Chapter 522: Metamorphosis (10)

"But anyway...," the Sage said, grinning as she stared at Eugene.

For a few moments, she carefully scanned Eugene from top to bottom.

She took in his grayish hair, which was just slightly duller than silver, and his yellow eyes, which were closer to the glare of a beast than the shine of gold.

"You've got quite the impressive physique," the Sage said with a light tone of admiration, still looking him over like she was appreciating a work of art.

At these words, Eugene couldn't help but be startled and unconsciously take a few steps back.

He instinctively sensed something that felt a lot like danger, so he silently looked around for someone who could help him out.

However, there was no one here who could intervene to save Eugene. The one to actually possess the most common sense among all of those present, along with the highest prestige and respect, was Carmen, but she had already entered the ball of roots.

While Sienna might not be considered to have all that much common sense, in any case, she was also occupied, secluded as she was within her flower bud as she attempted to reach the divine realm of magic.

That only left Kristina and Anise. However, would they really be of any help to Eugene in escaping this dangerous situation? Instead, they seemed more likely to find fun in teasing Eugene by going back and forth with the Sage....

While imagining such a fearful scene, Eugene glanced over at Kristina.

However, surprisingly enough, Kristina's expression was calm and serene. Instead of how she usually behaved, Kristina was keeping her distance with her hands clasped respectfully in front of her as she faced their direction.

There were several reasons why Kristina was acting like this. It was partly out of respect for the Sage, one of the ancient gods from long ago. Kristina also didn't want to interrupt Eugene and the Sage's reunion by needlessly making a fuss.

Finally, it was also because she silently agreed with what the Sage was saying. If the Sage had instead been saying something cruel and insulting to Eugene, Kristina would have naturally gotten angry and intervened, but currently....

"Your physique in the distant past was also very impressive, but," the Sage chuckled, "haha, the current you possesses a very different charm from you back then. No, perhaps it's not all that different. It might be more accurate to say that you've somehow added on to your past masculine charm and compounded upon it."

Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat, "Ahem...."

The Sage laughed even louder, "Hahaha. I also liked the face you had in the past, but if I have to be honest, I find myself preferring your current face. In the past, you didn't give off such a cute vibe. Agaroth, do you remember what you looked like back then?"

"Just slightly," Eugene replied hesitantly.

"Your body was huge and bulging with muscles, and your face was also packed full of masculine charm. Even your hands were rough and thick. However, your current appearance is much easier on the eyes. Your figure is just the right size, and I'm especially drawn to your face," the Sage said softly with a mischievous smile.

With each word that followed in the same appreciative vein, Eugene's face grew progressively redder and redder.

Of course, Eugene was also aware that his looks were attractive. He had already developed a self-awareness of his looks by the time he was about ten years old.

However, having his looks discussed so openly by another person, particularly the Sage of all people, was causing him to feel embarrassed and sensitive. To begin with, Eugene couldn't help but feel an ambiguous sense of closeness to the Sage, Vishur Laviola.

"Indeed, it seems that your personalities are also quite different," the Sage muttered quietly as she saw how Eugene's face had turned red, unable to say anything, and how he avoided eye contact with her. "I suppose that it is inevitable. You are indeed the reincarnation of Agaroth, but that doesn't mean you are the same person as Agaroth."

"Well... that's true," Eugene mumbled in agreement.

"Ahaha! That being the case, there's no need for you to feel apologetic for not being able to remember me. In the first place, I am the one who is arbitrarily projecting my feelings for Agaroth onto you and stubbornly insisting on calling you by his name. Indeed, the cause of this behavior is my childish greed and foolishness," the Sage chuckled as she shook her head.

After staring at the Sage for a few moments, Eugene let out a deep sigh and asked, "If it was Agaroth, what do you think he would say in this sort of situation?"

"Hmm?" The Sage shot him a questioning look.

Eugene awkwardly scratched his neck, "Well, I was just curious. Even in his case, my memories of him aren't all that clear, so...."

"The first thing he would do would be to push me down[1]," the Sage immediately answered without any hesitation.

Eugene's jaw dropped after hearing this explicit answer that seemed to have left out so much context, "What? Why would he suddenly push you down like that?"

