NIMPH. In her fictional reality, the two and Maiden embarked on a legendary adventure and fought alongside each other to end the Winter's Bane. He in particular faced Syuen, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Then he did so again. And again. Now, no matter what game he plays, none can satisfy him the way the simulation could. After getting a game over, he decides that enough is enough...

The commander enters the Simulation Room and calls out to Einkk to allow him to enter the simulation again. However, instead of the AI... he finds Guillotine instead. She was glad he had come as predicted and he was confused why she was here too. It seems their adventure has not yet come to an end, something that gets his heart pumping. Seeing as getting a simple explanation from Guillotine would be nearly impossible, she lets Einkk fill him in. The AI was actually planning to call him over and was curious why he is here of his own decision. She believed he got access to some classified info, but Guillotine believes that it's only natural he would come due to their unbreakable bond. Einkk became confused, so Maiden suggested ignoring her. Partner was surprised that both members of Extrinsic were returning to the simulation, however... she's not coming? Maiden reveals that she is forced to remain here to provide backup in case anything happens to them in the simulation, no matter how much she wishes to join them. She pleads with Einkk to create a simulation where she can have the protagonist all to herself, but Einkk explains that the purpose of this trip is to see if someone who has already cleared one of her simulations can do so again. Any data not extracted from Guillotine's NIMPH would be irrelevant.

Episode 2 - A Post-Ending World In a flash, Guillotine and her partner soar over the fantastical landscape and are very eager to start their adventure. Despite having slain the White Ice Dragon, they can't help but feel a little chilly. Remembering what happened last time, Guillotine knew that they were in for a rough landing...

Guillotine crashes to the grounds, now readorned in her proper attire. She swore vengeance on Einkk for making her suffer this ordeal again, however this was the first time Partner arrived here from the sky. Fortunately... Guillotine was there to break his fall. Both were fine for the most part, aside from the hero accidentally biting her tongue and being used as a cushion. Suddenly, a familiar voice states they are pleased to see the two return. Despite Guillotine being annoyed that things tend to go array whenever she's here and she tries to brush off her landing as "practicing a new combo attack" they are once again greeted by Exia... dressed like a reindeer again. The gamer NPC repeats her lines from the last adventure about knowing that Guillotine is here to slay the White Ice Dragon, but is fated to die alone due to lacking companions. At this point, she is now certain that she is no longer destined to live in solitude. To prove her point, she reminds Exia that the man who is still on top of her is one of said friends. Exia again tells her to go to the Demon King's Castle to slay the dragon, regardless of whether or not she has companions. Seeing as Maiden had said something similar about this Exia before, another familiar face comes to retrieve the gamer... Privaty... who is still dressed like a maid.

Though Privaty is very confused as to how and why the two are in the position they are in, but after remembering she had a similar expression last time, Guillotine fears the two may have ended up in a simulation before they defeated the dragon. Despite being angry to have her outfit called "shameless", the maid tries to warn the two about something regarding the formerly imprisoned members of the Big O... only for the group to be surrounded by the A.C.P.U.. Not having seen the three before, it was news to the protagonist that in this reality, Miranda, Quiry, and Poli are their enemies. The "officers" had escaped from jail and have returned to conquer the town and create a "better tomorrow". Poli was baffled that her allies got her to join in their tomfoolery, only to then pull out her gun and threaten to kill the two so the Big O can return to power.

Episode 3 - The Hero Has Returned The three were glad to be reunited and Volume informs her comrades about how she has been since they last saw her. After word of her killing Mustang spread, her shows have been sold out. She has been able to make it rich and Guillotine was happy she was so successful. The "bard" thought the two had returned to the real world, but as of right now, the two don't know their purpose of being here again. Though Volume doesn't know the reason herself, right now, she has to haul the A.C.P.U. back to their cells and she would gladly come to their aid again should they need it. Guillotine wants to know the whereabouts of Blue-Eyed Little Devil, Aka Vesti, so she tells them where to go...

The hero and her partner find the RPG-wielding mage at the Adventurer's Guild and she too was surprised to discover that her friends had returned. From Volume, the two had learned that Vesti became the head of the Magic Society after the White Ice Dragon's defeat. To be more specific, she's the head of the Explosion Magic Society. Vesti was curious where Maiden was since she has something to say to her, so Guillotine informs her that she is busy with other matters and she can relay any message she has for her on her behalf. Vesti's message to Maiden is that... explosive magic has become very popular, unlike her underdeveloped brand of ice magic. In short, Vesti just wanted to gloat in her face that the academy changed its name to the "Explosive Magic Academy" in her honor. Guillotine promises to deliver her message, even though Maiden probably won't take it well, something Vesti couldn't care less about.

Guillotine is curious if anything out of the ordinary has happened since they departed, like a new Demon King rising to power or if the Big O has returned. Vesti knows of one such thing. The commander is eagerly anticipating dreading Syuen assuming the mantle as the new big bad, but something more bizarre has occurred. On the day the party eliminated the White Ice Dragon, many adventurers here fought against the forces of the Big O and due to their help, the hero and her friends were able to reach the castle safely. After the battle, Moran escaped and vowed to continue the Big O's legacy as the new Demon King... only for her and Volume to already defeat her? Needless to say, both Guillotine and the protagonist were surprised that the two were able to handle things without them. The former remembered Maiden mentioning that Vesti could solo the final boss on her own... and she was disappointed that her teammate was right. Seeing as it is late, the two agree to rest up for the night and check out the Demon King's castle tomorrow, just in case some new foe has emerged.

