Chapter 483: Flame (4)

Chapter 483: Flame (4)

Crack.

The punch shattered something and pushed in even further. This would have been far enough to stop if the opponent had been human. There would have been no need to push any further since a punch like this to the face would undoubtedly be fatal to a human.

But Eugene’s current opponent was not human. Therefore, Eugene didn't retract his fist; instead, he pressed on even harder.

Crunch!

His fist finally smashed through the obstruction completely.

Boom!

Black flames exploded like fireworks above the specter's neck. Eugene's fist, quite literally, burst the specter's head open. The headless body teetered for a moment while trying to correct its stance.

The specter’s head hadn't regenerated yet. Nonetheless, the headless body lunged at Eugene without hesitation. At a glance, the specter’s body seemed driven by uncontainable rage.

However, the specter had not lost reason or control due to anger. His movements remained precise, fluid, and smooth, like water or smoke. Yet, upon contact, the gentle flow turned into a fierce storm, threatening to tear or engulf everything in its path.

Eugene knew all too well. He could swear on everything he had that this opponent was the one he had fought against the most since Hamel's birth.

The person in question was Vermouth.

The same was true for Vermouth. Hamel was the one he had fought against the most. It couldn't be otherwise. Just like with Hamel, most of Vermouth’s enemies did not survive past their first battle. On the other hand, Hamel and Vermouth had no reason to kill each other, and Hamel often sought duels, leading to countless confrontations between the two.

So, Eugene was certain. Vermouth didn't have a set of defined techniques, but that unique style of deflecting and countering was unmistakably his. It wasn’t only his physical skills, either. The specter’s techniques were infused with Vermouth’s specialty in spatial manipulation.

The discord Eugene felt was palpable. Was it because the specter was using spatial magic? No, that much was acceptable to Eugene. But seeing the specter perform Vermouth’s maneuvers was infuriating. It felt absolutely disgusting.

The specter was born from Hamel's memories. He bore Hamel’s face and used Hamel’s techniques.

And now, he was even employing Vermouth's White Flame Formula and magic, along with Vermouth’s unique movements and skills.

"This son of a..." Eugene cursed in irritation.

He would have felt less disgusted if the specter had boasted blatantly. If the specter had said something clichéd, like wanting to kill Eugene to become the real Hamel, Eugene would have felt some sense of relief.

He might have felt relief if the specter had been similar to the delusional Amelia... if he had some absurd wish or, like the mosquito Alphiero, was blinded by some stupid loyalty to the Demon King. Or, like Amelia, if he died seeking revenge after failing to accomplish anything as the Demon King.

There were countless reasons the specter could have chosen. If he had just picked one and stood by it, Eugene was sure he wouldn't be feeling this vile discomfort.

But the bastard didn't pursue any of those reasons. After coming to his senses, the specter met with Molon and invaded the Black Lion Castle before a day had passed. Despite launching an attack, he didn’t kill anyone and only spouted nonsense about coming to infuriate everyone before leaving. Then what about his occupation of Hauria? The more Eugene thought about it, the angrier he got.

"What the fuck do you want?" Eugene shouted.

His arms were intertwined with the specter’s.

If Eugene was caught, his arm would break, and he could no longer hear the voices of Kristina or Anise. In other words, if he suffered a broken arm here, there was no healing magic to treat it.

"You even spare a thought for the innocent civilians? You didn’t want to drag them into this mess?" spat Eugene.

Eugene chose to retreat without directly clashing with the specter, but he wasn’t running away. He continued to launch Eclipse from the feathers of Prominence while also cleverly concealing a feather amidst the scattering sparks. He immediately leaped to the feather and positioned himself to the specter's rear.

"You sealed off the city, formed most of your forces with demonic beasts and demons deemed expendable, and filled in the gaps with the undead,” said Eugene.

"What's wrong with a Demon King commanding other demons?" the specter retorted. He could no longer hold back when faced with Eugene’s continuous taunts.

"Don't play coy, you bastard,” Eugene snapped. The specter’s response was utterly unsatisfactory. "I asked you, why that fucking look? Why do you look like you have a fucking sob story? It's not just your expression, though. Everything about you screams it,” said Eugene.

The specter found no words to counter the barrage of insults. Instead, he twisted his body and swiftly extended a hand toward Eugene. Spatial magic was immediately completed and pressured Eugene from all directions.

In response, Eugene's cloak flapped open.

Crackle!

Bombardments from the Thunderbolt and the Dragon Spear struck the specter. Although the bombardment wasn’t nearly as powerful as Eugene's techniques, the well-charged attacks managed to neutralize the space manipulated by the specter to a degree.

"So what, you didn't want to do this, but you had reasons, had no choice?" Eugene's mockery didn't cease. He reached into the cloak and pulled out a massive hammer.

It was the Annihilation Hammer Jigollath, the weapon used by the Demon King of Carnage. The specter's expression stiffened when he saw the weapon.

He had forgotten. Eugene Lionheart didn't only wield the Holy Sword and Moonlight Sword. He also possessed the arsenal of the former Demon Kings.

