The castle ground had entirely disappeared, and the ceiling of the underground space had vanished as well. Raimira had been worried that the ceiling would cave in, but this was worse than anything she had imagined. It wasn’t at all more comforting to see the whole ceiling disappear, and Raimira continued to scream with panic.
Raimira's panicked cries were suddenly cut off when she spotted Eugene hovering high above her in the air. For a moment, she just stood there, clutching her chest while trying to catch her breath. She had no idea what was happening or how it was possible, but she knew one thing for certain — this was the most dire crisis she had ever faced in her two hundred years of life. Her lips moved soundlessly as she struggled to make sense of the situation and figure out what to do next.
Eugene stole a glance down at the now exposed core of the Dragon Demon Castle. He had been thinking that Raimira would be safe underground, but it seemed he had underestimated the raw power that Jagon possessed.
“H-Have you come to rescue this lady?” asked Raimira after a moment.
Seeing that Raimira was about to fly out of the hole, Eugene extended his palm instead of answering her question.
“Stay there,” said Eugene.
“What…?”
“It will be much safer there than here,” responded Eugene.
‘Or so he says.’ Raimira lowered her posture once more without arguing.
“Wait… isn’t it better for you to destroy the core right now? Then this lady will be able to get away from the Dragon Demon Castle, and we won’t have to worry about me getting caught up…”
Raimira’s words were very valid, but Eugene didn’t even bother hearing them through.
‘There’s no way a dragon would die that easily.’
The worst outcome that Eugene could imagine was Raimira getting caught up in the battle and ultimately dying. However, as a dragon, Raimira was very sturdy, and she even knew how to utilize a little bit of Draconic. She was capable enough to keep herself safe.
Eugene couldn’t afford to think about Raimira anymore, at least not when was Jagon approaching him from afar now. With malice and an aura of destruction surrounding him, Jagon finally broke away from being an unrecognizable lump of meat. He wasn’t much different from before in terms of appearance. The only noticeable difference was that he was slightly bigger than before. Yet, the ominous energy surrounding him was much greater in intensity compared to before.
No matter how sturdy Raimira was, she would surely die if she were struck by Jagon’s terrible energy. This wasn’t just speculation; it was a fact proven by history.
Dragons were vulnerable to the Dark Power of Demon Kings. In particular, almost half of all dragons had been wiped out at the hands of the Demon King of Destruction. It was much safer to prevent Jagon from approaching Raimira at all.
“Stay there, and don’t move,” warned Eugene once more before slowly flying forward.
He had no reason to rush, as Jagon was standing motionlessly, for unknown reasons, in the middle of the Dark Power,
“Oh, dear….” Count Karad stood tall on the back of a flying demonic beast, taking in the delightful scenery of the Dragon Demon Castle turning into ruins.
The dukedom had been safeguarded by the Black Dragon's name for three centuries, but it was now being ruthlessly destroyed. Furthermore, the individual accountable for this was none other than him — a nobleman from the fringes who had demonstrated his remarkable skills and proved himself time and time again to be an outstanding demon.
Count Karad was ecstatic at the sight before him. He relished in the destruction and chaos that spread all over like wildfire. In fact, he was so enraptured that he could have watched for days on end. However, his euphoria was short-lived because he caught sight of Jagon hurtling an unrelenting storm of malice and energy toward them. The flying troops, including Count Karad, were rooted to the spot, unable to move or make a decision on whether to advance or retreat.
“Jagon?” Count Karad called out.
There were always demons whose names were mentioned in discussions about those who were the most famous, aside from the Three Dukes of Helmuth. One of them had been the Depraved Oberon, who had shown absolute domination while living in the same era as the three dukes. So, Jagon had proven himself to be powerful just with the feat of defeating his father.
This very Jagon was currently engaged in a battle with someone, and shockingly, he was being forced back. Jagon had always been a horrible and hideous creature by nature, and his body had always reeked of blood. However, right now, there was a different type of energy emanating from Jagon. It was an instinctive and ominous feeling.
Count Karad knew the origin of the ominous feeling. It was the Demon King of Destruction. Consequently, the aura emanating from Jagon conveyed a sense of despair even to other demonfolks. Moreover, Jagon did not distinguish between allies and enemies.
Unlike the elves, the Beastfolk did not receive the love of spirits during their lives, nor did they have a vast knowledge of mana or an incredible ability to have offspring like humans. Instead, Beastfolks were blessed with a strong body. Although they lacked control over mana, their robust constitution made them capable of enduring most attacks, and their incredible regenerative powers allowed them to recover from even the most severe injuries.
