God.
This quiet, shocking declaration was not caught by the continent-wide broadcast, obscured as it was by the rampant light and explosions filling the arena. However, Gavid and everyone in the audience felt those words. Eugene’s calm voice carried an arrogant certainty.
But no one could deny it. The current Eugene had undoubtedly transcended human limits, and the powers he wielded were fittingly divine.
The one who felt this truth the most was the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene’s divinity reminded him of emotions he had long forgotten.
Perhaps, just maybe, truly….
This time….
‘ However, ’ the Demon King of Incarceration pondered while resting his chin on his hand.
Eugene Lionheart was a monster born of destiny and potential, and indeed, his divinity was worthy of admiration.
However, he did not possess a particular advantage in this duel. Gavid Lindman had cast his lifelong title and position to embrace his purest desires as a demonfolk. He had reached the realm of godslaying.
In the Age of Myth, he would have made his name known as a godslayer and perhaps ascended to the most dreadful ranks of the Demon Kings."I'm not sure,” the Demon King of Incarceration murmured with a wry smile.
If Eugene or Hamel had achieved such stature three hundred years ago, the Demon King would have opened the gates of Babel without a second thought.
But it was not a time of war now. Three hundred years had passed since then. An era that should have ended long ago had persisted for three more centuries. If not for the Oath, if there had not been a slight intrigue, the Demon King of Incarceration would have repeated what had been done at the end of the last eras as well.
"It's not enough,” the Demon King of Incarceration muttered bitterly.
Perhaps that power would have been enough three hundred years ago. But now, it was insufficient. After all, three hundred years was a long time for everyone.
As if to prove it, despite such a massive explosion of power, Gavid Lindman did not retreat. Had it been him three hundred years ago, he would have been obliterated by that force.
But Gavid was no longer the same demon as three hundred years ago. If Noir Giabella had transcended her limits as a demon by gathering countless desires, Gavid Lindman transcended his limit through repeated epochs, confining himself and pursuing nothing but the sword.
Gavid swung Glory. The explosion of light seemed capable of annihilating the entire area, but it was blocked by the tip of Gavid’s sword.
He swung it sideways. The line bisected the light. Without a sound, the light was extinguished, and all was voided. Eugene’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. He had not anticipated his attack would be cleaved in a single strike.
"Ha.” He let out a short laugh.
Indeed, it wouldn't be easy.
Expecting this duel to end simply and swiftly without much difficulty would be an overstep of arrogance. Just as Eugene had finally grasped divinity after a year of various trials, Gavid, too, had experienced the unknown and reached an unfathomable realm. That was why he could stand tall in this place.
"New powers,” Gavid murmured.
Eugene was utilizing the new strengths he had acquired after the commencement of the duel. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, as well as the Demon King's weapons, were now reforged into the Holy Moonlight Sword, Levantein. In addition, he was using his sanctuary and Prominence.
"Is that all?" Gavid asked.
Eugene did not respond immediately but stared at Gavid for a moment. The question did not stir any particular emotion in him; it wasn't loaded with any other meaning.
Yet, on a separate note, Eugene couldn't help but feel a certain way, a sentiment he wasn't keen on expressing. He took a deep breath before responding, "I'm sorry."
He hadn't intended to keep his cards hidden. Once again, Eugene lifted his left hand.
Whoosh.
The embers of Levantein transferred to Eugene's left hand. Black flames traced a line following his hand.
"I still have habits from past battles, and using it right from the start isn't something I'm used to," Eugene admitted.
A smile spread across Gavid's lips. The implication of his words and actions was clear.
Three hundred years ago, Gavid had been overwhelmed and terrified. Hamel had shown him a resolute will to kill without regard for his own soul or life. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that this technique essentially represented Hamel of Extermination.
The burning hand was thrust into Eugene’s left chest.
Thump.
The loud sound was heard by everyone in the arena. The flames of Levantein resonated with Eugene's heart as it beat rhythmically.
Thump, thump, thump.
With each heartbeat, the flames enveloping Eugene slowly settled down into tranquility.
What if….
What if he attacked now? That thought crossed Gavid's mind. If he struck while Eugene was deploying Ignition, wouldn't Eugene be defenseless? If that were the case, there was no reason not to attack now.
‘No,’ he decided resolutely with a shake of his head.
Not because it seemed dishonorable to attack in such a manner but because he instinctively understood that Eugene’s posture was not as defenseless as it appeared.
Ignition had been activated the moment his left hand touched his chest. Eugene wasn’t standing there motionless because Ignition was delayed. If Gavid mistakenly thought there was a gap and approached….
"Ha-ha." Gavid let out a humorless laugh.
He should not approach. Gavid felt this instinctively but proceeded anyway. This was what he had longed for over three hundred years.
One step.
