It wasn’t as if Eugene didn’t feel any emotion in the series of dreams. Yet, these emotions were his own. Even if he was in the midst of a dream dominated by Noir, Eugene's emotions remained beyond her control.
Likewise, Eugene's existence, even within the dream, was not governed by Noir. Everything else merely formed the backdrop and circumstance. The agency over Eugene’s being rested solely with him.
‘However, the dream itself is beyond my interference,’ Eugene concluded.
He had tried interfering several times, but it proved impossible. Even though he was aware that he was dreaming, the control of the dream itself lay firmly in Noir's grasp. Her dominion over it was incomparably strong. To overcome the current situation, Eugene knew he had to start with something simple and straightforward.
Though he was uncertain if it was the right solution, the best course of action Eugene could think of was to shatter the dream itself.
Rumbleee!
With a roar, flames enveloped the glass blade, and it began to tremble violently. Eugene glared at the sky while clenching the hilt of the sword. The night sky began to quake. Noir flashed a provocative smile while turning her back to the distorted moon.
"For now, I have a few things I want to ask you. I’m genuinely curious about them,” Noir said.
She had not changed her attire from the grand mansion.
She wore an elaborate dress utterly unsuitable for combat. The skirt reached down to her ankles, and it was adorned with lavish ruffles. Her arms were covered with long, white gloves reaching up to her forearms, and in her left hand, she held a folded fan."Hamel,” she called out, then slowly raised the fan in front of her face. "Do you really think you can defeat me?"
With a swish, the fan unfolded. The fan, as ornate as her dress, covered Noir's lips, though her eyes remained uncovered. Her eyes curved into a slight smile, gleaming from the shadows cast by the moon.
"Do you really think you can defeat me in this dream?” she repeated.
It was a question not worth answering. Eugene shifted Levantein to his side. The blade pointed at the sky, and the flickering flames seemed to lick at the moon.
Crack, crackle….
The flames of the White Flame Formula resonated with Levantein.
"Can I win?" Though it was a question not worth answering, Eugene responded, "I don't know."
It was an honest answer.
He continued, "I'm not here to lose and die to you. Nor am I here to indulge in your deranged obsession. I am here…."
The spreading flames intensified the tremor of the dream. The resonance between Levantein and the flames of the White Flame Formula was definitely impacting the dream.
Whoosh.
The fluttering sparks gathered behind Eugene and formed wings of fire. In the darkness of the dream's night, the black flames of Prominence stood out a distinct shade.
"I'm here to kill you," Eugene declared.
There was no hesitation in his statement. There shouldn't have been. Noir felt a chilling thrill. She wrapped one hand around her trembling shoulder while smiling with concealed lips behind the fan.
"Yes, I know,” she answered.
Hamel’s resolve was palpable in his every expression, response, and emotion. She could see a mix of calm determination and desperate tenacity. Yet, it was laden with overwhelming emotions that were buried deep within.
Noir perceived a resemblance between the current Hamel and Levantein. The blade of transparent, exquisite glass appeared so fragile that a mere tap might shatter it, yet paradoxically, it never would. Within that seemingly fragile glass blade was an inferno capable of consuming the world and more.
“I know the extent of your resolve in coming here,” Noir said.
Crack...!
The distorted full moon began to fracture.
“Hamel, you say you came to kill me, but there’s more to it than that. You came prepared to die by my hands,” she continued.
The cracks in the full moon widened, with fragments and debris scattering behind Noir.
“This is the dream that I create and rule. I admit, Hamel. In this dream, I cannot control your presence or your emotions. But I can see your feelings and memories. My Hamel, you’ve left a will,” Noir called out.
The disintegration of the full moon accelerated. Behind Noir, there was no longer a full moon but a circle of moon shards.
“However, I’m not fond of the contents of that will. You already know, don’t you? Can Molon Ruhr truly replace you as the master of Levantein after you die? You are the only one that the Demon King of Incarceration considers special. You’re the only one who gets the chance. Without you, he wouldn’t bother,” said Noir.
As the moon shards spread wider, the stars resonated with them. Every star in the sky seemed to gather around Noir, escaping the undulating darkness of the night.
“Indeed, who could stand against the Demon King of Destruction in your place? Gilead Lionheart? Gion Lionheart? Carmen Lionheart? Ahaha, you really believe those young, feeble twins can face the Demon King of Destruction?” Noir mocked.
