While Gavid received condolences from the demons, Eugene did not look that way. He had already finished offering his condolences and farewells to Gavid.
He was unsure how Gavid had taken them, but he was genuinely thankful and expressed that.
This duel was important to Eugene and held great significance. Thus, he absolutely had to win. He had been desperate.
"I'm getting tired,” Eugene sighed deeply and muttered to himself.
He slowly allowed Ignition to end. The sanctuary wrapped around his body disappeared as well. It was quite different from a year ago. Eugene had far surpassed the human limits, and he no longer had to deal with any physical recoil.
That didn't mean he was completely fine. If anything had changed, it was that his physical body could still move perfectly. However, he couldn't help the backlash from the surge of divine power.
‘ It would be better if only my body were in pain,’ Eugene thought bitterly.
Due to Ignition's backlash, he could not use divine power for a while. Fortunately, he could still use mana, but Levantein could not even draw a quarter of its original power without Divine Power.
‘I'm glad this didn't happen in Babel.’
Eugene had gained a lot through this duel. One was the divine power and Levantein. Moreover, having won a duel that was broadcast across the continent, his faith would increase immeasurably.Of course, the greatest achievement was having killed Gavid Lindman. Now, no demon could stand in Eugene's way in ascending to the throne of the Demon King of Incarceration in Babel, except for Noir Giabella.
‘I need to kill her before going to Babel,’ Eugene thought apathetically.
It was not an easy task. He wasn’t confident even after gaining such power. Nevertheless, there was one thing he could be certain of, regardless of whether he would win or not.
Noir could no longer be given any more time. She could no longer be called the Queen of the Night Demons. She was the same as Gavid. She had already become an unfathomable entity, transcending the realm of demons.
‘She even possesses the Demoneye of Divine Glory.’ Eugene continued with his musings.
Just the Demoneye of Fantasy was horrendous and tricky enough, but she now also possessed the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Moreover, Noir would not use the Demoneye of Divine Glory like Gavid.
‘Noir Giabella's mastery of the Demoneye is overwhelmingly superior. She'll probably use the Demoneye of Fantasy as a supplement in battle,’ Eugene thought with a frown.
Thus, all the more reason Noir could not be given time. What she had done in Giabella City was unclear, but Eugene could no longer leave her be.
"Radiant!" a voice was heard.
Eugene's steps halted abruptly as he brooded. It was the cursed title he had heard for the first time in a year. But would it have become familiar if he had heard it all year long? He doubted it. Eugene grimaced and looked up.
Everyone in the stands was standing and looking at Eugene. The first to jump down was, surprisingly, Gilead Lionheart.
"Radiant Eugene Lionheart!" Gilead shouted as he landed in front of Eugene.
Eugene saw the Lionheart crest emitting a faint light on his left chest.
It wasn't just Gilead. All the Lionhearts who came here were the same. Carmen introduced a new emblem on the uniform a year ago. Eugene looked at the Lionhearts gathering in front of him with a melancholic expression.
"Why the face?" Ciel asked with a puzzled expression.
He couldn’t pinpoint his emotion. It wasn’t unpleasant, but he couldn’t openly be happy about it either. Should he just ignore it? Was it necessary to mention it? All the Lionhearts, including those who were not present, probably had the same emblem engraved on the chests of their uniforms.
Eugene coughed and simply shook his head.
"I'm just tired,” he said.
"That makes sense,” Cyan murmured in agreement with a nod.
He had seen the recent duel with his own eyes from the nearby stands, but he could not understand it. The duel between Gavid and Eugene was beyond human comprehension.
"Aaaaah!"
A crow-like scream struck Eugene’s eardrums, but he was not surprised and looked toward the noise.
Among all the people of the continent, there was only one person who could make such a loud, screeching noise. Just as before, Melkith raised her arms high without caring that she was being broadcast to the entire continent.
"Long live, long live, long live!"
A large flag appeared in Melkith's hand. Eugene was speechless at the sight of the Lionheart crest engraved on the flag. His name was even written in gold below the crest.
Eugene could only stare with his mouth agape as Melkith squealed and waved the flag back and forth.
"Hmm...”
He shut his eyes closed to help with his nausea.
It seemed like a tease, but it wasn't. The gently glowing Lionheart crest and the fluttering flag were all prepared because they had believed in Eugene's victory.
