### Chapter 349
The Swordmaster.
The one recognized as the strongest among the World Erosionists.
Kraush’s reason for wanting to meet him was simple.
He was essentially the representative of all World Erosionists.
If he refrained from war, most of the World Erosionists would follow suit.
The moment he decided to join the fight, the tide of the war would shift.
His influence was so grand that you could definitely call him the most powerful among the World Erosionists.
That’s why Kraush had to meet the Swordmaster.
If he could persuade him not to enter the fray, there would be no need for an all-out war with all the World Erosionists.
“You want to meet the Swordmaster? He’s not the kind of guy you’d expect. It’s more like talking to a wall,”
Molyaw remarked next to him, offering her advice.
“I know.”
Kraush nodded in agreement with both Molyaw and Genie Mya’s words.
As she said, the Swordmaster was indeed someone with whom conversation was impossible.
But Kraush knew he had the one and only way to communicate with him.
“I don’t particularly want to fight against all the World Erosionists.”
Kraush expressed his honest thoughts as he walked.
A chance to meet the Swordmaster gained by protecting Zodiac.
From the moment he thought of Molyaw and Genie Mya, the thought of the Swordmaster had crossed his mind.
But he managed to get an opportunity to meet him far quicker than he anticipated.
Kraush wasn’t about to let this chance slip away.
“All I want to take down is Ixion. I just want to let the Swordmaster know that they pose a threat to other World Erosionists.”
Genie Mya paused to stare at Kraush for a moment.
Then she laughed as if finding it absurd.
“Wow, it’s like you’re ready to save the world or something.”
She was sharper than expected.
And her smile carried a positive connotation, showing she rather liked it.
“Alright. A man should have ambitions like that. I wish you success. I don’t particularly feel like fighting the whole world either.”
Kraush let out a short puff of air.
If only all the other World Erosionists were like Genie Mya.
‘Oh wait, that would lead to another kind of disaster.’
The world would then be overrun by battle maniacs.
Kraush lifted his head.
At that moment, a chill seeped into his body.
Even with the heat from Ignis bathing him, the coldness crept in.
If the greatest and widest mountain in the world is the Freya Mountains,
then this was the highest mountain in the world, Enmaia.
Kraush was currently heading toward the peak of Enmaia with Genie Mya.
The reason was simple.
The Swordmaster was up there.
Having disregarded the world, the Swordmaster simply wielded his sword on the peak of Enmaia.
To meet him, Kraush was climbing the Enmaia Mountain.
The highest mountain in the world.
Naturally, as one ascends, the air thins, and the surroundings cool down drastically.
“You’re holding up better than I thought. Being strong and climbing a mountain aren’t the same thing.”
“I’ve been through something similar before.”
Kraush had the experience of climbing the World Tree with nothing but his sword.
Perhaps that’s why climbing Enmaia didn’t feel that hard for him.
“Zodiac should have arrived by now.”
As they admired the distant scenery below, Genie Mya casually stated.
Later on, Kraush had sent Zodiac to the Magician.
Anywhere but that place, the Magician wouldn’t easily be invaded by Abella.
Even if Abella succeeded in an invasion, the Magician would buy enough time.
They would both have to engage in endless magical combat.
‘The real question is how far Abella has grown as of now.’
According to Aria, Abella had reached the peak of her magical abilities and pursued the truth by trading the world for magic.
From Kraush’s memory, it seemed Abella hadn’t quite reached that level yet.
However, it was true that her magical prowess was nearly at its peak.
If she retained her peak magical skills,
it wouldn’t be easy for even a Magician to defeat Abella.
“Yeah, she probably made it there.”
However, that wasn’t an immediate concern.
What mattered right now was for Kraush to meet the Swordmaster.
‘If Abella really did reach that level.’
She would have already kidnapped Kraush to use Ignis on him.
‘Or…’
There could be a compelling reason for her not to kidnap him.
Although she had devastated Mary and ended Sigrid,
the situation for Kraush remained rather unchanged, prompting a click of his tongue.
He wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully until he resolved matters with Abella.
Kraush lifted his head.
And just like that, a gigantic cliff appeared before them.
A cliff made of frozen black stone with no visible place to step.
“Let’s climb.”
Yet Genie Mya casually stepped on it and quickly ascended.
Her legs were undeterred by the cliff.
Kraush conjured the blade of Thunder Prime.
With that, he leaped and drove his sword into the cliff.
Just like when he climbed the World Tree,
Kraush continued to repeat the action on the cliff face.
But this wasn’t the best method.
Kugugugugu!
Kraush soon realized his head was shaking violently.
As he paused to look up, chunks of the cliff began to crumble and fall towards him.
Unlike the massive tree of the World Tree,
the vibrations caused by Kraush driving his sword into the cliff had weakened sections, resulting in their collapse.
“Whoa.”
