The swords swung at breakneck speed, but paradoxically, they seemed to stand still. But that was how they merely appeared to the naked eye. The twin Divine Swords moved tens, no, hundreds of times in an instant, filling the space with their swift cuts.
These slashes of the Divine Swords did not simply vanish after the motion. The flames emitted by the Divine Swords gave these slashes a distinct form. Therefore, they couldn’t simply be avoided. Unless the slashes were smashed apart, the flames would only spread and grow.
Thus, Destruction was compelled to use the Moonlight Sword. Imbued with dark power, the Moonlight Sword emitted a pale and ominous light. The sword-light of Destruction was something familiar to Eugene. Eugene had experienced many defeats throughout his life, and most of them had been at the hands of Vermouth. Each loss prompted Eugene, or rather Hamel, to reflect on why he had been defeated.
He pondered how Vermouth had defeated him and how sharp and graceful Vermouth’s sword technique was. He thought about the precise moment he lost the pace of the battle that led to his defeat.
He remembered it all. Over and over, he had visualized these battles in his mind. More recently, he had experienced them firsthand. The specter he fought in Hauria had wielded Vermouth’s sword techniques after adopting Vermouth’s memories.
The onslaught of attacks did not cease. Eugene held his breath and poured all his strength into each of his swings. The web of flames intensified and threatened Destruction. However, it did not yield and advanced while swinging the Moonlight Sword. No, it wasn’t merely swinging the sword but also utilizing its left hand by enveloping it with dark power and extinguishing Eugene’s slashes.
‘Bastard,’ Eugene cursed inwardly at the unfolding situation.
His lips twitched in annoyance as he continued Asura Rampage. It was just like the last time he sparred with Vermouth. Of course, Vermouth held a different sword back then and wrapped flames of the White Flame Formula around his left hand instead of dark power. But apart from that, Destruction was currently mirroring Vermouth’s response.
‘It’s irritating how you mimic him,’ Eugene thought in annoyance.
Imitation.That was all it amounted to. Destruction might possess strength and speed that far surpassed the old Vermouth, but Eugene did not consider Destruction superior to Vermouth. It didn’t matter how strong or fast it was. What mattered was how one combined and handled such abilities. Could a response that was nothing more than a knee-jerk reflex truly be considered strong?
What was so difficult about breaking down and devouring such a simple and brutish attack?
So, Eugene’s face twisted into a grimace. Using Vermouth’s body as a vessel and drawing on his experiences and thoughts was Destruction’s mistake. After all, possessing a human body limited its combat techniques, and Eugene was already overly familiar with the techniques it was utilizing.
And Eugene excelled in this kind of personal combat. Even if Vermouth himself came to fight, he would be no match for the current Eugene. Today’s Destruction was inferior to Vermouth’s responses. Growth? If Eugene fought in a way that allowed for its growth, yes, it might be quite a struggle in the future.
But that wasn’t a problem right now. Eugene did not intend to allow it to grow. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. His heart felt tight. His blood boiled and accelerated. His vision widened. The flames of the twin Divine Swords blazed intensely.
He sliced.
He thought only of that. A fierce will transformed into a miracle and embedded itself within the swords.
From that moment, Destruction could no longer follow the rapid slashes. The Moonlight Sword was helplessly pushed back by the successive strikes, and the left hand of Destruction could no longer suppress the flames. Destruction could no longer advance.
Little by little, Destruction had no choice but to retreat. It was being forced back. There was no other way. To advance would mean allowing deeper cuts. To stay put would also mean bracing deeper cuts. Thus, retreating was the only option it had.
But did that mean it could avoid being cut by retreating? Not necessarily. The slashes persistently pursued Destruction. Even though Destruction responded the best it could, its dark power and essence were being worn away.
Eventually, Destruction could no longer wield the Moonlight Sword properly. It shrank away and switched entirely to defense. But even that was insufficient. Though it desired to block everything, it couldn't.
Splurt!
The slashes that came from all directions caused dark power to burst like blood. Then, both Divine Swords simultaneously plunged straight ahead. The Moonlight Sword, set for defense, shattered into pieces.
“Do not draw the sword,” Eugene whispered between the slashes.