Inside the castle, Guillotine was still enamored by the shaved ice she ate, made from the White Ice Dragon's breath. After she and Vesti "joke" that Maiden finally has a use for her magic, Partner sees someone passed out on the throne? Confident she can handle this new foe head on, Guillotine takes point and investigates...

Sitting on the Demon King's throne is none other than... Laplace?

Episode 4 - Leisurely Life in Another World The three being Laplace to the Special Therapist Inn. Needless to say, the hero was shocked to learn that she became a pawn of the Four Heavenly Kings. Though that was the case, Guillotine assures her that she took up her mantle and defeated the dragon in her place. It was clear to Birdie that Laplace seemed out of sorts, but she was impressed the two could do what she could not and she thanked them for doing so. She was willing to repay them for their efforts, but Guillotine was just doing her duty. Despite being willing to accept her kind words, Laplace isn't satisfied until she gives them something... after they help her find a job? Turns out the hero is broke and wants to earn some coins so she can repay them. Vesti suggests taking on some quests or venturing into a dungeon, however... Laplace's heroic adventures have come to an end? Fortunately, Vesti knows of a way for her to earn a living with that being the case...

Emma was surprised to learn that the hero Laplace... wants to work at her inn? She was confused why the former hero would want to work here, but as far as she's concerned, she's no longer a hero. Guillotine is now the world's savior. With that being said, Emma asks Laplace to deliver food to the patrons upstairs and she goes to handle it. Emma warns her that these guests are rather shy of others... however Laplace darts off before hearing the rest about leaving the food at the door. After she barges into the room, It turns out that this secretive guest is... Rosanna and she was mortified to see Laplace deliver her room service. Even though Laplace explains again that Guillotine is the hero now, Rosanna is ready to fight her now that she has been exposed. What follows is a series of gunfire and explosions and after Laplace escapes by breaking a window, the others watch this series of unfortunate events unfold with Guillotine willing to repay her for the damages.

Laplace proceeds to go around town and offer her services to anyone and everyone who is willing to hire her. She works as a weapon tester for Eunhwa and after trying to wield a sword... she slams it so hard she bends it in half. Each job Laplace applies to, she ends up breaking something and Guillotine has to pay out of pocket to fix the damage she causes, to the point she too is out of money.

In the end, Laplace apologizes for all the trouble she caused, but Guillotine reminds her that she doesn't want her to feel indebted to her. She reiterates that she no longer considers herself a hero and the only thing she can do now is repay the one who did what she could not. If she can't even do that, she worries her past adventures were all for not. It was at this moment that Guillotine has come up with a way for Laplace to repay her to the commander's horror and she finally knows the reason the two were destined to return here. She wants everyone to follow her so they can all get some closure...

Episode 5 - Inheriting the Hero's Legacy! The group reaches the center of town, to the statue made in Laplace's honor. This is the first time she has seen it herself and she was surprised to be immortalized like this given her mission ended in failure. Guillotine believes the opposite is true, it is here because she achieved her goals? Laplace didn't understand her reasoning since she became Syuen's puppet and Guillotine slayed the dragon. She thought her successor was pitying her, but Guillotine gives off another laugh and confesses they are here to show her what her adventure was for. Guillotine explains that Laplace's adventures... had no meaning? To be more specific, they have no meaning because... they are not over yet. In the past, Guillotine was in a similar position as her predecessor, where she neither knew where to go nor what she was fighting for. Thanks to Partner, she realizes that instead of standing frozen in place, she should keep moving forward. In doing so, she found meaning to her life and her actions. Having said her piece, Guillotine has a gift for Laplace... the Hero's Sword?

Laplace was very shocked that Guillotine would give her this legendary weapon, but the latter knows that in order to continue her life as a hero, she will need it moving forward. In essence, she plans on returning the hero's mantle back to Laplace. Just as she found her answers, Guillotine wants Laplace to do the same. To find the reason statues were made of her. To remember what her heroism has been for. This is to be the start of a new adventure, and Guillotine wants her to go and rediscover herself...

The protagonist was curious how Guillotine was handling no longing being the hero of this land but in her eyes, her story here ended after the White Ice Dragon was defeated. Her time as a hero has come and gone and if she focused too much on the Ice Dragon Saga, she won't be able to move on to the next chapter of her own story. Seeing as they have done what they set out to do... the simulation again begins to crumble. Partner realizes that their mission was to bring this story to its conclusion and she was pleased to be reassured by their connection. Though Guillotine's time as a hero is now over, her adventures as a Nikke shall continue on. She hopes he will continue to stand by her as a friend she can't live without. He too is excited to see where her future takes her.

A long time ago, in a reality sculpted from an enigmatic mind, there was a hero who embarked on a quest to save her fictional paradise from ruin. She was to slay the White Ice Dragon that claimed dominion of the Demon King's castle and end the Winter's Bane. With her trusted companions, she fulfilled her mission. After they succeeded, the cold chill that swept over the land was replaced by a warm breeze and where snow covered the land now bloomed with flowers. As winter reached its finale and spring started to set in, the hero made her ultimatum: "It was time to return. It was time to pass the torch and let the next hero go on adventures in this place. It is here where the one who exists to maintain the world's balance, Guillotine de Mephisto's adventure begins."

TRUE END: ICE DRAGON SAGA