Chapter 111: The Flame (3)

—Don't use that.

Sienna hated Ignition.

—Hamel. You must be too stupid to know this, but Cores are very delicate organs. People aren't born with them, they are artificial organs made by mastering mana. Therefore, they are imperfect and come with many risks.

Several times in his past life, Hamel collapsed from exhaustion after using Ignition. Every time he did that, Sienna would sit beside him and nag all night

—From the start, that technique could only be used by you. Do you understand what it means? You're an idiot, so you must think that just because no one can use the skill, it means it's some very special specialty. Well, in my eyes, it's a disability, not a specialty.

—...Aren't you being too harsh?

—How is this harsh? I held back so. Many. Times. Thanks to you, we aren't in danger anymore, but... you! You idiot! You are in danger now. What on earth are you doing? Look at you, just lying down on the floor and unable to lift a finger. You became a real idiot now.

Whenever he heard these naggings, his fuse would snap and he would refute her. Still, Sienna always came down to the same conclusion, 'Yeah, you are an idiot.'

—Do you get it, dummy? Never overload the Cores. They are already too close to the heart, so why do you keep overloading them? Ordinary people — no, not just ordinary people! Even I, the Greatest Archwizard of Humanity, would also die or become a vegetable if my Cores were overloaded!

—I'm able to do stuff that even you can't do, so isn't it a specialty?

—...Oh, yeah. That's a specialty, alright. You are special. A special idiot with a special DISability.

Most of the time, Vermouth took care of the danger, but he wasn't a god. From time to time, the party would encounter dangers that even Vermouth couldn't deal with or times that he couldn't protect his companions. No matter how distinguished he was, he was only one man. There was a limit to how much a person could handle on their own.

That was why companions existed. Like how Hamel threw himself in front of his companions to protect them, everyone — Molon, Sienna, and Anise — did the same thing for each other. To make sure that Vermouth didn't have to do everything on his own and in order to not get in his way, everyone tried their best.

—Hamel, that skill will kill you someday.

Sienna wasn't the only one who hated Ignition. It was Anise who revitalized Hamel's broken body after he collapsed because of the rebound from the skill.

—I am aware that you can control mana better than anyone. Sienna worries that you might die from mana overload...but I beg to differ. Hamel, you won't die from mana overload.

—Then what do you think?

—The human body is not as sturdy as human body owners think.

When she said that, Anise didn't smile like she usually did. In his past life, Hamel was more scared of the serious Anise who didn't smile rather than the usual Sienna who cursed at him.

—Your body in particular isn't as sturdy as you think, Hamel. Had you been born with a brainlessly tough body, as Molon did, I wouldn't even bother to warn you.

—What about my body?

—Hamel, you are born with the gift of mana control...but that gift didn't come together with a strong body.

Hamel couldn't say anything back. Even in his past life, he had realized that dozens, hundreds of times. When he was a mercenary, he wasn't aware of this. Was his body fragile? No, that wasn't the case. Hamel's body was enough for him to mistake himself for a genius.

Still, every one of his companions could be called a genius in their field. Molon's and Vermouth's bodies were so sturdy that it was almost embarrassing to compare himself to them.

—That technique, Ignition. Not only does it overload the Cores, but it also overloads your entire body, especially your heart. Sienna warned you about this several times, the Cores are close to the heart. That's why mana overload is dangerous...Hamel, you overtax everything — your Cores, heart, and body.

—...It's inevitable. Since I gained more power, it is natural for my body to endure more...

—Even a metal machine breaks down when it's pushed over the limit. And, Hamel, you aren't a machine. Your body isn't made of metal.

—....

—You must be aware of this too. No matter what kind of miracles I can perform, it's impossible for me to restore that which is completely broken. Hamel, do you understand what I'm saying? That technique will ruin your body — actually, it already did. Someday, your heart won't work like before and your body will refuse to move, regardless of how much you want it to.

—...Well... Umm...In a fight... No, not only in a fight, a person has to embrace risks to some levels in life...

—Are you a dimwit or an idiot?

—...Do I have to pick one?

—Hamel, if you didn't act like a dimwit or talk like an idiot, then would I say stuff like this in front of you? Everyone thinks Molon is an idiot, but even he listens a bit when he is told to not do something. Why are you acting more stupid than Molon?

—Hey, that's a lousy thing to say...

—Anyhow, I warned you. If you become an idiot who can't even sit straight, then as a friend and a companion, I will arrange a room for you in the highest-class sanatorium of the Holy Empire.

