### Chapter 370
As Oberon was engulfed in Kraush’s white flames, it was a sight to behold.
Even the Spirit King, ruler of the forest, couldn’t exactly stand tall in the presence of Kraush’s burning intensity.
Kraush passed by the charred remains of Oberon and finally reached the top of the tree.
There, he spotted a colossal seed twisted among the branches, radiating a fierce light—the dreaded Supreme Seed.
He could feel the tree of Oberon writhing, trying to recuperate, but Kraush swiftly placed his hand over the seed.
In that instant, Kraush activated the Black Hood.
The target? The Spirit King’s Woods.
What he sought? Nothing less than the Supreme Seed.
At that moment, the Supreme Seed began transforming into energy, flowing toward Kraush.
With a snap, he incinerated it all with black flames and stashed it away in his Sable.
Having done this before, Kraush absorbed the seed with ease, proving that practice makes perfect.
Breathless and heated, the warmth coursed inside him, making his head spin, but he pushed through, continuing to absorb.
With each piece of the Supreme Seed absorbed, Oberon’s tree slowly lost its vitality.
Though this was a realm capable of creating spirits that befriended humans, it had spiraled out of control.
Thus, Kraush made sure to incinerate the entire Supreme Seed.
Boom!
The now lifeless tree of Oberon crumbled, dry as a bone.
Likewise, the surrounding woods followed suit.
Forests once radiating the light of spirits dimmed, gradually reverting to the ordinary forest they should have always been.
“Guess I’m getting used to this,” Kraush mused.
From the time of the Demonic Bastion to now, this was already the third time he had gone through this.
It made him quite the pro at channeling his powers into the Sable.
“Trouble is…”
There were still plenty of demon realms left to tackle.
Kraush leaped down from the tree and soon spotted Icarus and Aslan.
Aslan gazed at the twilight of the Spirit King’s Woods, with Dorothy perched on his shoulder.
For Dorothy, this forest felt like home; witnessing it fade would surely evoke many memories.
Aslan gently patted Dorothy’s head.
She leaned in, resting against his cheek.
Aslan, the world’s second Spirit Mage, stood at the precipice of becoming the last one yet felt the weight of the moment.
For both, perhaps everything began right here.
Soon, Aslan’s eyes met Kraush’s, and with a simple nod, they acknowledged each other in understanding.
Dorothy accepted this too, and together, they decided to cooperate.
Kraush nodded in return.
The expressions on the faces of Icarus suggested they were still in shock, maybe because they witnessed Kraush’s overwhelming power display.
After all, taking down the master of the demon realm with one attack wasn’t something to shrug off.
To Kraush, it was just like firing a glass cannon of full strength, but to them, he made it look effortless.
Lakradiyon gazed at Kraush with a mixture of respect and admiration.
Having previously sought to be one of Kraush’s knights, she trusted him more than anyone else.
“A knight’s order, huh?”
Kraush looked toward Icarus.
While not feasible at the moment, maybe one day he could gather people from all over like Icarus to form a knightly order.
In a world filled with chaos, they’d be ready to wield swords against any issue that arose.
“Of course, even if I managed to gather them, they’d probably get corrupted eventually,” he thought.
After all, he had seen in the last iteration the kind of outcome that concentrated power could lead to.
Collecting knights wouldn’t necessarily be the answer.
“There’s plenty of time to think about it.”
Right now, he had only closed two demon realms.
His immediate task was to shut down the rest.
“Icarus, we’re moving on to the next area. Try to rest as much as you can on the way.”
Kraush commanded, and everyone from Icarus replied in unison, though their faces were worn out.
Even if Kraush could absorb the power of world erosion, the demon realms were labeled as places humans shouldn’t venture lightly.
There was still a long way to go.
But given some time, they would surely adapt to navigating through the demon realms.
“Aslan, what do you plan to do?”
Kraush turned to Aslan as Icarus began making their way back.
Adolf had suggested discussing it once Aslan returned.
When asked what he planned, Aslan fell silent for a moment.
“Kraush, you’re set on closing demon realms, huh?”
Kraush nodded.
“I’ll follow you. I’m not ready to head to Igrit yet.”
Aslan directed his gaze toward Hardenhartz, the end direction of the Spirit King’s Woods.
The bitterness in his eyes still brewed quietly.
“Is that so?”
Kraush didn’t disagree with Aslan’s sentiment.
It wouldn’t be easy to mend relations with Adolf overnight, after all.
“Perhaps.”
Kraush felt a vague notion dawn on him.
The future had been altered.
