Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Petition Submission
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Having heard the news that Krash had headed to the arena.
The Divine Spear, Mary Diana, who had just returned from her mission, was rushing to the arena training grounds.
She had been struggling under Sigrin's orders to get close to Krash.
And now, word was that Krash had gone to the arena training grounds with none other than Durandal.
There was only one thing at Raheln Academy worth traveling with Durandal for.
A petition submission to Raheln Academy.
'This is my chance.'
Whatever Krash was thinking, his opponent was Durandal.
To Mary, no matter how much Krash had grown, submitting a petition like this was a stretch.
'If he fails, I can take over and submit his petition for him.'
Lately, Mary had been focusing solely on her training.
After regressing, she had essentially wasted all that previous time.
Most of it spent searching for Arthur, then rotting away in prison afterward.
She truly hadn't had any time to train.
But since enrolling in the academy, Mary had entered full-on training mode.
She was originally someone talented enough to be called the Divine Spear.
Her innate heavenly martial body had absorbed the memories of her regression in an instant.
Even during this recent mission, while stuck eating cold rations with Charlotte's Lion Squad, she had steadfastly kept training.
As a result, Mary had achieved tremendous growth in just a few days.
'Right now, I could...'
Bestow a favor on Krash and build a solid bond with him.
Mary hadn't liked how Krash constantly criticized her actions and tried to restrain her.
But now, none of that mattered.
Her relationship with Krash had reset to zero upon regression.
These days, she spent all her time plotting ways to get close to him.
She was even pondering those methods more than thoughts of Arthur.
It was around then that she entered the arena training grounds.
"Why is it so hot in here?"
The heat was so intense that she shrugged off her academy jacket.
Because of that, the eyes of the kids who had come to watch gathered on her chest.
As she fanned herself repeatedly and headed toward the spectator seats.
Her eyes caught sight of pitch-black Black Flame roaring up toward the sky.
At the center of that Black Flame stood Krash.
But the moment she saw him, Mary's face filled with shock.
'H-how...'
The aura emanating from Krash was so overwhelming it caught in her throat.
Whatever he had done, just sensing it from this distance made her falter.
Looking at him, she clearly realized.
He was no longer an opponent she could handle at her current level.
'I thought I was strong enough...'
Of course, she had only recently started serious training.
She was barely at the crawling stage.
And even that wasn't something achieved overnight.
It would take her at least three years to fully regain her power.
In fact, she had planned to recover her strength during her time at Raheln Academy.
But seeing Krash shattered that notion.
'No.'
This complacent thinking wouldn't cut it.
The task Sigrin had given her—to surpass him—couldn't be done in three years.
'I need to get stronger right now.'
Watching today's Krash, Mary felt it for sure.
He would keep growing from here on.
Without pause, endlessly.
Mary bit her lip.
For some reason, her legs felt weak.
Could she really grow stronger before he did, as he kept advancing?
After all the recent events that had crushed her self-esteem, she could no longer trust even her own abilities.
Anxiety began to gnaw at her bit by bit.
If she lost even her one remaining advantage.
Wouldn't Sigrin abandon her?
And eventually, Arthur too.
"Ah... sniff."
Mary bit her lip hard as her eyes reddened for no reason.
It was scary.
Terrifying.
The fear of being left utterly alone crept in, filling her with intense dread.
Before she knew it, she was biting her nails.
'Stronger, stronger, I have to get stronger.'
So she wouldn't be abandoned.
'And I have to surpass Krash.'
Mary's obsidian eyes fixed solely on Krash.
The burning resolve to definitely surpass him ignited fiercely in her heart.
At this point, Mary had no idea what Sigrin was truly thinking.
Roar—
In front of the blazing Black Flame.
Durandal, facing Krash, grimaced fiercely.
He knew Krash's full power well enough.
The Black Flame was intense enough to make even his body feel the heat.
But regardless, he couldn't accept this situation.
"I thought you were a gem."
This was a raw ore melting itself down in its own excessive heat.
He felt pity.
And various thoughts crossed his mind.
The power flowing from Krash's body was unmistakably akin to a curse.
For a moment, it felt like World Erosion, but the burning power itself seemed like a skill.
Of course, that made sense.
It was Ignis burning the World Erosion power gained through Extreme Blood Poison Infusion.
'I don't know how he obtained this power...'
But like this, his body and mind would surely break down.
Having crossed countless brushes with death to reach this point, Durandal had seen many like this.
And none who treated their bodies so carelessly met good ends.
"That's why I founded this academy."
Durandal cracked his knuckles lightly.
"I thought it necessary to teach the young ones how to value themselves."
An old acquaintance came to mind from long ago.
Someone like Krash, who burned himself without mercy and barely blocked a rampaging Forbidden Zone.
"Come on, then."
Durandal recalled that time, vowing to make the young strong so no one like that would appear again.
So he had no intention of letting Krash become another fallen star.
The moment he boldly invited him forward.
Krash stood silently, gripping Thunderclap without moving.
As Durandal grew puzzled by Krash's lack of reaction.
His gaze fell on Thunderclap.
The sword quietly gripped amid pitch-black flames.
The lightning flowing over it entered Durandal's eyes.
Durandal's thick eyebrows twitched.
The power pouring from Krash's body was so intense that he'd been late to notice.
"Hah."
Durandal let out a hollow chuckle.
Krash was concentrating the uncontrollable surging power into one point.
And that point was none other than Thunderclap.
He was so focused he probably couldn't even hear Durandal's words.
