### Chapter: 204
Kugugugugugugu—
The cursed centipede wriggled beneath them.
In what was once Veltoa’s spot, three people and one extra creature had made their way into the mix.
Those three and that one creature were obviously part of Kraush’s entourage.
“Ugh, it’s not a bug. No way…”
Among them, Ebelasque was battling against the grossness of the cursed centipede.
Every time the creature’s antennae came near her head, she stifled a scream.
In the process, she sneaked in closer to Kraush, burying her head into his back.
While it was a bit uncomfortable to have something poking him from behind, it looked like this was far from her intention, so Kraush decided to just let it be.
“My head feels a lot better now.”
Meanwhile, Haring spoke up, her expression brighter than before.
Being under Veltoa’s lantern had erased the headache that had been plaguing her from the nightmare she’d been enduring.
“Looks like this lady also has some familiarity with curses?”
Seeing another curse-handler after Kraush, Veltoa’s face lit up with intrigue.
After all, curses were typically considered an affliction that gnawed away at humans, so finding a user was a rare occurrence—aside from the usual doctors, that is.
“I’m Haring Lagrain.”
“Lagrain, huh? Related to poisons, I see. I bet you’re a bit more accustomed to curses then.”
“It’s all thanks to Kraush!”
That was true! Kraush had indeed helped her considerably with researching temporary enhancement potions.
“Hehe, you sure have a good reputation, huh?”
Veltoa teased Kraush like an elder sibling.
“Speaking of which, isn’t the Four Seasons hanging around that unending night?”
Kraush quickly steered the conversation in another direction.
This guy had a playful side, and once he latched onto a topic, it could drag on for over an hour.
“As you said, the Four Seasons do indeed exist within that relentless night,” came the rather vague reply.
When Kraush raised a brow at the uncertainty of what he just heard, Veltoa rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“The problem is that the Four Seasons is currently entangled with a certain Erosion creature.”
“Entangled with an Erosion creature?”
This was new information for Kraush.
After all, the last time he encountered the Four Seasons, it had already latched onto a human.
“Yep! And it’s an Erosion creature that even my powers can’t touch.”
Now that’s something you wouldn’t expect someone who handles countless curses to say!
If Veltoa was daunted, that meant the Erosion creature was no mere little nuisance.
‘If it’s some serious Erosion creature in the unending night…’
Kraush furrowed his brow, thinking about the high-ranking Erosion creatures he could picture in his mind.
Even Kraush, with all his skills, wasn’t equipped to handle those yet.
Defeating them would require at least the Master-level Knight Order, and that was just the bare minimum!
‘But I’m not just focused on Aura alone. Even if I don’t solely rely on it, I’m not at a disadvantage.’
Kraush felt that, combined with his power of Aura and World Erosion, he was on par with a Master-level fighter by now.
He’d recently leveled up his Aura to Master Intermediate, after all.
‘And with the boundary between absorbing World Erosion lifted in the Kingdom of Jeblam, if I push my body to its limits, I should be able to reach the top tier.’
Kraush had the ultimate annihilation essence in his arsenal.
Sure, he’d have to push everything he had to the brink, but for all its worth, his burst of power could very well reach the peak levels!
Yet, even that peak was just scraping the surface when it came to Erosion creatures.
Against a potential 10-star rank? Not a chance for him.
“…Were you talking about a 10-star Erosion creature?”
Kraush asked, trying to confirm if he was indeed being tossed into a dangerous level he couldn’t hope to handle.
Veltoa shook his head.
“Just a 9-star.”
At least it wasn’t the dreaded 10-star!
“…9-star.”
Haring, standing nearby, also seemed to stiffen up.
The strongest she had encountered up to now were a Grade 7 fake Lavados and another Grade 7 starter, Decarabia.
Hearing of a 9-star only two ranks above left her gasping for air.
Realizing the reality of what the Kingdom of Jeblam was, she was truly astounded.
