Chapter 155 - Damn Reincarnation

Interrogation

A brief standoff. Silence. There was no grinding sound. Hemoria stared at Eugene through narrowed eyes, then casually opened her clenched fist.

Sign language?

Eugene chuckled. What Hemoria was doing with her hand was indeed sign language. But he needed no help from Lovellian to interpret it.

It was that blatant and simple: she was beckoning with her extended index finger. Eugene nodded and stepped forward.

“An inquisitor is still a member of the clergy, I suppose. How very merciful of you.”

The first master of the Holy Sword in hundreds of years. Wanting to know how strong he was... Eugene could understand that. As an inquisitor, she would be confident in her own fighting abilities, too.

Surely she didn't think she could win?

'Of course not.'

If she really thought that, there had to be something seriously wrong with her head. She seemed rather proud and stubborn. She probably disliked him and couldn't accept him, so she had picked a fight.

Of course, Eugene welcomed that sort of provocation. He disliked Hemoria—no, the inquisitors—just as much. Both their blatant flattery of him as the Holy Sword's master and their absurd nitpicking.

“Your face.”

Eugene said it without warning. How Hemoria took those words was none of his concern. He took a long step forward. It was no ordinary step. Accelerated mana propelled his body forward, and that single stride brought the comfortably distant Hemoria within his range.

Then he struck, just as he had warned.

WHOOSH!

Hemoria's bobbed hair swayed in the wind. There was no actual contact. Eugene's foot passed literally right in front of her nose.

TAP, TAP-TAP.

After that single kick, Eugene retreated a few steps, grinning. The finger she had still been beckoning with curled back into a fist.

Hemoria moved. She boldly closed in and threw a short, sharp punch.

THUD!

Eugene caught the fist aimed at his side. At that instant, Hemoria opened her fist wide and interlocked her fingers with his.

A powerful force bent his fingers backward. A curious glint entered Eugene's eyes. He could feel no movement of mana through their interlocked fingers. It was simple, brute strength. She was just strong, without using mana at all.

'That much strength with her build? Does she have some unusual, monster-like constitution?'

This wasn't strength that training could produce. Eugene watched his fingers bend to the limit of their range of motion. At this rate, the bones would break.

If he stood there like an idiot, that was.

WHACK!

Eugene swept his foot across the ground. Struck in the ankle, Hemoria flinched and stepped back.

'She's tough.'

Eugene was puzzled once again. He hadn't intended to shatter her ankle, but he had meant to twist it. Yet it hadn't buckled. It felt like kicking a solid lump of iron without a joint.

'Even her density is different from a human's.'

Drugs? Or surgery involving magic? Either way, Hemoria's body wasn't humanlike. Eugene opened and closed the hand whose fingers had nearly been bent backward, watching her.

GRIND.

The sound came from inside her mask. Having retreated, she advanced again. Her shoulder twitched, and the instant her arm rose, Eugene struck without waiting for her fist to extend along its intended path.

THUMP!

His fist sank into her solar plexus. The impact was heavy enough to lift both her feet off the ground, but no scream escaped her lips. No pain crossed her face, either.

She merely stared at Eugene, her eyes full of questions. His fist had slipped in low. Its power was one thing, but it had been too fast to counter. His first kick had been the same. She had read the movement, but it was so fast that responding was difficult.

So had the attack just now. Instead, she was the one being read and blocked. That peculiar acceleration... He wasn't relying solely on physical ability. If he were, Hemoria would never have been overwhelmed.

Watching the spar, Atarax narrowed his eyes. Hemoria, of all people, was being overwhelmed in close combat. Every move she planned was cut off just before she could execute it, and attacks landed with pinpoint precision at moments when she couldn't respond.

'There's something mixed into it.'

The acceleration of his mana was simple yet unusual. Something was mixed in... The Lionhearts' White Flame Formula? No, that wasn't it. The mixture was in his mana, not his technique.

THUMP!

Both of Hemoria's feet left the ground again. Still, there was no groan. Eugene had already punched her in the solar plexus several times, yet she kept responding as though she couldn't feel pain. This time was no different. Glancing at the arms reaching out to grab him, Eugene snatched her wrist with his other hand.

