Chapter 518: Metamorphosis (6)

Although the figure's voice was as quiet as a whisper, it was still clear and sonorous. It was just her voice without any magic being used to amplify it, but the figure's voice sounded strangely deep. It was as if her voice was somehow bypassing their ears and resounding through their very bodies.

"My Mary?" Eugene muttered with a blank expression.

Such obvious words could only mean one thing.

"Scheming, you say," the pupil of the eye curved in a smile. In the distant royal palace within Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration was smiling with genuine pleasure as he said, "Can something like this really be called scheming?"

[Now you're just quibbling, oh Ancient Demon. You are still just as obnoxious and offensive as ever. If you had really wanted to, you could have either destroyed my Mary or taken it away from them before now, isn't that right?] the figure of light accused.

"Didn't you already say it yourself?" the smiling eye turned to look at Sienna. "I might have been able to do so if I were acting in person. But the remnants of dark power I left in Mary aren't enough to resist her magic. In that case, I would ultimately need to take action personally in order to do either of those things... but unfortunately, I have made a promise that I will be patiently waiting in Babel for a certain someone."

After saying this, the Demon King of Incarceration once again turned to look at the figure. The figure was still standing there at a flat angle, facing Eugene and the others.

"I'm surprised to see that you're still lingering around in this form," the Demon King commented.

[I've paid a high price to do so,] the figure replied with a loud laugh. [It doesn't bring me any joy to reunite with you like this, oh Ancient Demon. Why have you set your eyes on this place? Could it be that you wish to laugh at my foolishness? Or is it that you wish to eradicate me completely?]

"Do you really think I would do such a thing?" Incarceration simply asked in response.

[No. You wouldn't have come here for such a reason. You've probably just come here after noticing the existence of a possibility that escaped your imagination. You wanted to see it for yourself and confirm that it was truly possible.] The figure moved its head slightly. [However, oh Ancient Demon, I will allow you to witness this current moment, but I will not allow you to spectate what will come after. I am aware that the position you are in is truly ambiguous and strange, but even so. You are still, ultimately, a Demon. The King of Demons, in fact. You were once my enemy, and now you are the enemy of everyone here.]

"That seems fair," the Demon King of Incarceration responded with another smile. "It is only right for you to feel that way. In those days of the long past, I was the Demon King. I am still a Demon King even now, and I will continue to be a Demon King even in the distant future. Until someone finally manages to kill me, I will always be a Demon King."

Having said this, the Demon King of Incarceration stared intently at the figure. "As I have already said, your presence here truly does come as a surprise to me. After all, I was sure that your existence had already disappeared from this earth."

[I did disappear,] the figure replied. [I was completely erased. That's right, my existence had unmistakably vanished. But disappearing like that was just what I wanted. That way, oh Ancient Demon, I could escape your notice.]

The Demon King of Incarceration burst into laughter at this response. He continued to laugh for quite some time, his single eye shaking up and down with each peal of laughter. In his palace within Babel, seated on his throne of chains, the Demon King of Incarceration even threw his head back in laughter, not paying any attention to his image as he guffawed.

Once he had gotten over his fit of laughter, the Demon King said with a smile, "Is that so? Indeed, so I wasn't mistaken. You truly did disappear. And now, for some reason, you have been reborn."

The Demon King of Incarceration sank deeper into his throne as he rested his chin on the back of his hands. Countless chains lifted their heads like snakes before slowly wrapping themselves around the Demon King of Incarceration's body.

As he felt each chain link up with the other, the Demon King muttered, "You may have said that it brought you no joy to reunite with me, but I am very happy to have reunited with you. Because, in a rare case, I find myself desiring you more and more.]

[Ahahaha.... What an extraordinarily upsetting and insulting invitation.] The figure followed her mocking laughter by holding one hand up towards him. [Withdraw now, oh Ancient Demon. Defile this cradle no longer with your presence. Desist from agitating my emotions any longer.]

"I shall respect your request," the Demon King of Incarceration replied with one final smile.

The eye, which was still curved in laughter, closed completely.

Boom!

The eyeball that had been hanging off of the end of the staff burst and disappeared, and then the disgusting veins that had been holding the eye in place writhed to life once more as they again wrapped themselves around the staff.

"Um...," Sienna muttered in confusion.

During this entire conversation, Sienna couldn't come up with anything to say. She wasn't sure how to even begin understanding the current situation or the conversation that had just taken place. Her thoughts came to a grinding halt the moment she even tried to understand it all.

The same was true for both Anise and Kristina. The two women were left just staring at the figure with eyes that had widened into circles.

Unlike the trio, who shared similar feelings of astonishment and confusion, Carmen's feelings were completely different.

She was feeling deeply moved.

Carmen was currently experiencing a huge surge of emotion. Just now, the Demon King of Incarceration had arrived at this side. Although the true body of the Greater Demon King hadn't descended in person, using some sort of means that only a Greater Demon King had access to, the Greater Demon King had manifested an evil clone in this passage to hold a conversation on his behalf.

It had taken the form of that hideous eye, and also....

—You are still, ultimately, a Demon. The King of Demons. You were once my enemy, and now you are the enemy of everyone here.

