The moonlight seeped in from between the gaps of the giant hands.
A Demon King was a mythical being with powers that lived up to their name. 300 years ago, even Vermouth couldn’t rip apart the Demon King of Cruelty when he launched a direct frontal attack using the Moonlight Sword. On top of that, Eugene’s Moonlight Sword was significantly weaker than Vermouth’s. If the Demon King of Carnage had used any magic right now, it would have been impossible for Eugene to use the current Moonlight Sword to rip apart the Demon King’s magic with a direct frontal attack.
“Ahhh….” Eward looked forward with wide eyes. He felt like hundreds, thousands of ants were crawling on the surface of his brain. Those marching ants suddenly dug their way into the center of his brain, messing with Eward’s mind.
Someone else’s memory deranged Eward’s brain, but he didn’t know whose memory this was. It showed Eugene wrapped in white flames. His flame overloaded abruptly, but he wasn’t using a technique pertaining to the Lionhearts’ White Flame Formula. He used the technique that he had used earlier while dodging Dominic’s attacks as he had toyed with Dominic. It took more than a genius to develop that kind of advanced skill.
Eward saw a scene he had never seen before in his life. Wrapped in white flames, a man swung the Holy Sword. In fact, he used multiple swords — sometimes, he used the Holy Sword, but he also swung the Moonlight Sword. Over time, his clothes and movements changed…. But there was something that never changed — another man who fought beside the man with the Holy Sword.
This second man, covered with scars, wasn’t wrapped in flames, but he kept fighting nonetheless. No matter how ruthless the enemy’s attack was, he didn’t stop. Every time his weapon shattered, he would pick up another from the ground. Some attacks seemed impossible to dodge, but the man avoided them somehow. That wasn’t the end; he even made counterattacks.
Slowly, the memory from the distant past overlapped with the present.
That was when Eward realized — the man full of scars was none other than Eugene Lionheart.
“AWKKKKK!” Eward screamed in pain. His pain was greater than his shock from realizing the truth about his adopted brother.
The moonlight that had seeped in through the gaps of the giant hands destroyed Eward’s magic. Directly facing the light, Eward’s body began to fall apart. He used the Demon King’s magic, but its power was not as great as when the Demon King used it himself.
“Does it hurt?” Eugene blurted out, shoving the Moonlight Sword further into the gap between the fingers of the giant hands.
His left arm was crushed. He also didn’t expect he would be hit by Ignition’s rebound in this critical moment. Still, he didn’t think he was unlucky. It had only cost Eugene an arm to take care of a Demon King’s remnant. Besides, his left arm hadn’t even been cut off. The bones in his left arm were just shattered, and the flesh around the bones had been crushed. He would recover without a scar.
He felt pain, but his injury wasn’t painful enough to make him scream. Even when Eugene — no, Hamel had died with a hole in his chest, he hadn’t screamed even once. This kind of injury was nothing to him.
“I’m pretty sure the Patriarch’s broken heart hurts more.” Eugene bitterly looked at Eward.
He couldn’t consider Gilead a great Patriarch or father. However, the man tried his best, and Eugene thought he was rather unfortunate.
If Gilead had been a more active parent, Eward wouldn’t have fallen this far. Gilead was a sloppy father, and Tanis was a greedy mother.
If only Eward stuttered out a painful scream. Opening his reddish-black eyes wide, Eward glared at the Moonlight Sword. With Eward’s fragile mind, making a decision was impossible. However, the spirit that corroded Eward’s mind pushed his body forward with malice.
“If only you weren’t here…!” Eward screamed.
The giant hands that protected Eward’s body opened up. In spite of being cut apart by the moonlight, the fingers sprung forth at Eugene. No, they were not fingers anymore. The darkness filled with a desire to kill Eugene rushed over him, but it was scattered away by the increasingly bright moonlight.
Eugene didn’t answer Eward’s frantic scream. His chest muscles were stiff, and his heart ached. Quite some time had passed since Eugene had started Ignition. He hadn’t struggled in this fight, but he had used an overwhelming amount of power compared to when he had fought Barang.
“I’m getting tired,” Eugene murmured as he moved forward. He hadn’t finished using Ignition yet. When he wished to speed up, all his mana sparked up in reply, enabling him to spring forward like lightning. The darkness rushing in was ominous enough to crush people as soon as it touched them, but Eugene’s flame pushed away the darkness.
“If only…!” Eward kept whimpering.
Eugene quickly closed the distance between him and Eward. Different types of magic spells crossed Eward’s mind. He could use them to ride out the current situation. Yes, Eward had a bunch of magic he hadn’t used yet. Hadn’t he longed for this kind of magic ever since he was little? If he sacrificed Eugene, he would learn much greater magic than now.
What should I do?’ Eward wondered.
Right now, there was one thing the Eward severely lacked — the ability to make a judgment during combat. He couldn’t crush Eugene with his power, and using magic without any plan was meaningless.