He immediately twisted her arm up behind her back. Despite the pressure on the joint, her arm lost none of its strength. She twisted her bent arm, trying to swing Eugene's whole body around.

So he released her without hesitation. As she swung her arm, he slipped into her exposed side and drove in his fist. He had struck her there several times already, but her inhumanly hard ribs didn't even feel as though they were creaking.

'Now I'm certain.'

Eugene furrowed his brows. Most people other than him wouldn't have noticed. After all, perfectly recovering the mana he drew from his core without any waste was one of the special abilities he had possessed since his previous life.

That was why, with every blow, he could feel his mana 'seeping in' against his intentions. It wasn't an accident. Hemoria was doing it deliberately. He wasn't using sword force or magic, yet every time he made contact with her, the mana flowing through his body seeped into hers.

'Some kind of drain magic? It's too subtle for that.'

The stolen mana wasn't becoming Hemoria's strength, either. She must have some use for it if she was stealing it, but she wasn't using it right now.

'How impudent.'

This was a light spar, so both of them were holding back. Had Hemoria shown pain commensurate with the beating he was giving her, he would have stopped punching long ago.

But she wasn't making a sound of pain. She was siphoning off little bits of his mana and plotting something, and he didn't like it. Hemoria the Guillotine. Eugene didn't know why she was called the Guillotine, but rather than discover the reason, he wanted to hear groans and screams from inside that mask instead of grinding.

CRACKLE.

Lightning and sparks flew around Eugene. Atarax's eyes twitched at that explosive acceleration. He wasn't the only one startled. Gilead and Klein were also astonished by Eugene's movements. Only Genos watched as though it were perfectly natural, his heart swelling with emotion.

'Just as I would expect of Lord Hamel.'

Only Genos and Mer knew Eugene's identity here. The fact that Eugene was that very Hamel must never become known... So Genos quickly composed his expression.

As for Hemoria, she didn't even have time to feel the spectators' surprise. She was too close, and she experienced the attack before she could register it. A blow incomparably faster and heavier than the previous ones slammed into her side.

Her body lurched violently. Instead of steadying herself, she swung both arms in an attempt to retaliate. Eugene calmly brushed her hands aside, then drove his fist into the exposed center of her chest.

“Guh!”

She could suppress a scream, but she couldn't stop the air from being knocked out of her. Hemoria tried to stagger back, but Eugene seized her collar and pulled her close.

CRUNCH!

His rising knee jolted her body upward.

Through that succession of blows, Eugene confirmed where the mana seeping into her was gathering. It wasn't the core near her heart. The mana entering her body was collecting in an energy reservoir below her navel.

'An energy reservoir?'

He had heard of training methods that gathered mana there... Eugene examined Hemoria's body. She had a core near her heart, while the reservoir held the mana she had secretly stolen from him.

“You should ask permission first.”

Muttering those words, Eugene grabbed her hair.

THUMP!

He drove his fist precisely into her energy reservoir. Until now, Hemoria hadn't groaned even once, but this time was different. He heard her gasping groan from behind the metal mask.

Her reaction was violent, too. Her body twisted sharply, moving far beyond her joints' normal range. A fist swept up from near the ground toward Eugene's face. A clean hit would have had enough power to burst his head like a balloon pricked with a needle.

'She's angry.'

She was stronger than before, and faster, too. But that didn't close the gap between them. Under these conditions, Eugene couldn't imagine losing in close combat.

Rage drove Hemoria forward, but she couldn't unleash all of it on Eugene. He had her movements completely in the palm of his hand.

Eugene relentlessly targeted a single spot: the reservoir where the stolen mana was gathering. Every time he landed a blow there, a groan escaped from inside her mask.

“Gah!”

When yet another punch slammed into her reservoir—he had lost count—Hemoria could endure no more. The mana gathered there dispersed completely. Her metal mask even came off as she coughed. She tried to stagger back, but Eugene wouldn't let her. He grabbed her hair.