“I don’t know,” Eugene muttered. “But they will manage somehow. I don’t believe that those living in this era are so insignificant that my death would be in vain. That’s why I wrote the will. When I die, Molon, Sienna, and Anise — they will kill the Demon King of Incarceration in my stead. If anyone is worthy to stand against the Demon King of Destruction, it's those of the Lionheart blood.”
Thud.
Eugene's feet lightly pushed against the ground, and he soared into the sky.
“Fortunately, the Lionhearts are a large family. There’s no shortage of members who meet the necessary qualifications,” he said.
“Ahaha!” Noir laughed, her shoulders shaking in tandem. “Hamel, you know as well as I do how unlikely that is.”
“Of course, I know,” he said.
But he had to leave such a will.
“So, I plan to survive somehow,” he stated.
“It won’t be easy,” she retorted.
“No, it’s simple and straightforward. I just have to kill you, Noir Giabella, before I die,” said Eugene.
It was reckless, even improbable, and thus, he was desperate. Prominence blazed even brighter. The lone wing of that flame alone enshrouded Eugene in a sanctuary.
His sanctuary stood tall even in the dream Noir had conjured.
Sanctuary and dream collided. Yet, to Noir, this was but a trivial rebellion. She snorted dismissively while shaking her head.
"No."
Her left hand, which was draped over her shoulder, moved. Fingers wrapped in white gloves traced a circle in the air while pointing skyward.
"Hamel, the task you propose is neither simple nor easy. Kill me?" she questioned.
Woooooo!
The night began to howl, and the full collapse began. Shattered shards of the moon and stars tore through the night's darkness while plummeting to the ground.
"It’s a tremendously difficult and arduous task," Noir stated.
The moon and stars in the endlessly vast, distant night sky were small enough to be covered with a palm or picked with fingers. However, that was no longer the case as they descended and grew closer.
Sienna had talked about the romance of using Meteor. The grand spell of overwhelming mass was currently falling towards Eugene.
This wasn’t reality. It couldn’t possibly be reality. If countless stars and shattered shards of the moon were to fall in reality, the world would be utterly destroyed.
That was why such absurd violence was possible. Everything was merely a moment of a nightmare. Even amid an onslaught of stars and moons capable of obliterating the world, Noir's dream did not end.
But Eugene would die. His divinity and intuition warned him.
‘Romance, is it? ’ Eugene scoffed.
Levels of violence otherwise impossible in reality were made possible because they were in a dream. But Noir wasn’t the only one who was allowed such an option. Although others might have been helpless in such a dream, Eugene could put up resistance.
That was why he had unfolded his Prominence. He had not extended but tightly wound his sanctuary around him for defense and enhancement. His sanctuary mingled with Noir’s dream, realizing the dream Eugene desired.
Ting!
The blade of Levantein trembled. Eugene held his breath and raised his left hand. The divine fire transferred from the blade and wrapped around his hand.
If this were reality, he would never use Ignition now. This was not the decisive phase of the battle, and once he used it, his divine power would be sealed. But now, such concerns were unnecessary.
"My goodness," Noir gasped.
To think he’d use the dream in reverse! Noir was genuinely astonished. Meanwhile, the moon and stars continued to fall towards Eugene. The catastrophic violence filled the night sky. It appeared as if the sky would completely collapse and merge with the ground. It was an unrealistic spectacle.
But Eugene did not end with Ignition. Eugene’s sanctuary, which had melted into the dream, continued to realize Eugene’s desires.
Another Levantein appeared.
"Wait."
For the first time, a look of confusion crossed Noir's face.
"Hamel."
Another Levantein appeared.
"Even though this is a dream."
Another Levantein appeared.
"I can do as I please in this dream because I possess the Demoneye of Fantasy. Moreover, I also have the Demoneye of Divine Glory."
Another Levantein appeared.
"I am the ruler of this dream. Whatever happens, I can handle it. But you cannot."
Another Levantein appeared.
"Just like how you are soaked in cold sweat and feel your heart palpitating when you wake from a nightmare. Just like how you scream in your awakening when you fall in your dream.”
Another Levantein appeared.
"Don't you understand? What happens here in this dream affects you in reality too. Ignition is fine. You're used to that. But this is different. This is something you can't handle in reality—"
Another Levantein appeared.