However, Eward wasn’t good at making a choice. He had been desperate to learn magic since he was little but had no talent in magic that he so desperately craved. Yet, he had never tried hard enough to compensate for his shortcomings.
That was why it was too late for Eward to win.
With the Moonlight Sword, Eugene pierced Eward’s heart. Even before Eward moaned, the Moonlight Sword shone. The pale moonlight lit up inside Eward’s body.
His mouth opened wide, but he couldn’t scream. The moonlight was enough to destroy the man’s fragile mind. His very existence had been stained by the darkness, but the moonlight lit up the darkness, obliterating it.
Wooosh!
Eward’s limbs turned to ashes, disappearing. With cold eyes, Eugene watched Eward crumble into dust. The thought of asking Eward about any last words crossed Eugene’s mind, but he stayed quiet in the end.
He just watched Eward die. Eward’s black eyes were returning to their original color, and his face was contorted from fear and pain. Waving his arms in the air, Eward opened and closed his mouth several times. Eugene forcibly moved his left arm to hold the Holy Sword.
Stab!
The light from the Moonlight Sword was already killing Eward, but Eugene shoved the Holy Sword into Eward’s chest as well to ensure that he died.
Woosh….
The light dimmed. Gasping for breath, Eugene put down the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword.
Thud!
The Annihilation Hammer, held in Eward’s hand, fell to the ground. Without leaving a trace, Eward crumbled into dust.
Staying in mid-air for a moment, Eugene caught his breath. It felt like his heart was going to burst, and his whole body ached. However, he couldn’t rest now. The fight wasn’t really over yet. Continuing to catch his breath, Eugene looked down at the ground.
The ground was originally covered with the darkness summoned by the Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear. Underneath the darkness was the forest with bumpy grounds. However, only a giant hole remained on the ground now.
With nonchalant eyes, Eugene followed the trail that his fight left, searching for his target. The Demon Spear, which fell first, was at the bottom of the hole. The Annihilation Hammer was next to the hole.
Hector.” Eugene crumpled up his face as he couldn’t find Hector Lionheart. The last time Eugene had seen Hector was… when he was lying unconscious behind Dominic. Had he dissipated into dust in the middle of Eugene and Eward’s battle?
‘Or else, did he run?’ Eugene wondered.
Strangely, Hector had a pretty strong artifact. Maybe he also had a way to escape from this darkness. Clicking his tongue, Eugene slowly came down to the ground.
[...Hamel, it won’t be a wise move to hold….] Tempest cautioned.
“Those idiots had been using it, so I’m sure I will be able to use it.” Eugene chuckled as he reached out his hand for the Demon Spear.
300 years ago, Hamel and Molon wanted to become the owner of the Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear. Hamel tried holding it several times, but every time he did, he felt like he was going to go insane. So, in the end, he gave up on being the owner of those weapons.
Was he not worthy enough? The thought had crossed Hamel’s mind. The Demon Spear, the Annihilation Hammer, and the Moonlight Sword only accepted Vermouth as their owners, not accepting anyone else. Only Vermouth could use those ridiculously strong weapons.
Hamel and Molon were also strong, but they weren't as strong as Vermouth. If someone needed to meet special qualifications to become the owner of the legendary weapons, only Vermouth met those qualifications.
Hamel had thought so 300 years ago, but Eugene didn’t think so right now. The Council Head owned the Demon Spear. The Annihilation Hammer was owned by Dominic. Were they more qualified than Hamel and Molon? If ‘qualifications’ meant talent, then absolutely not. The only thing that made Doynes and Dominic more special than Hamel and Molon was their lineage as the Great Vermouth’s descendants.
Even the Moonlight Sword,’ Eugene thought.
He could now hold and swing the awful sword with ease, maybe because he had reincarnated as Vermouth’s descendant.
Eugene stood in front of the Demon Spear. The ominous Spear was tenaciously emitting darkness, dyeing the ground black. After glaring at it for a moment, Eugene unhesitatingly reached out to grab the Demon Spear.
Ooooo!
Trembling, the Demon Spear in Eugene’s hand howled. His head spun; his mind was confused. He was in more pain than he had been when his left arm was crushed by Eward’s attack. As he gritted his teeth to stop screaming, Eugene pulled out the Demon Spear stuck into the ground.
He came out of the hole and approached the Annihilation Hammer.
[Sir Eugene…? You are okay, right?] Mer asked in fear.
Without answering Mer, Eugene extended his crushed left hand and grabbed the Annihilation Hammer.
When he grabbed the Hammer, Eugene’s view was covered with darkness, but he wasn’t surprised.
Glaring at the darkness, he took a step forward.
The darkness shook hard as it gathered up in one place. Although it didn’t have a specific form, this ominous darkness made every living being instinctively shudder. Eugene was familiar with this darkness. The ‘darkness spirit’ had previously existed in two pieces: one was in the Demon Spear and another in the Annihilation Hammer. However, the pieces now united and became one ‘darkness spirit.’
