### Chapter 374
The second reincarnation.
She decided to distance herself from the Empire.
There were too many useless people in the Empire.
Starting with Sigrid, all the way to Mary.
These half-baked talents were like a leech, constantly draining the Empire.
Moreover, there was no solution for the Emperor’s death.
It would be different if she started as a member of the royal family or a child of a renowned household.
She didn’t even have a way to meet with the Emperor.
‘Even if I gobble up all opportunities and maximize my growth speed…’
Starting as a noble girl in a rural backwater left her with no way forward.
She couldn’t delay the crucial moment of entering Rahern Academy.
There was only so much she could do by seizing opportunities along the way.
So, Aria decided to change her approach.
She distanced herself from the Empire and began mingling with others from the Four Kingdoms.
There were plenty of talented folks among the Four Kingdoms.
They shined beyond Rahern Academy and into the realm of the Sky Generation.
So, she naturally started forming connections with them.
In this process, she ran into Kraush, who she hadn’t crossed paths with due to their different school years.
“Who are you? Get lost.”
He was still a rough character.
Moreover, his body seemed to have injuries everywhere every single day.
It seemed he walked around picking fights he couldn’t win.
The delinquent of the Balheim family.
A dropout, a loser.
He had countless derogatory nicknames attached to him.
But perhaps because they had shared the last moments of their previous life, Aria didn’t dislike that guy.
“I’m Aria Gramalte, and you?”
Despite his insults, Aria introduced herself.
Kraush squinted at her, meeting her clear eyes.
But he didn’t hurl more insults at her.
Thanks to his keen intuition, he didn’t feel mocked or looked down upon by her.
“…Kraush Balheim.”
That was how Aria became friends with Kraush.
He was coarse in speech and rough in action.
But within him burned an unyielding spirit, and once he trusted someone, he offered solid loyalty.
He was the most dependable person Aria had met throughout her reincarnations.
Moreover, coincidentally in this life, Sigrid and Mary each found their respective partners, so they didn’t become a burden.
The Empire was chaotic, but it wasn’t crumbling to the same level as before.
It was barely at a level to confront the ultimate evil.
Aria thought to herself.
Perhaps, in this reincarnation, she could truly prevent the apocalypse.
Ixion had also intervened early, working alongside members of the Sky Generation to minimize the conflict.
It could work.
She felt confident in that moment.
Then came the Red Witch.
Abella traded the world for her magical achievements.
The destruction of the world was instantaneous.
Just like that, the very planet where Aria lived was shattered into pieces.
With a blank expression, Aria faced her third reincarnation.
The Red Witch, Abella.
Though she was also of the Sky Generation, she had always acted independently and unpredictably.
Yet, her abilities were outstanding, making her someone reliable to turn to.
Thus, Aria had also tried to build some connections with Abella.
Her firepower was said to be unmatched among wizards.
Yet, Abella casually destroyed the world.
Aria felt disoriented.
Just when she thought they could finally protect the world from destruction, an unforeseen variable had appeared.
At that moment, Aria’s mental state began to waver.
Was this world destined for ruin no matter what she did?
Was all her struggling ultimately meaningless?
Such thoughts started to gnaw at her.
Throughout her three reincarnations, she had endured countless deaths at her own hands, faced numerous betrayals, and dealt with multiple failures.
Aria grew weary.
Cracks began to form in her psyche.
The apocalypse always arrived just before she turned thirty.
She reincarnated back to fourteen, two years before the establishment of Rahern Academy.
In other words, she had repeated the same fifteen years three times.
A total of forty-five years.
Aria was mentally aging at around fifty-nine by that point.
And at fifty-nine, all she had accomplished was returning to this initial position.
“Ha, haha.”
She shut herself away in her room.
In this reincarnation, she just lived quietly as a village girl.
She didn’t even practice her sword skills; she just let things be.
Then the world met its end.
Upon opening her eyes once again, Aria realized she had turned back into a fourteen-year-old girl.
It was her fourth reincarnation.
Memories of sixty years of reincarnation flooded back.
Was it because she let the third reincarnation pass by without a fight?
She rose and picked up the sword again.
After all, lying down all her life would be meaningless.
“…It’s okay. If I fail, I can just return.”
And so she thought dispassionately.
