Eugene had not thrown Levantein in a fit of resignation. He had carefully orchestrated the event. He had ensured Noir would be constantly looking out for Levantein by attacking with the sword.
His strategy had been effective. Noir had no choice but to be conscious of Levantein. As strong as Noir was, the strikes from Levantein were effective against her. Noir was strong, but she wasn’t arrogant.
Three hundred years ago, she had never shown herself directly, and after the war, she selected demons who could rival her and corrupted them. She continued to gather strength regularly ever since by collecting life-force.
Contrary to her appearance and behavior, she was exceedingly cautious. It was inconceivable that Noir, knowing the threat Levantein posed, could ignore it.
Instinctively, she kept her gaze primarily on Levantein with every attack Eugene launched. She made sure to keep a vigilant watch on Levantein, even if she allowed other attacks from him.
As a result, Eugene's fist had made contact with Noir's face. He felt the crunch of her nasal bones breaking. ‘ Stronger ,’ he wished, and with a crack, his fist burst Noir's head.
Noir's headless body staggered. Eugene didn't stop and swung his hand again. Levantein, which had been flung far, was now back in his hand. Summoning a fallen weapon was a simple spell.
In fact, he didn’t even need to cast magic for Levantein. Levantein itself was Eugene's Divine Sword. It would reappear in his hand whenever he wished.
The blade, wrapped in divine fire, surged toward Noir. Eugene did harbor grand ambition. After all, although he had crushed Noir’s head, she wasn’t dead.
It was just as he expected. Before Levantein could reach her, Noir's body reacted. With a thud, she kicked and sent Eugene reeling backward."Striking a woman's face!" Though headless, Noir's outcry was clear.
Rumble!
Dozens of buildings drawn from the city flew at Eugene.
He ignored them. Eugene did not strike at the buildings but leaped again.
Bang, bang, bang!
The buildings targeting him shattered in the sky. Sienna had intercepted them from the ground.
'Anise, Kristina,' Eugene called in his mind.
He had never tried it before, but he believed it was possible.
He coated the blade of Levantein with Light. Unfortunately, Eugene was not familiar with divine magic and miracles, but it was different for the Saints. Though startled by Eugene's absurd request, they did not hesitate. If their god deemed it possible to perform a miracle, then surely it wasn't impossible.
Like glassblowing, the blade wobbled. Following Eugene's will, the blade seemed to melt and then reshaped itself.
An axe, or perhaps a hammer? Noir watched with wide eyes after having regenerated her head. The form was imperfect and vague. It was unclear what form it had taken moments before.
But one thing was certain. The current Levantein was definitely not a sword.
"Answer! An axe!" Noir laughed out loud and exclaimed as she opened her hands and struck the night sky.
Whoosh!
It seemed as if the darkness of the sky was being pushed back. Such was the force of the dark power. It was a mixture of various elements.
Even as she unleashed raw dark power, she made use of the two Demoneyes. Chains sprang from space and targeted Eugene.
'Invert. Fall. Crush. Kneel. Kneel,' Sienna chanted internally.
Simply put, the power of the Demoneye of Fantasy manipulated perception. Until now, Noir had used this power combined with dreams, and now, she was manipulating reality itself. It went beyond manipulating mere perception. These intuitive illusions would affect Eugene the moment they made contact.
Sienna felt as if her head would burst and her intestines were being scraped out with a spoon. Currently, she was perceiving and blocking unrealized illusions. She was countering the chains of Incarceration with chains of magic.
‘I can do this,’ Sienna told herself.
She would not run out of mana. As long as her consciousness held, she could draw magic from the infinite. Sienna glared at the night sky while gasping for breath.
She had blocked the power of the Demoneyes as much as possible. But the sheer brute force of the immense dark power was beyond her ability to stop.
"Ahaha!" Noir laughed.
She had thought it was an axe. But she was mistaken. Levantein was currently taking on the form of a hammer. It wasn't made of flames either. The blade itself had transformed into a hammer.
This was different from before. The heavy blow from the hammer shattered Noir’s dark power. Along with it, the night sky that had been pushed back broke into pieces.
"Still, wasn't I half right?" whispered Noir.
