TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 89
Kraush sprinted forward, brushing past the Black Forest.
The rainwater running down the forest evaporated instantly upon touching Kraush’s body.
Even the intense Black Rainstorm couldn’t maintain its form near Kraush.
At some point, the Crimson Garden soared leisurely above the forest.
In stark contrast to its graceful glide, the pitch-black storm clouds gathering beyond the forest brimmed with ominous energy.
[It’s coming.]
It was the moment the Crimson Garden conveyed its intent.
Crackle—
With the brief sound of crackling lightning, Kraush came to a halt.
Boom!
At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck down from the Black Cloud, landing right in front of Kraush’s feet.
In that instant, the blinding lightning illuminated the surroundings, and Kraush’s eyes quietly ignited.
“Harphas.”
The moment Kraush uttered that name, another bolt of lightning descended from the Black Cloud.
Yet Kraush, without a shred of hesitation, drew the Rain Thunder Prime.
The moment Aura surged into the Rain Thunder Prime and shaped the blade, Kraush immediately swung toward the oncoming lightning.
Crackle!
With a deafening explosion from Kraush’s Rain Thunder Prime, a streak of black lightning was cleaved apart.
It was the power of the Lioner, combined with the force of World Erosion, erupting from Kraush.
After splitting the lightning, Kraush quietly exhaled smoke.
Simultaneously, with heat surging from within his body, Kraush lowered his stance.
Crunch!
At that moment, the ground beneath him distorted as Kraush’s muscles contracted like a coiled spring.
Boom!
Then, launching himself off the ground, Kraush soared high into the sky.
While airborne, Kraush adjusted his posture, staring at the Black Cloud preparing yet another lightning strike.
“How long do you plan to hide within those clouds?”
As Thunder Energy coated the Rain Thunder Prime’s blade like a scabbard, it became a sheath in its own right.
Finally, as the force of Annihilation Erosion surged to its peak within the scabbard infused by Kraush,
Crackle!
The shattered scabbard of the Lioner gave way, and Kraush’s blade slashed toward the Black Cloud.
Boom!
The storm of Black Flame clashed with the belated lightning, engulfing it and shattering the Black Cloud.
Perhaps it was because he had continuously absorbed World Erosion since entering the Demonic Realm.
Kraush marveled at the overwhelming power of the Black Flame, far stronger than before.
Simultaneously, the World Erosion power he had just expended immediately replenished itself within his body.
Kraush realized that as long as his body endured, he could receive an infinite supply of World Erosion power.
Because of this, he felt an unprecedented surge of vitality.
Though he had come here intending to confront Harphas head-on, knowing this fact—
This was far beyond his expectations.
Still, separate from all that, a crimson, blood-like energy surged uncontrollably within him.
‘Frenzy, is it?’
The stronger the power of World Erosion grew, the more insidiously the Frenzy reared its head.
At the same time, Kraush felt a powerful urge and a rising bloodlust within him.
“Hoo.”
As Kraush descended through the shredded Black Cloud, he let out a heated breath.
It was enough to remind him why Demaris Balheim, the creator of Extreme Blood Immersion Poison, had gone mad.
The mental corruption caused by the Frenzy was severe.
The moment he let his guard down, he felt as though he would tear apart everything around him.
‘Doll’s Eye.’
Thus, before the Frenzy could grow stronger, Kraush forcibly suppressed it with the Doll’s Eye.
Gradually, the raging emotions began to settle down.
For now, the Doll’s Eye was enough to keep it under control.
But he could feel it clearly.
‘I must acquire the Heavenly Slaughter Star.’
Without strengthening the Doll’s Eye through the Heavenly Slaughter Star, he would inevitably be consumed by the Frenzy.
“Perfect timing.”
In the meantime, he had also gauged how much control he had over World Erosion within the Forbidden Zone.
He had roughly determined his limits as well.
With a sense of accomplishment, Kraush lifted his head.
Through the torn Black Cloud, a monstrous black-winged creature revealed itself.
A massive humanoid body with a head resembling a black bird.
Wings that were larger than its already enormous form.
Legs ending in talons sharp enough to evoke the image of a raptor.
That was Harphas, the regional overlord of the East.
A 6-star Erosion Species.
Generally, it would take a Knight Order led by a mid-ranked Knight Commander to hunt down such a being.
Kraush had only recently entered the upper levels of the Expert rank.
Naturally, Harphas was an opponent he was not supposed to stand a chance against.
However, matchups always had their nuances.
