### Chapter: 418
The appearance of the ultimate monster, the Great Anomaly.
Among the world’s greatest powers, not many had knowledge of him anymore.
The Great Anomaly was a monster from a distant past.
However, no one dares underestimate his power.
Even the Dragon King, Kraush Balheim, fell to a single strike without being able to counter.
This news had yet to reach the public, but amongst the Ten Great Lords, the Sanctuary of Stars, and major forces worldwide, it was an understood fact.
Everyone was aware of Kraush‘s past might.
Thus, everyone recalled how dangerous the Great Anomaly truly was since even Kraush had been bested.
To add to that, it had become known that the God of War was aligned with the Great Anomaly.
Immediately, factions across the world focused their efforts on monitoring the movements of the Great Anomaly.
One confirmed detail was that the Great Anomaly was gathering the gods who had manifested throughout the world.
The place where they were gathering was known as the ‘Sanctuary of Stars.’
A place where the particles of dead gods were shrouded in mist.
Here, the gods were assembling under the Great Anomaly’s command.
Between the Ten Great Lords, who were struggling to contain the manifesting gods, a rapid meeting was convened on what to do.
The same urgency reigned among the forces of the Sanctuary of Stars.
“Hah, that bastard actually got hit. Hey, as a father, what do you think about this?”
In front of one of the manifested gods, who was screaming while being restrained by a blade of light, the former Grand Lord, Empress Glaiis Lacroix, asked.
In her shadow were the many gods she had caught.
“I can’t let a retired old man be treated like this. That damn brat, answer up!”
As Glaiis tsked, a man who had sheathed his sword turned to her.
With dark blue hair and a heavy demeanor, he was the father of Kraush and the war god—Balok Balheim.
“As long as he’s alive, that’s enough.”
Upon hearing this, Glaiis stared at Balok in silence before clicking her tongue.
“Don’t give me that late response. If he dies, it’s all meaningless. Honestly, you really don’t value your child, do you?”
Having already lost her first child to the World Devourer, Glaiis had a point to make.
So when she pointed out Balok‘s attitude, he merely glanced up at the sky.
Countless stars were embedded in the night sky.
Balok stared at the stars before he spoke.
“I don’t worry about a son who finds his own answers.”
What kind of answer was that?
Glaiis showed a befuddled expression.
But she also knew Kraush from firsthand experience.
She had seen what kind of temperament and life he had lived, so she understood why he would respond that way.
“Are you bragging about how well your son is doing?”
His child was the youngest among the Ten Great Lords and the youngest among the Sanctuary of Stars.
Furthermore, he had risen to become the bold hero, sitting in the leadership of the united Icarus.
If anything was worth bragging about, it was indeed a proud son.
Balok did not respond to Glaiis‘ comment directly.
“Providing him the time to find his answers is the duty of a father.”
Instead, he gazed far beyond the night sky, watching the gods gathering in the Sanctuary of Stars, his eyes glowing with ominous light.
The manifesting gods noticed Balok‘s presence one after the other, their gazes locking onto him.
Amongst those gods, Balok spotted an old man sitting at the center.
The old man had a deep-set eye and emitted a red glow.
When their eyes met, he distorted his own pupils and smiled brightly.
If one were to liken him to anything, it would be a foul star.
The Great Anomaly exuded an aura so terrifying that even Balok felt a chill.
Yet, before the terrifying aura of the Great Anomaly, Balok merely raised the corners of his mouth.
That smile resembled the one Charlotte often wore.
No, to correct that, Charlotte was the one who resembled him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that smile of yours.”
Upon seeing Balok‘s smile, Glaiis frowned as old and unpleasant memories resurfaced.
And rightly so, every time Balok wore such a smile, lives were lost.
Balok raised his hand slowly, wiping the corners of his mouth.
Then, he placed his raised hand back atop the hilt of his sword.
“I may not be able to buy him time.”
Certainly, his gaze was filled with thoughts of handling matters before his son could.
In Glaiis’ eyes, Balok was still just a boy like when she first met him.
Despite having ascended to semi-divinity and becoming a Grand Lord, Balok remained a battle-crazed warrior, true to the Balheim lineage.
With Charlotte taking over splendidly in his stead, the image of Balok had matured somewhat.
But in truth, he still burned with a desire for combat.
And now, that fervor was ablaze, directed toward the enemy known as the Great Anomaly.
“Balok, I’m warning you in advance, act your age.”
“I’ll make an effort.”
Glaiis clicked her tongue and followed behind him.
The former Grand Lord and the current Grand Lord.
The moment two semi-divine beings advanced toward the battlefield of the gods.
—
The highest mountain in the world.
Enmaia.
White snow swirled all year round near the mountain’s summit.
Kraush and Aria were climbing an ice-covered cliff.
“It’s my first time climbing this with my own legs.”
Aria, leaning against the cliff while gazing down at the sprawling view below, spoke from behind Kraush.
Unbeknownst to them, the two were breaking through clouds, ascending above the sky.
“It almost feels like we could reach out and touch the heavens,” she said.
