Chapter: 142
Hearing that Kraush had gone to the arena.
The former president, Mary Diana, rushed back from her mission toward the arena training ground.
She was making an effort to get close to Kraush, following Sigrid’s orders.
In the middle of all this, Kraush was moving to the arena training ground with none other than Durandal.
At Rahern Academy, the only occasion for moving alongside Durandal was for something significant.
That meant opinion submission at Rahern Academy.
‘This is my chance.’
Regardless of Kraush’s intentions, the opponent was Durandal.
In Mary’s eyes, no matter how much Kraush had grown, submitting an opinion was pushing it.
‘If he fails, I’ll just take over and present his opinion.’
Recently, Mary had been completely focused on training.
Ever since her reincarnation, she had essentially wasted her time.
Most of her time had been spent searching for Arthur, and then she was locked up in prison.
So she had practically no time to train.
However, since enrolling at the academy, Mary had entered serious training mode.
She was naturally talented, capable of unprecedented skill, earning her the title of “Shin Chang.”
Her innate talent quickly absorbed her past memories of reincarnation.
It’s no wonder she was able to train hard while gobbling down lessons from the Lion’s Order led by Charlotte.
As a result, Mary achieved astonishing growth in just a few days.
‘At this point…’
She could bring favor to Kraush and build a strong bond with him.
Mary didn’t like the way Kraush pointed out her every action and restrained her.
But now, she didn’t care about that.
Her relationship with Kraush had gone back to square one due to her reincarnation.
Now she was only thinking about how to get closer to him all day long.
It was to the point where she was brainstorming ways to get close to Kraush even more than Arthur.
Just as she entered the arena training ground…
“Why is it so hot?”
She felt a scorching heat that made her want to strip off her uniform jacket.
Because of that heat, the eyes of the kids watching the arena were drawn to her chest area.
When she repeatedly fanned herself and entered the spectator section, she saw black flames rising to the sky.
At the center of those flames stood Kraush.
However, upon seeing him, her expression turned to one of panic.
‘Uh, how…?’
The energy radiating from Kraush was so intense it nearly stole her breath away.
Just seeing him from this distance was enough to make her hesitate with such overwhelming energy.
As she looked at Kraush, it became clear.
She couldn’t handle him at her current level.
‘I thought it would be enough…’
Of course, she had only recently started serious training.
She had just taken her first steps.
But those first steps didn’t happen in a day.
It would take at least three years for her to fully regain her power.
In fact, she wanted to recover her strength while attending Rahern Academy.
But upon seeing Kraush, all those thoughts crumbled.
‘No.’
She couldn’t afford to think so lightly.
Sigrid’s task of surpassing him was no small feat to achieve in just three years.
‘I need to get stronger, and fast.’
Mary firmly felt this as she witnessed Kraush today.
He would continue to grow.
Relentlessly, without pause.
Mary bit her lip.
Somehow, her legs felt weak.
Could she possibly grow stronger before him?
After experiencing countless challenges, her self-esteem had shattered, and she found it hard to trust her own abilities now.
Doubts began to gnaw at her slowly.
If she fell behind in her only advantage…
Would Sigrid abandon her?
And what about Arthur, too?
“Ah, ugh.”
With tears welling in her eyes, Mary bit her lip tightly.
It was terrifying.
She was afraid.
The realization that she could end up all alone at any moment struck her with overwhelming fear and anxiety.
Before she knew it, she was even gnawing at her own nails.
‘I must get stronger, stronger, stronger!’
So she wouldn’t be abandoned.
‘And I must surpass Kraush.’
Mary’s obsidian-like eyes were fixated solely on Kraush.
One thought burned fiercely in her heart: she must surpass him.
At this point, she had no idea what kind of feelings Sigrid harbored.
*
In front of the roaring black flames.
Durandal faced Kraush, his eyes bulging.
He was well aware of Kraush’s power.
