Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Trap Card Activated
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The explosion in the imperial palace.
Thanks to that, the palace was thrown into brief chaos.
It was an explosion powerful enough to be felt even outside the palace walls, drawing every eye.
As a result, even as a guest, Krash was practically chased out of the imperial quarters.
No matter how much he was the emperor's benefactor, he was still a Valheim.
Letting him linger in the palace could spark a national incident.
Perhaps Abella had orchestrated it with that in mind.
To ensure Krash couldn't stay long.
'Is there some secret left behind in the palace?'
It was possible.
He'd tip off Sigrin about it.
"His Majesty has declared that he will personally capture those responsible for this outrage against you."
Dalpiron made the firm declaration to Krash.
On the surface, it didn't sound bad at all.
The empire had openly branded Ixion as enemies.
They'd tried to assassinate the emperor's benefactor simply because it didn't align with their goals—only natural.
The fact that they'd colluded with Ixion meant they had intel on them too.
And that would make hunting them down all the easier.
To that end, none other than Heavenly Emperor Dalpiron Juno himself would lead the pursuit.
The Poison King had once fallen to an Ixion ambush, after all.
Plenty of justification as payback for that old grudge.
It wouldn't resolve overnight, but this would tighten the noose on Ixion considerably.
On top of that, Krash had asked Dalpiron to investigate Abella's faction, who had targeted him.
Dalpiron gladly accepted the request.
"By the way, didn't you once say my skills were different?"
Before leaving the palace, Krash sought answers to the mystery Dalpiron had hinted at before.
"You mean that your skills weren't forged from a divine artifact?"
"Yes. It was the first time I'd ever heard anything like it."
Black Hood wasn't based on a divine artifact.
Ever since hearing that, Krash had been puzzled.
True to his word, Dalpiron explained.
"Right now, your skills flow from you like the innate power of your own body."
The next words caught even Krash off guard.
Skills emerging like the natural strength of his flesh and blood?
That meant it wasn't borrowed divine power—it was his own.
"...Is that even possible?"
"That's as far as I can discern. That's just how it appears to my eyes."
Krash recalled his encounter with the nameless goddess.
All they'd done was talk.
So what had she done to make this happen?
"Perhaps the goddess you contracted with reshaped it to fit your body."
"Reshaped it?"
"Yes. Skills affect their vessel—the human body—more profoundly than you'd think."
This was something Krash had heard before.
Skills opened entirely new realms of power.
But didn't possessing such realms take a toll on the human vessel?
Exhibit A: Charlotte, who had reached the pinnacle with just a sword and no skills.
Her innate sword talent was otherworldly, sure.
But people also noted she'd never acquired a skill.
And now, Dalpiron's words lent those suspicions real credibility.
Of course, skills were still overwhelmingly advantageous in most cases.
Charlotte was the exception.
Even among geniuses, those with skills usually came out ahead.
"Since skills burden the vessel itself, your goddess likely reshaped yours to ease that strain. Highest probability."
Krash looked down at his hands.
No real difference in feel when using Black Hood.
Not noticeable, but hardly bad news.
Less strain on the vessel meant greater potential for growth.
"Whatever goddess it is, she must cherish you dearly."
Krash thought back to that nameless goddess.
He wasn't sure if she truly cherished him—she hadn't even given her name.
But thanks to her, his path forward had grown smoother. That much was true.
And with that, another figure crossed Krash's mind.
"A limit, huh."
Arthur, one day staring at his hands and muttering to himself.
That day, the empire had fallen because they couldn't stop the worst catastrophe.
Arthur's expression then had been like someone who'd glimpsed the end of their talent.
As if he'd realized he could grow no stronger.
The resignation in his eyes still haunted Krash.
'Maybe Arthur...'
Already knew his limits.
It was the Regression skill, after all.
Granting such a power must have imposed an immense burden on his vessel.
Regression let Arthur confront the apocalypse.
And regression might have doomed him to fail at stopping it.
Krash's thoughts reached that point, and he looked up.
So what about Arthur now?
Krash had never met the real Arthur.
There was that suspicious fake, but he couldn't say for sure yet.
Did this timeline's Arthur have Regression? Or not?
Not even he knew.
But if Arthur lacked Regression this time...
Maybe he'd show the true extent of his talent.
'Pointless speculation.'
Krash wasn't counting on this Arthur to help avert ruin like before.
Shaking off the thought, he bowed to Dalpiron.
"Thank you for telling me."