Count Karad had been taught about the history of the Beastfolk when he was a child. According to legend, the Beastfolk had succumbed to their primal instincts and become ruthless predators during the reign of the Depraved Oberon. They had indulged in flesh and blood during years of war, with an insatiable hunger for slaughter and carnage that seemed to never be satiated.
However, the Beastfolk needed more power to continue their campaign of bloodshed, so they turned to the demon kings for aid. By making contracts with the demon kings, even the Beastfolk could learn to control Dark Power, and they chose to align themselves with the Demon King of Fury. Then when Fury fell, they turned their allegiance to the Demon King of Destruction.
The Beastfolk of previous generations had betrayed their own kind, shifting their allegiance twice to satisfy their craving for slaughter and predation. It was natural that such habits had been passed down to Jagon.
Jagon was hungry, and the reason for Jagon's hunger was evident. He had lost an excessive amount of blood and regenerated at an alarming rate. Eating was the only solution to satiate his hunger. Jagon did not fight against his instincts; instead, he followed in the footsteps of his predecessors.
The ball of flesh squirmed in the rippling darkness.
Count Karad had not earned his title through mere luck or chance; he had become the man he was today by winning numerous battles of all kinds. From territorial disputes to ranking battles and other forms of combat, he had honed his skills as a seasoned veteran. As such, his instincts were sharp and keen, warning him of the quiet and malevolent energy radiating from the ball of malice.
He had no time to shout a warning or to order his flying steed. Instead, Count Karad immediately jumped off the back of his flying demonic beast. There were others by his side — demonfolks who had guarded his side as his escorts for a long time. Even so, Count Karad did not hesitate to jump alone.
Count Karad understood the gravity of the situation. A single moment of hesitation could mean his demise, and his intuition proved him right. Almost instantaneously, the mass of flesh and darkness — Jagon — morphed into a colossal mouth and devoured both the demonic beast and Count Karad's guards in one swift motion.
Their deaths were swift and dreadful, leaving them no time to even cry out in terror before their demise. The Dark Power of Destruction obliterated and consumed its victims, erasing them entirely from existence.
However, Jagon still wasn’t full yet.
Fwoosh!
Jagon unleashed dozens of tendrils of darkness, each one accompanied by writhing tentacles of flesh that thrashed toward the crumbling city. The fleshy appendages searched their surroundings with gaping jaws, akin to a pack of snakes on the hunt for their next meal.
Cannibalism among demonfolks wasn’t a rare thing, and it had been typical in the past. Humans did not grow stronger by eating their own kind unless it was accompanied by black magic or sorcery. However, it was different from demonfolks. For them, the strongest path to power was to cannibalize other demonfolks. Although there were risks involved, many were willing to take them during times of war and strife, as murder and violence were commonplace for demonfolks. In the demon world, the strongest path to power was often paved with the flesh and blood of their own kind.
‘He’s coming,’ Jagon thought.
Although Jagon was faithful to his instincts, his sense of reason remained unshakeable. As such, he calmly reviewed his previous battle, and he couldn’t deny that it had been one-sided. Jagon had been strong since birth, a natural predator. He had never lost a battle, and he had never failed to kill after setting his target on his prey. He ate when he was hungry, and he drank when he was thirsty.
Yet, it wasn’t working out as usual against his current prey. Jagon had fought, yet he failed to win. He had wanted to kill, yet he failed to kill. He was hungry and thirsty, yet he failed to eat and failed to drink. Jagon had never experienced such shackles until today.
Eugene Lionheart was approaching him now.
Jagon had never imagined such a scenario, even in his wildest dreams. He had known that the Black Dragon wouldn’t be present for the invasion. So, he had thought he would simply eat his fill; he had not expected a battle that could give him pleasure.
So, he couldn’t deny that the current situation had caught him completely unaware. The Black Dragon wasn’t here, but Eugene Lionheart was, and Jagon had suffered a totally one-sided humiliation from the human. Jargon had been decapitated, and his head had been sent flying away.
After preying on some demonfolks and devouring them, Jagon withdrew the Dark Power. He was receiving incredible power by using it, but he knew that the Dark Power would continue to eat away at his body in exchange, so he couldn’t keep using it.
There was a sudden roar, and Jagon had to struggle to come to his senses. The collision sent Jagon flying far back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was truly unbelievable, but this was the truth. Rubble collapsed on top of Jagon and threatened to bury him alive, but the Dark Power of Destruction surrounding him simply annihilated the wreckage. Eugene suppressed his nausea and glared at Jagon while raising Wynnyd.
