### Chapter: 305
Kraush unleashed his white flames.
Aria’s brilliance surged forth.
Every time their swords swung, the erosive creatures were chopped down like weeds.
They were not something the average erosive creature could withstand.
In the blink of an eye, the two heroes cleared the area and converged into one spot.
This was necessary, as one of the masters of World Erosion, a creature named Valchireos, was busy demolishing buildings.
Valchireos noticed Kraush and Aria approaching and immediately charged at them with its horns, intending to punish them. But Kraush and Aria were faster.
Down below, the white flames erupted while flashes of light rained down from above.
Valchireos’ heart was incinerated by the white flames, and its head was sliced clean off by Aria’s glimmering strike.
Kaboom!
Overwhelmed by the two stunning blows, Valchireos collapsed, leaving a brief silence accompanied by swirling dust.
“W-We’re alive?”
“We’re alive! We actually survived!”
Realization hit, and those who remained started to cheer and rise from their spots.
Kraush, observing quietly, turned his head.
There was Aria, finally able to breathe again.
Even now, she was undeniably strong.
It was clear that countless reincarnations had made her more powerful, but Aria, too, had a talent immense enough to rival the Sky Generation.
‘If only I could really fight alongside Aria…’
In a world where that existed, perhaps preventing doom would have been easier.
But that path had been abandoned by both Aria and Kraush.
Aria had betrayed Kraush, and Kraush had betrayed Aria.
The lingering feelings of betrayal prevented them from standing on common ground.
“You’re stronger than I thought.”
As Aria returned her sword to her side, she approached Kraush.
Kraush quickly recognized that she wielded the Holy Sword of the Holy Kingdom Freeman.
Indeed, this timeline’s Aria seemed to enjoy using the Holy Sword as well.
“Good job. I’m not exactly inclined to share stories, but I can’t deny it was easier thanks to you.”
Aria said while glancing at the townspeople who had survived.
A hint of relief shone in her eyes, though it was a stark contrast to the Aria Kraush had known—she used to prioritize her gains over protecting people.
She looked filled with hope, far from the jaded Aria who had grown worn out.
“How many more times do we have to go through this for it not to happen again?”
Yet, she wasn’t quite as worn as the Aria Kraush remembered.
Kraush noticed cracks beginning to form around her.
“Rather, back then…”
She trailed off, suddenly glancing at Kraush.
“Sorry, I’ve been alone for too long, and I tend to talk to myself.”
“In a world falling apart, who would care about a ramble or two?”
Even so, Kraush couldn’t shake the feeling that her prolonged solitude was related to his death in some way.
It seemed Aria wasn’t keen on sharing her thoughts on Kraush with him.
Setting that aside, Kraush knew he had to figure out how to escape this place, as his timeline lay elsewhere.
“Aria Gramalte.”
At the sound of her name, Aria turned to Kraush.
Locking eyes, he directed his gaze toward the doomed Empire Ephania.
“So you’re planning to take down the Conqueror’s White Knight?”
“……”
Aria fell momentarily silent.
It seemed she was weighing her thoughts before finally nodding slowly.
“Yeah, I’m going to take him down.”
After all the reincarnations, the mission engraved in her was clear.
To fulfill that mission, she was ready to face the Conqueror’s White Knight.
“I’ll help.”
Aria’s gaze met Kraush’s, questioning his sincerity.
Kraush nodded.
“I also want to take him down.”
He had enough intel on the Conqueror’s White Knight to have a solid understanding—not that he had ever fought him directly.
‘Maybe this is an opportunity.’
To actually fight the Conqueror’s White Knight and gather data on him.
Of course, the best outcome would be to absorb the worst of the worst and prevent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from being born.
But he had to consider the worst possible scenarios constantly.
“You’re gonna die.”
Aria bluntly warned Kraush that survival was unlikely.
Yet a smile crept onto Kraush’s face.
“Have you ever thought I’d fight like I was invincible?”
If he could only win fights he knew he’d win, he’d never even bother trying.
Kraush had always faced death and came out stronger because of it.
Aria exhaled slowly, realizing Kraush’s sincerity.
“Right now, I can’t defeat the Conqueror’s White Knight.”
She said, glancing down at the Holy Sword she held.
There was pain in her heart, sadness for the time she had let slip away.
“I need preparation to take him down.”
“What about the other Heavenly Swordbearers?”
“What about them? At this point, there’s only that guy Lakteo left. Everyone else is dead.”
Kraush quickly grasped that this timeline was in far worse shape than he’d anticipated.
At least back in his prior timeline, the Horsemen were still around when the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse appeared.
“The Sky Generation is gone too. A few might have survived, but pretty much everyone is dead now.”
She sighed heavily, brushing her hair back.
“If only that idiot Mary Diana hadn’t led the army, maybe more could have survived.”
An unexpected name flew out of Aria’s mouth, and her face twisted in disgust just thinking of Mary.
‘How did that person manage to charm Mary?’
Apparently, reincarnation wasn’t a waste of time after all.
“How long will it take to prepare?”
“At least a week; I’ll awaken the Holy Sword to its true form.”
