### Chapter 373
Abella appeared before Aria.
Upon hearing this news, Kraush immediately gathered the Icarus mages along with Aslan.
He asked Kraush to rapidly contact Sizelry and the Ten Great Lords, who were closest to him, to arrange spatial magic.
“Leave it to us.”
Sizelry was the expert in such matters.
She would convey the message with far greater efficiency than Kraush could manage.
Despite Kraush moving suddenly, everyone was quick to respond.
This was evidence of the unwavering trust they all placed in him.
“Kraush-nim.”
Hearing Bianca’s call, Kraush turned, prepared spatial magic at the ready.
Everyone seemed eager to join but hesitated to speak up.
It was likely that Kraush had his reasons for not urging them to come along.
Kraush had acquired a strength that few in the same generation could match, through the memories of reincarnation, fate, and his relentless effort.
This was something everyone present had personally experienced.
With a brief smile, Kraush looked around at them.
“I’ll be right back.”
After speaking to everyone, including Bianca, Kraush stepped beyond the bounds of spatial magic.
At that moment, when his eyes slowly opened, what unfolded before Kraush was a spatial magic severing the connection between the outside and the inside.
Abella had ensnared Aria within.
In this space, there were only Abella and Aria.
Kraush immediately drew Thunderstrike.
“Long time no see, huh?”
Kraush’s sword blazed with dark flames.
*
And now.
Kraush, having broken through Abella’s spatial magic, faced her directly.
Seeing Abella again after so long, there was little change in her appearance.
Her slow physical growth made her still look like a child, just as before.
However, the energy emanating from her was distinctly different now.
Whereas before, she managed to suppress her hostility, the Abella before him now wore it openly.
“It’s been a while. Kraush.”
As Abella greeted him casually, Kraush scoffed.
“I don’t think we’re on greeting terms.”
“Is that so? Though our connection has spanned lifetimes.”
Abella spoke with an air of disappointment, but her expression remained emotionless.
She resembled Terasius Jeblam, who had controlled his emotions through magic.
The Abella who used to reveal her feelings only in front of Aria was long gone.
Because that too had all been an act.
That realization made Kraush feel increasingly disgusted.
It meant she wouldn’t shy away from anything to achieve her ends.
“This tedious connection goes on.”
A torrent of dark flames erupted from Kraush’s body.
Abella was the opponent now.
There was no need to use the light flames reserved for facing World Erosion.
In terms of destructive power, the dark flames, fueled by the ineffable force of World Erosion, were far stronger.
“Let’s wrap this up quickly.”
Thus, Kraush’s dark flames ignited fiercely once more.
While he watched his flames, Abella stole a glance towards Aria.
Aria merely stared at Kraush in surprise, offering no other reaction.
Realizing this, Abella lifted her staff.
“Alright then, let’s do it your way.”
In that moment, Kraush was suddenly upon Abella.
Blocking his path were the red hounds released by her.
The hounds advanced, teeth bared toward Kraush.
However, Kraush effortlessly swung his dark flames, erasing the hounds.
Such low-level magic was no longer a concern for Kraush.
Clearing away the hounds, Kraush charged straight for Abella.
Finally, Kraush’s sword lunged towards her.
Kraang!
A massive surge of dark flames erupted before Abella’s eyes.
Yet, even with that enormous blaze before her, Abella did not flinch.
This was because a transparent, crystal-like barrier layered before her.
Kraush recognized who this barrier belonged to.
“Barrier Mage.”
Abella had maneuvered her way through Bioeren’s mother, extracting every bit of information to her advantage.
Knowing that was likely to happen was one thing, but seeing it right before his eyes made Kraush scowl.
Moreover, the Barrier Mage’s barrier couldn’t be pierced by dark flames.
“Tsk!”
So she’s absorbing even the unique powers of World Erosion now, huh?
It seemed Abella could learn any power similar to magic.
