"Cough."
A heavy impact reverberated within Eugene. Blood mixed with fragments of organs trickled from his mouth. Eugene spat out the sticky blood clinging to his throat and pulled himself away from the wall where he had been smashed.
"Quite unexpected,” he commented with another cough.
He had not anticipated that the Demon King of Incarceration would engage in close combat. Such a style of fighting was utterly uncharacteristic of the Demon King of Incarceration he had known so far. As far as he knew, the Demon King of Incarceration had never fought like this in the battle against Sienna, Molon, and Anise three hundred years ago.
"There's not much difference between us,” the Demon King of Incarceration spoke, unbothered.
Behind him, Molon, having dropped his subdued axe, was now lunging at the Demon King with bare fists. The Demon King raised his hand without even looking back. Molon's punch slid off the Demon King as if he were covered in oil. The Demon King of Incarceration smoothly caught Molon's forearm and, with fluid motion, slammed him to the ground.
"Just as you can wield a sword, spear, axe, and bow," the Demon King said.
Molon’s body did not move as his own. The moment he came into contact with the Demon King, his strength was drained, and he flailed uncontrollably. It was an unfamiliar sensation for Molon, who had perfect control over his body.
Even after hitting the ground, Molon didn’t regain control of his body. He couldn't tell if his right arm was truly his own. Though his joints and muscles were intact, the arm wouldn't move. It had neither strength nor sensation.
The Demon King of Incarceration continued, "I, too... have many skills. I can wield any weapon, and magic is no exception. I've had all the time in the world."His gaze slowly shifted to Sienna. Seeing the swirling magical energy around Sienna, he smiled broadly.
"I have practiced magic since before Ether[1] was divided into dark power and mana. Of course, I'm more accustomed to the powers of a demon... a Demon King,” he commented.
"It seems you haven't mastered it to the extreme,” Sienna replied, unflustered.
Crackle, crackle….
The swirling force of soul power was imbued with a definite murderous intent. Simultaneously, Sienna manifested Absolute Decree and targeted the Demon King of Incarceration.
"You boast of handling magic for such a long time, yet you failed to discern the Sage,” Sienna reminded him.
"The extreme, you say? I cannot deny it. The extreme I thought I had reached has now become a relic of the past. And as a Demon King, to live eternally, I had to give up various things,” the Demon King of Incarceration responded with a bitter smile.
He didn’t say exactly what he had to give up, but Sienna could make a guess — it was because she felt the soul power and mana getting strongly repelled against the Demon King.
This being, true to the name of a Demon King , ruled only dark power. Mana and soul power were beyond his control. While it might have been different in the distant past, now the Demon King could not handle mana.
"But this I did not give up,” the Demon King said.
His hand slowly clenched into a fist.
Creak, creak….
As more power flowed into his fist, the chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration emitted a scream-like shrill sound, as if his power, his physicality, was bound by the chains.
"This is something I've possessed since my very existence began. It has granted me glory and despair," the Demon King revealed.
With a crack, Molon's body, which had previously been slammed into the ground, twisted to the side. He gave up trying to free his captured arm and instead opted to shatter his shoulder to escape the restraint. Even then, he was still on the floor. But even while lying on the ground, Molon managed to summon an extreme force and hurled his fist.
"This…" the Demon King said as if demonstrating something.
Crunch!
Before Molon's fist could make contact, the Demon King of Incarceration's fist fell. A devastating blow struck Molon in the solar plexus, sending blood spewing from his mouth as the Demon King withdrew his fist and stood upright.
"…is what I do best."
Eugene swallowed hard. The atmosphere around the Demon King of Incarceration had changed drastically. The Demon King, usually draped in boredom and ennui, now felt like a completely different entity.
What had replaced his usual indifferent attitude was a fighting spirit thrilling enough to vibrate the very air and a murderous intent too blatant to be imagined from the Demon King of Incarceration. He took a step forward and flung Molon's arm aside.
"Hey, Molon,” Eugene called out to the sprawled-out figure on the ground. "Are you alive?"
There was no response from Molon. However, Eugene could sense that he was barely clinging to life.
That was enough. Molon had also been on the brink of death several times three hundred years ago. That was why he was considered a fool. He would recklessly charge in, get beaten down, collapse, and then stand back up, attacking as if he had never fallen in the first place.
