Chapter 583: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

Chapter 583: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

"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.

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. ☜