Chapter 610: Vermouth Lionheart (2)
The monster had been blasting dark power in all directions as if it had been gripped by a fit of frenzy. Then, suddenly, it trembled before stopping in its place. Eugene knew that something must’ve happened to the monster, but at the same time, he was taken aback when it suddenly stopped. Molon quickly turned towards Eugene while catching his breath, waiting for instructions on whether to continue his attack.
"Wait,” said Eugene.
The monster's pause was an opportunity. Yet, something was off. The monster had been behaving oddly for a while, but now, Eugene felt strange. It was somehow related to the pounding of the monster’s heart.
"Vermouth,” Eugene muttered without realizing it.
Whoosh!
As if responding to the call, the monster's belly split open. Dark power and color poured out like blood, and the monster’s countless legs flailed before their joints buckled.
Woooo...!
A scream erupted from the monster's gaping mouth. However, the cascade of dark power and swirling color didn't pool or spread but vanished where it fell. To be precise, it turned to ash. Within the dense waterfall of dark power and color was a distinct flame and light. And at the center of the burning light and flame shone a golden hue.
"Vermouth!" Sienna exclaimed in surprise.
Molon did not wait for Eugene’s command this time. He charged forward, and Eugene did the same.
Roar!
Sienna's magic was sucked into the monster's maw and exploded. The successive green flames threw the monster's head back. Molon chopped off the monster’s legs with his axe, clearing the path for Eugene, who rushed forward.
Inside the maelstrom, Eugene saw Vermouth. The golden eyes were shining through, though they were different from the eyes of Vermouth Eugene had known since his reincarnation. When he first saw Vermouth after reincarnating, his eyes were always murky, dulled by centuries of madness. But now, they shone as if from three hundred years ago, like when they had first fought together against the Demon Kings, like when they had traversed the Devildom together.
They were shining just like when they first met, and Vermouth asked him to be his comrade. Eugene found himself stretching out his hand towards Vermouth.
Vermouth saw the hand reaching toward him. Three hundred years ago, when Hamel had first met him and lost in a duel, Vermouth had reached out his hand in accordance with Hamel’s promise to become comrades.
"Now," Vermouth said with a faint smile. "You continue to reach out your hand to me so many times."
Now, no promise was needed. Vermouth grasped Eugene's hand. With a fierce pull, Vermouth emerged from the maelstrom.
"You’re not going back in after coming this far, are you?" Eugene asked with a smirk.
Vermouth proudly raised his sword in response. Though it was completely different in form, Eugene could feel the chains of the Demon King of Incarceration in that sword. Eugene didn’t ask if Vermouth could fight. Instead, he yanked Vermouth back with a strong pull and tossed him backward while he stayed under the monster’s split belly.
He saw the wide gash in the monster’s belly. There were no organs inside, but Eugene could sense the heart through the wound. It was still throbbing irregularly but with power. Eugene held his breath while conjuring divine fire.
Whoosh!
The will of Light inhabited Eugene's divine fire. A long spear materialized in his hand, and he threw it toward the monster’s gut.
Crackle!
The spear was sucked straight into the monster’s belly. It cleaved through the dispersing dark power and color and pierced the monster’s body.
"Vermouth!" Molon called as he leaped to catch Vermouth when he saw Vermouth flying towards him.
He intended to support Vermouth since he had just been inside the monster. Moreover, he knew Vermouth had not been in great condition. But as Molon and Vermouth's gazes met mid-air, Molon realized that Vermouth didn't need any support right now.
With a grin, Molon hefted his remaining right hand to raise his axe. Vermouth turned his body mid-air and used Molon’s axe as a foothold.
Whoosh!
The axe cut through the air, and Vermouth was propelled even higher.
Thus, Vermouth quickly ascended above the monster's head. The monster was drenched in Sienna’s magic and penetrated by the spear of divine flames. It was still struggling to maintain its posture. With a flash of fury in his golden eyes, Vermouth swung his sword with his right hand.
