### Chapter: 434
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
After hearing shocking news about them, Kraush’s expression became complicated.
He never imagined that beings he thought were created for world erosion were actually from another realm.
‘So, is that why the Water God didn’t know about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?’
Maios, being affiliated with the Partes, had first-hand knowledge.
Gods who operated separately and weren’t part of the supreme gods might just be clueless about the Four Horsemen.
After all, they weren’t created; they were invaders from another world.
‘Now I understand why the Thief Goddess didn’t bother touching the Four Horsemen.’
Even for her, the Four Horsemen were probably not the kind of entities one would want to mess with lightly.
‘So, is that why they summoned me?’
Kraush had a serious grudge against the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
She might know how to defeat them if Kraush was by her side.
‘The real problem is that the Thief Goddess hasn’t shown her face since then.’
Where had she disappeared to?
If she called him, at least she could pop in for a quick hello.
‘Still, I can’t shake the feeling she’ll show up again soon.’
Maios mentioned that it was a common ability among gods to have prophetic insights.
When they get a feeling about something, it usually turns out to be accurate.
“The only times it doesn’t work out is when other high-tier gods intervene,” he noted.
That would be considered a natural disaster, so even Maios had no control over it.
Kraush wished he had some vibe about Aria.
Unfortunately, that side of things remained silent.
He could only vaguely assume that she was fine.
Knowing what Kraush had seen of her, she was not the kind to die easily.
The question was whether that belief was based purely on faith in Aria or something more divine.
‘Ultimately, it seems I have to put off dealing with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for now.’
Indeed, even in the divine realm, there were endless hurdles to face.
“I’ll need to find and absorb power from places without high-tier gods.”
Listening to Maios explain the location of the divine realm, Kraush decided where to go next.
For the time being, he’d wander various spots in the divine realm, focusing solely on nurturing his star.
‘After training my whole life to get stronger, and now I still have to train more. Life really knows how to tease!’
The struggle for advancement had become a never-ending journey.
From that day onwards, Kraush began traversing through the divine realm.
Good powers were usually occupied by high-tier gods.
He used stealth to find suitable spots, repeatedly absorbing power without being detected.
As a result, Kraush was experiencing rapid growth.
His star was getting bigger every day, and he was expanding the range of power he could harness.
Maybe that’s why he recalled the times when he was absorbing power in the Gold Sky World.
Those days when he hopped around the Gold Sky World boosting his strength to stand against Abella.
It was tough, but also a time focused purely on progress.
The fact that these memories resurfaced suggested the path he was on now was quite challenging as well.
After all, this was a journey to completely divide the middle realm from the divine realm.
Time flew by.
Given the divine realm’s mixed-up timeline, Kraush couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but he vaguely sensed that quite a while had gone by.
Every now and then, he heard through the Crimson Garden, reminding him how he wished to return to the middle realm soon.
And finally, as the power of his star reached its peak, Kraush started to feel the need to absorb more than just the divine realm’s power.
‘Not being able to absorb the core of power, like in the Gold Sky World, was becoming a bottleneck.’
The concentrated powers in the divine realm were occupied by high-tier gods.
Consequently, he could only access shallow areas to absorb power, and he had hit a limit as a result.
‘I’m still no match for high-tier gods.’
Kraush thought of Inferno, the only high-tier god he had encountered, and pondered deeply.
Without absorbing the core power, he couldn’t move to the next level.
Should he gamble on absorbing power while avoiding the eyes of high-tier gods?
Or should he turn up the heat on hunting mid-tier gods like before?
Lost in thought, Kraush suddenly heard an unexpected message.
[ Kraush, the Lower World Gate shows signs of opening again. ]
Kraush frowned immediately upon hearing from the Crimson Garden.
That was the gate that had previously failed to open thanks to Kraush and the Thief Goddess.
The gods were still unwilling to wave the white flag, intent on opening the gate to bring world erosion.
‘They just don’t know when to stop.’
Kraush felt acutely aware that time wasn’t infinite.
If he couldn’t separate the divine realm from the middle realm soon.
The gods would find a way to intervene and bring world erosion, one way or another.
In the end, they might even resort to more extreme measures.
“Maios, do you know the location of the Lower World Gate?”
“Yes, I’ve received news on my end too. This time, they seem to be summoning mid-tier gods to witness it.”
Maios was, after all, affiliated with Partes.
With his separate communication network, he had been able to confirm the latest news.
Last time, they hurriedly assembled only low-tier gods, which didn’t go very well since they got wiped out in a snap.