Eugene had attained divinity but fortunately still had a human heart, so he refrained from scolding Melkith and bore with it.
"A-hem." From the back, Sienna cleared her throat. She did not push through the crowd or fly directly to Eugene but reached him with a small step.
"Uh-hum-hum."
Sienna straightened her shoulders and pushed out her chest while coughing. She had hoped for a greeting like “long time no see,” but Eugene did not act as Sienna had expected.
However, Sienna could not complain to Eugene. The moment she stood before him, without hesitation, Eugene spread his arms wide and embraced her.
Sienna had not imagined being suddenly embraced, so when she was held, she could say nothing and fumbled with her lips.
"It's been a long time."
A whisper tickled Sienna's blushing ears. Sparks flew in Sienna's head, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
"Uh... uh, uhuh..."
She barely managed to make some sound. After over a year, the embrace was very stimulating for Sienna. She had to try her best to keep her legs from giving out.
But there was no need for that. Molon came forward and lifted both Eugene and Sienna together.
"Uha! Uahaha! Hahaha!"
Molon laughed heartily while shaking Eugene and Sienna in the air. After a few shakes, Sienna came to her senses. She remembered what Molon had said earlier.
With regret, Sienna slipped away from Eugene's embrace and descended to the ground.
"Victory!" Molon yelled.
He immediately carried out what he had proposed earlier. He threw Eugene high into the sky and shouted again, "Victory!"
Eugene could have run away but sighed deeply and silently fell downward. Molon caught Eugene with his palm and, like bouncing a ball, threw Eugene up high again.
"You did it! In your duel with Gavid Lindman! You won, Hamel!" he shouted.
"Yeah, yeah..." Eugene tried to sound enthused.
Molon threw and caught Eugene ten times before finally letting him down to the ground. Eugene casually pressed down his disheveled hair with his hand.
"Enough,” Eugene said.
He stopped Molon, who was about to continue. Not just to Molon, Eugene silently looked around at everyone with calm eyes. Then everyone stopped cheering.
A sudden silence ensued.
Eugene's expression, gaze, and atmosphere contributed, but in addition, everyone came to realize the situation.
Gavid Lindman was dead.
Molon composed his expression and turned around. Although he doubted it would be necessary, Molon stood in a position where he could block the front and protect everyone in case of any threat.
Sienna also removed Mary from the subspace and held it in her hand. She didn't prepare any spells. Sienna's magic no longer needed any incantations.
Soaked in emotion, Kristina and Anise offered prayers as they came to realize this truth. Kristina clenched her rosary nervously.
The Black Mist did not want to reveal Gavid's last moments to others, so they formed a circle to hide his figure.
But now, there was no need for that. The Black Mist sheathed their raised swords and lowered the face covers of the helmets as they retreated backward.
From the dispersing ashes, Noir Giabella rose. She grasped some of the remaining ashes on her knee with her hand. Noir's expression was unreadable because her face was covered with a black veil as dense as the abyss.
The Demon King of Incarceration stood behind her. He stared at the ashes scattering in the sky for a moment.
Under his serene gaze, Melkith flinched. She slowly lowered the flag she had been vigorously waving. Could it be that the Demon King of Incarceration was displeased with this fuss? Could he attack them, accusing them of daring to insult this time of mourning?
Although Melkith was bold enough not to care about the gazes of the people of the continent, she was somewhat afraid of the Demon King of Incarceration.
"Congratulations on your victory,” the Demon King of Incarceration spoke. He shifted his gaze from the ashes that drifted and disappeared in the sky.
He thought he had long since worn out such emotions. Yet, strangely, the Demon King of Incarceration felt a bit of regret. If he had ignored Gavid's wish, or if he had collected the soul to take it to the next cycle irrespective of his wishes, even if he did not revive Gavid, would it have helped?
'Is it meaningless?' the Demon King wondered.
He shook his head with a bitter smile. Even if he had taken the soul to the next cycle, he wouldn't have blossomed as much as he did now. Gavid's fable was special because he had existed in this era.
"Not much time is left, really,” he muttered, trying to lessen the regret.
Although he had kept beings like Gavid Lindman by his side several times, this was the first time he felt such regret.
"Eugene Lionheart," the Demon King of Incarceration called.
He lowered his gaze to look at Eugene. The moment he saw Eugene standing in front of the Lionhearts and the heroes of the continent — the Demon King of Incarceration could not help but feel a strange nostalgia.
