Rumble….
A deep, resonant growl filled the air as Gavid rose from his chair. The Black Mist was stirring tumultuously behind him. They were the elite knights of Helmuth, serving directly under the command of the Blade of Incarceration. However, right now, every one of them was slowly being engulfed by a creeping emotion.
Shivers — all of the knights of the Black Mist were feeling the same thing.
The sea wasn’t very far from the dueling arena, and they could feel something approaching them from beyond the sea, from a place far more distant. It felt like the coming of a massive wave that could awaken the eerily calm sea and engulf all the demonfolk present.
‘What is that?’ Noir wondered.
She straightened her posture from lying about in the sky. Her expression was tense as she ascended higher to get a clearer view of the sea.
It wasn’t just a feeling. The sea of Raguyaran truly was churning. The previous silence was like the calm before a storm. The sea was roiling violently, and the advancing waves seemed to push the gray earth back.
Ssshh, ssshh.
The sound of the sea grew louder, and Noir's frozen expression began to thaw. She pressed a hand to her heart as if calming her first-love jitters and whispered, "Hamel."
Hamel was not yet in sight, but Noir felt his presence more intensely and vividly than ever before. This feeling was undoubtedly a mix of love and exhilarating hatred.Kristina could go no further and stopped mid-air. The spectators had risen from their seats and climbed to the highest parts of the stands to get a better view, but Kristina remained suspended in the air without moving an inch.
Her body was here, but Kristina and Anise's souls were already drifting towards the sea. The two Saints recognized each other's presence and shared a brief laugh.
"Sister, I’m embarrassed. I really spoke out of turn,” admitted Kristina.
"How many times did I tell you, Kristina? There was no need for you to say such things, no need for you to volunteer to become a sacrifice,” said Anise.
"But if I hadn't stepped forward, Sister, you would have," retorted Kristina.
"Between you, who are still very much alive, and me, who has been long dead, who do you think would be a better hostage, especially if it could lead to death? I think the latter was obviously the correct choice,” Anise said.
She chuckled softly at Kristina, who resembled her in so many ways. She folded her radiant wings and moved closer to Kristina before taking her hand. "Well, debating this now is pointless. But Kristina, I am deeply troubled. Should we welcome Hamel or scold him?"
"I believe it is right to welcome him now. However, if the duel ends with Sir Eugene’s victory... I think Sir Eugene will need to atone for his irresponsible and faulty actions and for causing us such distress,” Kristina responded with a bright smile.
It was at that moment the sea roared loudly. Waves from afar engulfed all of Raguyaran's waters, and in an instant, the gray land was submerged under a shallow sea.
Despite the encroaching waves pushing against the ground, the feet of the Saints remained dry. They had transcended their physical forms and become pure spirits, angelic in essence.
The two of them moved in unison as if it were the most obvious course of action. They folded their radiant wings and knelt on one knee on the water-swept land.
Plop.
A quiet splash echoed as their feet touched the tranquil sea, sending ripples across the calm waters.
“I’m not late, am I?” came a teasing voice.
The two Saints looked up with a chuckle.
“No, you’re not late.”
“The day isn’t over yet, after all.”
There stood a man standing by the shore.
Eugene Lionheart looked slightly different from when they last saw him a year ago. How much had he immersed himself in his tasks during that time?
Anise whispered with a light laugh, “Couldn’t you have shaved the beard?”
“It seemed like a bit of a time crunch,” answered Eugene.
“Lies. You thought the beard suited you, didn’t you?”
Anise’s playful banter made Eugene click his tongue. He stroked his bearded jawline and glanced at Kristina.
“Kristina, what do you think? I kind of like it. I’m getting to the age where a beard seems appropriate, aren’t I?” he asked.
“I think it suits you well, but I also believe you look more handsome without it,” answered Kristina.
