### Chapter: 327
“Cursed being!”
Kraush thought, Is that all he knows how to call me?
Seeing Sigrid shout, Kraush’s gaze grew icy cold.
At the same time, he sensed the power radiating from her.
She pulled from the future.
Sigrid had been a clear powerhouse before her reincarnation. Being who she was, she would have known extremist ways to grow stronger.
Originally, this would have been a last-resort measure meant for dire situations. But for Sigrid, every day had become a crisis.
“How did you get past the barrier?” Sigrid glared at Kraush with burning eyes.
The barrier set up outside the palace prevented outsiders from entering and insiders from leaving.
When she inquired how he bypassed it, Kraush smirked, looking like he was being asked something obvious.
“The base structure of that barrier is designed so that no matter what happens, only the royal bloodline can get through.”
Sure, it had turned into a prison where even the royalty couldn’t exit, but at the end of the day, the foundational rules couldn’t be completely altered.
Thus, it allowed those of royal blood to come and go freely.
And what confirmed that they were of royal blood?
The answer was simple.
The power of the White Dragon.
Because Kraush possessed the White Dragon’s power, he was able to break through the barrier and step inside.
Lilish and the Guardian Sword, along with the knight orders, will handle things on the Jeblam front.
They were experts when it came to World Erosion. So, Kraush left that to them and headed straight to the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace, he saw various figures struggling to break through the barrier.
“More magic power! Increase the output!”
“Bring all the artifacts capable of breaching defensive magic!”
The mages in particular were in absolute chaos.
The barrier surrounding the palace had clearly been enhanced through magical means.
And yet, they—the mages known as the palace sorcerers—were unable to breach it, sending them into a frenzy.
In front of them stood a man with a fierce glare.
The greatest sorcerer of the Ephania Royal Palace.
The Ten Great Lords.
The Demon King.
Dykram Arios.
His bloodshot eyes were fixated on the barrier.
It was only natural.
Dykram himself had been responsible for its restoration and enhancement. So, to see his own barrier being used against him, and worse, not being able to breach it, was infuriating.
“I’m passing through.”
Kraush brushed past him.
Dykram’s eyes widened in surprise as he finally noticed Kraush.
“You!”
With that, Kraush passed through the barrier and into the palace.
Outside the barrier, there was a frenzy as everyone noticed him, but there wasn’t time to explain.
Until the barrier was cleared, the only person who could currently support the palace was Kraush, wielding the power of the White Dragon.
As soon as he entered, he was met with a horrific sight.
Corpses of attendants and knights lined the corridors.
Kraush immediately recognized the distinct marks of the blade that made those signs.
Sigrid Ephania.
It was definitely her sword.
Upon realizing this, he dashed forward with all his might.
Not surprisingly, Sigrid was now aiming to kill her own brother.
“Ha, so you’re saying you’re a member of the royal bloodline? Just a cursed being!”
Sigrid shouted, her eyes twisted in fury as if to say, Stop with the nonsense!
By now, her eyes had lost their purpose, breaking apart.
She was venting her deep-seated hatred toward the world.
As though the world had abandoned her.
“…Do you still think you’re the tragic heroine of this story?”
Kraush looked down at Sigrid with pity.
How could she remain so consistent in her delusions?
Does she not realize who abandoned whom?
Even now, in this pathetic state, Sigrid still believed she was in the right.
Arthur’s words came flooding back.
The three who had brought about the world’s destruction.
Among them was Sigrid.
Looking at her now, Kraush could understand Arthur’s heart.
Sigrid was irredeemable.
Her stature meant that killing her would have disastrous repercussions, but keeping her alive only perpetuated this chaos.
So, the only solution was to keep her bound by the chains of their past love.
“You all are just so consistently pathetic.”
A white flame began to rise slowly from Kraush’s sword.
Seeing it, Sigrid gritted her teeth.
“…Don’t look down on me.”
At that moment, white energy swirled violently around Sigrid’s body.
“Who do you think you are to look down on me!”
Then, her form began to distort.
As Kraush swung his sword sideways, Sigrid’s blade arrived just in time.
Clang!
With the sound of metal clashing, Kraush’s figure also wavered.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of their swords colliding echoed fiercely.
The scene was being watched with wide eyes by Termaan Friedwen, the Emperor’s Shield.
A master in his own right, Termaan couldn’t keep up with the absurd speed of their exchanges.
Moreover, each time their blades met, the palace was crumbling around them.
Even Termaan, a large individual, was forced to step back from the force generated by their battle.
What the hell is happening?
Witnessing a conflict that clearly transcended human limits, Termaan hastily protected the First Prince.
“Your Highness! We should escape while we can!”
The Prince, Siran Ephania, remained silent, watching the two battle fiercely.
Eventually, he turned away.
As Termaan said, there was no place for them here.
“I’m realizing just how insignificant my strength really is.”