The Demon King of Incarceration took another step closer. The pressure doubled and engulfed Eugene. But Eugene did not retreat. The stronger the crushing pressure, the brighter the flames engulfing him blazed.
Boom!
Eugene stomped on the ground. The distance between them closed instantly, and Eugene swung his sword aimed to slice the Demon King of Incarceration in half. Simultaneously, the Demon King of Incarceration’s left hand moved. He opened his palm and intercepted the blade as it came towards him horizontally.
Crack!
He caught the sword in his hand and broke it. But it didn't matter. Eugene already conjured a short spear in his right hand.
He thrust forward. The Demon King of Incarceration's right hand followed the spear, moving sideways, aligning with his feet and waist. The spear barely missed his waist, and he caught it in his right hand.
"The power of Cruelty,” the Demon King of Incarceration whispered.
The spears were about to appear from below, behind, above, and on both sides, but they were chained and stopped in place before they could even materialize.
"Amusing to think of using it against me. Who do you think gave Luentos to the Demon King of Cruelty?" the Demon King asked.
Snap!
Both the chained spears and the one in Eugene’s hand snapped. But Eugene did not linger and leaped into the air. But the Demon King of Incarceration was not about to let him go.
Creak, creak...!
The Demon King clenched his fist, pulled back his shoulder, and twisted his waist. All these movements were followed by the screams of the chains.
The chains screamed their loudest when the Demon King of Incarceration punched. The cloak of chains draped over the Demon King’s back flared dramatically. His punch was accompanied by blasts of dark power.
Eugene responded immediately to this ominous power. Prominence constructed a sanctuary, and the Saints, merged with the Light, simultaneously recited their prayers. Eugene himself created a massive hammer to smash down on the fist.
However, the Demon King of Incarceration’s fist thoroughly shattered every obstruction blocking his way. The power of the Annihilation Hammer was destroyed alongside the hammer itself, the barriers of the sanctuary were crushed, and even the prayers of the Saints were deafened by the screams of the chains.
At that moment, Sienna’s magic activated. Vines grew rapidly from all directions and encircled the Demon King of Incarceration. The chains attempted to counter the vines, but the vines corroded the chains and firmly grasped the Demon King's arm and legs.
"Divine magic," the Demon King commented as he glanced at his legs and left arm.
The right fist he had thrown did not find its target — Eugene was already gone, having leaped away in that brief moment.
"Impressive, but insufficient," the Demon King declared.
Crash!
Mary’s magic struck the imprisoned Demon King. Though it was a bombardment that could threaten even a Demon King, he merely gave a wry smile and reached out with his hand.
"You haven't bound my right arm," he reminded.
With a gentle motion, his hand drew a smooth curve. That single movement shifted the flow of the world, defying even Sienna’s Absolute Decree. The bombardment that should have hit the Demon King of Incarceration was redirected with the twisted flow and pierced through empty space. A flash of light and the ceiling of the throne room was gone.
"Although, being fully bound wouldn't have made much difference," the Demon King said softly.
He chuckled as he tore off the vines. Sienna could only look at him with disbelief.
That was neither magic nor a use of his authority. Just as Molon crudely grasped and tore space with brute force, the Demon King of Incarceration did something similar, but on a level absurdly high enough to defy even Absolute Decree.
Wait…! That was neither magic nor authority? If such phenomena weren't the result of magic or authority, what were they?
"Hey, this changes things,” mumbled Sienna.
Eugene landed beside the utterly astonished Sienna and muttered, "You said the Demon King of Incarceration isn't skilled in close combat, right? You said he keeps his distance, attacks with dark power, and binds you with his chains.”
"That’s how he fought three hundred years ago,” Sienna retorted with a pout, genuinely feeling wronged.
"Oh, really?” Eugene said. “So, three hundred years ago, this bastard must have really gone easy on you guys. Or perhaps he didn't think you were worth his full effort."
Flickering flames of the divine fire gathered behind him and formed into the shape of an angel. Anise clicked her tongue and reached out to Molon, who was sprawled on the ground.
[You sure do have a lively mouth for someone who died before all that,] she commented, annoyed.
"We wouldn’t have even fought if I had made it there alive," Eugene responded cheekily.
