### Chapter: 197
Note: The term “Sword Manufacturer” has been changed to “Magic Tool Manufacturer.”
—
Kraush Balheim.
He was someone surrounded by rumors long before he stepped foot in Rahern Academy.
Starting with the claim that he was the new star born in Balheim.
In fact, there were even whispers that these were all exaggerated rumors.
A myriad of stories spread around.
However, once he arrived at Rahern Academy, the truth behind those rumors began to surface.
From the entrance ceremony up to this very day, everything he had written down was nothing short of shocking.
Perhaps that’s why Rahern Academy had started to gradually gravitate around Kraush.
His presence was so significant that even the first-year students, who already had their footing there, seemed overshadowed by him.
And now, Rona Imblize, a manufacturer of magic tools and a servant of the Black Witch, was realizing the true worth of those rumors.
Inside a quiet room.
A barely lit place with curtains drawn, allowing only faint sunlight to filter in.
As she looked at the shadowed figure of Kraush on the bed, Rona felt a chill run down her spine.
Something was off.
He was right in front of her, yet his presence was oddly faint.
It felt as if she was looking at a tree in the forest.
If she let this moment pass, it felt like she’d forget him forever.
Gulp.
That realization made Rona feel even more uneasy.
He was undeniably dangerous.
“Rona Imblize.”
At that moment, the sound of Kraush’s voice flowed out.
Just that was enough to nearly make Rona crumble to the ground.
“Do you remember the process of becoming the servant of the Black Witch?”
An unexpected question followed.
“What do you mean…?”
As she was about to retort, her lips fumbled, and no reply came out.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to answer.
The moment she heard Kraush’s query, she found herself reflecting on the day she’d become the servant of the Black Witch.
Yet it felt strange.
It was as if part of her mind had erased something.
No proper memory came back to her.
Confusion washed over her face.
She simply couldn’t recall the day she became the Black Witch’s servant.
“Uh, um.”
A perplexed voice slipped from her lips.
This was completely unexpected.
“It seems you can’t remember.”
The realization that she had no recollection of how she became a servant hit her like a truck.
At that moment, the Black Witch’s voice echoed in her mind.
[Get out.]
Suddenly, the magic tool Zebilliron surrounding her burst into fragments.
As it all flew chaotically around the room, Rona charged out, obliterating the walls of Kraush’s chamber.
CRASH!
Having reduced the room to rubble, Rona bolted out.
And in a moment of instinct, she tried to escape without thinking.
“Do you think I’ll just let you make this ruckus and run away?”
A voice echoed in front of her, causing her to flinch.
She was shocked at the direction it came from—right in front of her.
She had clearly dashed out of Kraush’s room, but how was it that his voice was now ahead of her?
Before she could ponder, she saw Kraush.
With his hair fluttering slightly, he had moved just as quickly as she did.
Excel.
Kraush’s top-speed skill had allowed him to close the gap in an instant.
At the same time, Kraush gripped Rain Thunder Prime tightly in his hand.
The fire emitted by the sword was distinctly different this time.
It was a white flame, not the black flames he usually wielded.
This blaze displayed an entirely different level of power.
White Flame.
This was the aura of the world itself, not the power of World Erosion he had been burning with Ignis.
And that power sent chills down Rona’s spine.
The aura represented the very strength of the world.
Naturally, it was a force committed to protecting the world, making it incredibly unsettling for someone wielding World Erosion.
It was the strongest power opposed to the Devourer.
And that white flame crafted from such an aura was now surrounding Kraush as he readied Rain Thunder Prime.
Rona’s hair stood on end the moment she realized what was happening.
She could already feel her fate was sealed.
FWOOOSH!
With the raging white flames, Zebilliron was shred to pieces against the blade of Rain Thunder Prime.
The magical tool Zebilliron was inherently weak against the aura that obliterated the essence of World Erosion.
Moreover, Ignis held the purification power.
“AAAHHH!”
For Rona, the Devourer, this was catastrophic.
It hurt.
It was hot.
Why was this happening to her?
Rona thought while staring at her chest where the white flames raged.
It was just another day, creating magic tools like usual.
To her, those tools were everything in her life.
However, after one unfortunate incident, it felt like her creations were treated as defective weapons.
Rona couldn’t accept that.
Thus, she plunged even deeper into her studies of magic tools.
To create something more perfected.
Something to show off to everyone.
Her efforts hadn’t been in vain.
Rona’s magic tools had indeed seen significant improvements.
As their power grew and their safety increased.
Yet, that was only recognized once someone actually used them.
Being a bit of an eccentric and lacking in social relations, nobody used her tools.
That’s when the tiniest crack formed in her heart.
A resentment towards a world that wouldn’t acknowledge her work.
That was when a black frog appeared before her.
For some inexplicable reason, that unsettling frog looked at Rona and declared.
[I’ll make your tools recognized.]
The moment those words left its mouth, the frog jumped right into her arms.
In the blink of an eye, Rona felt her fears and hesitations wash away completely.
She could hardly comprehend the surge of liberation and excitement.
An unsettling confidence took root as well.
[You, Rona Imblize.]
With that final call, a profound loyalty took root in her heart.