Certainly, a veteran of countless reincarnations would possess such skills.
Kraush extinguished the dark flames.
Then he gathered his light flames to rise.
Flare!
In the end, the Barrier Mage’s barrier was rooted in the power of World Erosion.
Kraush could tell that the energy flowing from the orb Abella held was related to World Erosion and that she was using magic connected to it.
Just as he prepared to shatter the barrier with the light flames, Abella smiled faintly beyond the barrier.
Her smile was a stark departure from her usual demeanor, indicating a clever trap.
“What is she up to?”
Was she waiting for him to reveal the light flames?
Why?
In that moment of confusion, Kraush noticed that the orb Abella held was something he’d never seen before.
In addition, a chilling sensation prickled at him from that orb.
“Don’t worry. Not yet.”
But just as Abella uttered those words, a scream rang out from behind Kraush.
“Gyaaah!?”
It was Aria’s scream.
*
Aria Gramalte.
She was a girl living in the rural outskirts of the Empire.
Essentially, a frontier noble with only the name “Gramalte” left.
Thus, her life was no different from that of an ordinary commoner.
Yet she bore a unique dream.
Her dream was to be a knight.
As a child, witnessing a knight stand against World Erosion in her village sparked that dream in her heart.
Perhaps that’s why she loved wielding a sword from a young age.
She would often engage in sword fights with local boys.
So skilled was she that she sometimes ended up knocking them down.
As she grew, she eventually entered the prestigious institution known as Rahern Academy.
Rahern Academy was a paradise for the talented.
It wasn’t easy to surpass the barrier of Rahern Academy armed with only the sword skills learned from a village elder who’d been a knight long ago.
However, through hard work and a bit of luck, she managed to rank in the middle tier and was admitted to Rahern Academy.
Shortly after, she joined the White Ghost Brigade under the Third Princess Sigrid Ephania.
She was busy gathering members from the Empire inside the academy.
Sigrid treated everyone equally, respecting their status without looking down on them.
Ironically, this meant that she looked down on everyone but herself, allowing her to easily mingle with others.
Of course, while Sigrid enjoyed being adored, it could be somewhat exhausting.
But after all, she was the Third Princess, Sigrid Ephania.
In hindsight, it was quite a decent position considering the future.
Thus, Aria tolerated it and flourished her talents at Rahern Academy.
Inevitably, she became a member of the White Dragon Knights.
Her life had been relatively smooth sailing.
From a rural girl to a member of the White Dragon Knights—what an impressive journey!
The villagers were full of praise as they talked about Aria.
But that was until the Emperor faced his demise, leading to the invasion of Starlon, and Sigrid’s obsessive quest for the throne drove her to madness, eventually declaring herself Empress and initiating a massacre before her downfall.
By that point, Aria had become the captain of the White Dragon Knights.
Past captains had met their end while confronting Sigrid.
Ironically, the position of captain had come all the way back around to her.
She fought against Sigrid for the sake of the Empire’s citizens and ultimately severed Sigrid’s head.
However, by then, Ixion had awakened the worst of the worst, and they had failed to resurrect the God of World Erosion, leaving them to perish.
As a result, the world faced the arrival of the Apocalypse Knight and ultimately met its demise.
That was Aria’s first reincarnation.
When she completed her first reincarnation and opened her eyes, she realized she was on the brink of entering Rahern Academy.
She was bewildered by the truth of her reincarnation.
But soon, she made a resolve.
This world wouldn’t become like the previous one.
With that determination, she trained rigorously before attending Rahern Academy.
Having grown stronger, she managed to secure first place upon admission.
Even if rotten, being captain of the White Dragon Knights still carried weight.
Her memory of thorough swordsmanship vastly outclassed that of her peers.
Though Sigrid tried to be friendly with Aria at first, Aria remained hostile toward her.
Furthermore, she believed Sigrid should never wield such absolute power and took all the necessary steps to suppress her.