Well, that settled it. Eugene no longer asked and swept his hand across his face, erasing the beard to reveal a clean-shaven appearance. He then casually tidied his unruly hair, looking like he had just shaken off a year’s dust, as he walked along the beach.
“I’m not late, but still, sorry for the delay,” he apologized.
Eugene approached the two kneeling angels.
“Hamel,” Anise whispered, looking up.
Eugene reflected in her eyes was different. Something had changed compared to a year ago. It wasn’t just his shaved beard or the tousled hair — no, it was a transformation more profound than that.
Eugene Lionheart’s essence, his very soul, seemed to have transformed.
“Can you win?” Anise asked.
Her heart swelled. Would this be what it felt like to truly stand before a god? It was a sensation that defied logic, felt not through the mind but through the heart — an unbelievable miracle.
“Well,” Eugene answered honestly. “We'll have to see, but I don’t think I’ll lose.”
There was a relaxed confidence in his tone, incongruent with the deadly duel that lay before him. Yet, his expression was serene and clear of any doubts.
Kristina clasped her hands in front of her heart.
She had been present for almost all of Eugene’s battles. She remembered the expressions and emotions he bore into each fight.
Eugene's adversaries in battle were predominantly demons. Some had been as powerful as Demon Kings, and some were indeed Demon Kings themselves. Eugene’s feelings towards such beings were typically the same: anger, hatred, and murderous intent.
However, this time it was different. It was clear that Eugene felt neither anger, hatred, nor murderous intent.
Instead, a pure and steadfast spirit of struggle filled him, a sense of confidence that harbored no deception — he didn’t think he would lose. Eugene had come to this duel to win.
"Victory," Kristina whispered.
Eugene did not reply. He simply smiled. As he passed by the two angels kneeling before him, they vanished into light and returned to their corporeal form.
"Ah…."
Kristina shivered with a momentary thrill in the sky, then spread her eight wings wide and soared across the sky toward the oceanic balustrade. The assembled spectators were silent as they held their breaths.
They saw the waves that had once battered the shores now calm down. They saw the sea that had eroded the so-called ends of the earth.
Suddenly, a man appeared, standing defiantly on the boundary between two ends. However, the spectators could not see the two angels meeting the man from their vantage.
But they could feel an intense divinity from the man who had crossed the ocean. He had traversed the sea that no one had conquered or crossed before. Everyone knew it.
They felt a myth in his presence.
"Eu..." Ciel stuttered. She opened her lips to unknown feelings. It was hard to comprehend what she felt — a profound euphoria from meeting a true myth. It made it difficult for her to voice her words.
"Eugene." Still, Ciel managed to squeeze out the name.
Had there ever been a time in her twenty-four years of life when it was so hard to speak? Had she ever truly realized she was human like this before? No, but this feeling wasn’t that of helplessness. It was something different.
She was touched. It wasn’t just Ciel, either. Everyone felt the same overwhelming emotion. Everyone gradually found their voices after Ciel. The members of the Lionheart family laid their hands over the lion insignia on their left chests. The knights, mercenaries, warriors, and Archwizards whispered Eugene’s name while forming their hands into fists.
"Eugene Lionheart."
The call of the Hero was answered. Eugene walked the boundary of ends and now stood at the balustrade of the arena. Could he still be called just the Hero? No. Everyone felt the same. Eugene was no longer merely the Hero.
Was it just a feeling? Although the gray land was devoid of any sunlight, it felt as if Eugene was emitting a faint glow that illuminated his surroundings.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Eugene said with a smirk, but no one responded.
Everyone was wrapped in an indescribable emotion of reverence. But in only a moment, the awe inspired by his presence quickly subsided, replaced by a chill that spread through the space.
Everyone there felt it.
The Demon King of Incarceration had arrived.
Most spectators did not understand how the Demon King of Incarceration had managed to appear here. However, the Demon King of Incarceration was undoubtedly here, standing in his true form.
All of the knights of the Black Mist kneeled in their places, and even Gavid lowered his body.
