Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Ominous Black Star
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In front of Astraia's confession.
"You..."
The moment Krash opened his mouth to speak.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion roared violently through the air.
The blast had come from none other than the direction of the Holy Royal Palace.
He wondered if it was an attack from the opposition faction.
But in that instant, Krash felt a chilling sensation crawl across his skin.
Krash's head snapped toward it.
Far in the distance, flames were rising from the palace of white and gold.
This is...
The aura sealed within the Four Seasons in Krash's body resonated.
Krash knew this ominous sensation all too well.
In that moment, Crimson Garden's voice rang out from above in the sky.
"Evelask."
Krash urgently called for Evelask, and her corpse rat climbed onto his shoulder.
"No word from the Mad Pope."
"Tch."
As expected, they'd been holding a separate meeting excluding the Mad Pope, whom they suspected.
"Tell the Mad Pope to crash their meeting later."
Krash put the matter aside for now and turned to Astraia.
"Astraia, looks like a World Eroder has shown up at the Holy Royal Palace."
"Huh? A World Eroder?"
Astraia's eyes widened in shock.
It was only natural— a World Eroder had appeared out of nowhere, without any warning.
Besides, this was the Holy Kingdom.
No ordinary World Eroder could infiltrate a place like this.
"Yeah. We don't know their goal yet, but they're clearly after something there."
"So you're saying you're going to check it out?"
Worry clouded Astraia's eyes.
She desperately wanted to stop him.
But her hand didn't reach out to grab Krash.
"If you get hurt, I'll heal you somehow. Just don't die on me."
Instead, she did the utmost she could.
Her healing abilities were the best in the world, after all.
For the person she loved, she wanted to give everything she had.
Watching her like that, Krash placed a heavy hand on her head.
"Yeah. No matter what, I'll come back to you alive."
Words he hadn't been able to say back then—he said them now.
Krash conveyed them to Astraia.
"Aslan."
Right on cue, Aslan emerged from the hole with Diona in tow.
Diona looked quite disheveled, but she broke into a bright smile upon seeing Astraia.
Fortunately, it seemed they'd dealt with Benox, the Heresy Inquisitor Captain, properly.
"Astraia, take care of things here."
With those words, Krash turned away.
"Keep your promise!"
Hearing Astraia's final shout, Krash plunged into the crowd, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
Excel was already cloaking his body, propelling him even faster.
"Crimson Garden, got a read on which Ixion member it is?"
Krash had no idea why they'd show up at the Holy Royal Palace at this exact timing.
Just like with the imperial palace incident, his confrontation with Ixion happened much later.
Besides, the world has changed way too much now because of me and those three troublemakers.
Ever since Krash, bearer of Ignis, entered Ixion's sights, their situation had shifted dramatically too.
So he couldn't easily guess their objective this time.
[Hold on. I'm scouting from above right now.]
True to her word, a crow was swiftly searching above the Holy Royal Palace.
That was when it happened.
KABOOOOOM!
Another explosion shattered the palace ceiling entirely.
Krash hurriedly looked that way and saw a black-haired man landing on another section of the ceiling.
Blavi.
His name was Blavi of the Heavenly Nine Constellations.
The former master of the Heavenly Death Star, one of the living monsters who had undergone reversal of age and youth.
The one Krash called an old monster wiped the soot from his face with a finger.
Only then did Krash realize.
So the "black star" Seirang said was looming over the Holy Royal Palace meant Ixion.
Smoke billowed up from the shattered ceiling.
The moment Krash's eyes widened at the sight, Crimson Garden's voice echoed simultaneously.
Through the smoke, an elderly man in a gray fedora came into view.
He stood tall atop a massive hand formed of smoke, gripping his staff.
One of Ixion's members—and one of the most dangerous World Eroders in Krash's estimation—was here.
Krash focused his eyes to gather as much intel as possible, but there wasn't much to glean.
With no choice, he accelerated further.
"My, I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere."
In the meantime, Enma—facing off against Blavi—stroked his goatee with a finger.
But Blavi stared at him with emotionless eyes and tapped his other earring.
His right hand already held a drawn sword, and now a new blade appeared in his left.
One was an utterly black dark blade.
The other, an utterly white light blade.
It was Yin-Yang Moon, one of the Ten Heavenly Swords.
The sword's crimson-black aura surged forth in perfectly controlled waves.
Though Krash had stolen the Heavenly Death Star, a lifetime of wielding it had imbued Blavi's blades with that hue.
Enma clicked his tongue regretfully at the sight.
Blavi was clearly ready for battle.
I'd love to slip away now that I've achieved my goal.
The Holy Royal Family and the opposition were too busy with their power struggle to notice this side.
But in time, they'd turn their attention to the commotion here.
Even for Enma, facing Blavi plus Heavenly King Tersa would be too much.
No helping it.
He'd have to expend some power here and force his way out aggressively.
He could ask the Black Witch for help, but with her history involving the Mad Pope...
Better to handle this himself.
