Even on their way back, the inspection and experimentation on the Demoneye continued.
Ciel bore two such eyes: the Demoneye of Darkness and the Demoneye of Immobility. Eugene deeply loathed the name Demoneye of Immobility since it was coined by Noir, but he didn’t bother to come up with a different name himself.
“Are you afraid that people are going to mock the name you choose?” Mer teased.
Eugene swiftly answered her ridicule with a knock to the head, which immediately earned him a slap on the back from Sienna as she proceeded to scold him for hitting a child.
Although the powers of the Demoneye of Darkness were well known, the true capabilities of the Demoneye of Immobility still needed to be discovered. While its possessor, Ciel, had an instinctual understanding of it, a crude method of testing was still the surest way to understand its capabilities.
“It’s surprisingly cost-effective,” Sienna concluded after numerous tests. “It consumes less mana than the Demoneye of Darkness, and its powers are quite intuitive.”
Ciel nodded in agreement while rubbing her tired eyes. Eugene shared the same sentiment.
Unlike the Demoneye of Darkness, the Demoneye of Immobility couldn’t create shadows or materialize them. It couldn't enthrall minds like the Demoneye of Fantasy or bestow its possessor with power comparable to a Demon King like the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Its power was simply to halt things in place.
“If properly supplied with mana, its potential is significant,” Eugene remarked while staring at a flame that was suspended mid-air. The Demoneye could stop the flow of mana or the radiance of divine power and even interfere with human movements. If delved deeper, it could halt the heartbeat or even breathing of an individual.
Yet, it wasn't absolute. While it could easily manipulate a layman unfamiliar with mana, an opponent versed in using mana could resist its effects immediately. To overpower such foes, one would need to amplify its effects, which would consequently drain more mana.
“Even if I pour out all of my mana to the brink of exhaustion, I can’t even stop someone like you,” Ciel complained. Her lips were pursed in a pout, and the suspended flame waned before dying.
“Well then, do you really think it would make any sense if you could stop me with just the Demoneye’s power?” Eugene said with a smirk. “There shouldn’t be any human on the continent who is stronger than me. Did you really think I would be shot still by the Demoneye you just awakened?”
His words were true, but Ciel was bothered by Eugene’s attitude. She shot him a sideways glare. “You’re not the strongest on the continent.”
“Says who?” said Eugene while raising an eyebrow.
“Sir Molon is certainly stronger than you,” Ciel pointed out, causing Eugene's cheeks to twitch slightly.
Eugene simulated a scenario in his mind before responding. His last confrontation with Molon…. It could hardly be termed a fight. Eugene hadn’t fought him with all his might. Moreover, engaging Molon, the fool, without weapons in a fistfight was something even Vermouth would avoid.
“If we were to fight now, I'd win,” Eugene stated confidently while puffing up his chest. In fact, he would have had a fair chance if he had taken up arms during their previous encounter as well.
“What do you think? I didn’t see the fight between Eugene and Molon firsthand, but you both did,” Sienna asked, turning to Kristina.
Remembering the red divine sword that once split the world, Kristina clasped her hands over her chest and pondered while recalling the red blade.
“Sir Eugene would win,” Kristina answered in affirmation.
“Well…. Right…. That’s impressive…,” Sienna said hesitantly.
The light brightening Kristina’s pupils and the unwavering belief in her eyes made Sienna nod with a hint of trepidation while witnessing Kristina’s frenzied devotion.
"Well, being the continent's strongest doesn’t really mean anything to me," Eugene bragged.
"Look at this show-off,” commented Sienna.
"Leave it be. Unlike you and me, Hamel was never hailed as the ‘continent's strongest’ in his lifetime,” said Anise.
Before they knew it, Anise had taken over, and the two of them whispered behind his back. The truth was stark. Sienna had been known as the continent's strongest wizard. Anise was hailed as the greatest priest on the continent. There was no need to say anything about Vermouth.
"Molon was never called as such...!" argued Eugene.
"After you perished, Molon was named the continent's strongest warrior,” Anise immediately countered.
"In my time, I was acclaimed as the continent's best mercenary,” Eugene hastily said.
"I've never heard such a thing," muttered Anise.
"Even the king of mercenaries didn't consider you a true mercenary,” Sienna chimed in.
Every word they exchanged felt like a dagger to Eugene’s heart and pride.
[This lady considers Benefactor the best benefactor of the continent.] Raimira offered consoling words from within his cloak. But what in the realm was the continent's best benefactor? To soothe his bubbling anger, Eugene gently stroked Raimira's smooth forehead.