The hammer transformed into an axe after smashing through the waves of dark power and the night sky. Eugene closed the distance between himself and Noir in an instant. Noir spread her arms as the axe aimed to lodge itself in Noir’s chest.
Crack!
But despite being driven downwards, the axe did not fully split Noir in two. In fact, it failed to even reach her. The purple aura of dark power surrounding Noir transformed into hundreds of hands that caught the axe in its tracks. Although about half of the hands were crushed by the axe, Noir still managed to block Eugene’s advance.
'Demoneye of Fantasy?' Sienna glared fiercely while swallowing blood.
Noir had not used the Demoneye of Fantasy to manipulate reality but had directly imbued her dark power with illusion. Who would have thought that was even possible? Sienna quickly maneuvered Mary to target Noir.
Thump!
However, Sienna’s magic was interrupted mid-cast. An incredible amount of dark power caused Sienna to be flung backward through the air.
Meanwhile, Eugene yanked the axe out of the wall of hands. Hundreds of hands were torn off in the process, and the blazing flames turned the lump of dark power into ash.
But since Levantein hadn't directly struck Noir, she took no damage. It didn’t matter if a large amount of dark power was burnt away. It paled in comparison to the ocean of near-infinite dark power Noir possessed.
"Down there,” Noir whispered. "Aren't you worried? She might be dead."
"She's not dead,” Eugene spat.
The blade stretched out.
"Ahaha! You trust in Sienna Merdein? Or perhaps you’re counting on my kindness? After all, if I wanted to kill, I could have done it long ago. I chose not to kill,” said Noir.
It was true. There had been several opportunities for her to kill. From the moment Noir sent the invitation, she could have dominated the minds of her targets.
The reason she hadn't killed them—
She thought Hamel would be sad. It seemed like Hamel would become angry. She didn't want to corrupt Hamel's murderous intent into something meager like vengeance.
"This time, it's a spear, right? You used a spear quite well—" Noir stopped mid-sentence.
No, she was wrong. The blade stretched out like a spear and then suddenly thickened.
‘What is that?’ She couldn’t help but wonder.
Noir became shocked by what transpired next. What she thought was a spear had become a cannon barrel. Levantein had literally transformed into a glass cannon. Flames started to flicker at the mouth of the glass cannon.
She thought it would emit flames, but it didn't. Instead, numerous small spheres of light poured out from the barrel.
They were tiny spheres the size of fists. Noir knew what they were. She watched the spheres float around her and burst into laughter.
"Your attacks have become quite creative,” she commented.
Hundreds of Eclipses exploded simultaneously. The sky was no longer night; it turned a blinding white. However, it was not a bright light but a conflagration that threatened to erase everything. The attack was focused on Noir.
"Is it because of those wings?" Noir asked.
She spread her arms wide with a radiant smile.
Crackle!
The barrier of dark power Noir had spread was instantly destroyed. Within the blaze, Noir's body drifted like a falling leaf, but she did not burn. She reinforced the barrier immediately before it was destroyed and pursued Eugene.
The blinding conflagration that had lit up the sky all returned to Eugene. The blade of Levantein, which had once again taken the form of a sword, was layered with the fiery blaze.
The Empty Sword had not been particularly effective against Noir, but it was different now. Levantein’s firepower had undergone an upgrade with Eugene’s resonance with the Saints. And now, with the current stacks of the Empty Sword—
"This is dangerous,” Noir muttered.
Whoosh!
The Empty Sword plunged into Noir. The miracle of the absolute strike, which had previously been ineffective against Noir, was now unleashed. The barrier around her was consumed by the flames. Noir imbued her remaining dark power with illusions. But no illusion could block the Empty Sword. Weapons, shields, armor — all were cut by the flames before they could fully manifest.
She had to retreat. Just as she was about to act on her thoughts, she was stopped.
Clank.
A chain appeared from behind and wrapped around Noir's ankle.
"So that's what you were aiming for,” said Noir.
She could see Sienna’s fierce gaze among the debris of shattered buildings under the sky that had brightened before darkening again. Noir had hoped she would be out cold. But contrary to her expectations, Sienna had remained conscious.
Her ankle was tied. The sure-hit Empty Sword was approaching. Any response would be slightly too late. It seemed inevitable. Noir spread her arms with a slight laugh.
