The ancient wound in the belly of Destruction was torn open and created a path straight to its heart. The wrecking that unfolded deep within violently shook the power of Destruction.
Vermouth was barely, just barely made conscious as a result. He gasped for air and looked down. He saw his comrades looking up at him with shocked expressions, and... even the Demon King of Incarceration.
Vermouth didn't ponder for long why the Demon King of Incarceration was here. He knew about the deep-seated delusion of the Demon King of Incarceration. The decisions he made as the Hero were to perpetuate the world, and as the Demon King, to conform to destruction. The fact that his comrades were here meant that they had ultimately broken the mistakenly held obsession of the Demon King of Incarceration.
"Destroy it," Vermouth said in a hoarse voice.
That was the heart of Destruction, the throne that birthed the first Demon King. With each end that came, Destruction had killed all living beings. This cycle had been repeated numerous times with the Demon King of Incarceration.
With each transition to the next era, terrible venom and evil accumulated in the Demon King of Incarceration. While he imprisoned all that within his abyss, the Demon King of Destruction could not. The ominous force of the Demon King of Destruction’s power, which could drive everything it encountered mad, was because of this, and the heart was the essence and the venom of the several eras of the world that Destruction had killed time and again.
"Then it ends," Vermouth gasped.
The Demon King of Incarceration shifted his gaze from Vermouth to the heart. If it had been three hundred years ago, if the Demon King of Destruction hadn't fully descended and was still controllable….
But such assumptions were meaningless. After all, the passage of three hundred years didn’t just yield terrible and adverse outcomes. Because of that extra time, Eugene and his comrades had grown strong enough to surpass the Demon King of Incarceration. Having been defeated outright, the Demon King of Incarceration sincerely desired the end of Destruction, and he looked towards the future of the world.
Looking at the heart, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn’t help but wonder if it would have been possible for them to destroy the heart three hundred years ago, even if they had reached this place then. Even at the moment of its own heart's destruction, would the Demon King of Destruction really have remained silent? Would that which had destroyed the world several times truly have accepted that vain end? Could Hamel and his comrades from three hundred years ago have withstood the rampage of the heart? At that moment, would the Demon King of Incarceration… have trusted humans? ‘No,’ the Demon King of Incarceration immediately came to an answer.
There was no need to ponder about such things. At that moment, he would never have trusted the humans. He would have judged that the rampage of Destruction’s heart could ruin what was to come next and corrected the error quickly before it became any more dangerous.
But not now. Not only did he have no capacity to do so, but even if he did have the capacity, he would have refrained from taking any such action.
"It ends?" Eugene broke the short silence. He looked at Vermouth, suspended in the air, and chuckled dryly as he continued, "You mean you will?"
Vermouth involuntarily held his breath. It wasn’t as if Hamel’s response had been unexpected. Instead, he had expected Hamel, or rather, all of them, to have responded in the same way.
Even Sienna, despite the fact that he had almost killed her by piercing a hole through her heart. It didn’t matter that he had not been in his right mind. He had once almost killed her and forcibly taken away a necklace she had cherished all her life.
Even when she knew she was dying, Anise believed in him as the Hero until the very end. He had revealed nothing to her but entrusted her with his funeral. Even after she died and remained as only a soul after death, she stood behind Hamel.
Likewise, he had asked Molon to exterminate unidentified monsters in the snowy mountains without sharing any truths or asking for his understanding.
All of them — were looking at Vermouth with the same expression as Hamel. Just their expressions alone made Vermouth want to burst into tears.
He had never sought their understanding. He had only pursued this moment. Even if he was not the Hero, even if he was just a fragment of the Demon King of Destruction, he believed there was worth in saving the world. He believed that even his life, despite the fact that he should never have been born, would be of value if he could disappear along with the Demon King of Destruction at the end. He believed he could find value in his existence.
"Why…?" Vermouth asked with a trembling voice.
He knew the answer even without asking, but he had no choice but to ask. He had to face their response directly and deny it.
"Why are you trying to save me? I never informed you of anything. I hoped you wouldn't understand me, and I had no intention of justifying my actions. I... I hoped you would hate me instead,” Vermouth said as he choked on his words.