Then he drove his fist into the reservoir once more. The precise blow lifted her off the ground. She doubled over, letting out a groan of pain. Seeing her legs trembling and drawing together, Eugene punched her again.

At last, Hemoria could no longer hold out and collapsed where she stood.

Eugene stopped hitting her and stepped back, conspicuously raising both hands. Hemoria clutched her stomach with both hands and coughed. Her metal mask lay on the ground.

“... Hmm.”

Eugene shook his raised fist and stared at her face.

So that was why she kept making those grinding sounds. Her teeth were far too sharp to belong to a human. Coughing up blood, Hemoria belatedly realized her mask had come off.

At that instant, her eyes blazed with a passion incomparable to anything before. She stopped gasping and abruptly lunged at Eugene. With her mouth wide open, she tried to sink her beastlike teeth into his body.

Naturally, Eugene didn't offer her his flesh. He immediately stepped back and swung his palm.

SMACK!

Hemoria's head snapped to the side.

After tumbling to the ground, Hemoria didn't lunge again. Instead, she twisted her split lips and clawed at the earth. Her eyes grew redder. The dripping blood began to boil, and her wound regenerated. Red droplets began gathering in front of her moving lips.

“Enough!”

Atarax shouted.

POP!

The droplets gathering before Hemoria's lips burst and vanished.

Eugene heard the shout, too. But he decided to pretend he hadn't. By the time blood had gathered before her lips, he was already right in front of her.

THWUMP!

His kick slammed into Hemoria's stomach.

“Kagh!”

Blood spurted from her mouth. The force of the kick sent her flying. Eugene slowly lowered his foot to the ground and laughed.

“You should have said something a little sooner.”

“Hah...! Kagh! Keh!”

Thrown far away, Hemoria clutched her stomach and groaned in pain. Blood and saliva dripped from her trembling, open lips.

“... My disciple is extremely stubborn, you see. Even knowing she is no match, she tries her hardest to win somehow.”

“She doesn't look like she's accepted her defeat.”

Eugene glanced at Hemoria as he spoke. Having barely caught her breath, she was roughly wiping the blood from her mouth and retrieving the metal mask from the ground.

“You don't need to stop her, Atarax. I don't mind continuing.”

“No, that would put us in a difficult position.”

“Why?”

“You may have plenty of composure to spare, Eugene, but Hemoria does not. If this continued, she would overstep the bounds of a spar.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Certainly not. I am worried about my disciple.”

With that, Atarax approached Hemoria and draped her cloak over her shoulders.

“You certainly live up to your reputation, Eugene. It may have been a light spar, but I could see no flaw in your unarmed combat. It is only natural that my disciple was so thoroughly overwhelmed. Even I would have been helpless against you.”

“You're far too modest.”

“Honesty is one of my few virtues.”

Atarax smiled as though making a joke.

“Wasn't that blood magic just now?”

Lovellian wasn't smiling. Glaring at the metal mask covering Hemoria's mouth, he continued.

“A form of Ancient magic that died out long ago. A magic for which not even Aroth has any proper original texts left...?”

“As expected of the Red Tower Master. I never imagined you would recognize such old magic.”

Atarax turned to Lovellian, his expression unruffled.

“Maleficarum has fought the enemies of our faith for as long as the faith of Light has existed. We are priests and hunters, holy knights and butchers. Surely it is not strange for us to use magic other than divine magic?”

“... Of course not. I merely found it unexpected. Blood magic is an ancient magic that even Aroth has failed to restore. And the reason no original texts survive today is that the Holy Empire declared it heresy and persecuted its practitioners long ago, is it not?”

He was referring to the magic hunts the Holy Empire had conducted long ago. Back then, the Holy Empire had declared various forms of magic other than divine power heretical, treating them as black magic and hunting their practitioners. That indiscriminate, self-righteous persecution had extended beyond magic to spirit mages as well. Countless spirit mages and wizards had been murdered by the Holy Empire's inquisitors.

“... That was a long time ago.”

Atarax remained unperturbed.