Now it made sense why it took so long.
“What’s the problem?”
Aria scanned her surroundings.
Could this world hold out for a week?
The Conqueror’s White Knight would mercilessly slaughter humans.
In the world they would inhabit, humans were seen as unnecessary.
A week was no longer a luxury they could afford.
“Four days. I’ll finish in four days.”
Determination gleamed in Aria’s eyes.
It was a hefty undertaking for sure, but she decided to rush the preparations, knowing she would risk everything.
“I’ll help,” Kraush said.
Little did they know, they’d desperately need any help they could get.
If Kraush could assist, Aria might have an easier time awakening her sword.
“The place where the Holy Sword can be awakened is at the Sanctuary. It’s far from here, so we’ll need to move at top speed. Think you can keep up?”
Kraush lightly stretched his legs.
“There’s no one else left in this world who can keep up with me.”
Aria nodded, impressed by his confidence.
“Just know I won’t wait around for you.”
“That’s what I was hoping for!”
Aria was getting ready to dash when she suddenly turned back to Kraush.
“…So, what’s your name?”
Here, ’Kraush’ wasn’t going to cut it.
“Kradd.”
Thus, Kraush decided to use the alias he’d once employed.
It was just a letter off from Kraush, and while Aria might notice, she didn’t press the issue further.
With the world in such dire straits, what did it matter what name he used?
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
They were off, heading towards the Sanctuary.
＊ ＊ ＊
Aria’s brilliance trailed behind her like a comet as she sped through the sky.
She pushed herself to incredible speeds.
Right behind her, Kraush kept up in pursuit.
Having activated Annihilation Erosion, he was utilizing Excel to chase after Aria.
Aria took a quick glance back.
‘How is he keeping up with me?’
Her brilliance could easily be said to be the fastest in the world.
Anyone capable of following her pace had to employ Mary’s Excel techniques.
‘There’s no way he’s using Excel.’
Though doubts clouded her mind, she didn’t slow her pace.
Instead, she pushed harder, bounding over mountains with ease.
Still, the Sanctuary was quite a distance away.
Despite their incredible speed, they would burn a whole day getting there.
After what felt like endless running, they finally arrived at the Sanctuary by dawn.
The Sanctuary, or as it was called, the land where the gods closed their eyes.
As they approached, white mist appeared before them.
Kraush and Aria knew this wasn’t just any ordinary fog.
They were aware it was the decomposed essence of gods who had fallen to the earth over time.
That’s why the Sanctuary wasn’t somewhere just anyone could enter.
The moment an average human inhaled the divine particles in the mist, their body would collapse under the pressure.
“Kradd, can you get through?”
In Aria’s case, she had already ascended into the domain of demigods.
So even if the divine particles entered her body, she wouldn’t face any real issues.
“No problem.”
Kraush, too, had no issues with this.
His body contained the Seasons.
Even if it was divine essence, it was now a power that had lost its will.
As long as he absorbed it, the Seasons would convert it into something else, and it would pose no threat.
“Then let’s go.”
Since he walked in here of his own volition, there was no way he hadn’t given it some thought.
Trusting Kraush, Aria began to step into the Sanctuary.
The oppressive mist enveloped them.
The divine particles in the fog exerted a suffocating pressure, making it hard to breathe.
Because of this, Kraush and Aria chose to walk in silence.
It was Kraush’s first time entering this place, having never been able to follow before.
After walking for some time, Aria suddenly stopped.
As she did, Kraush’s instincts kicked in.
Something was approaching from beyond the mist.
“Divine Envoys.”
“Divine Envoys?”
“Specters that believed in and followed their gods; they’re parasites who have remained here after losing their faith when their gods were slain, surviving on divine particles.”
That was certainly new information for Kraush.
“If they’re coming here…”
“Then it’s time for battle. They must think we’re invaders trying to steal the divine particles they feed on.”
“So we have to fight.”
Kraush drew Rain Thunder Prime.
But Aria shook her head.
“Let’s run for now. We’re not ready yet.”
With all Aria’s expertise, Kraush had no further questions and took off after her.
As they raced through the fog, the divine envoys drew ever closer.
It seemed like they were shambling through the mist without getting lost.
“We’re here!”
At that, Aria halted in her tracks.
Before them stood a pedestal.
Aria approached the center of the pedestal, brushing the dust off with her hand.
Then, she unsheathed her Holy Sword and placed it atop the pedestal.
“I’m ready. The problem is…”
As Aria lifted her head, she saw the Divine Envoys had now surrounded them.
The pale, misty figures had crimson eyes dripping with malice.
In their elongated hands, they wielded a variety of weapons.
A malignant energy radiated from them.
Being creatures that lived off divine particles, it was only natural some of that divine power lingered with them.
If they kept this up, it would interfere with awakening the Holy Sword.
“Aria, get ready to awaken your sword.”
Just then, white flames erupted around Kraush’s body.
True to his nature, he decided to assist Aria with the awakening.
For now, his only task was to buy her time until she could awaken her sword.
“I’ll take care of these zealots.”
A wise saying from ancient times: zealots were like flies to be swatted.
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