"Just in time," she whispered.
Whoosh!
The Empty Sword slashed across Noir's chest. Her chest was cut wide. The flames seared the wound so that no blood spilled over. An open wound revealed the heart, and Eugene targeted it with his flames.
"It’s not quite there. It lacks the realization," Noir whispered with a bright smile.
The sparks advancing toward the heart suddenly extinguished. The blow had been shallow.
Eugene bit his lip and pulled Levantein back. The sword transformed, adopting a shape for the quickest movement to stab directly at the heart — a dagger plunged into Noir's chest.
Noir's hand blocked the dagger.
Crunch!
He managed to pierce her palm, but the dagger could not advance any further. Before Levantein could change shape again, Noir's fingers clenched around both the hilt of the knife and Eugene's hand.
"A real feel for death,” she said.
Blood dripped from Noir's lips. She relished it — the taste of blood filling her mouth. It was a sensation distinct from the throbbing in her chest and hands, different from the emotions she felt. It was a pure heat of pain.
"Let's both become desperate, Hamel," Noir said.
Crack!
She snapped the chain that bound her leg. She severed the hand that had stopped Levantein as well. She burst into laughter.
Just as Eugene was about to attack again, Noir grabbed the wound on her chest with her remaining hand.
"Ahahahaha!" With a boisterous laugh, the wound gaped open.
With a dramatic flourish, instead of blood, a multitude of Giabella Coins burst from Noir's seared wound. It wasn’t intestines or bones. It was coins — too many to count — assaulting Eugene.
'What is this?' Eugene was shocked.
He had faced all sorts of attacks from Noir, but never had he imagined coins spurting from a wound. And these coins were unusually heavy and forceful.
Eugene swung Levantein, stacked with the Empty Sword, while grinding his teeth.
Whoosh!
A multicolored cascade of coins disintegrated in the flames.
Noir was nowhere to be seen. Immediately, Eugene expanded his senses to locate her.
"Up!"
He heard a scream from below — it was Sienna’s voice. He didn’t have time to check on her condition. Eugene immediately turned his gaze upwards.
Whoosh!
One Giabella-Face was plummeting down, one that had been perched atop a casino roof. He hadn't forgotten the earlier incident. He knew that facing it head-on might drag him into an inescapable explosion.
Eugene instantly moved out of the blast radius and launched an Eclipse.
Boom!
The Giabella-Face exploded like fireworks.
'Where's Noir?' Eugene thought immediately.
Where had she gone in the brief moment? Had she fled? No, that couldn’t be it. Was she buying time to heal her wounds?
Though shallow, Levantein had undoubtedly inflicted a wound on Noir. A little deeper, and it might have reached her heart. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but not one that could be ignored either. Other injuries might heal instantly, but a wound from Levantein was hard to recover from. He couldn't afford to give her time to recover.
"Don't worry." The voice came from somewhere. Eugene immediately turned toward the source of the sound.
It was the center of the city, the place where he first encountered Noir. The city was now completely collapsed. Noir was there, by the lone Giabella-Face still hanging in the sky. She wore a bright smile.
"Didn't I tell you, Hamel? Let’s both become desperate,” she said.
The wound on her chest pleased her. The savage, searing heat felt perfect. Her left hand was now regenerated, and Noir gently caressed Giabella-Face with it.
Eugene half-expected a straightforward charge, so he was surprised when it didn’t come. Instead, the crowned Giabella-Face, Noir’s residence, suddenly soared high into the sky.
"With passion,” she declared.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The Giabella-Face's mouth opened, and loud music poured out. Its glassy, large eyes emitted multicolored lights like a disco ball, coloring the starless night sky with vibrant hues. Meanwhile, the darkness melded into the night focused on Noir.
"With joy,” she said.
The dark power enveloping the entire city flowed into Noir. She gathered all remnants of the city’s dreams, forsaking their restoration to concentrate every bit of power from her domain into herself.
Thump!
A loud throb emanated from the gaping wound on her chest. Noir leaned back while caressing the wound.
"Ahaha, ahahahaha! This is, this is too much!" she exclaimed.
The power amassed was beyond even Noir's reckoning. A lifetime of power was being consolidated into one physical body.