"No," Eugene countered. "I can handle it. If my brain burns out from the overload, my Saint will manage it somehow. If my mind gets trapped in the dream, Sienna will find a way."
Levantein continued to multiply.
"And, if you say I can't handle it in reality, what does that even mean to me now? If I die in this dream, what good is reality?" Eugene questioned.
Flames emanating from dozens of Levantein filled the space between the sky and the ground.
"Your mind won't endure it," Noir shook her head.
"I will endure," Eugene responded, shaking his head in return.
His mind had withstood the center of the Demon King of Destruction. There was still work to be done. He hoped the ugly, improbable story written in his will wouldn't reach others.
Eugene swallowed and gripped the real Levantein. Dozens of Levanteins flared up identically. Flames rose to defy the catastrophic disaster that threatened to obliterate the world.
Sound itself was extinguished. Countless stars turned to ash in the Levantein's blaze. All fragments of the falling moon burned up. The sky of the dream was no longer night. The flames of Levantein had extinguished even the darkness of the night.
The night melted into flames, turning the world into a twilight hue. Noir still covered her mouth with her fan. She was undisturbed by the immense destruction. She remained unscathed.
But this twilight hue caused a slight stir in Noir.
"Impressive," she complimented.
Noir smiled and nodded her head. Hamel's absurd act of interfering with the dream had definitely flustered her. Who could have imagined turning such an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battlefield to his advantage?
"But it's not enough,” she said.
The inferno that had erased both earth and sky targeted Noir.
"I've become unable to feel death from just this."
She closed the fan covering her mouth.
Thus, one dream closed. But the dream did not end. It simply changed to the next. There was no distinction between the ending of one dream and the beginning of another. Dozens of Levanteins, as well as Eugene's sanctuary, were swallowed by a larger dream.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The terrifying blaze turned into the froth of a shaken champagne, scattering into nothingness. The cork of the champagne flew high, striking the ceiling and then falling down. Eugene's body swayed once.
The world had changed suddenly, and Eugene found himself standing on the ground.
This was no longer the mansion that Sienna had dreamed of. It was not a forest with a gentle stream, where the air was fresh and the sky high and blue.
It was an unknown, tranquil place. A place where carriages and wagons passed through, a place without warp-gates. It was a rural village where the fields turned golden in the autumn. It was a small inn catering to travelers.
"Oh, it's you,” she called out.
Noir emerged from the open kitchen, turning around with two beers in hand. She gave a broad smile.
"Why aren't you at the counter?”
This was Anise’s dream.
“Even if our inn isn't doing well, as the owner, you should be waiting for—"
Eugene didn't listen to the end. He charged forward and drove his fist into Noir's face.
Pop!
Noir's head burst like a tomato. No, it literally turned into — a tomato. The pulp of the burst tomato fell to the floor with a splat.
"I told you, Hamel."
Crushing the pulp underfoot, Noir brought one of the beers to her lips.
"It's going to be incredibly hard and tough."
Ignition rekindled.
Quake!
A storm of flames obliterated the inn. Noir was swept up in the flames while sipping her beer.
The violent flames turned into a tempest in a teacup. Eugene stepped back, startled.
He suddenly found himself observing something entirely different. He saw a spinning roulette wheel. Across the table, Noir, eyeing a stack of chips, grinned broadly.
"Betting?"
Crack!
Eugene stomped on the roulette and shattered it. Just as he was about to thrust Levantein into Noir's neck, the current dream folded and transformed into a new one.
They were at a ball.
In this dream, there were others besides Noir and Eugene. Men and women in tuxedos and dresses held hands and spun around the dance floor. No, not other people — every woman was Noir. The men were just faceless versions of Eugene.
"Isn't dancing nice too?" dozens of Noirs whispered to Eugene. "It reminds me of Shimuin. I wanted to dance with you then."
The real Noir, partnerless, tiptoed towards Eugene.
"But you, you sent me away and danced with Sienna Merdein."
She didn't unfold her fan. Instead, she slowly removed her white glove.
"I wasn't bothered then. Now, I'm angry,” she said.
Noir threw the removed glove at Eugene's face.
"Let's duel."
It was a whisper full of laughter.
But the thin glove, casually thrown, shattered Eugene's head.