This time, they planned to include mid-tier gods to make sure the Lower World Gate opened.
“What’s the plan?”
“Come on, that’s obvious.”
They had to block the gate.
Upon hearing Kraush’s firm resolve, Maios looked like he had an epiphany.
“Speaking of which, Kraush, didn’t you mention that you’re short on power for growth?”
“That’s right.”
“The Lower World Gate is a passage opened by high-tier gods, so it contains more power than your average world.”
Kraush understood where Maios was heading with this.
Since their contract, Maios had been thoroughly assisting him to break free from the binding ties.
Thus, his advice was genuine and incredibly useful.
“Draining power from the Lower World Gate—that’s the idea, right?”
“Yes, there’s a risk involved, but…”
“There’s definitely value in trying.”
High-tier gods merely open the gate.
Unlike last time, they wouldn’t personally show up.
If they planned to make an appearance, they wouldn’t be allowing mid-tier gods to witness it.
Thus, the whole plan to hijack the Lower World Gate came together in Kraush’s mind.
Quietly, he narrowed his eyes in determination.
He would block the middle realm’s intervention while simultaneously stealing the Lower World Gate.
*
Meanwhile, at the location where the Lower World Gate was reopening.
On the yellow grasslands.
From a bit of a distance, Kraush observed the gods with a complicated expression on his face.
It made sense; half of what Maios said was true, and half was false.
“That’s just embarrassing.”
Even Maios seemed taken aback, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.
Kraush didn’t blame him entirely.
Of course, he couldn’t have predicted that a ‘candidate for high-tier god’ would arrive.
In front of the Lower World Gate.
One of the mid-tier gods sat on a chair, exuding an air of arrogance.
She looked like a short woman at first glance, but the horns sprouting from her head and the peculiar tail she had told another story.
The aura surrounding her was clearly far beyond that of mid-tier gods.
Her name was Verita.
Among mid-tier gods, she stood out as a future high-tier god.
While she might not be comparable to the galaxy itself, one could feel the immense power of countless stars emanating from her.
With a title like ‘candidate,’ it was evident in a short time she would surely rise to become a high-tier god.
Mid-tier gods were scrambling around trying to butter her up, eager to make a good impression.
But she treated them with indifference, filtering them out in her boredom and superiority.
There was no need to mention the low-tier gods waiting in front of the Lower World Gate.
They looked tense, unable to utter a sound, feeling nervous just standing before such higher entities.
If they made the slightest mistake, it was certain they would meet their end at the hands of these mid-tier and high-tier candidates.
In such a situation, Kraush found himself deep in thought.
‘If it comes to a fight, I won’t back down.’
Sure, it was a different story when it came to high-tier gods.
But Kraush had a few skills up his sleeve.
‘The number of stars may not allow me to restrict like other mid-tier gods… but…’
He didn’t feel defeated.
The only issue would be if he faced her one-on-one.
When vying against Verita, the mid-tier gods wouldn’t stand idly by.
They’d likely throw themselves at him fiercely on her behalf.
‘Sure, mid-tier gods with restrictions might be manageable…’
But ones with no limitations would definitely become a nuisance.
Facing multiple opponents, even Kraush knew it would be a challenge.
So as he pondered, Kraush’s gaze landed on the Lower World Gate.
Then, he paused and stroked his chin.
“Maios.”
“Yes?”
“Can you also participate as a mid-tier god observer?”
When Kraush asked, Maios blinked in surprise.
He looked at Verita and then nodded.
“Yes, that should be possible.”
A single additional mid-tier god wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.
“If that’s the case, can we send one more low-tier god to the Lower World Gate under the guise of a guide?”
That question made Maios’s expression grow complicated.
After a few minutes of deliberation, he nodded.
“…Yes, I think it would likely go unnoticed.”
Maios scrutinized Kraush closely.
Kraush’s star had grown considerably since back then.
Even if he insisted on being a low-tier god, it probably wouldn’t hold water.
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
Kraush wasn’t just shooting in the dark.
He had a plan.
“I’ll create a small new star and hide it behind that facade.”
To the naked eye, it would appear as a tiny star that could easily deceive.
However, hidden behind that small star would be an utterly unmatched force.
“Will we be able to avoid Verita’s notice?”
“If we’re caught, then we’re in for an all-out war. It would be a gamble for me as well.”
“…Then what happens to me?”
Kraush glanced at Maios before crossing his legs.
He intended to forge that new star right then and there.
“Just think of it as a wrong turn you took.”
Maios’s face twisted at that thought.
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