"A paltry reward compared to what you've done."
Krash had cured the emperor's illness, after all.
"Until next time."
That concluded his meeting with Dalpiron.
On the road back to Raheln Academy.
Krash's carriage naturally carried Sigrin as well.
She had to return to the academy too.
"Well, I got a real scare last night thinking something terrible happened. Feels like I lost out just from the fright."
During the explosion, Sigrin had been the first to rush over amid the commotion.
The blast came right after she'd left Krash's room.
Closest one there.
She could've been caught in it, but her guard knight Sera protected her just in time.
Then, bursting into the room, Sigrin saw Krash unharmed and collapsed in relief.
She'd feared the worst for him too.
"Worrying suits you. Do I look like the type to die off somewhere?"
"Doesn't it happen all the time right up to the brink?"
No denying that.
As Krash fell silent, Sigrin crossed her arms with a sigh.
"At least think about how worried the people around you get."
Not just one or two cared only for him.
Krash himself needed to be a bit more careful.
"I'll keep it in mind."
Krash didn't want to end up a mess either.
Problem was, the path forward didn't allow passing unscathed.
"We've arrived at the Sirahan teleport gate."
Just then, Sera called from the driver's seat.
They'd reached the teleport gate to Raheln Academy.
Krash donned his robe and stepped out with Sigrin.
'That explosion forced us out like fugitives. Couldn't even use the White Dragon King.'
Looked like he'd have to handle it after getting back to Raheln.
As that thought crossed his mind, Krash and Sigrin entered the gate together.
The shout from Crimson Garden rang out abruptly.
Krash blinked in confusion at the voice.
Then, on reflex, he wrapped around Sigrin and triggered Accel.
As Crimson Garden's cry continued, Krash was already hurling Sigrin outside.
"Eek!"
Sigrin screamed, realizing too late she'd been tossed, crashing into Sera at the door.
The instant Krash lunged out after her, hand outstretched—
Jet-black flames erupted across the entire teleport gate.
Boom!
A roar shook the city from the gate.
The massive noise drew crowds, who beheld an unbelievable sight.
The teleport gate, intact moments ago, was gone.
Only an empty building foundation remained.
Before it.
Sigrin sat dazed on the ground, staring blankly at the site.
"...Krash?"
The name she murmured in a stupor.
Belonging to the one absent from this place.
Pain wracked his entire body.
Along with the sensation of tumbling across the ground.
"Tch!"
Krash snapped his eyes open, regaining his wits a beat late.
He realized he was rolling down a steep slope.
Mud-slicked, the incline slid endlessly.
Crimson Garden's delayed shout rang out.
Her crow was nowhere in sight, but she was clearly observing somehow.
Krash drew Thunderclap and jammed it deep into the slope.
The mud prevented a solid stick, but it slowed his slide somewhat.
In that moment, he scanned his surroundings.
What had just hit him was a forced teleport.
And only one group would pull that.
'Ixion.'
They'd set a trap, no doubt.
Too careless for an imperial teleport gate.
'These bastards had an inside man besides the emperor and Heavenly Emperor.'
Setting this trap confirmed a collaborator.
"Damn it all."
That meant Krash had walked right into it.
He struggled to his feet atop the muddy slope.
Rain poured from the sky in sheets.
Making the slope even slicker.
Soon, Krash realized the incline converged to a single point.
Like an antlion pit.
Zing!
His Sixth Sense triggered then.
Rumble-crash!
As his Sixth Sense flared, something burst from the pit at the slope's end.
Just as he'd feared—an actual antlion.
"Crazy bastard!"
One problem: it was building-sized.
The massive antlion surged toward Krash.
Spotting it, Krash gripped Thunderclap.
Black Flame ignited along the blade, and he swung.
"Flame Extinguishing Erosion" "First Form" "Flame Extinguishing Sword Draw"
⟨ Black Flame ⟩
Flames surged, engulfing the antlion in an instant.
"Greeeeh!"
The antlion shrieked, wreathed in fire.
Krash leaped from the slope, landing on its head.
Seizing its pained thrashing, he kicked off into the air.
'Accel.'
Accelerated by Accel, Krash shot to the flat ground beyond the slope.
He landed dodging the rain, then looked up—and froze.
Towering trees pierced the sky endlessly.
Each one evoking a world tree in scale.
Thick foliage stretched overhead.
The sight hit him: he knew this place.
One of the Forbidden Domains.
Giants' Forest.
A World Erosion where everything was gigantic.