Chapter 493: Delusion (1)

Eugene's vision was pitch black, but he could still tell that Noir Giabella was different from how she usually was.

He didn't want to even think about the fact that he knew her well enough to say how she usually was, but it was so blatantly obvious that there was something different about the current Noir that Eugene couldn't help but have such a feeling.

But he couldn't see her expression clearly.

It wasn't like their surroundings were particularly dark. Even if they were in pitch darkness without even a single source of light, Eugene's eyes would have still been able to clearly see the other person. But even so, for some reason, he couldn't get a clear look at Noir's face.

He couldn't see her expression or what kind of emotions might be prompting such an expression.

However, what Eugene could clearly see were her eyes.

It felt like her eyes had been drained of color. Those purple eyes, which used to shine so brightly, now felt hollow and dark, as if he was looking into the depths of an abyss. They were so empty that Eugene was left guessing what might exist at the very bottom of those depths.

'What is it?' Eugene frowned.

He couldn't immediately comprehend just what he was feeling from her. Was it because he didn't have the spare mental capacity for it? It was true that Eugene wasn't in a great condition at the moment.

His battle against the specter had only just ended. The recoil from Ignition was making his whole body ache, and even his head was a bit dizzy.

Then, before he could even get a few moments to recover, he had been attacked. This whole situation was difficult to process.

A scream suddenly tore through the air, "Heeeeeyyyyyy!"

There were far too many things going on in one place. To start off, Eugene had just wanted to make a public statement, but even that hadn't been so easy to manage.

Before he could even celebrate his victory and bask in the afterglow, Eugene had been attacked. Moreover, that attack had been extremely dangerous. If that beast of disaster[1] hadn't held back his sword on his own accord, then that blade would have—

"You son of a bitch!" Sienna cursed as she abruptly arrived above the scene.

She would never have imagined that this bastard would actually do something like this.

The Blade of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman. Even back then, three hundred years ago, he had been a pain in the ass. Yet even so, she had always thought he had a knight-like sense of honor. Who could have thought that he would actually wait for them to let their guards down, aim for a situation in which his target was unable to resist, and then attack them?

This turn of events made Sienna feel such rage that all of her hair was standing on end.

Roooooaaaar!

Sienna swooped down, trailing her galaxy behind her. Frost, which was held in front of her, engulfed Gavid in an icy wind. Dozens of lights flashed forth from the galaxy behind Sienna. In mere moments, Sienna cast a spell that attempted to capture Gavid.

At this distance, Sienna's will was enforced on Gavid by her Absolute Decree through a simple gust of wind.

Startled by all that was happening, Gavid leaped backward. But despite his instantaneous reaction, he wasn't able to escape being engulfed by those dozens of lights.

"Hoh," Gavid huffed in surprise.

To be honest, Gavid was amazed. Just earlier, his sword, Glory, had been able to slice through Sienna's magic with the help of his Demoneye of Divine Glory. However, now, it appeared that slicing through her spells wouldn't be so easy.

'Is this... really magic?' Gavid thought doubtfully.

Opening his Demoneye of Divine Glory fully, Gavid saw that Sienna's spell contained a completely different power than any magic he had ever seen before. He wouldn't be able to slice through it. No, by rights, he should have been able to slice through it, but for some reason, he just couldn't. The power contained within Sienna's spell was almost barbaric in its simplicity and strength.

As such, Gavid decided to respond in the same fashion. He struck back with simple and barbaric force. His Demoneye of Divine Glory glowed with a red light as a different force enveloped Glory's blade.

Clink, clink, clink.

The chains of Incarceration were now wrapped around the blade of Gavid's sword. When he swung his sword at the spell encircling him, the chains flew out and wrapped around the spell.

That should put an end to that. These chains were part of Incarceration's special ability, and the Demoneye of Divine Glory was able to perfectly reproduce the power of the Demon King's special ability. No mere magic could hope to escape those chains.

'The end?' Sienna sneered.

Gavid wasn't the one to decide that. Since Sienna was the one who cast the spell, she was also the only one who could decide when it ended. Three hundred years ago, Sienna's magic hadn't been able to escape those chains. As such, there had been nothing she could do but be left helpless in front of the Demon King.

