Chapter 38
Kraush gasped for air.
Blood trickled from his nose, staining his cheek.
Due to the excessive use of his sixth sense, veins pulsed violently across his face.
Woof, woof, woof!
The barking echoing around him sent his mind spiraling.
His vision, now tinted red, felt like a cruel joke.
This was the first time he pushed his intuition to such an extreme.
There wasn’t much time left.
If he continued like this, his sixth sense would soon fail.
The limit began to weigh down on his body.
Crunch!
But Kraush slammed against the pressure.
“Take that!”
The limitations of his sixth sense finally came to light.
As Kraush’s sword unintententionally sliced through an illusion, Berkman’s eyes shone with triumphant certainty.
His axe’s form shattered momentarily.
The aura bursting from it radiated its presence more than ever.
The air around him seemed to swirl in reverse as Berkman’s axe drew in the atmosphere.
With a sickening roar, the axe sliced through the air toward Kraush in an instant.
All Kraush’s mind could fixate on was the image of his own head flying off.
And then, at that moment…
Crack!
Flames erupted from deep within Kraush’s body.
The power from World Erosion residing within him was ignited by Ignis.
Combustion was akin to the driving force of power.
And World Erosion was no different.
Fueled by Ignis, the strength of World Erosion ignited with fervor.
Whoooosh!
In that moment, the power manifested from burning World Erosion filled Kraush’s flesh entirely.
Muscles deformed, and bones shifted under the sheer intensity of the hurricane of force that abruptly shattered Kraush’s limits.
His breathing accelerated.
The vigor of his body surged.
Every piece of information his eyes took in catalyzed his thoughts.
In that instant, Kraush felt like the world had momentarily stopped as his mind sped up.
His heightened senses even caught the faint signals of snow softly falling from the tree branches far away.
At that moment, a heat surged within him, touching the Phantom Binding.
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass echoed loudly.
Even though the binding diminished under the heat’s fury, Kraush’s eyes turned a fiery red.
As a result, tears of blood and streams of blood from his nose splattered forth.
This was the aftermath of breaking through his limits using the power of World Erosion.
Kraush’s original combined technique using Ignis and Extreme Blood Toxicity:
Flame Erosion (滅火浸蝕).
Three seconds.
He realized this through instinct.
Currently, he could maintain Flame Erosion for a mere three seconds.
I’ll finish this within that time.
At that instant, black flames swirled up his sword.
With the power now infused into his faltering blade, Kraush surged up, riding the empty space between him and Berkman’s axe.
Kraush moved faster than the falling axe.
Like a hunting dog gnashing at his prey’s neck.
Kraush’s sword plunged towards Berkman’s throat.
Berkman had yet to recognize Kraush’s blade until it neared his neck.
It was that quick.
Meanwhile, Berkman’s dog-like mouth gaped open in a confused surprise.
This could only be classified as a reflex.
His body moved before his brain had processed the information.
Only then did Berkman’s eyes finally register Kraush’s deadly sword.
“When did that happen? I’m gonna die!”
Under normal circumstances, by the time he realized it, the sword would have already pierced his neck, dealing the killing blow.
However, in that split second, one reflex changed everything.
————-!
Phantom Barking.
In that instant, an inaudible explosive sound shattered Kraush’s eardrum.
This reflex-driven action created a significant variable that was like a lifeline for Berkman.
BZZZZZZZZ!
With the cacophony reverberating, Kraush felt his vision warp.
Crunch!
And the shockwave completely flipped the outcome of the battle in that moment.
Due to the explosion that ruptured his eardrum, Kraush’s sword plunged into Berkman’s right shoulder instead.
As it tore through bone and flesh, Kraush’s sword displayed horrific might.
But the sword should have cleaved into his neck.
Berkman’s reflex inadvertently reversed the situation in that fleeting moment.
Simultaneously, the flames within Kraush began to extinguish slowly.
The effect of Flame Erosion waned.
What followed was a long withdrawal.
Between Berkman and Kraush, silence hung in the air, complicated emotions exchanging pathways.
