Chapter: 157
Gladiator.
He was currently feeling incredibly disgruntled about the situation.
Until he faced Rai, he had been quite pleased.
It had been a long time since he’d fought someone this strong, which made it interesting.
However, everything was ruined the moment that guy appeared.
In the Blood Heaven, a space meant for a one-on-one fight, the sudden intruders had put Gladiator in a very foul mood.
Losing one arm and getting himself burned to a crisp—of course, he was feeling quite irritated.
Now, that foul mood was spiraling even further.
Amidst the storm of Emperor’s Destruction, a dancer appeared, wielding her sword with the grace of a goddess.
She attacked Gladiator as if she knew for sure that the Emperor’s Destruction Sword wouldn’t harm her.
And true to her expectations, the sword actually opened up a way for her.
In dangerous moments, it forced a block, and during attacks, it created opportunities to strike with finesse.
And that finesse was entirely due to Rai’s skills.
It was an impressive swordsmanship that could make anyone stick out their tongue in awe.
“Damn it, there are no more openings.”
Rai’s swordplay was originally specialized for dealing with World Eroders.
If we were to limit it to battling World Eroders, Rai could easily be the best of the Ten Great Lords.
But because of that, he had some shortcomings when it came to individual combat.
Thus, it took a significant amount of time to fully suppress Gladiator.
Yet now, the situation had changed drastically.
With Seina Meyer by his side, battling alongside Rai, they formed a powerhouse duo.
While she might not match the Ten Great Lords, she definitely lived up to the title of a strong fighter.
The synergy between her and Rai was beyond imagination.
Rai specialized in hunting World Eroders, while Seina excelled in direct combat.
Together, Seina was darting around the battlefield, driving Gladiator to the brink yet again, severing another part of his body.
Gladiator gritted his teeth as yet another slice was taken from his side by Seina’s swift blade.
But at that moment, Rai’s sword descended to block his path.
Rai’s Emperor’s Destruction Sword boasted incredible space control.
In addition, its resilience was such that even Gladiator’s Blood Blade couldn’t cut through it.
What else would you expect?
The sword Rai wielded possessed the properties of the hardest ore in the world: adamantium.
Rai’s skill, Lepetent.
This skill allowed him to manifest desired forms using the aura imbued in the minerals he held.
The Emperor’s Destruction Sword was born from the fusion of that skill and Rai’s swordsmanship.
Dozens of these swords floated above in the sky.
Just seeing that made it clear how tremendous Rai’s aura was.
However, there was something that bothered Gladiator even more than that.
As he pulled back, he felt a chilling presence, prompting him to swing his Blood Blade instinctively.
Yet all he hit was air.
Frustration bubbled on Gladiator’s face as he swung at the empty space.
The reason for this irrational outburst was simple.
It was Kraush, who had been stealthily approaching and striking him from hiding since earlier.
Considering that unsettling presence he felt before, Kraush had intentionally revealed himself for a moment before retreating.
Gladiator’s aim was to weaken him.
“This bastard!”
Gladiator, usually calm, yelled out in fury.
But time wasn’t on his side.
A fresh slice from Rai’s Emperor’s Destruction Sword was falling down from above once again.
There was no chance to catch a breather while he was still wounded.
While Gladiator possessed a degree of self-healing, it slowed to a crawl when using the Blood Blade.
Because the Bloody Blade siphoned off his life force.
But he couldn’t just drop it; it would be like abandoning his weapon.
Gladiator’s mind was racing.
The situation was clearly not in his favor.
It felt as if Ebelasque had betrayed him.
Regardless of the importance of absorbing the power of World Erosion for Ixion’s goal, being pushed back this hard made him forget his priorities.
Survival was the name of the game here.
His life had to come first.
That was Gladiator’s survival strategy.
“Black Witch!”
Gladiator screamed, his voice tearing through the air.
“I’ve done enough already!”
Behind him, a black space twisted.
The Black Witch seemed to respect Gladiator’s desire.
The contorted black space began to take shape.
At that moment, another Emperor’s Destruction Sword came crashing down toward him.
Simultaneously, Seina charged in like a lightning bolt.
They had already sensed his attempt to escape.
But it was too late.
“Creeping again, are we?”
Gladiator’s Blood Blade started to swell ominously.
Blood sprayed from his arm as the blade let out a grotesque sound.
“Guuaah!”
He swung the rotating Blood Blade towards Seina, who had rushed in first.
“Ugh!”
Seina sensed the immense power coming from it and quickly pulled back, but a few strands of her hair were caught and sliced away.
Gladiator tried to take advantage of the moment to deal a fatal blow to Seina, but the Emperor’s Destruction Sword was perilously near overhead.
So he twisted his sword to swing at the Emperor’s Destruction Sword instead.
KABOOM!
The Emperor’s Destruction Sword clashed with Gladiator’s Blood Blade, sparking flames.
KABANG!
The spinning blade began to grind against the lethal edge of the Emperor’s sword.