“No need to panic before we even try.”
Kraush reassured Haring, attempting to ease her worries.
“Ebelasque, you need to pitch in too.”
“Sigh, I came here to help in the first place.”
That was Ebelasque, who had earned a reputation in the Empire as a secret weapon.
Her necromancer arts were suited for crowd control, but she also packed her own secret cards.
She could summon the earlier undead from the last confrontation.
Not to mention, there was the intriguing option of the White Ghost buddy for a meat shield somewhere in the mix.
‘We just need to give it a shot.’
Even though Kraush wasn’t sure if they’d come back in one piece, he wasn’t going to be the one to run scared.
Plus, Veltoa wouldn’t just sit around doing nothing either.
They actually had a chance to win.
“By the way, which one of those critters is holding the Four Seasons?”
When Kraush asked, Veltoa eagerly lifted his pole.
Just then, the lantern glowed, pointing towards the night sky.
“Looks like I found it!”
Kraush followed the light beam up into the dark sky.
Amid the black clouds, a scattering of starlight twinkled briefly before disappearing.
The moment he laid his eyes on it, Kraush couldn’t help but scowl.
He knew exactly what kind of Erosion creature it was.
“Are you telling me the actual Four Seasons is in that thing?”
“Yep! That’s why this old man can’t do anything about it.”
Kraush sighed, unable to hide his frustration.
Next to him, Ebelasque, who had been boasting about helping Kraush, tilted her head in confusion.
She was completely out of the loop regarding the info of this endless night.
“What is it? What’s that starlight you’re talking about?”
“…That’s the Erosion creature pouring starlight into the sky.”
The creature drifted gracefully through the night sky, casting starshine like glitter over the dark expanse.
Reverse Night Star!
Its goal was to illuminate the unending night entirely.
What motivated it for that purpose, even Kraush had doubts.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
As mentioned before, the Reverse Night Star roamed while strewing starlight about.
And here’s the kicker: if that creature were to die, the unending night would finally transform into a place where only night resided.
Then, the Erosion creatures lurking beneath that dark sky would grow more rampant.
‘The Reverse Night Star’s starlight keeps the unending night in check.’
So it became taboo to even think about killing it in that darkness.
There had only been three Reverse Night Stars to begin with. After taking one out, the unending night had expanded greatly.
‘No wonder Veltoa hasn’t dared to go after the Four Seasons.’
Touching the Reverse Night Star might lead to an even larger territory of unending night.
That was precise rationale behind ignoring the idea of taking the Four Seasons.
“Couldn’t you do it, though?”
At that moment, Crimson Garden perched on Kraush’s shoulder chimed in.
Couldn’t he just snag the Four Seasons away with the Black Hood?
“…It’s not that simple.”
As previously mentioned, the Four Seasons were busy engulfing parts of its host’s body to take its place.
“Unless it willingly expels a part of its body, seizing the Four Seasons would kill the Reverse Night Star.”
A creature you can’t just kill? Now that’s just ridiculous!
“Hm, it seems you’ve got a way to extract it somehow?”
Just then, Veltoa, focused on the starlight, turned to look at Kraush.
“There’s a method I have for forcing the Four Seasons to expel a part of its body.”
“Really?”
“Only assuming the Reverse Night Star doesn’t resist.”
That meant they had to address the Reverse Night Star first.
But a breakthrough was finally in sight!
Kraush desperately needed the Four Seasons.
He could not afford to be picky about how he got it.
“Then let’s give it a shot.”
Kraush lifted his head towards the night sky.
It was time to seize the Four Seasons from the Reverse Night Star.
Let the game begin!
—
Reverse Night Star.
As the name suggests, no one truly knows the creature that brightens the night sky each day.
It just had one simple motivation: to illuminate the night sky at all costs.
That’s about it.
However, one thing is sure—
It’s classified as a 9-star Erosion creature.
