The expansive circular arena seemed many times larger than the coliseum Eugene had seen in Shimuin. Eugene and Gavid faced each other at opposite ends of this vast dueling ground.
The two intuitively understood what the past year had meant for each of them, even without exchanging questions or attacks. The year might have seemed short to others, but it was a rich and lengthy period for them. Gavid, in particular, couldn’t help but be astounded by Eugene's growth.
"Indeed." Gavid nodded with a satisfied smile. "Hamel, I am fortunate to be dueling with you today."
There was no deceit in his words. Gavid was confident he could have killed Hamel a year ago at the Alcarte Cathedral during their meeting.
But he had not wanted that. What Gavid desired was a fierce duel where both of them could clash with their full might, which was why he opened the gates of chains as Hamel wanted and gave him a year's time.
Yet, Gavid couldn’t shake off a certain thought: No matter what training Hamel undertook, it couldn’t be more valuable than the year Gavid would spend, for Gavid had the chain bestowed to him by the Demon King of Incarceration and the barren wasteland he was led through was a place out of sync with real-time. If he trained diligently, he could very well utilize more than a hundred years’ worth of time in just one year.
It wasn’t just about having more time to spend either. The greatest value wasn’t found in the extended time in the corpse-strewn barren wasteland. Instead, there was great value in having the opportunity to battle endlessly with the ancient God of War, Agaroth. That was the true worth of the chains.
"I wanted a fierce duel where both of us exerted our full strengths. I wanted a duel where it wouldn’t be strange for either of us to win or lose,” Gavid stated.
He had spent an immeasurably long time in the barren wasteland and experienced countless deaths. He was whittled down repeatedly. What was worn down was reinforced by his desires, and he advanced as much as he longed without sitting back or retreating.
"But at one point, I feared this duel might end too easily… and end up feeling anticlimactic,” continued Gavid.He was first struck with such a thought when he managed to shatter Agaroth’s blade for the first time with Glory and drew blood from the War God.
"But it looks like I didn’t have to worry," Gavid muttered with a wry smile.
He shrugged off his cloak. He wore no armor. After all, no armor or shield in the world could block Eugene’s relentless attacks.
As such, instead of armor, he donned the uniform of Helmuth. Gavid lightly flicked the epaulets on his shoulders, then began unbuttoning the top of his shirt, which was laden with medals that proved his military exploits as the Blade of Incarceration and a duke.
"There’s so many of them. Aren’t they heavy?" Eugene teased.
He was draped in the Cloak of Darkness.
"Medals are symbols of honor. It is only natural for them to be heavy," Gavid replied, slipping the jacket off and stowing it inside the door of chains. "These medals are from my time as the Blade of Incarceration and as a Duke of Helmuth. Now, their weight is just a hindrance."
Gavid unbuttoned a few more buttons on his crisp shirt and rolled the sleeves to his forearms.
Eugene chuckled at the sight. Gavid’s pants were sharply creased as if sliced by a blade. His shoes shone subtly, untouched by a speck of dust. His hair was neatly combed back.
In stark contrast to Gavid, Eugene's hair was unkempt and shaggy, and although his clothes did not stink, they were tattered and frayed from a year of rigorous trials — a far cry from the attire one might expect for a duel under the continent's watchful eye.
Yet, Gavid did not mock Eugene. Instead, he observed Eugene with a calm and serious demeanor that was mixed with curiosity and enjoyment.
‘How curious,’ he thought.
The arena was vast. The distance between Eugene and Gavid, standing at opposite ends, was considerable. Gavid was the first to move. He advanced step by step while staying conscious of Glory in his hand.
‘This is not the barren wasteland,’ Gavid thought.
They were in Raguyaran, a place beyond Lehainjar.
‘And the one that stands before me is not Agaroth.’
Yet, for some reason, Gavid felt as if he was walking through the barren wasteland he was familiar with. He experienced the same oppressive feeling he had when he first saw Agaroth. The metallic scent of weapons and the stench of blood from corpses filled his senses.