"Regardless... I do believe... your Demoneye possess a significant potential," Eugene managed to continue the conversation they had left off. However, his breath seemed slightly labored.
The Demoneye of Immobility. It wasn’t to be underestimated by any means. The Demon King of Fury, Iris, albeit greatly weakened, was momentarily restrained by the power of the Demoneye of Immobility. It was an undeniable fact.
In other words, this intuitive ability could affect beings as powerful as the Demon Kings. What if Sienna was supplying mana for Ciel, or what if she used Akasha’s Dragonheart?
They still had several more days of sailing remaining before they reached Shimuin. As such, Sienna had plenty of time to ponder the feasibility of such tactics.
"It's not as simple as it seems,” Sienna said reluctantly.
A day elapsed before a conclusion was reached. Diagrams and runes drawn meticulously in the air and on the floor were swiftly erased by a wave of Sienna's staff.
She continued, "Demoneyes are both extraordinary organs and physical entities. They're additions to the body but also things humans shouldn't naturally possess. Thus, they're heavily influenced by their wielder."
Simply pouring mana into an underdeveloped Demoneye wouldn't allow the manifestation of greater power. It was similar to how a wizard of the Seventh Circle possessing infinite mana could not cast spells of the Eighth or the Ninth Circle.
"Even with an external magical tool like Akasha, it will be the same. Perhaps, given Ciel's prowess, that is, depending on her accomplishments in the White Flame Formula... Ciel, what’s with that look?" Sienna asked, pausing her explanation.
Ciel’s shoulders were drooping, and her face was gloomy. She met Sienna’s eyes before responding, "So, to put it simply, I'm too weak to even receive your support, Lady Sienna?"
"No... well, it's not exactly like that," Sienna explained hesitantly.
"You don't need to spare my feelings. I'm more aware of my inadequacies than anyone else,” said Ciel.
"Ciel... well, you're certainly strong, among humans at least. Even now, you could subdue most with a mere glance.” Sienna did her best to console Ciel.
"But I cannot subdue you, Lady Sienna,” responded Ciel.
"That's because I'm not just any human... Wait, you want to subdue me?" Sienna asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Ciel averted her gaze in response.
Ciel did not merely wish to subdue Sienna. She also yearned to overpower both Kristina and Anise. Moreover, she wanted to conquer Mer and Raimira, who were comfortably ensconced in Eugene's embrace as if it were a given. With the newly acquired power of the Demoneye, she dreamt of making all kneel before her. Then, she would immobilize Eugene and torment him as much as she desired….
“Ehem….”
Ciel swiftly dispelled the wicked thoughts that arose in her mind with a cough. Upon pondering why she was riddled with such weird thoughts, she realized it was all due to her twin brother, Cyan.
Her shameless sibling had always indulged in lewd books since childhood. Yes, that was the only explanation.
"It’s just that I’m completely ridiculous, to the point of being amazingly strong. Don’t compare yourselves with me. Both you and Cyan possess ample talent. You also have more than enough battle experience and combat senses,” Eugene reflected.
"Then what are we lacking?” questioned Ciel.
"Introspection? Perhaps meditation...? In the end, it's not about the physical training and sweating but the strengthening of your inner self. Cultivation, meditation, things like that. So when you return home, practice the White Flame Formula underwater,” advised Eugene.
Vermouth had left behind a legacy in Lionheart. Throughout the continent, few places were as abundant in mana as the Lionheart's leyline. The World Tree, which Eugene had relocated from the Samar Rainforest, further enhanced the leyline. Now, the entire forest of the Lionheart estate was so rich in mana that it was almost as if it were a leyline in its entirety.
Beneath the man-made lake was an underwater cave that originally connected with the Lionheart's leyline. It was a place where the roots of the World Tree saplings had made home. It was a rare location where one could gain mana simply by breathing.
To the wizard Sienna, this underwater cave was truly the Lionheart's most precious treasure.
Eugene owed much of his achievements to this cave. During his time training in the White Flame Formula, his Lightning Flame had gone through strengthening, and his mana reservoir had increased severalfold. Without his time in the cave, he might have worried about depleting his mana every time he summoned the Moonlight Sword.
"Fuck,” Eugene muttered suddenly.
"What?"
"Why are you swearing so suddenly?"
