Chapter 23
Kraush.
A verdant flame erupted from Kraush’s sword as it struck the floor of the carriage.
Ignis, being the divine fire of a supreme deity, also bore the power of purification.
So that means…
Swish!
The severed shadowy being was engulfed in flames and melted away in an instant.
That means I’m really well-matched against these shadowy beings.
Without hesitation, Kraush began to weave through the black apparitions.
The merchant woman quickly grabbed a staff and smashed a shadowy figure, showing that she could handle herself just fine.
“Crimson Garden.”
But with this many shadowy beings showing up, there had to be some unpurified world erosion nearby.
[It’s 300 meters straight ahead.]
Not too far.
“Hey, I’ll take care of the world erosion creating these shadowy beings, so keep them busy.”
“Sure! I’ll count on you!”
Kraush immediately gathered aura beneath his feet.
Then, as he kicked off the ground, his body shot forward explosively.
The more Kraush ran, the more shadowy beings appeared.
But against the Ignis, those creatures had little to offer.
In no time, Kraush spotted the lump of world erosion deep in the forest.
A black liquid mixed among the trees, bubbling out gas—clearly unpurified world erosion.
“Are you going to absorb it?”
Crimson Garden asked, perched on a branch.
“Yeah, since it showed up at a good time.”
Without hesitation, Kraush reached for the world erosion.
As he did, the dark energy began to flow into his hand.
Inside Kraush’s body already existed world erosion from the fatal venom.
Because of this, he absorbed it without any resistance and exhaled a breath.
Fortunately, thanks to his instincts, he didn’t experience any delirium.
This should prevent any more shadowy beings from spawning.
As Kraush was on his way back…
“Kraush.”
He stopped at Crimson Garden’s call.
Lifting his head through the trees, he saw the merchant woman and several others surrounding her.
They were encircling her, and she was brandishing her staff threateningly.
“Who do you think you are, touching my carriage? Get lost!”
“Come on, we’re just friends passing through this lawless area.”
“Yeah, and how about you be my girlfriend while you’re at it? Hehe.”
They looked clearly like bandits.
But they couldn’t just be dismissed as ordinary thieves.
The mere fact they could roam freely in a lawless area meant there had to be at least one strong individual among them.
“This works out great.”
Amid all this, Crimson Garden grinned devilishly.
“Perfect practice dummies for you.”
Kraush thought he had indeed chosen his mentor well as he stretched his neck.
“I agree.”
Let’s properly warm up before heading to the martial arts tournament.
＊ ＊ ＊
The bandits targeting passing carriages in the lawless area numbered eight in total.
Among them, the leader, Orel, swallowed hard at the sight of the merchant woman.
She rarely traveled through lawless areas, meaning they were starving for a decent catch.
“Hey, I’m going first!”
“Come on, boss, don’t be so greedy! Don’t hog all the fun.”
“It’s my deal, you lot!”
He swung a viciously large axe, showing off his brute strength.
The merchant woman noticed and seemed a bit tense.
She had made the mistake of not paying attention due to the shadowy beings.
In the meantime, the bandit group had approached without her noticing.
Other bandits could be dealt with, but the leader was a different story.
Thud!
At that moment, a sound echoed.
The merchant woman recognized the noise and looked relieved.
The bandits, realizing her reaction, turned back just in time.
“Huh? A kid?”
There stood a boy.
As one bandit wondered about this unexpected development…
Whoosh!
A sword flew straight and pierced his head.
In an instant, silence enveloped the surroundings.
No one had expected that the child would throw a sword to kill a bandit.
“Damn it, enemies! Kill him!”
As expected, Orel quickly recognized the danger.
He realized the boy was no ordinary child.
Just then, the boy was empty-handed after throwing the sword.
Two bandits charged at him.
But the boy showed no sign of fear.
He simply raised his hand.
In that instant, the sword he had just thrown appeared again in his hand.
“Did you think I was unarmed?”
The sudden reappearance of the sword startled the bandit for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, the boy’s sword slid precisely into the bandit’s neck.
That clean movement was beyond what an ordinary bandit could match.
Immediately, he struck another bandit charging from the side.
The bandit stumbled backward, tongue out and fell to the ground, dazed.
Without mercy, the boy sank the sword into his head.
Shhhh…
The wind carried a chill, causing trees to sway slowly.
An eerie tension lingered among the remaining bandits.
Three bandits fell in an instant due to the boy’s sudden appearance, flipping the atmosphere.
“I’ll take the lead. You lot, keep that woman under control.”
In the end, the leader, Orel, stepped forward slowly.
His brawny, muscular frame towered over the boy.
The outcome was obvious.
Yet, Orel didn’t underestimate him.
His instincts warned him—this kid was something else.
“Are you sure about this?”
Kraush, casually cleaning the blood off his sword, replied.
“Go ahead, come at me.”
“Ha ha!”
Orel burst into a rough laugh.
“A brat like you could just crush my head if I touch it.”
“Sure, let’s see whose head bursts open first.”
The moment Kraush said that, Orel charged, slamming the ground.
Thud, thud, thud!
The immense sound echoed across the plains, just like a buffalo charging.
A red aura swirled around his axe like smoke, showcasing he was an expert-level fighter.
With force, he swung the axe down toward Kraush’s waist.