The oppression was tangible enough to prickle his skin. As the distance between them closed, Gavid increasingly felt the enormity of the present Hamel, of Eugene Lionheart's strength, and how much further he had gone beyond his human limits. This realization gave Gavid a specific gut feeling.
"Is that so?" he said in response to his intuition.
Gavid's smile deepened.
"So you were Agaroth,” he whispered.
Eugene did not reply.
Crack.
Eugene's fingers snapped as he slowly moved his right hand into the Cloak of Darkness.
This scene was visible to everyone in the stands. Although the Black Mist knew little about what he was doing, those who had once stood on the same battlefield as Eugene knew exactly what his actions represented.
The shaggy cloak had once belonged to Melkith El-Hayah, but it had now become a symbol of Eugene. Hidden within this cloak were weapons that could be considered the very history of the Lionheart family. He had the Holy Sword, Altair, which was forged by the God of Light, the ominous Moonlight Sword, as well as various spoils from slaying the Demon Kings.
‘What is your first move?’ Gavid wondered as he narrowed his gaze while continuing his unhurried approach.
There were no referees in this duel. The moment they faced each other after descending from the stands, the duel had already begun. The time for formal greetings and dialogues was over.
Gavid directed his focus to Glory, and without hesitation, the Demoneye of Divine Glory emitted a brilliant light.
In an instant, hundreds of possibilities flashed through Gavid's mind — every weapon Eugene could possibly wield and every type of attack that might commence, with counter strategies for each of these. Naturally, the possibilities Gavid considered included strategies against the Holy Sword, the Moonlight Sword, and even Agaroth's sword.
Gavid took another step,
Eugene's hand emerged from the cloak, the weapon still partially unsheathed. The Demoneye of Divine Glory captured the weapon Eugene had chosen before it was fully drawn.
Gavid was momentarily shocked.
It was a sword Gavid had never seen before — with a blade as clear as glass. It resembled the Holy Sword he had seen a year ago, but the light fluttering inside the blade was utterly different from that of the Holy Sword.
"Huh?" Gavid couldn't help but exclaim.
He could perceive a powerful force from the mysterious sword using the Demoneye of Divine Glory. The weapon was an amalgamation of all the lights Eugene had mastered, including the radiance of the Holy Sword Altair and the ominous light of the Moonlight Sword. This glass-like blade encompassed all the lights Eugene had dominated.
It wasn't just that. The power contained in the relics of dead Demon Kings, including the powers of the Annihilation Hammer Jigolath and the Demon Spear Luentos, were also contained within Eugene’s weapon. It was as if the hammer and spear had been melted down and reforged anew. But how could such inherently opposed forces be fused into a single sword?
"What is that sword?" Gavid had to ask.
It was simply incomprehensible. Eugene answered while laying the blade, which appeared as fragile and clear as glass, sideways.
"The Holy Moonlight Sword."
Whoosh!
Eugene was engulfed in the blaze of the White Flame Formula. Simultaneously, the glassy blade emitted moonlight and radiance. The moment the intermingling lights were enveloped by the white flames — Crackle! — the glass blade was wrapped in dark crimson flames.
"Levantein," Eugene said the name aloud.
He had shattered the Moonlight Sword.
He had shattered the Holy Sword.
He had shattered the Demon Spear.
He had shattered the Annihilation Hammer.
All that was left from the destruction, he melted in the Light. The light itself took up the hammer and forged the remnants of the weapons into a single sword.
The Holy Moonlight Sword, Levantein.
This sword was a gift from an old friend to Eugene, and it was the manifestation of a miracle. Eugene exhaled lightly while tuning the flames of Levantein.
‘As expected,’ Eugene thought.
His hand, his soul, his very being trembled. The blade, once transparent and beautiful, was now entwined with savage flames.
This sword was definitely something irregular. It had to be. Simply wielding the Holy Sword, the Moonlight Sword, the Demon Spear, and the Annihilation Hammer simultaneously was overwhelming enough. But the power that acted as Levantein’s center magnified the already daunting force several fold.
Crack, crack, crackle….
The flames intensified continuously, shaking the entire arena as the flames flared. The Demon King of Incarceration exclaimed quietly while seated on his throne of chains. He realized just how incredibly preposterous Levantein was and clearly saw through the essence of this sword.