Crack, crackle!
Fissures spread across the sky around Noir. Eugene stared with shock. He could not advance rashly. The same was true for Sienna, who, supporting her tattered legs with her hands, barely managed to remain standing. She swallowed hard.
[My god.]
Both the Saints and Sienna involuntarily sought divine intervention. They felt as if everything that had transpired until now was merely a fleeting dream. They now faced a sinister power that sent chills down their spines and made their limbs tingle.
Thud, thud!
The buildings of the city began to collapse under the overwhelming weight pressing down from the sky. Noir spread her wings wide while the space around her wavered and distorted.
Boom!
It was just the unfurling of her wings, yet the city collapsed completely under the impact, which reverberated even beyond the city limits. Raimira was also hit by the shockwave. She screamed as she plummeted. Sienna, who had quickly formed a barrier, was also overwhelmed by the shock and vomited blood.
Eugene held Levantein upright. The bright, burning flames cut through the darkness. Prominence, the Wings of Light, the sanctuary he formed — all resisted Noir's overwhelming display of force.
"Don’t you also want more?" whispered Noir.
Though he heard it, Eugene couldn't respond. An attack from above slammed him into the ground.
He did not kneel. He endured, aiming for the next opportunity. He swung his sword, but it did not reach his target. Laughter echoed, growing distant, then suddenly near again.
Crunch!
He was smashed downward, but this time, he was sent flying backward. Blood surged from Eugene's mouth.
[Hamel!]
[Eugene!]
The Saints' cries echoed. The Wings of Light wrapped around Eugene on its own. His crushed organs regenerated. The eyes that had burst from the internal shock also regenerated. His vision was once again filled with light.
Bam, bam, bam, bam.
The music that filled the air seemed fit only for a club in Giabella City. Multicolored lights danced wildly in the sky. All this chaos disoriented the mind.
"Shit," Eugene cursed while spitting blood.
She was simply too strong. He had never struggled this much since gaining awareness of his divinity and acquiring the Divine Sword.
The specter had been strong. Gavid had been strong. But neither had been as overwhelming as this. Even with the aid of Sienna and the Saints, he couldn't grasp any advantage over Noir. When he had managed a shallow cut and landed an attack, he had felt slight relief. He had felt as if he had taken a step towards victory.
But then he had ended up in this state. He had been toyed with by Noir at every turn ever since entering this nightmare.
'Realization,' Eugene thought.
Eugene staggered to his feet. Noir wasn't attacking him anymore. Amid the dizzying colors, he saw Noir, the concentration of her dark power now a deep black dress that adorned her. But the cleavage that the dress revealed sported the wound on her chest from before.
The wound.
Despite having gathered all her power, the wound had not healed. But the inside of the wound was invisible. Where her heart should be, only a profound darkness remained.
Sensing his gaze, Noir smiled broadly. She deliberately raised her hand to trace the wound.
Her fingers moved higher and gently touched a necklace.
Eugene ignored her provocation.
He had baptized the Saints. The current form of Levantein possessed greater firepower than ever before, even compared to when he had used Ignition. The sanctuary itself was strengthened. The range of miracles he could perform had also expanded.
Yet, he was still lacking in firepower.
'What should I do?' Eugene thought.
He came to realize that the same kind of battle as before would not hold up now.
'I've reached her a few times.'
But each tangible strike had been shallow.
'Can I reach her again?'
It didn’t feel as if she would allow even a shallow strike now.
'Right.'
He inhaled deeply, the smell of blood tingling his nostrils.
‘I’ve already realized it.'
Firepower wasn’t what he was lacking. Noir might only now be feeling her mortality, but Eugene had never been in this city without truly feeling the presence of defeat and death.
'I need to be more desperate.'
Eugene was on the brink. A slight tilt could end him. No, in truth, he was already deeply inclined toward death. He needed to change the course.
'I am weaker than Noir Giabella right now.'
Acknowledging this truth simplified what he had to do. What he had been lacking was resolve. Noir was right; he had not been desperate enough. He needed to be desperate to overcome defeat, death, and the brink. All of it.
'I will kill Noir Giabella before I die.'
Eugene clutched his chest with his left hand.