The intense black flames were practically radiating warmth even to Durandal.
Yet, separating that from the situation, he couldn’t accept this at all.
“I thought he was a gem.”
The raw gem was melting down its value due to the overwhelming heat.
He felt regret.
And on another note, various thoughts crossed his mind.
The power flowing from Kraush’s body was undeniably reminiscent of a curse.
In that moment, it felt like World Erosion as well, but the fire burning seemed more like a skill.
Naturally, it made sense.
The power of World Erosion acquired through Annihilation Erosion was ignited by Ignis.
‘I don’t know how he acquired such power.’
But there was no doubt that this approach would wreck both body and spirit.
Having come through countless crises, Durandal had seen many like Kraush.
And he knew well that those who didn’t care for their bodies often didn’t end well.
“That’s why I established this academy.”
Durandal lightly cracked his knuckles.
“I thought it was necessary for young ones to learn to take care of themselves.”
That reminded him of an old acquaintance.
Someone who didn’t spare their body, burning bright enough to repel even the strongest Goldbeasts.
“Come on.”
As he reminisced, he reflected on his duty to make the youth strong enough to prevent another like that from arising.
So he wasn’t going to let Kraush fizzle out either.
At the moment he invited him in, Kraush stood silently clutching Rain Thunder for some reason.
When Durandal wondered why there was no reaction from Kraush…
His eyes fell upon Rain Thunder.
The sword, enveloped in black flames, was quietly being gripped.
The lightning swirling above it caught Durandal’s eye.
His thick brows twitched.
The strength flowing from Kraush was so intense it took him a moment to notice it.
“Ho ho.”
Durandal chuckled lightly.
Kraush was concentrating all the uncontrollable power in one place.
And that place was none other than Rain Thunder.
He was so focused on that point that he couldn’t even hear Durandal’s words.
In that heat, he must be feeling his body burning away.
It was an inhuman level of focus.
Smartly, Kraush knew Durandal wouldn’t attack first, which is why he pulled this stunt.
What on earth was making him so resilient?
Durandal pondered while exhaling.
In turn, his aura began to surge.
The late bloomer was concentrating so hard to show his strength.
If that were the case, it was the teacher’s responsibility to absorb it fully.
Durandal’s aura flowed into the stillness.
His technique, known as “Silence,” allowed him to battle in unparalleled calm.
The gray ashes began to gather around Durandal’s arm.
At the same time, his body swelled even more.
Now he felt almost like a giant.
The presence of the late bloomer grew significantly.
All of this was to genuinely accept Kraush’s strike.
At that moment, a fiery passion ignited in his heart.
The skill “Grit.”
A technique to raise one’s fighting spirit was essentially plain as can be.
But it had its merits.
It was that unbreakable fortitude not to be mentally defeated.
Once raised, that fighting spirit never extinguished.
That unswerving toughness sometimes possessed a strength beyond comprehension.
And it was currently the skill Kraush yearned for the most.
With “Grit,” he could endure the true powers of the Heavenly Murder and Annihilation Erosion!
‘Not yet.’
Durandal’s skills couldn’t be stolen on a whim.
So Kraush decided to solely focus on the present.
The two mighty forces clashed vehemently against each other.
Before Durandal, Kraush was testing his limits.
This was the first time using Nox to its full extent.
And maybe that’s why he felt like a fire dancing in the night.
Right now, he was a flame gliding through the night.
A flame that would never extinguish, continuously burning.
And as Kraush’s spirit elevated, that flame swelled even larger.
Finally, just as that flame became massive enough to engulf the night…
Kraush poured the fire that devoured the night wholly into Rain Thunder.
Inside the scabbard of lightning.
The black flame that swallowed the night began to pulse.
As if condensing everything he had learned so far.
The surging power soon became too powerful to bear.
Thud—
Cold sweat poured down Kraush’s forehead.
The crimson smoke that emanated from his mouth revealed how hard he was pushing himself.