Clang!
At that moment, Kraush’s sword moved and intercepted the axe.
But the difference in size gave Orel a clear advantage.
Because of that, Kraush was pushed slightly sideways.
Orel’s eyes flashed with determination.
Kraush’s lack of skill compared to the earlier bandits was obvious.
Not to mention, his aura was also slightly lacking.
Those guys earlier fell due to underestimating me.
If it were any other scenario, they wouldn’t have been defeated so easily.
Orel’s axe cut through the air as they collided again.
Bang, bang!
Amid consecutive attacks, confidence grew within Orel.
He was stronger.
Moreover, that kid’s sword was slow.
It was hard to believe that such a sword could withstand his axe.
“Where did that big talk go just now?”
As Orel shouted to intimidate, he swung his axe wildly.
Kraush had no time to respond, merely continuing to block the axe.
“Ugh.”
Feeling the need to finish this quickly, Orel thought.
He had no particular interest in tormenting weaklings unless they were women.
He intended to end this fast and feast on a delicious meal.
The sound produced as swords met was nearly deafening.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
“Hah, huh?”
Orel’s ragged breath echoed.
He was still swinging his axe.
He had mentally prepared dozens of times to finish this with his next attack.
Yet there Kraush stood, unscathed, while Orel grew weary.
What the hell just happened?
Kraush’s sword seemed exceedingly slow to his eyes.
It indicated the power and aura behind it were not impressive.
In reality, every time Kraush blocked the axe, he was slightly staggered.
Yet still, the sword inexplicably appeared back in place after each attack.
At this rate…
Orel felt as if he were swinging his axe towards Kraush’s sword intentionally.
Or rather, had he actually been swinging it toward the sword all along?
Confusion began to swirl in his mind.
“Are you done yet?”
Gulp!
Under the shroud of night, Kraush’s blue eyes shone ominously.
His tone remained steady from the start.
Orel forced himself to swallow hard.
Grasped tightly, he held his axe.
“Ha, ha, so you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve! But that ends here.”
Trying to maintain his composure, he shouted.
Upon hearing this, Kraush broke into a faint smile.
“How lucky for me. Thanks to you, I’m starting to grasp the feeling, even without my sixth sense.”
Fidget.
Orel’s thick eyebrows shifted.
It felt as if Kraush were toying with him.
Offended deeply, Orel inhaled sharply.
Although he hadn’t intended to use that technique against a kid, he felt he’d lose his mind if he endured this odd swordplay any longer.
Thud!
Suddenly, without warning, Orel slammed the ground once more.
Kraush, sword drooping, awaited his attack.
It was like putting his head in the mouth of a snake, but Orel suppressed his fear this time.
Instead, he summoned stronger aura to his axe than he’d ever done before.
But before that axe swung down, Kraush had once again interposed his sword.
Clang!
Orel’s axe behaved strangely.
Though aimed at Kraush, it veered toward his side.
Welcome Wielding ( 환영퇴부)
That was the secret technique he had relied on.
This time, he’d cleave Kraush in two, right down the middle.
As he envisioned the splattered blood, Orel chuckled darkly.
Clang!!
The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed across the plains.
Blink!
Orel’s eyes momentarily shut only to snap wide open.
He couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
The feeling of his axe meeting not flesh, but metal was baffling.
“Hey.”
Kraush’s voice resonated low.
“Where’d you learn that?”
The glare from Kraush’s blue eyes carried an unsettling brilliance.
“Guh?!”
Orel shrank back, feeling like a prey animal facing a wild beast.
Kraush’s expression remained skeptical.
Because he knew whose technique Orel was using.
Didn’t that guy flee the Empire around this time?
Not too long ago, a mass murder incident had swept through the Empire.
That was due to a man who single-handedly slaughtered an entire village.
Because of this, the Empire dispatched knights, but the murderer ultimately escaped across the border.
Initially, Kraush had no intention of getting involved—he thought it was the Empire’s problem.
However, the real issue lay elsewhere.
He accepted the power of a world eroder and became one of its minions.
Just like Bianca in her bygone days, Orel had likewise become a minion of the world eroders.
The slaughterhound, Bergman.
His signature move was none other than that Welcoming Wielding.
“Are you one of that slaughterhound’s underlings?”
Orel’s expression turned stone-cold.
Whether he’s one of that monster’s underlings is irrelevant.
The problem was that a slaughterhound might hide within the Starlon Kingdom.
And he’d eventually get caught by Charlotte.
Kraush remembered this due to Charlotte’s involvement.
The death of the slaughterhound was the catalyst that propelled Charlotte’s name across the Empire.
At just sixteen, she had completely dominated a world eroder’s minion on her own, turning it into a story worthy of legend.
“Enough. The flow has been disrupted.”
In that moment, Kraush’s sword moved.
“Hmm?”
As Orel questioned this, his large figure began to topple slowly.
Seeing his head roll on the ground, Kraush trudged forward.
After all, the slaughterhound was bound to meet his end by Charlotte’s hand.
He needn’t concern himself with his underlings.
“Balheim!”
The merchant woman, battling against the remaining four bandits, called out to Kraush, trembling.
Seeing this, Kraush clicked his tongue and ignited Ignis atop his sword.
Time to wrap this up quickly and get some shut-eye.
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