He had only taken one step forward, but that was enough for Gavid’s expression to change. The vast arena explicitly built for this duel suddenly felt small, as if constrictive, as if he were in a tiny cell directly facing Eugene while Eugene seemed so immense.
And then another step.
Before he could think or act further, instinct moved his body. He swung the demon sword reflexively. Even so, he failed to offset the entirety of the impact. The shock came a beat later than Gavid had anticipated.
His body was thrown backward. It felt as though his soul was being ripped from his body, flying off into oblivion without knowing where it might crash. At that moment, Gavid could do nothing but look at Eugene. Eugene had not moved from where he had used Ignition. Only his arm, Levantein in hand, had moved. That alone made the slash terrifyingly heavy.
With a clatter, chains appeared from thin air and ensnared Gavid. He had already wrapped chains around his body as a precaution, but they had mostly been shattered by the recent assault.
“This place…”
Eugene’s lips parted as he slowly bent his knees. He kept his intense gaze fixed on Gavid, who was suspended in midair by the chains.
“It’s too cramped.”
With a thunderous roar, Eugene's foot smashed into the ground. The duel arena cratered with the impact of his foot despite being protected by the power of Incarceration. Eugene leaped forward and reached Gavid in an instant, not allowing him even a moment of respite.
Crackle, crackle.
Eugene’s right arm swung back, and the flames of Levantein quietly ignited.
Crackle!
Glory and Levantein clashed in midair. They had been evenly matched in their previous clash. But they no longer stood on equal footing. This time around, Gavid was overwhelmingly outmatched.
Gavid gritted his teeth as he attempted to hold on, but the chains that held him tightly broke. The dark power enveloping Glory dissipated entirely.
‘The firepower…’ Gavid thought.
It was vastly different from moments ago. Could using Ignition really change it to this extent? The simultaneous activation of Prominence and Ignition was supposed to increase Eugene’s power threefold or fourfold, or so Gavid thought. But the power Eugene was now drawing vastly exceeded Gavid’s estimates.
And still, Eugene continued to output even more power. Eugene leaned forward as if he were about to fall.
Then, he vanished. Gavid knew where he would appear, but his knowledge proved useless. The moment he reappeared, Eugene delivered a swift strike and pushed Gavid back once again.
Earlier, Eugene had fought with relative restraint. He had barely moved from his spot, and if he moved, it was not with the dynamism now displayed.
But it was different now. Eugene had begun to take full control of the battle. It was impossible to follow his speed with the naked eye, and predicting his attacks proved useless.
How could one deal with attacks that couldn’t be avoided, even if they could be predicted? All Gavid could do was wrap the chains of Incarceration around his entire body, do his best to hold his ground, focus on defense, and look for an opening.
‘Oh my.’ After being hit dozens of times, Gavid finally understood.
The fact that Eugene had not moved aggressively after unsheathing the flame of Levantein wasn’t because he had been reserved. No, instead, it was because the beautiful, monstrous sword was something Eugene dared not wield freely in his normal state. It could only be handled after deploying his sanctuary or wrapping it around his body.
Therefore, he needed to use Ignition. Without entering a berserk state, Eugene himself could not handle the power of Levantein.
Gavid was right in his thinking. Levantein was a sword forged from all the weapons and powers Eugene possessed. It was a weapon forged to end all Demon Kings and burn the Destruction that threatened the world. The power of this sword was such that not even a god could wield it without risking self-immolation.
A fatal resolve was necessary to wield the blade. The wielder needed the pure desire to kill the opponent, a desire even greater than the fear of their own death.
‘Not yet,’ Eugene told himself.
His eyes flashed. His left hand still clutched at his chest, gripping his heart.
“It’s still not enough,” Eugene declared.
Whoosh.
Blood-red flames transferred from his heart to his fingers as he lightly brushed the blade of Levantein. His murderous intent and divine power ignited a light that embedded itself in the blade, making Levantein tremble.
Thump.
The blade of glass pulsed. A new flame was layered over the existing fire. The flames overlapped.
‘Empty Sword.'
It felt as if Gavid was being completely crushed. His thoughts were sporadic and fractured, yet within that turmoil, Gavid came to an answer.
The Empty Sword, the secret technique of the Dragonic clan, involved stacking sword-force to create overlapping layers. The principle in Eugene’s current technique was the same as the original. However, what Eugene was now overlapping with was not sword-force but Divine Fire. Eugene’s sword had been formidable enough to block Gavid’s attacks before, but now, it was even more powerful.
"It’s not enough," Eugene declared once more.
Despite wielding such immense power, Eugene still desired more. The blade, aglow with a crimson flame, advanced, and as it did, Eugene infused it with yet another power.
The power of Jigollath, imbued in Levantein, had the ability to shatter and explode anything in its path.
