Chapter 612: Vermouth Lionheart (4) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 612: Vermouth Lionheart (4) [Bonus Images]

Eugene felt a hand gently pushing his back. As he moved forward, he turned to look behind.

There were Kristina and Anise, acting as his wings to keep him from falling and supporting him steadfastly. He saw Vermouth, who smiled brightly like a blazing flame. But that wasn’t all. Though Molon lay fallen below after grappling with Destruction, Eugene could feel Molon right behind him. He could sense Sienna, though she had collapsed far away.

He thought of everyone present as he listened to the voices calling out. He felt those who were blocking Destruction, the very essence of calamity. He felt the collective will to prevent the world from total destruction.

"Now it's your turn."

Vermouth's words reached him.

There was no need to question what he meant. Eugene understood Vermouth’s words the moment he heard them. Vermouth had saved the world three hundred years ago, and now it was Eugene’s turn. Everything that had transpired until now had been leading to the moment when Eugene Lionheart would take over.

Agaroth had wounded Destruction before dying. And because Agaroth had held Destruction, the Sage became the World Tree, and the God of Giants and the ancient gods became the Light. Thus, a world different from all past worlds began. Vermouth was born from Destruction’s scar and gathered his comrades, and although they were ultimately defeated, it wasn’t a complete failure.

The three hundred years he bought weren’t meaningless. The world had evolved sufficiently and had united to stop its own destruction. And thus, it was now Eugene’s turn.

"I know,” answered Eugene.

He no longer looked back. He didn’t need to see the feel of many hands pushing his back. He no longer needed to strain his ears. The many prayers had already transformed into a massive will and filled him from within.

Destruction raised its head to see Eugene. Despite being cut down over and over, it still had dozens of heads and hundreds of arms. With a whoosh, hundreds of arms shot out toward Eugene.

Eugene's eyes emitted a golden light. Each of the flailing arms carried enough power to annihilate life. Destruction blocked the path of Eugene, the Hero who carried the world's will. Eugene bit his lip and grasped the Divine Sword.

"No," Eugene said with firm conviction.

In the distant past, Agaroth had knelt before Destruction. Three hundred years ago, Hamel had felt despair from afar at the sight of Destruction. Even a week ago, Eugene had felt terror in the face of Destruction. But that wasn’t the case anymore.

"You can't stop me,” he declared.

All of that was just in the past. Agaroth, Hamel, Eugene, and even Destruction itself had not vanished but persisted until this very moment. But Destruction, which had swallowed the world numerous times, could not conquer this moment. Eugene was absolutely sure of that, and his determination and certainty fueled the divine fire even more.

Fwoosh!

A single strike incinerated half of Destruction’s arms. Destruction writhed while emitting a terrible scream. Its instinct was to retreat, but it couldn't.

The magic left by Sienna prevented Destruction from standing on its legs. Molon’s hand still held onto Destruction. The attacks on Destruction's true form from the outside penetrated deep, causing a similar resonance inside the heart. The great will of the world, given birth by all the prayers, made Destruction cease to be Destruction.

"You," said Eugene while gasping for breath.

He gripped the Divine Sword with both hands. Eugene’s internal universe, forced into overdrive by Ignition, placed a tremendous burden on him. But if it were necessary, he would use Ignition over and over without much thought. He possessed the resolve and the will to do so.

"What do you have?" Eugene asked the monster.

Rumbleee!

The remaining hands of Destruction moved towards Eugene once again, but they were incinerated to mere ash by the flames of the Divine Sword. Destruction rallied up for another attack, and dozens of jaws opened wide. It was the same attack that had destroyed Eugene’s leg and Molon’s arm.

Sienna was no longer here to block the attack. She had fallen. However, her will had passed onto Eugene. The burst of light couldn’t even get close to Eugene before being blocked by a barrier.

"You have nothing,” Eugene declared.

Everyone was born with the will to accomplish and attain something. Such will, united in thought, transformed into conviction. Even the specter, despite being born of falsehood and lies, died with conviction. Even the Demon King of Incarceration had his convictions, though he had persisted through multiple worlds. But did the Demon King of Destruction have anything similar? Did Destruction have such conviction?

The answer was no. Destruction was a monster born without any will. It did not strive to destroy the world because it had any convictions. Rather, it simply destroyed worlds because they existed and continued to wreak havoc and destruction because it could not destroy itself.

"There’s no way that something like you...," said Eugene.

Even though Vermouth was born of the Demon King of Destruction, he possessed the will to save the world. The Demon King of Destruction couldn't fully consume Vermouth. Destruction lacked resolve or will. It was a monster driven only by the simple, obvious instinct of filling its stomach due to hunger.

Eugene came to realize the true nature of Destruction. This existence wasn’t a grand entity deserving of the moniker Demon King of Destruction.

"Can stop me," continued Eugene.