Within the World Erosion, Kraush could endlessly draw upon its power as long as his body held out.
Moreover, Kraush had relentlessly mastered only those secret techniques capable of outputting beyond his limits.
What did that mean?
It was simple.
Kraush, as an individual, was optimized for combating Erosion Species.
His goal wasn’t to trample others and become the strongest.
It was to prevent the destruction that would begin with the World Erosion.
Boom!
The moment Kraush landed on the ground, Harphas spread its wings wide.
The wings were so vast that they momentarily cast the sky into darkness, as though night had fallen.
That was the moment.
From its spread wings, black feathers began to rain down.
The downpour of Black Rainwater made it nearly impossible to see the feathers.
But Kraush was different.
Crackle!
The activated Thunderclap allowed him to perceive every feather amidst the Black Rainwater.
As the Black Flame surged atop the Rain Thunder Prime, Kraush’s blade moved.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Amidst the ceaseless sound of clashing blades, the Black Flame flickered.
Almost as if foreseeing their movements, Kraush’s sword severed every feather.
Countless severed feathers embedded themselves into the ground.
Except for the area where Kraush stood, the ground was densely covered with black feathers, resembling a forest of black grass.
Yet, not a single feather pierced the place where Kraush stood.
“Kiiiiiik!”
Harphas let out a disturbing screech, circling once in the sky.
Harphas’s true objective was Nisrok.
Ordinarily, it could have ignored Kraush and simply moved on.
However, once Kraush appeared, it couldn’t tear its gaze away from him.
Continuously absorbing World Erosion in real time, Kraush’s growing power was an irresistible lure.
How much stronger could it become by devouring him?
Along with that thought, Harphas became fixated on Kraush.
It was an additional effect of the Extreme Blood Immersion Poison, designed to facilitate hunting Erosion Species.
And that thought immediately translated into action.
It stopped wasting its feathers in vain and began spinning rapidly through the air.
Then, lightning pouring from its body started to encircle Harphas.
Harphas’s feathers bristled like a porcupine, with sharp edges protruding.
Crackle, crackle!
At that moment, Harphas veered off its trajectory.
Diving downward, Harphas disappeared instantly into the Black Forest.
The silent forest.
Instead of the sounds of insects, only the rain echoed in Kraush’s ears.
Just moments ago, Harphas had been so noisy, scattering feathers everywhere.
Now, this eerie quiet felt strangely out of place.
Ssshh—
Black trees swayed slowly, following the gusts of wind that accompanied the pouring Black Rainwater.
The scene evoked the image of pitch-black ghosts, creating a sinister atmosphere.
Kraush’s ears twitched slightly as he stood in the only spot untouched by feathers.
Swish!
In that instant, Harphas reappeared.
Folding its wings and sharpening its feathers like blades, Harphas spun its body and lunged at Kraush.
Simultaneously, Kraush’s sword moved in sync with his Thunderclap.
Clang! Crackle!
Sparks erupted as Kraush’s sword clashed with Harphas.
Kraush staggered back by two steps from the impact.
In that moment, Harphas vanished into the forest once again.
It was fast.
Harphas was so fast that even the Thunderclap barely managed to keep up.
Moreover, the impact was so powerful that even with Annihilation Erosion, Kraush was forced to step back.
On top of that, it was cunning.
It exploited the terrain to attack only from positions advantageous to itself.
This was the technique of Harphas, the Ruler of the East.
Those who had come to hunt it in the past had also met their demise from this very tactic.
Kraush exhaled quietly amidst the swaying black trees.
Like tempered steel, the fiery energy of Annihilation Erosion coursing through his body grew increasingly intense.
Harphas was undoubtedly faster than Kraush.
So, all he needed was one opening.
He just had to seize that single moment to crush it.
Kraush’s Sixth Sense reached deeper into his surroundings than ever before.
Beyond the swaying trees, he faintly sensed Harphas flying at near supersonic speed between them.
Despite such high-speed flight, Harphas didn’t collide with any trees.
Its flight technique was astonishing.
Furthermore, it was getting even faster.
As if determined to end the fight in a single strike.
It accelerated continuously, as though trying to shake off Kraush’s Sixth Sense.
And just as the end of that high-speed flight drew near.
Kraush’s back foot slid backward.
Snap!
When Kraush turned his head back, the sound of rustling bushes echoed.
Alongside that sound, a blade-like black feather came flying toward him.
Snap!
And almost simultaneously, Harphas revealed its true form from the exact opposite direction where Kraush had turned.
