Nahama's capital, Hauria, was surrounded and besieged by a gigantic centipede.
That was the news that was confirmed from the Kiehl palace. And indeed, it was a massive centipede. People of this era had never seen such a creature and didn't know its true nature, but Eugene, Sienna, and Anise were aware of what it truly was.
"It's the Centipede Mountains." Eugene grimaced as he uttered the words.
According to the dream Noir had shown him in the past in Shimuin, the Centipede Mountains were confined in the underground city of Ravesta. So why was something supposedly locked away in Ravesta suddenly in Hauria?
Helmuth's capital, Pandemonium, had been the realm of the Demon King of Incarceration since the ancient era of war. The Demon King of Incarceration had surrounded all his realms, including Pandemonium and the Red Plains, with the Centipede Mountains.
In other words, the Centipede Mountains belonged to the Demon King of Incarceration. Could it be that the Demon King of Incarceration was providing full support to Nahama? Eugene frowned as he stared intently at the projected image.
This grotesque and enormous demon differed from three hundred years ago. During the era of war, the Centipede Mountains had disguised itself as an actual mountain range. After it wrapped around the entire realm, it had covered its surface with dirt and trees. Many warriors had advanced into the realm of the Demon King of Incarceration without knowing this truth. They had climbed the range only to be torn apart or poisoned by the wriggling centipede legs or devoured by the broods of centipedes.
It took a long time for the world to realize that this wasn't a mountain range at all but a massive monster. After all, the size of the Centipede Mountains was beyond any ordinary comprehension.
How was it possible that a single creature could envelop such a vast realm? Many died before they realized the mountain range itself was a creature, and until the Demon King of Incarceration opened the Centipede Mountains, his realm was considered an impregnable, forbidden zone.
"What is he trying to do?" Sienna muttered while glaring at the Centipede Mountains.
At first, she thought it was being used only as a barrier for the capital, just like it had been three hundred years ago. But that didn’t seem to be the case, as further news kept coming in.
The Centipede Mountains had actually blockaded Hauria. No communication could reach the city from outside. In addition, all the warp-gates in Hauria had been destroyed. Not just closed but completely obliterated.
And before the warp-gates were destroyed, most of the capital's citizens were expelled to nearby cities. Even the influential nobles of Hauria had not been exempt from the expulsion.
"The Sultan is dead."
Even more baffling was the death of Nahama's Sultan, Alabur.
Alabur’s family was among the first to be expelled from the blockaded Hauria. His young heir had passed through to a nearby city’s warp-gate, trembling with fear while holding the Sultan’s head.
The ruler of the vast desert kingdom was murdered in an instant, and only his head was left to be transported. The heir of Nahama now sought asylum in Kiehl and was awaiting a response.
Reading the contents of the letter sent from the Kiehl Palace, Eugene uttered a single word, “Devil.”
The heir to the Sultan, Albaduk, had repeatedly muttered the word ‘devil’ while shivering violently. It was said that the devil suddenly appeared from the sky and tore off the Sultan's head. The devil then whispered to the Sultan’s son to embrace the head and flee to Kiehl.
"Is it him?" Eugene muttered.
He tried to think of any creature worthy of being called the devil. No one else other than the impostor who had attacked Black Lion Castle came to his mind.
That was what made it even more perplexing. It was predictable that the impostor would return to Nahama and engage in some plot with Amelia Merwin, but why would the Centipede Mountains be in his possession? The Centipede Mountains were supposed to be locked away by the Demon King of Incarceration in Ravesta.
Moreover, the problem was that the impostor had more than just the Centipede Mountains. It wasn’t possible to see it in the footage because of the Centipede Mountains concealment, but there were countless monsters inside the barricade.
All the citizens who escaped Hauria spoke of the same thing. Dark clouds rolled in from the far horizon. The sky darkened as if night had suddenly fallen. The giant centipede encircled the capital, and huge monsters plummeted down from the dark sky.
Fortunately, there was some footage of this scene.
There was the sound of chaos. The footage reflected someone else’s perspective of the scene, and as such, it shook quite a bit. But the screams were clearly audible. The giant monsters that fell from the sky crushed dozens of buildings.
Many died in the initial crash of the monsters, but fortunately, the monsters did not rampage after taking foot. They simply bowed and crouched, as if in worship, towards the darkening Nahama palace.
This footage was recorded by spies from the intelligence agency planted in Hauria. The situation was not yet fully resolved, and as such, the available footage was scarce and poor in quality. But more information was expected to arrive from other sources in a few days.
'There’s no need to watch more,’ Eugene thought with a frown.
People of this era were not well-versed with demons. They might need more information, but Eugene did not. He knew what these creatures were.
They were the same demonic creatures he had seen in the dreams Noir had shown him, the monsters confined in Ravesta. It was clear even at a single glance. The impostor had brought all the demonic creatures of Ravesta.