Slash!
His attack seemed to split the void, and it decapitated the monster. Dark power and color spurted out like a fountain from the stump of its head, but before it could even hit the ground, Vermouth swung several more times and shattered the monster’s head into pieces.
"Seems like you were quite comfortable inside the stomach. You're doing much better now,” Sienna giggled as she flew to join Vermouth.
"I've heard you all asking to fight together several times. I couldn't just sit back and watch after all that,” responded Vermouth.
"Heh, it's good to be enthusiastic, but don’t overdo it. Right now, you are much weaker than us—" Sienna abruptly paused, choking on her words.
Hadn’t Vermouth just sliced off the monster's head? Despite the monster's inability to steady itself, how much had Sienna and Molon struggled to destroy its robust body?
"Why are you so strong?" Sienna asked with narrowed eyes.
"A child's violence is very fatal to their parents,” Vermouth answered.
Sienna had never imagined such a response from Vermouth. She stammered for a moment, then finally managed to ask, "Are you joking?"
"No,” Vermouth chuckled while shaking his head. "I don’t consider that thing a parent, but I was indeed born from it."
Eugene, Molon, and Sienna’s powers were nullified by the monster's dark power. The more they attacked, the quicker their strength waned. But Vermouth’s strikes could effortlessly slice through Destruction’s dark power while wasting no energy.
"But that’s as far as it goes. I can’t match your finesse. And — ending Destruction with my own hands will be impossible,” continued Vermouth.
The stump of its head bubbled and boiled. The spear that had penetrated the monster’s body also disintegrated. No more dark power and color poured from the monster’s belly, and its limbs straightened. The monster rose up.
‘Now is the moment,’ Everyone thought this.
Now, they could defeat the monster. Now, they could destroy the heart of Destruction. Eugene was certain as he returned to his comrades’ side. He targeted the monster with his divinity of victory . Although the path to victory wasn’t easy, the win, once invisible, now glimmered faintly in sight.
Ahhhhhh!
Dozens of heads blossomed from the boiling stump of the monster’s head. The monster opened its dozens of mouths wide, and the void thundered as dark power seethed within its maws. Eugene felt a tingling on his skin and instinctively stepped back.
"This is its death throes,” Eugene observed while facing the intense wave of dark power head-on.
The creature released all of its dark power, and the waves of darkness engulfed its body. This was no longer merely a monster. It had truly become an embodiment of destruction. As Eugene watched the dizzyingly entwined colors, Vermouth approached him.
"You shatter its heart,” said Vermouth.
"And you?" Eugene asked.
"I’ll go with you, though I’m not sure if that will satisfy you right now,” responded Vermouth.
Vermouth was asking him to conserve his energy. Eugene snorted and nodded.
Thud, thud, thud...
The vibration from outside shook the void. Attacks were being launched at the Demon King of Destruction from outside as well.
"Do you hear it?" Eugene asked.
Vermouth closed his eyes for a moment to feel the vibration before responding, "Even if I didn’t want to, I’d have no choice but to hear it."
The Great Vermouth.
"We will return together this time,” Eugene declared.
Thump.
Eugene patted Vermouth's shoulder before picking up his Divine Sword. Vermouth shivered and nodded. The monster’s dozens of heads turned towards them, mouths gaping. Beams of dark power and color shot forth, engulfing everything in their paths.
Anise and Kristina began to chant prayers. Sienna extended Mary and unleashed her magic. With a roar, the miracle-infused barrier blocked the onslaught of destruction. But the strain it endured was no light matter. Sienna swallowed back the blood in her mouth and bit her lip.
[There's only so many times you can block it.] The voice of the Sage was heard coming from Mary.
The power of the Demon King of Destruction could easily obliterate the world. Even if Sienna sat on the divine throne of magic, she couldn’t block such attacks repeatedly.
‘I must block it somehow,’ Sienna thought desperately.
