Chapter 259
Chapter 259
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Warning
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Glaisis Radius.
After the breath of cold devoured everything.
Deep within the completely frozen forest.
A thick fog of frigid mist filled the air.
Within that fog of cold.
The Ice Dragon Kreema, having unleashed its breath three times, had vanished without a trace.
Bianca quietly shifted her gaze.
There stood Dallea, her opponent just moments ago.
Now completely frozen solid, she was in no condition to fight any longer.
Bianca scanned her surroundings.
Among the examinees caught in the breath's wake, she spotted a single red bracelet dropped to the ground.
Bianca slipped the bracelet onto Dallea's outstretched hand, then began trudging onward.
Perhaps from expending so much effort.
Her body ached all over.
She had taken the Ice Dragon's breath head-on as well, leaving her far from normal.
On top of that, clashing with a powerhouse like Dallea had drained a considerable amount of her aura.
Bianca felt her eyes growing heavy.
'I still haven't found the yellow bracelet yet.'
To pass the exam, she needed to secure a yellow bracelet.
But her fatigued mind couldn't push that far.
Just then, an ice fox came bounding energetically toward her.
The ice fox, Piy, who must have slipped from her arms unnoticed, had a yellow bracelet dangling from its neck.
"Piy? How...?"
Bianca asked in surprise, and Piy scampered right up to her nose, wagging its tail furiously.
Seeing this, Bianca slowly smiled, then took the bracelet from Piy's mouth.
"Good job."
Piy leaped for joy at the praise.
Bianca clutched the bracelet close and leaned against a tree half-hidden by the forest, sinking down to sit.
She had no strength left in her body.
Bianca watched Piy darting around her busily, then gently closed her eyes.
"Piy, I'm just going to rest my eyes for a bit."
It was the moment she shut her eyes to recover even a little stamina.
Sabak—
Without hearing the sound of someone approaching her side.
The screens flickered chaotically, magic spells crumbling left and right from the three consecutive cold breaths.
Krash Valheim stared up at the arena screens.
"You don't look too happy about whatever you're searching for so frantically."
Astria chimed in from beside him with a sly jab.
He was just watching the screens.
And she had the nerve to comment on it.
"Not really."
"Oh, come on. I've never seen your eyes that wide open before."
Astria mimicked him by raising the corners of her own eyes, earning an exasperated look from Krash.
Astria was growing less formal by the day.
She seemed aware of it too, stopping mid-gesture to clear her throat awkwardly.
Then she poked Krash's side.
"More importantly, you seem bothered by something."
Was she spying on him all day?
She had picked up on it just from his expression.
"A little."
"You always say 'a little' before blowing things up big time. That's your specialty."
"What do you take me for?"
"Do you know how much I've had to clean up after the messes you've made?"
After patching him up every time he came back battered.
She scolded him shamelessly, so Krash poked her side in return.
"Kyaa!"
Her yelp drew glances from around them.
Astria flushed beet red, bowed her head, and glared daggers at Krash.
Who knew she'd scream like that.
"Didn't you say to always come to you first if I needed healing?"
"Tch, who said otherwise?"
Astria turned away with a pout.
"Krash, look there."
Then Haring tugged at Krash's sleeve, pointing upward.
Krash looked back at the screens to find an unexpected scene unfolding.
Amid the cold mist, Dallea stood frozen solid.
Two red bracelets clutched in her hand.
"Dallea Junon lost?"
"The daughter of the Junon family?"
Not just Krash—others in the arena watching the exam reacted with shock.
They had witnessed the clash between Dallea and Bianca.
Yet there was Bianca, gone, with only the frozen Dallea remaining.
Realizing Bianca had won, they buzzed in surprise.
For some reason, Krash felt his shoulders lift with pride.
But separately, Bianca's absence gnawed at him.
'She must have poured everything she had into that.'
As Krash watched the screen worriedly.
Moments later, it finally showed Bianca.
The associate professors had panned the view searching for her after her fight with Dallea.
And Krash's face hardened.
Because right in front of the exhausted, fainted Bianca.
One figure stood silently.
Shaggy black hair.
The one whose presence had set Krash's instincts on edge.
As Krash instinctively shot to his feet.
The boy's eyes turned this way.
Those eyes seemed to recognize the screen, staring straight at him.
It felt like a warning.
As if he could shatter anything precious to Krash at any moment.
Krash had sent Crimson Garden to investigate the boy.