"Then spill it. What's your damn story!?" Eugene roared while swinging the Annihilation Hammer. The specter reflexively layered spaces to form a barrier, only to immediately realize his mistake.

The power of the Annihilation Hammer was incredibly straightforward. In fact, it could be said that none among the various weapons of the Demon Kings had a simpler ability than the Annihilation Hammer.

It annihilated whatever it hit. What the Annihilation Hammer could smash depended on the strength of its wielder. With Eugene's strength — empty spaces, mere voids, were no different than glass windows in front of the Annihilation Hammer's power.

Crack!

The layered barrier shattered into pieces. The simple, brute force zeroed in on its target. The specter quickly extended both hands and raised his flames in defense. The intertwined colors of the flames blocked the Annihilation Hammer.

"Who exactly are you? What do you want from me? And that son of a bitch Vermouth, why did he teach you the White Flame Formula and—." Eugene’s shouts were interrupted.

"Do you really think...!" The specter's face contorted. "Do you think I'm staying silent because I don't want to talk? I also—" the specter stopped, unable to continue.

He had been filled with hatred and a desire for vengeance when he was deceived by his fake memories. But once he realized his true identity, he could no longer harbor hatred or a desire for revenge. He was simply frustrated, sorrowful, and angry.

Why him? Why was he made aware of the truth? If he had remained ignorant, he wouldn't have had to ponder such matters.

"I-I initially just wanted to kill you. I thought maybe I could replace you if I did. But it was impossible,” the specter admitted.

The core of the specter's identity was Hamel, who would never engage in such actions. The specter tried to find stronger assurance, so he met with Molon and watched Sienna from a distance. Afterward, he found himself able to completely let go of that desire.

"I can never be you. It's not about being fake or real. I am just me... and I can't be you,” said the specter.

Crack!

A tumultuous array of colored flames burst from the specter's demonic sword.

With the specter beginning to wield the demonic sword, Eugene could no longer afford to swing the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Swords separately. Although he did not merge the light as before, the two swords formed a single line in their strikes.

"I knew you wanted a war in Nahama, so I did as you wished. To give you a more legitimate cause, I even invaded the Black Lion Castle." The specter's voice grew harsher as he continued. "I planned to act out the war. I had nothing to gain from this war. I would just go through the motions, then... then put you in the spotlight. And throw Amelia Merwin, that woman, at your feet!"

Clang!

The colliding flames mixed together.

"I just wanted to fight you...! I planned to die after a decent fight. I thought I would be content with that...” explained the specter.

"Why do you have to die fighting me?" Eugene interrupted.

He was the first to stop his sword. The abrupt cessation of the attack surprised the specter, causing him to halt its sword as well.

"I've roughly got the gist of your situation, and if you're not going to act like a total ass, I'm willing to accept you as an ally,” said Eugene with a tilt of his head. The specter’s mouth hung open in shock after hearing his words.

"Of course, you can't just get off scot-free. Apologize to Molon and then kneel and beg at Black Lion Castle. Hey, but why didn't you go see Sienna?" questioned Eugene.

“I went to see her secretly..." the specter admitted in a quiet voice.

"Secretly? You sneaky bastard. You were spying on Sienna!" Eugene yelled again furiously.

He raised the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword once more, and the specter instinctively flinched and stepped back.

"I didn't see anything... weird,” he said hastily.

"Then I'll forgive you. For now, let's continue talking,” Eugene said, furrowing his brows and fixing his gaze on the specter. "Do we really have to fight each other? I consider myself quite rational, and after hearing your story... it seems like I don't necessarily have to kill you.”

"That's for you to decide,” the specter responded. He calmed his stirred emotions and smiled. "My decision hasn't changed. I am determined to kill you no matter what."

"You said earlier you thought of dying in a fair fight,” said Eugene.

"That was before I met the Demon King of Incarceration..." responded the specter.

"Alright, then let's talk about that now," Eugene said with a nod. "Why are you so intent on killing me?"

"That is—"

"Don't tell me you're going to say something like, 'If you defeat me, I'll tell you,’” Eugene interrupted.

The specter's eyes wavered.

"What if I accidentally kill you before getting the chance to hear your story because I couldn't control my strength?" Eugene asked.

"Why do you assume you'll definitely win?" the specter questioned with furrowed brows.

His expression mirrored Eugene's. What an attitude!

Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you could defeat me. Imagine you succeed in killing me. But what if you also lose control of your power in the process...?"

"There's no need to waste words on someone who's going to die anyway,” the specter countered.

"That's where you and I are different, bastard. I'm willing to have this conversation even though I plan to kill you. Isn't that right?" Eugene cursed once more.

The specter had no comeback.

"Don't be so stubborn pretending to have a deep story. Just spit it out. We'll talk and then decide what to do afterward," Eugene continued.

"What do you mean to do afterward?" questioned the specter.

Eugene looked at the specter as if he was an idiot to ask the most obvious question.

"Fight."

The specter looked confused.

"What's with that look? Whether I decide to kill you or not will depend on what I hear, but that's a completely different issue from the fight," said Eugene.

His anger had yet to fully dissipate.