### Chapter: 279
In the heart of Demoran Village.
The Demonic Prince, Terasius Jeblam, blinked in confusion, unsure of what he had just heard.
He stared silently at Kraush, totally taken aback by the unexpected insult.
What could this possibly mean?
“Why the sudden hostility?”
With that, Terasius decided to ask candidly what was on his mind.
Why was this punk so eager to challenge him out of nowhere?
To Terasius, Kraush was someone he had hoped to establish a magical partnership with, a rarity in his long life.
As such, he intended to continue a friendly relationship with him.
Terasius had believed using that logic meant Kraush felt the same way, so he couldn’t fathom why he was spitting vitriol and showing such animosity.
“I happen to know this incredibly talented barrier mage,” Kraush declared, as a black flame of destruction erupted from his Thunderstorm.
A manifestation of pure, concentrated destruction powered by World Erosion.
“I’m planning to get some favors from this fantastic barrier mage.”
Even upon hearing it a second time, it was an utterly ridiculous claim.
But the sincerity in Kraush’s eyes couldn’t be denied.
He actually seemed intent on clashing with the Demonic Prince.
Terasius’s gaze, which had been silent, shifted suddenly behind Kraush.
Standing there was a girl with striking silver hair, looking just like him.
It was Bioloren Jeblam, sharing the same bloodline.
Her face was painted with shock, unable to fathom why Kraush would so abruptly challenge Terasius.
She had known he was a bit eccentric, but she never expected him to take it this far.
Terasius observed Bioloren’s expression and pieced together the situation.
“Ah, so you need her, huh?”
With a nonchalant wave of his hand, Terasius dismissed her importance.
“I don’t care what happens between you two. No need to turn red in the face due to her.”
Terasius’s eyes remained emotionless, and Bioloren bit her lip in frustration.
Yet, she couldn’t muster the words to respond, feeling small before him.
Even when she tried to stand tall before Terasius, every time she met his emotionless gaze, it crushed her sense of self-worth.
So, she could only cower like always.
“No, men approaching my precious daughter need to be put in their place by the father.”
Just then, she heard Kraush’s voice.
“So, I’m thinking of giving this inappropriate man a real wake-up call while trying to earn some favor with my soon-to-be ally.”
What a ridiculous and nonsensical statement it was.
But because of that, there was no visible way to deter Kraush‘s intentions.
His eyes conveyed nothing but intention for a full-on confrontation.
“I didn’t think I’d encounter someone behaving so unpredictably,” Terasius said.
“Really? My specialty is acting unpredictably—like, what’s a wielder of magic if they can’t predict people?” Kraush shot back sarcastically.
Terasius’s face remained inscrutable despite Kraush’s taunts.
“If that’s what you desire…”
Suddenly, elements began swirling around Terasius’s body one by one.
“Then I guess I have no choice.”
He looked at Kraush as if soothing an unruly child.
Although he appeared younger than Kraush, he felt like a serpent who had lived for hundreds of years.
“Kraush, are you out of your mind?!”
Bioloren yelled, unable to contain herself.
What in the world was Kraush doing?
Wasn’t he supposed to seek Terasius’s cooperation?
So why on earth was he acting like a fool?
“Bioloren, I’ve learned that if you just bottle things up, you end up surrounded by idiots.”
Kraush had witnessed many people filled with resentment subsequently unravel.
After going through that himself, he could confidently say it led to a mess.
“So, if anyone has to flip the table, let it be me!”
Heat began to bubble off Kraush as he went into a combat stance, channeling Terasius’s energy.
Soon, white smoke started billowing from his mouth.
“All’s good now!”
With that, Kraush vanished into a whirlwind.
Just then, a booming explosion erupted.
The clash of Kraush’s might and Terasius’s protective barriers sent shockwaves through the area.
Tendrils of black flames flickered atop Terasius’s barrier, but it simply sparkled lightly, resisting the assaults by Kraush‘s dark blaze.
Kraush recognized this barrier’s defense.
A 9th Circle Magic: Lilumino.
An insane magic that counters attacks by amplifying the caster’s mana.
This madman had decided to unleash his strongest spell the moment Kraush charged in.
“Is he taking me seriously?”
Or was he just itching to wrap it up quickly?
Either way, Kraush faced off against his own flames.
Flash!
The black flames clashed and crescendoed into a deafening roar.
Just as shocked villagers took notice, Bianca and Aslan arrived on the scene.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing Kraush’s flames, Bianca immediately approached Bioloren.
“Kraush just challenged my father out of nowhere!”
