Chapter: 152
In the land of Ebelasque Benapoch.
The world’s only necromancer.
Her arsenal of corpses ranges from those who can be numbered to monsters made of not-so-human bones.
And right now, what filled the mountains of Hardenhartz was precisely those bony monsters.
From four-legged beasts to an assortment of monstrous shapes, each descended the mountain armed with biological weapons.
To ensure they didn’t interfere with the battle between the Luminary and the Sword King.
“Kraush, sir.”
As they observed the mob of skeletal monsters approaching, No. 8 spoke up.
When Kraush turned to her, she wore a troubled expression.
“Master says not to interfere and to vacate immediately.”
“Interfere.”
Kraush scoffed lightly.
“Where is he hiding then?”
“That’s…”
No. 8 started to hesitate.
She just couldn’t defy Ebelasque’s orders no matter what.
So, she couldn’t just blurt out anything carelessly.
“Doesn’t matter.”
She didn’t need to be told; that guy was the type to hide well, anyway.
“A necromancer should never show themselves on the battlefield. An invisible necromancer is the scariest one, after all,” Ebelasque used to say as a habit.
Finding him was their responsibility.
“Haring, Professor Sena Meyer.”
Haring and Sena were pulling out their weapons, readying for battle.
The preparations were complete.
“Those things have a core inside them.”
Though each monster’s weak point differed, they definitely had one.
To break through their defenses, targeting those weaknesses was crucial.
“Hmmm, seems like my expertise.”
Sena drew a broad, curved sword, her red eyes gleaming as her lips curled into a grin.
“Kraush, you’re looking for the Night Ravens’ leader.”
“Yes, I’ll definitely find him to give him a proper lesson.”
“Good. Then try to conserve some energy.”
White energy coalesced around Sena’s sword.
At that moment, her outfit began to shift and change.
A long white cloth wrapped around her arms.
Then, a veil was draped over her face, concealing her features.
Finally, white feathers sprouted from her shoulders, forming wings.
Her alias was “The White Maiden.”
And another nickname? The Divine Priestess.
The reason was simple.
Ordinarily, skills given by gods are unique.
But she never entered into the usual contracts with the gods like others typically did.
Instead, she received the intrinsic power of the gods— a secret technique.
Not long ago, she had met the Erma from Moonlit Temple, who was devoured by the God of Night’s power, turning into a divine beast of the night.
Back then, Major had completely lost her sanity, but Sena was different.
She was among the few who could assimilate the divine powers in the world.
Endowed with a divine body, she directly received the gods’ strength.
And that connected seamlessly to her own power.
“Just try to keep up.”
With a smile peeking through her veil, she dashed forward.
BOOM!
A colossal explosion resounded, nearly matching Kraush’s speed as he struggled to keep up.
The oncoming skeleton monsters were blown clear from the area.
But that wasn’t all.
Her strike was exceptionally precise;
Sena’s sword had accurately targeted and destroyed the cores embedded in the skeletal monsters.
“Wow.”
Haring couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, feeling the caliber of the professor from Rahern Academy.
“Haring, I’m going to find Ebelasque now.”
Kraush bolted off, trying not to lose sight of Sena.
“I’ll focus now, so I’d appreciate your assistance.”
In response to Kraush’s request, Haring’s eyes widened slightly.
She then thumped her chest confidently.
“Leave it to me. I’ll protect you for sure.”
Determination lit her gaze.
Haring moved more proactively when given a task than on her own.
Surely, it came from the trauma associated with being told to do nothing long ago.
Kraush, who was quick on the uptake, was aware of this fact.
Everyone has their own way of maximizing efficiency.
For Haring, this was it.
“Thank you!”
Kraush smiled, and Haring gripped her blade with renewed vigor.
“Yeah!”
With her enthusiastic reply, it seemed she would give it her all.
Thus, Kraush slowly honed in on his instincts.
He usually relied on his instincts in battle.
But like when he navigated through the Demonic Bastion, he now focused on finding Ebelasque.
‘After all, that guy’s presence is the easiest for me to detect.’
Sena had the talent, but she had never met Ebelasque.
So, tracking down Ebelasque was solely Kraush’s job.
Kraush’s aura spread like delicate spider silk around him.
Within that aura, the lights of Liounor mixed, completing a more intricate web of energy.
It was the detection version of his usual thunder strikes.
The aura continued to reach out endlessly, filling the surroundings.
Simultaneously, Kraush’s concentration sharpened even further.