"It would be because I had expressed my interest and attraction to your current form. Agaroth was always very bold and hot-blooded when it came to that sort of thing. He wasn't all that restrained when he met someone that he found attractive," the Sage explained.

Afraid to ask anything more, Eugene just kept his mouth shut. He felt like if he insisted on asking any more questions, he might hear some truly embarrassing stories from the Sage's lips.

[It appears that Hamel's past life was quite the playboy. He might have been called the God of War, but he was actually just a lustful nymphomaniac. It's fortunate that the current Hamel wasn't born with that kind of perverted nature,] Anise grumbled to Kristina while eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance.

Kristina just stood there with her hands clasped together in silence as she listened to the conversation between Eugene and the Sage.

But in the privacy of her head, Kristina said, 'However, I think it would be better if Eugene was just a little bit more lustful.'

[Huh?] Anise gasped in surprise.

Kristina stuttered, 'P-please don't misunderstand. It's only just a little, tiny bit. Just so that he reaches a moderate level... something along the lines of you and me, Sister....'

[Oh my God...! Kristina, what are you even saying? When you say it like that, aren't you accusing us, no, accusing me of being lewd?!] Anise let out a loud cry of sincere embarrassment.

If the past Kristina had heard such a thing, she would have already been trying to come up with some sort of excuse to explain her gaffe. However, by now, she didn't feel the need to make even the slightest attempt to hide her true feelings. She just kept staring at Eugene while feeling a slight sense of regret.

"Hmm," the Sage suddenly made a contemplative sound. Her brows scrunched up slightly as she tilted her head to the side with a frown and said, "I know that I said that was what Agaroth was like, but there was still one exception to that rule."

"An exception? What do you mean by exception?" Eugene asked in confusion.

The Sage clarified, "I'm talking about when it came to who he chose to push down."

At that moment, Eugene sensed some annoyance in the Sage's voice. And it wasn't just her voice. Her expression was also blatantly revealing her negative emotions. In fact, she was displaying her emotions so openly that even Eugene could tell exactly what she was feeling.

It was jealousy.

The Sage shook her head, "Agaroth wasn't restrained when it came to those he had taken a liking to. If the other party was willing and didn't reject his advances, he would swiftly move to more physical and affectionate contact. However, there was one woman who Agaroth treated as an exception to his usual rule."

Eugene's expression stiffened. There wasn't any need to waste even a second thought about who that exception had applied to.

"The Twilight Witch," the Sage spat out the title, her brow still furrowed in a frown. "That bitch both annoyed and disgusted me in various ways. She was someone who had delved deeply into the Forbidden Magics[2], touched on its very limits and was on the verge of breaking into the divine realm of power. Of course, Agaroth managed to destroy the divine throne that that bitch was ascending to just as it was in front of her nose. If that bitch had managed to ascend to her divine throne as she had wished, she would have become an Evil God that could even look down on the ordinary Demon Kings."

Eugene listened in silence.

The Sage sighed, "I warned Agaroth several times about her. With how vicious that witch had proven herself to be, she had to be scheming something to surrender like that, so he shouldn't have left her by his side. He should have just killed her. Or if he felt that it was a shame just to kill her while she was helpless, he could have left her to me. However, the past you just ignored my advice. Every time I asked you the reason, you mostly just gave the same answer over and over again."

"What did I say?" Eugene asked.

"Because it's fun," the Sage growled, then she stopped talking for a few moments. Eventually, she let out a snort and shook her head, "At first, you really did take in the witch and kept her by your side just because you found it fun to torment her with the possibility of taking her revenge. However, at some point, everyone knew that you didn't keep the witch around solely because you found it fun to do so. Are your memories of her just as faint as they are for the rest of us?"

"No," Eugene grudgingly admitted.

The Sage burst out laughing. "Ahaha! See that. Even though you've said that your memories of me are faint, you still have clear memories of that witch. That was just how special the Twilight Witch was to you, Agaroth. You considered that Witch to be more special than any other woman in your life, even myself, Vishur Laviola."

The Sage had harbored a hatred of the Twilight Witch during her lifetime. Every single aspect of the Twilight Witch seemed to displease the Sage. If Agaroth had been willing to embrace the witch casually, perhaps she wouldn't have been so jealous.

But Agaroth had refused to lie with the witch. The witch would tempt Agaroth repeatedly, but until the very end, Agaroth had never actually slept with the witch. This fact just caused the Sage to feel even more bitter about their entire relationship. What was truly funny was that, while they hadn't slept together, both Agaroth and the witch had seen each other's naked bodies multiple times.

"Why was she so special?" the Sage muttered with a wry smile. "Even if I ask the current you, you probably won't be able to answer. However... Agaroth, I don't know if this is the right answer, but I have come up with my own answer to that question. You didn't want to break your relationship with the witch. You were being greedy. You refused to let go of your initial plans to keep her at your side. You were looking forward to her betraying you. Then, you would take the chance to enjoy your harvest, so you were waiting for the moment that it finally happened. You didn't want to do anything that would tilt the delicate balance of love and hate that existed between you two...."

The Sage was staring straight at Eugene as she said all of this. "When I figured all of that out, it left me in anguish. You kept each other by your side, spying on each other's hearts, eagerly anticipating each other taking action eventually, and you ultimately died together. Why couldn't I have been the one to share that with you, Agaroth?"

In response, Eugene smiled wryly as he muttered, "Thanks to that, the current me is having a hard time.... Because the Twilight Witch has been reincarnated as my enemy."

"So she was also reincarnated," the Sage let out a long sigh. "I truly hate that witch, but I do find her fate to be ironic and pitiful."

Eugene raised a brow, "Aren't you curious about what she's like?"

"I'm extremely curious," the Sage easily admitted. "However, I won't ask. I don't want you to say anything either."

"Why not?" Eugene probed.

"Because, in the end, I am just an echo and won't be able to be around for much longer," the Sage replied, her face surprisingly showing no sign of regret. She smiled once more as she stared into Eugene's eyes, "It took a lot out of me to guide my junior into reaching the divine realm. Before too long, I shall disappear once more. Perhaps, thanks to this opportunity, I might be able to continue existing as a faint thread of consciousness within the World Tree, but — ahaha — that still isn't a situation where I can claim to be a living being."

Eugene silently processed this.

"It would be better to leave the past in the past, just like how you aren't Agaroth, the current witch isn't the same witch from back then. That's all that you need to know. However...." The Sage paused as she walked over to Eugene. She slowly raised her hand and caressed Eugene's cheek, "Isn't that quite a pity for you?"

"In what way?" Eugene asked.

"Because it means that you aren't able to rest even after dying like that," the Sage said with a wry smile.

"But the same goes for you as well," Eugene pointed out.

The Sage shook her head, "I believe there are many differences between your situation and mine. The burden you are carrying is much heavier than my own. I have fully died, but you have died and come back to life. Yet even though you should have been free to start a new life, you are forced to carry on the karma from your distant past."

The hand that had been caressing Eugene's cheek paused in its movement.

At that moment, the Sage couldn't help but think, 'He really is a different person.'

As she had said, it was better to leave the past in the past. The Sage knew that the man in front of her was both Agaroth and not Agaroth. Yet even so, ultimately, she kept calling him Agaroth due to her own greed and foolishness.

However, no matter how much she might allow her greed and foolishness to blind her to the reality of the situation, she eventually had to accept the truth. The man in front of her was not Agaroth.

"Young man," the Sage eventually said. "Tell me your name so that I may hear it. Whisper it to me so that I may remember it."

Eugene felt the weight of her request. It had been an extremely long time since the last world had ended, and their new world had been born. During all that time, the Sage had existed in the form of the World Tree for the sake of the world, preparing for the day that Destruction would return to destroy the world once more. Eugene felt like all his youthful joys and sorrows could be crushed into pieces by the weight he could hear in her voice.

"Eugene Lionheart," Eugene whispered.

As the Sage had requested, he gave her his name. He couldn't help but give her his name.

"Eugene Lionheart," the Sage repeated in her clear and sonorous voice. "I don't know why you were reincarnated, and I don't know why this heavy burden of karma must be bound to you like this."

"It's not really bound to me," Eugene said, shaking his head with a wry smile. "If I really think about it, I could have chosen to abandon it at any point."

Three hundred years ago, when he was still Hamel Dynas, after losing his parents to the war, he could have chosen not to seek revenge for them. Then, like most other people living in that era, he could have just thanked his good fortune that at least his life had been spared and gone on to live an ordinary life — a life and death that would pass as quietly as that of a mouse.

But Hamel couldn't do that. He had vowed his revenge. He believed that he had to put an end to this shitty fucking war. He had resolved himself to slay all of the Demon Kings who had started this war, all of the demonfolk who had made this world as shitty as it was, and exterminate all of the traitorous sons of bitches with ties to the demons.

And after he was reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart....

He had worked as hard as a dog all of his last life. He had experienced all sorts of suffering before he eventually died. He hadn't managed to slay all of the Demon Kings, but even so, the world had become extremely peaceful, partly thanks to his actions.

So Eugene could have lived a peaceful and ordinary life without having to suffer like he had in his previous life. Since he had gone through so much suffering during his previous life, he could have chosen to just live comfortably in this life, and to live solely for himself. Eugene could have even persuaded himself that this was what he deserved.

But Eugene didn't do that. He couldn't possibly forget the resolve from his past life. He also couldn't let go of his worries about his old comrades, whose life and death were unknown. No, more importantly than that, Eugene, he just... he just wanted to slay the last two Demon Kings. He didn't want to settle for an imperfect peace. He wanted to end the war once and for all.

He had wanted to kill the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, Noir Giabella, Raizakia, Iris, and all his other enemies.

"Eugene Lionheart," the Sage said with a smile.

Her lips were drawn into a beautiful smile, but more sadness than joy shone in those vibrant blue eyes.

"Are you sure your intent to kill them is completely your own?" the Sage questioned.

Eugene didn't know what to say to that.

So the Sage warned him, "Your strong killing intent might be due to Agaroth's influence on you. After all, you have undoubtedly inherited his throne as the God of War."

Eugene was also aware of this, but he still shook his head. "I am the one who made my choices."

Hamel had always held a particularly strong killing intent toward the Demon Kings and demonfolk. There were countless people just like him who had lost someone close to them during the war that had started three hundred years ago. However, even among this vast number of people, Hamel was a particularly special case. Even demonfolk who had experienced any number of battles and wars could still be frightened into retreating by Hamel's murderous intent. It had even worked on Noir Giabella.

"There are probably several reasons for my strengthened killing intent, from what I experienced in my youth to the characteristics inherited from my previous life. However, in the end, I am the one who made the decision to continue this mission," Eugene said firmly.

"Haaah...," the Sage sighed as she placed a hand on Eugene's shoulders. "In the end, it seems that your fate is an unlucky one. Even in death, you can't find peace. No matter how many times you die and come back to life, you are still unsatisfied with resting.

"This time will be different," Eugene told her.

The Sage wrapped her arms around Eugene. Eugene also hugged the Sage back silently. The two embraced each other like this for a few moments.

"Eugene Lionheart, your enemies are far too strong. Not only is the Greater Demon King, that Demon King of Demon Kings, your enemy but there is also the Demon King of Destruction, that entity for whom even the title of Demon King might be an insult. None of the gods, including myself and the God of Giants, were able to hold back Destruction like you could...," the Sage's voice trailed off in a whisper. "As such, allow me to grant you my blessing. May this blessing keep you safe as you fight against those terrifyingly strong enemies. I will use some of my divinity to shore up the weaknesses in your godhood."

Eugene silently accepted the blessing.

"So don't you forget me either, just like how I didn't forget Agaroth even after I died. Just like how I have memorized your name here and now," the Sage's hands pressed gently on the small of Eugene's back. "Remember the wizards of the Ivory Tower, my believers, and remember my name, the one who was known as the Sage, Vishur Laviola. Hold these names with you as you carry forth our will. We may have been defeated and died, but we refused to be destroyed."

"Alright." Eugene nodded. "I will remember."

The Sage smiled at his promise.

Then, green light engulfed both Eugene and the Sage.

1. I think we all know what this means, right? ☜

2. The original text uses a term that is more commonly found in cultivation novels. It says that the Twilight Witch practiced magic of the Heterodox Path, as opposed to the Orthodox Path of magic practiced by normal wizards like the Sage. ☜