Right after throwing a feather from the bushes during its high-speed movement.
It had flown to the opposite side and revealed itself.
A speed that truly surpassed the sound barrier.
Harphas felt victory was within its grasp.
If Kraush tried to dodge the feather, its wings would rip him apart.
If Kraush tried to block its attack, the feather would pierce his body.
The former meant an instant kill.
The latter would mean drawing out his death like a wounded prey.
Either way, inflicting a fatal wound was inevitable.
Harphas let out a bizarre laugh, befitting a monstrous bird.
“Annihilation Erosion.”
Kraush’s left hand, which wasn’t holding the sword, extended backward.
At the same time, his upper body turned swiftly toward Harphas.
He had chosen the latter option Harphas anticipated.
The second stage of Annihilation Erosion activated, pushing his physical limits and momentarily surpassing his original speed by far.
As a result, Kraush barely managed to turn toward Harphas’s direction.
“One second.”
For a brief instant.
Within Kraush’s accelerated thoughts, time seemed to freeze.
Amid the soaring Black Flame, a golden blade of Rain Thunder Prime emerged.
Even Harphas, who had broken the sound barrier, felt slow to Kraush in that moment.
In this highly accelerated state, Kraush’s body responded to his thoughts and swung his sword simultaneously.
Thrust—
The sword blade extended instantly, aiming for Harphas’s neck like a set of fangs.
The absurdly fast blade, too quick for even Harphas to react, pierced through its feathers without resistance.
As its neck skin began to tear apart, Harphas’s pupils dilated in shock.
It realized it couldn’t keep up with Kraush’s movements at all.
However, perhaps because it was an Erosion Species.
Even as its neck was being ripped apart, Harphas spread its right wing.
It intended to shred Kraush before he could claim its neck.
Puk!
But before its wing could fully extend, something embedded itself in the wing joint.
As a result, Harphas’s wing couldn’t reach Kraush and broke instead.
Harphas’s two eyes widened in astonishment.
What was lodged in its wing joint was one of the feathers Harphas had thrown at Kraush.
In that moment, Kraush had seized the incoming feather with Black Hood and driven it into Harphas’s wing.
Slice!
In the fleeting instant of one second passing.
The sound of something being severed echoed as Harphas’s body barreled through the rainwater and smashed into the trees.
Boom!
Its flight had been so swift that even after losing its head, it continued flying for a considerable distance before stopping.
Shortly afterward, Harphas’s severed head belatedly rolled across the ground.
Its eyes were filled with disbelief, as if it couldn’t fathom dying here.
“I expected as much.”
Kraush drove Rain Thunder Prime firmly into Harphas’s head to ensure its demise.
Crunch!
In that moment, the Ruler of the East, a six-star being, was slain by a single boy.
Having finished off Harphas, Kraush exhaled briefly, his breath heated.
The aftermath of pushing Annihilation Erosion to its limit briefly caught up with him.
Due to the unique nature of the Demonic Realm, he felt his strength replenishing once again.
‘In the Forbidden Zone, I probably can’t lose to anyone.’
A bit of confidence began to build within him.
Kraush, who would have to face the World Erosion that would soon escalate to its most terrifying form.
Annihilation Erosion was the ultimate secret technique to counter such a World Erosion.
‘I can stop it.’
It was at the moment Kraush clenched both his fists with firm resolve.
Kraush had been too focused on Harphas.
Rustle-
That’s why he only realized someone was approaching far too late.
“Kraush?”
A voice filled with surprise echoed out.
Kraush turned his head toward the source of the voice.
There, hair that resembled the original color of Kraush’s own quietly swayed in the air.
Lilish Balheim.
Kraush’s sister was staring at the scene with her eyes wide open.
‘Reblian, that bastard.’
Could he have informed Lilish amidst that chaotic fight?
Even if he did, Kraush hadn’t expected Lilish, who had been facing Nisrok, to come here so quickly.
Kraush’s expression twisted into a grimace.
How was he supposed to explain the current situation?
The fact that he, who once was called a Half-Penny, had hunted a six-star Erosion Species all by himself.
But Kraush’s dilemma didn’t last long.
Because the next words out of Lilish’s mouth froze Kraush in place.
“How do you know about Ignis…?”
Neither Charlotte, nor the Head Butler, nor anyone else—
None of them should have been able to recognize Belorkin’s ‘Ignis,’ which had fused with the World Erosion to become Black Flame.
Yet Lilish had recognized it.