Chapter 274
Chapter 274
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 274
Chapter Title: The Couple Devastating the World Erosion
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World Erosion.
Fragments scattered by a perished world.
The World Erosion incessantly seeks to take root, invading other worlds at every opportunity.
As such, it inflicts all manner of ill effects upon those worlds.
The World Erosion renders environments so viciously toxic that existing lifeforms can no longer survive.
It drives out the original inhabitants with ruthless malice.
Ironically, they must destroy other worlds to prevent their own demise.
That is the nature of World Erosion—and for the inhabitants of the original world, it is something that must be stopped at all costs.
Rustle—
To halt such a World Erosion, Krash was currently scaling Freyja Mountain.
Following behind him was one other person.
Bianca Hardenharts, Krash's fiancée.
"We're here."
Krash signaled to Bianca and halted his steps.
Bianca, who had stopped alongside him, peered ahead from behind his back.
Deep within the forest, past a certain line, space twisted and inverted like a warped reflection.
Unlike the rugged peaks of the Freyja Mountains where Krash stood, bizarre buildings of unfamiliar design lined the woods in eerie fashion.
Those structures looked ominous at a single glance.
'It's the infection type that alters the surrounding environment.'
Krash activated his Sixth Sense.
He lightly scanned the interior before turning back to Bianca.
"Bianca, there's a plague spreading inside the World Erosion. Wrap your aura around your body properly."
"Got it, I already have."
With Bianca's aura level, she wouldn't be easily infected by the black hand.
"Let's go."
Krash stepped straight into the World Erosion.
The moment he did, an unpleasant sensation wrapped around his body, as if something were coiling about him.
True to form for a World Erosion created near Giant's Forest.
Just from the feel of it, he could tell its grade was exceptionally high.
Fwoosh—
In that instant, Ignis flared up around Krash's body.
The curses swarming to challenge the intruder were incinerated in a flash.
Krash sent some of the heat toward Bianca as well, burning away her curses, then lifted his head.
He had no idea how such structures maintained their form in these mountains.
But presences emanated simultaneously from the ten-story-high buildings.
Viscous gray liquids oozed from within the buildings.
Splat—
The stuff that poured onto the ground soon merged together, swiftly forming muscular humanoid shapes.
One gripped a spear, even manifesting liquid clothing.
The problem was that they numbered far more than one or two.
They were spawning enough to nearly fill the entrance to the World Erosion.
Krash realized whose forms they were mimicking.
'Mimicking intruders who've entered the World Erosion before.'
Ashen Doppelgangers.
A type of doppelganger capable of copying appearances and some abilities.
'Grade is 5-star.'
Not high enough to be unmanageable.
But they had one tricky aspect.
Among that horde of Ashen Doppelgangers, only one was real.
Until that true one was defeated, they would endlessly produce more to assault the intruder.
That trait was why their subjugation difficulty was rated a notch higher.
'And the terrain's the worst possible too.'
With the rugged Freyja Mountains as a base, countless skyscrapers had sprouted haphazardly.
Finding the real one wouldn't be easy.
No wonder the villagers had abandoned the World Erosion and requested aid after withdrawing.
The issue was that by the time they requested help, they were already infected by the black hand plague.
'Ordinary folk couldn't even dream of handling this.'
Crack!
Before Krash could act first, a fox popped out from behind Bianca.
An ice-forged fox familiar, Piy.
But no longer the tiny pup from before.
Now in the form of a full-grown adult fox, it stretched its long legs tall.
Then it fanned out its three tails with a sharp whoosh.
Soon, spheres of chill began forming at the tails.
The spheres compressed and froze solid with resounding cracks.
They then spread outward, launching like cannonballs.
Kaboom!
The three ice spheres hurtled forward, devastating the Ashen Doppelgangers in an instant.
The doppelgangers couldn't even resist, erased by the ice spheres.
Normally, they would reform even if shattered.
But the lingering chill had frozen their bodies solid, preventing any regeneration.
Bianca was a hard counter to Ashen Doppelgangers.
Bianca and Krash's eyes met briefly.
In that moment of unspoken understanding, Krash kicked off the ground and leaped.
Meanwhile, Bianca kept firing ice spheres via Piy.
Each blast routed the Ashen Doppelgangers, allowing Krash to charge through the gap.
He reached a building in no time and immediately raised his foot.
Bam!
Krash shattered the door with a thrust of his foot and leaped inside.
Ashen Doppelgangers lying in ambush lunged at him, but they were no match.
With aura-clad handblades alone, Krash erased them and looked up at the ceiling.
Right above here.