The words had unknowingly escaped his lips when he thought about the Moonlight Sword. Sienna's eyebrows furrowed at the sudden expletive, Anise widened her eyes, and Ciel started to hiccup in surprise.
"The Moonlight Sword, what do I do?" said Eugene.
"What else? Why not just toss that damned blade into the sea here?" suggested Sienna.
"That'd be a waste," Eugene said, reluctant to part with the blade.
"What if it causes trouble again?" asked Anise, her expression suddenly solemn.
"There's no guarantee it’s going to act up again,” countered Eugene.
"Wow, always with the smooth words. You can’t even take it out because you’re scared,” retorted Sienna.
"No…. It's not fear. But what if summoning it here causes the ship to sink?" Eugene shot back.
"That's absurd. Are you saying it'd be fine on land?" Anise asked in exasperation.
"At least it wouldn't sink a ship there,” Eugene grumbled as he peeked into his cloak. The Moonlight Sword, which had once overwhelmed Eugene's sense of self and gone berserk, was now quietly sealed and resting in its sheath.
Since that day, Eugene had not drawn the Moonlight Sword. Even though the backlash of Ignition was gone and his body had healed, his confidence in handling the Moonlight Sword remained faint.
‘It changed. Of that, there is no doubt,’ Eugene told himself.
Just as the White Flame Formula transformed during the battle with Iris, so did the Moonlight Sword. Originally, the Moonlight Sword absorbed Eugene's mana and radiated moonlight, but it never mixed with Eugene’s flame.
However, in the combat with Iris, Eugene managed to fuse his mana, flame, and the moonlight. During this, his hand intertwined with the Moonlight Sword, the moonlight raged out of control, and Eugene's consciousness was swept away into the void.
‘The Moonlight Sword…. It merged with me. No, it became 'one' with me.’ Eugene thought back on how things had unfolded.
There was a saying — body and sword as one — which literally meant the unity of body and sword, making them a single entity. When one wielded a sword fervently, a moment would arrive when they gained this realization. The 'self' and the 'sword' weren’t separate — they were the sword, and the sword was them. Once they came to this realization, the way they wielded the sword would undergo a transformation.
He had reached this realm long before meeting Vermouth in his previous life. Back then, Hamel was not just adept at unifying with swords but so proficient with various weapons that it could be described as “body and weapons as one.”
‘To reach the sword and body as one only now….’
Eugene pondered it time and time again. During the rampage of the Moonlight Sword, he felt terrifyingly close to merging with that ominous blade. The moonlight may have gone wild, but Eugene had cornered Iris by mixing the moonlight and flame as he desired.
To be honest, it felt too precious a power to abandon.
"Eugene, I don’t understand your concern. You heard Vermouth’s voice, didn't you?"
—That blade isn’t my legacy.
"Vermouth never intended to leave the Moonlight Sword behind. Yet, it was beside your tomb…." Sienna paused while biting her lip.
She recalled Vermouth from their encounter beneath the desert. At that time, she couldn't communicate with him. Despite her many attempts, Vermouth just stared at her with lifeless eyes without responding.
When Eugene was ensnared by the Moonlight Sword's fury, what she felt from him had been the same as her encounter with Vermouth in the past. What Sienna feared most was that the Hamel she knew, the Eugene she knew, would become something entirely foreign.
"Well, now," Eugene said after a moment of silence, "My very existence here is Vermouth’s design."
Eugene's lips twisted into a smirk.
"To be honest, Sienna, I think it's all crap,” confessed Eugene.
"....." Sienna didn’t have anything to say at Eugene’s sudden sarcasm.
"That bastard reincarnated me at his whim. Oh, right. Vermouth probably feels some injustice, too, since I died so suddenly,” he continued.
Eugene chuckled as he flopped into a chair. "I reincarnated as Vermouth intended, and I've been devouring the legacy he left behind. Now I somewhat understand that annoying thing he kept saying: It must be you ."
Yet…
"It's not enough." Eugene's voice grew cold.
"Whether I'm the reincarnation of Agaroth or Hamel, what can't be done, just can't be done. It's lacking — my arsenal,” he admitted.
"Eugene."
"It’s impossible to use the Moonlight Sword, the Sword of Destruction, to defeat the Demon King of Destruction. But it can be used against the Demon King of Incarceration, right?" he asked.
Eugene became acutely aware of the Moonlight Sword hidden within his cloak.
"I would be able to wield it against both Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabella."
The Moonlight Sword was ominous, and it was the Sword of Destruction.