“And the Holy Empire has already paid for those sins. Temples of Light built throughout the continent. Facilities caring for orphaned children and those suffering hardship, free welfare services, and so on. Throughout the long years since the magic hunts, the Holy Empire has...”

Atarax's boasting wasn't worth listening to. His claim was that they had offered more compensation than the harm they had caused, but to Eugene, that argument was no different from the Demon King of Incarceration's. Hadn't that Demon King also handed out war reparations to the various nations, supposedly to compensate them for the war three hundred years ago?

“Blood magic is not heresy.”

Atarax continued with a broad smile.

“There was a misunderstanding over its use of blood as a medium. The Holy Empire analyzed blood magic long ago and concluded that it was not evil like black magic.”

“... So you monopolize it and use it yourselves?”

“It pains me to hear the word 'monopolize.' Does Aroth not monopolize many great forms of magic as well?”

“Strictly speaking, we're protecting them. Since some bastards carried out that madness called the magic hunts long ago.”

Melkith snorted derisively. Atarax glanced at her before continuing.

“... That was... regrettable. Everyone has an immature childhood. If you are interested in blood magic... please visit Maleficarum's headquarters. We place few restrictions on imparting our teachings.”

“Provided we receive the baptism of Light.”

“Surely serving God doesn't require such a difficult decision?”

Atarax smiled brightly as he spoke.

GRIND.

The sound of teeth came from inside Hemoria's mask again.

* * *

“You were rash.”

Atarax heaved a sigh and removed his military cap.

“I never said you could bare your teeth.”

Hemoria stood with both hands behind her lower back, her head deeply bowed. Atarax watched his cowed disciple, then shook his head.

“... Well... Judging by how persistently he targeted your reservoir, it seems he had already seen through you... But however angry you were, you should not have bared your teeth without my permission. Ah, if you wish to defend yourself, you may.”

Hemoria raised both hands.

“I'm sorry.”

The apology came in sign language. Atarax clicked his tongue and continued.

“You restrained yourself considerably and took quite a beating, so I won't punish you separately. But... is there none left at all?”

“No.”

“Even if he did attack your reservoir... it is strange that nothing remains.”

“Eugene Lionheart's mana is strange.”

“He noticed far too quickly, too.”

“All the mana I stole has disappeared.”

Atarax's expression tightened as she continued signing. Something was mixed into his mana. He had been able to tell that just by watching. The flames of the White Flame Formula... and that alien lightning.

'If Hemoria had brought back some of his mana, I could have analyzed it.'

Atarax couldn't help feeling disappointed. A Hero acknowledged by the Holy Sword. He wasn't sure about the young man's character, but his talent and skill were genuine. With both combatants under restrictions, Hemoria had been utterly overwhelmed.

“If I had taken his blood...”

“On Lionheart territory?”

Atarax smiled and shook his head.

“We tried to test him through rough means, but Hemoria, the Hero of the Holy Sword is not our enemy.”

“Master, do you believe that man is worthy of being the Hero?”

“It is a fact that he wields the Holy Sword. And hasn't he done something worthy of a Hero? He defeated a remnant of a Demon King, even if it was only a scrap.”

Atarax's laughter faded.

“... But... another Lionheart... God certainly is mischievous. Passing over so many believers for another Lionheart... And granting us a master of the Holy Sword in the very same generation as a fallen soul seduced by a Demon King's remnant.”

“The Holy Sword is not the only thing that is special.”

Hemoria continued signing.

“The Holy Empire has its radiant Saint of Light. Though she is still a candidate, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina looks exactly like Lady Anise the Faithful.”

“... Ah... Yes. We do have our candidate for sainthood.”

Atarax smiled as he looked into Hemoria's eyes, which shone with faith.

“I wish I could have become the Holy Sword's master.”

GRIND.

Hemoria ground her teeth as she continued signing.

“It cannot be helped.”

FWOOSH.

The match between his fingers flared to life. Atarax lit the cigarette in his mouth, then shook the match to extinguish it.

“It seems faith alone is not enough to become the Holy Sword's master.”