He focused his gaze and listened as her voice continued.
Hearing he belonged to Lactea made Krash tense up.
The Lactea family, standing alone in the lawless badlands of the mountains, their location unknown to most.
Yet they had one peculiar trait.
'Specialists in exterminating World Erosion entities.'
They hunted World Erosion beings as their sole purpose.
They sought to erase anything and anyone connected to World Erosion from the world.
"Chit-chit!"
Even Evelask, who had suffered at their hands, let out a shriek from her corpse rat.
'Even if it's just the slightest connection, they wipe it out completely.'
Though the world sometimes criticized the Lactea family's ruthlessness.
No one denied their existence.
After all, World Erosion was the enemy of this world.
'With Ixion starting to move in earnest, they're mobilizing too. Is that it?'
Krash realized why the boy had stirred his unease.
The World Erosion power dwelling in him had reacted instinctively.
'The real problem is...'
The head of Lactea, their family leader.
The Four Heavenly Powers
Tyrant Emperor
Glaisis Lactea
Not only had Lactea hunted countless World Erosion entities.
Even with their base in the lawless badlands, no Erosion dared confront them directly.
The reason was Glaisis Lactea himself.
In the past, Duelist Emperor Durandal of the Four Heavenly Powers had been the symbol of terror to World Erosion.
Now, the one they feared most was none other than Glaisis Lactea.
'And one of that Lactea's members is standing before Bianca right now.'
A chill settled in Krash's eyes.
Krash wielded World Erosion power directly.
Moreover, countless World Erosion beings had become tied to him over time.
'Am I an enemy to Lactea now? Or not?'
Krash couldn't know for sure.
But the moment Lactea touched Bianca.
Krash would crush them without mercy.
Following Crimson Garden's advice, Krash locked eyes with the black-haired boy.
He wasn't in Krash's memories.
He might have altered his appearance.
But not being in his memories usually meant they died before making waves.
So was this boy deliberately warning him, or mere coincidence?
As she said, the boy simply stood by Bianca.
No signs of further movement.
That was why Krash hadn't intervened immediately.
Had the boy shown any suspicious intent, Krash would have stopped him on the spot.
But he merely stood before her, motionless.
'What are his intentions?'
Krash eyed the screen with clear irritation, then sank back into his seat.
By now, those around him were sneaking glances his way.
"...Krash, are you mad because some other guy's standing in front of your fiancée?"
Astria asked, her eyes brimming with disbelief.
Krash turned to her with a baffled expression, and even Karandis nodded furtively.
"It's okay, Krash. I get it."
For some reason, Haring offered her understanding too.
Aslan just gave a wry smile.
Saying nothing more.
Krash wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to.
So he just let out a long sigh.
"...That's not it."
Misunderstandings were piling up pointlessly.
His head throbbed from all angles.
Deep within the thawing icy forest.
The white-haired girl slowly opened her eyes.
Bianca felt her head pounding, but her innate expression remained impassive.
Despite the headache, she calmly surveyed her surroundings.
In that moment, she realized her ice fox familiar, Piy—who should have been guarding her—was gone.
As she looked around, moments later, she spotted Piy cradled in someone's arms.
She was startled.
It was the first time she'd seen Piy, who shunned everyone but her, nestled with another.
There stood a black-haired boy in a robe, his red eyes piercing.
He paused stroking Piy and stared at Bianca.
He exuded an ominous aura.
"Please give Piy back."
At her request for the fox in his arms, the boy set Piy down.
Piy glanced back at him, then trotted over to Bianca with a cheerful gait and snuggled into her.
"I didn't mean any harm."
The boy raised both hands to show he meant no threat to Bianca.
She nodded, petting Piy's head.
"I know. If you did, Piy wouldn't be acting like this."
"Good to hear."
The boy said that, then gazed off in one direction.
As Bianca curiously followed his gaze, he spoke first.
"No one over there can hear us here. So I can talk."
Doubt flickered in Bianca's eyes.
What was he suddenly on about?
"Krash Valheim is currently entangled with World Erosion entities."
Bianca showed no reaction to his words.
Reacting could give him an opening if he was fishing.
True to her sharp mind, she instantly grasped the risk to Krash and stayed composed.
So she just stared at him blankly, as always.
"I'm Arasism Lactea, of the Lactea family."
The boy met her gaze steadily with his red eyes.
"I'm here to save Krash Valheim."
And that was the utterly unexpected bombshell from his mouth.