In an instant, the situation had flipped.
Berkman gritted his teeth, bearing the pain in his shoulder, and swung his axe at Kraush.
Kraush’s blue eyes reflected the axe’s edge.
His sixth sense spoke.
That axe would take his neck and launch it into the sky.
With his energy seeping away due to the repercussions of Flame Erosion, there was no way he could draw his sword from Berkman’s shoulder and block the axe.
Impossible, huh?
Of course, it was impossible.
But that was only regarding his sword.
Kraush still had another trick up his sleeve.
He swiftly released his grip on the hilt.
Then, immediately, he forced the remaining embers of Flame Erosion into his right hand.
He struck it with such force that it penetrated his muscle and skin, igniting the flames to soar.
Without hesitation, Kraush swung his arm at Berkman’s axe with full force.
Smack!
At that moment, the axe blade lodged into Kraush’s right arm.
Despite being reinforced by Flame Erosion, muscle and bone succumbed to the axe.
In the end, the axe would sever Kraush’s right arm and claim his life.
But for that fleeting moment…
With his arm lodged in the axe, he bought a few precious seconds.
Kraush’s eyes blazed a fierce blue.
In this dire situation, his spirit unified with his body in that split second, reaching a state of enlightenment.
That focus was so intense, even Crimson Garden would be in awe.
Drip!
A droplet of mental energy fell from that zen state, creating ripples in the lake of Kraush’s consciousness and spreading throughout his entire being.
The surge of mental energy traveled up Kraush’s arm and finally reached the sword.
The sword lodged in Berkman’s shoulder became one with Kraush in that single instant.
Berkman, watching this unfold, felt a deep sense of futility.
Despite the fortuitous luck of a reflex save, Kraush had desperately clung to every chance until the very end.
Even Berkman, known as the Butcher Dog, found that tenacity exhausting.
I lost.
Recognizing that every trick he played had led to defeat, Berkman closed his eyes.
And then…
One Strike!
Crack!
With a crunch, Kraush’s remaining left hand shattered, and his sword cleaved Berkman from shoulder to tailbone.
Ka-CHUNK!
The reverberation of one strike jaggedly splitting the forest rang throughout the area.
Berkman’s body, now split in half, fell past Kraush.
Seeing the once-mighty foe now felled, Kraush dropped his sword.
His left hand could bear no more weight.
Snap, tap!
But the more serious issue lay elsewhere.
Kraush’s right arm, once lodged in the axe, now lay lifeless in the snow.
Due to Flame Erosion, the burning was bidding farewell to his arm.
In the drooping blood from his right arm…
Kraush barely caught his breath, turning his body.
Crimson Garden silently watched Kraush.
Even knowing he lost his arm, she couldn’t intervene.
Strong people win without being wounded.
Yet the weak must claw through with a body full of scars to win against others.
That was the sole victory Kraush could claim.
“…Are you satisfied?”
Yet even with that victory, it didn’t mean it was justified.
A sigh slipped from Crimson Garden’s lips.
She understood the sheer desperation that forced Kraush to make such a choice, knowing that victory lay only in wounded glory.
But he won.
For the first time, Kraush overcame a true strong competitor he thought he never could.
“More than enough, I suppose.”
Yet those words left Kraush’s lips with a twisted grin.
Seeing that, Crimson Garden shook her head, recognizing his stubbornness.
At that moment, Kraush’s body succumbed and fell to the ground.
His limit turned to absolute exhaustion.
“Kraush!”
Suddenly, Ebelasque appeared, rushing to support Kraush’s limp body.
Seeing his severed right arm and shattered left hand, she bit her lip.
Was this victory worth all the damage sustained?
Yet gazing at the faint smile still on his lips left her speechless.
What kind of life has he lived?
Even in this mangled victory, Kraush could still smile.
“Let’s go back.”
With a flap of her wings, Crimson Garden ascended lightly.
Ebelasque, witnessing this, stood up while holding Bianca’s lifeless form and also prepared to depart.
It was time to clean up the mess.
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