The Hero would take the life of the Demon King. Sienna understood her role. Her task was to aid the Hero’s sword in defeating the Demon King.
[For which the sword was forged.] With the sage's whisper, Mary shone brilliantly. The withering vines and petals unfurled once more. Startled by the power transmitted to her from Mary, Sienna jumped slightly.
‘You should have handed it over earlier!' Sienna complained to the Sage in her mind.
[There is only significance in delivering it at the moment it is most needed. Promise me, my successor. I will... not awaken for a long time.... I won’t be able to see you and Agaroth end Destruction.]
The Sage, Vishur Laviola, had become the World Tree to continue the world from Destruction.
[I trust in Agaroth. I trust in you, the darling of magic. I trust in all those with you. So... I believe that I will be able to awaken once more and go to sleep.]
The Sage had given up on witnessing what she had longed for all her life. Yet, the Sage harbored no fear about a future she would not see.
"Then," said Sienna.
Mary felt incredibly heavy in her hands. The World Tree’s life force was filling Mary to the brim.
"My children will welcome you then,” she declared.
Roar!
Mary emitted light. The barrier opened, and beams of light shot forth, extinguishing Destruction’s dark power and forging a path straight ahead. Dozens of the monster’s heads were swept away by the light in the midst of spewing dark power and swirling color. Sienna felt her legs give out under her but forced herself to step forward. It was too early to fall.
[Agaroth,] the Sage said.
A light burst from behind, but Eugene did not look back. Sienna and the World Tree had opened a path for him, and Eugene was the first to leap down that path.
[No, that's an old name,] the Sage continued.
In the lasting path of light, he felt the forest. Spirits of the World Tree, which could not exist here, pushed on Eugene’s back, and someone caught his hand from the front and pulled it.
[Goodbye, Eugene Lionheart,] the Sage said with a brilliant smile.
He saw the fading figure of the Sage. She did not wear the lonely smile she had when she first saw Eugene. Although she hadn’t forgotten the man named Agaroth, she no longer held any lingering feelings for him. Her hopes for the future outweighed her unresolved past regrets. A lonely smile did not suit the future she envisioned.
"Sleep well, Vishur,” Eugene responded with a smile of his own.
Satisfied by this smile and farewell, Vishur laughed heartily as her image receded. Her heart resounded with laughter. The Light had wished for the same conclusion but had made different choices when faced with Destruction. The Light disappeared while calling the name of an old friend who had fallen asleep long ago. But there was no need for mourning. The Sage had merely entered a long slumber. If there existed a future unseen by the gods of the past, they could meet once again.
“I know," Eugene said aloud.
He placed a hand on his chest. His fingers dug into his chest. Perhaps..., no, definitely. Eugene clung to the universe in his heart with such a thought. This would be his last Ignition. Either he died, or he killed Destruction.
Having lost dozens of heads, the monster staggered as it flailed its limbs. Molon screamed and rushed forward first. He slashed through all the attacks that were aimed at Sienna and Eugene.
Vermouth was not idle either. It took mere seconds for Eugene’s Ignition to activate. It was routine for Vermouth and Molon to fend off attacks during that time.
Thump.
A loud sound resonated. It was a sound different from the rumble emanating from the outside and distinct from the one echoing from the heart of Destruction. It was a sound that signified determination. The end would come in some form or another.
This was a deadly, but powerful technique that brought about the end of a battle albeit at a great cost. But it was ultimately destructive to the body, and Vermouth harbored no affection for Ignition.
But one thing was undeniable: Eugene and Hamel had never lost after using Ignition. He always used Ignition to secure victory against high demons and Demon Kings. He had even forced Gavid to retreat three hundred, despite the insurmountable gap in power between them.
Even with a broken body, he used Ignition to slay the Shield and Staff of Incarceration, even though Hamel himself died in the end.
‘This time, I won't die,’ Eugene declared.
Of course, he had no intention of dying.