Kraush darted to the side to avoid the falling debris.
Fortunately, he managed to evade the rocks.
But his body began to plummet downward.
Kraush grit his teeth and drew up the heat of dark flames into his feet.
The soles of his shoes began to burn.
But undeterred, Kraush drove his foot into the cliff.
Chiihihihik!
The heat of dark flames melted the rock beneath him, allowing Kraush’s foot to sink in.
With this, he could ascend the cliff without causing too much trouble.
As he pulled his foot free and leaped up, he kept climbing.
Kraush looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
Now the clouds were well beneath them.
Kraush exhaled a short breath.
He could definitely feel the lack of oxygen now.
The temperature had plummeted drastically.
Kraush unleashed his dark flames fiercely.
If he stayed like this, he’d get frostbite and freeze.
But he still had the cliff to conquer.
Kraush didn’t stop, continuing to hammer up the mountain.
After a while,
the cliff began to show signs of coming to an end.
‘Final stretch.’
Kraush took a deep breath and with all his might, he kicked upward.
In that moment, Kraush finally climbed up the cliff, rolling onto the ground.
The ground was entirely icy, so before slipping further, Kraush hurriedly rose to his feet.
“I’ve made it.”
As Kraush stood up, he noticed Genie Mya had already arrived.
She turned to him with a grin.
“I thought you’d take a while after falling back down. You surprised me with how fast you made it!”
“If I’d have known, I would have called for help.”
Kraush grumbled but lifted his head.
Suddenly, the view from the peak of Enmaia unfolded before them.
The sight was immensely barren.
Stars felt closer than ever at this height.
It felt like the sky was right beneath their feet.
Even the clouds seemed too distant.
At this height, no living creature could survive.
Thus, all they felt at the peak of Enmaia was desolation and a chill thin atmosphere.
A space that felt eerily quiet.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, something caught Kraush’s ear.
As he slowly turned his gaze,
he saw a tall man quietly swinging a wooden sword.
The man was far from ordinary.
Why? Because his face resembled that of a black leopard.
He was from the Black Leopard tribe.
However, even considering his heritage, there were things about him that were far from typical.
He had a massive scar running diagonally across his face, right over his eye.
That eye could no longer see forward.
Moreover, both of his ears perched atop his head were torn, more than half damaged.
His ears could no longer function either, failing to capture sounds.
A swordsman with no sight and no hearing.
And that swordsman was swinging a sword at the peak of Enmaia.
And this swordsman was the one considered the most formidable among the World Erosionists.
Swordmaster
The ‘Ten Great Lords.’
At that moment, Kraush felt a strange absence of sensation despite the Swordmaster standing there.
It wasn’t due to his weak presence.
Just like an ant cannot grasp the entirety of a human,
Kraush also could not read the Swordmaster completely.
As a result, his perception betrayed him, causing him to struggle to comprehend the Swordmaster’s presence.
‘I thought I got a fair bit stronger.’
Kraush, who had defeated even Genie Mya, rivaling the Ten Great Lords,
yet now before the Swordmaster, he couldn’t see a winning chance in sight.
The peak of the World Erosionists.
The Swordmaster was truly a being of another dimension.
‘Charlotte defeated such a Swordmaster.’
Kraush had witnessed countless geniuses being effortlessly cut down by the Swordmaster’s blade.
Even if they were geniuses poised to illuminate the world,
they fell utterly to the Swordmaster’s sword, dying in futility.
However, Charlotte was the only exception.
Her blade, dubbed the pinnacle of talent, had reached the Swordmaster.
Yet even she had effectively chosen mutual destruction against the Swordmaster.
‘And even if the Swordmaster and Charlotte were here.’
The destruction of the world would not be halted.
Kraush clenched his fist tightly.
He thought he had come a long way, but it was clear he still had a long way to go.
‘I need to become stronger.’
Only then would he have a chance to protect this damned world.
With that resolve, Kraush took a step forward.
The Swordmaster continued to swing his wooden sword in the void.
His movements were like that of a craftsman painstakingly creating a tool.
Slowly but surely, the Swordmaster demonstrated the essence of the sword.
The moment Kraush arrived behind him,
the Swordmaster finally paused, halting his sword mid-swing.
Despite his damaged eyes and ears, he recognized Kraush and slowly turned his body.
Kraush quietly drew Thunder Prime from its sheath.
Then, he pointed Thunder Prime at the Swordmaster while enveloping it in white flames.
The Swordmaster lifted his wooden sword in response;
even without sight and hearing, he communicated in only one way.
His method of dialogue was singular.
Sword Dialogue.
And so, Kraush devoted himself to growing stronger, continually trying to convey his words.
If he wanted to communicate, he had to prove his strength.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Kraush donned a tense smile on his lips.
“Let’s have a little chat.”
The peak of the World Erosionists and Sword Dialogue awaited him.
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