Chapter 309
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 309
Chapter Title: Shura Field
To be honest, Krash was half in doubt.
Activating Black Hood on the rift in the world itself.
He had no certainty it would succeed.
But there was no reason not to try, so he did.
And unexpectedly, Black Hood actually worked.
Krash felt the power of the aura surging toward his grasp.
Could it even target something like the rift in the world?
There had been doubts, but now that it had activated, there was no room for hesitation.
Once Black Hood started stealing from its target, it took everything without leaving a single shred behind.
Normally, no matter how much aura Krash absorbed, he couldn't take in more than his own vessel could hold.
Even if he used the Dragon King's body and Four Seasons to turn the vessel of World Erosion into a container for aura.
Vessels had their limits, after all.
So once it exceeded a certain level, the power would just spill out.
Absorbing as much aura as he wanted wouldn't matter if it hit the max and became useless.
But the aura absorbed by Black Hood was different.
Black Hood greedily locked the aura inside Krash's body as if it were its own.
It was the ultimate selfishness—stealing from others while never letting go of its own.
But for Krash, this was an opportunity.
Black Hood was a skill.
Which meant its core principle as a skill was divinity.
Krash realized Black Hood had wrapped the aura inside him with divinity to contain it.
'So it can be used like this.'
Surpassing his vessel, he felt the aura filling his body to the brim.
The power of the aura was overflowing.
But excess in anything turns to poison.
The aura, having filled Krash's body to bursting, began to swell and rampage wildly.
But Krash had no intention of just watching.
He'd solved the issue of it spilling out once it filled up.
Now, he just needed to consume the aura from within.
At that moment, the technique he'd received from Byoren activated.
The technique forcibly calmed the rampaging aura.
It soothed the aura so it wouldn't shatter Krash's body.
Next came Four Seasons.
Four Seasons devoured the aura filling his insides indiscriminately.
Four Seasons could keep the body alive no matter what happened to it.
First, Krash shoved all the aura into its belly via Four Seasons.
But even Four Seasons couldn't handle the overflowing aura completely.
So Krash began putting the secret arts he'd learned to use.
Krash's eyes closed calmly.
He focused on the aura that Four Seasons had swallowed.
Through Four Seasons, he divided the aura into portions.
Then he overlaid Lioner on each divided chunk of aura.
The overlaid Lioner rolled the aura into spheres.
The rolled aura tried to break free from Lioner and rampage, but the technique forcibly stabilized it.
In that form—as massive spheres of aura—Krash applied the secret art he'd learned from Durandal.
It was Creationless Martial God.
Normally, Creationless Martial God formed weapons on the outside.
But Krash activated it inside his body.
Creationless Martial God's basic principle was compressing aura to its limit.
Krash applied it to the massive spheres, forcibly compressing the aura.
The aura thrashed endlessly in the process, but Krash had steadily mastered controlling power surges through the Sword Ghost's draw technique.
'No matter how much you rage.'
With the Sword Ghost's draw technique and the stabilizing art, nothing was beyond suppression.
Of course, he had to grit his teeth and endure, maintaining his focus with iron will.
One slip, and his usual Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt might erupt inside him.
He had no desire to explode and die, so he gathered every ounce of mental strength and concentrated.
The massive aura spheres began shrinking bit by bit.
The moment they reduced to the size of small marbles, Krash sensed the limit and activated the technique.
The internally rampaging aura was fixed in place by the technique.
It was the aura's crystallized form—an inner core.
'This way, I can keep the aura stored indefinitely.'
Krash lifted his head, face drenched in cold sweat.
Thanks to Black Hood's effect, countless remnants of aura still clung to his body.
The road ahead was long.
He couldn't leave until he'd converted it all into inner cores.
'Please, before my mental strength gives out.'
He had to endure.
Even if that time stretched on endlessly.
Time flows quickly.
Even the cicadas that had screeched endlessly finally quieted down.
Snowflakes began blooming here and there.
Beneath those snowflakes, a girl was walking.
Her white hair swayed with the blowing wind.
The girl's name was Bianca Hardenharts.
Her name as Krash Valheim's fiancée rang louder than her own.
"Bianca!"
At the call, she turned her head.
There stood a girl with pale golden hair cut short at the nape.
Dalea Juno.
Daughter of the Juno family, the empire's greatest sword clan.
"Juno."
"You look better than usual today?"
At Juno's words, Bianca brushed back her white hair.
"It's really winter now."