It was a monster born from vile jealousy and narrow-minded desire. It may have aimed to become a Demon King initially, but it had instead become a monster swallowed by its own uncontrollable power. It was a calamity that had coincidentally grown uncontrollably large as the world was reborn repeatedly.

"Can stop us," said Eugene.

It had always failed. It tried to become a Demon King as it desired but never did. Driven by hunger, it tried to destroy the world but couldn't even do it properly. It tried to absorb Vermouth after he split from it, but it failed even then.

And now, it was trying to kill Eugene.

But that, too, would fail.

"There's no way you can stop us," Eugene declared.

He raised the Divine Sword high.

He didn't refer only to himself. He had gotten this far because it had been us rather than me. Therefore, the Divine Sword Eugene held was not solely his own. It was imbued with the will of all those who had fallen, those who had not fallen, and those who, in this very moment, denied Destruction.

Dozens of heads meant nothing. So, instead, the heads merged into one to struggle in vain. The gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing the world whole. It looked like a pitch-black abyss.

Rumble....

The void was trembling. The space itself looked like it was about to disappear as the Demon King of Destruction had died. Yet, Eugene had disregarded such matters. He fixed his gaze directly on Vermouth’s face.

"Don’t try to leave your last will as if it’s all over. You’re not finished yet, and neither are we.”

"You always insisted on the impossible," Vermouth replied after a pause.

Though meant as a reproach, Eugene found gratitude in those words. Yet, this time, it truly seemed impossible. Vermouth looked down at his body, which was slowly turning to ash, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"What use is it if I die...? Yes, that might be the case for you since you already died once and had many regrets. But I have no regrets left,” Vermouth declared.

"Is that really true?" Eugene asked while tilting his head.

"You ask such mischievous questions,” Vermouth responded.

With a deep sigh, Vermouth lifted his head, gazing briefly at the crumbling void before continuing, "It’s impossible... not to have regrets. No matter how much I wish to be detached, they linger."

"And these regrets are?" Eugene probed.

"To see with my own eyes the world that existed because of me,” answered Vermouth.

He hadn’t wanted to say it out loud. Just voicing it strengthened his attachment to life. The regret of not being able to continue with his comrades weighed heavily on him.

Vermouth continued, "I want to hear the voices that call my name. And...." He paused.

"And, what?" Eugene prompted him.

His cheek had twitched. It could have been a forced smile to shake off the sadness. He thought such teasing, even at the last moment, was typical of Hamel — unnecessary, really. Did he truly need to act that way? Vermouth truly wondered. At least he had mourned Hamel at the moment of his death.

"I want to try the things we talked about in the past, in the Devildom. Traveling peacefully, visiting the hot springs in the snowy mountains...,” continued Vermouth.

"Those are things you can’t do if you’re dead,” said Eugene.

"That’s true,” Vermouth agreed.

As much as he had avoided it, he had ended up saying it.

"I don’t want to die."

Eugene had wanted to hear those words.

"So that's it," Eugene said, grinning as he suddenly reached out and grasped Vermouth’s right hand.

That statement hadn’t been meant for Vermouth. Vermouth jumped in surprise and looked down at his hand. An old chain had suddenly been gripped in it.

"It was a contract,” a voice came from behind them. "I had asked you, Vermouth Lionheart."

The clanking of chains sounded.

"I asked you if you still wished to die with Destruction.”

Vermouth turned around in surprise. The Demon King of Incarceration, unseen until now, was walking towards them. He had held back Destruction for days after being defeated by Eugene and his comrades. This had left the Demon King of Incarceration too weary to stand properly, but now, he seemed less exhausted.

He walked by himself. Although there was no cloak of chains behind him, the Demon King of Incarceration held a chain in his hand.

"You answered no. You said you wished to destroy Destruction with everyone,” the Demon King of Incarceration whispered in a low voice with a smile.

"I asked you what you needed,” he continued.

He slowly pulled on the chain. It was connected to the chain held by Vermouth.

"You answered, a sword, and I gave you one."

Vermouth no longer had a heart in his body. His body had died with Destruction and was disintegrating.

"Like a god, a Demon King fulfills wishes if there's a price to be paid," declared Incarceration.

There was only one thing a Demon King desired: the soul.

"The body you were born into as a clone dies with the Demon King of Destruction. But the Hero as the world spoke of, the soul of Vermouth Lionheart whom you decided is different — as the price of the contract, I, the Demon King of Incarceration, will have it."

This contract depended on Vermouth's will.

If Vermouth had thought of himself only as an avatar of Destruction to the end, and if he had wished to die with the Demon King of Destruction, then Vermouth’s soul would not have been completely independent. The chains of the contract would never have bound it.

But now, the chains of the contract weren’t tied to the avatar of Destruction but to the soul of Vermouth Lionheart.

"If you do not wish to die, then live."

Eugene pushed the disintegrating heart of Vermouth with a smile.

"We agreed to go back together."