And it seemed he had brought the demons as well. They were the subjects of Destruction, led by Alphiero.
Eugene did not know what to make of the current situation. The subjects of Destruction were following the impostor. Was this according to the intention of the Demon King of Destruction? Or had it been instigated by the Demon King of Incarceration? And what about Vermouth, who was sealing the Demon King of Destruction?
"Has Helmuth made a statement yet?" Eugene asked.
"It seems they are still silent," Gilead answered with a heavy face.
Even with such a significant event unfolding, Helmuth hadn't released a statement. Eugene contemplated deeply about the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration was never the one to instigate war first. He was simply waiting for Eugene to ascend Babel.
"Does this change anything?" Eugene wondered aloud.
The footage of Hauria continued playing in front of him. Eugene swiped his hand as if shooing away a fly, turning off the video.
"A bastard born from my past body is rampaging on his own. That bastard invaded this castle, then disappeared, and is now in Hauria,” spat Eugene.
Everyone's gaze shifted at his words.
Eugene suddenly said, "Ah, I guess there is something that has changed. Seeing the bastard's actions, it appears he's preparing to defend a siege in Hauria. His forces seem to be primarily composed of demonic creatures and demonfolks rather than Nahama's army."
Eugene thought that was very much like Hamel.
Most of the conscripted soldiers that Amelia had demanded from the Emirs had not made it to Hauria as yet. In any case, they were unnecessary and numerous, but it wouldn’t feel good to have humans as mere cannon fodder either. What remained of the army inside Hauria was expelled beyond the Centipede Mountains as well. Civilians at risk of being caught up in the conflict were also thrown out.
The impostor was aiding Hamel. It almost felt like an obsession.
The structure of the war itself was being set between demons and humans.
"With the Sultan dead and his heir seeking asylum in Kiehl, the Emirs will not likely join the war. They have nothing to gain from it anyway. Well, having the battlefield concentrated in Hauria does make things easier."
However, in reality, it would not be easy. The history of the era of war was a testament to how difficult and horrific it was to cross the Centipede Mountains.
Would the demonic creatures from Ravesta really just wait inside the Centipede Mountains? It was unlikely. Hauria was located in the middle of the desert. Beyond its splendid capital and walls was a barren desert.
To strike at Hauria, one would have to cross that desert. It was highly likely that the monsters would be encamped in the desert.
'It’s a contradiction.' Eugene grimaced in thought.
The impostor was aiding Hamel. But if that were truly the case, he could just come and die or merely pretend to wage war. But the impostor….
He went to Molon. He attacked Black Lion Castle. He diligently created a stage for war.
'Could it be?’ Eugene's lips twitched at this thought, 'You, of all people, want to test me?'
Did he come to harbor a desire to become the real deal after realizing he was an imposter? Did he want to make some claim on the stage of war after setting it up? Did he, as an imposter, want to argue that he could be real? Or did he perhaps want to prove that his existence had significance?
'If it were me.'
Eugene didn't want to think further. It wasn’t necessary to harbor any emotions other than anger regarding the imposter. Nothing had changed since their first encounter in the forest. In his own way, the impostor claimed to be real, and Eugene would ruthlessly crush him.
"Sienna." Eugene turned to look at Sienna.
"I know,” Sienna responded with a nod while wiping the dust off her cheek.
Although they weren’t finished with the cleanup of the forest, given the situation, it could no longer be prioritized. Knowing this, Sienna gauged Ancilla’s expression.
"For now, I'll go straight to Aroth and grab the king by the scruff,” said Sienna.
"Why would you grab him by the scruff?" questioned Eugene.
"Otherwise, he might say no," she answered.
Eugene silently eyed Sienna. She cleared her throat and slowly turned her head away, saying, "Anyway, I will gather Aroth’s elite forces. Of course, I will also summon the Archwizards.”
"What about the Black Tower Master?" asked Eugene.
"Hmm… given the opponent, it might be good to have an expert in black magic,” Sienna suggested.
"Aren’t you being too kind to the Black Tower Master?" questioned Eugene with narrowed eyes.
Sienna harbored a flicker of hope at his gaze. Was he perhaps jealous? Jealous that she was taking another man with her?
"Hehe... don't worry too much. Balzac may be a dark wizard, but, well, as a wizard, he’s quite to my liking,” assured Sienna.
"What if that bastard betrays us?" Eugene questioned.
Naturally, Eugene wasn’t feeling jealous. Instead, he was cautious of Balzac, especially since it seemed like the Demon King of Incarceration had tampered with the Death Knight.
"You are worrying unnecessarily. Even if by some chance Balzac tries anything, I won't be fooled,” assured Sienna.
"Oh, look at you. What about others?" Eugene asked.