If misused, one's very self could be lost to its luminous allure.
Eugene remained skeptical whether the Demon King of Destruction even possessed a sense of self, but if the Moonlight Sword had not been left in the tomb by Vermouth…. If Vermouth had been out of his mind….
The very existence of the Moonlight Sword might have been a trap set by the Demon King of Destruction.
"Even if you know the cup is poisoned, sometimes, you have to drink,” Eugene said metaphorically.
The transformed White Flame Formula.
Signature.
Weapons of the Demon Kings.
Relics of the Lionheart clan.
The Empty Sword.
The Holy Sword.
The Divine Sword.
Eugene could not be certain that utilizing them all would be enough to triumph over Noir Giabella, Gavid Lindman, or the Demon King of Incarceration.
"Unless we resort to poison, we cannot surpass the Demon King of Incarceration," Eugene stated flatly.
He had pondered this throughout his journey from the Solgalta Sea all the way back to the port city of Shimuin.
The Moonlight Sword was dangerous. This was a fact Eugene knew better than anyone. Yet, its danger posed a threat not only to him but to his adversaries as well.
"So what if Vermouth didn't intend it? What matters is that I'm here now. Whether he intended it or not, I've deemed it necessary to use,” Eugene declared.
"....." Sienna didn’t say anything in the face of Eugene’s resoluteness.
"Sienna, do you want me to move only as Vermouth intended?" Eugene asked, lifting his head. He glared intensely at Sienna.
"You... couldn't possibly think that...!" Sienna snarled, keeping a tight grip on the hem of her dress.
Eugene withdrew his gaze from her and looked at Kristina and Anise.
"We will follow your decision, Sir Eugene," Kristina responded. "However, if your choice leads you to ruin, we will lay down our lives in your stead. If you hold us dear, please take greater care of yourself."
Eugene gave a nod and turned his gaze to Ciel.
After a pause, she said, "What can I say? Still, if you're again... drawn by that cursed blade, I'll try, maybe, like before, to pull you back.”
"Right." Only after hearing everyone's responses did Eugene slightly relax his expression. "I’m sorry about the outburst."
"You... do you have something loose in your head? Why are you ruining the mood by suddenly acting like that?" Sienna huffed with anger.
Eugene licked his lips awkwardly as he crossed his legs.
"Well, what can I do? Thinking about it made me angry. This cursed Moonlight Sword…. And that damned Vermouth."
"Even so!" spat Sienna.
"Anyways, I'll handle the Moonlight Sword," Eugene changed the topic.
"What do you mean, 'you'll handle it'!" roared Sienna.
"Listen. The Moonlight Sword that Vermouth once wielded and the one I now have are greatly different. The blade itself is now half-broken," Eugene attempted to explain.
"What does that have to do with anything?!" Sienna shouted in anger.
"When I swung it at Iris, I intended to amplify the blade's power with my own, enhancing the moonlight with my mana and flames. In the process, my essence began to merge with the blade." Eugene paused, recalling that moment vividly. "To put it bluntly, the blade consumed me while in the process of merging.”
"…And then?" Sienna asked.
"I was consumed because my power was insufficient. My flames paled in comparison to the Moonlight Sword's power. But what about now?" he questioned.
Eugene raised his thumb and pointed confidently at himself. "Do you know who I am?"
Sienna was dumbfounded at this sudden question.
"I am Agaroth, the God of War."
Sienna just stared at Eugene, saying nothing.
Wavering under Sienna’s gaze, Eugene cleared his throat before saying, "Ahem…. I can now wield divine power, and my White Flame Formula has evolved. I believe I won't be consumed by the Moonlight Sword as before. If I can maintain a balance of power and achieve that same state of becoming one with the sword, I can wield the blade without it running rampant."
Sighing deeply, Sienna took a seat. "I don’t even…. Just handle it, okay?"
"When have I not?" questioned Eugene.
"You can also handle it yourself when you’re trying to explain yourself to Lady Ancilla,” continued Sienna.
The expedition immediately sent news to Shimuin through their long-range communication device after defeating the Demon King of Fury as soon as they left the Solgalta Sea. Although the royal family of Shimuin had been caught off guard by the sudden report without any prior notice, the fact that the Demon King had been subdued meant grand celebration preparations were in order.
The Lionheart family would surely participate in the celebration if news of the Demon King's defeat spread.
"What should we do now…?"
Eugene and Ciel's expressions quickly darkened after hearing Sienna's words.