In that three-dimensional space,
The cacophony of the invading skeletal monsters gradually faded away.
And beyond that noise, he sensed rhythmic signals— the cores of the monsters, tapping in steady intervals.
The skeletal monsters weren’t individual entities.
They moved under Ebelasque’s control, receiving energy from her.
Managing such a vast army?
No matter how formidable Ebelasque was, she couldn’t sever the connection between them outright.
‘In fact, this foolish creature—’
Kraush’s eyes slowly came to focus on the signals he was tracking.
‘Not knowing how to hide their emotions. This just leaks out even here.’
She says not to seek her out, but in the end, she wishes to be found.
When she feels guilty about doing something wrong, she wears her heart on her sleeve.
‘Consistent, I’ll give her that.’
Kraush swallowed a bemused chuckle as he raised his head.
The signals emanating from the skeletal monsters all pointed toward one location.
On the mountain ridge.
Kraush spotted a bony creature pretending to descend with the others.
In that instant, the moment the skeleton seemed startled and tried to back away.
A skeleton shot in from the side, sliced cleanly in half by Haring.
Kraush quickly caught sight of Sena’s back, who was forging ahead.
“Professor!”
Kraush shouted earnestly as he snapped back to his concentration from the distraction.
Sena, having sent another wave of skeletal monsters tumbling, looked over.
“Can you launch me higher?”
Understanding the intention behind Kraush’s question, Sena’s lips curled into a smile.
He’d found Ebelasque.
Realizing this, her excitement flared.
“Come on then!”
Although she was a theology professor, she was of the Brawler Sect.
She inherently had a fierce nature.
No sooner had she given him the go-ahead than Kraush became enveloped in black flames.
“Haring, I’m heading out.”
“Be careful.”
With Haring’s warning echoing in his ears, Kraush flew straight into the fray.
Leaving a trail of dark flames, Kraush launched himself toward Sena.
As she swept away the nearby skeletons, she pivoted gracefully.
At the same time, her arms danced like they were sketching circles in the air.
The breeze around Sena began to ripple.
That restless wind swirled into a tempest, howling ferociously.
The wind was so strong that it battered the massive skeletal monsters with ease.
“Make sure you land safely!”
With those words, Kraush dove into the storm.
WHOOSH— KRA-KA-BOOM!
The surge of winds erupted with a resounding boom, propelling Kraush skyward.
In the blink of an eye, he was soaring in the sky, feeling the wind slap against his face as he darted forward.
Below, skeletal monsters flailed wildly at the chaos below.
But they were far too slow to catch Kraush as he flew by.
“Ugh!”
And it was the same for Kraush.
This professor was too excited about launching him; she really slung him hard!
Even with Annihilation Erosion empowering him, he felt like his consciousness might slip away.
Yet at no point did Kraush consider losing himself to the sensation of being tossed around.
With his body bolstered by Annihilation Erosion, he fixated on his target below.
Down below, he spotted a single skeleton frantically fleeing, not even glancing back.
Seeing that, black flames surged around Kraush.
Twisting from his previous aerial stance, he altered his trajectory mid-flight.
WHOOSH!
As he swung around, the tightening pull jolted his body.
But Kraush ignored it, hurtling straight down.
“Eh?!”
A startled cry rang out from the skeletal monster as it realized what was happening.
Kraush, unable to suppress a grin at the bony creature’s dumbfounded expression, shot down at it with all his might.
“Let me give you a smack!”
WHAP!
Kraush’s leg collided with the skeleton’s skull in a glorious crash, creating a melodious clang.
“Ugh!”
And through the fractured skull, a foolhardy sound rang out.
CRASH!
The skeleton tumbled to the ground, taking Kraush down with it in a mutual roll.
Poor Kraush, having no idea how much energy he had blasted away, finally came to a stop after a long tumble.
He shook his head, wrestling back his disoriented vision.
He would never ask to be launched again.
Kraush turned with a firm resolve in his heart.
Then he spotted a skeletal monster, sprawled flat on the ground, attempting to sneak away.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped and stomped down on the monster’s back.
“Aw!”
With a scream, the skeletal monster’s form crumpled underfoot.
And soon, long black hair became visible beneath the remnants.
Clad in robes far from her usual attire, it was none other than Ebelasque.
Though Kraush was greeted by the familiar face, his first response was a long sigh.
“What a hassle. What is this? Don’t seek me out? Giving me a break? Give me a break.”
Kraush pressed down on Ebelasque’s back firmly.
At this, she cried out.