'Everyone here,'

Carmen silently repeated those words to herself, holding a tightly clenched fist to her left breast.

What was there to doubt? Of course, Carmen Lionheart was also a part of everyone that the mysterious figure of light had spoken of.

—It is only right for you to feel that way. In those days of the long past, I was the Demon King. I am still a Demon King even now, and I will continue to be a Demon King even in the distant future. Until someone finally manages to kill me, I will always be a Demon King.

The Greater Demon King's response was, in Carmen's opinion, both perfect and completely in character for Greater Demon King. It was the most fitting response that could be made for such an evil being. Carmen truly believed she could be the someone that the Demon King of Incarceration had spoken of, and she desperately wished she would be that person....

Eugene also needed a moment to settle his emotions.

"Hmph," letting out a snort, Eugene turned to look at the figure.

After hesitating for a few moments, Eugene tried to smile once more as he asked, "Is it really... you?"

[Again, do you have to ask me that so rudely? Was my previous answer not enough of a response for you?] the figure sighed.

"It's because I still can't be certain," Eugene confessed.

[Agaroth,] the figure whispered. [That was your name in your last life, but the current you may feel uncomfortable with being addressed as Agaroth. I believe it would only be natural for you to feel that way. After all, the past life of your soul is something that belongs solely in the past.]

The figure stopped speaking for a few moments to stare at Eugene. Then, the figure adjusted its posture and turned to face Eugene before slowly approaching him.

[However,] the figure paused. [However... I will continue to call you Agaroth. I hope that you can excuse my insistence on doing so as one of the last fixations of the deceased. And after all, I... I am not familiar with the name you currently go by.]

Eugene stared at the figure in silence.

[You said that you still can't be certain, didn't you?] the figure continued speaking. [In that case, allow me to give you a certain answer. My name is Vishur Laviola. In the distant past, I was the noble Sage of the Sky-topping Ivory Tower, who ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic.]

All of the previous uncertainties had now been made clear.

"Hah...!" Sienna couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise as she collapsed on the spot.

Vishur Laviola, Sienna was hearing this name for the first time. However, she had previously heard the title of the Sage of the Ivory Tower from Eugene. This meant that this figure, Vishur, was the one who had previously reached Sienna's current goal of becoming the Goddess of Magic.

Sienna had believed that in the past life, she had probably — no, had definitely been the Sage. Eugene had also held the same belief. This was because Sienna and the Sage were both exceedingly similar to each other.

But no, was that really the case? To begin with, Eugene didn't have many memories of the Sage. The same went for the God of Giants, whom they had suspected was Molon's past life.

"...How did you come to be like this?" Eugene eventually asked. "The current you, the one in front of me right now... is it really you? Or perhaps, are you some other form of existence modeled on her memories?"

[It seems that you've thoroughly been convinced by whatever mistaken conclusion you have previously reached.] The Sage shook her head with a mild sneer. [I should have already told you just now. My name is Vishur Laviola. The person in front of you currently is the one and only Sage.]

The Sage spun around on the spot. Her gaze turned to take in Edsillon, who was standing in front of her with his shoulders slumped and his head lowered. She clicked her tongue and shook her head.

It couldn't be helped.

[So even the Elder of the elves can only reach this extent. To think that he would fall into such a deep faint just from opening the door...] the Sage muttered to herself as she lifted her hand.

The light at the end of her fingertips gradually expanded until it had completely filled the inside of the World Tree.

Everyone's feet suddenly left the ground as they floated in the air for a few moments. During their short period of buoyancy, the scenery around them had changed. Just a few moments ago, Eugene had been standing inside the huge World Tree, but now he was standing in the middle of a wide-open grassy field.

"This place is...," Sienna, who had fallen to the ground, muttered to herself as she staggered back onto her feet.

Sienna wasn't a stranger to this location. The same was true of Eugene. This place was where Eugene had managed to reunite with Sienna, thanks to some help from Anise's miracle. From the center of this green field, the huge World Tree could be seen standing nearby, though this was only a copy of the World Tree rather than the World Tree itself.

"There's actually not much that I can do to affect reality," they heard a voice saying.

The voice was so beautiful that pleasure seemed to permeate through its listeners' entire beings. Eugene was startled as he turned to look in the direction that the voice had come from.

On top of one of the branches of the World Tree, the Sage was standing in her actual form, not as a figure of light. Her hair, which had grown down to her waist, was as glossy as emeralds, and her eyes sparkled like sapphires.

Eugene just stood there, his lips parted silently, as he stared at the Sage.

The Sage leapt down from the branches of the World Tree. Despite the considerable height, the Sage's fall to the ground was slow, like the descent of a balloon. After gently landing on the ground, the Sage ran her fingers through her windblown hair as she nodded in satisfaction.

The Sage hummed in pleasure, "Hmm, it's really nice to have a physical body. Though, I don't know if a body that exists only in a spiritual world like this should truly be called a physical body. The physical sensation of stepping on dirt and grass after so long is very pleasant. As well as the scent of the forest and the touch of the wind."

Eugene still held his tongue.