Sienna burst into laughter without trying to suppress it, then turned her head and continued chuckling.
"You all... you know now. I'm not even a human, let alone the Hero. I am no different than what I was three hundred years ago. I am precisely the fragment of the Demon King of Destruction that you so desperately wanted to kill,” continued Vermouth.
This time, Anise was the one to laugh. She quietly slapped Kristina’s shoulder while standing next to her, giggling softly. Vermouth’s shoulders shook as he trembled.
"I… I never asked to be saved. If I had wanted that, I would have told you long ago, wouldn’t I? How many times do you intend to make me say it...! I am a fragment of Destruction, and as long as you do not give up on me, killing the Demon King of Destruction is impossible…."
"Hahahahaha!"
This laughter was louder than that of Sienna or Anise. Molon threw his head back, his booming laughter resonating loudly. Even Vermouth couldn’t help but flush with embarrassment at that raucous laughter.
"What's so funny...?!" he asked, sounding upset.
"How could it not be funny?" Eugene chuckled in response to Vermouth’s agitated question. "You idiot."
Vermouth’s eyes went blank at the insult. He could not find any words. His lips simply opened and closed wordlessly.
Eugene continued, "You never told us anything, never hoped for any understanding. You’re not trying to justify your actions, and you’re not asking to be saved. So why are we trying to save you? Fuck, then why did you do that to us? Vermouth, you asshole, you acted like a total jerk, doing whatever you wanted, so we’re doing the same."
At Eugene’s outburst, Vermouth’s eyes went wide.
Eugene continued, "We don't expect your understanding either. We don't intend to convince you. We're saving you simply because we want to. Hatred? Sure. If you want to hate us, then hate us all you want after you're saved.” He gripped his Divine Sword. "If you really want to die, then survive first, settle your debts with us, and then you can die for all I care."
"Why don't you understand...?!" Vermouth said weakly.
He couldn't bear to look his comrades in the eye. Logically, their words seemed like nothing more than empty emotional appeals.
"No matter what you all want, no matter what you say, Hamel...! The fact that I am a fragment of Destruction doesn't change. If Destruction dies, I die too. That's an unchangeable fact...! Are you hesitating to kill Destruction just to save me, even as Destruction's kin pour out into the world right now?" questioned Vermouth.
"My descendants are out there," Molon replied. "My descendants won't fall easily. They'll block the monsters. Warriors and knights took up their arms with admiration for Hamel, for you, and for me. Wizards took up books with admiration for Sienna. Priests chanted prayers with admiration for Anise."
Vermouth stared at Molon wordlessly.
"Vermouth. During the three hundred years you salvaged, the world has matured. The children who grew up hearing our stories are now adults standing against Destruction,” continued Molon.
Molon grinned while clutching his axe. Vermouth chewed on his lips after hearing Molon’s words.
"Sir Vermouth,” Anise spoke up. "No matter what you say, I have not forgotten how you marched through Yuras three hundred years ago. You say you are not the Hero, just a fragment of Destruction — but you were undeniably the hope, light, and the Hero in those desperate times. If I had not seen you then, I would not have ventured into the world."
"Anise...!" Vermouth called out.
"So please, do not speak so lowly of yourself. Every word you use to deny yourself is an insult to all those who saw you as hope, light, and the Hero three hundred years ago,” continued Anise.
Anise smiled gently and turned to look at Kristina. Instead of speaking, Kristina clasped her hands and offered a prayer to Vermouth.
In times when everyone doubted the existence of gods, the Hero appeared to save the world. That was the Vermouth Lionheart Kristina learned about and grew up with.
“Remember the old days?” Sienna asked, giving a bitter smile. “Back in the Devildom. On those truly tough days, we used to talk about the future. Molon always said he wanted to be a king... Anise didn’t say much and just drank, but now I understand what kind of future she wanted. Vermouth, you don’t know, do you?”
Vermouth couldn’t answer this question.
“Anise wanted to open a tavern in some quiet countryside, one that also served as an inn. Hamel wanted to establish an academy, which totally didn't suit him. And I... I wanted to get married and have kids. I wanted to live happily. As it turns out, only Molon has achieved his dream,” Sienna said wistfully.