“Aria, you’ve never had the chance to meet the Great Anomaly yourself during reincarnations, have you?”
“Yeah, since he’s a World Devourer, I couldn’t just put myself in reach of him.”
Aria also had her own struggles.
Most instances when she reincarnated occurred at times where encountering the Great Anomaly meant little.
“I suppose there are still many places we haven’t visited, despite our lives.”
She wore a slightly melancholic expression.
“Well, there’s one place we both haven’t been to,” Aria said, turning to Kraush.
He pointed skyward.
“The Divine Realm.”
With a blink of confusion, Aria chuckled softly.
“How about we go?”
Half-joking, but if Aria desired to join, Kraush wouldn’t mind.
Having a solid ally by his side was always a good thing.
Looking at Kraush, who saw her as an ally, brought a faint smile to Aria’s face.
“That place seems like a one-way ticket.”
“Still, I’m going.”
Aria blinked again, her expression playful.
“Are you flirting with me?”
Kraush nearly slipped off the cliff in surprise.
He glanced down at Aria with incredulous eyes.
“Where do you see that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? If we get trapped in the Divine Realm, we’d be alone together. That suggests you’re okay with that, right?”
“Is your brain being devoured by romantic cells or something?”
“You’re the one who read my thoughts without permission!”
Recently, perhaps due to all her thoughts being exposed, Aria was starting to act without reservations.
“And just because Kraush allowed me to stick around, I too want to be spoiled.”
Saying this, Aria candidly covered her face with one hand, slightly embarrassed.
If you’re shy, then don’t say anything!
But even while pretending to be bashful, she kept sneaking glances at Kraush through her fingers.
“How did you bear this back then?”
“Persistence.”
What a remarkable persistence that is.
“Stop spouting nonsense! We’re almost there.”
Kraush pressed against the final part of the cliff and leapt upwards.
He landed firmly upon the icy floor.
The sky seemed close.
An ambience of unbroken tranquility enveloped the space.
Tap—
Aria followed closely behind.
“Speaking of which, did you inform your wives about this verbally?”
Suddenly, Aria asked, as if recalling something.
Kraush relayed news of this current dilemma to his wives and major factions through Crimson Garden.
Since Crimson Garden was conducting research into Sanctuary of Stars magic with the Archmage, they could swiftly relay critical intelligence.
“Given the urgency…”
Naturally, his wives had been notified that Kraush was wounded by the Great Anomaly.
And now Kraush announced he was heading to confront the Great Anomaly without revealing his location.
His wives would certainly be furious and justified in their rage.
“I’ll deal with it later.”
Getting chewed out was already a certainty.
It was tough to store spilled liquid back in, after all.
So all he could do now was give his best.
“But that’s not the only thing I should have mentioned.”
“What else?”
“I’m right beside you.”
Finally realizing what Aria meant, he connected the dots late.
After all, his wives had been upset with him in the past due to being with Aria.
“They don’t really like me much, do they?” Kraush mused.
In the past, he had revealed to his wives that he reincarnated.
He didn’t want to hide it because it wasn’t a secret worth keeping.
Thus, Aria had been mentioned a few times throughout their past stories.
Maybe that’s why his wives didn’t view her fondly.
To some extent, it was Aria who pushed Kraush to the brink.
It left him with an odd feeling, noticing how he picked up traces from Aria in his mannerisms and habits.
“They’re my wives, after all.”
However, Kraush firmly dismissed Aria‘s statement.
“Do you think couples start looking alike for no reason? Just listen to whatever they say.”
He wholeheartedly trusted his wives.
Aria looked at him with slight envy before averting her gaze.
“Let me be your wife, too.”
Kraush glanced at Aria.
Her ears flushed a bright red.
“Don’t just blurt out your innermost thoughts.”
“C’mon! You’re listening anyway!”
“I switched it off until you started acting all suspicious.”
Aria playfully jabbed Kraush‘s elbow with mock annoyance.
“Why not? With the way things are, adding one more wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
“Don’t talk as if they’re extra inventory or something.”
“You invited me to stay, and I’m willing to give both my body and heart!”
“Please, just phrase it nicely.”
“Isn’t it already pretty?”
As Aria smiled with her lips, the sunlight caught her golden hair, keeping its brilliance even in the high altitude.
She might be pretty, indeed.
“Aria, you sure are audacious.”
“We reincarnators gotta stick together, right?”
In that thought, Kraush shifted his gaze.
He noticed a presence approaching from this direction.
There was only one person whose aura could be felt atop Enmaia.
Kraush saw the large figure of a black tiger with a chopped ear and a scarred eye.
The World Devourer, one from the Noir Tiger clan.
The Great Anomaly, Man.
Having not seen him for a long time, he positioned his wooden sword ahead of Kraush.
Still the same.
Without his ears and eye, he conversed solely with his sword.
Kraush unsheathed Sword of the Milky Way and stepped forward.
“I’m heading out.”
He needed to learn to wield the sword that could vanquish the Great Anomaly.
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