The spirit was the remnant of the two Demon Kings — the Demon King of Carnage and the Demon King of Cruelty.
When he became conscious of the remnant, Eugene’s mind became unstable again. Staggering, Eugene grabbed his head. The truth of black magic, which had made Eward be in the raptures of happiness, was about to be engraved in Eugene’s mind. However, this engraving wasn’t the same as accumulating knowledge. If that truth remained in his mind, the darkness spirit would take over his body, regardless of Eugene’s will.
It meant that Eugene would become a representative of the Demon Kings, whom he hated with all his heart. On top of that, the Demon Kings had already died 300 years ago.
“Get lost,” Eugene spoke harshly as he took one more step forward.
Woosh!
The white flame wrapped around Eugene. As he kept marching on, the flame mane around Eugene flew in the air.
He dropped the Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear. Before they touched the ground, Eugene pulled out the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword from the Cloak. Eugene had no intention of tolerating the existence of that ominous, horrible being, much less using its power.
The converging pale moonlight and holy light lit up the darkness.
Ciel Lionheart was intoxicated, but she didn’t experience hallucinations. It had already been three years since she started to train as a Black Lion. She never skipped her drug-tolerance training, so her tolerance was pretty high. Her mind wasn’t fragile, either.
However, her body was powerless; her mind was groggy. The darkness spirit not only shackled Ciel but all sacrificial offerings. The spirit then dragged their minds into deep darkness.
Everything felt like a dream, but Ciel knew what had happened wasn’t a dream. Still, it didn’t seem real. She couldn’t interfere, only able to watch. She saw a reality that felt like a dream.
Where is…Eugene?” Ciel asked with trembling lips. It was difficult for her to speak. Her head ached, and her body felt heavy like wet cotton.
Her eyes kept closing on their own, so Ciel forced them to stay open. Among the people who had been captured as sacrificial offerings, Ciel was the first to regain consciousness.
He is okay…right?” She pressed her uncle, Gion Lionheart, for an answer. With worried eyes, her uncle looked down at her, unable to pull himself together.
Gion had realized something was going on in the forest. After he discovered that a large amount of demonic energy was accumulated elsewhere besides the center of the forest, the entire Black Lion Order marched into the forest.
Dominic knew the Black Lion Knights well. They were too obsessed to make only the Lionhearts as the Black Lion Knights. As a result of their obsession, there wasn’t a single priest or a paladin in the Black Lion Knightly Order.
The barrier had been meticulously made by the Demon King’s remnant and was truly powerful. However, since the Black Lion Knights didn’t have the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, it was impossible for them to break the barrier. Even the captains on watch duty gathered up in one place to break through the barrier, but it wasn’t easy to break this kind of barrier with pure physical force.
Gion included, the Black Lions hadn’t arrived at the scene of the incident because they had been able to break through the barrier. No, they had arrived because the barrier had been destroyed when a brilliant light filled the darkness.
He is injured, though….” Gion nodded, heaving a long sigh. After hearing his answer, Ciel raised her head with difficulty and searched for Eugene.
With a haggard face, Eugene was sitting down on the ground. His bloody left arm was a mess. It wouldn’t have been strange for Eugene to have fainted already. Instead, he looked the same as he did when the semiconscious Ciel saw him inside the barrier.
Are you okay?” Ciel spoke with a trembling voice. Her voice was small, but Eugene heard her.
Looking at Ciel, Eugene grinned. “Do I look okay to you?”
He was not gonna lie; he wasn’t fine. Without Kristina, Eugene would take at least a week to recover from his left arm injury and the internal injury he had sustained as a rebound from Ignition.
“Don’t try to stay awake. Just sleep.” Eugene suggested to Ciel.
I, I’m fine.”
“I know you are not okay. It’s all over, so you don’t need to stay awake.”
I have to… I want to say something to you.” Ciel didn’t change her mind.
She could finally relax, but she was beginning to choke up with emotions. Thinking that this was how she would die, she was scared. Although she wished someone would come and save her, at the same time, she also wished for no one to come. Yet, neither of her desperate wishes had come true: Cyan, Gargith, Dezra, and Genia had come one by one… and failed to save her. Everyone had been overpowered and captured by the darkness.
However, Eugene hadn’t come. Despite everything, she thought that it was fortunate. She hoped that Eugene had run away and gone outside the forest to ask for help. With the smell of blood filling her nose as Eward drew the magic circle, Ciel had gradually become unconscious. Then, when she was about to faint, she saw Eugene’s flame.
You saved me,” Ciel quietly spoke after she calmed herself.
“Don’t say it now.” Eugene shot her down.
“Why?”
“Thank me later. I’m going to hear it when you and I are both fine. You can say thank you then, very politely.”
No, I don't want to. Hear it now…!”
“No, I’m not gonna hear it now. You can thank me a hundred times now, but I’m not going to hear it,” Eugene said with a cheeky smile.