Though Destruction did not understand the words, Vermouth’s reasoning made it clear that one should not draw the sword against such an opponent. It would be no match against its opponent while using the sword. It sensed that it should not draw the sword, even with sufficient growth. Thus, Destruction hastily raised its dark power.
“Don’t,” Eugene whispered again.
Crunch!
Eugene’s strikes burst through the dark power. The jumbled colors scattered in all directions. Eugene brought his hands together. The two Divine Swords merged into one greatsword. He raised it overhead, then slashed downward. All of the lingering flames tangled like spiderwebs and connected to the Divine Sword. An inescapable succession of slashes trapped Destruction.
Fwoosh!
The magic and its hues were eroded by the flames. Though this wore down Eugene’s supply of divine power, he was unconcerned. Destruction’s dark power and color were being depleted faster than his divine power. Even in the belly of Destruction, he could hear the prayers of the world, hoping for his victory. Thus, he was still far off from running low on divine power.
Its body wasn’t moving. No, it couldn’t move his body. The persistent flames clung to the hues, not letting go. No, that was not the only reason. Simply put, the body was not moving as it wished. The muscles involuntarily tensed, and the joints were stiff.
‘Give it back.’
A voice echoed in its head.
‘This is my body.’
It was the voice of the vessel. It belonged to the avatar that had separated on its own from an ancient wound.
‘I am Vermouth Lionheart.’
It knew the name. Originally, Destruction was a human with such a name. But now, it had no awareness or sentiment left regarding that name.
‘So I’m taking it,’ Vermouth declared.
Crack, crackle.
Its arms refused to obey its will fully, and now, it mobilized with another’s will. What had been set for blocking an attack coming from the front moved upwards on its own. Thus, its defenses were left wide open.
Crack!
The sword plunged into its body, and Destruction staggered significantly.
‘Vermouth,’ Eugene thought, his eyes flickering.
Destruction had shown some unusual movement. It was not just a small tremor but a clear movement for Eugene's benefit.
It was Vermouth. His resistance and struggles had a definite impact on Destruction. Eugene grinned and pulled the Divine Sword back.
The overlay of the Empty Sword engulfed the Divine Sword, the flames fiercely ablaze. Destruction knew instinctively that this sword posed a danger.
Flames not yet shaken off still clung to its body and burned. It needed to move. Destruction’s gaze shifted. It had realized too late. If it could move as it willed, it could have escaped the flames long ago. But that wasn’t an option. It was Vermouth. He was firmly holding onto his own body, preventing it from disappearing.
"Hamel.” A voice came out through forcibly parted lips.
Eugene laughed softly, hearing Vermouth’s voice.
"Yes,” he answered.
The Empty Sword drew closer to Destruction’s body.
Rumble!
The wave of dark power and colors oxidized with the flames but failed to push Eugene back. The Empty Sword burnt through all obstructing colors as Eugene gradually approached Destruction. Eventually, the flames of the Empty Sword completely engulfed Destruction.
Rumble!
The void trembled. Destruction struggled violently within the blazing flames. Chaotic colors and dark power continued to pour out within the flames, but they were instantly turned to ash and disappeared. Eugene stretched his hand forward while gasping for breath.
He clenched his fist, and the flames exploded violently. It did not end with one explosion. Eugene continued to unleash Eclipses, and with each exploding Eclipse, Destruction staggered significantly.
Sienna could hear the continuous sounds of explosions from behind her. But she had no leisure to look back. She had to focus all her nerves on attacking the unyielding heart. She struck the heart with magic several times, but the magic barely managed to penetrate into the heart, failing to cause the damage she desired.
However, she could gradually see changes in the heart. An irregular creaking mixed into the thumping sound of the heart, and the dark power and colors pouring out were no longer as fierce and resistant as before.
Molon also approached the heart. The axe he swung with a scream embedded itself in the heart's surface as if he were chopping wood.
Thump, thump, thump.
The consecutive axing made the heart quiver, and dark power and colors poured out like blood.
[Now.]
When the explosion behind them grew louder, a voice came through Mary. It was sudden, but Sienna was not startled. The voice belonged to the Sage, the World Tree, Vishur Laviola. Sienna felt the invisible hand of the Sage touching her.