Even as his body burned in that heat.
It was an absurd level of concentration.
Cleverly, Krash knew Durandal wouldn't strike first and had laid this trap.
What made him so resilient?
Durandal exhaled as the question lingered.
Then, aura surged around his body.
The late-stage student was concentrating this much to show his full power.
As a teacher, it was his duty to receive it fully.
Durandal's aura flowed calmly amid the stillness.
Though called the War Emperor, he fought in utmost tranquility.
His secret technique.
Disaster Dragon Fall
Gray ash began to settle over Durandal's arms.
At the same time, his body swelled even larger than before.
Now feeling like a giant's.
The War Emperor's presence grew immensely greater.
This was to sincerely receive Krash's strike.
At the same time, a fire ignited in his heart.
Skill: Grit.
The skill that drew out fighting spirit seemed ordinary at first glance.
But it had one key advantage.
Unyielding mental fortitude that never broke.
Once ignited, the fighting spirit never extinguished, no matter what.
This unbreakable resilience sometimes granted unimaginable strength.
And it was the skill Krash coveted most right now.
With Grit, he could withstand drawing out the true power of Thousand Kills Star's killing intent and Extreme Blood Poison Infusion's frenzy.
'Not yet.'
Durandal's skill couldn't be stolen just yet.
So Krash focused solely on the now.
The two immense auras intertwined and clashed.
In front of such Durandal, Krash tested his limits.
This was his first time properly using Nox.
Somehow, he felt himself swimming through pitch-black night.
He was a flame swimming through the darkness.
A flame that never went out, burning endlessly.
And as Krash's spirit heightened, the flame grew larger.
Soon, when it engulfed even the night.
Krash poured the night-devouring flame entirely into Thunderclap.
Within the lightning-wreathed sheath.
The Black Flame that swallowed the black night pulsed.
As if condensing everything he'd learned so far.
The churning power intensified, soon becoming hard to contain.
Thud—
Cold sweat dripped from Krash's forehead.
The red smoke from his mouth revealed how much strain he was under.
Yet Krash suppressed the power in the sheath, over and over.
Thud—
To pour everything into a single strike.
To thoroughly convince Durandal.
Krash drew out his absolute peak power, possible only today.
Thud—
And when the crimson moon deep in his body was swallowed by the Black Flame.
Crack!
With the sound of the lightning sheath shattering, the Black Flame that devoured the red moon finally descended upon the world.
Extinguishing Flame ErosionFifth Form
Heaven-Extinguishing Moon Fire
The storm of Black Flame blooming from the night swept through the arena.
Those who witnessed it all gaped in unison.
Its power reached even the spectator seats.
The arena's spectator seats were protected by special defensive magic.
Specifically to block attacks from the training grounds.
Yet even that defensive magic shook violently within Krash's Black Flame's attack radius.
Crack crack crack!
And it wasn't just shaking.
The barrier, laid by renowned mages, cracked under the force.
Seeing it on the verge of breaking, the kids in range felt chills.
If it had shattered, they might have been swept up in the Black Flame too.
"I-Is that kind of attack even possible?"
"He's really 15? That's not output a late-stage student should manage."
The kids muttered in stunned expressions.
Krash's single strike had burned itself intensely into their minds.
Within the scorching Black Flame.
Durandal stood tall.
As if struck by high-tier magic.
For the first time in ages, his skin burned.
The slash Krash unleashed far exceeded what a sword could output.
How had he concentrated such power into one point?
Durandal glanced at his arm, burned beneath his torn clothes.
He'd truly retired a while back.
His arm ached and stung.
'Never thought a student would shock me this much.'
Even Charlotte, famed as Sword Saint, didn't output this much.
Her swordsmanship was genius beyond words, tongue-tying brilliance.
But in single-strike output, Krash overwhelmed.
And to Durandal, this output wasn't for people.
Within the Forbidden Zones of World Erosion.
Monsters rank 10 or higher that shrugged off high-output magic.
Krash's strike was clearly made for such Erosion Beasts.
Thus, Krash and Charlotte pursued utterly different sword paths.
It was intriguing how siblings diverged so extremely.
'Well, this is it.'
He swallowed a wry smile.
Krash pouring everything into such a swing was one thing.
But seeing him stirred a desire to nurture him further.
'Just make him shine brighter before the gem fades.'
Thinking so, Durandal stepped through the Black Flame.
It was fading gradually.
Having output that much, Krash had probably collapsed as he said.
He planned to carry him straight to the infirmary.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a sword pierced through the Black Flame.
Durandal deflected it with his hand blade.
Only then did he realize it was Thunderclap.
Durandal's eyes widened.
After that output, he could still move?
Clang!
Krash burst from the Black Flame, hands thrust forward.
Krash was utterly wrecked.
Using Heaven-Extinguishing Asura had shaken his entire body.
But as if it couldn't take his willpower, he squeezed his last strength and thrust at Durandal.
At that moment, Black Hood activated in Krash's hand.
Thunderclap, flung skyward, was gripped, and a golden blade surged toward Durandal.
Crack!
But the power in Thunderclap was incomplete.
The moment its edge touched Durandal's side, it couldn't even scratch and snapped.
And at that point, Krash's consciousness finally fled.
Having wrung out aura to draw the blade, it was inevitable.
Durandal caught Krash's body before it hit the ground.
"...I was wrong."
Durandal revised his comparison to his old comrade.
"He's an even tougher bastard than that guy."
As he chuckled that he'd never seen such a tenacious one in his life.