### Chapter: 170
In the forest of the mid-term evaluation venue.
Zooming through the forest at high speed was none other than Kraush Balheim.
His blue hair fluttered as he dashed along.
“Chik, chiik, chik!”
Suddenly, the half-dead rat in his pocket began to squeal like it was auditioning for a horror movie.
If we had to translate its cries, it would probably be along the lines of “I’m dying over here!”
What a noisy little corpse, considering it’s already kicked the bucket.
Ping!
At that moment, the rat flopped out of his pocket, flying through the air.
Kraush caught the rat mid-flight and tossed it back into his pocket.
“Seriously, couldn’t you have just quit chasing me?”
He scolded the corpse-rat while simultaneously changing direction, pulling Rain Thunder Prime from his belt.
Why? Because his gut feeling kicked in.
“Kieeeek!”
Out of nowhere, a screeching Erosion Beast appeared before him.
With a round body and hundreds of flailing arms, a head with almost no hair popped out unexpectedly.
This abomination was ugly enough to make anyone recoil, and it lunged at Kraush, snapping trees in half like they were toothpicks.
The bracelet on Kraush’s wrist glowed crimson.
An average level 5 Erosion Beast—just about the limit for most students.
But the moment he faced this creature, Kraush’s Rain Thunder transformed into a golden hue.
As black flames surged from him like a fiery eruption.
He took a brief breath.
Boom!
With the force of his kick sending him off, his sword shot forward in a straight line, ripping apart all the beast’s arms.
The black flames exploding from his sword were too strong for a level 5 Erosion Beast to withstand.
Smash!
In the aftermath of the torn-up arms, Kraush’s sword drove straight into the beast’s grotesque face.
“Kiiik, eeeek…”
Before the Erosion Beast could even think about retaliating, its blood vaporized in the heat of the flames.
But Kraush wasn’t planning to stop there.
Slashee!
He swung his sword upward, cleaving the Erosion Beast in half from head to toe.
The absurd heat in the blade was beyond what its frail body could endure.
It all happened in the span of 2 seconds.
Having barely spent 2 seconds on a level 5 Erosion Beast, Kraush didn’t stop to admire his handiwork but continued charging ahead, with the numbers on his bracelet counting up.
If it were any other student, they would have spent all their exam time battling that beast.
But for Kraush, level 5 Erosion Beasts had become mere child’s play.
If he was struggling at full health, it would be a waste of all his training till now.
Ding!
Just then, an alert chime rang, and the color of the bracelet changed on his wrist.
Orange.
He had crossed into the Orange Line.
“Almost there!”
Kraush’s goal was the Red Line.
So even as he entered the orange zone, there was no hint of tension on his face.
Boom!
At that moment, the ground shook ominously.
The reverberation traveled right under Kraush’s feet, and he immediately kicked off the ground, soaring into the air.
Shatter!
At the same time, the ground beneath him crumbled, and tree roots started thrusting upward.
The rising roots began obliterating the ground, causing chaos in their wake.
Meanwhile, among the tangled mass of roots.
A black, spiky creature with glowing red eyes revealed itself.
A level 6 Erosion Beast, known as a Bottler—a plant-type monster with roots spreading 1km wide, devouring everything in its path.
Seeing this, Kraush couldn’t help but chuckle.
Though magically conjured, this was a bit excessive, don’t you think?
“Yeah, they’re not gonna just let me stroll to the Red Line, are they?”
From his Rain Thunder, dark energy began spilling forth.
There was no way he could just walk past the Bottler.
So he made up his mind to deal with it first.
Just as Kraush was about to strike down the Bottler, though, his sixth sense tingled.
[They’re here.]
At that moment, Crimson Garden spoke up in his head, and Kraush turned his head to the side.
In an instant, a beam of light zipped past him.
The beam vanished straight into the ground.
Kwahh!
Moments later, an explosion erupted from the ground alongside a blinding burst of light.
The Bottler’s roots were torn apart, flying into the air, and Kraush was caught in the blast.
His hair and clothes whipped about wildly from the gust.
As he shifted his gaze through the smoke, the roots that had shot up now lay limply on the ground.
Some were the size of small buildings, crashing down one after another, but Kraush’s focus remained firmly behind him.
Amidst the chaos, a spear soared into the sky.
It seemed to have a mind of its own as it flew through the air, quickly disappearing behind Kraush.
Thud!
Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, someone emerged from the dissipating smoke.
As Kraush slowly turned his head back, he saw her.
Hair as black as night flowed down to her waist.
Her figure possessed a captivating elegance that could mesmerize anyone.
Yet, the energy radiating from the spear gripped attention away from her striking beauty.
It was an unnerving power that sent chills down the skin.
With her raven hair framing her pale face, her sunken black eyes glinted ominously.
Though she lacked the typical lion-like ferocity, the sharp spear in her hand felt like it could warp the surrounding air.
“Mary Diana.”
As soon as Kraush called her full name, she calmly swept her spear to the side.
Fwooosh!
In that moment, the energy emanating from her weapon dispelled the surrounding smoke entirely.
On the shattered forest floor, she stood alone and opened her mouth to speak.
“Kraush.”
The weight of her calling out his name felt different this time.
He was no longer just a competitor in her eyes.
For Mary, Kraush had become her ultimate rival.
The murderous intent radiated from her, brushing against Kraush’s skin.