What did now mean? A bright light filled Sienna’s eyes. Her consciousness expanded vastly and allowed her to understand even the things she could not see with her eyes. Vermouth was resisting fiercely. Destruction could no longer control the part it had lost.
The divine fire that Eugene continued to unleash was incinerating the part of Destruction that possessed Vermouth, and all of it was putting direct stress on the heart. The dark power and the colors were shaking wildly.
Sienna knew what she had to do with her magic now. She knew what it could do. She pointed Mary at the heart of Destruction.
[Is this the final destination of my desire?] The Sage asked with a chuckle through Mary.
The wish to see the end of Destruction had finally come to fruition today. The power of the World Tree flowed into Mary from the distant great forest.
Whoosh!
Mary’s vines stretched out like a bow. Sienna strung the strings of soul power between the vines.
Crack!
The spirits of the World Tree that came through Mary gathered together, and Sienna’s soul power bound them together to form an arrow.
Molon felt a spine-tingling thrill. He did not look back. Like Sienna, Molon also knew what he had to do now. He knew what he could do.
“Arrghh!”
With a ferocious scream, he raised his axe up high. Though it was not enlarged, the axe was focused with the same force that had opened a path to the heart of Destruction.
Rumble!
Waves of dark power and colors poured out, but Molon did not unleash his attack to counter Destruction’s attack. Molon still held the axe high and made the choice to endure the attack with his bare body. It was not yet time to swing.
The bowstring was released. A green light pierced through the void and rushed toward the heart. Then, finally, Molon brought his axe down. The resisting colors and dark power were forcefully driven downward by the relentless power contained in the axe.
Crack!
The axe created a large gash in the outer wall of the heart before shattering. The arrow Sienna released was shot into that wound. Spirits of the World Tree, released along with soul power, burrowed into the heart.
Hahaha!
The laughter of the Sage led the spirits. The heart swelled as if it were about to burst, and its throbbing turned into a tearing scream.
"Aaaaaah!"
A genuine scream burst forth. Still not freed from the explosions of Eclipse, Destruction clutched its head and rolled on the ground. The voice belonged to Vermouth, but the screams of pain were not his own. It was Destruction possessing his body that was reacting to the pain.
Even so, Eugene did not like hearing a scream that Vermouth would never utter in his voice. He reached out his hand toward Destruction to stop it from screaming.
But he withdrew his hand. Despite the screaming, he could see that its eyes were calm. He could faintly discern the focus in its eyes. The eyes were cloudy and faded in color, but still, there was a flame burning deep within them.
"Yes," someone said as if in understanding.
Eugene also nodded silently.
The divine fire burning Destruction dissipated completely. Destruction sprang up as if it had been waiting for this. However, it did not attack Eugene; instead, it moved towards the swollen heart.
Sienna naturally tried to intercept it but flinched and withdrew her magic. Molon also refrained from swinging his axe anymore, hastily stepping back because he sensed Eugene's intent.
"I think it's a mistake," The Demon King of Incarceration said, shaking his head while watching the battle from a distance. "Destruction’s instincts have not abandoned Vermouth Lionheart. That shows how significant Vermouth is to the Demon King of Destruction.”
"That might be so,” answered Eugene.
"If you had continued attacking, you could have inflicted wounds even the Demon King of Destruction couldn’t ignore,” said Incarceration.
"If Vermouth had been killed, that is,” Eugene challenged Incarceration’s words.
The Demon King of Incarceration grimaced at the response.
"You… must have seen some potential in Vermouth. But in the end, that's all it is — potential. As much as Vermouth might wish otherwise, once swallowed up like that, he will no longer be able to resist."
The Demon King of Incarceration pointed to the heart. Vermouth's body was being sucked into the heart after reaching it.
"Well," Eugene scoffed as he stared at the heart, which was undergoing transformation.
The dark power that spilled out from it wrapped colors around it and touched the ground.
Crack, crackle.
Flesh and bones extracted from the heart turned into grotesque limbs.
"Look, Hamel," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a sigh. "Do you really think you can kill that monster?"
The monster, centered around the heart, raised its head.