Eugene fixed his eyes forward after jumping down from the hole. The first thing he saw were the people hanging like fruits on a black, wriggling tree. Although briefly, Eugene checked every one of them.
No one was dead, but their faces were pale, and their bodies were wrapped in wiggling darkness. The sight was enough to infuriate Eugene.
He had heard Hector and Eward talking about sacrificial offerings. That had to be the reason why they were hung on the tree — to become sacrifices.
Underneath the tree stood more people looking in Eugene’s direction. They were Hector… and Dominic Lionheart, Captain of the First Division of the Black Lions. Eugene saw Dominic holding the Demon Spear Luentos and a skinny arm lying around a little further away.
Then there was Eward Lionheart, behind whom was a magic circle drawn with blood that connected the ground and empty space.
Hadn’t Eugene thought no one had died? Well, clearly, he was wrong. One man was dead, his face contorted in pain. His chest had probably been cut in half when he was alive. His heart and a bloody dagger were lying beside him. Along with the blood, Eugene could smell a particular medicine that even the strong bloody smell could not mask….
The dead person was none other than Deacon Lionheart.
Eugene was not really acquainted with that eighteen-year-old boy. The boy was his distant, very distant relative. Although they had both participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony years ago, they hadn’t talked with each other. Though they had exchanged words during their encounter at the Black Lion Castle, it wasn’t enough to be called a conversation.
During that brief meeting, Eugene could see that Deacon envied and idolized him.
Deacon’s talent was so-so, and his family wasn’t so powerful. However, the kid was highly motivated. Eugene wasn’t sure why Deacon had even participated in this hunt, but he could roughly guess the reason: to improve himself or to gain something.
Deacon Lionheart would never have imagined himself dying in the forest like this.
What is that?’ Eugene thought as he looked at the magic circle floating behind Eward, but he couldn’t understand the circle, even with Akasha’s power.
That’s Annihilation Hammer Jigollath.’
The Annihilation Hammer, the weapon of the Demon King of Carnage, was floating in the middle of the magic circle. The magic circle was built on an advanced magic spell that couldn’t be understood even through Akasha…. Was the Annihilation Hammer a catalyst? Were living people going to be used as offerings on top of that?
Eugene’s ash-colored hair rose up.
Woosh!
Blue flame mixed with lightning wrapped around Eugene’s body, becoming bigger.
He understood the situation. He didn’t know the details, but he also didn’t need to ask such things for now. The relationship between these three, their goal, and their connection with each other… all of that was secondary.
What Eugene had to do right now was turn those three into vegetables. That was the easiest way to solve most of this fucking complicated situation.
‘I can’t use Ignition now.’ Eugene considered his options.
There was no going back once he used Ignition. There could be more of them hiding in this place. On top of that, Eugene had no allies to take care of him if he collapsed after using Ignition, and he had to be careful of using that particular skill in situations like this.
You really are alive,” Dominic murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. Dominic had gotten Eugene’s exact coordinates from his bracelet and accurately activated Spear Forest at that location. Spear Forest was an attack that ignored distance. It didn’t even have any telltale signs before the target got attacked. How could he have survived such an attack unscathed? Dominic was seeing the impossible with his own eyes, but he still couldn’t believe it.
“It would be better to subdue him than kill him, right?” Dominic kept on mumbling as he picked up the Demon Spear. He was asking Eward, but Eward was blankly watching Eugene, who was wrapped in flames.
Those were the flames from the White Flame Formula of the Lionheart’s main family…. However, Eward didn’t recognize the bluish flame mixed with lightning that surrounded Eugene.
He swallowed hard without realizing it. So far, he had seen many flames produced by the White Flame Formula. He had seen his father’s flame long ago, and today, he had witnessed Cyan and Ciel’s flames.
However, Eugene’s flame was different from theirs.
Yes,” Eward answered as he nodded.
There were several emotions that Eugene could read from Eward — envy, idolizing, and greed.