"Could it be that you don't remember what I looked like? Or perhaps, are you just feeling so moved that you can't speak since it has been so long since we last saw each other?" the Sage asked with a teasing grin.

Eugene was taken aback by those words, but for now, he just quickly and quietly turned to face the side.

"Wh-why are you naked?!" Sienna let out a shriek, even as she felt like she might be losing her mind. She leaped onto her feet and pointed accusingly at the Sage, "I'm asking you, why are you naked?! Don't you know that you should be wearing clothes?!"

"Hmm?" the Sage blinked in surprise at Sienna's shouting.

As Sienna had just pointed out, the Sage wasn't wearing anything and was instead completely naked.

After looking down at her own body for a few moments, the Sage let out a giggle, "No wonder I thought that the touch of the wind felt a bit too strong. So I forgot to put on some clothes. It can't be helped; after all, it's been so long since I last had a physical body."

"I'm telling you to put on some clothes already!" Sienna loudly reminded her.

"Ahah, I was wondering why you had just turned your head away without saying anything. Agaroth, are you too embarrassed to look directly at my body? That feels quite strange. After all, this isn't the first time you've seen me naked," the Sage said with a chuckle as she waved a finger.

This wasn't his first time seeing her naked? Those words came as a huge shock for everyone here. Eugene's jaw dropped to the ground as Sienna and Kristina both turned to glare at him with an angry glint in their eyes.

"I-I don't remember that," Eugene stammered.

The Sage's smile widened even further at this response, "Even though you refused to let me sleep in peace on that night long ago, you still insist that you can't remember anything at this point? What a terrible man you are."

Eugene couldn't help but let out streams of cold sweat at these words. The Sage was amused by Eugene's obvious show of fear as she created new clothes for herself. Ironically, those clothes were identical to the ones that Sienna was currently wearing.

"Why are you wearing my clothes?" Sienna protested.

The Sage raised a brow, "Junior, aren't your clothes the clothes of a wizard? Shouldn't you, as the junior of someone who has walked down the same path of magic and stood at the very peak of it, feel grateful that I have deigned to wear a copy of your clothes, so why are you acting so offended?"

Sienna argued back, "You can just wear the clothes that you used to wear in the past!"

"That might be true, but I happen to have taken a fancy to your clothes, Junior," the Sage insisted before gasping in realization. "Ah, there's no need to worry, dear Junior. I have no intention to usurp my junior's position."

The Sage stared at Sienna with a mischievous smile. That piercing gaze and smile made Sienna feel like all of her thoughts were being seen straight through, causing Sienna to swallow down a nervous gulp.

The Sage smiled as she explained, "This place holds the last remaining trace of my existence. After all, I truly did meet my end long, long ago, during the final moments of the Age of Myth."

The Sage's gaze turned elsewhere. Her sapphire eyes were looking at Kristina.

"The nature of my existence can't even be considered a proper soul, so I cannot reside within someone else's body like you have." The Sage paused before nodding, "That's right. If I had to put it bluntly, my current existence is more like an echo."

"...An echo?" Sienna repeated doubtfully.

"Junior," the Sage said as she turned to look at Sienna once more. She slowly walked over to Sienna as she continued to speak, "I, who had disappeared with the end of the Age of Myth, was called here because of you. Your desire towards mastering magic, your pursuit of the ultimate truth, your wish for the secrets of mana; it was your voice, Junior, that called out your need and summoned my echo."

Sienna suddenly recalled the sound of laughter she had heard while holding Bloody Mary. She glanced down at the staff in shock. Bloody Mary was lying silently in her hand, having returned to its usual ominous appearance.

"Haaah," the Sage gave a sad smile as she reached out for Bloody Mary. "My dear Mary. The Demon King of Incarceration has treated you so cruelly. And it's not just those veins, bones, or your overall appearance. His foul energy has been ingrained deep within you. Well, it can't be helped. It was inevitable, after all. Since all of the past owners who have held you over this long period of time were no better than trash, the stench of their filth was bound to have seeped into you."

Sienna took a moment to adjust her expressions and emotions. She silenced all the blasphemous, petty, and shameful thoughts that had erupted within her just moments before.

Right now, Sienna had in front of her the Sage from the Age of Myth. The woman who had ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic with only a human body. Sienna bowed her head to this predecessor from an ancient era, the Senior who had been the first to reach the place she was currently striving towards. Then, Sienna politely handed over Bloody Mary.

"This is a joyful reunion," the Sage whispered with a smile.

Receiving Bloody Mary, she held the staff in both hands.

Crack.

The ugly blood vessels that were wrapped around Bloody Mary shattered apart. The bones that were holding the jewel at the end of the staff also broke into pieces. The blood vessels fell away to reveal vines, and the bones were encased around leaves.

Finally, the jewel at the end transformed into a red flower.

"My beloved Mary," the Sage fondly muttered.

The true Mary shone brightly within the Sage's hands.

Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts

OBW: So, who's wondering if the Sage intentionally forgot to put some clothes on?

Momo: Bloody Mary being the Sage's staff came as a surprise to me. I still wonder if its history precedes the Sage or the Age of Myth.