—If that really happens, are you going to take care of my shit and piss?

—I will mercy-kill you myself before that happens.

Like that, he had heard so many warnings in his past life. That didn't mean he had hesitated before he used it. When the thought of 'I have to use it' entered his mind, the situation was really so dire that he had to use it.

And every time he used it, Ignition played its role. It was well worth his body getting damaged.

He overcame several crises. It was especially worth using it when he and Sienna got attacked during reconnaissance by Incarceration's Blade, Gavid Lindman.

If he hadn't used Ignition then, he and Sienna would have died.

Even in the Demon King of Incarceration's castle, he used Ignition continuously. That was how he killed Incarceration's Shield and Staff. Then, Hamel also died.

'...Huh?'

Barang heard a heartbeat.

That kid's heart beat too loudly. His bloodshot eyes worsened the terrifying feeling. The human's teeth were clenched shut, but they looked sharp, like those of a beast.

'What did he do? Barang wondered.

Barang didn't fully grasp the change in Eugene's body.

After his reincarnation, Eugene thought about this multiple times.

'Even now....'

He would absolutely win if he used Ignition. He would be able to definitely kill Barang.

'...I can kill him.'

The Cores were thus overloaded with mana.

The Fourth Stars of the White Flame Formula fiercely rotated — the Ring Flame Formula modified using the Eternal Hole. The four stars created one circle, and Eugene triggered a chain explosion of mana inside the circle. The ceaselessly exploding mana was refined into countless cores, which were then interconnected. The rotating circle of fire firmly held onto mana, preventing leaks.

The White Flame Formula amplified the mana in the core, which allowed the mana to be used without waste.

Still, that wasn't enough. No matter how much he amplified the mana, he couldn't amplify it more than the total amount of mana in his body.

Eugene's heart kept beating as his Cores were overloaded. The rotation of the stars got faster and faster.

The operation exceeding his limit caused the Cores themselves to contort.

Boom, boom, boom.

He kept blasting it, and as it burst, mana spread throughout his entire body. The distorted Cores became bigger and bigger.

Ignition purposely overloaded the Cores. Like that, the skill spread the mana throughout the entire body after the explosion. As the flow of mana got intense, Eugene accelerated his heartbeat — overloading the entire body to adjust to the overheated Cores.

He felt the heat of the blood running through his vein, it was hot. His pulse accelerated until it felt as if his heart was going to burst. As he connected his internal energy to the environmental mana, he prepared his entire body for the next explosion.

Putting his hand on his chest, Eugene had grabbed his heart. Only a couple of seconds had passed after that.

But in those few seconds, Barang's perception of the child standing in front of him had changed drastically. Eugene's mana, which had begun to overload, pressured Barang. Bristling up his fur, he pounced on Eugene.

A Beastfolk's hand had five fingers, like that of a human. However, popping out of Barang's fingertips were not the fingernails of a human, but the claws of a beast.

The beast shot forward.

With bloodshot eyes, Eugene watched Barang approach. He knew for sure that if he hadn't used Ignition, he wouldn't have been able to follow Barang's movement. But now he could.

'Yeah'

When Barang swung his claws right under Eugene's nose, Eugene made a judgment.

'I can kill him.'

ㅡBang!

Barang was the one who attacked.

Barang was also the one who flew backward.

He couldn't understand what had just happened. How — what had happened? Why was he the one thrown backward? Hadn't he attacked with his claws?

Twisting his body in the air, Barang fixed his posture.

The claws he had brandished were all shattered.

Squirt!

The moment Barang looked at his palm, it split open and squirted blood.

"Arf!"

His palm had been sliced; th cut was so deep that his palm was split into two. Barang roared out of rage, rather than pain. This kind of wound was nothing to him. Beastfolk's body regenerated the injuries in no time. Like Barang, the Beastfolk who had accepted demonic power could regenerate like a high-rank demonfolk.

In fact, when Barang landed on the ground, the cut in his palm had regenerated entirely. However, Barang could not initiate an attack again. It was because Eugene was nowhere to be seen.

[...Hamel, he is....]

'An animal,' answered Eugene.

[Shouldn't you use the Moonlight Sword?]

'No.'

The Moonlight Sword stood out too much. If he had to use it, then he would, but the situation was not dangerous enough for him to use the Moonlight Sword.

'I can win without it.'

Eugene felt the wind that Wynnyd created. Usually, he would use this wind to push his body, but he didn't need to do so now.

Eugene was faster than the wind, so fast that it couldn't catch up with him.