Originally, Aslan would have faced Adolf before he ended up dead.
One day, when the conditions align and Aslan surpasses the Ten Great Lords, and Adolf steps down, there might be a chance for them to confront each other openly.
Would Aslan choose to eliminate Adolf then, or would he opt for a different method?
Kraush had no way of knowing that.
What he did know was that it was Aslan’s journey to ponder and resolve.
As his friend, he could only provide a few words of advice or be there for him when he sought it.
Though that too was a significant help for Aslan.
Thus, Aslan resolved to stick with Kraush.
He felt assured that alongside Kraush, he could organize his thoughts.
“More than anything, I’m pretty useful, right?”
Aslan chimed in, flashing a smile while mentioning his contributions even in the demon realm.
This genius was well aware of his own brilliance.
Just as Aslan proclaimed, his magic was indeed a great asset.
It was hardly a coincidence that he was directly tutored by the Magic Demon Lord.
“If you follow me, you’re bound to have a wild ride.”
“Prepare yourself.”
Kraush felt the firm determination radiating from Aslan and decided to accept him.
As Aslan walked alongside Kraush, the scene triggered memories from the past.
Aslan, Aria; he had been particularly close to these two.
That bond continued to thrive, with Kraush building relationships with them both.
No, it was even more significant to note that now, he had forged connections with many others across the world.
High above, a hawk soared into the sky.
Unfettered by where it had come from, it flew smoothly across the expanse.
“Sky Generation.”
Kraush murmured softly.
“Huh? What did you say?”
Aslan turned to Kraush, curious.
Kraush shook his head, as if to dismiss it.
“Just hoping those wings don’t get injured and can fly as freely as they wish.”
Kraush said, looking up at the hawk.
With its wings once torn to shreds and crashing to the ground, he now hoped for their recovery.
“Let’s head to the next demon realm.”
With that, Kraush stood tall, ready to spread his wings.
*
Across various parts of the world, the demon realm raged on.
Though chaos reigned, heroes of the tumultuous era invariably came forth.
The tales of Kraush and Icarus spread like wildfire, elevating them to hero status in the eyes of the people.
As a result, Icarus’s renown skyrocketed, and esteemed figures across the world pledged their intention to join.
United under the mission to protect the world, Icarus heralded the dawn of a new era of heroes.
As the center and leader of Icarus, Kraush welcomed each one with open arms.
In need of every helping hand to stop the demon realms, he was eager for even one more person to join their strength.
Kraush scrapped and collected every ally he could find.
As a result, he successfully divided Icarus into various squads to navigate the demon realms effectively.
Regardless of how skilled one might be, one could not escape injury or exhaustion while navigating the demon realms.
So, Kraush aimed to rotate the teams efficiently, leading to their continuous endeavor to breach the demon realms without losing momentum.
However, amidst this, Kraush’s reputation continued to rise daily.
It was only natural, though.
While it was indeed Icarus members who breached the realms, only Kraush held the capacity to quell the conquered demon realms.
Thus, unlike anyone else, he had to tirelessly push forward, striving to close the doors to the dangerous realms without rest.
At first, nobody thought to stop him, as the urgency of the situation overshadowed caution.
But gradually, the unease crept in as they observed Kraush tirelessly marching forth each day towards the demon realms.
“Is he some kind of monster?”
“They say he’s the youngest among the Ten Great Lords. Age doesn’t seem to matter at all.”
“Where does that iron will even come from?”
“Is he even human at this point?”
As days turned into weeks, chatter surrounding Kraush continued.
Yet, despite everything, that unconventional ferocity stirred something deep in Icarus’s hearts.
Kraush was genuinely pushing himself to prevent the world from falling apart.
Such pure determination began to resonate with those watching.
Much like those at Rahern Academy who had lived alongside Kraush, who threw themselves into the fray, Icarus began to mirror that sentiment.
[What a sight to behold, turned into a crazy cult for saving the world.]
Crimson Garden watched in bemused disbelief, muttering to itself how this was even crazier than any fanatic.
Icarus transformed, becoming a zealot group bound to restore the world.
They disregarded fame and prestige, focused purely on breaking through the demon realms and sealing them off.
It became a singular goal.
But because of that determination, the demon realms continued to close down.
The pace at which Icarus advanced astonished even the various nations.
Once they began closing countless demon realms, half a year had slipped by.
“Things are starting to look dangerous.”
Kraush rubbed at his heavy eyelids and assessed his state of being.
For half a year, Kraush had continuously pressed on, established within the demon realms.