But now things were different. Even if the Demon King of Incarceration himself were here, he wouldn't be able to easily put a stop to Sienna's magic whenever he wished.

Clink, cli-clink.

The chains binding Sienna's spell were being pulled taut. Gavid, who had thought it was already over, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Cracracrack!

The chains completely shattered. The spell that had broken free from its bonds like a wild horse leaped forward and attacked Gavid.

Booooom!

Gavid twisted as he was caught in the spell's explosion, and soon, he fell to the ground, looking like a tattered rag.

"Haha...," even as Gavid was coughing up blood, he laughed in amazement.

The chains of Incarceration had actually broken. Sienna's spell hadn't been canceled when those chains bound it. How else was Gavid meant to react to this fact? After all, this meant that Sienna's magic had actually managed to transcend the realm of mere magic.

"How amazing," Gavid marveled.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The chain of spells didn't end even after Gavid fell to the ground. The ground split open around him as he was hammered ever deeper into the soil. Then, brilliant light also fell down on Gavid from above.

Kristina had leaped off of Raimira's back and was descending to the ground with her Wings of Light spread wide open. Her eyes were widened in an angry glare as her hands were stretched out towards Gavid.

Anise's enraged curses also helped to bolster Kristina's determination as she mustered up all of her will. Light poured down from Kristina onto the earth around Gavid. This radiant light was suppressing Gavid's regeneration. Gavid squinted his eyes in pain even as he was buried ever deeper into the ground.

'So it wasn't just Hamel,' Gavid realized.

Sienna of Calamity was also here. Her magic had certainly been impressive even three hundred years ago, but now she had even managed to transcend the realm of ordinary magic.

Gavid hadn't actually fought against her spells with his full strength. However, the same would also apply to Sienna, as she hadn't given it her all either.

Then there was Kristina Rogeris. As the Saint of the present era, her divine power unmistakably surpassed the heights reached by that of Anise of Hell. Her light was able to cut off the flow of dark power within him and even suppressed his Source of Immortality. Also, just look at those radiantly shining wings of hers.

Gavid narrowed his eyes, 'All of them... could pose a threat to the Demon King.'

They were true enemies of Helmuth and of Pandemonium. Gavid chewed his bottom lip as he pondered this fact.

It wasn't just Sienna and Kristina, either. Having regained control of their bodies, the other main forces of the Liberation Army were also springing back into action. While surrounding Gavid, who had been buried in a deep pit within the earth and was covered in a layer of light, they were all baring their hostility towards the Duke.

Even as she continued to concentrate on sealing away Gavid, Kristina ran over to Eugene's side with a cry, "Sir Eugene!"

But before she could get close, Eugene quickly raised his hand to stop Kristina from approaching him.

"I'm fine," Eugene insisted.

Kristina tried to protest," But you—"

"You should already know by now that holy magic or first aid won't have any effect on my current condition," Eugene reminded her.

The aftermath of overloading one's Core was different from receiving wounds to the body or the internal organs. This was because the Core wasn't actually a physical object in the first place.

No matter how much of an expert Kristina and Anise were when it came to healing magic, they wouldn't be able to heal the recoil from Ignition. The only way to treat it was just a few straight days of rest.

"...," Kristina was left unable to say anything, her shoulders shaking in concern.

She wasn't getting close to Eugene just because she wanted to try and heal him or to be there to support him. It was purely because Kristina was concerned.

Right now, the Queen of the Night Demons was standing next to Eugene. Noir Giabella... was right by his side. Kristina knew that Noir had always displayed an excessive affection and obsession when it came to Eugene, but something about her today was strange. She was different from how she usually was. The strange atmosphere around her was so blatant that even Kristina could sense it.

If it were before today, Krisitna wouldn't have had the faintest suspicion that Noir Giabella might suddenly try to kill Eugene with no warning. Noir herself definitely didn't want that kind of ending to their story.