Clearly, this was no ordinary sword; it was tough enough not to be easily outmatched.
HURRY!
Gladiator narrowly dodged the Emperor’s Destruction Sword, which then buried itself into the ground.
Meanwhile, the Black Witch’s space travel was nearing completion.
Other Emperor’s Destruction Swords were closing in, but Gladiator decided to ignore them.
Given Ebelasque’s betrayal regarding the absorption of World Erosion, he couldn’t afford to be too sentimental.
His life was what mattered most.
With that in mind, Gladiator turned his back.
“Black Witch.”
In that moment.
A voice echoed behind Gladiator, causing him to halt abruptly.
Because it was Kraush’s voice.
The very one who had dealt him such a nasty card.
He spoke the name of the Black Witch like he knew her.
Gladiator’s eyes turned involuntarily back.
And there was Kraush, surrounded by thunder, smirking for some reason.
Gladiator’s eyebrows twitched at that smile.
Kraush raised one hand, which was not holding his lightning sword, slowly.
Before Gladiator could even question it, a flicker of blue flames blossomed from his raised hand.
That was nothing but pure Ignis formed from his aura.
As Gladiator’s expression morphed into confusion, a sound of space opening behind him reverberated.
Feeling that this wasn’t the time for distractions, Gladiator immediately tried to throw himself into the space.
What reflected in Gladiator’s eyes was a colossal, pitch-black squid tentacle.
With a thundering crash!
Before Gladiator could even comprehend, dozens of swollen squid tentacles burst forth, tearing through the black space and spilling out.
“What the hell, Black Witch!?”
Gladiator shouted in surprise at the sudden turn of events.
Understandably so; the tentacles had completely blocked his escape route.
Yet, despite his desperate cries, the raging tentacles lunged toward Kraush.
In an instant, his vision turned into a sea of ominous darkness, dominated by the massive tentacles, solely focused on capturing Kraush.
This was vital for the Black Witch and her need for Ignis.
But Kraush merely observed without taking action.
He simply exhaled deeply, causing his eyes to glow.
“It’s time.”
The moment Kraush uttered those words, a short ringing sound echoed, followed by a light-based sword zipping past his head.
It ignited as it struck the tentacles.
BOOM!
In that split second, the squid tentacles exploded like ink bursting forth.
The radiant sword shot in a straight line toward Gladiator.
“Ugh!?”
Gladiator swallowed hard, faced with the unforeseen situation, and lashed out with his Blood Blade.
Caught off guard by the Black Witch’s sudden initiative, he failed to evade in time.
KABANG!
And that turned out to be a colossal blunder.
The striking light sword pushed aside the Blood Blade and shoved Gladiator back simultaneously.
The overwhelming might of the light sword forced a scream from Gladiator’s lips.
If not for the Blood Blade, it would have shattered and been wedged into his body.
THUD!
Gladiator’s back slammed against the ground, colliding with the Emperor’s Destruction Sword.
But the impact barely registered against the crushing strength coming from the radiance of the sword.
The remaining arm was already in a disastrous state.
Now, the other arm was straining, as if it would scream in agony too.
The light escaping from the sword bewildered Gladiator’s senses.
He felt like he was about to merge with the Emperor’s Destruction Sword.
Blood rushed through Gladiator’s body like a wild river, fueling the power of the Blood Blade.
KABANG!
His muscles bulged, fighting against the light sword as he tried to push it away.
His body turned a deep crimson, his blood boiling with raw power.
“Black, Witch!”
He yelled, cursing the Black Witch for her chaotic actions.
He had no idea what kind of madness had overtaken her, but what she did was tantamount to abandoning him.
And just then—
Thud—
He heard something—clear footsteps.
Following the sound, his eyes widened as a familiar figure emerged.
It was Kraush, smoke billowing from his mouth, sword in hand, and his hair turning fiery red.
Flames ignited within Kraush once more, surging forth from the thunder he gripped.
Zap!
Lightning danced around the sword, sparks flying as ferocious heat clashed against each other, amplifying the energy.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Gladiator’s heart began to race wildly.
Crisis, crisis, crisis, crisis.
An alarm blared inside his head.
The light pressing down on him felt like it could crush his Blood Blade and arm at any moment.
In a situation like this, taking another direct hit was death.
It was obvious that if he lost focus, the light sword would tear through his heart.
He absolutely couldn’t allow Kraush’s strike.
“Black, Witch, Black Witch!”
Desperately, Gladiator called out for the Black Witch as if searching for his mother.
But no response came in return.
His blood-red eyes convulsed with rage as he watched Kraush approach step by step like a grim reaper.
“Get away, you bastard! Don’t come any closer!”
Even with the insults, Kraush was calm.
In this moment, he was focused solely on his sword.
As the dark flames whirled around him, they transformed into a surging torrent.
And that torrent reached the heavens, finally arriving at Kraush’s lightning sword.
Boom!
When the thunder-like sound echoed, the scabbard surrounding Kraush’s sword shattered.
“YOU BASTARD!”
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