However, Noir did not descend from the sky. She remained aloft while looking down at the Demon King of Incarceration in the stands.
To look down upon a Demon King, upon the Emperor of Helmuth, was an immense disrespect, but the Demon King of Incarceration did not rebuke Noir. In fact, he did not even glance her way.
"Light," the Demon King of Incarceration began. He spoke from the lowest part of the stands while taking a step forward. The chains draped over his shoulders clinked with each movement.
"Have you encountered the Light?" he asked.
Everyone turned in astonishment to look at Eugene, who met the Demon King’s gaze without response.
His eyes shimmered a brilliant golden while emitting a radiant light. The Demon King of Incarceration felt a profound divinity in the depths of Eugene’s eyes. At the same time, he saw the light that originated from the acknowledgment and embracing of one’s own existence.
"This place," Eugene started, his head tilted slightly as he eyed the Demon King intently. "Is neither a venue for dialogue between you and me nor a place for me to be tested by you."
His voice was steady, and a thin smile appeared on the lips of the Demon King of Incarceration upon hearing Eugene’s reply.
Eugene continued while staring down that smile. "Today's main actors are not you and me.”
He pointed his finger at Gavid, who was standing in the opposite stand.
"Gavid Lindman. Today, this place is set for our duel,” Eugene declared.
"Ha," the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled briefly, his laughter causing the world to tremble. "So it is. I was too hasty, Eugene Lionheart. You are right. Today is not... our stage."
The Demon King of Incarceration nodded slowly.
"Blade of Incarceration.” A whisper followed, "My knight."
"Yes."
Suddenly, Gavid was by the Demon King’s side. He slowly knelt on one knee, keeping his head bowed toward the Demon King of Incarceration.
The Demon King turned to look at Gavid. Gavid drew Glory from his waist and held it respectfully with both hands. The Demon King took Glory in his hands.
"Gavid Lindman,” he called out.
"Yes,” answered Gavid.
"I desire victory in this duel,” the Demon King of Incarceration continued.
He placed Glory on Gavid’s shoulder as if he were assigning Gavid to be the Blade of Incarceration for the first time.
"This duel is not a defiance against me. If you are concerned about it going against my wish and my promise, you need not worry,” said the Demon King.
"Yes," Gavid responded. "I will deliver victory."
With the investiture complete, Gavid raised both hands. Glory was returned to his grasp, and he slowly stood up.
With a clatter, the cape of chains lifted. The Demon King of Incarceration seated himself on the throne of chains, which was his usual perch.
"This is a splendid place," the Demon King of Incarceration remarked as he surveyed the arena. "This place and today's duel will become a myth."
The ground shook violently.
Kooong!
Suddenly, chains surged from the center of the arena. They undulated before settling back to the ground and sprawling widely to separate the stands from the dueling floor. The circular arena was now encircled by interlocking chains that seemed to dissolve into the space itself.
"Thank you for your grace," Gavid said as he re-sheathed Glory at his waist and bowed deeply, acknowledging the authority bestowed directly by the Demon King of Incarceration.
Now, no matter the destruction that occurred within the spacious arena or the magnitude of forces clashing, the spectators would not suffer any overspill of damage.
"Have Sienna and Carmen not arrived yet?" Eugene asked nonchalantly, seemingly indifferent to the knightly investiture and the display of power by the Demon King of Incarceration.
"No, they have not returned yet."
"Huh. It’s been a year already. I would have expected them to be back by now,” Eugene grumbled and strode down the steps of the stands with a relaxed gait, then leaped from the lower balustrade.
"Come down now,” said Eugene, flicking his finger towards Gavid.
Gavid chuckled and descended the stairs.
'Victory.'
This duel was not a rebellion against the Demon King of Incarceration.
The Demon King of Incarceration desired a victory in the duel.
That desire released the last chain that had bound Gavid.
Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts