Chapter 113: The Flame (5)

“Looks like I’m getting better all on my own,” Eugene muttered to himself.

Eugene had been on bedrest for the past two days.

When he had first used Ignition with the body from his previous life, he hadn’t been able to move for a whole week. After that, he had used it a few more times and had slowly gotten used to the aftereffects, but the overload from using Ignition had still taken him a whole three days to recover from even at the point where Hamel could be said to have ‘mastered’ it.

‘It’s faster than I predicted,’

Eugene thought to himself.

Credit had to be given to the impressive quality of this body, but the main reason the burden of overloading his body had been sharply reduced when compared to the experience from his previous life was because the Ignition that Eugene had used was even more advanced than the one Hamel had come up with.

First of all, the White Flame Formula was overwhelmingly superior to Hamel’s mana training scripture. The Ring Flame Formula, which incorporated the Eternal Hole on top of that, was even more advanced than the White Flame Formula, and it had even been specialized to an extent with the activation of Ignition in mind.

All his Cores were connected into a Circle. Then, within that Circle, further Circles were continuously being created and then exploded. This part resembled what Hamel had done when overloading his Cores. However, with the Ring Flame Formula, this process was still at a level where Eugene had complete control over it without having to overburden his Cores.

With Ignition, Eugene was then able to completely release all the limits of the Ring Flame Formula. Although this act of overloading both the body and the Cores at the same time was similar to his previous life’s version of Ignition, the actual method was much more refined than the one he had used in the past.

‘The burden placed on my body is still dangerous, but... I still feel like I’m holding up better than I was in my previous life,’

Eugene thought as he stroked the area over his heart, which was now beating at a regular speed.

Of course, he still couldn’t abuse this skill. Whether or not it was more sophisticated than the version from his previous life, it was still essentially the same technique that cut off pieces of his own flesh in exchange for power.

However, there had been an unexpected side-benefit to doing this.

Eugene closed his eyes and concentrated his focus on his Cores. Originally, Eugene’s White Flame Formula had been stuck on the Fourth Star, but now the number of Stars that were circling around his heart had increased by one, bringing the total up to five.

Eugene could guess what the reason for this was. In order to make any advancements in the White Flame Formula, one couldn’t just depend on increasing their total amount of mana; in addition to that, they also needed to increase their understanding of mana by going through various challenges and experiences. Despite having the memories of his past life, Eugene had still needed to take the time to diligently increase his total mana capacity.

The Samar Rainforest was rich in mana and could even be compared to the average leyline. Having deliberately depleted all of his mana, and with how overloading his Cores had allowed them to experience handling greater quantities of mana, this experience had allowed him to successfully split off another Star.

‘As long as I make good use of this skill, I can even use it as a shortcut to speed up my growth.’

Eugene rubbed his chin as he fell into thought.

Making advancements after overloading his Cores; in a way, it was similar to a training method used to rapidly put on muscle. This training method involved deliberately overworking the muscles to the point of tearing them so that they needed recovery. The more the muscles were torn, the stronger they grew back.

Eugene imagined,

‘By using Ignition a few more times, won’t I be able to make quick progress in the White Flame Formula?’

Although he gave it some thought, Eugene soon realized that any repeated attempts wouldn’t turn out as effective as this first time using it. In order to promote the growth of a Core by overloading it, he would need to keep putting a higher load on it every time. In the course of fine-tuning this method, his body was sure to break down, and there was no guarantee that the Core would necessarily split after all this abuse.

In the end, Eugene didn’t dare to give it another attempt. In only six years after he had first started training his mana, he had already risen to the Fifth Star of the White Flame Formula. Even in the Lionheart Clan, this was an unprecedented rate of growth.

Amongst the current elders, the highest level of the White Flame Formula that any of them had reached was the Seventh Star. In the generation below the elders, the Patriarch and his younger brother were on the Sixth Star.

Then there was Eugene, who was on the Fifth Star. He was still only nineteen years old, and apart from his accomplishments in the White Flame Formula, he was also capable of far too many things. Moreover, he was sure to become even more capable in the future....

‘Barang.’

Eugene recalled the beastfolk who had attacked them.

During these past two days, Eugene had been trying to figure out the conspiracy that he was entangled in.

‘He was a member of the beastfolk sworn to the Demon King of Destruction. Son of Oberon, sworn brother to Jagon.’

Objectively speaking, Barang had been strong. If he hadn’t used Ignition, Eugene would have found it difficult to guarantee his victory over such an opponent. Wynnyd, Azphel, Pernoa, and Kharbos — only by using all of these weapons, supplementing them with his magic, and even drawing the Moonlight Sword on top of that, would Eugene have barely been able to pull off a win.

In other words, this meant that Barang was an opponent that the ‘current’ Eugene could just barely eke a win over.

Eugene had clear memories of just how strong Oberon was. Three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Fury had Four Heavenly Kings serving under him. Despite not sharing a single drop of blood with him, they had been treated as Fury’s children.

The Chief of the Giants, Earthshaker Kamash.

Vampire Lord, Bloodshedder Sein.

The Madman of the Beastfolk, Depraved Oberon.

Princess of the Dark Elves, Rakshasa Iris.

They were all strong warriors.

The physically largest of all of them had been defeated by Vermouth and Hamel after they joined their strengths. Sein had also been defeated by them, but Oberon and Iris had managed to escape with the help of the Demon King of Fury.

Jagon was an unfilial bastard who had ripped out the throat of his own father. But the fact that this feat was even possible meant that Jagon had to be at least as strong as Oberon.

Barang had been strong, but he wasn’t strong enough to be worthy of someone calling themselves Jagon’s sworn brother.

‘He did say that this has nothing to do with Jagon,’

Eugene recalled.

So it wasn’t because of Jagon’s orders that Barang had been searching for the elven territory. While he couldn’t fully trust those words, for now, Eugene decided to act as if he believed them. Rather than distrusting Barang’s words unconditionally, he would take them at face value for the time being, while he tried to narrow down who the traitor might be.

From which side had their information been leaked? Kristina had said that it was probably not the Holy empire. Although Eugene hadn’t been given a detailed explanation for this, the Holy Empire wouldn’t see any benefit from arranging for the ‘Saint’ and the ‘Hero’ to be killed at the same time.

However, what about the Lionheart clan? And by ‘the Lionheart clan’, Eugene meant the Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart. Such a person could see the benefits of pruning an overly-talented foster-child who was disturbing the family’s order....

Although this choice couldn’t really be said to be in the clan’s best interest, if Eugene had died, the issue of who would become the successor to the Patriarch of the Lionheart clan would have become very, very smooth.

And what else would such an outcome mean to the clan? It would mean that the clan’s hierarchy had been restored. Eugene wasn’t an idiot either. He knew that as a child from a distant collateral line who had been taken as a foster-child of the main family, he would be seen as a rival to the heirs of the direct line. Even if he didn’t actually become the Patriarch, Eugene’s very existence could serve as a rallying point for all the collateral bloodlines.

The Lionheart clan’s main family wouldn’t tolerate such an outcome. For the past three hundred years, the clan had made sure that the direct line had maintained its superior position, while all the collateral lines were treated as inferiors.

‘I’m not just any ordinary collateral descendant,’

Eugene thought without any self-inflation.

The Head of the Council had always maintained a firm grasp over the main family’s authority. For someone like him, more than the fact that Eugene was a collateral descendant, it would be much more irritating to see Eugene being publicly recognized as the Hero by the Holy Empire and its Saint. In the history of the Lionheart clan, the only one to have ever been certified as a ‘Hero’ by the Holy Empire, by its Saint, and with a revelation from the God of Light, was the founder of the clan — the Great Vermouth.

A foster-child from a collateral line had actually received the same accolade as their founding ancestor. He had even received the approval of the Holy Sword. Furthermore, Eugene was also aware that the founding ancestor’s coffin had been empty.

So there were plenty of reasons for Doynes to want to kill him.

The Holy Empire was wary of drawing the Demon Kings’ attention, so they had yet to announce that Eugene was the new Hero. If Eugene and Kristina were killed, then they wouldn’t ever be able to reveal that the founding ancestor’s tomb was empty.

But this wasn’t something that Doynes could arrange personally. So he may have colluded with the demonfolk. If their relationship was secure enough for Doynes to make such a large request of them, this meant that their collusion had been going on for a long time.

The Head of the Council was in cahoots with the demonfolk.

‘...I can’t be too certain,’

Eugene reminded himself while looking down at his own fist. The blood vessels in his fist, which had been unconsciously clenched for quite some time, were twitching.

‘After all, it might not be the Head of the Council.’

As such, Eugene had to keep his silence for now. Was he strong enough to storm the Black Lion Castle alone, subdue the Head of the Council, and uncover the truth? That was impossible. The nickname of the Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart, was ‘Immortal White Lion’. He was a character who had been around for over a hundred years.

‘If I come back alive and in good condition, the bastard behind this conspiracy will be forced into taking further action.’

Eugene had decided to keep his silence because Barang’s mission wasn’t just to kill him and Kristina. That was just a secondary purpose. That beast’s first goal was to confirm the location of the elven territory. For that reason, he had trailed behind Eugene from the very beginning without attacking them.

Eugene pondered.

‘What reason could the Head of the Council have for being interested in the elven territory...?’

He couldn’t think of anything. Could it be that Doynes also wanted to find Sienna? Well... it seemed that just about everyone had some desire to find out where Sienna had disappeared.

‘...But no.’

Eugene shook his head.

The one who had really wanted to find the elven territory had to be the Demon King behind Barang.

Which, in this case, was the Demon King of Destruction.

Eugene had no desire to recall that name, or the figure associated with it.

In his previous life, there was just one occasion where he had ‘seen’ the Demon King of Destruction. Even then, they hadn’t come face-to-face, instead having spotted him while he was moving from a distant location.... No, had it just seemed like he was moving...? Had he really just been standing still? Eugene couldn’t feel any certainty.

The Demon King of Destruction was just such an existence. Eugene had only ever seen him that once, but everyone who had been there had shared the same gut feeling.

That

wasn’t something that they could fight.

That

wasn’t something that they stood any chance of resisting.

That

was something incomprehensible.

The Demon King of Destruction was a uniquely strong and bizarre existence even amongst the five Demon Kings. They had only seen him that once, but everyone had immediately understood this fact. Killing the other Demon Kings was nothing more than a step forward in their goal to eventually reach the Demon King of Destruction, and their battle with him would be the ‘final decisive battle’ of the war.

‘...The beastfolk have sworn their service to the Demon King of Destruction,’

Eugene recalled.

The Demon King of Destruction was undoubtedly bizarre, but he wasn’t one for solitude. Even back three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Destruction had had quite a few vassals. However, even in his avoidance of solitude, he still proved to be bizarre.

Demon Kings were all able to grant their vassals power through various different methods. As one received this power from a Demon King, their soul was mortgaged to the Demon King. This form of contract was the same as the one used by the ordinary demonfolk.

The Demon King of Destruction did accept vassals, but he didn’t grant them the power that could be obtained from their contracts with the Demon King. So his vassals weren’t forced to mortgage their souls to the Demon King of Destruction.

That said, it didn’t mean that their contracts were useless. Just being able to become a vassal of the Supreme Demon King, who ranked first in strength among all Demon Kings, was something special. In addition to this, their ‘contracts’ with the Demon King of Destruction marked them with an imprint that also gave them the knowledge of how to control demonic power.

However, such an imprint gave a set amount of knowledge on how to control demonic power, only up to a certain extent. In other words, it was of limited value to other demonfolk or black wizards. If they were going to sign a contract, even if it meant having to mortgage their souls, it was better for them to sign a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, who could promise a huge amount of ‘power’ in return.

Something else that was clear was that the Demon King of Destruction wasn’t focused on governing his vassals like the Demon King of Incarceration was. He didn’t have much of a master-servant relationship with his vassals. This bizarre Demon King didn’t really meddle in the affairs of his vassals, much less anything else in the world.

‘If the Demon King of Destruction is taking an interest in Sienna... why wait until now?’

For now, Eugene stopped trying to figure out what kind of conspiracy was going on. All that he could do at this point was make guesses. He needed more information.

He needed to know what kind of position Barang, who had claimed to be Jagon’s sworn brother, had held amongst the other beastfolk and who he had been connected with.

He also needed to know what kind of rumors were circulating about the Raizakia staying in the Dragon Demon Castle.

~

“Are your preparations done?” Eugene asked the crowd.

Over a hundred elves had gathered in the center of the village.

The elves who had been injured in Barang’s attack two days ago had all been healed by Kristina’s holy magic. This meant that all the elves were able to move on their own two feet.

“They are,” Signard confirmed.

Signard had also received the same treatment as the others. But the expressions of the elves, including him, weren’t all that relieved. From now on, they would be leaving the village that they had lived in for so long and would be forced to cross the hostile Rainforest. If they managed to arrive at their destination, they would have a much better life than the one that they had in this village, but... most of the elves still feared that this journey would end in failure.

“How’s your body?” Eugene asked.

“...Mm...” Signard hummed.

The biggest problem that they faced was that several of the elves were infected with the Demonic Disease. Although the Demonic Disease wouldn’t progress any further so long as they lived in this forest, if they were unlucky, they could die from the Demonic Disease as soon as they left it.

“...It seems fine,” Signard replied after some hesitation.

Among the elves, the one with the most advanced case of the Demonic Disease was Signard, so he had been given a long branch to hold in his hand. No, he wasn’t just holding it. Signard was reverently supporting the branch with both hands, as if he was serving as its vase or pedestal.

This was the tree branch that Eugene had cut off the World Tree. Since the barriers of the village were maintained by the saplings that sprouted off the World Tree, Eugene thought that branches cut from the World Tree might have a similar effect....

Fortunately, it seemed that things had worked out just as he’d been expecting.

“...It feels so comfortable, as if I’ve finally returned home...,” Signard muttered.

Eugene asked him bluntly, “Isn't that just an illusion on your part? Are you sure you’re comfortable?”

“I’m sure of it,” Signard stated confidently. “Although it’s only a branch... I can feel the warmth of home coming from this.”