This was a world that would have perished long ago.
If it weren't for the Oath from three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration would have watched from the highest place in Babel as the world sank into the sea and fog, disappearing as he had done several times before.
The Demon King of Incarceration recalled Vermouth from three hundred years ago. That distorted byproduct. A man who could not possibly be called the Hero from the roots of his being, yet who forcefully held the Holy Sword and was shunned by the Light.
The Light never considered Vermouth the Hero. The Light neither understood nor tried to understand Vermouth's existence. No, in the first place, the Light did not have the intellect to understand Vermouth.
Yet, Vermouth wielded the Holy Sword. He forcibly extracted the Light using the Holy Sword as a medium. In fact, Vermouth didn't need something like the holy sword, but he held it nonetheless.
Because the title 'Hero' was a necessity. He needed to be the Hero to assert that the world’s end was not yet decided. He needed to prove that there was a hero who could stand against the Demon Kings.
And finally….
"Has Vermouth's Oath borne fruit?” the Demon King of Incarceration murmured in a low voice.
The people from three hundred years ago threw themselves into the Devildom because of the Hero’s existence. Even those who were weak and not heroes were influenced by Vermouth. They died in the Devildom for the sake of the world.
The continent and the humans did not win the war. But they also did not lose. Three hundred years ago, there were a few moments the Demon King of Incarceration could not forget.
One was when he first saw the man called Vermouth Lionheart. The moment he saw him, the Demon King of Incarceration no longer advanced but returned to Babel. And he welcomed Vermouth there. He was curious what that man, who could hardly be called the Hero, was plotting.
Another was when he first saw Hamel. It was when he came to the Devildom as one of the comrades of Vermouth.
The last moment was at the very summit of Babel, in the throne room of the Demon King. When Hamel's comrades trudged on after his death, Vermouth unleashed the nature he had been sealing.
"Excellent," the Demon King of Incarceration spoke with a nod.
He could have refused, but he did not. The Demon King of Incarceration had made the Oath as Vermouth had wished.
Thus, three hundred years had passed. For the Demon King of Incarceration, three hundred years was not considered a long time, but it was not the same for the world.
Destruction had been postponed for three hundred years. The war had ended. The world had changed incomparably from before the war.
What now lay before the eyes of the Demon King of Incarceration was the fruit of that promise.
But could he truly reap that fruit?
"Eugene Lionheart," he called out once again.
Clank.
The chains behind the Demon King of Incarceration moved.
"There isn’t much time left. Regardless of my will, the end of the Oath is approaching."
"Yes," Eugene responded with a nod.
He, too, thought of Vermouth. Tied down and sitting in a chair of chains, Vermouth was utterly exhausted and worn out.
"We can't just wait for the end of the Oath, can we?" said Eugene.
Still, Eugene did not truly know what kind of existence Vermouth was. But, this he was sure of: Even if Vermouth was related to the Demon King of Destruction, he did not wish for the world's destruction. Even if Vermouth was not the Hero, he had done his best to save the world.
He must have desperately hoped that Eugene would fulfill that wish.
"I'll come before it's too late," Eugene promised.
He raised his finger to his neck.
"Don't run away. Just wash your neck and wait," he told the Demon King of Incarceration.
Swish.
Eugene's finger slid across his neck. The Black Mist flickered and showed malice toward Eugene. However, it didn’t really bother Eugene.
"I will wait for you," the Demon King of Incarceration promised.
He smiled and opened the door of chains. The Demon King of Incarceration entered the door first, and the Black Mist quietly followed behind.
The door of chains closed.
Only Noir Giabella remained alone. A veil still covered her face, so her expression was unreadable. But Eugene felt Noir's gaze.
"Shh."
The moment Eugene was about to speak, Noir raised her finger and shook her head.
"I do not wish to have a reunion, conversation, or communion with you here,” Noir whispered. "The Demon King said the end of the Oath is not far off. If so, Hamel, you will have to come find me soon."
Noir took a step back.
Whoosh!
A descending wind swept the ground.
Noir pressed her fluttering hair with her hand. Her smile was visible through the fluttering veil.
"I will wait," Noir whispered.
The wind that had been plunging downward now shot upwards. Noir ascended into the sky with the wind. The Giabella-Face that had come to greet its master shone brightly.
"In my city."
With that whisper, Noir and Giabella-Face disappeared.
Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts