### Chapter: 276
The owner of World Erosion, the 8-star Erosion Species, the White Ghost.
Kraush and Bianca achieved the remarkable feat of taking down that White Ghost with just the two of them.
In this battle, Kraush could truly feel his growth.
First off, he used the Doomsday Fire Dragon without any temporary enhancements.
Back when he first used the Doomsday Fire Dragon, he couldn’t even pull off the basic abilities. But now, he could access everything.
It was evidence that he was gradually adapting to the body of the White Dragon King.
‘Now, if I just finish it off with the help of the Demonic Prime…’
Once he completed his transformation, he would be able to fully harness the power of the White Dragon King.
With a promise for the future in mind, Kraush swiftly returned to Demoran Village, carrying Bianca on his back.
“Why do you look worse off than me?”
“It’s proof of my efforts,” she replied with mock seriousness.
To pierce through the hair of the White Ghost, Bianca had exerted more strength than usual.
Kraush felt a bit of a nagging urge to scold her, but since he too had been through his share of challenges, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Just don’t hurt yourself. I’m not collapsing like I used to anymore, you know?”
So, he decided to give her just a light reminder.
Bianca didn’t respond; she simply buried her face deeper into Kraush’s back.
Meanwhile, the icy aura pouring out from Bianca was rapidly cooling down Kraush’s body.
Feeling the warmth of her concern, Kraush soon emerged from the Giant’s Forest.
What lay before him wasn’t the eerie world of erosion he’d seen previously, but the familiar sight of the Freya Mountains.
‘Did the remainder get swallowed up by the Giant’s Forest?’
Kraush stood tall at the border of the Giant’s Forest, gazing at it for a moment.
The forest that had begun to cultivate the most terrifying seeds.
He would need to return here before long.
This time, though he had only put an end to the World Erosion, next visit would involve defeating the true master of the Giant’s Forest and shattering those horrific seeds.
‘Next time, I’ll definitely finish it for good.’
As Kraush made this brief vow, Bianca tightened her grip a bit more.
“We’re going together.”
Well, someone’s perceptive today.
“Of course,” he replied without disputing, and they both started running.
Before long, Demoran Village came into view.
Due to the plague, most of the citizens had evacuated, and the village remained eerily silent.
Just as they were about to enter the quiet village, Kraush caught a scent that tickled his nose.
Suddenly—
He came to an abrupt halt, scanning his surroundings.
A bad feeling washed over him.
“Kraush?”
Bianca’s delayed question came just as a corpse rat jumped out of his pocket.
“Kraush, there’s a World Erosion Creature nearby.”
And sure enough, as Kraush had feared, Ebelasque confirmed it.
“…Do you know who it is?”
Kraush leaned against the wall of a building, his eyes half-open.
If it had something to do with Ixion, then a fight would definitely break out.
As Kraush slowly summoned Ignis, a voice from Crimson Garden resonated.
[ You’ve heard of her. ]
He had heard of her.
That meant…
“It’s the Kekkeshis.”
At that moment, surprise spread across Kraush’s face.
The World Erosion Creature, who had been forced into becoming Bioloren’s mother simply out of curiosity, had come here.
Was it by coincidence? Or was it intentional?
Hearing that the Kekkeshis had appeared, Kraush didn’t rush into action.
‘I don’t know much about the Kekkeshis.’
The only time Kraush had encountered it before his reincarnation was once—after she had already died, and he had only seen her corpse.
He had no clue concerning the reason for her death.
Back when the war with the World Erosion Creatures was just ending, Kekkeshis was found by chance, already a long-dead skeleton.
Having been too long after her death, he couldn’t figure out the reason for it.
Besides, considering she was a World Erosion Creature, there was no need to dig around her mortality.
He could only remember Bioloren’s gloomy expression as she gazed at Kekkeshis‘s corpse.
「If this is the case, at least show your face…」
It had been because she was her mother.
Thus, Kraush only knew fragmented bits about Kekkeshis through Bioloren.
Her mother had abandoned her during childhood.
That was all Kraush had on the Kekkeshis.
“So, Ebelasque and Crimson Garden, do either of you know about Kekkeshis?”
Therefore, the current Kekkeshis was a variable.
If she harbored resentment towards the Demonic Prime and had affiliations with Ixion, it was inevitable she would become an enemy.
“I don’t know much. I’ve never met her,” Ebelasque shrugged.
Kraush didn’t hold high expectations for her.
She hadn’t interacted much with World Erosion Creatures at all.
[ A little. Before the matter with the Demonic Prime, I had a brief chat with her. ]
And from Crimson Garden, some old information popped up.
Regardless, it didn’t seem that helpful for the current situation.
‘Looks like I have no choice but to confront her directly.’
Kraush made up his mind.
After returning this far and thanks to Bianca’s coolness, he felt pretty stabilized.
Above all, the Demonic Prime should have brought the villagers back by now.
It wouldn’t hurt to confront her.