As the flame approached Gavid, he intuitively knew what was about to unfold. The black sword would crush all the chains of Incarceration he had focused around him.
It would defy the Demoneye of Divine Glory. It would even shatter the blade of Glory, which was supposed to be unbreakable. In the presence of Levantein, the chains wrapped around his body for defense would mean nothing.
Yet, Gavid thrust his sword forward. There was no other option available to him. Evading the attack was impossible. The sword’s nature made avoidance futile.
Levantein had already decreed Gavid’s fate as one of absolute defeat and death. To flee from the blazing red and black flames would be akin to escaping fate itself.
Gavid wasn’t wrong in his prediction.
The cruel and violent divine flame shattered all chains. The flames continued forward and cleaved through the blade of Glory. Yet, Levantein did not stop there. The flame pushed forward as much as Eugene desired and reached Gavid.
Crack, crackle.
Dark power sparked between the blade and Gavid. For a moment, Gavid’s wide eyes and Eugene’s eyes locked.
Eugene withdrew his gaze. Levantein slashed through Gavid’s body. With a whoosh, the soaring flames reached the chains that covered the dome of the arena and dispersed.
Gavid’s knees hit the ground. His head drooped. Eugene stood there for a moment as he gazed down at the kneeling demon.
“Ugh…” groaned Gavid.
The duel was not long. It lasted less than ten minutes.
Yet, during those ten minutes, surprisingly, Melkith did not speak even once. She couldn’t. The duel between Eugene Lionheart and Gavid Lindman was majestic enough to completely silence the chatterbox Melkith.
"It’s over."
Melkith finally managed to speak. She jumped up from her seat and looked down at the arena.
Honestly, she initially thought Eugene might lose. Gavid had parried Eugene’s attacks too easily and calmly.
But after Eugene activated Ignition, his victory was assured. Everyone present, including Melkith, knew well how Eugene fought. Eugene would not use Ignition unless he was certain of victory.
“It’s over!” Melkith exclaimed excitedly while jumping up and down from her seat.
Melkith had contracts with three Spirit Kings, and she could vaguely sense how destructive the power loaded within Eugene’s sword was. No matter how strong Gavid Lindman was claimed to be, Eugene’s sword left no room for any counteraction. A sword that kills upon contact — how could one possibly stop it?
"It's over! Eugene won! Long live the Brilliant Eugene Lionheart!" Melkith cheered while raising her hands high.
The other spectators were unlike Melkith. They were not without their dignity. Thus, they did not jump or cheer wildly. However, their feelings were not much different from Melkith’s.
They were overwhelmed by Eugene and Gavid. In particular, they could clearly feel a divine might radiating from Eugene. It felt natural that he had only taken a few strikes. Each blow carried the potential to shatter the world, and there was no reason to strike hundreds or thousands of times.
"Hurrah!"
Only Melkith continued to shout with her arms raised high in the silence.
As she continued shouting, the audience, too, began to realize something. Gavid didn’t get up after falling to the ground. He was a demon with the ability to resurrect from being decapitated, having his heart crushed, and reduced to ashes. However, it appeared as if he could not revive from Eugene’s strike.
This meant one thing. Just as noisily as Melkith was proclaiming, Eugene had indeed won the duel.
A murmur spread through the spectating crowd.
The eyes of the Black Mist quivered. They, too, were overwhelmed by Eugene's divine might. But even in their overwhelmed state, they had believed in Gavid’s power, in the power of the Blade of Incarceration.
They could not accept the defeat of their revered duke. Was the battle fierce? Was it intense? Had it been a clash where everything was put on the line such that it wouldn’t have been strange for either side to fall?
No. It was Eugene who dominated. From the moment Eugene used Ignition, Gavid's sword never once brought Eugene close to crisis.
The Black Mist could hardly accept this truth. They looked bewilderedly towards the Demon King of Incarceration.
He was still sitting on the throne of chains, with his chin propped on the back of his hand. He seemed unfazed by Gavid's defeat and death despite spending hundreds of years together. Had he anticipated the outcome from the beginning? Had he felt no expectation because he sensed Gavid’s defeat?
No.
The thoughts of the Demon King of Incarceration remained unchanged. He had never sensed Gavid’s defeat and death. The Demon King of Incarceration still could not discern the outcome of this duel. He hadn’t expressed his ignorance towards the outcome of the duel in vain.
"Gavid Lindman." The lips of the Demon King of Incarceration parted.
Eugene was still looking down at Gavid. He neither turned away in assured victory nor struck with Levantein again to completely eliminate Gavid.
He couldn’t.
Eugene was feeling a strange and ominous stickiness.
"...Not yet," Gavid muttered, his head still bowed. "It's not over yet."
Then, Gavid staggered to his feet.