However, Kraush suppressed the strength within the scabbard, fighting against it.
Thud—
To pour everything into a single strike.
To convincingly persuade Durandal.
Kraush contained the finest power he could give today.
Boom—
And when the deep red moon inside Kraush was swallowed by the black flames…
Crack!
With the sound of Rain Thunder shattering, the black flames that engulfed the red moon finally came to the world.
Annihilation Erosion.
The Fifth Style.
Devastation of Heaven, Moon, and Fire.
The storm of black flames that bloomed from the night swept through the arena.
Those witnessing the tempest were left speechless, jaws dropped.
The power was so intense it reached the spectator stands.
A special defensive magic had been cast on the viewing platform of the arena.
It was to guard against potential strikes coming from the arena training ground.
However, this defensive magic swayed violently due to the aura of Kraush’s black flames.
Blam!
It wasn’t just that.
The defensive magic placed by a renowned wizard began to crack under the pressure.
As they observed the cracked defenses that looked like they could shatter at any moment, the kids in Kraush’s threat radius felt a chill.
Had it broken, they might have been swept away in that inferno.
“Is that kind of attack even possible?”
“Is he really fifteen? That’s not the kind of output you’d expect from a late bloomer.”
The kids mumbled dumbfoundedly.
Kraush’s strike had left a profound impact on their minds.
In the sizzling black flames.
Durandal stood tall.
It felt as if he had been struck by high-level magic.
For the first time in a while, he felt his skin heat up.
What Kraush demonstrated far exceeded the output of any sword.
How could such power have been concentrated on a single point?
Durandal glanced at his burning arm through the ripped cloth.
It had indeed been a while since his retirement.
His arm felt sore and stiff.
‘I didn’t expect to be so shocked by my students.’
Even the famed Charlotte couldn’t output this level.
Her swordsmanship, impressive enough to be called genius, still had nothing on Kraush’s singular strike.
Durandal judged that this power was not meant to be used against people.
Within the realm of World Erosion.
Even high-output magic could withstand creatures of rank ten or higher.
There was no doubt Kraush’s strike was forged to counter such Erosion beings.
So the direction of the swordsmanship Kraush and Charlotte aimed for differed completely.
It was fascinating how the siblings had such diverging paths in their approaches to swordsmanship.
‘What a rarity.’
He swallowed a bitter laugh.
While Kraush was pouring his all into wielding such power, he also felt an urge to nurture him even more.
‘If I enhance his shine before the color fades, that would be enough.’
Durandal moved through the dissipating flames.
The flames were gradually disappearing.
Having unleashed such output, Kraush must have burned himself out as promised.
Durandal intended to carry him directly to the infirmary.
Whoosh!
In that moment, a sword suddenly flew in through the black flames.
As Durandal reflexively deflected the sword with his hand…
He suddenly realized it was Rain Thunder.
His eyes widened.
He could still move after unleashing that output?
Smack!
Kraush flew out from the black flames, thrusting both hands forward.
Kraush was a total wreck.
His body was in tatters due to using the “Destruction of Heaven’s Power.”
But despite that, it seemed his mental focus was unchanged as he squeezed out every last bit of strength to thrust at Durandal.
In that instant, the Black Hood activated in Kraush’s hand.
The golden blade that sprung from Rain Thunder’s hilt reached Durandal.
SNAP!
Yet the might within Rain Thunder was incomplete.
As soon as the blade touched Durandal’s side, it merely cracked and broke.
And at that moment, Kraush’s consciousness finally faded away.
Having wrung out the power of aura to manifest the blade, it was the expected outcome.
Durandal caught Kraush’s body before he could hit the ground.
“……I see I had been mistaken.”
Durandal revised his earlier comparison between his former comrades and Kraush.
“That kid was more of a rare breed.”
It was a momentary laugh of disbelief for someone who had seen lots in his lifetime.
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