One concern was Bioloren, but that wasn’t something he could deal with right now.
“Do we know the exact location?”
“I’ve got an idea. I’ll guide you,” Ebelasque replied.
The corpse rat hopped down from Kraush’s shoulder.
Kraush agreed to follow Ebelasque’s lead, then turned to look at Bianca.
He was headed to confront a World Erosion Creature.
No matter how strong Bianca had become, she couldn’t afford to follow him this close right now.
Realizing Kraush’s intention, Bianca looked at him before speaking up.
“Crimson, please let Kraush return safe.”
Unlike when she was younger and clueless, Bianca now understood that Crimson Garden stood beside Kraush.
So, when she asked, flapping sounds echoed from afar as a crow took flight.
“I’ll be back. Keep an eye on that brat, Bioloren.”
Kraush ruffled Bianca’s hair before following the corpse rat.
In no time, Kraush passed through the forest.
And the moment he crossed a certain point, his steps began to slow.
Kraush sensed a peculiar energy tightening around him.
It felt like something was trying to push him away from here.
The source of that energy was evident to Kraush.
‘A barrier.’
This was a barrier.
An original barrier created by the Kekkeshis.
It seemed to be a type that prevented all living things from approaching.
‘So that’s how Ebelasque could find the Kekkeshis.’
Ebelasque’s corpse wasn’t alive; it was more like a concept of an object, allowing it to penetrate the barrier and enter.
‘Having touched the barrier this much, they’ve probably noticed me too.’
Bioloren and Kraush’s presence near Demoran Village must have been detected.
Kraush quietly kindled white flames within himself, preparing for the approaching Kekkeshis.
Click—
At that instant, a sound of high heels echoed from a distance.
By now, the fog had thickened around him.
Following the sound, Kraush quietly focused on that direction when suddenly, a woman’s voice spoke.
“Good job finding me. I take it thanks to the World Erosion Creatures you have with you?”
The voice of the Kekkeshis spread throughout the mist.
It seemed to be a technique of her barrier.
He felt no hostility.
However, since he couldn’t be sure, Kraush decided to tread cautiously.
“Kekkeshis, I’d like to ask you why you’re here. Is it related to Bioloren?”
There was a hint of willingness to cooperate, depending on the situation.
The Kekkeshis fell silent for a moment before finally answering.
“That’s correct.”
“Then is it revenge against the Demonic Prime?”
Kraush shot back.
He’d vaguely heard the story through Bioloren before his reincarnation.
It was about how the Demonic Prime had forced the *Kekkeshis to give birth to a child.
“Revenge… heh heh.”
At that moment, a short laugh echoed through the fog.
There was a glint of understanding behind that laughter as if she had seen through Kraush’s thoughts.
Kraush’s expression turned subtle.
‘Does she feel less emotion towards the Demonic Prime than expected?’
Kraush fell into deep thought for a moment.
He had only heard that tale from Bioloren.
So, it was possible that her narrative could be a misunderstanding.
“That child has made her decision, I see.”
She stopped laughing and revealed herself.
In front of him stood a young woman with brown hair.
Her outfit resembled that of an ordinary village woman.
But the bizarre energy emanating from her indicated that this was not her true form.
‘It’s a shell created by the barrier.’
It seemed she had no intention of displaying her actual appearance.
Kraush squinted and asked, “Are you saying Bioloren’s understanding of this story is a misunderstanding?”
“Partially. While Terasius is stubborn, he’s not that unreasonable,” she replied.
That was a signal indicating it was quite different from what Bioloren understood.
“However, both of us have committed unspeakable acts.”
There was a tinge of heaviness in her voice.
It was as if Kraush could sense a deeper secret regarding Bioloren’s birth.
“So, did you come here to apologize or do you have some business with me?”
Having danced around the subject for long enough, it was time to get to the point.
Kraush demanded to hear her main intentions. After a brief silence, the Kekkeshis spoke.
“Bioloren—that child is being targeted by Ixion.”
And this time, a totally unexpected statement flew out.
There was an implication that Bioloren, not Kraush, was the one being targeted.
Kraush’s expression twisted in confusion. It felt strange amidst this conversation.
‘Something is…’
Kraush failed to pinpoint exactly what was unsettling him in the conversation.
For now, it seemed he had to push that discomfort aside.
“How did you come to know about this?”
“Not long ago, Ixion approached me. He said he was targeting Bioloren and asked for my assistance.”
The Kekkeshis was also a World Erosion Creature.
She probably wanted to draw him into her side for her own purposes.
However, the Kekkeshis had refused and directly sought out Bioloren.
“Kraush Balheim, you are one of Ixion‘s enemies.”
The Kekkeshis stood facing Kraush, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“Since I have a deal to propose to you.”
A deal proposal.
Upon hearing that, Kraush promptly followed up with a suspicious grin.
“How much have you found out?”
Let’s hear what this deal is all about.
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