“Sienna,” Vermouth called out.
“Vermouth. Every time we had those conversations, you just gave a vague smile and dodged the question. So we never heard what future you dreamed of,” Sienna said while shaking her head.
“We deserve to be happy.” Three hundred years ago, in the despairing and terrible days, Sienna had this thought every single day. She continued in a slightly louder voice, “We deserve happiness more than anyone. We should live happily all our lives. That's only natural. We saved the world three hundred years ago, and we’re still saving it now.”
Vermouth couldn’t respond to this statement.
“And more than any of us, Vermouth, you need to be happy,” Sienna concluded.
Would they have been able to defeat the three Demon Kings three hundred years ago without Vermouth? If not for Vermouth, they wouldn’t have been able to make a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration. Without Vermouth, the world would have already perished three hundred years ago.
“We’re going to end Destruction,” Sienna declared. She walked towards the slowly but steadily beating heart. “And Vermouth, we’re going to save you too,” she said firmly.
“Impossible...” Vermouth gasped.
“Fuck, since when have we only done what’s possible? You might have thought it was okay since you were hiding basically everything, but the first time we faced the Demon King of Carnage, everyone, well, everyone except you, thought it was impossible!” Eugene yelled while pointing a finger at Vermouth.
“So fuck it, even if you say it’s impossible, we’re going to save you and kill Destruction. What? You’re a fragment of Destruction? If Destruction dies, you die? That’s just bullshit,” Eugene shouted. “I told you before, you asshole. To us, you’re just Vermouth Lionheart. You don’t have to be a hero. It’s okay if you’re a fragment of Destruction. But—”
Eugene paused his tirade to take a deep breath. Holding back his surging emotions, he gripped his Divine Sword tightly as he continued, “Don’t deny that you are the Vermouth Lionheart we know. After we kill Destruction, we’re going to beat the shit out of you. You have to survive just to get beaten up by us. So don’t even think about dying with Destruction. Just think desperately about surviving.”
Vermouth looked on with his mouth agape.
“It’s the same as three hundred years ago,” Eugene said.
He stared at the heart.
“We’re here to kill the Demon King. We came here to kill the Demon King. Vermouth, you’re with us... in killing the Demon King,” he said.
At those words, something stirred deep within Vermouth’s chest.
Vermouth had lived his entire life knowing he was a fragment of Destruction. He believed it was natural for him to die alongside the Demon King of Destruction. He desired nothing else. He couldn’t wish for anything else.
But those words. The ones he had heard so many times: You are just Vermouth Lionheart . At those words, Vermouth was eventually forced to close his eyes tightly.
“Hamel, Molon, Sienna, Anise,” his voice trembled as he continued, “You are... idiots, morons. No. Imbeciles.”
“Hahaha,” Eugene laughed, his shoulders shaking. “It’s the first time I've heard you use such language.”
“Vermouth swearing!” shrieked Sienna.
“See, Sienna? Even Sir Vermouth is human, isn’t he?” Anise chimed in.
“Imbecile is kind of a low-grade insult,” said Molon.
The four of them giggled together. Hearing their laughter, Vermouth bowed his head to hide his flowing tears.
Thump.
The heart, which had been beating slowly, began to accelerate because Eugene and his comrades had gotten too close. The heart sensed the imminent threat and prepared to resist.
“I don’t wish for this,” Vermouth muttered in a trembling voice.
Whooo….
The colors rose again and began to envelop Vermouth’s body. Seeking to eliminate the intruders in its core, Destruction once again imposed its colors onto Vermouth’s body.
“I, you…” Vermouth stammered.
“I know you don’t want to attack us. I also know that from this point on, it’s not you, Vermouth,” Eugene said with a snort and shake of his head. “What we’re going to beat up from this point, isn’t you, Vermouth. So, you... think about getting beaten up some more while staying alive and fighting back from within. Don’t just be passively controlled. Struggle!”
“Ha….” Vermouth exhaled.
The surging colors swallowed Vermouth. With his focus fading, Vermouth twisted his lips into a horrid smile.
“Stupid brat,” it said.
Destruction charged.