His body was overloaded, but it was moving better than he had thought it would. It was much better than he had expected.

'It is definitely better than my body in my past life.'

It felt as if his arm was going to fall off. But it just felt that way. His arms did not actually fall off.

'Tempest.'

Eugene lifted Wynnyd high in the air.

'How sturdy is this sword?'

[...Hmm.]

With a low groan, Tempest raised the wind. A violent wind surrounded the sword.

[It will be able to handle your power without a problem.]

'Is that so?'

Eugene showed a crooked smile.

'That's a relief.'

The sword — no, the storm plunged into the ground.

Watching from afar, Kristina had a strong premonition, so she embraced Signard.

Woosh!

The divine power surged from Kristina as she created a shining shield and protected the elves.

Thuudd!

The forest shook. The storm crashed into the ground, annihilating everything in its path. Wind spread from the eye of the storm, swallowing the nearby buildings.

"Rooaaar!"

In the center of the storm, Barang howled as the wind mutilated his entire body. He couldn't feel anything in his left arm. The wind slashing from above had chopped it off. The attack only cost Barang a left arm because he had managed to twist his body and dodge the attack.

"You son of a bitch!"

As Barang howled, he drew out power. Dark demonic power wrapped around his entire body.

Barang was strong. He was one of the most powerful of the beastfolk, whose leader was Jagon, under the command of the Demon King of Destruction. Barang had snapped Bron's back with one hand — the back of someone who always bragged about being one of Shimuin's Twelve Finest.

That was why none of this made sense. His arm was that sturdy, but it had been chopped off in a single strike.

'This power—'

Barang hadn't been able to defend against the attack because it had been too sudden. Eugene was a kid and a human, so Barang had taken him too lightly. However, Eugene was a Lionheart, the best human warrior family there was. It was inevitable that he had some cards up his sleeves.

He realized that Eugene wasn't someone to be taken lightly, so from now on, it would be different. His mutilated left arm? That was also fine. He would regenerate it somehow.

First, Barang planned on taking the kid out, tearing off his limbs, and making him crawl like a bug to the elven sanctuary. He would then rape the saintess in front of Eugene and kill her. He was also going to kill all the elves, every single one of them, and make Eugene shed tears of blood.

After deciding what to do, Barang swung his arm. The dark demonic power turned into a giant claw and ripped the storm open.

Eugene was standing outside the storm. Wrapped up in the demonic power, Barang lunged forward Eugene like a dark cannonball.

'He's nothing compared to Oberon,' Eugene thought as he took a step forward.

'Even against Amelia Merwin, he's nothing..'

Woosh! A clear blue flame rose up from his body and turned into sword force.

'I can't believe I have to use Ignition to deal with this lowly bastard.'

As Barang ferociously charged toward him, Eugene sighed as he pitied himself.

'Even though I'm running, it's far,' Barang suddenly thought.

It was a dozen meters at most. He could get closer in a single leap. And yet... he felt as if he wasn't getting any closer. He felt a gap between Eugene and him.

Barang didn't want to admit that. It wasn't that the distance was actually real — he just felt that way. The gap between the kid and him was so wide that Eugene felt miles away from Barang.

But that couldn't be true.

'I have to reach him...'

No, Barang shouldn't — his instinct's warning filled his head.

'That can't be possible,' Barang denied his instinct.

He would die if he stepped any further.

'No way,' he denied once again. 'I'm strong.'

Stubbornness prevented Barang from stopping.

'I am...'

He held out his hand, and the demonic power dissipated. His claws cracked, shattered, and disappeared. His fingers and hands were cut into dozens, hundreds of pieces, and scattered in the air. With eyes wide open, he watched his own body getting shredded. For Barang, everything was awfully slow and cruelly vivid.

Barang came to a halt.

He had no choice but to stop.

Vomiting blood, Barang hung his head. His body was sliced open, and blood and organs were falling out.

He had reached out with his arm...but failed to complete the attack. Well, maybe his arm had served a purpose, as a shield. If it hadn't, that terrifying attack from above would have completely shredded his entire body to pieces.

"...You...."

Shuddering, Barang spoke. He was no longer able to stand, and he simply collapsed.

"Who...who...are...you?"

Barang saw Eugene wrapped up in a blue and white flame. Eugene wore the flame like a lion's mane. In Barang's eyes, Eugene wasn't human.

"You know who I am."

Eugene's tired eyes made him frown, but his voice was calm and composed.

"I'm Eugene Lionheart."