It wasn't that people intentionally looked at it.
It was that they were firmly drawn to it, completely unable to look away!
Tens of thousands of gazes were fixed on the sky above the arena; countless eyes were filled with firelight!
They stopped in unison, ceased pushing and arguing, and even stopped breathing.
In this moment of crisis, they were captivated by the shock brought on by this sudden change.
"This magic… I've never heard of it."
Ishtar narrowed her beautiful eyes. She had been in Orario for a long time but had never received any information about it.
"Is he an outsider?"
The Goddess of Desire lightly licked her lips. He looked like a good man.
If she gave him a little incentive, he would surely lose his mind and run to her side, wouldn't he?
The Goddess, who believed she saw through the base nature of humanity, had now found a new target.
Aisha, however, felt very strange. This figure, this style of action, this voice…
How was he so similar to Eugene?
She couldn't be sure, and she didn't dare to be. If it really was that guy, then the secrets he had revealed to her were just the tip of the iceberg.
"So strong! This aura!"
Shakti stared intently at the interwoven curtain of fire, faintly able to see the blond man.
She still hadn't given up on tracking the vanished blond man.
Thus, she was especially sensitive to anyone with similar features.
In short, Eugene's display brought him enormous attention. Reputation aside, he had certainly made an impact.
Since the wind had been raised, it was time to add some fire.
He raised his hand high, then drew upon that Magic Power.
Demonic Flame!
The fire curtain began to tremble! Threads of small fireballs began to rotate in one direction.
Viewed from above and below, they looked like a slow-moving whirlpool of water.
We all know that water is the source of life. But when water accumulates, it often turns into an ominous sign of destruction.
Now, these flames, shifting from stillness to motion, were unleashing their true nature! Destroying everything, incinerating everything!
Sizzle!
Suddenly, the sound of melting ice rang out, so harsh in the silent arena! Everyone's eyes turned.
It was the sound of the Man-Eating Plants being scorched. Unbelievably, just lightly grazing the edge was enough for their extremely tough scales to turn entirely into charcoal and fall off!
A defense capable of withstanding the punches and kicks of a Level 5 was now as fragile as paper!
"This! How can this be!"
As the manipulator, Vito could naturally sense that something was wrong.
The powerful monsters in his control were starting to show fear and automatically contracting toward the center.
They were seeking refuge. It was precisely because they had the ability to sense Magic Power that they were so intensely terrified of those outwardly small flames!
So terrifying! Those flames are so terrifying!
Huu huu huu!
Eugene's hand continued to circle in the air. Following his command, the rotation of the fire curtain grew faster and faster.
Chichichichichi!! The sounds of the peripheral Man-Eating Plants being burned fused into one!
Their huge mouths let out shrieking noises, like cries or wails. But in just a few seconds, they were drowned in the tide of flames!
Rumble…
The ground began to shake. It was as if the performance was reaching its crescendo. Eugene's smile widened, and the fiery walls of the curtain pulsed more joyfully!
They moved up and down; countless fire streaks trailing tails let out long cries as they pierced the wind wall.
Then, the fire dome suddenly shot upwards! A fierce gust of wind swept through the entire area, knocking back and throwing the spectators to the ground!
What appeared before the people was a tornado of fire! It continuously contracted its range, becoming thinner and more deadly!
Everything in its path was scorched earth, like a scene from hell!
And those ferocious Man-Eating Plants could only mourn their fate. No matter how much they struggled, the flames would engulf them, reducing them to ashes in an instant!
This blazing wildfire was unstoppable!
"Stop! Stop it, you lunatic!"
Vito watched in despair as the surrounding giant flowers fell one by one.
These monsters were the source of his confidence for revenge, yet now they were so effortlessly defeated!
He had used only three of them to push a Level 5 adventurer to the brink.
Yet now, thirty of them weren't enough to withstand a single breath of Eugene's fire!
"Who are you! Who the hell are you!"
Vito, already defeated, roared at the man directing the flames below. His plan had been so perfect.
Yet this guy seemed to possess the power to overturn everything, smashing all his preparations!
"Waaahhh!!"
Tione and Tiona were awestruck by the immense and dangerous flames.
They had stubbornly kept their distance from Eugene just moments ago.
Now, to avoid being scorched, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach Eugene's side.
Eugene shrugged and smiled slightly. He looked at Lefiya in his arms.
The little girl was also captivated by the magnificent spectacle, her large eyes filled with brilliance.
She happened to turn her face and met Eugene's gaze. The next second, remembering the absurd things that happened between them, she was utterly mortified.
Yet, in her heart, she felt an unprecedented sense of peace. Because in this dangerous storm, his side was the only safe place to be.
Squeak squeak squeak!!
The number of giant flowers rapidly dwindled in just thirty seconds. Thirty, twenty, ten, five… You'd think he was just adding firewood.
"Stop it, you wretch!!"
Furious, Vito tore a Flame Stone from his chest and hurled it desperately towards Eugene!
"Watch out!"
Tione and Tiona cried out simultaneously.
But Eugene stood his ground, completely motionless. He raised his hand, and ripples appeared in the void in front of him.
The Flame Stone flashed with light mid-air, on the verge of exploding! However, as soon as it reached that void, it suddenly vanished!
[The object you contained is undergoing 'State Transition']
[It will be stored in its final persistent state]
!!??
Everyone's eyes widened. Where was the Flame Stone? Where did such a large Flame Stone go? How did it just vanish into thin air?
"Don't worry, it's absolutely safe by my side."
Eugene nonchalantly shook his hand. He had already thoroughly studied the handy System Space.
As his level increased, the storage permissions also increased. Initially, he could only store dropped items.