She snatched away Sigrid’s loyal confidante, Mary, and aligned herself with the First Prince.
Thus, she completely cast Sigrid down to ruin.
Eventually, Sigrid spiraled into madness, leading to her own destruction.
The issue was that Sigrid’s self-destruction hadn’t occurred without collateral damage.
She died fighting fiercely, leaving destruction in her wake within the Imperial family.
Aria thought maybe she should have killed Sigrid sooner, but taking a life so recklessly could bring her greater repercussions.
Joined by the First Prince, Aria led the Sky Generation to confront the World Erosion.
When it came to show herself, Aria left the front line in Mary’s capable hands and set out to face World Erosion herself.
Yet upon returning, she found that Mary’s poor judgment had led to more than 90% of the front being decimated.
Aria was at a loss.
While she was aware of Mary’s stupidity, she had assumed the members of the Sky Generation wouldn’t act so recklessly.
Yet, Mary, excessively loyal, dismissed any dissenting opinions, considering them heresy, even executing those who opposed her.
“Are you an idiot?”
It was likely around that time Aria genuinely recognized a certain man who watched her with a bemused expression.
“That dullard only raises her profile the more you flatter her. It’s no wonder we’re in this mess!”
His name was Kraush Balheim.
To others, he was known as the Cursed One.
That didn’t mean he didn’t have ties to Aria.
After all, he helped Aria during her own cursed struggles.
However, they hadn’t engaged in deep conversation.
Kraush always wore a gloomy expression and had an intense disdain for humanity.
His words were coarse, actions reckless, and he frequently engaged in fights.
Perhaps because of that, he wasn’t highly regarded by others.
Indeed, he was only known for enduring curses.
Yet, even amidst the impending doom before the waves of darkness, Aria noticed something.
His eyes were still burning with relentless determination.
Perhaps he wasn’t at the forefront, not knowing the situation.
Aria wore a despondent expression, and in a defeated tone, she spoke to him.
“…It’s already over.”
“Over? Whatever are you talking about? You’re still here.”
Yet to her surprise, he offered an unexpected answer.
He had confidence in her.
Was he aware it was her reincarnation giving her such entitlement?
“Aria, you’re the one who never gave up until the end.”
Kraush exhaled lightly, lifting his chin toward the approaching darkness.
“I know you’re the best of tons of garbage from the Sky Generation. So get up. We’re not finished yet. You’re not the type to give up over this sort of thing.”
Aria’s gaze widened in surprise.
Kraush wasn’t someone who had particularly crossed her path in past lives.
He was just a man sharing the same cursed fate, recognized only for his vicious tongue.
Yet in this moment, she was seeing the true face of Kraush.
Here was a man who, even while bearing the weight of a curse, had tenaciously clung to the Sky Generation until now.
He was a never-give-up type.
And why, for some inexplicable reason, did this realization that someone acknowledged her invigorate Aria?
Strength flowed back into her limbs, freed from Mary’s unforgiving grip.
“…I won’t give up either.”
With that thought, Aria rose, sword in hand.
Kraush positioned himself behind her.
“I’ll forcefully strip that curse off you. Plus, I have several cards left to play. You can count on me to help you soar.”
“If you had something like that, you should have used it before the front collapsed.”
“Damn, this is life or death for me too! I’m placing my final gamble on you!”
Final.
To Kraush, this battle was truly his last chance.
Aria tightened her grip around the sword.
“Kraush.”
“Yeah?”
For the first time, she properly called his name while facing the oncoming darkness.
“I won’t back down.”
That was her resolve.
And thus, she fought valiantly against the Apocalypse Knight born from the depths of despair.
Kraush fell during the battle.
While he had given it his all, he was already weakened from countless curses.
Before the onslaught of the Apocalypse Knight, he stood no chance.
Aria thrust her sword toward the Apocalypse Knight as her consciousness faded.
And her light ultimately extinguished.
Thus began her second reincarnation.
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