Either way, even if she failed to prevent the apocalypse, she would come back to this place.
So, she decided to take it easy.
After that, she repeated her fifth and sixth reincarnations.
These were merely due to her routes failing her.
Then during her seventh reincarnation.
“Aria, are you really okay?”
She faced Kraush, who watched her with concern.
No matter how many times he reincarnated, he always remained the same.
Each time Aria adjusted her approach and the world around her shifted, people changed.
That fact seemed quite lonely for Aria.
Ultimately, the relationships she had formed were meaningless once she reincarnated.
But Kraush was different.
No matter how Aria acted, he remained unchanged in his regard for her.
At least, he always recognized and supported her determination to stand against the world’s destruction.
Realizing this, Aria gradually leaned on Kraush.
Kraush met her reliance with steady support.
One day, he suddenly figured out how to absorb the powers of World Erosion and rapidly grew stronger, enough to place his trust in him.
The only issue was that this was taking a toll on himself.
His strength ultimately became a great help to Aria.
The proof was the day Kraush risked his life to save Aria.
While holding the severely injured him, Aria realized.
Ah, I like this guy.
That’s how Aria and Kraush became lovers.
However, having gone through numerous reincarnations had caused Aria’s psyche to fray.
She was still haunted by the obsession of needing to reincarnate after any failure.
And eventually, that day arrived.
Due to a slip-up, the ultimate evil began to spread in earnest.
She had to go back.
That was Aria’s conclusion.
And so, that day, Aria ended up killing Kraush with her own hands.
Aria’s mind returned to the present.
Memories from the countless pasts flooded back to her.
And before her eyes, Kraush emerged once more.
“K-Kraush.”
The apology she had often voiced echoed in her head.
“I…”
With her strength nearly drained, she lifted her hand.
And who gripped it?
It was none other than Kraush.
He was the Kraush she had killed with her own hands.
Feeling the warmth from his palm, Aria wore a faint smile.
“I… wasn’t going to.”
As those words slipped from her lips, tears fell slowly from her eyes.
So it was.
Kraush, you’ve been by my side to keep me from being lonely until the very end.
As much as I hate you, I want you to hate me back.
That was Aria’s final wish for him.
And at that moment, she realized the only way to grant him her reincarnation was upon this understanding.
This man was someone who would absolutely not take the reincarnation she bestowed upon him for himself.
Dropping all the derogatory terms — dropout, loser, the delinquent of Balheim.
Kraush, whose self-esteem had crumbled under such insults, would say,
“Reincarnation? You need that, not me, you idiot.”
Even at the instant Aria decided to choose reincarnation.
Kraush only pretended to take it away, never truly doing so.
‘No, Kraush, I’m not that kind of person.’
Having gone through several failures, Aria knew this.
She couldn’t prevent the end of this world.
Due to her starting point and status, she could not freely intervene in the numerous incidents.
Consequently, she continually missed various opportunities, and those opportunities grew like a rolling snowball, blocking her path again and again.
Aria was just a village girl from the outskirts.
That meant she couldn’t even approach the nobles ruling the world, and she had to train her body again.
She couldn’t intervene at the most crucial beginning.
At this point, Aria realized.
She was not the savior of the world.
Her mind was already fractured.
Whatever she saw, Aria was tainted by preconceived notions, and she couldn’t move forward due to those notions.
Ultimately, her relationships didn’t simply tie together when she wore a mask like Aria did.
Mental and emotional flaws.
This was not a world one could save alone.
Worn down by reincarnations, she could no longer be at the forefront of the Sky Generation.
Even if she stood, the Sky Generation wouldn’t fully follow her.
But Kraush was different.
Though called a loser, he bore the name of Balheim.
Moreover, countless stories flowed through this world centered around Balheim.
Furthermore, aiming to see through people, Charlotte, whom Aria found impossible to bond with, had made connections with Kraush as siblings.
Let alone Bianca, whose engagement to him served as the starting point for the war between Starlon and the Empire.
Kraush could bear the heaviest curse that was haunting her.
Moreover, he could resolve countless future issues with the connections he would continue to forge.
And all of them will rise as the main figures of the Sky Generation and the world.
In addition, Aria could not afford to let Demaris’s extreme blood poison (극혈침독) slip away.