No one dares to dispute that fact.
Underneath the endless night sky.
On elongated white legs,
Soft black fur was sprinkled about.
Moreover, it had four wings the color of a bright yellow moth, scattering what looked like starlight dust.
Most notably, its head was exceedingly bizarre.
Made up of multiple sheets of wings layered together.
And on that head were numerous eyes, each darting in different directions.
This being was roughly twice the size of a human, and its name? The Reverse Night Star.
Suddenly, one of the Reverse Night Star’s black arms twitched upward.
As it moved, starlight dust once again scattered across the endless sky.
The Reverse Night Star simply lived on, showering starlight about without even realizing how the Four Seasons were intertwined within its body.
But right then—
The Reverse Night Star froze, raising its hand toward the night sky.
It, too, had sensed a presence.
Although the Reverse Night Star had no nose, it suddenly caught the sweet aroma tickling its senses.
The kind of sweet scent that promised ecstasy if bitten into.
With its head turned, the creature’s vision reached the horizon’s edge.
There, shining as brightly as its starlight, it spied a lantern being held high by a figure walking slowly in its direction.
“Now, move!”
With a thud, the old man planted his pole firmly on the ground.
At that, hundreds of black centipedes burst forth from under the pole.
In an instant, they grew into a massive swarm, charging toward the Reverse Night Star.
The Reverse Night Star merely watched in silence.
As the centipedes made their approach, it raised its dark fingertips slowly.
Then, as the moment came when light congregated at the tips of its fingers—
Piiing!
A thunderous noise erupted as the centipedes exploded in a burst of light.
Yet these were no ordinary centipedes.
The instant they burst into light, their numbers multiplied even more.
The swelling swarm of centipedes surged forward toward the Reverse Night Star once again.
Feeling a tinge of annoyance, the Reverse Night Star spread its wings wide.
In that instant, the light that the Reverse Night Star had just dispersed started to gather around its wings.
Under the endless night sky, an unexpected flare brightened, causing an uproar.
Kwagagagagagagagag!
Light spread out to the very edge of the horizon as the centipedes were entirely obliterated, leaving not a trace behind.
“Indeed, a 9-star contender.”
Seeing the spectacle, Veltoa couldn’t help but click his tongue.
The Reverse Night Star was not merely a 9-star Erosion creature. It exhibited a scale of its own caliber.
“Still, I should at least knock a few down.”
To set the record straight, the Reverse Night Star hadn’t intentionally consumed the cursed centipedes.
It had suddenly felt the sweetness of the scent warm up beneath it, realizing that it was beneath itself.
The moment one of its eye-wings turned in that direction—
The Reverse Night Star felt a heat so intense it could shatter its core being.
In that moment, it was reminiscent of a sun the likes of which it had never known.
A boy with raven-black hair and a girl with deep violet hair appeared in its view.
When did that happen?
The Reverse Night Star pondered, puzzled.
Just a moment ago, it had sensed nothing. Yet now, the boy stood directly beneath it.
The boy’s eyes were drenched in crimson, powered by the seven stars showering bright red rays above him.
A red moon cloaked the night sky.
“Chilly! ”
The Reverse Night Star felt an overwhelming sense of danger from this boy’s presence.
Acting fast, the Reverse Night Star reached out with its hand.
It aimed to tear the boy apart with the light gathered in its grip.
But the Reverse Night Star’s hand moved far too slow to reach the boy.
Thanks to the boy’s blade imbued with the skill, Excel, the world’s fastest acceleration fed into him.
Piiiiiiiiing!
In that split second, the coming of light and the boy’s blitz of motion collided in a chaotic clash.
Suddenly, the Reverse Night Star comprehended that its surroundings had ignited with blinding flame for the very first time in its existence.
Annihilation Erosion.
Five Forms.
Annihilation of Heaven, Moon, and Fire.
The flames of the red moon swallowed the Reverse Night Star whole.
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