Having spent nearly her whole life in the north, Bianca was still weak to heat.
Throughout the summer, she'd stuck ice familiars to her side due to her vulnerability.
This year's weather had been especially brutal.
So much so that autumn was skipped entirely, plunging straight into winter.
But now that winter had arrived, even the heat-averse Bianca was feeling better.
"You're so weak to heat, yet you stuck to your fiancé's side just fine."
"Lord Krash is cool."
"It changes when you use power."
As Dalea said, Krash's abilities focused mainly on flames.
Flames were the attribute best suited for wielding World Erosion effortlessly.
When Krash unleashed his secret arts, the heat around him made it hard to approach.
Yet Bianca stayed glued to his side, even then.
Despite her weakness to heat, his presence was worth overcoming it.
"Love. Pure love."
Dalea marveled admirably, walking beside Bianca.
"So when's that love of your life coming back?"
It had been half a year since Krash left Raheln Academy.
He'd departed in early summer, so it was about time he showed up.
Yet there'd been no word.
"Early summer's gone, summer and autumn ended, and now it's winter. Didn't he say you'd have the wedding this year?"
Growing close with Dalea, Bianca had shared various stories.
That's how Dalea knew a wedding was planned for this year.
"It's fine. It's Lord Krash."
Bianca said it confidently, without a hint of resentment.
"He keeps his promises."
"Hmmm, if you say so, Bianca."
Bianca trusted Krash unwaveringly.
More than that, even if they skipped the ceremony this year, she wouldn't mind.
In her eyes gleamed the ring matched with his.
The ring that sealed their engagement.
As long as she had it, she was content forever.
Even when rumors swirled about Krash and Sizrly's engagement.
The very fiancée in question stood tall without worry.
"To me, it looks shaky."
But separately, Dalea eyed Bianca with slight concern.
"Shaky how?"
"He has so many around him."
Bianca knew exactly what Dalea meant.
Plenty harbored feelings for Krash.
She understood why so many did.
Krash gave his all for others, burning himself out.
If there were ulterior motives, it might feel off-putting.
But he had goals, never malice.
He helped because he truly wanted to. Saved because he wanted to save.
That suited him perfectly.
And unwittingly, it burrowed deep into hearts.
'I know why it turned out that way.'
Having spent the longest time with Krash, Bianca knew.
She knew he poured everything into protecting this world.
He had one sole goal.
So in pursuing it, he harbored no selfish desires.
He had no room for them.
But people are weak to those who chase a single goal relentlessly.
Because they know how grueling it is.
Those around Krash kept getting influenced, acting just like him.
And to think—he'd openly shown his desire for Bianca.
Confessed first. Proposed marriage.
No one else could grasp how proud and valuable that made her feel.
Bianca straightened her back, chin slightly raised.
Her signature smug expression.
"No idea why, but you're looking smug. Cute."
After half a year observing Bianca, Dalea had started reading her faces, cooing over her.
Somehow, despite being peers, Dalea often acted more mature.
Suddenly, Bianca's feet halted abruptly.
Dalea, following behind, stopped puzzled at the sudden pause.
"Lord Krash is back!"
"Really?"
Voices of other kids rang out belatedly.
Dalea turned to Bianca with a baffled look.
Dalea had superior physical talents.
Yet even she hadn't caught the kids' words clearly—Bianca had, simply because Krash was involved.
"Dalea."
Bianca had already turned with a hardened expression.
Dalea understood and nodded.
"Your long-awaited fiancé's here. Gotta go."
With that, Bianca bolted off.
Funny how she'd played it cool inside while dying to see him.
Krash had apparently headed straight to the special classroom building.
Watching Bianca dash toward it, Dalea imagined a white chick flapping desperately after him.
Soon, Bianca arrived at the special building—but her steps slowed.
Dalea tilted her head curiously at the sight.
She followed Bianca's gaze.
There, as the kids said, was the boy with deep blue hair.
More mature now, likely from harsh times—it was definitely Krash Valheim.
But that wasn't the issue.
She'd known he was back. The problem was the scene unfolding.
Right in front of Krash stood a girl.
Black hair streaked with purple.
Her name: Haring Lagren.
Daughter of the Poison King Lagren.
And the problem was, she was hugging Krash tightly.
With a face on the verge of tears.
Dalea's gaze slowly shifted sideways.
Seeing Bianca's face, Dalea quietly turned away.
'Shura field.'
Bianca's eyes were the scariest they'd ever been.