An empty but deep loyalty towards the Black Witch.
Rona’s eyes, blazing with white flames, flickered open.
Simultaneously, doubt filled her gaze.
She never wanted to become the Black Witch’s servant.
It was as if the instant she faced that black frog, she found herself a servant without realizing it.
It was true; she hated a world that wouldn’t acknowledge her tools.
She couldn’t accept a world that treated her creations like garbage.
However, it didn’t justify her denying the entire world.
It was simply a fleeting emotion; like tripping while running.
Suddenly, as memories washed back, Rona panicked.
What on earth was she doing, devoting herself so faithfully to the Black Witch?
The power granted to her was surely immense, but what kind of world was she burning down, being a creator of magic tools?
“Looks like you’ve remembered.”
Kraush and Rona’s eyes met once again.
A spark returned to Rona’s gaze.
The Black Witch could create servants without regard for their will.
This included not just Mirei but Rona as well.
Yet, at that moment when Kraush’s white flame impacted her, the hold of the Black Witch’s spell had been partially undone.
White Flame had the power to erase everything created by World Erosion.
‘Mind control.’
At the moment when even the tiniest crack forms in the heart.
The Black Witch would pry that crack apart and step right in.
Kraush recalled all those who had fallen victim to the Black Witch’s unique abilities.
Even the Sky Generation saw victims ensnared by her influence; her enchantments were notoriously tricky.
But with Ignis and Aura at his side.
Kraush could break the Black Witch’s mind control whenever he wanted.
“I—what have I done?”
Confusion washed over Rona’s face.
She viewed what she did as a greater offense than the pain of burning by the white flames.
Just thinking of the irreversible mistakes she had made was overwhelming.
“What do I do…”
[That’s a shame.]
As Rona stammered in bewilderment, the Black Witch’s voice thundered through her mind once more.
[But you’ve provided me with quite a bit of information.]
With those words, the magic tool around her neck started to glow suddenly.
The burst of light was so intense it seemed capable of swallowing the entirety of that area.
“Ah.”
Caught in that blinding light, Rona grasped the nature of the magic tool she had created while under the Black Witch’s control.
Self-detonation.
[You did well.]
With the last of the Black Witch’s words, Rona slowly closed her eyes against the suffocating light.
It’s over.
That was the conclusion she reached.
CRACK!
Just as the light erupted, and in the split second before Kraush could tear the magic tool away.
Before tears could even gather in her eyes.
Kraush didn’t hesitate to release the vibrant aura that surged from his body.
The black flames of World Erosion raged forth, now infused with explosive power.
On top of that, he moved with an acceleration he had never experienced before.
His body felt as light as a feather.
Yet, the strength embedded in his steps was now on an entirely different level.
This was the power of Excel.
The sound of his movements came tentatively behind him.
With remainders of black flames licking the air, Kraush leapt skyward.
His grip on the magic tool’s erupted light intensified.
As he swung the blinding tool, his left arm swelled with concentrated energy from Annihilation Erosion.
In that moment, as the strength reached its peak, Kraush hurled the shining tool into the sky.
That light, imbued with divine energy, tore through clouds, soaring higher and higher.
When it finally reached the peak of the sky,
The light hit its critical point.
FLASH!
The brilliant explosion above eliminated all clouds and radiated brighter than the midday sun.
BOOM!
As the sound followed a breath later, the trees and buildings of Rahern Academy shook in response.
In the wake of that absurd explosion, everyone stood awestruck, gazing skyward.
Meanwhile, Kraush touched down safely on the ground, exhaling long plumes of smoke.
Unlike before, he now drew in on the ground, cooling himself off quickly, as he turned to see Rona, who had slumped down.
She had sensed her impending death due to her own magic tool’s explosion.
Thus, she had lost all strength in her body.
“Are you going to keep fighting?”
Kraush asked, as he sheathed Rain Thunder Prime at his side.
Naturally, Rona could only shake her head slowly.
“What will happen to me?”
Perhaps thanks to the white flame, Rona’s mind was now clear of the Black Witch’s brainwashing.
She murmured with blank eyes as she looked up at Kraush.
Seeing that, he ignited the white flame in his hand and approached her.
She slowly gazed up at him.
Was he going to kill her?
As she stared unblinkingly at the white flame he held, Kraush spoke.
“Open your mouth.”
“Huh, what?”
That caught her completely off guard.
Having felt the threat of her own impending doom, she was left bewildered by the unexpected command as Kraush flicked the white flame with his finger.
“I’m going to wipe the mark of being a servant of the Devourer from you, so open your mouth.”
Rona’s eyes went wide.
She had no idea something like that was even possible.
“And what’s gonna happen?”
Kraush pressed the white flames into her open mouth.
“The world can pin all the blame on the Devourers, and then it’s basically solved.”
“But, what about Mirei?”
Cardinal Mirei Beakiss.
Given her connection to the Black Witch, she was someone the Freeman faction could never condone.
Mentioning her name made Kraush chuckle lightly.
“Don’t you worry about that.”
Naturally, he was prepared, considering the highest officials of the Freeman faction were found within the walls of Rahern Academy.
“Astria can handle it, I reckon.”
It was time for the saintess to get to work.
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