A massive swarm of Ashen Doppelgangers writhed.
They had formed up early to await the prey that would climb up.
But Krash just scoffed at the sight.
"Who said anything about climbing up?"
Sorry, but he had no intention of going to them.
Krash gripped Thunderclap and lowered into stance.
Fwoosh—
In that instant, the flames around Krash shifted to white.
The World Erosion's power had converted into his aura.
The blazing white flames concentrated on Thunderclap, distorting the surrounding space with ferocious intensity.
Perhaps sensing the unnatural flow from below.
Panic rippled through the Ashen Doppelgangers above.
They moved to respond somehow.
But it was already too late.
Krash's sword brimmed fully with white flame.
Sizzle—
The moment the spark's crackle echoed briefly.
Krash thrust his sword straight toward the ceiling.
Kabooooom!
The white flame slash erupting from Krash's sword pierced the ceiling.
The Ashen Doppelgangers waiting on the floor above ignited en masse and burned away.
The endlessly extending white flames shattered multiple ceilings, ultimately bursting through to the rooftop.
Rumble!
The brilliant white flames spread, incinerating the entire building.
The structure collapsed under the immense power, spilling debris everywhere.
Krash leisurely dodged the falling fragments and emerged outside, where he saw the Ashen Doppelgangers crumbling.
The real doppelganger waiting upstairs had perished with them.
"Lord Krash."
Bianca landed beside him, ice wings sprouting from her back.
The two had eliminated a 5-star Erosion Beast in seconds.
Bianca gently clasped Krash's hand in both of hers.
Chill flowed from her, rapidly cooling him down.
Heat like this barely harmed him anymore.
But with her chill mitigating it, his operational time would extend further.
"Thanks."
At Krash's gratitude, Bianca glanced up at him coyly and released his hand.
"That's what I trained for."
Was that her goal all along?
He'd shown up before her in such a mess so many times.
Krash had nothing to say, so he just grinned sheepishly.
"So I'm really happy right now."
Her efforts hadn't been in vain—Bianca's face shone with pure joy.
She had long dreamed of simply standing by Krash's side.
Today was thus immensely precious to her.
Watching her pure delight, Krash's expression grew complex with layered thoughts.
Part of him wished she would stay safe.
Yet seeing how strong she'd become eased at least some of his worries.
But one thing was certain: her efforts were worthwhile, and she would be a great asset to him going forward.
That was enough.
"Bianca, can you spread your familiars over a wider area? I want to locate the core."
So Krash now asked as her comrade.
Using his Sixth Sense alone was less efficient than omnidirectionally dispatching familiars for intel.
"Sure."
Bianca's ice wings unfurled sharply.
Each feather detached, transforming into individual familiars.
From tiny birds to mice.
Hundreds of familiars spawned from the feathers and scattered across the forest in an instant.
Even handling that many, Bianca's face remained relaxed.
Krash was struck anew by how much she'd grown.
And how invaluable she'd be from here on.
Krash smiled faintly and patted her head.
Bianca beamed at his touch.
"We'll wrap this up and head out by tonight."
"Sounds good."
It was the moment a certain couple began laying waste to the World Erosion.
* * *
Afterward, Krash and Bianca pressed steadily deeper into the World Erosion.
As fully matured powerhouses, Erosion Beasts posed no threat to them whatsoever.
It would have been ideal if they reached the core without issue.
Regrettably, they soon faced a major obstacle.
'So the devouring has begun after all.'
At the terminus of the World Erosion.
It connected to another World Erosion at its edge.
Unlike the one before them, it was a vast, dense forest.
And unlike the lingering winter chill of Freyja Mountains, a sticky heat rode the wind from within.
Beyond lay none other than the Forbidden Zone, Giant's Forest.
Why had Giant's Forest suddenly appeared?
Giant's Forest, in the process of forming a Worst Seed, was devouring other World Erosions to amass more power for its growth.
'I figured it wasn't there by coincidence.'
Sure enough, Giant's Forest was consuming the World Erosion.
"What do we do?"
Bianca eyed Krash with a hint of concern at the situation.
In a normal World Erosion, the core would reside within.
But Giant's Forest had begun devouring it, expanding the core's domain in the process.
As a result, the World Erosion's core—the source of the black hand plague—had migrated into Giant's Forest.
'It hasn't fully devoured the World Erosion yet.'
Not that they'd accounted for the Forbidden Zone, but they could still close it by slaying the core.
To prevent even a sliver of black hand spread, elimination now was essential.
"We move."
A place he'd entered once before.
What's one more time?
Seize the core, escape Giant's Forest.
Their second foray into Giant's Forest began.