The powers of his World Erosion would eventually choke Kraush and keep him from reaching his destiny, resulting in his demise.
Beside him remained Belorkin Balheim, who possessed Ignis.
If he had that, Kraush could overcome the extreme blood poison.
And most importantly, he could treat others with genuine kindness.
Even the reincarnated Aria had found warmth from him.
He was the type to pull people together.
“I can’t be your lover, Kraush.”
So up until the very end, no matter what happens to this world, and no matter how it crumbles, I will make sure you remember it as it unfolds before your eyes.
To serve as the focal point for destruction among the three lovers, I’ll guide them to the next reincarnation, preventing any reckless charge.
Kraush, you must reach the point of having to take a reincarnation.
Until the very last moment, I’ll keep pushing this world forward.
As much as I hate you, I’ll make you hate me.
Erasing any distractions, only this purpose remains.
I will bring Kraush to the precipice of destruction, making him hate me enough to take the reincarnation.
No matter how many reincarnations it takes from here on out, I will inevitably—
That memory connected to the present Aria now.
Her breath quickened.
Her head throbbed.
But her racing heart told her everything.
Who she loved, who she betrayed, who she wished to protect.
And who her real enemy was.
Aria’s golden eyes shone with clarity.
＊ ＊ ＊
At the moment Aria regained all her memories, Kraush stood there, bewildered.
Aria screamed, overwhelmed by the memories flooding in.
At that moment, red light gathered at Abella’s staff.
Caught off guard, Kraush quickly pulled back, only to see that the red light pierced the heavens, vaporizing the clouds.
Without any elaborate incantations or magic circles, the spell’s sheer power spoke for itself.
Kraush suddenly felt it: Abella was indeed the infamous Red Witch at the pinnacle of the magical world.
But more than that, it was Aria.
“Aria, what’s happening?!”
Kraush, having retreated to give Aria space, hastily checked her condition.
Aria still stood there, gathering her hair with her hands.
And the moment she locked eyes with Kraush, he saw her tear-filled gaze.
The emotion in her eyes was something Kraush had never witnessed in Aria before.
“Aria?”
Confused, as he called her name again, Aria’s hands opened and then closed tightly.
It was a reaction that clearly indicated she didn’t want him to open his hands any further.
Instead, she slowly reached out and grasped her own collar tightly.
Then she bit her rose-colored lips.
Her shoulders trembled pitifully.
And yet, her lips wore a heart-wrenching smile tainted with tears.
“…You idiot. Who’s Kraud?”
Then came a revelation that caused Kraush’s eyes to widen.
He understood what those words meant.
Kraud.
That was a pseudonym Kraush had occasionally used.
“Demonic Bastion”—the name he had used when he met Aria in the realm between worlds.
Kraush froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
For reasons he couldn’t comprehend, events from the Demonic Bastion came rushing back through Aria’s memories.
At the same time, he realized when Aria had regained her memories.
Just after Kraush had unleashed his white flame.
Aria had cried out in terror at the sight of him.
‘Could it be that everything from the Demonic Bastion was stored within Aura?’
And upon meeting Aria, they had pieced together the fragments of those memories?
That was completely unexpected.
Things had suddenly gotten complicated.
“Aria…”
Kraush began to worry as Aria prepared to say something.
Suddenly, an intense heat radiated above their heads.
Abella stood with her staff raised high.
Hundreds of magic circles surrounded her.
The sky above began to rain meteors of absurd size.
Taking advantage of Aria’s distraction, Abella had revealed her plans.
“That crazy woman.”
Was she truly planning to obliterate this entire island?
Kraush glanced at the meteors descending and at Abella, who had summoned them.
While Abella initiated her attack, Kraush realized he could counter these meteors now.
As he drew his sword, Abella nonchalantly brushed her staff aside.
She turned to face Kraush and spoke slowly.
“All the doppelgangers I’ve scattered around the world have cast the same spell.”
But when he heard her next statement, Kraush’s eyes widened.
The meteor displayed above them was merely a demonstration of power.
The real threat lay elsewhere.
“It’s mostly toward the defensive line of the Kingdom of Jeblam. Confirm with your immortal companion.”
“What the hell, you—!”
As a curse nearly escaped his lips, Kraush began to charge.
