Chapter 294
Chapter 294
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 294
Chapter Title: The Real Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shwaaaaa—
Willow catkins scattered in the air.
In the underground space, the sight of the catkins drifting along the light was utterly beautiful and alluring.
Krash found himself unwittingly entranced, staring at the scene.
But separately from that, an ominous presence stirred within the catkins.
And the source of that presence was unmistakably Bioren's power.
"Bioren."
As Krash called her name, Bioren nodded.
She began walking toward the willow catkins.
Bioren stood before the catkins.
She raised both hands toward them.
Bioren closed her eyes, focusing intently to reclaim her power.
Soon, Bioren would regain her original power, the barrier gates.
Krash watched quietly, thinking just that—until a sudden thought struck him.
Was there any real need for Bioren to bear that power herself?
The power sealed within her by the Barrier Master had the property of preventing World Erosion power from clashing with the world's own forces.
That was precisely what Ixion was after.
Bioren excelled in barrier arts, but not in raw combat prowess.
If Ixion targeted her, she had an eight-out-of-ten chance of falling.
'In that case.'
Wouldn't it be better if he took hold of Bioren's power instead?
"Wait, Bioren..."
The moment Krash called her name.
His eyes caught a distortion in the space.
The instant he faced that pitch-black warped space, Krash instinctively summoned Annihilating Flame Erosion.
Thud—
Before the sound of his foot kicking off the ground even echoed, Krash's figure scattered.
"Kyaa!"
In an instant, Krash scooped Bioren into his arms and twisted his body sharply.
Slash!
A massive oval chakram sliced past overhead, severing a few strands of his hair.
A blue chakram infused with starlight.
The moment Krash saw it, he knew exactly who had appeared here.
'Black Sparrow.'
A darkness-attribute Jang-gwi, one of Ixion's key members.
"Oh? You dodged?"
From the warped space emerged Black Sparrow, her figure partially veiled in a way that barely concealed her glaring eyes.
Kiiiiing!
Before Krash could steady himself, the chakram spun through the air.
In that moment, a gale from the chakram yanked him fiercely.
Caught mid-air without footing, Krash was helplessly drawn toward it.
'Not a chance.'
But he had no intention of falling for something so simple.
Gripping Bioren, Krash drew Thunderclap and hurled it hilt-first with all his might, blade unreleased.
Clang!
The chakram collided with Thunderclap's hilt and warped aside.
A scene showcasing the sheer force of Krash's raw power.
Thanks to that, the distorted chakram shredded into the surrounding walls.
Roar!
At that moment, Aslan's belated flame spell slammed into Black Sparrow.
Black Sparrow curved another chakram into a semicircle, sweeping away the entire spell.
But Aslan hadn't learned her magic in vain.
The scattering flames reformed into lightning and exploded toward Black Sparrow.
Caught off-guard by the sudden second-stage shift, Black Sparrow twisted her chakram.
The lightning spell ricocheted away, smashing into the walls.
Boom!
Amid the billowing smoke, Black Sparrow grimaced fiercely.
The technique of activating a spell and then transforming it mid-cast.
This was an advanced skill few mediocre mages could pull off.
"A mere human dares..."
She'd evaded damage thanks to quick thinking, but the near-miss ignited her fury.
As a Jang-gwi with immense racial pride, she couldn't tolerate being outmaneuvered by a human.
Her head snapped around as she thrust out her hand.
She recalled the chakram she'd thrown at Krash earlier, intent on killing the mage who'd forced her back.
But it didn't take long to realize that was a mistake.
Swoosh!
Through a gap in the thick smoke.
Krash, with Thunderclap's blade honed to its limit alongside Excel, closed in on her.
He'd clearly thrown the sword just moments ago.
Yet in that instant, Krash's eyes burned red as he reclaimed it through some technique and unleashed terrifying firepower.
His blade ignited fiercely in deep crimson.
The profound killing intent of the Thousand Kills Star had driven his World Erosion power berserk.
In that moment, Four Seasons converted all of Krash's World Erosion power into aura.
