Fifteen years before Dai picks up a sword, Avan de Zinuar III is the hero standing against Hadlar, the Demon King of hellfire. This prequel follows that earlier campaign: Avan assembling a party, running into the demon army's commanders, and heading toward the battle the main series treats as settled history. Avan appears here as a young adventurer rather than as the teacher who later hands his technique to Dai, with Hyunckel and Zaboera among the figures crossing his path.