But Abella raised her staff, as if daring him to listen.
She had clearly prepared this moment intentionally.
“The trade is simple. Hand Aria over.”
“What?”
Yet, her next words veered completely away from what Kraush had anticipated.
What the heck was she talking about? Hand over Aria?!
As uncertainties crossed Kraush’s face, Aria was already walking across the water.
“Aria!”
Kraush hastily shouted her name, grabbing her shoulder.
But Aria placed her hand briefly on his shoulder and then slowly pushed him away.
“Kraush, if the defensive line falls, the Kingdom of Jeblam will be inundated, burying countless commoners.”
Upon hearing that, Kraush hesitated.
Aria gazed at him with unwavering sincerity.
“…Aria, Abella’s only out to use you. You know what will happen if you go along with this, right? And she’s not the Abella you once knew.”
Certainly, Aria wouldn’t be blind to Abella’s true intentions.
But carrying the memories from the Demonic Bastion, Aria shook her head.
“What you want to protect isn’t me, it’s the world.”
Kraush’s words were literally dashed by her next statement.
“Don’t worry. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Above all…”
Aria seemed to know what troubled Kraush as she gazed at him.
“There’s no reincarnation for me anymore.”
At her words, Kraush’s eyes widened.
Abella was not after Aria; she was targeting the reincarnation.
Upon consideration, if she could capture Aria now, she could potentially gain her own reincarnation.
But she hadn’t done so, even after attempting to create Aria into World Erosion’s deity.
That was because there was no reincarnation left for the current Aria.
The time Aria would gain her reincarnation would be when she was in her twenties.
However, Kraush aimed to seize her, overtaking her reincarnation at a time when Aria was just fourteen.
In other words, in this timeline, Aria’s chance for reincarnation never originally existed.
To have Aria possess a reincarnation from the outset, the cycle wherein she first obtained it must be present.
This crucial point had led to the annulment of her reincarnation.
Aria’s current age was nineteen.
She would turn twenty next year.
Kraush finally realized why Abella had set her sights on Aria once more.
It was likely out of consideration for the possibility that Aria might regain her reincarnation.
Moreover, Abella was fully aware that Kraush wouldn’t just leave behind Aria with fragments of her reincarnation.
Realizing he had fallen into Abella’s cunning trap, Kraush stood staring at her with fierce determination, while Aria walked calmly towards Abella.
He wanted to grab her, but he couldn’t act rashly.
If Abella rained her magic down on the Kingdom, it would signal doom.
Next time, he might absolutely be ready, but this time, he could not prepare.
“Abella, cancel all your spells.”
Aria stood beside Abella.
Upon hearing her demands, Abella waved her staff with a flourish.
[…It’s gone.]
Came the reply from Crimson Garden.
As Kraush finished confirming, he glared silently at Abella, who then lightly nudged Aria.
In an instant, chains of magic ensnared Aria’s body.
Then, Abella narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on Kraush.
Kraush’s eyes were distinctly filled with fury.
The next time they met, he would certainly kill Abella.
He felt that resolve so intensely.
“Kraush.”
Abella called out to him briefly before slamming her staff into the ground.
At that moment, space magic took shape beneath her feet.
“Let’s see whether you can sort out the Kingdom of Jeblam before Aria’s reincarnation.”
With that, a chilling smile spread across Abella’s face as she regarded Kraush.
“Aren’t you curious?”
Whoosh!
After uttering those words, both Aria and Abella vanished.
Simultaneously, the space magic set in place also faded away.
Yet the meteors still fell.
Kugugugugh!
With the intent to obliterate the island, a meteor rained down.
Kraush’s forehead was already adorned with horns in response to this calamity.
“…Abella!”
Kraush yelled her name, releasing his wrath through every fiber of his being.
And from Kraush’s drawn sword, flames erupted into the air.
Kwangwawawang!
Kraush severed the massive meteor barreling toward the island in a fiery blaze while burning with anger.
Abella had taken Aria away.
And it was Aria who carried the memories from the Demonic Bastion through Kraush.
Kraush couldn’t allow this to stand.
‘Curiosity, huh?’
Go screw yourself.
On the day he sorted out the entire Kingdom of Jeblam.
That would be Abella’s funeral.
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