Fwoosh—
"Annihilating Flame Erosion" "Fourth Form" "Annihilating Flame Severing Night"
⟨ Mulsanjol Ya ⟩
The moment the sword of pure white flames, brimming with overwhelming light, took form.
Krash swung at Black Sparrow without hesitation.
As Annihilating Flame Severing Night extended toward her, Black Sparrow thrust out her chakram.
A chakram even more condensed with starlight than before poured out white radiance, clashing against Krash's blade.
Black Sparrow assumed it would block Krash's sword easily.
The chakrams she wielded were special ones carved from stars themselves: Star Dancers.
Unless matched by another star-forged weapon, her chakrams nullified any opposing force.
In other words, no matter if it was aura, World Erosion, or even gathered power.
The instant it touched her chakram, it lost all strength.
Black Sparrow planned to shatter his blade and cleave Krash in two.
But she had underestimated him.
Just before Krash's blade touched the chakram.
The blade vanished abruptly.
Black Sparrow's eyes widened.
She'd thrown the chakram calculating for a clash with his sword.
Thus, the now-targetless chakram shot past toward Krash first.
The timing was completely off.
Krash had anticipated it from the start.
He ducked low as the chakram grazed overhead, then stomped the ground.
Boom!
With an explosive leap, Krash closed into Black Sparrow's guard.
No time to reform the blade.
'Then.'
Krash released Thunderclap.
Instead, he poured white aura power at full force into his right fist.
'I'll make you eat one good hit.'
Krash's fist thrust forward.
"Calamitous Dragon Descent" "Second Form" "Force"
⟨ Jae Ryong Nak ⟩
Splat!
Krash's fist, amplified to the max with aura, buried into Black Sparrow's gut.
The moment her body bent in a V-shape, his next technique activated simultaneously.
"Inch Strength"
⟨ Chon Gyeong ⟩
The first strike followed by a second internal impact.
Having taken the full hit, Black Sparrow's body launched into the air.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, Black Sparrow embedded into the wall and tumbled.
Krash, who had launched her, caught his breath and glanced at his fist.
'It didn't land clean.'
Krash sensed something had blocked his strike.
"Ha."
As Krash raised his head, Black Sparrow's chilling voice echoed from the smoke.
She emerged slowly, brushing back her slightly disheveled silver hair.
The intense killing intent in her eyes warped the space around her.
"A human punches me?"
"Black Sparrow, you underestimated him."
In that moment, another voice reached Krash's ears.
Krash scowled deeply, recognizing it.
He turned to see a tall beauty with long blue hair and a mask covering one eye.
He'd only recently learned her face.
Hell Fairy.
The seed planted in Ixion by the Red Witch Abella.
She stood beside Black Sparrow, holding a large orb glowing with blue light.
"That was dangerous just now."
Krash realized the Hell Fairy had blocked his punch.
It had been a trump card aimed at Black Sparrow's habit of scorning humans.
Yet it was thwarted all too easily.
Krash exhaled quietly.
Black Sparrow, and now Hell Fairy too.
This would be a grueling fight.
"Dangerous for me?"
Meanwhile, Black Sparrow scoffed, three Star Dancer chakrams orbiting her.
"As if. I have no weaknesses."
"Of course."
The Hell Fairy responded expressionlessly.
Krash, who had been watching them silently, spoke up.
"The Tyrant Sovereign was guarding the entrance. How did you get in?"
Currently guarding the entrance was none other than Tyrant Sovereign Glaysis Lactea.
A woman with the dangerous creed that all World Erosion bearers must be exterminated.
She surely wouldn't let even one inside the barrier.
"You think that woman's anything special?"
The Hell Fairy stayed silent, but Black Sparrow, ever eager to boast, sneered at Krash.
"With the Beast King and Lianma piling on, even she couldn't move."
Those two had joined in too?
He knew Ixion would commit significant forces, but not that their core members would all show up.
'Even against the Tyrant Sovereign.'
If those two attacked in earnest together, a gap was inevitable.
"Even so, breaking the barrier wouldn't be easy."
"That was thanks to her hims—"
"Black Sparrow, enough."