"Is that so?" Saying so, the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled while lifting a finger.
Though invisible to others, the Demon King's eyes clearly saw how the chains were stretched to their limits in dividing the arena and the stands. If nothing were done, the chains would undoubtedly snap.
"That sword could reach even me and Destruction," the Demon King muttered.
Whip!
Once again, chains shot out from beneath the feet of the Demon King of Incarceration, stabilizing the tremors of the arena. After reinforcing the chains, the Demon King rested his chin on the back of his hand and pondered.
He pondered about Light.
He pondered about all the gods who died to illuminate what came after destruction.
He pondered about the greatest god who acted as the foundation, the one who supported everything in the center.
"This time, for sure,” the Demon King of Incarceration murmured as he closed his eyes once.
Gavid opened his eyes. He was momentarily overwhelmed by the dazzling, ferocious flames and was awed. At the same time, he was certain. Agaroth's sword was also melted within Eugene’s blade.
Gavid chuckled unwittingly as his body swayed forward. The Demoneye of Divine Glory was illuminated with a burst of light.
The vast arena between them seemed to vanish in an instant. He swung Glory towards Eugene, with its blade wrapped in dark power. His movements were too fast for the naked eye. Eugene didn’t bother trying to track it visually. Levantein was already in motion before Gavid started his attack.
Their swords clashed. It felt as if Glory was being sucked into the flames of Levantein.
Crash!
The colliding lights shattered spectacularly. Despite the tremendous forces at play, neither Eugene nor Gavid staggered. Eugene attempted to swing Levantein again, but the sword didn’t move as he intended.
Creak….
Chains had sprung from the space around and gripped the blade of Levantein. This was the power of the Demoneye of Divine Glory. It allowed the wielder to freely manipulate the powers of Incarceration, and it had restrained Levantein.
That brief moment was like an eternity for Gavid. The demonic sword struck down at Eugene. Eugene couldn’t react even if he wanted to. He could either drop his sword or….
Gavid was surprised to feel an uncanny dissonance just as his sword was about to impale Eugene. The blade should have pierced into flesh, but it still hadn’t reached Eugene. It felt like his sword was being blocked by something. No, not quite. It wasn’t a blockage.
Time had slowed down.
"You should watch where you step in,” Eugene whispered.
As soon as these words reached him, Gavid’s gaze dropped.
To the untrained eye, there was nothing but the gray earth below. However, Gavid saw something different. Eugene’s feet that were entwined in black flames and the ground were wholly interconnected in space.
“This is my sanctuary.”
A god could not be harmed in his sanctuary.
Thus, Gavid’s sword could not reach Eugene.
Whoosh!
The flames intensified and snapped the chains. The chains, which were imbued with the powers of Incarceration, melted away in the flames of Levantein. Eugene grasped Levantein with both hands, and Gavid quickly retracted Glory towards himself.
Crash!
Gavid was flung backward. His hands felt stiff. His lips involuntarily curled into a smile.
A sanctuary.
Though a foreign concept to Gavid, he instinctively understood the transcendent power and divine authority radiating from Eugene.
‘It didn’t cut,’ Eugene mused.
He watched as Gavid regained his composure at a distance. Eugene was no longer constrained by the number of times he could strike with the Divine Sword. Levantein itself had become his Divine Sword.
‘It’s even stronger than Agaroth’s Divine Sword,’ Eugene reminded himself.
Levantein had been smelted by melting Agaroth’s Divine Sword. Yet, it had not bisected Glory and Gavid in one strike. That could only mean one thing.
‘How strong has that bastard gotten?’ Eugene wondered.
Eugene dialed down Levantein’s firepower. This damned sword couldn’t be fully controlled in its current state. Levantein was an irregular weapon, and to wield it properly required a significant level of readiness.
“Hey,” Eugene called out while standing firmly at the center of the sanctuary. “Just one question.”
Gavid raised his eyebrows while opening and closing his stiff hand.
“What is it?” he questioned.
“You.” Eugene stared intently into Gavid’s eyes and questioned, “Did you lose an eye along the way?”