“Your father?”
Bianca’s eyes widened in surprise at that revelation.
Then she noticed the silhouette within the receding flames.
The figure belonged to one Teramarin Jeblam, the head of the 3rd-year mage department.
Her ‘father’.
Bianca was aware that Kraush had been particularly concerned about him.
But why was now suddenly apparent?
“What is that…?”
Aslan gaped at Terasius in shock.
He recognized the spell Terasius had cast: Lilumino.
“Are you truly the Demonic Prince?”
In astonishment, Bianca scanned the flames.
There, she saw Kraush, his face now blackened from the fire.
“Cough.”
Kraush had accidentally inhaled smoke from his own attack.
Given that, Bianca instinctively reached out a paw only to hold back, realizing something.
There had to be a reason behind Kraush’s actions.
“Better not pull any funny business,”
Kraush choked out while Terasius’s voice echoed back to him through Lilumino.
Looking as emotionless as always, Terasius remained unfazed.
The disparity between them was immense.
No matter how strong Kraush had grown, he was up against one of the world’s four strongest mages, a conquering master of magic.
To Terasius, Kraush was nothing but a childish distraction.
That gap was glaringly obvious.
Yet, even with such a threat, Kraush merely raised his sword over his head.
“Talking big, eh?”
The black flames began to swirl around Kraush’s blade.
Terasius’s interest piqued at this display.
Lilumino still held firm.
Terasius possessed enough mana to sustain it for months if he wanted.
Even after Kraush had been tagged by his own magic, he still launched into another swing.
“Kids like to wreak havoc, you know.”
In that moment, Kraush’s dark storm roared once more.
BOOM!
The fire released surged towards the sky.
But this time was different.
BOOM! Bang! Bam! Boom!
Where there was previously just a single explosion, the sky now erupted multiple times.
With every sound crashing, Kraush was engulfed by his returning flames.
As flames swelled higher, Terasius simply observed.
From a distance, onlookers would assume Kraush was wildly throwing fire around.
But inside, Terasius understood that each swing of Kraush’s blade was becoming increasingly powerful.
‘What is he up to?’
At first, Terasius believed Kraush was simply increasing his output.
But soon he realized it was something much more complicated.
Kraush was little by little absorbing the incoming flames and feeding them back into his Thunderstorm as new energy.
And with each gust, the flames intensified even more.
Given the nature of Lilumino, the very energy Kraush was receiving from his own attacks was now boosting his power in turn.
‘If he keeps this up, his vessel will shatter.’
Right now, Kraush was harnessing a force far beyond what he could normally handle.
Of course, this recklessness came with a cost—the risk of breaking himself.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
But Kraush didn’t stop; he struck down again and again.
And each time, black flames soared higher into the sky.
Concern began to surface in Terasius’s eyes.
If this kept up, Kraush could easily put himself in danger, losing a valuable ally in this battle.
Seeing the expression on Terasius, Kraush scoffed.
“Are you really worried about me?”
Barely managing to catch his breath, Kraush struck down again.
“I’m swinging away with all my might to take you down right now!”
A world-engulfing explosion followed Kraush’s next swing.
The terrifying inferno could have consumed everything.
But beyond that fiery spectacle, Kraush continued to absorb the chaos around him.
“Kraush…”
Bioloren watched with her fists clenched in a mix of anxiety and admiration.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around Kraush’s desperate actions.
But somehow, it felt like Kraush’s relentless assault represented her voice, a cry against the absurd reality of her existence.
How she wished she could scream about the unfairness of it all—an existence confined to experimentation.
“Damn it…”
As a curse slipped from Bioloren’s lips, the raw frustration surged within her.
Her mother had abandoned her as a child,
her father had never treated her as anything other than a test subject—a mere tool.
Born of a split bloodline, she felt suffocated by the World Erosion that choked her existence.
Life had offered nothing but ridiculous challenges.
Yet, succumbing to the madness was not an option.
Even if she protested, nobody would listen.
Her parents had turned their backs on her.
“Who would even bother to listen?”
But at this moment, Kraush didn’t hesitate as he struck at Terasius.
Even losing pieces of himself, he pressed on.
“Kraush…”
Tears began to fill Bioloren’s eyes.
Although she thought she had accepted everything, the haunting weight of her unjust reality lingered deep inside.
Maybe somewhere in her heart, she had always yearned for someone to voice the injustices she had faced.
“Don’t let me down, hit him hard!”
With that, Kraush’s face broke into a big grin.
“Got it.”
The professional side of him was now showing up for the fight.
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