Had that taken its toll?
On the bed, as he finally rose, he noticed he had begun to feel a strain from exhaustion.
“The difficulty level of the realms keeps escalating.”
As the Supreme Seed took deeper roots, the challenges relating to the demon realms increased, too.
By prioritizing the demon realms he could close quickly, he ignored the more significant threats looming in complexity.
“Although the nations are somehow managing to hold it all together…”
The muffled cries from various corners continued to echo alarmingly.
“Icarus is moving at maximum speed possible.”
Even so, they weren’t entirely keeping up with the expansion of the realms.
Recently, the injuries among Icarus members grew.
Sadly, casualties were starting to pile too.
After all, the demon realms were not places where anyone could survive.
And that was heightened by the Supreme Seed embedding itself, amplifying the power of the demon realms.
“Not the time to rest.”
Kraush shook off his drowsiness, pushing against the fatigue creeping in.
[Even so, this seems too far.]
Crimson Garden echoed its concern for Kraush.
Yet unbothered by such thoughts, Kraush dressed in the temporary uniform Icarus had fashioned for him.
“Unless I’m here, there won’t be anyone capable of closing the demon realms.”
As it turned out, only Kraush was capable of resolving the issues surrounding the Supreme Seed.
“Okay, there is technically one other, I guess.”
Kraush suddenly remembered Aria.
While he wasn’t entirely sure how, her Light Sword managed to purify even the Supreme Seed.
If Aria were present, that would at least give them two options.
“I wonder if Aria felt the same pressure back then.”
In the last iteration, Aria had flitted tirelessly around the demon realms, sealing them.
It was amusing since she had been in quite the same predicament as Kraush now.
“Not in a position to reprimand anyone, though.”
Kraush scolded his past self for criticizing Aria and stepped through the door.
That was when he noticed white hair before his eyes.
Blinking in surprise, he looked down.
There, standing before him with an icy expression, was a beautiful woman.
Kraush was very much familiar with her.
Bianca Hardenhartz.
His wife.
She gazed up at Kraush and, without a word, pushed him back into his room.
“Bianca?”
This place was Icarus’s temporary base.
Bianca had been running around supporting the efforts to halt the expansion of the demon realms alongside students from Rahern Academy.
Though they hadn’t seen each other recently, he certainly didn’t expect her to find him here.
Bianca didn’t respond but rather led him to the bed, flopping down on it.
She then crawled over and pulled the blankets, lying down beside him.
Kraush blinked, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
“What in the world is going on?”
“Close your eyes.”
As he tried to turn, his wife spoke sharply.
Bianca’s pressure felt even heavier than that of the demon realm masters.
Eventually, Kraush yielded to her, closing his eyes quietly.
At once, Bianca snuggled up against him snugly.
Warmth flooded into Kraush from her presence.
“Kraush, tomorrow is the third-year graduation ceremony at Rahern Academy.”
Already?
He had been so busy striving to close the demon realms that he completely lost track of time.
“Oh right, I’m graduating already.”
Graduating from Rahern Academy felt beyond meaningful given that he had managed to achieve such status as the top of his class.
At the brink of turning 18, a significant milestone awaited him.
“The Dean said it’s okay if you don’t come to the ceremony. He’ll consider you graduated regardless.”
“I should thank Durandal for that.”
To let someone who had missed over half of classes graduate? Now that was a generous Dean.
“So, Kraush, just take the day to relax.”
At this point, Kraush finally realized why Bianca had sought him out at this temporary base.
Surrounding Kraush were several familiar faces.
Among them were people connected to Bianca, like Aria and Aslan.
They had surely informed her just how hard Kraush was working, almost dangerously so.
And no matter how many times they warned him, Kraush appeared resolute.
Eventually, Bianca had to step in herself.
Kraush felt the tug of sleep creeping toward him.
Just as Crimson Garden had said, it was well past the limit.
“Am I just being compulsive?”
That excessive obsession with protecting the world had kept him from resting.
After all, having witnessed the destruction of the world firsthand made him all too aware of how much could change, even while he slept.
But still, human beings needed rest.
Hero or not, he was still a person.
Kraush reached out, wrapping Bianca in his embrace.
She shifted, burrowing deeper into his hold.
That warmth quelled some of Kraush’s anxiety.
“…the others back at the base are going to give me a hard time.”
“If they scold you, I’ll handle them myself.”
Ah, a solid wife he had.
Kraush chuckled softly at her determination before surrendering to sleep at last.
For the first time in half a year, he plunged into a deep slumber.
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