Siran recognized his limitations.
He was unable to become the best in either martial prowess or intelligence.
He had always been in the middle among his siblings.
While that seemed balanced, it also meant he was seen as a prince lacking any standout traits.
This was likely the reason he had managed to hold on precariously to the title of the First Prince.
Watching Sigrid’s strengths and Sigrid’s intelligence, he understood that if he ever became Emperor, he wouldn’t leave much of a legacy and would just hand things down to the next generation.
It was despite his position as First Prince that the Emperor had actively avoided giving him the throne.
But I don’t care about that.
Siran had no intention of giving up on being the Emperor.
Thus, he would continue to pursue that goal until the end.
“Termaan, guard His Majesty’s chamber. I will gather the remaining White Dragon Knights.”
Siran said as he glanced back at Kraush.
The signature dark blue hair of Balheim.
That person was none other than Kraush Balheim, whom the Emperor had directly dubbed the benefactor of the palace.
He hadn’t expected to meet him like this, but Siran felt it clearly.
Kraush would soon earn a name for himself across the world, transcending Starlon and the Empire.
What if he manages to defeat Sigrid and protect the palace?
The world would soon be focused on him with great fervor.
The tides of change have begun.
Depending on whether or not he could ride the waves of this new era would determine whether he floundered or forged ahead.
With a hopeful glance, Siran left.
—
Even after Siran and Termaan had vacated the space, Kraush and Sigrid’s combat raged on.
Both wielders of the White Dragon’s might meant that the longer this duel continued, the more the palace would be obliterated.
Before the palace, now utterly unrecognizable, Kraush and Sigrid’s blades crossed again.
Clang!
As Kraush struck down on Sigrid from above, he noticed a peculiar energy seeping into his weapon.
Kraush knew what this energy was.
Sword Light.
It was the preeminent technique of the Sword King that upticked the user’s output with each acceptance of the opponent’s power.
Sword Light was a tricky technique.
By its nature, the longer a battle continued, the more stamina and output it typically consumed.
But Sword Light worked in the opposite manner—the longer the fight, the greater its strength grew.
Thus, prolonging the fight against someone wielding Sword Light was a guaranteed no-go.
Kraush, having clashed with Sigrid, lashed out with his foot.
His outstretched leg struck Sigrid’s ankle.
Sigrid’s body was suddenly hurled forward along with the pain in her ankle.
Kraush seized the opportunity to knock Sigrid’s sword aside and throw a punch at her face.
Crack!
It was a calculated strike aimed at exploiting her opening.
But Sigrid swiftly blocked his punch with the back of her hand.
Smack!
Yet Kraush’s assault didn’t stop there.
Chunghwan!
The ensuing shock struck Sigrid’s hand, sending her wrist recoiling back.
As Kraush’s sword bent toward Sigrid once more, it was met yet again by her blade.
Clang!
This time, disarray made Sigrid stumble backward.
Kraush caught his breath and clicked his tongue.
Sigrid was strong. That much was a given.
She possessed top-tier skills, especially when it came to swordplay.
Her reflexes and instincts surpassed even Kraush’s sixth sense.
Purely through talent, Sigrid was deflecting every attack Kraush made.
When swordsmen faced Sigrid, they often described the experience as horrific enough that they never wished to fight her again.
Sigrid was able to counter all her opponent’s techniques, ultimately becoming an insurmountable wall that crushed them.
While one could finish off the battle quickly, her style was laden with sadistic tendencies.
But it also meant that Sigrid was optimally designed for prolonged encounters.
In fact, the only opponent against whom her combat style had ever failed was Charlotte.
Charlotte had managed to counter all of Sigrid’s techniques and ultimately improved upon them with her own.
Their synergy had been the worst imaginable.
At that moment, facing Sigrid, Kraush realized why so many had spoke of her as they had.
The combination of Sword Light and Sigrid’s penchant for long battles is the optimal strategy.
Kraush understood why Sigrid had abandoned politics and prioritized learning Sword Light.
She had recognized how well Sword Light suited her style.
Sigrid’s Sword Light shimmered as it blazed with power.
Wielding Sword Light made Sigrid extraordinarily dangerous.
How many more exchanges would it take?
Kraush couldn’t hazard a guess at how much power Sigrid’s Sword Light was going to unleash.
In that case…
Kraush decided to abandon meeting Sigrid’s sword with his own.
He had realized it was impossible to penetrate Sigrid, an expert in long battle.
He wouldn’t dig his own grave.
I’ll concede where I must.
It was clear that Sigrid was at a higher level of skill when it came to swordplay.
So, Kraush concluded that he should do what he did best.
Kraush slowly opened his closed eyes.
As he did, his pupils were dyed a deep red, and the aura of Dual Death surged around him.
Quick and decisive.
If long battles were her forte, then…
I’ll end this quickly.
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