“Ugh, oww! My chest is getting crushed! Stop it!”
Kraush looked down at her in exasperation.
Despite her cries, he wasn’t moving an inch.
After all, Ebelasque seemed to be too embarrassed to face him, hiding her face against the ground.
Naturally.
This was the person who had been saved from a life of servitude as the Empire’s slave by Kraush.
She betrayed him and put Hardenhartz in danger.
There was no way she could show her face after all that.
Kraush sighed down at Ebelasque again.
“Should’ve put in your full effort to stop me instead of half-assing it.”
Ebelasque’s body jerked slightly.
The army of skeletal monsters she commanded was undoubtedly just as strong as their numbers.
But Kraush could sense a lack of genuine determination in her efforts.
He knew all too well how impressive her prowess was on the battlefield.
Enough for her to be called a lone army.
Even with Sena beside him, it didn’t equate to the level Kraush could put up with easily.
Moreover, her true power—the legion she’s known for—hadn’t even come into play yet.
‘She could’ve easily held off Luminary and Brother Lai for at least three days without letting anyone get through.’
In truth, the skeletal army blocking Kraush’s path was nothing but a sham.
Ebelasque quietly fell silent after hearing Kraush’s dis APPROVAL.
Not exactly silence; rather, she sniffled quietly.
“…It’s because of my damn arrogance.”
Long ago, her foolish desire to revive a lost companion.
That obsession led to her relentless study of necromancy.
And the reality of it all was failure after failure.
For her, that dream of bringing back her friend was akin to a curse.
A curse she could never shake off.
And because of that curse, she had betrayed someone who had helped her.
With a deeply rooted nature that couldn’t bring herself to betray others, she felt crushed with guilt.
Kraush let out a sigh because he understood this fact so well.
“So that’s why you entered Ixion.”
Ebelasque tensed up slightly.
Kraush had knowledge of Crimson Garden.
So it was no surprise to him that he knew about Ixion.
“Do you think you’ll get what you want by going into Ixion?”
“I… promised. The Black Witch said she’d revive my friends.”
Ebelasque gritted her teeth tightly as she said this.
“No, you must know this.”
But Kraush refuted her claims.
“There’s no way to save your friends.”
Ebelasque’s eyes widened gradually.
At the same time, her gaze darkened ominously.
It was at that moment.
With an unsettling shadow, Ebelasque’s body began to dissolve and vanish.
Simultaneously, her form became visible within the woods.
Her face, framed by the black robe, looked drained and weary.
The emotions she had hidden were now bare for all to see, culminating in a depth of darkness cloaking her features.
“…Who are you to make such assumptions?”
Anger glinted in Ebelasque’s eyes.
Kraush’s words moments prior had struck a nerve she could hardly bear.
But he couldn’t just leave her like this.
Ebelasque could not approach Ixion.
If she amplified her power as a necromancer, Ixion would spiral out of control.
Moreover, they needed her for the battle to conclude between Luminary and Sword King Lai Balheim.
‘The other secret Luminary possesses.’
Bloodmoon Realm.
The trick of trapping the target and oneself in an independent space.
If anyone could deploy Bloodmoon Realm against Lai, it was undoubtedly Luminary.
In that case, one option remained.
“Ebelasque, you left those corpses in Luminary’s Bloodmoon Realm, didn’t you?”
Ebelasque’s shoulders twitched.
She wasn’t wholly clueless.
She had at least prepared some backup in case of emergencies.
Corpse placements were set to intervene in Bloodmoon Realm at any moment, allowing her to carve a path through.
Thus, Kraush needed her help.
If he pushed himself completely against Luminary, it would end in disaster.
“Are you looking to persuade me?”
Persuade, huh?
Kraush swallowed a short chuckle.
“Are you asking me to cooperate? I’ve made a deal with Ixion. I don’t know what you believe, but she vowed to revive my friends.”
Seeing the denial of reality in her words, Kraush raised his chin.
It was time to pull her from her delusions into the light of truth.
“Your friends are no longer part of this world.”
Ebelasque’s wide eyes commenced trembling.
She had never thought he could possibly know this.
“Stop it.”
Ebelasque attempted to end Kraush’s revelation at all costs.
But he wasn’t going to hold back.
“All of them have been lost, including their remains.”
The sound within Ebelasque stirred in her heart.
All those years she devoted herself to necromancy, yet she still couldn’t revive her friends even as corpses.
The words of an outcast haunted her thoughts— a coward who fled their previous realm.
The truth emerged once more.
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