Unable to stand it, the Hell Fairy cut her off.
Black Sparrow scowled and turned to her.
"What are you doing? I'm talking. Don't interrupt."
She bared her fury even at a fellow Ixion member.
With her towering pride, she showed hostility without hesitation if annoyed.
So while Krash acknowledged Black Sparrow's individual prowess, he didn't see her as overwhelmingly dangerous.
She didn't cooperate, after all.
The Hell Fairy, well aware, quietly admonished her.
"No need to leak information."
"I'll decide that. Next time you cut me off, I'll shove a Star Dancer down your throat. Don't."
The Hell Fairy didn't reply.
Instead, Krash could roughly read her intentions.
'Nasty bitch.'
More importantly, Krash mulled over Black Sparrow's slip.
「That was thanks to her hims...」
"Herself"—that undoubtedly referred to the Barrier Master.
In other words, the Barrier Master had cooperated with Ixion.
'We got played.'
Krash neatly concluded she'd been compromised.
Pity, but no time to worry about her now.
This place took priority.
"First, I'll kill these bastards."
Black Sparrow's chakrams began spinning again.
Krash stared at them impassively, then let out a bloody grin.
Seeing him smile abruptly, Black Sparrow's gaze flickered oddly.
As if asking what was so funny.
"'These bastards'? Why plural?"
Krash's sarcasm continued.
Black Sparrow shifted her eyes to his back with a what-nonsense look.
Behind Krash stood Aslan quietly preparing her magic, and Bioren further back.
Then, the Hell Fairy froze.
"...We got played."
Black Sparrow soon grasped the meaning.
The breeze had scattered Aslan and Bioren's figures.
It was an afterimage spell.
One enhanced with Bioren's barrier arts to fool even the Hell Fairy, a magic user.
This was a plan Krash, Aslan, and Bioren had devised from the start.
The two World Erosion bearers had fallen for it perfectly.
"Planning to sacrifice yourself?"
Black Sparrow reacted with disbelief at being left alone.
"You didn't realize we were targeting you too."
Krash's eyes surged with lethal intent.
"I'll make you regret that choice!"
Two Star Dancer chakrams hurtled at Krash with ferocious spin, enough to devastate everything around.
Given their properties, impossible to block head-on.
The pair closing from both sides was a dizzying strike.
At the same time, the Hell Fairy teleported, aiming to pursue the two by passing Krash.
Her plan: leave Krash to Black Sparrow and secure Bioren.
Crunch!
But it failed.
For a split second, Black Sparrow's hair fluttered, briefly blinding her.
In that moment, she lost sight of Krash.
"Huh."
As the Star Dancers sliced empty air, a violent sound erupted right beside her.
Crash!
"Guhk!"
There flew the Hell Fairy, who'd just activated her teleport.
Struck by Krash's vanished strike.
Her pre-set defense spell had blocked it, fortunately.
But unable to fully absorb the shockwave, she crashed into the wall and rolled.
Black Sparrow's face stiffened, having read none of Krash's movements.
Meanwhile, white steam billowed from Krash's mouth as he turned slowly, showing his back to Black Sparrow.
The eyes she saw were no longer human—reptilian.
Sharp fangs, white scales sprouting here and there.
Small horns peeking through his tousled hair.
This was far from human.
"...Dragon King Clan?"
She'd heard from the Armed Princess, who'd fought Krash before, that he'd gained the White Dragon's power.
But this wasn't mere power—it was the White Dragon itself.
"Heaven-Exterminating Fire Dragon"
⟨ Myeol Cheon Hwa Ryong ⟩
The true secret art Krash unleashed upon transforming into Dragon King Clan flesh.
A feral grin spread across Krash's face as he faced Black Sparrow.
"What nonsense."
Krash had sent Bioren and Aslan fleeing not just to shield Bioren from World Erosion hunters.
There was another reason.
"I'm."
Simply put, in his current state wielding this power, Krash was too strong.
With those two around, they might get caught in the crossfire, hindering his full might.
"Sticking around to take you both down."
Time to show them who'd truly fallen into the trap.