Now that he had leveled up, he could store "State Transition Items."
For example, boiling water, molten iron, and so on. A bursting Flame Stone counted as well.
The specific rules are as follows:
The item must be in an unowned state; thrown objects are included. Living beings cannot be stored. Volume is restricted; one storage cannot exceed ten cubic units. The stored state is based on the final contact. It persists after being retrieved.
In summary, the current Eugene feared no thrown object.
Although he still couldn't contain cannons, bullets, or magical missiles, a Flame Stone that hadn't yet exploded was more than manageable.
"You damned… What did you do!!?"
Vito couldn't believe his eyes. Just that one Flame Stone could level a building!
Yet Eugene merely raised his hand casually and made everything disappear without a trace?
This was not something any "Skill" or "Magic" could achieve! In the DanMachi world view, there was no such thing as spatial magic.
Therefore, they naturally couldn't comprehend Eugene's actions.
Eugene didn't waste words; he raised his hand and clenched his five fingers.
Huu huu huu!
Inside the fire tornado, starting from directly above him, streams of fire converged inwards. In the blink of an eye, they reverted to the original, inconspicuous fireball!
"Go!"
Eugene flicked his finger. The fireball seemed sentient, heading toward the last few Man-Eating Plants at a speed imperceptible to the human eye!
"No—!!!"
Vito watched, unable to stop it! He desperately stretched out his hand, but before his cry was finished, all that remained before his eyes was a pile of ashes!
Truly an overwhelming destruction!
Thirty-plus Man-Eating Plants were reduced to ashes in under a minute!
The entire arena was shrouded in thick smoke, and the ground was covered in black.
Only the spot where the few people stood retained a patch of earth color!
Vito stood on the last Man-Eating Plant, his body trembling. That wasn't him, but the reaction of the pitiful monster.
If Vito hadn't been controlling it, it would have burrowed back underground and fled long ago!
"Heh, absolute evil."
Eugene glanced around. He had burned everything black and thoroughly clean. He let out a sneer through his nostrils, the mockery evident without a word.
"No… impossible… you…"
Vito stared fixedly at Eugene, his eyes bloodshot, the grinding of his teeth clearly audible. At this moment, his hatred for Eugene had reached its peak.
Why did you have to show up here! Why did you have to mess up my plan! Why! Are there always guys like you who turn the tide, and I can never kill them all!
In the turmoil of the past, the weak adventurers were the same. Turning the tide in desperate situations.
But Eugene was even more exaggerated than them. He effortlessly suppressed everything with his own strength.
Even the chaos in the arena had subsided because of this massive fire. People looked at each other, feeling utterly surreal.
Those two Amazon girls, powerful enough to stand against a thousand men, were still cornered by Vito.
But this suddenly appearing stranger was able to break Vito's defenses.
His fire not only incinerated the monsters but also brought the darkness out into the open.
"So, this is all you had?"
Eugene didn't detect any further fluctuations. If the "White-Haired Ogre," Olivas, had been here, the number of Man-Eating Plants he would have faced would have been several times higher.
There would even be a super-enhanced species called the "Giant Flower."
Of course, for the current Eugene, it would just be the difference between one breath of fire and ten.
"Wonderful! That man, he's wonderful!"
In the stands, Ishtar rubbed her thighs. Her gaze towards Eugene became intensely heated.
She had to have this man!
Beside her, her attendant and lover, the young man Tammuz, looked venomous.
He had just managed to get close to the Goddess, and now, after so little time, she was interested in a new one!
The public's emotions began to calm down with the disappearance of the monsters. But they seemed to have forgotten that they were still in mortal danger.
"Enough!"
"Don't provoke him anymore!"
Shakti shouted loudly, "He still has bombs!"
After checking, the Ganesha Familia had found buried Flame Stones on almost all the support pillars.
This was a secret project that had been ongoing for seven years. Even with their large numbers, they couldn't dismantle them immediately!
Moreover, Shakti estimated that many large-scale bombs were buried directly beneath the audience seats.
Once detonated, the entire arena would be reduced to ruins and collapse underground!
At that point, let alone ordinary people, even adventurers would have a hard time surviving!
"Gulp! Gah!"
Vito, having completely lost his escape route, tremblingly reached for his chest.
"Thinking of detonating?" Eugene spoke carelessly. "Go ahead, please. It won't kill me anyway."
What the hell are you talking about!?
The three girls' hearts, which had just settled, jumped back into their throats.
The only one who'll be fine is you!
"You're trying to provoke me! Don't think I can't see through you!!"
Vito forced a smile. "Actually, you're afraid! You people are unable to stand by and watch others die casually!"
"…No, I genuinely don't care."
"Anyway, it's all your fault," Eugene deliberately spoke loudly: "No matter what the situation becomes, you will eventually detonate the bombs. That outcome was decided long ago, and I can't change it, so I might as well just do my best. Besides, I'm different from them."
Eugene pointed to his face: "I'm wearing a mask!"
Pfft!!
The three girls instantly broke down.
Are you saying that just because you're wearing a mask, you can abandon your humanity and act completely unrestrained?
"You! You really…" Lefiya was frantic. This was tens of thousands of lives! "Find a way!"
She shook Eugene's sleeve, her eyes watery like a puddle in the rain.
At some point, Lefiya had come to see Eugene as a reliable figure who could solve all crises.
"I can think of a way…"
Eugene rubbed his brow, feigning distress. "But, I'm a little short on motivation right now."
"What motivation?" Lefiya was frantic and didn't notice his trap.
Eugene pouted, making an annoying statement:
"I need a kiss for motivation!"
Lefiya: $(ΩДΩ)!!!!????$
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