Molon’s eyes flashed open upon Anise’s touch, and he jumped up.
"Just dozed off a bit,” he said.
"Idiot,” Eugene grumbled as he raised his hand.
Like Anise, Kristina took the form of an angel. She respectfully placed a sword in Eugene’s hand. The Demon King of Incarceration stood motionless while observing this scene. Such unity inevitably evoked many emotions in the Demon King.
"Impressive," he complimented.
His dark power settled quietly.
"Not many stood before me as heroes, bearing both the name and the mission. You, as you are now, are among the most outstanding heroes I have seen in my lifetime,” he said.
He clenched his right hand.
"Strength and skill. Desperation for the mission."
He clenched his left hand.
"Your unwavering trust in each other. None of you would even imagine betrayal.”
This trust, in particular, stirred deep emotions within the Demon King of Incarceration. Three hundred years was a long time for humans. But even such a lengthy period had not worn down their trust in each other.
Anise had intended not to care about the world after her death. Yet, for the sake of Hamel's wishes and her comrades, she ultimately died as the Saint.
Sienna devoted her life to magic solely for the sake of avenging Hamel. Even as she faced death from Vermouth's rampage, she never blamed him to the end.
Molon, prompted by a request from Vermouth in a dream, had been killing the Nur for over a century.
Hamel did not abandon his past convictions even after his sudden reincarnation. He never harbored any doubts that his comrades had betrayed him. Even with a different name and a different body, he ultimately arrived at his destination.
The Demon King of Incarceration knew how difficult such bonded trust was. In the face of overwhelming despair, even the firmest bonds softened and weakened. Trust dispersed into betrayal in the face of despair, and convictions flipped as easily as the palm of a hand in the face of fear. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this better than anyone, having often been in despair and fear himself.
Once, he, too, stood before despair and fear, not bending but confronting it, calling out for trust and conviction. He had felt the knife of betrayal from loosened bonds. He had seen the betrayal of a trusted comrade and watched as that comrade became an embodiment of uncontrollable despair and fear.
"Thus—"
Boom.
A massive presence pressured the hall. The Demon King of Incarceration lifted his foot, as if for them all to see.
"I shall be your ordeal, the Great Demon King."
Molon charged forward. Eugene ran alongside him. Although it was their first combined attack in three hundred years, neither felt it was awkward, for three hundred years was not enough to fade their memories. Molon took the left side of the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene the right. Molon wielded an axe and Eugene a sword.
But it wasn’t merely a replication of past experiences. Eugene’s divine power flowed into Molon. Thus, their thoughts connected. Molon's bright eyes and Eugene's intuition became one.
They launched their best attack, yet the Demon King of Incarceration neither retreated nor hesitated. He continued advancing and raised both his arms.
Crash!
Axe and sword were blocked by fists. Nothing broke. The Demon King of Incarceration’s fists left countless afterimages while the axe and sword also unleashed violent, overwhelming slashes.
Kristina and Anise began their prayers. They pushed back dark power with their prayers, tended to the wounds of Molon and Eugene, and granted them protection. Their role was to allow Eugene and Molon to focus entirely on the fight. This was the role of the Saint, as it had been from three hundred years ago.
In the dizzying melee, Sienna concentrated and observed the movements of the Demon King of Incarceration, aiming to stop him at a crucial moment to land a meaningful strike. Simultaneously, she prepared the Demoneye of Fantasy under her robe.
She had sealed it to prevent it from indiscriminately scattering fantasies around, but to properly make use of it, she needed to unseal it. Sienna chewed on her lip as she tore at the necklace. A purple gem wrapped around her left hand.
‘It shouldn’t run rampant, but...’ Sienna calculated in her mind.
Frankly, she was reluctant to use this power. If possible, she didn't want to use it at all.
But she had no regrets.
[Even after lying to Hamel?] A voice echoed in her head.
She didn’t believe her actions were wrong.
[Selfish person,] the voice chuckled.
She didn’t want him to be haunted by nightmares for life.
[It’s a cruel thing to me,] the voice accused.
"That's not for me to know," Sienna retorted.
[Ahaha.]
A cheerful laugh echoed in Sienna’s mind.
1. This is the first time we have heard this name. ☜