Eugene was disgusted. He hid his two hands inside the Cloak of Darkness. Mer was already synchronized with Eugene’s mind, preparing for the incoming fight. She wasn’t the only one; Tempest was also preparing for the fight. The Wind Spirit King was not only furious with the current situation itself, but also harbored massive rage at the fact that his enemies were the Demonic Spear and the Annihilation Hammer.
Dominic moved first.
He was the Captain of the First Division of Black Lion Knights. Divisions were not assigned numbers based on strength, but Dominic was nevertheless confident that he was the strongest Black Lion Knight. Carmen and Genos Lionheart were strong, even by his own admission; he truly wasn’t sure whether he would overpower them if they fought with their strength and skills alone. Yet, Dominic knew that he was special.
In the history of the Lionhearts, there was almost no one who could perfectly control the Demon Kings’ weapons, apart from the Great Vermouth himself. The previous Patriarch and Dominic’s father had even passed away because they weren’t able to fight off the curse of a Demon King’s weapon.
Dominic had been handling such a weapon for decades. And right now, he was holding the Demon Spear. Since he had been favoring the Annihilation Hammer for a long time, he was more adept at using the Annihilation Hammer. But even so, he was pretty confident in handling a spear.
‘I have a rough idea of your ability,’ Dominic thought.
Eugene’s fight with Genos Lionheart wasn’t the only fight that allowed Dominic to get some ideas.
“You killed Barang, right?” Dominic asked, as if just to confirm.
The distance between Dominic and Eugene was reduced in no time. The black spear came right up to Eugene’s nose. Dominic grinned as he spun the shaft.
“That guy went through a lot, you know.”
Thummmpp!
The air current spun along with the Spear and was dyed in darkness. Shortly after, demonic energy burst out of control, an ominous power that was different from mana. The Demon King’s weapon itself held an endless amount of dark energy.
Eugene scrunched up his face. He pulled his hands from the Cloak — his right hand was holding Wynnyd, and his left hand was holding the Holy Sword.
Woosh!
The Holy Sword’s light pushed away the demonic energy. Dominic’s eyes opened wide in shock at this sight.
The Holy Sword? I never heard you owned the Holy Sword….” Dominic blurted in disbelief.
“I guess the old man didn’t blab about everything, huh?” Eugene asked rhetorically.
“It seems he didn’t.” Dominic guffawed and swung the Demon Spear.
Clash!
The Demon Spear and Wynnyd clashed in mid-air. As Eugene glanced at Wynnyd being eroded by demonic energy from the Demon Spear, he began to use the Ring Flame Formula. The wind that wrapped around Eugene’s body got bigger. The angry Tempest stood up.
As Tempest raised the wind, Eugene’s flame and lightning blended with it. Was Eugene using magic? No, Eugene was simply causing his mana to burst.
‘He is just blasting out mana. How can an ordinary mana burst be this powerful?’ Dominic thought, shocked.
Dominic’s mana and the Demon Spear’s demonic energy blended into one, forming a defense that perfectly shielded him from close-range explosions. It was hard to defend without doing this much. Feeling his arm trembling as he held the Demon Spear, Dominic frowned.
‘He’s a monster,’ Dominic thought as he gritted his teeth.
Dominic had a rough idea of Eugene’s ability. Barang had been strong, but he had also been greedy. As a result, Dominic had been able to give Barang what he wanted, turning him into an easy-to-use tool.
However, Barang had been strong enough that even Dominic couldn’t take him lightly. Since there was a zero chance of Barang betraying Dominic, the fact that Eugene had returned from the Samar Rainforest unscathed while Barang hadn’t meant only one thing: Barang was dead.
‘His mana control is delicate, and his movements are splendid.’ Dominic observed.
That wasn’t it.
The ground underneath Dominic turned into thorns and soared up. He leaped backward and looked below. He could see cracks resembling a spider web spreading on the ground.
Rumbleee!
The ground flipped over. Specks of dirt were gathered into multiple lumps, and stones were divided into pieces, all of these turning into thousands of bullets. Once formed, these bullets shot at Dominic, who was floating in mid-air.