That crazy Night Demon wanted to impart a greater meaning and emotion to her and Eugene's act of trying to kill each other. As such, the end of their road together could only be reached after extensive interactions and preparations on her part.

However, Kristina felt like that could possibly no longer be the case. It seemed like Noir might suddenly, without any warning, try to kill Eugene. Kristina could almost see Noir reaching out to grab Eugene's throat with both hands, wringing with all of her strength, until his neck snapped....

If Noir were to take such actions, Eugene, in his current weakened state, would be unable to put up any resistance.

"I'm fine," Eugene repeated his assurance.

This time, his words weren't just meant for Kristina; they were also aimed at Sienna. Sienna had also tried to reach Eugene's side but was left with a confused expression.

Eugene was also fully aware of their specific worries. However, he still shook his head firmly as he told them he'd be fine.

Was this because he trusted Noir wouldn't do something crazy and unexpected? It was impossible to say that he didn't have any such trust. Although Eugene didn't want to admit it, he was aware of the strange and twisted sense of trust that had grown between him and Noir. However, even setting that aside, he still felt... that there was a need for him to have a long talk with the current Noir.

Since his attitude was so firm, Sienna and the Saints no longer tried to get closer to Eugene. Instead, they focused their attention on Gavid, whom they had buried deep within the ground.

If at all possible, right here and now... they felt the temptation to either kill Gavid or seal him away forever.

'Though that's probably impossible,' Sienna silently admitted to herself.

Whether it was killing Gavid or sealing him away, neither was truly feasible. It wasn't just a matter of difficulty; it was simply unattainable. The title of Blade of Incarceration wasn't just for show. The reason they could capture him like this was....

'He's just checking us out,' Sienna thought with a frown.

What was the full extent of Sienna's magic? Just how much sacred power did the Saint possess? What were the levels of the other foes currently surrounding him?

Sienna clicked her tongue in disgust. She had no desire to expose her full power at such an early point, so she had made sure to moderate the power of her spells.

Eugene slowly turned his gaze away from Sienna and the others.

Noir was staring at Eugene with an unchanging expression on her face. That point alone was enough for Eugene to start feeling concerned. Even under these circumstances, Noir seemed to have barely anything to say. If this were any other time, she would have already said something by now.

Congratulations!

Eugene recalled what had happened in Shimuin. At that time, Noir had burst into the banquet hall wearing a racy swimsuit, then sang a song for Eugene as she handed him a cake.

—Congratulations.

—On your victory.

—Eugene Lionheart.

When Noir said these words, her voice had been all chopped up. Even then, Eugene hadn't been able to see her expression clearly. Her lips seemed to have been twisted in a grin. But had that really been a smile? If it was, it didn't seem to match the emotions that she had been showing.

Eugene looked at Noir's hands. There, he saw that her left hand, which still had that damned ring on it, was clutching the other ring that Noir had hung on a necklace around her neck.

Eugene tried to suppress the surge of feelings rising up within him.

"...You...," Eugene trailed off, swallowing a sigh that had almost unconsciously left his lips.

"What's with that expression?" Noir asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

She forced herself to release her tight grip on her necklace.

She wanted to destroy them. Whether it was the ring she was wearing on her finger or the ring hanging around her neck, she wanted to destroy them both. However, she simply couldn't break them. With just the slightest bit of force, she should have been able to turn them into powder. However, she just couldn't find the strength to do so.

Noir cleared her throat, "I have to congratulate you, My—"

My Lord[2].

Noir swallowed the words she had almost unconsciously said out loud. Once again, Noir was forced to readjust her expression.

"—Eugene," Noir finally managed to finish once she had regained control of her expression along with her emotions.

Noir's head was currently dizzy with emotions and memories that had been buried deep within her, ones that didn't belong to her.

Noir hated this. All of the memories and emotions going through her mind should be the ones that belonged solely to herself. The reason she loved Hamel/Eugene should also be something that was completely unique and new to Noir.

However, the memories that had suddenly resurfaced in her head, those memories that weren't from her current life, those memories that she had never chosen to make, and the emotions that accompanied them....

