### Chapter 346
Zodiac Cloria with the skill Umbra was not found in a place Kraush expected.
He ended up in a spot he recognized all too well.
‘This place…’
It was the very location he had passed through when he first joined Rahern Academy.
‘Debram.’
Kraush had arrived at Debram, the city of the yellow magic tower.
Even after all these years, Debram remained a civilization thriving in the middle of the desert.
And the reason Kraush was here was simple.
Seirang had told him that Zodiac was in this very place.
“Really, what an unexpected place to be.”
Kraush couldn’t hide his incredulity.
He had thought Zodiac would surely be in Cloria, but to say he was in Debram—geographically on the opposite side—seemed absurd.
If even Crimson Garden and Ebelasque couldn’t find him, how could anyone?
“Your Majesty, you’ve arrived!”
Suddenly, as soon as Kraush stepped through the teleport facility, he saw someone running towards him in a panic.
Just before entering Debram, Kraush had been taken aback by being chosen as one of the Ten Great Lords.
He had suspected this ever since he was selected as a candidate—never did he think he would ascend to such a position so quickly.
‘Looks like the Empire backed me for this.’
Although he was already married, he was also engaged to a princess from the Empire.
The Emperor valued Kraush highly, so it was clear they were pushing him into multiple titles for their own gain.
It was likely that him being called Dragon King was related to the Empire’s White Dragon.
They certainly had their intentions to pull Kraush to their side.
With the Sword King, Rai Balheim, from Starlon and Balheim, there was little room for anyone else.
‘Ah, politics.’
Though called the Ten Great Lords, Kraush grimaced at the unavoidable political implications.
Since it was like this, he decided he’d make full use of the cards he had in his hand.
However, being a Ten Great Lord came with its share of consequences.
In the past, he could use the teleport facilities without a worry, but now he had to inform the respective country or city beforehand.
The Ten Great Lords were akin to a national weapon.
Their strength couldn’t be compared to ordinary soldiers.
If such a person showed up suddenly without notice, it could lead to an incident if someone made a mistake.
So, nations had to exercise caution regarding visits from Ten Great Lords.
That’s why Kraush had to notify Debram before coming.
As a result, the person who ran up to him was a high-ranking wizard affiliated with the yellow magic tower.
The yellow tower had a tendency to revere only those of noble blood as wizards.
He was probably a product of some noble family.
“I am Soimon Pilax, honored to serve you, Your Majesty!”
As expected, he was indeed the child of a very well-known noble family in Debram.
“I am Kraush Balheim.”
“Haha, what an honor it is to host the youngest of the Ten Great Lords!”
From the looks of it, he seemed older, yet he fawned over Kraush.
But Kraush decided to roll with it.
After all, it was something he had to get used to.
“Like I mentioned earlier, I’m here to find someone.”
“Yes, we’ve done some inquiries on your behalf.”
Luckily, the yellow magic tower had been quite cooperative toward Kraush.
Names could be a valuable resource in such situations.
“I’ve heard recently that a boy presumed to be Zodiac Cloria had moved out towards the western area.”
“Western area? Isn’t that where the unnamed god’s grave is located?”
“Oh, you’re aware of it! That’s right.”
This brought a slight glimmer to Kraush’s eyes.
The very place he had an assignment in while in Debram was that unnamed god’s grave.
The unnamed god’s grave was, by the way, the Grave of the God of Night.
Kraush had received Nox from the God of Night there.
‘A rabbit chasing shadows.’
Kraush fell deep into thought.
During the war against the World Erosion, Molyaw had laid siege at the grave of the God of Night.
The grave would only reveal itself at night.
‘In order to stop that siege, the Demon King obliterated the entire grave. Then the angered God of Night vanished, leaving behind only perpetual daylight.’
This was a tale he had mentioned before.
Kraush pressed his chin again.
The God of Night, Zodiac, the skill Umbra, and Molyaw.
‘Perhaps.’
It could be that a similar situation occurred even before his reincarnation.
In addition, Kraush remembered what Glide Lakteo had told him.
‘Umbra has the power to contain the World Erosion.’
Could Zodiac be unaware of this fact?
‘The shadows are with the rabbit.’
He wondered if he was not actually being hunted.
The thought occurred to him that Zodiac might have known Molyaw from the start.
‘Zodiac might be Molyaw’s disciple.’
If he kept the power of the World Erosion restrained within shadows, he could live among people without revealing his identity as a World Erosion creature.
Kraush didn’t know much about Zodiac Cloria.
Just that there were a few strange behaviors he had displayed before his reincarnation that matched up.
‘After Molyaw died, Zodiac left to seek his homeland soon after.’
As these thoughts crossed his mind, he realized why Zodiac was heading toward the Grave of the God of Night at this very moment.
“Ugh, my head is spinning.”
To Kraush, the World Erosion seemed to be split into two factions right now.
One supporting Ixion.
The other, discontent with his actions.
Until the war of the World Erosion broke out.
The moderates from the Swordmaster faction had avoided conflicts with humans whenever possible.
There were those among the World Erosion who simply wanted to live quietly.
And this group included Molyaw himself.
‘What if Molyaw accidentally found out that Ixion had set his sights on Zodiac? In order to protect his disciple, he sent Zodiac to the Grave of the God of Night.’
This action could indeed be interpreted that way.
“Your Majesty, is something the matter?”
As Kraush was lost in thought, Soimon asked, puzzled.
Kraush snapped out of his thoughts and looked up.
He could verify the remaining doubts at the Grave of the God of Night.
“No, it’s nothing. I know the way to the Grave of the God of Night, so I’ll head that way.”
“The path is nothing but desert; are you sure you want to go?”
“Yes, it won’t take long.”
Soimon blinked in surprise.
He had reason to be; traveling to the Grave of the God of Night usually took at least a week.
But the one he was talking about was the Ten Great Lord.
Discussing such details seemed meaningless with someone so powerful.
“Yes, in that case, I’ll await your return to ensure you are welcomed back by the yellow magic tower.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
Kraush said this before promptly stepping onto the teleport facility’s railing.
As Soimon paused at that sight, Kraush’s silhouette vanished in an instant.
His disappearance was indeed quick.
As Soimon witnessed the event, he reflected on just how remarkable the Ten Great Lord was.
“I envy him at such a young age.”
Thinking it was all about the vast gap in talent, Soimon turned away.
Meanwhile, Kraush was rapidly moving over the rooftops of Debram.
Thanks to the acceleration from Excel, he sped forward without a hitch.
Before long, he leaped over the wall of the western area and landed in the desert.
“Whoa!?”
Merchants entering the western area widened their eyes in shock at Kraush’s landing.
They were startled by the sudden appearance of an unknown boy.
And then—
BANG!
Kraush disappeared again as his feet touched the ground.
Caught in a whirlwind of sand, he surged across the desert.
What used to take a week, as Soimon said, now felt like just a short distance away for Kraush.
He could distinctly feel the progress he had made since that first day at Rahern Academy.
The scorching sun above wasn’t nearly as hot compared to the heat radiating from his body.
Kraush raced across the desert for quite some time.
Before long, just as the sun in the sky began to set.
He halted before the remnants of a ruin.
The Grave of the God of Night only revealed itself at night.
Given this property, it was the ideal location for Molyaw to lay siege.
‘I didn’t sense any traces of Zodiac on my way here.’
That must mean Zodiac had already entered the grave.
How long had Kraush been waiting before the ruins?
The ground trembled!
As sands fell, the ruins unveiled themselves.
Giant entryway gaped open, without hesitation, Kraush stepped inside.
Soon, the corridor he had seen before at the grave came into view.
Kraush began to walk.
It was eerily quiet.
Being a grave buried in sand, it was a place sparse of human presence.
But despite that, his instincts were alert, signaling something was amiss.
Molyaw craved the power of the God of Night.
Molyaw’s abilities grew stronger as the moon rose at night.
Thus, the power of the God of Night was something Molyaw found particularly enticing.
And here stood someone with the God of Night’s skills.
That was Kraush himself.
Kraush lifted his hand to touch the wall.
And very slowly, he began to activate the Nox that resided within him.
The night of Nox stirred deep inside Kraush, crawling to the tip of his fingers.
Soon, the aura of Nox began to seep into the wall.
WHOOOM—
As Kraush activated Nox, the entire grave shuddered.
It was only natural for a place dedicated to the God of Night to react to its power.
But it wasn’t just the grave that reacted to the God of Night’s power.
KABOOM!
From far off, a fierce rumble was heard.
Kraush pulled back the Nox that had been leaking from his hand and gazed up.
The bait had been taken.
KABOOOM!
Suddenly, the outer wall of the grave crashed down, and something landed.
There stood a woman with black hair topped with adorably cute rabbit ears.
Despite her charming rabbit ears, the body below told a different story.
It was riddled with muscles and scars.
The woman who breached the outer wall glared at him with gleaming red eyes.
And when she locked eyes with Kraush, a slow smile crept onto her face.
“So, the grave robber who stole the power of the God of Night is here.”
She was none other than the World Erosion, Molyaw.
The Moon Rabbit.
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