The wind suddenly intensified, and a storm began to build with Eugene at its center. Moreover, this wasn’t regular wind but rather waves and waves of mana crafted into a storm conducted by the Storm Sword. With a downward slash of the sword, Eugene directed the full force of the storm toward Jagon.
The blow brought the entire city down, engulfing the demonfolks who had failed to escape, as well as the demonfolks ransacking the city and slaughtering its residents. Nevertheless, their fate was none of Eugene’s business. Rather, he was focused on Jagon and only Jagon.
Eugene glared at Jagon as the Beastfolk raised himself within the storm. All the feathers scattered in the surroundings were capturing Jagon’s minute movements. The Dark Power of Destruction showed off its presence even while Jagon was caught up in the storm of mana.
Booom!
Jagon stomped his feet, causing the ground to sink and the storm to dissipate. Then Eugene quickly switched out the Wynnyd for the Holy Sword before diving toward the ground.
Just before Eugene’s sword and Jagon’s claws made contact, a collision of light and Dark Power erupted. The Holy Sword emitted a powerful light and resisted the Dark Power of Destruction, but despite its efforts, it failed to gain any advantage. Jagon's power, which belonged to the strongest Demon King, was simply too great.
If the Light and the Dark Power were to collide head-on, the Light would be devoured, and the Holy Sword would wither away. However, Eugene was twisting and turning the blade at just the right moments to deflect Jagon’s blows and chip away at his Dark Power.
Meanwhile, Count Karad was muttering under his breath during his struggle to maintain his footing as the two monsters clashed.
"Monsters," he whispered to himself while taking in the sight of the destruction around him.
Hundreds of demonfolks had formed an army to invade the city, but now most of them — as well as the city’s residents numbering several times that of the demonfolks — lay dead. The majority of them had been caught in the crossfire between the two powerful beings.
The clashing of the two opposing forces was a deadly bane for the demons, leaving them exposed and vulnerable. The Dark Power of Destruction was indiscriminate in its destruction, mercilessly devouring anything that crossed its path. On the other hand, the radiant glow emanating from the Holy Sword was a death sentence for the demonfolks, for it had the power to purify and vanquish them. To survive, the demonfolks had to flee and create as much distance from the two monstrous powers as possible.
‘I’m not being pushed back, but I can’t grab the upper hand either,’ Eugene remarked inwardly.
Eugene had swung the Holy Sword hundreds of times in a short moment. He had slashed the coat of Dark Power surrounding Jagon multiple times but had never managed to reach the Beastfolk’s fur. Even the light of the Holy Sword, which typically purged the Dark Power of demons with ease, was ineffective against Jagon.
‘It must be because of the Demon King,’ Eugene surmised.
The Demon King whose power Jagon was using was not just any Demon King but the strongest Demon King. So, even though the Holy Sword wasn’t lacking in any way, it simply wasn’t powerful enough to blow away the Dark Power of Destruction.
However, the Holy Sword allowed Eugene to hold his own against Jagon. Simply holding the Holy Sword allowed Eugene’s sanity to be protected against the ominous and insane power of darkness. Moreover, the light of the Holy Sword repelled the Dark Power and prevented it from eroding Eugene’s mana.
Nevertheless, what Eugene needed wasn’t a protective Light. He needed destruction in the shape of a sword, an object that annihilated everything it reflected — the Moonlight Sword.
Eugene stepped back from the rampaging malice and placed his hand inside his cloak. He had never taken out the Moonlight Sword ever since recovering one of its pieces from the mine. Eugene had judged it to be too dangerous, and if truth be told, he wasn’t confident in having complete control over the Moonlight Sword. Yes, he could swing it, but once he did, he wasn’t sure he could control the power to specify exactly how much power it would contain and how much it would destroy.
It had been the same in the mine. When he gathered the fragments together, Eugene had definitely been holding the Moonlight Sword, and he had not been intending to destroy the mine at all. Rather, he had been trying to keep the situation under control.
Yet, he had failed miserably. Eugene had done his best to suppress the light, but it had gone out of control, sweeping everything around him and completely destroying the mine. Fortunately, he had not needed to use the Moonlight Sword during his time in Helmuth, so he had been intending on grasping control over the weapon later, in a safer place.
‘Control?’
Eugene didn’t bother hindering his lips from twitching into a smile. Rather, he grinned while pulling out the pommel of the Moonlight Sword. This was an opportunity. Truth be told, Eugene was curious. He wondered how powerful the Moonlight Sword had become after it was restored partially.
Three hundred years ago, the Moonlight Sword’s power had not been inferior to the Dark Power of the Demon Kings.
‘I don’t expect the same power from the current form, though.’