Dominic wasn’t the only one who entered the fight. Scowling, Hector also sprang forth. He had fought Eugene before but hadn’t gained anything from the battle.
He wasn’t going to win if he fought Eugene now. He was painfully aware of this fact, but he couldn’t stand down due to his circumstances.
While Dominic destroyed the earth and stone bullets, he met Hector’s eyes. Next, the two pounced at Eugene in unison, as if it was natural for them to do so. Eugene followed their movements with wide-open eyes.
The situation wasn't enough for him to relax. The Cloak of Darkness flew high. From inside the cloak’s darkness, Eugene slowly pulled out Akasha, which was wrapped in red light. Eugene didn’t need to hold Akasha, as his consciousness was connected to the staff and Mer was also assisting him from within the cloak. As the red light connected Eugene to the staff, Akasha floated in front of him.
“Burning Flame’s Wild Dance,” Eugene muttered.
He cast a Seventh Circle fire-type magic. Eugene’s mana had been undulating around him, but it now became fire blades that burned with scarlet shades. Eugene now looked like he was armed with dozens of blades.
The blades were connected to the caster’s consciousness and followed their orders. This kind of magic was a good match with Eugene, as he didn’t need to control them himself. Mer controlled them on his behalf as she read his mind.
Eugene’s incandescent blades and Hector’s sword clashed.
Eugene’s wild dancing blades tried to lodge themselves in Hector. Hector deflected the attacks, trying as hard as he could to avoid being slain by the blades. In the meanwhile, he fumbled around the bag near his waist with his left hand. Buffs from the artifact weren’t enough, and he needed something extra.
After he drank the potion from his bag, the world around him changed. Hector’s eyes were able to see more things with greater accuracy. In contrast with the world that seemed slower in his eyes, he had now become faster.
‘I am going out of my mind.’ Hector thought.
…Was he really seeing things slowly? Hector felt a chill as he watched Eugene’s flame blades approaching his neck. It was slow…. It was definitely approaching at a slow speed, but he couldn’t think of a way to avoid this attack neatly. His escape route was already blocked. The only way Hector could minimize damage was to push forward.
‘We just started fighting, but I’m already in a tight corner? How many steps does he read ahead?’
Hector was also confident in fighting and figuring out his opponent’s next move. However, he couldn’t help but realize how meaningless his confidence was. Lowering himself, Hector moved forward. As he plowed ahead through the burning blades, Hector saw a giant flame. It was none other than Eugene.
Eugene’s eyes were blazing even more powerfully than the flames wrapping around him. When Hector saw a lightning spark, he instinctively reached out with his left hand.
He regretted taking the potion. In his slow-motion world, he could perceive what would happen to his body; his future was cruel, but he could not retreat.
I really shouldn’t have been here,’Hector thought. At least, luckily, he hadn’t reached out with his right hand.
Slash!
A bolt of lightning mutilated his left arm. Gritting his teeth to keep himself from screaming, Hector twisted his waist to throw the sword. The sword flew in Eugene’s direction but didn’t reach him — the wind hovering around Eugene shattered the sword into pieces.
‘Huh?’ Dominic was surprised.
Eugene had easily overpowered Hector as if he were a child. Marveling at the fact, Dominic pierced the ground with his Demon Spear.
Booom!
He had only thrust downward, but the whole place shook, and the ground collapsed.
‘The Holy Sword is indeed worthy of its reputation, I see.’ Dominic observed.
Eugene had blocked the Demon Spear with the Holy Sword. Then, as Dominic drew out more demonic energy from the Demon Spear, the Holy Sword shone brighter, pushing away the darkness.
‘I can’t use Spear Forest right now, but Demon Spear has one more powerful attack.’
Dominic’s mana turned into a giant flame, resonating with the Demon Spear. With Dominic as the center, pitch-black darkness spread out. Eugene’s lips twitched as he glared at the sight. He was well aware of what was going to happen now.