Having decided, Enma slammed his staff down onto the smoke hand—
when he sensed an intensely ominous, savage energy.
As he lifted his furrowed gaze—
pure white flames reflected in his eyes.
The flames looked ominous at a glance, and the moment he questioned them—
he watched his smoke, formed from his World Erosion via sorcery, get extinguished upon contact with the white flames.
What in the world?
This was special smoke crafted from his World Erosion.
And it was being erased by white flames?
In disbelief at the impossible sight, he raised his staff and slammed it down.
BOOM!
The shockwave of World Erosion pouring from the staff clashed with the white flames.
They scattered like hitting an invisible wall.
But splashes of white flame licked at the smoke, burning it away.
What is this?
Enma glared in the direction the white flames had come from, face twisted.
There stood someone with dark blue hair fluttering in the wind.
Enma's eyes narrowed upon seeing him.
The boy looked far too young.
At most, around fifteen years old.
And that hair color looked familiar even to him.
That hair... Valheim?
He quickly recalled the Valheims.
Originally five direct descendants, now down to four after one died.
Two males among them.
One was Rye Valheim.
He's not that young.
The one who'd clashed directly with the Mad Pope couldn't be that childish.
Which left only...
Krash Valheim.
The Black Witch's warned figure—the youngest Valheim, bearer of Ignis.
Nothing else fit.
Enma's eyes narrowed to slits.
Word was he'd played a major role in the Mad Pope battle.
He'd heard Krash was a Raheln Academy student, but not this young.
And those white flames just now...
Enma had lingered in this world for a long time.
Late as it was, he recognized the source of the power Krash had used.
The War Emperor's secret art?
War Emperor Durandal.
The man who'd felled the most World Eroders and their kin.
Enma had crossed paths with him in his prime.
Remembering that day brought a faint ache to his side.
Long ago, he'd taken a hit that wrecked his internals, leaving him near death.
I'd heard rumors he'd become the War Emperor's successor...
But to combine it with Ignis like this?
Does the Black Witch know about this?
He'd heard one of her minions had been subdued by Krash recently.
So she couldn't be entirely in the dark.
Yet she hadn't shared this with Ixion.
Just what is she thinking?
Enma couldn't fathom the Black Witch's mind.
Even as a fellow World Eroder, she was always an enigma.
She's the one who gathered Ixion, yet she shares the least.
Enma set aside thoughts of the Black Witch and focused on Krash.
His honest assessment came quickly.
Dangerous.
The power emanating from Krash was unmistakably dangerous.
And at such a tender age, just entering adulthood.
His potential for growth was boundless.
After all, rapid growth in youth was universal across worlds.
At that age, already at such a level...
By the time he reached his peak, he'd be an absurd monster.
And he's grown far beyond what the Black Witch mentioned.
The Mad Pope incident was mere months ago.
Back then, he wasn't on a World Eroder's level.
Only Crimson Garden and Evelask by his side had made him untouchable.
With resolve for all-out war, he could've been killed.
Not anymore.
Enma's wrinkled face tightened.
Killing Krash now would require a troublesome ordeal.
This is bad.
The momentum wasn't favorable.
Next time they met, he'd be even stronger.
At the same time, he spotted a crow flying overhead.
World Erosion power flowed from it.
Crimson Garden was undoubtedly watching too.
Kidnapping without casualties... possible?
The Black Witch had wanted his Ignis.
Capturing him would be ideal.
Not in this situation.
Enma had accomplished his purpose here.
He'd come for one reason.
To obtain the Holy Grail blueprint while the opposition and Holy Royals clashed.
He'd succeeded, copying it into his smoke.
Ideally, he'd have slipped away then.
But he'd run into Blavi.
Guided by Seirang's astrology, Blavi had appeared to block him.
And now, a new task presented itself.
If I can't kidnap him...
Meeting Krash changed his mind.
Ignis was no longer the issue.
This existence couldn't be left alone.
A chilling aura flickered in his eyes.
I have to kill him.
Conveniently, he'd shown up right in front of him.
BOOM!
His smoke barrier shook violently.
"Tch."
His fedora nearly flew off as Enma clicked his tongue and glanced aside.
There stood Blavi, swinging his twin blades.
Blavi had sensed Enma's intent and struck immediately.
Not for nothing was he a seasoned old monster—his instincts were sharp.
Moreover, the Holy Royals and opposition seemed to have sorted their situation.
Ominous holy power was converging this way.
Enma gripped his staff tightly.
His eyes locked on Krash again.
He wanted to kill him now, but there were too many obstacles.
In that case, at least...
Enma slammed his staff down.
With a twisted grin toward Krash, he said,
"Too many meddlers. See you next time."
CRACKLE!
Black sparks erupted at his feet, and massive smoke surged up, swallowing everything around and rising into the sky.
The smoke was instantly threatening enough to force even Blavi to retreat.
At the very least, I'll wreck it beyond repair.
The smoke filled the skies above the Holy Royal Palace in an instant.