"That, too, is an unnecessary worry. My magic won't let him slip away even if I take my eyes off Balzac. Besides, I have already gotten an oath from Balzac,” Sienna replied confidently.
In any case, she had more trust in her absolute magic than the oath she heard from Balzac.
"If Balzac tries something… well, that’s even better. I can just kill him on the spot without waiting for later,” said Sienna.
Eugene didn’t object further.
He recognized the effectiveness of Balzac's Signature, Blind, in large-scale battles and was also curious about Balzac’s new Signature, Gluttony.
Eugene still wasn’t sure if Balzac was an enemy or an ally. Even if they were inevitably destined to be adversaries at one point, that time might not have come yet. Balzac had helped Eugene in various ways until now, so Eugene wanted to give him enough leeway before deciding to kill him.
"I shall head to the royal palace," declared Gilead. "I've reported our situation, but Eugene, I will need to communicate your stance as well.”
"Yes. Oh, the emperor knows I’m Hamel’s reincarnation. By chance, if the emperor's response is unsatisfactory, just ask him if he wants another pummeling by Hamel.”
Gilead's expression became complicated. The emperor’s attitude towards the Lionheart family had changed noticeably since Eugene’s last visit to the royal palace.
‘So that was the reason…’ Gilead realized.
Another pummeling by Hamel? Didn’t that imply that the emperor had already received a pummeling? Well, Gilead tried his best not to dwell on that thought.
The restoration of the Black Lion Castle was left to Klein and Carmen, although it was still possible for the soldiers to arm and set out immediately. However, it wasn’t feasible to just rush into Hauria.
"The time has come for the Dragon Lions to step forward," murmured Carmen.
The suits of armor crafted from the remains of Raizakia were the handiworks of Gondor and the dwarf craftsmen. They still hadn’t been distributed to the knightly orders.
Carmen fondled the Exid inside her uniform. Before transforming, it was thin, like underwear. However, the Dragon Heart at the center of her chest simmered with a rage that burned like lava while remaining cold as ice.
"Hmm, come to think of it, Eugene, I have never shown you my transformation,” said Carmen.
"Trans... what?" Eugene asked.
"Transformation. Don't you know what it is?" whispered Carmen.
Her eyes sparkled as she approached Eugene.
"Transformation is just that — transformation. Just as you wrap yourself in pitch-black flames to become the Black Lion, I don my Dragon Armor and transform into the Dragon Lion,” declared Carmen.
"Wh-what?" Eugene was dumbfounded.
"Is it hard to understand? Indeed, it makes sense that you cannot imagine my transformation. If you wish, I can show it to you right now. Don’t worry. Unlike Destiny Breaker, seeing my transformation doesn’t mean one of us has to die,” continued Carmen.
Eugene slowly stepped back while shaking his head. He was utterly perplexed.
"You know what? Why don’t we save that transformation for the war?” suggested Eugene.
"Of course, but sometimes I need to fine-tune the transformation. The Dragon Heart of the Demonic Dragon within me whispers…" Carmen said softly.
She touched her temple while swaying.
"Sometimes, I hear sinister whispers. The vengeful spirit of the Demonic Dragon Raizakia tempts me. Slaughter, blood, dreadful urges…. Yet, I am the Silver Lion of Lionheart. Even though my blood resonates with the dragon's whispers, my will remains unshaken,” she declared.
"Uh... yes," Eugene said, sounding unsure.
"But someday, if I become weak, these evil desires might overpower me. Even I, the Silver Lion, could fall into darkness,” Carmen continued.
"Fall into darkness?" asked Eugene.
"It's when my will succumbs to darkness and corruption. Of course, I won’t fall easily. But... if I ever become the Lion of Corruption, Eugene, you must kill me,” said Carmen.
"What nonsense are you—." Eugene stopped abruptly.
He found multiple points to contest.
Firstly, the Dragon Heart in Carmen's Exid was not from Raizakia. In fact, Raizakia's Dragon Heart had been utterly destroyed by Eugene and no longer existed in this world.
While it was true that Raizakia's remains were used to enhance her Exid, the material’s dark power had been purified by Kristina and Anise for nearly half a year. There was no chance for Carmen’s claims to be true. It was impossible for Raizakia’s vengeful spirits to be lingering.
Finally, Eugene responded after a long pause, "Yes, I understand. If you fall into corruption—"
"Darkness,” Carmen corrected.
"Yes, if you fall into darkness… I will kill you myself."
Eugene decided not to correct her and instead agreed with what she said. Having known Carmen for years, he realized this was precisely what she wanted to hear. Indeed, Carmen seemed satisfied with Eugene's response. She nodded in approval.
"If you're ever curious about my transformation, feel free to come and find me,” said Carmen.
"Yes."
With that, Eugene finally managed to extricate himself from Carmen.