Flash!
In response to that, Kraush’s innate sense of danger flared up, sensing a threat stronger than ever before.
“Stay still.”
Kraush forcibly suppressed his instinct and regarded Mary intently.
In her prime, her natural talents had reached their peak while utilizing her full capabilities.
But now, she hadn’t come close to reaching that level again.
Yet in just a few weeks of intense training, she had transformed from the girl he once knew.
“She’s oozing with killing intent; it’s literally prickling my skin.”
The Divine Spear.
That title bore a weight unlike any other.
Even the renowned Heaven’s Sword had only achieved the status of Imperial.
But Mary Diana was different.
Only she held the title of the Divine.
And here she stood before Kraush as an adversary.
It was bizarre; a chuckle escaped Kraush’s lips.
He had never envisioned himself standing against her in this way.
And now, she was the very wall he had to overcome.
“If you wanted to knock me down, you should’ve aimed for my head from the start, huh?”
Swinging his Rain Thunder with casual bravado, Kraush threw a grin her way.
Yet Mary didn’t react in the slightest.
Only, the pressure in her presence intensified.
“You have to take me down when I’m at my best. That’s what will make it meaningful.”
That was exactly what had been on Kraush’s mind too.
He was hoping she’d stay at full strength long enough to believe she could take him down.
To this point, where she felt confident enough that, if defeated, she wouldn’t rise again.
She had suffered, pushed herself, and remained still until this moment.
“You think you know?”
Kraush wondered if she was cognizant of his nature—that he was indeed Kraush Balheim, with memories from the last cycle.
“Do you understand what it’s like for those throwing everything into battle daily? All the while maintaining that facade of overwhelming strength while receiving your curses from the sideline? What do you know about fighting to the last breath against the Ultimate Creatures that wipe out nations?”
Kraush clearly recalled the words she had thrown at him in the previous cycle.
The day when everything collapsed, and an entire country was wiped off the face of the earth.
Yes, according to her words, he had never actually fought on the front lines.
His role had merely involved using the sacred power from the Holy Maiden to distract the curse.
But that’s why he spoke up now.
“I’ll carry all of it. You can’t carry the burden of my trials or break because of it.”
The Sky Generation.
Appropriately named, it needed to ascend high above the world’s whims.
Yet, Arthur and the others had failed to accomplish that.
Even the spear meant to bring divinity had crumbled before annihilation.
Kraush had no intention of revisiting that day.
He would never again find himself staring up at the sky, waiting for death like a lost soul.
Thus, in line with her own words, he now stood at the forefront of the battlefield.
Seeking to never crumble.
Determined not to lose.
So Kraush stared at Mary.
Wondering if her spear could once again extend toward the heavens.
Unfortunately, Kraush had lost hope for her.
Her spear had broken once before.
“Well, then.”
Black flames surging from Kraush warped the air around him.
The scorching heat made even Mary squint.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
A taunting grin spread across Kraush’s face as he stared at her.
But in that split second, Mary lunged forward.
Her foot lunged, and in that brief opportunity.
Her form scattered like dust.
In the instant, time stood still, and the world fell silent.
In a realm where sound had no meaning, Mary’s spear broke the sound barrier as it zipped toward Kraush.
Wooosh!
But instead of the sound of flesh tearing, all that echoed was the metallic clash of steel.
Mary’s eyes sparkled with surprise, realizing the truth only a moment too late.
She hadn’t anticipated that her single strike would be successfully countered.
With every motion her spear made, the air surrounding them rippled with sound explosions.
Thud!
The moment their weapons clashed, a shockwave erupted, shattering the ground beneath them.
Chunks of earth flew skyward, and the fabric of space twisted, creating violent winds in their wake.
The combination of the Heavenly Body and the Divine Spear was a sight to behold.
It left spectators dazed.
Nevertheless, against the onslaught of her spear strikes, Mary’s eyes widened in astonishment.
That precise point where her spear stretched toward encountered the lethal edge of Rain Thunder.
Kraush’s sword practically enveloped her spear in a steel embrace.
As the realization dawned on Mary, her eyes grew wide as saucers.
She had known Kraush used a blunt sword.
A blunt sword, despite being one, would dominate the space, piercing through every attack.
But here, confronted with Kraush’s ability, she was steadily losing ground.
At first, she aimed to strike him down, but the more they engaged, the more she felt the shift in power.
Clang, clang, clang!
With every thrust of her spear, Kraush’s Rain Thunder echoed back at her.
As the exchanges continued, the intensity in Mary’s gaze grew more ferocious.
“How on earth…”
Exhaling heavily, she thrust her spear forward, only to have it block by Kraush’s blade once again.
In that moment, as her eyes fell on something in front of her.
Crack!
In an instant, her vision boiled over, causing a haze of disbelief to sweep through.
“Kraush Balheim, what are you?”
It was a question laced with confusion, and in that daring moment, the final blow struck.
They clashed brilliantly, as the weight of their confrontation shocked everyone around.
The might of Kraush reigned supreme, emerging victoriously in battle, and never before had Mary felt so helpless.
Kraush’s overbearing warmth encased her.
“Know this well,” he whispered, as flames engulfed them.
“What you’re witnessing is the true Kraush Balheim.”
And with those words, he boiled the heavens and molded destiny.
She would never forget that name.
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