Eugene unveiled the sword from its ordinary sheath. Before recovering a fragment at the mine, the Moonlight Sword had been a sword of light erupting from a small fragment of its blade, but it was different now. With the addition of the fragment recovered from the mine, the Moonlight Sword’s blade had been restored to about a third of its original form.
The missing piece of the blade had been replaced by pale moonlight. Before recovering an additional fragment, the light of the Moonlight Sword had rampaged of its own will, but now, it extended straight like a polished blade.
Nonetheless, that was only on the surface. The outrageous power contained in the sword still craved to run wild, and the hand holding the pommel of the sword throbbed. An eerie feeling washed over Eugene as he raised the Moonlight Sword to his side.
Gwoooo….
The moonlight flickered. There was no need to use the Empty Sword or sword-force. In the first place, it was impossible to imbue such techniques with the Moonlight Sword.
In its essence, the Moonlight Sword was destruction in the form of a sword. It could not be used with anything else, as it ripped, destroyed, and exterminated everything in its path. Even Vermouth had failed to utilize any of his techniques with the Moonlight Sword, and in fact, there had been no need to do so.
Simply swinging the Moonlight Sword proved sufficient for Eugene’s situation. The malicious Dark Power was engulfed by moonlight, and the malicious energy, which destroyed and devoured everything, failed to overcome the moonlight. Rather, the Dark Power of Destruction seemingly struggled in the moonlight before melting away.
Jagon instinctively leaped back as the Moonlight Sword drew a crescent through the air. Nothing was left where the wave of crescent had passed through.
‘What is this?’ Jagon felt his hair stand on end.
His lips felt dry, he felt goosebumps rising on his skin, and his heart was thumping rapidly. He felt confused by the strange emotions that grasped his heart.
Jagon stared at Eugene and the moonlight contained in his hand. What exactly was the light Eugene held? Was it sword-force? Was it magic? Divine power? No, it was nothing. That light was nothing, but at the same time, it was a power that destroyed everything. Jagon instinctively comprehended the nature of the light, and he felt a strange sense of foreboding about it.
Jagon let rip a roar before bursting into the air. Fleeing with his tail tucked behind his back wasn’t an option, so he attempted to alleviate his fear with a mighty roar.
Rumblee!
Pale moonlight and the Dark Power collided. Eugene wielded his sword to the best of his ability without using any techniques. He slashed through the Dark Power that threatened to destroy him and stabbed in what he deemed to be the right directions. Even though the Moonlight Sword was an absurdly powerful tool, it didn’t mean Eugene could swing it recklessly. A sword was only good as its user, and it would better reach its target with sophisticated swings. He swung the sword with precision and care, directing it toward his opponent in calculated movements.
The city — or rather, the world — began to collapse. This place was no longer the Dragon Demon Castle from before. The ruins were quickly transformed into an empty wasteland, and the ground was turned upside down.
The Moonlight Sword left nothing but destruction in its wake, obliterating even the ground it passed over as Jagon sprinted tirelessly within its glow. The castle was slowly being cut down with each powerful slash of the absurd weapon.
The ground was sinking slowly, or so Jagon thought. He realized that he had been mistaken about that when he leaped high into the sky. It wasn’t only that the ground beneath the Dragon Demon Castle was being slashed to nothingness; rather, the castle was crashing to the ground beneath. The castle’s core had been overloaded due to the unceasing waves of destruction. The Dragon Demon Castle wasn’t plummeting, but it was gradually descending in altitude.
Eugene wasn’t fond of the slow descent. He wished that the castle would go crashing down on the territory of Karabloom instead.
Then Eugene flashed a wicked grin as he extended his fiery wing, causing Jagon to instinctively retreat with a flinch. Nevertheless, as Jagon observed the situation, he found that something was different this time. Every time Eugene unleashed his wing of fire in the past, there had been disastrous consequences. Yet, as Jagon watched warily now, nothing seemed to be happening.
“What did you do?” asked Jagon.
“I destroyed it,” answered Eugene with a smile.
Booooooom!
The Dragon Demon Castle started to quake, even though Eugene had not swung the Moonlight Sword. The earthquake divided the land beneath Eugene and Jagon into several pieces, signaling the acceleration of the Dragon Demon Castle’s descent.
Eugene had done a simple thing. He had left behind a few feathers with Prominence near the core to keep an eye on Raimira. So, he created black spots with those feathers and shattered the core. With its control mechanism completely destroyed, the Dragon Demon Castle was now plummeting in earnest.
“Do you want to die together?” asked Jagon, noticing the acceleration in their fall.
“What are you talking about?” said Eugene with a smile. “You’re going to die before this lump of land crashes below.”