"Isn't it hard?" Noir asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Her emotions kept fluctuating of their own accord. These memories were making her see a completely different side of her dear Hamel, the man whom she loved.

Especially....

That one memory that especially left Noir with a feeling of disgust.

Because the memory of that final moment made light of something that Noir had been hoping for all of her life — she had always wanted to be held in the arms of her lover during her final moments, uttering her last words to him before she died.

Yet Noir had never once been able to picture the scene of her own death. That was why she had fallen for Hamel's intense killing intent. She had wanted to play out her final moments underneath that man's pure and unwavering murderous intent. She had wanted that moment to be special for both of them.

However, it turned out that the two of them had already shared such a special moment together. She had already experienced her own longed-for death a long, long time ago. She had experienced being loved, being held in his arms, being kissed, and then dying at his hands.

"Just look at the state you're in. I can see that you are struggling with a lot of things," Noir said as she slowly approached Eugene.

She had a smile on her face, but it was only skin deep. Eugene couldn't sense the slightest trace of any emotion that matched her expression.

"It's fine if you sit down," Noir persuaded.

Eugene didn't respond. Just like she said, it was difficult for him even to stay standing, but Eugene continued to stand up straight where he was as he glared back into Noir's eyes.

"Ahaha, why are you staring at me like that, dear Eugene? Could it be that you are embarrassed to show any weakness in front of me?" Noir asked with a smile. She leaned forward slightly, drawing closer to Eugene as she continued, "However, I really like seeing you when you're at your weakest. After all, you... you always insist on showing your strong side, don't you? In that case, since it's rare to see you like this, it makes me want to keep looking even more."

"...," Eugene stayed silent.

"If you want, I can lend you my shoulder. If that isn't enough to satisfy you, I can even offer up my lap. Or perhaps you would prefer to rest with your head on my chest?" Noir asked seductively, mischief blended in with her smile.

Her outstretched hand moved closer to Eugene.

Noir giggled, "Fufu, if I had my way, I would also like to whisper into your ear what we might do next, but it seems I'll have to restrain myself. Because no matter how much I may desire it, those kinds of activities would be difficult for you in your current state. Hmm, or perhaps not? It might be difficult for you to move your body currently, but if it's in a dream—"

"Noir Giabella." Eugene finally broke his silence.

Noir blinked in surprise at having her name suddenly called out like this. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, she burst into laughter.

"What's with that all of a sudden?" Noir asked once she had calmed down. "Calling out my name all of a sudden, Noir... Giabella. That's right, that is who I am."

"Have you...," Eugene paused, finally letting out the sigh that he'd been holding back. "You've remembered the past as well, haven't you?"

"..." This time, it was Noir's turn to fall silent.

"In that case, what do you want me to call you?" Eugene asked, tilting his head forward.

Thanks to that, the distance between him and Noir had shrunk even narrower.

A beautiful face, a mischievous smile, and eyes that were lacking any sort of light; a somber feeling lurked within those dark abysses.

"Saint?" Eugene offered.

She had been called the Saintess of the God of War.

"Witch?" Eugene tried again.

Before she became the Saint, she was called the Twilight Witch.

Eugene hesitated before uttering one final name, "Aria?"

As soon as he said this name, Eugene was sent falling backward.

He wasn't able to resist. Just as he was about to land flat on his back, a gentle hand cradled his body and arrested his fall.

It was Noir. Even though she was the one who had pushed Eugene down, she carefully supported him as they both slowly fell to the ground.

Noir's necklace slipped free with a jingle. The ring swayed in front of Eugene's eyes.

His ears were filled with the sound of heavy breathing as her sweetly scented breath came closer. A new light was flickering within Noir's dull, hollow eyes.

"..." Noir silently stared down at Eugene with eyes that looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment.

1. The original text uses the term 흉수, which is the plural for a group of four evil mythical beasts from ancient Chinese mythology. Rather than a literal description, the use of this term here is to imply that Gavid could be seen as one of their peers in terms of age, power, and depth of evil. ☜

2. This term is used with a divine undertone. Like when you address God as 'Oh Lord' in a prayer. ☜