Thorns shot out from the darkness. Eugene had previously used Burning Flame’s Wild Dance, but it wasn’t enough to slash away the thorns, as his flame blades dissipated when they touched the dark thorns.
Inside the Cloak, Mer shrieked as she shouted, [Sir Eugene! You need to step back!]
As he had first-hand experience with the attack from long ago, Eugene definitely knew that. However, he didn’t step back. Tempest’s wind rocked the sky; he knew what Eugene was trying to do, but his plan hurt the Wind Spirit King’s ego.
[…I have no choice.] Tempest grumbled, but that didn’t mean he was not going to cooperate. He had no choice in the first place. Even Spirit Kings couldn’t defy the orders from the person they had made a contract with. Thus, Tempest’s wind created a giant wall behind Eugene.
Dominic was thrusting his spear, but he couldn’t understand why Eugene was building a wall. It didn’t appear that his intention was to block the Demon Spear’s attack. Instead, it seemed like the wall was limiting the radius of the attack. It was only natural for Dominic to think that way, since the wind wall had blocked not only Eugene’s back, but also his sides.
‘What the hell is he trying to do…?’ Dominic thought.
He suddenly felt a chill. He didn’t know why; it just seemed as if time had become a lot slower.
Dominic had developed his intuition as he had spent his entire life as a martial artist. This intuition was warning him about something dangerous that was going to happen. Why was it warning him, though? The Holy Sword and Wynnyd were no longer in Eugene’s hands anymore. He had cast a barrier spell, not an attack spell, through the floating Akasha.
The wall created by wind and magic made Dominic and Eugene confront each other head-on. By the time Eugene had finished building the wall, Dominic had made the thorns from the Demon Spear rise up right under his nose. What was Eugene trying to do? It was too late to block or avoid Dominic’s attack. It had to be, but the chill in Dominic’s spine didn’t disappear. It had rather become stronger.
He wasn’t the only one trembling; the Demon Spear also did. Its handle was shaking. This old weapon knew what had happened three hundred years ago.
A faint light flickered inside Eugene’s wide-open cloak.
What is that?’
The light was so white that it almost seemed pale. It was faint, but it got bigger.
Eugene pulled out the long light, looking as if he was pulling out a crescent moon.
All the thorns generated by the Demon Spear were crushed. Dominic was unable to understand the moon in front of him, but he knew one thing for sure — he couldn’t touch it. He would die if he did.
Dominic gathered demonic energy from the crushed thorns to build a defense wall, but the wall wasn't able to block out the light, not even for a second. That horrible moonlight lit up every bit of the darkness that tried to spread.
‘I should run…,’ Dominic belatedly realized.
Eugene hadn’t built the wall to limit the range of his attack, he had done it to stop Dominic from avoiding Eugene’s attack by dodging sideways. There were two things Dominic could do — push forward and be torn apart by the moonlight, or keep on stepping back until he exhausted himself.
“The Moonlight Sword.”
Dominic wasn’t the one who called the sword’s name.
It was Eward Lionheart, looking at Eugene’s sword with wide eyes. The entire sword was covered with moonlight, even its handle.
Eward didn’t know what that sword was. The Moonlight Sword wasn’t recorded in the Lionheart — no, the world’s history.
However, the being connected to Eward’s mind knew the sword.
Ooooo!
The darkness spirits that spread around Eward gathered in one place. Ink-like darkness spread in Eward’s golden eyes, completely turning them black.
Red dots showed up in the center of his black eyes. A darkness spirit that wasn’t able to take form wrapped around Eward’s body. Attracted by the darkness, Eward grabbed the Annihilation Hammer at the center of the magic circle.
When Eward grabbed the Annihilation Hammer, Eugene instinctively looked up at him.
[…Oh my god.] Tempest felt a presence from the darkness spirit that covered Eward. The presence made him despair.
I’m not mistaking something, right?” Eugene murmured and put his hand over his left chest.
[I am feeling the same thing as you,] Tempest confirmed.
Eugene fiercely dug his fingers into his chest as if he was going to grab his heart.
[The spirit is the Demon King’s remnant.]