“...Is it something like the taste of your mom’s stew?” Eugene asked curiously.

“Why would a branch taste like stew?” Signard scoffed.

“Why would a branch feel like home?” Eugene shot back as he drew Wynnyd.

[I’ve confirmed it. The spirit of the World Tree does reside in that branch.]

‘If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean we can use Signard as a moving barrier?’

[...A moving barrier...?]

‘What? I’m right, aren’t I?’

[Hm... that certainly seems to be the case. You’re right Hamel. The Demonic Disease won’t be able to progress in an area around that elf.]

‘Is it impossible to purify the disease completely?’

[Well... if it’s not the World Tree itself, then I can’t say for sure. After all, that’s still just a branch....] Tempest pondered this question for a few moments before continuing to speak. [However, if you plant that branch and those saplings together in your family’s estate, they might one day be able to grow into a giant tree capable of purifying the elves of the Demonic Disease.]

‘That will take quite a while,’

Eugene grumbled to himself with a sigh as he walked over to the saplings of the World Tree.

There were three saplings in total. He had thought about placing them inside of his cloak, but he might cause the saplings to dry out and die.

As such, he had no choice but to pull them out of the ground, roots and all, and take them with him.

[To think that you’re using such a barbaric method....]

‘What about it?’

Eugene asked defensively. ‘

It consumes a whole lot less mana to just uproot them and lift them in the air with your wind, than it would to make the ground flow like a river and carry the saplings.’

[It’s only thanks to me that the mana consumption of the first method is so low.]

‘Uh-huh, thanks a lot,’

Eugene pacified Tempest and swung Wynnyd. A strong wind was called that uprooted the three saplings.

As such, a bizarre spectacle was created. From now on, Eugene would have to cross the forest with three trees floating above his head and leading more than a hundred elves behind him.

“How tiresome,” Eugene complained to himself.

He couldn’t just carry the trees around with him either. Each time they had to take a break, the trees would also need to be replanted and given time to recover, so that they didn’t wither. The fairy trees that grew solely in Samar were strong enough that they wouldn’t die so easily, and they even had the branch of the World Tree with them, so it was unlikely that they would truly wither and die, but... better safe than sorry.

“I’m already getting all impatient,” Eugene muttered as his brows furrowed, and he placed a hand inside of his cloak.

When the saplings were uprooted, the barrier that had protected the village completely disappeared.

Two days ago, Barang had attacked the village by breaking through the barrier using his brute force. Imediately afterwards, he had fought with Eugene and had even been driven to commit suicide.

The loud explosion that Barang had created with his death had caused enough of a fuss to attract the attention of the nearby tribes. It was likely due to the barrier having been broken, but they had noticed that this place seemed to have something to do with the village of the wandering elves. As a result, quite a lot of the natives had gathered in the surrounding forest.

Eugene had no intention of trying to negotiate with them. No matter what he tried, their group couldn’t help but stand out, and unless he was willing to give up on the elves, they would continue to be attacked.

Eugene had finished the last of his tasks in this forest. Since he had already been exposed, there wasn’t any need to keep being so careful.

Eugene took out a bow from his cloak.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The bow named Thunderbolt Pernoa shone with a golden light. With its huge size, it couldn’t be compared with an ordinary bow. Eugene held the bow that was as tall as he was in one hand and aimed it at the sky.

He had now reached the Fifth Star of the White Flame Formula. Although it had only been an increase of one Star, Eugene’s mana had doubled from what it had been before. The use of Thunderbolt consumed even more mana than the Dragon Spear, but as he was now, Eugene was able to use the bow without much of a burden.

“Cover your ears,” Eugene warned them in advance.

The elves, who were filled with worries about their future, turned to look at Eugene.

If it was in the past, they might not have followed his warning. However the elves had seen Eugene fighting with Barang. They had seen the overwhelming power with which Eugene had defeated that terrifying invader.

“Yes,” they quickly acquiesced.

The elves no longer doubted Eugene. And among the elves, Narissa and Lavera in particular looked at Eugene with an admiration that went beyond trust, even as they covered their ears as he had instructed.

“Are you planning on killing all of them?” Signard asked.

“Do you really see me as such a butcher?” Eugene retorted with a smirk as he spread his arms.

The bow didn’t appear to have a string, but as he bent his fingers, a thin strand of light appeared in the place of the bowstring and was caught by his fingers.

“For now, I’ll just give them a warning shot,” Eugene stated.

Buzzbuzz!

An electric current flowed through the taut bowstring.

“If they still chase after us after this...”

Eugene’s mana, amplified by the Ring Flame Formula, was converted into lightning.

“...then, well, it can’t be helped.”

His fingers released the bowstring. A small lightning bolt was shot up into the sky.

Soon after....

Krakoom!

A huge lightning bolt landed in the distance.